Alkylation of toluene by methanol over alkali exchanged zeolite-X: side chain versus ring alkylation

The ring versus side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol over alkali-exchanged zeolite-X of differing basicity has been investigated by in situ infrared spectroscopy and TPD measurements. Over the basic Cs-exchanged zeolite the product of alkylation is styrene/ethylbenzene while over the acidic Li-exchanged zeolite ring alkylation occurs to give mainly xylene as the product. FTIR and TPD investigations reveal that, the key difference in the two types of alkylation processes lies in the state of the adsorbed methanol present at higher temperatures in the zeolite. In basic zeolites, methanol decomposes to formaldehyde and formates. The former is the key ‘side-chain’ alkylating species that leads to the formation of styrene. In the acidic zeolites it is shown that methanol bound to the acid sites plays an active role in the ‘ring alkylation’ of toluene to xylene.

Low-inductance axial flux BLDC motor drive for more electric aircraft

As aircraft technology is moving towards more electric architecture, use of electric motors in aircraft is increasing. Axial flux BLDC motors (brushless DC motors) are becoming popular in aero application because of their ability to meet the demand of light weight, high power density, high efficiency and high reliability. Axial flux BLDC motors, in general, and ironless axial flux BLDC motors, in particular, come with very low inductance Owing to this, they need special care to limit the magnitude of ripple current in motor winding. In most of the new more electric aircraft applications, BLDC motor needs to be driven from 300 or 600 Vdc bus. In such cases, particularly for operation from 600 Vdc bus, insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)-based inverters are used for BLDC motor drive. IGBT-based inverters have limitation on increasing the switching frequency, and hence they are not very suitable for driving BLDC motors with low winding inductance. In this study, a three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter is proposed to drive axial flux BLDC motors. Operation of a BLDC motor driven from three-level NPC inverter is explained and experimental results are presented.

Null Dereference Verification via Over-approximated Weakest Pre-conditions Analysis

Null dereferences are a bane of programming in languages such as Java. In this paper we propose a sound, demand-driven, inter-procedurally context-sensitive dataflow analysis technique to verify a given dereference as safe or potentially unsafe. Our analysis uses an abstract lattice of formulas to find a pre-condition at the entry of the program such that a null-dereference can occur only if the initial state of the program satisfies this pre-condition. We use a simplified domain of formulas, abstracting out integer arithmetic, as well as unbounded access paths due to recursive data structures. For the sake of precision we model aliasing relationships explicitly in our abstract lattice, enable strong updates, and use a limited notion of path sensitivity. For the sake of scalability we prune formulas continually as they get propagated, reducing to true conjuncts that are less likely to be useful in validating or invalidating the formula. We have implemented our approach, and present an evaluation of it on a set of ten real Java programs. Our results show that the set of design features we have incorporated enable the analysis to (a) explore long, inter-procedural paths to verify each dereference, with (b) reasonable accuracy, and (c) very quick response time per dereference, making it suitable for use in desktop development environments.

Surface pressure and heat transfer measurements in the unsteady separated hypersonic flow field over double cones

Reliable bench mark experimental database in the separated hypersonic flow regime is necessary to validate high resolution CFD codes. In this paper we report the surface pressure and heat transfer measurements carried out on double cones (first cone semi-apex angle = 15, 25 deg.; second cone semi-apex angle= 35, 68 deg.) at hypersonic speeds that will be useful for CFD code validation studies. The surface pressure measurements are carried out at nominal Mach number of 8.35 in the IISc hypersonic wind tunnel. On the other hand the surface heat transfer measurements are carried out at a nominal Mach number of 5.75 in the IISc hypersonic shock tunnel. The flow separation point on the first cone, flow reattachment on the second cone and the wild fluctuation of the transmitted shock on the second cone surface (25/68 deg. double cone) in the presence of severe adverse pressure gradient are some of the flow features captured in the measurements. The results from the CFD studies indicate good agreement with experiments in the attached flow regime while considerable differences are noticeable in the separated flow regime.

