The benzene alkylation reactor using the dry gas is the most significant equipment in the ethylbenzene manufacturing process. In this paper, a two-dimensional homogeneous model is developed for steady state simulation of the industrial multi-stage catalytic reactor for ethylbenzene. The model validation on a practical benzene alkylation reactor shows the model is accurate and can calculate the hot spot temperatures. The composition of dry gas from upstream process varies with the operating conditions, which can cause unexpected hot spots in the reactor and catalyst deactivation. Considering the uncertainty in dry gas composition, a robust multi-objective optimization framework is proposed: first, the back-off in constraints is introduced to the multi-objective optimization problem to hedge against the worst case; then the optimal operating point can be selected using the multi-criteria decision-making. The reactor optimization objectives are maximizing selectivity of ethylene and conve... [more]

Fault diagnosis is crucial for realizing safe process operation when a fault occurs. Multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) has widely been adopted for fault detection in real processes, and contribution plots based on MSPC are a well-known fault diagnosis method, but it does not always correctly diagnose the causes of faults. This study proposes a new fault diagnosis method based on the causality between process variables and a monitored index for fault detection, which is referred to as a causal plot. The proposed causal plot utilizes a linear non-Gaussian acyclic model (LiNGAM), which is a data-driven causal inference algorithm. LiNGAM estimates a causal structure only from data. In the proposed causal plot, the causality of a monitored index of fault detection methods, in addition to process variables, is estimated with LiNGAM when a fault is detected with the monitored index. The process variables having significant causal relationships with the monitored indexes are iden... [more]

Coordinating regional innovation−economy−ecology (IEE) systems is an important prerequisite for overall continuous regional development. To fully understand the coordination relationship among the three, this study builds a data-driven multimodel decision approach to calculate, assess, diagnose, and improve the regional IEE system. First, the assessment indicator system of the regional IEE system is established. Secondly, the range method, entropy weight method, and weighted summation method are employed to calculate the synthetic developmental level. Thirdly, a multimodel decision approach including the coupling degree model, the coordination degree model, and the obstacle degree model is constructed to assess the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the regional IEE system coupling coordination and diagnose the main obstacles hindering its development. Finally, the approach is tested using Anhui Province as a case study. The results show that the coupling coordination degree o... [more]

This paper presents and defines a method for standardizing ecosystem services in the context of hydropower projects and demonstrates its applicability through the Folsom hydropower plant in California. In particular, this paper uses the Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System (FEGS-CS) to provide a structured framework for identifying ecosystems, the potential services they provide, and their beneficiaries. In this paper, the benefit transfer technique is used for estimating non-market values for new policy contexts. The total value of this case study is about USD 169 million per year for the Folsom hydropower plant in California. The advantage of the proposed framework lies in its ability to be imported and applied to any other hydropower facility, and it can be extensively used both for new and existing power plants.

In this study, pomegranate peel extract was used to dye cotton fabrics. Generally, natural dyes have low affinity for cellulosic fibers and therefore need treatment for attachment. Air atmospheric plasma was applied to lower the concentrations of mordants needed and enhance dyeability. The outcomes showed that the residual concentrations of metallic ions decreased when applying the plasma treatment. ATR-FTIR and SEM analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of plasma modification on the surface chemistry and topography of the cellulosic fibers. The traces of metals released from finished fabric were quantified using ICP OES spectrometry. Color fastnesses (wash, rubbing and light) were evaluated to assess the mordanting step effect and the durability of the color. All tested fastnesses were good to very good. The concentrations of metal ions in finished fabrics were 32.4 for Fe, 0.28 for Al, 0.29 for Cr and 1.21 for Cu. Plasma treatment can be considered an efficient strategy to re... [more]

