619 research outputs found

    Activated Carbon Fibre Monoliths for Hydrogen Storage

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    Porous adsorbents are currently investigated for hydrogen storage application. From a practical point of view, in addition to high porosity developments, high material densities are required, in order to confine as much material as possible in a tank device. In this study, we use different measured sample densities (tap, packing, compacted and monolith) for analyzing the hydrogen adsorption behavior of activated carbon fibres (ACFs) and activated carbon nanofibres (ACNFs) which were prepared by KOH and CO2 activations, respectively. Hydrogen adsorption isotherms are measured for all of the adsorbents at room temperature and under high pressures (up to 20 MPa). The obtained results confirm that (i) gravimetric H2 adsorption is directly related to the porosity of the adsorbent, (ii) volumetric H2 adsorption depends on the adsorbent porosity and importantly also on the material density, (iii) the density of the adsorbent can be improved by packing the original adsorbents under mechanical pressure or synthesizing monoliths from them, (iv) both ways (packing under pressure or preparing monoliths) considerably improve the storage capacity of the starting adsorbents, and (v) the preparation of monoliths, in addition to avoid engineering constrains of packing under mechanical pressure, has the advantage of providing high mechanical resistance and easy handling of the adsorbent

    Sorbent design for CO2 capture under different flue gas conditions

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    CO2 capture by solid sorbents is a physisorption process in which the gas molecules are adsorbed in a different porosity range, depending on the temperature and pressure of the capture conditions. Accordingly, CO2 capture capacities can be enhanced if the sorbent has a proper porosity development and a suitable pore size distribution. Thus, the main objective of this work is to maximize the CO2 capture capacity at ambient temperature, elucidating which is the most suitable porosity that the adsorbent has to have as a function of the emission source conditions. In order to do so, different activated carbons have been selected and their CO2 capture capacities have been measured. The obtained results show that for low CO2 pressures (e.g., conditions similar to post-combustion processes) the sorbent should have the maximum possible volume of micropores smaller than 0.7 nm. However, the sorbent requires the maximum possible total micropore volume when the capture is performed at high pressures (e.g., conditions similar to oxy-combustion or pre-combustion processes). Finally, this study also analyzes the important influence that the sorbent density has on the CO2 capture capacity, since the adsorbent will be confined in a bed with a restricted volume.The authors thank the Generalitat Valenciana and FEDER (project PROMETEO/2009/047) for financial support

    Effect of the stabilisation time of pitch fibres on the molecular sieve properties of carbon fibres

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    The stabilisation of pitch fibres (PFs) is the most important step for their subsequent use in the preparation of carbon fibres (CFs) and their resulting characteristics. The present work studies the influence that the stabilisation time has on the porosity of the CFs, and on the subsequent properties as carbon molecular sieve (CMS). The increase of the stabilisation time carried out at 573 K, from 2 to 8 h favours their CMS properties producing a decrease in the microposity accessible to N2, which gets completely blocked after 6 and 8 h, while the narrow microporosity (V-DR CO2) remains accessible. Adsorption kinetic studies with CH4 and CO2 were performed to assess the possibility of using these CFs as CMS by comparing them with Takeda 3A CMS. The results suggest that there is an optimal stabilisation time which allows the preparation of CFs from an abundant raw precursor with properties similar to Takeda 3A CMS.MCYT (PPQ2003-03884)

    Gas Storage Scale-up at Room Temperature on High Density Carbon Materials

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    In relation to the current interest on gas storage demand for environmental applications (e.g., gas transportation, and carbon dioxide capture) and for energy purposes (e.g., methane and hydrogen), high pressure adsorption (physisorption) on highly porous sorbents has become an attractive option. Considering that for high pressure adsorption, the sorbent requires both, high porosity and high density, the present paper investigates gas storage enhancement on selected carbon adsorbents, both on a gravimetric and on a volumetric basis. Results on carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen adsorption at room temperature (i.e., supercritical and subcritical gases) are reported. From the obtained results, the importance of both parameters (porosity and density) of the adsorbents is confirmed. Hence, the densest of the different carbon materials used is selected to study a scale-up gas storage system, with a 2.5 l cylinder tank containing 2.64 kg of adsorbent. The scale-up results are in agreement with the laboratory scale ones and highlight the importance of the adsorbent density for volumetric storage performances, reaching, at 20 bar and at RT, 376 g l-1, 104 g l-1, and 2.4 g l-1 for CO2, CH4,and H2, respectively.Generalitat Valenciana and FEDER (project PROMETEO/2009/047)

