To improve the fluidization of the fluidized bed in ironmaking, the particle loss and bonding during the fluidized bed are largely removed by changing the properties of the particle surface or by adding an external field. Currently, the vibration, magnetic, sound, and electric fields have been commonly applied to provide external energy to the fluidization bed systems. In this work, experiments are conducted for Newman ore particles under the application of an external sound field at a reduction temperature of 1023 K, linear velocity of 0.6 m/s, duration of 60 min, pressure of 0.2 MPa, and typical mineral powder particle size of 80−100 mesh, with H2 used as the reducing gas. The power and frequency of the ultrasonic field are varied, and the effects of sound field are evaluated by the comparative analysis of the effects of the sound field with different powers of sound fields and application times on the metallization rate and binder ratio of the samples. The acoustic pressure and freq... [more]

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is preventable, but the methods for assessing risk and monitoring response rely on imprecise lipid-based assessments. Recently, we have shown that an integrated genetic−epigenetic test that includes three methylation-sensitive digital PCR assays predicts 3-year risk for incident CHD better than lipid-based methods. However, whether methylation sites change in response to therapies that alter CHD risk is not known. Therefore, we assessed methylation at these three incident CHD-related sites in DNA from 39 subjects before and after three months of biochemically verified smoking cessation, then analyzed the relationship between change in methylation at each of the sites to the change in smoking intensity as assessed by cg05575921 methylation. We found that, in those who quit smoking, methylation change at one CHD risk marker (cg00300879) was significantly associated with change in cg05575921 methylation (p < 0.04). We conclude that changes in incident CHD-r... [more]

The authors wish to remove every commercial reference reported in the discussion of the published paper in Processes [...]

This study examines the applicability of the ice storage systems in the small commercial refrigerated showcases through experimental analysis. R-404A is used as the working fluid and various influence of parameter settings and improvements, are discussed in details. In the ice storage system, the condenser is changed from air-cooling (refrigeration mode) to an immersion type that is placed in an ice storage tank, the corresponding condensing temperature and pressure are reduced appreciably. This increased the efficiency and can effectively reduce the peak power consumption. The reduction of the condensing temperature and pressure increased the coefficient of performance (COP) from 3.6 (refrigeration mode) to 6.35 (melting mode), effectively enhancing the refrigeration efficiency. The results indicated that the ice storage system could effectively increase the coefficient of performance from 3.6 to 6.35 during ice melting when compared to the conventional refrigeration system. It also c... [more]

The prediction of epileptic seizures is crucial to aid patients in gaining early warning and taking effective intervention. Several features have been explored to predict the onset via electroencephalography signals, which are typically non-stationary, dynamic, and varying from person-to-person. In the former literature, features applied in the classification have shared similar contributions to all patients. Therefore, in this paper, we analyze the impact of the specific combination of feature and channel from time, frequency, and time−frequency domains on prediction performance of disparate patients. Based on the minimal-redundancy-maximal-relevance criterion, the proposed framework uses a sequential forward selection approach to individually find the optimal features and channels. Trained models could discriminate the pre-ictal and inter-ictal electroencephalography with a sensitivity of 90.2% and a false prediction rate of 0.096/h. We also present the comparison between the classif... [more]

This study aimed to evaluate the ratio of adherence of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to porous fine ceramics in order to develop a novel LAB-rich pickle container for the production of functional fermented vegetables. Some LAB were isolated from the salted rice bran used for pickling (Nukadoko in Japanese). These isolates were classified in Lactobacillus namurensis by phylogenetic analysis. Some pottery-shard (PS) samples were prepared by varying the mixing rate of polyacetal (POM) resin to clay (0−30% (v/v)) and the burning temperature (1000 °C or 1100 °C). A test of the adherence of strain GYP-74 to the PSs was performed. The results showed that the adherence rate was significantly higher in the PSs burned at 1100 °C as compared with those burned at 1000 °C. A pore distribution analysis showed that pore sizes of less than a few µm and pore sizes in the range of a few µm to a few hundred µm were mainly distributed in the PSs without and with POM, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis... [more]

The aim of this paper is to describe a study of the anaerobic digestion of industrial citrus solid waste (ISCW) in both batch and semi-continuous modes for the production of bioenergy without the elimination of D-limonene. The study was conducted at the pilot plant level in an anaerobic reactor with a working volume of 220 L under mesophilic conditions of 35 ± 2 °C. Cattle manure (CM) was used as the inoculum. Three batches were studied. The first batch had a CM/ISCW ratio of 90/10, and Batches 2 and 3 had CM/ISCW ratios of 80/20 and 70/30, respectively. In the semi-continuous mode an OLR of approximately 8 g total chemical oxygen demand (COD)/Ld (4.43 gVS/Ld) was used. The results showed that 49%, 44%, and 60% of volatile solids were removed in the batch mode, and 35% was removed in the semi-continuous mode. In the batch mode, 0.322, 0.382, and 0.316 LCH4 were obtained at STP/gVSremoved. A total of 24.4 L/d (34% methane) was measured in the semi-continuous mode. Bioenergy potentials o... [more]

