3,389 research outputs found
Optimization of an Externally Mixed Biogas Plant Using a Robust CFD Method
Biogas plants have to be continuously or periodically mixed to ensure the homogenization of fermenting and fresh
substrate. Externally installed mixers provide easier access than submerged mixers but concerns of insufficient
mixing deter many operators from using this technology. In this paper, a new approach to improve homogenization
of the substrate mixture is proposed by optimizing external mixer configurations across a wide range of rheological
properties. Robust optimization of a biogas reactor is coupled with CFD simulations to improve parameters for the
angles of inflow and the position of the substrate outlet in a large-scale fermenter. The optimization objective is to
minimize the area in the tank which is poorly mixed. We propose to define this “dead volume zone” as the region
in which the velocity magnitude during mixing falls below a certain threshold. Different dry substance contents are
being investigated to account for the varying rheological properties of different substrate compositions. The velocity
thresholds are calculated for each dry substance content from the mixer-tank configuration of a real biogas reactor
in Brandenburg, Germany (BGA Warsow GmbH & Co.KG). The robust optimization results comprising the whole
range of rheological properties are compared to simulations of the original configuration and to optimization results
for each individual dry substance content. The robust CFD-based optimized configurations reduce the dead volume
zones significantly across all dry substance contents compared to the original configuration. The outcomes of this
paper can be particularly useful for plant manufacturers and operators for optimal mixer placement in industrial
size biogas fermenters.BMBF - ROENOBIO project with contract number
05M2013UTA (Germany),
DFG - RTG 2126 Algorithmic Optimization (Germany
Embodied uncertainty: living with complexity and natural hazards
In this paper, we examine the concept of embodied uncertainty by exploring multiple dimensions of uncertainty in the context of risks associated with extreme natural hazards. We highlight a need for greater recognition, particularly by disaster management and response agencies, of uncertainty as a subjective experience for those living at risk. Embodied uncertainty is distinguished from objective uncertainty by the nature of its internalisation at the individual level, where it is subjective, felt and directly experienced. This approach provides a conceptual pathway that sharpens knowledge of the processes that shape how individuals and communities interpret and contextualise risk. The ways in which individual characteristics, social identities and lived experiences shape interpretations of risk are explored by considering embodied uncertainty in four contexts: social identities and trauma, the co-production of knowledge, institutional structures and policy and long-term lived experiences. We conclude by outlining the opportunities that this approach presents, and provide recommendations for further research on how the concept of embodied uncertainty can aid decision-making and the management of risks in the context of extreme natural hazards
Probing the dynamics of quasicrystal growth using synchrotron live imaging
The dynamics of quasicrystal growth remains an unsolved problem in condensed
matter. By means of synchrotron live imaging, facetted growth proceeding by the
tangential motion of ledges at the solid-melt interface is clearly evidenced
all along the solidification of icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystals. The effect of
interface kinetics is significant so that nucleation and free growth of new
facetted grains occur in the melt when the solidification rate is increased.
The evolution of these grains is explained in details, which reveals the
crucial role of aluminum rejection, both in the poisoning of grain growth and
driving fluid flow
Conjugation-Length Dependence of Spin-Dependent Exciton Formation Rates in Pi-Conjugated Oligomers and Polymers
We have measured the ratio, r = of the formation cross
section, of singlet () and triplet () excitons
from oppositely charged polarons in a large variety of -conjugated
oligomer and polymer films, using the photoinduced absorption and optically
detected magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The ratio r is directly related to
the singlet exciton yield, which in turn determines the maximum
electroluminescence quantum efficiency in organic light emitting diodes (OLED).
We discovered that r increases with the conjugation length, CL; in fact a
universal dependence exists in which depends linearly on ,
irrespective of the chain backbone structure. These results indicate that
-conjugated polymers have a clear advantage over small molecules in OLED
applications.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Pion propagation in the linear sigma model at finite temperature
We construct effective one-loop vertices and propagators in the linear sigma
model at finite temperature, satisfying the chiral Ward identities and thus
respecting chiral symmetry, treating the pion momentum, pion mass and
temperature as small compared to the sigma mass. We use these objects to
compute the two-loop pion self-energy. We find that the perturbative behavior
of physical quantities, such as the temperature dependence of the pion mass, is
well defined in this kinematical regime in terms of the parameter
m_pi^2/4pi^2f_pi^2 and show that an expansion in terms of this reproduces the
dispersion curve obtained by means of chiral perturbation theory at leading
order. The temperature dependence of the pion mass is such that the first and
second order corrections in the above parameter have the same sign. We also
study pion damping both in the elastic and inelastic channels to this order and
compute the mean free path and mean collision time for a pion traveling in the
medium before forming a sigma resonance and find a very good agreement with the
result from chiral perturbation theory when using a value for the sigma mass of
600 MeV.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, uses RevTeX and epsfig. Expanded conclusions,
added references. To appear in Phys. Rev.
A Combined Patch-Clamp and Electrorotation Study of the Voltage- and Frequency-Dependent Membrane Capacitance Caused by Structurally Dissimilar Lipophilic Anions
Interactions of structurally dissimilar anionic compounds with the plasma membrane of HEK293 cells were analyzed by patch clamp and electrorotation. The combined approach provides complementary information on the lipophilicity, preferential affinity of the anions to the inner/outer membrane leaflet, adsorption depth and transmembrane mobility. The anionic species studied here included the well-known lipophilic anions dipicrylamine (DPA−), tetraphenylborate (TPB−) and [W2(CO)10(S2CH)]−, the putative lipophilic anion
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\begin{document}\end{document} and three new heterocyclic W(CO)5 derivatives. All tested anions partitioned strongly into the cell membrane, as indicated by the capacitance increase in patch-clamped cells. The capacitance increment exhibited a bell-shaped dependence on membrane voltage. The midpoint potentials of the maximum capacitance increment were negative, indicating the exclusion of lipophilic anions from the outer membrane leaflet. The adsorption depth of the large organic anions DPA−, TPB− and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}\end{document} increased and that of W(CO)5 derivatives decreased with increasing concentration of mobile charges. In agreement with the patch-clamp data, electrorotation of cells treated with DPA− and W(CO)5 derivatives revealed a large dispersion of membrane capacitance in the kilohertz to megahertz range due to the translocation of mobile charges. In contrast, in the presence of TPB− and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}\end{document} no mobile charges could be detected by electrorotation, despite their strong membrane adsorption. Our data suggest that the presence of oxygen atoms in the outer molecular shell is an important factor for the fast translocation ability of lipophilic anions
Scaling in a Nonconservative Earthquake Model of Self-Organised Criticality
We numerically investigate the Olami-Feder-Christensen model for earthquakes
in order to characterise its scaling behaviour. We show that ordinary finite
size scaling in the model is violated due to global, system wide events.
Nevertheless we find that subsystems of linear dimension small compared to the
overall system size obey finite (subsystem) size scaling, with universal
critical coefficients, for the earthquake events localised within the
subsystem. We provide evidence, moreover, that large earthquakes responsible
for breaking finite size scaling are initiated predominantly near the boundary.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. E; references
sorted correctl
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