An (O)over-bar(m(2)n) randomized algorithm to compute a minimum cycle basis of a directed graph

We consider the problem of computing a minimum cycle basis in a directed graph G. The input to this problem is a directed graph whose arcs have positive weights. In this problem a {- 1, 0, 1} incidence vector is associated with each cycle and the vector space over Q generated by these vectors is the cycle space of G. A set of cycles is called a cycle basis of G if it forms a basis for its cycle space. A cycle basis where the sum of weights of the cycles is minimum is called a minimum cycle basis of G. The current fastest algorithm for computing a minimum cycle basis in a directed graph with m arcs and n vertices runs in O(m(w+1)n) time (where w < 2.376 is the exponent of matrix multiplication). If one allows randomization, then an (O) over tilde (m(3)n) algorithm is known for this problem. In this paper we present a simple (O) over tilde (m(2)n) randomized algorithm for this problem. The problem of computing a minimum cycle basis in an undirected graph has been well-studied. In this problem a {0, 1} incidence vector is associated with each cycle and the vector space over F-2 generated by these vectors is the cycle space of the graph. The fastest known algorithm for computing a minimum cycle basis in an undirected graph runs in O(m(2)n + mn(2) logn) time and our randomized algorithm for directed graphs almost matches this running time.

Esterification of stearic acid with p-cresol over modified Indian bentonite clay catalysts

The esterification of stearic acid with p-cresol using modified Indian bentonite clay catalysts has been reported. The reaction was studied over exchanged clays, acid activated clays, exchanged acid activated clays, aluminium pillared clay, aluminium pillared acid activated clay, molecular sieve Al-MCM-41, zeolite H beta, ZrO2, S-ZrO2, p-TSA, montmorillonite K10, and montmorillonite KSF in o-xylene for 6 h. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and surface area measurements. The acidity was determined by n-butylamine back-titration method and DRIFTS after pyridine adsorption. Acid activated Indian bentonite (AAIB) was found to be a better catalyst compared to other catalysts in the esterification of stearic acid with p-cresol.

Plumes Dynamics and Heat Transfer over Horizontal Grooved Surfaces

This study investigates the free convection and plumes dynamics over horizontal surfaces with parallel V-grooves. The convection is studied in a tank of water with the bottom surface being a smooth or grooved surface and the top of the water surface exposed to ambient. Two groove heights were used-10 mm and 3 mm-and the experiment was done with two values of aspect ratio-2.9 and 1.8 (aspect ratio is the width of the fluid layer/height of fluid layer). Heat flux at the bottom surface was from electrical heating. Beyond a certain critical temperature difference, enhanced heat transfer is obtained on the grooved surface compared to a smooth surface. Nusselt numbers are evaluated for both smooth and grooved surfaces and correlated using modified Rayleigh numbers. Visualization shows that the enhanced heat transport in the rough cavities cannot be ascribed to the increase in the contact area; rather, it must be the local dynamics of the thermal boundary layer.

Multi-decadal variation of the net downward shortwave radiation over south Asia: The solar dimming effect

The solar radiation flux at the earth's surface has gone through decadal changes of decreasing and increasing trends over the globe. These phenomena known as dimming and brightening, respectively, have attracted the scientific interest in relation to the changes in radiative balance and climate. Despite the interest in the solar dimming/brightening phenomenon in various parts of the world, south Asia has not attracted great scientific attention so far. The present work uses the net downward shortwave radiation (NDSWR) values derived from satellites (Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications, MERRA 2D) in order to examine the multi-decadal variations in the incoming solar radiation over south Asia for the period of 1979-2004. From the analysis it is seen that solar dimming continues over south Asia with a trend of -0.54 Wm(-2) yr(-1). Assuming clear skies an average decrease of -0.05 Wm(-2)yr(-1) in NDSWR was observed, which is attributed to increased aerosol emissions over the region. There is evidence that the increase in cloud optical depth plays the major role for the solar dimming over the area. The cloud optical depth (MERRA retrievals) has increased by 10.7% during the study period, with the largest increase to be detected for the high-level (atmospheric pressure P < 400 hPa) clouds (31.2%). Nevertheless, the decrease in solar radiation and the role of aerosols and clouds exhibit large monthly and seasonal variations directly affected by the local monsoon system, the anthropogenic and natural aerosol emissions. All these aspects are examined in detail aiming at shedding light into the solar dimming phenomenon over a densely populated area. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flow visualization in turbulent free convection over horizontal smooth and grooved surfaces

The present paper discusses the flow visualization for turbulent free convection in a tank of water with the bottom surface being a smooth or a grooved surface and the top of the water surface exposed to ambient. The grooved surface is of parallel 90 degrees V-grooves with groove height of 10 mm and groove width of 20 mm. The experiment is carried out with aspect ratio (AR) of 2.9 and Rayleigh number (Ra) in the range, 1.3 x 10(7) - 4 x 10(7). Here AR is the aspect ratio (= width of fluid layer/height of fluid layer). Heat flux at the bottom surface is from electrical heating. From the pH-dye visualization, interesting flow structures are observed and these structures are analyzed with the help of plumes dynamics and temperature variations with time. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Northeast monsoon over India: variability and prediction