Lean Manufacturing includes an ensemble of methods to analyze and continuously improve the functioning of manufacturing systems. The research presented in the literature highlights the fact that these methods are, on their own, in a process of continuous improvement as tools, being used in different ways, for different production systems. The paper presents an algorithm that facilitates the choice of the performance evaluation method, and the choice of the method of improvement that needs to be implemented for an efficient analysis and for a continuous increase of the manufacturing system performance. In addition to these, for the JobObservation and 5S methods, chartflows are proposed and specific tools are developed (questionnaires, forms etc.) that are meant to facilitate the implementation and to focus (guide) the user in the direction of improvement for the analyzed process. The algorithm, techniques, and tools developed in this research were used in a case study that took place in... [more]

Fluidization technology has found widespread applications for a variety of chemical and physical transformations since its introduction in the first half of the 1900s [...]

The eggshells of 120 experimental one-day-old table eggs were contaminated with the spore suspension of Cladosporium cladosporioides, divided into three groups (A−C) and stored at three different temperatures (3 °C, 11 °C and 20 °C) for 28 days. Visible growth of molds on/in experimental eggs was not observed within the entire storage period. No significant differences in the numbers of molds were found between particular groups of eggs. However, the composition of egg mycoflora was greatly influenced by storage conditions. Three mold genera were identified using the PCR method. The highest mold numbers were determined on Day 14 (Groups A and C) and Day 21 (Group B) when the maximum relative humidity and dew point temperature were recorded. On the same days, the dominance of Penicillium spp. and the minimum eggshell firmness were observed. Noticeable changes in egg quality were observed in eggs stored at 20 °C, and most of these eggs were downgraded at the end of storage period. The gr... [more]

In this work, a new algorithm is proposed for a unique representation for simple and multiple joint planar kinematic chains (KCs) having any degree of freedom (DOF). This unique representation of KCs enhances the isomorphism detection during the structural synthesis process of KCs. First, a new concept of joint degree is generated for all joints of a given KC based on joint configuration. Then, a unified loop array (ULA) is obtained for each independent loop. Finally, a unified chain matrix (UCM) is established as a unique representation for a KC. Three examples are presented to illustrate the proposed algorithm procedures and to test its validity. The algorithm is applied to get a UCM for planar KCs having 7−10 links. As a result, a complete atlas database is introduced for 7−10-link non-isomorphic KCs with simple or/and multiple joints and their corresponding unified chain matrix.

Harvesting at high temperatures and bulk transport can negatively influence the quality of olives and lead to undesirable alterations in the extracted oil. Cooling the fruit in the field would be the most logical solution, but it means that the olives arrive too cold at the mill for immediate processing. In this work, the use of warm water in the washing tub to warm up the fruit before grinding instead of flash heat treatment on the paste was assessed in two experiments. In the first one, at the laboratory level, the temperature after milling was determined in three olive cultivars, previously stored at 5 or 10 °C, and then submerged at different water temperatures (25, 30, and 35 °C) for 15, 30, 45, and 60 s. In the second one, two batches of olives were cooled in the field at 5 °C and then conditioned with washing water to obtain a paste at the entrance of the pilot plant malaxer at 27 °C. The temperature of the olives was measured at five points from the discharging up to their ente... [more]

This study systematically established the most effective refining process for Moringa oleifera (MO) kernel oil. Acid degumming (20.33 ± 1.37 ppm) removed significantly greater phosphorus than water degumming (31.18 ± 0.90 ppm). Neutralization was more effective than deodorization in decreasing the acid (0.06 mg KOH/g) and p-Anisidine (p-AV, 0.36 ± 0.03) values of the oil. Besides improving its color properties, acid-activated bleaching earth Type B was better than Types A and C in decreasing the oil’s p-AV (0.43 ± 0.02), acid value (3.96 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g), and moisture content (0.01 ± 0.00% w/w). The selected refining stages successfully produced MO kernel oil with acceptable peroxide value (PV, 1.66−3.33 meq/kg), p-AV (1.05−1.49), total oxidation value (TOTOX, 4.38−8.15), acid value (0.03 mg KOH/g), moisture content (0.01% w/w), phosphorus content (1.28−1.94 ppm), iodine value (80.79−81.03), oleic acid (79.52−79.65%), and tocopherol content (65.26−87.00 mg/kg).

