Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Different Volutes in a Centrifugal Compressor

In a centrifugal compressor the flow around the diffuser is collected and led to the pipe system by a spiral-shaped volute. In this study a single-stage centrifugal compressor with three different volutes is investigated. The compressorwas first equipped with the original volute, the cross-section of which was a combination of a rectangle and semi-circle. Next a new volute with a fully circular cross-section was designed and manufactured. Finally, the circular volute wasmodified by rounding the tongue and smoothing the tongue area. The overall performance of the compressor as well as the static pressure distribution after the impeller and on the volute surface were measured. The flow entering the volute was measured using a three-hole Cobra-probe, and flow visualisations were carriedout in the exit cone of the volute. In addition, the radial force acting on theimpeller was measured using magnetic bearings. The complete compressor with thecircular volute (inlet pipe, full impeller, diffuser, volute and outlet pipe) was also modelled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A fully 3-D viscous flow was solved using a Navier-Stokes solver, Finflo, developed at Helsinki University of Technology. Chien's k-e model was used to take account of the turbulence. The differences observed in the performance of the different volutes were quite small. The biggest differences were at low speeds and high volume flows,i.e. when the flow entered the volute most radially. In this operating regime the efficiency of the compressor with the modified circular volute was about two percentage points higher than with the other volutes. Also, according to the Cobra-probe measurements and flow visualisations, the modified circular volute performed better than the other volutes in this operating area. The circumferential static pressure distribution in the volute showed increases at low flow, constant distribution at the design flow and decrease at high flow. The non-uniform static pressure distribution of the volute was transmitted backwards across the vaneless diffuser and observed at the impeller exit. At low volume flow a strong two-wave pattern developed into the static pressure distribution at the impeller exit due to the response of the impeller to the non-uniformity of pressure. The radial force of the impeller was the greatest at the choke limit, the smallest atthe design flow, and moderate at low flow. At low flow the force increase was quite mild, whereas the increase at high flow was rapid. Thus, the non-uniformityof pressure and the force related to it are strong especially at high flow. Theforce caused by the modified circular volute was weaker at choke and more symmetric as a function of the volume flow than the force caused by the other volutes.

Toms-ilmiön vaikutuksen mallinnus turbulenssivirtauksessa

Diplomityön tavoitteena oli laatia putkivirtaukselle laskentamalli, joka huomioi turbulenssin vaimentamiseen käytetyn lisäaineen vaikutuksen. Kirjallisuusosassa käsitellään turbulenssiin ja putkiston painehäviön laskentaan liittyviä asioita. Lisäksi käydään läpi virtausvastusta alentavien aineiden (DRA-aineiden) ominaisuuksia, vaikutusmekanismia ja niiden vaikutusta virtausominaisuuksiin sekä laskentamalleihin. Kokeellisessa osassa laadittiin kaksi Excel-pohjaista laskentamallia, joilla huomioitiin lisäaineen vaikutus putkiston virtausmäärien parantumiseen ja painehäviöihin. Malli I laskee ensin virtausvastuksen alenemisen (DR-efektin) annetuista lähtötiedoista. DR-efektien perusteella saadaan laskettua putkiston painehäviötiedot. Malli II laskee ensin virtausvastuskertoimet ilman DRA-ainetta ja DRA-aineen kanssa. Tämän jälkeen malli II laskee DR-efektin. Mallien vaatimat lähtötiedot koostuvat virtausmääristä, fluidin ominaisuuksista, polymeerin ominaisuuksista, lisäaineen annostelutiedoista ja putkiston tiedoista.

