Foam Glass for Construction Materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund

2016-01-01

Foaming is commonly achieved by adding foaming agents such as metal oxides or metal carbonates to glass powder. At elevated temperature, the glass melt becomes viscous and the foaming agents decompose or react to form gas, causing a foamy glass melt. Subsequent cooling to room temperature, result...... in a solid foam glass. The foam glass industry employs a range of different melt precursors and foaming agents. Recycle glass is key melt precursors. Many parameters influence the foaming process and optimising the foaming conditions is very time consuming. The most challenging and attractive goal is to make...... low density foam glass for thermal insulation applications. In this thesis, it is argued that the use of metal carbonates as foaming agents is not suitable for low density foam glass. A reaction mechanism is proposed to justify this result. Furthermore, an in situ method is developed to optimise...

Preliminary study of semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) as secondary gelling agent in natural rubber (NR) latex foam

Science.gov (United States)

Norhazariah, S.; Azura, A. R.; Azahari, B.; Sivakumar, R.

2017-12-01

Semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) product is considerably cheaper and easier to produce as a natural polysaccharide, which was utilized in food and other product application. However, the application in latex is limited. The aim of this work is to evaluate the SRC produced from low industrial grade seaweed (LIGS) in the latex foam application. The FTIR spectra showed the SRC produced as kappa type carrageenan with lower sulfur content compared to native LIGS. NR latex foam is produced by using the Dunlop method with some modifications. The effect of SRC loading as a secondary gelling agent in NR latex foam is investigated. The density and morphology of the NR latex foam with the addition of the SRC are analyzed. NR latex foam density increased with SRC loading and peaked at 1.8 phr SRC. The addition of SRC has induced the bigger cell size compared to the cell size of the control NR latex foam, as shown in the optical micrograph. It can be concluded that SRC LIGS could be acted as secondary gelling agent in NR latex foam.

Chemical characterization and ecotoxicity of three soil foaming agents used in mechanized tunneling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baderna, Diego, E-mail: diego.baderna@marionegri.it [Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Lomazzi, Eleonora [Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Passoni, Alice [Unit of Analytical Instrumentation, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Pogliaghi, Alberto; Petoumenou, Maria Ifigeneia [Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Bagnati, Renzo [Unit of Analytical Instrumentation, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Lodi, Marco [Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Viarengo, Aldo; Sforzini, Susanna [Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation (DiSIT), University of Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, 15121 Alessandria (Italy); Benfenati, Emilio [Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy); Fanelli, Roberto [Department of Environmental Health Sciences, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Giuseppe La Masa 19, 20156 Milan (Italy)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • An integrated approach was applied to study three foaming agents. • Several compounds not reported on the safety data sheets were identified by HRMS. • Environmental impacts were investigated with a battery of biological assays. • An ecotoxicological ranking of the products was obtained. - Abstract: The construction of tunnels and rocks with mechanized drills produces several tons of rocky debris that are today recycled as construction material or as soil replacement for covering rocky areas. The lack of accurate information about the environmental impact of these excavated rocks and foaming agents added during the excavation process has aroused increasing concern for ecosystems and human health. The present study proposes an integrated approach to the assessment of the potential environmental impact of three foaming agents containing different anionic surfactants and other polymers currently on the market and used in tunnel boring machines. The strategy includes chemical characterization with high resolution mass spectrometry techniques to identify the components of each product, the use of in silico tools to perform a similarity comparison among these compounds and some pollutants already listed in regulatory frameworks to identify possible threshold concentrations of contamination, and the application of a battery of ecotoxicological assays to investigate the impact of each foaming mixture on model organisms of soil (higher plants and Eisenia andrei) and water communities (Daphnia magna). The study identified eleven compounds not listed on the material safety data sheets for which we have identified possible concentrations of contamination based on existing regulatory references. The bioassays allowed us to determine the no effect concentrations (NOAECs) of the three mixtures, which were subsequently used as threshold concentration for the product in its entirety. The technical mixtures used in this study have a different degree of toxicity

Chemical characterization and ecotoxicity of three soil foaming agents used in mechanized tunneling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baderna, Diego; Lomazzi, Eleonora; Passoni, Alice; Pogliaghi, Alberto; Petoumenou, Maria Ifigeneia; Bagnati, Renzo; Lodi, Marco; Viarengo, Aldo; Sforzini, Susanna; Benfenati, Emilio; Fanelli, Roberto

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An integrated approach was applied to study three foaming agents. • Several compounds not reported on the safety data sheets were identified by HRMS. • Environmental impacts were investigated with a battery of biological assays. • An ecotoxicological ranking of the products was obtained. - Abstract: The construction of tunnels and rocks with mechanized drills produces several tons of rocky debris that are today recycled as construction material or as soil replacement for covering rocky areas. The lack of accurate information about the environmental impact of these excavated rocks and foaming agents added during the excavation process has aroused increasing concern for ecosystems and human health. The present study proposes an integrated approach to the assessment of the potential environmental impact of three foaming agents containing different anionic surfactants and other polymers currently on the market and used in tunnel boring machines. The strategy includes chemical characterization with high resolution mass spectrometry techniques to identify the components of each product, the use of in silico tools to perform a similarity comparison among these compounds and some pollutants already listed in regulatory frameworks to identify possible threshold concentrations of contamination, and the application of a battery of ecotoxicological assays to investigate the impact of each foaming mixture on model organisms of soil (higher plants and Eisenia andrei) and water communities (Daphnia magna). The study identified eleven compounds not listed on the material safety data sheets for which we have identified possible concentrations of contamination based on existing regulatory references. The bioassays allowed us to determine the no effect concentrations (NOAECs) of the three mixtures, which were subsequently used as threshold concentration for the product in its entirety. The technical mixtures used in this study have a different degree of toxicity

Analysis of Influence of Foaming Mixture Components on Structure and Properties of Foam Glass

Science.gov (United States)

Karandashova, N. S.; Goltsman, B. M.; Yatsenko, E. A.

2017-11-01

It is recommended to use high-quality thermal insulation materials to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. One of the best thermal insulation materials is foam glass - durable, porous material that is resistant to almost any effect of substance. Glass foaming is a complex process depending on the foaming mode and the initial mixture composition. This paper discusses the influence of all components of the mixture - glass powder, foaming agent, enveloping material and water - on the foam glass structure. It was determined that glass powder is the basis of the future material. A foaming agent forms a gas phase in the process of thermal decomposition. This aforementioned gas foams the viscous glass mass. The unreacted residue thus changes a colour of the material. The enveloping agent slows the foaming agent decomposition preventing its premature burning out and, in addition, helps to accelerate the sintering of glass particles. The introduction of water reduces the viscosity of the foaming mixture making it evenly distributed and also promotes the formation of water gas that additionally foams the glass mass. The optimal composition for producing the foam glass with the density of 150 kg/m3 is defined according to the results of the research.

Methodology for characterization of corrosive agents of thermal insulating foams; Desenvolvimento de metodologia para caracterizacao de agentes corrosivos de espumas de isolamento termico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sousa, Flavio V. Vasques de [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Fundacao Coordenacao de Projetos, Pesquisas e Estudos Tecnologicos - COPPETEC; Mattos, Oscar R.; Mota, Rafael O. da [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Engenharia Metalurgica e de Materiais; Margarit-Mattos, Isabel C.P. [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica. Dept. de Processos Organicos; Quintela, Joaquim P. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Vieira, Magda M. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas

2005-07-01

Warming up oil and derivatives is a required procedure to make their transportation more efficient due to the increase in fluidity. Therefore, the use of thermally insulated pipeline becomes essential. The commonly practice has been the use of pipelines covered with an optional anticorrosive coating, followed by a polyurethane foam layer, as thermal insulator, and a polyethylene top coating for mechanical protection. During the life time of the pipeline, local ruptures of the polyethylene coating frequently occur, allowing the water permeation throughout the thermal insulator. This water may cause foam leaching that would release corrosive agents on the external wall pipe. The objective of the present work was to investigate the effects of the blowing agents, the addition of flame retardant to the foam as well as operating temperatures on the generation of corrosive solutions on the external wall of thermally insulated pipes. In this sense, polyurethane foams expanded with HCFC-141b, CFC-11 and CO{sub 2}, with and without flame retardant, were evaluated at the temperatures of 80 and 120 deg C. (author)

Effects of foaming and antifoaming agents on the performance of a wet flue gas desulfurization pilot plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qin, Siqiang; Hansen, Brian Brun; Kiil, Søren

2014-01-01

Foaming is a common phenomenon in industrial processes, including wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) plants. A systemic investigation of the influence of two foaming agents, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and egg white albumin (protein), and two commercial antifoams on a wet FGD pilot plant...

Simple gases to replace non-environmentally friendly polymer foaming agents. A thermodynamic investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grolier, Jean-Pierre E.; Randzio, Stanislaw L.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The PVT-vibrating wire technique and PVT-scanning transitiometry. ► Polymer swelling with measured gas sorption and gas–polymer interaction energies. ► Experimental measurements up to 373 K and 100 MPa. ► Hydrostatic and plasticization effects under high pressure gas and induced T g -shifts. ► Thermodynamic study of the (gas + polymer) systems polystyrene with CO 2 , N 2 , and freons. - Abstract: Foaming constitutes one of the most important industrial activities in polymer engineering to produce efficient thermal insulating materials. In particular, rigid insulating boards are produced worldwide on a large scale using blowing agents which eventually are released in the environment where they adversely impact the natural friendly stratospheric ozone layer. Concomitantly, the chemicals used as blowing agents contribute to the creation of the unfriendly tropospheric ozone layer generating the disastrous green house effect around our planet. The traditional foaming intermediates currently named freons, like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) currently used as blowing agents as well as the hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) often considered as alternative blowing agents, must be banned from industrial processes and new (friendly) foaming agents have to be suggested and evaluated in terms of both easy engineering and environmental neutrality. Undoubtedly thermodynamics plays a major role in assessing the effective capability of those chemicals. Some CFCs still accepted and other possible simple gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen have been considered. The in-depth thermodynamic investigation has been made possible thanks to new experimental developments to determine gas solubility in polymers and associated swelling as well as the thermodynamic properties of (gas + polymer) systems, including the thermophysical properties of polymers under gas sorption. Pertinent data have been generated for such properties over extended T and p ranges.

Chemical characterization and ecotoxicity of three soil foaming agents used in mechanized tunneling.

Science.gov (United States)

Baderna, Diego; Lomazzi, Eleonora; Passoni, Alice; Pogliaghi, Alberto; Petoumenou, Maria Ifigeneia; Bagnati, Renzo; Lodi, Marco; Viarengo, Aldo; Sforzini, Susanna; Benfenati, Emilio; Fanelli, Roberto

2015-10-15

The construction of tunnels and rocks with mechanized drills produces several tons of rocky debris that are today recycled as construction material or as soil replacement for covering rocky areas. The lack of accurate information about the environmental impact of these excavated rocks and foaming agents added during the excavation process has aroused increasing concern for ecosystems and human health. The present study proposes an integrated approach to the assessment of the potential environmental impact of three foaming agents containing different anionic surfactants and other polymers currently on the market and used in tunnel boring machines. The strategy includes chemical characterization with high resolution mass spectrometry techniques to identify the components of each product, the use of in silico tools to perform a similarity comparison among these compounds and some pollutants already listed in regulatory frameworks to identify possible threshold concentrations of contamination, and the application of a battery of ecotoxicological assays to investigate the impact of each foaming mixture on model organisms of soil (higher plants and Eisenia andrei) and water communities (Daphnia magna). The study identified eleven compounds not listed on the material safety data sheets for which we have identified possible concentrations of contamination based on existing regulatory references. The bioassays allowed us to determine the no effect concentrations (NOAECs) of the three mixtures, which were subsequently used as threshold concentration for the product in its entirety. The technical mixtures used in this study have a different degree of toxicity and the predicted environmental concentrations based on the conditions of use are lower than the NOAEC for soils but higher than the NOAEC for water, posing a potential risk to the waters due to the levels of foaming agents in the muck. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production of lightweight foam glass (invited talk)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Yue, Yuanzheng

The foam glass production allows low cost recycling of postconsumer glass and industrial waste materials as foaming agent or as melt resource. Foam glass is commonly produced by utilising milled glass mixed with a foaming agent. The powder mixture is heat-treated to around 10^3.7 – 10^6 Pa s, which...... result in viscous sintering and subsequent foaming of the glass melt. The porous glass melt is cooled down to room temperature to freeze-in the foam structure. The resulting foam glass is applied in constructions as a light weight material to reduce load bearing capacity and as heat insulating material...... in buildings and industry. We foam panel glass from old televisions with different foaming agents. We discuss the foaming ability and the foaming mechanism of different foaming systems. We compare several studies to define a viscous window for preparing low density foam glass. However, preparing foam glass...

Proportioning of Lightweight Concrete by the Inclusions of Expanded Polystyrene Beads (EPS and Foam Agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eethar Thanon Dawood

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper illustrates the performance of lightweight concrete using various amounts of expanded polystyrene beads (EPS and different amounts of foam agent to produce lightweight concrete. The objective of this paper is to produce lightweight concrete with good workability and strength, by different mix proportion of foam agent (0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.2 kg/m3 and varying water cement ratio (w/c depending on the flow. Besides, various proportions using different percentages of EPS in order of volume fractions are used. The flow range used in the study is 110-130%. Each mix proportion is tested for compressive strength, modulus of rupture, density and voids ratio. The results gives acceptable ranges of strength for lightweight concrete produced by the inclusions of EPS beads and foam concrete. Therefore, the lightweight concrete produced in this work can be used for structural applications like multistory building frames, floors, bridges and prestressed or precast elements. 

Performance and thermal decomposition analysis of foaming agent NPL-10 for use in heavy oil recovery by steam injection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Fa-Jun

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Foaming agents, despite holding potential in steam injection technology for heavy oil recovery, are still poorly investigated. In this work, we analyzed the performance of the foaming agent NPL-10 in terms of foam height and half-life under various conditions of temperature, pH, salinity, and oil content by orthogonal experiments. The best conditions of use for NPL-10 among those tested are T=220°C, pH 7, salinity 10000 mg·L–1 and oil content 10 g·L–1. Thermal decomposition of NPL-10 was also studied by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses. NPL-10 decomposes above 220°C, and decomposition is a two-step process. The kinetic triplet (activation energy, kinetic function and pre-exponential factor and the corresponding rate law were calculated for each step. Steps 1 and 2 follow kinetics of different order (n = 2 and ½, respectively. These findings provide some criteria for the selection of foaming agents for oil recovery by steam injection.

State-of-the-Art Review on the Characteristics of Surfactants and Foam from Foam Concrete Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Sahu, Sritam Swapnadarshi; Gandhi, Indu Siva Ranjani; Khwairakpam, Selija

2018-06-01

Foam concrete finds application in many areas, generally as a function of its relatively lightweight and its beneficial properties in terms of reduction in dead load on structure, excellent thermal insulation and contribution to energy conservation. For production of foam concrete with desired properties, stable and good quality foam is the key requirement. It is to be noted that the selection of surfactant and foam production parameters play a vital role in the properties of foam which in turn affects the properties of foam concrete. However, the literature available on the influence of characteristics of foaming agent and foam on the properties of foam concrete are rather limited. Hence, a more systematic research is needed in this direction. The focus of this work is to provide a review on characteristics of surfactant (foaming agent) and foam for use in foam concrete production.

Experimental study on foam coverage on simulated longwall roof

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, W.R.; Zheng, Y.; Klima, S.; Shahan, M.R.; Beck, T.W.

2018-01-01

Testing was conducted to determine the ability of foam to maintain roof coverage in a simulated longwall mining environment. Approximately 27 percent of respirable coal mine dust can be attributed to longwall shield movement, and developing controls for this dust source has been difficult. The application of foam is a possible dust control method for this source. Laboratory testing of two foam agents was conducted to determine the ability of the foam to adhere to a simulated longwall face roof surface. Two different foam generation methods were used: compressed air and blower air. Using a new imaging technology, image processing and analysis utilizing ImageJ software produced quantifiable results of foam roof coverage. For compressed air foam in 3.3 m/s (650 fpm) ventilation, 98 percent of agent A was intact while 95 percent of agent B was intact on the roof at three minutes after application. At 30 minutes after application, 94 percent of agent A was intact while only 20 percent of agent B remained. For blower air in 3.3 m/s (650 fpm) ventilation, the results were dependent upon nozzle type. Three different nozzles were tested. At 30 min after application, 74 to 92 percent of foam agent A remained, while 3 to 50 percent of foam agent B remained. Compressed air foam seems to remain intact for longer durations and is easier to apply than blower air foam. However, more water drained from the foam when using compressed air foam, which demonstrates that blower air foam retains more water at the roof surface. Agent A seemed to be the better performer as far as roof application is concerned. This testing demonstrates that roof application of foam is feasible and is able to withstand a typical face ventilation velocity, establishing this technique’s potential for longwall shield dust control. PMID:29563765

Crosslinked polyethylene foams, via eb radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, E.C.L.; Lugao, A. B.; Andrade e Silva, L. G.

1998-01-01

Polyethylene foams, produced by radio-induced crosslinking, show a smooth and homogeneous surface, when compared to chemical crosslinking method using peroxide as crosslinking agent. This process fosters excellent adhesive and printability properties. Besides that, closed cells, intrinsic to these foams, imparts optimum mechanical, shocks and insulation resistance, indicating these foams to some markets segments as: automotive and transport; buoyancy, flotation and marine; building and insulation; packaging; domestic sports and leisure goods. We were in search of an ideal foam, by adding 5 to 15% of blowing agent in LDPE. A series of preliminary trials defined 203 degree sign C as the right blowing agent decomposition temperature. At a 22.7 kGys/dose ratio, the lowest dose for providing an efficient foam was 30 kGy, for a formulation comprising 10% of azodicarbonamide in LDPE, within a 10 minutes foaming time

Foaming in manure based digesters: Effect of overloading and foam suppression using antifoam agents

OpenAIRE

Kougias, Panagiotis; Tsapekos, Panagiotis; Boe, Kanokwan; Angelidaki, Irini

2013-01-01

Anaerobic digestion foaming is one of the major problems that occasionally occur in full-scale biogas plants, affecting negatively the overall digestion process. The foam is typically created either in the main biogas reactor or/and in the pre-storage tank and the entrapped solids in the foam cause severe operational problems, such as blockage of mixing devices and collapse of pumps. Furthermore, the foaming problem is linked with economic consequences for biogas plants, due to income losses ...

Foaming in manure based digesters: Effect of overloading and foam suppression using antifoam agents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kougias, Panagiotis; Tsapekos, Panagiotis; Boe, Kanokwan

Anaerobic digestion foaming is one of the major problems that occasionally occur in full-scale biogas plants, affecting negatively the overall digestion process. The foam is typically created either in the main biogas reactor or/and in the pre-storage tank and the entrapped solids in the foam cause...... severe operational problems, such as blockage of mixing devices and collapse of pumps. Furthermore, the foaming problem is linked with economic consequences for biogas plants, due to income losses derived from the reduced biogas production, extra labour work and additional maintenance costs. Moreover....... A continuous stirred tank reactor, operating under thermophilic conditions (55 oC) was fed with cattle manure. In order to investigate the effect of organic overloading on foam formation, a stepwise increase of the organic loading rate was performed by the addition of glucose in the feeding substrate. Biogas...

Influence of the glass particle size on the foaming process and physical characteristics of foam glasses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

König, Jakob; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; Yue, Yuanzheng

2016-01-01

We have prepared low-density foam glasses from cathode-ray-tube panel glass using carbon and MnO2 as the foaming agents. The effect of the glass particle size on the foaming process, the apparent density and the pore morphology is revealed. The results show that the foaming is mainly caused...... by the reduction of manganese. Foam glasses with a density of

Biopolymer foams - Relationship between material characteristics and foaming behavior of cellulose based foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapp, F.; Schneider, A.; Elsner, P.

2014-01-01

Biopolymers are becoming increasingly important to both industry and consumers. With regard to waste management, CO 2 balance and the conservation of petrochemical resources, increasing efforts are being made to replace standard plastics with bio-based polymers. Nowadays biopolymers can be built for example of cellulose, lactic acid, starch, lignin or bio mass. The paper will present material properties of selected cellulose based polymers (cellulose propionate [CP], cellulose acetate butyrate [CAB]) and corresponding processing conditions for particle foams as well as characterization of produced parts. Special focus is given to the raw material properties by analyzing thermal behavior (differential scanning calorimetry), melt strength (Rheotens test) and molecular weight distribution (gel-permeation chromatography). These results will be correlated with the foaming behavior in a continuous extrusion process with physical blowing agents and underwater pelletizer. Process set-up regarding particle foam technology, including extrusion foaming and pre-foaming, will be shown. The characteristics of the resulting foam beads will be analyzed regarding part density, cell morphology and geometry. The molded parts will be tested on thermal conductivity as well as compression behavior (E-modulus, compression strength)

Biopolymer foams - Relationship between material characteristics and foaming behavior of cellulose based foams

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, F.; Schneider, A.; Elsner, P.

2014-05-01

Biopolymers are becoming increasingly important to both industry and consumers. With regard to waste management, CO2 balance and the conservation of petrochemical resources, increasing efforts are being made to replace standard plastics with bio-based polymers. Nowadays biopolymers can be built for example of cellulose, lactic acid, starch, lignin or bio mass. The paper will present material properties of selected cellulose based polymers (cellulose propionate [CP], cellulose acetate butyrate [CAB]) and corresponding processing conditions for particle foams as well as characterization of produced parts. Special focus is given to the raw material properties by analyzing thermal behavior (differential scanning calorimetry), melt strength (Rheotens test) and molecular weight distribution (gel-permeation chromatography). These results will be correlated with the foaming behavior in a continuous extrusion process with physical blowing agents and underwater pelletizer. Process set-up regarding particle foam technology, including extrusion foaming and pre-foaming, will be shown. The characteristics of the resulting foam beads will be analyzed regarding part density, cell morphology and geometry. The molded parts will be tested on thermal conductivity as well as compression behavior (E-modulus, compression strength).

Structural Foams of Biobased Isosorbide-Containing Copolycarbonate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Zepnik

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Isosorbide-containing copolycarbonate (Bio-PC is a partly biobased alternative to conventional bisphenol A (BPA based polycarbonate (PC. Conventional PC is widely used in polymer processing technologies including thermoplastic foaming such as foam injection molding. At present, no detailed data is available concerning the foam injection molding behavior and foam properties of Bio-PC. This contribution provides first results on injection-molded foams based on isosorbide-containing PC. The structural foams were produced by using an endothermic chemical blowing agent (CBA masterbatch and the low pressure foam injection molding method. The influence of weight reduction and blowing agent concentration on general foam properties such as density, morphology, and mechanical properties was studied. The test specimens consist of a foam core in the center and compact symmetrical shell layers on the sides. The thickness of the foam core increases with increasing weight reduction irrespective of the CBA concentration. The specific (mechanical bending properties are significantly improved and the specific tensile properties can almost be maintained while reducing the density of the injection-molded parts.

A Method to Produce Foam Glasses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2016-01-01

The present invention relates to a production process of foam glass from a mixture of glass cullet or slag or fly ash with a foaming agent and an oxidizing agent and heating to below 1100 C under low oxygen atmosphere. The invention relates more particularly to a process wherein pure carbon or a ...

Thermomechanical analyses of phenolic foam reinforced with glass fiber mat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Jintang; Yao, Zhengjun; Chen, Yongxin; Wei, Dongbo; Wu, Yibing

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Over 10% glass fiber was used to reinforce phenolic foam in the shape of glass fiber mat. • Nucleating agents were used together with glass fiber mat and improved tensile strength of phenolic foam by 215.6%. • Nucleating agents lead to a smaller bubble size of phenolic foam. • The glass transition temperature of phenolic foam remained unchanged during the reinforcement. - Abstract: In this paper, thermomechanical analysis (TMA) and dynamic mechanical analysis were employed to study the properties of phenolic foam reinforced with glass fiber mat. Unreinforced phenolic foam was taken as the control sample. Mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy were performed to confirm the results of TMA. The results show that glass fiber mat reinforcement improves the mechanical performance of phenolic foam, and nucleating agents improve it further. Phenolic foam reinforced with glass fiber mat has a smaller thermal expansion coefficient compared with unreinforced foam. The storage modulus of the reinforced phenolic foam is also higher than that in unreinforced foam, whereas the loss modulus of the former is lower than that of the latter. The glass transition temperature of the phenolic foam matrix remains unchanged during the reinforcement

Influence of the glass-calcium carbonate mixture's characteristics on the foaming process and the properties of the foam glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

König, Jakob; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; Yue, Yuanzheng

2014-01-01

We prepared foam glasses from cathode-ray-tube panel glass and CaCO3 as a foaming agent. We investigated the influences of powder preparation, CaCO3 concentration and foaming temperature and time on the density, porosity and homogeneity of the foam glasses. The results show that the decomposition...

Preparation of three-dimensional shaped aluminum alloy foam by two-step foaming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang, J.T.; Xuming, Chu; Deping, He

2008-01-01

A novel method, named two-step foaming, was investigated to prepare three-dimensional shaped aluminum alloy foam used in car industry, spaceflight, packaging and related areas. Calculations of thermal decomposition kinetics of titanium hydride showed that there is a considerable amount of hydrogen releasing when the titanium hydride is heated at a relatively high temperature after heated at a lower temperature. The hydrogen mass to sustain aluminum alloy foam, having a high porosity, was also estimated by calculations. Calculations indicated that as-received titanium hydride without any pre-treatment can be used as foaming agents in two-step foaming. The processes of two-step foaming, including preparing precursors and baking, were also studied by experiments. Results showed that, low titanium hydride dispersion temperature, long titanium hydride dispersion time and low precursors porosity are beneficial to prepare three-dimensional shaped aluminum alloy foams with uniform pores

Activated, coal-based carbon foam

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Darren Kenneth; Plucinski, Janusz Wladyslaw

2004-12-21

An ablation resistant, monolithic, activated, carbon foam produced by the activation of a coal-based carbon foam through the action of carbon dioxide, ozone or some similar oxidative agent that pits and/or partially oxidizes the carbon foam skeleton, thereby significantly increasing its overall surface area and concurrently increasing its filtering ability. Such activated carbon foams are suitable for application in virtually all areas where particulate or gel form activated carbon materials have been used. Such an activated carbon foam can be fabricated, i.e. sawed, machined and otherwise shaped to fit virtually any required filtering location by simple insertion and without the need for handling the "dirty" and friable particulate activated carbon foam materials of the prior art.

Effect of Organic Co-blowing Agents on the Morphology of CO2 Blown Microcellular Polystyrene Foams.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nistor, A.; Topiař, Martin; Sovová, Helena; Kosek, J.

2017-01-01

Roč. 130, DEC 2017 (2017), s. 30-39 ISSN 0896-8446 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-18938S Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : polystyrene * closed-cell microcellular foam * co-blowing agent Subject RIV: CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering OBOR OECD: Chemical process engineering Impact factor: 2.991, year: 2016

Foam glass obtained through high-pressure sintering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Martin Bonderup; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob

2018-01-01

Foam glasses are usually prepared through a chemical approach, that is, by mixing glass powder with foaming agents, and heating the mixture to a temperature above the softening point (106.6 Pa s) of the glass. The foaming agents release gas, enabling expansion of the sintered glass. Here, we use...... a physical foaming approach to prepare foam glass. First, closed pores filled with inert gases (He, Ar, or N2) are physically introduced into a glass body by sintering cathode ray tube (CRT) panel glass powder at high gas pressure (5‐25 MPa) at 640°C and, then cooled to room temperature. The sintered bodies...... are subjected to a second heat treatment above the glass transition temperature at atmospheric pressure. This heat treatment causes expansion of the pores due to high internal gas pressure. We found that the foaming ability strongly depends on the gas pressure applied during sintering, and on the kinetic...

Thermal Conductivity of Foam Glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Yue, Yuanzheng

Due to the increased focus on energy savings and waste recycling foam glass materials have gained increased attention. The production process of foam glass is a potential low-cost recycle option for challenging waste, e.g. CRT glass and industrial waste (fly ash and slags). Foam glass is used...... as thermal insulating material in building and chemical industry. The large volume of gas (porosity 90 – 95%) is the main reason of the low thermal conductivity of the foam glass. If gases with lower thermal conductivity compared to air are entrapped in the glass melt, the derived foam glass will contain...... only closed pores and its overall thermal conductivity will be much lower than that of the foam glass with open pores. In this work we have prepared foam glass using different types of recycled glasses and different kinds of foaming agents. This enabled the formation of foam glasses having gas cells...

Optimized Synthesis of Foam Glass from Recycled CRT Panel Glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Yue, Yuanzheng

Most of the panel glass from cathode ray tubes (CRTs) is landfilled today. Instead of landfilling, the panel glass can be turned into new environment-friendly foam glass. Low density foam glass is an effective heat insulating material and can be produced just by using recycle glass and foaming...... additives. In this work we recycle the CRT panel glass to synthesize the foam glass as a crucial component of building and insulating materials. The synthesis conditions such as foaming temperature, duration, glass particle size, type and concentrations of foaming agents, and so on are optimized...... by performing systematic experiments. In particular, the concentration of foaming agents is an important parameter that influences the size of bubbles and the distribution of bubbles throughout the sample. The foam glasses are characterised regarding density and open/closed porosity. Differential scanning...

Porous materials based on foaming solutions obtained from industrial waste

Science.gov (United States)

Starostina, I. V.; Antipova, A. N.; Ovcharova, I. V.; Starostina, Yu L.

2018-03-01

This study analyzes foam concrete production efficiency. Research has shown the possibility of using a newly-designed protein-based foaming agent to produce porous materials using gypsum and cement binders. The protein foaming agent is obtained by alkaline hydrolysis of a raw mixture consisting of industrial waste in an electromagnetic field. The mixture consists of spent biomass of the Aspergillus niger fungus and dust from burning furnaces used in cement production. Varying the content of the foaming agent allows obtaining gypsum binder-based foam concretes with the density of 200-500 kg/m3 and compressive strength of 0.1-1.0 MPa, which can be used for thermal and sound insulation of building interiors. Cement binders were used to obtain structural and thermal insulation materials with the density of 300-950 kg/m3 and compressive strength of 0.9-9.0 MPa. The maximum operating temperature of cement-based foam concretes is 500°C because it provides the shrinkage of less than 2%.

Stability of metallic foams studied under microgravity

CERN Document Server

Wuebben, T; Banhart, J; Odenbach, S

2003-01-01

Metal foams are prepared by mixing a metal powder and a gas-releasing blowing agent, by densifying the mix to a dense precursor and finally foaming by melting the powder compact. The foaming process of aluminium foams is monitored in situ by x-ray radioscopy. One observes that foam evolution is accompanied by film rupture processes which lead to foam coalescence. In order to elucidate the importance of oxides for foam stability, lead foams were manufactured from lead powders having two different oxide contents. The two foam types were generated on Earth and under weightlessness during parabolic flights. The measurements show that the main function of oxide particles is to prevent coalescence, while their influence on bulk viscosity of the melt is of secondary importance.

Carbon particle induced foaming of molten sucrose for the preparation of carbon foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narasimman, R.; Vijayan, Sujith; Prabhakaran, K.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • An easy method for the preparation of carbon foam from sucrose is presented. • Wood derived activated carbon particles are used to stabilize the molten sucrose foam. • The carbon foams show relatively good mechanical strength. • The carbon foams show excellent CO 2 adsorption and oil absorption properties. • The process could be scaled up for the preparation of large foam bodies. - Abstract: Activated carbon powder was used as a foaming and foam setting agent for the preparation of carbon foams with a hierarchical pore structure from molten sucrose. The rheological measurements revealed the interruption of intermolecular hydrogen bonding in molten sucrose by the carbon particles. The carbon particles stabilized the bubbles in molten sucrose by adsorbing on the molten sucrose–gas interface. The carbon foams obtained at the activated carbon powder to sucrose weight ratios in the range of 0–0.25 had a compressive strength in the range of 1.35–0.31 MPa. The produced carbon foams adsorb 2.59–3.04 mmol/g of CO 2 at 760 mmHg at 273 K and absorb oil from oil–water mixtures and surfactant stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with very good selectivity and recyclability

Evaluation of Foaming Behavior of Glass Melts by High-Temperature Microscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Yue, Yuanzheng

2016-01-01

Optical monitoring techniques can record in situ the size of glass samples during a dynamic heating process. This allowed us to study sintering and expansion rate of panel glass from cathode ray tube using MnO2 as foaming agent. We show the maximum expansion rate of glass melt foaming (in situ va...... such as type and concentration of foaming agent, glass composition and particle size to obtain foam glass with high porosity and closed pores. Using this approach we show that the foaming of bottle glass is preferentially conducted at a SiC concentration of 1‒4 wt%....

Foam property tests to evaluate the potential for longwall shield dust control.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, W R; Beck, T W; Zheng, Y; Klima, S; Driscoll, J

2018-01-01

Tests were conducted to determine properties of four foam agents for their potential use in longwall mining dust control. Foam has been tried in underground mining in the past for dust control and is currently being reconsidered for use in underground coal longwall operations in order to help those operations comply with the Mine Safety and Health Administration's lower coal mine respirable dust standard of 1.5 mg/m 3 . Foams were generated using two different methods. One method used compressed air and water pressure to generate foam, while the other method used low-pressure air generated by a blower and water pressure using a foam generator developed by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Foam property tests, consisting of a foam expansion ratio test and a water drainage test, were conducted to classify foams. Compressed-air-generated foams tended to have low expansion ratios, from 10 to 19, with high water drainage. Blower-air-generated foams had higher foam expansion ratios, from 30 to 60, with lower water drainage. Foams produced within these ranges of expansion ratios are stable and potentially suitable for dust control. The test results eliminated two foam agents for future testing because they had poor expansion ratios. The remaining two foam agents seem to have properties adequate for dust control. These material property tests can be used to classify foams for their potential use in longwall mining dust control.

Development of Abaca Fiber-reinforced Foamed Fly Ash Geopolymer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janne Pauline S. Ngo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The growing environmental and economic concerns have led to the need for more sustainable construction materials. The development of foamed geopolymer combines the benefit of reduced environmental footprint and attractive properties of geopolymer technology with foam concrete’s advantages of being lightweight, insulating and energy-saving. In this study, alkali-treated abaca fiber-reinforced geopolymer composites foamed with H2O2 were developed using fly ash as the geopolymer precursor. The effects of abaca fiber loading, foaming agent dosage, and curing temperature on mechanical strength were evaluated using Box-Behken design of experiment with three points replicated. Volumetric weight of samples ranged from 1966 kg/m3 to 2249 kg/m3. Measured compressive strength and flexural ranged from 19.56 MPa to 36.84 MPa, and 2.41 MPa to 6.25 MPa, respectively. Results suggest enhancement of compressive strength by abaca reinforcement and elevated temperature curing. Results, however, indicate a strong interaction between curing temperature and foaming agent dosage, which observably caused the composite’s compressive strength to decline when simultaneously set at high levels. Foaming agent dosage was the only factor detected to significantly affect flexural strength.

Tensile Properties and Fracture Behavior of Aluminum Alloy Foam Fabricated from Die Castings without Using Blowing Agent by Friction Stir Processing Route.

Science.gov (United States)

Hangai, Yoshihiko; Kamada, Hiroto; Utsunomiya, Takao; Kitahara, Soichiro; Kuwazuru, Osamu; Yoshikawa, Nobuhiro

2014-03-21

Al foam has been used in a wide range of applications owing to its light weight, high energy absorption and high sound insulation. One of the promising processes for fabricating Al foam involves the use of a foamable precursor. In this study, ADC12 Al foams with porosities of 67%-78% were fabricated from Al alloy die castings without using a blowing agent by the friction stir processing route. The pore structure and tensile properties of the ADC12 foams were investigated and compared with those of commercially available ALPORAS. From X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) observations of the pore structure of ADC12 foams, it was found that they have smaller pores with a narrower distribution than those in ALPORAS. Tensile tests on the ADC12 foams indicated that as their porosity increased, the tensile strength and tensile strain decreased, with strong relation between the porosity, tensile strength, and tensile strain. ADC12 foams exhibited brittle fracture, whereas ALPORAS exhibited ductile fracture, which is due to the nature of the Al alloy used as the base material of the foams. By image-based finite element (FE) analysis using X-ray CT images corresponding to the tensile tests on ADC12 foams, it was shown that the fracture path of ADC12 foams observed in tensile tests and the regions of high stress obtained from FE analysis correspond to each other. Therefore, it is considered that the fracture behavior of ADC12 foams in relation to their pore structure distribution can be investigated by image-based FE analysis.

Foam suppression in overloaded manure-based biogas reactors using antifoaming agents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kougias, Panagiotis; Boe, Kanokwan; Tsapekos, Panagiotis

2014-01-01

Foam control is an imperative need in biogas plants, as foaming is a major operational problem. In the present study, the effect of oils (rapeseed oil, oleic acid, and octanoic acid) and tributylphosphate on foam reduction and process performance in batch and continuous manure-based biogas reactors...... was investigated. The compounds were tested in dosages of 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.5% v/vfeed. The results showed that rapeseed oil was most efficient to suppress foam at the dosage of 0.05% and 0.1% v/vfeed, while octanoic acid was most efficient to suppress foam at dosage of 0.5% v/vfeed. Moreover, the addition...... of rapeseed oil also increased methane yield. In contrast, tributylphosphate, which was very efficient antifoam, was found to be inhibitory to the biogas process. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd....

Investigation of Chemical-Foam Design as a Novel Approach toward Immiscible Foam Flooding for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini-Nasab, S M; Zitha, P L J

2017-10-19

Strong foam can be generated in porous media containing oil, resulting in incremental oil recovery; however, oil recovery factor is restricted. A large fraction of oil recovered by foam flooding forms an oil-in-water emulsion, so that costly methods may need to be used to separate the oil. Moreover, strong foam could create a large pressure gradient, which may cause fractures in the reservoir. This study presents a novel chemical-foam flooding process for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) from water-flooded reservoirs. The presented method involved the use of chemically designed foam to mobilize the remaining oil after water flooding and then to displace the mobilized oil to the production well. A blend of two anionic surfactant formulations was formulated for this method: (a) IOS, for achieving ultralow interfacial tension (IFT), and (b) AOS, for generating a strong foam. Experiments were performed using Bentheimer sandstone cores, where X-ray CT images were taken during foam generation to find the stability of the advancing front of foam propagation and to map the gas saturation for both the transient and the steady-state flow regimes. Then the proposed chemical-foam strategy for incremental oil recovery was tested through the coinjection of immiscible nitrogen gas and surfactant solutions with three different formulation properties in terms of IFT reduction and foaming strength capability. The discovered optimal formulation contains a foaming agent surfactant, a low IFT surfactant, and a cosolvent, which has a high foam stability and a considerably low IFT (1.6 × 10 -2 mN/m). Coinjection resulted in higher oil recovery and much less MRF than the same process with only using a foaming agent. The oil displacement experiment revealed that coinjection of gas with a blend of surfactants, containing a cosolvent, can recover a significant amount of oil (33% OIIP) over water flooding with a larger amount of clean oil and less emulsion.

Improvement of stability of polidocanol foam for nonsurgical permanent contraception.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jian Xin; Lucchesi, Lisa; Gregory, Kenton W

2015-08-01

Polidocanol foam (PF), used clinically as a venous sclerosant, has recently been studied as a safe and inexpensive means for permanent contraception. Delivering the sclerosant to the fallopian tubes as a foam rather than a liquid increases the surface areas and thus enhances the desired epithelial disrupting activity of the agent. However, the foam is inherently unstable and degrades with time. Therefore, increasing foam stability and thus duration of the agent exposure time could increase epithelial effect while allowing reduction in agent concentration and potential toxicity. We studied methods to improve foam properties that might improve safety and efficacy of PF for intrauterine application. Several types of microporous filters adapted to a syringe-based foaming device were used to study the effect of pore structures on the formation of PF. The foam drainage time and bubble size were characterized. The addition of benzalkonium chloride (BZK) to polidocanol was also investigated for its effects on foam characteristics. A syringe-based foaming device adapted with an inline filter produced smaller bubble PF with a longer foam drainage time. PF generated with a circular pore filter lasts longer than with a noncircular pore filter. The addition of 0.01% of BZK also improved the stability of PF. The stability of PF is affected by the pore characteristics of the filter used for foam generation and enhanced by the presence of a small amount of BZK. The improved foam, if shown to be efficacious in animal models of contraception, could lead to a safe, simple and inexpensive method alternative to surgical contraception. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

USING BIOPOLYMERS TO STABILIZE THE PROTEIN OXYGEN FOAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. V. Nepovinnyh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The cottage cheese whey as an oxygen cocktail foaming base and natural juices as a flavoring ingredient are analyzed. The lifetime of foam generated by the serum proteins is not long: foam falls off rapidly; because from the foam liquid is released (syneresis. The effects of plant polysaccharides on the stabilization of the protein foam oxygen cocktail is studied. It was shown that the use of plant polysaccharides (guar gum, high methoxyl citrus pectin, locust been gum prolong the life of the foam up to 20 times, compared with conventional blowing agents. It was found that oxygen foam properties depend on the molecular weight of guar gum.

Tensile Properties and Fracture Behavior of Aluminum Alloy Foam Fabricated from Die Castings without Using Blowing Agent by Friction Stir Processing Route

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihiko Hangai

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Al foam has been used in a wide range of applications owing to its light weight, high energy absorption and high sound insulation. One of the promising processes for fabricating Al foam involves the use of a foamable precursor. In this study, ADC12 Al foams with porosities of 67%–78% were fabricated from Al alloy die castings without using a blowing agent by the friction stir processing route. The pore structure and tensile properties of the ADC12 foams were investigated and compared with those of commercially available ALPORAS. From X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT observations of the pore structure of ADC12 foams, it was found that they have smaller pores with a narrower distribution than those in ALPORAS. Tensile tests on the ADC12 foams indicated that as their porosity increased, the tensile strength and tensile strain decreased, with strong relation between the porosity, tensile strength, and tensile strain. ADC12 foams exhibited brittle fracture, whereas ALPORAS exhibited ductile fracture, which is due to the nature of the Al alloy used as the base material of the foams. By image-based finite element (FE analysis using X-ray CT images corresponding to the tensile tests on ADC12 foams, it was shown that the fracture path of ADC12 foams observed in tensile tests and the regions of high stress obtained from FE analysis correspond to each other. Therefore, it is considered that the fracture behavior of ADC12 foams in relation to their pore structure distribution can be investigated by image-based FE analysis.

Bio-based Polymer Foam from Soyoil

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnaillie, Laetitia M.; Wool, Richard P.

2006-03-01

The growing bio-based polymeric foam industry is presently lead by plant oil-based polyols for polyurethanes and starch foams. We developed a new resilient, thermosetting foam system with a bio-based content higher than 80%. The acrylated epoxidized soybean oil and its fatty acid monomers is foamed with pressurized carbon dioxide and cured with free-radical initiators. The foam structure and pore dynamics are highly dependent on the temperature, viscosity and extent of reaction. Low-temperature cure hinds the destructive pore coalescence and the application of a controlled vacuum results in foams with lower densities ˜ 0.1 g/cc, but larger cells. We analyze the physics of foam formation and stability, as well as the structure and mechanical properties of the cured foam using rigidity percolation theory. The parameters studied include temperature, vacuum applied, and cross-link density. Additives bring additional improvements: nucleating agents and surfactants help produce foams with a high concentration of small cells and low bulk density. Hard and soft thermosetting foams with a bio content superior to 80% are successfully produced and tested. Potential applications include foam-core composites for hurricane-resistant housing, structural reinforcement for windmill blades, and tissue scaffolds.

Foam-mat drying technology: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, Z; Jideani, V A

2017-08-13

This article reviews various aspects of foam-mat drying such as foam-mat drying processing technique, main additives used for foam-mat drying, foam-mat drying of liquid and solid foods, quality characteristics of foam-mat dried foods, and economic and technical benefits for employing foam-mat drying. Foam-mat drying process is an alternative method that allows the removal of water from liquid materials and pureed materials. In this drying process, a liquid material is converted into foam that is stable by being whipped after adding an edible foaming agent. The stable foam is then spread out in sheet or mat and dried by using hot air (40-90°C) at atmospheric pressure. Methyl cellulose (0.25-2%), egg white (3-20%), maltodextrin (0.5-05%), and gum Arabic (2-9%) are the commonly utilized additives for the foam-mat drying process at the given range, either combined together for their effectiveness or individual effect. The foam-mat drying process is suitable for heat sensitive, viscous, and sticky products that cannot be dried using other forms of drying methods such as spray drying because of the state of product. More interest has developed for foam-mat drying because of the simplicity, cost effectiveness, high speed drying, and improved product quality it provides.

Foaming of aluminium with and without TiO2 addition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, S.; Ozturuk, T.

2003-01-01

A study was carried out into the formation of aluminium foams via powder processing route. Aluminum powder compacts both in pure form and AI-5%TiO 2 were foamed at temperatures ranging from 675 to 800 o C. Foaming agent TiH 2 was mixed with powders typically with 0.6 wt % in two different sizes. Experiments have shown that foaming in excess of 120 % is possible both with pure AI as well as in AI-TiO 2 . It is found that with coarse TiH 2 , with and without TiO 2 , Al expands more, implying that there may be a certain size below which particles may not participate in the foaming process. It is further found that with the use of high temperature there are internal reactions between foaming agent and aluminium as well as between TiO 2 and AI. This is with the result that with TiO 2 added system foaming becomes more temperature dependant than the pure AI. (Original)

Foaming Glass Using High Pressure Sintering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Martin Bonderup; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob

Foam glass is a high added value product which contributes to waste recycling and energy efficiency through heat insulation. The foaming can be initiated by a chemical or physical process. Chemical foaming with aid of a foaming agent is the dominant industrial process. Physical foaming has two...... to expand. After heat-treatment foam glass can be obtained with porosities of 80–90 %. In this study we conduct physical foaming of cathode ray tube (CRT) panel glass by sintering under high pressure (5-25 MPa) using helium, nitrogen, or argon at 640 °C (~108 Pa s). Reheating a sample in a heating...... variations. One way is by saturation of glass melts with gas. The other involves sintering of powdered glass under a high gas pressure resulting in glass pellets with high pressure bubbles entrapped. Reheating the glass pellets above the glass transition temperature under ambient pressure allows the bubbles...

High insulation foam glass material from waste cathode ray tube panel glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

König, Jakob; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; Yue, Yuanzheng

. In general CRT consists of two types of glasses: barium/strontium containing glass (panel glass) and lead containing glass (funnel and panel glass). In this work we present the possibility to produce high performance insulation material from the recycled lead-free glass. We studied the influence of foaming...... between 750 and 850°C. We investigated the influence of milling time, particle size, foaming and oxidizing agent concentrations, temperature and time on the foaming process, foam density, foam porosity and homogeneity. Only moderate foaming was observed in carbon containing samples, while the addition...... of the oxidizing agent greatly improved the foaming quality. The results showed that the amount of oxygen available from the glass is not sufficient to combust all of the added carbon, therefore, additional oxygen was supplied via manganese reduction. In general, a minimum in the foam glass density was observed...

Cryoinsulation Material Development to Mitigate Obsolescence Risk for Global Warming Potential Foams

Science.gov (United States)

Protz, Alison; Bruyns, Roland; Nettles, Mindy

2015-01-01

Cryoinsulation foams currently being qualified for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage are nonozone- depleting substances (ODP) and are compliant with current environmental regulations. However, these materials contain the blowing agent HFC-245fa, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), which is a Global Warming Potential (GWP) substance. In August 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a policy change to reduce or eliminate certain HFCs, including HFC-245fa, in end-use categories including foam blowing agents beginning in 2017. The policy proposes a limited exception to allow continued use of HFC and HFC-blend foam blowing agents for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, including rigid polyurethane spray foams, but only until 2022.

Foam, composition and method of production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghali, R.

1991-09-03

A ternary foam is disclosed which overcomes the disadvantages of conventional heat-insulating foams which are either dense and heavy, expensive to produce, friable, unstable, or have poor fire resistance. The foam of the invention has, by weight of the reaction product, 10-35% polyurethane, 30-55% polyisocyanurate, and 20-45% polyurea. The foam is a reaction product of 100 parts by weight of an organic polyisocyanate with: 15-25 parts by weight of a polyether polyol having a hydroxyl number of ca 28-35 and a molecular weight of not more than 6,000; 5-25 parts by weight of water; 0-25 parts by weight of a blowing agent; 0-50 parts by weight of a filler-plasticizer fire retardant; an effective amount of a low activation catalyst to initiate water-isocyanate reaction to produce polyurea and polyol-isocyanate reaction to produce polyurethane; and an effective amount of a high activation catalyst to retard the low activation catalyst and promote the formation of polyisocyanurate. The low activity catalyst is present in an amount ranging ca 1.5-9 parts per 100 parts by weight of the polyisocyanate, and the high activation catalyst is present in an amount ranging 0.0008-0.002 parts per 100 parts by weight of the polyisocyanate. Water as a reactant and blowing agent can be substituted by an effective amount of a disubstituted amine such as diethanol amine and an inert blowing agent such as fluorocarbon. The resultant foam has excellent heat insulating propeties, is semi-flexible, has a density of 0.5-0.9 lb/ft{sup 3}, and can be inexpensively produced by existing 2-component foam dispensing equipment. 1 fig., 1 tab.

