The precise identification of damp, sticky coal gangue; efficient jet nozzle separation; and process layout in a narrow, restricted space are essential technologies for gangue source reduction based on underground gangue photoelectric separation, which is critical for the long-term growth of coal mines. In this paper, the X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) method was used to identify the X-ray absorption law of different atoms in coal-based minerals and explore the differences in the microscopic crystal properties of coal gangue; the numerical simulation calculation of four commonly used nozzles—namely, flat, convergent, flat−convergent, and streamline—was carried out using Fluent software for coal gangue jet separation to optimize the nozzle morphology and parameters. The technical characteristics of the underground layout of the photoelectric separation system for coal gangue were expounded, and the technological layout of the separation system was explored. The results showed th... [more]

For solving first-order linear and nonlinear differential equations, a new two-stage implicit−explicit approach is given. The scheme’s first stage, or predictor stage, is implicit, while the scheme’s second stage is explicit. The first stage of the proposed scheme is an extended form of the existing Runge−Kutta scheme. The scheme’s stability and consistency are also offered. In two phases, the technique achieves third-order accuracy. The method is applied to the SEIR epidemic model with a convex incidence rate. The local stability is also examined. The technique is evaluated compared to existing Euler and nonstandard finite difference methods. In terms of accuracy, the produced plots show that the suggested scheme outperforms the existing Euler and nonstandard finite difference methods. Furthermore, a neural network technique is being considered to map the relationship between time and the amount of susceptible, exposed, and infected people.

This paper describes the use of immobilized palladium catalysts on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to afford magnetically separable catalysts in the methoxycarbonylation of 1-hexene. Immobilization of homogeneous complex [Pd(L1)Cl2] (Pd1), where L1 = N,N′E,N,N′E)-N,N′-(3-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)pentane-2,4-diylidene)dianiline, on Fe3O4 MNPs at 100 °C and Pd loading of 10% (based on wt% of Pd1) afforded the corresponding complex [Pd1@Fe3O4] (Pd2) in good yields. The use of calcination temperatures of 150 °C and 200 °C produced compounds Pd3 and Pd4, respectively, while Pd metal loadings (based on wt% of Pd1) of 5% and 15% provided complexes Pd5 and Pd6, respectively. The immobilized compounds were analyzed using FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, TEM, ICP-OES, and PXRD techniques. The surface areas and porosity of the materials were determined using nitrogen physisorption measurements and confirmed the formation of mesoporous materials, while SQUID measurements established Ms values in... [more]

Among all the inorganic perovskites, cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) has gained significant interest due to its stability and remarkable optoelectronic/photoluminescence properties. Because of the influence of deposition techniques, the experimental conditions that play a key role in each need to be addressed. In this context, we present CsPbBr3 films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and discuss the impact of oxygen stemming from their growth under a reduced vacuum, i.e., as the background atmosphere, rather than from post-growth exposure. In detail, stoichiometric mechano-chemically synthesized targets were prepared for deposition by nanosecond-PLD (λ = 248 nm, τ = 20 ns, room temperature, fluence of 1 J/cm2) to produce slightly Br-deficient CsPbBr3 films under different background pressure conditions (P0 = 10−4, 10−2 Pa). The characterization results suggest that the presence of oxygen during the deposition of CsPbBr3 can advantageously passivate bromide-vacancy states in all the... [more]

Soil and aquatic pollution by heavy metal (Pb, Cr, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Ni) ions has become one of the prime problems worldwide. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to conduct hydrogeological research and quantify the main trace metals in the edible vegetables, soil, irrigation water, pesticides, and fertilizers in the farmland near Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. Samples of soil, water, and plants such as coriander (Coriandrum sativum), dill (Anethum graveolens), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), and arugula (Eruca sativa) were collected, acid-digested, and analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma−optical emission spectrometer (ICP−OES). The levels of the elements in soil were determined in the order of Fe > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb, whereas the sequence in plants was Fe > Cr > Zn > Pb> Ni > Cu, and in water, the order was Pb > Fe > Cu > Zn> Ni = Cr. In soil, the levels of Fe, Cr, and Pb were higher than the recommended values set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food Admini... [more]

