Temperature Lag Research Articles

Compositional design of slag for homogenized rare earth treatment by slag-steel interaction under vacuum

Reduction of La2O3 in molten slag by the C in liquid steel during slag-steel interaction under vacuum is expected to achieve homogenized La treatment for steel. To develop the appropriate slag for La treatment, the liquidus temperature, viscosity and fluoride vaporization of 50 wt%CaF2-30 wt%CaO-(20-x)wt%Al2O3-xwt%La2O3 slag were studied, as well as the La distribution between the La2O3 containing slag and GCr15 steel under vacuum. The results show that the liquidus temperature of slag firstly decreases with the increase of La2O3 content from 0 to 5 wt%, and then increases as the La2O3 content continuously increases. The LaAlO3 phase starts to precipitates in slag when La2O3 content of slag exceeds 10 wt%, which accounts for the increases on liquidus temperature. Thus, the La2O3 content in slag should not exceed 15 wt%. La2O3 can play the depolymerization role on slag melts, which contributes to the decrease in slag viscosity. Furthermore, the increase of La2O3 content in slag decreases vapor pressure of CaF2 and AlF3, and fluoride vaporization is inhibited. Rare earth treatment with considerable La content through slag-steel interaction that dissolved C in liquid GCr15 steel reacts with La2O3 in molten slag is realized under vacuum. The La content in GGr15 equilibrated with slag bearing 15 wt% La2O3 under 0.5–1 kPa is 0.0135 wt%.

Design and performance analysis of a coupled burner for the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell system

The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) system is characterized by high energy conversion efficiency and low emissions. The energy supply and recovery of the SOFC system are facilitated through the ignition burner and the off-gas burner, respectively. This study proposes a coupled design of the ignition burner and the off-gas burner to reduce the burner volume, thereby enhancing the power density of the SOFC system. The ignition burner employs radially opposed jet combustion with fully premixed natural gas, while the off-gas burner uses swirl diffusion combustion with the anode off gas. When the premixed gas and lean anode off gas are unable to sustain the flame, catalytic combustion is initiated. Simulation and experiment methods are utilized to analyze the performance of the coupled burner in this paper. The results indicate that uniform mixing is achieved with a high swirl number (s1 = 2.6) for the premixed gas, and the maximum excess air coefficient for stable flame combustion at 400 °C is 2.47. As the temperature of the cathode off gas increases, the flameout boundary for the premixed gas gradually increases; conversely, with increasing burner power, the flameout boundary gradually decreases. The intersection cooling effect of mixed air and circumferential high-temperature flue gas is effective, and the flame does not exceed the tolerance temperature of the catalytic carrier. The diffusion combustion of anode off gas with a swirl number (s2 = 0.5) exhibits great gas mixing uniformity without a high-temperature core region. When transitioning from flame to catalytic combustion with premixed natural gas and anode off gas, there is a temperature lag of approximately 60 s. The isotropic cylindrical cordierite catalytic carrier with a 400 mesh and a coating of 60 g/ft3 Pt0.1Pd0.5 achieves stable catalytic combustion in an environment with preheated air temperatures ranging from 400 to 600 °C and H2 concentrations of 0.25–2.91 %.

Modification of steel slag and its application for phosphate and ammonia removal in aquatic products processing wastewater

ABSTRACT This study aims to modify different types of steel slag by heating, characterise the material and test its ability for adsorption of phosphate and ammonia from aquatic products processing wastewater. The materials were characterised by SEM, EDS, BET and FT-IR analyses. The effects of the type of steel slag, calcination temperature in steel slag modification, pH, contact time, adsorbent mass and initial pollutant concentration were investigated using the one-factor-at-a-time approach. The results show that the adsorption kinetic of the samples followed the pseudo-second-order model, whereas their adsorption isotherm fitted well with the monomolecular adsorptive Langmuir with a maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of 45.045 mgPO43-/g. Optimisation using Response Surface Methodology was conducted with the independent factors (adsorbent doses, contact time and calcination temperature of steel slag) and response (removal efficiency of phosphate). The temperature and dosage of the material significantly affected phosphate removal efficiency and optimisation conditions were suggested. Validation of one optimum condition at the calcination temperature of 801°C, the adsorbent dosage of 11.9 g/L and the contact time of 72 min using real aquatic products processing wastewater resulted in the removal efficiencies of 86.93, 87.59, 7.76 and 7.58% for phosphate, total phosphorus, ammonia and total nitrogen, respectively.

