Constant Low Temperature Research Articles

Cold compressive strength of iron ore pellets in distinct reduction stages

The worldwide use of blast furnaces (BF) in ironmaking continues. The generation of fine matter in the BF shaft hampers the furnace operation and causes particle emissions. The tendency of the main charge of the BFs, iron ore pellets, to produce fines during the process is evaluated by means of standardized tests performed at a low constant temperature. In this work, the durability of commercial acid pellets was evaluated by performing cold compressive strength tests on samples that had been exposed to high-temperature experiments aiming for different reduction degrees in a laboratory-scale furnace simulating actual BF conditions. Strength was found to have decreased to a minimum of approximately 59 % of the original result when the reduction degree was 19 %. The studied pellet achieved a comparatively good result in the standardized low-temperature reduction-disintegration test, which shows the uncertainty of current methods in the evaluation of ferrous burden materials.

Numerical and experimental investigation on mixed convection heat transfer inside cavity heated from below with reciprocating moving upper surface

This investigation involves a numerical and experimental work on mixed convective heat transfer inside cavity heated from below and reciprocating moving upper surface. For the experimental work, the smoke method is used for the air flow visualization. The experiments include the measurements of air temperature inside the cavity and upper and lower surfaces of duct. For the numerical work, the velocity boundary condition of the upper surface is defined asu=umaxsinωt with low constant temperature (Tc), whereas the lower surface of duct is kept at constant wall temperature (Th) and the vertical walls are well insulted. The mathematical model adopted in the calculations are solved by building an own code using finite difference method in MATLAB software The influences of Richardson number (Ri), Aspect Ratio (AR) and dimensionless period (dp) on the flow behavior and average Nusselt number (Nu) are investigated. The experimental and numerical outcomes are compared under identical conditions, where the comparison gives a good matching between them. The numerical outcomes demonstrated that the rising in AR with constant Ri leads to increase the Nu values. For AR=1 and Ri=0.01, the average Nu increases with dp. The experimental results show that the Nu value increases to 3.2 with increasing AR to 2 under constant Ri=10. The dp decreases to 33 s when AR is increased under constant Ri value. The data indicated that Nu rises with reducing in Ri for all AR values. The value of Nu depends on dp, AR and Ri. The multi-cells flow is observed when Ri is raised under constant AR value. The maximum Nu value is obtained for low values of AR and Ri. The profiles of Nu reveal that AR, Ri and dp have considerable influences on the heat transfer.

Experimental investigation of ground-source heat pump system coupled to vertical and horizontal ground loops: A case study

This study presents an experimental investigation of the performance of the ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system coupled to both vertical and horizontal ground loops under four different scenarios in cold climate. The first two tests evaluated the performance of the two vertical ground loops coupled to the GSHP in both heating and cooling modes. The results showed that the COP of the GSHP ranged from 2.7 to 3.15 during the heating mode, while in cooling mode, the COP ranged from 3.75 to 5.4. The GSHP demonstrated a relatively constant performance during both tests, which could be attributed to a relatively stable ground temperature. The last two tests aimed to compare the performance of horizontal and vertical ground loops in cooling mode. In the first case, the ground loop flowrate was divided equally between the vertical and horizontal loops, resulting in an overall GSHP COP of 5.42. In the second case, equal Reynolds number was maintained in both loops, resulting in an overall COP of 5.36. The high COP observed in the last two cases was attributed to the constant low fluid temperature supplied by the ground loops.

