The influence of buoyancy on the oscillatory thermocapillary convection with small bond number

This work is an experimental study of unidirectional bamboo-epoxy laminates of varying laminae number, in which tensile, compressive, flexural and interlaminar shear properties are evaluated. Further, the disposition of bamboo fibre, the parenchymatous tissue, and the resin matrix under different loading conditions are examined. Our results show that the specific strength and specific modulus of bamboo-epoxy laminates are adequate, the former being 3 to 4 times that of mild steel. Its mechanical properties are generally comparable to those of ordinary glass-fibre composites. The fracture behaviour of bamboo-epoxy under different loading conditions were observed using both acoustic emission techniques and scanning electron microscopy. The fracture mode varied with load, the fracture mechanism being similar to glass and carbon reinforced composites. Microstructural analyses revealed that natural bamboo is eligibly a fibre composite in itself; its inclusion in a plastic matrix will help solve the problems of cracking due to desiccation and bioerosion caused by insect pests. Furthermore, the thickness and shape of the composite can be tailored during fabrication to meet specific requirements, thereby enabling a wide spectrum of applications.

2,4-dimethylene-1,3-cyclobutanediyl and 2,4-dimethylenebicyclobutane. Synthesis, spectroscopy, and reactivity of a triplet biradical and its covalent isomer

The preparation and direct observation of triplet 2,4-dimethylene-1,3- cyclobutanediyl (1), the non-Kekule isomer of benzene, is described. The biradical was generated by photolysis of 5,6-dimethylene-2,3- diazabicyclo[2.1.1]hex-2-ene (2) (which was synthesized in several steps from benzvalene) under cryogenic, matrix-isolation conditions. Biradical 1 was characterized by EPR spectroscopy (‌‌‌‌‌│D/hc│ =0.0204 cm^(-1), │E/hc│ =0.0028 cm^(-1)) and found to have a triplet ground state. The Δm_s= 2 transition displays hyperfine splitting attributed to a 7.3-G coupling to the ring methine and a 5.9-G coupling to the exocyclic methylene protons. Several experiments, including application of the magnetophotoselection (mps) technique in the generation of biradical 1, have allowed a determination of the zero-field triplet sublevels as x = -0.0040, y = +0.0136, and z = -0.0096 cm^(-1), where x and y are respectively the long and short in-plane axes and z the out-of-plane axis of 1.

Triplet 1 is yellow-orange and displays highly structured absorption (λ_(max)= 506 nm) and fluorescence (λ_(max) = 510 nm) spectra, with vibronic spacings of 1520 and 620 cm^(-1) for absorption and 1570 and 620 cm^(-1) for emission. The spectra were unequivocally assigned to triplet 1 by the use of a novel technique that takes advantage of the biradical's photolability. The absorption є = 7200 M^(-1) cm^(-1) and f = 0.022, establishing that the transition is spin-allowed. Further use of the mps technique has demonstrated that the transition is x-polarized, and the excited state 1s therefore of B_(1g) symmetry, in accord with theoretical predictions.

Thermolysis or direct photolysis of diazene 2 in fluid solution produces 2,4- dimethylenebicyclo[l.l.0]butane (3), whose ^(l)H NMR spectrum (-80°C, CD_(2)Cl_(2)) consists of singlets at δ 4.22 and 3.18 in a 2:1 ratio. Compound 3 is thermally unstable and dimerizes with second-order kinetics between -80 and -25°C (∆H^(‡) = 6.8 kcal mol^(-1), (∆s^(‡) = -28 eu) by a mechanism involving direct combination of two molecules of 3 in the rate-determining step. This singlet-manifold reaction ultimately produces a mixture of two dimers, 3,8,9- trimethylenetricyclo[5.1.1.0^(2,5)]non-4-ene (75) and trans-3,10-dimethylenetricyclo[6.2.0.0^(2,5)]deca-4,8-diene (76t), with the former predominating. In contrast, triplet-sensitized photolysis of 2, which leads to triplet 1, provides, in addition to 75 and 76t, a substantial amount of trans-5,10- dimethylenetricyclo[6.2.0.0^(3,6)]deca-3,8-diene (77t) and small amounts of two unidentified dimers.

In addition, triplet biradical 1 ring-closes to 3 in rigid media both thermally (77-140 K) and photochemically. In solution 3 forms triplet 1 upon energy transfer from sensitizers having relatively low triplet energies. The implications of the thermal chemistry for the energy surfaces of the system are discussed.

NOx emission and thermal efficiency of a 300 MWe utility boiler retrofitted by air staging

Full-scale experiments were performed on a 300 MWe utility boiler retrofitted with air staging. In order to improve boiler thermal efficiency and to reduce NOx emission, the influencing factors including the overall excessive air ratio, the secondary air distribution pattern, the damper openings of CCOFA and SOFA, and pulverized coal fineness were investigated. Through comprehensive combustion adjustment, NOx emission decreased 182 ppm (NOx reduction efficiency was 44%), and boiler heat efficiency merely decreased 0.21%. After combustion improvement, high efficiency and low NOx emission was achieved in the utility coal-fired boiler retrofitted with air staging, and the unburned carbon in ash can maintain at a desired level where the utilization of fly-ash as byproducts was not influenced.