Processes

In this study, a plastic deformation process consisting of hot compression at 350 °C and heat treatment at 400 °C was performed to bond AZ31 magnesium alloy. Microstructural evolution around the bonding interface was systematically characterized to investigate the bonding process and clarify the bonding mechanism. When the plastic deformation strain reached 0.6, the bonding zone was full of fine dynamic recrystallized grains and the initial interface was eliminated. The post-heating treatments were conducted to achieve a sound interface bonding. The tensile tests and the corresponding fracture morphologies analysis indicated that the optimum holding time of heat treatment was 8 h. The interfacial bonding strength of the specimens holding for 8 h reached 164.7 MPa, an enhancement of about 9% compared with that of the specimens holding for 1 h. The microstructure analysis indicated that the bonding quality was affected by migration of the interfacial grain boundary (GB), the development of recrystallized grains and the evolution of interfacial oxides around the bonding area. Full article

This paper presents an algorithm for efficient uncertainty quantification (UQ) in the presence of many uncertainties that follow a nonstandard distribution (e.g., lognormal). Using the polynomial chaos expansion (PCE), the algorithm builds surrogate models of uncertainty as functions of a standard distribution (e.g., Gaussian variables). The key to build these surrogate models is to calculate PCE coefficients of model outputs, which is computationally challenging, especially when dealing with models defined by complex functions (e.g., nonpolynomial terms) under many uncertainties. To address this issue, an algorithm that integrates the PCE with the generalized dimension reduction method (gDRM) is utilized to convert the high-dimensional integrals, required to calculate the PCE coefficients of model predictions, into several lower-dimensional ones that can be rapidly solved with quadrature rules. The accuracy of the algorithm is validated with four examples in structural reliability analysis and compared to other existing techniques, such as Monte Carlo simulations and the least angle regression-based PCE. Our results show our algorithm provides accurate UQ results and is computationally efficient when dealing with many uncertainties, thus laying the foundation to address UQ in complex control systems. Full article

Applications of dual-evaporator refrigeration systems have recently gained much attention both in academia and industry due to their multiple benefits. In this study, a comprehensive thermodynamic and economic analysis is conducted to evaluate the potential of using several environmentally friendly refrigerant couples and identifies the most suitable one yielding the best economic results. To achieve this goal, a detailed parametric study is conducted, and an optimization process is performed using a particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach to minimize the unit production cost of cooling (UPCC) of the cascade refrigeration system. The results showed that among all selected 18 refrigerant pairs and for all ranges of examined operating parameters, the R170-R161 pair and R1150-R1234yf pair are identified as the best and worst pairs, respectively, from both thermodynamic and economic viewpoints. The results also confirm that R170-R161 pair has an improvement over R717-R744, used as a typical refrigerant pair of cascade refrigeration cycles. For a base case analysis, the COP of R170-R161 and R1150-R1234yf pairs is determined as 1.727 and 1.552, respectively, while their UPCC is found to be $0.395/ton-hr and $0.419/ton-hr, respectively, showing the influence of proper selection of refrigerant pairs on the cascade cycle’s performance. Overall, this study offers a useful thermodynamic and economic insight regarding the selection of proper refrigerant pairs for a dual-evaporator cascade vapor compression refrigeration system. Full article

Future energy systems must mainly generate electricity from renewable resources. To deal with the fluctuating availability of wind and solar power, new versatile electricity markets and sustainable solutions concentrating on energy flexibility are needed. In this research, we investigated the potential of energy flexibility achieved through demand-side response for the wastewater treatment plant of the Benchmark Simulation Model 1. First, seven control strategies were simulated and assessed. Next, the flexibility calls were identified, two energy flexibility scenarios were defined and incorporated into the model, and the control strategies were evaluated anew. In this research, the effluent ammonia concentration needed to be maintained within the limits for as long as possible. Strategy 5, which controlled ammonia in Tank 5 at a low value and did not control any nitrate in Tank 2, of Scenario 1, which was characterized by an undetermined on/off aeration cycle, was then found to be the best. Although this control strategy led to high total energy consumption, the percentage of time during which aeration was nearly suspended was one of the highest. This work proposes a methodology that will be useful to plant operators who should soon reduce energy consumption during spikes in electricity prices. Full article

This paper presents the application of Taguchi design of experiment and Autodesk Moldflow^® simulation in finding the optimal processing parameters for the manufacturing of natural fiber–polymer composite products. The material used in the study is a composite of recycled thermoplastic reinforced with 10% wood fibers. For the study, four critical processing parameters, namely compression time, mold temperature, melt temperate, and pressure, were selected for optimization. Process analysis was carried out in Moldflow^® utilizing a combination of process parameters based on an L9 orthogonal array. Later, the warpage output from Moldflow^® simulation was converted into a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio response, and the optimum values of each processing parameter were obtained using the smaller-the-better quality characteristic. The results show that the optimum values were 60 °C, 40 s, 210 °C, and 600 kN for the mold temperature, compression time, melt temperature, and pressure, respectively. Afterward, a confirmation test was performed to test the optimum parameters. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), melt temperature was found to be the most significant processing parameter, followed by mold temperature, compression time, and pressure. Full article

