Fluid bed granulation is faced with a high level of complexity due to the simultaneous occurrence of agglomeration, breakage, and drying. These complexities should be thoroughly investigated through particle−particle, particle−droplet, and particle−fluid interactions to understand the process better. The present contribution focuses on the importance of drying and the associated challenges when modeling a granulation process. To do so, initially, we will present a summary of the numerical approaches, from micro-scale to macro-scale, used for the simulation of drying and agglomeration in fluid bed granulators. Depending on the modeled scale, each approach features several advantages and challenges. We classified the imposed challenges based on their contributions to the drying rate. Then, we critically scrutinized how these challenges have been addressed in the literature. Our review identifies some of the main challenges related to (i) the interaction of droplets with particles; (ii) t... [more]

In the fishmeal industry, seawater is used to transport fish to the factories. Due to this, “pumping water” with high concentrations of organic matter is generated that is treated via chemical coagulation before letting it into the sea. The objective of this study is to characterize and compare the sludge obtained from conventional chemical coagulation and the sludge from the electrocoagulation process. A pilot electrocoagulation plant was built next to a chemical coagulation plant. The sludge obtained from both methodologies was analyzed for its proximal composition, its iron and aluminum content, and the fatty acid profile in its contained fat. Electrocoagulation was found to produce sludge with a higher concentration of lipids and ash, which indirectly confirmed that it removes more organic pollutants and salts than chemical coagulation. The contents of aluminum and iron in the sludge obtained by electrocoagulation were 4.2% and 0.025%, respectively, while those in the sludge obtain... [more]

As unexpected events such as natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and overseas containment have caused inevitable shocks to the energy industrial chain and supply chain, the current global energy crisis is intensifying, and different countries and regions have adopted different strategies according to the characteristics of their own national resource endowments in order to cope with energy security. Maintaining the security of the coal industrial chain and supply chain is a prerequisite for energy security to be effectively ensured, considering the main position of coal in China’s energy. Therefore, in the face of multiple uncertain risk factors under today’s momentous changes, this paper constructs an industrial coal chain and supply chain resilience evaluation indicator system from the perspective of resilience, based on four representational capabilities of resilience, namely preparedness, absorptive capacity, recovery capacity, and adaptability, in order to profoundly underst... [more]

The electrodissolution-coupled hafnium alkoxide (Hf(OR)4, R is alkyl) synthesis (EHS) system, which has significant environmental and economic advantages over conventional thermal methods, serves as a promising system for green and efficient Hf(OR)4 electro-synthesis. The EHS system is operated based on the simultaneous heterogeneous reactions of hafnium dissolution and ethanol dehydrogenation, as well as the spontaneous solution-based reaction of Hf4+ and OR−. Employing green ethanol and Hf as feedstocks, the anodic hafnium corrosion/dissolution electrochemical behavior of the Et4NCl or Et4NHSO4 based anhydrous system was investigated through electrochemical measurements combined with SEM observations. The results demonstrated that the Et4NCl-based anhydrous ethanol system exhibited an efficient mechanism of passive film pitting corrosion breakdown and metal hafnium dissolution, while the Et4NHSO4-based anhydrous ethanol system reflected the weak corrosion mechanism of the anodic hafn... [more]

The worldwide use of renewable energy sources has been growing significantly year by year, accompanied by continuous technological development [...]

is currently one of the most commercially valuable microalgae species in the world. In reponse to selenite, D. salina is a microalgae with a high selenium content, thereby increasing its value, which is crucial for increasing its economic value as a nutrional supplement. However, the effects of selenite on D. salina are still unclear, and its molecular mechanism of the response to selenite stress is also elusive. Here, in order to study the effects of selenite on D. salina and the corresponding regulatory mechanism, we characterized the physiological phenotypes of D. salina under different selenite concentrations and carried out a quantitative proteomic study. The results showed that the effective concentration for 50% growth inhibition (EC50) of the algae was 192.7 mg/L after 11 days of cultivation. When selenite concentration was lower than 100 mg/L, selenite did not hinder the growth of D. salina in the early stage, but shortened the cell growth cycle, although cell growth was signi... [more]

In the original publication, there was a mistake in Figure 6 [...]

This research aims to provide insights into the biological efficacy of a newly formed hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (DES). A DES based on menthol was successfully synthesized with fatty acids. The DESs’ properties as enzyme activators were examined against a neat counterpart. The menthol:decanoic acid (1:1) combination showed improved thermal stability, strong catalytic activity, and reusability for up to four subsequent cycles under ideal conditions (pH 7.0, 40 °C for 2 h). The hydrophobic DES replaced hexane in ester synthesis, where RNL@DES5 showed better fatty acid conversion compared to neat RNL. This study demonstrated promising applications of hydrophobic DESs in non-aqueous organic reactions.

