Gas Pressure Research Articles

Transient gas-induced differential refractive index effects in as-drawn hollow core optical fibers

When a hollow core fiber is drawn, the core and cladding holes within the internal cane geometry are pressurized with an inert gas to enable precise control over the internal microstructure of the fiber and counteract surface tension forces. Primarily by considering the temperature drop as the fiber passes through the furnace and the geometrical transformation of the internal microstructure from preform-to-fiber, we recently established that the gas pressure within the final ‘as-drawn’ fiber is substantially below atmospheric pressure. We have also established that slight changes in the gas refractive index within the core and surrounding cladding holes induced by changes in gas pressure are sufficient to significantly affect both the modality and loss of the fiber. Here we demonstrate, through both simulations and experimental measurements, that the combination of these effects leads to transient changes in the fiber’s attenuation when the fibers are opened to atmosphere post-fabrication. It is important to account for this phenomenon for accurate fiber characterization, particularly when long lengths of fiber are drawn where it could take many weeks for every part of the internal microstructure to reach atmospheric pressure.

Critical pressure (Pc) and critical temperature (Tc) of Midra shale

AbstractThe critical pressure (Pc) and critical temperature (Tc) of shale gas depend on the characteristic pore size because of the importance of fluid–rock interactions in the matrix. This size dependency is neglected in highly permeable formations, where gas composition is only implemented because the fluid–fluid interactions are dominant. This study determines the critical properties by accounting for the characteristic pore size in the shale matrix and gas composition. The analyzed components are carbon dioxide, ethane, methane, n-butane, nitrogen, pentane, and propane. It shows that the bulk properties overestimate the actual critical properties. The overestimation varies between 15 and 26% in a uniform 5 nm conduit with a circular cross section, and it increases nonlinearly when decreasing the conduit size. Overestimation versus size is presented to provide a convenient tool for correcting the existing data. This study also determines the critical properties of Midra shale by accounting for the pore-throat size and pore-body size distributions. The former distribution is based on the mercury injection capillary pressure measurements of eight samples, whereas the latter is based on the nitrogen adsorption measurements of six samples. This study indicates that common bulk properties overestimate the critical properties of the studied shale between 5 and 22%. The results have applications in characterizing multiphase transport in shale gas reservoirs.

Simultaneous measurement of ammonia concentration and gas pressure based on fiber Multi-mode and Fabry-Pérot interference

Simultaneous measurement of ammonia concentration and gas pressure based on fiber Multi-mode and Fabry-Pérot interference

Development of a simple calculation method for the conductance of rarefied gas flow in cylindrical pipe applicable to divertor exhaust investigation of nuclear fusion reactor

ABSTRACT A gas pressure distribution calculation method for viscous laminar and intermediate flows is developed. By introducing the pseudo-conductace for viscous laminar flow, linearized equations describing pressure distribution are obtained. In intermediate flow, the pressure distribution is iteratively obtained. The validity of the method is confirmed by demonstrating a pressure in a long-tube flow path with various flow rates. The result smoothly connects theoretical curves of molecular flow and viscous laminar flow between two regions. Then the calculation method is applied to an actual device and is compared to the measurement. The comparison between the calculation and measurement shows the qualitative agreement and reveals the requirement for a more detailed implementation of the actual conditions.

Easy and Effective Method for α-CD:N2O Host–Guest Complex Formation

α-CD:N2O “host-guest” type complexes were formed by a simple solid–gas reaction (N2O sorption into α-CD) under different gas pressures and temperatures. The new N2O inclusion method applied in the present study was compared with the already known technique based on the crystallization of clathrates from a water solution of α-CD saturated with N2O. A maximum storage capacity of 4.5 wt.% N2O was achieved when charging the cyclodextrin from a gas phase. The amount of included gas decreases to 1.3 wt.% when the complex is stored in air at 1 atm and room temperature, analogous to that achieved by the crystallization of α-CD:N2O. Furthermore, it was shown that the external coordination of N2O to either the upper or lower rim of α-CD without hydration water displacement is the preferred mode of binding, due to hydrogen bonds with neighboring -OH groups from the host macrocycle and three of the hydration water molecules nearby. The capacity of α-CD to store N2O and the thermal stability of the α-CD:N2O complex demonstrated promising applications of these types of complexes in food and beverages.