Fluidity and structure of aluminate slags for smelting high-alumina iron ores: Effect of CaO/SiO2 mass ratio

Slag regulation is crucial for achieving smelting of high-alumina iron ore in blast furnaces. This study investigated the fluidity and structure of CaO-SiO2–10 wt.%MgO-30 wt.%Al2O3 slag by varying the CaO/SiO2 ratio (1.0–2.0). The results revealed that viscosity decreased with increasing CaO/SiO2 ratio, while the free running temperature, defined as the temperature at which the slag can flow freely, initially increased and then decreased, peaking at the range of 1.2–1.6. Interestingly, the free running temperature of slag at basicity 2.0 (1392 °C) was lower than that at basicity 1.0 (1398 °C). Spectroscopic analysis demonstrated that increasing basicity facilitated greater charge compensation of Al3+ ions, resulting in an increased amount of [AlO4] tetrahedra. Moreover, increasing free oxygen promoted the depolymerization of [SiO4] and [AlO4] tetrahedra, reducing bridging oxygen and increasing non-bridging oxygen. Consequently, the slag's overall polymerization degree decreased. Furthermore, MD simulations identified two distinct fracture mechanisms of bridging oxygen within the Si-O-Si structure.

Investigation of P2O5 on the Break Temperature and Phase Composition of Slag from the Double Slag Converter Steelmaking Process

Herein, the influence of P2O5 on the break temperature and phase composition of slag from the double slag converter steelmaking process is investigated comprehensively. The composition and micromorphology of crystallized phase are analyzed by X‐Ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer. The results reveal that the break temperature of slag increases owing to an increase of P2O5 content. When the P2O5 content is 2%, the break temperature is 1198 °C, and it increases to 1209 °C for the slag with 4% P2O5. With the increase of P2O5 content from 2% to 8%, the activation energy for viscous flow shows an upward trend. The crystallized phase at the same temperature with different P2O5 contents remains nearly unchanged, but the diffraction peak intensity is different. When the P2O5 content remains constant, a decrease in temperature results in significant changes in the micromorphology of crystallized phases. The present results improve the knowledge about the P‐rich slag, and are also significant in optimizing the double slag converter steelmaking process.

Medium and short-term effective prestress losses considering multiple factors: Laboratory and on-site beam experiments

The coupling between the creep and shrinkage of concrete, tendon relaxation, and temperature variations makes it difficult to determine the influence of each individual factor on prestress loss. This study investigates the influence of these multiple factors on the medium and short-term prestress of beam bridges, crucial for their durability and safety. Initially, laboratory experiments were conducted on six model beams to analyze medium and short-term prestress variations. Using a pre-designed scheme, the study isolated and quantified the impacts on effective prestress, with losses calculated through superposition. The findings were compared with existing models, leading to the proposal of a refined model for multiple factors affecting prestress. Then the prestress loss experiments on ten full-sized beams, with thirty-five strands, were calibrated based on the proposed model by regression analysis. Based on the modified model of prestress loss, the mentioned influencing factors would be calculated separately, which agree with the measured data from laboratory and in-situ experiments. In the end, the study concludes that creep has the greatest impact on prestress loss, with other factors contributing to varying degrees. Through full-scale tests, parameters for the prestress loss model were verified. The proposed model in this study effectively describes prestress loss within the tested timeframe. The study further concludes that there existed a time lag in prestress tendons and ambient temperature in both laboratory model beams and in-situ full-scale beams. For practical applications in lift-off tests of effective prestress, the appropriate testing time after tensioning to yield relatively stable results is recommended.

