Prototype Equipment Research Articles

ANÁLISE DO DESEMPENHO DO MODELO DE KOSTIAKOV NA DETERMINAÇÃO DA VELOCIDADE BÁSICA DE INFILTRAÇÃO EM PLINTOSSOLO PÉTRICO CONCRECIONÁRIO

There is still little information available on the physical-hydric characteristics of soils in Tocantins. Considering the importance of this information for management recommendations, water infiltration was carried out on different soils important for local agriculture. One of these, widely used in regional agriculture, and still very little studied, is the soil classified as Plintossolo Petrico concrecionario. In a degraded area of ??Plintossolo Petrico, located in the municipality of Brejinho de Nazare/TO, a recovery system called Sustainable Field Project is inexecucao, characterized by the implementation of reforestation composed of mahogany and other native species, and plantio de sorgo forrageiro. This was the area chosen for the study and physical-hydric characterization of the soil in the concrete Plintossolo Petrico soil, in which the studies were started by determining the speed of water infiltration in the soil. For these determinations, the system - Semi-Automatic Concentric Triple Rings was used, a prototype equipment developed by the researchers at Embrapa Pesca e Aquicultura, based on the principles commonly used with concentric rings. The values ??determined in the field analyzed based on the mathematical model proposed by Kostiakov indicated an optimal adjustment, endorsing the practicality and quality of the data using this system, and the value of the Basic Infiltration Speed ??in this soil Plintossolo Petrico concrecionario, was set at 3,0 and 5,8 cm.h-1.

User involvement in early-stage design of medical training devices – case of a palpation task trainer prototype

Design of new medical training equipment is demanding as unavoidable complexity and ambiguity facing designers must be addressed in the early stages of the development. In this paper, a novel concept for abdominal palpation training is presented and used to exemplify challenges and approaches for designing new medical training equipment. Concluding the initial development of the palpation training concept, experienced medical personnel evaluated a conceptual prototype. A Likert scale questionnaire, a clinical assessment by participants, and recorded sensor data were used to evaluate prototype functionalities, perceived tactile- and visual realism, and usability of the concept in medical training. Obtained results are used to discuss insights for further development of the concept. Further, the paper discusses observations from user interactions and considerations regarding fidelity of medical training equipment prototypes. Moreover, it highlights the benefits of utilizing mixed-method research to identify areas of improvement for conceptual prototypes even before initiating industrial development efforts. By this, designers can ensure that user needs, product requirements, and sufficient fidelity are collectively captured in new medical training equipment in the early design stages.

Engineering study on lithium isotope separation by ion exchange chromatography

We have been studying the lithium isotope separation by ion exchange chromatography for the engineering development. We performed the lithium isotope separation experiments by chromatography. From the results, we estimated the migration lengths required to obtain the 20 %, 50 %, and 90 % enriched lithium-6, the required lengths are 340, 1600, and 5800 m, respectively. We studied the detection methods of lithium adsorption band boundary in order to design the circular type chromatographic equipment, which type equipment is required for the industrial plant. Based on these investigations, we designed the automatic circular type chromatographic equipment with the boundary interface detector and manufactured the prototype equipment.

Experimental study on strain hardening of steel panels in the hemming process

ABSTRACT In the production of automotive door panels and other types of panels, it is important to clarify the mechanism of the bending phenomena of the outer panel during the flanging, pre-hemming and hemming processes. This paper reports an experimental study of a planar straight-edge-shaped hot-dip-galvanised steel sheet panel that was set and pressed in prototype equipment. The pressing was performed under dry contact of the flange end on the punch surface, and the study included the processes of flanging to 90°, pre-hemming at 15°, and hemming. The load profiles vs. punch movement distance and time-lapse images captured from videos of the processes were used to analyse the panel shape changes. The Micro Vickers hardness distribution and scanning electron microscope images of the lateral surface of the panel were also measured. A detailed examination of the obtained results gives an industrially useful guideline for panel hemming drawn from new findings wherein both the microhardness and morphology changed during these processes.

