Inlet System Research Articles

Field measurements and numerical modelling of wind-driven exchange flows in a tidal inlet system in the Dutch Wadden Sea

Multiple tidal inlet systems like the Wadden Sea have long been considered as separated basins, bordered by so-called tidal divides. Recently, it was however shown that fluxes of water and sediment occur over the borders of these basins, especially during wind events. In this paper, the wind-driven fluxes over these borders and the residual flow of water through the main inlet are studied. The study is based on flow measurements at the tidal divides and in the main inlet of the Ameland Inlet system in the Dutch Wadden Sea and on numerical modelling. The measurements were carried out during 40 days in the fall of 2017, including both calm conditions and storm events. Numerical simulations of a full year have been used for upscaling results from the measurements to system scale exchange flows, and to unravel the effects of several mechanisms. The wind-driven variability in exchange flows between back-barrier basins at tidal divides was measured in the field and reproduced by the numerical model. Water level set up increases the water depth and thus the conveyance capacity at tidal divides, such that the exchange flows increase in magnitude. The flow conditions due to wind forcing are similar for both tidal divides of the Ameland Basin. The conveyance capacity and therefore the total volume exchange are however different. This leads to a residual compensation flow through the main inlet, which is directed outward (i.e., in the ebb direction) during winds from the prevailing southwestern wind direction. The net discharge through the main inlet is therefore a consequence of the residual flows over the tidal divides.

Spectral analysis of gas dynamic processes in the inlet system of a piston engine with turbocharger

THE PURPOSE. To carry out a comparative analysis of the spectra of gas-dynamic characteristics of flows in the intake systems of piston engines with and without turbocharging, to assess the degree of influence of the turbocharger on the flow structure in such systems, and also to propose a method for the gas-dynamic improvement of processes in the system under consideration. METHODS. Due to the complexity of the object of research, an experimental approach was taken as a basis. The experiments were carried out on a single-cylinder piston engine model, which could be equipped with a turbocharger. A system for collecting and processing experimental data based on an analog-to-digital converter was used in the study. Data on changes in local values of velocity and static pressure of pulsating flows in the intake system during the engine's operating cycle were obtained using a constant temperature hot-wire anemometer and a fast-acting pressure sensor. Spectral analysis of functions of flow velocity and pressure versus time was carried out on the basis of the fast Fourier transform algorithm.RESULTS. The article presents a comparative analysis of the spectra of the amplitudes of the velocity and pressure pulsations in the intake system of an engine with and without turbocharging. Also proposed is a method for stabilizing the pulsating flow in the intake system by installing a leveling grid in the outlet channel of the turbocharger compressor. CONCLUSION. It is shown that the installation of a turbocharger leads to a significant change in the structure of gas flows in the intake system of the engine. It has been established that the presence of a leveling grid in the intake system of a turbocharged piston engine leads to a decrease in the low-frequency amplitudes of the flow velocity and pressure pulsations up to 30%. It is shown that the probability of failure-free operation of an automobile engine (cylinder diameter – 82 mm, piston stroke – 71 mm) increases by almost 1% when a leveling grille is used in the intake system.

Spit-Inlet migration and storm-driven stacking at Praia de Leste Holocene barrier, southern Brazil

The interaction between coastal drift-dependent features, such as spit and inlet systems and the dynamics of estuaries, under the effect of tides, produces significant changes in coastal barriers depositional architecture. Extreme events associated with these autogenic factors insert elements of variability into the depositional architecture of these deposits. OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating in the Holocene barrier of Praia de Leste, in the southern region of Brazil, associated with GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) subsurface surveys and stratigraphic profiles at outcrops, identified a pattern of retrogradational stacking and truncation in the beach ridges, formed by local patterns of erosion and deposition, between the last relative maximum sea level and the beginning of progradation of the Holocene barrier. The predominance of a longshore drift in an opposite direction to the current one between 5.1 ± 0.3 ka and 4.1 ± 0.3 ka is suggested by the migration of spits and the displacement of a paleo-inlet to the southwest, later abandoned during the slow and gradual fall of the relative sea level (RSL) and consequent diminution of the estuary tidal prism.

