Internal Pressure Measurements Research Articles

Correlations to estimate the ground loading from small scale propane BLEVE experiments

This paper presents small-scale propane BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) experiments coupled with an investigation into ground loading dynamics. The experiments utilized cylindrical aluminum pressure vessels, with a diameter of 50 mm and a length of 300 mm. The controlled variables included burst pressure, liquid fill level, and weakened length. Both high and low-speed measurements of internal pressure and ground force were conducted during the experiments. The dependent variables analyzed were peak total ground load, force duration, and impulse. The findings from the study show trends in ground force and impulse with alterations in failure pressure, fill level and weakened length. Specifically, ground force and impulse exhibit an upward trend with increasing failure pressure, fill level and weakened length (cut length). For the first time, comprehensive correlations have been developed, incorporating the controlled variables, as well as theoretical boiling wave speed and vapor speed, to estimate the dependent variables, which represents a significant contribution in the field. However, the study does acknowledge the presence of scatter in the data, which are believed to be associated with the intricacies of the vessel opening process. It should be noted that this correlation has not been validated for larger scales. Once validated on a larger scale, these correlations can be directly applied in the design and practice of civil infrastructure to enhance the structural integrity. Additionally, the research has direct implications for industrial applications, allowing for the quantitative assessment of risks associated with bridge collapse during the transportation of PLGs.

Review and Analysis of the Characteristics of IoT Sensors

Internet of things (IoT) is the concept of data transmission network between physical objects ("things"), equipped with built-in tools and technologies for interaction with each other or with the environment. The work is devoted to the inspection and analysis of sensors, how the IoT systems are associated with environmental objects. IOT uses a wide class of measurement tools, from elementary sensors (eg, temperature, pressure, light), consumption metering devices (such as intellectual meters) to complex integrated measuring systems. The parameters of 30 types of sensors for IoT are given, 2 of them of the type of temperature and humidity sensors, 2 type of pressure sensors, 13 sensors that measure the flow and amount of gas or liquid, 2 type of accelerometers, 10 approach and movement sensors and 1 noise sensor. Among them are 4 sensors for wireless sensory networks (WSM), a single-time medical sensor for internal blood pressure measurement, calorimetric, vortex and electromagnetic flow sensors and gas or fluid, accelerometer, and memes of memes, and e-memometers, and electromagnetic measurement motion, a device of measuring noise level in the range of sound vibrations. For some sensors, there are no metrological characteristics at all, at best there is only a range of measurements and resolution. The resolution ranges from 8 bits to 16 bits with a signal sampling rate from 0.5 Hz to 48 kHz. There is even a LDC1612 digital induction chip with 28 bits. WSM sensors are designed to work with DigiMesh, LoraWan and Arduino, Raspberry. Many sensors use outdated RS 232, RS 432, I2C. Keywords: internet of things, network, review, analysis, sensors, objects, metrology.

Modeling of Ammunition Dynamic Pressure Measurement Chain in Ballistic Tests.

The use of piezoelectric transducers for internal dynamic pressure measurements in ammunition testing provides a significant advantage in the development and performance analysis of weapons and ammunition. Knowledge of the electrical characteristics of the dynamic pressure measurement chain, which includes the piezoelectric transducer and the charge amplifier, is a relevant condition for the design of interior ballistics pressure measurement systems. Thus, this study aims to characterize and model a piezoelectric transducer and its associated charge amplifier. First, the piezoelectric transducer was characterized using impedance analysis and modeled using a least squares curve-fitting tool, according to the Butterworth-Van Dyke model. Next, the charge amplifier was characterized through response analysis based on known inputs and modeled using LTSpice simulation techniques and the least squares curve-fit tool. Consequently, a measurement chain model is presented and simulated for two cases with different impulse signals. The first impulse signal was obtained from an interior ballistics computer simulation, and in the second case, it was considered the negative step signal characteristic of the calibration of piezoelectric transducers by means of dead weight. From the simulations, it was possible to verify the effectiveness of the model, which provided results with a low error in relation to the original pressure curve, and its applicability is demonstrated by the result of the simulation of the pressure variation in the calibration, where the attenuation of the signal can be visualized as the characteristic of the input curve changes.

