Continuous tannin extraction by use of screw reactor

A pilot-size screw reactor (extraction unit) was used for tannin extraction of spruce. Yield of the same magnitude or better was obtained when comparing a screw reactor with batch reactors. A longer presoaking time in water seemed to be better than a short one for obtaining higher yield. A higher yield is obtained with lower dry-water ratio, which suggests that the internal diffusion in bark does not determine mass transfer as much as is the case without presoaking of bark. The higher dry-water ratio decreased the yield. The prior soaking of the bark also minimized the mechanical reactor feeding problems (clogging). The benefits of a screw reactor likely are that run time changes for different process conditions are flexible; it simplifies design and construction of an industrial unit for tannin production; and it saves space because of the need for fewer and smaller intermediate storage tanks.

Study on Early Warning Method of Cylinder Block's Off-Center Position and Swing Failure for 50 MW Steam Turbine

Due to the special structure of the cylinder block, there is an off-center position and swing fault in the process of start-up and operation of the 50 MW extraction unit. Moreover, the lack of effective monitoring and early warning means seriously affects the safety of the unit operation. Therefore, it is very important to forewarn the fault of cylinder off-center position and swing. First of all, through the design of cylinder block offset amplifying mechanism for fault monitoring, the data of eccentric swing required for establishing mathematical model is obtained. Then, neural network is selected for data-driven modeling, two time series prediction models are obtained, and the influence of input and output parameters on the prediction accuracy is studied. Finally, by selecting reasonable early warning value and decision rules, an effective early warning of off-center position and swing fault is realized, and a monitoring device for real-time monitoring and fault early warning is developed. The actual application effect shows that this early warning method has important engineering value to avoid equipment damage caused by the swing fault for 50 MW unit.

An FPGA-Based Neuron Activity Extraction Unit for a Wireless Neural Interface

As computational and functional brain model development are solely dependent upon the data acquired from the neural interface, this device plays a vital role in both prosthetic developments and neurological experiments. A wireless neural interface is preferred over a traditional wired one because it can maximize the comfort of the subject and ensure the freedom of movement while implemented. This paper describes the field programmable gate array (FPGA) prototype design of a low-power multichannel neuron activity extraction unit suitable for a wireless neural interface. To achieve the low-power requirement, we proposed a novel neural signal extraction algorithm which can provide an up to 6000X transmission rate reduction considering the input signal. Consequently, this technique offers at least 2X power reduction compared to the state-of-the-art systems. We implemented this scheme in Xilinx Zynq-7000 FPGA, which can be used as an intermediate transition towards the application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design for on-chip neural signal processing. The proposed FPGA prototype offers reconfigurable computability, which means the model can be modified and verified according to prerequisites before the final ASIC design. This prototype consists of a signal filtering unit and a signal extraction unit which can be used either as stand-alone units or combined as a complete system. Our proposed scheme also provides a provision to work as a single-channel or a scalable multichannel interface based on user’s demands. We collected practical neural signals from rat brains and validated the efficacy of the implemented system using in-silico signal processing.

Livelihood Opportunities in Agri-Allied Sector for Rural Youth: A Case of Bargarh District in Odisha

There has been a lot of debate over employment and its opportunities in the recent times. With more number of reverse migrations occurring daily and lack of employment opportunities for the rural youth, there has been increasing concern about the entrepreneurial activities for rural youth and their involvement therein. However, for any agri-allied start-up, the opportunities and options available play a major role. Thus, a study was conducted on the livelihood opportunities available in agri-allied sector in Bargarh district of Odisha and to analyze the constraints faced by the respondents therein. The findings of the study revealed that majority of respondents (mean score=1.30) were engaged in vegetable vending business where as oil extraction unit (mean score=1.03) was least preferred. Dairy unit (mean score=1.19) in animal husbandry based inventories was preferred over others, engagement in forestry based inventories revealed collection of Mahua flower/fruit (mean score=1.09) was ranked first while Lac cultivation and processing ranked fourth (mean score=1.02). Major findings revealed that there was a need to overcome the constraints by access to agricultural implements and equipments at low price followed by availability of agricultural credit at proper time, correspondence of right information at right time by extension officers, conduction of extension activities viz, kisan mela, demonstration, exhibition, training, visits, training requirements on improved poultry farming, fish farming and livestock managements, facilitation of crop insurance, recommended information on seed and fertilizer at proper time, herbicides and pesticide in low price and provision of irrigation facility respectively. The study suggests that for effective participation of rural youth in native entrepreneurial activities, motivation is primarily required along with proper training and orientation about self employment programmes.

