For the Tahe Oilfield, there are multiple sets of karst reservoirs with different genesis developed in carbonate fracture-vuggy reservoirs and the varying karst reservoir type has a considerable influence on the distribution of residual oil. The complex characteristics of different karst reservoirs and the difficulty in producing the remaining oil in the middle and lower part of the reservoir greatly restrict the recovery effects. This work managed to comprehensively investigate the action mechanism of nitrogen-assisted gravity drainage (NAGD) on remaining oil in reservoirs with different karst genesis through modeling and experiments. Based on geological characteristics and modeling results, a reservoir-profile model considering reservoir type, fracture distribution, and the fracture−cave combination was established, the displacement experiments of main reservoirs such as the epikarst zone, underground river, and fault karst were carried out, and the oil−gas−water multiphase flow was... [more]

In the pump industry, designers commonly utilize mainstream three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software (Unigraphics NX 12.0 and SolidWorks 2023). However, these CAD packages are generic and not optimized for the specific requirements of the pump industry. This leads to a lack of flexibility and increased complexity in their usage, as well as higher computational demands, resulting in elevated learning and operational costs. Additionally, there are concerns about potential information leaks and software restrictions. In this paper, we studied the organization architecture of commercial three-dimensional CAD software, and compared and analyzed the geometric kernels and rendering engines of mainstream three-dimensional software. Using the Open CASCADE geometric kernel and OpenSceneGraph rendering engine, together with the Visual Studio 2021 development environment and Qt interface library, we developed an autonomous copyright three-dimensional CAD graphics support platform for... [more]

Shale oil in the Chang 7 member is the main target for further exploration in the Ordos Basin. However, the lack of research on the characteristics of the Chang 7 member’s mudstone and shale reservoir has seriously affected the next stage of exploration for shale oil in the Chang 7 member. This study analyzed in detail the changes in the pore structure of different types of reservoirs and their influencing factors in detail through experiments such as gas adsorption, nuclear magnetic resonance, and high-pressure mercury intrusion. The results showed that black shale is mainly composed of micropores, with a micropore ratio of up to 79.88%. Dark mudstone and silty mudstone are mainly composed of mesopores, with a mesopore ratio greater than 30%. Argillaceous sandstone is mainly composed of large pores, accounting for 78.57%. From black shale to muddy sandstone, the proportion of micropores decreases, while the proportion of macropores increases. The micropore volume is mainly controlled... [more]

Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) coupled with solar energy systems is a new biomass gasification technology developed in recent decades. However, conventional solar-powered biomass gasification technology has intermittent operation issues and involves multi-variable characteristics, strong coupling, and nonlinearity. To solve the above problems, firstly, a solar-driven biomass supercritical water gasification technology combined with a molten salt energy storage system is proposed in this paper. This system effectively overcomes the intermittent problem of solar energy and provides a new method for the carbon-neutral process of hydrogen production. Secondly, the high dimensional model representation (HDMR) approach, as a surrogate model, was used to predict the production and lower heating value of syngas developed in Aspen Plus, which were validated using experimental data obtained from the literature. The ultimate analysis of biomass, temperature, pressure, and biomass-to-wate... [more]

Nanocellulose (NC) is an emerging natural material that offers great potential for various applications due to its unique properties and renewable character. Nowadays, as NC production technologies are advancing, it is essential to evaluate their economic feasibility, technological maturity and commercialization potential using systematic techno-economic analysis (TEA). The present study considers both technical and economic aspects of NC production and analyzes them in two ways: first, by developing a new concept based on the production of different types of NC through the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass by chemical and mechanical technologies, and second, by a comparative review of existing TEA studies in the open literature. Three specific scenarios and two case studies are evaluated by comparing specific key performance indicators (KPIs), such as the production cost (PC) and minimum product selling price (MPSP) of NC. As a result, a short though comprehensive overview of the... [more]

A novel multiple solid waste-based cementitious material (MSWCM) was developed to immobilize municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. The compressive strength of MSWCM with different ratios of MSWI fly ash reached the standard requirements after curing for 28 days. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) in combination with the Rietveld method was employed to investigate the content and phase transformation of hydration products. The main hydration products of pure MSWCM paste were C-S-H, hydroxyapatite, ettringite and C-A-S-H. With increases in curing time, the content of ettringite and C-A-S-H increased significantly. The main hydration products of MSWCM paste with MSWI fly ash were C-S-H and Friedel’s salt. The contents increased markedly with increased curing time from 21.8% to 28.0% and from 8.53% to 16.7%, respectively. Additionally, a small amount of PbHPO4 (0.51−0.96%) and lead phosphate Pb3(PO4)2 (0.14−0.51%) were detected, indicating that phosphate had an effective curing ef... [more]

