PC–Based Data Acquisition for a Solid Substrate Cultivation Deep Bed Reactor

This work describes an instrumentation and data acquisition system designed for a deep bed reactor used to cultivate Trichoderma longibrachiatum on wheat bran. The system allowed on–line measurements of substrate temperature, oxygen concentration within the reactor headspace, relative humidity and temperature of the inlet air, and inlet airflow rates while maintaining aseptic conditions and without disturbing the cultivation process. An error analysis for the instrumentation and data acquisition equipment was completed and provided insight into the reliability of the sensor readings. The collected data provided quantitative information about the reactor system dynamics which can be used to evaluate and apply environmental control schemes, gain knowledge on microbial growth characteristics, and develop and validate mathematical models describing heat and mass transfer interactions

A ceramographic evaluation of chromia refractories corroded by slag

This paper describes the ceramographic preparation of Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} refractory bricks and subsequent microstructural analysis to determine the corrosive effects of molten slag. The porous and friable nature of the brick, especially after exposure to the slag or its individual components, presented some problems in the preparation

Refractory failure in IGCC fossil fuel power systems

Current generation refractory materials used in slagging gasifiers employed in Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) fossil fuel power systems have unacceptably short service lives, limiting the reliability and cost effectiveness of gasification as a means to generate power. The short service life of the refractory lining results from exposure to the extreme environment inside the operating gasifier, where the materials challenges include temperatures to 1650 C, thermal cycling, alternating reducing and oxidizing conditions, and the presence of corrosive slags and gases. Compounding these challenges is the current push within the industry for fuel flexibility, which results in slag chemistries and operating conditions that can vary widely as the feedstock for the gasifier is supplemented with alternative sources of carbon, such as petroleum coke and biomass. As a step toward our goal of developing improved refractory materials for this application, we have characterized refractory-slag interactions, under a variety of simulated gasifier conditions, utilizing laboratory exposure tests such as the static cup test and a gravimetric test. Combining this information with that gained from the post-mortem analyses of spent refractories removed from working gasifiers, we have developed a better understanding of refractory failure in gasifier environments. In this paper, we discuss refractory failures in slagging gasifiers and possible strategies to reduce them. Emphasis focuses on the refractories employed in gasifier systems which utilize coal as the primary feedstock

An update on the development of an improved performance refractory material for slagging coal gasifiers

Severe slag attack of high temperature materials that line coal gasifiers used in the production of chemicals, liquid fuels, and/or electricity result in their unacceptably short lifetimes, lasting anywhere from 3 months to 24 months. Lengthening of this short service life to increase gasifier reliability and increase on-line availability of a gasifier is viewed as critical for greater technology acceptance and utilization. A phosphate containing high chrome oxide refractory has been developed by the Albany Research Center of DOE and scaled up by an industrial producer of refractories for plant trials. An update of this material and its properties will be presented

Improved Refractories for Slagging Gasifiers in IGCC Power Systems

The gasification of coal and other carbon-containing fuels provides the opportunity to produce energy more efficiently, and with significantly less environmental impact, than more-conventional combustion-based processes. In addition, the synthesis gas that is the product of the gasification process offers the option of ''polygeneration,'' i.e., the production of alternative products instead of power should it be economically favorable to do so. Because of these advantages, gasification is viewed as one of the key processes in the U.S. Department of Energy's Vision 21 power system. However, issues with both the reliability and the economics of gasifier operation will have to be resolved before gasification will be widely adopted by the power industry. Central to both enhanced reliability and economics is the development of materials with longer service lives in gasifier systems that can provide extended periods of continuous, trouble-free gasifier operation. The focus of the Advanced Refractories for Gasification project at the Albany Research Center is to develop improved refractory materials capable of withstanding the harsh, high-temperature environment created by the gasification reaction, and includes both the refractory lining that protects and insulates the slagging gasifier, as well as the thermocouple assemblies that are utilized to monitor gasifier operating temperatures. Current generation refractory liners in slagging gasifiers are typically replaced every four to 18 months, at costs ranging up to $2,000,000, depending upon the size of the gasification vessel. Compounding materials and installation costs are the lost-opportunity costs for the time that the gasifier is off-line for the refractory exchange. Current generation thermocouple devices rarely survive the gasifier start-up process, leaving the operator with no real means of temperature measurement during routine operation. Reliable, efficient, and economical gasifier operation that includes the 90 to 95% on-line availability desired by the industry clearly requires improvements in refractory liner materials and in thermocouple protection strategies. As a result, the goals of this project include the development of a refractory liner with a service life at least double that of current generation refractory materials, and the design of a thermocouple protection system that will allow accurate temperature monitoring for extended periods of gasifier operation

Improved Refractories for IGCC Power Systems

The gasification of coal, petroleum residuals, and biomass provides the opportunity to produce energy more efficiently, and with significantly less environmental impact, than more-conventional combustion-based processes. In addition, the synthesis gas that is the product of the gasification process offers the gasifier operator the option of ''polygeneration'', i.e., the production of alternative products instead of power should it be economically favorable to do so. Because of these advantages, gasification is a key element in the U.S. Department of Energy?s Vision 21 power system. However, issues with both the reliability and the economics of gasifier operation will have to be resolved before gasification will be widely adopted by the power industry. Central to both increased reliability and economics is the development of materials with longer service lives in gasifier systems that can provide extended periods of continuous gasifier operation. The focus of the Advanced Refractories for Gasification project at the Albany Research Center is to develop improved materials capable of withstanding the harsh, high-temperature environment created by the gasification reaction, and includes both the refractory lining that insulates the slagging gasifier, as well as the thermocouple assemblies that are utilized to monitor gasifier operating temperatures. Current generation refractory liners in slagging gasifiers are typically replaced every 10 to 18 months, at costs ranging up to $2,000,000. Compounding materials and installation costs are the lost-opportunity costs for the three to four weeks that the gasifier is off-line for the refractory exchange. Current generation thermocouple devices rarely survive the gasifier start-up process, leaving the operator with no real means of temperature measurement during gasifier operation. As a result, the goals of this project include the development of a refractory liner with a service life at least double that of current generation refractory materials, and the design of a thermocouple protection system that will allow accurate temperature monitoring for extended periods of time

