EMERGING POSSIBILITIES AND INSUPERABLE LIMITATIONS OF EXOGEOPHYSICS: THE EXAMPLE OF PLATE TECTONICS

To understand the evolution and the habitability of any rocky exoplanet demands detailed knowledge about its geophysical state and history - such as predicting the tectonic mode of a planet. Yet no astronomical observation can directly confirm or rule out the occurrence of plate tectonics on a given exoplanet. Moreover, the field of plate tectonics is still young - questioning whether we should study plate tectonics on exoplanets at this point in time. In this work, we determine the limitations and the emerging possibilities of exogeophysics, the science of connecting geophysics to exoplanets, on the example of plate tectonics. Assuming current uncertainties in model and planet parameters, we develop a qualitatively probabilistic and conservative framework to estimate on what kind of planets and where in the Galaxy plate tectonics might occur. This we achieve by modeling how plate yielding, the most critical condition needed for plate mobility and subduction, is affected by directly observable (planet mass, size) or indirec tly, to some degree, assessable planet properties (structure and composition). Our framework not only highlights the importance of a planet's chemistry for the existence of plate tectonics and the path toward practical exogeophysics but also demonstrates how exoplanet science can actually help to better understand geophysics and the fundamentals of plate tectonics on Earth itself

Continuous biodisel productions: A review

Continuous biodiesel production on laboratory and industrial scale was analyzed, with focus on their advantages and disadvantages. Attention was paid to specific characteristics of industrial processes in order to point out the advanced technologies. The well-known base-catalyzed continuous biodiesel production processes are related to problems caused by the immiscibility of the reactants (alcohol and oil), application of relatively high operating temperature (usually the boiling temperature of alcohol or one near it) and obtained yield of methyl ester yields lower than desired. One way to overcome these problems is to employ special reactor design favoring the emulsion process and increasing the overall rate of biodiesel production process, even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The second way is to apply heterogeneous catalysts in continuous processes, which will probably be the optimal approach to economically justified and environmentally friendly biodiesel production

The gas holdup in a multiphase reciprocating plate column filled with carboxymethylcellulose solutions

Gas holdup was investigated in a gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid reciprocating plate column (RPC) under various operation conditions. Aqueous carboxymethylcellulose (sodium salt, CMC) solutions were used as the liquid phase, the solid phase was spheres placed into interplate spaces, and the gas plase was air. The gas holdup in the RPC was influenced by: the vibration intensity, i.e., the power consumption, the superficial gas velocity, the solids content and the rheological properties of the liquid phase. The gas holdup increased with increasing vibration intensity and superficial gas velocity in both the two- and three-phase system. With increasing concentration of the CMC PP 50 solution (Newtonian fluid), the gas holdup decreased, because the coalescence of the bubbles was favored by the higher liquid viscosity. In the case of the CMC PP 200 solutions (non-Newtonian liquids), the gas holdup depends on the combined influence of the rheological properties of the liquid phase, the vibration intensity and the superficial gas velocity. The gas holdup in the three-phase systems was greater than that in the two-phase ones under the same operating conditions. Increasing the solids content has little influence on the gas holdup. The gas holdup was correlated with the power consumption (either the time-averaged or total power consuption) and the superficial gas velocity

Searching for Terrestrial Planets Orbiting in the Habitable Zone of Ultra-Cool Stars and Brown Dwarfs

We propose to use Kepler in 2-wheel mode to conduct a detailed search for Earth-sized planets orbiting ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs (spectral types from M7 to L3). This population of objects presents several advantages for exoplanet surveys. First, ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs are small and thus result in favorable planet-to-star area ratios. Second, because of their low effective temperature, the inner edge of their habitable zone is extremely close (2 to 3 days only). Third, our targets are bright at infrared wavelengths, which will enable detailed follow-up studies. Our program therefore represents a unique opportunity to find a transiting Earth-size exoplanet for which atmospheric features (including biosignatures) could be detected with near-to-come facilities such as JWST. Such exoplanet has not been discovered yet. Kepler in 2-wheel mode provides the required stability and photometric precision to make this survey successful. Our initial target sample includes 60 ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs from which we expect to detect at least one transiting planet. We propose to monitor each source for 4 days, resulting in a total program duration of ~240 days