The present work studies the convective drying of a granular porous medium in a bed of olive pomace. The experimental tests were conducted in a closed convection drying loop of hot air. The experimental tests measured the mass loss over time. Tests were carried out for five temperature values: 60 ± 0.1 °C, 70 ± 0.1 °C, 80 ± 0.1 °C, 90 ± 0.1 °C and 100 ± 0.1 °C, respectively. Moreover, three values of velocities of the drying air, 1 ± 0.01 ms−1, 1.5 ± 0.01 ms−1 and 2 ± 0.01 ms−1, were considered. The effects of initial humidity, bed thickness and pomace composition on the drying process were studied. The results show that the moisture content decreases when the temperature and the velocity of the drying air increase. In addition, the composition of olive pomace (pulp, pits and raw pomace) significantly affects the drying time. A characteristic drying curve and its equation were determined. Seven thin layer drying models were tested, and the Midilli et al.’s model produced the best agree... [more]

In this work, three different types of sandwich structures were manufactured, each using a Formica sheet (a paper-based sheet) as the skin and perlite/sodium silicate foam as the core, with or without a paper honeycomb. The sandwich structures were fabricated by attaching the Formica sheets on both sides of a paper honeycomb core panel, a perlite/sodium silicate foam core panel, and a perlite/sodium silicate foam-filled honeycomb core panel. The flexural characteristics were studied by a three-point bending test and the thermal conductivity was measured using Lee’s thermal conductivity apparatus. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in flexural properties, including core shear stress, facing stress, bending stress, and energy absorption, when incorporating the paper honeycomb reinforcement. The thermal conductivity and flexural properties of the paper honeycomb reinforced and unreinforced perlite/sodium silicate foam-based sandwich panels were found to be very compatible... [more]

Coal permeability data are critical in the prevention and control of coal and gas outbursts in mines and are an important reservoir parameter for the development of coalbed methane. The mechanism by which permeability is affected by gas pressure is complex. We used a self-developed true triaxial seepage experimental device that collects lignite and anthracite coal samples, sets fixed axial pressure and confining pressure, and changes gas pressure by changing the orientation of the coal seam to study the influence of the gas pressure on the permeability of the coal seam under the conditions of different coal types and different bedding orientations. Coal permeability decreased rapidly and then decreased slowly and tended to be stable with the increase in gas pressure. This conformed to the power exponential fitting relationship, and the fitting degree reached more than 99%. The comparison of the two anthracite coal samples showed that the sample’s permeability with a bedding plane verti... [more]

This paper focuses on reviewing past progress in the advancement of definitions, methods, and models for safety analysis and assessment of process industrial systems and highlighting the main research topics. Based on the analysis of the knowledge with respect to process safety, the review covers the fact that the entire system does not have the ability to produce casualties, health deterioration, and other accidents, which ultimately cause human life threats and health damage. And, according to the comparison between safety and reliability, when a system is in an unreliable state, it must be in an unsafe state. Related works show that the main organizations and regulations are developed and grouped together, and these are also outlined in the literature. The progress and current research topics of the methods and models have been summarized and discussed in the analysis and assessment of safety for process industrial systems, which mainly illustrate that the dynamic operational safety... [more]

This review article provides an overview of the bioactive compounds of clove, their health benefits, and their potential application in food and beverages. Cloves are rich in phenolic compounds, mainly eugenol, which exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and wound-healing properties. Traditional methods of clove extraction, such as Soxhlet and maceration, have limitations. Green extraction methods, such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, pressurised liquid extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction, have shown promising results. The potential application of clove extract in various food and beverage products are also discussed. Finally, future perspectives and challenges for clove extraction are highlighted. Overall, the review highlights the potential of clove extract as a natural source of bioactive compounds for various applications in the food and beverage industry.