Water temperature disturbance alters the conjugate transfer of antibiotic resistance genes via affecting ROS content and intercellular aggregation

Spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic ecosystems poses a significant global challenge to public health. The potential effects of water temperature perturbation induced by specific water environment changes on ARGs transmission are still unclear. The conjugate transfer of plasmid-mediated ARGs under water temperature perturbation was investigated in this study. The conjugate transfer frequency (CTF) was only 7.16 × 10−7 at a constant water temperature of 5 °C, and it reached 2.18 × 10−5 at 30 °C. Interestingly, compared to the constant 5 °C, the water temperature perturbations (cooling and warming models between 5–30 °C) significantly promoted the CTF. Intracellular reactive oxygen species was a dominant factor, which not only directly affected the CTF of ARGs, but also functioned indirectly via influencing the cell membrane permeability and cell adhesion. Compared to the constant 5 °C, water temperature perturbations significantly elevated the gene expression associated with intercellular contact, cell membrane permeability, oxidative stress responses, and energy driven force for CTF. Furthermore, based on the mathematical model predictions, the stabilization times of acquiring plasmid maintenance were shortened to 184 h and 190 h under cooling and warming model, respectively, thus the water temperature perturbations promoted the ARGs transmission in natural conditions compared with the constant low temperature conditions.

Polyimide aerogel-based capacitive pressure sensor with enhanced sensitivity and temperature resistance

The development of intelligent electronic power systems necessitates advanced flexible pressure sensors. Despite improved compressibility through surface micro-structures or bulk pores, conventional capacitive pressure sensors face limitations due to their low dielectric constant and poor temperature tolerance of most elastomers. Herein, we constructed oriented polyimide-based aerogels with mechanical robustness and notable changes in dielectric constant under compression. The enhancement is attributed to the doping of surface-modified dielectric nanoparticles and graphene oxide sheets, which interact with polymer molecular chains. The resulting aerogels, with their excellent temperature resistance, were used to assemble high-performance capacitive pressure sensors. The sensor exhibits a maximum sensitivity of 1.41 kPa−1 over a wide working range of 0–200 kPa. Meanwhile, the sensor can operate in environments up to 150 °C during 2000 compression/release cycles. Furthermore, the aerogel-based sensor demonstrates proximity sensing capabilities, showing great potential for applications in non-contact sensing and extreme environment detection.

Role of periodic oscillating flow modulators on mixed convection in a long horizontal channel

Present study explores mixed convection characteristics in a long horizontal channel subjected to multiple periodically distributed flow modulators. The flow modulators are represented by oscillating blades placed along a centerline of the channel whose lower and upper walls are kept at constant high and low temperatures respectively. In replicating the blade oscillation, moving mesh approach has been adopted within Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) framework for a representative periodical unit. The corresponding non-dimensional governing mass, momentum and energy conservation equations have been solved through Galerkin finite element solver for a wide variations of modulator's dynamic condition (oscillating frequency and maximum angular displacement) for different fluids represented by Prandtl number. Heat transfer performance of the system has been demonstrated in terms of spatially-averaged transient as well as time-averaged Nusselt number while qualitative analysis of fluid flow and thermal field has been presented as streamline and isotherm plots. Present study indicates that the time averaged Nusselt number undergoes significant variation with blade oscillating frequency and maximum angular displacement depending on both the Prandtl number and Reynolds Number. Power spectrum analysis obtained through Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of the imposed blade frequency and induced thermal frequency reveals different correlation depending on the blade frequency. Blade friction power requirement has been found to increase at higher blade frequency as well as maximum angular displacement. However, contrary to power consumption, increase in frequency does not result in a significant rise in heat transfer. Consequently, specific heat transfer decreases at higher blade oscillating frequency and maximum angular displacement.

Effects of Temperature Regulation on the Physiological Characteristics and Platycodin Synthesis of Platycodon grandiflorum