Characteristics of perfluoromethyl vinyl ether: A new eco‐friendly alternative gas for SF6

AbstractThe exploration of eco‐friendly insulating gas to substitute the most potent greenhouse gas sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) has consistently garnered significant attention. Herein, the authors evaluated the feasibility of utilising perfluoromethyl vinyl ether (PMVE, C3F6O) as a new branch of eco‐friendly insulating gas for the first time. The primary dielectric and stability characteristics of PMVE regarding AC breakdown, partial discharge, dielectric recovery, and decomposition properties were revealed under various gas pressure and electrical field conditions. It was found that PMVE demonstrated superior dielectric strength, with the AC breakdown and PD inception voltage (PDIV) 1.10 and 1.14 times that of pure SF6. Furthermore, the dielectric strength of PMVE exhibits stability even after undergoing 100 cycles of AC breakdowns, and there is no observable formation of solid precipitation on the electrode surface. The discharge decomposition of PMVE mainly generates fluorocarbon (CF4, C2F6, C3F6, C3F8, etc.) and CO. Overall, the exceptional insulation stability and no absence of solid precipitation features endow PMVE to be utilised as a new eco‐friendly gas for SF6‐free gas‐insulated equipment.

Characterization of gas hydrate generation in SDS-R141b compounding static system

ABSTRACT Coal mine gas control has always been the focus of coal mining enterprises. Curing coal seam gas prevention and control of coal mine gas disaster technology is a new type of local management of mine gas to achieve rapid excavation. The key lies in changing the generation conditions of gas hydrate so that it can solidify the gas in the coal seam and reduce the gas pressure in the coal seam. This paper measured the contact angle of four kinds of thermodynamic accelerators on the coal body, and HCFC-141b was screened as thermodynamic accelerators by combining their own physical and chemical properties. The SDS-R141b compounding system was used to investigate its effect on the generation of gas hydrate, and the results showed that the compounding accelerator could effectively shorten the induction time of the system to 20 min. The compounding accelerator transformed the conventional type I gas hydrate into type II gas hydrate, significantly reducing the thermodynamic conditions for its generation. By adjusting the compounding ratio of the accelerators, the optimal amount of R141b added was found to be m R 141 b : m H 2 O = 1 : 3 .12 . The four thermodynamic accelerators were compounded by adding SDS to each of them to find their optimal ratios and to make a side-by-side comparison of the hydrate generation of the four systems. The results showed that the comprehensive performance of the SDS-R141b compounded system was excellent. These findings are of great significance for preventing gas disasters in mines.

In Situ Pulsed Hydrogen Implantation in Atom Probe Tomography.

The investigation of hydrogen in atom probe tomography appears as a relevant challenge due to its low mass, high diffusion coefficient, and presence as a residual gas in vacuum chambers, resulting in multiple complications for atom probe studies. Different solutions were proposed in the literature like ex situ charging coupled with cryotransfer or H charging at high temperature in a separate chamber. Nevertheless, these solutions often faced challenges due to the complex control of specimen temperature during hydrogen charging and subsequent analysis. In this paper, we propose an alternative route for in situ H charging in atom probe derived from a method developed in field ion microscopy. By applying negative voltage nanosecond pulse on the specimen in an atom probe chamber under a low pressure of H2, it is demonstrated that a high dose of H can be implanted in the range 2-20 nm beneath the specimen surface. An atom probe chamber was modified to enable direct negative pulse application with controlled gas pressure, pulse repetition rate, and pulse amplitude. Through electrodynamical simulations, we show that the implantation energy falls within the range 100-1,000 eV and a theoretical depth of implantation was predicted and compared to experiments.

Development of a novel X-ray fluorescence instrument equipped with a noble gas filter.

In X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, which has been used to analyze elements in various samples, it is important to decrease the background (BG) intensity. Generally, BG signals are reduced by inserting metal foils of various types and thicknesses between the X-ray tube and sample as primary X-ray filters. In this study, we developed a unique gas filter-XRF (GF-XRF) instrument to easily reduce the BG effect by changing the pressure of the gas to ensure that the absorption edge of the gas element is slightly lower than the energy of the XRF peak of the target element. The advantage of using a gas is that the gas pressure can be altered easily. To evaluate the performance of this instrument, Ti and Zr were selected as target elements, and Ar and Kr were selected as the filtering gases. When the XRF spectra of the Ti sample were recorded using the Ar gas filter, as the Ar gas pressure increased, the background signal in the energy region of the Ti Kα peak decreased, resulting in an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of that peak. When the Kr gas filter was used, both the SNR and the minimum detection limit of Zr improved. These results demonstrate that the unique GF-XRF instrument is useful for high-sensitivity analyses.

