38 research outputs found
Erosion Prediction of Gas Turbine Compressor Blades Subjected to Water Washing Process
Technical BriefsBlade fouling is a relevant problem in turbomachinery applications.
It affects both compressors and turbines. In the first
case, fouling can be generated by the presence of dust, ashes or
brackish air (in offshore applications). In turbines, fouling is
mainly generated by residual of combustion process. Blade
fouling generally leads to a reduction of the performance due to
an increase on profile losses. Here we focus on the fouling due
to salt deposition on naval/off-shore applications referring to
machines that are part of the fleet of gas turbines manufacturers.
In such applications, it is common to introduce on-line
washing devices aiming at removing fouling from the early
stages of the compressors. The water is sprayed upstream of the
first rotor, it impacts on the rotor blades and thus dissolving the
deposited salt. However, this procedure possibly leads to blade
erosion and/or corrosion. A clear comprehension of the erosion
mechanism is the main objective of the present work. To this
end, we propose an integrated multi-phase CFD tool. The multi-phase
flow is analyzed by adopting a one-way coupling, thus
assuming water droplets to be drag by the carrier flow without
influencing the main flow. The droplets are dispersed and
tracked singularly by adopting a Lagrangian approach. As for
the erosion, well-known and widely accepted models are used.
The capability of a Lagrangian code, P-Track, developed
and validated at the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace
Engineering, Sapienza University in Rome, is presented. The
code is able to predict the droplets trajectories, as well as to
simulate the impact on the solid walls and the erosion mechanism.
Simulations were performed using 25 and 100 ?m droplet
size. Results, expressed in terms of normalized erosion rate,
show the erosion patterns and erosive effect of the two size
classes. Erosive capacity is proportional to droplet size, and the
most eroded part of the blade is the leading edge, which is in
qualitative agreement with measurements
Erosion Prediction of Gas Turbine Compressor Blades Subjected to Water Washing Process
Technical BriefsBlade fouling is a relevant problem in turbomachinery applications.
It affects both compressors and turbines. In the first
case, fouling can be generated by the presence of dust, ashes or
brackish air (in offshore applications). In turbines, fouling is
mainly generated by residual of combustion process. Blade
fouling generally leads to a reduction of the performance due to
an increase on profile losses. Here we focus on the fouling due
to salt deposition on naval/off-shore applications referring to
machines that are part of the fleet of gas turbines manufacturers.
In such applications, it is common to introduce on-line
washing devices aiming at removing fouling from the early
stages of the compressors. The water is sprayed upstream of the
first rotor, it impacts on the rotor blades and thus dissolving the
deposited salt. However, this procedure possibly leads to blade
erosion and/or corrosion. A clear comprehension of the erosion
mechanism is the main objective of the present work. To this
end, we propose an integrated multi-phase CFD tool. The multi-phase
flow is analyzed by adopting a one-way coupling, thus
assuming water droplets to be drag by the carrier flow without
influencing the main flow. The droplets are dispersed and
tracked singularly by adopting a Lagrangian approach. As for
the erosion, well-known and widely accepted models are used.
The capability of a Lagrangian code, P-Track, developed
and validated at the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace
Engineering, Sapienza University in Rome, is presented. The
code is able to predict the droplets trajectories, as well as to
simulate the impact on the solid walls and the erosion mechanism.
Simulations were performed using 25 and 100 ?m droplet
size. Results, expressed in terms of normalized erosion rate,
show the erosion patterns and erosive effect of the two size
classes. Erosive capacity is proportional to droplet size, and the
most eroded part of the blade is the leading edge, which is in
qualitative agreement with measurements
Radiolabeled PET/MRI Nanoparticles for Tumor Imaging
The development of integrated positron emission tomography (PET)/ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners opened a new scenario for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Multimodal imaging combines functional and morphological information from different modalities, which, singularly, cannot provide a comprehensive pathophysiological overview. Molecular imaging exploits multimodal imaging in order to obtain information at a biological and cellular level; in this way, it is possible to track biological pathways and discover many typical tumoral features. In this context, nanoparticle-based contrast agents (CAs) can improve probe biocompatibility and biodistribution, prolonging blood half-life to achieve specific target accumulation and non-toxicity. In addition, CAs can be simultaneously delivered with drugs or, in general, therapeutic agents gathering a dual diagnostic and therapeutic effect in order to perform cancer diagnosis and treatment simultaneous. The way for personalized medicine is not so far. Herein, we report principles, characteristics, applications, and concerns of nanoparticle (NP)-based PET/MRI CAs
Expression and potential role of the peptide orexin-A in prostate cancer
The peptides orexin-A and orexin-B and their G protein-coupled OX1 and OX2 receptors are involved in multiple physiological processes in the central nervous system and peripheral organs. Altered expression or signaling dysregulation of orexins and their receptors have been associated with a wide range of human diseases including narcolepsy, obesity, drug addiction, and cancer. Although orexin-A, its precursor molecule prepro-orexin and OX1 receptor have been detected in the human normal and hyperplastic prostate tissues, their expression and function in the prostate cancer (PCa) remains to be addressed. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the immunohistochemical localization of orexin-A in human PCa specimens, and the expression of prepro-orexin and OX1 receptor at both protein and mRNA levels in these tissues. Orexin-A administration to the human androgen-dependent prostate carcinoma cells LNCaP up-regulates OX1 receptor expression resulting in a decrease of cell survival. Noteworthy, nanomolar concentrations of the peptide counteract the testosterone-induced nuclear translocation of the androgen receptor in the cells: the orexin-A action is prevented by the addition of the OX1 receptor antagonist SB-408124 to the test system. These findings indicate that orexin-A/OX1 receptor interaction interferes with the activity of the androgen receptor which regulates PCa onset and progression, thus suggesting that orexin-A and its receptor might represent novel therapeutic targets to challenge this aggressive cancer
A Sketch-Based System for Teaching Geometry
Interactive Whiteboards (IWs) have been massively in- troduced in schools. While the benefits of these devices in the learning process are well known, dedicated software lack of functionality. In particular, most of the existing tools for IWs are an adaptation of classical software used on Per- sonal Computers, mainly based on buttons and menus. The objective of the research presented in this paper is to com- pletely re-think the interaction paradigm of the software for the IW, in such a way that the input is only composed of pen draws and hand-touches. In order to test this idea in practice, we apply it to the case of the teaching of geom- etry. Hence, more specifically, in this paper we propose a smart sketch-based tutoring system for IW that combines the recognition of hand-drawn geometrical shapes to the use of multi-touch gestures to support the editing of the drawn shapes
A Sketch-Based System for Teaching Geometry
Interactive Whiteboards (IWs) have been massively in- troduced in schools. While the benefits of these devices in the learning process are well known, dedicated software lack of functionality. In particular, most of the existing tools for IWs are an adaptation of classical software used on Per- sonal Computers, mainly based on buttons and menus. The objective of the research presented in this paper is to com- pletely re-think the interaction paradigm of the software for the IW, in such a way that the input is only composed of pen draws and hand-touches. In order to test this idea in practice, we apply it to the case of the teaching of geom- etry. Hence, more specifically, in this paper we propose a smart sketch-based tutoring system for IW that combines the recognition of hand-drawn geometrical shapes to the use of multi-touch gestures to support the editing of the drawn shapes