    Study of mandibular growth in patients treated with Fränkel ?s functional regulator (1b)

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    Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess mandibular growth in patients with Class II division 1 malocclusions when treated with Fränkel ?s functional regulator 1b. Study Design: The treatment group was made up of 43 patients that were divided into two groups: prepubescent (n:28), and pubescent (n:15). The control group included 40 patients who did not receive any kind of treatment and were likewise divided into a prepubescent group (n:19), and a pubescent group (n:21). A computerized cephalometric study was carried out and superimpositions were done in order to assess the antero-posterior, vertical and rotational movements of the mandible. A two-way ANOVA with interaction was done to compare the changes between the control group and the treatment group, while the Student t for independent samples was used to compare each age group. Results: The Gnathion and Gonion points showed significant differences in the whole sample (p0.05). Conclusion: The results show that the FR produces vertical orthopedic growth in the mandible but not horizontal growth compared to non-treated Class II-type I malocclusion patients. No rotational changes were found in the mandible, but we did record mandibular growth along the inclination of the facial axi

    Effects on the maxilla and cranial base caused by cervical headgear : a longitudinal study

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    Objectives: The aim of this study is to test the possible orthopedic effects of cervical headgear on the cranial base and maxilla. Study design: a sample consisting of 79 subjects with skeletal class II malocclusion was divided into two groups. The experimental group was made up of 41 patients all treated with cervical headgear. The control group included a total of 38 non-treated patients. Each one of these groups was then subdivided according to age into one of three groups: prepubescent, pubescent or post-pubescent. Cephalometric parameters were compared in both groups in order to measure the cranial base angle and the vertical and sagittal position of the maxilla. Additionally, cephalometric superimpositions taken at the beginning and end of the study were compared. Results: results revealed significant differences in the cranial base angle and in the SNA angle (p<0.05). However, no differences were observed in the variables that measure the maxillomandibular relationship. While no changes were noted in the palatal plane slope, a flattening of the cranial base was found caused by the cervical headgear, in addition to a retrusion of point A that does not mean there was a reduction in the maxillomandibular relationship. Conclusions: cervical headgear treatment induces cephalometric flattening of the cranial base and a decrease of the SNA angl

    Retrospective study of maxilla growth in a Spanish population sample

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    This study has been designed to evaluate the vertical and sagittal changes in the maxilla due to growth. A sample group was chosen of 38 individuals with normal occlusion, composed of 16 females and 22 males between the ages of 8 and 18. The total sample was divided into three groups: prepubescent (8-11 years), pubescent (12-14 years) and post-pubescent (15-18 years). A series of cephalometric angle parameters (SNA, maxillary height, slope of the palatal plane and maxillary depth) and lineal parameters (effective maxillary length, palatal plane length, middle third of the face height and convexity) were traced. Superimpositions of the initial and final cephalometries in the Ba-N plane and in the Nasion fixed point were carried out to measure growth. An analytic statistical analysis was applied using a Student t test for independent samples in order to evaluate the differences found according to sex. An analysis of variance followed by Duncan?s multiple range test was done to study the evolution of each variable throughout the duration of the experiment. In light of the results obtained, we have come to the following conclusions: sagittal growth of the maxilla is constant from the age of 8 to 18 years with an average increase of 0.2 mm/ year. Vertical growth, as well as general maxillary growth, is greater in the prepubescent grou

    Monitoring an archaeotogical excavation using photogrammetry and digital elevation models (DEMS) : the case study of Barranco Leon in Orce (Granada, Spain)

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    In this paper, we describe and discuss emergent digital technologies employed for monitoring the excavations at the archaeological site of Barranco Leon (Granada, Spain) between 2017 and 2020. The method entails the following material requirements: a total station, a conventional camera, a computer and a software that integrates photogrammetry algorithms; in terms of human resources, the presence of an engineer for the first day of the excavation to set up the methodological process and trained excavation staff to perform said method on a daily basis is necessary. Here we present the daily workflow for monitoring archaeological excavations introduced at the site, followed by an estimation of the costs and a summary of the results obtained. The method introduced here is based on the height difference of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) computed on successive days using photogrammetric techniques. It is a non-invasive method, which requires less than 8% of the economic resources of the excavation and can be carried out in less than 15 minutes. This allows the excavation director to have an accurate and visual idea of the excavation process in order to make appropriate decisions. In addition, from the results obtained in the method (differences in DEM of every two days), other derived results can be obtained such as the exact location of the archaeological remains extracted based on their size. These features highlight the relevance and applicability of this approach to a wide range of archaeological sites.Peer reviewe