Huulisuihkun homogeenisuuden vaikutus paperin rakenneominaisuuksiin

Työssä verrattiin perälaatikoilla 1 ja 2 valmistettujen papereiden rakenteellisia ominaisuuksia. Paperin rakenteessa formaatio oli tärkein ominaisuus ja sen jälkeen kuituorientaatio. Näytteiden valintaperusteena pidettiin sitä, että vertailtavilla näytteillä formaatio (pohja) oli paras kyseisellä perälaatikolla ja vetolujuussuhteet olivat samoja. Toinen valintatapa oli verrata samoissa virtausolosuhteissa valmistettuja papereita keskenään. Näytteiden formaatio mitattiin betaradiografialla. Fosforikuvalevystä skannattu kuva analysoitiin kuva-analyysillä. Mittauksen etuna oli suuri erottelukyky, joka mahdollisti monipuolisen tunnuslukujen laskennan. Näistä esimerkkeinä olivat keskihajonta, vinous ja huipukkuus. Lisäksi määritettiin flokkikokojakaumat sekä kone- että poikkisuuntaan. Kuituorientaation määrityksessä paperinäyte revittiin kerroksiin, kerrokset skannattiin ja kuvat analysoitiin kuvankäsittelyohjelmilla. Juova- ja kuituorientaatioanalyysissä määritettiin orientaatiokulma, max/min-arvo ja anisotropia. Virtaviiva-analyysin tunnusluku oli pyörrekoko. Käytettäessä tunnuslukuna variaatiokerrointa formaatio oli parempi perälaatikolla 1 ali- ja yliperällä. Tasaperän läheisyydessä formaatio oli huonompi. Keskihajonta oli pienempi perälaatikolla 1, mutta erot perälaatikoiden välillä tasaantuivat lähellä tasaperää. Flokkikoko oli koko s/v-alueella hieman suurempi perälaatikolla 1. Virtaviiva-analyysin avulla saatiin selville, että perälaatikolla 1 valmistettujen papereiden paikallinen orientaatiovaihtelu ja pintojen toispuoleisuus oli lievempää kuin perälaatikolla 2.

Will climate change increase the risk of plant invasions into mountains?

Mountain ecosystems have been less adversely affected by invasions of non-native plants than most other ecosystems, partially because most invasive plants in the lowlands are limited by climate and cannot grow under harsher high-elevation conditions. However, with ongoing climate change, invasive species may rapidly move upwards and threaten mid- then high-elevation mountain ecosystems. We evaluated this threat by predicting current and future potential distributions of 48 invasive plant species distributed in Switzerland (CH) and New South Wales (NSW), two areas where climate interacts differently with the elevation gradient. Using a species distribution modeling approach combining two scales, which builds on high-resolution data (< 250 m) but accounts for the global climatic niche of species, we found that different environmental drivers limit the elevation range of invasive species in the two regions, leading to region-specific species responses to climate change. Whereas the optimal suitability for plant invaders is predicted to markedly shift from the lowland to the montane or subalpine zone in CH, such an upward shift is far less pronounced in NSW where montane and subalpine elevations are currently already suitable. Non-native species able to invade the upper reaches of mountains in a future climate will be cold-tolerant in the Swiss Alps but preferring wet soils in the Australian Alps. Other plant traits were only marginally associated with elevation limits. These results demonstrate that a more systematic consideration of future distributions of invasive species is required in conservation plans of not yet invaded mountainous ecosystems.

Phase diagram and complex patterns in the modeling of the bromate-oxalic acid-Ce-acetone oscillating reaction

Simulations have been carried out on the bromate - oxalic acid - Ce(IV) - acetone oscillating reaction, under flow conditions, using Field and Boyd's model (J. Phys. Chem. 1985, 89, 3707). Many different complex dynamic behaviors were found, including simple periodic oscillations, complex periodic oscillations, quasiperiodicity and chaos. Some of these complex oscillations can be understood as belonging to a Farey sequence. The many different behaviors were systematized in a phase diagram which shows that some regions of complex patterns were nested with one inside the other. The existence of almost all known dynamic behavior for this system allows the suggestion that it can be used as a model for some very complex phenomena that occur in biological systems.