The catalyst’s photocatalytic activity under sunlight was tested using graphene oxide (GO) from plant cellulose waste and modified by ZnO nanomaterial. The absorbance of the dye’s solution (Rhodamine 6G) was recorded as λmax = 555 nm at regular time intervals. The degradation kinetics of rhodamine was evaluated by applying first-order integrated rate expression, kt = −ln (C/C0). The half-life (t1/2), the rate constant (k), and the time constant τ (Tau) have been obtained by the above rate expression. The rate constant of the reactions carried out with the different materials was calculated and the values obtained were: k_ZnO =1.574 × 10−2, k_GO =1.01 × 10−2 and k_C-GO-ZnO = 4.7 × 10−3 min−1. The degradation efficiency presented by GO, ZnO and GO-ZnO catalysts was 66.67, 70.84, and 70.07%, respectively. FTIR spectroscopy was used to investigate the interactions between the catalyst and the dye. To the best of our knowledge, waste-derived GO-ZnO has not been previously reported for the p... [more]

Unconstrained metal powders of chromium and nickel, in combination with aluminium, were used in the submerged arc welding (SAW) process to simplify weld metal alloying. Unconstrained metal powders refer to non-alloyed metal powders that are not constrained in tubular wire, such as fluxed-cored and metal-cored wire. Aluminium powder is used to control the oxygen potential at the molten flux−weld pool interface. The results presented here show that the addition of aluminium powder to the weld metal enhances Cr and Ni yields to 89% for Cr and 91% for Ni, compared to lower values reported in pre-alloyed powder application. Alloying of the carbon steel in the base plate and weld wire combination was achieved at 6.0% Cr, 6.2% Ni, and 4.5% Al, with the weld metal oxygen controlled to 162 ppm O. Thermodynamic analysis was applied to investigate the likely gas reactions in the arc cavity emanating from the chemical interaction between Cr, Ni, and Al. The effects of gas-based chemical reactions... [more]

Advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) has the potential to significantly improve manufacturing performance and boost competitiveness in the global market. Investment in AMT remains a promising but potentially risky venture due to the numerous factors that must be considered before the full benefits of implementing a new technology can be realized. To respond to the reported risks and uncertainties, such as those revealed in the recent industrial revolution, it is very important to identify and classify the critical factors that can influence the success of AMT adoption early in the planning stage. Based on an extensive review of relevant literature, 32 critical factors are identified and classified into ten categories in this paper. A new multiple-input single-output (MISO) model is developed by combining the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) and the fuzzy inference system (FIS) based on the objectives defined. The FDM is used to determine the critical factors, and the FIS addresses the gene... [more]

In this paper, the co-combustion behavior of the walnut shell, biochar, and coal, and the respective binary and ternary blends were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in the oxy-fuel atmosphere (21% O2/79% CO2). The combustion reactivity of coal was similar to biochar but lower than that of the walnut shell. The presence of the walnut shell improved the combustion performance of coal and biochar. The interaction between only biochar and coal was inhibited in the binary blends. The presence of the walnut shell in the ternary blend covered up the inhibition between biochar and coal. The average activation energy of each sample was obtained using the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) kinetic models. The results of this study provide a reference for the rational utilization of biomass and biochar and the practical improvement of the thermal conversion efficiency of coal.

This work utilizes the anthraquinone (AQ) database to identify potential inhibitors of the RIPK1 protein for developing medicines targeting AP-associated necroptosis. Screening for necroptosis-related genes that play a crucial role in AP is based on the GEO and GSEA databases. An optimum AQ for receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) inhibition was virtually screened using the Discovery Studio 2019 tool, with a previously described RIPK1 inhibitor (necrostatin-1) as a reference ligand. Using LibDock and CDOCKER molecular docking, an AQ that robustly binds to RIPK1 was identified. The DOCKTHOR web server was used to calculate the ligand−receptor binding energy. The pharmacological properties and toxicity of potential AQ were evaluated using the ADME module and ProTox-II web server. The stability of ligand−receptor complexes was examined using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. All 12 AQs showed solid binding activity to RIPK1, 5 of which were superior to necrostatin-1. Rheochrysi... [more]