СПЕЦИАЛИЗИРОВАННАЯ СИСТЕМА ВВОДА ПРОБЫ ДЛЯ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ УРЕАЗНОГО ДЫХАТЕЛЬНОГО ТЕСТА НА МАСС-СПЕКТРОМЕТРЕ HELICOMASS

A specialized single channel inlet system has been developed for urea breath tests and scientific studies using Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer Helicomass. The system consists of sampling needle, manifold with its purification system, the possibility to introduce sample and standard, high vacuum Mamyrin leak valve to inlet the sample to electron ionization ion source, and the purification procedure including series of sequential pumpings out and blowdowns with compressed nitrogen. The system inlets sample up to 4•10–6 Torr in the mass-spectrometer analytical chamber. The measuring precision was 0.1% for 21 measurements, which meets the test requirements. The measuring time was 15 min per sample including the standard measurement, system purification, the sample measurement, and the second purification. The combination of system and Helicomass mass-spectrometer fits requirements for procedure used to identify infections by Helicobacter pylori.

Determination of the compound class and functional groups in protonated analytes via diagnostic gas-phase ion-molecule reactions.

Diagnostic gas-phase ion-molecule reactions serve as a powerful alternative to collision-activated dissociation for the structural elucidation of analytes when using tandem mass spectrometry. The use of such ion-molecule reactions has been demonstrated to provide a robust tool for the identification of specific functional groups in unknown ionized analytes, differentiation of isomeric ions, and classification of unknown ions into different compound classes. During the past several years, considerable efforts have been dedicated to exploring various reagents and reagent inlet systems for functional-group selective ion-molecule reactions with protonated analytes. This review provides a comprehensive coverage of literature since 2006 on general and predictable functional-group selective ion-molecule reactions of protonated analytes, including simple monofunctional and complex polyfunctional analytes, whose mechanisms have been explored computationally. Detection limits for experiments involvinghigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry based on ion-molecule reactions and the application of machine learning to predict diagnostic ion-molecule reactions are also discussed.

Stable carbon isotopic compositions and source apportionment of the carbonaceous components in PM2.5 in Taiyuan, China

To determine the stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ13C) and source apportionment of carbonaceous components in Taiyuan, PM2.5 samples were collected using medium flow samplers (TH-150C) during 4 months in 2014. The δ13C values of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in PM2.5 were determined using an MAT-251 gas mass spectrometer with a dual inlet system. Moreover, δ13CEC values from industrial and domestic coal combustion were synchronously measured. In March, May, August, and December, the mean δ13COC values were −23.9 ± 0.9‰, −25.2 ± 0.2‰, −25.3 ± 0.6‰, and −22.9 ± 1.0‰, respectively; the corresponding δ13CEC values were −23.8 ± 0.8‰, −24.2 ± 0.5‰, −25.3 ± 0.4‰, and −23.8 ± 0.3‰; and the corresponding δ13CTC values were −23.8 ± 0.7‰, −24.8 ± 0.2‰, −25.3 ± 0.4‰, and −23.2 ± 0.6‰. Notable differences were observed in temporal distributions of stable carbon isotopic compositions of OC, EC, and total carbon (TC). The heavier δ13CEC values in December and March was caused by increased coal combustion and C4 plant burning during the heating season. The δ13CEC value was heavier than the δ13COC value in May, whereas the opposite was true in December. The δ13COC value may have been changed in atmospheric reactions during secondary organic aerosols formation in May and photochemical aging in December. There was almost no difference between δ13COC and δ13CEC in March and August. Source apportionment suggest that the EC sources in Taiyuan during the 4 months were different. EC in March and December was mainly due to fossil fuels (93.8%) and C4 plant burning (6.2%), EC in May was mainly affected by industrial coal combustion (50.0%) and vehicle exhaust (50.0%), and EC in August was the comprehensive result of fossil fuels (63.6%) and charcoal burning (36.4%). These results may enhance understanding of the sources of carbonaceous components in fine particles and may provide valuable data for environmental management.

