An ARM Cortex simulation system for collaborative welding robots is presented in this paper. The components of the ARM Cortex SoC for embedded robot control, an OpenGL ES with image rendering, and a 3D geometry engine OpenCasCade for modeling are integrated for the purposes of simulating system self-controllability and cost effectiveness. This simulation of a collaborative welding robot achieved convenience while meeting the performance requirements; meanwhile, the auxiliary design was able to mark the trajectory of the robot’s end effector and reveal the collaborative robot’s inverse kinematic parameters, namely the position and Euler angle. An ARM Linux X11 Window environment that was set to create a 3D simulation rendering algorithm was built simultaneously. Then, the STEP model of the robot was loaded by using the OpenCasCade functionality. After that, the robot model and complex spline surface could be visualized by using the Qt QGLWidget. Finally, the correctness of the kinematic... [more]

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are receiving more and more attention as they involve simple design, cope better with turbulence, and are insensitive to wind direction, which has a huge impact on their cost since a yaw mechanism is not needed. However, VAWTs still suffer from low conversion efficiency. As a result, tremendous efforts are being exerted to improve their efficiency, which mainly focus on two methods, regardless of whether the study is a CFD simulation, a field test, or a lab test experiment. An active approach involves modification of the rotor itself, such as the blade design, the angle, the trailing and leading edges, the inner blades, the chord thickness, the contra-rotating rotor, etc., while the second approach involves passive techniques where the flow is directed to optimally face the downwind rotor by mounting guiding vanes such as a diffuser or other shapes at the upwind position of the rotor. Among all the techniques undertaken, the counter-rotating wind tur... [more]

Several studies have shown that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation plays an important role in the development and application of soy-based products and could increase their nutritional values and content of bioactive substances. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP95 has shown in previous studies to be a promising candidate as a probiotic and microbial culture in fermented soymilk production. In this study, the suitability of Lp. plantarum LP95 as a functional starter culture in tofu production was verified, with a focus on evaluating the isoflavone and amino acid content in the final product after 21 days of storage at 4 °C. Lp. plantarum LP95 was found able to ferment monosaccharides and disaccharides naturally present in soymilk (D-glucose, D-fructose, D-galactose and D-sucrose) after 24 h while leaving the content of galacto-oligosaccharides (stachyose and raffinose) unaffected. The rich amino acid profile of tofu has undergone some quantitative but not qualitative variations comp... [more]

Gravity settling is a widely employed technology that removes oil from produced water in oilfields. However, with the transition of reservoir development to low-permeability reservoirs, conventional produced water settling tanks face limitations in the treatment efficiency and coagulant dosage. This study presents an innovative approach that optimizes sedimentation tank structures and integrates micro-vortex flow technology to enhance coagulation and flocculation. Through chemical dosage experiments, comparative experiments, and long-term observation, the micro-vortex flow reactor demonstrates a 9.4% increase in oil removal efficiency while reducing the coagulant dosage by 30.0%. The MOR equipment achieved a 20.5% higher oil removal efficiency than conventional methods while maintaining effluent oil and suspended solids below 20 mg/L. The long-term observation experiment of MOR equipment further highlights oil removal efficiency of 94.2% and the micro-vortex reactor’s excellent anti-po... [more]

Methane (CH4), a non-polar molecule characterized by a tetrahedral structure, stands as the simplest organic compound. Predominantly constituting conventional natural gas, shale gas, and combustible ice, it plays a pivotal role as a carbon-based resource and a key raw material in the petrochemical industry. In natural formations, CH4 and H2O coexist in a synergistic system. This interplay necessitates a thorough examination of the phase equilibrium in the CH4-H2O system and CH4’s solubility under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, which is crucial for understanding the genesis and development of gas reservoirs. This study synthesizes a comprehensive solubility database by aggregating extensive solubility data of CH4 in both pure and saline water. Utilizing this database, the study updates and refines the key parameters of Henry’s law. The updated Henry’s law has a prediction error of 22.86% at less than 40 MPa, which is an improvement in prediction accuracy compared to bef... [more]

In recent years, companies have employed numerous methods to lower expenses and enhance system efficiency in the oilfield. Energy consumption has constituted a significant portion of these expenses. This paper introduces a normalized consumption factor to effectively evaluate energy consumption in the oilfield. Statistical analysis has been conducted on nearly 45,000 wells from six fields in China. Critical factors such as lifting method, daily production, pump depth, gas−oil ratio (GOR), and well deviation angle were evaluated individually. Results revealed that higher production could lead to lower normalized consumption for beam pumps, progressive cavity pumps, and electric submersible pump systems, thus enhancing system efficiency. Additionally, a higher GOR might result in lower normalized consumption for the beam pump system, while the deviation angle of the well showed negligible impact on the normalized consumption factor. This manuscript offers a method to assess the impacts o... [more]