Acoustic frequency analysis of the vibrational resonant frequencies of Special Nuclear Material containment

The increase of the resonant frequencies of a Magnox containment package that have been detected by an electromagnetic acoustic transducer and a microphone, are the result of an increase in internal pressure of the package. Therefore, it is possible to infer an internal pressure measurement of the Magnox package by measuring the shift of different resonant frequencies. A model of the Magnox package has been constructed to predict the acoustic vibrational resonant frequencies of the package wall and the corresponding mode shapes. Laser Doppler vibrometer measurements of the Magnox package wall have confirmed the presence of the predicted mode shapes and the resonant frequencies at which they occur have been reasonably estimated by the model.

In-situ measurement of internal gas pressure within cylindrical lithium-ion cells

Internal gas pressure is a key parameter that varies depending on cell heating and gas formation over the lifetime of a lithium-ion cell under dynamic load conditions and ageing. In our research, for the first time, we present a methodology to directly measure internal gas pressure during pre-instrumentation, cell operation and ageing via an embedded sensor system. Cylindrical format cells (LG-INR21700M50) are instrumented using our proven instrumentation technique. Our study demonstrates that the performance and degradation of instrumented cells are not adversely affected by the instrumentation process. In this study, the effect of state-of-charge (SOC), degradation and temperature on internal gas pressure is evaluated. Initial results highlight a nonlinear relationship between gas pressure and SOC of the cells during charging and discharging and, gas pressure and temperature when the cells are operated under no-load conditions. Our study further highlights that gas pressure accumulation can be correlated with capacity fade or state-of-health (SOH). Monitoring of internal gas pressure could therefore become a useful additional indicator of SOC and SOH and provide new insights into degradation and the safety of lithium-ion cells.

Strength of partially frozen sand under triaxial compression

To investigate the effect of the pore matrix (i.e., ice and unfrozen water) on the strength of partially frozen sand, a series of triaxial compression tests with internal pore water pressure (PWP) measurements were performed. Both dense and loose saline sand samples were prepared by rapidly freezing the samples and then slowly warming the samples to, and subsequently shearing at the temperature of −3 °C. Test results indicate the temperature only affects the effective cohesion, not the effective friction angle of sand. The pore ice stress was estimated using Ladanyi and Morel’s 1990 postulate on the internal stresses within frozen soil; the stress (hydrostatic) change in pore ice was reflected by an equal change in PWP in the partially frozen loose sand. Based on Ladanyi and Morel’s 1990 concept of internal confinement in frozen sand, a Mohr–Coulomb model that uses effective failure and residual friction angles from unfrozen sand to estimate the strength of partially frozen sand is presented. The proposed model reflects how the pore matrix contributes to the strength of partially frozen sand. For loose sand, the peak strength is enhanced by the internal confinement and cohesion resulting from the pore water (suction) and pore ice, respectively. For dense sand, only pore ice affects the peak strength by incorporating the internal confinement and cohesion.

Investigation of internal gas pressure and internal temperature of cylindrical Li-ion cells to study thermodynamical and mechanical properties of hard case battery cells

This study is the first to measure the relationship between gas pressure, internal gas temperature and state of charge of cylindrical Li-ion battery cells. For this purpose, a new, simple and affordable setup for in-situ investigation of internal gas pressure and internal temperature of commercial cylindrical Li-ion cells is designed and tested. Setups to investigate the internal gas pressure have so far only been performed on pouch and prismatic cells or require complex and expensive measurement equipment. In this work, the mechanical effects of an increasing gas pressure in cylindrical Li-ion cells are addressed for the first time. It is shown that the measurement of internal gas pressure and internal temperature over multiple charging and discharging cycles is possible. Measurements at different current rates show the dependency of the gas pressure to the total amount of charge transferred and the temperature of the cell. The pressure, which depends on the degree of lithiation of the electrodes, relaxes after the Li-ion cells have been exposed to a high current. Additionally, phases of the phase transition are visible via differential capacity analysis. The differential pressure analysis shows an equivalent trend to the differential capacity. Thus demonstrates the predominant phase transformations, namely the restructuring of lithiated graphite, the lithiation of silicon, and the phase transformation of nickel–cobalt–manganese (NCM) oxide. These effects contribute significantly to the pressure change, as they cause electrode expansion, which results in a reduction of the gas volume of the Li-ion cell, leading to an increase in pressure.