High Temperature Epoxy Foam: Optimization of Process Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samira El Gazzani

2016-06-01

Full Text Available For many years, reduction of fuel consumption has been a major aim in terms of both costs and environmental concerns. One option is to reduce the weight of fuel consumers. For this purpose, the use of a lightweight material based on rigid foams is a relevant choice. This paper deals with a new high temperature epoxy expanded material as substitution of phenolic resin, classified as potentially mutagenic by European directive Reach. The optimization of thermoset foam depends on two major parameters, the reticulation process and the expansion of the foaming agent. Controlling these two phenomena can lead to a fully expanded and cured material. The rheological behavior of epoxy resin is studied and gel time is determined at various temperatures. The expansion of foaming agent is investigated by thermomechanical analysis. Results are correlated and compared with samples foamed in the same temperature conditions. The ideal foaming/gelation temperature is then determined. The second part of this research concerns the optimization of curing cycle of a high temperature trifunctional epoxy resin. A two-step curing cycle was defined by considering the influence of different curing schedules on the glass transition temperature of the material. The final foamed material has a glass transition temperature of 270 °C.

MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS FOR A NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID AND WATER WITH AND WITHOUT ANTI-FOAM AGENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leishear, R.

2009-09-09

Mass transfer rates were measured in a large scale system, which consisted of an 8.4 meter tall by 0.76 meter diameter column containing one of three fluids: water with an anti-foam agent, water without an anti-foam agent, and AZ101 simulant, which simulated a non-Newtonian nuclear waste. The testing contributed to the evaluation of large scale mass transfer of hydrogen in nuclear waste tanks. Due to its radioactivity, the waste was chemically simulated, and due to flammability concerns oxygen was used in lieu of hydrogen. Different liquids were used to better understand the mass transfer processes, where each of the fluids was saturated with oxygen, and the oxygen was then removed from solution as air bubbled up, or sparged, through the solution from the bottom of the column. Air sparging was supplied by a single tube which was co-axial to the column, the decrease in oxygen concentration was recorded, and oxygen measurements were then used to determine the mass transfer coefficients to describe the rate of oxygen transfer from solution. Superficial, average, sparging velocities of 2, 5, and 10 mm/second were applied to each of the liquids at three different column fill levels, and mass transfer coefficient test results are presented here for combinations of superficial velocities and fluid levels.

MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS FOR A NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID AND WATER WITH AND WITHOUT ANTI-FOAM AGENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leishear, R.

2009-01-01

Mass transfer rates were measured in a large scale system, which consisted of an 8.4 meter tall by 0.76 meter diameter column containing one of three fluids: water with an anti-foam agent, water without an anti-foam agent, and AZ101 simulant, which simulated a non-Newtonian nuclear waste. The testing contributed to the evaluation of large scale mass transfer of hydrogen in nuclear waste tanks. Due to its radioactivity, the waste was chemically simulated, and due to flammability concerns oxygen was used in lieu of hydrogen. Different liquids were used to better understand the mass transfer processes, where each of the fluids was saturated with oxygen, and the oxygen was then removed from solution as air bubbled up, or sparged, through the solution from the bottom of the column. Air sparging was supplied by a single tube which was co-axial to the column, the decrease in oxygen concentration was recorded, and oxygen measurements were then used to determine the mass transfer coefficients to describe the rate of oxygen transfer from solution. Superficial, average, sparging velocities of 2, 5, and 10 mm/second were applied to each of the liquids at three different column fill levels, and mass transfer coefficient test results are presented here for combinations of superficial velocities and fluid levels

Viscous Control of the Foam Glass Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Smedskjær, Morten Mattrup

The production of foam glass as heat insulating material is an important industrial process because it enables low-cost recycling of glass waste from a variety of chemical compositions. Optimization of the foaming process of new glass waste compositions is time consuming, since many factors affect...... the foaming process such as temperature, particle size, type and concentration of foaming agent. The foaming temperature is one of the key factors, because even small temperature changes can affect the melt viscosity by several orders of magnitude. Therefore, it is important to establish the viscosity range...... in which the foaming process should take place, particularly when the type of recycled cullet is changed or several types of cullet are mixed in one batch. According to recent glass literature, the foaming process should occur at viscosity 103 to 105 Pa s. However, no systematic studies have hitherto been...

CFC alternatives for thermal insulation foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shankland, I.R. (Allied-Signal Inc., Buffalo, NY (US))

1990-03-01

Low density polymeric foam materials expanded with chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) blowing agents have found widespread use as highly efficient thermal insulation materials in the construction, refrigeration appliance and transportation industries. The advent of regulations which are reducing the production and consumption of the fully halogenated CFCs for environmental reasons has prompted the development of environmentally acceptable substitutes for the CFC blowing agents. This paper summarizes the physical properties and performance of the leading alternatives for CFC-11, which is used to expand rigid polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams, and the leading alternatives for CFC-12 which is used to expand extruded polystyrene board foam. Although the alternatives, HCFC-123 and HCFC-14lb for CFC-11 and HCFC142b and HCFC-124 for CFC-12, are not perfect matches from the performance viewpoint, they represent the optimum choice given the constraints on environmental acceptability, toxicity, flammability and performance. (author).

Industrial waste utilization for foam concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, Gokul; Anand, K. B.

2018-02-01

Foam concrete is an emerging and useful construction material - basically a cement based slurry with at least 10% of mix volume as foam. The mix usually containing cement, filler (usually sand) and foam, have fresh densities ranging from 400kg/m3 to 1600kg/m3. One of the main drawbacks of foam concrete is the large consumption of fine sand as filler material. Usage of different solid industrial wastes as fillers in foam concrete can reduce the usage of fine river sand significantly and make the work economic and eco-friendly. This paper aims to investigate to what extent industrial wastes such as bottom ash and quarry dust can be utilized for making foam concrete. Foam generated using protein based agent was used for preparing and optimizing (fresh state properties). Investigation to find the influence of design density and air-void characteristics on the foam concrete strength shows higher strength for bottom ash mixes due to finer air void distribution. Setting characteristics of various mix compositions are also studied and adoption of Class C flyash as filler demonstrated capability of faster setting.

Manufacture of polyethylene foam by electron beam cross-linking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamai, Isamu

1976-01-01

The manufacturing process of polyethylene foam, comparison between electron beam cross-linking process and chemical cross-linking process, the electron beam irradiation technique for continuous sheets, the characteristics and uses of polyethylene foam are reviewed. The pore diameter can be controlled by selecting the dose rate, because there is strong relationship between the pore diameter and the dose rate. As the dose if higher, the foam becomes finer. The electron accelerators having large capacity show the lowest cost as the radiation source, and are applicable industrially. If the production capacity exceeds about 200 tons per month, the costs of electron beam irradiation process may be more advantageous than that of chemical process according to the circumstances. It is difficult to obtain the uniform distribution of absorption dose in the direction of thickness. General characteristics of cross-linked polyethylene foam are listed. The special feature of electron beam process is that the degree of cross-linking can be controlled arbitrarily before foaming. The products obtained by the electron beam cross-linking process have finer foams and smoother surfaces than those obtained by the chemical process, because the separation of the decomposition of foaming agents from that of cross-linking agents in the chemical cross-linking is difficult. (Iwakiri, K.)

Optimisation of multi-layer rotationally moulded foamed structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pritchard, A. J.; McCourt, M. P.; Kearns, M. P.; Martin, P. J.; Cunningham, E.

2018-05-01

Multi-layer skin-foam and skin-foam-skin sandwich constructions are of increasing interest in the rotational moulding process for two reasons. Firstly, multi-layer constructions can improve the thermal insulation properties of a part. Secondly, foamed polyethylene sandwiched between solid polyethylene skins can increase the mechanical properties of rotationally moulded structural components, in particular increasing flexural properties and impact strength (IS). The processing of multiple layers of polyethylene and polyethylene foam presents unique challenges such as the control of chemical blowing agent decomposition temperature, and the optimisation of cooling rates to prevent destruction of the foam core; therefore, precise temperature control is paramount to success. Long cooling cycle times are associated with the creation of multi-layer foam parts due to their insulative nature; consequently, often making the costs of production prohibitive. Devices such as Rotocooler®, a rapid internal mould water spray cooling system, have been shown to have the potential to significantly decrease cooling times in rotational moulding. It is essential to monitor and control such devices to minimise the warpage associated with the rapid cooling of a moulding from only one side. The work presented here demonstrates the use of threaded thermocouples to monitor the polymer melt in multi-layer sandwich constructions, in order to analyse the cooling cycle of multi-layer foamed structures. A series of polyethylene skin-foam test mouldings were produced, and the effect of cooling medium on foam characteristics, mechanical properties, and process cycle time were investigated. Cooling cycle time reductions of 45%, 26%, and 29% were found for increasing (1%, 2%, and 3%) chemical blowing agent (CBA) amount when using internal water cooling technology from ˜123°C compared with forced air cooling (FAC). Subsequently, a reduction of IS for the same skin-foam parts was found to be 1%, 4

Preparation and characterization of coating sodium trisilicate (Na2O.nSiO2) at calcium carbonate (CaCO3) for blowing agent in Mg alloy foam

Science.gov (United States)

Erryani, Aprilia; Lestari, Franciska Pramuji; Annur, Dhyah; Kartika, Ika

2018-05-01

The role of blowing agent in the manufacture of porous metal alloys is very important to produce the desired pore. The thermal stability and speed of foam formation have an effect on the resulting pore structure. In porous metal alloys, uniformity of size and pore deployment are the main determinants of the resulting alloys. The coating process of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) has been done using Sodium trisilicate solution by sol-gel method. Foaming agent was pretreated by coating SiO2 passive layer on the surface of CaCO3. This coating aims to produce a more stable blowing agent so that the foaming process can produce a more uniform pore size. The microstructure of the SiO2 passive was observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer (EDS) mapping. The results showed coating CaCO3 using sodium trisilicate was successfully done creating a passive layer of SiO2 on the surface of CaCO3. By the coating process, the thermal stability of coated CaCO3 increased compared to uncoated CaCO3.

Unloaded polyether type polyurethane foams as solid extractants for trace elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palagyi, S.; Braun, T.

1992-01-01

Polyether type polyurethane foams (PU) are regular stacks of solid quasi-spherical membranes produced by the reaction of polyisocyanates with polyols of polyether nature in the presence of a catalyst and a blowing agent. Contrary to conventional membrane separations, where a solid membrane is merely a differentially separating agent, or a transport medium, PU foams, apart from separation and preconcentration, also retain, i.e., sorb the species on, or in the membranes. Therefore, PU foam membranes can be considered to act as true sorbents. The membrane properties of PU foam sorbents offer unique advantages over conventional bulk type granular sorbents in rapid, versatile and effective separations and preconcentrations of different compounds from fluid samples. Unloaded PU foam sorbents have received considerable attention in the separation of different trace inorganic species. (author) 74 refs.; 1 fig.; 1 tab

EFFECTS OF COMPRESSED AIR FOAM APPLICATION ON HEAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam THOMITZEK

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article evaluates the knowledge obtained in firefighting tests using compressed air foam system (CAFS within a confined space. Six experiments were conducted for verification during the cooling of rooms and the self-extinguishing effect. The simulation was for a fully developed fire within a room. The fuel was chosen to simulate ordinary combustible materials utilized in residential areas. Mantel thermocouples were placed in the rooms to record the temperature changes. Compressed air foam was first applied with a standard fire hose nozzle to the ceiling and then to the epicenter of fire. Fire extinguishing was initiated after reaching the desired temperature in the room. The temperature for the start of fire extinguishing matched the third phase of development of a fire. Fire extinguishing was terminated after no obvious signs of fire were shown in epicenter of fire. The outputs of the experiments were evaluated on the basis of the amount of time passed for the temperature to drop below the suggested limit. Individual experiments were also conducted with various different admixing foaming agents over different locations. In the experiments, it has been verified that the application of compressed air foam has a positive effect on room cooling. Use of a compressed air foaming agent does not allow for the development of steam that can scald firefighters and reduce visibility. Furthermore, the extinguishing agent used is more efficient utilizing less water flow out of the fire area.

Microstructure of high-strength foam concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Just, A.; Middendorf, B.

2009-01-01

Foam concretes are divided into two groups: on the one hand the physically foamed concrete is mixed in fast rotating pug mill mixers by using foaming agents. This concrete cures under atmospheric conditions. On the other hand the autoclaved aerated concrete is chemically foamed by adding aluminium powder. Afterwards it is cured in a saturated steam atmosphere. New alternatives for the application of foam concretes arise from the combination of chemical foaming and air curing in manufacturing processes. These foam concretes are new and innovative building materials with interesting properties: low mass density and high strength. Responsible for these properties are the macro-, meso- and microporosity. Macropores are created by adding aluminium powder in different volumes and with different particle size distributions. However, the microstructure of the cement matrix is affected by meso- and micropores. In addition, the matrix of the hardened cement paste can be optimized by the specific use of chemical additives for concrete. The influence of aluminium powder and chemical additives on the properties of the microstructure of the hardened cement matrices were investigated by using petrographic microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy.

Effect of Pelletized Coconut Fibre on the Compressive Strength of Foamed Concrete

OpenAIRE

Mohd Jaini Zainorizuan; Mokhatar Shahrul Niza; Mohd Yusof Ammar Saifuddin; Zulkiply Syurafarina; Abd Rahman Mohd Hadi

2016-01-01

Foamed concrete is a controlled low density ranging from 400kg/m3 to 1800kg/m3, and hence suitable for the construction of buildings and infrastructures. The uniqueness of foamed concrete is does not use aggregates in order to retain low density. Foamed concrete contains only cement, sand, water and foam agent. Therefore, the consumption of cement is higher in producing a good quality and strength of foamed concrete. Without the present of aggregates, the compressive strength of foamed concre...

Moisture sorption characteristics of extrusion-cooked starch protective loose-fill cushioning foams

Science.gov (United States)

Combrzyński, Maciej; Mościcki, Leszek; Kwaśniewska, Anita; Oniszczuk, Tomasz; Wójtowicz, Agnieszka; Sołowiej, Bartosz; Gładyszewska, Bożena; Muszyński, Siemowit

2017-10-01

The aim of this work was to determine the water vapour sorption properties of thermoplastic starch filling foams processed by extrusion-cooking technique from various combinations of potato starch and two foaming agents: poly(vinyl) alcohol and Plastronfoam, in amount of 1, 2 and 3% each. Foams were processed with the single screw extruder-cooker at two different screw rotational speeds 100 and 130 r.p.m. The sorption isotherms of samples were determined and described using the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer model. Also, the kinetics of water vapour adsorption by foams, as a function of time, was measured and fitted with Peleg model. On the basis of the analysis the influence of the applied foaming agents, as well as the technological parameters of extrusion-cooking process in relation to water vapour adsorption by thermoplastic starch foams was demonstrated. There was no difference between the shapes of the isotherms for poly(vinyl) alcohol foams while for Plastronfoam foams a notable difference among foams extruded at 100 r.p.m. was observed in the regions of low and high humidity content. The analysis of the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer model parameters showed that the water molecules were less strongly bound with the foam surface when extruded at a lower screw speed.

Tough graphene-polymer microcellular foams for electromagnetic interference shielding.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hao-Bin; Yan, Qing; Zheng, Wen-Ge; He, Zhixian; Yu, Zhong-Zhen

2011-03-01

Functional polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/graphene nanocomposite microcellular foams were prepared by blending of PMMA with graphene sheets followed by foaming with subcritical CO(2) as an environmentally benign foaming agent. The addition of graphene sheets endows the insulating PMMA foams with high electrical conductivity and improved electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency with microwave absorption as the dominant EMI shielding mechanism. Interestingly, because of the presence of the numerous microcellular cells, the graphene-PMMA foam exhibits greatly improved ductility and tensile toughness compared to its bulk counterpart. This work provides a promising methodology to fabricate tough and lightweight graphene-PMMA nanocomposite microcellular foams with superior electrical and EMI shielding properties by simultaneously combining the functionality and reinforcement of the graphene sheets and the toughening effect of the microcellular cells.

Foamed emulsion drainage: flow and trapping of drops.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Maxime; Zou, Ziqiang; Langevin, Dominique; Salonen, Anniina

2017-06-07

Foamed emulsions are ubiquitous in our daily life but the ageing of such systems is still poorly understood. In this study we investigate foam drainage and measure the evolution of the gas, liquid and oil volume fractions inside the foam. We evidence three regimes of ageing. During an initial period of fast drainage, both bubbles and drops are very mobile. As the foam stabilises drainage proceeds leading to a gradual decrease of the liquid fraction and slowing down of drainage. Clusters of oil drops are less sheared, their dynamic viscosity increases and drainage slows down even further, until the drops become blocked. At this point the oil fraction starts to increase in the continuous phase. The foam ageing leads to an increase of the capillary pressure until the oil acts as an antifoaming agent and the foam collapses.

Redox reaction and foaming in nuclear waste glass melting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryan, J.L.

1995-08-01

This document was prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) and is an attempt to analyze and estimate the effects of feed composition variables and reducing agent variables on the expected chemistry of reactions occurring in the cold cap and in the glass melt in the nuclear waste glass Slurry-fed, joule-heated melters as they might affect foaming during the glass-making process. Numerous redox reactions of waste glass components and potential feed additives, and the effects of other feed variables on these reactions are reviewed with regard to their potential effect on glass foaming. A major emphasis of this report is to examine the potential positive or negative aspects of adjusting feed with formic acid as opposed to other feed modification techniques including but not limited to use of other reducing agents. Feed modification techniques other than the use of reductants that should influence foaming behavior include control of glass melter feed pH through use of nitric acid. They also include partial replacement of sodium salts by lithium salts. This latter action (b) apparently lowers glass viscosity and raises surface tension. This replacement should decrease foaming by decreasing foam stability.

Morphologies, Processing and Properties of Ceramic Foams and Their Potential as TPS Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Stackpoole, Mairead; Simoes, Conan R.; Johnson, Sylvia M.

2002-01-01

The current research is focused on processing ceramic foams with compositions that have potential as a thermal protection material. The use of pre-ceramic polymers with the addition of sacrificial blowing agents or sacrificial fillers offers a viable approach to form either open or closed cell insulation. Our work demonstrates that this is a feasible method to form refractory ceramic foams at relatively low processing temperatures. It is possible to foam complex shapes then pyrolize the system to form a ceramic while retaining the shape of the unfired foam. Initial work focused on identifying suitable pre-ceramic polymers with desired properties such as ceramic yield and chemical make up of the pyrolysis product after firing. We focused on making foams in the Si system (Sic, Si02, Si-0-C), which is in use in current acreage TPS systems. Ceramic foams with different architectures were formed from the pyrolysis of pre-ceramic polymers at 1200 C in different atmospheres. In some systems a sacrificial polyurethane was used as the blowing agent. We have also processed foams using sacrificial fillers to introduce controlled cell sizes. Each sacrificial filler or blowing agent leads to a unique morphology. The effect of different fillers on foam morphologies and the characterization of these foams in terms of mechanical and thermal properties are presented. We have conducted preliminary arc jet testing on selected foams with the materials being exposed to typical re-entry conditions for acreage TPS and these results will be discussed. Foams processed using these approaches have bulk densities ranging from 0.15 to 0.9 g/cm3 and cell sizes ranging from 5 to 500 pm. Compression strengths ranged from 2 to 7 MPa for these systems. Finally, preliminary oxidation studies have been conducted on selected systems and will be discussed.

Elaboration of recycled polyethylene foams reticulated by radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galicia M, M.

2000-01-01

In this work some obtained results are presented to make irradiation tests on recycled polymeric material (polyethylene) as well as mixtures of this with certain additive classes (foaming and reticulating agents) which will be used for the foams elaboration, objective of this work. Two types of foaming basically exist which are elaborated with low density polyethylene base. They are: a) the extruded and, b) the reticulated through ionizing radiation and chemically. Some of the properties that the expanded or foamed polyethylene are: flexibility, resistance, thermal stability, inter medium mechanical properties between the highly flexible foams and rigid among others. All of them determined by the cell type which conform them. Also was carried out the characterization of the obtained material contributing of this manner to diminish the quantity of solid wastes generated. (Author)

Air Activated Self-Decontaminating Polydicyclopentadiene PolyHIPE Foams for Rapid Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents.

Science.gov (United States)

McGann, Christopher L; Daniels, Grant C; Giles, Spencer L; Balow, Robert B; Miranda-Zayas, Jorge L; Lundin, Jeffrey G; Wynne, James H

2018-06-01

The threat of chemical warfare agents (CWA) compels research into novel self-decontaminating materials (SDM) for the continued safety of first-responders, civilians, and active service personnel. The capacity to actively detoxify, as opposed to merely sequester, offending agents under typical environmental conditions defines the added value of SDMs in comparison to traditional adsorptive materials. Porous polymers, synthesized via the high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating, provide a facile fabrication method for materials with permeable open cellular structures that may serve in air filtration applications. PolyHIPEs comprising polydicyclopentadiene (polyDCPD) networks form stable hydroperoxide species following activation in air under ambient conditions. The hydroperoxide-containing polyDCPD materials react quickly with CWA simulants, Demeton-S and 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide, forming oxidation products as confirmed via gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The simplicity of the detoxification chemistry paired with the porous foam form factor presents an exciting opportunity for the development of self-decontaminating filter media. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Welfare assessment of gas-filled foam as an agent for killing poultry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerritzen, M.A.; Reimert, H.G.M.; Hindle, V.A.; Mckeegan, D.E.F.; Sparrey, J.

2010-01-01

During outbreaks of notifiable diseases in poultry measures are taken to restrict the spread of the disease. Mass on-farm killing of birds using gasfilled foam is such a measure. This study examines the method and technologies involved using gas-filled foam and looks at the problems involved by

Effect of Cerium(IV)-Surfactant Reaction in Foam Decontamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Han Beom; Jung, Chong-Hun; Yoon, In-Ho; Kim, Chorong; Choi, Wang-Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Using foams allows the decommissioning of complex shaped facilities. The decontamination foam comprises at least one surfactant to generate the foam and one or more chemical reactants to achieve the dissolution of the contaminants at the solid surface. In order to improve the efficiency of decontamination foam, the present study attempts to find the optimum condition of chemical reagents to the foaming solution. The corrosion rate of radioactive nuclides contaminated stainless steel metal is very important factor for the foam decontamination process. The goal of this study is to develop the decontamination process for contaminated stainless steel in medium of nitric acid. Stainless steel needs a strong oxidizing agent such as Ce(IV) ion and the effects of cerium(IV). Surfactant interaction involved in foam decontamination and finally the improvement brought by formulation science. The formulation of foams loaded with strong oxidizing reagents such as Ce(IV) is an important factor. The enhanced decontamination properties of nitric acid with Ce(IV) additive on stainless steel is well known in liquid mediums. stainless steel metal is an important aspect in the foam decontamination process.

Effect of Cerium(IV)-Surfactant Reaction in Foam Decontamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Han Beom; Jung, Chong-Hun; Yoon, In-Ho; Kim, Chorong; Choi, Wang-Kyu

2015-01-01

Using foams allows the decommissioning of complex shaped facilities. The decontamination foam comprises at least one surfactant to generate the foam and one or more chemical reactants to achieve the dissolution of the contaminants at the solid surface. In order to improve the efficiency of decontamination foam, the present study attempts to find the optimum condition of chemical reagents to the foaming solution. The corrosion rate of radioactive nuclides contaminated stainless steel metal is very important factor for the foam decontamination process. The goal of this study is to develop the decontamination process for contaminated stainless steel in medium of nitric acid. Stainless steel needs a strong oxidizing agent such as Ce(IV) ion and the effects of cerium(IV). Surfactant interaction involved in foam decontamination and finally the improvement brought by formulation science. The formulation of foams loaded with strong oxidizing reagents such as Ce(IV) is an important factor. The enhanced decontamination properties of nitric acid with Ce(IV) additive on stainless steel is well known in liquid mediums. stainless steel metal is an important aspect in the foam decontamination process

Polyurethane Foams for Thermal Insulation Uses Produced from Castor Oil and Crude Glycerol Biopolyols.

Science.gov (United States)

Carriço, Camila S; Fraga, Thaís; Carvalho, Vagner E; Pasa, Vânya M D

2017-07-02

Rigid polyurethane foams were synthesized using a renewable polyol from the simple physical mixture of castor oil and crude glycerol. The effect of the catalyst (DBTDL) content and blowing agents in the foams' properties were evaluated. The use of physical blowing agents (cyclopentane and n-pentane) allowed foams with smaller cells to be obtained in comparison with the foams produced with a chemical blowing agent (water). The increase of the water content caused a decrease in density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, and Young's modulus, which indicates that the increment of CO₂ production contributes to the formation of larger cells. Higher amounts of catalyst in the foam formulations caused a slight density decrease and a small increase of thermal conductivity, compressive strength, and Young's modulus values. These green foams presented properties that indicate a great potential to be used as thermal insulation: density (23-41 kg·m -3 ), thermal conductivity (0.0128-0.0207 W·m -1 ·K -1 ), compressive strength (45-188 kPa), and Young's modulus (3-28 kPa). These biofoams are also environmentally friendly polymers and can aggregate revenue to the biodiesel industry, contributing to a reduction in fuel prices.

Superplastically foaming method to make closed pores inclusive porous ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishimoto, Akira; Hayashi, Hidetaka

2011-01-01

Porous ceramics incorporates pores to improve several properties including thermal insulation maintaining inherenet ceramic properties such as corrosion resistance and large mechanical strength. Conventional porous ceramics is usually fabricated through an insufficient sintering. Since the sintering accompanies the exclusion of pores, it must be terminated at the early stage to maintain the high porosity, leading to degraded strength and durability. Contrary to this, we have innovated superplastically foaming method to make ceramic foams only in the solid state. In this method, the previously inserted foam agent evaporates after the full densification of matrix at around the sintering temperature. Closed pores expand utilizing the superplastic deformation driven by the evolved gas pressure. The typical features of this superplastically foaming method are listed as follows, 1. The pores are introduced after sintering the solid polycrystal. 2. Only closed pores are introduced, improving the insulation of gas and sound in addition to heat. 3. The pore walls are fully densified expecting a large mechanical strength. 4. Compared with the melt foaming method, this method is practical because the fabrication temperature is far below the melting point and it does not need molds. 5. The size and the location pores can be controlled by the amount and position of the foam agent.

Effect of Nano-clay on Rheological and Extrusion Foaming Process of a Block-Copolymerized Polypropylene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Mingyi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of nano-clay and the corresponding coupling agent maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH on thermal properties, rheological properties and extrusion foaming process of a block-copolymerized polypropylene (B-PP were studied. Supercritical CO2 (SC CO2 was used as the foaming agent with a concentration of 5wt%. Each step of foamed B-PP/ PP-g-MAH/ nano-clay composites processing is addressed, including mixing of the composites, manufacture of the composites, foaming process of the composites and characterization of the cell structure. The results showed that incorporation of nano-clay and PP-g-MAH caused reduced melt strength and complex viscosity of B-PP. However, the heterogeneous nucleation induced by nano-clay and PP-g-MAH improved the maximum foaming expansion ratio and cell-population density of B-PP foam.

DRY MIX FOR OBTAINING FOAM CONCRETE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. Leonovich

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Composition of a dry mix has been developed for production of non-autoclaved foam concrete with natural curing. The mix has been created on the basis of Portland cement, UFAPORE foaming agent, mineral additives (RSAM sulfoaluminate additive, MK-85 micro-silica and basalt fiber, plasticizing and accelerating “Citrate-T” additive and   redispersible Vinnapas-8034 H powder. It has been established that foam concrete with  density of 400–800 kg/m3, durability of 1,1–3,4 MPa, low water absorption (40–50 %, without shrinkable cracks has been formed while adding water of Water/Solid = 0.4–0.6 in the dry mix,  subsequent mechanical swelling and curing of foam mass.Introduction of the accelerating and plasticizing “Citrate-T” additive into composition of the dry mix leads to an increase of rheological properties in expanded foam mass and  time reduction of its drying and curing. An investigation on microstructure of foam-concrete chipping surface carried out with the help of a scanning electron microscope has shown that the introduction of  basalt fiber and redispersible Vinnapas-8034 H powder into the composition of the dry mix promotes formation of more finely-divided crystalline hydrates. Such approach makes it possible to change purposefully morphology of crystalline hydrates and gives the possibility to operate foam concrete structurization process.

Foam rheology in porous media and enhanced oil recovery potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burley, R.

1985-01-01

Previous studies using foam as a mobility control agent in partially depleted oil wells have shown that foam has a potential for enhancing oil recovery after primary water flooding. The characteristics of foam as indicated by the results of several studies point to three potential applications of foam in oil recovery processes. These are: Improving the displacement efficiency of gas-drive processes (mobility control). Improving the sweep efficiency of other fluid injection processes (mobility control and flow impediment). Restricting the flow of undesired fluids and plugging of high permeable oil 'thief' zones (partial or total pore blockage). (author)

Impact of Interfacial Characteristics on Foam Structure: Study on Model Fluids and at Pilot Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mezdour Samir

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Foams represent an important area of research because of their relevance to many industrial processes. In continuous foaming operations, foaming ability depends on the process parameters and the characteristics of the raw materials used for foamed products. The effects of fluid viscosity and equilibrium surface tension on foam structure have been studied extensively. Furthermore, as surface active agents diffuse to the interface, they can modify other interface properties through their adsorption, such as interfacial rheology and surface tension kinetics. In order to better understand how these two interfacial properties influence foam structuring, we formulated model foaming solutions with different interface viscoelasticity levels and adsorption rates, but all with the same equilibrium surface tension and viscosity. The solutions were made up of a surface active agent and glucose syrup, so as to maintain a Newtonian behaviour. Five surface active agents were used: Whey Protein Isolate (WPI, sodium caseinate, saponin, cetyl phosphate and Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS, at concentrations ranging from 0.1% to 1%. Their molecular characteristics, and their interaction with the glucose syrup, made it possible to obtain a range of interface viscoelasticities and surface tension kinetics for these model solutions. The solutions were whipped in a continuously-operating industrial foaming device in order to control process parameters such as shearing and overrun, and to ensure that the experiment was representative of industrial production. The structure of the foams thus obtained foams was then determined by characterising bubble size using image analysis. For all the model solutions, both the viscoelastic moduli and apparent diffusion coefficient were linked to foam structure. The results showed that both high interface viscoelasticity and rapid diffusion kinetics induced a foam structure containing small bubbles. Both effects, as well as the impact of

Si-O-C ceramic foams derived from polymethylphenylsiloxane precursor with starch as foaming agent

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Černý, Martin; Chlup, Zdeněk; Strachota, Adam; Svítilová, Jaroslava; Schweigstillová, Jana; Halasová, Martina; Rýglová, Šárka

2015-01-01

Roč. 35, č. 13 (2015), s. 3427-3436 ISSN 0955-2219 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP107/12/2445 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 ; RVO:68081723 ; RVO:61389013 Keywords : pyrolysis * ceramic foam * precursor * starch * Si-O-C Subject RIV: JI - Composite Materials; JH - Ceramics, Fire-Resistant Materials and Glass (UFM-A) Impact factor: 2.933, year: 2015

Foaming and Antifoaming in Radioactive Waste Pretreatment and Immobilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wasan, Darsh T.

2002-01-01

Radioactive waste treatment processes usually involve concentration of radionuclides before waste can be immobilized by storing it in stable solid form. Foaming is observed at various stages of waste processing like sludge chemical processing and melter operations. Hence, the objective of this research was to study the mechanisms that produce foaming during nuclear waste treatment, to identify key parameters which aggravate foaming, and to identify effective ways to eliminate or mitigate foaming. Experimental and theoretical investigations of the surface phenomenon, suspension rheology, and bubble generation and interactions that lead to the formation of foam during waste processing were pursued under this EMSP project. Advanced experimental techniques including a novel capillary force balance in conjunction with the combined differential and common interferometry were developed to characterize particle-particle interactions at the foam lamella surfaces as well as inside the foam lamella. Laboratory tests were conducted using a non-radioactive simulant slurry containing high levels of noble metals and mercury similar to the High-Level Waste. We concluded that foaminess of the simulant sludge was due to the presence of colloidal particles such as aluminum, iron, and manganese. We have established the two major mechanisms of formation and stabilization of foams containing such colloidal particles: (1) structural and depletion forces; and (2) steric stabilization due to the adsorbed particles at the surfaces of the foam lamella. Based on this mechanistic understanding of foam generation and stability, an improved antifoam agent was developed by us, since commercial antifoam agents were found to be ineffective in the aggressive physical and chemical environment present in the sludge processing. The improved antifoamer was subsequently tested in a pilot plant at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and was found to be effective. Also, in the SRTC experiment, the irradiated

Nano-Aramid Fiber Reinforced Polyurethane Foam

Science.gov (United States)

Semmes, Edmund B.; Frances, Arnold

2008-01-01

Closed cell polyurethane and, particularly, polyisocyanurate foams are a large family of flexible and rigid products the result of a reactive two part process wherein a urethane based polyol is combined with a foaming or "blowing" agent to create a cellular solid at room temperature. The ratio of reactive components, the constituency of the base materials, temperature, humidity, molding, pouring, spraying and many other processing techniques vary greatly. However, there is no known process for incorporating reinforcing fibers small enough to be integrally dispersed within the cell walls resulting in superior final products. The key differentiating aspect from the current state of art resides in the many processing technologies to be fully developed from the novel concept of milled nano pulp aramid fibers and their enabling entanglement capability fully enclosed within the cell walls of these closed cell urethane foams. The authors present the results of research and development of reinforced foam processing, equipment development, strength characteristics and the evolution of its many applications.

Investigation of foaming during nuclear defense-waste solidification by electric melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair, H.T.; Lukacs, J.M.

1980-12-01

To determine the cause of foaming, the physical and chemical composition of the glass formers that are added to the waste to produce a borosilicate melt were investigated. It was determined that the glass-forming frit was not the source of the foam-causing gases. Incomplete calcination of the waste, which results in residual hydrates, carbonates and nitrates, and the relatively high carbon and sulfate contents of the waste glass composition were also eliminated as possible sources of the foam. It was finally shown that the oxides of the multivalent ions of manganese and iron that are in the defense waste in high concentrations are the source of the foaming. Nickel oxide is also present in the waste and is suspected of contributing to the foaming. In investigating methods to reduce the foam, the focus was on the chemistry of the materials being processed rather than on the mechanical aspects of the processing equipment to avoid increasing the mechanical complexity of the melter operation. Reducing the waste loading in the host glass from 28 to 14 wt. % produced the most significant reduction in the foam. Of course this did not increase the rate at which waste can be processed. Adding carbonaceous additives or barium metaphosphate to the waste/frit mixture (batch) reduced the foaming somewhat. However, if too much reducing agent was added to the batch, iron-nickel alloys separated from the melt. Likewise, melting the batch in an inert or a reducing atmosphere reduced the foaming but produced a heterogeneous product. Finally, initial attempts to control foaming by adding reducing agents to the liquid waste and then spray-calcining it using an inert atomizing gas were not successful. The possibilities for liquid-waste treatment need to be investigated further

Fabrication of highly insulating foam glass made from CRT panel glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

König, Jakob; Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; Yue, Yuanzheng

2015-01-01

We prepared low-density foam glasses from cathode-ray-tube panel glass using carbon and MnO2 as the foaming agents. We investigated the influence of the carbon and MnO2 concentrations, the glass-powder preparation and the foaming conditions on the density and homogeneity of the pore structure...... and the dependence of the thermal conductivity on the foam density. The results show that the moderate foaming effect of the carbon is greatly improved by the addition of MnO2. A density as low as 131 kg m-3 can be achieved with fine glass powder. The foam density has a slight dependence on the carbon and MnO2...... concentrations, but it is mainly affected by the foaming temperature and the time. The thermal conductivity of the foam-glass samples is lower than that of commercial foam glasses with the same density. The lowest value was determined to be 42 mW m-1 K-1 for a foam glass with a density of 131 kg m-3. A further...

Preconcentration of traces of radionuclides and elements with foamed polyurethane sorbents in the analysis of environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palagyi, S.; Braun, T.

1986-01-01

The importance of preconcentration and the permanent need of efficient preconcentrating agents in environmental analysis are pointed out. Foamed polyurethane sorbents draw attention as novel agents in separation chemistry. A survey is presented of recent applications of unloaded and reagent-loaded open-cell type resilient polyurethane foams in the separation and preconcentration of radionuclides from environmental samples, and of the latest uses of these foams in the preconcentration and detection of traces of some, mainly inorganic materials in environmental samples, using radioanalytical techniques. Possible future uses of polyurethane foams in trace element detection in environmental analysis are outlined. (author)

Release of CFC-11 from disposal of polyurethane foam waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Peter; Jensen, M.H.

2001-01-01

The halocarbon CFC-11 has extensively been used as a blowing agent for polyurethane (PUR) insulation foams in home appliances and for residential and industrial construction. Release of CFCs is an important factor in the depletion of the ozone layer. For CFC-11 the future atmospheric concentrations...... will mainly depend on the continued release from PUR foams. Little is known about rates and time frames of the CFC release from foams especially after treatment and disposal of foam containing waste products. The CFC release is mainly controlled by slow diffusion out through the PUR. From the literature...... and by reevaluation of an old reported experiment, diffusion coefficients in the range of 0.05-1.7.10(-14) m(2) s(-1) were found reflecting differences in foam properties and experimental designs. Laboratory experiments studying the distribution of CFC in the foam and the short-term releases after shredding showed...

Analysis of Tube Bank Heat Transfer In Downward Directed Foam Flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonas Gylys

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Apparatus with the foam flow are suitable to use in different technologies like heat exchangers, food industry, chemical and oil processing industry. Statically stable liquid foam until now is used in technologic systems rather seldom. Although a usage of this type of foam as heat transfer agent in foam equipment has a number of advantages in comparison with one phase liquid equipment: small quantity of liquid is required, heat transfer rate is rather high, mass of equipment is much smaller, energy consumption for foam delivery into heat transfer zone is lower. The paper analyzes the peculiarities of heat transfer from distributed in staggered order and perpendicular to foam flow in channel of rectangular cross section tube bundle to the foam flow. It was estimated the dependence of mean gas velocity and volumetric void fraction of foam flow to heat transfer in downward foam flow. Significant difference of heat transfer intensity from front and back tubes of tube row in laminar foam flow was noticed. Dependence of heat transfer on flow velocity and volumetric void fraction of foam was confirmed and estimated by criterion equations.

Preparation of polyurethane foams using liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre (OPMF) and renewable monomer from waste cooking oil

Science.gov (United States)

Kormin, Shaharuddin; Rus, Anika Zafiah M.; Azahari, M. Shafiq M.

2017-09-01

The aim of this research is the production of polyurethane (PU) foams with biopolyols from liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre (OPMF) and renewable monomer. Liquefaction of OPMF was studied using polyhydric alcohol (PA) which is PEG-400 as liquefaction solvents in conventional glass flask. In the second part of this paper was obtained the PU foams which presented good results when compared with commercial foams and include polyols from of fossil fuels. PU foams were prepared by mixing liquefied OPMF biopolyol, renewable monomer from waste cooking, additives and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Water was used as an environmental friendly blowing agent. The factors that influence the cell structure of foams (i.e., catalyst, surfactant, dosage of blowing agent, and mass ratio of biopolyol to renewable monomer were studied. The synthesized PU foams were characterized by FTIR and SEM. The formulation of the PU foams should be improved, but the results show that is possible the use biopolyols and renewable monomer to produce industrial foams with lower cost.

Cellular morphology of organic-inorganic hybrid foams based on alkali alumino-silicate matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Verdolotti, Letizia; Liguori, Barbara; Capasso, Ilaria; Caputo, Domenico; Lavorgna, Marino; Iannace, Salvatore

2014-05-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid foams based on an alkali alumino-silicate matrix were prepared by using different foaming methods. Initially, the synthesis of an inorganic matrix by using aluminosilicate particles, activated through a sodium silicate solution, was performed at room temperature. Subsequently the viscous paste was foamed by using three different methods. In the first method, gaseous hydrogen produced by the oxidization of Si powder in an alkaline media, was used as blowing agent to generate gas bubbles in the paste. In the second method, the porous structure was generated by mixing the paste with a "meringue" type of foam previously prepared by whipping, under vigorous stirring, a water solution containing vegetal proteins as surfactants. In the third method, a combination of these two methods was employed. The foamed systems were consolidated for 24 hours at 40°C and then characterized by FTIR, X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compression tests. Low density foams (˜500 Kg/m3) with good cellular structure and mechanical properties were obtained by combining the "meringue" approach with the use of the chemical blowing agent based on Si.

Extraction behavior of uranium(VI) with polyurethane foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tingchia Huang; Donghwang Chen; Muchang Shieh; Chingtsven Huang

1992-01-01

The extraction of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution with polyether-based polyurethane (PU) foam was studied. The effects of the kinds and concentrations of nitrate salts, uranium(VI) concentration, temperature, nitric acid concentration, pH, the content of poly(ethylene oxide) in the polyurethane foam, and the ratio of PU foam weight and solution volume on the extraction of uranium(VI) were investigated. The interferences of fluoride and carbonate ions on the extraction of uranium(VI) were also examined, and methods to overcome both interferences were suggested. It was found that no uranium was extracted in the absence of a nitrate salting-out agent, and the extraction behaviors of uranium(IV) with polyurethane foam could be explained in terms of an etherlike solvent extraction mechanism. In addition, the percentage extraction of a multiple stage was also estimated theoretically

Systematic Phase Behaviour Study and Foam Stability Analysis for Optimal Alkaline/Surfactant/Foam Enhanced Oil Recovery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hosseini Nasab, S.M.; Zitha, P.L.J.

2015-01-01

Alkaline-Surfactant-Foam (ASF) flooding is a recently introduced enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. This paper presents laboratory study of this ASF to better understand its mechanisms. The focus is on the interaction of ASF chemical agents with oil and in the presence and absence of naphthenic

Forming foam structures with carbon foam substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Landingham, Richard L.; Satcher, Jr., Joe H.; Coronado, Paul R.; Baumann, Theodore F.

2012-11-06

The invention provides foams of desired cell sizes formed from metal or ceramic materials that coat the surfaces of carbon foams which are subsequently removed. For example, metal is located over a sol-gel foam monolith. The metal is melted to produce a metal/sol-gel composition. The sol-gel foam monolith is removed, leaving a metal foam.

Aqueous foam toxicology evaluation and hazard review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Archuleta, M.M.

1995-10-01

Aqueous foams are aggregates of bubbles mechanically generated by passing air or other gases through a net, screen, or other porous medium that is wetted by an aqueous solution of surface-active foaming agents (surfactants). Aqueous foams are important in modem fire-fighting technology, as well as for military uses for area denial and riot or crowd control. An aqueous foam is currently being developed and evaluated by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) as a Less-Than-Lethal Weapon for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of the aqueous foam developed for the NIJ and to determine whether there are any significant adverse health effects associated with completely immersing individuals without protective equipment in the foam. The toxicity of the aqueous foam formulation developed for NIJ is determined by evaluating the toxicity of the individual components of the foam. The foam is made from a 2--5% solution of Steol CA-330 surfactant in water generated at expansion ratios ranging from 500:1 to 1000:1. SteoI CA-330 is a 35% ammonium laureth sulfate in water and is produced by Stepan Chemical Company and containing trace amounts (<0.1%) of 1,4-dioxane. The results of this study indicate that Steol CA-330 is a non-toxic, mildly irritating, surfactant that is used extensively in the cosmetics industry for hair care and bath products. Inhalation or dermal exposure to this material in aqueous foam is not expected to produce significant irritation or systemic toxicity to exposed individuals, even after prolonged exposure. The amount of 1,4-dioxane in the surfactant, and subsequently in the foam, is negligible and therefore, the toxicity associated with dioxane exposure is not significant. In general, immersion in similar aqueous foams has not resulted in acute, immediately life-threatening effects, or chronic, long-term, non-reversible effects following exposure.

Oxidation of Ce(III) in Foam Decontaminant by Ozone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Chong Hun; Yoon, I. H.; Choi, W. K.; Moon, J. K.; Yang, H. B. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, J. S. [Gachon University, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

A nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant is composed of a surfactant and nanoparticles for the generation and maintenance of foam, and a chemical decontamination agent made of Ce(IV) dissolved in nitric acid. Ce(IV) will be reduced to Ce(III) through the decontamination process. Oxidizing cerium(III) can be reused as a decontamination agent, Ce(IV). Oxidation treatment technology by ozone uses its strong oxidizing power. It can be regarded as an environmentally friendly process, because ozone cannot be stored and transported like other industrial gases (because it quickly decays into diatomic oxygen) and must therefore be produced on site, and used ozone can decompose immediately. The ozonation treatment of Ce(III) in foam decontaminant containing a surfactant is necessary for the effective regeneration of Ce(III). Thus, the present study was undertaken to determine the optimal conditions for ozonation treatment in the regeneration of Ce(III) into Ce(IV) in the nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant containing surfactant. This study was undertaken to determine the optimal conditions for ozonation treatment in the regeneration of Ce(III) to Ce(IV) in nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant containing a TBS surfactant. The oxidation conversion rate of Ce(III) was increased with an increase in the flow rate of the gas mixture and ozone injection amount. The oxidation time required for the 100% oxidation conversion of Ce(III) to Ce(IV) at a specific ozone injection amount can be predicted from these experimental data.

Oxidation of Ce(III) in Foam Decontaminant by Ozone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Chong Hun; Yoon, I. H.; Choi, W. K.; Moon, J. K.; Yang, H. B.; Lee, J. S.

2016-01-01

A nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant is composed of a surfactant and nanoparticles for the generation and maintenance of foam, and a chemical decontamination agent made of Ce(IV) dissolved in nitric acid. Ce(IV) will be reduced to Ce(III) through the decontamination process. Oxidizing cerium(III) can be reused as a decontamination agent, Ce(IV). Oxidation treatment technology by ozone uses its strong oxidizing power. It can be regarded as an environmentally friendly process, because ozone cannot be stored and transported like other industrial gases (because it quickly decays into diatomic oxygen) and must therefore be produced on site, and used ozone can decompose immediately. The ozonation treatment of Ce(III) in foam decontaminant containing a surfactant is necessary for the effective regeneration of Ce(III). Thus, the present study was undertaken to determine the optimal conditions for ozonation treatment in the regeneration of Ce(III) into Ce(IV) in the nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant containing surfactant. This study was undertaken to determine the optimal conditions for ozonation treatment in the regeneration of Ce(III) to Ce(IV) in nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant containing a TBS surfactant. The oxidation conversion rate of Ce(III) was increased with an increase in the flow rate of the gas mixture and ozone injection amount. The oxidation time required for the 100% oxidation conversion of Ce(III) to Ce(IV) at a specific ozone injection amount can be predicted from these experimental data

Foam, Foam-resin composite and method of making a foam-resin composite

Science.gov (United States)

Cranston, John A. (Inventor); MacArthur, Doug E. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

This invention relates to a foam, a foam-resin composite and a method of making foam-resin composites. The foam set forth in this invention comprises a urethane modified polyisocyanurate derived from an aromatic amino polyol and a polyether polyol. In addition to the polyisocyanurate foam, the composite of this invention further contains a resin layer, wherein the resin may be epoxy, bismaleimide, or phenolic resin. Such resins generally require cure or post-cure temperatures of at least 350.degree. F.

Recovery Act. Advanced Building Insulation by the CO₂ Foaming Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Arthur [Industrial Science and Technology Network, Inc., Lancaster, PA (United States)

2013-12-30

In this project, ISTN proposed to develop a new "3rd" generation of insulation technology. The focus was a cost-effective foaming process that could be used to manufacture XPS and other extruded polymer foams using environmentally clean blowing agents, and ultimately achieve higher R-values than existing products while maintaining the same level of cost-efficiency. In the U.S., state-of-the-art products are primarily manufactured by two companies: Dow and Owens Corning. These products (i.e., STYROFOAM and FOAMULAR) have a starting thermal resistance of R-5.0/inch, which declines over the life of the product as the HFC blowing agents essential to high R-value exchange with air in the environment. In the existing technologies, the substitution of CO2 for HFCs as the primary foaming agent results in a much lower starting R-value, as evidenced in CO2-foamed varieties of XPS in Europe with R-4.2/inch insulation value. The major overarching achievement from this project was ISTN's development of a new process that uses CO2 as a clean blowing agent to achieve up to R-5.2/inch at the manufacturing scale, with a production cost on a per unit basis that is less than the cost of Dow and Owens Corning XPS products.

mdFoam+: Advanced molecular dynamics in OpenFOAM

Science.gov (United States)

Longshaw, S. M.; Borg, M. K.; Ramisetti, S. B.; Zhang, J.; Lockerby, D. A.; Emerson, D. R.; Reese, J. M.

2018-03-01

This paper introduces mdFoam+, which is an MPI parallelised molecular dynamics (MD) solver implemented entirely within the OpenFOAM software framework. It is open-source and released under the same GNU General Public License (GPL) as OpenFOAM. The source code is released as a publicly open software repository that includes detailed documentation and tutorial cases. Since mdFoam+ is designed entirely within the OpenFOAM C++ object-oriented framework, it inherits a number of key features. The code is designed for extensibility and flexibility, so it is aimed first and foremost as an MD research tool, in which new models and test cases can be developed and tested rapidly. Implementing mdFoam+ in OpenFOAM also enables easier development of hybrid methods that couple MD with continuum-based solvers. Setting up MD cases follows the standard OpenFOAM format, as mdFoam+ also relies upon the OpenFOAM dictionary-based directory structure. This ensures that useful pre- and post-processing capabilities provided by OpenFOAM remain available even though the fully Lagrangian nature of an MD simulation is not typical of most OpenFOAM applications. Results show that mdFoam+ compares well to another well-known MD code (e.g. LAMMPS) in terms of benchmark problems, although it also has additional functionality that does not exist in other open-source MD codes.