Upon reaching deeper levels of extraction, dynamic hazards such as rockburst become more pronounced, with the high energy storage characteristics of rock masses in high-stress environments being the fundamental factor behind rockburst disasters. Additionally, deep-seated mineral extraction commonly involves drilling and blasting methods, where the vibrational energy generated by mining explosions combines with the elastic energy of rock masses, leading to a sudden growth in the risk and intensity of rockburst disasters. This paper, with deep mining at Sanshandao Gold Mine as the focal point, systematically investigates the impact of blasting vibrations on rockburst disasters in deep mines. Initially, based on extensive data on measured geostress considering the tri-arch cross-section form of deep tunnels, the elastic energy storage of the surrounding rocks in deep tunnels was calculated. The results indicate that the maximum energy storage of the surrounding rocks occurs at the bottom... [more]

Longitudinal cracks are a common defect on the surface of continuous casting slabs, and cause increases in additional processing costs or long-time interruptions. The accurate identification of surface longitudinal cracks is helpful to ensure the casting process is adjusted in time, which significantly improves the quality of slabs. In this research, the typical temperature characteristics of thermocouples at the position of longitudinal cracks and their adjacent locations were extracted. The principal component analysis (PCA) method was used to reduce the dimensions of these characteristics to remove the redundant information. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was introduced to optimize the parameter. On this basis, a recognition model of surface longitudinal cracks was established, based on a particle swarm optimization−eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBOOST) model. Finally, this model was trained and tested using longitudinal crack and non-longitudinal crack samples and compa... [more]

To address the challenge of quickly and efficiently accessing relevant management experience for a wide range of ground engineering construction projects, supporting project management with information technology is crucial. This includes the establishment of a case database and an application platform for intelligent search and recommendations. The article leverages Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, knowledge graph technology, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. It explores the mechanisms for classifying construction cases, methods for constructing a case database, structuring case data, intelligently retrieving and matching cases, and intelligent recommendation methods. This research forms a complete, feasible, and scalable method for deconstructing, storing, intelligently retrieving, and recommending construction cases, providing a theoretical basis for the establishment of a construction case database. It aims to meet the needs of digital project managem... [more]

In this study, MgO as an environmentally friendly silt-solidifying material was first mixed with silt and then carbonized by injection with CO2. The strength and contaminant leaching characteristics of the MgO-solidified silt were studied using unconfined compressive strength and toxicity leaching tests, and the results were compared with those of cement-solidified silt. The unconfined compressive strength of the silt reached 111 kPa with 9% MgO content and a 14 d curing time. The CO2 injection further increased the unconfined compressive strength of the MgO-solidified silt by approximately 25%: the values for MgO-solidified silts without and with a CO2 injection were approximately 60% and 80%, respectively, of those of the cement-solidified silts with the same additive additions. The leaching concentrations of nutrient salts and heavy metal pollutants in the silt decreased with increased MgO content. Compared with the dredged silt, MgO solidification with carbonization reduced the lea... [more]

Understanding subsurface natural fracture systems is crucial to characterize well production dynamics and long-term productivity potential. In addition, the placement of future wells can benefit from in-depth fracture network connectivity investigations, vastly improving new wells’ profitability and life cycles if they are placed in dense, well-connected natural fracture zones. In this study, a novel natural fracture calibration workflow is proposed. This workflow starts with the extraction of sector geology and a natural fracture model from the pre-built full-field model. Then, a cross wellbore discrete fracture network (CW-DFN) is created using a novel CW-DFN generation tool, based on image log data. An innovative fracture network identification tool is developed to detect the interconnected regional fracture network (IcFN) with CW-DFN. The non-intrusive embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) is utilized to numerically incorporate the complex IcFN and CW-DFN in a reservoir simulatio... [more]

With the continuous improvement in production efficiency and quality of life, the requirements of electrical equipment for power quality are also increasing. Accurate detection of various power quality disturbances is an effective measure to improve power quality. However, in practical applications, the dataset is often contaminated by noise, and when the dataset is not sufficient, the computational complexity is too high. Similarly, in the recognition process of artificial neural networks, the local optimum often occurs, which ultimately leads to low recognition accuracy for the trained model. Therefore, this article proposes a power quality disturbance classification strategy based on the variational mode decomposition (VMD) and improved support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Firstly, the VMD algorithm is used for preprocessing disturbance denoising. Next, based on the analysis of typical fault characteristics, a multi-SVM model is used for disturbance classification identification... [more]

As interest in additive manufacturing (AM) continues to increase, it has become more important to have a robust method to help potential users select the AM process that best suits their technological needs while providing the greatest potential benefits in terms of sustainability and its effect on people. This paper presents the development of a framework for selecting the best AM process for a given application by considering both sustainability and human factors through the combination of axiomatic design and the analytic hierarchy process. Thirty-one participants with varying levels of expertise (novice and advanced users) were involved in the study, considering the frequency of 3D printer usage (novice users: never, rarely; expert users: sometimes, almost always, always) for prototyping parts. They employed fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA) (both 3D desktop printers) and collected data on five evaluation criteria. The participation of experts helped estab... [more]