Tracking consolidation of out-of-autoclave prepreg corners using pressure sensors

A total of eight corner pieces with the four different thickness-to-radius ratio, one set using external and one set using internal tooling, were made to identify how unidirectional carbon-epoxy prepreg layers consolidate during lay-up and oven vacuum bag moulding. Flexible thin-film pressure sensors were introduced to both internal and external corner mould surfaces and pressure measurements were taken during hand lay-up. A second sensor was added to monitor how the pressure gradient changes during oven vacuum bag moulding. Time-lapsed pressure measurements found that the geometry-induced excess pressure on the external corners decreases during moulding, leading to some corner thinning but this effect is small. Meanwhile, internal corner parts saw significant ply-bridging in high thickness-to-radius conditions that could not be resolved during consolidation, resulting in corner thickening and voids. The flexible sensors are a viable option for in-situ pressure monitoring for potential meso-structural defects during composite product development or manufacture.

Correlation between Ultrasound Measurements of Internal Jugular Venous Diameter and Central Venous Pressure Measurements as a Follow up Tool in Severe Sepsis

Correlation between Ultrasound Measurements of Internal Jugular Venous Diameter and Central Venous Pressure Measurements as a Follow up Tool in Severe Sepsis

Optimally Temperature Compensated FBG-Based Sensor Dedicated to Non-Intrusive Pipe Internal Pressure Monitoring

Pipe internal pressure measurement is of utmost importance in the oil & gas industry to monitor the extraction process, and thus to prevent hydrate-plugs formation which may occur in specific temperature and pressure conditions. Traditional solutions usually rely on pressure sensors in direct contact with the fluid to monitor, therefore requiring one hole per sensor, but they also weaken the pipe structure, which may prematurely lead to significant leaks. Attempts to develop non-intrusive pressure sensors relying, for instance, on acoustic waves detection or even strain measurements (the pipe wall acting, in some way, like the membrane of a traditional intrusive sensor), are up to now not fully satisfying, mainly due to poor temperature cross-sensitivity compensation. Thus, 1 °C temperature compensation error typically leads for Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) transducers to pressure measurement biases greater than 26% at 100 bar (e.g.: Ø 4” NPS Sch. 160 steel pipe). Consequently, if such non-intrusive, but biased, solutions could possibly have been considered to monitor, for instance, a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) primary coolant circuit, it was with the risk of dramatic consequences since the fluid can reach temperatures up to 320 °C. On the other hand, the solution detailed here truly achieves to cancel the temperature cross-sensitivity, and potentially any additional effect on pressure measurement, provided that each effect has the same influence on all transducers. It first relies on a better understanding of the pipe behavior under hydrostatic pressure, supported by a dedicated model developed on purpose, which demonstrates that the internal pressure and the surface temperature variations of a closed pipe can be recovered with at least two direction-sensitive transducers, the temperature dependence of the pressure measurement being simply removed by a straightforward compensation process. This paper explains the underlying principle, thanks to a formal model established with only few hypotheses, but extended to more complex field conditions. It ends with a lab-test validation involving FBG transducers attached to a pressure circuit submitted to temperature variations greater than several tens of °C, and concludes about the advantages and limitations of this novel approach for non-intrusive sensing, and its potential extensions to other measurement techniques.

Non-invasive internal pressure measurement of 18650 format lithium ion batteries during thermal runaway

The dynamics of 18650 format lithium ion battery pressure build-up during thermal runaway is investigated to inform understanding of the subsequent pressure-driven venting flow. Battery case strain and temperature were measured on cells under thermal abuse which was used to calculate internal pressure via hoop and longitudinal stress relations. Strain measurement is a non-invasive approach with no impact on the chemical decomposition within batteries that leads to thermal runaway. The experimental methodology and test apparatus were developed and validated through predictable, representative test specimens of open cases and pressurized gas cylinders. Live battery experiments reliably captured the final pressure rise before venting onset. The pressure build up was observed to coincide with the beginning of thermal runaway.