An improved batch fluidized drying experimental design based on digital sensors and a minicomputer

AbstractIn most undergraduate programs of chemical engineering in Chinese universities, the batch fluidized bed drying (BFBD) experiment is commonly adopted as a part of the experimental course of chemical engineering unit operation. In those BFBD experiments, the students should dry the material in a dryer, repeatedly sample and measure it outside to get its moisture content. In most cases, each sampling and measuring operation needs more than 5 min. The BFBD drying experiment conducted in that manner cannot obtain adequate, accurate data, making it difficult for the student to perform proper calculation and data analysis. In this article, the authors build a small BFBD prototype equipment and mount a set of digital temperature/humidity sensors. Then they use a Raspberry Pi 3, a kind of mini‐computer, to automatically measure and record the process parameters values online. Aided by those modern information process methods, the data accuracy and amount are all enhanced. Based on the gotten big data set, the student can get much more accurate results and do a more thorough analysis. The data analysis based on the old BFBD equipment is too straightforward and simple because it only needs the mass balance calculations. On the contrary, although the new BFBD equipment adopts an indirect way to measure the drying process, it obtains much more accurate results than before. The students must also apply more theories to get the results, such as mass transmission, the thermal balance, which makes the experiment more comprehensive. That is meaningful and helps to achieve the objectives of the chemical engineering experiments.

Impact test of a centrifugal pump used in nuclear power plant under aircraft crash scenario

Resisting an accidental impact of large commercial aircrafts is an important aspect of advanced nuclear power plant (NPP) design. Especially after the 9·11 event, some regulations were enacted, which required the design of NPPs should consider the accidental impact of large commercial aircrafts. Normal working of equipment is important for stopping reactor under an impact when an NPP is in operation. However, there is a lack of reliable analysis and research on the impact test of nuclear prototype equipment. Therefore, in order to study the response of the equipment under high acceleration impact, a centrifugal pump is selected as the research object to perform the impact test. A horizontal half-sinusoidal pulse wave was applied to the working pump. The test results show that the horizontal response of the motor and flange is greater compared to other parts, as well as the vertical response of the coupling. The stress response of the pump body support and motor support is high, hence these parts should be considered in the design of the pump. Finally, combined with the damage and stress evaluation results of the pump under different amplitudes, the ultimate impact acceleration that the pump can withstand is given.

Model of microprocessor centrifugal equipment for honey extraction

The paper presents a model of centrifugal equipment for extracting honey made around an ATmega 328 processor, with which the Arduino Uno module is equipped. The created model is functional, being tested, and the practical results obtained would allow the transition to prototype equipment. The created model is flexible, allowing to obtain flexible operating cycles, with variable speeds, soft settable, in both directions of rotation. The number of frames from which the bee honey can be extracted is variable depending on the juicer itself, which is driven by the motor

Novel concepts for the design of moulds and equipment for expanded polymer bead foams

Metal additive manufacturing is proposed as route for the manufacturing of moulds for expanded polymer parts. The traditional tools used in steam-chest moulding technologies can be replaced by lighter moulds accurately designed and produced by the laser-powder bed fusion technology, with significantly reduced thermal capacity and optimized ability to homogeneously deliver the steam throughout the part volume. The general design approach is described and the performance of the innovative tested solution is presented by the discussion of a case study. The experimental tests carried out on the moulds and moulding equipment prototypes showed remarkable reduction in cycle times and energy consumption when compared to a traditional steam-chest moulding used to print the same product.

Mathematical modeling of the process of grinding grain materials

The problem of providing peasant (farmer) households with the means of production is currently very relevant, since the existing prototypes of equipment do not always satisfy both the necessary and sufficient conditions for its use. With small production volumes, it is rather difficult to ensure a high load factor and uniformity of high-performance equipment. High prices for energy resources in agricultural enterprises do not allow producers to reduce prices for their products, as a result, it negatively affects, first of all, consumers. Consequently, in the modern conditions of the functioning of peasant (farmer) farms, the development of new and improvement of existing means of mechanizing the production process, corresponding to the foundations and principles of resource conservation, comes to the fore. Among the means of mechanization for grinding grain materials, the most common are universal impact crushers with articulated hammers. They are able to grind various types of raw materials, are relatively simple in design and convenient in maintenance and operation. Their design allows easily changing wear parts (hammers, decks, grates). At the same time, modern designs have significant disadvantages such as the following ones: high metal consumption and energy consumption of installations, uneven grain size distribution with an increased content of dust particles, intensive wear of working bodies and the associated decrease in productivity and quality of material grinding.