Transient characteristics of ultra-high frequency adjustable multi-pulse gas tungsten welding arc

In response to the shortcomings of traditional Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), such as low penetration, slow welding speed, and low production efficiency, an Ultra-High-Frequency Adjustable Multi-Pulse Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (UFMP-GTAW) process is proposed. This process more effectively concentrates the temperature distribution of the welding arc. To characterize the arc morphology and its dynamic changes, high-speed photography captured ten images of the UFMP-GTAW welding arc within one cycle. The arc image processing algorithm proposed in the paper was used to study the arc's variation characteristics over one cycle. This algorithm includes binarization, arc segmentation, and edge detection to obtain arc morphology parameters. The arc symmetry algorithm is used to symmetrize the arc images for Abel inversion, resulting in the emission coefficient distribution. Further calculations provide the temperature distribution, electrical conductivity distribution, and current density distribution of the arc. Analysis reveals that changes in arc temperature, electrical conductivity, and current density lag behind changes in current. The temperature of the arc spreads from the central axis to the surrounding arc space. When high-frequency current variations occur, the heat input generated by the current increase takes time to transfer to the entire arc space. Conversely, if the current suddenly decreases, the heat input rapidly diminishes. However, because heat transfer takes time, the arc space remains relatively stable for a short period, making the ultra-high-frequency arc form more stable.

Inversion Method for Transformer Winding Hot Spot Temperature Based on Gated Recurrent Unit and Self-Attention and Temperature Lag.

The hot spot temperature of transformer windings is an important indicator for measuring insulation performance, and its accurate inversion is crucial to ensure the timely and accurate fault prediction of transformers. However, existing studies mostly directly input obtained experimental or operational data into networks to construct data-driven models, without considering the lag between temperatures, which may lead to the insufficient accuracy of the inversion model. In this paper, a method for inverting the hot spot temperature of transformer windings based on the SA-GRU model is proposed. Firstly, temperature rise experiments are designed to collect the temperatures of the entire side and top of the transformer tank, top oil temperature, ambient temperature, the cooling inlet and outlet temperatures, and winding hot spot temperature. Secondly, experimental data are integrated, considering the lag of the data, to obtain candidate input feature parameters. Then, a feature selection algorithm based on mutual information (MI) is used to analyze the correlation of the data and construct the optimal feature subset to ensure the maximum information gain. Finally, Self-Attention (SA) is applied to optimize the Gate Recurrent Unit (GRU) network, establishing the GRU-SA model to perceive the potential patterns between output feature parameters and input feature parameters, achieving the precise inversion of the hot spot temperature of the transformer windings. The experimental results show that considering the lag of the data can more accurately invert the hot spot temperature of the windings. The inversion method proposed in this paper can reduce redundant input features, lower the complexity of the model, accurately invert the changing trend of the hot spot temperature, and achieve higher inversion accuracy than other classical models, thereby obtaining better inversion results.

Binary eutectic phase change materials application in cooling asphalt: An assessment for thermal stability and durability

Organic eutectic phase change materials (PCM) show great promise as thermal storage agents for regulating the temperature of asphalt pavements. Assessing their aging characteristics and durability when integrated into asphalt is crucial and necessitates further in-depth research. This study evaluates the impact of aging on binders with acid/palmitic acid binary eutectic PCM (SA/PA-PCM). Aging was simulated using the rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and pressure aging vessel (PAV) devices. The current study leads to the conclusion that the use of SA/PA-PCM is promising. Specifically, the incorporation of SA/PA-PCM significantly improves the aging resistance, showcasing notable enhancements in thermal stability, fatigue performance, anti-cracking ability, and thermal regulation of asphalt. Only a 5 % decrease occurred in the melting enthalpy of the binder with 15 % SA/PA-PCM after 60 h of long-term aging (from 32.17 to 25.87 J/g), showing a stable thermal storage ability. The maximum temperature difference and lag is 9.3 °C and 46 min. respectively. To sum up, Asphalt with 15 % SA/PA-PCM surpasses other binders, displaying higher melting latent heat, reduced sulfoxide index, increased long-term aging resistance, and superior stress relaxation capabilities. This research confirms the potential of SA/PA-PCM in asphalt applications, providing a new path for durable and environmentally friendly road infrastructure.