Potentials of process intensification in the Finnish petrochemical industry

This research was motivated by the need to examine the potential application areas of process intensification technologies in Neste Oil Oyj. According to the company’s interest membrane reactor technology was chosen and applicability of this technology in refining industry was investigated. Moreover, Neste Oil suggested a project which is related to the CO2 capture from FCC unit flue gas stream. The flowrate of the flue gas is 180t/h and consist of approximately 14% by volume CO2. Membrane based absorption process (membrane contactor) was chosen as a potential technique to model CO2 capture from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit effluent. In the design of membrane contactor, a mathematical model was developed to describe CO2 absorption from a gas mixture using monoethanole amine (MEA) aqueous solution. According to the results of literature survey, in the hollow fiber contactor for laminar flow conditions approximately 99 % percent of CO2 can be removed by using a 20 cm in length polyvinylidene fluoride (PDVF) membrane. Furthermore, the design of whole process was performed by using PRO/II simulation software and the CO2 removal efficiency of the whole process obtained as 97 %. The technical and economical comparisons among existing MEA absorption processes were performed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of membrane contactor technology.

Effect of hydrodynamics on modelling, monitoring and control of crystallization

Crystallization is a purification method used to obtain crystalline product of a certain crystal size. It is one of the oldest industrial unit processes and commonly used in modern industry due to its good purification capability from rather impure solutions with reasonably low energy consumption. However, the process is extremely challenging to model and control because it involves inhomogeneous mixing and many simultaneous phenomena such as nucleation, crystal growth and agglomeration. All these phenomena are dependent on supersaturation, i.e. the difference between actual liquid phase concentration and solubility. Homogeneous mass and heat transfer in the crystallizer would greatly simplify modelling and control of crystallization processes, such conditions are, however, not the reality, especially in industrial scale processes. Consequently, the hydrodynamics of crystallizers, i.e. the combination of mixing, feed and product removal flows, and recycling of the suspension, needs to be thoroughly investigated. Understanding of hydrodynamics is important in crystallization, especially inlargerscale equipment where uniform flow conditions are difficult to attain. It is also important to understand different size scales of mixing; micro-, meso- and macromixing. Fast processes, like nucleation and chemical reactions, are typically highly dependent on micro- and mesomixing but macromixing, which equalizes the concentrations of all the species within the entire crystallizer, cannot be disregarded. This study investigates the influence of hydrodynamics on crystallization processes. Modelling of crystallizers with the mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) theory (ideal mixing), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and a compartmental multiblock model is compared. The importance of proper verification of CFD and multiblock models is demonstrated. In addition, the influence of different hydrodynamic conditions on reactive crystallization process control is studied. Finally, the effect of extreme local supersaturation is studied using power ultrasound to initiate nucleation. The present work shows that mixing and chemical feeding conditions clearly affect induction time and cluster formation, nucleation, growth kinetics, and agglomeration. Consequently, the properties of crystalline end products, e.g. crystal size and crystal habit, can be influenced by management of mixing and feeding conditions. Impurities may have varying impacts on crystallization processes. As an example, manganese ions were shown to replace magnesium ions in the crystal lattice of magnesium sulphate heptahydrate, increasing the crystal growth rate significantly, whereas sodium ions showed no interaction at all. Modelling of continuous crystallization based on MSMPR theory showed that the model is feasible in a small laboratoryscale crystallizer, whereas in larger pilot- and industrial-scale crystallizers hydrodynamic effects should be taken into account. For that reason, CFD and multiblock modelling are shown to be effective tools for modelling crystallization with inhomogeneous mixing. The present work shows also that selection of the measurement point, or points in the case of multiprobe systems, is crucial when process analytical technology (PAT) is used to control larger scale crystallization. The thesis concludes by describing how control of local supersaturation by highly localized ultrasound was successfully applied to induce nucleation and to control polymorphism in reactive crystallization of L-glutamic acid.

PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTING MICROBIAL INOCULANT FOR Schizolobium parahyba pv. parahyba

ABSTRACTSchizolobium parahyba pv. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) Barneby (paricá) occurs naturally in the Amazon and is significant commercial importance due to its rapid growth and excellent performance on cropping systems. The aim of this paper was to evaluate a microbial inoculants such as arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) and Rhizobium sp. that promote plant growth. The inocula was 10 g of root colonized and spores of Glomus clarum and/or 1 mL of cell suspension (107 CFU/mL) of Rhizobium sp. and/or 100 g of chemical fertilizer NPK 20-05-20 per planting hole. The experimental design was complete randomized blocks with five replications and eight treatments (n = 800). Plant height, stem diameter and plant survival were measured. The results were tested for normality and homogeneity of variances and analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey test (p < 0.05). Rhizobium sp and AM fungi showed no effect on plant growth. Environmental factors probably influenced the effectiveness of symbiosis of both microorganisms and plant growth. The chemical fertilizer increased S. parahyba growth. During the first 120 days plants suffered with drought and frost, and at 180 days plants inoculated with microorganism plus chemical fertilizer showed higher survival when compared with control. The results showed that the microbial inoculants used showed an important role on plant survival after high stress conditions, but not in plant growth. Also was concluded that the planting time should be between November to December to avoid the presence of young plants during winter time that is dry and cold.

Sm14 gene expression in different stages of the Schistosoma mansoni life cycle and immunolocalization of the Sm14 protein within the adult worm

Sm14 is a 14-kDa vaccine candidate antigen from Schistosoma mansoni that seems to be involved in cytoplasmic trafficking of fatty acids. Although schistosomes have a high requirement for lipids, they are not able to synthesize fatty acids and sterols de novo. Thus, they must acquire host lipids. In order to determine whether Sm14 is present in different stages of the life cycle of the parasite, we performed RT-PCR. Sm14 mRNA was identified in all stages of the life cycle studied, mainly schistosomulum, adult worm and egg. Additionally, we used a rabbit anti-Sm14 polyclonal antibody in an indirect immunofluorescence assay to localize Sm14 in adult worm sections. The basal lamella of the tegument and the gut epithelium were strongly labeled. These tissues have a high flow of and demand for lipids, a finding that supports the putative role of Sm14 as an intracellular transporter of fatty acids from host cells.

Pressure-assisted cold denaturation of hen egg white lysozyme: the influence of co-solvents probed by hydrogen exchange nuclear magnetic resonance

COSY proton nuclear magnetic resonance was used to measure the exchange rates of amide protons of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) in the pressure-assisted cold-denatured state and in the heat-denatured state. After dissolving lysozyme in deuterium oxide buffer, labile protons exchange for deuterons in such a way that exposed protons are substituted rapidly, whereas "protected" protons within structured parts of the protein are substituted slowly. The exchange rates k obs were determined for HEWL under heat treatment (80ºC) and under high pressure conditions at low temperature (3.75 kbar, -13ºC). Moreover, the influence of co-solvents (sorbitol, urea) on the exchange rate was examined under pressure-assisted cold denaturation conditions, and the corresponding protection factors, P, were determined. The exchange kinetics upon heat treatment was found to be a two-step process with initial slow exchange followed by a fast one, showing residual protection in the slow-exchange state and P-factors in the random-coil-like range for the final temperature-denatured state. Addition of sorbitol (500 mM) led to an increase of P-factors for the pressure-assisted cold denatured state, but not for the heat-denatured state. The presence of 2 M urea resulted in a drastic decrease of the P-factors of the pressure-assisted cold denatured state. For both types of co-solvents, the effect they exert appears to be cooperative, i.e., no particular regions within the protein can be identified with significantly diverse changes of P-factors.