Standard limits for harmful chemicals in consumer goods are important for consumer safety and the development of relevant industries. This paper proposes a method for determining content limits of chemicals in consumer goods by extending the “as low as reasonably practicable” (ALARP) principle by adding the impact of price and cost changes. While giving due consideration to the price and cost factors of consumer goods, this method derives such limits by measuring “acceptable consumer risk level” on the demand side and “industrial tolerance to chemical limits” on the supply side to obtain the ALARP area. Through a combination of functional relations between different factors and chemical limits, including consumer welfare, producer welfare, and external cost, a general chemical limit decision model can be created for the determination of the general limits of chemicals. This research provides a new methodology for studying decisions on chemical limits by considering consumer and industr... [more]

Alachlor [2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(methoxymethyl]acetamide] is a chloroacetanilide herbicide and has been widely used as a selective pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide to control weeds and grass. Due to its wide usage, direct application on the ground, high solubility in water, and moderate persistence, alachlor and its metabolites have been detected in various environments. Therefore, there is an increasing concern about the environmental fate of alachlor and its metabolites. Microbial biodegradation is a main method of removal of alachlor in the natural environment. In this study, we isolated new alachlor degrading bacterium and proposed a novel alachlor-degrading pathway. The alachlor-degrading bacterial strain, GC-A6, was identified as Acinetobacter sp. using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Acinetobacter sp. GC-A6 utilized alachlor as its sole carbon source and degraded 100 mg L−1 of alachlor within 48 h, which was the highest alachlor degradation efficiency. The de... [more]

In this work, protonated forms of potassium polytitanate were obtained by treating the precursor in HCl solution at pH 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, or 7.0. The synthesized materials were studied using XRD, FTIR, and XRF. The ion-exchange properties were studied using a LiCl solution with a concentration of C(Li+) = 0.01 mol/L. It was shown that extraction of lithium by potassium polytitanates is dependent on their protonation degree. It has been established that the samples with the highest degree of protonation obtained at pH = 2.0 and 3.0 have the highest efficiency in the ion-exchange extraction of Li+ ions from an aqueous solution. For determination of exchange ion rates and the mechanism of the ion-exchange process, pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order models as well as the Weber−Morris intraparticle diffusion model, were employed. Experimental data with their participation are in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The calculated kinetic parameters were qe = 0... [more]

Polyurethane foam (PUF) is actively used for thermal insulation. The main characteristic of thermal insulation is effective thermal conductivity. We studied the effective thermal conductivity of six samples of PUF with different types and sizes of cells. In the course of the research, heat was supplied to the foam using an induction heater in three different positions: above, below, or from the side of the foam. The studies were carried out in the temperature range from 30 to 100 °C. The research results showed that for all positions of the heater, the parameter that makes the greatest contribution to the change in thermal conductivity is the cell size. Two open-cell foam samples of different sizes (d = 3.1 mm and d = 0.725 mm) have thermal conductivity values of 0.0452 and 0.0287 W/m⸱K, respectively, at 50 °C. In the case of similar cell sizes for any position of the heater, the determining factor is the type of cells. Mixed-cell foam (d = 3.28 mm) at 50 °C has a thermal conductivity... [more]

Water-cycle algorithm based on evaporation rate (ErWCA) is a powerful enhanced version of the water-cycle algorithm (WCA) metaheuristics algorithm. ErWCA, like other algorithms, may still fall in the sub-optimal region and have a slow convergence, especially in high-dimensional tasks problems. This paper suggests an enhanced ErWCA (EErWCA) version, which embeds local escaping operator (LEO) as an internal operator in the updating process. ErWCA also uses a control-randomization operator. To verify this version, a comparison between EErWCA and other algorithms, namely, classical ErWCA, water cycle algorithm (WCA), butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), bird swarm algorithm (BSA), crow search algorithm (CSA), grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA), Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO), whale optimization algorithm (WOA), dandelion optimizer (DO) and fire hawks optimization (FHO) using IEEE CEC 2017, was performed. The experimental and analytical results show the adequate performance of the... [more]