South peninsular India experiences a large portion of the annual rainfall during the northeast monsoon season (October to December). In this study, the facets of diurnal, intra-seasonal and inter-annual variability of the northeast monsoon rainfall (the NEMR) over India have been examined. The analysis of satellite derived hourly rainfall reveals that there are distinct features of diurnal variation over the land and oceans during the season. Over the land, rainfall peaks during the late afternoon/evening, while over the oceans an early morning peak is observed. The harmonic analysis of hourly data reveals that the amplitude and variance are the largest over south peninsular India. The NEMR also exhibits significant intra-seasonal variability on a 20-40 day time scale. Analysis also shows significant northward propagation of the maximum cloud zone from south of equator to the south peninsula during the season. The NEMR exhibits large inter-annual variability with the co-efficient of variation (CV) of 25%. The positive phases of ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are conducive for normal to above normal rainfall activity during the northeast monsoon. There are multi-decadal variations in the statistical relationship between ENSO and the NEMR. During the period 2001-2010 the statistical relationship between ENSO and the NEMR has significantly weakened. The analysis of seasonal rainfall hindcasts for the period 1960-2005 produced by the state-of-the-art coupled climate models, ENSEMBLES, reveals that the coupled models have very poor skill in predicting the inter-annual variability of the NEMR. This is mainly due to the inability of the ENSEMBLES models to simulate the positive relationship between ENSO and the NEMR correctly. Copyright (C) 2012 Royal Meteorological Society

Estimation of heavy rainfall during cyclonic storms from microwave observations using nonlinear approach over Indian Ocean

In this study, an effort has been made to study heavy rainfall events during cyclonic storms over Indian Ocean. This estimate is based on microwave observations from tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI). Regional scattering index (SI) developed for Indian region based on measurements at 19-, 21- and 85-GHz brightness temperature and polarization corrected temperature (PCT) at 85 GHz have been utilized in this study. These PCT and SI are collocated against Precipitation Radar (PR) onboard TRMM to establish a relationship between rainfall rate, PCT and SI. The retrieval technique using both linear and nonlinear regressions has been developed utilizing SI, PCT and the combination of SI and PCT. The results have been compared with the observations from PR. It was found that a nonlinear algorithm using combination of SI and PCT is more accurate than linear algorithm or nonlinear algorithm using either SI or PCT. Statistical comparison with PR exhibits the correlation coefficients (CC) of 0.68, 0.66 and 0.70, and root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.78, 1.96 and 1.68 mm/h from the observations of SI, PCT and combination of SI and PCT respectively using linear regressions. When nonlinear regression is used, the CC of 0.73, 0.71, 0.79 and RMSE of 1.64, 1.95, 1.54 mm/h are observed from the observations of SI, PCT and combination of SI and PCT, respectively. The error statistics for high rain events (above 10 mm/h) shows the CC of 0.58, 0.59, 0.60 and RMSE of 5.07, 5.47, 5.03 mm/h from the observations of SI, PCT and combination of SI and PCT, respectively, using linear regression, and on the other hand, use of nonlinear regression yields the CC of 0.66, 0.64, 0.71 and RMSE of 4.68, 5.78 and 4.02 mm/h from the observations of SI, PCT and combined SI and PCT, respectively.

Nucleation-Growth Mode of Cubic-Tetragonal Transition with Coexistence of Phases over a Wide Temperature Interval in the High Temperature Ferroelectric Systems PbTiO3-BiMeO3:Me = Sc , and Zn1/2Ti1/2

Temperature dependent X-ray powder diffraction and dielectric studies have been carried out on tetragonal compositions of (1-x) PbTiO 3(x) BiMeO 3; Me similar to Sc and Zn 1/2 Ti 1/2. The cubic and the tetragonal phases coexist over more than 100 degrees C for 0.70 PbTiO 30.3 Bi ( Zn 1/2 Ti 1/2) O 3 and 0.66 PbTiO 30.34 BiScO 3. The wide temperature range of phase coexistence is shown to be an intrinsic feature of the system, and is attributed to the increase in the degree of the covalent character of the ( Pb +Bi ) O bond with increasing concentration of Bi at the Pb -site. The d-values of the {111} planes of the coexisting phases are nearly identical, suggesting this plane to be the invariant plane for the martensitic type cubic-tetragonal transformation occurring in these systems.