Funnel System Research Articles

Design and experimental analysis on a single tank energy storage system integrated with a cooking unit using funnel system

The paper presents a new innovation in small scale thermal energy storage system suitable for cooking application. A single tank thermal energy storage system integrated with a cooking unit has been developed and the performance analysed. The system consists of a heat storage tank, a heating chamber referred to as a funnel, and the cooking unit. The heating chamber is a pipe made of cast iron, and on top of the pipe is a cylindrical container made of Aluminium. A heating element of 1.5 kW 220 V was inserted inside the funnel and was used for heating the oil. The top of the funnel allows a cooking pot to be inserted inside it. The funnel can be raised or lowered using screws connected to the top of the tank; this regulates the temperature at which oil begins to overflow into the heat storage tank. The heat storage tank is made of stainless-steel, and contains sunflower oil as a heat storage medium. During charging, a small volume of oil about 2 L was heated inside the funnel, and the temperature rose rapidly to about 150 °C in less than 15 min. The system allows for cooking to begin immediately after charging has been started. As heating continues, the hot oil overflows into the storage tank, and cold oil at the bottom of the tank flows into the funnel where it is heated. The storage tank had 18 L of sunflower oil. During discharge, the direction of oil flow reverses; hot oil flows from the top of the tank into the funnel. The hot and the cold oil do not mix during discharge, and therefore, the heat front is preserved. Cooking tests were demonstrated during charging and discharging cycles. About 453.6 kJ of energy was used in boiling 1.5 L of water in 10 min, and 1.04 MJ was used in boiling 1 kg of dry beans in about 2 h.

Slow Tourism: A Possible Solution to Indigenous Communities’ Invisibility in San Cristobal de las Casas

Tourism is Mexico’s second largest service industry and makes up a significant amount of the country’s revenue. Scholars have considered and described the impact of Indigenous exploitation on the tourism industry; however, researchers have generally limited their investigation to the social conflict between Indigenous communities, mestizos, and tourists, instead of providing sustainable solutions to an issue that has worsened with time. Parallelly, even though recent studies have suggested Slow Tourism as a development tool to the economy, their proposal does not consider Indigenous communities as active agents. We report the results of descriptive research design, considered from a transactionalist framework, from which we draw potential steps towards a sustainable and fair industry; this methodology allows accurate description of the Fast Tourism phenomenon. Through field work in non-participant observation and field notes gathered in the span of four weeks, the observation process develops in a three-stage funnel system, manifested in the appendix. This study aims to shift the current international and capitalist touristic models to fit Indigenous communities’ necessities and values through the implementation of Slow Tourism practices.

A gas-flow funnel system to quantify advective gas emission rates from the subsurface

The estimation of greenhouse gas emission rates from the subsurface into the atmosphere is an important part of climate-related research activities and associated efforts concerning the global carbon cycle. For the direct quantification of gas emission rates from the subsurface to the atmosphere a large variety of gas detection and flux quantification techniques exists. With the goal of measuring advective CO2 gas exhalations circumventing limitations of available systems such as e.g. accumulation-chamber systems or eddy-flux covariance methods, we developed a simple, robust, and low-cost gas-flow funnel system. The device allows for the continuous measurement of mass flow rates with a free, unrestricted gas flow from advectively dominated gas exhalation spots. For the design of the gas-flow funnel we used custom-made, though easy-to-produce components, and sensors that are typically already available when working at such sites. Our general design can easily be applied at sites with focused, advectively driven gas exhalation like volcanic areas, shale-gas seeps, landfills, and open boreholes. For the proof-of-concept we tested the system during three field campaigns at a site with natural CO2-bound emissions associated with a geologic fault in southwestern Germany. The measurements showed to be comparable and repeatable throughout the three campaigns, and are consistent with findings from other field sites with comparable CO2 exhalations.