Kinetic models used for the kinetic analysis of solid-state reactions assume ideal conditions that are very rarely fulfilled by real processes. One of the assumptions of these ideal models is that all sample particles have an identical size, while most real samples have an inherent particle size distribution (PSD). In this study, the influence of particle size distribution, including bimodal PSD, in kinetic analysis is investigated. Thus, it is observed that PSD can mislead the identification of the kinetic model followed by the reaction and even induce complex thermoanalytical curves that could be misinterpreted in terms of complex kinetics or intermediate species. For instance, in the case of a bimodal PSD, kinetics is affected up to the point that the process resembles a reaction driven by a multi-step mechanism. A procedure for considering the PSD in the kinetic analysis is presented and evaluated experimentally by studying the thermal dehydroxylation of kaolinite. This process, which does not fit any of the common ideal kinetic models proposed in the literature, was analyzed considering PSD influence. However, when PSD is taken into account, the process can be successfully described by a 3-D diffusion model (Jander’s equation). Therefore, it is concluded that the deviations from ideal models for this dehydroxylation process could be explained in terms of PSD. Full article

In lithium-ion battery manufacturing, wetting of active materials is a time-critical process. Consequently, the impact of possible process chain extensions such as lamination needs to be explored to potentially improve the efficiency of the electrode and separator stacking process in battery cell manufacturing. This paper addresses the research gap of the unexplored effects of lamination on the wetting rate of electrode-separator assemblies in pouch cells. Based on the triangulation of three measurement techniques (gravimetric, optical, electrochemical), a correlation between lamination and wettability of electrode-separator assemblies is experimentally demonstrated, thus providing an important research contribution. Full article

There are two important territories in Slovakia with functioning gas well operations: the Eastern Slovak Lowland and the Vienna Basin. This article focuses on the creation of electronic monitoring and graphical mapping of the current technical conditions of gas wells in the Eastern Slovak Lowland. An analysis of the gas wells’ current state in the terrain is available. The aim of the article is to draw attention to the current state of gas wells, such as the insufficient processing of gas wells, the lack of summary and uniform records concerning them, and the lack of an electronic system for monitoring the technical security of the wells. The scientific contribution of this article lies in its ability to interpret and address operational problems related to gas wells. Through analogy, the step algorithm expresses the possibility of also using gas wells for oil, geothermal and hydrogeological wells. The intention was to highlight the importance of the need to create a database for the security and strategic needs of the state regarding the storage of natural gas. As of yet, no computer or graphic system has been used in Slovakia to monitor, unify and clarify the actual technical condition of gas wells. Using the ArcGIS electronic and graphical software tool, the mapping and recording of gas wells was carried out in the area under investigation. The mapping was completed with the mentioned technical patterns. These patterns have the information found on individual gas wells. After the information is added to the database, this mapping can also be carried out in another important area with functioning gas wells, such as in the Vienna Basin, which could be another theme for further research in this area. Full article

A voltage stability index is proposed using a new single-port equivalent depending on component peculiarity representation and sensitivity persistence to locate and determine long-term voltage instability in transmission and distribution power networks. The suggested single-port equivalent effectively represents the equivalence of various component types and assures the consistency of sensitivity information before and after the equivalence which is compulsory for the equivalent accuracy in estimating the voltage stability analysis. The stability index is derived from the new single-port equivalent to determine the system voltage instability. The proposed stability index is compared with indices based on virtual impedance and Thevenin impedance models. This new stability index shows more accuracy and effectiveness as compared to the indices based on virtual and Thevenin equivalent models. The index also determines the weak buses, where an improvement or functional measure can be used to reduce the system voltage instability. The validity of the proposed equivalent approach and stability index is presented by utilizing two radial systems, four IEEE systems and an actual system having bus size from five to 1010 buses. Full article

It is a challenge to identify the parameters of a mechanism model under real-time operating conditions disrupted by uncertain disturbances due to the deviation between the design requirement and the operational environment. In this paper, a novel approach based on reinforcement learning is proposed for forging machines to achieve the optimal model parameters by applying the raw data directly instead of observation window. This approach is an online parameter identification algorithm in one period without the need of the labelled samples as training database. It has an excellent ability against unknown distributed disturbances in a dynamic process, especially capable of adapting to a new process without historical data. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated and validated by a simulation of acquiring the parameter values of a forging machine. Full article