Surfactant selection for a liquid foam-bed photobioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Janoska, Agnes; Vázquez, María; Janssen, Marcel; Wijffels, René H; Cuaresma, María; Vílchez, Carlos

2018-02-01

A novel liquid foam-bed photobioreactor has been shown to hold potential as an innovative technology for microalgae production. In this study, a foam stabilizing agent has been selected which fits the requirements of use in a liquid foam-bed photobioreactor. Four criteria were used for an optimal surfactant: the surfactant should have good foaming properties, should not be rapidly biodegradable, should drag up microalgae in the foam formed, and it should not be toxic for microalgae. Ten different surfactants (nonionic, cationic, and anionic) and two microalgae genera (Chlorella and Scenedesmus) were compared on the above-mentioned criteria. The comparison showed the following facts. Firstly, poloxameric surfactants (Pluronic F68 and Pluronic P84) have acceptable foaming properties described by intermediate foam stability and liquid holdup and small bubble size. Secondly, the natural surfactants (BSA and Saponin) and Tween 20 were easily biodegraded by bacteria within 3 days. Thirdly, for all surfactants tested the microalgae concentration is reduced in the foam phase compared to the liquid phase with exception of the cationic surfactant CTAB. Lastly, only BSA, Saponin, Tween 20, and the two Pluronics were not toxic at concentrations of 10 CMC or higher. The findings of this study indicate that the Pluronics (F68 and P84) are the best surfactants regarding the above-mentioned criteria. Since Pluronic F68 performed slightly better, this surfactant is recommended for application in a liquid foam-bed photobioreactor. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2018. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Materials Applications for Non-Lethal: Aqueous Foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GOOLSBY,TOMMY D.; SCOTT,STEVEN H.

1999-09-15

High expansion aqueous foam is an aggregation of bubbles that has the appearance of soap suds and is used to isolate individuals both visually and acoustically. It was developed in the 1920's in England to fight coal mine fires and has been widely used since for fire fighting and dust suppression. It was developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in the 1970's for nuclear safeguards and security applications. In the mid-1990s, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the Department of Justice, began a project with SNL to determine the applicability of high expansion aqueous foam for correctional applications. NIJ funded the project as part of its search for new and better less-than-lethal weapons for responding to violent and dangerous individuals, where other means of force could lead to serious injuries. The phase one objectives of the project were to select a low-to-no toxicity foam concentrate (foaming agent) with physical characteristics suited for use in a single cell or large prison disturbances, and to determine if the selected foam concentrate could serve as a carrier for Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) irritant. The phase two objectives were to conduct an extensive toxicology review of the selected foam concentrate and OC irritant, and to conduct respiration simulation experiments in the selected high expansion aqueous foam. The phase three objectives were to build a prototype individual cell aqueous foam system and to study the feasibility of aqueous foams for large prison facility disturbances. The phase four and five objectives were to use the prototype system to do large scale foam physical characteristics testing of the selected foam concentrate, and to have the prototype single cell system further evaluated by correctional representatives. Prison rather than street scenarios were evaluated as the first and most likely place for using the aqueous foam since prisons have recurrent incidents where officers and inmates might

Materials Applications for Non-Lethal: Aqueous Foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GOOLSBY, TOMMY D.; SCOTT, STEVEN H.

1999-01-01

High expansion aqueous foam is an aggregation of bubbles that has the appearance of soap suds and is used to isolate individuals both visually and acoustically. It was developed in the 1920's in England to fight coal mine fires and has been widely used since for fire fighting and dust suppression. It was developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in the 1970's for nuclear safeguards and security applications. In the mid-1990s, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the Department of Justice, began a project with SNL to determine the applicability of high expansion aqueous foam for correctional applications. NIJ funded the project as part of its search for new and better less-than-lethal weapons for responding to violent and dangerous individuals, where other means of force could lead to serious injuries. The phase one objectives of the project were to select a low-to-no toxicity foam concentrate (foaming agent) with physical characteristics suited for use in a single cell or large prison disturbances, and to determine if the selected foam concentrate could serve as a carrier for Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) irritant. The phase two objectives were to conduct an extensive toxicology review of the selected foam concentrate and OC irritant, and to conduct respiration simulation experiments in the selected high expansion aqueous foam. The phase three objectives were to build a prototype individual cell aqueous foam system and to study the feasibility of aqueous foams for large prison facility disturbances. The phase four and five objectives were to use the prototype system to do large scale foam physical characteristics testing of the selected foam concentrate, and to have the prototype single cell system further evaluated by correctional representatives. Prison rather than street scenarios were evaluated as the first and most likely place for using the aqueous foam since prisons have recurrent incidents where officers and inmates might be

Counteracting foaming caused by lipids or proteins in biogas reactors using rapeseed oil or oleic acid as antifoaming agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kougias, P G; Boe, K; Einarsdottir, E S; Angelidaki, I

2015-08-01

Foaming is one of the major operational problems in biogas plants, and dealing with foaming incidents is still based on empirical practices. Various types of antifoams are used arbitrarily to combat foaming in biogas plants, but without any scientific support this action can lead to serious deterioration of the methanogenic process. Many commercial antifoams are derivatives of fatty acids or oils. However, it is well known that lipids can induce foaming in manure based biogas plants. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of rapeseed oil and oleic acid on foam reduction and process performance in biogas reactors fed with protein or lipid rich substrates. The results showed that both antifoams efficiently suppressed foaming. Moreover rapeseed oil resulted in stimulation of the biogas production. Finally, it was reckoned that the chemical structure of lipids, and more specifically their carboxylic ends, is responsible for their foam promoting or foam counteracting behaviour. Thus, it was concluded that the fatty acids and oils could suppress foaming, while salt of fatty acids could generate foam. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Assisted Processing of Silica/PMMA Nanocomposite Foams

Science.gov (United States)

Rende, Deniz; Schadler, Linda S.; Ozisik, Rahmi

2012-02-01

Polymer nanocomposite foams receive considerable attention in both scientific and industrial communities. These structures are defined as closed or open cells (pores) surrounded by bulk material and are widely observed in nature in the form of bone structure, sponge, corals and natural cork. Inspired by these materials, polymer nanocomposite foams are widely used in advanced applications, such as bone scaffolds, food packaging and transportation materials due to their lightweight and enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties compared to bulk polymer foams. The presence of the nanosized fillers facilitates heterogeneous bubble nucleation as a result, the number of bubbles increases while the average bubble size decreases. Therefore, the foam morphology can be controlled by the size, concentration, and surface chemistry of the nanofiller. In the current study, we used supercritical carbon dioxide as a foaming agent for silica/poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, foams. The silica nanoparticles were chemically modified by fluoroalkane chains to make them CO2-philic. The surface coverage was controlled via tethering density, and the effect of silica surface coverage and concentration on foam morphology was investigated through scanning electron microscopy and image processing. Results indicated that nanofiller concentration and filler surface chemistry (CO2-philicity) had tremendous effect on foam morphology but surface coverage did not have any effect.

Comparative review of foam formation in biogas plants and ruminant bloat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moeller, Lucie; Goersch, Kati; Zehnsdorf, Andreas; Mueller, Roland Arno [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig (Germany). Environmental and Biotechnology Centre; Neuhaus, Juergen [Leipzig Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Bacteriology and Mycology

2012-12-15

This review gives an overview of the current knowledge concerning the problem of foam formation in the process of anaerobic digestion in biogas plants that utilize renewable resources or biogenic waste material for biogas production. Process upsets in biogas production induced by foam formation can have a negative impact on the efficiency of biogas plants. The foam can block gas pipes and cause severe damage to the bioreactor equipment, ranging from a failure of the feeders to a damage of the roof of the biogas plant. The most common foam removal methods - stirring in the foam, adding anti-foaming agents, diminishing substrate feeding, and altering the biogas reactor management - are not always successful. However, the reasons for the excessive foam formation during the biogas production process have not yet been elucidated in detail. In contrast, foam building in the rumen of ruminants as a cause for bloat has been studied thoroughly. In general, the interaction between proteins, polysaccharides (mucilage), and small plant particles is assumed to be the crucial factor. As the fermentation process in the rumen has many similarities with the biogas production process, the current research results on bloat in ruminants are summarized and compared with the process of foaming in biogas plants. (orig.)

Preparation of sintered foam materials by alkali-activated coal fly ash.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yelong; Ye, Junwei; Lu, Xiaobin; Liu, Mangang; Lin, Yuan; Gong, Weitao; Ning, Guiling

2010-02-15

Coal fly ash from coal fired power stations is a potential raw material for the production of ceramic tiles, bricks and blocks. Previous works have demonstrated that coal fly ash consists mainly of glassy spheres that are relatively resistant to reaction. An objective of this research was to investigate the effect of alkali on the preparation process of the foam material. Moreover, the influence of foam dosage on the water absorption, apparent density and compressive strength was evaluated. The experimental results showed that homogenous microstructures of interconnected pores could be obtained by adding 13 wt.% foaming agent at 1050 degrees C, leading to foams presenting water absorption, apparent density and compressive strength values of about 126.5%, 0.414 g/cm(3), 6.76 MPa, respectively.

Effect of Na2CO3 as Foaming Agent on Dynamics and Structure of Foam Glass Melts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Smedskjær, Morten Mattrup

2014-01-01

We investigate the kinetics and dynamics of the reaction between Na2CO3 and the cathode ray tube panel glass powder at 923-1173 K. The reaction causes foaming of the glass melt. After the reaction, the Tg decreases with increasing Na2CO3 content and reaches a minimum value of Tg. However, this Tg...... value is even lower than that of the homogeneous bulk glass with the same chemical composition. The lower Tg of the foam glass could be attributed to inhomogeneous incorporation of Na in the glass, leading to Na-rich domains that cause an overall decrease of Tg. Remarkably, after 5 min treatment at 1073...... K, the Tg drops by 120 K, indicating that the reaction between Na2CO3 and glass is very fast. Increasing treatment duration causes a slight increase of Tg likely due to both a more homogeneous Na distribution and the compositional change of the glass as a result of Na2SrSi2O6 crystal formation....

Foaming in Hanford River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant LAW Evaporation Processes - FY01 Summary Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calloway, T.B.

2002-01-01

The LAW evaporation processes currently being designed for the Hanford River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant are subject to foaming. Experimental simulant studies have been conducted in an effort to achieve an effective antifoam agent suitable to mitigate such foaming

Compressibility and phase contrast imaging of a irradiated polyurethane foam blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naik, Y.; Kulkarni, S.G.; Manjunath, B.S.; Patel, R.J.; Agarwal, A.K.; Kashyap, Y.; Sinha, A.

2013-01-01

Polyurethane foam was prepared with a view to use them as a protective enclosure for radioactive material transport package against accidental mechanical shock and fire. The foam samples were prepared by mixing the polyol premixed with additives such as water as blowing agent, melamine polyphosphate as a flame retardants (FR) and catalyst with isocynate keeping NCO/OH ratio as 1.1. It was observed that the irradiation of the foam results in cross linking leading to increased wall thickness and shrinkage of cellular structure. This leads to increased strain around the foam bubble. Increased exposure to gamma rays to higher doses results in reptures at the cellular boundary connecting the bubble structure, leading to decreased mechanical strength. This leads again to increase in deformation seen in the 15 and 20 kGy irradiated samples

Effect of Water-Cement Ratio on Pore Structure and Strength of Foam Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongwei Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Foam concrete with different dry densities (400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 kg/m3 was prepared from ordinary Portland cement (P.O.42.5R and vegetable protein foaming agent by adjusting the water-cement ratio through the physical foaming method. The performance of the cement paste adopted, as well as the structure and distribution of air pores, was characterized by a rheometer, scanning electron microscope, vacuum water saturation instrument, and image analysis software. Effects of the water-cement ratio on the relative viscosity of the cement paste, as well as pore structure and strength of the hardened foam concrete, were discussed. Results showed that water-cement ratio can influence the size, distribution, and connectivity of pores in foam concrete. The compressive strength of the foam concrete showed an inverted V-shaped variation law with the increase in water-cement ratio.

Impact of foamed matrix components on foamed concrete properties

Science.gov (United States)

Tarasenko, V. N.

2018-03-01

The improvement of the matrix foam structure by means of foam stabilizing additives is aimed at solving the technology-oriented problems as well as at the further improvement of physical and mechanical properties of cellular-concrete composites. The dry foam mineralization is the mainstream of this research. Adding the concrete densifiers, foam stabilizers and mineral powders reduces the drying shrinkage, which makes the foam concrete products technologically effective.

Foaming of CRT panel glass powder using Na2CO3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Smedskjær, Morten Mattrup

2014-01-01

The recycling of glass from obsolete cathode ray tubes (CRT) has hitherto only occurred to a very limited extent, but the production of foam glass used as an insulation material component has recently been proposed as a promising recycling method. CRT panel glass has high recycling potential due...... to its non-hazardous composition. Here we report on the foaming of CRT panel glass using Na2CO3 as the foaming agent. We explore how heat treatment temperature and concentration of Na2CO3 affect the density and porosity of the foam glasses, and whether Na2O is incorporated in the glass network....... The optimum foaming temperature for minimising density and maximising closed porosity is found to be between 1023 and 1123 K. The pore structure depends on the amount of added Na2CO3, viz, the pores generally become more open with increasing Na2CO3 content. A minimum density of 0·28 g/cm3 is found when 14 wt...

Application of extrusion-cooking technique for foamed starch-based materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Combrzyński Maciej

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Foamed materials are widely used, mainly as a protection objects during transport of various products. Traditionally foams are produced from plastics so they are very difficult for waste management. It is the challenge for many scientific centres to develop a technology for the production of bio-based materials which can be rapidly decomposed. The task for the researcher is to obtain a relatively cheap, easy to use and completely biodegradable materials. The aim of this work was the selection of the main raw materials, functional additives and process parameters to obtain the most effective parameters of extrusion-cooking process for foamed starch-based materials. Properties of the products and processing costs were taken into account. During the study, the extrusion-cooking process was performed under various conditions: temperature, humidity, type of the die, screw rotational speed, various raw materials and additives blends. The best results were obtained for mixtures based on potato starch and with addition the foaming agent Plastron foam PDE and poly(vinyl alcohol PVA.

Utilization of fly ash and ultrafine GGBS for higher strength foam concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Gowri, R.; Anand, K. B.

2018-02-01

Foam concrete is a widely accepted construction material, which is popular for diverse construction applications such as, thermal insulation in buildings, lightweight concrete blocks, ground stabilization, void filling etc. Currently, foam concrete is being used for structural applications with a density above 1800kg/m3. This study focuses on evolving mix proportions for foam concrete with a material density in the range of 1200 kg/m3 to 1600 kg/m3, so as to obtain strength ranges that will be sufficient to adopt it as a structural material. Foam concrete is made lighter by adding pre-formed foam of a particular density to the mortar mix. The foaming agent used in this study is Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and in order to densify the foam generated, Sodium hydroxide solution at a normality of one is also added. In this study efforts are made to make it a sustainable construction material by incorporating industrial waste products such as ultrafine GGBS as partial replacement of cement and fly ash for replacement of fine aggregate. The fresh state and hardened state properties of foam concrete at varying proportions of cement, sand, water and additives are evaluated. The proportion of ultrafine GGBS and fly ash in the foam concrete mix are varied aiming at higher compressive strength. Studies on air void-strength relationship of foam concrete are also included in this paper.

Effect of Pelletized Coconut Fibre on the Compressive Strength of Foamed Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Jaini Zainorizuan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Foamed concrete is a controlled low density ranging from 400kg/m3 to 1800kg/m3, and hence suitable for the construction of buildings and infrastructures. The uniqueness of foamed concrete is does not use aggregates in order to retain low density. Foamed concrete contains only cement, sand, water and foam agent. Therefore, the consumption of cement is higher in producing a good quality and strength of foamed concrete. Without the present of aggregates, the compressive strength of foamed concrete can only achieve as high as 15MPa. Therefore, this study aims to introduce the pelletized coconut fibre aggregate to reduce the consumption of cement but able to enhance the compressive strength. In the experimental study, forty-five (45 cube samples of foamed concrete with density 1600kg/m3 were prepared with different volume fractions of pelletized coconut fibre aggregate. All cube samples were tested using the compression test to obtain compressive strength. The results showed that the compressive strength of foamed concrete containing 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of pelletized coconut fibre aggregate are 9.6MPa, 11.4MPa, 14.6MPa and 13.4MPa respectively. It is in fact higher than the controlled foamed concrete that only achieves 9MPa. It is found that the pelletized coconut fibre aggregate indicates a good potential to enhance the compressive strength of foamed concrete.

Fabrication of Aluminum Tubes Filled with Aluminum Alloy Foam by Friction Welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihiko Hangai

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Aluminum foam is usually used as the core of composite materials by combining it with dense materials, such as in Al foam core sandwich panels and Al-foam-filled tubes, owing to its low tensile and bending strengths. In this study, all-Al foam-filled tubes consisting of ADC12 Al-Si-Cu die-cast aluminum alloy foam and a dense A1050 commercially pure Al tube with metal bonding were fabricated by friction welding. First, it was found that the ADC12 precursor was firmly bonded throughout the inner wall of the A1050 tube without a gap between the precursor and the tube by friction welding. No deformation of the tube or foaming of the precursor was observed during the friction welding. Next, it was shown that by heat treatment of an ADC12-precursor-bonded A1050 tube, gases generated by the decomposition of the blowing agent expand the softened ADC12 to produce the ADC12 foam interior of the dense A1050 tube. A holding time during the foaming process of approximately tH = 8.5 min with a holding temperature of 948 K was found to be suitable for obtaining a sound ADC12-foam-filled A1050 tube with sufficient foaming, almost uniform pore structures over the entire specimen, and no deformation or reduction in the thickness of the tube.

FoamVis, A Visualization System for Foam Research: Design and Implementation

OpenAIRE

Lipsa, Dan; Roberts, Richard; Laramee, Robert

2015-01-01

Liquid foams are used in areas such as mineral separation, oil recovery, food and beverage production, sanitation and fire fighting. To improve the quality of products and the efficiency of processes in these areas, foam scientists wish to understand and control foam behaviour. To this end, foam scientists have used foam simulations to model foam behaviour; however, analysing these simulations presents difficult challenges. We describe the main foam research challenges and present the design ...

Effect of Grinding Fineness of Fly Ash on the Properties of Geopolymer Foam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szabó R.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Present paper deals with the development of geopolymer foam prepared from ground F class power station fly ash. The effect of the fly ash fineness on the rheology of the geopolymer paste and the foam properties have been investigated. The raw fly ash was ground in a ball mill for various duration, 5, 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120 min. Geopolymer paste was prepared from the raw and ground fly ash with NaOH – sodium silicate mixture as alkaline activator. Geopolymer foam production was made using H2O2 as foaming agent. Additionally, the geopolymer material structure was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, the foam cell structure was monitored using optical microscopy. The rheological behaviour of the geopolymer paste changed due to the grinding of fly ash (from Bingham plastic to Newtonian liquid. Grinding of fly ash has a significant effect on the physical properties as well as on the cell structure of the geopolymer foam.

Study on a Novel Gelled Foam for Conformance Control in High Temperature and High Salinity Reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tong Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available A novel gelled foam for conformance control was investigated for its ability to enhance oil recovery (EOR in high temperature and high salinity reservoirs. The formulation optimization, foaming performance, and core flooding performance of the gelled foam were systematically evaluated under harsh reservoir conditions. The gelled foam formulation was optimized with 0.4% polymer (hydrolyzed polyacrylamide; HPAM, 0.06% cross-linker (phenolic and 0.2% foaming agent (sulphobetaine; SB. The addition of the gel improved the stability of the foam system by 3.8 times that of traditional foam. A stabilization mechanism in the gelled foam was proposed to describe the stabilization process of the foam film. The uniformly distributed three-dimensional network structure of the gel provided a thick protective layer for the foam system that maintained the stability of the foam and improved the strength and thickness of the liquid film. The gelled foam exhibited good formation adaptability, profile control, and EOR performance. The foam flowed into the high permeability layer, plugged the dominant channel, and increased the swept volume. Oil recovery was enhanced by 29.4% under harsh high -temperature and high salinity conditions.

Alginate foam-based three-dimensional culture to investigate drug sensitivity in primary leukaemia cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimpoor, Mahroo; Yebra-Fernandez, Eva; Parhizkar, Maryam; Orlu, Mine; Craig, Duncan; Khorashad, Jamshid S; Edirisinghe, Mohan

2018-04-01

The development of assays for evaluating the sensitivity of leukaemia cells to anti-cancer agents is becoming an important aspect of personalized medicine. Conventional cell cultures lack the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the bone marrow (BM), the extracellular matrix and stromal components which are crucial for the growth and survival of leukaemia stem cells. To accurately predict the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells in an in vitro assay a culturing system containing the essential components of BM is required. In this study, we developed a porous calcium alginate foam-based scaffold to be used for 3D culture. The new 3D culture was shown to be cell compatible as it supported the proliferation of both normal haematopoietic and leukaemia cells. Our cell differential assay for myeloid markers showed that the porous foam-based 3D culture enhanced myeloid differentiation in both leukaemia and normal haematopoietic cells compared to two-dimensional culture. The foam-based scaffold reduced the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells to the tested antileukaemia agents in K562 and HL60 leukaemia cell line model and also primary myeloid leukaemia cells. This observation supports the application of calcium alginate foams as scaffold components of the 3D cultures for investigation of sensitivity to antileukaemia agents in primary myeloid cells. © 2018 The Author(s).

Role of foam drainage in producing protein aggregates in foam fractionation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rui; Zhang, Yuran; Chang, Yunkang; Wu, Zhaoliang; Wang, Yanji; Chen, Xiang'e; Wang, Tao

2017-10-01

It is essential to obtain a clear understanding of the foam-induced protein aggregation to reduce the loss of protein functionality in foam fractionation. The major effort of this work is to explore the roles of foam drainage in protein aggregation in the entire process of foam fractionation with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. The results show that enhancing foam drainage increased the desorption of BSA molecules from the gas-liquid interface and the local concentration of desorbed molecules in foam. Therefore, it intensified the aggregation of BSA in foam fractionation. Simultaneously, it also accelerated the flow of BSA aggregates from rising foam into the residual solution along with the drained liquid. Because enhancing foam drainage increased the relative content of BSA molecules adsorbed at the gas-liquid interface, it also intensified the aggregation of BSA during both the defoaming process and the storage of the foamate. Furthermore, enhancing foam drainage more readily resulted in the formation of insoluble BSA aggregates. The results are highly important for a better understanding of foam-induced protein aggregation in foam fractionation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of foams from linear polypropylene (PP) and high melt strength polypropylene (HMSPP) polymeric blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, Elisabeth Carvalho Leite

2009-01-01

Foamed polymers are future materials, with a comprehensive application field. They can be used in order to improve appearance of insulation structures, for example, or to reduce costs involving materials. This work address to Isotactic Polypropylene / High Melt Strength Polypropylene blends, for foams production. Rheological behavior of polymer melt, especially referring to viscosity in processing temperature, plays a decisive role in applications where dominates extensional flow, as in case of foaming. If the viscosity is very low, it will correspond to a low melt strength, as in case of linear homopolymer (Isotact PP), and the foam will be prejudiced, due to the impossibility of expansion. Otherwise, if the viscosity is very high, with a high melt strength, the foam will collapse immediately after its formation. In order to get foams with an homogeneous and defined cellular structure, there were accomplished blends, 50% in weight, between linear homopolymer (isotactic PP) and HMSPP, from PP modified as per gamma radiation, in acetylene environment and at a 12.5 kGy doses. Extrusion process used a soluble foaming methodology, according to a processing/dissolution principle, which involves the dissolution of a Physical Blowing Agent (PBA), under 30 bar pressure, homogeneously mixed with polymeric melt. Extrusion conditions, that generally involve temperature, pressure and viscoelastic material flow control were experimentally investigated to define prevalent characteristics for producing foams. Nitrogen was the used PBA and process extrusion parameters were adapted to PP, HMSPP and their 50% in weight mixtures thereof. Major PP and HMSPP characteristics were obtained via melt Index and melt strength and thermal analyses (DSC/TGA), in order to make viable and to reproduce foaming as per extrusion process. Foams cellular morphology of PP, HMSPP and their 50% in weight mixtures thereof was investigated, with and without talc addition, as nucleating agent, by using

Generation of sclerosant foams by mechanical methods increases the foam temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Lulu; Wong, Kaichung; Connor, David; Fakhim, Babak; Behnia, Masud; Parsi, Kurosh

2017-08-01

Objective To investigate the effect of agitation on foam temperature. Methods Sodium tetradecyl sulphate and polidocanol were used. Prior to foam generation, the sclerosant and all constituent equipment were cooled to 4-25℃ and compared with cooling the sclerosant only. Foam was generated using a modified Tessari method. During foam agitation, the temperature change was measured using a thermocouple for 120 s. Results Pre-cooling all the constituent equipment resulted in a cooler foam in comparison with only cooling the sclerosant. A starting temperature of 4℃ produced average foam temperatures of 12.5 and 13.2℃ for sodium tetradecyl sulphate and polidocanol, respectively. It was also found that only cooling the liquid sclerosant provided minimal cooling to the final foam temperature, with the temperature 20 and 20.5℃ for sodium tetradecyl sulphate and polidocanol, respectively. Conclusion The foam generation process has a noticeable impact on final foam temperature and needs to be taken into consideration when creating foam.

FoamVis, A Visualization System for Foam Research: Design and Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan R. Lipsa

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Liquid foams are used in areas such as mineral separation, oil recovery, food and beverage production, sanitation and fire fighting. To improve the quality of products and the efficiency of processes in these areas, foam scientists wish to understand and control foam behaviour. To this end, foam scientists have used foam simulations to model foam behaviour; however, analysing these simulations presents difficult challenges. We describe the main foam research challenges and present the design of FoamVis, the only existing visualization, exploration and analysis application created to address them. We describe FoamVis’ main features, together with relevant design and implementation notes. Our goal is to provide a global overview and individual feature implementation details that would allow a visualization scientist to extend the FoamVis system with new algorithms and adapt it to new requirements. The result is a detailed presentation of the software that is not provided in previous visualization research papers.

Hydrodynamics of foam flows for in situ bioremediation of DNAPL-contaminated subsurface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouillard, J.X.; Enzien, M.; Peters, R.W.; Frank, J.; Botto, R.E.; Cody, G.

1995-01-01

In situ remediation technologies such as (1) pump-and-treat, (2) soil vacuum extraction, (3) soil flushing/washing, and (4) bioremediation are being promoted for cleanup of contaminated sites. However, these technologies are limited by flow channeling of chemical treatment agents. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the Gas Research Institute, and the Institute of Gas Technology are collaboratively investigating a new bioremediation technology using foams. The ability of a foam to block pores and limit flow bypassing makes it ideal for DNAPL remediation. The hydrodynamics of gas/liquid foam flows differ significantly from the hydrodynamics of single and multiphase nonfoaming flows. This is illustrated using a multiphase flow hydrodynamic computer model and a two-dimensional flow visualization cell. A state-of-the-art, nonintrusive, three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging technique was developed to visualize DNAPL mobilization in three dimensions. Mechanisms to be investigated are in situ DNAPL interactions with the foam, DNAPL emulsification, DNAPL scouring by the foam, and subsequent DNAPL mobilization/redeposition in the porous media

Liquid foam templating - A route to tailor-made polymer foams.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrieux, Sébastien; Quell, Aggeliki; Stubenrauch, Cosima; Drenckhan, Wiebke

2018-06-01

Solid foams with pore sizes between a few micrometres and a few millimetres are heavily exploited in a wide range of established and emerging applications. While the optimisation of foam applications requires a fine control over their structural properties (pore size distribution, pore opening, foam density, …), the great complexity of most foaming processes still defies a sound scientific understanding and therefore explicit control and prediction of these parameters. We therefore need to improve our understanding of existing processes and also develop new fabrication routes which we understand and which we can exploit to tailor-make new porous materials. One of these new routes is liquid templating in general and liquid foam templating in particular, to which this review article is dedicated. While all solid foams are generated from an initially liquid(-like) state, the particular notion of liquid foam templating implies the specific condition that the liquid foam has time to find its "equilibrium structure" before it is solidified. In other words, the characteristic time scales of the liquid foam's stability and its solidification are well separated, allowing to build on the vast know-how on liquid foams established over the last 20 years. The dispersed phase of the liquid foam determines the final pore size and pore size distribution, while the continuous phase contains the precursors of the desired porous scaffold. We review here the three key challenges which need to be addressed by this approach: (1) the control of the structure of the liquid template, (2) the matching of the time scales between the stability of the liquid template and solidification, and (3) the preservation of the structure of the template throughout the process. Focusing on the field of polymer foams, this review gives an overview of recent research on the properties of liquid foam templates and summarises a key set of studies in the emerging field of liquid foam templating. It

The clinical efficacy observation of fluoroscopy-guided foam sclerotherapy with lauromacrogol for varicose veins of the lower extremities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yongqiang; Xu Jingxuan; Chen Junying; Wu Yan; Zhang Chuanhong; Li Liang

2012-01-01

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of foam sclerotherapy with lauromacrogol for varicose veins of the lower extremities. Methods: During the period from February to July 2011, we retrospectively analyzed 20 patients with varicose veins of the lower extremities, who were treated with lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent injected directly at varicose veins, and in 5 extremities injected at the great saphenous vein (GSV) through a catheter at the same time. Elastic bandages were applied at the site of the injected varicosities after the therapy. The clogging of the varicose veins, the improvement of the clinical symptoms and the adverse reaction were observed. Results: Lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent was successfully injected under the guidance of fluoroscopy in 20 patients with 28 affected extremities. The average volume of foam sclerosing agent in each affected extremity was 7.8 ml. All patients presented self limiting minor complications, including swelling and pain, which was obviously alleviated by the externally applied Mucopolysaccharide Polysulfate Cream. Two patients presented cough that was relieved after inhaling oxygen. Most of treated varicosities demonstrated pigmentation after the first week, which gradually disappeared after the four-month use of vitamin E capsule. A second foam sclerotherapy was carried out for 3 affected extremities of 3 patients two months after the first therapy. Two cases of leg venous ulcer were healed within a few weeks. All patients could walk immediately with no deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, anaphylaxis, or transient visual disturbance. Obvious abnormal varicose veins as well as the soreness and fatigue of the lower extremities disappeared in all patients at the 10th-month follow-up. The grading of the disease was significantly improved by the treatment (Z=5.103, P<0.01). Conclusions: The efficacy of lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent in the treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities is

Measurement of Ce(IV) Concentration in Foam Decontaminant containing Fluorosurfactant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Chong Hun; Yang, H. B.; Yoon, I. H.; Choi, W. K.; Moon, J. K. [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, J. S. [Gachon University, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

To improve the stability of the foam, surfactants and inorganic materials such as nanoparticles can be added. A nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant is composed of a surfactant and nanoparticles for the generation and maintenance of foam, and a chemical decontamination agent made of Ce(IV) dissolved in nitric acid. Ce(IV) will be reduced to Ce(III) through the decontamination process. Oxidizing the cerium (III) can be reused as a decontamination agent, Ce(IV). Oxidation treatment technology by ozone uses its strong oxidizing power. It can be regarded as an environmentally friendly process, because ozone cannot be stored and transported like other industrial gases (because it quickly decays into diatomic oxygen) and must therefore be produced on site, and used ozone can be decomposed immediately. A concentration analysis of Ce(IV) in foam decontaminant containing a surfactant is necessary prior to the derivation of optimal conditions for the regeneration of Ce(III) through ozonation treatment. A UV spectrometric method using the absorbance or potentiometric method with a potential difference in Ce(III)/Ce(IV), or a potentiometric titration method using Fe (II), can be used for a Ce(IV) concentration analysis. A UV spectrometric method has a problem receiving the influence of the surfactant, and a potentiometric method is difficult to use because of the problem of an insignificant change in the potential difference value of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV). Thus, the present study was undertaken to determine whether the potentiometric titration method can be used for an analysis of the Ce(IV) concentration in the nanoparticle-based foam decontaminant containing surfactant. It will be effectively used for the Ce(IV) concentration measurement, in relation to the subsequent research on the derivation of optimal conditions for the regeneration of Ce(III) through ozonation treatment.

Study of the characterization of crosslinking polyethylene foam by irradiation process with electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Djalma Batista

2007-01-01

The polyethylene foams are widely used. Their main applications are used for both home appliances to medical equipment. Beside that, they have applications in building and automotive industries. The foam properties depend on the density and its cellular structure, that is, the amount of open and closed cells, of the distribution and size of them. The methods of the crosslinking polyethylene foam production are classified in two types, according to the crosslinking method. One method is based on the chemical crosslinking, which utilizes peroxide as crosslinking agent. In the other method, the crosslinking is induced by electron beam radiation. The foams obtained from the crosslinking polyethylene by irradiation process presented a smooth and the homogeneous surface, and are formed basically by closed cells. The aim of this study was to apply the ionizing radiation from electron beam to crosslink low density polyethylene (LDPE), to obtain foams. Their morphological, thermal and mechanical properties were studied to evaluate the obtained samples. The samples of low density polyethylene (0,946 g/cm 3 ), containing 5% of azodicarbonamide (ADCA), as expander agent, were irradiated with electron beam with doses of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 100 kGy. After the irradiation, these LDPE samples were put into an oven to obtain the foams. It was determined the crosslinking degree of the foams. Some samples were also thermally aged. The mechanical performance of the foams samples was evaluated by means of the tensile strength, compression, hardness, permanent deformation by compression and resilience. It was also carried out thermogravimetry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results have shown that, in the interval of radiation doses studied, that the tensile strength increases with the increase of the crosslinking degree. The compression resistance results obtained from with samples with to radiation dose of 40 kGy showed significant decreasing. The resilience

Fly Ash-based Geopolymer Lightweight Concrete Using Foaming Agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafiza Abdul Razak

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we report the results of our investigation on the possibility of producing foam concrete by using a geopolymer system. Class C fly ash was mixed with an alkaline activator solution (a mixture of sodium silicate and NaOH, and foam was added to the geopolymeric mixture to produce lightweight concrete. The NaOH solution was prepared by dilute NaOH pellets with distilled water. The reactives were mixed to produce a homogeneous mixture, which was placed into a 50 mm mold and cured at two different curing temperatures (60 °C and room temperature, for 24 hours. After the curing process, the strengths of the samples were tested on days 1, 7, and 28. The water absorption, porosity, chemical composition, microstructure, XRD and FTIR analyses were studied. The results showed that the sample which was cured at 60 °C (LW2 produced the maximum compressive strength for all tests, (11.03 MPa, 17.59 MPa, and 18.19 MPa for days 1, 7, and 28, respectively. Also, the water absorption and porosity of LW2 were reduced by 6.78% and 1.22% after 28 days, respectively. The SEM showed that the LW2 sample had a denser matrix than LW1. This was because LW2 was heat cured, which caused the geopolymerization rate to increase, producing a denser matrix. However for LW1, microcracks were present on the surface, which reduced the compressive strength and increased water absorption and porosity.

Fire hazards in the use of polyurethane foam with special consideration given to its use in the mining industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Florschuetz, P.; Hoffmann, R.; Pfeiffer, J.

1980-08-01

Discusses results from combustion tests conducted with polyurethane (PUR) foam and polyisocyanurate (PIC) foam, which are employed in mine construction, thermal insulation, and coating of coal preparation equipment. Fire point, inflammation point, flame propagation, carbon monoxide content in the fumes and other parameters were investigated. Coating the foam with a fire resistant chemical agent delayed the combustion process. Mixing foam with various quantities of foam components influenced the combustion process as well. The combustion results are presented in tables. It is concluded that the user's instructions for producing foam should be strictly adhered to and that larger sections of insulation by these foams in underground mines can only be permitted when additional protection measures are undertaken. (5 refs.) (In German)

Predicting AEA dosage by Foam Index and adsorption on Fly Ash

OpenAIRE

Jacobsen, Stefan; Ollendorff, Margrethe; Geiker, Mette Rica; Tunstall, Lori; Scherer, George W.

2012-01-01

Abstract: The unpredictable air entrainment in fly ash concrete caused by carbon in fly ash was studied by measuring adsorption of Air Entraining Agents (AEA) on the fly ash and by Foam Index (FI) testing. The FI test measures the mass ratio of AEA/binder required to obtain stable foam when shaking a mixture of water, binder powder and AEA, while increasing AEA-dosage stepwise. A review of concrete air entrainment and new studies combining adsorption (TGA, NMR) of AEA on fly ash with various ...

Experiment in foam-drive process for exploiting high-viscosity crude in conglomeratic reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jinkui, L.; Shiyuan, Y.; Wukui, H.

1985-01-01

Due to high heterogeneity of pay zones and high viscosity of oil in place in the conglomeratic reservoirs of the Karamayi oil field, water fingering is serious and waterflooding inefficient. To remedy the situation, a foam-drive process was proposed to enhance oil recovery during period of medium water cut. Foaming agents have been selected, optimized and tested, and analog studies on tube/plane models and in the fields have been conducted for the last 16 years until finally a better agent Alkyl Benzene Sodium Sulfonate is tried out which proves to be efficient in reducing the water cut and raising the ultimate rate of recovery by 7-8% (from 26-28%). 10 figures, 7 tables.

Foam Microrheology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KRAYNIK, ANDREW M.; LOEWENBERG, MICHAEL; REINELT, DOUGLAS A.

1999-01-01

The microrheology of liquid foams is discussed for two different regimes: static equilibrium where the capillary number Ca is zero, and the viscous regime where viscosity and surface tension are important and Ca is finite. The Surface Evolver is used to calculate the equilibrium structure of wet Kelvin foams and dry soap froths with random structure, i.e., topological disorder. The distributions of polyhedra and faces are compared with the experimental data of Matzke. Simple shearing flow of a random foam under quasistatic conditions is also described. Viscous phenomena are explored in the context of uniform expansion of 2D and 3D foams at low Reynolds number. Boundary integral methods are used to calculate the influence of Ca on the evolution of foam microstructure, which includes bubble shape and the distribution of liquid between films, Plateau borders, and (in 3D) the nodes where Plateau borders meet. The micromechanical point of view guides the development of structure-property-processing relationships for foams

dsmcFoam+: An OpenFOAM based direct simulation Monte Carlo solver

Science.gov (United States)

White, C.; Borg, M. K.; Scanlon, T. J.; Longshaw, S. M.; John, B.; Emerson, D. R.; Reese, J. M.

2018-03-01

dsmcFoam+ is a direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) solver for rarefied gas dynamics, implemented within the OpenFOAM software framework, and parallelised with MPI. It is open-source and released under the GNU General Public License in a publicly available software repository that includes detailed documentation and tutorial DSMC gas flow cases. This release of the code includes many features not found in standard dsmcFoam, such as molecular vibrational and electronic energy modes, chemical reactions, and subsonic pressure boundary conditions. Since dsmcFoam+ is designed entirely within OpenFOAM's C++ object-oriented framework, it benefits from a number of key features: the code emphasises extensibility and flexibility so it is aimed first and foremost as a research tool for DSMC, allowing new models and test cases to be developed and tested rapidly. All DSMC cases are as straightforward as setting up any standard OpenFOAM case, as dsmcFoam+ relies upon the standard OpenFOAM dictionary based directory structure. This ensures that useful pre- and post-processing capabilities provided by OpenFOAM remain available even though the fully Lagrangian nature of a DSMC simulation is not typical of most OpenFOAM applications. We show that dsmcFoam+ compares well to other well-known DSMC codes and to analytical solutions in terms of benchmark results.

Field demonstration of foam injection to confine a chlorinated solvent source zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Portois, Clément; Essouayed, Elyess; Annable, Michael D; Guiserix, Nathalie; Joubert, Antoine; Atteia, Olivier

2018-05-01

A novel approach using foam to manage hazardous waste was successfully demonstrated under active site conditions. The purpose of the foam was to divert groundwater flow, that would normally enter the source zone area, to reduce dissolved contaminant release to the aquifer. During the demonstration, foam was pre generated and directly injected surrounding the chlorinated solvent source zone. Despite the constraints related to the industrial activities and non-optimal position of the injection points, the applicability and effectiveness of the approach have been highlighted using multiple metrics. A combination of measurements and modelling allowed definition of the foam extent surrounding each injection point, and this appears to be the critical metric to define the success of the foam injection approach. Information on the transport of chlorinated solvents in groundwater showed a decrease of contaminant flux by a factor of 4.4 downstream of the confined area. The effective permeability reduction was maintained over a period of three months. The successful containment provides evidence for consideration of the use of foam to improve traditional flushing techniques, by increasing the targeting of contaminants by remedial agents. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flexible Foam Model.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neilsen, Michael K.; Lu, Wei-Yang; Werner, Brian T.; Scherzinger, William M.; Lo, Chi S.

2018-03-01

Experiments were performed to characterize the mechanical response of a 15 pcf flexible polyurethane foam to large deformation at different strain rates and temperatures. Results from these experiments indicated that at room temperature, flexible polyurethane foams exhibit significant nonlinear elastic deformation and nearly return to their original undeformed shape when unloaded. However, when these foams are cooled to temperatures below their glass transition temperature of approximately -35 o C, they behave like rigid polyurethane foams and exhibit significant permanent deformation when compressed. Thus, a new model which captures this dramatic change in behavior with temperature was developed and implemented into SIERRA with the name Flex_Foam to describe the mechanical response of both flexible and rigid foams to large deformation at a variety of temperatures and strain rates. This report includes a description of recent experiments. Next, development of the Flex Foam model for flexible polyurethane and other flexible foams is described. Selection of material parameters are discussed and finite element simulations with the new Flex Foam model are compared with experimental results to show behavior that can be captured with this new model.

Using egg albumin foam to extinguish fires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hytham A. Alsaati

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Oil, coal and chemical fires are often difficult to put out using water. In certain hydrocarbon fires, protein foam can extinguish fires better than water by keeping air (oxygen away from the flames and by ''blowing'' the flame away from its fuel source. Egg albumin is a relatively inexpensive protein and is representative of foaming proteins, which are candidates for use as fire suppression agents. This paper begins to deal with the effect of the foam bulk pH, foam protein concentration and generating air flow rate into the foam on the fire extinguishing time in laboratory experiments. A Bunsen burner was used to generate a small, controlled laboratory fire within a plastic container, which represented a point source in a partially open room in the experiments. The Bunsen burner represents a gaseous hydrocarbon fire, which can be difficult to extinguish. Both a low pH foam and one made with a high air flow rate favor a reduction in time required to put out the Bunsen burner flame.Chamas produzidas por óleo, carvão e produtos químicos (incêndios provocados são difíceis de ser extinguidos com água. Algumas chamas de hidrocarbonetos podem ser extinguidas por espumas protéicas melhor do que a manutenção de ar (oxigênio fora do alcance das chamas ou pelo sopramento da chama para longe da sua fonte. Albumina de ovo é uma proteína relativamente barata e é representativa dentre as proteínas usadas como espuma para a (supressão extinção de agentes causadores de incêndio. Este artigo trata do estudo do efeito do pH e concentração da espuma protéica, além da geração de ar no interior da espuma, sobre o tempo de extinção de incêndio em experimentos laboratoriais. Nos experimentos um bico de Bunsen foi usado para gerar uma pequena chama, controlada em um container de plástico, representando uma fonte pontual em um ambiente parcialmente aberto. A chama do bico de Bunsen representa uma chama gasosa de hidrocarbonetos, que são dif

Literature Review: An Overview of Epoxy Resin Syntactic Foams with Glass Microballoons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, Jennie [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-03-12

Syntactic foams are an important category of composite materials that have abundant applications in a wide variety of fields. The bulk phase of syntactic foams is a three-part epoxy resin formulation that consists of a base resin, a curative (curing agent) and a modifier (diluent and/or accelerator) [12]. These thermoset materials [12] are used frequently for their thermal stability [9], low moisture absorption and high compressive strength [10]. The characteristic feature of a syntactic foam is a network of beads that forms pores within the epoxy matrix [3]. In this review, hollow glass beads (known as glass microballoons) are considered, however, solid beads or microballoons made from materials such as ceramic, polymer or metal can also be used [3M, Peter]. The network of hollow beads forms a closed-cell foam; the term closed-cell comes from the fact that the microspheres used in the resin matrix are completely closed and filled with gas (termed hollow). In contrast, the microspheres used in open-cell foams are either not completely closed or broken so that matrix material can fill the spheres [11]. Although closed foams have been found to possess higher densities than open cell foams, their rigid structures give them superior mechanical properties [12]. Past research has extensively studied the effects that changing the volume fraction of microballoons to epoxy will have on the resulting syntactic foam [3,4,9]. In addition, published literature also explores how the microballoon wall thickness affects the final product [4,9,10]. Findings detail that indeed both the mechanical and some thermal properties of syntactic foams can be tailored to a specific application by varying either the volume fraction or the wall thickness of the microballoons used [10]. The major trends in syntactic foam research show that microballoon volume fraction has an inversely proportionate relationship to dynamic properties, while microballoon wall thickness is proportional to those

Ultra low density biodegradable shape memory polymer foams with tunable physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Singhal, Pooja; Wilson, Thomas S.; Cosgriff-Hernandez, Elizabeth; Maitland, Duncan J.

2017-12-12

Compositions and/or structures of degradable shape memory polymers (SMPs) ranging in form from neat/unfoamed to ultra low density materials of down to 0.005 g/cc density. These materials show controllable degradation rate, actuation temperature and breadth of transitions along with high modulus and excellent shape memory behavior. A method of m ly low density foams (up to 0.005 g/cc) via use of combined chemical and physical aking extreme blowing agents, where the physical blowing agents may be a single compound or mixtures of two or more compounds, and other related methods, including of using multiple co-blowing agents of successively higher boiling points in order to achieve a large range of densities for a fixed net chemical composition. Methods of optimization of the physical properties of the foams such as porosity, cell size and distribution, cell openness etc. of these materials, to further expand their uses and improve their performance.

Bio-based polyurethane foams toward applications beyond thermal insulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gama, Nuno V.; Soares, Belinda; Freire, Carmen S.R.; Silva, Rui; Neto, Carlos P.; Barros-Timmons, Ana; Ferreira, Artur

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Coffee grounds wastes were successfully liquefied yielding a bio-based polyol. • Coffee grounds derived foams formulations were optimized by tuning reagents’ contents. • The viscoelastic properties of these foams are promising to expand their applications. - Abstract: In this work the preparation of viscoelastic bio-based polyurethane foams (PUFs) using polyols obtained via acid liquefaction of coffee grounds wastes has been optimized. In a first stage, the effect of different ratios of isocyanate content to hydroxyl number (0.6, 0.7 and 0.8) and of three distinct percentages of catalyst (3%, 5% and 7%) on the extent of the polymerization reaction was studied by infrared spectroscopy. Next, different percentages of surfactant (14%, 16% and 18%) and blowing agent (12%, 14% and 16%) were used to assess their effect on the density, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of the foams, including their recovery time. The mechanical properties of the ensuing foams proved to be very interesting due to their viscoelastic behavior. PUFs were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealing a typical cellular structure and by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) which proved that these materials are thermally stable up to 190 °C. These results suggest other potential applications for these materials beyond heat insulation in areas where damping properties can be an added value

PUR-PIR foam produced based on poly(hydroxybutyl citrate foamed founded with different factories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liszkowska Joanna

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A poly(hydroxybutyl citrate p(HBC was obtained. The product compound produced in the solution during esterification, was added to rigid polyurethane-polyisocyanurate foams (PUR-PIR. The amount of petrochemical polyol in the foams was decreased in favor of the p(HBC from 0.1 to 0.5 equivalent. The foams were foamed in two ways: with distilled water (W foams and with Solkane 365/227 (S foams. The examination results of both foam series were compared. They showed that the foams foamed with water have higher softening temperature than the foams foamed with solkane. The retention values for both foam series are around 91–95%, and water absorption in the range of 0.7–3.2%. The anisotropy coefficient did not exceed 1.08 (the lowest value being 1.01.

Influence of the sintering temperature in the microstructure of foam glass obtained from waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pokorny, A.; Vicenzi, J.; Bergmann, C.P.

2012-01-01

In this work, foam glasses were produced from grounded soda-lime glass and a synthetic carbonate, used as a foaming agent, with a similar composition to a dolomite lime, added with different oxides (SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , MnO 2 , Na 2 O, K 2 O, TiO 2 and P 2 O 5 ). The objective was to evaluate the influence of sintering temperature on the properties and microstructure of the obtained material. In addition, the effect of addition of the oxides in the expansion of the ceramic bodies was evaluated. The ceramic bodies were formulated with 3 weight percent of synthetic carbonate, uniaxially pressed and fired within the temperature range from 700 deg C to 950 deg C, with a heating rate of 150K/h. The technological characterization of the ceramic bodies involved the determination of the volumetric expansion and their microstructures have been characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results have shown foam glass can be obtained from grounded soda-lime glass, using synthetic carbonate, with the introduction of the different oxides, as foaming agent. (author)

Infiltrated carbon foam composites

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Rick D. (Inventor); Danford, Harry E. (Inventor); Plucinski, Janusz W. (Inventor); Merriman, Douglas J. (Inventor); Blacker, Jesse M. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An infiltrated carbon foam composite and method for making the composite is described. The infiltrated carbon foam composite may include a carbonized carbon aerogel in cells of a carbon foam body and a resin is infiltrated into the carbon foam body filling the cells of the carbon foam body and spaces around the carbonized carbon aerogel. The infiltrated carbon foam composites may be useful for mid-density ablative thermal protection systems.