The climate crisis, growing pollution of the environment with waste, and ubiquitous microplastics have encouraged the search for new methods and new opportunities to use natural materials in the least harmful processes. Replacing synthetic materials with raw materials is not only a matter of “fashion”, but also a necessity. Therefore, this study aimed to produce fibers from an aqueous solution containing the highest possible concentration of soy protein isolate (SPI) through solution-blowing. As the aqueous solution of SPI has no fiber-forming potential, polyethylene oxide (PEO) was used as the carrier/matrix. The rheology of the aqueous PEO solution and PEO/SPI blends (flow curves, loss modulus, and storage modulus) was then analyzed. The proportions of the PEO/SPI mixtures and the process parameters were determined on this basis. As a result of the conducted research, nanofibers were produced from water solutions of PEO/SPI with a soy protein content of up to 7.88%, with a PEO share... [more]

A lignin-graft-(net-poly(acrylamide-co-N,N′methylenebisacrylamide)) copolymer was synthesized by conventional free-radical crosslinking copolymerization using conventional and microwave heating. Grafting of the polymer network onto lignin was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. The performance of the modified materials for the removal of lead from water was evaluated. The materials obtained by the two types of heating showed excellent removal efficiencies: sample HLigAM4h, 96%; and sample HLigAMMW5, 86%. The maximum adsorption capacity of HLigAM4h was 209.82 mg g−1. The obtained copolymer (sample HLigAM4h) was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and SEM/EDS after its evaluation as an adsorbent, which confirm the adsorption of Pb2+. This is the first of a series of st... [more]

Tinctures are medicinal plant extracts obtained by extraction with a hydroalcoholic solution (70%) by percolation (PER). This process takes about 26 h to prepare, in addition to using a large amount of solvent. In our research, passion fruit leaf tinctures were obtained using extract with the same pressurized hydroalcoholic solution as in an intermittent process. The objective was to demonstrate that this emerging technology can be economical and profitable. An optimization using Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) was performed to evaluate the influence of process variables on the yields and compositions of the extracts. The temperature (T) was the factor that most influenced the responses. Extraction with pressurized liquid (PLE) provided total yields and total phenolic and flavonoid contents in greater amounts than PER. The optimized conditions of the process variables studied in the CCRD for the highest content of total phenolics (43.2 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (58.8 mg QE/g)... [more]

The research presented aimed to address the treatment of fluid waste with significant environmental impact by utilizing plasma technology, specifically plasma arc flow (PAF). The goal was to develop a novel purification material based on graphene for industrial applications and to optimize the treatment process. Analysis and monitoring of a submerged arc plasma reactor were the main goals of this research. This entailed a careful examination of the incoming wastewater that needed to be treated with the goal of identifying its precise composition characteristics with the relative tolerances needed for the reactions that were to follow in the reactor. The focus of the analysis was on input-parameter optimization, production of characteristic curves, and analysis of the factors affecting hydrogen evolution in syngas. Additionally, the study investigated how to determine the best viscosity for a particular input matrix by carrying out an evaluation study. The effects of this parameter were... [more]

Bioisosteres are substituents or groups (atoms, ions, or molecules) with similar chemical or physical properties, and which usually have similar biological properties. Pyridazine and its derivatives are invaluable scaffolds in medicinal chemistry, having a large variety of activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, anticancer, antituberculosis, antihypertensive, etc. Also, the pyridazine core is of high interest in agriculture, being used as a growth factor for plants, herbicides, etc. This study aims to review our previous contributions related to antimicrobials and the germination and seedling capabilities of some seeds and plants of some pyridazine classical and nonclassical bioisosteres. So, we present herein the synthesis (under conventional thermal heating and microwave irradiation) and spectral characterization of seven series of pyridazine bioisosteres, the in vitro antimicrobial activity (against different strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria an... [more]

In this paper, a novel method for the preparation of ultra-fine-grained bulk materials called asymmetric gradient extrusion (AGE) is proposed. In AGE, the cross-section of the extrusion channel is a rectangle, and two inclined planes are staggered along the extrusion direction. To realize repetitive extrusion, the thickness of the workpiece is limited to be equal to the width of the channel outlet. In order to study the mechanism of ultra-fine grain formation in AGE, the deformation characteristics of AGE were investigated. First, the slip line field method was used to theoretically analyze the deformation characteristics and grain splitting in AGE. Then, the plastic deformation behavior of bulk samples in AGE and traditional extrusion was investigated and compared with the finite element method. In addition, the deformation characteristic and microstructure variation of pure copper bulk samples in AGE were experimentally investigated. The results showed that the deformation characteri... [more]

In this paper, the flow characteristics induced by a cubic artificial reef with diversions (DCAR) were investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results showed that the design of a DCAR can greatly improve the flow field range compared to typical cubic artificial reefs. The upwelling volume of the DCAR was more than 16 times that of a typical cubic artificial reef. The flow field effect produced the best results when the cut-opening ratio (COR) was 0.1−0.2 with constant flow. The parameters of the upwelling and back vortex increased with an increase in the flow velocity, and it decreased with an increase in the COR. The drag coefficient was less affected by the flow velocity, which remained between 1.32 and 1.44. The new type of artificial reef can improve the flow characteristics around the reefs.