Transfer chutes for bulk material conveying systems have significant importance in ship loading and unloading and are ‘worn’ from large mass flow and fast granular material flow conditions. In this investigation, the impact forces of different granular materials on the transfer chute wear process are considered; the DEM–FEM (Discrete Element Method–Finite Element Method) coupling method was used to calculate the wear and the deformation of the transfer chute. The stress–strain and cumulative contact energy from three different granular materials were analyzed under different working conditions. The results show that the wear, stress–strain, and cumulative contact energy of the transfer chute are closely related to the belt speed, the chute inclination angle, and the types of granular materials; the impact force and the stress–strain on the transfer chute achieves maximum value under a 4 m/s belt speed condition; meanwhile, with the increase of belt speed by 0.5 m/s, the wear of the transfer chute increases 25% and the deformation increases 20%; the shape variable, wear area, and normal cumulative contact capacity of the transfer chute are the smallest with a transfer chute inclination angle from 40° to 45°. Full article

CO₂ methanation is typically carried out using Ni-supported catalysts containing promoters such as alkali or alkali-earth metals to improve their properties. In this work, bimetallic Ni-based USY zeolite catalysts containing alkali (Li, K and Cs) and alkali-earth (Mg, Ca) metal compounds were prepared using the same conditions (15 wt% of metals; co-impregnation), characterized by N₂ sorption, XRD, TGA, CO₂ adsorption–desorption, DRS UV-Vis and H₂-TPR, and finally applied in CO₂ methanation reaction (86,100 mL h⁻¹ g⁻¹, P_CO2 = 0.16 bar, H₂:CO₂ = 4:1). For each group, the effects of the second metal nature on the properties and performances were assessed. Alkali metals incorporation induced considerably low catalytic performances (CH₄ yields < 26 %), attributed to their negative impact on zeolite structure preservation. On the contrary, alkali-earth metal-containing catalysts exhibited lower structural damage. However, the formation of Ni-Mg mixed oxides in Ni-Mg/USY catalyst and CaCO₃ during the reaction in Ni-Ca/USY sample could explain their performances, similar or lower than those obtained for Ni/USY catalyst. Among the studied metals, calcium was identified as the most interesting (CH₄ yield of 65 % at 415 °C), which was ascribed to the slight improvement of the Ni⁰ dispersion. Full article

The process of upsetting, with rotating dies, is used to reduce the force required to deform the workpiece and to receive more homogeneous deformation compared to the same process without the rotational motion of the dies. The upper bound method is an efficient tool for a quick estimate of process parameters. The accuracy of upper bound solutions depends on the chosen class of kinematically admissible velocity fields. The present paper provides an efficient method for choosing kinematically admissible velocity fields that satisfy some stress boundary conditions if the associated flow rule is considered. The method applies to the upsetting of cylinders. It is expected that it leads to accurate solutions if friction is high enough. Besides, the kinematically admissible velocity field accounts for a rigid region near the axis of symmetry. Such a region inevitably occurs in exact solutions because the friction stress must vanish at the axis of symmetry. The final expression for the upper bound, on a combination of the force and torque, involves two arbitrary parameters. These parameters are determined using the upper bound theorem. An example is provided to illustrate the method. Full article

Organic waste generation, collection, and management have become a crucial problem in modern and developing societies. Among the technologies proposed in a circular economy and sustainability framework, composting has reached a strong relevance in terms of clean technology that permits reintroducing organic matter to the systems. However, composting has also negative environmental impacts, some of them of social concern. This is the case of composting atmospheric emissions, especially in the case of greenhouse gases (GHG) and certain families of volatile organic compounds (VOC). They should be taken into account in any environmental assessment of composting as organic waste management technology. This review presents the relationship between composting operation and composting gaseous emissions, in addition to typical emission values for the main organic wastes that are being composted. Some novel mitigation technologies to reduce gaseous emissions from composting are also presented (use of biochar), although it is evident that a unique solution does not exist, given the variability of exhaust gases from composting. Full article

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are a heterogeneous group of anaerobic microorganisms that play an important role in producing hydrogen sulfide not only in the natural environment, but also in the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity of animals and humans. The present review was written with the inclusion of 110 references including the time period from 1951 to 2021. The following databases were evaluated: Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. The articles chosen to be included in the review were written mainly in the English and Czech languages. The molecular mechanisms of microbial cryoprotection differ depending on the environment where microorganisms were initially isolated. It was observed that the viability of microorganisms after cryopreservation is dependent on a number of factors, primarily colony age, amount of inoculum, cell size or rate of cooling, and their molecular inventory. Therefore, this paper is devoted to assessing the performance and suitability of various cryopreservation methods of intestinal bacteria, including molecular mechanisms of their protection. In order to successfully complete the cryopreservation process, selecting the correct laboratory equipment and cryopreservation methodology is important. Our analysis revealed that SRB should be stored in glass vials to help mitigate the corrosive nature of hydrogen sulfide, which can affect their physiology on a molecular level. Furthermore, it is recommended that their storage be performed in distilled water or in a suspension with a low salt concentration. From a molecular biological and bioengineering perspective, this contribution emphasizes the need to consider the potential impact associated with SRB in the medical, construction, and environmental sectors. Full article

