Using RotCFD to Predict Isolated XV-15 Rotor Performance

Experimental techniques to measure rotorcraft aerodynamic performance are widely used. However, the need exists to understand the limitations of ground based testing by augmenting the analysis of experimental test results with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling. The immediate objective of the present research is to develop an XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft rotor model for investigation of wind tunnel wall interference. The predicted performance of the XV-15 during various flight modes is compared to theoretical and experimental data. This research is performed to support wind tunnel tests scheduled for 2016. A mid-fidelity RANS solver, RotCFD, is used with an unsteady, incompressible flow model and a realizable k- turbulence model. The rotor is modeled using an actuator disk model or blade element model with a momentum source approach. In RotCFD the setup, grid generation and running of cases is faster than many CFD codes which makes it a useful engineering tool. Performance predictions need not be as accurate as high-fidelity CFD codes, as long as wall effects can be properly simulated. Being able to accurately predict unsteady rotorcraft performance on desktop-class computers provides a quicker analysis of highly complex flows during the initial design phase

The Effect of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids on Olfaction-Based Host-Seeking of the Malaria Mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto

The role of aliphatic carboxylic acids in host-seeking response of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto was examined both in a dual-choice olfactometer and with indoor traps. A basic attractive blend of ammonia + lactic acid served as internal standard odor. Single carboxylic acids were tested in a tripartite blend with ammonia + lactic acid. Four different airflow stream rates (0.5, 5, 50, and 100 ml/min) carrying the compounds were tested for their effect on trap entry response in the olfactometer. In the olfactometer, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, pentanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, and tetradecanoic acid increased attraction relative to the basic blend. While several carboxylic acids were attractive only at one or two flow rates, tetradecanoic acid was attractive at all flow rates tested. Heptanoic acid was attractive at the lowest flow rate (0.5 ml/min), but repellent at 5 and 50 ml/min. Mixing the air stream laden with these 7 carboxylic acids together with the headspace of the basic blend increased attraction in two quantitative compositions. Subtraction of single acids from the most attractive blend revealed that 3-methylbutanoic acid had a negative effect on trap entry response. In the absence of tetradecanoic acid, the blend was repellent. In assays with MM-X traps, both a blend of 7 carboxylic acids + ammonia + lactic acid (all applied from low density polyethylene-sachets) and a simple blend of ammonia + lactic acid + tetradecanoic acid were attractive. The results show that carboxylic acids play an essential role in the host-seeking behavior of An. gambiae, and that the contribution to blend attractiveness depends on the specific compound studied

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

Solution thermodynamics and preferential solvation of sulfamethazine in (methanol + water) mixtures

The solubility of sulfamethazine (SMT) in {methanol (1) + water (2)} co-solvent mixtures was determined at five different temperatures from (293.15 to 313.15) K. The sulfonamide exhibited its highest mole fraction solubility in pure methanol (d1 = 29.6 MPa1/2) and its lowest mole fraction solubility in water (d2 = 47.8 MPa1/2) at each of the five temperatures studied. The Jouyban-Acree model was used to correlate/predict the solubility values. The respective apparent thermodynamic functions Gibbs energy, enthalpy, and entropy of solution were obtained from the solubility data through the van't Hoff and Gibbs equations. Apparent thermodynamic quantities of mixing were also calculated for this drug using values of the ideal solubility reported in the literature. A non-linear enthalpy-entropy relationship was noted for SMT in plots of both the enthalpy vs. Gibbs energy of mixing and the enthalpy vs. entropy of mixing. These plots suggest two different trends according to the slopes obtained when the composition of the mixtures changes. Accordingly, the mechanism for SMT transfer processes in water-rich mixtures from water to the mixture with 0.70 in mass fraction of methanol is entropy driven. Conversely, the mechanism is enthalpy driven in mixtures whenever the methanol composition exceeds 0.70 mol fraction. An inverse Kirkwood-Buff integral analysis of the preferential solvation of SMT indicated that the drug is preferentially solvated by water in water-rich mixtures but is preferentially solvated by methanol in methanol-rich mixtures. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights [email protected]

Solubility and preferential solvation of some n-alkyl-parabens in methanol + water mixtures at 298.15 K

Methyl, ethyl and propyl parabens equilibrium solubility was determined in (methanol + water) binary mixtures at 298.15 K. The mole fraction solubility of these compounds increased in 503 (from 2.40 × 10-4to 0.121), 1377 (from 9.86 × 10-5to 0.136) and 4597 (from 3.73 × 10-5to 0.171) times when passing from neat water to neat methanol, for methyl, ethyl and propyl parabens, respectively. All these solubility values were correlated with the Jouyban-Acree model. Preferential solvation parameters by methanol (dx1,3) of these parabens were derived from their thermodynamic solution properties using the inverse Kirkwood-Buff integrals (IKBI) method. For all compounds dx1,3values are negative in water-rich mixtures but positive in mixtures with methanol mole fraction greater than 0.32. It is conjecturable that in the former case the hydrophobic hydration around non-polar groups of parabens plays a relevant role in the solvation. Besides, the preferential solvation of these solutes by methanol in mixtures of similar co-solvent compositions and in methanol-rich mixtures could be explained in terms of the higher basic behaviour of methanol. © 2017 Elsevier [email protected]

Solubility Prediction of Paracetamol in Water–Ethanol–Propylene Glycol Mixtures at 25 and 30 °C Using Practical Approaches

The solubility of paracetamol in water–ethanol–propylene glycol binary and ternary mixtures at 25 and 30 °C was determined using flask shake method. The generated data extended the solubility database for further computational investigations and also was used to assess the prediction capability of the Jouyban–Acree model. A new version of the model was proposed for modeling the solubility data in water–cosolvent mixtures with the cosolvent concentration of 50% which is required in pharmaceutical formulations. The accuracy of the predicted solubilities was evaluated by the mean percentage deviation (MPD) between the predicted and experimental solubilities. The overall MPD of the Jouyban–Acree model and the log-linear model of Yalkowsky for the entire composition range of the cosolvents were 11.08.7 and 55.417.8%, respectively; the corresponding values for the predicted solubilities in mixtures having a cosolvent concentration of 50% were 12.09.1 and 22.011.0%