Graded porous polyurethane foam: A potential scaffold for oro-maxillary bone regeneration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giannitelli, S.M. [Department of Engineering, Tissue Engineering Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome (Italy); Basoli, F. [Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome (Italy); Mozetic, P. [Department of Engineering, Tissue Engineering Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome (Italy); Piva, P.; Bartuli, F.N.; Luciani, F. [University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome (Italy); Arcuri, C. [Department of Periodontics, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome (Italy); U.O.C.C. Odontostomatology, “S. Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli” Hospital, Rome (Italy); Trombetta, M. [Department of Engineering, Tissue Engineering Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome (Italy); Rainer, A., E-mail: a.rainer@unicampus.it [Department of Engineering, Tissue Engineering Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome (Italy); Licoccia, S. [Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome (Italy)

2015-06-01

Bone tissue engineering applications demand for biomaterials offering a substrate for cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, while inferring suitable mechanical properties to the construct. In the present study, polyurethane (PU) foams were synthesized to develop a graded porous material—characterized by a dense shell and a porous core—for the treatment of oro-maxillary bone defects. Foam was synthesized via a one-pot reaction starting from a polyisocyanate and a biocompatible polyester diol, using water as a foaming agent. Different foaming conditions were examined, with the aim of creating a dense/porous functional graded material that would perform at the same time as an osteoconductive scaffold for bone defect regeneration and as a membrane-barrier to gingival tissue ingrowth. The obtained PU was characterized in terms of morphological and mechanical properties. Biocompatibility assessment was performed in combination with bone-marrow-derived human mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMSCs). Our findings confirm that the material is potentially suitable for guided bone regeneration applications. - Highlights: • Graded porous polyurethane foams were synthesized via a one-pot foaming reaction. • The inner porous core might act as a scaffold for guided bone regeneration. • A dense outer shell was introduced to act as a barrier to gingival tissue ingrowth. • The synthesized foams were non-toxic and supportive of hBMSC adhesion.

Graded porous polyurethane foam: A potential scaffold for oro-maxillary bone regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giannitelli, S.M.; Basoli, F.; Mozetic, P.; Piva, P.; Bartuli, F.N.; Luciani, F.; Arcuri, C.; Trombetta, M.; Rainer, A.; Licoccia, S.

2015-01-01

Bone tissue engineering applications demand for biomaterials offering a substrate for cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, while inferring suitable mechanical properties to the construct. In the present study, polyurethane (PU) foams were synthesized to develop a graded porous material—characterized by a dense shell and a porous core—for the treatment of oro-maxillary bone defects. Foam was synthesized via a one-pot reaction starting from a polyisocyanate and a biocompatible polyester diol, using water as a foaming agent. Different foaming conditions were examined, with the aim of creating a dense/porous functional graded material that would perform at the same time as an osteoconductive scaffold for bone defect regeneration and as a membrane-barrier to gingival tissue ingrowth. The obtained PU was characterized in terms of morphological and mechanical properties. Biocompatibility assessment was performed in combination with bone-marrow-derived human mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMSCs). Our findings confirm that the material is potentially suitable for guided bone regeneration applications. - Highlights: • Graded porous polyurethane foams were synthesized via a one-pot foaming reaction. • The inner porous core might act as a scaffold for guided bone regeneration. • A dense outer shell was introduced to act as a barrier to gingival tissue ingrowth. • The synthesized foams were non-toxic and supportive of hBMSC adhesion

Application of persulfate-oxidation foam spraying as a bioremediation pretreatment for diesel oil-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajagain, Rishikesh; Lee, Sojin; Jeong, Seung-Woo

2018-05-15

This study investigated a persulfate-bioaugmentation serial foam spraying technique to remove total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) present in diesel-contaminated unsaturated soil. Feeding of remedial agents by foam spraying increased the infiltration/unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of reagents into the unsaturated soil. Persulfate mixed with a surfactant solution infiltrated the soil faster than peroxide, resulting in relatively even soil moisture content. Persulfate had a higher soil infiltration tendency, which would facilitate its distribution over a wide soil area, thereby enhancing subsequent biodegradation efficiency. Nearly 80% of soil-TPHs were degraded by combined persulfate-bioaugmentation foam spraying, while bioaugmentation foam spraying alone removed 52%. TPH fraction analysis revealed that the removal rate for the biodegradation recalcitrant fraction (C 18 to C 22 ) in deeper soil regions was higher for persulfate-bioaugmentation serial foam application than for peroxide-bioaugmentation foam application. Persulfate-foam spraying may be superior to peroxide for TPH removal even at a low concentration (50 mN) because persulfate-foam is more permeable, persistent, and does not change soil pH in the subsurface. Although the number of soil microbes declines by oxidation pretreatment, bioaugmentation-foam alters the microbial population exponentially. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Small cell foams and blends and a process for their preparation

Science.gov (United States)

Hedstrand, D.M.; Tomalia, D.A.

1995-02-07

Dense star polymers or dendrimers, modified by capping with a hydrophobic group capable of providing a hydrophobic outer shell, act as molecular nucleating agents. These modified dense star polymers or dendrimers are particularly effective for the production of small cell foams.

Dielectric and Radiative Properties of Sea Foam at Microwave Frequencies: Conceptual Understanding of Foam Emissivity

OpenAIRE

Peter W. Gaiser; Magdalena D. Anguelova

2012-01-01

Foam fraction can be retrieved from space-based microwave radiometric data at frequencies from 1 to 37 GHz. The retrievals require modeling of ocean surface emissivity fully covered with sea foam. To model foam emissivity well, knowledge of foam properties, both mechanical and dielectric, is necessary because these control the radiative processes in foam. We present a physical description of foam dielectric properties obtained from the foam dielectric constant including foam skin depth; foam ...

Operator spin foam models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bahr, Benjamin; Hellmann, Frank; Kaminski, Wojciech; Kisielowski, Marcin; Lewandowski, Jerzy

2011-01-01

The goal of this paper is to introduce a systematic approach to spin foams. We define operator spin foams, that is foams labelled by group representations and operators, as our main tool. A set of moves we define in the set of the operator spin foams (among other operations) allows us to split the faces and the edges of the foams. We assign to each operator spin foam a contracted operator, by using the contractions at the vertices and suitably adjusted face amplitudes. The emergence of the face amplitudes is the consequence of assuming the invariance of the contracted operator with respect to the moves. Next, we define spin foam models and consider the class of models assumed to be symmetric with respect to the moves we have introduced, and assuming their partition functions (state sums) are defined by the contracted operators. Briefly speaking, those operator spin foam models are invariant with respect to the cellular decomposition, and are sensitive only to the topology and colouring of the foam. Imposing an extra symmetry leads to a family we call natural operator spin foam models. This symmetry, combined with assumed invariance with respect to the edge splitting move, determines a complete characterization of a general natural model. It can be obtained by applying arbitrary (quantum) constraints on an arbitrary BF spin foam model. In particular, imposing suitable constraints on a spin(4) BF spin foam model is exactly the way we tend to view 4D quantum gravity, starting with the BC model and continuing with the Engle-Pereira-Rovelli-Livine (EPRL) or Freidel-Krasnov (FK) models. That makes our framework directly applicable to those models. Specifically, our operator spin foam framework can be translated into the language of spin foams and partition functions. Among our natural spin foam models there are the BF spin foam model, the BC model, and a model corresponding to the EPRL intertwiners. Our operator spin foam framework can also be used for more general spin

Supercritical CO2 foaming of radiation crosslinked polypropylene/high-density polyethylene blend: Cell structure and tensile property

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chenguang; Xing, Zhe; Zhang, Mingxing; Zhao, Quan; Wang, Mouhua; Wu, Guozhong

2017-12-01

A blend of isotactic polypropylene (PP) with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in different PP/HDPE ratios was irradiated by γ-ray to induce cross-linking and then foamed using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as a blowing agent. Radiation effect on the melting point and crystallinity were analyzed in detail. The average cell diameter and cell density were compared for PP/HDPE foams prepared under different conditions. The optimum absorbed dose for the scCO2 foaming of PP/HDPE in terms of foaming ability and cell structure was 20 kGy. Tensile measurements showed that the elongation at break and tensile strength at break of the crosslinked PP/HDPE foams were higher than the non-crosslinked ones. Of particular interest was the increase in the foaming temperature window from 4 ℃ for pristine PP to 8-12 ℃ for the radiation crosslinked PP/HDPE blends. This implies much easier handling of scCO2 foaming of crosslinked PP with the addition of HDPE.

Bubble and foam chemistry

CERN Document Server

Pugh, Robert J

2016-01-01

This indispensable guide will equip the reader with a thorough understanding of the field of foaming chemistry. Assuming only basic theoretical background knowledge, the book provides a straightforward introduction to the principles and properties of foams and foaming surfactants. It discusses the key ideas that underpin why foaming occurs, how it can be avoided and how different degrees of antifoaming can be achieved, and covers the latest test methods, including laboratory and industrial developed techniques. Detailing a variety of different kinds of foams, from wet detergents and food foams, to polymeric, material and metal foams, it connects theory to real-world applications and recent developments in foam research. Combining academic and industrial viewpoints, this book is the definitive stand-alone resource for researchers, students and industrialists working on foam technology, colloidal systems in the field of chemical engineering, fluid mechanics, physical chemistry, and applied physics.

Investigation on the effect of formulation and process variables of Polyethylene Foams Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barikani, H.; Sarai, M.

2001-01-01

Polyolefin foams such as polyethylene, polypropylene and their copolymers have been extensively used in packaging, automotive, military, marine, cable industries and sports, due to their unique properties namely: light weight, chemical resistance, thermal insulation, inertness, abrasion resistance, buoyancy and low cost. With regards to domestic mass production of polyethylene, replacement of polyurethane with polyethylene foam is very important in some applications from economical point of view. In this research preparation of high density and low density polyethylene foams were studied and the effect of formulation factors such as blowing agent, cross-linker, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide and processing factors such as heat, pressure and reaction time on density and cell size were investigated

The separation of silica nanoparticle by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide from decontamination foam waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Man Soo; Yoon, In Ho; Jung, Chong Hun; Moon, Jei Kwon; Choi, Wang Kyu

2016-01-01

Decontamination foam has been considered as a potential application for the cleaning of radioactive contaminant in the field of metallic walls, overhead surfaces, and complex components. Moreover, foam decontamination could generate the low secondary waste amount owing to its volume expansion. In order to increase the decontamination efficiency, it is essential to improve the foam stability with low amount of chemical decontamination agent. Yoon et al. reported that the silica nanoparticle containing surfactant increased the foam stability compared to only surfactant solution[3]. Nanoparticle has been used with surfactant, which they adsorb at fluid/fluid interface, to stabilize emulsions or bubbles in foams. Despite of improving foam stability, they still used the surfactant, silica nanoparticle (1 wt%), and viscosifier. In addition, it is difficult to separate silica nanoparticle from decontamination solution. Because nanoparticles differ from classical solid particles due to smaller particle size and their specific properties. Thus, the separation method for nanoparticle should be also developed with high recovery rates. The flocculation of silica nanoparticle added by CTAB could be quickly achieved for only 30 min. The particle size of SiO_2 was larger as CTAB amount increased, and SiO_2 contents in the top solution were decreased after centrifugation

The separation of silica nanoparticle by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide from decontamination foam waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Man Soo; Yoon, In Ho; Jung, Chong Hun; Moon, Jei Kwon; Choi, Wang Kyu [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Decontamination foam has been considered as a potential application for the cleaning of radioactive contaminant in the field of metallic walls, overhead surfaces, and complex components. Moreover, foam decontamination could generate the low secondary waste amount owing to its volume expansion. In order to increase the decontamination efficiency, it is essential to improve the foam stability with low amount of chemical decontamination agent. Yoon et al. reported that the silica nanoparticle containing surfactant increased the foam stability compared to only surfactant solution[3]. Nanoparticle has been used with surfactant, which they adsorb at fluid/fluid interface, to stabilize emulsions or bubbles in foams. Despite of improving foam stability, they still used the surfactant, silica nanoparticle (1 wt%), and viscosifier. In addition, it is difficult to separate silica nanoparticle from decontamination solution. Because nanoparticles differ from classical solid particles due to smaller particle size and their specific properties. Thus, the separation method for nanoparticle should be also developed with high recovery rates. The flocculation of silica nanoparticle added by CTAB could be quickly achieved for only 30 min. The particle size of SiO{sub 2} was larger as CTAB amount increased, and SiO{sub 2} contents in the top solution were decreased after centrifugation.

Foam engineering fundamentals and applications

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

Containing contributions from leading academic and industrial researchers, this book provides a much needed update of foam science research. The first section of the book presents an accessible summary of the theory and fundamentals of foams. This includes chapters on morphology, drainage, Ostwald ripening, coalescence, rheology, and pneumatic foams. The second section demonstrates how this theory is used in a wide range of industrial applications, including foam fractionation, froth flotation and foam mitigation. It includes chapters on suprafroths, flotation of oil sands, foams in enhancing petroleum recovery, Gas-liquid Mass Transfer in foam, foams in glass manufacturing, fire-fighting foam technology and consumer product foams.

Foams theory, measurements, and applications

CERN Document Server

Khan, Saad A

1996-01-01

This volume discusses the physics and physical processes of foam and foaming. It delineates various measurement techniques for characterizing foams and foam properties as well as the chemistry and application of foams. The use of foams in the textile industry, personal care products, enhanced oil recovery, firefighting and mineral floatation are highlighted, and the connection between the microstructure and physical properties of foam are detailed. Coverage includes nonaqueous foams and silicone antifoams, and more.

Starch/fiber/poly(lactic acid) foam and compressed foam composites

Science.gov (United States)

Composites of starch, fiber, and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were made using a foam substrate formed by dehydrating starch or starch/fiber gels. PLA was infiltrated into the dry foam to provide better moisture resistance. Foam composites were compressed into plastics using force ranging from 4-76MPa. Te...

Blending Novatein{sup ®} thermoplastic protein with PLA for carbon dioxide assisted batch foaming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walallavita, Anuradha, E-mail: asw15@students.waikato.ac.nz; Verbeek, Casparus J. R., E-mail: jverbeek@waikato.ac.nz; Lay, Mark, E-mail: mclay@waikato.ac.nz [University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240 (New Zealand)

2016-03-09

The convenience of polymeric foams has led to their widespread utilisation in everyday life. However, disposal of synthetic petroleum-derived foams has had a detrimental effect on the environment which needs to be addressed. This study uses a clean and sustainable approach to investigate the foaming capability of a blend of two biodegradable polymers, polylactic acid (PLA) and Novatein® Thermoplastic Protein (NTP). PLA, derived from corn starch, can successfully be foamed using a batch technique developed by the Biopolymer Network Ltd. NTP is a patented formulation of bloodmeal and chemical additives which can be extruded and injection moulded similar to other thermoplastics. However, foaming NTP is a new area of study and its interaction with blowing agents in the batch process is entirely unknown. Subcritical and supercritical carbon dioxide have been examined individually in two uniquely designed pressure vessels to foam various compositions of NTP-PLA blends. Foamed material were characterised in terms of expansion ratio, cell size, and cellular morphology in order to study how the composition of NTP-PLA affects foaming with carbon dioxide. It was found that blends with 5 wt. % NTP foamed using subcritical CO{sub 2} expanded up to 11 times due to heterogeneous nucleation. Morphology analysis using scanning electron microscopy showed that foams blown with supercritical CO{sub 2} had a finer cell structure with consistent cell size, whereas, foams blown with subcritical CO{sub 2} ranged in cell size and showed cell wall rupture. Ultimately, this research would contribute to the production of a biodegradable foam material to be used in packaging applications, thereby adding to the application potential of NTP.

Method for providing a low density high strength polyurethane foam

Science.gov (United States)

Whinnery, Jr., Leroy L.; Goods, Steven H.; Skala, Dawn M.; Henderson, Craig C.; Keifer, Patrick N.

2013-06-18

Disclosed is a method for making a polyurethane closed-cell foam material exhibiting a bulk density below 4 lbs/ft.sup.3 and high strength. The present embodiment uses the reaction product of a modified MDI and a sucrose/glycerine based polyether polyol resin wherein a small measured quantity of the polyol resin is "pre-reacted" with a larger quantity of the isocyanate in a defined ratio such that when the necessary remaining quantity of the polyol resin is added to the "pre-reacted" resin together with a tertiary amine catalyst and water as a blowing agent, the polymerization proceeds slowly enough to provide a stable foam body.

X-ray micro-tomography investigation of the foaming process in the system of waste glass–silica mud–MnO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ducman, V., E-mail: vilma.ducman@zag.si [ZAG Ljubljana, Dimičeva 12, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Korat, L.; Legat, A. [ZAG Ljubljana, Dimičeva 12, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Mirtič, B. [NTF, Aškerčeva 12, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2013-12-15

In case of foamed lightweight aggregates (LWAs), porosity is introduced by the addition of a foaming agent to the glassy matrix, which degasses at an elevated temperature, so that the resulting gases remain trapped inside the glassy structure. The efficiency of action of MnO{sub 2} as a foaming agent in waste glass and waste glass/silica mud systems was studied. Samples were fired at different temperatures and with different dwelling times at a certain temperature, and the development of porosity was investigated by means of X-ray micro-tomography. It was found that, with the prolongation in dwelling times, the number of pores decreased, while, on the other hand, the volume of these pores increased, and that the addition of silica mud increases the foaming temperature and slows down the foaming process. - Highlights: • Preparation of lightweight aggregate from waste glass, silica sludge, and MnO{sub 2} • DTA/TG investigation of MnO{sub 2} • Characterization of pore-forming process by means of X-ray micro-tomography (μcT)

Performance of Metarhizium anisopliae-treated foam in combination with Phytoseiulus longipes Evans on Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Acari: Tetranychidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Azandémè Hounmalon, Ginette Y; Maniania, Nguya K; Niassy, Saliou; Fellous, Simon; Kreiter, Serge; Delétré, Emilie; Fiaboe, Komi K; Martin, Thibaud

2018-05-13

Tetranychus evansi (Te) is an exotic pest of solanaceous crops in Africa. The predatory mite Phytoseiulus longipes (Pl) and the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Ma), are potential biocontrol agents of Te. The present study investigated efficacy of fungus-treated foam placed above or below the third Te-infested tomato leaf. The persistence of fungus-treated foam and the performance of Pl with or without fungus-treated foam were evaluated. The fungus-treated foam was effective when Te infestation was below the third tomato leaf as no damage was recorded on all upper tomato leaves up to 30 days post-treatment. However, in the control treatments, the infestation increased considerably from 9±0.3% to 100±0% at 15 days post-treatment. The reuse of the fungus-treated foam at 15, 30 and 45 days post-treatment resulted in 19±1.4%, 25±1.2% and 54±2.1% respective infestation by Te. The fungus-treated foam and Pl alone are efficient, but there is no benefit to combinting both against Te. The fungus-treated foam is an effective method to optimize the use of Ma in screenhouse conditions. These two control agents could be integrated in an IPM strategy for crops protection. However, these results need to be confirmed in large field trials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Preparation and characterization of cellulose-based foams via microwave curing.

Science.gov (United States)

Demitri, Christian; Giuri, Antonella; Raucci, Maria Grazia; Giugliano, Daniela; Madaghiele, Marta; Sannino, Alessandro; Ambrosio, Luigi

2014-02-06

In this work, a mixture of a sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose (CMCNa) and polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA700) was used for the preparation of a microporous structure by using the combination of two different procedures. First, physical foaming was induced using Pluronic as a blowing agent, followed by a chemical stabilization. This second step was carried out by means of an azobis(2-methylpropionamidine)dihydrochloride as the thermoinitiator (TI). This reaction was activated by heating the sample homogeneously using a microwave generator. Finally, the influence of different CMCNa and PEGDA700 ratios on the final properties of the foams was investigated. The viscosity, water absorption capacity, elastic modulus and porous structure were evaluated for each sample. In addition, preliminary biological characterization was carried out with the aim to prove the biocompatibility of the resulting material. The foam, including 20% of PEGDA700 in the mixture, demonstrated higher viscosity and stability before thermo-polymerization. In addition, increased water absorption capacity, mechanical resistance and a more uniform microporous structure were obtained for this sample. In particular, foam with 3% of CMCNa shows a hierarchical structure with open pores of different sizes. This morphology increased the properties of the foams. The full set of samples demonstrated an excellent biocompatibility profile with a good cell proliferation rate of more than 7 days.

Experimental Investigation into Pull-Out Strength of Foamed Concrete Using Different Types of Screw

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Othuman Mydin M.A.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on the results of the comprehensive strength test to quantify the mechanical properties of the screw’s pullout strength on foamed concrete. Foamed concrete is classified as lightweight concrete that been produced by cement paste or mortar in which air-voids are entrapped in the mortar by a suitable foaming agent. These days, the use of foamed concrete has been recognized in the construction industry as wall blocks, wall panels and also material floor and roof screeds. Hence, the applications of this material should be maximized as it is multi-functional. As we know, the use of screws on the wall or ceiling is common in a building. The objective of this research is to examine and determine the pullout strength of various properties and types of screws in lightweight foamed concrete with various densities that may depict the best result of the pullout strength on foamed concrete. To visualize the different results of pullout strength, screws with and without wall plug will be used as well. The pullout strength will be tested using the Universal Testing Machine where it shall measure the ultimate load of the screws attached to the foamed concrete may resist.

Thermal performance enhancement of erythritol/carbon foam composites via surface modification of carbon foam

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Junfeng; Lu, Wu; Luo, Zhengping; Zeng, Yibing

2017-03-01

The thermal performance of the erythritol/carbon foam composites, including thermal diffusivity, thermal capacity, thermal conductivity and latent heat, were investigated via surface modification of carbon foam using hydrogen peroxide as oxider. It was found that the surface modification enhanced the wetting ability of carbon foam surface to the liquid erythritol of the carbon foam surface and promoted the increase of erythritol content in the erythritol/carbon foam composites. The dense interfaces were formed between erythritol and carbon foam, which is due to that the formation of oxygen functional groups C=O and C-OH on the carbon surface increased the surface polarity and reduced the interface resistance of carbon foam surface to the liquid erythritol. The latent heat of the erythritol/carbon foam composites increased from 202.0 to 217.2 J/g through surface modification of carbon foam. The thermal conductivity of the erythritol/carbon foam composite before and after surface modification further increased from 40.35 to 51.05 W/(m·K). The supercooling degree of erythritol also had a large decrease from 97 to 54 °C. Additionally, the simple and effective surface modification method of carbon foam provided an extendable way to enhance the thermal performances of the composites composed of carbon foams and PCMs.

Foam-oil interaction in porous media: implications for foam assisted enhanced oil recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Farajzadeh, R; Andrianov, A; Krastev, R; Hirasaki, G J; Rossen, W R

2012-11-15

The efficiency of a foam displacement process in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) depends largely on the stability of foam films in the presence of oil. Experimental studies have demonstrated the detrimental impact of oil on foam stability. This paper reviews the mechanisms and theories (disjoining pressure, coalescence and drainage, entering and spreading of oil, oil emulsification, pinch-off, etc.) suggested in the literature to explain the impact of oil on foam stability in the bulk and porous media. Moreover, we describe the existing approaches to foam modeling in porous media and the ways these models describe the oil effect on foam propagation in porous media. Further, we present various ideas on an improvement of foam stability and longevity in the presence of oil. The outstanding questions regarding foam-oil interactions and modeling of these interactions are pointed out. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental study and modeling of the rheology and hydraulics in the foam drilling; Estudos experimentais e modelagem da reologia e da hidraulica na perfuracao com espuma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martins, Andre L.; Sa, Carlos H.M. de; Lourenco, Affonso M.F.; S. Junior, Valter [PETROBRAS, S.A, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas]. E-mails: aleibsohn@cenpes.petrobras.com.br; chsa@cenpes.petrobras.com.br; affonso-lourenco@utulsa.edu; vsj@cenpes.petrobras.com.br

2000-07-01

This article describes the extense experimental effort for analyzing the foam stability and rheological properties for application as light drilling fluid. The study considered the influence of the foaming and concentration on the foam rheology and the gas volumetric fraction on the foam rheological properties. Simple correlations were proposed for quantification of the experimental behaviour. Field tests were performed to evaluate one of the foaming agents analyzed in laboratory by using 16 combinations of the gas-fluid flow.

Gas Release Behavior of Cu-TiH2 Composite Powder and Its Application as a Blowing Agent to Fabricate Aluminum Foams with Low Porosity and Small Pore Size

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ying; Li, Yanxiang; Chen, Xiang; Liu, Zhiyong; Zhou, Xu; Wang, Ningzhen

2018-03-01

Compared to traditional pore structure with high porosity (≥ 80 pct) and large pore size (≥ 3 mm), aluminum foams with low porosity (60 to 70 pct) and small pore size (≤ 2 mm) possess higher compressive property and formability. In order to achieve the goal of reducing pore size, Cu-TiH2 composite powder prepared by ball milling preoxidized TiH2 with Cu powder was used as a blowing agent. Its gas release behavior was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the ball milling treatment can advance the gas release process and slow the gas release rate at the same time. All these changes are favorable to the reduction of porosity and pore size. Such Cu-TiH2 composite powder provides an alternative way to fabricate aluminum foams with low porosity and small pore size.

Gas Release Behavior of Cu-TiH2 Composite Powder and Its Application as a Blowing Agent to Fabricate Aluminum Foams with Low Porosity and Small Pore Size

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ying; Li, Yanxiang; Chen, Xiang; Liu, Zhiyong; Zhou, Xu; Wang, Ningzhen

2018-06-01

Compared to traditional pore structure with high porosity (≥ 80 pct) and large pore size (≥ 3 mm), aluminum foams with low porosity (60 to 70 pct) and small pore size (≤ 2 mm) possess higher compressive property and formability. In order to achieve the goal of reducing pore size, Cu-TiH2 composite powder prepared by ball milling preoxidized TiH2 with Cu powder was used as a blowing agent. Its gas release behavior was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the ball milling treatment can advance the gas release process and slow the gas release rate at the same time. All these changes are favorable to the reduction of porosity and pore size. Such Cu-TiH2 composite powder provides an alternative way to fabricate aluminum foams with low porosity and small pore size.

Preparation and Characteristics of Porous Ceramics by a foaming Technology at Low Temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, H. Q.; Wang, S. P.; Wen, J.; Wu, N.; Xu, S. H.

2017-12-01

Recycling and converting coal gangue and red mud into porous ceramics with good performance is a feasible disposal route. In this present work, porous foam ceramics was prepared using coal gangue and red mud as main raw materials at low sintering temperature, The amount of coal gangue and red mud were up to 70 wt%. To regulate the forming and sintering performance of the product, quartz sands and clay material were added to the formula. The green body was formed by a foaming technology using aluminum powders as foaming agents at room temperature. After foamed, the specimens were dried at 60-80 °C, and then calcined at 1060°C. Effects of concentration of NaOH and amount of aluminum powders on the phase, mechanical properties and microstructure were investigated here. Such study is expected to provide a new utilization route of the coal gangue and red mud, and brings both intensive environmental and economic benefits.

Rheological Properties and Foaming Behavior of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalates) Modified with Pyromellitic Dianhydride

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhao-Ping; Xin, Chun-Ling; Guo, Ya-Feng; Luo, Yi-Wei; He, Ya-Dong

2016-05-01

Improving the melt viscoelasticity of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a well-known method to obtain foamable PET. The aim of this study is to prepare high melt strength PET and evaluate the influence of rheological properties of PET on the foaming behavior. For this purpose, pyromelliticdianhydride was used as the chain extender to modify a linear PET through melt reactive processing. The rheological properties of the unmodified and modified PETs were measured by a dynamic rheometer. Results showed that the modified PET had higher complex viscosity than the unmodified one. Furthermore, the batch foaming by using supercritical CO2 as a blowing agent was carried to evaluate the foamability of modified PETs. It was found that an enlarged foaming temperature window was obtained for modified PETs compared to unmodified PET. Moreover, the modified PETs foams exhibited higher expansion ratio, smaller cell size and higher cell density at high temperatures than the neat PET.

Emission of volatiles from spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulated crawl spaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Havermans, J.B.G.A.

2014-01-01

The emission of (di)isocyantes, polyols and blowing agents from curing Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) was studied in a house having its crawl space recently insulated. Before insulation a blank measurement was made and he emission was followed up to 144 hours after the insolation application. The

Counteracting foaming caused by lipids or proteins in biogas reactors using rapeseed oil or oleic acid as antifoaming agents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kougias, Panagiotis; Boe, Kanokwan; Einarsdottir, E. S.

2015-01-01

in biogas reactors fed with protein or lipid rich substrates. The results showed that both antifoams efficiently suppressed foaming. Moreover rapeseed oil resulted in stimulation of the biogas production. Finally, it was reckoned that the chemical structure of lipids, and more specifically their carboxylic...... deterioration of the methanogenic process. Many commercial antifoams are derivatives of fatty acids or oils. However, it is well known that lipids can induce foaming in manure based biogas plants. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of rapeseed oil and oleic acid on foam reduction and process performance...

Drainage effect in eutectic Al-Si foam using similar alporas process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filho, M.O.; Junior, A.C.S; Ferrandini, P.L.; Nakazato, A.Z.; Assis, W.L.S.

2016-01-01

Cellular materials have particular properties. This properties are very interesting in various type of industries, as construction, automobile and shipbuilding. Two reasons why metal foams are apply in more companies are difficult process control and high production costs. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the drainage effect in four samples produced with alloy Al-Si eutectic using CaCO 3 as foaming agent, since this is low cost than TiH 2 used normally in Alporas process and this foam have well pores uniform. For these samples has been used 700°C during all process, mixing time was 180 seconds, holding time was 150 seconds and 3,5 w.t% CaCO3. Therefore, these samples were cut transversally and analyzed what were the drainage effect on the apparent density, relative density and porosity. The free zone bubbles were noticed in all the samples. (author)

Effect of Stabilization on Morphology Polystyrene and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Thermoplastic Foams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mozafar Mokhtari Motameni Shirvan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Microcellular thermoplastic foams can be usually produced in a one-step batch system using a physical foaming agent which is dissolved in a polymer system under specific pressure and temperature, higher than the critical condition of solvent and the glass transition temperature of polymer and solvent mixture. By application of a sudden pressure drop the foam structure is formed through stages of nucleation, growth and coalescence. After pressure drop, if the foam temperature is reduced below the glass transition of the gas-polymer mixture, the cells stop growing which results in a foam with stabilized morphology. This stabilization stage has not been thoroughly focused in previous studies. In this work, polystyrene as a polymer system and supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent were used at 18.5 MPa pressure and different temperatures. The stabilization process took place within milliseconds and helped to a better understanding of cellular structure in thermoplastic foams. In this mechanism, the nucleation takes place in the phase transition of solvent molecules at supercritical state to the gas state and the formation of very small nuclei containing gas molecules between polymer chains. The energy originated from the nuclei growth is in competition with the elastic energy of polymer chains, and the predominance of one type of energy over another determines the final cell size. The results showed that the effect of stabilization process on the structure of the foam depended on the foaming temperature. Stabilization at 110°C resulted in a 50% cell size reduction and a 60% cell density promotion, while at lower temperatures, the stabilization led to greater cell size and reduced cell density.

Production of Polystyrene Open-celled Microcellular Foam in Batch Process by Super Critical CO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.S. Enayati

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Open-celled foams are capable to allow the passage of fluids through their structure, because of interconnections between the open cells or bubbles and therefore these structures can be used as a membrane and filter. In thiswork, we have studied the production of polystyrene open-celled microcellular foam by using CO2 as blowing agent. To achieve such structures, it is necessary to control the stages of growth in such a way that the cells would connect to each other through the pores without any coalescence. The required processing condition to achieve open-celled structures is predictable by a model theory of opened-cell. This model suggests that at least a 130 bar saturation pressure and foaming time between 9 and 58 s are required for this system. The temperature range has been selected for to be both higher than polymer glass transition temperature and facilitating the foaming process. Experimental results in the batch foaming process has verified the model quite well. The SEM and mercury porousimetry tests show the presence of pores between the cells with open-celled structure. Experimental results show that by increasing the saturation pressure and the foaming temperature, there is a drop in the time required for open-celled structure formation. A 130 bar saturation pressure, 150o C foaming temperature and 60 s foaming time, suggest the attainment of open-celled microcellular foam based on polystyrene/CO2 system in the batch process.

Low-density carbonized resorcinol-formaldehyde foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, F.M.; Buckley, S.R.; Giles, C.L. Jr.; Haendler, B.L.; Hair, L.M.; Letts, S.A.; Overturf, G.E. III; Price, C.W.; Cook, R.C.

1991-01-01

This report documents research and development on resorcinol- formaldehyde-based foam materials conducted between 1986 and June 1990, when the effort was discontinued. The foams discussed are resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) foam, carbonized RF (CRF) foam, and two composite foams, a polystyrene/RF (PS/RF) foam and its carbonized derivative (CPR). The RF foams are synthesized by the polycondensation of resorcinol with formaldehyde in a slightly basic solution. Their structure and density depend strongly on the concentration of the sodium carbonate catalyst. The have an interconnected bead structure similar to that of silica aerogels; bead sizes range from 30 to 130 Angstrom, and cell sizes are less than 0.1 μm. We have achieved densities of 16 to 200 mg/cm 3 . The RF foams can be pyrolyzed in an inert atmosphere to form a vitreous carbon foam (CRF), which has a similar microstructure but much higher mechanical strength. The PS/RF foams are obtained by filling the 2- to 3-μm cells of PS foam (a low-density hydrocarbon foam we have developed) with RF. The resultant foams have the outstanding handling and machinability of the PS foam matrix and the small cell size of RF. Pyrolyzing PS/RF foams causes depolymerization and loss of the PS; the resulting CPR foams have a structure similar to the PS foams in which CRF both replicates and fills the PS cells

Results of Large-Scale Testing on Effects of Anti-Foam Agent on Gas Retention and Release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, Charles W.; Guzman-Leong, Consuelo E.; Arm, Stuart T.; Butcher, Mark G.; Golovich, Elizabeth C.; Jagoda, Lynette K.; Park, Walter R.; Slaugh, Ryan W.; Su, Yin-Fong; Wend, Christopher F.; Mahoney, Lenna A.; Alzheimer, James M.; Bailey, Jeffrey A.; Cooley, Scott K.; Hurley, David E.; Johnson, Christian D.; Reid, Larry D.; Smith, Harry D.; Wells, Beric E.; Yokuda, Satoru T.

2008-01-03

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of River Protection’s Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) will process and treat radioactive waste that is stored in tanks at the Hanford Site. The waste treatment process in the pretreatment facility will mix both Newtonian and non-Newtonian slurries in large process tanks. Process vessels mixing non-Newtonian slurries will use pulse jet mixers (PJMs), air sparging, and recirculation pumps. An anti-foam agent (AFA) will be added to the process streams to prevent surface foaming, but may also increase gas holdup and retention within the slurry. The work described in this report addresses gas retention and release in simulants with AFA through testing and analytical studies. Gas holdup and release tests were conducted in a 1/4-scale replica of the lag storage vessel operated in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Applied Process Engineering Laboratory using a kaolin/bentonite clay and AZ-101 HLW chemical simulant with non-Newtonian rheological properties representative of actual waste slurries. Additional tests were performed in a small-scale mixing vessel in the PNNL Physical Sciences Building using liquids and slurries representing major components of typical WTP waste streams. Analytical studies were directed at discovering how the effect of AFA might depend on gas composition and predicting the effect of AFA on gas retention and release in the full-scale plant, including the effects of mass transfer to the sparge air. The work at PNNL was part of a larger program that included tests conducted at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) that is being reported separately. SRNL conducted gas holdup tests in a small-scale mixing vessel using the AZ-101 high-level waste (HLW) chemical simulant to investigate the effects of different AFAs, their components, and of adding noble metals. Full-scale, single-sparger mass transfer tests were also conducted at SRNL in water and AZ-101 HLW simulant to provide data for PNNL�

Microstructural and mechanical properties of Al–SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite foams produced by an ultrasonic technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salehi, A., E-mail: am_salehi85@yahoo.com [Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Mashhad Branch (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Babakhani, A., E-mail: babakhani@um.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Zebarjad, S. Mojtaba, E-mail: mojtabazebarjad@shirazu.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-06-25

In this study, nanocomposite foams reinforced with different weight percentages of silicon dioxide nanoparticles (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 wt%) were fabricated using the ultrasonic and stir casting techniques. For this purpose heat treated TiH{sub 2} was used as foaming agent. Microstructural studies were done by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. Hardness evaluation of precursor nanocomposites showed that the hardness was significantly increased by the addition of SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles and Al–0.75 wt% SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite makes the highest hardness. Evaluation of compressive behavior of Al–SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite foams showed that the plateau stress increases more than 3 times as the foam relative density increases from 0.09 to 0.16. Energy absorption of Al–SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite foams has been found to be dependent on both relative density and structural properties.

Development of test systems for characterizing emissions from spray polyurethane foam insulation (SPFI)

Science.gov (United States)

The relationship between onsite manufacture of spray polyurethane foam insulation (SPFI) and potential exposures to diisocyanates, amines, flame retardants (FRs), blowing agents, aldehydes and other organic compounds that may be emitted from SPFI is not well understood. EPA is de...

Aerosol-foam interaction experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, M.H.E.; Luscombe, C.DeM.; Mitchell, J.P.

1990-03-01

Foam treatment offers the potential to clean gas streams containing radioactive particles. A large decontamination factor has been claimed for the removal of airborne plutonium dust when spraying a commercially available foam on the walls and horizontal surfaces of an alpha-active room. Experiments have been designed and undertaken to reproduce these conditions with a non-radioactive simulant aerosol. Careful measurements of aerosol concentrations with and without foam treatment failed to provide convincing evidence to support the earlier observation. The foam may not have been as well mixed with the aerosol in the present studies. Further work is required to explore more efficient mixing methods, including systems in which the aerosol steam is passed through the foam, rather than merely spraying foam into the path of the aerosol. (author)

Foam patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhry, Anil R; Dzugan, Robert; Harrington, Richard M; Neece, Faurice D; Singh, Nipendra P; Westendorf, Travis

2013-11-26

A method of creating a foam pattern comprises mixing a polyol component and an isocyanate component to form a liquid mixture. The method further comprises placing a temporary core having a shape corresponding to a desired internal feature in a cavity of a mold and inserting the mixture into the cavity of the mold so that the mixture surrounds a portion of the temporary core. The method optionally further comprises using supporting pins made of foam to support the core in the mold cavity, with such pins becoming integral part of the pattern material simplifying subsequent processing. The method further comprises waiting for a predetermined time sufficient for a reaction from the mixture to form a foam pattern structure corresponding to the cavity of the mold, wherein the foam pattern structure encloses a portion of the temporary core and removing the temporary core from the pattern independent of chemical leaching.

Fabrication of FeAl Intermetallic Foams by Tartaric Acid-Assisted Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krzysztof Karczewski

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Iron aluminides are intermetallics with interesting applications in porous form thanks to their mechanical and corrosion resistance properties. However, making porous forms of these materials is not easy due to their high melting points. We formed FeAl foams by elemental iron and aluminum powders sintering with tartaric acid additive. Tartaric acid worked as an in situ gas-releasing agent during the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of FeAl intermetallic alloy, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements. The porosity of the formed foams was up to 36 ± 4%. In the core of the sample, the average equivalent circle diameter was found to be 47 ± 20 µm, while on the surface, it was 35 ± 16 µm; thus, the spread of the pore size was smaller than reported previously. To investigate functional applications of the formed FeAl foam, the pressure drop of air during penetration of the foam was examined. It was found that increased porosity of the material increased the flow of the air through the metallic foam.

Thermosetting Fluoropolymer Foams

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sheng Yen

1987-01-01

New process makes fluoropolymer foams with controllable amounts of inert-gas fillings in foam cells. Thermosetting fluoropolymers do not require foaming additives leaving undesirable residues and do not have to be molded and sintered at temperatures of about 240 to 400 degree C. Consequently, better for use with electronic or other parts sensitive to high temperatures or residues. Uses include coatings, electrical insulation, and structural parts.

Pipe Decontamination Involving String-Foam Circulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turchet, J.P.; Estienne, G.; Fournel, B.

2002-01-01

Foam applications number for nuclear decontamination purposes has recently increased. The major advantage of foam decontamination is the reduction of secondary liquid wastes volumes. Among foam applications, we focus on foam circulation in contaminated equipment. Dynamic properties of the system ensures an homogeneous and rapid effect of the foam bed-drifted chemical reagents present in the liquid phase. This paper describes a new approach of foam decontamination for pipes. It is based on an alternated air and foam injections. We called it 'string-foam circulation'. A further reduction of liquid wastes is achieved compared to continuous foam. Secondly, total pressure loss along the pipe is controlled by the total foam length in the pipe. It is thus possible to clean longer pipes keeping the pressure under atmospheric pressure value. This ensures the non dispersion of contamination. This study describes experimental results obtained with a neutral foam as well with an acid foam on a 130 m long loop. Finally, the decontamination of a 44 meters pipe is presented. (authors)

The effect of water binder ratio and fly ash on the properties of foamed concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Saloma, Hanafiah, Urmila, Dea

2017-11-01

Foamed concrete is a lightweight concrete composed by cement, water, fine aggregate and evenly distributed foam. Foamed concrete is produced by adding foam to the mixture. The function of foam is to create air voids in the mixture, so the weight of the concrete becomes lighter. The foaming agent is diluted in water then given air pressure by foam generator to produce foam. This research utilizes coal combustion, which is fly ash as cementitious material with a percentage of 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The purpose of the research is to examine the effect of water binder ratio 0.425, 0.450, 0.475, and 0.500 using fly ash on the properties of foamed concrete. Fresh concrete tests include slump flow and setting time test while hardened concrete tests include density and compressive strength. The maximum value of slump flow test result is 59.50 cm on FC-20-0.500 mixture with w/b = 0.500 and 20% of fly ash percentage. The results of the setting time tests indicate the fastest initial and final time are 335 and 720 minutes, respectively on FC-0-0.425 mixture with w/b = 0.425 without fly ash. The lowest density is 978.344 kg/m3 on FC-20-0.500 mixture with w/b = 0.500 and 20% of fly ash percentage. The maximum compressive strength value is 4.510 MPa at 28 days on FC-10-0.450 mixture with w/b = 0.450 and 10% of fly ash percentage.

Novel approach for extinguishing large-scale coal fires using gas-liquid foams in open pit mines.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xinxiao; Wang, Deming; Qin, Botao; Tian, Fuchao; Shi, Guangyi; Dong, Shuaijun

2015-12-01

Coal fires are a serious threat to the workers' security and safe production in open pit mines. The coal fire source is hidden and innumerable, and the large-area cavity is prevalent in the coal seam after the coal burned, causing the conventional extinguishment technology difficult to work. Foams are considered as an efficient means of fire extinguishment in these large-scale workplaces. A noble foam preparation method is introduced, and an original design of cavitation jet device is proposed to add foaming agent stably. The jet cavitation occurs when the water flow rate and pressure ratio reach specified values. Through self-building foaming system, the high performance foams are produced and then infused into the blast drilling holes at a large flow. Without complicated operation, this system is found to be very suitable for extinguishing large-scale coal fires. Field application shows that foam generation adopting the proposed key technology makes a good fire extinguishment effect. The temperature reduction using foams is 6-7 times higher than water, and CO concentration is reduced from 9.43 to 0.092‰ in the drilling hole. The coal fires are controlled successfully in open pit mines, ensuring the normal production as well as the security of personnel and equipment.

Facile synthesis and application of a carbon foam with large mesopores

KAUST Repository

Fu, Liling

2013-01-01

By combining elements of hard- and soft-templating, a facile synthesis method for carbon foams with large mesopores has been demonstrated. A commercial Pluronic surfactant was used as the structure-directing agent as well as the carbon precursor. No micelle swelling agent or post treatment is necessary to enlarge mesopores. As such this method requires fewer synthesis steps and is highly scalable. The as-synthesized meso-carbons showed potential applications in the fields of carbon oxide capture and lithium-sulfur batteries. © 2013 the Owner Societies.

Enhancement in insulation and mechanical properties of PMMA nanocomposite foams infused with multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Jui-Ming; Chang, Kung-Chin; Peng, Chih-Wei; Lai, Mei-Chun; Hwang, Shyh-Shin; Lin, Hong-Ru; Liou, Shir-Joe

2011-08-01

In this study, PMMA/CNTs composite materials with carboxyl-multi walled carbon nanotubes (c-MWNTs) or untreated MWNTs were prepared via in-situ bulk polymerization. The as-prepared PMMA/CNTs composite materials were then characterized by Fourier-Transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The molecular weights of PMMA extracted from PMMA/CNTs composite materials and bulk PMMA were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with THF used as the eluant. The PMMA/CNTs composite materials were used to produce foams by a batch process in an autoclave using nitrogen as foaming agent. The cellular microstructure, insulation and compressive mechanical properties of PMMA/CNTs composite foams were also investigated in detail. Compared to neat PMMA foam, the presence of CNTs increases in cell density and reduces cell size. The insulation and compressive mechanical properties of PMMA/CNTs composite foams were found to improve substantially those of neat PMMA foam. In particular, 22.6% decrease in thermal conductivity, 19.7% decrease in dielectric constant and 160% increase in compressive modulus were observed with the addition of 0.3 wt% carboxyl-multi walled carbon nanotubes (c-MWNTs).

(H)-FCKW foamed insulating materials in the building industry in Germany. Estimation of the potential emissions up to the year 2010; (H)-FCKW-geschaeumte Daemmstoffe im Bauwesen in Deutschland. Schaetzung der potentiellen Emissionen bis zum Jahr 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Obernosterer, Richard [Ressourcen Management Agentur GmbH, Villach (Austria)

2012-09-15

CFCs and HCFCs are controlled substances under European Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2009. Article 22 of that Regulation provides that controlled substances contained in certain products (e.g. insulating materials) must be recovered, if technically and economically feasible, or be destroyed without prior recovery. Annex VII lists specific technologies for destruction, recycling or reclamation. In Germany, the use of (H)CFCs in insulating materials has been prohibited since 1995 (R 11 and R 12) and 2000 (R 22). At European level, use of HCFCs (141b and 142b) has been banned since 2002 mainly in the production of extruded polystyrene rigid foam and since 2003 in the production of polyurethane foams. Few data have become available to date on the amounts of (H)CFCs produced and banked up to the time the prohibitions went into effect. The present report therefore provides details on the amounts of (H)CFC-containing insulating materials installed in Germany and estimates the quantities of (H)CFCs still present in them. The study focuses on rigid XPS foam and rigid PU foam used in the construction sector, due to the original objective of the study and the quantitative significance of these foams. XPS insulating foams: XPS panels were assumed to have an average density of 33 kg/m3. Based on annual foam use (volume), density, the market shares of the blowing agents, and blowing agent content in the foam, the annual increase in banked amounts of blowing agents was estimated. Annual fugitive losses were deducted from those banks, specific to the relevant products and blowing agents. As result a bank of approximately 43.7 kt or 15 000 t-ODP was estimated for Germany in 2009. PU insulating foams: Based on annual foam use (volume), density (assumed to be 41 kg/m3 for PU sandwich panels and 33 kg/m3 for other PU products), the market shares of the blowing agents, and blowing agent content in the foam, the annual increase in banked amounts of blowing agents was estimated. Annual

Novel developments in foam sclerotherapy: Focus on Varithena® (polidocanol endovenous microfoam) in the management of varicose veins.

Science.gov (United States)

Star, Phoebe; Connor, David E; Parsi, Kurosh

2018-04-01

Scope Varithena® is a recently approved commercially available drug/delivery unit that produces foam using 1% polidocanol for the management of varicose veins. The purpose of this review is to examine the benefits of foam sclerotherapy, features of the ideal foam sclerosant and the strengths and limitations of Varithena® in the context of current foam sclerotherapy practices. Method Electronic databases including PubMed, Medline (Ovid) SP as well as trial registries and product information sheets were searched using the keywords, 'Varithena', 'Varisolve', 'polidocanol endovenous microfoam', 'polidocanol' and/or 'foam sclerotherapy/sclerosant'. Articles published prior to 20 September 2016 were identified. Results Foam sclerosants have effectively replaced liquid agents due to their physiochemical properties resulting in better clinical outcomes. Medical practitioners commonly prepare sclerosant foam at the bedside by agitating liquid sclerosant with a gas such as room air, using techniques as described by Tessari or the double syringe method. Such physician-compounded foams are highly operator dependent producing inconsistent foams of different gas/liquid compositions, bubble size, foam behaviour and varied safety profiles. Varithena® overcomes the variability and inconsistencies of physician-compounded foam. However, Varithena® has limited applications due to its fixed sclerosant type and concentration, cost and lack of worldwide availability. Clinical trials of Varithena® have demonstrated efficacy and safety outcomes equivalent or better than physician-compounded foam but only in comparison to placebo alone. Conclusion Varithena® is a promising step towards the creation of an ideal sclerosant foam. Further assessment in independent randomised controlled clinical trials is required to establish the advantages of Varithena® over and above the current best practice physician-compounded foam.

Polyurethane-Foam Maskant

Science.gov (United States)

Bodemeijer, R.

1985-01-01

Brown wax previously used to mask hardware replaced with polyurethane foam in electroplating and electroforming operations. Foam easier to apply and remove than wax and does not contaminate electrolytes.

Torsion Property of the Structure Bonded Aluminum Foam Due to Impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hwang G.W.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available An aluminum foam added with foaming agent, is classified into an open-cell type for heat transfer and a closed-cell type for shock absorption. This study investigates the characteristic on the torsion of aluminum foam for a closed-cell type under impact. The fracture characteristics are investigated through the composite of five types of aluminum foam (the thicknesses of 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65 mm, when applying the torsional moment of impact energy on the junction of a porous structure attached by an adhesive. When applying the impact energy of 100, 200 and 300J, the aluminum foams with thicknesses of 25 mm and 35 mm broke off under all conditions. For the energy over 200J, aluminums thicker than 55 mm continued to be attached. Furthermore, the aluminum specimens with thicknesses of 55 mm and 65 mm that were attached with more than 30% of bonding interface remained, proving that they could maintain bonding interface against impact energy. By comparing the data based on the analysis and test result, an increase in the thickness of specimen leads to the plastic deformation as the stress at the top and bottom of bonding interface moves to the middle by spreading the stress horizontally. Based on this fracture characteristic, this study can provide the data on the destruction and separation of bonding interface and may contribute to the safety design.

