Size-resolved particle distribution and gaseous concentrations by real-world road tunnel measurement

Measurements of aerosol particle number size distributions (15-700 nm), CO and NOx were performed in a bus tunnel, Australia. Daily mean particle size distributions of mixed diesel/CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) buses traffic flow were determined in 4 consecutive measurement days. EFs (Emission Factors) of Particle size distribution of diesel buses and CNG buses were obtained by MLR (Multiple Linear Regression) methods, particle distributions of diesel buses and CNG buses were observed as single accumulation mode and nuclei-mode separately. Particle size distributions of mixed traffic flow were decomposed by two log-normal fitting curves for each 30 minutes interval mean scans, all the mix fleet PSD emission can be well fitted by the summation of two log-normal distribution curves, and these were composed of nuclei mode curve and accumulation curve, which were affirmed as the CNG buses and diesel buses PN emission curves respectively. Finally, particle size distributions of diesel buses and CNG buses were quantified by statistical whisker-box charts. For log-normal particle size distribution of diesel buses, accumulation mode diameters were 74.5～87.5nm, geometric standard deviations were 1.89～1.98. As to log-normal particle size distribution of CNG buses, nuclei-mode diameters were 21～24 nm, geometric standard deviations were 1.27～1.31.

Prediction of particle distribution in isotropic turbulence by large-eddy simulation

The recent application of large-eddy simulation (LES) to particle-laden turbulence requires that the LES with a subgrid scale (SGS) model could accurately predict particle distributions. Usually, a SGS particle model is used to recover the small-scale structures of velocity fields. In this study, we propose a rescaling technique to recover the effects of small-scale motions on the preferential concentration of inertial particles. The technique is used to simulate particle distribution in isotropic turbulence by LES and produce consistent results with direct numerical simulation (DNS). Key words: particle distribution, particle-laden turbulence, large-eddy simulation, subgrid scale model.

Equal channel angular pressing of metal matrix composites: effect on particle distribution and fracture toughness

An Al6061-20%Al₂O₃ powder metallurgy (PM) metal matrix composite (MMC) with a strongly clustered particle distribution is subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at a temperature of 370 °C. The evolution of the homogeneity of the particle distribution in the material during ECAP is investigated by the quadrat method. The model proposed by Tan and Zhang [Mater Sci Eng 1998;244:80] for estimating the critical particle size which is required for a homogeneous particle distribution in PM MMCs is extended to the case of a combination of extrusion and ECAP. The applicability of the model to predict a homogeneity of the particle distribution after extrusion and ECAP is discussed. It is shown that ECAP leads to an increase of the  uniformity of the particle distribution and the fracture toughness.

Test particle motion in a Lorentz gas

This is a two-part thesis concerning the motion of a test particle in a bath. In part one we use an expansion of the operator PLe^it(1-P)LLP to shape the Zwanzig equation into a generalized Fokker-Planck equation which involves a diffusion tensor depending on the test particle's momentum and the time.

In part two the resultant equation is studied in some detail for the case of test particle motion in a weakly coupled Lorentz Gas. The diffusion tensor for this system is considered. Some of its properties are calculated; it is computed explicitly for the case of a Gaussian potential of interaction.

The equation for the test particle distribution function can be put into the form of an inhomogeneous Schroedinger equation. The term corresponding to the potential energy in the Schroedinger equation is considered. Its structure is studied, and some of its simplest features are used to find the Green's function in the limiting situations of low density and long time.

Effect of bend orientation on life and puncture point location due to solid particle erosion of a high concentration flow in pneumatic conveyors

An investigation into predicting failure of pneumatic conveyor pipe bends due to hard solid particle impact erosion has been carried out on an industrial scale test rig. The bend puncture point locations may vary with many factors. However, bend orientation was suspected of being a main factor due to the biased particle distribution pattern of a high concentration flow. In this paper, puncture point locations have been studied with different pipe bend orientations and geometry (a solids loading ratio of 10 being used for the high concentration flow). Test results confirmed that the puncture point location is indeed most significantly influenced by the bend orientation (especially for a high concentration flow) due to the biased particle distribution and biased particle flux distribution. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of bend orientation on life and puncture point location due to solid particle erosion of a high concentration flow in pneumatic conveyors