New developments in gasifier refractories

For Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems, operational reliability depends in part upon the ability of the materials of construction to tolerate harsh, high-temperature environments for extended periods of time. The harshest conditions within an IGCC system occur inside the gasifier itself, where for slagging systems the environment includes elevated temperature and pressure, as well as the presence of corrosive slags and gases. Attempts to enhance gasifier performance by operating at higher temperatures, with higher throughputs, and/or with variable feedstocks, put additional stress on the materials exposed to the operating environment, often resulting in a corresponding decrease in their useful service life. Current generation refractory materials commonly used at the hot face of commercial slagging systems will typically last from four to 18 months, depending on the operating conditions of the specific gasifier. However, as gasification technology matures, the need for new and improved materials will increase as the time between required maintenance shutdowns, and hence the economics and reliability of operation, are defined more and more by the service life of the materials from which the system is built. To address this need for materials development, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and the Albany Research Center are exploring ways to extend the service life of the refractory liner that contains the gasification reaction in slagging gasifiers. In this paper, we examine how refractory materials fail in the gasifier environment, and introduce a new refractory designed specifically to resist such failures. Based on laboratory exposure tests, this new refractory is predicted to significantly enhance gasifier reliability and availability through increased service life

Degradation of polyurethanes in vitro and in vitro: comparison of different models

This study compares and contrasts mechanisms of polyetherurethane (PEU) degradation in vitro and in vivo. Models comprising incubation with hydrogen peroxide in vitro (H2O2), in vivo subcutaneous rat implant (SUBQ), and subcutaneous rat cage implant (CAGE) are described and compared with in vivo degradation of the pacemaker lead device retrieved after human implant (PACE). Experimental results support the hypothesis that stress accelerates PEU degradation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and Fourier transform IR spectroscopy/attenuated total reflectance (FT-1R/ATR) evaluation of tested PEU samples suggests, for all models, decreased soft segment and increased ester functionality at the polymer surface. These observations are consistent with a single, metal ion catalyzed, polyester intermediate, oxidative degradation mechanism common to all models, and with device performance in vivo. Model comparison suggests that in vitro H2O2 and in vivo SUBQ and CAGE models accurately mimic in vivo degradation of the pacemaker lead device (PACE).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30454/1/0000080.pd

A rock-surface microweathering index from Schmidt hammer R-values and its preliminary application to some common rock types in southern Norway

An index of the degree of rock-surface microweathering based on Schmidt hammer R-values is developed for use in the field without laboratory testing. A series of indices - I2 to In, where n is the number of successive blows with the hammer - is first proposed based on the assumption that the R-values derived from successive impacts on the same spot on a weathered rock surface converge on the value characteristic of an unweathered surface of the same lithology. Of these indices, the I5 index, which measures the difference between the mean R-value derived from first and fifth impacts as a proportion of the mean R-value from the fifth impact, is regarded as optimal: use of fewer impacts (e.g. in an I2 index) underestimates the degree of weathering whereas use of more impacts (e.g. in an I10 index) makes little difference and is therefore inefficient and may also induce an artificial weakening of the rock. Field tests of these indices on weathered glacially-scoured bedrock outcrops of nine common metamorphic and igneous rock types from southern Norway show, however, that even after ten impacts, successive R-values fail to approach the values characteristic of unweathered rock surfaces (e.g. bedrock from glacier forelands and road cuttings). An improved *I5 index is therefore preferred, in which the estimated true R-value of an unweathered rock surface is substituted. Weathered rock surfaces exposed to the atmosphere for ~10,000 years in southern Norway exhibit *I5 indices of 36-57%, values that reflect a similarly high degree of weathering irrespective of the rock type

Genetic errors of immunity distinguish pediatric non-malignant lymphoproliferative disorders

Background Pediatric non-malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (PLPD) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous. Long-standing immune dysregulation and lymphoproliferation in children may be life-threatening, and a paucity of data exists to guide evaluation and treatment of children with PLPD. Objective The primary objective of this study was to ascertain the spectrum of genomic immunologic defects in PLPD. Secondary objectives included characterization of clinical outcomes and associations between genetic diagnoses and those outcomes. Methods PLPD was defined by persistent lymphadenopathy, lymph organ involvement, or lymphocytic infiltration for more than 3 months, with or without chronic or significant EBV infection. Fifty-one subjects from 47 different families with PLPD were analyzed using whole exome sequencing (WES). Results WES identified likely genetic errors of immunity in 51% to 62% of families (53% to 65% of affected children). Presence of a genetic etiology was associated with younger age and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Ten-year survival for the cohort was 72.4%, and patients with viable genetic diagnoses had a higher survival rate (82%) compared to children without a genetic explanation (48%, p = 0.03). Survival outcomes for individuals with EBV-associated disease and no genetic explanation were particularly worse than outcomes for subjects with EBV-associated disease and a genetic explanation (17% vs. 90%; p = 0.002). Ascertainment of a molecular diagnosis provided targetable treatment options for up to 18 individuals and led to active management changes for 12 patients. Conclusion PLPD therefore defines children with high risk for mortality, and WES informs clinical risks and therapeutic opportunities for this diagnosis