Continuous microcellular foaming of polyvinyl chloride and compatibilization of polyvinyl chloride and polylactide composites

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Bhavesh

This dissertation focuses on overcoming existing limitations of WPCs which prevent them from realizing their full market potential. These limitations include: (i) lack of a continuous extrusion process for microcellular foaming of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and its composites using supercritical fluids to reduce the high density of the WPCs, (ii) need for an efficient coupling agent for WPCs to overcome the poor compatibility between wood and plastic, and (iii) unproven use of wood as a filler for the biopolymer polylactide (PLA) to make "green" composites. These limitations were addressed through experimentation to develop a continuous extrusion process for microcellular foaming, and through surface modification of wood flour using natural coupling agents. The effects of wood flour, acrylic modifier and plasticizer content on the rheological properties of PVC based WPCs were studied using an extrusion capillary rheometer and a two-level factorial design. Wood flour content and acrylic modifier content were the major factors affecting the die swell ratio. Addition of plasticizer decreased the true viscosity of unfilled and filled PVC, irrespective of the acrylic modifier content. However, the addition of acrylic modifier significantly increased the viscosity of unfilled PVC but decreased the composite viscosity. Results of the rheological study were used to set baseline conditions for the continuous extrusion foaming of PVC WPCs using supercritical CO 2. Effects of material composition and processing conditions on the morphology of foamed samples were investigated. Foamed samples were produced using various material compositions and processing conditions, but steady-state conditions could not be obtained for PVC. Thus the relationships could not be determined. Incompatibility between wood flour and PVC was the focus of another study. The natural polymers chitin and chitosan were used as novel coupling agents to improve interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix

Foam Properties and Detergent Abilities of the Saponins from Camellia oleifera

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu-Fen; Yang, Chao-Hsun; Chang, Ming-Shiang; Ciou, Yong-Ping; Huang, Yu-Chun

2010-01-01

The defatted seed meal of Camellia oleifera has been used as a natural detergent and its extract is commercially utilized as a foam-stabilizing and emulsifying agent. The goal of this study was to investigate the foam properties and detergent ability of the saponins from the defatted seed meal of C. oleifera. The crude saponin content in the defatted seed meal of C. oleifera was 8.34 and the total saponins content in the crude saponins extract was 39.5% (w/w). The foaming power of the 0.5 crude saponins extract solution from defatted seed meal of C. oleifera was 37.1 of 0.5 SLS solution and 51.3% to that of 0.5% Tween 80 solution. The R5 value of 86.0% represents good foam stability of the crude saponins extracted from the defatted seed meal of the plant. With the reduction of water surface tension from 72 mN/m to 50.0 mN/m, the 0.5% crude saponins extract solution has wetting ability. The sebum-removal experiment indicated that the crude saponins extract has moderate detergency. The detergent abilities of the saponins from C. oleifera and Sapindus mukorossi were also compared. PMID:21151446

Sterilized PP/HMSPP cushion foams for medical and food packaging applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, Elisabeth C.L.; Lima, L. Filipe C.P.; Parra, Duclerc F.; Lugao, Ademar B.; Bueno, N.R.; Gasparin, Eleosmar

2009-01-01

Treatment with gamma radiation is becoming a common process for the sterilization of packages, mostly made of natural or synthetic plastics, used in aseptic processing of foods and pharmaceuticals. Packaging materials may be irradiated either prior or after filling; the irradiation prior to filling is usually chosen for dairy products, processed food, beverages, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Cushion foams are used to help protect fragile items during moving transport. Shock, vibration and damage are avoided by the cushioning effect and chances of product damage are reduced. It is easy to use and perforated for easy tearing. Cushion foams are employed to wrap glasses, plates, crockery, lamps, electronics and other breakable items. This paper presents special cushion foams to be used for medical and food packaging applications; so, these foams will be gamma irradiated before getting in contact with these special articles. Foams were previously produced from a 50% blending Polypropylene homopolymer / High Melt Strength Polypropylene (HMSPP) thereof, that presented following results for properties assessed: melt flow index, 230 deg C - 3.67 g/10 minutes; crystallinity = 47%; melt strength, at 200 deg C = 7.3 cN. This admixture was further fed into the barrel of a single-screw extruder, Rheomex 332 p, equipped with 3:1,33 d screw and 19/33 special screw for foaming, with standard controller and monitored panel, temperature controller (2 channels), melt temperature (2 channels) and melt pressure (4 channels). By using a 175/200/210/220/165/25 (deg C) profile temperature, and after attaining a homogeneous melting, a given amount of physical blowing agent (nitrogen) was injected and mixed with the polymer melt stream to produce the foam. Foamed extrudate was subjected to sterilization radiation doses: 25, 50, 75 and 100 kGy and further evaluated as per: appearance (whiteness / yellowness) and temperature dependent oxidative-induction time (TOIT) tests, by comparing

Fire-retardant foams

Science.gov (United States)

Gagliani, J.

1978-01-01

Family of polyimide resins are being developed as foams with exceptional fire-retardant properties. Foams are potentially useful for seat cushions in aircraft and ground vehicles and for applications such as home furnishings and building-construction materials. Basic formulations can be modified with reinforcing fibers or fillers to produce celular materials for variety of applications. By selecting reactants, polymer structure can be modified to give foams with properties ranging from high resiliency and flexibility to brittleness and rigidity.

Investigation of field temperature in moulds of foamed plaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Pawlak

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Plaster moulds used in precision foundry are characterized by a very low permeability which, in the case of classic plaster moulds, equals to about 0,01÷0,02 m2/(MPa·s. One of the most effective methods for increasing the permeability is a foaming treatment. Another characteristic feature of plaster is its very good insulating power which has influence on the process of solidification and cooling of a cast and also on a knock-out property. This insulating power is a function of thermophysical properties of plaster which, in turn, depend mainly on the mineralogical composition of the mould material, its bulk density as well as on the temperature of the pouring alloy. In the case of a foamed plaster mould an increase of the degree of foaming increases its porosity which causes a change in its thermophysical properties, thereby increasing susceptibility of the mass to overheating. The susceptibility of the plaster layer surrounding the cast to overheating is favorable because it makes it easier to knock-out of the cast by immersing the hot mould in cold water. Thermal and phase tensions that are created during this process cause fast destruction of plaster. This paper describes our investigations aimed at the determination of the dependence of the mould temperature field on the time of the cast stay in the mould, as recorded in a process of an unsteady heat flow. The determined data were planned to be used for estimation of the technological properties of the plaster mould. The tests were carried out using the plaster α-Supraduro and Alkanol XC (foaming agent. The test mould had a diameter of Ø 120 mm with centrally situated mould cavity of Ø 30 mm. Plaster moulds with a degree of foaming 20; 32,5 and 45% and comparatively from non-foaming plaster were tested and their temperatures were measured at the distance x=2; 9; 21; 25;27; 30 mm from the mould cavity within 25 min. Analysis of the results leads to the conclusion, that the highest

Attenuation of fluorocarbons released from foam insulation in landfills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scheutz, Charlotte; Dote, Yukata; Fredenslund, Anders Michael

2007-01-01

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been used as blowing agents (BAs) for foam insulation in home appliances and building materials, which after the end of their useful life are disposed of in landfills. The objective of this project...... was to evaluate the potential for degradation of BAs in landfills, and to develop a landfill model, which could simulate the fate of BAs in landfills. The investigation was performed by use of anaerobic microcosm studies using different types of organic waste and anaerobic digested sludge as inoculum. The BAs...... in any of the experiments within a run time of up to 200 days. The obtained degradation rate coefficients were used as input for an extended version of an existing landfill fate model incorporating a time dependent BA release from co-disposed foam insulation waste. Predictions with the model indicate...

Foam pad of appropriate thickness can improve diagnostic value of foam posturography in detecting postural instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bo; Leng, Yangming; Zhou, Renhong; Liu, Jingjing; Liu, Dongdong; Liu, Jia; Zhang, Su-Lin; Kong, Wei-Jia

2018-04-01

The present study investigated the effect of foam thickness on postural stability in patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH) during foam posturography. Static and foam posturography were performed in 33 patients (UVH group) and 30 healthy subjects (control group) with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC) on firm surface and on 1-5 foam pad(s). Sway velocity (SV) of center of pressure, standing time before falling (STBF) and falls reaction were recorded and analyzed. (1) SVs had an increasing tendency in both groups as the foam pads were added under EO and EC conditions. (2) STBFs, only in UVH group with EC, decreased with foam thickness increasing. (3) Significant differences in SV were found between the control and UVH group with EO (except for standing on firm surface, on 1 and 2 foam pad(s)) and with EC (all surface conditions). (4) Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the SV could better reflect the difference in postural stability between the two groups while standing on the 4 foam pads with EC. Our study showed that diagnostic value of foam posturography in detecting postural instability might be enhanced by using foam pad of right thickness.

Comparison of sound absorbing performances of copper foam and iron foam with the same parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, X. C.; Shen, X. M.; Xu, P. J.; Zhang, X. N.; Bai, P. F.; Peng, K.; Yin, Q.; Wang, D.

2018-01-01

Sound absorbing performances of the copper foam and the iron foam with the same parameters were investigated by the AWA6128A detector according to standing wave method. Two modes were investigated, which included the pure metal foam mode and the combination mode with the settled thickness of metal foam. In order to legibly compare the sound absorbing coefficients of the two metal foams, the detected sound frequency points were divided into the low frequency range (100 Hz ~ 1000 Hz), the middle frequency range (1000 Hz ~ 3200 Hz), and the high frequency range (3500 Hz ~ 6000 Hz). Sound absorbing performances of the two metal foams in the two modes were discussed within the three frequency ranges in detail. It would be calculated that the average sound absorbing coefficients of copper foam in the pure metal foam mode were 12.6%, 22.7%, 34.6%, 43.6%, 51.1%, and 56.2% when the thickness was 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, and 30 mm. meanwhile, in the combination mode, the average sound absorbing coefficients of copper foam with the thickness of 10 mm were 30.6%, 34.8%, 36.3%, and 35.8% when the cavity was 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, and 20 mm. In addition, those of iron foam in the pure metal foam mode were 13.4%, 20.1%, 34.4%, 43.1%, 49.6%, and 56.1%, and in the combination mode were 25.6%, 30.5%, 34.3%, and 33.4%.

Preparation and characterization of new biologically active polyurethane foams.

Science.gov (United States)

Savelyev, Yuri; Veselov, Vitali; Markovskaya, Ludmila; Savelyeva, Olga; Akhranovich, Elena; Galatenko, Natalya; Robota, Ludmila; Travinskaya, Tamara

2014-12-01

Biologically active polyurethane foams are the fast-developed alternative to many applications of biomedical materials. Due to the polyurethane structure features and foam technology it is possible to incorporate into their structure the biologically active compounds of target purpose via structural-chemical modification of macromolecule. A series of new biologically active polyurethane foams (PUFs) was synthesized with polyethers (MM 2500-5000), polyesters MM (500-2200), 2,4(2,6) toluene diisocyanate, water as a foaming agent, catalysts, foam stabilizers and functional compounds. Different functional compounds: 1,4-di-N-oxy-2,3-bis-(oxymethyl)-quinoxaline (DOMQ), partial sodium salt of poly(acrylic acid) and 2,6-dimethyl-N,N-diethyl aminoacetatanilide hydrochloride were incorporated into the polymer structure/composition due to the chemical and/or physical bonding. Structural peculiarities of PUFs were studied by FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray scattering. Self-adhesion properties of PUFs were estimated by measuring of tensile strength at break of adhesive junction. The optical microscopy method was performed for the PUF morphology studies. Toxicological estimation of the PUFs was carried out in vitro and in vivo. The antibacterial action towards the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATC 25922, E. coli ATC 2150, Klebsiella pneumoniae 6447, Staphylococcus aureus 180, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 8180, Proteus mirabilis F 403, P. mirabilis 6054, and Proteus vulgaris 8718) was studied by the disc method on the solid nutrient. Physic-chemical properties of the PUFs (density, tensile strength and elongation at break, water absorption and vapor permeability) showed that all studied PUFs are within the operational requirements for such materials and represent fine-cellular foams. Spectral studies confirmed the incorporation of DOMQ into the PUF's macrochain. PUFs are characterized by microheterogeneous structure. They are antibacterially active, non

Short- and long-term releases of fluorocarbons from disposal of polyurethane foam waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Peter; Scheutz, Charlotte

2003-01-01

Several halocarbons having very high global warming or ozone depletion potentials have been used as a blowing agent (BA) for insulation foam in home appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers. Many appliances are shredded after the end of their useful life. Release experiments carried out in ...

Characterization of synthetic foam structures used to manufacture artificial vertebral trabecular bone.

Science.gov (United States)

Fürst, David; Senck, Sascha; Hollensteiner, Marianne; Esterer, Benjamin; Augat, Peter; Eckstein, Felix; Schrempf, Andreas

2017-07-01

Artificial materials reflecting the mechanical properties of human bone are essential for valid and reliable implant testing and design. They also are of great benefit for realistic simulation of surgical procedures. The objective of this study was therefore to characterize two groups of self-developed synthetic foam structures by static compressive testing and by microcomputed tomography. Two mineral fillers and varying amounts of a blowing agent were used to create different expansion behavior of the synthetic open-cell foams. The resulting compressive and morphometric properties thus differed within and also slightly between both groups. Apart from the structural anisotropy, the compressive and morphometric properties of the synthetic foam materials were shown to mirror the respective characteristics of human vertebral trabecular bone in good approximation. In conclusion, the artificial materials created can be used to manufacture valid synthetic bones for surgical training. Further, they provide novel possibilities for studying the relationship between trabecular bone microstructure and biomechanical properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanical Characterization of Rigid Polyurethane Foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Wei-Yang [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Mechanics of Materials

2014-12-01

Foam materials are used to protect sensitive components from impact loading. In order to predict and simulate the foam performance under various loading conditions, a validated foam model is needed and the mechanical properties of foams need to be characterized. Uniaxial compression and tension tests were conducted for different densities of foams under various temperatures and loading rates. Crush stress, tensile strength, and elastic modulus were obtained. A newly developed confined compression experiment provided data for investigating the foam flow direction. A biaxial tension experiment was also developed to explore the damage surface of a rigid polyurethane foam.

Hemostatic foam from radiation-modified carboxymethyl derivative of chitosan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barba, Bin Jeremiah D.; Aranilla, Charito T.; Vista, Jeanina Richelle M.; Relleve, Lorna S.; Abad, Lucille V.

2015-01-01

A hemostatic agent or hemostat is intended to accelerate the blood clotting process when applied to a bleeding surface, such as those in military and civilian wound trauma or in surgery. Natural polymers like chitosan (Ch) has been previously used as raw material in developing hemostats owing to their bioavailability and biocompatibility. Hydrogels were made from its carboxymethylated derivate (CMCh) and were crosslinked by gamma irradiation at a dose of 30 kGy. Further processing was done by salt leaching with sodium chloride and lyophilization to produce the foam hemostat. The final products were then radiation-sterilized at 25 kGy. The use of gamma radiation for both the crosslinking and sterilization process preserves the biocompatibility of the product unlike conventional methods that may require the use of harmful and non-biocompatible chemicals. The hemostatic efficacy of the designed foam hemostats was compared to the commercially available foam hemostat, GELFOAM Sterile Compressed Sponge by Pfizer. The results showed a significantly higher efficiency of the designed products using in vitro test to determine blood clotting index and platelet adhesion capacity. Characterization by gel fraction, swelling capacity and SEM imaging indicated a hydrophilic three-dimensional network which can be attributed for the thrombogenicity of the foams produced. The foam structure can act as a physical matrix for platelet adhesion forming the mechanical plug and at the same time, rapidly absorb water thereby locally increasing the concentration of platelets and physiological coagulation factors that will contribute to quick and efficient hemostasis. The designed products will provide the healthcare and military sector with a local alternative to the commercial products which are both expensive (USD 85 per piece) and not readily accessible in the Philippine market. Further animal efficacy and biocompatibility studies are recommended to supplement the positive in vitro

Study of two-phase foam flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurbanov, R S; Guliev, B B; Mekhtiev, K G; Kerimov, R G

1970-01-01

The objectives of this study were to determine characteristics of aqueous foam flow through porous media and to estimate the depth of foam penetration into a formation. Foam was generated by mixing air and 1% solution of surfactant PO-1. Foam density was maintained at 0.14 g/cc in all experiments. The foam was passed through sand columns (800 mm long x 30 mm diam) of permeabilities 26, 39, 80, 111, and 133 darcys. Flow rates were measured at various pressure drops and the relationship between system parameters was expressed analytically and graphically. From the data, distance of foam penetration into a formation as a function of pressure drop and permeability was calculated. The data indicate that under most conditions, foam will penetrate the formation to a negligible distance. This study indicates that when foam is used to remove sand from a well, a negligible loss of foam to the formation occurs.

Mass transfer measurements in foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leblond, J.G.; Fournel, B.

2004-01-01

Full text of publication follows:This study participates to the elaboration of a method for decontamination of the inside surfaces of steel structures (pipes, tanks,...). The solution which has been chosen is to attack the surface of the structure by a dipping solution. In order to reduce the quantity of product to be recovered and treated at the end of the cleaning process, the active solution will be introduced as a foam. During its free or forced drainage the foam supplies an active liquid film along the structure surfaces. It was important to know if the transfers of the dipping liquid inside the foam and between foam and wall film are sufficient to allow a correct supplying of the active liquid at the wall and a correct dragging of the dipped products. The objective of this work is to develop a numerical model which simulates the various transfers. However such a modeling cannot be performed without a thorough knowledge of the different transfer parameters in the foam and in the film. The following study has been performed on a model foam (foaming water + air) held in a smooth vertical glass pipe and submitted to a forced drainage by the foaming water (water + surfactants). The liquid transfer involves the dispersion of the drainage liquid inside the foam and the transfer between the foam and the liquid film flowing down at the wall. The different transfers has been analyzed by NMR using a PFGSE-NMR sequence, which allows to determine the propagator, i.e., the probability density of the liquid particle displacements during a given time interval Δt, along a selected direction. This study allowed to measure, firstly, the mean liquid and the liquid dispersion in the foam along the vertical and horizontal direction, and secondly, the vertical mean velocity in the parietal liquid film. (authors)

Polyimide Foams Offer Superior Insulation

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

At Langley Research Center, Erik Weiser and his colleagues in the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch were working with a new substance for fabricating composites for use in supersonic aircraft. The team, however, was experiencing some frustration. Every time they tried to create a solid composite from the polyimide (an advanced polymer) material, it bubbled and foamed. It seemed like the team had reached a dead end in their research - until they had another idea. "We said, This isn t going to work for composites, but maybe we could make a foam out of it," Weiser says. "That was kind of our eureka moment, to see if we could go in a whole other direction. And it worked." Weiser and his colleagues invented a new kind of polyimide foam insulation they named TEEK. The innovation displayed a host of advantages over existing insulation options. Compared to other commercial foams, Weiser explains, polyimide foams perform well across a broad range of temperatures, noting that the NASA TEEK foams provide effective structural insulation up to 600 F and down to cryogenic temperatures. The foam does not burn or off-gas toxic fumes, and even at -423 F - the temperature of liquid hydrogen - the material stays flexible. The inventors could produce the TEEK foam at a range of densities, from 0.5 pounds per cubic foot up to 20 pounds per cubic foot, making the foam ideal for a range of applications, including as insulation for reusable launch vehicles and for cryogenic tanks and lines. They also developed a unique, friable balloon format for manufacturing the foam, producing it as hollow microspheres that allowed the foam to be molded and then cured into any desired shape - perfect for insulating pipes of different sizes and configurations. The team s originally unplanned invention won an "R&D 100" award, and a later form of the foam, called LaRC FPF-44 (Spinoff 2009), was named "NASA Invention of the Year" in 2007.

Influence of Rubber Powders on Foaming Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Foamed Polypropylene Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HE Yue

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Polypropylene/rubber powders composites with different kinds of rubber powders were foamed by injection molding machine equipped with volume-adjustable cavity. The effect of dispersity of rubber powders and crystallization behavior of composites on the foaming behavior and mechanical properties was investigated. The results show that the addition of rubber powders can improve the cell structure of foamed PP with fine and uniform cell distribution. And cell density and size of PP/PP-MAH/NBR foams are 7.64×106cell/cm3 and 29.78μm respectively, which are the best among these foams. Combining cell structures with mechanical properties, notch impact strength of PP/PP-MAH/CNBR composites increases approximately by 2.2 times while tensile strength is reduced just by 26% compared with those of the pure PP. This indicates that PP/PP-MAH/CNBR composites are ideal foamed materials.

Chaotic bubbling and nonstagnant foams.

Science.gov (United States)

Tufaile, Alberto; Sartorelli, José Carlos; Jeandet, Philippe; Liger-Belair, Gerard

2007-06-01

We present an experimental investigation of the agglomeration of bubbles obtained from a nozzle working in different bubbling regimes. This experiment consists of a continuous production of bubbles from a nozzle at the bottom of a liquid column, and these bubbles create a two-dimensional (2D) foam (or a bubble raft) at the top of this column. The bubbles can assemble in various dynamically stable arrangement, forming different kinds of foams in a liquid mixture of water and glycerol, with the effect that the bubble formation regimes influence the foam obtained from this agglomeration of bubbles. The average number of bubbles in the foam is related to the bubble formation frequency and the bubble mean lifetime. The periodic bubbling can generate regular or irregular foam, while a chaotic bubbling only generates irregular foam.

Determination of Acreage Thermal Protection Foam Loss From Ice and Foam Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Carney, Kelly S.; Lawrence, Charles

2015-01-01

A parametric study was conducted to establish Thermal Protection System (TPS) loss from foam and ice impact conditions similar to what might occur on the Space Launch System. This study was based upon the large amount of testing and analysis that was conducted with both ice and foam debris impacts on TPS acreage foam for the Space Shuttle Project External Tank. Test verified material models and modeling techniques that resulted from Space Shuttle related testing were utilized for this parametric study. Parameters varied include projectile mass, impact velocity and impact angle (5 degree and 10 degree impacts). The amount of TPS acreage foam loss as a result of the various impact conditions is presented.

A simple and effective approach to prepare injectable macroporous calcium phosphate cement for bone repair: Syringe-foaming using a viscous hydrophilic polymeric solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingtao; Liu, Weizhen; Gauthier, Olivier; Sourice, Sophie; Pilet, Paul; Rethore, Gildas; Khairoun, Khalid; Bouler, Jean-Michel; Tancret, Franck; Weiss, Pierre

2016-02-01

In this study, we propose a simple and effective strategy to prepare injectable macroporous calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) by syringe-foaming via hydrophilic viscous polymeric solution, such as using silanized-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Si-HPMC) as a foaming agent. The Si-HPMC foamed CPCs demonstrate excellent handling properties such as injectability and cohesion. After hardening the foamed CPCs possess hierarchical macropores and their mechanical properties (Young's modulus and compressive strength) are comparable to those of cancellous bone. Moreover, a preliminary in vivo study in the distal femoral sites of rabbits was conducted to evaluate the biofunctionality of this injectable macroporous CPC. The evidence of newly formed bone in the central zone of implantation site indicates the feasibility and effectiveness of this foaming strategy that will have to be optimized by further extensive animal experiments. A major challenge in the design of biomaterial-based injectable bone substitutes is the development of cohesive, macroporous and self-setting calcium phosphate cement (CPC) that enables rapid cell invasion with adequate initial mechanical properties without the use of complex processing and additives. Thus, we propose a simple and effective strategy to prepare injectable macroporous CPCs through syringe-foaming using a hydrophilic viscous polymeric solution (silanized-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Si-HPMC) as a foaming agent, that simultaneously meets all the aforementioned aims. Evidence from our in vivo studies shows the existence of newly formed bone within the implantation site, indicating the feasibility and effectiveness of this foaming strategy, which could be used in various CPC systems using other hydrophilic viscous polymeric solutions. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A review of aqueous foam in microscale.

Science.gov (United States)

Anazadehsayed, Abdolhamid; Rezaee, Nastaran; Naser, Jamal; Nguyen, Anh V

2018-06-01

In recent years, significant progress has been achieved in the study of aqueous foams. Having said this, a better understanding of foam physics requires a deeper and profound study of foam elements. This paper reviews the studies in the microscale of aqueous foams. The elements of aqueous foams are interior Plateau borders, exterior Plateau borders, nodes, and films. Furthermore, these elements' contribution to the drainage of foam and hydraulic resistance are studied. The Marangoni phenomena that can happen in aqueous foams are listed as Marangoni recirculation in the transition region, Marangoni-driven flow from Plateau border towards the film in the foam fractionation process, and Marangoni flow caused by exposure of foam containing photosurfactants under UV. Then, the flow analysis of combined elements of foam such as PB-film along with Marangoni flow and PB-node are studied. Next, we contrast the behavior of foams in different conditions. These various conditions can be perturbation in the foam structure caused by injected water droplets or waves or using a non-Newtonian fluid to make the foam. Further review is about the effect of oil droplets and particles on the characteristics of foam such as drainage, stability and interfacial mobility. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of dispersion capability of organoclay on cellular structure and physical properties of PMMA/clay nanocomposite foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, Jui-Ming; Chang, Kung-Chin; Peng, Chih-Wei; Lai, Mei-Chun; Hung, Chih-Bing; Hsu, Sheng-Chieh; Hwang, Shyh-Shin; Lin, Hong-Ru

2009-01-01

In this study, PMMA/clay nanocomposite (PCN) materials with two kinds of organoclay were prepared via in situ bulk polymerization. The as-prepared PCN materials were then characterized by Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). WAXRD and TEM analysis revealed that combination of both intercalated and exfoliated nanocomposites was formed and the silicate layers of the clay were uniformly dispersed at a nanometer scale in PMMA matrix. The molecular weights of PMMA extracted from PCN materials and bulk PMMA were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with THF used as the eluant. The PCN materials were used to produce foams by a batch process in an autoclave using nitrogen as foaming agent. The cellular structure analysis of foams was examined by SEM. The effect of dispersion capability of organoclay on the dielectric and thermal transport properties of PCN materials and foams and mechanical properties of PCN foams were investigated by LCR meter, transient plane source (TPS) technique and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), respectively.

In-situ Polymerization-modification Process and Foaming of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

仲华; 奚桢浩; 刘涛; 赵玲

2013-01-01

Most of traditional linear poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) resins of relatively low molecular mass and narrow molecular mass distribution have low melt strength at foaming temperatures, which are not enough to support and keep cells. An in-situ polymerization-modification process with esterification and polycondensation stages was performed in a 2 L batch stirred reactor using pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) or pentaerythritol (PENTA) as modifying monomers to obtain PETs with high melt strength. The influence of amounts of modifying monomers on the properties of modified PET was investigated. It was found that the selected modifying monomers could effectively introduce branched structures into the modified PETs and improve their melt strength. With in-creasing the amount of the modifying monomer, the melt strength of the modified PET increased. But when the amount of PENTA reached 0.35%or PMDA reached 0.9%, crosslinking phenomenon was observed in the modified PET. Supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2) was employed as physical foaming agent to evaluate the foaming ability of modified PETs. The modified PETs had good foaming properties at 14 MPa of CO2 pressure with foaming tem-perature ranging from 265 °C to 280 °C. SEM micrographs demonstrated that both modified PET foams had ho-mogeneous cellular structures, with cell diameter ranging from 35 μm to 49 μm for PENTA modified PETs and 38μm to 57μm for PMDA modified ones. Correspondingly, the cell density had a range of 3.5×107 cells·cm-3 to 7×106 cells·cm-3 for the former and 2.8×107 cells·cm-3 to 5.8×106 cells·cm-3 for the latter.

Beer foam physics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ronteltap, A.D.

1989-01-01

The physical aspects of beer foam behavior were studied in terms of the four physical processes, mainly involved in the formation and breakdown of foam. These processes are, bubble formation, drainage, disproportionation and coalescence. In detail, the processes disproportionation and

FOAM3D: A numerical simulator for mechanistic prediciton of foam displacement in multidimensions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovscek, A.R.; Patzek, T.W. [Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Radke, C.J. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

1995-03-01

Field application of foam is a technically viable enhanced oil recovery process (EOR) as demonstrated by recent steam-foam field studies. Traditional gas-displacement processes, such as steam drive, are improved substantially by controlling gas mobility and thereby improving volumetric displacement efficiency. For instance, Patzek and Koinis showed major oil-recovery response after about two years of foam injection in two different pilot studies at the Kern River field. They report increased production of 5.5 to 14% of the original oil in place over a five year period. Because reservoir-scale simulation is a vital component of the engineering and economic evaluation of any EOR project, efficient application of foam as a displacement fluid requires a predictive numerical model of foam displacement. A mechanistic model would also expedite scale-up of the process from the laboratory to the field scale. No general, mechanistic, field-scale model for foam displacement is currently in use.

Anti-foam System design description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.A.

1994-01-01

The Anti-foam System is a sub-system of the 242-A Evaporator facility. The Anti-foam is used within the C-A-1 Vapor-Liquid Separator, to reduce the effect of foaming and reduce fluid bumping while the vapor and liquid are separated within the C-A-1 Vapor-Liquid Separator. Excessive foaming within the vessel may possibly cause the liquid slurry mixture in the evaporator vessel to foul the de-entrainment pads and cause plant shutdown. The Anti-foam System consists of the following primary elements: the Anti-foam Tank and the Metering Pump. The upgrades to Anti-foam System include the following: installation of a new pump, instruments, and valves; and connection of the instruments, pump and agitator associated with the Anti-foam System to the Monitoring and Control System (MCS). The 242-A Evaporator is a waste treatment facility designed to reduce liquid waste volumes currently stored in the Hanford Area double shell Waste Storage Tanks. The evaporator uses evaporative concentration to achieve this volume reduction, returning the concentrated slurry to the double-shell tanks for storage and, at the same time, releasing the process effluent to a retention facilities for eventual treatment and release to the environment

High performance polymeric foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gargiulo, M.; Sorrentino, L.; Iannace, S.

2008-01-01

The aim of this work was to investigate the foamability of high-performance polymers (polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone, polyetherimide and polyethylenenaphtalate). Two different methods have been used to prepare the foam samples: high temperature expansion and two-stage batch process. The effects of processing parameters (saturation time and pressure, foaming temperature) on the densities and microcellular structures of these foams were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy

Efficient removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate from aqueous film-forming foam solution by aeration-foam collection.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Pingping; Deng, Shubo; Maimaiti, Ayiguli; Wang, Bin; Huang, Jun; Wang, Yujue; Cousins, Ian T; Yu, Gang

2018-07-01

Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) used in fire-fighting are one of the main contamination sources of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to the subterranean environment, requiring high costs for remediation. In this study, a method that combined aeration and foam collection was presented to remove PFOS from a commercially available AFFF solution. The method utilized the strong surfactant properties of PFOS that cause it to be highly enriched at air-water interfaces. With an aeration flow rate of 75 mL/min, PFOS removal percent reached 96% after 2 h, and the PFOS concentration in the collected foam was up to 6.5 mmol/L, beneficial for PFOS recovery and reuse. Increasing the aeration flow rate, ionic strength and concentration of co-existing surfactant, as well as decreasing the initial PFOS concentration, increased the removal percents of PFOS by increasing the foam volume, but reduced the enrichment of PFOS in the foams. With the assistance of a co-existing hydrocarbon surfactant, PFOS removal percent was above 99.9% after aeration-foam collection for 2 h and the enrichment factor exceeded 8400. Aeration-foam collection was less effective for short-chain perfluoroalkyl substances due to their relatively lower surface activity. Aeration-foam collection was found to be effective for the removal of high concentrations of PFOS from AFFF-contaminated wastewater, and the concentrated PFOS in the collected foam can be reused. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Porous CoO nanostructures grown on three-dimension graphene foams for supercapacitors electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Wei, E-mail: dengweio@126.com [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Lan, Wei, E-mail: lanw@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Sun, Yaru, E-mail: sunyaru89@126.com [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Su, Qing, E-mail: suqing@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Xie, Erqing, E-mail: xieeq@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

2014-06-01

Three-dimensional graphene foams with good conductivity, light weight and chemical stability were produced by chemical vapor deposition. Then porous CoO nanowalls were deposited on graphene foam by a simple hydrothermal process and subsequent thermal treatment. This hybrid structures possessing large surface area in which the CoO nanowalls are separated by graphene foam with robust adhesion can directly serve as supercapacitor electrode including current collector without the need of any other binder materials and conductive agents. Electrochemical tests manifest a high specific capacitance of 231.87 F/g scaled to the mass of CoO (139.47 F/g for total mass of electrodes) at 1 A/g current, good rate capability and excellent cycling performance of >98% capacitance retention over 1000 cycles at 7 A/g current. The high conductivity, light weight and rational architectures, which provide fast electron pathway and the low diffusion resistance of ions, are responsible for the high performance of the electrodes.

Preparation and characterization of PMMA graded microporous foams via one-step supercritical carbon dioxide foaming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Huan; Li Junguo; Xiong Yuanlu; Luo Guoqiang; Shen Qiang; Zhang Lianmeng

2013-01-01

Supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO 2 ) foaming which is inexpensive and environmental friendly has been widely used to prepare polymer-based microporous materials. In this paper, PMMA graded microporous materials were foamed by PMMA matrix after an unstable saturation process which was done under supercritical condition of 28MPa and 50 °C. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to observe the morphology of the graded foam. A gas adsorption model was proposed to predict the graded gas concentration in the different region of the polymer matrix. The SEM results showed that the solid and foam region of the graded foam can be connected without laminated layers. With the increasing thickness position of the graded microporous foam, the cell size increased from 3.4 to 27.5 μm, while the cell density decreased from 1.04 × 10 9 to 1.96 × 10 7 cells/cm 3 . It also found that the gradient microporous structure of the foam came from graded gas concentration which was obtained in the initial saturation process.

Numerical Modeling of Foam Drilling Hydraulics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ozcan Baris

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The use of foam as a drilling fluid was developed to meet a special set of conditions under which other common drilling fluids had failed. Foam drilling is defined as the process of making boreholes by utilizing foam as the circulating fluid. When compared with conventional drilling, underbalanced or foam drilling has several advantages. These advantages include: avoidance of lost circulation problems, minimizing damage to pay zones, higher penetration rates and bit life. Foams are usually characterized by the quality, the ratio of the volume of gas, and the total foam volume. Obtaining dependable pressure profiles for aerated (gasified fluids and foam is more difficult than for single phase fluids, since in the former ones the drilling mud contains a gas phase that is entrained within the fluid system. The primary goal of this study is to expand the knowledge-base of the hydrodynamic phenomena that occur in a foam drilling operation. In order to gain a better understanding of foam drilling operations, a hydrodynamic model is developed and run at different operating conditions. For this purpose, the flow of foam through the drilling system is modeled by invoking the basic principles of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. The model was designed to allow gas and liquid flow at desired volumetric flow rates through the drillstring and annulus. Parametric studies are conducted in order to identify the most influential variables in the hydrodynamic modeling of foam flow.

Applications of Foamed Lightweight Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Sari Kamarul Aini

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Application of foamed concrete is increasing at present due to high demand on foamed concrete structures with good mechanical and physical properties. This paper discusses on the use of basic raw materials, their characteristics, production process, and their application in foamed lightweight concrete with densities between 300 kg/m3 and 1800 kg/m3. It also discusses the factors that influence the strengths and weaknesses of foamed concrete based on studies that were conducted previously.

Foam Transport in Porous Media - A Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Z. F.; Freedman, Vicky L.; Zhong, Lirong

2009-11-11

Amendment solutions with or without surfactants have been used to remove contaminants from soil. However, it has drawbacks such that the amendment solution often mobilizes the plume, and its movement is controlled by gravity and preferential flow paths. Foam is an emulsion-like, two-phase system in which gas cells are dispersed in a liquid and separated by thin liquid films called lamellae. Potential advantages of using foams in sub-surface remediation include providing better control on the volume of fluids injected, uniformity of contact, and the ability to contain the migration of contaminant laden liquids. It is expected that foam can serve as a carrier of amendments for vadose zone remediation, e.g., at the Hanford Site. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s EM-20 program, a numerical simulation capability will be added to the Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases (STOMP) flow simulator. The primary purpose of this document is to review the modeling approaches of foam transport in porous media. However, as an aid to understanding the simulation approaches, some experiments under unsaturated conditions and the processes of foam transport are also reviewed. Foam may be formed when the surfactant concentration is above the critical micelle concentration. There are two main types of foams – the ball foam (microfoam) and the polyhedral foam. The characteristics of bulk foam are described by the properties such as foam quality, texture, stability, density, surface tension, disjoining pressure, etc. Foam has been used to flush contaminants such as metals, organics, and nonaqueous phase liquids from unsaturated soil. Ball foam, or colloidal gas aphrons, reportedly have been used for soil flushing in contaminated site remediation and was found to be more efficient than surfactant solutions on the basis of weight of contaminant removed per gram of surfactant. Experiments also indicate that the polyhedral foam can be used to enhance soil remediation. The

Effect of foam stirrer design on the catalytic performance of rotating foam stirrer reactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leon Matheus, M.A.; Geers, P.; Nijhuis, T.A.; Schaaf, van der J.; Schouten, J.C.

2012-01-01

The liquid–solid mass transfer rate in a rotating foam stirrer reactor and in a slurry reactor is studied using the hydrogenation of styrene as a model reaction. The rotating foam stirrer reactor is a novel type of multi-phase reactor where highly open-celled materials, solid foams, are used as a

The mechanical behavior of microcellular foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozkul, M.H.; Mark, J.E. (Cincinnati Univ., OH (USA)); Aubert, J.H. (Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA))

1990-01-01

The mechanical behavior of microcellular open-cell foams prepared by a thermally induced phase separation process are investigated. The foams studied were prepared from isotactic polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, and poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (rigid foams), and polyurethane and Lycra (elastomeric foams). Their densities were in the range 0.04--0.27 g/cm3. Conventional polystyrene foams were used for comparison. The moduli and collapse stresses of these foams were measured in compression and compared with the current constitutive laws which relate mechanical properties to densities. A reinforcement technique based on the in-situ precipitation of silica was used to improve the mechanical properties. 13 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

Effect of silica nanoparticles on polyurethane foaming process and foam properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francés, A B; Bañón, M V Navarro

2014-01-01

Flexible polyurethane foams (FPUF) are commonly used as cushioning material in upholstered products made on several industrial sectors: furniture, automotive seating, bedding, etc. Polyurethane is a high molecular weight polymer based on the reaction between a hydroxyl group (polyol) and isocyanate. The density, flowability, compressive, tensile or shearing strength, the thermal and dimensional stability, combustibility, and other properties can be adjusted by the addition of several additives. Nanomaterials offer a wide range of possibilities to obtain nanocomposites with specific properties. The combination of FPUF with silica nanoparticles could develop nanocomposite materials with unique properties: improved mechanical and thermal properties, gas permeability, and fire retardancy. However, as silica particles are at least partially surface-terminated with Si-OH groups, it was suspected that the silica could interfere in the reaction of poyurethane formation.The objective of this study was to investigate the enhancement of thermal and mechanical properties of FPUF by the incorporation of different types of silica and determining the influence thereof during the foaming process. Flexible polyurethane foams with different loading mass fraction of silica nanoparticles (0-1% wt) and different types of silica (non treated and modified silica) were synthesized. PU/SiO 2 nanocomposites were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, TGA, and measurements of apparent density, resilience and determination of compression set. Addition of silica nanoparticles influences negatively in the density and compression set of the foams. However, resilience and thermal stability of the foams are improved. Silica nanoparticles do not affect to the chemical structure of the foams although they interfere in the blowing reaction

Anaerobic Digestion Foaming Causes

OpenAIRE

Ganidi, Nafsika

2008-01-01

Anaerobic digestion foaming has been encountered in several sewage treatment plants in the UK. Foaming has raised major concerns for the water utilities due to significant impacts on process efficiency and operational costs. Several foaming causes have been suggested over the past few years by researchers. However, the supporting experimental information is limited and in some cases site specific. The present report aimed to provide a better understanding of the anaerobic di...

Foam-forming properties of Ilex paraguariensis (mate saponin: foamability and foam lifetime analysis by Weibull equation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janine Treter

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Saponins are natural soaplike foam-forming compounds widely used in foods, cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations. In this work foamability and foam lifetime of foams obtained from Ilex paraguariensis unripe fruits were analyzed. Polysorbate 80 and sodium dodecyl sulfate were used as reference surfactants. Aiming a better data understanding a linearized 4-parameters Weibull function was proposed. The mate hydroethanolic extract (ME and a mate saponin enriched fraction (MSF afforded foamability and foam lifetime comparable to the synthetic surfactants. The linearization of the Weibull equation allowed the statistical comparison of foam decay curves, improving former mathematical approaches.

Fire retardant polyisocyanurate foam

Science.gov (United States)

Riccitiello, S. R.; Parker, J. A.

1972-01-01

Fire retardant properties of low density polymer foam are increased. Foam has pendant nitrile groups which form thermally-stable heterocyclic structures at temperature below degradation temperature of urethane linkages.

Foam flow in a model porous medium: I. The effect of foam coarsening.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, S A; Getrouw, N; Vincent-Bonnieu, S

2018-05-09

Foam structure evolves with time due to gas diffusion between bubbles (coarsening). In a bulk foam, coarsening behaviour is well defined, but there is less understanding of coarsening in confined geometries such as porous media. Previous predictions suggest that coarsening will cause foam lamellae to move to low energy configurations in the pore throats, resulting in greater capillary resistance when restarting flow. Foam coarsening experiments were conducted in both a model-porous-media micromodel and in a sandstone core. In both cases, foam was generated by coinjecting surfactant solution and nitrogen. Once steady state flow had been achieved, the injection was stopped and the system sealed off. In the micromodel, the foam coarsening was recorded using time-lapse photography. In the core flood, the additional driving pressure required to reinitiate flow after coarsening was measured. In the micromodel the bubbles coarsened rapidly to the pore size. At the completion of coarsening the lamellae were located in minimum energy configurations in the pore throats. The wall effect meant that the coarsening did not conform to the unconstricted growth laws. The coreflood tests also showed coarsening to be a rapid process. The additional driving pressure to restart flow reached a maximum after just 2 minutes.

46 CFR 108.463 - Foam rate: Protein.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Foam rate: Protein. 108.463 Section 108.463 Shipping... EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Foam Extinguishing Systems § 108.463 Foam rate: Protein. (a) If the outlets of a protein foam extinguishing system are in a space, the foam rate at each outlet must be at...

Morphological Parameters in Relation to the Electromagnetic Properties of Microcellular Thermoplastic Polyurethane Foam in X-Band Frequency Ranges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Hassan Moeini

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Microcellular thermoplastic polyurethane foams are examined as absorbing materials in the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz frequency range by means of experiment. In this work, we aim to establish relationships between foam morphology including cell size and air volume fraction and electromagnetic properties including absorption, transmission and reflection quality. Nanocomposites based on thermoplastic polyurethane containing carbon black were prepared by coagulation method. In this procedure 15 wt% carbon black-containing nanocomposite was converted to microcellular foams using batch foaming process and supercritical carbon dioxide as physical foaming agent. The morphology of the foams was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. S-parameters of the samples were measured by a vector network analyzer (VNA and the effect of morphological parameters such as cell size and air volume fraction on the absorbing properties was investigated. We also established structure/properties relationships which were essential for further optimizations of the materials used in the construction of radar absorbing composites. Foaming reduced the percolation threshold of the nanocomposites due to the reduction in the average distance between nanoparticles. Foaming and dielectric constant reduction dropped the reflection percentage significantly. The increase in air volume fraction in the foam increased absorption per its weight, because of multiple scattering in composite media. The sensitivity of electromagnetic wave toward the variation of cell size is strongly weaker than that toward the variation of air volume fraction. Electromagnetic properties of the microcellular foams deviated a little from effective medium theories (EMTs. Air volume fraction of the cells was a function of cell size and smaller cells showed higher absorption.

Research on Properties of Foamed Concrete Reinforced with Small Sized Glazed Hollow Beads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Hu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Foamed concrete (400 kg/m3 was prepared through a physical foaming method using ordinary Portland cement (42.5R, vegetable protein foaming agent, fly ash, and glazed hollow beads (GHB, K46 as raw materials. The performance of cement paste as well as the structure and distribution of air voids was characterized by rheometry, SEM, and XRD analyses with imaging software. The effects of GHBs on the compressive strength and thermal conductivity of the foamed concrete sample were also explored. Results show that the proportion of 50–400 μm air voids, average air-void diameter, 28 d compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of the test sample mixed with 2.4 wt% GHBs are 94.44%, 182.10 μm, 2.39 MPa, and 0.0936 w/(m·k, respectively. Excessive amount of GHBs (>2.4 wt% increases the amount of air voids with diameter smaller than 50 μm in the hardened foamed concrete as well as the degree of open porosity. Moreover, the proportion of 50–400 μm air voids, average air-void diameter, 28 d compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of the sample mixed with 4.0 wt% GHBs are 88.54%, 140.50 μm, 2.05 MPa, and 0.0907 w/(m·k, respectively.

High performance supercapacitors based on three-dimensional ultralight flexible manganese oxide nanosheets/carbon foam composites

Science.gov (United States)

He, Shuijian; Chen, Wei

2014-09-01

The syntheses and capacitance performances of ultralight and flexible MnO2/carbon foam (MnO2/CF) hybrids are systematically studied. Flexible carbon foam with a low mass density of 6.2 mg cm-3 and high porosity of 99.66% is simply obtained by carbonization of commercially available and low-cost melamine resin foam. With the high porous carbon foam as framework, ultrathin MnO2 nanosheets are grown through in situ redox reaction between KMnO4 and carbon foam. The three-dimensional (3D) MnO2/CF networks exhibit highly ordered hierarchical pore structure. Attributed to the good flexibility and ultralight weight, the MnO2/CF nanomaterials can be directly fabricated into supercapacitor electrodes without any binder and conductive agents. Moreover, the pseudocapacitance of the MnO2 nanosheets is enhanced by the fast ion diffusion in the three-dimensional porous architecture and by the conductive carbon foam skeleton as well as good contact of carbon/oxide interfaces. Supercapacitor based on the MnO2/CF composite with 3.4% weight percent of MnO2 shows a high specific capacitance of 1270.5 F g-1 (92.7% of the theoretical specific capacitance of MnO2) and high energy density of 86.2 Wh kg-1. The excellent capacitance performance of the present 3D ultralight and flexible nanomaterials make them promising candidates as electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Foam-on-Tile Damage Model

Science.gov (United States)

Koharchik, Michael; Murphy, Lindsay; Parker, Paul

2012-01-01

An impact model was developed to predict how three specific foam types would damage the Space Shuttle Orbiter insulating tiles. The inputs needed for the model are the foam type, the foam mass, the foam impact velocity, the foam impact incident angle, the type being impacted, and whether the tile is new or aged (has flown at least one mission). The model will determine if the foam impact will cause damage to the tile. If it can cause damage, the model will output the damage cavity dimensions (length, depth, entry angle, exit angle, and sidewall angles). It makes the calculations as soon as the inputs are entered (less than 1 second). The model allows for the rapid calculation of numerous scenarios in a short time. The model was developed from engineering principles coupled with significant impact testing (over 800 foam impact tests). This model is applicable to masses ranging from 0.0002 up to 0.4 pound (0.09 up to 181 g). A prior tool performed a similar function, but was limited to the assessment of a small range of masses and did not have the large test database for verification. In addition, the prior model did not provide outputs of the cavity damage length, entry angle, exit angle, or sidewall angles.

TPX foams for inertial fusion laser experiments: foam preparation, machining, characterization, and discussion of density issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosse, M.; Guillot, L.; Reneaume, B.; Fleury, E.; Hermerel, C.; Choux, A.; Jeannot, L.; Geoffray, I.; Faivre, A.; Breton, O.; Andre, J.; Collier, R.; Legaie, O.

2011-01-01

Low density foams (in this work, foam density refers to apparent density) are materials of interest for fusion experiments. Low density poly(4-methyl-1-pentene)(commercial name TPX) foams have been produced for 30 years. TPX foams have been shown to have densities as low as 3 mg.cm -3 , which is very close to air density (1.2 mg.cm -3 ). Around this density foams are very light and highly fragile. Their fabrication is thus a real technological challenge. However, shrinking always appears in ranges ranking from 25% to almost 200%. As a result, the apparent density of the final foam never matches the expected value given by the precursor solution concentration. Besides, even if the mold dimensions are precisely known, shrinkage is never linear, and foams have to be machined for precise density measurement. In our work we present a fabrication process for TPX foams and discuss machining and density measuring issues. Particularly, we have found that there are volume and weight limits for a determination of density within the range of 3% uncertainty. This raises the question whether density should rather be determined directly on millimeter-sized targets or should be performed on a bigger scale sample prepared from the same batch. (authors)

INFLUENCE OF THE CEMENT TYPE ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MINERAL FOAM APPLICABLE IN FOAMED CERAMIC TECHNOLOGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Korolev Evgeniy Valer'evich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The subject of the research is the influence of the type of Portland cement, as well as the nature and concentration of additives that represent electrolytes and polymers, onto the foam stability. The project is implemented within the framework of the research of foamed ceramic. Detailed explanation of the influence pattern is provided. The research performed by the authors has generated the following findings. Besides the rheological properties of the solution, chemical interaction between the mix components must be taken into account in the course of development of the best foamed ceramic mix composition, as chemical processes produce a substantial influence onto the foam stability. Polymer additives based on liquid carbamyde-formaldehyde and polyacrylamide substantially improve the quality of the foam mineralized by the particles of the cement binder. They also assure the foam stability rate sufficient for the formation of a high-quality foamed material.