Platycodon grandiflorum, a dual-purpose herb for food and medicine, is widely distributed in Asia. Although P. grandiflorum has relatively low requirements for its growing environment, temperature remains an important ecological factor affecting its growth, development, and quality formation. In order to explore the effect of different temperatures on P. grandiflorum during their growth period, the diversity in growth physiology, platycodin contents, and gene expression of key enzymes were investigated under constant (8 °C, 18 °C, and 28 °C) and variable (8–18 °C, 8–28 °C, and 18–28 °C) temperature conditions at each of the three levels. The results suggested that both constant and variable temperatures at high levels significantly increased the aboveground fresh weight of P. grandiflorum. However, the low–variable temperature was beneficial for the accumulation of dry and fresh weight in the roots. Regardless of whether temperatures were constant or variable at low levels, this increased the content of soluble sugars, proline, and peroxidase in P. grandiflorum, while upregulating the expression levels of key enzyme genes involved in platycodin synthesis. Meanwhile, a low–constant temperature inhibited the photosynthetic rate of P. grandiflorum. Furthermore, medium–constant and large-scale variable temperatures were conducive to the accumulation of platycodins in the roots. This research provides a theoretical basis and data support for the influence of temperature variations on P. grandiflorum quality formation.

Efficient and stable perovskite mini-module via high-quality homogeneous perovskite crystallization and improved interconnect

The efficiency and stability of perovskite module devices are mainly limited by the quality of scalable perovskite films and sub-cells’ lateral contact. Here, firstly, we report constant low temperature substrate to regulate the growth of perovskite intermediate films to slow down the crystallization for obtaining high-quality homogeneous perovskite films in large scale size, which avoid the effect of the ambient temperature on the film quality. Secondly, a scribing step named P1.5 was added before the top function layers deposition, the diffusion barrier layer can be formed “naturally” at the interconnection interface without introducing any additional materials, which well alleviates the diffusion degradation process. As a result, our inverted perovskite devices exhibit a very small efficiency loss with area expansion comparable to other photovoltaic devices (for example, Cadmium Telluride), the perovskite module (aperture area 14.61 cm2) shows a certified quasi-steady-state power conversion efficiency of 22.73%, and the module maintaining over 90% of its initial efficiency after 1000 hours of continuous operation under illumination.

Research on the Low-Temperature Oxygen Consumption and Low-Oxygen Gas Emission Law in Goaf of Ultrathick Coal Seams.

Low-oxygen (oxygen concentration below 18.5%) phenomena often occur in the top coal caving working face of ultrathick coal seams, posing a serious threat to the safety of workers. The characteristics of oxygen consumption and gas production at low-constant temperature and the corresponding functional group evolution of residual coal in goaf were studied by temperature-programmed and infrared spectrum experiments. The influence of different factors on the emission of low-oxygen gases was studied through numerical calculation. The results show that low-temperature oxygen consumption and gas production occurred when the coal was about 40 °C. When the temperature was constant, the oxygen consumption and gas production rate increased with the extension of time. In the early stage of coal oxidation, the aliphatic C-H components were attacked by oxygen molecules and reacted with them. The asymmetric methyl and methylene groups were more likely to oxidize and produce carbonyl compounds. With the increase of nitrogen injection, the overall width of the oxidation zone (oxygen concentration was defined as 10-18%) narrowed, and the range of the oxidation zone moved forward from the depth of the goaf. The oxygen concentration in the air return corner decreased gradually, and the low-oxygen area in the air return corner expanded gradually. The distance between the low-oxygen area of the working face and the air intake corner was gradually shortened. With the increase of air intake, the width of the oxidation zone increased and moved to the depth of goaf, and the degree of low oxygen in the air return corner increased. The research results are of great significance for the understanding and prevention of the low-oxygen phenomenon in ultrathick coal seams.