Influence of Gating System Parameters of Die-Cast Molds on Properties of Al-Si Castings

The resulting quality of castings indicates the correlation of the design of the mold inlet system and the setting of technological parameters of casting. In this study, the influence of design solutions of the inlet system in a pressure mold on the properties of Al-Si castings was analyzed by computer modelling and subsequently verified experimentally. In the process of computer simulation, the design solutions of the inlet system, the mode of filling the mold depending on the formation of the casting and the homogeneity of the casting represented by the formation of shrinkages were assessed. In the experimental part, homogeneity was monitored by X-ray analysis by evaluating the integrity of the casting and the presence of pores. Mechanical properties such as permanent deformation and surface hardness of castings were determined experimentally, depending on the height of the inlet notch. The height of the inlet notch has been shown to be a key factor, significantly influencing the properties of the die-cast parts and influencing the speed and filling mode of the mold cavity. At the same time, a significant correlation between porosity and mechanical properties of castings is demonstrated. With the increasing share of porosity, the values of permanent deformation of castings increased. It is shown that the surface hardness of castings does not depend on the integrity of the castings but on the degree of subcooling of the melt in contact with the mold and the formation of a fine-grained structure in the peripheral zones of the casting.

Observation of charged droplets from electrospray ionization (ESI) plumes in API mass spectrometers

Electrospray ionization (ESI) generates bare analyte ions from charged droplets, which result from spraying a liquid in a strong electric field. Experimental observations available in the literature suggest that at least a significant fraction of the initially generated droplets remain large, have long lifetimes, and can thus aspirate into the inlet system of an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer (API-MS). We report on the observation of fragment signatures from charged droplets penetrating deeply the vacuum stages of three commercial mass spectrometer systems with largely different ion source and spray configurations. Charged droplets can pass through the ion source and pressure reduction stages and even into the mass analyzer region. Since droplet signatures were found in all investigated instruments, the incorporation of charged droplets is considered a general phenomenon occurring with common spray conditions in ESI sources.

Enabling Real-Time Quantification of Electrochemical Desorptionphenomena with Sub-Monolayer Sensitivity

Across many scientific and industrial fields, it is a challenge to analyze chemical reaction products with high sensitivity and fast time-response. This is especially true in systems related to electrochemical energy conversion and storage, such as batteries and fuel cells, where accurate monitoring of fast and transient reaction phenomena often reveals key insights.Here, we present a unique analysis instrument using a microchip-based inlet system to couple a mass spectrometer directly to any liquid test environment, aqueous or non-aqueous, and exhibits a sensitivity up to 2-3 orders of magnitude than conventional differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS).(1–3) The instrument allows to measure the evolution of volatile products and consumption of reactants at electrode surfaces. Due to its extraordinary sensitivity, the system can measure all the individual volatile molecules desorbing from an electrode surface during a single electrochemical turnover. Product formation can be measured from total Faradaic currents of 1 mA all the way down to 200 nA, corresponding to approximately 0.2% of a monolayer (ML) desorbing from the electrode surface in 1s. These features enable time-resolved, fully quantitative measurements of transient phenomena during electrochemistry, providing fundamental insight in the electrochemical reaction mechanisms. Furthermore, an accurately calibrated on-chip gas system allows rapid gas switching between different gases, both inert and reactive. Due to the near-instantaneous equilibration between gas and electrolyte, the transient response of electrodes to rapid gas exposure changes can be measured.As direct evidence of the ultrahigh sensitivity, i n situ quantification the anodic desorption of less than ~1% of a ML of hydrogen on a Cu electrode in alkaline electrolyte (Fig. 1) is shown.(4) Finally, several examples of quantitative electrochemical measurements will be presented, including lattice oxygen contribution during OER on NiFeOxHy,(2) and hydrocarbon oxidation of propene on palladium. (3, 5)Fig.1 H2 desorption on Cu(pc) in 0.1 M KOH. (4) D. B. Trimarco et al., Electrochim. Acta. 268, 520–530 (2018).C. Roy et al., Nat. Catal. 1, 820–829 (2018).A. Winiwarter et al., Energy Environ. Sci. 12, 1055–1067 (2019).S. B. Scott et al., Catal. Sci. Technol. (2020).A. Winiwarter et al., ChemElectroChem, in press. Figure 1

