An investigation of gas void fraction and transition conditions for two-phase flow in an annular gap bubble column

Gas-liquid flow may be characterised in terms of the gas void fraction, α. This is an important variable in two-phase flow, used in predicting the occurrence of flow regimes, and the associated pressure drop, and mass and heat transfer. The gas void fraction transitions in a two-phase flow system from uniform bubble flow (homogeneous) to churn-turbulent bubble flow (heterogeneous) in an open tube bubble column (OTBC) and an annular gap bubble column (AGBC) have been investigated using a vertical column with an internal diameter of 0.102 m, containing a range of concentric inner tubes which formed an annular gap; the inner tubes had diameter ratios from 0.25 - 0.69. Gas (air) superficial velocities in the range 0.014-0.200 m/s were studied. Tap water and aqueous solutions of ethanol and isopropanol, with concentrations in the range 8 - 300 ppm by mass, were used as the working liquids. Experimental results are presented to show that there are very significant differences in the mean gas void fractions measured in the OTBC and the AGBC, when operated at the same gas superficial velocity using a porous sparger. The mean gas void fraction decreases with increasing ratio of the inner to outer diameter of the annular gap column and the transition to heterogeneous flow occurs at lower gas superficial velocities and lower void fractions. Two reasons are proposed and validated by experimental investigations: (i) the presence of the inner tube causes large bubbles to form near the sparger, which destabilize the homogeneous bubbly flow and reduce the mean void fraction; this was confirmed by deliberately injecting large bubbles into a homogeneous dispersion of smaller bubbles. Moreover, (ii) the shape of the void fraction profiles changes with gap geometry, which affects the distribution parameter in the drift flux model. Radial profiles of the local void fraction were obtained using a two- and four-point conductivity probe, and were cross-sectionally averaged to give mean values that were within 12% of the volume-averaged gas void fractions obtained from changes in aerated level. The presence of alcohol inhibited the coalescence between the bubbles, and consequently increased the mean gas void fraction at a given gas superficial velocity in both the open tube and the annular gap bubble columns. This effect also extended the range of homogeneous bubbly flow and delayed the transition to heterogeneous flow. Moreover, isopropanol results gave slightly higher mean void fractions compared to those for ethanol at the same mass fraction, due to their increased carbon chain length. It was shown that the void fraction profiles in the annular gap bubble column were far from uniform, leading to lower mean void fractions than were obtained in an open tube for the same gas superficial velocity and liquid composition. The chord length measurements in the OTBC for both the tap water and alcohol solutions exhibited two trends with respect to increasing j_g: (i) at low j_g, in the homogeneous flow, an increasing function was obtained; and (ii) with further increase in j_g, a reduction in the chord length was observed. In the presence of the orifice, the results concerning mean chord lengths show a decreasing function of the bubble size with increasing j_g; this was visually demonstrated using photographs. For the AGBC, the chord lengths obtained from the conductivity probe offered evidence of the bubble size decreasing as j_g increased in the heterogeneous regime, which agreed with the findings of the OTBC. This was also confirmed using the results obtained from photographs. A novel approach for bubble size transformation was implemented to process the conductivity probe measurements. An analytical method was used as a forward transform to predict the chord length distribution from the bubble size distribution and an optimisation approach was applied as a backward transform method to obtain the bubble size distribution from the chord length distribution. The challenge was to consider a variable aspect ratio, φ, for the bubble shape, which depended on their size. The model gave excellent and reasonable predictions for the bubble sizes as their trends were identical to the trend of the chord length, and to the bubble size obtained from photographs

Beliefs About Mathematics And Mathematics Instruction Among Basic Education Mathematics Teachers In Al-Batinah South, Oman

Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti kepercayaan tentang matematik dan pengajaran matematik dalam kalangan guru matematik pendidikan asas fasa pertama serta untuk menentukan sama ada terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan dalam kepercayaan mereka tentang matematik dan pengajaran matematik dari segi kelayakan akademik, bidang pengkhususan, pengalaman mengajar dan lokasi sekolah di daerah Al-Batinah Selatan, Oman The objectives of this study were to identify Omani basic education first phase mathematics teachers' beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction and to determine whether there is a significant difference in their beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction in terms of academic qualification, field of specialization, teaching experience and school location in the Al-Batinah South county of Oma

Factors Influencing the Emergence of Collective Action in a Traditional Fishery of Oman: An Empirical Assessment of Three Coastal Fishing Towns in South Al-Batinah