Pineapple aroma is characterized by several esters, which confers its fresh and fruity aroma. However, high concentrations of methyl hexanoate and thioesters bring an undesired pungently sweet aroma and sulfurous notes to pineapple juice. This study investigates the chemical effects of cold plasma on the aroma compounds and descriptors of pineapple juice, evaluating the effects of plasma on its esters and thioesters. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma was applied to pineapple juice, varying the excitation frequency (50 to 1000 Hz) and processing time (10 to 20 min) at constant voltage (20 kV). Plasma treatment induced successive demethylation of esters and the conversion of methyl esters into ethyl esters. Thioesters showed to be more stable under plasma treatment. Proper setting of plasma operating conditions enabled an improvement in the fresh and fruity descriptors of pineapple juice, a reduction of its undesired pungently sweet aroma, but an increase in the influence of sulfurous... [more]

Based on core observation, rock thin sections, logging data, and testing data, taking the shale of the upper submember of the 4th Member to the lower submember of the 3rd Member of Paleogene Shahejie Formation in Jiyang Depression of Bohai Bay Basin as an example, we determine the lithofacies division scheme, divide the main lithofacies types, analyze the sedimentary origin and development location of different shale lithofacies, establish the continental lake basin sedimentary model, determine the types and enrichment areas of favorable lithofacies, and provide guidance for the exploration and development of Shale oil. The results show that: (1) According to the mineral composition, sedimentary structure, and organic matter abundance, the division scheme of shale lithofacies in the study area is proposed, and the shale lithofacies of the study area was mainly divided into 17 types. (2) Based on the lithologic changes, the lacustrine sedimentary shale area was divided into muddy water... [more]

Due to the complicated interference sources and low signal-to-noise ratio of seismic records, conventional seismic inversion methods are difficult to accurately identify shale gas reservoirs with a thickness of less than 10 m. This presents great challenges to shale gas exploration and development in China. Seismic phase-controlled nonlinear stochastic inversion (SPCNSI) is related to the heterogeneity of underground media. With the constraints of the stratigraphic sequence or seismic facies models, the minimum value between the seismic model and seismic record can be solved through iterative processes. Based on the solved acoustic velocity in formation, the constraints for SPCNSI can be formed with the matching relationship between target layers and different sequences in three-dimensional space. The prediction resolution of an unconventional reservoir can be effectively improved by combining logging, geological and seismic information. The method is suitable for predicting thin shale... [more]

Agriculture has been experiencing a difficult situation because of limiting factors in its production processes. Natural biostimulants (NBs) have emerged as a novel alternative. This study reviews NBs produced through solid-state fermentation (SSF) from organic waste, focusing on processes and production methods. The aim is to highlight their potential for improving agricultural productivity and promoting sustainable agriculture. Through a literature review, the effects of NBs on crops were summarized, along with the challenges associated with their production and application. The importance of standardizing production processes, optimizing fermentation conditions, and assessing their effects on different crops is emphasized. Furthermore, future research areas are introduced, such as enhancing production efficiency and evaluating the effectiveness of SSF-produced NBs in different agricultural systems. In conclusion, SSF-produced NBs offer a promising alternative for sustainable agricul... [more]

An integrated electric−gas system (IEGS) is the manifestation and development direction of a modern smart power system. This paper employs the cloud-edge computing method to research IEGS’s optimal dispatch to satisfy data protection requirements between power systems and natural gas systems and reduce data transmission pressure. Based on cloud-edge computing architecture, this paper constructs a cloud-edge computing method based on the Multi-agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) algorithm to solve optimal dispatch problems. Then, this paper proposes an IEGS dispatch strategy based on cloud-edge computing, which conducts distributed computing independently at the edge of power and natural gas, and the cloud implements global dispatch based on boundary information and edge learning parameters. This method does not require the exchange of all information between the power system and natural gas system, effectively protecting data privacy. This paper takes the improved IEGS of... [more]

As an important parameter of garment comfort, the thermal sensation of fabrics changes with factors such as sweat-induced humidity, making it a crucial area of research. To explore the coolness sensation of fabrics under different humidities, we tested heat transfer between fabrics and skin for 20 different fabrics with varying thermal absorption rates using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to objectively assess their coolness levels. Subjective evaluation was then obtained by having subjects touch the fabrics and provide feedback, resulting in a subjective evaluation of their coolness levels. We compared the objective and subjective evaluations and found them to be highly consistent (R2 = 0.909), indicating accurate objective classification of fabric coolness levels. Currently, random forest regression models are widely used in the textile industry for classification, identification, and performance predictions. These models enable the prediction of fabric coolness levels by simultaneou... [more]