Egg yolk is a multifunctional ingredient widely used in many food products, wherein proteins are the dominant component contributing to this functionality. However, the potential risk of foodborne illness associated with egg use forces us to ensure that foodstuffs based on egg yolk are managed in a safe and sanitary manner. Lowering the pH under a certain value by adding acids could serve this purpose, but it can also greatly modify the rheological and functional properties of egg yolk. This research aims to assess the influence of citric acid on the rheological properties and microstructure of chicken egg yolk dispersions and their heat-set gels. The dispersions were prepared from fresh hen’s eggs yolks by adding water or citric acid to obtain a technical yolk (45 wt.% in solids) at the desired pH value. Viscoelastic measurements were carried out using a control stress rheometer, and microstructure was evaluated by cryo-scanning electronic microscopy (CryoSEM). An evolution of the viscoelastic properties of egg yolk dispersions from fluid to gel behavior was observed as the pH decreased until 2 but showing a predominantly fluid behavior at pH 3. The profile of viscoelastic properties along the thermal cycle applied is modified to a great extent, also showing a strong dependence on pH. Thus, the sol–gel transition can be modulated by the pH value. Full article

Biofuels have many environmental and practical benefits as a transportation fuel. They are among the best alternatives to fossil fuels- thanks to their capacity for negative carbon emissions, which is vital for archiving the global ambition of a net-zero economy. However, conventional biofuel production takes place on inland sites and relies on freshwater and edible crops (or land suitable for edible crop production), which has led to the food versus fuel debate. It also suffers technical and economical barriers owing to the energy balance and the cost of production compared with fossil fuels. Establishing a coastal integrated marine biorefinery (CIMB) system for the simultaneous production of biofuels, high-value chemicals, and other co-products could be the ultimate solution. The proposed system is based on coastal sites and relies entirely on marine resources including seawater, marine biomass (seaweed), and marine microorganisms (marine yeasts and marine microalgae). The system does not require the use of arable land and freshwater in any part of the production chain and should be linked to offshore renewable energy sources to increase its economic feasibility and environmental value. This article aims to introduce the CIMB system as a potential vehicle for addressing the global warming issue and speeding the global effort on climate change mitigation as well as supporting the world’s water, food and energy security. I hope these perspectives serve to draw attention into research funding for this approach. Full article

Laurus nobilis L. is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose leaves have been known for various health-promoting effects mainly attributed to polyphenols. Microwave- (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) are green extraction techniques that enable effective isolation of polyphenols from plant material. Therefore, the aim of this research was to optimize the extraction conditions of MAE (ethanol percentage, temperature, extraction time, microwave power) and UAE (ethanol percentage, extraction time, amplitude) of polyphenols from Laurus nobilis L. leaves and to assess their polyphenolic profile by ultra performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and antioxidant capacity by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. Optimal MAE conditions were 50% ethanol, 80 °C, 10 min and 400 W. Optimal UAE conditions were 70% ethanol, 10 min and 50% amplitude. Spectrophotometric analysis showed the highest total phenolic content in the extracts was obtained by MAE, compared to conventional heat-reflux extraction (CRE) and UAE. The polyphenolic profile of all obtained extracts included 29 compounds, with kaempferol and quercetin glycosides being the most abundant. UPLC-MS/MS showed the highest total phenolic content in the extracts obtained by CRE. ORAC assay showed the highest antioxidant capacity in extracts obtained by CRE, which is in agreement with the polyphenolic profile determined by UPLC-MS/MS. Full article

Over recent years, the food industry has striven to reduce waste, mostly because of rising awareness of the detrimental environmental impacts of food waste. While the edible oils market (mostly represented by soybean oil) is forecasted to reach 632 million tons by 2022, there is increasing interest to produce non-soybean, plant-based oils including, but not limited to, coconut, flaxseed and hemp seed. Expeller pressing and organic solvent extractions are common methods for oil extraction in the food industry. However, these two methods come with some concerns, such as lower yields for expeller pressing and environmental concerns for organic solvents. Meanwhile, supercritical CO₂ and enzyme-assisted extractions are recognized as green alternatives, but their practicality and economic feasibility are questioned. Finding the right balance between oil extraction and phytochemical yields and environmental and economic impacts is challenging. This review explores the advantages and disadvantages of various extraction methods from an economic, environmental and practical standpoint. The novelty of this work is how it emphasizes the valorization of seed by-products, as well as the discussion on life cycle, environmental and techno-economic analyses of oil extraction methods. Full article