Mass transfer characteristics in structured packing for CO2 emission reduction processes

Acid gas treating and CO2 capture from flue gas by absorption have gained wide importance over the past few decades. With the implementation of more stringent environmental regulations and the awareness of the greenhouse effect, the need for efficient removal of acid gases such as CO2 (carbon dioxide) has increased significantly. Therefore, additional effort for research in this field is inevitable. For flue gas processes the ratio of absorption solvent to gas throughput is very different compared to acid gas treating processes owing to the atmospheric pressures and the dilution effect of combustion air. Moreover, in flue gas applications pressure drop is a very important process parameter. Packing types are required that allow for low pressure drop in combination with high interfacial areas at low liquid loading per square meter. The determination of interfacial areas in gas-liquid contactors by means of the chemical method (Danckwerts, P. V. Gas-liquid reactions; McGraw-Hill: London, 1970) has been very frequently applied. Unfortunately, many of the model systems proposed in the literature are reversible and therefore this condition possibly is not met. Versteeg et al. (Versteeg, G. F.; Kuipers, J. A. M.; Beckum, F. P. H.; van Swaaij, W. P. M. Chem. Eng. Sci. 1989, 44, 2292) have demonstrated that for reversible reactions the conditions for the determination of the interfacial area by means of the chemical method are much more severe. In a study by Raynal et al. (Raynal, L.; Ballaguet, J. P.; Berrere-Tricca, C. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2004, 59, 5395), it has been shown that there is a dependency of the interfacial area on the packing height. Unfortunately, most model systems used, e.g., CO2-caustic soda (as used by Raynal et al.), are much more complex and consist of (a set of) reversible reaction(s). The natures of these systems make the conditions at which the interfacial area can be determined much more severe and put more limitations on the process conditions and experimental equipment than a priori can be expected. Therefore, an extended absorption model is required to determine the conditions at which the interfacial area can be measured without detailed knowledge of the values of the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient, k1, beforehand.

Generation of density inhomogeneities by magnetohydrodynamic waves in two dimensions

Using two dimensional simulations, we study the formation of structures with a high-density contrast by magnetohydrodynamic waves in regions in which the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure is small. The initial state is a uniform background perturbed by fast-mode wave. Our most significant result is that dense structures persist for far longer in a two-dimensional simulation than in the one-dimensional case. Once formed, these structures persist as long as the fast-mode amplitude remains high.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, accepted by MNRA

A binary signature in the non-thermal radio-emitter Cyg OB2 #9

Aims: Non-thermal radio emission associated with massive stars is believed to arise from a wind-wind collision in a binary system. However, the evidence of binarity is still lacking in some cases, notably Cyg OB2 #9 Methods: For several years, we have been monitoring this heavily-reddened star from various observatories. This campaign allowed us to probe variations both on short and long timescales and constitutes the first in-depth study of the visible spectrum of this object. Results: Our observations provide the very first direct evidence of a companion in Cyg OB2 #9, confirming the theoretical wind-wind collision scenario. These data suggest a highly eccentric orbit with a period of a few years, compatible with the 2yr-timescale measured in the radio range. In addition, the signature of the wind-wind collision is very likely reflected in the behaviour of some emission lines.Comment: accepted by A&A, 4 p, 3figure

Strong coupling of magnons in a YIG sphere to photons in a planar superconducting resonator in the quantum limit

We report measurements of a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator (CPWR) coupled to a sphere of yttrium-iron garnet. The non-uniform CPWR field allows us to excite various magnon modes in the sphere. Mode frequencies and relative coupling strengths are consistent with theory. Strong coupling is observed to several modes even with, on average, less than one excitation present in the CPWR. The time response to square pulses shows oscillations at the mode splitting frequency. These results indicate the feasibility of combining magnonic and planar superconducting quantum devices.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Shock-triggered formation of magnetically-dominated clouds

To understand the formation of a magnetically dominated molecular cloud out of an atomic cloud, we follow the dynamical evolution of the cloud with a time-dependent axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic code. A thermally stable warm atomic cloud is initially in static equilibrium with the surrounding hot ionised gas. A shock propagating through the hot medium interacts with the cloud. As a fast-mode shock propagates through the cloud, the gas behind it becomes thermally unstable. The $\beta$ value of the gas also becomes much smaller than the initial value of order unity. These conditions are ideal for magnetohydrodynamic waves to produce high-density clumps embedded in a rarefied warm medium. A slow-mode shock follows the fast-mode shock. Behind this shock a dense shell forms, which subsequently fragments. This is a primary region for the formation of massive stars. Our simulations show that only weak and moderate-strength shocks can form cold clouds which have properties typical of giant molecular clouds.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Interacties tussen metaal en keramiek

Een beschrijving wordt gegeven van het onderzoeksprogramma metaalkeramiek interacties van het CTK binnen het kader van het IOP-TK. Het gebruik van breukmechanische methoden naast de gebruikelijke sterktemetingen wordt aanbevolen. Enkele eerste resultaten aan SiC-Ni en SiC-Fe laten zien dat er uitsluitend diffusie van Ni en Fe optreedt en niet zoals in de literatuur beschreven wederzijdse diffusie

Non-thermal radio emission from O-type stars. IV. Cyg OB2 No. 8A

We study the non-thermal radio emission of the binary Cyg OB2 No. 8A, to see if it is variable and if that variability is locked to the orbital phase. We investigate if the synchrotron emission generated in the colliding-wind region of this binary can explain the observations and we verify that our proposed model is compatible with the X-ray data. We use both new and archive radio data from the Very Large Array (VLA) to construct a light curve as a function of orbital phase. We also present new X-ray data that allow us to improve the X-ray light curve. We develop a numerical model for the colliding-wind region and the synchrotron emission it generates. The model also includes free-free absorption and emission due to the stellar winds of both stars. In this way we construct artificial radio light curves and compare them with the observed one. The observed radio fluxes show phase-locked variability. Our model can explain this variability because the synchrotron emitting region is not completely hidden by the free-free absorption. In order to obtain a better agreement for the phases of minimum and maximum flux we need to use stellar wind parameters for the binary components which are somewhat different from typical values for single stars. We verify that the change in stellar parameters does not influence the interpretation of the X-ray light curve. Our model has trouble explaining the observed radio spectral index. This could indicate the presence of clumping or porosity in the stellar wind, which - through its influence on both the Razin effect and the free-free absorption - can considerably influence the spectral index. Non-thermal radio emitters could therefore open a valuable pathway to investigate the difficult issue of clumping in stellar winds.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, accepted by A&