The asymptotic convergence acceleration method used in steady
state process simulation is examined in detail, and a criterion is
developed to decide when it should be applied. The criterion is related
to the rate of convergence of each variable and does not require any
prejudgment of its tolerance level by...
Polymer samples of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and a PTFE-glass weave (RF- 35P) are exposed to low pressure, non-equilibrium glow discharge plasmas for enhanced wettability as measured by static contact angles. Plasma treatments are performed in two parallel plate RF plasma systems, a downstream microwave plasma and a barrel etcher using feed...
Compact storage systems demonstrating increased hydrogen storage capacity are the key to advancing the growth of the hydrogen economy throughout the world and reducing the global dependence on fossil fuels for transportation. The use of highly porous adsorbent materials for reversible hydrogen storage is a promising pathway towards achieving storage...
The chemically similar elements hafnium and zirconium occur
together in nature. Because of their very dissimilar nuclear
properties it is of commercial importance to separate them for use
in the atomic energy field. One or more of the steps in the separation
and purification processes presently used involve the volatile...
Development of efficient methods for the destruction of solid wastes and recovery of valuable resources is needed to support long-duration manned missions in space. In particular, these technologies are required for deployment in hypogravity and microgravity environments, such as at the lunar or Martian surfaces. Gradient Magnetically Assisted Fluidized Bed...
Currently, the technologies used to separate lignocellulosic biomass into its component parts (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) and enzymatically hydrolyze the cellulose to glucose for conversion to ethanol could be improved economically and in terms of efficiency. A major impediment to utilizing the biomass is the presence of residual lignin. The...
The factors influencing the direct nitridation of silicon, including the effects of the native oxide layer covering the surface of silicon, the effects of hydrogen contained in the nitridation gas and the catalytic effects of metals added to the raw material silicon, were investigated, using a tubular flow reactor and...
In a fluidized bed of magnetically susceptible particles, the presence of
a magnetic field induce the formation of particle chains due to interparticle
magnetic forces. The resulting effect is a change in the overall spatial
distribution of the particles, transitioning from a random, isotropic distribution
to an ordered, anisotropic distribution....