Perspectives of a single-anode cylindrical chamber operating in ionization mode and high gas pressure

As part of the R2D2 (Rare Decays with Radial Detector) R &D, the use of a gas detector with a spherical or cylindrical cathode, equipped with a single anode and operating at high pressure, was studied for the search of rare phenomena such as neutrinoless double-beta decay. The presented measurements were obtained with a cylindrical detector, covering gas pressures ranging from 1 to 10 bar in argon and 1 to 6 bar in xenon, using both a point-like source of 210\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^{210} $$\\end{document}Po (5.3 MeV α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document}) and a diffuse source of 222\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^{222}$$\\end{document}Rn (5.5 MeV α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document}). Analysis and interpretation of the data were developed using the anodic current waveform. Similar detection performances were achieved with both gases, and comparable energy resolutions were measured with both sources. As long as the purity of the gas was sufficient, no significant degradation of the measured energy was observed by increasing the pressure. At the highest operating pressure, an energy resolution better than 1.5% full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) was obtained for both gaseous media, although optimal noise conditions were not reached.

Understanding two‐phase flow behaviour: CFD Assessment of silicone oil–air and water–air in an intermediate vertical pipe

AbstractThe study utilized computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations employing the volume of fluid (VOF) model to analyze silicone oil–air flows in a vertical pipe with a diameter of 67 mm. Various structured meshes ensured grid independence, and the k‐ε realizable model addressed turbulence. The analysis characterized bubbly to annular flows, involving the evaluation of flow patterns, radial void fractions, void fraction time series, probability density functions (PDFs), power spectral densities (PSDs), and mean void fractions. Results indicated a transition from bubbly to annular flow with increasing gas velocities and notable changes in radial void fraction profiles. Void fraction exhibited significant variations with distinct flow patterns at constant liquid velocity. PDFs identified flow regimes, and PSDs revealed frequency patterns. CFD results were validated against experiments, demonstrating good agreement. The validated CFD model was utilized to investigate radial gas velocities and pressure drops, revealing a shift from uniform velocity distributions to irregular patterns and a decrease in total pressure drop with an increase in gas superficial velocity. The model was also applied to a water‐air system to explore two‐phase flow behaviour. The impact of superficial gas velocity on flow patterns and radial void fractions was studied through numerical analysis and compared with the silicone oil‐air system. Results showed that at extreme gas velocities (0.06 and 5.53 m/s), silicone oil exhibited bubbly and annular flows, while water displayed cap bubbly and churn flows. The significant variation in radial void fraction at these velocities emphasized the impact of fluid properties.

The use of He buffer gas for moderating the plume kinetic energy during Nd:YAG-PLD growth of EuxY2−xO3 phosphor films

We have investigated the He buffer gas process of moderating the kinetic energy of the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) plume during EuxY2−xO3 phosphor film growth. When using a neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet laser for PLD thin film growth, the kinetic energy of the ablation plumes can be high enough to cause the formation of point defects in the film. The buffer gas pressure is an important process parameter in PLD film growth. We find that the presence of the He buffer gas reduces the kinetic energy of the laser deposition plume through many low-angle collisions in the gas phase by a factor of 7 without reducing the deposition rate. This is because He is much lighter than any of the elements in the plume and it does not affect the composition of the oxide films. Consequently, the resputtering of the Y2O3 film surface by the plume was significantly suppressed in the presence of the He gas moderator, leading to a decrease of the defect density in the Y2O3 films. The improvement of the film quality was verified by a systematic analysis of time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) data for EuxY2−xO3 composition–gradient films. The PL lifetime and intensity of Eu0.2Y1.8O3, which shows the highest PL intensity, increased by 13.3% and 36.4%, respectively, when the He gas moderation process was used. The He buffer gas process is applicable to the PLD growth of the other oxide materials as well, where the reduction of the kinetic energy of the plume would bring the PLD process closer to the molecular beam epitaxy growth condition.