Gas free oxidation of NaCN for presodiating and stabilizing the anodic host of sodium-ion capacitors

Sodium-ion capacitors (NICs) trigger considerable attention due to their higher specific energy than electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) at comparable specific power. However, the presodiation process of the anodic host is extremely crucial for the construction of high-performance NICs. Herein, a positive EDL electrode containing activated carbon (AC) mixed with sodium cyanide (NaCN) as a sacrificial material was electrochemically oxidized to presodiate a Sn4P3 anodic host buffered by hard carbon (HC). The oxidation of CN− occurred ca. 2.9 V vs. Na/Na+ and finished by a short region of linearly increasing potential with a total capacity close to the theoretical value of 547 mAh g−1. The operando electrochemical mass spectrometry (EMS) analysis of the atmosphere in the cell together with the internal pressure measurements realized during the galvanostatic oxidation of a YP80F-NaCN electrode demonstrate that the process occurs without any gas evolution. A precursor cell of an NIC was constructed in a pouch with YP80F-NaCN and HC/Sn4P3 electrodes. After the oxidative sodium transfer from NaCN to HC/Sn4P3, the realized YP80F//Nax(HC/Sn4P3) NIC demonstrated a discharge capacitance retention higher than 80% for 8900 cycles in the voltage range from 2.0 to 3.8 V. The infrared analysis of the anode obtained by the herein described transfer process detected polycyanogen, which stabilizes the electrode structure during cycling, and thereof is at the origin of the enhanced life span of the NIC.

Nimh Gas Model for Dynamic Behaviour Study

The NiMH battery is an intercalation battery with a positive NiOH electrode and a negative metal hydride electrode. The electrolyte used is a highly alkaline aqueous solution, typically 6:1 KOH:LiOH. As a consequence of this and the reaction potentials of the electrodes, splitting of water into its constituting elements is a part of normal battery operation. When charging at high SOC, as well as when overcharging, oxygen is formed as a side-reaction. It then diffuses through the separator and recombines at the negative electrode. This recombination cycle causes the temperature in the battery to rise, something that is commonly used to terminate battery charging, either through ΔT or -ΔV criteria. In addition to oxygen production at high state of charge, overdischarging of the battery can produce hydrogen at the positive electrode, with a pressure increase at end of discharge indicating a harmful overdischarge of the battery [1]. Hydrogen is also present in the battery gas composition as a consequence of the negative hydrogen intercalation electrode material which is in equilibrium with gaseous hydrogen, an equilibrium which shifts with electrode hydrogen content [2]. Figure Left: A schematic showing the main gas reactions in the metal NiMH battery. Right: An example cycle of a NiMH battery, showing cell voltage (blue), cell gas pressure (green) and cell surface temperature (teal).The internal gas reactions of the NiMH battery have a great impact on battery function, both in regard to energy efficiency and battery aging. While measurements of battery internal total gas pressure occur in some battery systems, measurements of individual constituents would be impractical in the field, as such measurements require laboratory equipment. Therefore, a gas model that can estimate the internal pressure distribution under dynamic conditions would be a valuable tool to study the effects of different application drive cycles, as well as a possibility to further enhance BMS function for battery stability and longevity.There have been many attempts at modeling the gaseous side reactions in the NiMH battery. Some of these models are part of comprehensive battery models, which combines a voltage response model with added side reactions [3,4]. Other models look only at specific gas related processes [5]. However, a limitation with these models is that they are not able to model the battery during dynamic current conditions. The main reason for this is the presence of a strong open circuit voltage hysteresis, something that these models do not capture well.This study presents a model of the gas reactions and heat generation in the NiMH battery. The model is not coupled to a voltage model, instead it simulates internal temperature and pressure when supplied with experimental current, voltage and surface temperature data. This removes the complication of the open circuit voltage hysteresis effect and lets us model dynamic battery behavior. The model is in zero dimensions and based on physical principles. There are several parameters that are optimized by fitting to experimental data. The model is then validated by simulating pressure for a second set of data, based on the fitted values of the parameters. The simplicity of the model not only allows for it to be used in battery monitoring hardware, it can also be coupled to voltage and multidimensional models to build a more comprehensive predictive model.References Notten, P. H. L.; Latroche, M. Nickel-Metal Hydride: Metal Hydrides. In Encyclopedia of Electrochemical Power Sources; Garche, J., Dyer, C., Moseley, P., Ogumi, Z., Rand, D., Scrosati, B., Eds.; Elsevier B.V., 2009; Vol. 50, pp 502–521.Tserolas, V.; Katagiri, M.; Onodera, H.; Ogawa, H. Thermodynamical Modeling of P-C Isotherms for Metal Hydride Materials. Trans. Mater. Res. Soc. Japan 2010, 35 (2), 221–226. https://doi.org/10.14723/tmrsj.35.221.Albertus, P.; Christensen, J.; Newman, J. Modeling Side Reactions and Nonisothermal Effects in Nickel Metal-Hydride Batteries. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2008, 155 (1), A48. https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2801381.Ledovskikh, A.; Verbitskiy, E.; Ayeb, A.; Notten, P. H. L. Modelling of Rechargeable NiMH Batteries. J. Alloys Compd. 2003, 356–357, 742–745. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-8388(03)00082-3.Notten, P. H. L.; Ouwerkerk, M.; Ledovskikh, A.; Senoh, H.; Iwakura, C. Hydride-Forming Electrode Materials Seen from a Kinetic Perspective. J. Alloys Compd. 2003, 356–357, 759–763. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-8388(03)00085-9. Figure 1