Study on design and fabrication of a prototype equipment used for corrosion inspection on petrochemical tank bottom by magnetic flux leakage method

Corrosion of the bottom of the petroleum tank may lead to a product leak that could cause a fire or explosion resulting in damage to people and the environment, therefore the test of tank bottom corrosion is necessary to be conducted periodically to prevent the occurrence of the above problems. In non-destructive inspection, the Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) method relies on the variation of fluxes caused by defects on the surface of materials to detect corrosion, pitting, or imperfections, which is proved quite effectively with low cost. The project was implemented to develop a prototype of the MFL bottom detection device based on the research results in the world to improve corrosion survey capacity in industrial equipment, as well as to improve the expertise in the Research Team of electronics and automation in the fields of magnetic fields and sensors. As a result, an MFL model using permanent magnets and Hall sensors were fabricated. Survey experiments showed that the machine could detect corrosion defects up to 20% of steel wall thickness in the scanning speed range from 500 mm/s to 1130 mm/s. However, to meet the actual survey needs, the team must continue to improve the device in terms of sensitivity, scanning speed, the ability to operate automatically or semi-automatically, and register for a fire safety inspection.

Development of equipment for composite 3D printing of structural elements for aerospace applications

Development of an industrial equipment prototype based on a multi-axial robotic arm KUKA KR3 R540 for composite 3D printing with continuous fiber is presented. Composite Filament Co-extrusion Anisoprint technology is taken as a basis of the equipment. The following advantages of the manufacturing equipment are presented in the paper: ability to produce parts of complex spatial shapes with complex spatial reinforcement; mold fabrication in a single process with a part manufacturing. Complex spatial composite structures manufacturing is demonstrated.

3D printing in analytical chemistry: current state and future

Abstract The rapid development of additive technologies in recent years is accompanied by their intensive introduction into various fields of science and related technologies, including analytical chemistry. The use of 3D printing in analytical instrumentation, in particular, for making prototypes of new equipment and manufacturing parts having complex internal spatial configuration, has been proved as exceptionally effective. Additional opportunities for the widespread introduction of 3D printing technologies are associated with the development of new optically transparent, current- and thermo-conductive materials, various composite materials with desired properties, as well as possibilities for printing with the simultaneous combination of several materials in one product. This review will focus on the application of 3D printing for production of new advanced analytical devices, such as compact chromatographic columns for high performance liquid chromatography, flow reactors and flow cells for detectors, devices for passive concentration of toxic compounds and various integrated devices that allow significant improvements in chemical analysis. A special attention is paid to the complexity and functionality of 3D-printed devices.

Engineering and experimental testing of prototypes of biogas equipment

Abstract The testing production of equipment that allows making biogas is based on standard techniques and methods for implementing the principle of biogas production. The main differentiation between samples of equipment is to sell products on the market as quickly as possible and with a large number of products. However, the basic methods, forms and methods of biogas production using modern equipment require the development and improvement. The relevance of the work is in the fact that there is a need to improve equipment for biogas production under standard technical production conditions. The novelty of the research is that an improved model of work and the production of biogas using the methods of fermentation in biogas plants based on the work of microorganisms with the release of methane has been proposed. A model for applying the results obtained in standard technical conditions was considered and ways for improving methods of producing biogas under conditions of resource shortages were established. The practical application of the research results is determined by the fact that increasing the level of productivity of biogas plants will help to develop an understanding of the need for eco-friendly fuels on the world market.

Innovation in Urology: Three Dimensional Printing and Its Clinical Application.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing allows rapid prototyping of novel equipment as well as the translation of medical imaging into tangible replicas of patient-specific anatomy. The technology has emerged as a versatile medium for innovation in medicine but with ever-expanding potential uses, does 3D printing represent a valuable adjunct to urological practice? We present a concise systematic review of articles on 3D printing within urology, outlining proposed benefits and the limitations in evidence supporting its utility. We review publications prior to December 2019 using guidelines outlined by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Of 117 identified articles, 67 are included highlighting key areas of research as the use of patient-specific models for patient education, surgical planning, and surgical training. Further novel applications included printed surgical tools, patient-specific surgical guides, and bioprinting of graft tissues. We conclude to justify its adoption within standard practice, further research is required demonstrating that use of 3D printing can produce; direct and measurable improvements in patient experience, consistent evidence of superior surgical outcomes or simulation which surpasses existing means' both in fidelity and enhancement of surgical skills. Although exploration of 3D printing's urological applications remains nascent, the seemingly limitless scope for innovation and collaborative design afforded by the technology presents undeniable value as a resource and assures a place at the forefront of future advances.