Building a Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry (DEMS): A Powerful Toll for Investigation of (photo)Electrochemical Processes

The development of electrochemical devices more efficient for energy conversion and storage are a challenge for modern society. Among this class of devices, fuel cells, batteries, and photovoltaic cells stand out. Despite their importance and practicality, the electrochemical processes that take place in these devices are not always easily understood. In addition, the detection and identification of the products and intermediaries, as well as the reaction paths usually are extremely complex, due to the different species produced and also several reaction steps that take place simultaneously in this type of system. In this context, analytical techniques have been combined to electrochemistry systems to investigate the electrochemical processes in real-time. FTIR (infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform), MS (mass spectrometry) are some of examples that coupled techniques. Therefore, these setups provide great opportunities for the electrochemistry field, which also includes catalysts design improvement and reaction investigations under different experimental conditions.1-3 The electrochemical mass spectrometry (EMS) technique has stood out as an important tool for the identification and analyses of qualitatively/quantitatively gaseous, volatile intermediates, and products generated during electrochemical reactions. The interface between the mass spectrometer’s high-vacuum system and the electrochemical cell’s room pressure was composed of a hydrophobic porous membrane connected to the inlet system. The ionic current intensity associated with the products was monitored and correlated to the faradaic current3. In 1984 Wolter and Heitbaum4 refined the Electrochemical Mass Spectroscopy technique, employing a new vacuum system design consisting of two pumping stages, giving high sensitivity to the technique and allowing the on-line detection of gaseous with response-time ≤ 0.5 s, four times faster than the first setup developed. The Wolter and Heitbaum’s method was called Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectroscopy (DEMS). Here, differential pumping is related to a two-stage pressure reduction, where the gas flow is initially expanded to a low vacuum and later to a high vacuum, where the mass spectrometer is located4. This work presents the instrumental design used to construct a DEMS to investigate and elucidate (photo)electrochemical reactions. The DEMS design selected was composed of a two-stage differentially pumped vacuum system (Figure 1(I)). The instrument is composed of three main sections: electrochemical cell; hydrophobic microporous membrane, and mass spectrometer, including the vacuum system (turbomolecular and pre-vacuum pumps). The electrochemical cell used, was employed initially by Baltruschat5, this cell use a modified Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) porous membrane interface as the working electrode, which is prepared by metal sputtering onto a microporous membrane.An example of the relation between cyclic voltammogram (CV) and mass-spectrum cyclic voltammograms (MSCV) using the DEMS constructed in this work is shown in Fig. 1((II)a-b), respectively (CVs only in H2SO4 is presented as an insert in Fig. 1(a)). The working electrode was sputtered of platinum (50 nm thickness) onto the PTFE microporous membrane interface. The counter electrode was a platinum mesh with a high surface area, the reference electrode was a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The electrochemical cell was directly attached to the pre-vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer High purity N2 was used to de-aerate the solution.The cyclic voltammograms were recorded at a sweep rate of 10 mV s-1. While the faradaic current and the ion mass current for the generated product, CO2 (m/z = 44 (CO2 +), were monitored at the same time. Fig. 1(c-e) shows the faradaic (d) and ionic currents (e) profiles vs. time obtained for 6 CVs, the potential is also presented. As can be observed, the faradaic current has an excellent correlation with the ionic current, conducting to a great synchronization between the voltammetric scans and the ionic signal profile. Besides, the results show a significant deactivation of the electrocatalyst, which is followed by the ionic signal (m/z = 44). As reported in the literature6, the formic acid electrooxidation produces a poison intermediate, which is formed from the dissociative adsorption of formic acid on the electrode surface, this poison specie was posteriorly identified as CO. Therefore, the DEMS technique can provide important information to determine the reaction mechanisms. Bashyam, R.; Zelenay, P., Nature 2006, 443 (7107), 63-66. Bruckenstein, S.; Gadde, R. R., Journal of the American Chemical Society 1971, 93 (3), 793-794. Chen, A.; Lipkowski, J., The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 1999, 103 (4), 682-691. Wolter, O.; Heitbaum, J., 1984, 88 (1), 2-6. Baltruschat, H., Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 2004, 15 (12), 1693-1706. Herrero, E.; et al.., Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 1993, 350 (1), 73-88. Figure 1