IoMT-based biomedical measurement systems for healthcare monitoring: a review

<p class="Abstract"><span lang="EN-US">Biomedical measurement systems (BMS) have provided new solutions for healthcare monitoring and the diagnosis of various chronic diseases. With a growing demand for BMS in the field of medical applications, researchers are focusing on advancing these systems, including Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)-based BMS, with the aim of improving bioprocesses, healthcare systems and technologies for biomedical equipment. This paper presents an overview of recent activities towards the development of IoMT-based BMS for various healthcare applications. Different methods and approaches used in the development of these systems are presented and discussed, taking into account some metrological aspects related to the requirement for accuracy, reliability and calibration. The presented IoMT-based BMS are applied to healthcare applications concerning, in particular, heart, brain and blood sugar diseases as well as internal body sound and blood pressure measurements. Finally, the paper provides a discussion about the shortcomings and challenges that need to be addressed along with some possible directions for future research activities.</span></p>

Fluid pressure heterogeneity during fluid flow in rocks: new laboratory measurement device and method

SUMMARY We present a new type of transducer capable of measuring local pore fluid pressure in jacketed rock samples under elevated confining pressure conditions. The transducers are passive (strain-gauge based), of small size (7 mm in diameter at the contact with the rock and around 10 mm in length), and have minimal dead volume (a few mm3). The transducers measure the differential pressure between the confining fluid and the internal pore pressure. The design is easily adaptable to tune the sensitivity and working pressure range up to several hundred megapascals. An array of four such transducers was tested during hydrostatic pressurization cycles on Darley Dale sandstone and Westerly granite. The prototypes show very good linearity up to 80 MPa with maximum deviations of the order of 0.25 MPa, regardless of the combination of pore and confining pressure. Multiple internal pore pressure measurements allow us to quantify the local decrease in permeability associated with faulting in Darley Dale sandstone, and also prove useful in tracking the development of pore pressure fronts during transient flow in low permeability Westerly granite.

Progress in Thermal Management and Safety of Cells and Packs By Testing in Battery Calorimeters