The incubation of Tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) eggs using funnel system at different temperatures

Tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) is freshwater fish found in Borneo, Java, and Sumatera including in Aceh Province waters. It is known as a native species in Indonesia, locally known as Tengadak or Lampan and this species is popular for consumption due to its taste. Tinfoil barb is targeted species of inland water for fisheries production. In recent years, the fish population has declined because of overexploitation and habitat degradation. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effects of temperature on Tinfoil barb (B. schwanenfeldii) eggs incubation using a funnel system. It was conducted at Balai Benih Ikan (BBI) Lukup Badak, Central Aceh Regency. The Completely Randomized Design was used as a statistical analysis method with four treatments and three replications at 22±1 oC, 25±1 oC, 28±1 oC, and 31±1 oC. Hatching was carried out using a funnel system with 100 grain/liter of eggs density for incubation. The parameters measured were hatching time and rate, egg yolk absorption time, the survival rate of the embryo, larvae abnormality, and water quality. The ANOVA test results showed that temperature significantly affected hatching time and rate, egg yolk absorption time, and larvae abnormality (P0.05). In contrast, the effect was insignificant on the survival rate of an embryo, with P0.05. It is concluded that the optimum temperatures for Tinfoil barb eggs incubation were about 25±1 oC–31±1 oC. A funnel system was more effective for incubation than the conventional system.Keywords:Tinfoil barbFishIncubationTemperatureFunnel System

Splash Erosion on Terraces, Does It Make a Difference If the Terracing Is Done before or after a Fire?

Terraces are a common Mediterranean feature influencing soils, slopes and subsurface hydrology; however, little is known about their impact on erosion processes, especially in humid regions. The purpose of this study was to assess how terracing after a fire affected erosion processes such as splash erosion. For 8 months, the study monitored splash erosion in three terraced plots, one plot under pre-fire conditions and the other two under post-fire conditions. Assessment of the impact of the terracing treatment in such plots was carried out by the installation of two different splash erosion quantitative systems: cups and funnels. An analysis of the splash data obtained in 17 rainfall events and meteorological data collected during each one of those periods was then performed. A significant positive correlation between the amount of rainfall and the splash erosion was observed. The two splash sampling systems show a high degree of concordance; however, the funnel-type model seems to be the most appropriate when it comes to preventing loss of splashed soil samples. The post-fire treatment with terracing leads to a smaller stability of surface soil aggregates, causing higher splash erosion rates. Sampling using the funnel system collects three times the amount of splashed soil than that collected by the cup system, although both systems correlate appropriately with the meteorological parameters.

FORMATION OF CRUSHING ZONE AT THE LEVEL OF TAMPING IN THE CONDITIONS OF MASS EXPLOSIONS

The purpose of the work is to study the sequence of formation of the fracture zone in the area of the array above the ends of the system of adjacent charges in connection with the technological parameters of their mutual location. The task of works is the analytically substantiate the dependence of the value of the undamaged area of the array at the level of the bottomhole on the parameters of the system of downhole charges, taking into account the phenomenon of the edge effect. 
 Research results. Data on the dimentions of the part of the massif in the lborewhole that does not participate in the mass deformation motion of the rock during the formation of adjacent downhole funnels are obtained. It is assumed that this area between adjacent charges is the source of the oversized fraction. 
 Originality. The process of formation of the destroyed zone in space above the end of the boreholeis considered step by step: generation of the shock wave front, the symmetry of which is close to spherical, formation of the loosenning funnel system in the second stage, which does not adjacent charges of the total front of the stress wave from the explosion of downhole charges detonated from their bottom. Behind him moves the deformation front of a complex structure. It is assumed that this front in the system of two adjacent charges acquires a shape similar to a vertical wedge inverted by the base towards the free surface. The expected result of such a step-by-step deformation process is the desired degree of crushing of the rock mass at the level of the tamping. 
 Conclusions and practical implications. Theoretically and calculatedly obtained and recommended rational parameters of the location of the system of well charges of limited length to reduce the size of the non-destructive region of the rock mass at the level of the tamping, which improves the design of mass explosions in mountain slopes.

