A Method to Increase the Leaching Progress of Salt Caverns with the Use of the Hydro-Jet Technique

For the storage of hydrocarbons, hydrogen, or other products, underground caverns left over from the exploitation of salt deposits, or made specifically for this purpose, are successfully used. This article analyses the effectiveness of currently used well-leaching technologies in terms of the possibility of increasing the speed of obtaining industrial brine, better control of the shape of the created cavern, and, as a result, a shorter production time. An innovative solution was proposed, which consisted of creating appropriate niches in the walls of the leach well using the high-pressure hydrojet technique, just before the start of the sump leaching. A series of numerical simulations of the technologies were performed for various combinations of niche locations along the well, determining the successive phases of the formation of the cavern space at individual stages and the brine concentration increments for the two assumed technology scenarios. As a result of the modified technology, the possibility of creating a sump with a volume greater than 17%, compared to the classical method carried out at the same time, was indicated. The resulting sump also had a better shape to partially eliminate the reduction in leaching efficiency due to the accumulation of insoluble matter at the bottom. In addition, the brine obtained according to the modified technology had a 15% higher concentration than in the classical method.

Comminution of Copper Ores with the Use of a High-Pressure Water Jet

The article presents research on the comminution of copper ore in a self-constructed mill using high-pressure water jet energy to investigate the usefulness of such a method for comminuting copper ore. As a result, ore particles are obtained that are characterized by appropriate comminution and a significant increase in their specific surface, in turn allowing for potential further processing of the mineral. A comparative analysis of the efficiency of copper ore comminution, primarily taking into account the unit energy consumption and the efficiency of the milling process, clearly indicates that the energy absorption of hydro-jet material comminuting is lower than during mechanical grinding, e.g., in a planetary ball mill. The applicability of the technique depends on the brittle nature of the host rock, e.g., it is especially appropriate for sandstone and shale ores.

Development equipment for hydro-jet forming of women designer's headwear

The objective of this research is to develop the equipment for liquid-jet forming of women's headwear hats, which will allow expanding design assortment of these products. The equipment for cyclic liquid-jet forming of headwear hats in liquid-active working environment (LAWE) with forming element rotation was designed. The mechanism of movement and orientation of liquid -jet forming nozzle was developed, which allows influencing fabric parts by flooded and controlled liquid-jet, repeating the contour at a certain distance and with appropriate angle attack on each technological section of the part. The conducted experimental research allowed to receive semi-spherical forms of headwear hats from six fabrics suit-coat assortments, which are one of the most difficult forms of non-seam forming. Completely formed hats of a given complex configuration were obtained by liquid-jet forming, different from standard semi-spherical ones. The developed equipment provides mobility of the production from the point of view of quick equipment adaptation due to action use of flooded controlled liquid-jet and forming of a significant number of various hats contours, various combinations of technological forming modes.

Hydro-jet propelled colonoscopy: proof of concept in a phantom colon

Background Colonoscopy is a widely used and effective procedure, but it often causes patient discomfort and its execution requires considerable skill and training. We demonstrate an alternative approach to colonoscope propulsion with the potential to minimise patient discomfort by reducing the forces exerted on the colonic wall and mesentery, and to reduce the level of skill required for execution. Methods A prototype colonoscopic device is described, consisting of a tethered capsule that is propelled and manoeuvred through a water-filled colon (hydro-colonoscopy) by an array of water jets. As an initial proof of concept, experiments were performed to assess the ability of the device to navigate through a simplified PVA cryogel human colon phantom arranged in various anatomical configurations. Results The prototype was capable of successfully navigating through three out of four colon configurations: a simple layout, alpha loop and reverse alpha loop. It was unable to negotiate the fourth configuration involving an “N loop”, but this was attributed to problems with the colon phantom. In the successful test replicates, mean complete insertion (i.e. caecal intubation) time was 4.7 min. Measured pressures, temperatures and forces exerted on the colon appeared to be within a physiologically acceptable range. The results demonstrate the viability of propelling a colonoscope through a colon phantom using hydro-jets. Conclusions Results indicate that this approach has the potential to enable rapid and safe caecal intubation. This suggests that further development towards clinical translation is worthwhile.

RESEARCH OF DEPENDENCE OF THE INTENSITY OF WEARING OF STRUCTURAL FORMING NOZZLES ON THE PARAMETERS OF THEIR OPERA TION

The prospects for the use of processing tools that use the energy of expiring highspeed fine jets in mechanical engineering, construction, mining and other industries are obvious today. At the same time, the jet forming, and for some inkjet technologies, also the collimating nozzle is an integral part of any hydro-jet tool.