With increasing energy density the safety and the thermal management of Li-ion batteries is becoming more and more important, because the thermal runaway can cause an ignition or even explosion of the battery with simultaneous release of toxic gases. In the last nine years we have established battery calorimetry as a powerful and versatile electrochemical-thermal characterization technique, which allows both advancements for the thermal management and the safety of batteries. With six adiabatic Accelerating Rate Calorimeters (ARC) of different sizes and two sensitive Tian-Calvet calorimeters, all of them combined with cyclers, the IAM-AWP now operates Europe’s largest battery calorimeter center, which enables the evaluation of thermodynamic, thermal and safety data on material, cell and pack level under quasiadiabatic and isoperibolic environments for both normal and abuse conditions (thermal, electrical, mechanical). It will be shown how sophisticated battery calorimetry allows finding new and quantitative correlations between different critical thermally and safety related parameters that will help to design safer systems. For an optimized design with regard to safety cells and packs have to be characterized not only for their temperature behavior but also for the heat dissipation and the pressure development in a quantitative manner.Calorimetry allows the collection of quantitative data required for optimum battery performance and safety. This information can then be used to define the requirements for cooling and thermal management and adapt them accordingly. The battery calorimeters can be used for studies on heat generation and dissipation of Li-ion cells and are coupled to a battery cycler in order to perform the measurements during charging and discharging of the cells under defined thermal conditions. Isoperibolic (constant temperature of the calorimeter) or quasiadiabatic (no heat exchange with the calorimeter) ambient conditions are adjusted by heaters and thermocouples that are located in lid, bottom and side walls of the calorimeter chamber, in which the cell is inserted. For improving the thermal management system, the measured temperature data are converted into generated and dissipated heat data [1] by determination of specific heat capacity and heat transfer coefficient using heat flux sensors.Concerning safety aspects it will be presented how battery calorimeters provide thermal stability data on materials level, e.g. of anodes, cathodes or electrolytes or there combinations and to perform safety tests on cell and pack level by applying thermal [2], mechanical or electrical [3] abuse conditions. The studies on materials level are especially important for Post-Li cells, which make use of more abundant materials, such as sodium or magnesium instead of Li, nickel and cobalt, because these data help to develop safe cells from the beginning all along the value chain. For the advanced Li-ion technology, a holistic safety assessment is in the focus, because the thermal runaway can have multiple interacting causes and effects. A test in the calorimeter is much more sensitive than a hotbox test and reveals the entire process of the thermal runaway with the different stages of exothermic reactions. Self-heating, thermal stability and thermal runaway are characterized and the critical parameters and their thresholds for safe cell operation are determined. As a result of the different tests quantitative and system relevant data for temperature, heat and pressure development of materials and cells are provided. In addition it will be explained how calorimeters allow studying the thermal runaway propagation in order to develop and qualify suitable countermeasures, such as heat protection barriers, which is currently becoming a very hot topic, because a global technical regulation (GTR) on electric vehicle safety is being developed, which includes thermal propagation. There is still the open question, which is the best initialization method to become a standard. We hope that the research in the Calorimeter Center will help to make progress in this field as well. Reference s : [1] C. Ziebert et al., in: L.M. Rodriguez, N. Omar, eds., EMERGING NANOTECHNOLOGIES IN RECHARGABLE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS, Elsevier Inc., ISBN 978032342977, 195-229. 2017.[2] B. Lei, W. Zhao, C. Ziebert, et al., Experimental analysis of thermal runaway in 18650 cylindrical cells using an accelerating rate calorimeter, Batteries 3 (2017) 14, doi:10.3390/batteries3020014.[3] A. Hofmann, N. Uhlmann, C. Ziebert, O. Wiegand, A. Schmidt, Th. Hanemann, Preventing Li-ion cell explosion during thermal runaway with reduced pressure, Appl. Thermal Eng. 124 (2017) 539-544. Figure Caption: Different sizes of accelerating rate calorimeters at the IAM-AWP Calorimeter Center (upper part) and X-Ray tomography image of 18650 cell showing position of pressure line and pressure vs. temperature curves for external and internal pressure measurement during thermal abuse test in an ARC (lower part). Figure 1

(Invited) Internal Gas Pressure Measurement of Packaged Electric Double Layer Capacitors

One mode of electric double layer capacitor failure is package rupture, which usually leads to rapid deterioration of its electrical performance. This typically is caused by gas generated within a sealed capacitor with a subsequent pressure rise that eventually leads to the package bursting. The rate of gas generation, which ultimately can determine capacitor life, depends on materials purity, capacitor operating voltage, and the capacitor operating temperature. We measured the internal gas pressure and rate of gas pressure rise in spiral-wound, packaged electric double layer capacitors using an indirect and a direct approach. The indirect approach relied on physically measuring capacitor package deformation that had been caused by the internal gas pressure. This was then quantified by comparing the value with deformation caused by a known applied gas pressure. The direct approach relied on the use of an attached and calibrated solid-state pressure transducer. Internal gas pressure measurements using both approaches were made on 100-F-size electric double layer capacitors held at several temperatures with different applied voltages. Experimental details are reported with internal pressure measurements shown for 2000 hours of capacitor aging at 65 oC. Figure 1