A Novel Method for Preparing Auxetic Foam from Closed-cell Polymer Foam Based on Steam Penetration and Condensation (SPC) Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Donglei; Li, Minggang; Qiu, Jian; Xing, Haiping; Jiang, Zhiwei; Tang, Tao

2018-05-31

Auxetic materials are a class of materials possessing negative Poisson's ratio. Here we establish a novel method for preparing auxetic foam from closed-cell polymer foam based on steam penetration and condensation (SPC) process. Using polyethylene (PE) closed-cell foam as an example, the resultant foams treated by SPC process present negative Poisson's ratio during stretching and compression testing. The effect of steam-treated temperature and time on the conversion efficiency of negative Poisson's ratio foam is investigated, and the mechanism of SPC method for forming re-entrant structure is discussed. The results indicate that the presence of enough steam within the cells is a critical factor for the negative Poisson's ratio conversion in the SPC process. The pressure difference caused by steam condensation is the driving force for the conversion from conventional closed-cell foam to the negative Poisson's ratio foam. Furthermore, the applicability of SPC process for fabricating auxetic foam is studied by replacing PE foam by polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam with closed-cell structure or replacing water steam by ethanol steam. The results verify the universality of SPC process for fabricating auxetic foams from conventional foams with closed-cell structure. In addition, we explored potential application of the obtained auxetic foams by SPC process in the fabrication of shape memory polymer materials.

Porosity and cell size control in alumina foam preparation by thermo-foaming of powder dispersions in molten sucrose

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sujith Vijayan

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The foaming characteristics of alumina powder dispersions in molten sucrose have been studied as a function of alumina powder to sucrose weight ratio (WA/S and foaming temperature. The increase in foaming temperature significantly decreases the foaming and foam setting time and increases the foam volume due to an increase in the rate of OH condensation as well as a decrease in the viscosity of the dispersion. Nevertheless, the foam collapses beyond a critical foaming temperature, which depends on the WA/S. The sintering shrinkage depends mainly on the WA/S and marginally on the foaming temperature. The porosity (83.4–94.6 vol.% and cell size (0.55–1.6 mm increase with an increase in foaming temperature (120–170 °C and a decrease in WA/S (0.8–1.6. The drastic decrease in compressive strength and modulus beyond a WA/S of 1.2 is due to the pores generated on the cell walls and struts as a result of particle agglomeration. Gibson and Ashby plots show large deviation with respect to the model constants ‘C’ and ‘n’, especially at higher alumina powder to sucrose weight ratios.

Mechanisms of nanoclay-enhanced plastic foaming processes: effects of nanoclay intercalation and exfoliation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, Anson; Wijnands, Stephan F. L.; Kuboki, Takashi; Park, Chul B., E-mail: park@mie.utoronto.ca [University of Toronto, Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (Canada)

2013-08-15

The foaming behaviors of high-density polypropylene-nanoclay composites with intercalated and exfoliated nanoclay particles blown with carbon dioxide were examined via in situ observation of the foaming processes in a high-temperature/high-pressure view-cell. The intercalated nanoclay particles were 300-600 nm in length and 50-200 nm in thickness, while the exfoliated nanoclay particles were 100-200 nm in length and 1 nm in thickness. Contrary to common belief, it was discovered that intercalated nanoclay yielded higher cell density than exfoliated nanoclay despite its lower particle density. This was attributed to the higher tensile stresses generated around the larger and stiffer intercalated nanoclay particles, which led to increase in supersaturation level for cell nucleation. Also, the coupling agent used to exfoliate nanoclay would increase the affinity between polymer and surface of nanoclay particles. Consequently, the critical work needed for cell nucleation would be increased; pre-existing microvoids, which could act as seeds for cell nucleation, were also less likely to exist. Meanwhile, exfoliated nanoclay had better cell stabilization ability to prevent cell coalescence and cell coarsening. This investigation clarifies the roles of nanoclay in plastic foaming processes and provides guidance for the advancement of polymer nanocomposite foaming technology.

Development of drilling foams for geothermal applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDonald, W.J.; Remont, L.J.; Rehm, W.A.; Chenevert, M.E.

1980-01-01

The use of foam drilling fluids in geothermal applications is addressed. A description of foams - what they are, how they are used, their properties, equipment required to use them, the advantages and disadvantages of foams, etc. - is presented. Geothermal applications are discussed. Results of industry interviews presented indicate significant potential for foams, but also indicate significant technical problems to be solved to achieve this potential. Testing procedures and results of tests on representative foams provide a basis for work to develop high-temperature foams.

Foam shell project: Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Overturf, G.; Reibold, B.; Cook, B.; Schroen-Carey, D.

1994-01-01

The authors report on their work to produce a foam shell target for two possible applications: (1) as liquid-layered cryogenic target on Omega Upgrade, and (2) as a back-up design for the NIF. This target consists of a roughly 1 mm diameter and 100 μm thick spherical low-density foam shell surrounding a central void. The foam will be slightly overfilled with liquid D 2 or DT, the overfilled excess being symmetrically distributed on the inside of the shell and supported by thermal gradient techniques. The outside of the foam is overcoated with full density polymer which must be topologically smooth. The technology for manufacturing this style of foam shell involves microencapsulation techniques and has been developed by the Japanese at ILE. Their goal is to determine whether this technology can be successfully adapted to meet US ICF objectives. To this end a program of foam shell development has been initiated at LLNL in collaboration with both the General Atomics DOE Target Fabrication Contract Corporation and the Target Fabrication Group at LLE

The Modification of Polyurethane Foams Using New Boroorganic Polyols (II) Polyurethane Foams from Boron-Modified Hydroxypropyl Urea Derivatives

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

The work focuses on research related to determination of application possibility of new, ecofriendly boroorganic polyols in rigid polyurethane foams production. Polyols were obtained from hydroxypropyl urea derivatives esterified with boric acid and propylene carbonate. The influence of esterification type on properties of polyols and next on polyurethane foams properties was determined. Nitrogen and boron impacts on the foams' properties were discussed, for instance, on their physical, mechanical, and electric properties. Boron presence causes improvement of dimensional stability and thermal stability of polyurethane foams. They can be applied even at temperature 150°C. Unfortunately, introducing boron in polyurethanes foams affects deterioration of their water absorption, which increases as compared to the foams that do not contain boron. However, presence of both boron and nitrogen determines the decrease of the foams combustibility. Main impact on the decrease combustibility of the obtained foams has nitrogen presence, but in case of proper boron and nitrogen ratio their synergic activity on the combustibility decrease can be easily seen. PMID:24587721

Transcatheter Foam Sclerotherapy of Symptomatic Female Varicocele with Sodium-Tetradecyl-Sulfate Foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gandini, Roberto; Chiocchi, Marcello; Konda, Daniel; Pampana, Enrico; Fabiano, Sebastiano; Simonetti, Giovanni

2008-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter foam sclerotherapy (TCFS) in pelvic varicocele using sodium-tetradecyl-sulfate foam (STSF), we conducted a retrospective study in 38 patients (mean age, 36.9 years; range, 22-44 years) with pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) treated between January 2000 and June 2005 by TCFS. Pelvic pain was associated with dyspareunia in 23 (60.5%) patients, urinary urgency in 9 (23.7%) patients, and worsening of pain during menstruation and at the end of a day of work in 7 (18.4%) and 38 (100%) patients, respectively. Diagnosis was made by pelvic and transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound examination, demonstrating ovarian or pelvic varices with a diameter >5 mm presenting venous reflux. TCFS was performed in all patients, using 3% STSF. Follow-up was performed by physical examination, pelvic and transvaginal Doppler ultrasound examination and by a questionnaire-based assessment of pain at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure. Technical success was achieved in all patients (100%). In three patients a pelvic colic-like pain occurred immediately after sclerotic agent injection, disappearing spontaneously after a few minutes. No recurrent varicoceles were observed during a 12-month follow-up. A statistically significant improvement in each category of specific symptoms was observed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure. We conclude that TCFS of female varicocele using a 3% STSF is safe and effective for the treatment of PCS. It is associated with a significant reduction of symptoms and can be regarded as a valid alternative to other endovascular and surgical techniques.

Evaluation of Canisterized Foams and Evaluation of Radiation Hardened Foams for D&D Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicholson, J. C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-09-26

The introduction of polyurethane foams has previously been examined elsewhere within the DOE complex with regards to decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities, though its use has been prohibited as a result of excessive heat generation and flammability concerns per the safety basis. Should these foams be found compatible with respect to the facility safety basis requirements, D&D work involving large void containing structures such as gloveboxes could be eased through the fixation of residual contamination after decontamination efforts have concluded. To this end, SRNL embarked on a characterization of commercial epoxy foams to identify the characteristics that would be most important to safety basis requirements. Through SRNL’s efforts, the performance of commercial two-part epoxy foams was evaluated for their foaming characteristics, temperature profiles, loading capability with high-Z (high density) additives, and applicability for shielding gamma emission from isotopes including; Am-241, Cs-137, and Co-60. It was found that these foams are capable of encapsulation of a desired volume, though the ideal and experimental expansion coefficients were found to differ. While heat is generated during the reaction, no samples generated heat above 70 °C. Of the down–selected materials, heating was on the order of 40 °C for the flexible foam and 60 °C for the rigid foam. Both were found to return to room temperature after 20 minutes regardless of the volume of foam cast. It was also found that the direct introduction of high-Z additives were capable of attenuating 98% of Am-241 gamma signal, 16% of Cs-137 signal, and 9.5% of Co-60 signal at 1:1 loading capacities of total liquid constituent weight to additive weight. These efforts are currently being reviewed for the ASTM January 2017 subcommittee discussions to address the lack of test methods and standards regarding these materials with respect to D&D environments.

Electrical conductivity of quasi-two-dimensional foams.

Science.gov (United States)

Yazhgur, Pavel; Honorez, Clément; Drenckhan, Wiebke; Langevin, Dominique; Salonen, Anniina

2015-04-01

Quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) foams consist of monolayers of bubbles squeezed between two narrowly spaced plates. These simplified foams have served successfully in the past to shed light on numerous issues in foam physics. Here we consider the electrical conductivity of such model foams. We compare experiments to a model which we propose, and which successfully relates the structural and the conductive properties of the foam over the full range of the investigated liquid content. We show in particular that in the case of quasi-2D foams the liquid in the nodes needs to be taken into account even at low liquid content. We think that these results may provide different approaches for the characterization of foam properties and for the in situ characterization of the liquid content of foams in confining geometries, such as microfluidics.

From Foam Rubber to Volcanoes: The Physical Chemistry of Foam Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Lee D.; McCarlie, V. Wallace

2004-01-01

The process of foam formation is used for demonstrating the way in which the application of physiochemical principles and knowledge of the physical properties of the materials contributes towards the understanding of a wide range of phenomenon. Solubility of gas and bubble growth should be considered during the development of foamed polymer…

Characteristics and environmental fate of the anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) used as the main component in foaming agents for mechanized tunnelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barra Caracciolo, Anna; Cardoni, Martina; Pescatore, Tanita; Patrolecco, Luisa

2017-01-01

The anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) is the main component of most commercial products used for soil conditioning in the excavation industry, in particular as lubricants for mechanized tunnelling. Its use during the excavation processes can result in either the subsequent possible re-use of the huge amount of soil debris as by-products (e.g. land covering) or its discharge as waste. Currently, there are neither SLES soil threshold limits in European legislation, nor comprehensive studies on the environmental risk for soil ecosystems in these exposure scenarios. In this context, the present paper reviews the available data on the intrinsic characteristics of persistence and the ecotoxicological effects of the anionic surfactant SLES. Although SLES is generally reported to be biodegradable in standard tests, with degradation rates between 7 h and 30 days, depending on the initial conditions, data on its biodegradation in environmental studies are quite scarce. Consequently, assessing SLES biodegradation rates in field conditions is crucial for evaluating if in residual concentrations (typically in the range 40–500 mg/kg in excavated soils) it can or not be a potential hazard for terrestrial and water organisms. Laboratory ecotoxicological tests pointed out detrimental effects of SLES for aquatic organisms, while data on the terrestrial species are rather poor so far and further studies at the expected environmental concentrations are necessary. Finally, the review reports the main analytical methods available for detecting anionic surfactants in solid matrices and the future research needed to improve knowledge on the possible environmental risks posed by the use of SLES in foaming agents for mechanized tunnelling. - Highlights: • Tons of excavated soil containing SLES are reused posing an environmental risk. • SLES can have detrimental effects on aquatic organisms exposed in lab test. • There is a need to improve knowledge on SLES

Nanostructured metal foams: synthesis and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luther, Erik P [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Tappan, Bryce [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mueller, Alex [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mihaila, Bogdan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Volz, Heather [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Cardenas, Andreas [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Papin, Pallas [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Veauthier, Jackie [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Stan, Marius [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2009-01-01

Fabrication of monolithic metallic nanoporous materials is difficult using conventional methodology. Here they report a relatively simple method of synthesizing monolithic, ultralow density, nanostructured metal foams utilizing self-propagating combustion synthesis of novel metal complexes containing high nitrogen energetic ligands. Nanostructured metal foams are formed in a post flame-front dynamic assembly with densities as low as 0.011 g/cc and surface areas as high as 270 m{sup 2}/g. They have produced metal foams via this method of titanium, iron, cobalt, nickel, zirconium, copper, palladium, silver, hafnium, platinum and gold. Microstructural features vary as a function of composition and process parameters. Applications for the metal foams are discussed including hydrogen absorption in palladium foams. A model for the sorption kinetics of hydrogen in the foams is presented.

Polyethoxylated carboxylic surfactant for ion foam flotation: fundamental study from solution to foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Micheau, Cyril

2013-01-01

Ion foam flotation allows to concentrate ions in a foam phase formed by a soap. For classical systems, the strong interaction between ions and surfactant generally leads to the formation of precipitates and of froth. When the froth collapses, the solid residue thus recovered requires a recycling or conversion. In order to remedy this, the present work uses as collector a polyethoxylated carboxylic surfactant, AKYPO RO 90 VG, which forms soluble ion/surfactant complexes, even with multi-charge ions. This work presents a detailed study of the fundamental mechanisms that govern the extraction of ions by foaming. In the first part, surface activity and acid/base properties of the surfactant in solution are determined by combining numerous independent techniques which are pH-metric dosage, tensiometry and small angle scattering. The evolution of these properties in the presence of different nitrate salts (Nd, Eu, Ca, Sr, Cu, Li, Na, Cs) coupled with electrophoretic measurements give a first approach to selectivity. Finally, all of these data combined with a study of the formation of surfactant/ion complexes allow us to determine the speciation of Nd/AKYPO system as a function of pH. In the second part, the analysis of the foam by conductivity and neutron scattering provides information on the wetness and foam film thickness, parameters governing foam stability. The pH and the nature of the added ions, their number of charge and also their chemical nature thus appear to be major parameters that governed wetness and foam film thickness. The last part is devoted to the understanding of the ion extraction/separation experiments by flotation based on all previous results. It is shown that the flotation of neodymium is strongly related to its speciation, which could lead to its re-extraction or its flotation in precipitated form. It is shown that, neodymium induces a phenomenon of mono-charge ion depletion in the foam. This ionic specificity allows to consider the studied

Foam rheology at large deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Géminard, J.-C.; Pastenes, J. C.; Melo, F.

2018-04-01

Large deformations are prone to cause irreversible changes in materials structure, generally leading to either material hardening or softening. Aqueous foam is a metastable disordered structure of densely packed gas bubbles. We report on the mechanical response of a foam layer subjected to quasistatic periodic shear at large amplitude. We observe that, upon increasing shear, the shear stress follows a universal curve that is nearly exponential and tends to an asymptotic stress value interpreted as the critical yield stress at which the foam structure is completely remodeled. Relevant trends of the foam mechanical response to cycling are mathematically reproduced through a simple law accounting for the amount of plastic deformation upon increasing stress. This view provides a natural interpretation to stress hardening in foams, demonstrating that plastic effects are present in this material even for minute deformation.

Controlling of density uniformity of polyacrylate foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shan Wenwen; Yuan Baohe; Wang Yanhong; Xu Jiayun; Zhang Lin

2010-01-01

The density non-uniformity existing in most low-density foams will affect performance of the foams. The trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTA) foam targets were prepared and controlling methods of the foams, density uniformity were explored together with its forming mechanism. It has been found that the UV-light with high intensity can improve the distribution uniformity of the free radicals induced by UV photons in the solvents, thus improve the density uniformity of the foams. In addition, container wall would influence the concentration distribution of the solution, which affects the density uniformity of the foams. Thus, the UV-light with high intensity was chosen together with polytetrafluoroethylene molds instead of glass molds to prepare the foams with the density non-uniformity less than 10%. β-ray detection technology was used to measure the density uniformity of the TMPTA foams with the density in the range of 10 to 100 mg · cm -3 , and the results show that the lower the foam density is, the worse the density uniformity is. (authors)

Blast wave protection of aqueous foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Britan, Alexander; Ben-Dor, M. Liverts G. [Shock tube Laboratory of Protective Technologies R and D Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva (Israel)

2011-07-01

The primary intention of the present study is to present new contribution of shock tube tests to the problem of particle related stabilization and enhanced mitigation action of the wet particulate foams. The experiments reported were designed to examine (i) the reflection of a shock wave from an air/foam face, (ii) the transmission of the shock wave through the air/foam face and (iii) propagation and dispersion of the transmitted shock wave inside the foam column. Because wet aqueous foam of desired specification is difficult to reproduce, handle and quantitatively characterize the fact that experiments on all the above aspects were conducted in a single facility is a potentially important consideration. Moreover vertical position of shock tube simplified the issues since the gradient of the liquid fraction in draining foam coincides with the shock wave propagation. Under these, much simplified test conditions resulted flows could be treated as one-dimensional and the shock wave mitigation depends on three parameters: the intensity of the incident shock wave, s M , the duration of the foam decay, ∆t and on the particle concentration, n.

Tooling Foam for Structural Composite Applications

Science.gov (United States)

DeLay, Tom; Smith, Brett H.; Ely, Kevin; MacArthur, Doug

1998-01-01

Tooling technology applications for composite structures fabrication have been expanded at MSFC's Productivity Enhancement Complex (PEC). Engineers from NASA/MSFC and Lockheed Martin Corporation have developed a tooling foam for use in composite materials processing and manufacturing that exhibits superior thermal and mechanical properties in comparison with other tooling foam materials. This tooling foam is also compatible with most preimpregnated composite resins such as epoxy, bismaleimide, phenolic and their associated cure cycles. MARCORE tooling foam has excellent processability for applications requiring either integral or removable tooling. It can also be tailored to meet the requirements for composite processing of parts with unlimited cross sectional area. A shelf life of at least six months is easily maintained when components are stored between 50F - 70F. The MARCORE tooling foam system is a two component urethane-modified polyisocyanurate, high density rigid foam with zero ozone depletion potential. This readily machineable, lightweight tooling foam is ideal for composite structures fabrication and is dimensionally stable at temperatures up to 350F and pressures of 100 psi.

Covering sources of toxic vapors with foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aue, W. P.; Guidetti, F.

2009-01-01

In a case of chemical terrorism, first responders might well be confronted with a liquid source of toxic vapor which keeps spreading out its hazardous contents. With foam as an efficient and simple means, such a source could be covered up in seconds and the spread of vapors mitigated drastically. Once covered, the source could then wait for a longer time to be removed carefully and professionally by a decontamination team. In order to find foams useful for covering up toxic vapor sources, a large set of measurements has been performed in order to answer the following questions: - Which foams could be used for this purpose? - How thick should the foam cover be? - For how long would such a foam cover be effective? - Could the practical application of foam cause a spread of the toxic chemical? The toxic vapors sources included GB, GD and HD. Among the foams were 10 fire fighter foams (e.g. AFFF, protein) and the aqueous decontamination foam CASCAD. Small scale experiments showed that CASCAD is best suited for covering a toxic source; a 10 cm layer of it covers and decontaminates GB. The large scale experiments confirmed that any fire fighter foam is a suitable cover for a longer or shorter period.(author)

Stretching and folding mechanism in foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tufaile, Alberto; Pedrosa Biscaia Tufaile, Adriana

2008-01-01

We have described the stretching and folding of foams in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell containing air and a surfactant solution, from a sequence of upside-down flips. Besides the fractal dimension of the foam, we have observed the logistic growth for the soap film length. The stretching and folding mechanism is present during the foam formation, and this mechanism is observed even after the foam has reached its respective maximum fractal dimension. Observing the motion of bubbles inside the foam, large bubbles present power spectrum associated with random walk motion in both directions, while the small bubbles are scattered like balls in a Galton board

Stretching and folding mechanism in foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tufaile, Alberto [Escola de Artes, Ciencias e Humanidades, Soft Matter Laboratory, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 03828-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: tufaile@usp.br; Pedrosa Biscaia Tufaile, Adriana [Escola de Artes, Ciencias e Humanidades, Soft Matter Laboratory, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 03828-000 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2008-10-13

We have described the stretching and folding of foams in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell containing air and a surfactant solution, from a sequence of upside-down flips. Besides the fractal dimension of the foam, we have observed the logistic growth for the soap film length. The stretching and folding mechanism is present during the foam formation, and this mechanism is observed even after the foam has reached its respective maximum fractal dimension. Observing the motion of bubbles inside the foam, large bubbles present power spectrum associated with random walk motion in both directions, while the small bubbles are scattered like balls in a Galton board.

Technology of foamed propellants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehnlein-Mauss, Jutta; Kroeber, Hartmut [Fraunhofer Institut fuer Chemische Technologie ICT, Pfinztal (Germany)

2009-06-15

Foamed propellants are based on crystalline explosives bonded in energetic reaction polymers. Due to their porous structures they are distinguished by high burning rates. Energy content and material characteristics can be varied by using different energetic fillers, energetic polymers and porous structures. Foamed charges can be produced easily by the reaction injection moulding process. For the manufacturing of foamed propellants a semi-continuous remote controlled production plant in pilot scale was set up and a modified reaction injection moulding process was applied. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Some aspects of image processing using foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tufaile, A.; Freire, M.V.; Tufaile, A.P.B.

2014-01-01

We have explored some concepts of chaotic dynamics and wave light transport in foams. Using some experiments, we have obtained the main features of light intensity distribution through foams. We are proposing a model for this phenomenon, based on the combination of two processes: a diffusive process and another one derived from chaotic dynamics. We have presented a short outline of the chaotic dynamics involving light scattering in foams. We also have studied the existence of caustics from scattering of light from foams, with typical patterns observed in the light diffraction in transparent films. The nonlinear geometry of the foam structure was explored in order to create optical elements, such as hyperbolic prisms and filters. - Highlights: • We have obtained the light scattering in foams using experiments. • We model the light transport in foams using a chaotic dynamics and a diffusive process. • An optical filter based on foam is proposed

A graphite foam reinforced by graphite particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, J.J.; Wang, X.Y.; Guo, L.F.; Wang, Y.M.; Wang, Y.P.; Yu, M.F.; Lau, K.T.T. [DongHua University, Shanghai (China). College of Material Science and Engineering

2007-11-15

Graphite foam was obtained after carbonization and graphitization of a pitch foam formed by the pyrolysis of coal tar based mesophase pitch mixed with graphite particles in a high pressure and temperature chamber. The graphite foam possessed high mechanical strength and exceptional thermal conductivity after adding the graphite particles. Experimental results showed that the thermal conductivity of modified graphite foam reached 110W/m K, and its compressive strength increased from 3.7 MPa to 12.5 MPa with the addition of 5 wt% graphite particles. Through the microscopic observation, it was also found that fewer micro-cracks were formed in the cell wall of the modified foam as compared with pure graphite foam. The graphitization degree of modified foam reached 84.9% and the ligament of graphite foam exhibited high alignment after carbonization at 1200{sup o}C for 3 h and graphitization at 3000{sup o}C for 10 min.

Drying Rate and Product Quality Evaluation of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Calyces Extract Dried with Foaming Agent under Different Temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Djaeni, Mohamad; Kumoro, Andri Cahyo; Sasongko, Setia Budi; Utari, Febiani Dwi

2018-01-01

The utilisation of roselle ( Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) calyx as a source of anthocyanins has been explored through intensive investigations. Due to its perishable property, the transformation of roselle calyces into dried extract without reducing their quality is highly challenging. The aim of this work was to study the effect of air temperatures and relative humidity on the kinetics and product quality during drying of roselle extract foamed with ovalbumin and glycerol monostearate (GMS). The results showed that foam mat drying increased the drying rate significantly and retained the antioxidant activity and colour of roselle calyces extract. Shorter drying time was achieved when higher air temperature and/or lower relative humidity was used. Foam mat drying produced dried brilliant red roselle calyces extract with better antioxidant activity and colour qualities when compared with nonfoam mat drying. The results showed the potential for retaining the roselle calyces extract quality under suggested drying conditions.

Foam injection method and system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hardy, W C; Parmley, J B; Shepard, J C

1977-05-10

A method is described for more efficiently practicing in situ combustion techniques by generating a gas-water mist or foam adjacent to the combustion formation within the injection well. The mist or foam is forced out of the well into the formation to transport heat away from the burned region of the formation toward the periphery of the combustion region to conserve fuel. Also taught are a method and system for fluid treating a formation while maintaining enhanced conformance of the fluid injection profile by generating a mist or foam down-hole adjacent to the formation and then forcing the mist or foam out into the formation. (19 claims)

Polyurethane Foams with Pyrimidine Rings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kania Ewelina

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Oligoetherols based on pyrimidine ring were obtained upon reaction of barbituric acid with glycidol and alkylene carbonates. These oligoetherols were then used to obtain polyurethane foams in the reaction of oligoetherols with isocyanates and water. The protocol of foam synthesis was optimized by the choice of proper kind of oligoetherol and synthetic composition. The thermal resistance was studied by dynamic and static methods with concomitant monitoring of compressive strength. The polyurethane foams have similar physical properties as the classic ones except their enhanced thermal resistance. They stand long-time heating even at 200°C. Moreover thermal exposition of foams results generally in increase of their compressive strength.

Foam stabilization by solid particle aggregates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guignot, S.; Faure, S. [CEA Marcoule, Lab. des Procedes Avances de Decontamination, 30 (France); Pitois, O. [UniversiteParis-Est Marne-La-Valle, Lab. Physique des Materiaux Divises et des Interfaces (LPMDI), 77 - Marne la Vallee (France)

2008-07-01

During the dismantling of nuclear facilities, radioactive deposits on exposed areas are removed and solubilized by successive rinses of reactive liquid. Using this liquid in a foam state reduces the amount of resulting wastes. During the required decontamination time (1 to 5 hours) the foam has to be sufficiently wet (1). In the Laboratory of Advanced Processes for Decontamination, new formulations are currently studied to slow down the drainage kinetics of these foams, by adding colloidal particles of hydrophilic fumed silica into the classical mixtures of well-defined non ionic foaming surfactants previously used (2). The objective of our study is to shed light on the foam surprising stability induced by these particles. The study focuses on drainage of foams generated by air sparging through a suspension lying on a porous glass. The foaming suspensions contain between 0 and 70 g.L-1 of a fumed silica (Aerosil 380) which is well-known to form gels for concentrations above 200 g.L{sup -1}. In the studied solutions this silica builds up into aggregates of dozens of microns, whose volume-averaged mean diameter after sonication is centred around 300 nm. Under gentle stirring, they display no sign of re-aggregation during 24 h. On a free drainage configuration, a foam that contains particles keeps a significant amount of its initial liquid: up to 60 % during up to 5 hours, in contrast to classical foams that drain out all of their liquid in about 20 minutes. From a rheological point of view, the most concentrated suspensions display a yield stress behaviour. This evidences the structuring of the aggregates into a coherent network that might explain the incomplete drainage of the solutions. For the lowest concentrated solutions, such rheological properties have not been observed although the corresponding foams can retain large amount of solution. This suggests that local concentrations of aggregates can rise owing to their retention by foam channels, until they form

Cryogenic foam insulation: Abstracted publications

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, F. R.

1977-01-01

A group of documents were chosen and abstracted which contain information on the properties of foam materials and on the use of foams as thermal insulation at cryogenic temperatures. The properties include thermal properties, mechanical properties, and compatibility properties with oxygen and other cryogenic fluids. Uses of foams include applications as thermal insulation for spacecraft propellant tanks, and for liquefied natural gas storage tanks and pipelines.

Mechanical Properties of Electrolyte Jet Electrodeposited Nickel Foam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinsong Chen

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Principles of the preparation of nickel foam by electrolyte jet electrodeposition were introduced, Nickel foam samples with different porosity were fabricated. Effect of different porosity on microhardness and uniaxial tensile properties of nickel foam was discussed. The results show that the microhardness of nickel foam is 320~400 HV, lower than entitative metal clearly. The lower the porosity of nickel foam, the higher the microhardness is. During the process of uniaxial tensile, nickel foam is characterized by three distinct regions, e.g. elastic deforming region, plastic plateau region and densification region. The higher the porosity of nickel foam, the lower the plastic plateau and the poorer the strength of nickel foam, accordingly

Reproducibility of aluminum foam properties: Effect of precursor distribution on the structural anisotropy and the collapse stress and its dispersion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nosko, M.; Simancik, F.; Florek, R.

2010-01-01

The porous structure of aluminum foam manufactured through the foaming of precursors containing blowing agent is stochastic in nature, usually with a random distribution of pores of different size and shape, creating difficulties in the modeling and prediction of foam properties. In this study, the effect of the initial location of the precursor material in the mold on the foam structure and compression behavior was investigated. Structural characterization showed that the porosity distribution, surface skin thickness and pore orientation was affected by the location of the precursors in the mold and by the extrusion direction of the precursors. Moreover, compression tests demonstrated a significant effect of the structural anisotropy on the collapse stress and its dispersion. The collapse stress of the foam increased if the loading was performed parallel to the thicker surface skin or parallel to the preferential pore orientation, leading to a 20% difference in collapse stress. The dispersion of the collapse stress could be significantly decreased if the loading was performed with regard to the structural anisotropy.

Making continuous bubble type polyethylene foam incombustible

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaji, Kanako; Hatada, Motoyoshi; Yoshizawa, Iwao; Komai, Kuniaki; Kohara, Choji.

1989-01-01

Since continuous bubble type plastic foam has excellent compression characteristics and sound absorption characteristics, it has been widely used as cushion material, sealing material, sound insulating material and so on. However, the most part of plastic foam is taken by air, therefore at the time of fires, it becomes a very dangerous material. At present, the material used mostly as the seat cushions for airliners, railroad coaches, automobiles and others is polyurethane foam, but since it contains C-N couples in its molecules, it is feared to generate cyanic gas according to the condition of combustion. As the plastic foam that does not generate harmful gas at the time of fires, there is continuous bubble type polyethylene which is excellent in its weathering property and chemical resistance. A reactive, phosphorus-containing oligomer has large molecular weight and two or more double couplings in a molecule, therefore, it does not enter the inside of polyethylene, and polymerizes and crosslinks on the surfaces of bubble walls in the foam, accordingly it is expected that the apparent graft polymerization is carried out, and it is very effective for making polyethylene foam incombustible. The method of making graft foam, the properties of graft foam and so on are reported. When the graft polymerization of this oligomer to continuous bubble type polyethylene foam was tried, highly incombustible polyethylene foam was obtained. (K.I.)

Modelling of Churn-Annular foam flows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westende, J.M.C. van 't; Shoeibi Omrani, P.; Vercauteren, F.F.; Nennie, E.D.

2016-01-01

Foam assisted lift is a deliquification method in the oil and gas industry, which aims to prevent or postpone countercurrent gas-liquid flow in maturing gas wells or to assist in removing downhole accumulated liquids. According to Nimwegen, who performed experiments with foam flows, foam

Damping of liquid sloshing by foams

Science.gov (United States)

Sauret, A.; Boulogne, F.; Cappello, J.; Dressaire, E.; Stone, H. A.

2015-02-01

When a container is set in motion, the free surface of the liquid starts to oscillate or slosh. Such effects can be observed when a glass of water is handled carelessly and the fluid sloshes or even spills over the rims of the container. However, beer does not slosh as readily as water, which suggests that foam could be used to damp sloshing. In this work, we study experimentally the effect on sloshing of a liquid foam placed on top of a liquid bath. We generate a monodisperse two-dimensional liquid foam in a rectangular container and track the motion of the foam. The influence of the foam on the sloshing dynamics is experimentally characterized: only a few layers of bubbles are sufficient to significantly damp the oscillations. We rationalize our experimental findings with a model that describes the foam contribution to the damping coefficient through viscous dissipation on the walls of the container. Then we extend our study to confined three-dimensional liquid foam and observe that the behavior of 2D and confined 3D systems are very similar. Thus, we conclude that only the bubbles close to the walls have a significant impact on the dissipation of energy. The possibility to damp liquid sloshing using foam is promising in numerous industrial applications such as the transport of liquefied gas in tankers or for propellants in rocket engines.

Method of making a cyanate ester foam

Science.gov (United States)

Celina, Mathias C.; Giron, Nicholas Henry

2014-08-05

A cyanate ester resin mixture with at least one cyanate ester resin, an isocyanate foaming resin, other co-curatives such as polyol or epoxy compounds, a surfactant, and a catalyst/water can react to form a foaming resin that can be cured at a temperature greater than 50.degree. C. to form a cyanate ester foam. The cyanate ester foam can be heated to a temperature greater than 400.degree. C. in a non-oxidative atmosphere to provide a carbonaceous char foam.

A cement based syntactic foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Guoqiang; Muthyala, Venkata D.

2008-01-01

In this study, a cement based syntactic foam core was proposed and experimentally investigated for composite sandwich structures. This was a multi-phase composite material with microballoon dispersed in a rubber latex toughened cement paste matrix. A trace amount of microfiber was also incorporated to increase the number of mechanisms for energy absorption and a small amount of nanoclay was added to improve the crystal structure of the hydrates. Three groups of cement based syntactic foams with varying cement content were investigated. A fourth group of specimens containing pure cement paste were also prepared as control. Each group contained 24 beam specimens. The total number of beam specimens was 96. The dimension of each beam was 30.5 cm x 5.1 cm x 1.5 cm. Twelve foam specimens from each group were wrapped with plain woven 7715 style glass fabric reinforced epoxy to prepare sandwich beams. Twelve cubic foam specimens, three from each group, with a side length of 5.1 cm, were also prepared. Three types of testing, low velocity impact test and four-point bending test on the beam specimens and compression test on the cubic specimens, were conducted to evaluate the impact energy dissipation, stress-strain behavior, and residual strength. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was also used to examine the energy dissipation mechanisms in the micro-length scale. It was found that the cement based syntactic foam has a higher capacity for dissipating impact energy with an insignificant reduction in strength as compared to the control cement paste core. When compared to a polymer based foam core having similar compositions, it was found that the cement based foam has a comparable energy dissipation capacity. The developed cement based syntactic foam would be a viable alternative for core materials in impact-tolerant composite sandwich structures

Controlling Foam Morphology of Poly(methyl methacrylate via Surface Chemistry and Concentration of Silica Nanoparticles and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Process Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deniz Rende

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Polymer nanocomposite foams have received considerable attention because of their potential use in advanced applications such as bone scaffolds, food packaging, and transportation materials due to their low density and enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties compared to traditional polymer foams. In this study, silica nanofillers were used as nucleating agents and supercritical carbon dioxide as the foaming agent. The use of nanofillers provides an interface upon which CO2 nucleates and leads to remarkably low average cell sizes while improving cell density (number of cells per unit volume. In this study, the effect of concentration, the extent of surface modification of silica nanofillers with CO2-philic chemical groups, and supercritical carbon dioxide process conditions on the foam morphology of poly(methyl methacrylate, PMMA, were systematically investigated to shed light on the relative importance of material and process parameters. The silica nanoparticles were chemically modified with tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrooctyl triethoxysilane leading to three different surface chemistries. The silica concentration was varied from 0.85 to 3.2% (by weight. The supercritical CO2 foaming was performed at four different temperatures (40, 65, 75, and 85°C and between 8.97 and 17.93 MPa. By altering the surface chemistry of the silica nanofiller and manipulating the process conditions, the average cell diameter was decreased from 9.62±5.22 to 1.06±0.32 μm, whereas, the cell density was increased from 7.5±0.5×108 to 4.8±0.3×1011 cells/cm3. Our findings indicate that surface modification of silica nanoparticles with CO2-philic surfactants has the strongest effect on foam morphology.

Class B Fire-Extinguishing Performance Evaluation of a Compressed Air Foam System at Different Air-to-Aqueous Foam Solution Mixing Ratios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Ho Rie

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to evaluate the fire-extinguishing performance of a compressed air foam system at different mixing ratios of pressurized air. In this system, compressed air is injected into an aqueous solution of foam and then discharged. The experimental device uses an exclusive fire-extinguishing technology with compressed air foam that is produced based on the Canada National Laboratory and UL (Underwriters Laboratories 162 standards, with a 20-unit oil fire model (Class B applied as the fire extinguisher. Compressed air is injected through the air mixture, and results with different air-to-aqueous solution foam ratios of 1:4, 1:7, and 1:10 are studied. In addition, comparison experiments between synthetic surfactant foam and a foam type which forms an aqueous film are carried out at an air-to-aqueous solution foam ratio of 1:4. From the experimental results, at identical discharging flows, it was found that the fire-extinguishing effect of the aqueous film-forming foam is greatest at an air-to-aqueous solution foam ratio of 1:7 and weakest at 1:10. Moreover, the fire-extinguishing effect of the aqueous film-forming foam in the comparison experiments between the aqueous film-forming foam and the synthetic surfactant foam is greatest.

Experiments to Populate and Validate a Processing Model for Polyurethane Foam: Additional Data for Structural Foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rao, Rekha R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Celina, Mathias C. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Giron, Nicholas Henry [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Long, Kevin Nicholas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Russick, Edward M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-01-01

We are developing computational models to help understand manufacturing processes, final properties and aging of structural foam, polyurethane PMDI. Th e resulting model predictions of density and cure gradients from the manufacturing process will be used as input to foam heat transfer and mechanical models. BKC 44306 PMDI-10 and BKC 44307 PMDI-18 are the most prevalent foams used in structural parts. Experiments needed to parameterize models of the reaction kinetics and the equations of motion during the foam blowing stages were described for BKC 44306 PMDI-10 in the first of this report series (Mondy et al. 2014). BKC 44307 PMDI-18 is a new foam that will be used to make relatively dense structural supports via over packing. It uses a different catalyst than those in the BKC 44306 family of foams; hence, we expect that the reaction kineti cs models must be modified. Here we detail the experiments needed to characteriz e the reaction kinetics of BKC 44307 PMDI-18 and suggest parameters for the model based on these experiments. In additi on, the second part of this report describes data taken to provide input to the preliminary nonlinear visco elastic structural response model developed for BKC 44306 PMDI-10 foam. We show that the standard cu re schedule used by KCP does not fully cure the material, and, upon temperature elevation above 150°C, oxidation or decomposition reactions occur that alter the composition of the foam. These findings suggest that achieving a fully cured foam part with this formulation may be not be possible through therma l curing. As such, visco elastic characterization procedures developed for curing thermosets can provide only approximate material properties, since the state of the material continuously evolves during tests.

Modyfication of the Rigid Polyurethane-Polyisocyanurate Foams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogusław Czupryński

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of polyethylene glycol 1500 on physicomechanical properties of rigid polyurethane-polyisocyanurate (PUR-PIR foams has been studied. It was found that application of polyethylene glycol 1500 for synthesis of foams in amount from 0% to 20% w/w had an effect on reduction of brittleness and softening point, while the greater the increase in compressive strength the higher its content in foam composition was. Wastes from production of these foams were ground and subjected to glycolysis in diethylene glycol with the addition of ethanolamine and zinc stearate. Liquid brown products were obtained. Properties of the resulting products were defined in order to determine their suitability for synthesis of new foams. It was found that glycolysate 6 was the most suitable for reuse and its application in different amounts allowed us to prepare 4 new foams (nos. 25, 26, 27, and 28. Properties of foams prepared in this manner were determined and, on their basis, the suitability of glycolysates for production of rigid PUR-PIR foams was evaluated.

Drying Rate and Product Quality Evaluation of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Calyces Extract Dried with Foaming Agent under Different Temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad Djaeni

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The utilisation of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. calyx as a source of anthocyanins has been explored through intensive investigations. Due to its perishable property, the transformation of roselle calyces into dried extract without reducing their quality is highly challenging. The aim of this work was to study the effect of air temperatures and relative humidity on the kinetics and product quality during drying of roselle extract foamed with ovalbumin and glycerol monostearate (GMS. The results showed that foam mat drying increased the drying rate significantly and retained the antioxidant activity and colour of roselle calyces extract. Shorter drying time was achieved when higher air temperature and/or lower relative humidity was used. Foam mat drying produced dried brilliant red roselle calyces extract with better antioxidant activity and colour qualities when compared with nonfoam mat drying. The results showed the potential for retaining the roselle calyces extract quality under suggested drying conditions.

Nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam for CO₂ EOR application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Ning [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Lee, Robert [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Yu, Jianjia [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Li, Liangxiong [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Bustamante, Elizabeth [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Khalil, Munawar [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Mo, Di [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Jia, Bao [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); Wang, Sai [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); San, Jingshan [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States); An, Cheng [New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center, Socorro, NM (United States)

2015-01-31

The purpose of this project was to develop nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam for CO₂ -EOR application, in which nanoparticles instead of surfactants are used for stabilizing CO₂ foam to improve the CO₂ sweep efficiency and increase oil recovery. The studies included: (1) investigation of CO₂ foam generation nanoparticles, such as silica nanoparticles, and the effects of particle concentration and surface properties, CO₂/brine ratio, brine salinity, pressure, and temperature on foam generation and foam stability; (2) coreflooding tests to understand the nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam for waterflooded residual oil recovery, which include: oil-free coreflooding experiments with nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam to understand the transportation of nanoparticles through the core; measurements of foam stability and CO₂ sweep efficiency under reservoir conditions to investigate temperature and pressure effects on the foam performance and oil recovery as well as the sweep efficiency in different core samples with different rock properties; and (3) long-term coreflooding experiments with the nanoparticle- stabilized CO₂ foam for residual oil recovery. Finally, the technical and economical feasibility of this technology was evaluated.

New decontamination process using foams containing particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guignot, S.; Faure, S.

2008-01-01

One key point in the dismantling of nuclear facilities is the thorough cleaning of radiation- exposed surfaces on which radioactive deposits have formed. This cleaning step is often achieved by successive liquid rinses with specific solutions containing alkaline, acidic, or even oxidizing species depending on whether the aim is to dissolve greasy deposits (like ter-butylphosphate) or to corrode surfaces on micrometric thicknesses. An alternative process to reduce the amount of chemicals and the volume of the resulting nuclear wastes consists in using the same but foamed solutions (1). Carrying less liquid, the resulting foams still display similar kinetics of dissolution rates and their efficiency is determined by their ability to hold sufficient wetnesses during the time required for the decontamination. Classical foam decontamination process illustrated by foam pulverization or circulation in the 90 turned five years ago into a specific static process using high-lifetime viscosified foam at a steady state. One way to slow down the liquid drainage is to raise liquid viscosity by adding organic viscosifiers like xanthan gum (2). In 2005, new studies started on an innovative process proposed by S. Faure and based on triphasic foams containing particles [3]. The aim is to generate new decontamination foams containing less quantities of organics materials (surfactants and viscosifiers). Silica particles are obviously known to stabilize or destabilize foams (4). In the frame of S. Guignot Ph.D., new fundamental studies are initiated in order to clarify the role of silica solid microparticles in these foams. Our final goal is to determine whether this kind of new foam can be stable for several hours for a decontamination process. The results we will report focus on wet foams used for nuclear decontamination and incorporating fumed silica. The study is conducted on a vertical foam column in a pseudo-free drainage configuration, and aims at investigating the influence of

Oxidation behaviour of metallic glass foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnard, B.R. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 434 Dougherty Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2200 (United States)], E-mail: bbarnard@utk.edu; Liaw, P.K. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 434 Dougherty Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2200 (United States); Demetriou, M.D.; Johnson, W.L. [Department of Materials Science, Keck Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2008-08-15

In this study, the effects of porosity on the oxidation behaviour of bulk-metallic glasses were investigated. Porous Pd- and Fe-based bulk-metallic glass (BMG) foams and Metglas ribbons were studied. Oxidizing experiments were conducted at 70 deg. C, and around 80 deg. C below glass-transition temperatures, (T{sub g}s). Scanning-electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) studies revealed little evidence of oxidation at 70 deg. C. Specimens exhibited greater oxidation at T{sub g} - 80 deg. C. Oxides were copper-based for Pd-based foams, Fe-, Cr-, and Mo-based for Fe-based foams, and Co-based with borosilicates likely for the Metglas. Pd-based foams demonstrated the best oxidation resistance, followed by Metglas ribbons, followed by Fe-based foams.

Preparation of Microcellular Epoxy Foams through a Limited-Foaming Process: A Contradiction with the Time-Temperature-Transformation Cure Diagram.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lijun; Zhang, Chun; Gong, Wei; Ji, Yubi; Qin, Shuhao; He, Li

2018-01-01

3D cross-linking networks are generated through chemical reactions between thermosetting epoxy resin and hardener during curing. The curing degree of epoxy material can be increased by increasing curing temperature and/or time. The epoxy material must then be fully cured through a postcuring process to optimize its material characteristics. Here, a limited-foaming method is introduced for the preparation of microcellular epoxy foams (Lim-foams) with improved cell morphology, high thermal expansion coefficient, and good compressive properties. Lim-foams exhibit a lower glass transition temperature (T g ) and curing degree than epoxy foams fabricated through free-foaming process (Fre-foams). Surprisingly, however, the T g of Lim-foams is unaffected by postcuring temperature and time. This phenomenon, which is related to high gas pressure in the bubbles, contradicts that indicated by the time-temperature-transformation cure diagram. High bubble pressure promotes the movement of molecular chains under heating at low temperature and simultaneously suppresses the etherification cross-linking reaction during post-curing. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Dynamics of poroelastic foams

Science.gov (United States)

Forterre, Yoel; Sobac, Benjamin

2010-11-01

Soft poroelastic structures are widespread in biological tissues such as cartilaginous joints in bones, blood-filled placentae or plant organs. Here we investigate the dynamics of open elastic foams immersed in viscous fluids, as model soft poroelastic materials. The experiment consists in slowly compacting blocs of polyurethane solid foam embedded in silicon oil-tanks and studying their relaxation to equilibrium when the confining stress is suddenly released. Measurements of the local fluid pressure and foam velocity field are compared with a simple two-phase flow approach. For small initial compactions, the results show quantitative agreement with the classical diffusion theory of soil consolidation (Terzaghi, Biot). On the other hand, for large initial compactions, the dynamics exhibits long relaxation times and decompaction fronts, which are mainly controlled by the highly non-linear mechanical response of the foam. The analogy between this process and the evaporation of a polymer melt close to the glass transition will be briefly discussed.

Numerical simulation of heat transfer in metal foams

Science.gov (United States)

Gangapatnam, Priyatham; Kurian, Renju; Venkateshan, S. P.

2018-02-01

This paper reports a numerical study of forced convection heat transfer in high porosity aluminum foams. Numerical modeling is done considering both local thermal equilibrium and non local thermal equilibrium conditions in ANSYS-Fluent. The results of the numerical model were validated with experimental results, where air was forced through aluminum foams in a vertical duct at different heat fluxes and velocities. It is observed that while the LTE model highly under predicts the heat transfer in these foams, LTNE model predicts the Nusselt number accurately. The novelty of this study is that once hydrodynamic experiments are conducted the permeability and porosity values obtained experimentally can be used to numerically simulate heat transfer in metal foams. The simulation of heat transfer in foams is further extended to find the effect of foam thickness on heat transfer in metal foams. The numerical results indicate that though larger foam thicknesses resulted in higher heat transfer coefficient, this effect weakens with thickness and is negligible in thick foams.

Mechanical Characterization of Lightweight Foamed Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Kozłowski

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Foamed concrete shows excellent physical characteristics such as low self weight, relatively high strength and superb thermal and acoustic insulation properties. It allows for minimal consumption of aggregate, and by replacement of a part of cement by fly ash, it contributes to the waste utilization principles. For many years, the application of foamed concrete has been limited to backfill of retaining walls, insulation of foundations and roof tiles sound insulation. However, during the last few years, foamed concrete has become a promising material for structural purposes. A series of tests was carried out to examine mechanical properties of foamed concrete mixes without fly ash and with fly ash content. In addition, the influence of 25 cycles of freezing and thawing on the compressive strength was investigated. The apparent density of hardened foamed concrete is strongly correlated with the foam content in the mix. An increase of the density of foamed concrete results in a decrease of flexural strength. For the same densities, the compressive strength obtained for mixes containing fly ash is approximately 20% lower in comparison to the specimens without fly ash. Specimens subjected to 25 freeze-thaw cycles show approximately 15% lower compressive strengths compared to the untreated specimens.

Application of Auxetic Foam in Sports Helmets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon Foster

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This investigation explored the viability of using open cell polyurethane auxetic foams to augment the conformable layer in a sports helmet and improve its linear impact acceleration attenuation. Foam types were compared by examining the impact severity on an instrumented anthropomorphic headform within a helmet consisting of three layers: a rigid shell, a stiff closed cell foam, and an open cell foam as a conformable layer. Auxetic and conventional foams were interchanged to act as the helmet’s conformable component. Attenuation of linear acceleration was examined by dropping the combined helmet and headform on the front and the side. The helmet with auxetic foam reduced peak linear accelerations (p < 0.05 relative to its conventional counterpart at the highest impact energy in both orientations. Gadd Severity Index reduced by 11% for frontal impacts (38.9 J and 44% for side impacts (24.3 J. The conformable layer within a helmet can influence the overall impact attenuating properties. The helmet fitted with auxetic foam can attenuate impact severity more than when fitted with conventional foam, and warrants further investigation for its potential to reduce the risk of traumatic brain injuries in sport specific impacts.