Assessing the effects of cold storage regimes of North American Bombus Gynes

AbstractBumble bees are the primary commercial pollinators for greenhouse‐grown crops and managing them requires insight into the Bombus life cycle. However, some aspects of the life cycle are not fully understood. Once mated, adult Bombus gynes can be stored for a short term at a constant low temperature (CLT). However, survival rates for some species are low during CLT, particularly when storage periods exceed a month. To address this, we tested the hypothesis that Bombus gynes stored in a fluctuating thermal regime (FTR) have increased survival compared to gynes stored in CLT. Specifically, the FTR had a baseline temperature of 2°C, with a daily fluctuation to 20°C relative to the CLT of 2°C with no warming pulse. We tested the effects of FTR on gyne survival and post‐cold storage lipid content in three species used for commercial pollination in North America: B. vosnesenskii, B. huntii and B. impatiens. We further assessed how additional factors influence cold storage survival, including gyne body weight, body size and colony age. Survival responses varied among species. Bombus vosnesenskii and B. huntii had a lower survival rate in FTR compared to CLT, but B. impatiens gynes had a significantly higher survival rate in FTR. We did not observe significant effects of FTR on lipid stores for any species, but survival increased with an increasing initial weight prior to cold storage. Moreover, gynes produced later in the colony life cycle had lower body weight and decreased survival compared to early emerging gynes. Our study provides insight into how cold storage conditions interact with colony and gyne characteristics to influence captive overwintering survival. Our findings have economic applications for improving commercial rearing and efforts for conservation rearing of at‐risk Bombus species.

Fluid-structure interaction induced mixed convection characteristics in a lid-driven square cavity with non-Newtonian power law fluids

The present study aims to numerically explore Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) induced mixed convection characteristics in a square cavity filled with a non-Newtonian power-law fluid. The side walls of the cavity under consideration are subjected to constant low temperature having motion in opposite directions while the insulated top wall and the bottom hot wall are kept stationary. A flexible fin is mounted on the bottom wall that essentially serves as a passive flow modulator. To solve the transient flow, thermal, and stress fields, the FSI problem is presented in an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian framework employing the Galerkin finite element method. Different non-Newtonian fluids are represented by the power-law index (n) varied within the range, of 0.6 ≤ n≤ 1.4. Besides, the dynamic as well as mixed convection condition of the flow is analyzed by variation of Reynolds number (100 ≤ Re ≤ 300) and Richardson number (0.1 ≤ Ri ≤ 10.0) respectively. System characteristics have been evaluated in terms of streamline and isotherm contours, spatial and time-averaged Nusselt number as well as Normalized Nusselt number in regard to the “No Fin” case. The outcome of the present study reveals that the efficacy of a flexible fin for a given system depends on both the system dynamic condition (Re) and the mixed convection regime (Ri). The presence of a flexible fin has been found to have positive impact on heat transfer performance for both the shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids for higher values of Re and Ri. However, for lower values of Re, the inclusion of a flexible fin has been found to adversely affect the heat transfer performance for shear-thickening fluids. Moreover, the thermal field exhibits periodic oscillation properties at Ri = 10, which can be attributed to the induced motion of the flexible fin. This phenomenon has been further elucidated through Power Spectrum Analysis. Results obtained in the present study might provide valuable insights into FSI-induced mixed convection with non-Newtonian fluids having versatile industrial applications such as solar thermal collectors with strategically positioned passive flexible flow modulators.

Warming, but not infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, increases off-host winter activity in the ectoparasite, Ixodes scapularis

Warming winters will change patterns of behaviour in temperate and polar arthropods, but we know little about the drivers of winter activity in animals such as ticks. Any changes in behaviour are likely to arise from a combination of both abiotic (e.g. temperature) and biotic (e.g. infection) drivers, and will have important consequences for survival and species interactions. Blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, have invaded Atlantic Canada and high proportions (30–50%) are infected with the bacteria causing Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Infection is correlated with increased overwintering survival of adult females, and ticks are increasingly active in the winter, but it is unclear if infection is associated with activity. Further, we know little about how temperature drives the frequency of winter activity. Here, we exposed wild-caught, adult, female Ixodes scapularis ticks to three different winter temperature regimes (constant low temperatures, increased warming, and increased warming + variability) to determine the thermal and infection conditions that promote or suppress activity. We used automated behaviour monitors to track daily activity in individual ticks and repeated the study with fresh ticks over three years. Following exposure to winter conditions we determined whether ticks were infected with the bacteria B. burgdorferi and if infection was responsible for any patterns in winter activity. Warming conditions promoted increased activity throughout the overwintering period but infection with B. burgdorferi had no impact on the frequency or overall number of ticks active throughout the winter. Individual ticks varied in their levels of activity throughout the winter, such that some were largely dormant for several weeks, while others were active almost daily; however, we do not yet know the drivers behind this individual variation in behaviour. Overall, warming winters will heighten the risk of tick-host encounters.