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

We introduce an approach to study the formation and growth of hydrates under the influence of nonionic surfactants. The experimental system includes a temperature regulator, visualization techniques, and inner pressure measurements. The temperature control system contains a low-cost, programmable temperature regulator made with solid-state Peltier components. Along with the temperature control system, we incorporated visualization techniques and internal pressure measurements to study hydrate formation and inhibition in the presence of nonionic surfactants. We studied the hydrate-inhibiting ability of nonionic surfactants (sorbitane monolaurate, sorbitane monooleate, PEG-PPG-PEG, and polyoxyethylenesorbitan tristearate) at low (i.e., 0.1 CMC), medium (i.e., CMC), and high (i.e., 10 CMC) concentrations. Two types of crystals were formed: planar and conical. Planar crystals were formed in plain water and low surfactant concentrations. Conical crystals were formed in high surfactant concentrations. The results of the study show that conical crystals are the most effective in terms of hydrate inhibition. Because conical crystals cannot grow past a certain size, the hydrate growth rate as a conical crystal is slower than the hydrate growth rate as planar crystal. Hence, surfactants that force hydrates to form conical crystals are the most efficient. The goal of the protocol is to provide a detailed description of an experimental system that is capable of investigating the cyclopentane hydrate crystallization process on the surface of a water droplet in the presence of surfactant molecules.

Dispersion of Surrogate LWR Fuel Experiments Under LOCA Conditions

In this study a series of experiments were performed subjecting surrogate nuclear fuel rods to high-pressure transients to induce fuel dispersion representative of the expected conditions of a fuel rod during a hypothetical loss-of-coolant accident. Experiments were conducted on like-for-like pressurized water reactor geometries in both a single-rod and rod-bundle configuration. In the rod-bundle configuration, a matched index of refraction techniques was employed to provide optical access to the bundle internals and to view the surrogate fuel dispersion event. Both configurations used small lead pellets as a surrogate fuel and were observed with a high-speed camera to capture the transient on a resolved timescale. For the single-rod experiments, the test rod was subjected to pressure transients at 4.0, 8.0, and 12.0 MPa multiple times, and for the rod-bundle experiments, the rod was subjected to 8.0 MPa transients in order to compare mechanical behavior against the single-rod test at 8.0 MPa. For both configurations, the results showed highly variable behavior in both the quantity of fuel dispersed and the mean displacement relative to the burst rod origin, likely due to statistical variations in the internal fuel stack orientation. Measurements of the rod plenum internal pressure showed no discernible difference in depressurization rates at a given pressure, indicating the likelihood that the mass flow rate is limited by the valve orifice in the current experimental configuration. The bundle tests also showed that a 5 × 5 array appears to be too small to capture the full spatial distribution of dispersed fuel, thus future tests will employ a larger bundle size and particle collection technique.

Abstract No. 570 Case-based analysis of cerebral venous pathology: a proposed pathophysiological mechanism

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterized by elevated intracranial pressures and seen mostly in women of childbearing ages. In some cases, intracranial venous stenosis is observed during clinical workup and can manifest with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and vision changes. Venous hypertension has a complex pathophysiological mechanism of collateralization with variable findings based on the degree of and location of stenosis, and remains to be fully understood. In this study, we seek to characterize the complex interaction of intracranial compartments and contributors to intracranial hypertension. A total of 30 patients with venous stenosis resulting in intracranial hypertension treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital were retrospectively reviewed in an IRB-approved study. Parameters recorded included patient demographics, location of stenosis, pre- and posttreatment manometric venous sinus and internal jugular pressure measurements, and symptoms before and after treatment. 27 patients demonstrated stenosis at the venous sinus level, 1 at the C1 level, and 2 at the internal jugular level. Mean pretreatment gradients across the stenosis were 20.8 mm Hg, 5 mm Hg, and 3 mm Hg, respectively. Posttreatment mean gradients were 2 mm Hg for venous sinus stenosis and 1.5 mm Hg for jugular stenosis (no treatment yet for the C1-level patient). Symptomatology was notable for near universal reduction in papilledema but variable reduction in headache. Facial fullness was seen exclusively with stenosis at or below the C1 level. Intracranial hypertension caused by venous stenosis is a complex pathophysiological phenomenon with symptoms that correlate with observed manometric findings. Different pressure gradient findings suggest delineation between series- and parallel-type resistance patterns depending on the level of stenosis, with symptoms and posttreatment manometry supporting this theory. Next steps include translation of observed findings into a multidimensional mathematical model of the circulatory system in development to simulate effects of treatment and predict expected findings in novel stenosis.