MODERNIZATION OF THE CONTROL SYSTEM OF THE DEWAXED OIL EXTRACTION UNIT

Improving the efficiency of the technological process, as well as continuous quality control of products. Development of the control system and the emergency protection on the basis of electronic control and automation, operating independently of each other and meeting the requirements of legislation in the field of industrial safety.

High-power electron accelerator for the production of neutrons and radioisotopes

The purpose of the work is to study the possible use of existing high-power electron accelerators for neutron therapy and the production of radioisotopes. Calculations were performed for both applications and the results were normalized to the characteristics of the existing MEVEX accelerator (average electron current 4 mA at a monoenergetic electron beam of 35 MeV). A unifying problem for the applications is the task of cooling the target: at a beam energy of about 140 kW, almost half of this energy is released directly in the target. For this reason, a liquid heavy metal was chosen as a target in order to combine the high quality of thermohydraulics with the maximum performance of both bremsstrahlung radiation and photoneutrons. The targets were optimized using precision codes for radiation transfer and thermal-hydraulic applications. Optimization was also carried out on the installation as a whole: (1) on the composition of the material and the configuration of the photoneutron extraction unit for neutron capture therapy (NCT) and (2) on the bremsstrahlung generation scheme for producing radioisotopes. The photoneutron unit provides an acceptable beam quality for NCT with a large neutron flux density at the output: ~ 2·1010 cm–2s–1, which is an order of magnitude higher than the output values of existing and planned reactor beams. Such intensity at the beam output will make it possible in many cases to abandon fractionated irradiation. As for the production of radioisotopes, in the calculations for the (γ, n) reaction, 43 radionuclides in five groups were obtained. For example, using the Mo100(γ, n)99Mo reaction, it is possible to obtain the 99Mo precursor of the main diagnostic isotope 99mTc with a specific activity of ~ 6 Ci/g and a total target activity of 1.8 kCi after irradiation for 24 hours. The proposed schemes for generating and outputting photoneutrons and bremsstrahlung have a number of obvious advantages over traditional methods, including: (a) the use of electron accelerators for producing neutrons is much safer and cheaper than the use of reactor beams; (b) the accelerator with the target and the beam extraction unit with the necessary equipment and tooling can be easily placed in a clinical setting; and (c) the proposed liquid gallium target for NCT, which also serves as a coolant, is an “environmentally friendly” material: its activation is relatively small and drops quickly (after about four days) to the background level.

Fatty Acids and Trans Fatty Acids Profile of Potato Chips and French Fries Marketed in Romania

The aim of the study was to evaluate the composition in fatty acids (FAi) and trans fatty acids (t-FAi) from potato chips and French fries using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The fat sample was extracted with petroleum ether, using the Buchi B-811 automatic extraction unit, the Soxhlet Standard procedure. The extracted fat was saponified with sodium methoxide solution and the fatty acids derivatized into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) with BF3 methanolic solution. Six potato chips samples and six French fries samples, coming from 3, respectively 5 brands, were purchased from supermarkets and fast foods in Bucharest, Romania. In potato chips, saturated (SFA), cis-monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were present between 6.410 - 48.862%, 41.786 - 84.570%, respectively 5.567 - 28.274%, and in French fries ranged between 7.001 - 57.277%, 35.281 � 57.894%, respectively 7.442 � 49.392%. The tested samples showed that the level of total trans fatty acids (TFA) was less than 0.2% (undetectable - 0.124%). It can be concluded that potato chips and French fries marketed in Bucharest, Romania are safe for consumers in terms of TFA content.