An investigation into predicting failure of pneumatic conveyor pipe bends due to hard solid particle impact erosion has been carried out on an industrial scale test rig. The bend puncture point locations may vary with many factors. However, bend orientation was suspected of being a main factor due to the biased particle distribution pattern of a high concentration flow. In this paper, puncture point locations have been studied with different pipe bend orientations and geometry (a solids loading ratio of 10 being used for the high concentration flow). Test results confirmed that the puncture point location is indeed most significantly influenced by the bend orientation (especially for a high concentration flow) due to the biased particle distribution and biased particle flux distribution.

Statistical-mechanical description of classical test-particle dynamics in the presence of an external force field: modelling noise and damping from first principles

Aiming to establish a rigorous link between macroscopic random motion (described e.g. by Langevin-type theories) and microscopic dynamics, we have undertaken a kinetic-theoretical study of the dynamics of a classical test-particle weakly coupled to a large heat-bath in thermal equilibrium. Both subsystems are subject to an external force field. From the (time-non-local) generalized master equation a Fokker-Planck-type equation follows as a "quasi-Markovian" approximation. The kinetic operator thus defined is shown to be ill-defined; in specific, it does not preserve the positivity of the test-particle distribution function f(x, v; t). Adopting an alternative approach, previously introduced for quantum open systems, is proposed to lead to a correct kinetic operator, which yields all the expected properties. A set of explicit expressions for the diffusion and drift coefficients are obtained, allowing for modelling macroscopic diffusion and dynamical friction phenomena, in terms of an external field and intrinsic physical parameters.

Magnetic Hyperthermia With Fe(3)O(4) Nanoparticles: The Influence of Particle Size on Energy Absorption

We have studied the magnetic and power absorption properties of a series of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of Fe(3)O(4) with average sizes < d > ranging from 3 to 26 rim. Heating experiments as a function of particle size revealed a strong increase in the specific power absorption (SPA) values for particles with < d > = 25-30 mn. On the other side saturation magnetization M(s) values of these MNPs remain essentially constant for particles with < d > above 10 rim, suggesting that the absorption mechanism is not determined by Ms. The largest SPA value obtained was 130 W/g, corresponding to a bimodal particle distribution with average size values of 17 and 26 nm.

Influence of gravity on heavy particle statistics in turbulent channel and pipe flow at matched Kàrmàn number

In this work, we use large eddy simulations (LES) and Lagrangian tracking to study the influence of gravity on particle statistics in a fully developed turbulent upward/downward flow in a vertical channel and pipe at matched Kàrmàn number. Only drag and gravity are considered in the equation of motion for solid particles, which are assumed to have no influence on the flow field. Particle interactions with the wall are fully elastic. Our findings obtained from the particle statistics confirm that: (i) the gravity seems to modify both the quantitative and qualitative behavior of the particle distribution and statistics of the particle velocity in wall normal direction; (ii) however, only the quantitative behavior of velocity particle in streamwise direction and the root mean square of velocity components is modified; (iii) the statistics of fluid and particles coincide very well near the wall in channel and pipe flow with equal Kàrmàn number; (iv) pipe curvature seems to have quantitative and qualitative influence on the particle velocity and on the particle concentration in wall normal direction.

The influence of processing techniques on the matrix distribution and filtration of clay in a fibre reinforced nanocomposite

A nano-modified matrix based on an epoxy resin and montmorillonite (MMT) layered silicates, was successfully infiltrated through 10 ply of carbon fibre preform. A combined fabrication process of a vacuum assisted resin infusion method (VARIM) followed by a rapid heating rate and mechanical vibration during cure, facilitated the infiltration of the nano-modified matrix through the preform. This was achieved by dispersing the MMT clay in the resin and ensuring that the viscosity of the nano-modified matrix remained low during fabrication. SEM-EDX (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) spectra showed that chemical constituents within MMT clay including silicon, aluminium and magnesium elements had permeated through the fibre preform and were detected throughout the laminate. A homogeneous resin/particle distribution was achieved with the size of clay particles ranging from 100 nm to 1 μm.

