Homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in boundary-layer flow of a nanofluid near the forward stagnation point of a cylinder

A mathematical model describing the homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in the vicinity of the forward stagnation point of a cylinder immerged in a nanofluid is established. We assume that the homogeneous reaction is given by isothermal cubic autocatalator kinetics, while the heterogeneous reaction is chosen as first-order kinetics. The existence of multiple solutions through hysteresis bifurcations is discussed in detail for the various diffusion coefficients of reactant and autocatalyst

Flow and heat transfer of nanofluid through a horizontal microchannel with magnetic field and interfacial electrokinetic effects

Flow and heat transfer of a nanofluid through a horizontal microchannel in the presence of the magnetic field effects and electric double layer (EDL) is investigated theoretically. For a microchannel with a large aspect ratio, the flow problem is treated as a two-dimensional nonlinear system. The body force generated by the EDL and magnetic field is considered in momentum equation. In order to study the mechanism of nanofluid heat transfer, the nanoparticles distribution and the heat transfer process of nanofluid flow are represented by the Buongiorno's nanofluid model with the passively controlled nanoparticles distribution at the boundary, which has not been considered in previous microchannel studies. Compared to the so-called active control of nanoparticle volume fraction at the boundary, the current approach makes the model physically more reliable by taking into account of the effect due to varying temperature. The analytical approximations obtained by the homotopy analysis method reveals that both the magnetic field effects and the EDL play significant roles on altering the flow and heat transfer in microchannels. It is also found that the heat enhancement is significantly depend on the Brinkman number and the temperature applied to the wall

Nanofluid flow and heat transfer in a microchannel with interfacial electrokinetic effects

The behaviour of microchannel flow of a nanofluid between two parallel flat plates in the presence of the electrical double layer (EDL) is investigated in this paper. The problem is formulated based on the Buongiorno nanofluid model with the electrical body force due to the EDL being considered in the momentum equation. As one of the highlights of the present investigation, the unphysical assumption introduced in previous studies often leading to the discontinuities of flow field that the electrostatic potential in the middle of the channel has to be equal to zero is eliminated. In addition, the inappropriate assumption that the pressure constant is treated as a known condition is also rectified. The new model is developed with the governing equations being reduced by a set of dimensionless quantities to a set of coupled ordinary differential equations. Based on the analytical approximations, the influences of various physical parameters on the flow field and temperature field, and the important physical quantities of practical interests are analysed and discussed in detail

Fatigue assessment of flange connections in offshore wind turbines under the initial flatness divergence

Bolted ring flange connections are widely utilized in offshore wind turbines to connect steel tubular segments. After the massive production and installation of offshore wind turbines in the past decade, flatness divergence is regarded as one of the most important initial imperfections for the fatigue design of flange connections. Offshore wind turbines are subjected to wind, wave, and current loads. This initial imperfection may alter the structural response and accelerate the fatigue crack growth. This paper aims to analyse the impact of the initial flatness divergence on the structural response of flange connections and evaluate its consequences on fatigue damage. Two different offshore wind turbines with fixed foundations and floating foundations are modelled to simulate their global responses to environmental loads. Based on a superposition method, local finite-element models of flange connections are established with three types of flatness divergence. Using the same bolt pretension and external loads from global modelling, the impact of these geometric imperfections is further examined by comparing the structural responses of flanges under different radial and peripheral opening lengths. Then, the fatigue assessments on flange connections in both fixed wind turbines and floating wind turbines are conducted, and the impacts of initial flatness divergence on these two different wind turbines are analysed

Unsteady Bioconvection Squeezing Flow in a Horizontal Channel with Chemical Reaction and Magnetic Field Effects

The time-dependent mixed bioconvection flow of an electrically conducting fluid between two infinite parallel plates in the presence of a magnetic field and a first-order chemical reaction is investigated. The fully coupled nonlinear systems describing the total mass, momentum, thermal energy, mass diffusion, and microorganisms equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations via a set of new similarity transformations. The detailed analysis illustrating the influences of various physical parameters such as the magnetic, squeezing, and chemical reaction parameters and the Schmidt and Prandtl numbers on the distributions of temperature and microorganisms as well as the skin friction and the Nusselt number is presented. The conclusion is drawn that the flow field, temperature, and chemical reaction profiles are significantly influenced by magnetic parameter, heat generation/absorption parameter, and chemical parameter. Some examples of potential applications of such bioconvection could be found in pharmaceutical industry, microfluidic devices, microbial enhanced oil recovery, modeling oil, and gas-bearing sedimentary basins

Study of a prediction model for acute penetrating artery territory infarction based on machine learning

Objective To evaluate the performance of prediction models for acute penetrating artery territory occlusive cerebral infarction based on machine learning algorithms and select the optimal model， aiming to provide evidence for clinical management of acute penetrating artery territory infarction. Methods A total of 441 patients diagnosed with acute perforator artery territory infarction were enrolled in this study. Patients with incomplete clinical information （n = 10） and multiple cerebral infarctions （n = 28） were excluded， resulting in a final sample size of 403 patients. The outcome variables were divided into two groups： good prognosis （mRS scores of 0-2） and poor prognosis （mRS scores>2）. Univariate and multi-variate Logistic regression （LR） using the stepwise regression method were employed to identify prediction variables. LR， random forest （RF） and support vector machine （SVM） models were utilized to develop a prognostic prediction model. The dataset was further divided randomly into a training set and a test set in a 7：3 ratio. In the test set， the predictive performance of the model for 90-day functional prognosis in patients with BAD （with poor prognosis defined as mRS scores > 2） was evaluated using metric such as the area under the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve （AUC）， accuracy， sensitivity and specificity， etc. Results Among 403 patients with BAD， 68.73% of them were male， with an average age of （60.4±11.4） years. Using the stepwise regression method， 7 prediction variables were selected from a pool of 44 variables： white blood cell count， platelet count， blood glucose， cholesterol， history of diabetes mellitus， history of taking hypoglycemic drugs， and history of smoking （all P < 0.05）. The AUC of LR， RF and SVN for predicting clinical prognosis was 0.610， 0.690， and 0.780， respectively. Conclusions Machine learning algorithms have demonstrated certain predictive ability for acute penetrating artery territory infarction. The performance of RF and SVM models （nonlinear models） is superior to traditional logistic regression model （linear model）