With limited investment costs, how to fully utilize the carbon-reduction capacity of a campus in terms of buildings, equipment, and energy is an important issue when realizing the low-carbon retrofit of office parks. To this end, this paper establishes a mathematical optimization model for the decarbonization-based retrofit of existing office parks, based on the genetic algorithm, taking into account the relationship between cost, energy-consumption, and carbon-emissions, and taking the maximum carbon reduction of the park over its whole life as the optimization goal. The validity of the model was verified in conjunction with a case study of an office park in Nanchang, China. The case study shows that, compared with current typical parks, the carbon reduction through an office park’s decarbonization retrofit has a non-linear correlation with the investment cost, and when the total investment cost of the park is above CNY 60 million, the increase in carbon reduction with the increase in... [more]

The rise in population, urbanization, and industrial developments have led to a substantial increase in waste generation and energy demand, posing significant challenges for waste management as well as energy conservation and production. Bioenergy conversions have been merged as advanced, sustainable, and integrated solutions for these issues, encompassing energy generation and waste upcycling of different types of organic waste. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and agricultural residues (AR) are two main resources for bioenergy conversions. Bioenergy production involves feedstock deconstruction and the conversion of platform chemicals to energy products. This review provides a detailed overview of waste sources, biofuel, and bioelectricity production from fermentation and microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, and their economic and environmental perspectives. Fermentation plays a critical role in liquid biofuel production, while MFCs demonstrate promising potential for simultaneous product... [more]

In clinical practice, diseases with a prolonged course and disease characteristics at the time of diagnosis are often classified into specific stages. The precision of disease staging significantly impacts the therapeutic and curative outcomes for patients, and the diagnosis of multi-clinical-stage diseases based on electronic medical records is a problem that needs further research. Gout is a multi-stage disease. This paper focuses on the research of gout and proposes a staging diagnosis method for gout based on deep reinforcement learning. This method firstly uses the candidate binary classification model library for accurate diagnosis of gout, and then corrects the results of the binary classification through the set medical rules for diagnosis of gout, and then uses the machine learning model to diagnose different stages of corrected accurate data. In the course of the experiment, deep reinforcement learning was introduced to solve the hyperparameter tuning problem of the staging m... [more]

The battery power state (SOP) is the basic indicator for the Battery management system (BMS) of the battery energy storage system (BESS) to formulate control strategies. Although there have been many studies on state estimation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), aging and temperature variation are seldom considered in peak power prediction during the whole life of the battery. To fill this gap, this paper aims to propose an adaptive peak power prediction method for power lithium-ion batteries considering temperature and aging is proposed. First, the Thevenin equivalent circuit model is used to jointly estimate the state of charge (SOC) and SOP of the lithium-ion power battery, and the variable forgetting factor recursive least squares (VFF-RLS) algorithm and extended Kalman filter (EKF) are utilized to identify the battery parameters online. Then, multiple constraint parameters including current, voltage, and SOC were derived, considering the dependence of the polarization resistance of... [more]

A semi-analytical approach is developed for predicting pyrolysis front temperature in a charring solid undergoing thermal decomposition. The pre-reaction heating stage is described using an analytical formulation and invoking the concept of thermal penetration depth. The solution for the solid conversion stage accounts for decomposition enthalpy, the convective flow of volatiles, and a reaction front characterized by a uniform temperature that progresses toward the inner layers. This method incorporates empirical relations into the analytical model. Two scenarios are considered. First, the solution of the pyrolysis model combined with the data of conversion time versus external heat flux leads to an algebraic expression that reveals the existence of a maximum pyrolysis-front temperature. Explicit relations are derived for both the extremum pyrolysis temperature and optimum applied heat flux. In the second case, an expression is derived for the ignition temperature of a solid fuel (e.g.... [more]