Reducing efficiency roll-off of phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes by using phosphor assisted energy funneling

Though phosphorescent emitters have been widely applied in commercialized organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), most of them always suffer from severe efficiency roll-off because high exciton concentration at high current density would cause aggravation of triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) and triplet-polaron quenching (TPQ) effect. Herein, an energy funneling system were formed in phosphorescent OLEDs (PhOLEDs) to relieve the exciton accumulation and further suppress the quenching effects by utilizing a phosphorescent emitter as assistant host. By simply adding blue phosphors to green and red devices, the EQEs of green and red devices at the brightness of 10000 cd m −2 were remarkably improved from 12.8% to 11.1%–20.2% and 22.4% for green and red OLEDs, respectively. The results presented in this work are quite beneficial to OLED display and lighting industry. • The reasons for the sharp decline in efficiency of PhOLED under high brightness are carefully analyzed. • An energy funneling system was proposed for improving the efficiency under high current density. • The EQEs at the brightness of 10000 cd/m2 were remarkably improved from 12.8% to 11.1%–20.2% and 22.4% for green and red PhOLEDs, respectively.

First record of Leitneria pugio (Karg) (Acari: Halolaelapidae) from Turkey

The genus and species Leitneria pugio (Karg) was identified in garlic growing areas in Kastamonu which is located Northeastern part of Turkey. This species and genus findings are new records for Turkey. The species were previously only recorded in Europe and Iran. Leitneria pugio was collected during vegetation period from the weed plants (wild oat) with attached soil. Extraction was provided by Berlese funnel system and individuals were stored in 70% ethanol, cleared in lacto phenol solutions and mounted in Hoyer’s medium on microscopic slides. The samples were collected during the surveys conducted for a project (TUBITAK─114O416) on identification of the mite species on garlic growing plantations during 2016.

Design and Performance of a Dual-Polarity Instrument for Ion Soft Landing.

A new apparatus for ion soft landing research was developed and is reported in this contribution. The instrument includes a dual polarity high-flux electrospray ionization (ESI) interface, a tandem electrodynamic ion funnel system, a collisional flatapole, a quadrupole mass filter, and a focusing lens. The instrument enables production of ionic layers by soft landing of mass-selected ions onto surfaces with balanced or imbalanced charge conditions using either layer-by-layer (LBL) or fast polarity switching modes. We present the first evidence of using weakly coordinating stable anions to protect the ionizing protons of soft-landed cations on the surface. The observed proton retention is particularly efficient when fast polarity switching of anions and cations is employed to deposit small quantities of ions in short deposition segments. Furthermore, we observe more efficient charge retention and better ionic complexation in a charge-balanced layer prepared by fast polarity switching deposition. These findings open up new opportunities for the fabrication of novel ionic assemblies using well-defined gaseous ions as building blocks.

Design of four-beam IH-RFQ linear accelerator

The multi-beam acceleration method is an acceleration technique for low-energy high-intensity heavy ion beams, which involves accelerating multiple beams to decrease space charge effects, and then integrating these beams by a beam funneling system. At the Tokyo Institute of Technology a two beam IH-RFQ linear accelerator was developed using a two beam laser ion source with direct plasma injection scheme. This system accelerated a carbon ion beam with a current of 108mA (54mA/channel×2) from 5 up to 60keV/u.In order to demonstrate that a four-beam IH-RFQ linear accelerator is suitable for high-intensity heavy ion beam acceleration, we have been developing a four-beam prototype. A four-beam IH-RFQ linear accelerator consists of sixteen RFQ electrodes (4×4 set) with stem electrodes installed alternately on the upper and lower ridge electrodes.As a part of this development, we have designed a four-beam IH-RFQ linear accelerator using three dimensional electromagnetic simulation software and beam tracking simulation software. From these simulation results, we have designed the stem electrodes, the center plate and the side shells by evaluating the RF properties such as the resonance frequency, the power loss and the electric strength distribution between the RFQ electrodes.

Ghost peaks observed after atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization experiments may disclose new ionization mechanism of matrix-assisted hypersonic velocity impact ionization.