Factors influencing the emergence of collective action are studied using survey data from individual boat owners from Barka, Masn’a and Suwaiq. Fishermen who adopt a cooperative strategy tend to be more risk averse and have high economic dependence on the common property resources. Social identity as a fisherman also appears to predict fishermen's willingness to cooperate to manage their fishery. Resource scarcity and possession of information about the status of the resource is also influential in fishermen’s decision to cooperate. The results strongly suggest that group size does not have any significant influence on fishermen’s willingness to cooperate to manage their fishery. The study findings also indicated that while the first two sources of heterogeneity (cultural division and difference in objectives and interests) are considered as causing a strong obstruction to collective action, the same cannot be said about the difference in the distribution of income. More inequality does not necessarily lead to more efficient use of natural resources. Thus, Olson's (1965) exploitation hypothesis was ruled out.Keywords: Fisheries Economics, fisheries management, Economic Solutions to Customary, Aboriginal and Traditional Fishing Rights, group size, Common property resource

Comparing the Reaction Rates of Plasmonic (Gold) and Non-Plasmonic (Palladium) Metal Particles in Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Both Pd and Au metal particles are used in photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Yet while both act as electron sink only gold is poised to respond to visible light due to its plasmonic response. In order to quantitatively gauge their relative contribution into the reaction, the photocatalytic H2 production, from Au/TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 catalysts was studied under UV and UV–Vis light. While under UV light excitation, a weak dependence on the work function of the metal is observed, under UV–Vis light, Au is found to be twice more active than Pd. Under identical UV–Vis light irradiation, the turn over frequency calculated from XPS at.% is found to be 2.8 and 1.8 s−1 for Au and Pd, respectively. The effect is far more pronounced when the rates are normalized to the number of particles of each metal. Both the semiconductor TiO2 (UV light) and the plasmonic metal (visible light) need to be excited for the enhancement to occur; visible light alone causes a negligible reaction rate. Photocurrent measurements further confirmed the difference in the photocatalytic activity under UV and UV–Vis light excitation. Moreover, because of the presence of Au particles responding to visible light the reaction rate is enhanced due to “light penetration depth” effect

Destabilisation of a homogeneous bubbly flow in an annular gap bubble column

Destabilisation of a homogeneous bubbly flow in an annular gap bubble colum

An experimental study of gas void fraction in dilute alcohol solutions in annular gap bubble columns using a four-point conductivity probe

The influence of alcohol concentration on the gas void fraction in open tube and annular gap bubble columns has been investigated using a vertical column with an internal diameter of 0.102 m, containing a range of concentric inner tubes which formed an annular gap; the inner tubes had diameter ratios from 0.25 - 0.69. Gas (air) superficial velocities in the range 0.014-0.200 m/s were investigated. Tap water and aqueous solutions of ethanol and isopropanol, with concentrations in the range 8 - 300 ppm by mass, were used as the working liquids. Radial profiles of the local void fraction were obtained using a four-point conductivity probe and were crosssectionally averaged to give mean values that were within 12% of the volumeaveraged gas void fractions obtained from changes in aerated level. The presence of alcohol inhibited the coalescence between the bubbles and consequently increased the mean gas void fraction at a given gas superficial velocity in both the open tube and the annular gap bubble columns. This effect also extended the range of homogeneous bubbly flow and delayed the transition to heterogeneous flow. Moreover, isopropanol results gave slightly higher mean void fractions compared to those for ethanol at the same mass fraction, due to their increased carbon chain length. It was shown that the void fraction profiles in the annular gap bubble column were far from uniform, leading to lower mean void fractions than were obtained in an open tube for the same gas superficial velocity and liquid composition

Destabilisation of a homogeneous bubbly flow in an annular gap bubble column

Experimental results are presented to show that there are very significant differences in the mean gas void fractions measured in an open tube and a annular gap bubble column, when operated at the same gas superficial velocity, using a porous sparger. The mean gas void fraction decreases with increasing ratio of the inner to outer diameter of the annular gap column and the transition to heterogeneous flow occurs at lower gas superficial velocities and lower void fractions. Two reasons are proposed and validated by experimental investigations: (1) the presence of the inner tube causes large bubbles to form near the sparger, which destabilize the homogeneous bubbly flow and reduce the mean void fraction; this was confirmed by deliberately injecting large bubbles into a homogeneous dispersion of smaller bubbles and (2) the shape of the void fraction profiles changes with gap geometry and this affects the distribution parameter in the drift flux model

Experimental study of void fraction behaviour in vertical bubbly gas-liquid flow using conductivity and measurements