Shortest path problems are encountered in many engineering applications, e.g., intelligent transportation, robot path planning, and smart logistics. The environmental changes as sensed and transmitted via the Internet of Things make the shortest path change frequently, thus posing ever-increasing difficulty for traditional methods to meet the real-time requirements of many applications. Therefore, developing more efficient solutions has become particularly important. This paper presents an improved discrete Jaya algorithm (IDJaya) to solve the shortest path problem. A local search operation is applied to expand the scope of solution exploration and improve solution quality. The time complexity of IDJaya is analyzed. Experiments are carried out on seven real road networks and dense graphs in transportation-related processes. IDJaya is compared with the Dijkstra and ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms. The results verify the superiority of the IDJaya over its peers. It can thus be w... [more]

The Mahu conglomerate reservoir is characterized by strong heterogeneity and the uneven stimulation of the horizontal lateral during hydraulic fracturing. The optimization of the perforation number per cluster is of great value for horizontal well multi-stage fracturing (HWMF) because the suitable perforation number not only promotes the uniform propagation of multiple fractures but also prevents excessive perforation erosion. In this work, a typical well in the Mahu conglomerate reservoir was selected, and a field test of optimizing the perforation number was carried out. The perforation schemes of three, five, and eight perforations per cluster were designed in nine fracturing stages, respectively. The wellhead pressure under different perforation schemes was compared and analyzed with the step-down flow rate test, and the optimal perforation number per cluster in the Mahu conglomerate reservoir was selected as eight. The theoretical calculation results show that eight perforations p... [more]

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effect of thermal treatment (TT: 121 ± 2 °C, 15 min) on the composition of commercial sweeteners diluted in water (10 °Brix). Additionally, we evaluated the impact of this TT on metabolic responses in C57BL/6 mice during a 24-week treatment. The sweeteners included in this study were sucrose (SC), glucose-63 (GLU63), agave syrup (AS), sucralose (SUC), and steviol glycosides (STG). HPLC analysis showed changes in the concentration of simple sugars of GLU63 and AS after TT. Importantly, in all sweeteners, TT modulated metabolic responses in mice. The mice drinking thermally treated sweetener solution showed an increase of 10−13% (p < 0.05) in food intake (AS, SUC, and STG), beverage intake (2−21%; SC and GLU63), weight gain (38%; SUC), energy (10−13%; AS, SUC, and STG), glucose levels (11−17%; SC and STG), GLP-1 (30%; SC) and insulin (88%; AS) release, and the generation of protein carbonyl (SC) and malondialdehyde (all sweeteners tested)... [more]

This paper documents the 2D numerical study of magnetohydrodynamic unsteady natural convective heat transfer in a circular enclosure with four heating cylinders in both the horizontal and the vertical mid-plane. The fluid is an incompressible Newtonian fluid. The main transport equations based on the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy are calculated and solved using a finite element numerical solver with the following parameter ranges: dimensionless distance between cylinders S = 0.05−0.29, Rayleigh number Ra=103−106, and Hartmann number for Ha = 0−120. COMSOL Multiphysics, a numerical simulation program, was used to solve the governing equations. It was demonstrated that for lower Ra values, heat transfer through an applied magnetic field is unaffected for a specific S value because the mechanism of transport is diffusion, whereas for larger Ra, there is a complex interaction among magnetic field and physical thermal properties. The features of the heat transfer rate are deter... [more]

The thermal energy storage and conversion process possesses high energy losses in the form of waste heat. The losses associated with energy conversion achieve almost 90% of the worldwide energy supply, and approximately half of these losses are waste heat. Hence, waste heat recovery approaches intend to recuperate that large amount of wasted heat from chimneys, vehicles, and solar energy systems, among others. The novel class of thermal fluids designated by nanofluids has a high potential to be employed in waste heat recovery. It has already been demonstrated that nanofluids enhance energy recovery efficiency by more than 20%. Also, the use of nanofluids can improve the energy capacity of steelworks systems by around three times. In general, nanofluids can improve efficiency and reduce exergy destruction and carbon emissions in devices like heat exchangers. The current work summarizes the application of nanofluids in waste heat recovery and discusses the involved feasibility factors. A... [more]