Öljy-vesiemulsioiden erottumisen tehostaminen erilaisten geometrioiden avulla

Työn kirjallisuusosassa selvitettiin neste-nestedispersioiden ja emulsioiden pisarakokojakauman määrittämiseen soveltuvia menetelmiä. Kirjallisuusosa painottuu emulsioiden stabiliteettiin liittyvään teoriaan ja menetelmiin, joilla voidaan tutkia pisarakokojakaumia suoraan prosessista. Erillisnäytteiden analysointiin perustuvista menetelmistä on esitettynä mikroskooppianalyysi sekä lasersäteen sirontaan perustuva mittaus, joita molempia käytettiin tämän työn kokeellisessa osassa. Kokeellisessa osassa pyrittiin selvittämään, vaikuttavatko kaksi erimuotoista ruuvi-kapaletta eri tavalla öljy-vesiemulsion pisarakokojakaumaan, kun emulsio virtasi ruuvin vuorovaikutusalueen läpi. Tätä tutkittiin määrittämällä ennen vuorovaikutusaluetta ja vuorovaikutusalueen jälkeen kerättyjen emulsionäytteiden pisarakokojakaumat lasersäteen sirontamittauksilla. Mitattujen pisarakokojakaumien perusteella ei voitu tehdä varmaa johtopäätöstä, vaikuttivatko ruuvit pisarakokojakaumaan vai eivät. Syynä tähän on pisarakokojakaumien vaihtelu rinnakkaisnäytteissä. Rinnakkaismittauksissa havaittu vaihtelu johtui arvaamattomasti muuttuneista virtausolosuhteista, mikä aiheutti edelleen öljypitoisuuden muutoksia. Muita mahdollisia syitä ovat veden ionivahvuuden, pH:n ja lämpötilan vaihtelu.

Cytoadhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes and the infected placenta: a two-way pathway

Malaria is undoubtedly the world's most devastating parasitic disease, affecting 300 to 500 million people every year. Some cases of Plasmodium falciparum infection progress to the deadly forms of the disease responsible for 1 to 3 million deaths annually. P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes adhere to host receptors in the deep microvasculature of several organs. The cytoadhesion of infected erythrocytes to placental syncytiotrophoblast receptors leads to pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM). This specific maternal-fetal syndrome causes maternal anemia, low birth weight and the death of 62,000 to 363,000 infants per year in sub-Saharan Africa, and thus has a poor outcome for both mother and fetus. However, PAM and non-PAM parasites have been shown to differ antigenically and genetically. After multiple pregnancies, women from different geographical areas develop adhesion-blocking antibodies that protect against placental parasitemia and clinical symptoms of PAM. The recent description of a new parasite ligand encoded by the var2CSA gene as the only gene up-regulated in PAM parasites renders the development of an anti-PAM vaccine more feasible. The search for a vaccine to prevent P. falciparum sequestration in the placenta by eliciting adhesion-blocking antibodies and a cellular immune response, and the development of new methods for evaluating such antibodies should be key priorities in mother-child health programs in areas of endemic malaria. This review summarizes the main molecular, immunological and physiopathological aspects of PAM, including findings related to new targets in the P. falciparum var gene family. Finally, we focus on a new methodology for mimicking cytoadhesion under blood flow conditions in human placental tissue.

Rheological and thermophysical properties of blackberry juice

Rheological and thermophysical properties were determined for blackberry juice, which was produced from blackberry fruit at 9.1 ± 0.5 °Brix and density of 1.0334 ± 0.0043 g cm-3. The concentration process was performed using a roto evaporator, under vacuum, to obtain concentrated juice at about 60 °Brix. In order to obtain different concentrations, concentrated juice was diluted with distilled water. Rheological measurements were carried out using a Rheotest 2.1 Searle type rheometer. In the tested ranges, the samples behaved as pseudoplastic fluids, and the Power-Law model was satisfactorily fitted to the experimental data. The friction factor was measured for blackberry juice in laminar flow conditions of pseudoplastic behavior. Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and density of blackberry juice at 9.4 to 58.4 °Brix were determined, in triplicate, at 0.5 to 80.8 °C. Polynomial regression was performed to fit experimental data obtaining a good fit. Both temperature and concentration showed a strong influence on thermophysical properties of blackberry juice. Calculated apparent specific heat values varied from 2.416 to 4.300 kJ.kg-1 °C in the studied interval.

