105 research outputs found

    Water velocity measurements inside a hydrocyclone using an Aeroprobe & Comparison with CFD predictions

    Get PDF
    Water Velocities inside a 150mm KrebsTM DF6 classifying hydrocyclone have been measured using an AeroprobeTM. Although the Aeroprobe disturbs the flow, the axial and tangential velocity measurements are qualitatively sensible and the integral wall pressure obtained from the measured tangential velocity profile is close to the measured wall pressure at the same elevation, which suggests that the measured tangential velocities are still reasonably accurate. The time averaged velocities from Large Eddy Simulations of the same cyclone geometry in FluentTM are within 15% of the measured velocities

    A new paradigm evaluating cost per cure of HCV infection in the UK

    Get PDF
    Background: New interferon (IFN)-free treatments for hepatitis C are more effective, safer but more expensive than current IFN-based therapies. Comparative data of these, versus current first generation protease inhibitors (PI) with regard to costs and treatment outcomes are needed. We investigated the real-world effectiveness, safety and cost per cure of 1st generation PI-based therapies in the UK. Methods: Medical records review of patients within the HCV Research UK database. Patients had received treatment with telaprevir or boceprevir and pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PR). Data on treatment outcome, healthcare utilisation and adverse events (AEs) requiring intervention were collected and analysed overall and by subgroups. Costs of visits, tests, therapies, adverse events and hospitalisations were estimated at the patient level. Total cost per cure was calculated as total median cost divided by SVR rate. Results: 154 patients from 35 centres were analysed. Overall median total cost per cure was £44,852 (subgroup range,: £35,492 to £107,288). Total treatment costs were accounted for by PI: 68.3 %, PR: 26.3 %, AE management: 5.4 %. Overall SVR was 62.3 % (range 25 % to 86.2 %). 36 % of patients experienced treatment-related AEs requiring intervention, 10 % required treatment-related hospitalisation. Conclusions: This is the first UK multicentre study of outcomes and costs of PI-based HCV treatments in clinical practice. There was substantial variation in total cost per cure among patient subgroups and high rates of treatment-related discontinuations, AEs and hospitalisations. Real world safety, effectiveness and total cost per cure for the new IFN free combinations should be compared against this baseline

    Numerical Analysis of the Changes in Dense Medium Feed Solids on Dense Medium Cyclone Performance

    Get PDF
    Numerical simulations of changes in feed medium solids on dense medium cyclone performance were performed using a multi-phase mixture CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model for medium and air-core coupled with Lagrangian model for coal particles for a 350mm DSM cyclone. The turbulence was resolved using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The mixture model considered the interactions between water and solid phases in terms of hindered settling, lift and Bagnold forces at high feed medium solid loadings. The medium properties were modified by changing the particle size distribution and concentration. Three different medium sizes (ultrafine, superfine and fine) were used in the simulations. The effect of medium stability and rheology on DMC performance is related to feed medium size in terms of density differential and medium segregation. The simulations predicted low Ep (Ecort probability) values with finer medium which gives high separation efficiency on density. A reduction in cyclone efficiency observed for a given feed medium solids distribution at higher feed medium concentrations due to an increase in slurry viscosit

    A semi-mechanistic model of hydrocyclones - developed form industrial data and inputs from CFD.

    Get PDF
    The flow behavior in hydrocyclones is extremely complex, leading the designers to rely on empirical equations for predicting cyclone performance. A number of classifying cyclone models have been developed and used in mineral comminution circuit simulators in the past. The problem with these empirical cyclone models is that they cannot be used outside the range of conditions under which they were developed. A semi-mechanistic hydrocyclone model is developed using the dimensionless approach based on both the fluid mechanics concepts from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and the wide range of industrial cyclone performance data. The improved model consist a set of equations for the water split to underflow (R), reduced cut-size (d), throughput (Q) and sharpness of the separation (α). The model for R, d, Q gives a very good fit to the data. The alpha model shows reasonable correlation for the cyclone design and operating conditions. Additional data sets were used to validate the new hydrocyclone model by comparing the predictions of the model equations with the experimental results

    Transition from a maternal to external nitrogen source in maize seedlings

    Get PDF
    Maximizing NO3− uptake during seedling development is important as it has a major influence on plant growth and yield. However, little is known about the processes leading to, and involved in, the initiation of root NO3− uptake capacity in developing seedlings. This study examines the physiological processes involved in root NO3− uptake and metabolism, to gain an understanding of how the NO3− uptake system responds to meet demand as maize seedlings transition from seed N use to external N capture. The concentrations of seed‐derived free amino acids within root and shoot tissues are initially high, but decrease rapidly until stabilizing eight days after imbibition (DAI). Similarly, shoot N% decreases, but does not stabilize until 12–13 DAI. Following the decrease in free amino acid concentrations, root NO3− uptake capacity increases until shoot N% stabilizes. The increase in root NO3− uptake capacity corresponds with a rapid rise in transcript levels of putative NO3− transporters, ZmNRT2.1 and ZmNRT2.2 . The processes underlying the increase in root NO3− uptake capacity to meet N demand provide an insight into the processes controlling N uptake

    Sign- and magnitude-tunable coupler for superconducting flux qubits

    Full text link
    We experimentally confirm the functionality of a coupling element for flux-based superconducting qubits, with a coupling strength JJ whose sign and magnitude can be tuned {\it in situ}. To measure the effective JJ, the groundstate of a coupled two-qubit system has been mapped as a function of the local magnetic fields applied to each qubit. The state of the system is determined by directly reading out the individual qubits while tunneling is suppressed. These measurements demonstrate that JJ can be tuned from antiferromagnetic through zero to ferromagnetic.Comment: Updated text and figure
    corecore