Effect of TiO2 on the structural properties and viscosity of CaO-SiO2-8.25 %MgO-15 %Al2O3-TiO2 slags

As a raw material for ironmaking, vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite will leads to an increase in the TiO2 content of blast-furnace slag and deteriorates the metallurgical properties of the slag. In this study, the effect of TiO2 content on the viscosity of CaO-SiO2–8.25 %MgO-15 %Al2O3-TiO2 slag system at fixed w(CaO)/w(SiO2) ratio of 1.2 was investigated, and Raman spectroscopy focusing on the relationship between the structure of high TiO2-bearing blast furnace slag and viscosity was performed. The findings showed that under the experimental condition, the viscosity of slag decreases with the increase of TiO2 content over a range of 20 to 35 %. The melting temperature of slag increases first and then decreases after w(TiO2) is higher than 30 %. The viscous-flow activation energy of slag decreases with the increase of TiO2 content, which has a concomitant variation corresponding with the results of the effect of TiO2 on viscosity. The analysis of Raman spectroscopy results reveals that the blast-furnace slag system is dominated by [SiO4]4- network structure. As the TiO2 content increases, more and more Ti4+ enters the silica-oxygen tetrahedral network structure, disrupting the Si-O-Si bond to form the [TiO4]4- structural unit and a small portion of the [TiO6]8- structural unit. The NBO/Si value of the Si4+ in the tetrahedron unit as an index for the degree of depolymerization of slags increased from 1.62 to 2.60 as the TiO2 content increased, the slag structure was gradually simplified and the slag viscosity was gradually decreased.

Effect of MgO content and CaO/Al2O3 ratio on melting temperature and viscosity of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–MgO slag for electroslag remelting

During electroslag remelting (ESR), high MgO contents are typically added to CaF2–CaO–Al2O3 slag to control magnesium content in iron- and nickel-based alloys. The melting temperature and viscosity of ESR slag are pivotal for energy consumption, production efficiency, smooth operation, and ingot quality. However, there is currently a notable scarcity of research on the melting temperature and viscosity of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–MgO slag with high MgO levels. Thus, the melting temperatures and viscosity of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–MgO slags with varying MgO contents and CaO/Al2O3 (C/A) ratios were investigated. The results show that as the MgO content increases from 7.83 % to 13.18 %, the final precipitation content of the MgO phase significantly increases, resulting in an increase in the melting temperature from 1306 °C to 1319 °C. With the increase in the C/A ratio from 0.86 to 1.16, the precipitation completion temperatures of the Ca12Al14F2O32 and MgO phases significantly decrease and the MgAl2O4 phase transforms into the CaO phase. Hence, the melting temperature decreases from 1329 °C to 1314 °C. Further increasing the C/A ratio to 1.40, the final precipitation content of the CaO phase increases, resulting in a decrease in the melting temperature from 1314 °C to 1282 °C. Moreover, as the MgO content and C/A ratio increase, the slag viscosity exhibits different change trends within various temperature ranges. This depends on which of the depolymerization of the slag structure and the precipitation and clustering of the MgO phase has a greater effect on the slag viscosity.

Investigating the impact of weather on stroke in summer.

The objective of this study is to explore how changes in weather contribute to an increase in hospital admissions for stroke in summer. We collected 96,509 cases of stroke hospitalization data in Tianjin from 2016 to 2022 summer, along with corresponding meteorological data. The generalized additive model and distributed lag nonlinear model were used to analyze the lag and cumulative effects of temperature on stroke hospitalization. The research results show both the cold effect and the heat effect in summer would increase the risk of hospitalization. The effect of daily maximum temperature on stroke hospitalization was immediate when the temperature was higher, and delayed when the temperature was lower. However, the risk of stroke hospitalization increased more significantly with increasing temperature than with decreasing temperature. In the presence of one or more of the following three weather changes: sharp temperature increase, sharp temperature decrease, continuous high temperature, the daily number of stroke inpatients were higher than the average in the same period. 83% of the Inpatient-heavy events within the study period were caused by a combination of dramatic temperature changes and continuous high temperatures. In 48% of Inpatient-heavy events, continuous high temperature weather above 30℃ for at least 4 consecutive days were observed. And 55% of high temperature weather was accompanied by high humidity. When the daily relative humidity was greater than 70% and the daily maximum temperature was between 26 and 28℃ or more than 34℃, or the daily maximum temperature changes over 10℃ within 48h, the number of daily inpatients was more than 1.2 times of the average daily inpatients. More attention should be paid to the combined effects of continuous high temperature and sudden temperature changes in summer stroke prevention.