Design and Implementation of 230MHz Communication Function for Smart Grid Inspection Terminal

Smart grid inspection is a basic maintenance task for power equipment. Through inspection, the reliability and safety of power equipment can be improved, and the failure rate of power equipment can be effectively reduced. In order to improve the quality of smart grid inspections, this paper analyses the limitations of smart grid inspection terminals, proposes methods to expand the private wireless network communication capabilities based on the original terminals, designs and implements software and hardware, and develops prototype equipment. Finally, a verification test is performed based on the actual 230MHz wireless communication network, this proves that the new intelligent inspection terminal can work normally in a private wireless network environment. This paper describes the software design and hardware design ideas in detail, which can be used as a reference for the capacity expansion of various type of terminals in smart grids.

Innovative equipment to monitor and control salt usage when cooking at home: iMC SALT research protocol for a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionExcessive salt intake is a public health concern due to its deleterious impact on health. Most of the salt consumed come from those that are added when cooking. This study...

Prototipagem rápida no desenvolvimento de produtos: construção do protótipo de um adaptador para escrita

Neste artigo, esclarece-se sobre a tecnologia Fused Filament Fabrication e são descritas, com auxílio de fotografias, a concepção e construção do protótipo de um adaptador de escrita para crianças com restrições motoras nas mãos. Houve o mesmo processo de modelagem em CAD e impressão 3D com uma máquina Ultimaker 2 para dois modelos, em que o segundo resultou da correção de não conformidades do primeiro. Ademais, realça-se que o adaptador resultou da integração entre as áreas de Terapia Ocupacional, Design e Engenharia do Produto.

Prototype Design of Plastic Waste Processing Equipment

Garbage is the remnants of human daily activities or natural processes that are solid or semi-solid, in the form of organic or inorganic substances, and are biodegradable or non-biodegradable which are considered to be no longer useful and thrown into the environment [2]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a plastic waste processing device in order to produce an effective output and use of time efficiently. In this research, the development of plastic waste processing equipment products is done by integrating the chopper and heating machine into one tool, then can produce various kinds of recycle products. This plastic waste processor can process thermoplastic plastic types. Thermoplastic is a type of plastic that can be recycled or reprinted by reheating processes, such as Polyethylene (PE), Polystyrene (PS), ABS, Policarbonate (PC), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). To make a prototype design of a plastic waste processing device, a product architecture is carried out for the arrangement of the functional parts of a product in the form of a scheme, then an industrial design is carried out to see the level of importance of the product based on the application of aesthetic and ergonomic art. Product design was designed using Autodesk Inventor software. Then the last process, which is making prototypes of plastic waste processing equipment in accordance with consumer needs. By doing this research it is hoped to be one alternative in dealing with the problem of plastic waste through the creativity of its users in producing recycle products in order to be useful and have a sale value.

The analysis of wind blade on the performance of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

The long-term energy crisis is one of the biggest issues of this century that needs to be tackled to ensure a prosperous future for coming generations and wind energy is one of the energy sources that grows rapidly and most promising renewable energy. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is the best option for small wind turbine project and suitable for low average wind speed environment. In this project, experiment had been carried out to study the effect of wind blade number on the Savonius wind turbine performance at different wind speeds and a comparison had been made to choose the best performance between 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 blades wind turbine. A small Savonius wind turbine prototype, PicoScope, Digital Anemometer, Digital Tachometer and other equipment were used for this purpose. A PicoScope software with a hardware device had been used to create an oscilloscope and spectrum analyser on the PC. The experiment was carried out in an open room space to acquire a close condition to the real environment. The performance results were analysed and Malaysia’s average wind speed had been used as the guideline for the comparison. It can be deduced that 5 blades rotor gives the best performance compared to the 2, 3, 4 and 6 blades rotor. At wind speed 6.1 m/s, 5 blades rotor produced optimum mechanical power output at 260 mW, power coefficient of 0.109 (10.9 %), torque at 0.12 mN.m and tip speed ratio at 8.28.

Real Time Simulation of Wind Farm Connected MMC-HVDC System

Real time simulators play a major role in R&D of Offshore wind farm connected modular multilevel converter (MMC)-HVDC system. These simulators are used for testing the actual prototype of controllers or protection equipment required for the system under study. Modular multilevel converter comprises of number of sub modules (SMs) like Half/ full bridge cells. While computing time domain Electromagnetic transients (EMTs) with the system having large number of SMs pose a great challenge. This computational burden will be more when simulated in real time. To overcome this, several authors proposed equivalent mathematical model of MMC. This paper proposes the real time simulation start-up of offshore wind farm connected modular multilevel converter (MMC)-HVDC system. This paper also describes about how the above said systems is simulated in OPAL-RT based Hypersim software.