The Gasi reservoir in the Qinghai oilfield is a typical high-temperature and high-salinity reservoir, with an average temperature and average salinity of 70.0 °C and 152,144 mg/L, respectively. For over 30 years since 1990, water flooding has been the primary method for enhancing oil recovery. Recently, the Gasi reservoir has turned into a mature oilfield. It possesses a high water cut of 76% and a high total recovery rate of 47%. However, the main developing enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology for the development of the Gasi reservoir in the next stage is yet to be determined. Surfactant−polymer (SP) flooding, which can reduce the oil−water interfacial tension and increase the viscosity of the water phase, has been widely applied to low-temperature and low-salinity reservoirs across China in the past few decades, but it has rarely been applied to high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs such as the Gasi reservoir. In this study, the feasibility of SP flooding for high-temperat... [more]

The motivation of this research was to assess the possibility of speed control for the selected pressure-compensated pump. Measured static characteristics of an axial piston pump with pressure compensation are presented in the paper. Based on these characteristics, the pump efficiencies are determined. The characteristics and efficiencies are determined for the different pump outlet pressures, pump speeds, relative displacements and for the different pressures set at the pressure compensator. In addition, the different methods of pump control were compared. These are displacement control, speed control and both controls. The efficiency of each control method was compared based on the determined mechanical input power at the pump drive shaft. By comparing these control methods, it was found that the combination of both control methods can achieve up to 93% savings of mechanical power in the controlled state (stand-by state). Also, the adverse effects resulting from each control method t... [more]

In order to enhance the heat transfer performance of a phase change thermal energy storage unit, the effects of trapezoidal fins of different sizes and arrangement modes were studied by numerical simulation in the heat storage and release processes. The optimal enhancement solution was obtained by comparing the temperature distribution, instantaneous liquid-phase ratio, solid−liquid phase diagram and comprehensive heat storage and release performance of the thermal energy storage unit under different fin sizes. During the heat storage process, the results show that when the ratio of the length of the upper and lower base of the trapezoid h1/h2 is 1:9, the heat storage time is shortened by 9.03% and 18.21% compared with h1/h2 = 3:7 and 5:5, respectively. During the heat release process, the optimal heat transfer effect is achieved when h1/h2 = 5:5. To further improve the heat transfer effects, the energy storage unit is placed upside down; then, the least time is achieved when h1/h2 = 2... [more]

The present numerical investigation is focused on analyzing the characteristics of steady laminar mixed convection flow in a lid-driven square cavity, specifically considering the utilization of Al2O3−water nanofluid. The Al2O3−water nanofluid is assumed to be Newtonian and incompressible. Within the cavity, a square blockage is positioned at its center, which is subjected to isothermal heating. The blockage ratio of the square is B = 1/4, and the Grashof number is Gr = 100. The walls of the cavity are maintained at a constant temperature, Tc, while the square blockage remains at a constant temperature, Th. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the flow and heat transfer mechanisms, as well as the entropy generation within the cavity. This investigation is conducted for a range of Richardson numbers (0.01 ≤ Ri ≤ 100) and volume fractions of the nanofluid (0 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.05). Several parameters are obtained and analyzed, including streamlines, isotherms, velocity variations o... [more]

This study explores the integration of activity-based costing (ABC) and the theory of constraints (TOC) with carbon tax policies to drive decarbonization in the Taiwanese glass industry. Employing a mathematical programming approach, four distinct models are developed to assess the impact of different carbon tax structures, carbon trading mechanisms, and recycled material utilization on corporate profitability and carbon emissions. The findings reveal that strategically applying ABC and the TOC with well-designed carbon tax policies can effectively incentivize emission reduction while maintaining industrial competitiveness. The models incorporating carbon trading and tax allowances demonstrate the potential for creating win−win situations, where companies can increase profitability by investing in cleaner technologies and processes. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable manufacturing and provides actionable insights for policymakers and industry leaders seeking to imp... [more]

In order to explore the wind load characteristics acting on solar photovoltaic panels under extreme severe weather conditions, based on the Shear Stress Transport (SST) κ-ω turbulence model, numerical calculations of three-dimensional incompressible viscous steady flow were performed for four installation angles and two extreme wind directions of the solar photovoltaic panels. The wind load characteristics on both sides of the photovoltaic panels were obtained, and the vortex structure characteristics were analyzed using the Q criterion. The results indicate that, under different installation angles, the windward side pressure of the solar photovoltaic panel is generally higher than the leeward side. The leeward side is prone to forming larger vortices, increasing the fatigue and damage risk of the material, which significantly impacts the solar photovoltaic panel. As the installation angle increases, the windward side pressure of the solar photovoltaic panel also gradually increases.... [more]