Performance and Techno-Economic Analysis of Inlet Fogging System Implementation in Heavy Duty Industrial Gas Turbines

This study investigates the performance and economic benefits of applying inlet fogging in a heavy duty industrial gas turbine. To achieve the aim of the study, a heavy duty industrial gas turbine engine was modelled using a gas turbine performance software, GasTurb. The modelled engine was derived from the Frame 9E class of gas turbines. Consequent upon completing the engine modelling, ambient temperature profile data obtained from a location in Niger Delta region of Nigeria were used as input into the engine model to simulate its effect on the engine performance. Inlet fogging was simulated on the industrial gas turbine by inputting a water-to-air ratio of 0.4%, to cool and reduce the air inlet temperature by 10 degree Celsius. The simulation plots show that the gas turbine performance which dropped as a result of increased ambient temperature was enhanced by the application of inlet fogging. Economic analysis shows that approximately $2.4 million profit was recorded in one year when inlet fogging system was employed.

Formation of Diastereomeric Dihydromenthofurolactones by Cystostereum murrayi and Aroma Dilution Analysis Based on Dynamic Headspace Extraction.

Submerged cultures of the basidiomycota Cystostereum murrayi emit an intensive coconut-like, sweetish, and buttery smell. For identification of the key aroma compounds, an aroma dilution analysis using dynamic headspace was performed by adjusting the split ratio of the GC inlet system. Flavor dilution (FD) factors varied from 22 up to ≥218, whereby the largest class of compounds represented terpenoids, including two rare stereoisomers of 3,6-dimethyl-2,3,3a,4,5,7a-hexahydrobenzofuran (dill ether, ee ≥ 99.9). By means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the substances with the highest FD factors (29, 212, and 218) were identified as diastereomers of 3,6-dimethyl-3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexayhydro-3H-1-benzofuran-2-one (dihydromenthofurolactone) and as its corresponding C3-unsaturated lactone. The latter two compounds have not been described for Cystostereum murrayi or for any other basidiomycota previously. Supplementation studies using 2-13C-d-glucose indicated that these lactones as well as the two stereoisomers of dill ether and other terpenoids were formed de novo by the fungus.

Sampling Efficiency Improvement to an Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometer and Its Implications for Liquid Chromatography Based Inlet Systems in the Nanoliter to Milliliter per Minute Flow Range.

This paper describes electrospray sampling efficiency measurements obtained on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a large atmosphere to vacuum sampling aperture and modified ion optics designed to confine the ions traveling in the intense expanding gas beam and prevent scattering losses in the entrance optics of the mass analyzer. Sampling efficiency, defined as the ratio of the number of ions captured in the first vacuum stage of the entrance optics to the number of analyte molecules entering the ion source, is a measure of sensitivity that takes into account both ionization efficiency at atmospheric pressure, the efficiency of transporting the ions from atmosphere to vacuum, and the efficiency of confining them in the subsequent gas expansion before mass analysis. Sampling efficiency measurements were conducted under high-performance liquid chromatography sample introduction conditions using columns and flow rates spanning the nanoflow (300 nL/min), microflow (3-60 μL/min), and milliflow (100-500 μL/min) ranges. The results show a convergence in the sampling efficiencies across this range, narrowing the sensitivity gap between the nanoflow and higher flow rate ranges largely because nanoflow sampling efficiency has been shown to be close to 100% for more than a decade, leaving little room for improvement. Under situations where sample volumes are not limiting, lower concentration detection limits can now be achieved with the higher flow rate systems versus nanoflow as a direct consequence of the higher sample loading capacity of the columns and the reduction in the difference in their ion sampling efficiencies.