The role of the horizontal well in developing unconventional oil and gas reservoirs is particularly significant. Different from vertical wells, horizontal wells are greatly affected by many factors, e.g., well track, surrounding mudstone, resistivity, and pore structure heterogeneity in horizontal and vertical directions. These make it difficult to evaluate reservoir parameters and determine optimized test layers. In order to improve formation evaluation in horizontal wells, it is necessary to carry out the research of analyzing formation anisotropy, predict physical property parameters, and classify formation to determine high-quality intervals. In this study, taking Triassic Chang 8 Formation in Shunning Region, Central Ordos Basin as an example, 40 core samples were drilled and applied for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), and resistivity experiments. The porosity, permeability, resistivity, and pore structure anisotropy are analyzed. Res... [more]

A new approach to preparing a series of Co/Sm2O3 catalysts for hydrogen production by the dry reforming of methane has been developed. The catalyst precursors were synthesized with a simple method, including the evaporation of aqueous solutions of cobalt and samarium nitrates, followed by a short-term calcination of the resulting material. The as-prepared and spent catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The content of cobalt in the synthesized materials affects their phase composition and carbonization resistance in the dry reforming of the methane reaction. It has been shown that preheating in N2 atmosphere produces catalysts that provide a stable yield of hydrogen and CO of 94−98% for at least 50 h at 900 °C. These yields are among the highest currently available for the dry reforming of methane catalysts made from Co-Sm complex oxides. It h... [more]

Designing an efficient and recyclable adsorbent for cadmium pollution control is an urgent necessity. In this paper, cow manure, an abundant agricultural/animal husbandry byproduct, was employed as the raw material for the synthesis of magnetic cow manure biochar. The optimal preparation conditions were found using the response surface methodology model: 160 °C for the hydrothermal temperature, 600 °C for the pyrolysis temperature, and Fe-loading with 10 wt%. The optimal reaction conditions were also identified via the response surface methodology model: a dosage of 1 g·L−1, a pH of 7, and an initial concentration of 100 mg·L−1. The pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model were used to fit the Cd(II) adsorption, and the adsorption capacity was 612.43 mg·g−1. The adsorption was dominated by chemisorption with the mechanisms of ion-exchange, electrostatic attraction, pore-filling, co-precipitation, and the formation of complexations. Compared to the response surface methodology m... [more]

In this study, we present the highly efficient and rapid synthesis of substituted dihydropyrimidinone derivatives through an ultrasound-accelerated approach. We utilize copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) magnetic nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalysts, employing the well-known Biginelli reaction, under solvent-free conditions. The impact of the solvent, catalyst amount, and catalyst type on the reaction performance is thoroughly investigated. Our method offers several notable advantages, including facile catalyst separation, catalyst reusability for up to three cycles with the minimal loss of activity, a straightforward procedure, mild reaction conditions, and impressive yields, ranging from 79% to 95%, within short reaction times of 20 to 40 min. Furthermore, in the context of fighting COVID-19, we explore the potential of substituted dihydropyrimidinone derivatives as inhibitors of three crucial SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These proteins, glycoproteins, and proteases play pivotal roles in the entry... [more]

This paper presents a machine learning (ML) approach to predict the potential health issues of solvents by uncovering the hidden relationship between substances and toxicity. Solvent selection is a crucial step in industrial processes. However, prolonged exposure to solvents has been found to pose significant risks to human health. To mitigate these hazards, it is crucial to develop a predictive model for health performance by identifying the contributing factors to solvent toxicity. This research aims to develop a predictive model for health issues related to solvent toxicity. Among various algorithms in ML, Rough Set Machine Learning (RSML) was chosen for this work due to its interpretable nature of the generated models. The models have been developed through data collection on the toxicity of various organic solvents, the construction of predictive models with decision rules, and model verification. The results reveal correlations between solvent toxicity and the Balaban index, vale... [more]

The physical and chemical characteristics of the microwave discharge in petroleum solvent during hydrogen production processes involving Ar, He, and CO2 barbotage were studied. Gas chromatography, emission spectroscopy, high-speed photography, and shadow photography were used for diagnosis. The results demonstrated the dependence of hydrogen yield on the flow rates of Ar, He, and CO2. The maximum yield values of hydrogen were 791 mL/min and 811 mL/min, while the maximum energy efficiency reached 135.6 NL/kWh and 162.2 NL/kWh in Nefras with Ar and He barbotage, respectively. The dynamics of discharge structure and the rotational and vibrational temperatures of C2 molecules were studied.