Understanding the mechanisms of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) promises improvements in the sensitivity and specificity of many established applications in the field of mass spectrometry. This paper reports a serendipitous observation of a significant ion yield in a post-ionization experiment conducted after the sample had been removed from a standard atmospheric pressure (AP)-MALDI source. This post-ionization is interpreted in terms of collisions of microparticles moving with a hypersonic velocity into a solid surface. Calculations show that the thermal energy released during such collisions is close to that absorbed by the top matrix layer in traditional MALDI. The microparticles, containing both the matrix and analytes, could be detached from a film produced inside the inlet capillary during the sample ablation and accelerated by the flow rushing through the capillary. These observations contribute some new perspective to ion formation in both laser and laser-less matrix-assisted ionization. An AP-MALDI ion source hyphenated with a three-stage high-pressure ion funnel system was utilized for peptide mass analysis. After the laser had been turned off and the MALDI sample removed, ions were detected during a gradual reduction of the background pressure in the first funnel. The constant-rate pressure reduction led to the reproducible appearance of different singly and doubly charged peptide peaks in mass spectra taken a few seconds after the end of the MALDI analysis of a dried-droplet spot. The ion yield as well as the mass range of ions observed with a significant delay after a completion of the primary MALDI analysis depended primarily on the background pressure inside the first funnel. The production of ions in this post-ionization step was exclusively observed during the pressure drop. A lower matrix background and significant increase in relative yield of double-protonated ions are reported. The observations were partially consistent with a model of the supersonic jet from the inlet capillary accelerating detached particles to kinetic energies suitable for matrix-assisted hypersonic-velocity impact ionization.

Simulation Study to Improve Ion Transmission Efficiency in Mass Spectrometry with a Dual Ion Funnel Ion Source

We performed computer simulations to improve transmission efficiencies of a dual ion funnel system implemented onan FT-ICR MS. We found that the low m/z range from 50 to 150 could be significantly improved by operating the two ion funnelsat different RF amplitudes. These new operational conditions could be applied to analyze metabolome samples, whichrequire high sensitivity in the m/z range from 50 to 1,000.

Clamshell vs. Backhoe Excavation of Permeable Reactive Barriers

Problem statement: Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) were one of the most widespread solutions for the remediation of contaminated aquif ers. Although, a variety of excavation methods had been developed, backhoe (hydraulic excavators) were commonly used for the construction of PRBs in North America. Approach: In Europe, the most common method of slurry excavation was with a hydraulic grab and crane. The aim of this study was to compare clamshell and backhoe excavation techniques and to describe the installation of a fu ll scale PRB using a crawler crane equipped with a hydraulic grab. Results: Backhoes had been used on a larger number of PRB installations and permit a rapid rate of excavation and generally require less skill to master. Long stick backhoes were capable of digging as deep as 30 m. Instead, clamshell excavat ors require more skill to use, but were able to excavate to a depth of more than 70 m, with a high degree of precision. Two similar case studies were presented to compare the relative merits of the two excavation techniques. Conclusion/Recommendations: The first describes a funnel and gate system excava ted by long stick backhoe, in the US, whose longest gate is 0.73 m th ick, 68 m long and up to 13 m deep. The latter is a 0.6 m thick, 120 m long and 13 m deep continuous PRB, excavated by crane mounted grab to remediate a chlorinated hydrocarbons plume, in Avigliana, near the city of Torino, in Italy. Comparison of the two techniques is performed on the availability of instrumentation, excavation power and precision, potential for cost savings.

Behavioural and physiological consequences of capture for shearing of vicuñas in Argentina

Behavioural, physical and physiological responses of Argentinean vicuñas to capture, handling and shearing were studied for the first time. The research was undertaken in a study area of 2414 ha with a mean density of 12–40 vicuñas/km 2. Captures were conducted on groups of wild vicuñas that had not received any prior management. Groups were herded into a funnel system that ended in a corral with several internal subdivisions. Three distinct capture methods were compared, according to the method by which the animals were herded into the corral (vehicles system: vehicles only; mixed system: people on foot and vehicles; and Chaku system: people on foot only). Attempts to escape, alarm calls, increased vigilance, vocalizations, and kicking were measured to quantify the stress response. A total of 478 vicuñas were captured between May 2003 and November 2005. Vicuñas captures by mixed system showed alert and active behaviours and vocalized more in the handling corral. The most active animals inside the corrals showed higher respiratory and heart frequency during handling ( r = 0.44, P < 0.05 and r = 0.58, P < 0.001, respectively) and the heart rate increase was inversely proportional to blood glucose and creatin kinase (CK levels) ( r = −0.31, P = 0.05 and r = −0.4, P = 0.05, respectively). Females captured by people on foot showed greater concentrations of cortisol (174 ± 10.5 nmol/L), compared to vicuñas captured by people and vehicles (127.38 ± 12.5 nmol/L) ( F (1,21) = 7.22, P < 0.05). Cortisol levels peaked between 90 and 120 min post-capture (♀ = 177.13 ± 7.67 nmol/L; ♂ = 135.11 ± 13.23 nmol/L). CK (ln) increased significantly according to time spent in captivity. The system that caused the fewest stress responses in vicuñas was capture by people on foot.