Influence of nozzle gas inlets on properties of GTD222 superalloy powders for additive manufacturing

The GTD222 superalloy powders for the additive manufacturing were prepared by the vacuum inert gas atomization (VIGA) with the close-coupled nozzle system in this paper. The effects of nozzle gas inlets on the chemical composition, particle size distribution, sphericility, fluidity, loose packed density, and surface morphology of the GTD222 superalloy powders were studied. The results show that, using the nozzle with an “outer straight inner tangent” structure enhances the suction effect of the nozzle and improves the stability of the closed-coupled gas atomization process. In addition, the tangent inlet system enhances the gas shear effect, therefore improves the yield of the fine powders (15~53 μm). The optimized process parameters are found in the conditions of 200 ℃ superheat and 3 MPa atomization pressure. The oxygen mass fraction of the powders prepared in the optimized conditions is 0.02%, the medium diameter is 57.98 μm, the degree of sphericility is 0.77, the fluidity is 26.15 g/(50 s), and the loose packed density is 4.63 g/cm3, which meet the requirements of the metal additive manufacturing technology.

The Polaris Linear Plasma Device

We report the construction of Polaris, a new linear plasma device with an axial magnetic field dedicated to research and education at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. The goal is to initiate the investigation of topics related to basic magnetized plasma physics and nuclear fusion. We discuss the novel technical solutions found to set up various components of the device. We start with the magnetic coils where we use power cables to generate the required axial magnetic field. They are included in a stainless steel case for water-cooling. Then, we present the vacuum and the gas inlet systems with which we control the neutral pressure. The way we manufacture the water-cooled radio frequency (RF) antenna allows the production of a variety of designs. Polaris is thus built to operate in a steady state. Using a reciprocating Langmuir probe, we determine the plasma properties as a function of the various control parameters. As the plasma remains in the “blue mode,” we show that the increase in the main magnetic field leads to an increase in the density but a decrease in the plasma temperature. The increase in neutral pressure yields the same effects. However, the increase in RF power leads to an increase in both density and temperature. Finally, plans for future investigations are briefly described.

Evolved gas analysis-mass spectrometry in an oxidative atmosphere using a temperature-programmable furnace-type pyrolyzer

Evolved gas analysis-mass spectrometry (EGA-MS) has been used to characterize the effect of heating a material in an oxidative or non-oxidative environment. Measurements in an oxidative environment are usually done by using the mixture of air and helium (He) as the carrier gas; however, ionization efficiency of evolved gases in a mass detector (MSD) decreases in such an environment, resulting in a corresponding decrease in sensitivity. The drop in sensitivity can be reduced by diluting the air in the carrier gas with He after evolving gases from a sample and before the evolved gases flow to the MSD. This study reports on a simple modification of the gas inlet system so that experiments requiring oxidative conditions in an air atmosphere can be routinely performed without loss of the MSD sensitivity. The impact of using this modification on the data is demonstrated using polystyrene (PS) as a test sample. EGA curves were acquired in two flow configurations: (1) adding He to the carrier gas immediately after the furnace, which reduces the concentration of nitrogen and oxygen in the carrier gas; thus, minimizing the quenching of the ionization and the associated decrease in signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and (2) the standard configuration which simply uses a mixture of He and air as the carrier gas. Data obtained using the modified method had a much high S/N than that obtained using a gas mixture (He and air or He and oxygen) as a carrier gas. The RSD (n = 5) values for the peak area and the peak temperature of the EGA curve of PS were 1.6 and 0.60 % respectively, and these values were comparable with those obtained using a He carrier gas. The modified gas inlet system was also applied to the analysis of isotactic polypropylene.