Optimization and sensitivity analysis of hydromagnetic convective heat transfer in a square cavity filled with a porous medium saturated by Ag-MgO/water hybrid nanofluid using response surface methodology

A computational exploration is presented to emphasis on optimization and sensitivity inspection of the unsteady free convective heat transfer flow of hybrid nanofluid in a square cavity under multidirectional periodic magnetic field with aluminum foam porous medium. The vertical walls of the cavity are maintained at constant low temperature whereas the constant as well as the variable thermal conditions on the bottom wall is considered and the top wall is considered as adiabatic. The finite element technique has been applied to solve the governing equations after changing them into dimensionless form. In the numerical simulations, the Ag-MgO/water hybrid nanofluid has been engaged to gain insight into the flow and thermal arenas. The obtained outcomes are exhibited in terms of streamlines, isotherms and average Nusselt number as well as plotting the response surface and contours. The average Nu is displayed in line graphs, response surface and contours graphs as well as tabular form for different flow parameters. Response surface methodology is applied to achieve an optimization procedure to search for the best situation in which the highest heat transfer rate occurs when the distinct model parameters namely Darcy number, porosity and hybrid nanoparticles volume fraction are treated as the sensitivity of the parameters. A correlation equation between the output response and input variables has been derived with the help of response surface methodology. The magnetic field and its path regime the flow decoration of hybrid nanofluid suggestively. The Ag and Ag-MgO nanomaterial with water flow arenas are compared. While considering Ag-H2O nanofluid, the average Nu increases 23.97 % at Ra = 107 with ϕhnp = 0.02 whereas the corresponding increases is 25.68 % if the Ag-MgO/H2O hybrid nanofluid is taken into account. The average Nu upsurges suggestively, as hybrid nanoparticles volume fraction, period number, magnetic field leaning angle, Darcy number and Rayleigh number rises but porosity and Hartmann number have inverse effect. The outcomes showed that the average Nu is more sensitive to the hybrid nanoparticles volume fraction rather than the porosity or Darcy number. Also, it is discovered that the optimum condition arises at Da = 0.001, ε = 0.2 and ϕhnp = 0.02 with the final Nuave = 2358.21.

Lipoaspirate stored at a constant low temperature by electric control suppresses intracellular metabolism and maintains high cell viability

BackgroundCell therapy is a useful treatment method for wide spectrum of diseases which utilizes the immunosuppressive and regenerative abilities of administered cells. It is essential to build a transport system of tissues from which cells are harvested, because various external factors, such as temperature, time, air pressure, and vibration affect the cell functions isolated from body tissues. In particular, temperature is a critical factor which determines the viability of the cells and organs. In this study, we investigated the optimal temperature during the transportation of lipoaspirates from which adipose -derived stem cells (ASCs) were isolated. MethodLipoaspirates obtained by liposuctions (lipomatic or vaser method) were transported in four different temperature zones (4, 20, 32, and 37 °C) in a transport container which is electrically controlled to maintain a constant temperature during transport. Stromal vascular fractions (SVFs) were harvested from the lipoaspirate, and the cell number, viability and proliferation rate and the yield of ASCs were examined. In addition, the metabolic state of the cells was examined. ResultsASCs from lipoaspirates transported at high temperature significantly decreased cell viability, while those at low temperature maintained high cell viability and showed good cell proliferation. In addition, transportation of lipoaspirates at low temperature resulted in a high level of NAD+/NADH, coenzymes involved in intracellular metabolism, and a low level of lactate in lipoaspirate suppressed the glycolytic system of intracellular metabolism, in ASCs. ConclusionThe lipoaspirate transported at 4 °C exhibited best results regarding live cell number, viability and cell proliferation in our experiments. This study offers a direction to build a transport system that connects laboratories and hospitals and achieve a beneficial therapy for patients.