Dynamic coupling effects of injection on spray and mixture formation in an asymmetrically vibrating combustion engine

Enhanced methods of energy conversion present a viable solution for addressing energy load challenges. This study introduces a vibrating combustion engine designed to enhance energy conversion efficiency by harnessing flexible dynamics and variable asymmetric motion. However, the consideration of its unique dynamic effects has emerged as a pivotal challenge in fuel-air mixing and combustion research. This study introduces a fuel spray and mixing simulation method that facilitates the reciprocal exchange of coupling parameters between the combustion and dynamics models. It iterates the simulation outcomes of motion and combustion to predict mixture formation. Subsequently, the method is employed to explore the impact of injection position on fuel spray and mixture formation. Results show that there is an optimum injection position for the operation frequency, and retarding or advancing leads to slow compression and weak gas motion for fuel spray and mixing, although retarded injection provides high in-cylinder gas pressure and temperature. The early injection generally causes long penetration, small droplet diameter, slight impingement, and fast evaporation, unless it is too early. The results further indicate that when IAP = 6 mm, a more uniform mixture can be attained at the beginning of combustion, leading to a thermal efficiency of up to 42.9% for the engine.

Determination of stearic acid and 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid in PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil by HPLC-ELSD after alkaline hydrolysis

AbstractA rapid and simple method for the determination of stearic acid and 12-hydroxystearic acid in PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil by high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection was established. The oil sample was first pretreated by alkaline hydrolysis. The analysis was performed on a Zhongpu Develop XD-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with gradient elution of methanol and 1% acetic acid aqueous solution at a flow rate of 1.2 mL·min−1 and a column temperature of 40 °C. The drift tube temperature of the evaporative light scattering detection system was set at 40 °C, and the pressure of carrier gas (N2) was 337 kPa. The regression equation revealed a good linear relation (r = 0.9993–0.9995) during the test ranges (119.1–1190.7 μg·mL−1 for 12-hydroxystearic acid, 10.7–107.4 μg·mL−1 for stearic acid). The detection limits of 12-hydroxystearic acid and stearic acid were 1.1 and 2.5 μg·mL−1, the limits of quantitation were 3.2 and 7.4 μg·mL−1, respectively. And the mean recoveries were 101.5 and 101.0%, the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 2.1 and 2.8%, respectively. The RSDs corresponding to repeatability (n = 6) were both less than 1.7% in terms of precision. As to the stability, the test results remained stable after 8 h at room temperature (RSDs were both less than 2.6%). The developed method showed high sensitivity, recovery, repeatability and stability, which indicated that the method could be applied as a quality evaluation method for the determination of stearic acid and 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid in PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil.

Experimental research of ECW pre-ionization and assisted startup in EAST

Experimental research on the electron cyclotron wave (ECW) pre-ionization and assisted start-up was carried out systematically for the first time in EAST tokamak, which is a superconducting device with ITER-like full metal wall. Breakdown and plasma initiation at low toroidal electric fields (<0.3 V m−1) with ECW pre-ionization and startup assistance has been demonstrated. Also, the parameter domain of breakdown is significantly extended towards higher prefill gas pressure. The effect of ECW injection timing, power, toroidal injection angle on breakdown were also investigated. Injecting ECW earlier leads to an earlier breakdown and a higher plasma current ramp rate. The electron cyclotron heating (ECH) power threshold for breakdown in EAST is approximately 0.4 MW. In the range of ECH power tested in this work, higher ECH power is advantageous for achieving earlier and faster breakdown. Furthermore, the breakdown with radial ECW injection occurs earlier compared with oblique injections (co-current and counter-current). During the ECW-assisted startup, the process of burn-through is prolonged by the higher pre-filled gas pressure even though it enhances the ease of breakdown. In addition, compared to the low hybrid wave assistance, the ECW assistance has an effect in averting the generation of runaway electrons and improving the safety of device during startup. Moreover, the ECW assistance exhibits a high tolerance to the impurity and thus ensures a high ramp rate of plasma current even with a high impurity level.