Conserving original in situ diversity in microzooplankton grazing set-ups

Grazing experiments targeting the determination of in situ grazing rates are standard. In two separate experiments the effect of the frequently used siphon filling technique on the abundance of microzooplankton during the set-up of grazing experiments was investigated and compared to results from an alternative filling method. Hereby, water containing natural communities from Helgoland Roads, Germany (54°11.3′N 7°54.0′E), was transferred into incubation bottles using a funnel system (funnel-transfer technique (FTT)). The impact of pre-screening with a 200 µm net for excluding larger mesozooplankton grazers from the incubations was evaluated. Results show that the ciliate community was strongly affected by siphoning and pre-screening, leading to significant differences in abundance and Margalef diversity. The most affected ciliates were Lohmanniella oviformis and Myrionecta rubra, both important species in the North Sea. Dinoflagellates did not show any significant response to either siphoning or pre-screening with the exception of one athecate species. Such artificial bias in ciliate assemblages is very problematic for biodiversity consideration and grazing investigations. Simply changing the method of filling during the experimental set-up can ensure the measurement of accurate grazing rates of field abundances of microzooplankton. We thus recommend using conservative filling approaches like the FTT in experiments, especially when sensitive species are present, in order to avoid shifts in the overall microzooplankton community. Furthermore, we recommend introducing a control to evaluate the degree of changes in the target community due to the experimental set-up.

Ammonia emissions from rough cattle slurry and from derived solid and liquid fractions applied to alfalfa pasture

A field trial was conducted to assess the emission of ammonia from rough cattle slurry and solid and liquid fractions (generated from its mechanical separation) applied to alfalfa pasture. Three materials (rough slurry, liquid fraction and solid fraction) were applied on alfalfa over two seasons (summer and autumn), with two application rates (40 and 70 kg N/ha) and with two air velocities (0–0.6 m/s) at the soil surface. Ammonia losses were measured either by a set of wind tunnels (adjusting the air velocity at 0.6 m/s) or by a funnel system, allowing measurements to be recorded at an air speed close to 0 m/s. Each trial lasted 5 days with daily sampling of the gaseous emissions. Trial results showed that the rough slurry substrate had the highest level of ammonia emissions, followed by the liquid and solid fractions. Up to 35% of the applied total Kjeldahl nitrogen was lost as ammonia from the rough slurry in 5 days in summer conditions and with an air velocity of 0.6 m/s. No effect due to the application rate was observed, however, a significant effect of the temperature and air velocity on ammonia emissions was measured. Ammonia emissions after the spreading of the rough slurry were up to 26% higher when compared with those generated after application of the two fractions (solid + liquid).

Evaluation of sampling methods for macroinvertebrate biodiversity estimation in heavily vegetated ponds

This article presents an evaluation of two sampling methods for assessing the biodiversity of heavily vegetated wetlands. The aim was to establish an effective sampling regime to maximise total taxon richness and minimise sampling effort. Three Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) systems in Annetown Valley, Co. Waterford, SE of the Republic of Ireland, were sampled during spring and summer 2005. The two methods that were evaluated were pond netting and two types of horizontal activity traps, namely “horizontal activity traps” (HATs) and modified “horizontal activity traps” (modified HATs). The activity traps provided a one-way funnel system and were constructed from 2 l plastic bottles, allowing for the passive collection of taxa. HATs were designed to capture macroinvertebrates in open water and modified HATs, which were designed specifically for this study, were used to sample within stands of dense emergent vegetation. Results show that a combination of pond netting and activity traps will yield a more complete estimate of taxon richness. The performance of Modified HATs was not significantly different from that of the HATs in dense vegetation. Tests on the sampling effort required for each method are also discussed.