Mechanism of physical hardening on the fracture characteristics of polymer-modified asphalt binder

This article aims to reveal the physical hardening mechanism of polymer-modified asphalt binder (PMA) and accurately assess its impact on the low-temperature fracture properties of asphalt binders. Base asphalt binder (BA), styrene–butadiene–styrene modified asphalt binder (SBSMA), and crumb rubber modified asphalt binder (CRMA) were used as the research objects. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test were used to investigate the physical hardening mechanism of PMA at the microscopic level. The fracture characteristics of PMA under physical hardening were analyzed based on the single-edge notched beam (SENB) test. The results show that under prolonged cold service conditions, the asphalt molecular mobility is weakened, the non-bond energy and the free volume are reduced, and the molecules undergo aggregation state transformation, leading to the physical hardening of asphalt materials. In the process of physical hardening of asphalt molecules in the micro-Brownian motion of the main active force from the aromatic and saturate fractions. Considering the effect of physical hardening, it is recommended that the method used to test the low temperature properties of asphalt binders should ensure a constant temperature for at least 24 h. The crack tolerance (Ct) is recommended as the evaluation index of low-temperature cracking resistance of PMA in cold regions. The Ct of BA, SBSMA, and CRMA are reduced by 52.88 %, 12.04 %, and 35.24 %, respectively, after 24 h of constant low temperature. This indicating that the polymer modifiers can improve the fluidity of asphalt molecules, inhibit molecular aggregation, and reduce the effect of physical hardening on asphalt binders. Thermo-oxidative aging can aggravate the physical hardening phenomenon of asphalt binder, and the higher the degree of thermo-oxidative aging, the more severe the physical hardening of asphalt binder. The related research results provide the theoretical basis and technical support for the accurate design and development of the low-temperature performance of asphalt binders for roads in cold regions.

Recombinase Polymerase Amplification-Based Biosensors for Rapid Zoonoses Screening.

Recent, outbreaks of new emergency zoonotic diseases have prompted an urgent need to develop fast, accurate, and portable screening assays for pathogen infections. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is sensitive and specific and can be conducted at a constant low temperature with a short response time, making it especially suitable for on-site screening and making it a powerful tool for preventing or controlling the spread of zoonoses. This review summarizes the design principles of RPA-based biosensors as well as various signal output or readout technologies involved in fluorescence detection, lateral flow assays, enzymatic catalytic reactions, spectroscopic techniques, electrochemical techniques, chemiluminescence, nanopore sequencing technologies, microfluidic digital RPA, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated systems. The current status and prospects of the application of RPA-based biosensors in zoonoses screening are highlighted. RPA-based biosensors demonstrate the advantages of rapid response, easy-to-read result output, and easy implementation for on-site detection, enabling development toward greater portability, automation, and miniaturization. Although there are still problems such as high cost with unstable signal output, RPA-based biosensors are increasingly becoming one of the most important means of on-site pathogen screening in complex samples involving environmental, water, food, animal, and human samples for controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases.

Aging behavior and mechanisms of lithium-ion battery under multi-aging path

Local lithium plating significantly affects battery safety and cycle life. This study investigated the aging of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) cycled at low temperatures after high-temperature and local lithium plating evolution. Nondestructive and destructive methods were employed to study battery degradation and electrode changes. The results indicate that the surface changes of the negative electrode in parts 1 and 2 are due to solid electrolyte interphase growth and lithium plating, respectively. Battery aging at 50 °C for 18,650-type LIB is inhomogeneous. Local lithium plating is consumed during cycling. The aging of the battery cycled at −10 °C after 50 °C is slower compared to those cycled at constant high and low temperatures. Lithium plating occurs when plated lithium already exists. Battery aging for 18,650-type batteries is path dependent because the electrode changes for batteries cycled at low temperatures after high temperatures are similar to those for batteries cycled at high temperatures. The battery aging in this study was mainly caused by lithium plating in part 2 of the negative electrode. The aging of the 18,650-type battery is governed by Cannikin's law. A high charging rate accelerates the battery aging at low temperatures. The aging rate of the battery charging at 0.6 C is higher than that of the battery charging at 0.8 C after dozens of cycles. The influence of charging rate on battery aging changed with cycling.