Effect of microwave curing on the properties of aggregate-mastic interfacial transition zones in cement emulsified bitumen mixture containing steel slag

The poor properties of the aggregate-mastic interfacial transition zones (ITZ) are the core factor for the low structural strength of cement emulsified bitumen mixture (CEBM), while incorporating steel slag with high microwave responsiveness into CEBM and followed by microwave curing may be an effective method to enhance ITZ properties. To verify this hypothesis, the ITZ properties of CEBM containing steel slag were characterised and analysed by a series of techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and nanoindentation. The results showed that the ITZ properties increased continuously with microwave curing time. Specifically, the thickness of ITZ continuously decreased, while the elastic modulus and hardness continuously increased. When the microwave curing time was less than 7 min, the growth in cement hydrates and temperature simultaneously enhanced the ITZ properties. When the microwave curing time exceeded 7 min, the cement hydrates gradually decreased due to the water content falling below the minimum required for cement hydration, and the improvement of ITZ properties mainly depended on the temperature rise. Remarkably, the microwave heating characteristics of steel slag resulted in a tighter bond with bitumen, which led to consistently better surface ITZ properties than limestone. However, it should be avoided that the microwave curing time is too long, as this would result in the steel slag temperature being too high and aging its surface bitumen. Additionally, the indirect tensile strength of CEBM affected by the ITZ properties was still increased even after the decrease in cement hydrates.

Effect of Cr2O3 on the break temperature and crystallization behavior of Cr-containing molten titanium slag

In the current study, the effect of Cr2O3 on the break temperature and crystallization behavior of Cr-containing molten titanium slag was investigated. The type, composition, and morphology of crystallized phase were analyzed by FactSage, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). It was found that the break temperature (TBr) of Cr-containing molten titanium slag tended to increase with the increase of Cr2O3 content. When the Cr2O3 content was 4 wt%, the TBr was 1470 °C. With the increase of Cr2O3 content, the Ti-containing phase began to appear at the temperature above the TBr. Moreover, the main crystallized phase that existed at the temperature below the TBr transformed from only anosovite to both anosovite and spinel, indicating that Cr2O3 promoted the precipitation of spinel. The rapid increase in viscosity was mainly determined by the precipitation of anosovite in the slag without Cr2O3. When the Cr2O3 content was 2 wt%, the increased precipitation amount of Ti-containing phase caused the abrupt change in viscosity. As the Cr2O3 content further increased to 4 wt%, the precipitation amounts of anosovite and spinel significant increased, which resulted in the sudden increase in viscosity. This study could provide theoretical support for the comprehensive utilization of Cr-containing molten titanium slag and sustainable development of titanium and chromium resources.

Lake depth, a key parameter regulating evaporation in semi‐arid regions: A case study from Dali Lake, China

AbstractAs climate change intensifies, understanding the dynamics of lake evaporation is imperative, especially in semi‐arid regions where water resources are already scarce. This study examines the regulatory role of lake depth on evaporation rates, focusing on a terminal lake in a semi‐arid region: Dali Lake in China. Using the Complementary Relationship Lake Evaporation model, we simulated the heat and temperature lag time of Dali Lake, an 8 m deep lake, due to its heat storage capacity. This approach was validated through moderate‐resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS)‐based surface temperatures of Dali Lake and adjacent Ganggenor Lake. Dali Lake, by storing heat during the warmer months, maintains lower surface temperatures compared with the shallower Ganggenor Lake. Under the same climatic conditions, Dali Lake has an annual evaporation of 980 mm, which is 45 mm less than that of Ganggenor Lake, which has an annual evaporation of 1024 mm. To further study the impact of lake depth, we simulated the heat storage and evaporation of Dali Lake during the Holocene, when the lake reached up to 34 m average depth, representative of the maximum depth reached by Dali Lake. During the Holocene, under constant climate conditions, the annual evaporation would be 44 mm/year less than the average evaporation from 1984 to 2016. Average annual evaporation decreased with increasing depth, showing a significant reduction during warmer months, while the release of heat during the ice‐cover period did not result in additional evaporation. Our results highlight the important relationship between lake depth and evaporation under climate change, emphasizing the necessity for depth‐specific water management strategies in semi‐arid regions.

