Chemical sulphate corrosion on cement composites in various model environments

Background: Cementitious composites, which are subject to increasing demands, are often exposed to various external attacks, such as aggressive groundwater and surface water, chemicals in the soil, gas penetration, or phenomena related to water freezing and melting. One of the most common reasons for the deterioration of cement composites is the corrosion process. Corrosion results in irreversible damage that occurs during the chemical reaction of the material with the components of the environment. Methods: The paper deals with experimental study of chemical sulphate corrosion of cement composites prepared from three types of cement: ordinary Portland cement; sulphate-resistant cement; and special hybrid cement, and industrial by-products and wastes: silica fume, zeolite and a special mineral admixture based on blast furnace granular slag as cement partial substitutes. Samples of cement composites were subjected to corrosion experiments in a sulphate environment, which took place in the laboratory under model conditions for 180 resp. 270 days. Results: The deterioration parameters: changes in the weight and thickness of the samples, surface and mineralogical changes, leachability of the basic components of the cement matrix as well as changes in the liquid phase proved the degradation process due to chemical sulphate corrosion, model solutions of H2SO4 with pH 3 and 4, and solution of MgSO4 with c (SO4 2 - ) = 3 and 10 g /L. Conclusion: By comparing the leachability of the alkali components from cement composites, it can be concluded that for the most aggressive model solution (H2SO4 with pH 3), both slagcontaining formulations are the most stable in terms of the total ratio of leached calcium and silicon. This finding is also supported by the results of water absorbency tests, which confirmed that despite the increase in absorbency after chemical corrosion, cement composites with slag content reach the lowest values.

Subcutaneous Facial Emphysema Following Open-Flap Air-Powder Abrasive Debridement for Peri-Implantitis: A Case Report and an Overview

Subcutaneous facial emphysema related to dental treatments is a well-known clinical complication due to incidental or iatrogenic air or gas penetration into the subcutaneous tissues and fascial planes, leading to distension of the overlying skin. To the best of our knowledge, from 1960 to the current date, only six cases have been reported arising from peri-implant cleaning or non-surgical peri-implantitis treatment. Therefore, the present case of subcutaneous facial emphysema following open-flap air-powder abrasive debridement was the first report during surgical peri-implantitis therapy. Swelling on the left cheek and periorbital space suddenly arose in a 65-year-old woman during open-flap debridement with sodium bicarbonate air-powder abrasion (PROPHYflex™ 3 with periotip, KaVo, Biberach, Germany) of the infected implant surface. The etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, potential complications, and management of subcutaneous emphysema are also briefly reviewed. The present case report draws the attention of dental practitioners, periodontists, oral surgeons, and dental hygienists to the potential iatrogenic risk of subcutaneous emphysema in using air-powder devices in implant surface debridement.

Modeling Immiscible Fluid Displacement in a Porous Medium Using Lattice Boltzmann Method

The numerical investigation of the interpenetrating flow dynamics of a gas injected into a homogeneous porous media saturated with liquid is presented. The analysis is undertaken as a function of the inlet velocity, liquid–gas viscosity ratio (D) and physical properties of the porous medium, such as porous geometry and surface wettability. The study aims to improve understanding of the interaction between the physical parameters involved in complex multiphase flow in porous media (e.g., CO2 sequestration in aquifers). The numerical simulation of a gaseous phase being introduced through a 2D porous medium constructed using seven staggered columns of either circular- or square-shaped micro-obstacles mimicking the solid walls of the pores is performed using the multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). The gas–liquid fingering phenomenon is triggered by a small geometrical asymmetry deliberately introduced in the first column of obstacles. Our study shows that the amount of gas penetration into the porous medium depends on surface wettability and on a set of parameters such as capillary number (Ca), liquid–gas viscosity ratio (D), pore geometry and surface wettability. The results demonstrate that increasing the capillary number and the surface wettability leads to an increase in the effective gas penetration rate, disregarding porous medium configuration, while increasing the viscosity ratio decreases the penetration rate, again disregarding porous medium configuration.

Effect of Froude Number on Submerged Gas Blowing Characteristics

The flow behavior of gas in compressible and incompressible systems was investigated at an ambient temperature in an air–water system and at an operating process temperature in the IronArc system, using computational fluid dynamics. The simulation results were verified by experiments in the air–water system and established empirical equations to enable reliable predictions of the penetration length. The simulations in the air–water system were found to replicate the experimental behavior using both the incompressible and compressible models, with only small deviations of 7–8%. A lower requirement for the modified Froude number of the gas blowing to produce a jetting behavior was also found. For gas blowing below the required modified Froude number, the results illustrate that the gas will form large pulsating bubbles instead of a steady jet, which causes the empirical equation calculations to severely underpredict the penetration length. The lower modified Froude number limit was also found to be system dependent and to have an approximate value of 300 for the studied IronArc system. For submerged blowing applications, it was found that it is important to ensure sufficiently high modified Froude numbers of the gas blowing. Then, the gas penetration length will remain stable as a jet and it will be possible to predict the values using empirical equations.