Mechanics-seepage synchronous tests on gas-bearing coal under three different stress paths were designed and implemented to evaluate how load path affected the mechanical strength and permeability of deep mining-disturbed coal. The cracks-count evolution of coal specimens during instability was observed through DEM numerical simulation. The results showed significant stress-strain and strength variations under different paths. At the time of failure, the specimen deformation and peak strength were Test 1 > Test 2 > Test 3, while the permeability was Test 3 > Test 2 > Test 1, with specimen permeability in Test 3 rising prominently. From numerical simulation, the cracks count was Test 2 > Test 3 > Test 1, with tensile cracks taking the largest proportion in Test 2 and shear cracks taking the largest proportion in Test 3. Our findings shed some light on the research and disaster prevention regarding coal and gas outburst.

In the present study, the effect of oregano essential oil, which is contained in xanthan gum and guar gum edible coating, was investigated in regard to its ability to assist with the preservation and the extension of the shelf life of minced beef meat when stored at 4 °C. Minced beef meat samples were coated with a mixture of xanthan gum and guar gum containing oregano essential oil at various levels (1−3%). The coated samples were compared with the control sample (uncoated) for bacteriological (i.e., total viable count, coliforms, and Enterobacteriaceae), physicochemical (pH), and sensorial properties (color and odor) on specific storage days (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12). There was greater microbial growth noted in the uncoated minced beef meat in comparison to the coated ones. Odor, color, and overall acceptability were significantly improved in the coated samples (p < 0.05). The chemical, bacteriological, and sensory analyses that were performed, evidenced the benefits that edible coatin... [more]

An excellent e-commerce logistic cycle is based on reducing the delivery time to satisfy customers, accelerating the distribution chain activities at each delivery station, increasing the transported stowage objects for mobilization parallelograms containers to ingest most orders, and reducing the unused area. Because the stowage steps are considered an NP-complexity, the authors introduce the Oriented Stowage Map (OSM) using one of the heuristic methods (i.e., the camel algorithm) that are programmed by the C-sharp software to be easily managed via the Internet of Things (IoT), which is embedded in the distribution chain. The authors called it Oriented Stowage’s Map by Camel algorithm “OSM-CA”. This methodology is considered one of the mat-heuristic approaches (i.e., decomposition metaheuristics) because we resorted to using mathematical steps (branch-and-bound). The OSM-CA reduces transport costs by 7% and delivery time by 14%. Additionally, it shows superiority over the solo Ant-col... [more]

More energy-efficient industries could reduce the problems of pollution, global warming, energy security, and fossil fuel depletion, including processing waste into raw materials and more efficient energy cogeneration. This research project considers the novelties of the upgraded electricity cogeneration technique, including one open gas turbine during the high-pressure product reaction loop and a second turbine during the exhaust gas for co-product production with only one compressor. The upgraded electricity cogeneration was carried out in two steps and based on the productive use of otherwise useless polyethylene waste, flue gas, and wood. The first step can simulate the simulation model from the existing product production with well-known technology and process units using the Aspen Plus® simulator. The maximum available electricity cogeneration can previously be determined from the thermodynamics of the products and co-products, and an existing energy unit’s characteristic capacit... [more]

Probability distributions perform a very significant role in the field of applied sciences, particularly in the field of reliability engineering. Engineering data sets are either negatively or positively skewed and/or symmetrical. Therefore, a flexible distribution is required that can handle such data sets. In this paper, we propose a new family of lifetime distributions to model the aforementioned data sets. This proposed family is known as a “New Modified Exponent Power Alpha Family of distributions” or in short NMEPA. The proposed family is obtained by applying the well-known T-X approach together with the exponential distribution. A three-parameter-specific sub-model of the proposed method termed a “new Modified Exponent Power Alpha Weibull distribution” (NMEPA-Wei for short), is discussed in detail. The various mathematical properties including hazard rate function, ordinary moments, moment generating function, and order statistics are also discussed. In addition, we adopted the... [more]