Long-term effect of seasonal and constant low temperatures on mesophilic biomass treating sewage in continuously stirred tank anaerobic granular reactor

A Continuously Stirred Tank Anaerobic Granular Reactor seeded with mesophilic biomass was studied for 1733 days analysing the impact of seasonal (12–23 °C) and controlled (8–15 °C) low temperatures on anaerobic treatment of sewage. Aided by intermittent dosing of 0.04% (v/v) methanol, the microbiota quickly adapted to temperature fluctuations. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was high but low temperatures affected methane production. Under low-temperature stress, the Methanomythylovorans and Methanosaeta-dominated methanogenic community shifted focus to cellular repair and transport, with carbon diversion towards assimilative pathways, thereby decreasing methane yields. Specific methanogenic activity at 15 °C and 30 °C increased by five and four times, respectively, from their initial values indicating microbiota retained its mesophilic properties. Despite lower methane yield, stable and high COD removals, along with low dissolved methane and volatile fatty acids indicated that low-temperature anaerobic sewage treatment using mesophilic biomass in the long run is sustainable.

Impact of titling angle and density extremum on transient convection in a porous chamber with sinusoidal heating

The aim of the present study is to investigate numerically the 2D unsteady transient convection of cold water near its highest density value in an inclined square porous enclosed space. The horizontal walls are kept in adiabatic condition. The temperature of left sidewall varies in sinusoidal manner whereas the opposing right sidewall is sustained with constant lower temperature. The range of angle of inclination is considered from 0° to 90°. The finite volume method (FVM) was applied to portray all mathematical equations. The special outcome of inclination angle, Darcy number, maximum density parameter and porosity are obtained in the present study with the use of Brinkmann–Forchheimer extended Darcy model. The change in the angle of inclination is noteworthy in the structure and direction of the flow of the fluid. The bicellular structure of the fluid is identified because of the density inversion effect. Increasing Darcy number and porosity values enhance the average rate of energy transport across the chamber. The lowest heat transfer is noticed for due to supreme density effect. Here the energy transfer from one cell to another cell is by conduction mode due to the existence of dual cell structure.

Volumetric Dilatometer Study of Thermoreversible Aging Properties in Crumb Rubber–Modified Asphalt Binders

Abstract The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the thermoreversible aging mechanism of crumb rubber–modified asphalt binders (CRMAs). In order to achieve this goal, an extended bending beam rheometer (Ex-BBR) test and volumetric dilatometer test were conducted. Additionally, isothermal crystallization kinetics (Avrami theory) and thermal stress calculation using the Hopkins and Hamming algorithm were employed to process the test data. The low-temperature properties of the asphalt specimens were characterized through calculations of creep stiffness (S), creep rate (m-value), grade loss (GL), thermal stress, and Avrami index (n). The experimental results indicate that thermoreversible aging is present in all asphalt samples during the long-term isothermal hardening process. This aging is characterized by continuous macroscopic volume shrinkage, accumulation of thermal stress, a crystallization process, and a process akin to crystallization (i.e., crumb rubber adsorbed oil at low temperatures). It was observed that CRMAs exhibit more severe thermoreversible aging and faster physical hardening rates due to their unique properties at a constant low temperature when compared with base asphalts. However, it was also observed that CRMAs can reduce the thermal stress by reducing the volumetric shrinkage coefficients and S. It is important to note that the volumetric shrinkage coefficients are not constant, which are related to the base asphalts, crumb rubber, and conditioning time. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use a single empirical constant to calculate thermal stress. Instead, multiple coefficients may need to be incorporated to account for the variability in shrinkage behavior.