Behaviour of aluminum foam under fire conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Grabian

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Taking into account fire-protection requirements it is advantageous for aluminum foam, after melting at a temperature considerably exceeding the melting point, to have a structure of discontinuous suspension of solid inclusions to liquid metal instead of liquid consistency. Continuity of the suspension depends on the solid phase content. The boundary value of the phase determined by J. Śleziona, above which the suspension becomes discontinuous, is provided by the formula (1. Figure 1 presents the relationship graphically. Boundary values of the vs content resulting from the above relationship is too low, taking into account the data obtained from the technology of suspension composites [4]. Therefore, based on the structure assumed for the suspension shown in Figure 2 these authors proposed another way of determining the contents, the value of which is determined by the relationship (3 [5].For purposes of the experimental study presented in the paper two foams have been molten: a commercially available one, made by aluminum foaming with titanium hydride, and a foam manufactured in the Marine Materials Plant of the Maritime University of Szczecin by blowing the AlSi7 +20% SiC composite with argon. Macrophotographs of foam cross-sections are shown in Figure 3. The foams have been molten in the atmosphere of air at a temperature of 750ºC. The products of melting are presented in Figure 4. It appears that molten aluminum foam may have no liquid consistency, being unable to flow, which is a desired property from the point of view of fire-protection. The above feature of the molten foam results from the fact that it may be a discontinuous suspension of solid particles in a liquid metal. The suspended particles may be solid particles of the composite that served for making the foam or oxide membranes formed on extended metal surface of the bubbles included in the foam. The desired foam ability to form a discontinuous suspension after melting may be

Experiments to populate and validate a processing model for polyurethane foam. BKC 44306 PMDI-10

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mondy, Lisa Ann [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Rao, Rekha Ranjana [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Shelden, Bion [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Soehnel, Melissa Marie [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); O' Hern, Timothy J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Grillet, Anne [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Celina, Mathias C. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wyatt, Nicholas B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Russick, Edward Mark [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bauer, Stephen J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hileman, Michael Bryan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Urquhart, Alexander [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Thompson, Kyle Richard [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Smith, David Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-03-01

We are developing computational models to elucidate the expansion and dynamic filling process of a polyurethane foam, PMDI. The polyurethane of interest is chemically blown, where carbon dioxide is produced via the reaction of water, the blowing agent, and isocyanate. The isocyanate also reacts with polyol in a competing reaction, which produces the polymer. Here we detail the experiments needed to populate a processing model and provide parameters for the model based on these experiments. The model entails solving the conservation equations, including the equations of motion, an energy balance, and two rate equations for the polymerization and foaming reactions, following a simplified mathematical formalism that decouples these two reactions. Parameters for the polymerization kinetics model are reported based on infrared spectrophotometry. Parameters describing the gas generating reaction are reported based on measurements of volume, temperature and pressure evolution with time. A foam rheology model is proposed and parameters determined through steady-shear and oscillatory tests. Heat of reaction and heat capacity are determined through differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal conductivity of the foam as a function of density is measured using a transient method based on the theory of the transient plane source technique. Finally, density variations of the resulting solid foam in several simple geometries are directly measured by sectioning and sampling mass, as well as through x-ray computed tomography. These density measurements will be useful for model validation once the complete model is implemented in an engineering code.

Occupational allergic and irritant contact dermatitis in workers exposed to polyurethane foam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Kieć-Świerczyńska

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate sensitization to chemicals present in work environment after an outbreak of contact dermatitis in workers of vehicle equipment factory, exposed to polyurethane foam, based on 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI. Material and Methods: From among 300 employees, 21 individuals reporting work-related skin and/or respiratory tract symptoms underwent clinical examination, patch testing, skin prick tests, spirometry and MDI sIgE measurement in serum. Patch tests included isocyanates series, selected rubber additives, metals, fragrances, preservatives, and an antiadhesive agent. Results: Clinical examination revealed current eczema in the area of hands and/or forearms in 10 workers. Positive patch test reactions were found in 10 individuals, the most frequent to diaminodiphenylmethane and 4-phenylenediamine (7 persons. Reactions to an antiadhesive agent were assessed as irritant (5 workers. Except for sensitization to common aeroallergens, no significant abnormalities were found in the remaining tests. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis was diagnosed in 7 workers, irritant contact dermatitis in 10 and coexisiting allergic and irritant contact dermatitis in 3 workers. Conclusions: In workers manufacturing products from polyurethane foam, attention should be paid to the risk of developing contact dermatitis. Skin problems in our study group were attributable probably to insufficient protection of the skin.

Investigation the foam dynamics capacity of SDS in foam generator by affecting the presence of organic and inorganic contaminant

Science.gov (United States)

Haryanto, Bode; Siswarni, M. Z.; Sianipar, Yosef C. H.; Sinaga, Tongam M. A.; Bestari, Imam

2017-05-01

The effect of negative charge SDS monomer on its foam capacity with the presence of contaminants was investigated in foam generator. Generally, surfactant with higher concentration has higher foam capacity. The higher concentration will increase the number of monomer then increase the micelles in liquid phase. Increasing the number of monomer with the negative charge is a potential to increase interaction with metal ion with positive charge in solution. The presence of inorganic compound as metal ion with positive charge and organic compound (colloid) as particle of coffee impacting to generate the foam lamella with monomer is evaluated. Foam dynamic capacity of only SDS with variation of CMC, 1 x; 2 x; 3 x have the height 7.5, 8.0 and 8.3 cm respectively with the different range time were investigated. The Height of foam dynamic capacity with the presence of 20 ppm Cd2+ ion contaminant was 8.0, 8.3 and 8.4 cm at the same CMC variation of SDS. The presence of metal ion contaminant within the foam was confirmed by AAS. The black coffee particles and oil as contaminant decreased the foam capacity significantly in comparing to metal ions.

Modification of Foamed Articles Based on Cassava Starch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponce, P.

2006-01-01

This work reports the influence of radiation, plasticizers and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) on the barrier properties [water vapour permeability (WVP)) and mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation; compression resistance and flexibility) of foamed articles based on cassava starch. The starch foam was obtained by thermopressing process. Poly ethylene glycol (PEG, 300) was selected as plasticizer and water was necessary for the preparation of the foams. The foamed articles based on cassava starch were irradiated at low doses of 2 and 5 kGy, commonly used in food irradiation. The mechanical properties of starch foams are influenced by the plasticizer concentration and by irradiation dose. An increase in PEG content showed a considerable increase in elongation percentage and a decrease in the tensile strength of the foams; also increase the permeability of the foams in water. After irradiation, the barrier properties and mechanical properties of the foams were improved due to chemical reactions among polymer molecules. Irradiated starch cassava foams with poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) have good flexibility and low water permeability. WVP can be reduced by low doses of gamma radiation

Structure formation control of foam concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Steshenko, Aleksei; Kudyakov, Aleksander; Konusheva, Viktoriya; Syrkin, Oleg

2017-01-01

The process of predetermined foam concrete structure formation is considered to be a crucial issue from the point of process control and it is currently understudied thus defining the need for additional research. One of the effective ways of structure formation control in naturally hardening foam concrete is reinforcement with dispersed fibers or introduction of plasticizers. The paper aims at studying the patterns of influence of microreinforcing and plasticizing additives on the structure and performance properties of foam concrete. Preparation of foam concrete mix has been conducted using one-step technology. The structure of modified foam concrete has been studied by means of electron microscopy. The cellular structure of foam concrete samples with the additives is homogeneous; the pores are uniformly distributed over the total volume. It has been revealed that introduction of the Neolas 5.2 plasticizer and microreinforcing fibers in the foam concrete mixture in the amount of 0.4 - 0.1 % by weight of cement leads to reduction of the average pore diameter in the range of 45.3 to 30.2 microns and the standard deviation of the pore average diameter from 23.6 to 9.2 in comparison with the sample without additive. Introduction of modifying additives has stimulated formation of a large number of closed pores. Thus porosity of conditionally closed pores has increased from 16.06 % to 34.48 %, which has lead to increase of frost resistance brand of foam concrete from F15 to F50 and to reduction of its water absorption by weight by 20 %.

Faraday instability at foam-water interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Bronfort, A; Caps, H

2012-12-01

A nearly two-dimensional foam is generated inside a Hele-shaw cell and left at rest on its liquid bath. The system is then vertically shaken and, above a well-defined acceleration threshold, surface waves appear at the foam-liquid interface. Those waves are shown to be subharmonic. The acceleration threshold is studied and compared to the common liquid-gas case, emphasizing the energy dissipation inside the foam. An empirical model is proposed for this energy loss, accounting for the foam characteristics such as the bubble size but also the excitation parameter, namely the linear velocity.

Photoactivity of Titanium Dioxide Foams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Jami

2018-01-01

Full Text Available TiO2 foams have been prepared by a simple mechanical stirring method. Short-chain amphiphilic molecules have been used to stabilize colloidal suspensions of TiO2 nanoparticles. TiO2 foams were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The photoassisted oxidation of NO in the gas phase according to ISO 22197-1 has been used to compare the photoactivity of the newly prepared TiO2 foams to that of the original powders. The results showed that the photoactivity is increased up to about 135%. Foam structures seem to be a good means of improving the photoactivity of semiconductor materials and can readily be used for applications such as air purification devices.

Microcellular foams via phase separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, A.T.

1985-01-01

A study of wide variety of processes for making plastic foams shows that phase separation processes for polymers from solutions offers the most viable methods for obtaining rigid plastic foams which met the physical requirements for fusion target designs. Four general phase separation methods have been shown to give polymer foams with densities less than 0.1 g/cm 3 and cell sizes of 30μm or less. These methods involve the utilization of non-solvent, chemical or thermal cooling processes to achieve a controlled phase separation wherein either two distinct phases are obtained where the polymer phase is a continuous phase or two bicontinuous phases are obtained where both the polymer and solvent are interpenetrating, continuous, labyrinthine phases. Subsequent removal of the solvent gives the final foam structure

Morphological comparison of PVA scaffolds obtained by gas foaming and microfluidic foaming techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Colosi, Cristina; Costantini, Marco; Barbetta, Andrea; Pecci, Raffaella; Bedini, Rossella; Dentini, Mariella

2013-01-08

In this article, we have exploited a microfluidic foaming technique for the generation of highly monodisperse gas-in-liquid bubbles as a templating system for scaffolds characterized by an ordered and homogeneous porous texture. An aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution (containing a surfactant) and a gas (argon) are injected simultaneously at constant flow rates in a flow-focusing device (FFD), in which the gas thread breaks up to form monodisperse bubbles. Immediately after its formation, the foam is collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen, freeze-dried, and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. In order to highlight the superior morphological quality of the obtained porous material, a comparison between this scaffold and another one, also constituted of PVA but obtained with a traditional gas foaming technique, was carried out. Such a comparison has been conducted by analyzing electron microscopy and X-ray microtomographic images of the two samples. It turned out that the microfluidic produced scaffold was characterized by much more uniform porous texture than the gas-foaming one as witnessed by narrower pore size, interconnection, and wall thickness distributions. On the other side, scarce pore interconnectivity, relatively low pore volume, and limited production rate represent, by now, the principal disadvantages of microfluidic foaming as scaffold fabrication method, emphasizing the kind of improvement that this technique needs to undergo.

Drainage and Stratification Kinetics of Foam Films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yiran; Sharma, Vivek

2014-03-01

Baking bread, brewing cappuccino, pouring beer, washing dishes, shaving, shampooing, whipping eggs and blowing bubbles all involve creation of aqueous foam films. Foam lifetime, drainage kinetics and stability are strongly influenced by surfactant type (ionic vs non-ionic), and added proteins, particles or polymers modify typical responses. The rate at which fluid drains out from a foam film, i.e. drainage kinetics, is determined in the last stages primarily by molecular interactions and capillarity. Interestingly, for certain low molecular weight surfactants, colloids and polyelectrolyte-surfactant mixtures, a layered ordering of molecules, micelles or particles inside the foam films leads to a stepwise thinning phenomena called stratification. Though stratification is observed in many confined systems including foam films containing particles or polyelectrolytes, films containing globular proteins seem not to show this behavior. Using a Scheludko-type cell, we experimentally study the drainage and stratification kinetics of horizontal foam films formed by protein-surfactant mixtures, and carefully determine how the presence of proteins influences the hydrodynamics and thermodynamics of foam films.

Cellulose nanocrystals reinforced foamed nitrile rubber nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yukun; Zhang, Yuanbing; Xu, Chuanhui; Cao, Xiaodong

2015-10-05

Research on foamed nitrile rubber (NBR)/cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) nanocomposites is rarely found in the literatures. In this paper, CNs suspension and NBR latex was mixed to prepared the foamed NBR/CNs nanocomposites. We found that the CNs mainly located in the cell walls, effectively reinforcing the foamed NBR. The strong interaction between the CNs and NBR matrix restricted the mobility of NBR chains surrounding the CNs, hence increasing the crosslink density of the NBR matrix. CNs exhibited excellent reinforcement on the foamed NBR: a remarkable increase nearly 76% in the tensile strength of the foamed nanocomposites was achieved with a load of only 15 phr CNs. Enhanced mechanical properties make the foamed NBR/CNs nanocomposites a promising damping material for industrial applications with a potential to reduce the petroleum consumption. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strontium doped poly-ε-caprolactone composite scaffolds made by reactive foaming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zehbe, Rolf, E-mail: zehbe@bls-germany.com [BLS Laboratories GmbH, Berlin (Germany); University of Potsdam, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Potsdam (Germany); Zehbe, Kerstin [University of Potsdam, Department of Chemistry, Potsdam (Germany)

2016-10-01

In the reconstruction and regeneration of bone tissue, a primary goal is to initiate bone growth and to stabilize the surrounding bone. In this regard, a potentially useful component in biomaterials for bone tissue engineering is strontium, which acts as cationic active agent, triggering certain intracellular pathways and acting as so called dual action bone agent which inhibits bone resorption while stimulating bone regeneration. In this study we established a novel processing for the foaming of a polymer (poly-ε-caprolactone) and simultaneous chemical reaction of a mixture of calcium and strontium hydroxides to the respective carbonates using supercritical carbon dioxide. The resultant porous composite scaffold was optimized in composition and strontium content and was characterized via different spectroscopic (infrared and Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), imaging (SEM, μCT), mechanical testing and in vitro methods (fluorescence vital staining, MTT-assay). As a result, the composite scaffold showed good in vitro biocompatibility with partly open pore structure and the expected chemistry. First mechanical testing results indicate sufficient mechanical stability to support future in vivo applications. - Highlights: • Reactive foaming has been established for the synthesis of a PCL matrix with integrated strontium and calcium species • This material can potentially be useful in bone tissue engineering applications • Comparative in vitro cell culture experiments, imaging and spectroscopy analysis have been conducted.

One-step synthesis, wettability and foaming properties of high-performance non-ionic hydro-fluorocarbon hybrid surfactants

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Ying-ying; Lu, Feng; Tong, Qing-Xiao

2018-03-01

In this work, a series of non-ionic hydro-fluorocarbon hybrid surfactants (C9F19CONH(CH2)3N(CmH2m+1)2, abbreviated as C9F19AM (m = 1), C9F19AE (m = 2) and C9F19AB (m = 4) were easily synthesized by one-step reaction and characterized by 1HNMR, 19FNMR and MS spectroscopy. Unlike conventional non-ionic surfactants (most hydrophilic units consisted of hydroxy or ether groups), their hydrophilic groups were composed of amide group, an eco-friendly unit. The surface activity, wettability, thermal stability and foaming performance were investigated. The results showed that the C9F19AE (C9F19CONH(CH2)3N[CH2CH3]2) had superior surface and interface activities, which could reduce the surface tension of water down to 15.37 mN/m and the interfacial tension (cyclohexane/water/surfactants) to 5.8 mN/m with a low cmc (critical micelle concentration) of 0.12 mmol/L. Through the calculation of Amin (the minimum area occupied per-surfactant molecule), we speculated this higher surface activity was related to the compatibility between hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon chains. When used as wetting and foaming agents, the C9F19AE also outperformed great advantages over conventional non-ionic fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon surfactants, which could decrease the contact angle of water on PTFE plate from 107.7° to 3.6°, and increase the foam integrated value F to 536 500 ± 3066.5 mL s. Moreover, the decomposition temperature (Td) of C9F19AE could reach up to 173 °C. This work demonstrates a valuable strategy to develop a kind of high-efficiency foaming agent via facile synthesis.

Recycle Glass in Foam Glass Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Yue, Yuanzheng

The foam glass industry turn recycle glass into heat insulating building materials. The foaming process is relative insensitive to impurities in the recycle glass. It is therefore considered to play an important role in future glass recycling. We show and discuss trends of use of recycled glasses...... in foam glass industry and the supply sources and capacity of recycle glass....

EMS providers do not use FOAM for education.

Science.gov (United States)

Bucher, Joshua; Donovan, Colleen; McCoy, Jonathan

2018-05-24

Free open access to medical education (FOAM, #FOAM) is the free availability of educational materials on various medicine topics. We hope to evaluate the use of social media and FOAM by emergency medical services (EMS) providers. We designed an online survey distributed to EMS providers with questions about demographics and social media/FOAM use by providers. The survey was sent to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) EMS Listserv of medical directors and was asked to be distributed to their respective agencies. The survey was designed to inquire about the providers' knowledge of FOAM and social media and their use of the above for EMS education. There were 169 respondents out of a total of 523 providers yielding a response rate of 32.3%. Fifty-three percent of respondents are paramedics, 37% are EMT-Basic trained, and the remainder (16%) were "other." The minority (20%) of respondents had heard of FOAM. However, 54% of respondents had heard of "free medical education online" regarding pertinent topics. Of the total respondents who used social media for education, 31% used Facebook and 23% used blogs and podcasts as resources for online education. Only 4% of respondents stated they produced FOAM content. Seventy-six percent of respondents said they were "interested" or "very interested" in using FOAM for medical education. If FOAM provided continuing medical education (CME), 83% of respondents would be interested in using it. Social media is not used frequently by EMS providers for the purposes of FOAM. There is interest within EMS providers to use FOAM for education, even if CME was not provided. FOAM can provide a novel area of education for EMS.

Rigid Polyurethane Foam Reinforced Coconut Coir Fiber Properties

OpenAIRE

Mohd Azham Azmi

2012-01-01

This research work studied the properties of composite foam panels. Coconut coir fibers were used as reinforcement in polyurethane (PU) foam in order to increase the properties of foam. This composite foam panels were fabricated by using polyurethane molded method. The polyurethane foam panels reinforced from 5 to 20wt% coconut coir were produced to investigate the physical and mechanical test via density test and three point bending test respectively. It was found that the density test resul...

Auxetic Polyurethane Foam (Fabrication, Properties and Applications)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousif, H.I.Y.

2012-01-01

Modern technology requires new materials of special properties. For the last two decades there has been a great interest in a class of materials known as auxetic materials. An auxetic material is a material that has a negative Poisson's ratio which means that this material expands laterally when they subjected to a tensile force unlike most of the other traditional materials. This material has superior properties over the traditional material such as high shear modulus and high impact resistance, which makes this material a good candidate for many engineering applications. In the present research work, auxetic flexible polyurethane polymeric foams having different densities were fabricated from conventional flexible polyurethane polymeric foam at different compression ratios. The microstructure of conventional and processed foams was examined by optical microscope to compare between the two structures. The microstructure of processed foam was compared with the one presented in the literature and it has shown the auxetic structure configuration. This is the first time to produce auxetic foam in Egypt. Conventional and auxetic foam samples having cylindrical and square cross-sections were produced from foams having different densities (25 kg/m 3 and 30 kg/m 3 ). The compression ratios used to produce the auxetic samples are (5.56, 6.94 and 9.26). Four mechanical tests were carried out to get the mechanical properties for both conventional and auxetic foams. Two quasi-static mechanical tests t ension and compression a nd two dynamic mechanical tests H ysteresis and resilience w ere carried out to compare between the conventional and auxetic foams. The quasi-static tensile test was carried out at speed was adjusted to be position control rate of 0.2 mm/s. The compression and hysteresis tests were carried out at strain control rate of 0.3 S -1 . The data recorded from the machine were stress and strain. The modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio of the test

Applications of Polymer Matrix Syntactic Foams

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Nikhil; Zeltmann, Steven E.; Shunmugasamy, Vasanth Chakravarthy; Pinisetty, Dinesh

2013-11-01

A collection of applications of polymer matrix syntactic foams is presented in this article. Syntactic foams are lightweight porous composites that found their early applications in marine structures due to their naturally buoyant behavior and low moisture absorption. Their light weight has been beneficial in weight sensitive aerospace structures. Syntactic foams have pushed the performance boundaries for composites and have enabled the development of vehicles for traveling to the deepest parts of the ocean and to other planets. The high volume fraction of porosity in syntactic foams also enabled their applications in thermal insulation of pipelines in oil and gas industry. The possibility of tailoring the mechanical and thermal properties of syntactic foams through a combination of material selection, hollow particle volume fraction, and hollow particle wall thickness has helped in rapidly growing these applications. The low coefficient of thermal expansion and dimensional stability at high temperatures are now leading their use in electronic packaging, composite tooling, and thermoforming plug assists. Methods have been developed to tailor the mechanical and thermal properties of syntactic foams independent of each other over a wide range, which is a significant advantage over other traditional particulate and fibrous composites.

Shrinkage deformation of cement foam concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Kudyakov, A. I.; Steshenko, A. B.

2015-01-01

The article presents the results of research of dispersion-reinforced cement foam concrete with chrysotile asbestos fibers. The goal was to study the patterns of influence of chrysotile asbestos fibers on drying shrinkage deformation of cement foam concrete of natural hardening. The chrysotile asbestos fiber contains cylindrical fiber shaped particles with a diameter of 0.55 micron to 8 microns, which are composed of nanostructures of the same form with diameters up to 55 nm and length up to 22 microns. Taking into account the wall thickness, effective reinforcement can be achieved only by microtube foam materials, the so- called carbon nanotubes, the dimensions of which are of power less that the wall pore diameter. The presence of not reinforced foam concrete pores with perforated walls causes a decrease in its strength, decreases the mechanical properties of the investigated material and increases its shrinkage. The microstructure investigation results have shown that introduction of chrysotile asbestos fibers in an amount of 2 % by weight of cement provides the finely porous foam concrete structure with more uniform size closed pores, which are uniformly distributed over the volume. This reduces the shrinkage deformation of foam concrete by 50%.

Foam for combating mine fires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-09-01

The application of foam in dealing with underground fire is well known due to its smothering action by cutting off air feed to burning fuel as well as acting as coolant. Besides plugging air feed to fire, water could be virtually reached to the fire affected areas much beyond the jet range as underground galleries with low roof restrict jet range of water. This method also enables a closer approach of a fire fighting team by isolating the toxic gases and smoke with a foam plug. The paper describes the development of high expansion foam composition and its application technology in order that foam plug method can be suitably utilized for combating mine fires in India. Three compositions were recommended for generation of high expansion foam: (a) 0.5% sodium/ammonium lauryl sulphate, 0.15 to 0.2% sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, 0.1% booster; (b) 0.5% sodium/ammonium lauryl sulfate, 0.12 to 0.15% alkaline solution of gum arabic, 0.1 to 0.2% ferrous gluconate; and (c) 0.35% sodium/ammonium lauryl sulfate, 0.20% booster, 0.2% xylene sulfonate.

Extra natural gas by foam injection; Extra aardgas door foam-injectie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Boer, B.

2008-07-01

The Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) has further developed an originally American technology for expanding the economic lifespan of gas fields. Injection of environment-friendly foam enables further extraction of natural gas from nearly depleted gas fields. [mk]. [Dutch] De Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) heeft een van origine Amerikaanse techniek om de economische levensduur van gasvelden te verlengen verder ontwikkeld. Het injecteren van een milieuvriendelijke zeep (foam) maakt het mogelijk om langer aardgas te produceren uit bijna lege gasvelden.

Foaming in manure based digesters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kougias, Panagiotis; Boe, Kanokwan; Angelidaki, Irini

2012-01-01

Anaerobic digestion foaming is one of the major problems that occasionally occurred in the Danish full-scale biogas plants, affecting negatively the overall digestion process. The foam is typically formatted in the main biogas reactor or in the pre-storage tank and the entrapped solids in the foam...... cause severe operational problems, such as blockage of mixing devices, and collapse of pumps. Furthermore, the foaming problem is linked with economic consequences for biogas plants, due to income losses derived from the reduced biogas production, extra labour work and additional maintenance costs...... was increased by the addition of glucose in the feeding substrate. During the 2nd and 4th period the organic loading rate was maintained constant, but instead of glucose, higher concentration of Na-oleate or gelatine was added in the feeding substrate. The results obtained from the above experiment showed...

Investigation of Mild Steel Thin-Wall Tubes in Unfilled and Foam-Filled Triangle, Square, and Hexagonal Cross Sections Under Compression Load

Science.gov (United States)

Rajak, Dipen Kumar; Kumaraswamidhas, L. A.; Das, S.

2018-02-01

This study has examined proposed structures with mild steel-reinforced LM30 aluminum (Al) alloy having diversely unfilled and 10 wt.% SiCp composite foam-filled tubes for improving axial compression performance. This class of material has novel physical, mechanical, and electrical properties along with low density. In the present experiment, Al alloy foams were prepared by the melt route technique using metal hydride powder as a foaming agent. Crash energy phenomena for diverse unfilled and foam-filled in mild steel thin-wall tubes (triangular, square and hexagonal) were studied as well. Compression deformation investigation was conducted at strain rates of 0.001-0.1/s for evaluating specific energy absorption (SEA) under axial loading conditions. The results were examined to measure plateau stress, maximum densification strain, and deformation mechanism of the materials. Specific energy absorption and total energy absorption capacities of the unfilled and filled sections were determined from the compressive stress-strain curves, which were then compared with each other.

Foam-like structure of the Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirillov, A.A.; Turaev, D.

2007-01-01

On the quantum stage space-time had the foam-like structure. When the Universe cools, the foam structure tempers and does not disappear. We show that effects caused by the foamed structure mimic very well the observed Dark Matter phenomena. Moreover, we show that in a foamed space photons undergo a chaotic scattering and together with every discrete source of radiation we should observe a diffuse halo. We show that the distribution of the diffuse halo of radiation around a point-like source repeats exactly the distribution of dark matter around the same source, i.e., the DM halos are sources of the diffuse radiation

Foam-like structure of the Universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirillov, A.A. [Institute for Applied Mathematics and Cybernetics, 10 Ulyanova str., Nizhny Novgorod 603005 (Russian Federation)], E-mail: ka98@mail.ru; Turaev, D. [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel)

2007-11-15

On the quantum stage space-time had the foam-like structure. When the Universe cools, the foam structure tempers and does not disappear. We show that effects caused by the foamed structure mimic very well the observed Dark Matter phenomena. Moreover, we show that in a foamed space photons undergo a chaotic scattering and together with every discrete source of radiation we should observe a diffuse halo. We show that the distribution of the diffuse halo of radiation around a point-like source repeats exactly the distribution of dark matter around the same source, i.e., the DM halos are sources of the diffuse radiation.

Effectiveness of Flame Retardants in TufFoam.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abelow, Alexis Elizabeth [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Nissen, April [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Massey, Lee Taylor [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Whinnery, LeRoy L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-12-01

An investigation of polyurethane foam filled with known flame retardant fillers including hydroxides, melamine, phosphate-containing compounds, and melamine phosphates was carried out to produce a low-cost material with high flame retardant efficiency. The impact of flame retardant fillers on the physical properties such a s composite foam density, glass transition temperature, storage modulus, and thermal expansion of composite foams was investigated with the goal of synthesizing a robust rigid foam with excellent flame retardant properties.

Modyfication of the Rigid Polyurethane-Polyisocyanurate Foams

OpenAIRE

Bogusław Czupryński; Joanna Liszkowska; Joanna Paciorek-Sadowska

2014-01-01

The effect of polyethylene glycol 1500 on physicomechanical properties of rigid polyurethane-polyisocyanurate (PUR-PIR) foams has been studied. It was found that application of polyethylene glycol 1500 for synthesis of foams in amount from 0% to 20% w/w had an effect on reduction of brittleness and softening point, while the greater the increase in compressive strength the higher its content in foam composition was. Wastes from production of these foams were ground and subjected to glycolysis...

H1259 Container Foams: Performance Data on Aged Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linda Domeier

2002-01-01

Samples of the three cushioning foams used in the H1259 weapon storage container were obtained in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001 and tested for density, compression set and compressive strength using the same procedures specified for acceptance testing. Foams from six containers, all about 30 years old and located at Pantex, were evaluated. The bottom cushioning foam is a General Plastics polyurethane foam and the two side pads are rebonded polyurethane foams. All the tests were carried out at room temperature. When compared to the original acceptance requirements the foams were generally in-spec for density and compressive strength at 10% strain and were generally out-of-spec for compression set and compressive strength at 50% strain. Significant variability was noted in the performance of each foam sample and even more in the container-to-container foam performance. The container-to-container variability remains the major unknown in predicting the long-term suitability of these containers for continued use. The performance of the critical bottom cushion foams was generally more uniform and closer to the specified performance than that of the rebonded foams. It was judged that all the foams were adequate for continued use as storage container foams (not shipping) under controlled conditions to mitigate temperature extremes or high impact. This archived information is important in evaluations of the continued suitability for weapon storage use of the H1259 containers and other containers using the same foam cushions

Foam generator and viscometer apparatus and process

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Troy D.; Pickell, Mark B.; Volk, Leonard J.

2004-10-26

An apparatus and process to generate a liquid-gas-surfactant foam and to measure its viscosity and enable optical and or electronic measurements of physical properties. The process includes the steps of pumping selected and measured liquids and measured gases into a mixing cell. The mixing cell is pressurized to a desired pressure and maintained at a desired pressure. Liquids and gas are mixed in the mixing cell to produce a foam of desired consistency. The temperature of the foam in the mixing cell is controlled. Foam is delivered from the mixing cell through a viscometer under controlled pressure and temperature conditions where the viscous and physical properties of the foam are measured and observed.

Stability analysis of uniform equilibrium foam states for EOR processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ashoori, E.; Marchesin, D.; Rossen, W.R.

2011-01-01

The use of foam for mobility control is a promising mean to improve sweep efficiency in EOR. Experimental studies discovered that foam exhibits three different states (weak foam, intermediate foam, and strong foam). The intermediate-foam state is found to be unstable in the lab whereas the weak- and

21 CFR 176.200 - Defoaming agents used in coatings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...-(Dinonylphenyl)-ω-hydroxy-poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), containing 7 to 24 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of... palmitate Mineral oil Mustardseed oil, sulfated, ammonium, potassium, or sodium salt Myristyl alcohol... the intended effect, which is to prevent or control the formation of foam. (2) The defoaming agents...

Measurement of Aqueous Foam Rheology by Acoustic Levitation

Science.gov (United States)

McDaniel, J. Gregory; Holt, R. Glynn; Rogers, Rich (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

An experimental technique is demonstrated for acoustically levitating aqueous foam drops and exciting their spheroidal modes. This allows fundamental studies of foam-drop dynamics that provide an alternative means of estimating the viscoelastic properties of the foam. One unique advantage of the technique is the lack of interactions between the foam and container surfaces, which must be accounted for in other techniques. Results are presented in which a foam drop with gas volume fraction phi = 0.77 is levitated at 30 kHz and excited into its first quadrupole resonance at 63 +/- 3 Hz. By modeling the drop as an elastic sphere, the shear modulus of the foam was estimated at 75 +/- 3 Pa.

AC induction field heating of graphite foam

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, James W.; Rios, Orlando; Kisner, Roger

2017-08-22

A magneto-energy apparatus includes an electromagnetic field source for generating a time-varying electromagnetic field. A graphite foam conductor is disposed within the electromagnetic field. The graphite foam when exposed to the time-varying electromagnetic field conducts an induced electric current, the electric current heating the graphite foam. An energy conversion device utilizes heat energy from the heated graphite foam to perform a heat energy consuming function. A device for heating a fluid and a method of converting energy are also disclosed.

Foam application from a closed system – a study of machine and foam parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lemmen, Jacques T.E.; Groot Wassink, Jan

1990-01-01

An attempt has been made to gain a greater insight into the interaction between foam and a moving textile substrate. The effects of changing wet pick–up, fabric velocity, liquid viscosity, foam density and mode of application on penetration have been studied. Application from a closed system makes

Silica-Assisted Nucleation of Polymer Foam Cells with Nanoscopic Dimensions : Impact of Particle Size, Line Tension, and Surface Functionality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, Shanqiu; Eijkelenkamp, Rik; Duvigneau, Joost; Vancso, G. Julius

2017-01-01

Core-shell nanoparticles consisting of silica as core and surface-grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) as shell with different diameters were prepared and used as heterogeneous nucleation agents to obtain CO2-blown poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposite foams. PDMS was selected as the shell

Fluoride Rinses, Gels and Foams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Twetman, Svante; Keller, Mette K

2016-01-01

AIM: The aim of this conference paper was to systematically review the quality of evidence and summarize the findings of clinical trials published after 2002 using fluoride mouth rinses, fluoride gels or foams for the prevention of dental caries. METHODS: Relevant papers were selected after...... (6 on fluoride mouth rinse, 10 on fluoride gel and 3 on fluoride foam); 6 had a low risk of bias while 2 had a moderate risk. All fluoride measures appeared to be beneficial in preventing crown caries and reversing root caries, but the quality of evidence was graded as low for fluoride mouth rinse......, moderate for fluoride gel and very low for acidulated fluoride foam. No conclusions could be drawn on the cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: This review, covering the recent decade, has further substantiated the evidence for a caries-preventive effect of fluoride mouth rinse, fluoride gel and foam...

Preparation And Characterization Of Silicon Carbide Foam By Using In-Situ Generated Polyurethane Foam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shalini Saxena

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract The open cell silicon carbide SiC foam was prepared using highly crosslinked hybrid organic- inorganic polymer resin matrix. As inorganic polymer polycarbosilane was taken and organic resin was taken as a mixture of epoxy resin and diisocyanates. The resultant highly crosslinked hybrid resin matrix on heating and subsequently on pyrolysis yielded open cell silicon carbide foam. The hybrid resin matrix was characterized by Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy FT-IR and thermal properties i.e. Thermogravimetric analysis TGA amp Differential Scanning Calorimetry DSC were also studied. The morphological studies of silicon carbide ceramic foam were carried out using X-ray Spectroscopy XRD amp Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM.

New Spin Foam Models of Quantum Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Miković, A.

We give a brief and a critical review of the Barret-Crane spin foam models of quantum gravity. Then we describe two new spin foam models which are obtained by direct quantization of General Relativity and do not have some of the drawbacks of the Barret-Crane models. These are the model of spin foam invariants for the embedded spin networks in loop quantum gravity and the spin foam model based on the integration of the tetrads in the path integral for the Palatini action.

Defect generation during solidification of aluminium foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukherjee, M.; Garcia-Moreno, F.; Banhart, J.

2010-01-01

The reason for the frequent occurrence of cell wall defects in metal foams was investigated. Aluminium foams often expand during solidification, a process which is referred as solidification expansion (SE). The effect of SE on the structure of aluminium foams was studied in situ by X-ray radioscopy and ex situ by X-ray tomography. A direct correlation between the magnitude of SE and the number of cell wall ruptures during SE and finally the number of defects in the solidified foams was found.

Effect of Mesoporous Silica and Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles on the Tensile and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Properties of Polypropylene and Polypropylene Foam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Albooyeh

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper is the experimental study on the tensile and dynamic - mechanical thermal properties of polypropylene (PP and polypropylene foam reinforced with mesoporous silica (MCM-41, hydroxyapatite (HA and the composite of mesoporous silica and hydroxyapatite (MCM41-HA nanoparticles. Nanocomposites and nanocomposite foams containing PP, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene, different nanoparticles and chemical blowing agent (for foam samples are mixed using the melt-compounding technique in a twin-screw extruder. The results of the tests show that at the same nanoparticles content, all the nanofillers cause better mechanical properties than neat PP and PP foam. Also, due to the porous structure of the foam samples, these samples have the higher damping characteristics and lower tensile properties than the solid samples. Because of higher rigidity and higher strength of HA nanoparticles, the greatest increase in modulus and tensile strength occurs by adding these nanoparticles to neat PP and PP foam. The highest damping factor is obtained by adding MCM-41-HA nanoparticles to PP and PP foam, because of the porous nature of the MCM-41 particles which were reinforced by HA particles. The results of differential scanning calorimetry show that the addition of different nanoparticles does not have any significant effect on crystallinity and melting behavior of PP. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the nanomaterials were fine and uniformly dispersed within the polymer matrix. Furthermore, the addition of different nanoparticles to PP foam causes to increase the cell density, to reduce the cell sizes and to improve the cell sizes distribution. In this respect, the lowest cell sizes and the highest cell density are created by adding HA and MCM41-HA  nanopaticles to PP foams.

Foam film permeability: theory and experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Farajzadeh, R; Krastev, R; Zitha, Pacelli L J

2008-02-28

The mass transfer of gas through foam films is a prototype of various industrial and biological processes. The aim of this paper is to give a perspective and critical overview of studies carried out to date on the mass transfer of gas through foam films. Contemporary experimental data are summarized, and a comprehensive overview of the theoretical models used to explain the observed effects is given. A detailed description of the processes that occur when a gas molecule passes through each layer that forms a foam film is shown. The permeability of the film-building surfactant monolayers plays an important role for the whole permeability process. It can be successfully described by the models used to explain the permeability of surfactant monolayers on aqueous sub-phase. For this reason, the present paper briefly discusses the surfactant-induced resistance to mass transfer of gases through gas-liquid interface. One part of the paper discusses the experimental and theoretical aspects of the foam film permeability in a train of foam films in a matrix or a cylinder. This special case is important to explain the gas transfer in porous media or in foams. Finally, this paper will highlight the gaps and challenges and sketch possible directions for future research.

Investigation into stress wave propagation in metal foams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Lang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate stress wave propagation in metal foams under high-speed impact loading. Three-dimensional Voronoi model is established to represent real closed-cell foam. Based on the one-dimensional stress wave theory and Voronoi model, a numerical model is developed to calculate the velocity of elastic wave and shock wave in metal foam. The effects of impact velocity and relative density of metal foam on the stress wave propagation in metal foams are explored respectively. The results show that both elastic wave and shock wave propagate faster in metal foams with larger relative density; with increasing the impact velocity, the shock wave propagation velocity increase, but the elastic wave propagation is not sensitive to the impact velocity.

Numerical modeling of foam flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheddadi, Ibrahim

2010-01-01

Liquid foam flows are involved in numerous applications, e.g. food and cosmetics industries, oil extraction, nuclear decontamination. Moreover, their study leads to fundamental knowledge: as it is easier to manipulate and analyse, foam is used as a model material to understand the flow of emulsions, polymers, pastes, or cell aggregates, all of which display both solid and liquid behaviour. Systematic experiments performed by Francois Graner et al. provide precise data that emphasize the non Newtonian properties of the foam. Meanwhile, Pierre Saramito proposed a visco-elasto-plastic continuous tensorial model, akin to predict the behaviour of the foam. The goal of this thesis is to understand this complex behaviour, using these two elements. We have built and validated a resolution algorithm based on a bidimensional finite elements methods. The numerical solutions are in excellent agreement with the spatial distribution of all measured quantities, and confirm the predictive capabilities of the model. The dominant parameters have been identified and we evidenced the fact that the viscous, elastic, and plastic contributions to the flow have to be treated simultaneously in a tensorial formalism. We provide a substantial contribution to the understanding of foams and open the path to realistic simulations of complex VEP flows for industrial applications. (author)

FoAM Kernow Activity Report 2016

OpenAIRE

Griffiths, Amber; Griffiths, David

2016-01-01

This review shows selected projects from the FoAM Kernow studio in 2016. FoAM is a network of transdisciplinary labs at the intersection of art, science, nature and everyday life. FoAM’s members are generalists - people who work across disparate fields in an entangled, speculative culture. Research and creative projects at FoAM combine elements of futurecrafting, citizen science, prototyping, experience design and process facilitation to re-imagine possible futures, and artistic experime...

FoAM Kernow Activity Report 2017

OpenAIRE

Griffiths, Amber; Weatherill, Aidan; Griffiths, David

2017-01-01

This review shows selected projects from the FoAM Kernow studio in 2017. FoAM is a network of transdisciplinary labs at the intersection of art, science, nature and everyday life. FoAM’s members are generalists - people who work across disparate fields in an entangled, speculative culture. Research and creative projects at FoAM combine elements of futurecrafting, citizen science, prototyping, experience design and process facilitation to re-imagine possible futures.

INFLUENCE OF WATER-TO-CEMENT RATIO ON AIR ENTRAILMENT IN PRODUCTION OF NON-AUTOCLAVED FOAM CONCRETE USING TURBULENCE CAVITATION TECHNOLOGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorshkov Pavel Vladimirovich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Non-autoclaved foam concrete is an advanced thermal insulation material. Until recently, foam concrete production has been based on separate preparation of foam and solution, followed by their blending in a mixer. The situation changed when high-quality synthetic foaming agents and turbulence cavitation technology appeared on the market. Every model provides a dependence between the foam concrete strength and the water-to-cement ratio. According to the water-cement ratio we can distinguish strong concrete mixtures (with the water-to-cement ratio equal to 0.3…0.4 and ductile ones (with the water-to-cement ratio equal to 0.5…0.7. Strong concrete mixtures are more durable. The lower the water-to-cement ratio, the higher the foam concrete strength. However super-plastic substances cannot be mixed by ordinary turbulent mixers. Foam concrete produced using the turbulence cavitation technology needs air-entraining, its intensity being dependent on several factors. One of the main factors is the amount of free water, if it is insufficient, the mixture will not be porous enough. A researcher needs to identify the optimal water-to-cement ratio based on the water consumption rate. Practical production of prefabricated concrete products and structures has proven that the reduction of the water-to-cement ratio improves the strength of the product. The task is to find the water-to-cement ratio for the foam concrete mixture to be plastic enough for air entraining. An increase in the ratio causes loss in the strength. The ratio shall vary within one hundredth points. Super-plasticizers are an alternative solution.

CARBONIZED STARCH MICROCELLULAR FOAM-CELLULOSE FIBER COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew R. Rutledge

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The production of microporous carbon foams from renewable starch microcellular foam-fiber (SMCF-Fiber composites is described. Carbon foams are used in applications such as thermal insulation, battery electrodes, filters, fuel cells, and medical devices. SMCF-Fiber compos-ites were created from an aquagel. The water in the aquagel was exchanged with ethanol and then dried and carbonized. Higher amylose content starches and fiber contents of up to 4% improved the processability of the foam. The SMCF structure revealed agglomerates of swollen starch granules connected by a web of starch with pores in the 50-200 nanometer range. Heating the SMCF-fiber in a nitrogen atmosphere to temperatures between 350-700˚C produced carbon foams with a three-dimensional closed cell foam structure with cell diameters around 50 microns and pore walls around 1-3 microns. The stress versus strain compression data for carbonized samples displayed a linear elastic region and a plateau indicative of brittle crushing, typical of an elastic-brittle foam. The carbon foam products from these renew-able precursors are promising carbon structures with moderate strength and low density.

Studies on Foam Decay Trend and Influence of Temperature Jump on Foam Stability in Sclerotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Taoping; Chen, Yu; Jiang, Wentao; Yan, Fei; Fan, Yubo

2018-02-01

This study investigated the influence of temperature jump and liquid-gas ratio on foam stability to derive the foam-decay law. The experimental group conditions were as follows: mutation temperatures (10°C, 16°C, 20°C, 23°C, 25°C, and 27°C to >37°C) and liquid-gas ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4). The control group conditions were as follows: temperatures (10°C, 16°C, 20°C, 23°C, 25°C and 27°C) and liquid-gas ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4). A homemade device manufactured using the Tessari DSS method was used to prepare the foam. The decay process was videotape recorded. In the drainage rate curve, the temperature rose, and the liquid-gas ratio varied from 1:1 to 1:4, causing faster decay. In the entire process, the foam volume decreased with increasing drainage rate. The relationships were almost linear. Comparison of the experimental and control groups shows that the temperature jump results in a drainage time range of 1 to 15 seconds. The half-life ranges from 10 to 30 seconds. The maximum rate is 18.85%. Changes in the preparation temperature yields a drainage time range of 3 to 30 seconds. The half-life varies from 20 to 60 seconds. Decreasing the temperature jump range and liquid-gas ratio gradually enhances the foam stability. The foam decay time and drainage rate exhibit an exponential function distribution.

Technological parameters influence on the non-autoclaved foam concrete characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Bartenjeva, Ekaterina; Mashkin, Nikolay

2017-01-01

Foam concretes are used as effective heat-insulating materials. The porous structure of foam concrete provides good insulating and strength properties that make them possible to be used as heat-insulating structural materials. Optimal structure of non-autoclaved foam concrete depends on both technological factors and properties of technical foam. In this connection, the possibility to manufacture heat-insulation structural foam concrete on a high-speed cavity plant with the usage of protein and synthetic foamers was estimated. This experiment was carried out using mathematical planning method, and in this case mathematical models were developed that demonstrated the dependence of operating performance of foam concrete on foaming and rotation speed of laboratory plant. The following material properties were selected for the investigation: average density, compressive strength, bending strength and thermal conductivity. The influence of laboratory equipment technological parameters on technical foam strength and foam stability coefficient in the cement paste was investigated, physical and mechanical properties of non-autoclaved foam concrete were defined based on investigated foam. As a result of investigation, foam concrete samples were developed with performance parameters ensuring their use in production. The mathematical data gathered demonstrated the dependence of foam concrete performance on the technological regime.

Drying Spirulina with Foam Mat Drying at Medium Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aji Prasetyaningrum

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Spirulina is a single cell blue green microalgae (Cyanobacteria containing many Phytonutrients (Beta-carotene, Chlorophyl, Xanthophyl, Phyocianin using as anti-carcinogen in food. Producing dry spirulina by quick drying process at medium temperature is very important to retain the Phytonutrient quality. Currently, the work is still challenging due to the gel formation that block the water diffusion from inside to the surface.  This research studies the performance of foam-mat drying on production of dry spirulina. In this method the spirulina was mixed with foaming agent (glair/egg albumen, popular as white egg at 2.5% by weight at air velocity 2.2 m/sec. Here, the effect of spirulina thickness and operational temperature on drying time and quality (Beta-carotene and color were observed. The drying time was estimated based on the measurement of water content in spirulina versus time. Result showed that the thicker spirulina, the longer drying time. Conversely, the higher operational temperature, faster drying time. At thickness ranging 1-3 mm and operational temperature below 70oC, the quality of spirulina can fit the market requirement

Local venous thrombotic risk of an expanding haemostatic agent used during liver resection.

Science.gov (United States)

Cauchy, Francois; Gaujoux, Sébastien; Ronot, Maxime; Fuks, David; Dokmak, Safi; Sauvanet, Alain; Belghiti, Jacques

2014-09-01

For patients undergoing liver resection that leaves an empty intraparenchymal cavity, traditional topical agents might be inadequate to achieve additional hemostasis. A new hemostatic expanding topical foam (BioFoam(®)) has been designed to provide a mechanical seal. The objective of this study was to report our preliminary results regarding the safety and the efficacy using this foam. Between 2009 and 2011, BioFoam(®) was used to fill a three-dimensional defect following liver resection in 14 patients. The operative results and postoperative course of these patients were compared to those of 14 matched controls who underwent liver resection but did not receive BioFoam(®). The two groups were similar in terms of demographics, indications for liver resection, type of surgical procedure, and type and duration of clamping. BioFoam(®) patients experienced significantly less operative blood loss (275 vs. 630 ml, p = 0.032) but similar operative transfusion rates (28.6 vs. 35.7 %, p = 0.686) compared to no-BioFoam(®) patients. The postoperative mortality was nil and no patient developed postoperative hemorrhage. While the two groups shared similar overall (64.3 vs. 57.1 %, p = 0.599) and major (28.6 vs. 14.3 %, p = 0.357) complications rates, BioFoam(®) patients experienced significantly higher major vascular thrombosis compared to no-BioFoam(®) patients (29 vs. 0 %, p = 0.04). In the BioFoam(®) group, major vascular thrombosis was associated with exposure of the vessel along the transection plane. While the clinical benefit of BioFoam(®) in high-risk liver resections leaving a deep parenchymal defect remains to be proven, the associated risk of vascular thrombosis should preclude its use in contact with major veins.

Area 2. Use Of Engineered Nanoparticle-Stabilized CO₂ Foams To Improve Volumetric Sweep Of CO₂ EOR Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DiCarlo, David [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Huh, Chun [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Johnston, Keith P. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

2015-01-31

The goal of this project was to develop a new CO₂ injection enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) process using engineered nanoparticles with optimized surface coatings that has better volumetric sweep efficiency and a wider application range than conventional CO₂-EOR processes. The main objectives of this project were to (1) identify the characteristics of the optimal nanoparticles that generate extremely stable CO₂ foams in situ in reservoir regions without oil; (2) develop a novel method of mobility control using “self-guiding” foams with smart nanoparticles; and (3) extend the applicability of the new method to reservoirs having a wide range of salinity, temperatures, and heterogeneity. Concurrent with our experimental effort to understand the foam generation and transport processes and foam-induced mobility reduction, we also developed mathematical models to explain the underlying processes and mechanisms that govern the fate of nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foams in porous media and applied these models to (1) simulate the results of foam generation and transport experiments conducted in beadpack and sandstone core systems, (2) analyze CO₂ injection data received from a field operator, and (3) aid with the design of a foam injection pilot test. Our simulator is applicable to near-injection well field-scale foam injection problems and accounts for the effects due to layered heterogeneity in permeability field, foam stabilizing agents effects, oil presence, and shear-thinning on the generation and transport of nanoparticle-stabilized C/W foams. This report presents the details of our experimental and numerical modeling work and outlines the highlights of our findings.