Accuracy and reproducibility of absolute nannoplankton abundances using the filtration technique in combination with a rotary sample splitter

The filtration technique is a widely applied method to calculate absolute coccolith abundances in paleoceanographic, paleoclimatic and ecological studies. Here, we have tested the accuracy and reproducibility of absolute coccolith abundance estimates obtained with the filtration method in combination with a rotary sample divider. The examination of two different filtration devices, a funnel and an in-line system, analysing a known number of microbeads per weight, revealed that counts obtained with funnel systems are up to Ø 18.6% too high. Repeated analyses (15×) of a fine-fraction sediment sample revealed a standard deviation of ±11.4% for the in-line system and ±15.2% for the funnel system, respectively. The comparison between three sub-samples (three splits of 1/30) showed a standard deviation of 4.6% for the in-line system and 9.9% for the funnel system, respectively. Therefore, we assume that the potential split error for the rotary splitter is ≤4.6%. The comparison of our results with estimates for the same samples analysed with the random settling and the “spiking with microbeads and spraying method” (SMS method) reveal that only the data obtained with the SMS and in-line filter method are statistically equal. The results obtained with the settling method are too low, whilst the results obtained with funnel filtration are too high in terms of coccolith absolute abundances. Our results confirm that the filtration method, including sample splitting with a rotary splitter, is a suitable method for the analysis of absolute coccolith abundances. However, the use of different filtration devices appears to affect the accuracy and reproducibility of the results. Furthermore, the number of splitting steps should be as small as possible to avoid an increase of error due to error propagation. In order to increase the reliability of the filtration method, we suggest calibrating a filtration device with microbeads as a standard measure. The reported reproducibility of the various preparation techniques may help to compare data sets obtained with different methods.

Design, Construction and Operation of a Funnel and Gate In-Situ Permeable Reactive Barrier for Remediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Groundwater

A white spirit spill at a factory site located in a residentialarea of south eastern Australia led to contamination of shallowgroundwater that fed into a nearby river. The contaminatedgroundwater contained toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene and n-alkanes in the C6–C36 fraction range. A funnel andgate permeable reactive barrier was designed and built, based onpreliminary pilot scale tests using peat as the medium for thegate and the work conducted is presented as a case study. Thetechnical effectiveness of the funnel and gate, over the 10 monthoperating period in which data was collected, indicates that peatrepresents an effective material for use in the gate component offunnel and gate remedial systems. The application of the funneland gate technology represented a substantial saving to the client and was effective in preventing ongoing pollution of thenearby river. The construction of the funnel and gate system also incurred the minimum disturbance to the public access areasbetween the facility and the river.

In Situ Ground Water Remediation Using the Trench and Gate System

AbstractThe trench and gate remediation system is a funnel and gate design modified for installation in tills and other low permeability sediments. Modifications include the addition of high hydraulic conductivity trenches along the upgradient side of the funnel walls and a discharge reinfiltration gallery downgradient from the treatment gate. Preferential ground water flow through the high permeability trenches and reinfiltration gallery prevents mounding, which otherwise forces flow beneath and around funnel walls. The resultant capture zone is larger, both horizontally and vertically, than the cross‐sectional funnel area and is significantly larger than the capture zone of a similar funnel and gate system. The system constitutes an economical, in situ, long‐term contaminant plume capture and treatment method. In effectiveness and cost, the trench and gate system compares favorably with, or outper‐forms, other remediation systems in near‐surface, low permeability dissolved contaminant scenarios. A prototype trench and gate system was installed at the East Garrington Gas Plant, Alberta, Canada, in 1995. The installation demonstrated the effectiveness of the concept, and the system has successfully prevented off‐site migration of dissolved hydrocarbon contaminants.