Synthesis of FeCu Nanopowder by Levitational Gas Condensation Process

Condensation from the vapor state is an important technique for the preparation of nanopowders. Levitational gas condensation is one such technique that has a unique ability of attaining steady state. Here, we present the results of applying this technique to an iron-copper alloy (96Fe-4Cu). A qualitative model of the process is proposed to understand the process and the characteristics of resultant powder. A phase diagram of the alloy system in the liquid-vapor region was calculated to help understand the course of condensation, especially partitioning and coring during processing. The phase diagram could not explain coring in view of the simultaneous occurrence of solidification and the fast homogenization through diffusion in the nanoparticles; however, it could predict the very low levels of copper observed in the levitated drop. The enrichment of copper observed near the surface of the powder was considered to be a manifestation of the lower surface energy of copper compared with that of iron. Heat transfer calculations indicated that most condensed particles can undergo solidification even when they are still in the proximity of the levitated drop. It helped us to predict the temperature and the cooling rate of the powder particles as they move away from the levitated drop. The particles formed by the process seem to be single domain, single crystals that are magnetic in nature. They, thus, can agglomerate by forming a chain-like structure, which manifests as a three-dimensional network enclosing a large unoccupied space, as noticed in scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies. This also explains the observed low packing density of the nanopowders.

Effect of sintering on optical, structural and photoluminescence properties of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel process

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates via sol-gel technique using zinc acetate dihydrate as precursor by spin coating of the sol at 2000 rpm. Effects of annealing temperature on optical, structural and photo luminescence properties of the deposited ZnO films have been investigated. The phase transition from amorphous to polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure was observed at an annealing temperature of 400 degrees C. An average transmittance of 87% in the visible region has been obtained at room temperature. The optical transmittance has slightly increased with increase of annealing temperature. The band gap energy was estimated by Tauc's method and found to be 3.22 eV at room temperature. The optical band gap energy has decreased with increasing annealing temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity increased with annealing temperature up to 200 degrees C and decreased at 300 degrees C. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adsorption-nucleation/growth based model for electrochemical phase formation and Avrami ansatz for a multicomponent competitive growth process

The existing models describing electrochemical phase formation involving both adsorption and a nucleation/growth process are modified. The limiting cases leading to the existing models are discussed. The characteristic features of the potentiostatic transients are presented. A generalization of the Avrami ansatz is given for two or more competitive irreversibly growing phases.

Bayesian Analysis of a Superimposed Renewal Process

Stochastic behavior of an aero-engine failure/repair process has been analyzed from a Bayesian perspective. Number of failures/repairs in the component-sockets of this multi-component system are assumed to follow independent renewal processes with Weibull inter-arrival times. Based on the field failure/repair data of a large number of such engines and independent Gamma priors on the scale parameters and log-concave priors on the shape parameters, an exact method of sampling from the resulting posterior distributions of the parameters has been proposed. These generated parameter values are next utilised in obtaining the posteriors of the expected number of system repairs, system failure rate, and the conditional intensity function, which are computed using a recursive formula.

Effect of process variables on die-billet temperature history in a slow speed hot coining type process

A computer code is developed as a part of an ongoing project on computer aided process modelling of forging operation, to simulate heat transfer in a die-billet system. The code developed on a stage-by-stage technique is based on an Alternating Direction Implicit scheme. The experimentally validated code is used to study the effect of process specifics such as preheat die temperature, machine ascent time, rate of deformation, and dwell time on the thermal characteristics in a batch coining operation where deformation is restricted to surface level only.

Semi-Supervised Classification Using Sparse Gaussian Process Regression

Gaussian Processes (GPs) are promising Bayesian methods for classification and regression problems. They have also been used for semi-supervised learning tasks. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for solving semi-supervised binary classification problem using sparse GP regression (GPR) models. It is closely related to semi-supervised learning based on support vector regression (SVR) and maximum margin clustering. The proposed algorithm is simple and easy to implement. It gives a sparse solution directly unlike the SVR based algorithm. Also, the hyperparameters are estimated easily without resorting to expensive cross-validation technique. Use of sparse GPR model helps in making the proposed algorithm scalable. Preliminary results on synthetic and real-world data sets demonstrate the efficacy of the new algorithm.