Amorphous microcellular polytetrafluoroethylene foam film

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Chongzheng

1991-11-01

We report herein the preparation of novel low-density ultramicrocellular fluorocarbon foams and their application. These fluorocarbon foams are of interest for the biochemistry arena in numerous applications including foodstuff, pharmacy, wine making, beer brewery, fermentation medical laboratory, and other processing factories. All of those require good quality processing programs in which, after eliminating bacterium and virus, compressed air is needed. Ordinarily, compressed air contains bacterium and virus, its size is 0.01 - 2 micrometers fluorocarbon foam films. Having average porous diameter 0.04 - 0.1 micrometers , these are stable to high temperature (280 degree(s)C) and chemical environments, and generally have good engineering and mechanical properties (e.g., low coefficient of thermal expansion, high modulus, and good dimensional stability). Our new process for preparing low density fluorocarbon foams provides materials with unique properties. As such, they offer the possibility for being superior to earlier materials for a number of the filter applications mentioned.

Experimental Study of Hysteresis behavior of Foam Generation in Porous Media.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahrobaei, S; Vincent-Bonnieu, S; Farajzadeh, R

2017-08-21

Foam can be used for gas mobility control in different subsurface applications. The success of foam-injection process depends on foam-generation and propagation rate inside the porous medium. In some cases, foam properties depend on the history of the flow or concentration of the surfactant, i.e., the hysteresis effect. Foam may show hysteresis behavior by exhibiting multiple states at the same injection conditions, where coarse-textured foam is converted into strong foam with fine texture at a critical injection velocity or pressure gradient. This study aims to investigate the effects of injection velocity and surfactant concentration on foam generation and hysteresis behavior as a function of foam quality. We find that the transition from coarse-foam to strong-foam (i.e., the minimum pressure gradient for foam generation) is almost independent of flowrate, surfactant concentration, and foam quality. Moreover, the hysteresis behavior in foam generation occurs only at high-quality regimes and when the pressure gradient is below a certain value regardless of the total flow rate and surfactant concentration. We also observe that the rheological behavior of foam is strongly dependent on liquid velocity.

Graphite Foam Heat Exchangers for Thermal Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klett, J.W.

2004-06-07

Improved thermal management is needed to increase the power density of electronic and more effectively cool electronic enclosures that are envisioned in future aircraft, spacecraft and surface ships. Typically, heat exchanger cores must increase in size to more effectively dissipate increased heat loads, this would be impossible in many cases, thus improved heat exchanger cores will be required. In this Phase I investigation, MRi aimed to demonstrate improved thermal management using graphite foam (Gr-foam) core heat exchangers. The proposed design was to combine Gr-foams from POCO with MRi's innovative low temperature, active metal joining process (S-Bond{trademark}) to bond Gr-foam to aluminum, copper and aluminum/SiC composite faceplates. The results were very favorable, so a Phase II SBIR with the MDA was initiated. This had primarily 5 tasks: (1) bonding, (2) thermal modeling, (3) cooling chip scale packages, (4) evaporative cooling techniques and (5) IGBT cold plate development. The bonding tests showed that the ''reflow'' technique with S-Bond{reg_sign}-220 resulted in the best and most consistent bond. Then, thermal modeling was used to design different chip scale packages and IGBT cold plates. These designs were used to fabricate many finned graphite foam heat sinks specifically for two standard type IC packages, the 423 and 478 pin chips. These results demonstrated several advantages with the foam. First, the heat sinks with the foam were lighter than the copper/aluminum sinks used as standards. The sinks for the 423 design made from foam were not as good as the standard sinks. However, the sinks made from foam for the 478 pin chips were better than the standard heat sinks used today. However, this improvement was marginal (in the 10-20% better regime). However, another important note was that the epoxy bonding technique resulted in heat sinks with similar results as that with the S-bond{reg_sign}, slightly worse than the S

Fire-Induced Response in Foam Encapsulants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borek, T.T.; Chu, T.Y.; Erickson, K.L.; Gill, W.; Hobbs, M.L.; Humphries, L.L.; Renlund, A.M.; Ulibarri, T.A.

1999-04-02

The paper provides a concise overview of a coordinated experimental/theoretical/numerical program at Sandia National Laboratories to develop an experimentally validated model of fire-induced response of foam-filled engineered systems for nuclear and transportation safety applications. Integral experiments are performed to investigate the thermal response of polyurethane foam-filled systems exposed to fire-like heat fluxes. A suite of laboratory experiments is performed to characterize the decomposition chemistry of polyurethane. Mass loss and energy associated with foam decomposition and chemical structures of the virgin and decomposed foam are determined. Decomposition chemistry is modeled as the degradation of macromolecular structures by bond breaking followed by vaporization of small fragments of the macromolecule with high vapor pressures. The chemical decomposition model is validated against the laboratory data. Data from integral experiments is used to assess and validate a FEM foam thermal response model with the chemistry model developed from the decomposition experiments. Good agreement was achieved both in the progression of the decomposition front and the in-depth thermal response.

Time-dependent crashworthiness of polyurethane foam

Science.gov (United States)

Basit, Munshi Mahbubul; Cheon, Seong Sik

2018-05-01

Time-dependent stress-strain relationship as well as crashworthiness of polyurethane foam was investigated under constant impact energy with different velocities, considering inertia and strain-rate effects simultaneously during the impact testing. Even though the impact energies were same, the percentage in increase in densification strain due to higher impact velocities was found, which yielded the wider plateau region, i.e. growth in crashworthiness. This phenomenon is analyzed by the microstructure of polyurethane foam obtained from scanning electron microscopy. The equations, coupled with the Sherwood-Frost model and the impulse-momentum theory, were employed to build the constitutive equation of the polyurethane foam and calculate energy absorption capacity of the foam. The nominal stress-strain curves obtained from the constitutive equation were compared with results from impact tests and were found to be in good agreement. This study is dedicated to guiding designer use polyurethane foam in crashworthiness structures such as an automotive bumper system by providing crashworthiness data, determining the crush mode, and addressing a mathematical model of the crashworthiness.

Synergistic effect of casein glycomacropeptide on sodium caseinate foaming properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, R; Martinez, M J; Pilosof, A M R

2017-11-01

Several strategies to improve the interfacial properties and foaming properties of proteins may be developed; among them, the use of mixtures of biopolymers that exhibit synergistic interactions. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of casein glycomacropeptide (CMP) on foaming and surface properties of sodium caseinate (NaCas) and to establish the role of protein interactions in the aqueous phase. To this end particles size, interfacial and foaming properties of CMP, NaCas and NaCas-CMP mixtures at pH 5.5 and 7 were determined. At both pH, the interaction between CMP and NaCas induced a decrease in the aggregation state of NaCas. Single CMP foams showed the highest and NaCas the lowest foam overrun (FO) and the mixture exhibited intermediate values. CMP foam quickly drained. The drainage profile of mixed foams was closer to NaCas foams; at pH 5.5, mixed foams drained even slower than NaCas foam, exhibiting a synergistic performance. Additionally, a strong synergism was observed on the collapse of mixed foams at pH 5.5. Finally, a model to explain the synergistic effect observed on foaming properties in CMP-NaCas mixtures has been proposed; the reduced aggregation state of NaCas in the presence of CMP, made it more efficient for foam stabilization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production of Aerated Foamed Concrete with Industrial Waste from the Gems and Jewels Sector of Rio Grande do Sul-Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudimar Pedro

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The use of solid waste for the development of new building materials has been an alternative to reduce environmental impacts through the preservation of natural resources. In this context, this paper evaluates the possibility of using agate gemstone waste, called rolled powder, which basically consists of silica (SiO2, in the manufacture of aerated foamed concrete blocks completely replacing the natural sand. Preformed foam was used as the air entrained by mechanical stirring with a mixture of natural foaming agents derived from coconut. To produce test specimens, the water/cement ratio and foam concentrations were varied, with three and four levels, respectively. The specimens were left for 28 days at room temperature to be cured, and then underwent analysis to determine their compressive strength, density, and the distribution of air-voids. The experiments demonstrated that the best water/cement ratio was 1.28 for 18% (of total solid mass addition of foam, which generated a sample with a density of 430 kg/m3, and a compressive strength of 1.07 MPa. The result for compressive strength is 11% smaller than the requirements of the Brazilian standard (NBR 13438 for autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, but the results are promising.

Cyclic deformation of bidisperse two-dimensional foams

Science.gov (United States)

Fátima Vaz, M.; Cox, S. J.; Teixeira, P. I. C.

2011-12-01

In-plane deformation of foams was studied experimentally by subjecting bidisperse foams to cycles of traction and compression at a prescribed rate. Each foam contained bubbles of two sizes with given area ratio and one of three initial arrangements: sorted perpendicular to the axis of deformation (iso-strain), sorted parallel to the axis of deformation (iso-stress), or randomly mixed. Image analysis was used to measure the characteristics of the foams, including the number of edges separating small from large bubbles N sl , the perimeter (surface energy), the distribution of the number of sides of the bubbles, and the topological disorder μ2(N). Foams that were initially mixed were found to remain mixed after the deformation. The response of sorted foams, however, depended on the initial geometry, including the area fraction of small bubbles and the total number of bubbles. For a given experiment we found that (i) the perimeter of a sorted foam varied little; (ii) each foam tended towards a mixed state, measured through the saturation of N sl ; and (iii) the topological disorder μ2(N) increased up to an "equilibrium" value. The results of different experiments showed that (i) the change in disorder, ? decreased with the area fraction of small bubbles under iso-strain, but was independent of it under iso-stress; and (ii) ? increased with ? under iso-strain, but was again independent of it under iso-stress. We offer explanations for these effects in terms of elementary topological processes induced by the deformations that occur at the bubble scale.

Comparison of blueberry powder produced via foam-mat freeze-drying versus spray-drying: evaluation of foam and powder properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Darniadi, Sandi; Ho, Peter; Murray, Brent S

2018-03-01

Blueberry juice powder was developed via foam-mat freeze-drying (FMFD) and spray-drying (SD) via addition of maltodextrin (MD) and whey protein isolate (WPI) at weight ratios of MD/WPI = 0.4 to 3.2 (with a fixed solids content of 5 wt% for FMFD and 10 wt% for SD). Feed rates of 180 and 360 mL h -1 were tested in SD. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the drying methods and carrier agents on the physical properties of the corresponding blueberry powders and reconstituted products. Ratios of MD/WPI = 0.4, 1.0 and 1.6 produced highly stable foams most suitable for FMFD. FMFD gave high yields and low bulk density powders with flake-like particles of large size that were also dark purple with high red values. SD gave low powder recoveries. The powders had higher bulk density and faster rehydration times, consisting of smooth, spherical and smaller particles than in FMFD powders. The SD powders were bright purple but less red than FMFD powders. Solubility was greater than 95% for both FMFD and SD powders. The FMFD method is a feasible method of producing blueberry juice powder and gives products retaining more characteristics of the original juice than SD. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

A Self-Propagating Foaming Process of Porous Al-Ni Intermetallics Assisted by Combustion Reactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Makoto Kobashi

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The self-propagating foaming process of porous Al-Ni intermetallics was investigated. Aluminum and nickel powders were blended, and titanium and boron carbide powders were added as reactive exothermic agents. The blended powder was extruded to make a rod-shape precursor. Only one end of the rod precursor was heated to ignite the reaction. The reaction propagated spontaneously throughout the precursor. Pore formation took place at the same time as the reaction occurred. Adding the exothermic agent was effective to increase the porosity. Preheating the precursor before the ignition was also very effective to produce porous Al-Ni intermetallics with high porosity.

Pitch-based carbon foam and composites and use thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, James W.; Burchell, Timothy D.; Choudhury, Ashok

2006-07-04

A thermally conductive carbon foam is provided, normally having a thermal conductivity of at least 40 W/mK. The carbon foam usually has a specific thermal conductivity, defined as the thermal conductivity divided by the density, of at least about 75 Wcm.sup.3/m.degree. Kgm. The foam also has a high specific surface area, typically at least about 6,000 m.sup.2/m.sup.3. The foam is characterized by an x-ray diffraction pattern having "doublet" 100 and 101 peaks characterized by a relative peak split factor no greater than about 0.470. The foam is graphitic and exhibits substantially isotropic thermal conductivity. The foam comprises substantially ellipsoidal pores and the mean pore diameter of such pores is preferably no greater than about 340 microns. Other materials, such as phase change materials, can be impregnated in the pores in order to impart beneficial thermal properties to the foam. Heat exchange devices and evaporatively cooled heat sinks utilizing the foams are also disclosed.

Numerical simulation of anisotropic polymeric foams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volnei Tita

Full Text Available This paper shows in detail the modelling of anisotropic polymeric foam under compression and tension loadings, including discussions on isotropic material models and the entire procedure to calibrate the parameters involved. First, specimens of poly(vinyl chloride (PVC foam were investigated through experimental analyses in order to understand the mechanical behavior of this anisotropic material. Then, isotropic material models available in the commercial software AbaqusTM were investigated in order to verify their ability to model anisotropic foams and how the parameters involved can influence the results. Due to anisotropy, it is possible to obtain different values for the same parameter in the calibration process. The obtained set of parameters are used to calibrate the model according to the application of the structure. The models investigated showed minor and major limitations to simulate the mechanical behavior of anisotropic PVC foams under compression, tension and multi-axial loadings. Results show that the calibration process and the choice of the material model applied to the polymeric foam can provide good quantitative results and save project time. Results also indicate what kind and order of error one will get if certain choices are made throughout the modelling process. Finally, even though the developed calibration procedure is applied to specific PVC foam, it still outlines a very broad drill to analyze other anisotropic cellular materials.

Bi-liquid foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonneville, Odile

1997-01-01

Concentrated emulsions have structures similar to foams; for this reason they are also called 'bi-liquid foams'. For oil in water emulsions, they are made of polyhedral oil cells separated by aqueous surfactant films. The limited stability of these Systems is a major nuisance in their applications. In this work, we tried to understand and to control the mechanisms through which bi-liquid foams can loose their stability. In a first stage, we characterized the states of surfactant films in bi-liquid foams submitted to different pressures. We determined their hydration, the surfactant density at interfaces as well as their thicknesses. The bi-liquid foams were made by concentrating hexadecane-in-water emulsions through centrifugation. The initial emulsions contained submicron oil droplets that were completely covered with surfactant. We measured the resistance of the films to dehydration, and we represented it by pressure-film thickness curves or pressure-film hydration curves. We also obtained evidence that the interfacial surfactant density increases when the film thickness is decreased (SDS case). The Newton Black Film state is the most dehydrated metastable state that can be reached. In this state, the films can be described as surfactant bilayers that only contain the hydration water of the surfactant polar heads. Two different processes are involved the destabilization of bi-liquid foams: Ostwald ripening (oil transfer from small cells to large cells) and coalescence (films rupture). The first mechanism can be controlled by choosing oils that are very insoluble in water, avoiding ethoxylated nonionic surfactants of low molecular weight, and making emulsions that are not too fine. The second mechanism is responsible for the catastrophic destabilization of bi-liquid foams made of droplets above one micron or with a low coverage in surfactant. In these cases, destabilization occurs in the early stages of concentration, when the films are still thick. It is caused

Les silicates alcalins, matière de base des mousses minérales isolantes. Etude bibliographique Alkaline Silicates, As a Basic Material for Insulating Mineral Foams. Bibliographie Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesage J.

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Dans cette étude bibliographique, on décrit les méthodes d'obtention des silicates alcalins ainsi que leurs propriétés et les propriétés de leurs polymères en insistant sur l'influence du pH, de la concentration et de la température sur la polymérisation et les caractéristiques des polymères obtenus. On présente ensuite le mode d'obtention des mousses à partir de solutions aqueuses de silicates, ainsi que leurs propriétés et l'influence de divers additifs tels que les agents tensioactifs, moussants, gélifiants ou les agents de durcissement sur les propriétés des mousses. II ressort de cette bibliographie que des mousses polysilicates solubles peuvent être obtenues à partir de solutions de silicates à faible rapport molaire SiO2/Na2O. Par ailleurs, en faisant varier la composition des solutions de silicates alcalins et par l'emploi d'additifs, il est possible de produire une gamme très variée de mousses polysilicates dont les propriétés d'isolation, de solubilité et de résistance mécanique, voire de perméabilité, sont très variées, ce qui leur ouvre la voie à de nombreuses possibilités de débouchés industriels. This article gives a bibliographic description of methods for obtaining alkaline silicates as well as their properties and the properties of their polymers. Emphasis is placed on the influence of the pH, and on the influence of the concentration and temperature on the polymerization and the characteristics of the polymers obtained. Then a method is recommended for obtaining foams from aqueous silicate solutions together with the properties of such foams and the influence of different additives such as surfactants, foaming agents, gelling agents and hardening agents on the properties of foams. This bibliographic study shows that soluble polysilicate foams may be obtained from silicate solutions with a low SiO2/Na2O molar ratio. Furthermore, by varying the composition of alkaline silicate solutions and by

Processing, Characterization, and Modeling of Polymer/Clay Nanocomposite Foams

Science.gov (United States)

Jo, Choonghee; Naguib, Hani E.

2007-04-01

The effects of the material parameters and processing conditions on the foam morphologies, and mechanical properties of polymer/clay nanocomposite foams were studied. Microcellular closed-cell nanocomposite foams were manufactured with poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and high density polyethylene (HDPE), where the nanoclay loadings of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt% were used. The effect of clay contents and foaming conditions on the volume expansion ratio, cell size, elastic modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at break were investigated and compared between amorphous and semicrystalline polymers. An elastic modulus model for tensile behavior of foams was proposed by using the micromechanics theory. The model was expressed in terms of microstructural properties of polymer and physical properties of the foams. The tensile experimental data of the foams were compared with those predicted by the theoretical model.

Auxetic foam for snowsport safety devices

OpenAIRE

Allen, Tom; Duncan, Olly; Foster, Leon; Senior, Terry; Zampieri, Davide; Edeh, Victor; Alderson, Andrew

2017-01-01

Skiing and snowboarding are popular snow-sports with inherent risk of injury. There is potential to reduce the prevalence of injuries by improving and implementing snow-sport safety devices with the application of advanced materials. This paper investigates the application of auxetic foam to snow-sport safety devices. Composite pads - consisting of foam covered with a semi-rigid shell - were investigated as a simple model of body armour and a large 70 x 355 x 355 mm auxetic foam sample was fa...

B-Plant canyon fire foam supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gainey, T.

1995-01-01

A new raw water supply was installed for the B-Plant fire foam system. This document details tests to be performed which will demonstrate that the system can function as designed. The tests include: Verification of the operation of the automatic valves at the cells; Measurement of water flow and pressure downstream of the proportioner; Production of foam, and measurement of foam concentration. Included as an appendix is a copy of the work package resolution (J4 ampersand J4a)

Advanced slab polyurethane foam with feather touch; Soft feather urethane foam no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, Y; Ono, H [Toyota Motor Corp., Aichi (Japan); Mori, A; Yamaguchi, N; Nakamura, T [Bridgestone Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

Automotive seat plays an important part, which are not only retention of sitting position, but also comfort and high-class feeling. Wadding, which is a part of the seat, is a key component for the sitting comfortableness. This paper is concerned with advanced slab polyurethane foam with feather touch feeling. The compounding of formation, foaming process and reliability of mass production is studied. 2 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.

Tensile and fracture behavior of polymer foams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabir, Md. E.; Saha, M.C.; Jeelani, S.

2006-01-01

Tensile and mode-I fracture behavior of cross-linked polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and rigid polyurethane (PUR) foams are examined. Tension tests are performed using prismatic bar specimens and mode-I fracture tests are performed using single edge notched bend (SENB) specimens under three-point bending. Test specimens are prepared from PVC foams with three densities and two different levels of cross-linking, and PUR foam with one density. Tension and quasi-static fracture tests are performed using a Zwick/Rowell test machine. Dynamic fracture tests are performed using a DYNATUP model 8210 instrumented drop-tower test set up at three different impact energy levels. Various parameters such as specimen size, loading rate, foam density, cross-linking, crack length, cell orientation (flow and rise-direction) and solid polymer material are studied. It is found that foam density and solid polymer material have a significant effect on tensile strength, modulus, and fracture toughness of polymer foams. Level of polymer cross-linking is also found to have a significant effect on fracture toughness. The presence of cracks in the rise- and flow direction as well as loading rate has minimal effect. Dynamic fracture behavior is found to be different as compared to quasi-static fracture behavior. Dynamic fracture toughness (K d ) increases with impact energy. Examination of fracture surfaces reveals that the fracture occurs in fairly brittle manner for all foam materials

Corrosion-resistant Foamed Cements for Carbon Steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugama T.; Gill, S.; Pyatina, T., Muraca, A.; Keese, R.; Khan, A.; Bour, D.

2012-12-01

The cementitious material consisting of Secar #80, Class F fly ash, and sodium silicate designed as an alternative thermal-shock resistant cement for the Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) wells was treated with cocamidopropyl dimethylamine oxide-based compound as foaming agent (FA) to prepare numerous air bubble-dispersed low density cement slurries of and #61603;1.3 g/cm3. Then, the foamed slurry was modified with acrylic emulsion (AE) as corrosion inhibitor. We detailed the positive effects of the acrylic polymer (AP) in this emulsion on the five different properties of the foamed cement: 1) The hydrothermal stability of the AP in 200 and #61616;C-autoclaved cements; 2) the hydrolysis-hydration reactions of the slurry at 85 and #61616;C; 3) the composition of crystalline phases assembled and the microstructure developed in autoclaved cements; 4) the mechanical behaviors of the autoclaved cements; and, 5) the corrosion mitigation of carbon steel (CS) by the polymer. For the first property, the hydrothermal-catalyzed acid-base interactions between the AP and cement resulted in Ca-or Na-complexed carboxylate derivatives, which led to the improvement of thermal stability of the AP. This interaction also stimulated the cement hydration reactions, enhancing the total heat evolved during cement’s curing. Addition of AP did not alter any of the crystalline phase compositions responsible for the strength of the cement. Furthermore, the AP-modified cement developed the porous microstructure with numerous defect-free cavities of disconnected voids. These effects together contributed to the improvement of compressive-strength and –toughness of the cured cement. AP modification of the cement also offered an improved protection of CS against brine-caused corrosion. There were three major factors governing the corrosion protection: 1) Reducing the extents of infiltration and transportation of corrosive electrolytes through the cement layer deposited on the underlying CS

Foam generation and sample composition optimization for the FOAM-C experiment of the ISS

Science.gov (United States)

Carpy, R.; Picker, G.; Amann, B.; Ranebo, H.; Vincent-Bonnieu, S.; Minster, O.; Winter, J.; Dettmann, J.; Castiglione, L.; Höhler, R.; Langevin, D.

2011-12-01

End of 2009 and early 2010 a sealed cell, for foam generation and observation, has been designed and manufactured at Astrium Friedrichshafen facilities. With the use of this cell, different sample compositions of "wet foams" have been optimized for mixtures of chemicals such as water, dodecanol, pluronic, aethoxisclerol, glycerol, CTAB, SDS, as well as glass beads. This development is performed in the frame of the breadboarding development activities of the Experiment Container FOAM-C for operation in the ISS Fluid Science Laboratory (ISS). The sample cell supports multiple observation methods such as: Diffusing-Wave and Diffuse Transmission Spectrometry, Time Resolved Correlation Spectroscopy [1] and microscope observation, all of these methods are applied in the cell with a relatively small experiment volume 40).

Biomass derived novel functional foamy materials - BIO-FOAM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suurnaekki, A.; Boer, H.; Forssell, P. (and others) (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)), Email: anna.suurnakki@vtt.fi

2010-10-15

BIO-FOAM has aimed at exploiting the potential of biomaterials in replacing synthetic polymers in solid foamy materials. The target applications have been various, including food, packaging, construction and insulation. The project activities during the second project year have focused on characterisation of the solid model foams and on modeling the behaviour of polymers at liquid- liquid interfaces. In the modelling study the intrinsic consistence of the applied thermodynamic approach was confirmed. The experimentally obtained solubility parameters of polymers were in good agreement with the calculated solubility parameters. The polymers were, however, found to posses too little surface activity to alone provide stable foams, but they were able to act as co-surfactants. In the model polymer foam work both expanded polymer foams and wood fibre based foams were prepared. Supercritical CO{sub 2}-gas chamber was found to be a useful tool to prepare expanded polymer foams in small scale. Only partial replacement of synthetic polymers could, however, be obtained with native biomaterials indicating the need of tailoring of biopolymer properties and suitable formulations including surfactants or stabilizing particles. In wood fibre-based foams both nanocellulose and lignin showed potential as additives or reinforcing components.The outcome of the extruded food snacks study was that the processing parameters were related with the equipmentvariables. Furthermore, glycerol was shown to facilitate greatly extrusion processing. In foam concrete work concrete pore structure was shown to correlate with its strength and stability. At optimum concentration wood fibres affected positively the concrete processing performance. (orig.)

Stress wave propagation and mitigation in two polymeric foams

Science.gov (United States)

Pradel, Pierre; Malaise, Frederic; Cadilhon, Baptiste; Quessada, Jean-Hugues; de Resseguier, Thibaut; Delhomme, Catherine; Le Blanc, Gael

2017-06-01

Polymeric foams are widely used in industry for thermal insulation or shock mitigation. This paper investigates the ability of a syntactic epoxy foam and an expanded polyurethane foam to mitigate intense (several GPa) and short duration (<10-6 s) stress pulses. Plate impact and electron beam irradiation experiments have been conducted to study the dynamic mechanical responses of both foams. Interferometer Doppler Laser method is used to record the target rear surface velocity. A two-wave structure associated with the propagation of an elastic precursor followed by the compaction of the pores has been observed. The compaction stress level deduced from the velocity measurement is a good indicator of mitigation capability of the foams. Quasi-static tests and dynamic soft recovery experiments have also been performed to determine the compaction mechanisms. In the polyurethane foam, the pores are closed by elastic buckling of the matrix and damage of the structure. In the epoxy foam, the compaction is due to the crushing of glass microspheres. Two porous material models successfully represent the macroscopic response of these polymeric foams.

Pitch-based carbon foam and composites and uses thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, James W.; Burchell, Timothy D.; Choudhury, Ashok

2004-01-06

A thermally conductive carbon foam is provided, normally having a thermal conductivity of at least 40 W/m.multidot.K. The carbon foam usually has a specific thermal conductivity, defined as the thermal conductivity divided by the density, of at least about 75 W.multidot.cm.sup.3 /m.multidot..degree.K.multidot.gm. The foam also has a high specific surface area, typically at least about 6,000 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3. The foam is characterized by an x-ray diffraction pattern having "doublet" 100 and 101 peaks characterized by a relative peak split factor no greater than about 0.470. The foam is graphitic and exhibits substantially isotropic thermal conductivity. The foam comprises substantially ellipsoidal pores and the mean pore diameter of such pores is preferably no greater than about 340 microns. Other materials, such as phase change materials, can be impregnated in the pores in order to impart beneficial thermal properties to the foam. Heat exchange devices and evaporatively cooled heat sinks utilizing the foams are also disclosed.

Polymer foam comprising a polymer and nanoparticles, and nanoparticles for the manufacture of such foam.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vancso, Gyula J.; Duvigneau, Joost; Nederkoorn, P.H.J.; Wassing, T.

2014-01-01

A polymer foam is produced comprising a polymer and nanoparticles having a maximum dimensionof 750 nm, which foam has cells with an average cell size of at most 1 µm and a cell density of at least 1012 cells/ml, wherein polymeric grafts have been attached to the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles may

Zirconia toughened alumina ceramic foams for potential bone graft applications: fabrication, bioactivation, and cellular responses.

Science.gov (United States)

He, X; Zhang, Y Z; Mansell, J P; Su, B

2008-07-01

Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) has been regarded as the next generation orthopedic graft material due to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Porous ZTA ceramics with good interconnectivity can potentially be used as bone grafts for load-bearing applications. In this work, three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous ZTA ceramics were fabricated using a direct foaming method with egg white protein as binder and foaming agent. The results showed that the porous ZTA ceramics possessed a bimodal pore size distribution. Their mechanical properties were comparable to those of cancellous bone. Due to the bio-inertness of alumina and zirconia ceramics, surface bioactivation of the ZTA foams was carried out in order to improve their bioactivity. A simple NaOH soaking method was employed to change the surface chemistry of ZTA through hydroxylation. Treated samples were tested by conducting osteoblast-like cell culture in vitro. Improvement on cells response was observed and the strength of porous ZTA has not been deteriorated after the NaOH treatment. The porous 'bioactivated' ZTA ceramics produced here could be potentially used as non-degradable bone grafts for load-bearing applications.

Handbook of plastic foams: types, properties, manufacture, and applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Landrock, Arthur H

1995-01-01

... is an introduction and also covers the subject of foam formation. The chapter includes a discussion of the Montreal Protocol mandating the development of foams with substantially reduced CFC content by 1995. Chapter 2 is a comprehensive discussion of thermosetting foams of all types, with the emphasis on urethane and phenolic foams. The authors, K Ashida and K Iwa...

Optimization of foam-filled bitubal structures for crashworthiness criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yong; Sun, Guangyong; Li, Guangyao; Luo, Zhen; Li, Qing

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The paper aims to optimize foam-filled bitubal squared column for crashworthiness. ► It explores different formulations and configurations of design. ► The optimal foam-filled bitubal column is better than foam-filled monotubal column. ► The optimal foam-filled bitubal column is better than empty bitubal column. -- Abstract: Thin-walled structures have been widely used as key components in automobile and aerospace industry to improve the crashworthiness and safety of vehicles while maintaining overall light-weight. This paper aims to explore the design issue of thin-walled bitubal column structures filled with aluminum foam. As a relatively new filler material, aluminum foam can increase crashworthiness without sacrificing too much weight. To optimize crashworthiness of the foam-filled bitubal square column, the Kriging meta-modeling technique is adopted herein to formulate the objective and constraint functions. The genetic algorithm (GA) and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II) are used to seek the optimal solutions to the single and multiobjective optimization problems, respectively. To compare with other thin-walled configurations, the design optimization is also conducted for empty bitubal column and foam-filled monotubal column. The results demonstrate that the foam-filled bitubal configuration has more room to enhance the crashworthiness and can be an efficient energy absorber.

Preparation and characterization of starch-based loose-fill packaging foams

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Qi

Regular and waxy corn starches were blended in various ratios with biodegradable polymers including polylactic acid (PLA), Eastar Bio Copolyester 14766 (EBC) and Mater-Bi ZF03U (MBI) and extruded with a C. W. Brabender laboratory twin screw extruder using a 3-mm die nozzle at 150°C and 150 rev/min. Physical characteristics including radial expansion, unit density and bulk density and water solubility index, water absorption characteristics, mechanical properties including compressibility, Young's modulus, spring index, bulk compressibility and bulk spring index and abrasion resistance were investigated as affected by the ingredient formulations, i.e. type of polymers, type of starches, polymer to starch ratio and starch moisture content. A completely randomized factorial blocking experimental design was used. Fifty-four treatments resulted. Each treatment was replicated three times. SAS statistical software package was used to analyze the data. Foams made of waxy starch had better radial expansion, lower unit density and bulk density than did foams made of regular starch. Regular starch foams had significantly lower water solubility index than did the waxy starch foams. PLA-starch foams had the lowest compressibility and Young's modulus. MBI-starch foams were the most rigid. All foams had excellent spring indices and bulk spring indices which were comparable to the spring index of commercial expanded polystyrene foam. Correlations were established between the foam mechanical properties and the physical characteristics. Foam compressibility and Young's modulus decreased as increases in radial expansion and decreases in unit and bulk densities. Their relationships were modeled with power law equations. No correlation was observed between spring index and bulk spring index and foam physical characteristics. MBI-starch foams had the highest equilibrium moisture content. EBC-starch and PLA-starch foams had similar water absorption characteristics. No significant

Grandstand view of phenolic foam insulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1987-03-01

Stadium Insulation Ltd, manufacture pipe sections, tank and vessel insulation products in Lowphen, polyisocyanurate, polyurethane foams and expanded polystyrene, though for certain specialist applications, cork is still employed in small quantities. Currently the emphasis is very much on Lowphen, the company's range of pipe sections based on phenolic foam. The company's manufacturing and marketing effort reflects the increasing market trend towards the use of insulating material capable of withstanding higher temperatures, and phenolic foam neatly satisfies the demand since it is capable of use at temperatures up to 140/sup 0/C. Moreover, phenolic foam has the lowest K value at 0.02W/m/sup 0/C of any of the currently available range of insulating materials, and while the product is slightly more expensive than alternatives such as polyisocyanurate and polyurethane, its high performance offsets that premium.

Foamed emulsion drainage: flow and trapping of drops

OpenAIRE

Schneider, Maxime; Zou, Ziqiang; Langevin, Dominique; Salonen, Anniina

2017-01-01

Foamed emulsions are ubiquitous in our daily life but the ageing of such systems is still poorly understood. In this study we investigate foam drainage and measure the evolution of the gas, liquid and oil volume fractions inside the foam. We evidence three regimes of ageing. During an initial period of fast drainage, both bubbles and drops are very mobile. As the foam stabilises drainage proceeds leading to a gradual decrease of the liquid fraction and slowing down of drainage. Clusters of oi...

Is catheter-directed foam sclerotherapy more effective than the usual foam sclerotherapy for treatment of the great saphenous vein?

Science.gov (United States)

Camillo, Orsini

2018-01-01

Objective This retrospective study presents the long-term results of catheter-directed foam sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein. Method From January 2003 to June 2017, 277 patients with varices and great saphenous vein incompetence were treated with echo-guided foam sclerotherapy. Forty-six patients were treated with long-catheters guided by foam sclerotherapy. Foaming was carried out with sodium-tetra-decyl-sulphate. Results Results were examined in the two groups: A (long-catheters) and B (other procedures). The median overall follow-up was 52.1 months. In the A-group, the complete occlusion rate was 34/46 pts (73.9%) and partial occlusion was 10/46 (21.7%). In the B-group, respectively, 130/231 (56.2%) and 90/231 (38.9%). Comparisons between groups were statistically significant (p = 0.023; p = 0.021). Failures involved, respectively, 2/46 (4.3%) and 11/231 (4.7%) with no statistical significance. The complication rates were similar in the two groups. Conclusions In this long-term experience (median follow-up exceeding four years), foam-guided sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein with a long-catheter turned out to be more effective than the usual foam-guided sclerotherapy.

Experimental Study of Hysteresis behavior of Foam Generation in Porous Media

OpenAIRE

Kahrobaei, S.; Vincent-Bonnieu, S.; Farajzadeh, R.

2017-01-01

Foam can be used for gas mobility control in different subsurface applications. The success of foam-injection process depends on foam-generation and propagation rate inside the porous medium. In some cases, foam properties depend on the history of the flow or concentration of the surfactant, i.e., the hysteresis effect. Foam may show hysteresis behavior by exhibiting multiple states at the same injection conditions, where coarse-textured foam is converted into strong foam with fine texture at...

Effect of gas type on foam film permeability and its implications for foam flow in porous media.

Science.gov (United States)

Farajzadeh, R; Muruganathan, R M; Rossen, W R; Krastev, R

2011-10-14

The aim of this paper is to provide a perspective on the effect of gas type on the permeability of foam films stabilized by different types of surfactant and to present a critical overview of the tracer gas experiments, which is the common approach to determine the trapped fraction of foam in porous media. In these experiments some part of the gas is replaced by a "tracer gas" during the steady-state stage of the experiments and trapped fraction of foam is determined by fitting the effluent data to a capacitance mass-transfer model. We present the experimental results on the measurement of the gas permeability of foam films stabilized with five surfactants (non-ionic, anionic and cationic) and different salt concentrations. The salt concentrations assure formation of either common black (CBF) or Newton black films (NBF). The experiments are performed with different single gasses. The permeability of the CBF is in general higher than that of the NBF. This behavior is explained by the higher density of the surfactant molecules in the NBF compared to that of CBF. It is also observed that the permeability coefficient, K(cm/s), of CBF and NBF for non-ionic and cationic surfactants are similar and K is insensitive to film thickness. Compared to anionic surfactants, the films made by the non-ionic surfactant have much lower permeability while the films made by the cationic surfactant have larger permeability. This conclusion is valid for all gasses. For all types of surfactant the gas permeability of foam film is largely dependent on the dissolution of gas in the surfactant solution and increases with increasing gas solubility in the bulk liquid. The measured values of K are consistent with rapid diffusion of tracer gasses through trapped gas adjacent to flowing gas in porous media, and difficulties in interpreting the results of tracer-foam experiments with conventional capacitance models. The implications of the results for foam flow in porous media and factors leading

New Approaches to Aluminum Integral Foam Production with Casting Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmet Güner

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Integral foam has been used in the production of polymer materials for a long time. Metal integral foam casting systems are obtained by transferring and adapting polymer injection technology. Metal integral foam produced by casting has a solid skin at the surface and a foam core. Producing near-net shape reduces production expenses. Insurance companies nowadays want the automotive industry to use metallic foam parts because of their higher impact energy absorption properties. In this paper, manufacturing processes of aluminum integral foam with casting methods will be discussed.

Fabrication of Foam Shells for ICF Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Czechowicz, D. G.; Acenas, O.; Flowers, J. S.; Nikroo, A.; Paguio, R. R.; Schroen, D. G.; Streit, J.; Takagi, M.

2004-11-01

The General Atomics/Schafer team has developed processes to fabricate foam shells targets suitable for ICF experiments. The two most common chemical systems used to produce foam shells have been resorcinol-formaldehyde (R/F) aerogel and divinylbenzene (DVB). Spherical targets have been made in the form of shells and beads having diameters ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to 4.0 mm, and having densities from approximately 100 mg/cc to 250 mg/cc. The work on R/F foam shells has been concentrated on 1) shell fabrication process improvement to obtain high yields ( ˜25%) and 2) depositing a reliable permeation barrier to provide shells for ongoing direct drive experiments at LLE. Development of divinylbenzene foam shells has been mainly directed towards Inertial Fusion Energy applications (at densities as low as 30 mg/cc) and recently for shells for experiments at LLE. Details of the relevant metrology and properties of these foams as well as the range of targets currently available will be discussed.

The dynamics of diffracted rays in foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tufaile, A., E-mail: tufaile@usp.br; Tufaile, A.P.B.

2015-12-18

We have studied some aspects of the optics of the light scattering in foams. This paper describes the difference between rays and diffracted rays from the point of view of geometrical theory of diffraction. We have represented some bifurcations of light rays using dynamical systems. Based on our observations of foams, we created a solid optical device. The interference patterns of light scattering in foams forming Airy fringes were explored observing the pattern named as the eye of Horus. In the cases we examine, these Airy fringes are associated with light scattering in curved surfaces, while the halo formation is related to the law of edge diffraction. We are proposing a Pohl interferometer using a three-sided bubble/Plateau border system. - Highlights: • We obtained halos scattering light in foams. • We model the light scattering in foams using the geometrical theory of diffraction. • We examine the difference between rays and the diffracted rays. • We developed optical devices for diffracted rays.

Data characterizing tensile behavior of cenosphere/HDPE syntactic foam.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, B R Bharath; Doddamani, Mrityunjay; Zeltmann, Steven E; Gupta, Nikhil; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2016-03-01

The data set presented is related to the tensile behavior of cenosphere reinforced high density polyethylene syntactic foam composites "Processing of cenosphere/HDPE syntactic foams using an industrial scale polymer injection molding machine" (Bharath et al., 2016) [1]. The focus of the work is on determining the feasibility of using an industrial scale polymer injection molding (PIM) machine for fabricating syntactic foams. The fabricated syntactic foams are investigated for microstructure and tensile properties. The data presented in this article is related to optimization of the PIM process for syntactic foam manufacture, equations and procedures to develop theoretical estimates for properties of cenospheres, and microstructure of syntactic foams before and after failure. Included dataset contains values obtained from the theoretical model.

Produção e caracterização de espumas de alumina pelo processo gelcasting sem controle atmosférico Production and characterization of alumina foams by the gelcasting process without atmospheric contro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. de Sousa

2009-06-01

Full Text Available O processo de gelcasting, associado à aeração de suspensões cerâmicas, permite a produção de espumas cerâmicas com uma ampla faixa de porosidade (50-90vol.%. Uma das etapas críticas do processo é o enrijecimento da espuma, o qual se baseia na gelificação por meio da polimerização in situ de monômeros previamente adicionados à suspensão cerâmica. Sabidamente, tal reação é inibida pela presença de oxigênio, o que tornou usual o controle atmosférico durante a produção e gelificação da espuma. Neste trabalho, estudou-se a viabilidade de produzir espumas de alumina pelo processo de gelcasting sem controle atmosférico. Para a produção das espumas, dois diferentes agentes espumantes foram testados. As propriedades físicas e mecânicas das espumas cerâmicas, bem como a microestrutura, foram avaliadas e comparadas com resultados obtidos em condições idênticas, porém com controle atmosférico. Os resultados mostraram que ambos os processos proporcionam características semelhantes e com potencial de aplicação tecnológica.The gelcasting process with the aeration of ceramic suspensions allows the production of ceramic foams with a wide range of porosity (50-90vol.%.. One of the critical steps of the process is the setting of the foam, which is based on a gelling reaction by the in-situ polymerization of monomers previously added in the ceramic suspension. This reaction is inhibited by the presence of oxygen, which requires atmospheric control for the stabilization of the foam. In this work, the feasibility of producing alumina foams by the gelcasting process without atmospheric control was studied. For the foams production, two different foaming agents were tested. The physical and mechanical properties of ceramic foams, as well the microstructure, were evaluated and compared with those produced with the same foaming agents but with atmospheric control. The results obtained using the two procedures were similar and

The viscosity window of the silicate glass foam production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Rasmus Rosenlund; König, Jakob; Yue, Yuanzheng

2017-01-01

which can offer a practical starting point for the optimisation procedure. The melt viscosity might be the most important parameter for controlling the foaming process and the glass foam density. In this work, we attempt to define a viscosity range in which foaming of different glasses results...... in a maximum of foam expansion. The expansion maximum is obtained for different glasses (labware, E-glass, CRT panel, soda-lime-silica) by foaming with CaCO3 at isokom temperature and from literature data. In general, the viscosity window was found to be within 104–106 Pa s when foaming with MnO2 or metal...... carbonates (CaCO3, Na2CO3, MgCO3, SrCO3, dolomite) whereas SiC requires higher temperatures and correspondingly lower viscosities (103.3–104.0 Pa s). These findings can help assessing the implementation of new resources in the glass foam production....

Acoustic absorption behaviour of an open-celled aluminium foam

CERN Document Server

Han Fu Sheng; Zhao Yu Yuan; Gibbs, B

2003-01-01

Metal foams, especially close-celled foams, are generally regarded as poor sound absorbers. This paper studies the sound absorption behaviour of the open-celled Al foams manufactured by the infiltration process, and the mechanisms involved. The foams show a significant improvement in sound absorption compared with close-celled Al foams, because of their high flow resistance. The absorption performance can be further enhanced, especially at low frequencies, if the foam panel is backed by an appropriate air gap. Increasing the air-gap depth usually increases both the height and the width of the absorption peak and shifts the peak towards lower frequencies. The foam samples with the smallest pore size exhibit the best absorption capacities when there is no air gap, whereas those with medium pore sizes have the best overall performance when there is an air gap. The typical maximum absorption coefficient, noise reduction coefficient and half-width of the absorption peak are 0.96-0.99, 0.44-0.62 and 1500-3500 Hz, r...

Occupational exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other flame retardant foam additives at gymnastics studios: Before, during and after the replacement of pit foam with PBDE-free foams.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceballos, Diana M; Broadwater, Kendra; Page, Elena; Croteau, Gerry; La Guardia, Mark J

2018-07-01

Coaches spend long hours training gymnasts of all ages aided by polyurethane foam used in loose blocks, mats, and other padded equipment. Polyurethane foam can contain flame retardant additives such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), to delay the spread of fires. However, flame retardants have been associated with endocrine disruption and carcinogenicity. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluated employee exposure to flame retardants in four gymnastics studios utilized by recreational and competitive gymnasts. We evaluated flame retardant exposure at the gymnastics studios before, during, and after the replacement of foam blocks used in safety pits with foam blocks certified not to contain several flame retardants, including PBDEs. We collected hand wipes on coaches to measure levels of flame retardants on skin before and after their work shift. We measured flame retardant levels in the dust on window glass in the gymnastics areas and office areas, and in the old and new foam blocks used throughout the gymnastics studios. We found statistically higher levels of 9 out of 13 flame retardants on employees' hands after work than before, and this difference was reduced after the foam replacement. Windows in the gymnastics areas had higher levels of 3 of the 13 flame retardants than windows outside the gymnastics areas, suggesting that dust and vapor containing flame retardants became airborne. Mats and other padded equipment contained levels of bromine consistent with the amount of brominated flame retardants in foam samples analyzed in the laboratory. New blocks did not contain PBDEs, but did contain the flame retardants 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate and 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate. We conclude that replacing the pit foam blocks eliminated a source of PBDEs, but not 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate and 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate. We recommend ways to further minimize employee exposure

Design Method for Proportion of Cement-Foamed Asphalt Cold Recycled Mixture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Junxiao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Through foaming experiment of Zhongtai AH-70 asphalt, the best foaming temperature water consumption and influence factors of foamed asphalt’s foaming features are determined; By designing the proportion of foamed asphalt cold in-place recycled mixture combined with the water stability experiment, for this mixture the best foamed asphalt addition is 3%, and proportion of the mixture is RAP: fine aggregate: cement=75:23:2. Using SEM technology, the mechanism of increasing on the intensity of foamed asphalt mixture resulted by the addition of cement was analysed. This research provides reference for cement admixture’s formulation in the designing of foamed asphalt cold in-place recycled mixture.

Compressive Behaviour and Energy Absorption of Aluminium Foam Sandwich

Science.gov (United States)

Endut, N. A.; Hazza, M. H. F. Al; Sidek, A. A.; Adesta, E. T. Y.; Ibrahim, N. A.

2018-01-01

Development of materials in automotive industries plays an important role in order to retain the safety, performance and cost. Metal foams are one of the idea to evolve new material in automotive industries since it can absorb energy when it deformed and good for crash management. Recently, new technology had been introduced to replace metallic foam by using aluminium foam sandwich (AFS) due to lightweight and high energy absorption behaviour. Therefore, this paper provides reliable data that can be used to analyze the energy absorption behaviour of aluminium foam sandwich by conducting experimental work which is compression test. Six experiments of the compression test were carried out to analyze the stress-strain relationship in terms of energy absorption behavior. The effects of input variables include varying the thickness of aluminium foam core and aluminium sheets on energy absorption behavior were evaluated comprehensively. Stress-strain relationship curves was used for energy absorption of aluminium foam sandwich calculation. The result highlights that the energy absorption of aluminium foam sandwich increases from 12.74 J to 64.42 J respectively with increasing the foam and skin thickness.

Fabrication and Physical Evaluation of Gelatin-Coated Carbonate Apatite Foam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanae Hara

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Carbonate apatite (CO3Ap foam has gained much attention in recent years because of its ability to rapidly replace bone. However, its mechanical strength is extremely low for clinical use. In this study, to understand the potential of gelatin-reinforced CO3Ap foam for bone replacement, CO3Ap foam was reinforced with gelatin and the resulting physical characteristics were evaluated. The mechanical strength increased significantly with the gelatin reinforcement. The compressive strength of gelatin-free CO3Ap foam was 74 kPa whereas that of the gelatin-reinforced CO3Ap foam, fabricated using 30 mass % gelatin solution, was approximately 3 MPa. Heat treatment for crosslinking gelatin had little effect on the mechanical strength of the foam. The gelatin-reinforced foam did not maintain its shape when immersed in a saline solution as this promoted swelling of the gelatin; however, in the same conditions, the heat-treated gelatin-reinforced foam proved to be stable. It is concluded, therefore, that heat treatment is the key to the fabrication of stable gelatin-reinforced CO3Ap foam.

Long lasting decontamination foam

Science.gov (United States)

Demmer, Ricky L.; Peterman, Dean R.; Tripp, Julia L.; Cooper, David C.; Wright, Karen E.

2010-12-07

Compositions and methods for decontaminating surfaces are disclosed. More specifically, compositions and methods for decontamination using a composition capable of generating a long lasting foam are disclosed. Compositions may include a surfactant and gelatin and have a pH of less than about 6. Such compositions may further include affinity-shifting chemicals. Methods may include decontaminating a contaminated surface with a composition or a foam that may include a surfactant and gelatin and have a pH of less than about 6.

Foam Fractionation of Lycopene: An Undergraduate Chemistry Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Zhang, Mingjie; Hu, Yongliang

2010-01-01

A novel experiment for the extraction of lycopene from tomato paste by foam fractionation is described. Foam fractionation is a process for separating and concentrating chemicals by utilizing differences in their surface activities. Extraction of lycopene by foam fractionation is a new method that has not been previously reported in the…

The effect of nanoparticle aggregation on surfactant foam stability.

Science.gov (United States)

AlYousef, Zuhair A; Almobarky, Mohammed A; Schechter, David S

2018-02-01

The combination of nanoparticles (NPs) and surfactant may offer a novel technique of generating stronger foams for gas mobility control. This study evaluates the potential of silica NPs to enhance the foam stability of three nonionic surfactants. Results showed that the concentration of surfactant and NPs is a crucial parameter for foam stability and that there is certain concentrations for strong foam generation. A balance in concentration between the nonionic surfactants and the NPs can enhance the foam stability as a result of forming flocs in solutions. At fixed surfactant concentration, the addition of NPs at low to intermediate concentrations can produce a more stable foam compared to the surfactant. The production of small population of flocs as a result of mixing the surfactant and NPs can enhance the foam stability by providing a barrier between the gas bubbles and delaying the coalescence of bubbles. Moreover, these flocs can increase the solution viscosity and, therefore, slow the drainage rate of thin aqueous film (lamellae). The measurements of foam half-life, bubble size, and mobility tests confirmed this conclusion. However, the addition of more solid particles or surfactant might have a negative impact on foam stability and reduce the maximum capillary pressure of coalescence as a result of forming extensive aggregates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.