Preparation and characterisation of manganese and iron compounds as potential control-release foliar fertilisers

Nanoscale crystals containing manganese and iron as potential foliar fertilizers have been further investigated with the experience accumulated from previous research on potential zinc foliar fertilizer. Compared to Zn(II), Mn(II) and Fe(II) are easily oxidisable in ambient environment, adding stricter criteria to compound selection to prevent oxidation. Adoption of phosphate buffer saline system and chelate have been proposed as the solution and extensively assessed in this paper. After quick co-precipitation, as-prepared crystals were characterised via XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, elemental analysis, and AAS to confirm the compositions and two-dimensional nanoscale morphology and assess the nutrient ion release and aqueous stability. In particular, the available Mn concentration in manganese ammonium phosphate and manganese oxalate suspensions was similar to 10 and similar to 110 mg/L, respectively. In comparison, ferrous ammonium phosphate and ferrous oxalate suspensions contained similar to 10 and similar to 30 mg/L of iron ions, respectively. Therefore, these suspensions can all be used as long-term foliar fertilizers for the correction of Mn and Fe deficiency in plants

The level effect and volatility effect of uncertainty shocks in China

Previous studies have assumed that the volatility of exogenous shocks is constant, which can only measure the level effects of uncertain shocks. This article introduces the time-varying volatility model into a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (D.S.G.E.) model and uses the third-order perturbation method to identify and decompose the level and volatility effects of uncertainty shocks. Based on the results of empirical research in China, the effect of volatility shocks is different from that of level shocks: the effect of level shocks is direct and positive, and its impact is larger, while the effect of volatility shocks is indirect and negative, and its impact is smaller. This article also finds that the impact of uncertainty shocks will lead to economic stagnation, inflation, and the stagflation effect

An integrated hydrodynamics and control model of a tethered underwater robot

An integrated hydrodynamics and control model to simulate tethered underwater robot system is proposed. The governing equation of the umbilical cable is based on a finite difference method, the hydrodynamic behaviors of the underwater robot are described by the six-degrees-of-freedom equations of motion for submarine simulations, and a controller based on the fuzzy sliding mode control (FSMC) algorithm is also incorporated. Fluid motion around the main body of moving robot with running control ducted propellers is governed by the Navier–Stokes equations and these nonlinear differential equations are solved numerically via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The hydrodynamics and control behaviors of the tethered underwater robot under certain designated trajectory and attitude control manipulation are then investigated based on the established hydrodynamics and control model. The results indicate that satisfactory control effect can be achieved and hydrodynamic behavior under the control operation can be observed with the model; much kinematic and dynamic information about tethered underwater robot system can be forecasted, including translational and angular motions of the robot, hydrodynamic loading on the robot, manipulation actions produced by the control propellers, the kinematic and dynamic behaviors of the umbilical cable. Since these hydrodynamic effects are fed into the proposed coupled model, the mutual hydrodynamic influences of different portions of the robot system as well as the hydrological factors of the undersea environment for the robot operation are incorporated in the model

Study on applicability of energy-saving devices to hydrogen fuel cell-powered ships

The decarbonisation of waterborne transport is arguably the biggest challenge faced by the maritime industry presently. By 2050, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry by 50% compared to 2008, with a vision to phase out fossil fuels by the end of the century as a matter of urgency. To meet such targets, action must be taken immediately to address the barriers to adopt the various clean shipping options currently at different technological maturity levels. Green hydrogen as an alternative fuel presents an attractive solution to meet future targets from international bodies and is seen as a viable contributor within a future clean shipping vision. The cost of hydrogen fuel—in the short-term at least—is higher compared to conventional fuel; therefore, energy-saving devices (ESDs) for ships are more important than ever, as implementation of rules and regulations restrict the use of fossil fuels while promoting zero-emission technology. However, existing and emerging ESDs in standalone/combination for traditional fossil fuel driven vessels have not been researched to assess their compatibility for hydrogen-powered ships, which present new challenges and considerations within their design and operation. Therefore, this review aims to bridge that gap by firstly identifying the new challenges that a hydrogen-powered propulsion system brings forth and then reviewing the quantitative energy saving capability and qualitive additional benefits of individual existing and emerging ESDs in standalone and combination, with recommendations for the most applicable ESD combinations with hydrogen-powered waterborne transport presented to maximise energy saving and minimise the negative impact on the propulsion system components. In summary, the most compatible combination ESDs for hydrogen will depend largely on factors such as vessel types, routes, propulsion, operation, etc. However, the mitigation of load fluctuations commonly encountered during a vessels operation was viewed to be a primary area of interest as it can have a negative impact on hydrogen propulsion system components such as the fuel cell; therefore, the ESD combination that can maximise energy savings as well as minimise the fluctuating loads experienced would be viewed as the most compatible with hydrogen-powered waterborne transport