The mechanized resource utilization of domestic waste is the development trend in the field of waste treatment. The difficulty of bag breaking and the easy entanglement of domestic waste are the factors restricting the mechanization of waste separation and recycling. In response to the above problems, an internal blowing anti-tangle bag-breaking device for domestic waste was developed by combining the arc-type cutter and the internal flow field of the rotary. In addition, the motion trajectory of the cutters and the support rods were theoretically analyzed, as well as the force during the bag-breaking process of domestic waste. A three-factor, five-level orthogonal test was carried out to complete the regression ANOVA, and a relationship model was constructed between the test factors such as the cutting−support speed ratio, the center distance, the inlet flow rate and the response indicators such as the bag film length−perimeter ratio and bag film winding specific gravity. The key para... [more]

Inductive current transformers are characterized by different transformation accuracies for higher harmonics of distorted primary currents. Therefore, it is highly required to perform the tests of their metrological properties to choose the best unit that ensures the lowest values of current error and phase displacement. This study presents a comparison of two manufactured inductive current transformers. The results indicate that some inductive current transformers may be used to accurately transform distorted currents, enabling proper distortion of power metering and quality evaluation. However, to obtain adequate transformation properties in the wide frequency range, the cross-section of the magnetic core of the inductive current transformer should be oversized. Moreover, it is required to use a permalloy magnetic core instead of the typical transformer steel core. In the analyzed case, the metrological performance depends mainly on its accuracy for transforming the main component of... [more]

RTA (Rate Transient Analysis) is a valuable method for obtaining reservoir parameters and well performance, but current RTA models hardly consider the MLVF (Multi-Layer Vertical Fractured) well in a layered tight gas reservoir. To capture the production response caused by the fracture with non-uniform length and conductivity, a novel RTA model for an MLVF well in a layered tight reservoir was presented. In this paper, we present a novel tight gas reservoir RTA model, an extended MLVF well with non-uniform fracture length and conductivity to investigate the production decline feature by the combined RTA type curves. After that, the proposed RTA model is verified to ensure calculation accuracy. Sensitivity analysis is conducted on the crucial parameters, including the formation transmissibility, formation storability, fracture length, fracture conductivity, and fracture extension. Research results show that there are three rate decline stages caused by a multi fracture with non-uniform c... [more]

Electrochemical low-cost sensors, suitable for the monitoring of different air quality parameters such as carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide levels, are viable tools for creating affordable handheld devices for short-term or dense air quality monitoring networks for long-term measurements and IoT applications. However, most devices that utilize such sensors are based on proprietary hardware and software and, therefore, do not offer users the ability to replace sensors or interact with the hardware, software, and data in a meaningful way. Initiatives that focus on an open framework for air quality monitoring, such as the AirSensEUR project, offer competitive open source alternatives. In this study, we examined the feasibility of the application of such devices. Five AirSensEUR units equipped with chemical sensors were placed next to a reference air quality measuring station in Vienna, Austria. During co-location, concentrations of 0.20 ± 0.06 ppm, 7.14 ± 8.66 ppb, and 17.58 ± 9.90 ppb... [more]

The effective pattern recognition of cable partial discharges (PDs) enables prompt corresponding measures to ensure cable safety. Traditional PD monitoring methods have limitations in online monitoring and accurate positioning, and the feature extraction of the monitored electrical signals requires significant prior knowledge. Therefore, this paper reports the performance of the distributed optical-fiber vibration-sensing monitoring of PDs on a cable with different insulation defects, and proposes a data-driven recognition approach based on the monitoring signals. The time series of the backscattered Rayleigh light intensity (BRLI) changes at the PD position were collected as the sample data. The coefficients of the time series’ autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models were extracted as features. Next, a classification model trained by the random forest (RF) algorithm was established. After the model’s validation with the experimental data and a comparative analysis with previously... [more]

Mission critical solutions are essential for providing communications and services in the case of the troubles with connectivity that are often found in infrastructure-based solutions. Such solutions are typically used in the case of disasters, lack of energy, etc. There exist several narrowband solutions that provide countrywide coverage in certain countries. In recent years, the activities related to creating mission-critical broadband solutions based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) have led to the definition of LTE Mission Critical (LTE-MC). Both solutions ignore virtualization and require dedicated mobile terminals as a part of the mission-critical communication solution. This paper describes the opportunities, open issues and a proposal of a solution that exploits Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and network virtualization for mission-critical services. The presented approach combines Cloud/Edge and Fog orchestration to efficiently use all the available resources, including virtualize... [more]

In the original article [...]

One contributor’s name was missing in the original version of the authorship of the paper [...]

The thermal effect can significantly influence the consolidation of the soil, especially in the cold region. Previous studies have established to research that the drops in the ambient temperature would slow down the consolidation process, resulting in the slow dissipation of excess pore water pressure. In addition, the previous studies neglect the final settlement because consolidation is also influenced by thermal effect. In this paper, a closed-form solution to the one-dimensional nonlinear consolidation of soil considering the thermal effect is proposed. In the mathematical framework, the influences of the thermal effect on the compression index, the permeability, and the elastic modulus of the soil are considered. The solution is fully verified by comparing it with the FDM solution neglecting the thermal effect and the classic Terzaghi’s solution. An analysis has been carried out to assess the influence of temperature, stress ratios, consolidation time, the ratio of compression in... [more]