Lag effect of ambient temperature on respiratory emergency department visits in Beijing: a time series and pooled analysis

BackgroundAlthough the association between ambient temperature and mortality of respiratory diseases was numerously documented, the association between various ambient temperature levels and respiratory emergency department (ED) visits has not been well studied. A recent investigation of the association between respiratory ED visits and various levels of ambient temperature was conducted in Beijing, China.MethodsDaily meteorological data, air pollution data, and respiratory ED visits data from 2017 to 2018 were collected in Beijing. The relationship between ambient temperature and respiratory ED visits was explored using a distributed lagged nonlinear model (DLNM). Then we performed subgroup analysis based on age and gender. Finally, meta-analysis was utilized to aggregate the total influence of ambient temperature on respiratory ED visits across China.ResultsThe single-day lag risk for extreme cold peaked at a relative risk (RR) of 1.048 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.009, 1.088] at a lag of 21 days, with a long lag effect. As for the single-day lag risk for extreme hot, a short lag effect was shown at a lag of 7 days with an RR of 1.076 (95% CI: 1.038, 1.114). The cumulative lagged effects of both hot and cold effects peaked at lag 0–21 days, with a cumulative risk of the onset of 3.690 (95% CI: 2.133, 6.382) and 1.641 (95% CI: 1.284, 2.098), respectively, with stronger impact on the hot. Additionally, the elderly were more sensitive to ambient temperature. The males were more susceptible to hot weather than the females. A longer cold temperature lag effect was found in females. Compared with the meta-analysis, a pooled effect of ambient temperature was consistent in general. In the subgroup analysis, a significant difference was found by gender.ConclusionsTemperature level, age-specific, and gender-specific effects between ambient temperature and the number of ED visits provide information on early warning measures for the prevention and control of respiratory diseases.

A kinetics study of microwave pyrolysis of sewage sludge and corn stalk mixture

AbstractFast pyrolysis of sewage sludge (SS), corn stalk (CS), and their mixture under both direct and indirect microwave heating was carried out in a prototype microwave thermogravimetric reactor at high heating rates, 179 and 203 K/min, respectively. It was found that the samples could be heated up rapidly by direct microwave heating, while there is a temperature lag of the sample to the heated reactor wall in indirect heating. The Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) methods were used to analyze the thermogravimetric data of SS, CS, and their mixture under direct microwave heating. When the FWO method was used, the average activation energies of SS, CS, and their mixture were obtained as 6.0, 18.9, and 39.8 kJ/mol, respectively. When the KAS method was used, the average activation energies of CS and mixture were 12.6 and 31.6 kJ/mol, respectively. Those values are much lower than reported under conventional heating, and likely result from the interaction of microwave irradiation and the biomass samples. The reaction kinetics of directly microwave‐heated biomass pyrolysis from this study provide essential data for modelling, scaling, and designing the microwave‐assisted in‐situ catalytic pyrolysis reactors with mixed biomass and catalyst particles.

Demineralization effects on physicochemical and combustion characteristics of biomass: Insights into distributed kinetics, flue gas evolution, and slag formation