Fracture Initiation, Gas Ejection, and Strain Waves Measured on Specimen Surfaces in Model Rock Blasting

Crack velocity, gas ejection, and stress waves play an important role in determining delay time, designing a blast and understanding the mechanism of rock fragmentation by blasting. In this paper, the emerging times of the earliest cracks and gas ejection on the lateral surfaces of cylindrical granite specimens with a diameter of 240 mm and a length of 300 mm were determined by high-speed photography, and the strain waves measured by an instrument of dynamic strain measurement during model blasting. The results showed that: (1) the measured velocity of gas penetration into the radial cracks was in a range of 196–279 m/s; (2) the measured velocity of a radial crack extending from the blasthole to the specimen surface varied from 489 to 652 m/s; (3) the length of strain waves measured was about 2800 µs, which is approximately 1000 times greater than the detonation time. At about 2850 µs after detonation was initiated, gases were still ejected from the surface cracks, and the specimens still stood at their initial places, although surface cracks had opened widely.

EFFECT OF SURFACE-PENETRANTS FOR CONCRETE UNDER FREEZE-THAW CYCLES

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures are generally deteriorated by penetration of water and gases that induce corrosion of reinforcements. Surface-penetrants, which increase gas-penetration resistance of concrete, can improve the long-term durability of RC members. A kind of surface-treatment, such as silane penetrants, gives a high water-repellant effect to concrete. It is well known that concrete in cold regions is occasionally damaged by freezing and thawing (F-T) cycles. In a microscopic viewpoint, water-pressure in pore structures of concrete increases due to freezing. The increase of internal water pressure may be a cause of the F-T damage of concrete. It is possibly hard to ease the water-pressure in saturated concrete incorporating the water-repellant penetrant. That is, the surface-treated concrete under the F-T cycles may deteriorate seriously. To examine the effect of surface-treatment, the study conducted the F-T test (JIS A 1148) by using concrete that was painted with surface-penetrants. The foci of this investigation are to examine the F-T durability of surface-treated concretes and to compare the effect of the surface-penetrants. This paper reports the effects of the water-repellant penetrant on the F-T durability.

The Role of Electrification in the Decarbonization of Central-Western Europe

Scenario studies of energy transition generally point to the central role of electricity. This notion is ambiguous as its interpretation can range from an electricity-only policy to portfolios of different energy vectors with a dominance of electricity. This ambiguity adds to the uncertainty that already pervades today’s investment environment. This paper examines the centrality of electricity through a so-called “variational scenario” analysis with policies obtained by a mix of electricity-only and green gas penetration while maintaining constant decarbonization objectives. Electricity is a complex product that can only be further complicated by the high penetration of renewables and its interaction with the production and use of synthetic fuels. The variational scenario analysis is conducted with sufficiently fine (hourly) granularity to produce an adequate representation of these phenomena. It shows that tilting the central role of electricity to a mix of electricity and green gas offers several advantages in terms of efficiency, flexibility of investment strategies, and robustness with respect to major uncertainties. It shows that the variational scenario analysis can be extended to more complex mixes of policies.

Причины свечения аномального вторичного потока в сверхзвуковых кластированных струях, возбужденных высоковольтным электронным пучком

The role of clustered particles in the formation of a secondary flow (“wake”) occuring at the gas expiring into a rarefied medium in condensation modes is established. The “wake” boundaries were found by comparing the spectral and photometric measurements. Possible mechanisms for initiating luminescence in "wake" are considered. The role of energy exchange of clusters with background gas in the afterglow of the "wake" has been found out. The wavelengths and corresponding transitions in the neutral (Ar-I) and once ionized (Ar-II) argon atoms, which determine the anomalous glow, were discovered. The lifetimes in the excited state of particles in the central part and on the periphery of the clustered flow are detected. The effect of condensation on the background gas penetration into the primary traditional supersonic jet and into the “wake” zone is found.

Modeling Gas–Liquid Flow Between Rotating and Nonrotating Annular Disks

When a liquid is forced to flow radially outward in the gap between two coaxial, parallel annular disks—one rotating and one stationary—the liquid occupies the entire gap until the speed of the rotating disk reaches a critical value. Beyond that critical speed, gas from the outer radius starts to enter into the gap, a process referred to as aeration. The higher the rotational speed, the greater is the extent of penetration by the gas into the gap. The extent of gas penetration strongly affects the torque exerted between the two disks because of the large difference in the gas and liquid viscosities. In this study, a reduced-order model is developed to predict the onset of aeration, extent of gas penetration into the gap, and drag torque as a function of the disk's rotational speed, gap between disks, properties of the liquid, and mass flow rate of the liquid forced through the gap. The model developed was validated by comparing predictions with experimental data.