The energetic potential of the seed shell of the Neem plant (Azadirachta indica) was investigated using proximate analysis, Higher Heating Value (HHV), thermal analysis (TG-DTG and DSC) in inert and oxidative atmospheres, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results of ash (3.80% ± 0.44), volatile matter (81.76% ± 1.30), fixed carbon (14.44% ± 1.74), and estimated HHV (18.791 MJ/kg: average value) are compatible with other biomasses already used as fuels in the bioenergy industry. Thermograms showed three main degradation events in synthetic air and two in nitrogen, attributed to the moisture, release of volatile materials, and decomposition of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. The elements positively detected by the XRF were Ca, K, S, P, Fe, Ti, Zn, Rb, and Sr.

Inert gas distribution has a great influence on the inerting effect, especially for the multiple-bay fuel tank. In order to find out the optimal scheme, an optimization method based on the entropy-weight improvement TOPSIS method is proposed, and an experimental system of inert gas distribution is established to measure the speed index and uniformity index. The results show that the position of the inlet and outlet has a significant effect on the overall inerting effect. The inerting scheme designed by the entropy-weight improvement TOPSIS method can not only reduce the flow demand of inert gas but also make the oxygen distribution more uniform. The optimization inerting scheme of the Boeing 747 aircraft has improved the average speed index by 3.01% and the average uniformity index by 26.18%. The smoke visualization experiment also showed that the scheme designed by the entropy-weight improvement TOPSIS method has the denser white smoke, which means that the scheme has better performan... [more]

Bearing fault diagnosis has evolved from machine learning to deep learning, addressing the issues of performance degradation in deep learning networks and the potential loss of key feature information. This paper proposes a fault diagnosis method for rolling bearing faults based on ICEEMDAN combined with the Hilbert transform (ICEEMDAN-Hilbert) and a residual network (ResNet). Firstly, the collected fault vibration signals are classified as fault samples and randomly sampled with a fixed length. The IMF components obtained by decomposing the bearing fault vibration signals using ICEEMDAN are able to maximize the restoration of fault vibrations. Then, the IMF components are transformed from one-dimensional time-domain signals to two-dimensional time-frequency domain images using Hilbert transformation. The RGB color images can be directly used in deep learning models without the need for manual labeling of a large amount of data, thereby avoiding the loss of key feature information. The... [more]

The motivation to design a more efficient and compact aircraft engine leads to a continuous increase in overall pressure ratio and decrease in the stage number in compressors. Compared to the traditional multi-stage compressor, a single-stage ultra-high-pressure-ratio centrifugal compressor with a pressure ratio higher than 10.0 can significantly improve the engine’s power-to-weight ratio and fuel economy with a reduced structure complexity. Thus, it has great potential to be adopted in the compression system of advanced aero engines, such as turboshaft engines, in the future. However, the highly narrow Stable Flow Range (SFR) of ultra-high-pressure-ratio centrifugal compressors is a severe restriction for engineering applications. This research focuses on the aerodynamic performance of a ultra-high-pressure-ratio centrifugal compressor, and three-dimensional simulation is employed to investigate the effect of Self-Recirculating Casing Treatment (SRCT) on the performance and stability... [more]

Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a high-resolution passive microfluidic separation method for separating micron-scale particles according to their size. Optimizing these microsystems for larger throughputs and particle concentrations is of interest for industrial applications. This study evaluates the limitations of the functionality of the DLD separation principle under these specific conditions. For this reason, different particle volume fractions (up to 11%) and volumetric flow rates (corresponding to Reynolds numbers up to 50) were varied within the DLD microsystem and tested in different combinations. Resolved two-way coupled computational fluid dynamics/discrete element method (CFD-DEM) simulations including spherical particles were performed. The results show a general increase in the critical diameter with increasing volume fraction and decreasing separation efficiency. The largest tested Reynolds number (Re = 50) results in the highest separation efficiency, particu... [more]