    Glimpses of the soul

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    Este documento contiene todo lo relacionado con respecto al desarrollo, arte, jugabilidad, historia y contenido del prototipo del videojuego Glimpses Of The Soul, en donde la historia nos adentrará en un mundo en el que una terrible maldición ha llegado a la cuna del alma, el bosque ancestral donde habitan las hadas protectoras del equilibrio y armonía de la naturaleza, toda la paz ha sido destruida por una gran carga de emociones negativas que emergió de las profundidades sin previo aviso, miles de criaturas han caído presa de la maldición, y las hadas se han petrificado, solo una pequeña zorrita que fue convertida en hada puede traer la paz al lugar, al cumplir con una importante misión, encontrar a la heroína de las leyendas. El videojuego se desarrolla bajo el motor de unity, en lenguaje c++ y c# sharp, aprovechando herramientas de desarrollo como la inteligencia artificial, colisionadores, físicas básicas y administradores de animaciones(sprites). Obtenemos como resultado, un prototipo funcional y jugable, con una zona inicial, enemigos y personaje principal.1. Introducción 2. Diseño de juego - 2a. Concepto de juego - 2b. Jugabilidad - 2c. Mecánica - 2d Movimientos del personaje principal en el juego - 2e Combate - 2f Trucos y huevos de pascua - 2g Historia y narrativa - 2h Personajes - 2i Mundo del juego - 2k Interfaz - 2l Audio, música y efectos de sonido 3. ARTE - 3a Moodboard - 3b Personajes - 3c Escenarios 4. DISEÑO TÉCNICO - 4a Concepto de juego - 4b Mecánicas - 4c UX - 4d Personajes - 4e Conexiones - 4f Audio (Formatos de audio) - 4g Bases de datos - 4h Publicidad/Monetización - 4i Asset tracker 5. PLAN DE DESARROLLO - 5a Metodología de desarrollo - 6. PLAN DE PRUEBAS - 6a Pruebas de Usuario - 6b QA 7. REFERENCIAS 8. CONCLUSIÓNThis document contains everything related to the development, art, gameplay, history and content of the prototype of the video game Glimpses Of The Soul, where the story will take us into a world in which a terrible curse has reached the cradle of the soul, the ancestral forest where the protective fairies of the balance and harmony of nature live, all peace has been destroyed by a great load of negative emotions that emerged from the depths without warning, thousands of creatures have fallen prey to the curse, and the fairies have been petrified, only a little fox that was turned into a fairy can bring peace to the place, by fulfilling an important mission, to find the heroine of legends. The video game is developed under the unity engine, in c++ and c# sharp, taking advantage of development tools such as artificial intelligence, colliders, basic physics and animation managers (sprites). As a result, we obtain a functional and playable prototype, with an initial zone, enemies and main character.Pregrad

    To den or not to den. Contributions to the taphonomic history of the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena 4 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin)

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    Venta Micena (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, Spain) is an Early Pleistocene locality renowned for the richness and quality of its palaeontological record. VM is spread over an area of 2.5 km2, where several exposed fossil outcrops are visible amidst its gorges and ravines. The best known of these sites, VM3, has been interpreted as a hyaena den. In addition, a new site, named VM4, has recently been the focus of fieldwork and taphonomic studies. The publication by Luzón et al. (2021) pointed out that VM4 presents a more complex history than VM3. First, two different sub-levels were identified: VM4-I and VM4-II. Secondly, the preliminary taphonomic analysis showed conspicuous differences with regard to VM3. Nevertheless, such interpretation has been challenged by Palmqvist et al. (2022) who proposed that VM3 and VM4 are both the result of a single depositional process, entailing the selective transport of skeletal parts by the giant extinct hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris back to its den. Using well-preserved faunal elements whose depositional context and provenance are reliable, in this paper we show that: 1) there are two clearly defined sub-levels in VM4 with some shared taphonomic characteristics as well as some notable differences; 2) VM3 and VM4 exhibit enough divergence to support differences in site formation processes; 3) The interpretation of both VM4-I and VM4-II is more consistent with their characterisation as open-air sites in which multiple agents and depositional processes contributed to its formation, rather than with hyaena dens. Nevertheless, excavations are still in progress at VM4 and therefore any results and interpretations ought to be considered as provisional
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