Hydrogen, as a suitable and clean energy carrier, has been long considered a primary fuel or in combination with other conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Since the density of hydrogen is very low, in port fuel-injection configuration, the engine’s volumetric efficiency reduces due to the replacement of hydrogen by intake air. Therefore, hydrogen direct in-cylinder injection (injection after the intake valve closes) can be a suitable solution for hydrogen utilization in spark ignition (SI) engines. In this study, the effects of hydrogen direct injection with different hydrogen energy shares (HES) on the performance and emissions characteristics of a gasoline port-injection SI engine are investigated based on reactive computational fluid dynamics. Three different injection timings of hydrogen together with five different HES are applied at low and full load on a hydrogen−gasoline dual-fuel SI engine. The results show that retarded hydrogen injection timing increases the conc... [more]

Aluminum 6061 is a precipitation-hardened alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying element, and it is widely used in industries due to its remarkable mechanical properties and weld ability. Several types of machining manners are researched for aluminum 6061 alloys, and micro-abrasive jet blasting (μ-AJM) is one of the most developed processes for improving surface roughness. When operating μ-AJM on aluminum alloys, sufficient consideration of environmental variables such as particle types, nozzle diameter, pressure, standoff distance, and injection time is a prerequisite for the appropriate degree of roughness. To find the optimal conditions, a statistical method of analysis of variables was used to investigate the maximum value for depth, diameter, width, etc., of the blasting surface. According to experimental results, multiple factors have a great influence on the condition of surface roughness. The blasting processes were conducted as square and cylindrical exp... [more]

In this work, we have successfully fabricated nanocrystalline Co2MnSi Heusler alloy glass-coated microwires with a metallic nucleus diameter (dnuclei) 10.2 ± 0.1 μm and total diameter 22.2 ± 0.1 μm by the Taylor−Ulitovsky technique for the first time. Magnetic and structural investigations have been performed to clarify the basic magneto-structural properties of the Co2MnSi glass-coated microwires. XRD showed a well-defined crystalline structure with a lattice parameter a = 5.62 Å. The room temperature magnetic behavior showed a strong in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy parallel to the microwire axis. The M-H loops showed unique thermal stability with temperature where the coercivity (Hc) and normalized magnetic remanence exhibited roughly stable tendency with temperature. Moreover, quite soft magnetic behavior has been observed with values of coercivity of the order of Hc = 7 ± 2 Oe. Zero field cooling and field cooling (ZFC-FC) magnetization curves displayed notable irreversible... [more]

The research aims to produce, model, and optimise the mechanical properties of novel composite material through a structured multidisciplinary approach. The primary objective is to combine materials science, mechanical engineering, and statistical concepts to ensure Design for Manufacturability (DFM) from the industrial perspective. More specifically, the article is intended to determine the optimal mixture components and predictive model of Al-Si alloy with Al2O3 by accommodating multi-responses that enable DFM. The study adopted ASTM standards to prepare and test the novel composite material. Additionally, the Mixture Design of Experiment (DOE) approach was used to design the experimentation and subsequent analysis. In addition, microstructural images, Cox Response Trace plot, and Response Optimiser plot are effectively utilised to draw robust inferences. For multi-response modelling and optimisation, the composite material’s mechanical properties, like impact strength, hardness, den... [more]

In the study, rupture energy values of Deveci and Abate Fetel pear fruits were predicted using artificial neural network (ANN). This research aimed to develop a simple, accurate, rapid, and economic model for harvest/post-harvest loss of efficiently predicting rupture energy values of Deveci and Abate Fetel pear fruits. The breaking energy of the pears was examined in terms of storage time and loading position. The experiments were carried out in two stages, with samples kept in cold storage immediately after harvest and 30 days later. Rupture energy values were estimated using four different single and multi-layer ANN models. Four different model results obtained using Levenberg−Marquardt, Scaled Conjugate Gradient, and resilient backpropagation training algorithms were compared with the calculated values. Statistical parameters such as R2, RMSE, MAE, and MSE were used to evaluate the performance of the methods. The best-performing model was obtained in network structure 5-1 that used... [more]