On a quasilinear parabolic–hyperbolic system arising in MEMS modeling

AbstractA coupled system consisting of a quasilinear parabolic equation and a semilinear hyperbolic equation is considered. The problem arises as a small aspect ratio limit in the modeling of a MEMS device taking into account the gap width of the device and the gas pressure. The system is regarded as a special case of a more general setting for which local well-posedness of strong solutions is shown. The general result applies to different cases including a coupling of the parabolic equation to a semilinear wave equation of either second or fourth order, the latter featuring either clamped or pinned boundary conditions.

Ion Moblity Mass Spectrometry in Multi-omics Studies

Mass spectrometry (MS) as an analytical technique enables the identification and quantitative determination of proteins, metabolites, or lipids in a studied sample. However, this method has limitations regarding the number of molecules that can be identified at a given time. To increase the number of identifications, the application of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) can be employed. This technique allows the separation of ions based on their mobility while traversing the analyser in a gradient of an electromagnetic field and opposing gas pressure. The separation is performed in conjunction with MS analysis, adding another dimension to the analysis, resulting in a significant improvement in the number of identified compounds and a reduction in noise. Alternatively, while maintaining the same number of identifications, analysis can be performed in a shorter time period. It is crucial to pay special attention to the type of IMS analyser used, as its specific implementation dictates further stages of analysis and ion detection capabilities.

Dynamic laser ablation loading of a linear Paul trap

We present a detailed method for accumulating Ca+ ions controllably in a linear Paul trap. The ions are generated by pulsed laser ablation and dynamically loaded into the ion trap by switching the trapping potential on and off. The loaded ions are precooled by buffer gas and then laser-cooled to form Coulomb crystals for verifying quantity. The number of ions is controlled by manipulating the trapping potential of the ion trap, partial pressure of buffer gas and turn-on time of the entrance end cap voltage. With single-pulse laser ablation, the number of trapped ions ranges from tens to ten thousand. The kinetic energy of loaded ions can be selected via the optimal turn-on time of the entrance end cap. Using multiple-pulse laser ablation, the number is further increased and reaches about 4×104 . The dynamic loading method has wide application for accumulating low-yielding ions via laser ablation in the ion trap.

Particle-in-cell simulations of EUV-induced hydrogen plasma in the vicinity of a reflective mirror

Abstract Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations were performed in this work to study the dynamics of the EUV induced hydrogen plasma. Monte-Carlo Collision (MCC) model was employed to deal with the collisions between charged particles and background gas molecules. The dynamic evolution of the plasma sheath, as well as the flux and energy distribution of ions impact on the mirror surface, was discussed. It was found that the emission of secondary electrons under the EUV irradiation on the ruthenium coating of mirrors creates a positively charged wall and then prevents the ion from impacting onto the mirror and therefore changes the flux and energy distribution of ions reach the mirror. Furthermore, gas pressure has notable effect on the plasma sheath and the characteristics of the ions impinging on the mirrors. With greater gas pressure, the sheath potential decreases more rapidly. The flux of ions received by the mirror grows approximately linearly and the energy corresponding to the peak flux decreases slightly in the meantime. Meanwhile, EUV source intensity barely changes the sheath potential and its influence on the ion impact is mainly limited to the approximate linear increase of ion flux.

Investigation on desulfurization and ground granulated blast furnace slags reutilization for carbon dioxide sorption in a fluidized bed reactor

BackgroundThe atmospheric CO2 concentration is significantly increasing due to the utilization of fossil fuel in various activities. Implementation of steel slag is considered as a promising strategy for carbon capture MethodsIn this study, the slags from desulfurization (De-S) and ground granulated blast furnace (GGBS) processes in the steel company waste were applied as the sorbent in CO2 removal using a fluidized bed system. Various operating conditions were applied to determine the influence of operating parameters on sorbent performance. Moreover, examination on sorbent characteristic change and kinetics calculation were also carried out in this study. Significant findingOptimum operating temperature was reached by the application of 600 and 500 °C for De-S and GGBS slag, respectively. The higher CO2 concentration and 5 % water vapor improved the sorbent utilization. However, excessive water vapor and low fluidized velocity decreased the performance of sorbent. De-S slag performed better on overall CO2 capture process compared to GGBS slag. Therefore, upscaled study with 10 times greater size was further conducted with the 150–300 µm De-S slag for the CO2 capture from oxy-fuel and air combustion. The higher CO2 partial pressure in the flue gas of oxy-fuel combustion increased the capture process efficiency.