Power cable condition diagnosis and deterioration location rely on signatures of aging characteristics which precede the final breakdown. The purpose of this study was to investigate how to diagnose and locate the aging and/or deterioration of power cables through the analysis of the impedance spectroscopy. The concepts of the reference frequency and characteristic frequency of cable impedance spectroscopy are defined for the first time. Based on the reference frequency, the optimal frequency range for analysis of impedance spectroscopy can be determined, whilst based on characteristic frequency, a set of criteria for assessing cable conditions are examined and established. The solution proposed in this paper has the advantage of being easier to implement than the previously reported “broadband” impedance spectroscopy methods, as it helps to reduce the frequency range for measurement instrumentations; the proposed method also does not need the measurements of the parameters of the cabl... [more]

In this paper, five groups of industrial aluminium back-surface-field (Al-BSF) solar cells were made from silicon wafers from different locations of a B-doped Czochralski silicon ingot. Then, we performed the first LID (45 °C, 1 sun, 12 h), regeneration (100 °C, 1 sun, 24 h), and second LID (45 °C, 1 sun, 12 h) treatments on the cells, and measured the in-situ changes of their I-V characteristic parameters by using an I-V tester during the experiment. The cells were also characterized by Suns-Voc measurement, full-area light beam induced current scanning, and external quantum efficiency measurement at the four breakpoints of treatments (before and after the first LID, after regeneration and the second LID). It was found that the LID and regeneration of the Al-BSF solar cells can be explained by the LID and regeneration reaction of B-O defects and the LID caused by dissociation of Fe-B pairs. After regeneration, the relative decay rate of efficiency decreased from 2.75−3.8% during the f... [more]

The energy transition requires significant volumes of minerals of which the Global South holds large reserves. This context revives hopes and fears that producing countries in the Global South might hold sufficient market power to demand above market prices, technology transfers and even migration of productive processes to their countries. Our research question is what determines the effectiveness of states’ collusion on natural resource exploitation and how does that affect the probability of Latin American collusion regarding lithium. The study utilizes Social Science methods for developing frameworks of analysis and comparative case studies. Following an overview of what is required for effective cartels, the study focuses on characteristics of the six primary lithium producers and potential producers in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Theory and empirical evidence indicate that Latin American lithium producers should be very cautious in assessin... [more]

An integrated energy system (IES) is vulnerable to network attacks due to the coupling features of multi-energy systems, as well as the deep integration between a physical system and an information system. The anomaly detection of the time-series data in an IES is a key problem to defend against network attacks and ensure the cyber-physical security of IES. Aiming at false data injection attacks (FDIAs) on IES, this paper proposes an anomaly detection method for time-series data in a cyber-physical integrated energy system based on time-frequency feature prediction. The time-frequency features of the time-series data are extracted based on three time-frequency transform methods (DWT, EMD, and EWT). Then the extracted time-frequency features are input to the autoencoder (AE) to capture the hidden features and nonlinear structure of the original data in the frequency domain. The time-domain data within the detected time period are predicted by applying regression prediction on the top-la... [more]

Energy is essential to human survival, and with increasing concerns regarding the global warming caused by greenhouse emissions, the energy field has become a global focal point [...]

This article presents the results of a systematic study on the composition and origin of PM1-2 microspheres in high-calcium fly ash. The composition of individual microspheres was studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is shown that the compositions of the analyzed microspheres satisfy the general dependency with a high correlation coefficient: [SiO2 + Al2O3] = 88.80 − 1.02 [CaO + Fe2O3 + MgO], r = −0.97. The formation pathway is parallel to the general trend: anorthite, gehlenite, esseneite, tricalcium aluminate, ferrigehlenite, and brownmillerite. The microspheres were classified into four groups depending on the content of major components: Group 1 (CaO > 40, SiO2 + Al2O3 ≤ 35, Fe2O3 < 23, MgO < 16 wt %); Group 2 (30 < CaO < 40, SiO2 + Al2O3 ≤ 40, Fe2O3 < 27, MgO < 21 wt %); Group 3 (CaO ≤ 30, 40 ≤ SiO2 + Al2O3 ≤ 75, Fe2O3 < 10, MgO < 10 wt %); and Group 4 (14 < CaO < 40, SiO2 + Al2O3 < 14, Fe2O3 > 30, MgO ≤... [more]

Making decisions concerning the use of energy sources is a very difficult and complicated task [...]

Today’s wearable electronics have dramatically altered our daily lives and created an urgent demand for new and intelligent sensor technologies. As a new energy source, self-powering sensors are currently seen as critically important units for wearable and non-wearable textile−electronic systems. To this aim, this paper presents a smart textile-based piezoelectric energy-autonomous harvester and a self-powered sensor for wearable application, where the sandwich structure of the wearable sensor consists of top and bottom textile conductors, and in between the two textile electrodes there is a piezoelectric PVDF thin film. The generating voltage, current, charge, power, and capacitor charging−discharging behaviour of the device were confirmed using multimeter, oscilloscope, Keithley, etc., analyses. Finally, a piezoelectric-textile sensor was integrated into wearable clothes for breathing detection; a shoe insole for footstep recognition; and it can store energy by tapping, to power elec... [more]