Stimulation of osteogenic and angiogenic ability of cells on polymers by pulsed laser deposition of uniform akermanite-glass nanolayer

Polymer biomaterials have been widely used for bone replacement/regeneration because of their unique mechanical properties and workability. Their inherent low bioactivity makes them lack osseointegration with host bone tissue. For this reason, bioactive inorganic particles have been always incorporated into the matrix of polymers to improve their bioactivity. However, mixing inorganic particles with polymers always results in inhomogeneity of particle distribution in polymer matrix with limited bioactivity. This study sets out to apply the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique to prepare uniform akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7, AKT) glass nanocoatings on the surface of two polymers (non-degradable polysulfone (PSU) and degradable polylactic acid (PDLLA)) in order to improve their surface osteogenic and angiogenic activity. The results show that a uniform nanolayer composed of amorphous AKT particles (∼30nm) of thickness 130nm forms on the surface of both PSU and PDLLA films with the PLD technique. The prepared AKT-PSU and AKT-PDLLA films significantly improved the surface roughness, hydrophilicity, hardness and apatite mineralization, compared with pure PSU and PDLLA, respectively. The prepared AKT nanocoatings distinctively enhance the alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity and bone-related gene expression (ALP, OCN, OPN and Col I) of bone-forming cells on both PSU and PDLLA films. Furthermore, AKT nanocoatings on two polymers improve the attachment, proliferation, VEGF secretion and expression of proangiogenic factors and their receptors of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The results suggest that PLD-prepared bioceramic nanocoatings are very useful for enhancing the physicochemical, osteogenic and angiogenic properties of both degradable and non-degradable polymers for application in bone replacement/regeneration.

Charged particles and cluster ions produced during cooking activities

Previous studies showed that a significant number of the particles present in indoor air are generated by cooking activities, and measured particle concentrations and exposures have been used to estimate the related human dose. The dose evaluation can be affected by the particle charge level which is usually not considered in particle deposition models. To this purpose, in this paper we show, for the very first time, the electric charge of particles generated during cooking activities and thus extending the interest on particle charging characterization to indoor micro-environments, so far essentially focused on outdoors. Particle number, together with positive and negative cluster ion concentrations, was monitored using a condensation particle counter and two air ion counters, respectively, during different cooking events. Positively-charged particle distribution fractions during gas combustion, bacon grilling, and eggplant grilling events were measured by two Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer spectrometers, used with and without a neutralizer. Finally, a Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer was used to measure the charge specific particle distributions of bacon and eggplant grilling experiments, selecting particles of 30, 50, 80 and 100 nm in mobility diameter. The total fraction of positively-charged particles was 4.0%, 7.9%, and 5.6% for gas combustion, bacon grilling, and eggplant grilling events, respectively, then lower than other typical outdoor combustion-generated particles.

Dynamics of a dilute sheared inelastic fluid. II. The effect of correlations

The effect of correlations on the viscosity of a dilute sheared inelastic fluid is analyzed using the ring-kinetic equation for the two-particle correlation function. The leading-order contribution to the stress in an expansion in epsilon=(1-e)(1/2) is calculated, and it is shown that the leading-order viscosity is identical to that obtained from the Green-Kubo formula, provided the stress autocorrelation function in a sheared steady state is used in the Green-Kubo formula. A systemmatic extension of this to higher orders is also formulated, and the higher-order contributions to the stress from the ring-kinetic equation are determined in terms of the terms in the Chapman-Enskog solution for the Boltzmann equation. The series is resummed analytically to obtain a renormalized stress equation. The most dominant contributions to the two-particle correlation function are products of the eigenvectors of the conserved hydrodynamic modes of the two correlated particles. In Part I, it was shown that the long-time tails of the velocity autocorrelation function are not present in a sheared fluid. Using those results, we show that correlations do not cause a divergence in the transport coefficients; the viscosity is not divergent in two dimensions, and the Burnett coefficients are not divergent in three dimensions. The equations for three-particle and higher correlations are analyzed diagrammatically. It is found that the contributions due to the three-particle and higher correlation functions to the renormalized viscosity are smaller than those due to the two-particle distribution function in the limit epsilon -> 0. This implies that the most dominant correlation effects are due to the two-particle correlations.