The void fraction is an important variable in describing gas-liquid two-phase flows, since it is required to predict the heat and mass transfer coefficients and the pressure drop and is an indicator of the flow regime. The contrast in conductivity between water and air is one way to measure the void fraction in gas-liquid flow. This project has examined use of the ring conductivity electrodes to measuring the void fraction in an up-flow bubble column. The conductivity method has potential to be a low cost, safe and accurate method of measuring local void fractions in pipes and other process engineering mass transfer devices. In this project, the void fraction was measured in an air-water system by using conductivity in a 2" pipe equipped with two ring electrodes. Further gas hold-up experiments were conducted in the annular channel formed between 2" and a 4" pipe, using a system of four pairs of electrodes. The data obtained from the experiments agreed fairly well with the Maxwell and Burggeman theories which relate the dimensionless conductance to the void fraction. The measured void fractions were correlated using the drift-flux model, as proposed by Zuber and Findlay. Significant differences were observed between the void fraction measurements obtained for the annular channel and for an empty pipe, when operated at the same gas superficial velocity

EGZOENCIMI U HRANI ZA RIBE S POSEBNIM OSVRTOM NA FITAZU: PREGLED

The global aquaculture industry has come under increasing pressure to optimize production efficiency while reducing environmental loadings. These new demands, which have been accompanied in certain countries by legislation, have stimulated the development of elite low output dietary formulations. Several feed manufacturers have developed diets with modified energy: protein ratios, which reduce environmental phosphorus loadings with minimum impact upon fish growth. However, problems relating to end product quality have materialized following application of these high lipid diets and it is clear that alternative strategies must be developed. In particular, there remains an urgent need to replace the expensive fishmeal component of aquafeeds. One approach might be to supplement diets with exogenous enzymes (exoenzymes) that enhance the value and utility of alternative, low grade proteins while reducing ecological impacts. This paper briefly reviews the literature relating to experimental exoenzyme aquafeeds, with specific reference to phytase.Kompletna industrija akvakulture nalazi se pod povećanim pritiskom glede optimalizacije efikasne proizvodnje, dok se u isto vrijeme smanjuju mogućnosti iskorištavanja akvatorija. Ovi, novi zahtjevi koji su u nekim zemljama povezani s legislativom, potaknuli su razvoj niskih iskorištenosti hranidbenih formulacija. Nekoliko proizvođaća razvilo je hrane s modificiranom energijom: količina bjelančevina koja smanjuje nakupljanje P a okolišu s minimalnim utjecajem na rast riba. No, problemi koji se odnose na kvalitetu gotovoga proizvoda materijalirizirani su uporabom hrana s visokim postotkom lipida i jasno je da mora biti razvijena alternativna strategija, napose stoga što ostaje urgentna potreba za zamjenu skupog ribljeg brašna kao komponente u hrani za ribe. Jedna od mogućnosti mogla bi biti dodatak egzogenih enzima (egzoenzima) koji povećavaju vrijednost i iskorištenost nisko vrijednih bjelančevina. U ovom je radu dan kratak prikaz literaturnih podataka koji se odnose na eksperimentalne hrane s egzoenzimima, s posebnim osvrtom na fitazu

EGZOENCIMI U HRANI ZA RIBE S POSEBNIM OSVRTOM NA FITAZU: PREGLED

The global aquaculture industry has come under increasing pressure to optimize production efficiency while reducing environmental loadings. These new demands, which have been accompanied in certain countries by legislation, have stimulated the development of elite low output dietary formulations. Several feed manufacturers have developed diets with modified energy: protein ratios, which reduce environmental phosphorus loadings with minimum impact upon fish growth. However, problems relating to end product quality have materialized following application of these high lipid diets and it is clear that alternative strategies must be developed. In particular, there remains an urgent need to replace the expensive fishmeal component of aquafeeds. One approach might be to supplement diets with exogenous enzymes (exoenzymes) that enhance the value and utility of alternative, low grade proteins while reducing ecological impacts. This paper briefly reviews the literature relating to experimental exoenzyme aquafeeds, with specific reference to phytase.Kompletna industrija akvakulture nalazi se pod povećanim pritiskom glede optimalizacije efikasne proizvodnje, dok se u isto vrijeme smanjuju mogućnosti iskorištavanja akvatorija. Ovi, novi zahtjevi koji su u nekim zemljama povezani s legislativom, potaknuli su razvoj niskih iskorištenosti hranidbenih formulacija. Nekoliko proizvođaća razvilo je hrane s modificiranom energijom: količina bjelančevina koja smanjuje nakupljanje P a okolišu s minimalnim utjecajem na rast riba. No, problemi koji se odnose na kvalitetu gotovoga proizvoda materijalirizirani su uporabom hrana s visokim postotkom lipida i jasno je da mora biti razvijena alternativna strategija, napose stoga što ostaje urgentna potreba za zamjenu skupog ribljeg brašna kao komponente u hrani za ribe. Jedna od mogućnosti mogla bi biti dodatak egzogenih enzima (egzoenzima) koji povećavaju vrijednost i iskorištenost nisko vrijednih bjelančevina. U ovom je radu dan kratak prikaz literaturnih podataka koji se odnose na eksperimentalne hrane s egzoenzimima, s posebnim osvrtom na fitazu