Role of barriers to conformational changes in ketones undergoing the Norrish type II process

The Norrish type II process is examined in three ketones containing primary, secondary and tertiary C---H bonds in the γ position relative to the carbonyl groups; the MINDO/3 semiempirical self-consistent field (SCF) molecular orbital (MO) method was used with complete geometry optimization in the unrestricted Hartree—Fock frame for the open-shell species. Results show that barriers to conformational change in ketones play an important role in the triplet reaction.

The Mechanism Of The Hydrogen Abstraction Process By Photo-Excited Ketones

Qualitative potential energy surfaces for hydrogen abstraction from alkanes containing primary, secondary and tertiary C-H bonds by a photo-excited ketone have been reported, The results suggest that the activation barriers for these processes decrease in the order primary > secondary > tertiary in agreement with the observed trend in the rate constants. The analysis of the electronic structure of the transition-state reveal that electron-transfer from hydrocarbon to ketone and formation of a new bond are almost synchronous in the hydrogen transfer process. The tunneling of hydrogen is not important in the normal temperature region even though the barriers are small.

A New Liquid Level Sensor for Process-Control Applications

Many process-control systems are air-operated. In such an environment, it would be desirable and economical to use pneumatic sensors. Bubble-back pressure sensors perform quite satisfactorily, but in case of viscous inflammable and slurry-like liquids with a tendency to froth, this level sensor is inadequate. The method suggested in this paper utilizes a pneumatic capacitor, one boundary of which is formed by the liquid level, to modulate a fluid amplifier feedback oscillator. The absence of moving parts and economy obtained makes this method attractive for process-control applications. The system has been mathematically modeled and simulated on an IBM 360/44 digital computer. Experimental values compare fairly well with the theoretical results. For the range tested, the sensor is found to have a linear frequency variation with the liquid level Extended running in the laboratory shows that the system is very reliable. This system has been found insensitive to temperature variations of up to 15ðC.

Mechanism of gel-to-crystallite conversion process in the synthesis of nanocrystalline multinary oxides

Description of gel-to-crystallite conversion process is made towards the synthesis of nanocrystalline titanates and aluminates. Thermodynamic and kinetic factors governing the conversion of a gel to meta-stable and stable nanocrystalline products(s) are discussed. Correlations between these factors and the preparative conditions employed for the syntheses of titanates and aluminates are arrived at.

Compensator for constant relative stability in process control systems

Process control systems are designed for a closed-loop peak magnitude of 2dB, which corresponds to a damping coefficient () of 0.5 approximately. With this specified constraint, the designer should choose and/or design the loop components to maintain a constant relative stability. However, the manipulative variable in almost all chemical processes will be the flow rate of a process stream. Since the gains and the time constants of the process will be functions of the manipulative variable, a constant relative stability cannot be maintained. Up to now, this problem has been overcome either by selecting proper control valve flow characteristics or by gain scheduling of controller parameters. Nevertheless, if a wrong control valve selection is made then one has to account for huge loss in controllability or eventually it may lead to an unstable control system. To overcome these problems, a compensator device that can bring back the relative stability of the control system was proposed. This compensator is similar to a dynamic nonlinear controller that has both online and offline information on several factors related to the control system. The design and analysis of the proposed compensator is discussed in this article. Finally, the performance of the compensator is validated by applying it to a two-tank blending process. It has been observed that by using a compensator in the process control system, the relative stability could be brought back to a great extent despite the effects of changes in manipulative flow rate.

Solid State Electrochemical Sensors in Process Control

The basic principles of operation of gas sensors based on solid-state galvanic cells are described. The polarisation of the electrodes can be minimised by the use of point electrodes made of the solid electrolyte, the use of a reference system with chemical potential close to that of the sample system and the use of graded condensed phase reference electrodes. Factors affecting the speed of response of galvanic sensors in equilibrium and non-equilibrium gas mixtures are considered with reference to products of combustion of fossil fuels. An expression for the emf of non-isothermal galvanic sensors and the criterion for the design of temperature compensated reference electrodes for non-isothermal galvanic sensors are briefly outlined. Non-isothermal sensors are useful for the continuous monitoring of concentrations or chemical potentials in reactive systems at high temperatures. Sensors for oxygen, carbon, and alloying elements (Zn and Si) in liquid metals and alloys are discussed. The use of auxiliary electrodes permits the detection of chemical species in the gas phase which are not mobile in the solid electrolyte. Finally, the cause of common errors in galvanic measurements, and tests for correct functioning of galvanic sensors are given. 60 ref.--AA