Immobilized Clostridium beijerinckii TISTR 1461 was used to enhance the butanol production efficiency from sugarcane molasses. Lotus stalk (LS) pieces were used as carriers for cell immobilization. Sugarcane molasses containing 50 g/L of sugar supplemented with 1 g/L of yeast extract was found to be an appropriate medium for bacterial cell immobilization on the LS pieces. Carrier size (4, 12 and 20 mm in length) and carrier loading (1:15, 1:30 and 1:45, w/v) were optimized for high levels of butanol production using response surface methodology (RSM). The batch fermentation was carried out under anaerobic conditions in 1 L screw-capped bottles at 37 °C and an agitation rate of 150 rpm. It was found that the optimum conditions for the butanol production were the carrier size of 4 mm and carrier loading of 1:31 (w/v). Under these conditions, the butanol concentration (PB) was 12.89 g/L, corresponding to the butanol productivity (QB) of 0.36 g/L∙h and butanol yield (YB/S) of 0.36 g/g. The... [more]

This paper presents the medium temperature monitoring system based on digital proportional−integral−derivative (PID) control. For industrial thermometers with a complex structure used for measuring the temperature of the fluid under high pressure, the accuracy of the first-order model is inadequate. A second-order differential equation was applied to describe a dynamic response of a temperature sensor placed in a heavy thermowell (industrial thermometer). The quality of the water temperature control system in the tank was assessed when measuring the water temperature with a jacketed thermocouple and a thermometer in an industrial casing. A thermometer of a new design with a small time constant was also used to measure temperature. The quality of water temperature control in the hot water storage tank was evaluated using a classic industrial thermometer and a new design thermometer. In both cases, there was a K-type sheathed thermocouple inside the thermowell. Reductions in the time con... [more]

Energy storage is a key solution to supply renewable electricity on demand and in particular batteries are becoming attractive for consumers who install PV panels. In order to minimize their electricity bill and keep the grid stable, batteries can combine applications. The daily match between PV supply and the electricity load profile is often considered as a determinant for the attractiveness of residential PV-coupled battery systems, however, the previous literature has so far mainly focused on the annual energy balance. In this paper, we analyze the techno-economic impact of adding a battery system to a new PV system that would otherwise be installed on its own, for different residential electricity load profiles in Geneva (Switzerland) and Austin (U.S.) using lithium-ion batteries performing various consumer applications, namely PV self-consumption, demand load-shifting, avoidance of PV curtailment, and demand peak shaving, individually and jointly. We employ clustering of the hous... [more]

Parameters associated with electrical equivalent models of the photovoltaic (PV) system play a significant role in the performance enhancement of the PV system. However, the accurate estimation of these parameters signifies a challenging task due to the higher computational complexities and non-linear characteristics of the PV modules/panels. Hence, an effective, dynamic, and efficient optimization technique is required to estimate the parameters associated with PV models. This paper proposes a double exponential function-based dynamic inertia weight (DEDIW) strategy for the optimal parameter estimation of the PV cell and module that maintains an appropriate balance between the exploitation and exploration phases to mitigate the premature convergence problem of conventional particle swarm optimization (PSO). The proposed approach (DEDIWPSO) is validated for three test systems; (1) RTC France solar cell, (2) Photo-watt (PWP 201) PV module, and (3) a practical test system (JKM330P-72, 31... [more]

Despite increasing energy efficiency requirements, the full potential of energy efficiency is still unlocked; many buildings in the EU tend to consume more energy than predicted. Gathering data and developing models to predict occupants’ behaviour is seen as the next frontier in sustainable design. Measurements in the analysed open-space office showed accordingly 3.5 and 2.7 times lower occupancy compared to the ones given by DesignBuilder’s and EN 16798-1. This proves that proposed occupancy patterns are only suitable for typical open-space offices. The results of the previous studies and proposed occupancy prediction models have limited applications and limited accuracies. In this paper, the hybrid differential evolution online sequential extreme learning machine (DE-OSELM) model was applied for building occupants’ presence prediction in open-space office. The model was not previously applied in this area of research. It was found that prediction using experimentally gained indoor an... [more]

During the last decade, the rising trend in energy prices and its potential effect on food prices have become a controversial issue between policy-makers and economists. Therefore, research addressing the relationship between food and macroeconomic variables, such as energy prices, will be useful in providing information for the design of appropriate economic policies. This study uses data from Iran to examine the impacts (short- and long-term) of exchange rate and energy prices on food prices. Iran is a good case study as in recent years its consumers have faced a rapid increase in both fuel and food prices. The variables employed in this study are the prices of ten food products, exchange rate (the value of Iranian rial per US dollar), and petroleum prices. All data in this study are from the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI). We employ the panel unit root test, Pedroni co-integration tests, Pooled Mean Group (PMG), Mean Group (MG), and Dynamic Fixed Effects (DFE) estimation technique... [more]