Sustainable and green waste management has become increasingly crucial due to the rising volume of waste driven by urbanization and population growth. Deep learning models based on image recognition offer potential for advanced waste classification and recycling methods. However, traditional image recognition approaches usually rely on single-label images, neglecting the complexity of real-world waste occurrences. Moreover, there is a scarcity of recognition efforts directed at actual municipal waste data, with most studies confined to laboratory settings. Therefore, we introduce an efficient Query2Label (Q2L) framework, powered by the Vision Transformer (ViT-B/16) as its backbone and complemented by an innovative asymmetric loss function, designed to effectively handle the complexity of multi-label waste image classification. Our experiments on the newly developed municipal waste dataset “Garbage In, Garbage Out”, which includes 25,000 street-level images, each potentially containing... [more]

Microwave radiation has become an effective catalytic combustion method, especially in the degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as toluene using catalysts like MnO2. In this study, a spine waveguide microwave reactor was designed to investigate the influence of different microwave processing conditions on the degradation of toluene catalyzed by MnO2. An experimental system for microwave-assisted catalytic degradation of toluene was established to explore the relationship between microwave power, catalyst conductivity, and toluene degradation rate. The results showed that the efficiency of MnO2 catalyzing toluene degradation had a nonlinear relationship with microwave power, first increasing to a peak and then decreasing. Additionally, the experiment found that the degradation rate of toluene was positively correlated with the conductivity of MnO2. Subsequent characterization analyses using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning el... [more]

HSG (high-sulfur gas) reservoirs are prevalent globally, yet their exploitation is hindered by elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide. A decrease in temperature and pressure may result in the formation of sulfur deposits, thereby exerting a notable influence on gas production. Test instruments are susceptible to significant corrosion due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide, resulting in challenges in obtaining bottom hole temperature and pressure test data. Consequently, a WTD (wellbore temperature distribution) model incorporating sulfur precipitation was developed based on PPP (physical property parameter), heat transfer, and GSTP (gas−solid two-phase) flow models. The comparison of a 2.53% temperature error and a 4.80% pressure error with actual field test data indicates that the established model exhibits high accuracy. An analysis is conducted on the impact of various factors, such as production, sulfur layer thickness, reservoir temperature, and reservoir pressure, on the distributi... [more]

In this paper, an online energy-saving control allocation strategy based on self-updating loss estimation for multi-motor drive systems is proposed, where the impact of variations in motor parameters and distribution coefficients is considered. Firstly, a drive system model for multi-motor drive systems incorporating iron loss in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is established. Then, a self-updating PMSM loss estimation method based on dynamic torque−current mapping is proposed. The torque−current mapping is initially identified based on the conv-fusion curve, and iteratively updated by optimal estimation. Subsequently, an online control allocation method based on line search is proposed, which mitigates the adverse effects caused by variations in distribution coefficients and reduces the total motor loss. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified on the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)-based platform. The results demonstrate that the strategy effectively enhan... [more]

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) are target enzymes in the processing of tender coconut water (TCW). This study primarily evaluated the combined effect of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) and mild temperatures on the PPO and POD deactivation of TCW. A factorial design was performed to investigate the effect of temperature (in the range of 35 to 85 °C), pressure (75 to 370 bar), and holding time (13 to 47 min) on the enzymic deactivation, physicochemical parameters, and color of the TCW. The percentages of reduction in PPO activity ranged from 3.7 to 100%, and POD ranged from 43.4 to 100%. The pH values of the freshly extracted and processed TCW were 5.09 and 4.90, and the soluble solids content were 5.5 and 5.4 °Brix, respectively. The holding time (t) had a significant effect (p ≤ 0.1) on the total color variation. As for the reduction of PPO activity, the temperature (T) and the interaction between pressure (P) and t had a significant effect. None of variables (P, T... [more]

As enterprises look forward to new market share and supply chain opportunities, innovative strategies and sustainable manufacturing play important roles for micro-, small, and mid-sized enterprises worldwide. Sustainable manufacturing is one of the practices aimed towards deploying green energy initiatives to ease climate change, presenting three main pillars—economic, social, and environmental. The issue of how to reach sustainability goals within the sustainable manufacturing of pillars is a less-researched area. This paper’s main purpose and novelty is two-fold. First, it aims to provide a hierarchy of the green energy indicators and their measurements through a multi-criteria decision-making point of view to implement them as an alliance strategy towards sustainable manufacturing. Moreover, we aim to provide researchers and practitioners with a forecasting method to re-prioritize green energy indicators through a linearity factor model. The CODAS−Hamming−Mahalanobis method is used... [more]