Adoption of the ASDEX Upgrade pumping to hydrogen released by an in-vessel cryopump

Detached divertor scenarios at ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) need high gas fluxes, which are mainly pumped with the gas binding in-vessel cryopump (CP). To cope with the large quantities of hydrogen released from the CP during regeneration, a hydrogen compatible pumping system (HCPS), which is built to comply with safety regulations for explosion protection, has been built up in parallel to the already existing gas transfer pumping system (TPS). The amount of gas injected in the vacuum vessel (VV) is limited by an additional volume added to the gas inlet system. A fully automated procedure has been implemented for comprise with safety regulations. This includes daily tests of the components and communications with other relevant systems.

A method for resolving changes in atmospheric He ∕ N2 as an indicator of fossil fuel extraction and stratospheric circulation

Abstract. The atmospheric He/N2 ratio is expected to increase due to the emission of He associated with fossil fuels and is expected to also vary in both space and time due to gravitational separation in the stratosphere. These signals may be useful indicators of fossil fuel exploitation and variability in stratospheric circulation, but direct measurements of He/N2 ratio are lacking on all timescales. Here we present a high-precision custom inlet system for mass spectrometers that continuously stabilizes the flow of gas during sample–standard comparison and removes all non-noble gases from the gas stream. This enables unprecedented accuracy in measurement of relative changes in the helium mole fraction, which can be directly related to the 4He/N2 ratio using supplementary measurements of O2/N2, Ar/N2 and CO2. Repeat measurements of the same combination of high-pressure tanks using our inlet system achieves a He/N2 reproducibility of ∼ 10 per meg (i.e., 0.001 %) in 6–8 h analyses. This compares to interannual changes of gravitational enrichment at ∼ 35 km in the midlatitude stratosphere of order 300–400 per meg and an annual tropospheric increase from human fossil fuel activity of less than ∼ 30 per meg yr−1 (bounded by previous work on helium isotopes). The gettering and flow-stabilizing inlet may also be used for the analysis of other noble-gas isotopes and could resolve previously unobserved seasonal cycles in Kr/N2 and Xe/N2.

Design and optimization of bump (compression surface) for diverterless supersonic inlet

In this article design and optimization scheme of a three-dimensional bump surface for a supersonic aircraft is presented. A baseline bump and inlet duct with forward cowl lip is initially modeled in accordance with an existing bump configuration on a supersonic jet aircraft. Various design parameters for bump surface of diverterless supersonic inlet systems are identified, and design space is established using sensitivity analysis to identify the uncertainty associated with each design parameter by the one-factor-at-a-time approach. Subsequently, the designed configurations are selected by performing a three-level design of experiments using the Box–Behnken method and the numerical simulations. Surrogate modeling is carried out by the least square regression method to identify the fitness function, and optimization is performed using genetic algorithm based on pressure recovery as the objective function. The resultant optimized bump configuration demonstrates significant improvement in pressure recovery and flow characteristics as compared to baseline configuration at both supersonic and subsonic flow conditions and at design and off-design conditions. The proposed design and optimization methodology can be applied for optimizing the bump surface design of any diverterless supersonic inlet system for maximizing the intake performance.

Nitrogen isotope analysis of aqueous ammonium and nitrate by membrane inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry (MIRMS) at natural abundance levels

Existing methods for the measurement of the 15 N/14 N isotopic composition of ammonium and nitrate are either only suitable for labelled samples or require considerable sample preparation efforts (or both). Our goal was to modify an existing analysis approach to allow for natural abundance precision levels. Published reaction protocols were used to convert ammonium to N2 by NaOBr and nitrate to N2 O by TiCl3 . A membrane inlet system coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer was developed to allow precise determination of the analytes. Concentrations of ≥ 35 μmol/L N for both ammonium or nitrate could be analysed for δ15 N values with precisions of better than 0.9 mUr. While ammonium analyses exhibited a small concentration dependency and an offset of 2.7 mUr at high ammonium concentrations irrespective of the standard isotopic composition, nitrate analysis showed no offset but a blank contribution visible at very low concentrations. The presented method is capable of fast measurement of δ15 N values in ammonium and nitrate from aqueous samples at reasonable accuracy at natural abundance levels. It will thus facilitate the application of isotopic methods to studies of nitrogen cycling in ecosystems.