The Role of Structural Imperfections in Sr2FeMoO6 Thin Films

In this work, Sr2FeMoO6 (SFMO) thin films were studied with the main focus on their magnetic and magneto-transport properties. The fabrication process of pulsed laser deposited SFMO films was first optimized. Then the effects of strain, film thickness and substrate were thoroughly investigated. In addition to these external factors, the effect of intrinsic defects on the magnetic properties of SFMO were also clarified. Secondly, the magnetoresistivity mechanims of SFMO films were studied and a semiempirical model of the temperature dependence of resistivity was introduced. The films were grown on single crystal substrates using a ceramic target made with sol-gel method. The structural characterization of the films were carried out with X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high kinetic energy photoelectron spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were measured with SQUID magnetometer and the magneto-transport properties by magnetometer with a resistivity option. SFMO films with the best combination of structural and magnetic properties were grown in Ar atmosphere at 1050 °C . Their magnetic properties could not be improved by the ex situ post-annealing treatments aside from the treatments in ultra-high vacuum conditions. The optimal film thickness was found to be around 150 nm and only small improvement in the magnetic properties with decreasing strain was observed. Instead, the magnetic properties were observed to be highly dependent on the choice of the substrate due to the lattice mismatch induced defects, which are best avoided by using the SrTiO3 substrate. The large difference in the Curie temperature and the saturation magnetization between the SFMO thin film and polycrystalline bulk samples was connected to the antisite disorder and oxygen vacancies. Thus, the Curie temperature of SFMO thin films could be improved by increasing the amount of oxygen vacancies for example with ultra-high vacuum treatments or improving the B-site ordering by further optimization of the deposition parameters. The magneto-transport properties of SFMO thin films do not follow any conventional models, but the temperature dependence of resistivity was succesfully described with a model of two spin channel system. Also, evidences that the resistivity-temperature behaviour of SFMO thin films is dominated by the structural defects, which reduce the band gap in the majority spin band were found. Moreover, the magnetic field response of the resistivity in SFMO thin films were found to be superposition of different mechanisms that seems to be related to the structural changes in the film.

Höyryturbiinin ulosvirtauskanaviston kokeellinen tutkimus pienoismallilla

Diplomityössä tutkittiin höyryturbiinin ulosvirtauskanavistojen kokeellisia tutkimusmenetelmiä ja suoritettiin käytännön mittauksia Fortum Oyj:n Loviisan ydinvoimalaitoksen höyryturbiinien huuvan pienoismallilla. Kirjallisuusselvityksen perusteella todettiin, että pienoismallitutkimuksella on ollut keskeinen asema ulosvirtauskanavistojen suunnittelussa. Kokeellisten menetelmien perusongelmana on höyryturbiinin ulosvirtausolosuhteiden jäljitteleminen. Käytetyt mittausmenetelmät perustuvat pääosin tavanomaisiin paine- ja nopeusmittauksiin. Lisäainepartikkeleihin ja laser-valaisuun perustuva PIV (particle image velocimetry) todettiin lupaavaksi menetelmäksi ulosvirtauskanavistojen tutkimuksen saralla. Työn käytännön osuudessa tehtiin mittauksia mittasuhteessa 1:8 rakennetulle höyryturbiinin huuvan pienoismallille. Mittauksilla tutkittiin virtausta mallin sisääntulo- ja ulostulotasoissa. Lisäksi mitattiin staattisen paineen jakauma huuvan sisällä. Kokonaispainetta mittaava kiel-putki todettiin käytännölliseksi työkaluksi huuvan virtauskentän tutkimuksessa. Tuloksista käy hyvin ilmi huuvan ulostuloon syntyvien pyörteiden muodostuminen ja ulostulon epätasainen nopeusjakauma. Staattinen paine huuvan sisällä havaittiin epätasaisesti jakautuneeksi. Ulostulotason ja staattisen paineen mittauksilla saadut tulokset sopivat hyvin yhteen kirjallisuudesta löytyvien tutkimustulosten kanssa ja tukevat Loviisan ulosvirtauskanavistosta aiemmin tehtyjä CFD-simulointeja.