Biomass as the only carbon-bearing renewable energy has enormous potential to challenge the established energy structure dominated by fossil resources, and incineration technology is one of the most direct and efficient pathways for utilizing biomass resources, unfortunately enduring the inevitable sintering and slagging problems owing to the excessive alkali metals. Herein, we comparatively investigated the effects of five leaching solvents (water, acetic acid, wood vinegar, hydrochloric acid, and oxalic acid) on the physicochemical properties and ash-removal capabilities of wheat straw (WS) and rice husk (RH), with a view to achieving better performance in the subsequent combustion characteristics, kinetic examination, flue gas, and slag evolution. Results indicated with ionization ability increased (water < acetic acid < hydrochloric acid), the WS exhibited a strong demineralization performance (maximum 61.1%), further leading to a steep weight loss in its combustion characteristic curve at approximately 350 °C and a delayed peak temperature after the removal of alkali metal. Multiple distributed activation energy model and sensitivity analysis revealed that leaching pretreatment enhanced the activation energy (189–191.8 kJ mol−1) and optimized energy distribution at the preliminary stage of the combustion reaction. In addition, the absence of alkali metals suppressed the catalytic oxidation reaction in the flue gas, remarkably limiting the formation of CO2 but facilitating the release of CO and CH4. Meanwhile, a considerable optimal in biomass ash slagging, in which the initial temperature of the liquid phase slag for WS ash increased to 991 °C. Notably, HCl showed the strongest demineralization performance among the five leaching solvents during pretreatment, but the high-temperature slag content was still higher than that of acetic acid. Therefore, slagging performance is not only associated with the demineralization ability of leaching solvents, but also with ash composition.

Smelting characteristics of nickel‑chromium‑manganese bearing prereduced pellets for the preparation of nickel saving austenite stainless steel master alloys

Nickel saving austenite crude stainless steel master alloys were innovatively produced by smelting of nickel‑chromium‑manganese bearing prereduced pellets in an effective and economical way. The thermodynamics analysis and systematic process mineralogy were also conducted to further reveal the smelting characteristics of prereduced pellets and the related enhanced mechanism. The results showed that the preferable stainless steel master alloys with 66.29% Fe, 4.21% Ni, 17.28% Cr, 6.53% Mn and 4.76% C can be prepared from the nickel‑chromium‑manganese bearing prereduced pellets with a corresponding recovery of valuable metals more than 95%. Furthermore, during the enhanced smelting process, the optimization of slag types can further realize the phases transformation from high-melting-point enstatite and forsterite to low-melting-point diopside and monticellite to obtain a decreased smelting temperature and viscosity of slag. The smelting duration and the alloy grain included in the smelting slag were both obviously decreased, resulting in an improved smelting performance.

Predicting climate-driven changes in reservoir inflows and hydropower in Côte d'Ivoire using machine learning modeling

This study investigates the impact of climate change and variability on reservoir inflow and hydropower generation at three key hydropower plants in Côte d'Ivoire including Buyo, Kossou, and Taboo. To simulate inflow to reservoir and energy generation, the Random Forest (RF), a machine-learning algorithm allowing fewer input variables was applied. In three-step, RF k-fold cross validation (with k = 5) was used; (i) 12 and 6 multiple lags of precipitation and temperature at monthly increments were used as predictors, respectively; (ii) the five most important variables were used in addition to the current month's precipitation and temperature; and (iii) a residual RF was built. The bias-adjusted ensemble mean of eleven climate models output of the COordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment was used for the representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The model output was highly correlated with the observations, with Pearson correlations >0.90 for inflow and >0.85 for energy for the three hydropower plants. The temperature in the selected sub-catchments may increase significantly from 0.9 to 3 °C in the near (2040–2069) and from 1.7 to 4.2 °C in far (2070–2099) future periods relative to the reference period (1981–2010). A time series of precipitation showed a change in range −7 and 15 % in the near and −8 to 20 % in the far future and more years are with increasing change. Depending on the sub-catchment, the magnitude of temperature and precipitation changes will increase as greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)(greater in RCP8.5 than RCP4.5) rise. At all time scales (monthly, seasonal, and annual), the simulated inflow and energy changes were related to climate variables such as temperature and precipitation. At the annual time scale, the inflow is projected to change between −10 and 37 % and variability may depend on the reservoir. However, the energy change is promised to change between −10 and 25 %, −30 to 15 %, and 5–40 % relative to the historical (1981–2010) period for Taabo, Kossou, and Buyo dams, respectively at an annual scale. The changes may vary according to the year, the RCPs, and the dam. Consequently, decision-makers are recommended to take into consideration an energy mix plan to meet the energy demand in these seasons.