The study examines the implications of educating prosumers regarding Internet of Things (IoT) use and monitoring to reduce power consumption in the home and encourage energy conservation, sustainable living, and behavior change. Over 15 months, 125 households and household owners received training regarding IoT plug equipment, usage monitoring, and energy reduction. A face to face survey was then conducted regarding power consumption reductions, frequency of monitoring, and user satisfaction compared to the previous year. The study found that participating households used around 5% less energy compared to average households. The reduction rate was found to have increased when more appliances were connected to smart plugs and their power usage was monitored more frequently. Power usage also fell in a greater level when participants were more satisfied with being given smart plugs and related education. Moreover, energy reduction rates increase when smart plugs were used for cooling and... [more]

This paper aims to comprehensively analyze the relationship between energy price and green energy innovation in China, and first studies the impact of energy price on China’s green energy innovation, then further investigates the moderating role of energy price distortion in the price−innovation relationship, especially in the context of lagging energy marketization level in the process of China’s transition from planned economy to the market economy. Based on the data of 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2017, this paper provides a measurement of green energy innovation capacity through the number of “alternative energy production” and “energy conservation” patents. Our results show that energy price has a significantly positive impact on China’s green energy innovation, no matter the number of green energy patent applications or the number of green energy patent grants is used as the proxy of green energy innovation capacity. However, there exists heterogeneity related to the influe... [more]

Modern electrical grids are transitioning from a centralized generation architecture to an architecture with significant distributed, intermittent generation. This transition means that the formerly sharp distinction between energy producers (utility companies) and consumers (residences, businesses, etc.) are blurring: end-users both produce and consume energy, making energy management and public policy more complex. The goal of the Open Power Quality (OPQ) project is to design and implement a low cost, distributed power quality sensor network that provides useful new forms of information about modern electrical grids to producers, consumers, researchers, and policy makers. In 2019, we performed a pilot study involving the deployment of an OPQ sensor network at the University of Hawaii microgrid for three months. Results of the pilot study validate the ability of OPQ to collect accurate power quality data in a way that provides useful new insights into electrical grids.

For the purpose of efficiency improvement, a linear motor that performs a linear reciprocating motion can be employed to directly drive the piston in a reciprocating refrigeration compressor without crankshaft mechanism. This also facilitates the modulation of cooling capacity as the stroke and frequency can be readily varied in response to heat load. A novel design of moving magnet linear motor for linear compressor was analyzed in the paper. A finite element analysis (FEA) model was built to simulate the characteristics of the linear motor. Current and displacement signals were measured from a test rig and were defined in the transient FEA model. Transient motor force was simulated with the FEA model and good agreements are shown between the results from the FEA model and interpolated shaft force from static force measurements. Major Losses, such as copper loss and core loss were also computed. Motor efficiency decreased from 0.88 to 0.83 as stroke increased from 9 mm to 12 mm, while... [more]

In this work, the dynamic combustion characteristics in a scramjet engine were investigated using three diagnostic data analysis methods: DMD (Dynamic Mode Decomposition), STFT (Short-Time Fourier Transform), and CEMA (Chemical Explosive Mode Analysis). The data for the analyses were obtained through a 2D numerical experiment using a DDES (Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation) turbulence model, the UCSD (University of California at San Diego) hydrogen/oxygen chemical reaction mechanism, and high-resolution schemes. The STFT was able to detect that oscillations above 50 kHz identified as dominant in FFT results were not the dominant frequencies in a channel-type combustor. In the analysis using DMD, it was confirmed that the critical point that induced a complete change of mixing characteristics existed between an injection pressure of 0.75 MPa and 1.0 MPa. A combined diagnostic analysis that included a CEMA was performed to investigate the dynamic combustion characteristics. The difference... [more]

Vehicle platooning has been proposed as one of the potential technologies for intelligent transport systems to improve transportation and energy efficiency in urban cities. Despite extensive studies conducted on the platooning of heavy-duty trucks, literature on the analysis of urban vehicle platoons has been limited. To analyse the impact of platooning in urban environments, this paper studies the influence of intervehicle distance, platoon size and vehicle speed on the drag coefficient of the vehicles in a platoon using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Two vehicle models—a minibus and a passenger car—are analysed to characterise the drag coefficients of the respective platoons. An analysis of energy consumption is conducted to evaluate the energy savings with platooning using a longitudinal dynamics simulation. The results showed a reduction in the average drag coefficient of the platoon of up to 24% at an intervehicle distance of 1 m depending on the number of vehicles in the pla... [more]