Field Demonstration of Heat Technology to Mitigate Heat Sinks for Drywood Termite (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) Management

With heat treatments to control drywood termites (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae), the presence of heat sinks causes heat to be distributed unevenly throughout the treatment areas. Drywood termites may move to galleries in heat sink areas to avoid exposure to lethal temperatures. Our studies were conducted in Crytotermes brevis-infested condominiums in Honolulu, Hawaii to reflect real-world condominium scenarios; either a standard heat treatment performed by a heat remediation company, or an improved heat treatment was used. For improved treatments, heated air was directed into the toe-kick voids of C. brevis infested cabinets to reduce heat sink effects and increase heat penetration into these difficult-to-heat areas. Eight thermistor sensors placed inside the toe-kick voids, treatment zone, embedded inside cabinets’ sidewalls, and in a wooden cube recorded target temperatures of above 46 °C or 50 °C for 120 min. Pre-treatment and follow-up inspections were performed at 6 months posttreatment to monitor termite inactivity using visual observations and by recording the numbers of spiked peaks on a microwave technology termite detection device (Termatrac). In improved treatment condominiums, significantly higher numbers of spiked peaks were recorded at pre-treatment as compared to 6 months posttreatment. Efficacious heat treatment protocols using the improved methods are proposed.

Field Demonstration of Heat Technology to Mitigate Heat Sinks for Drywood Termite (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) Management

With heat treatments to control drywood termites (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae), the presence of heat sinks causes heat to be distributed unevenly throughout the treatment areas. Drywood termites may move to galleries in heat sink areas to avoid exposure to lethal temperatures. Our studies were conducted in Crytotermes brevis-infested condominiums in Honolulu, Hawaii to reflect real-world condominium scenarios; either a standard heat treatment performed by a heat remediation company or an improved heat treatment was used. For improved treatments, heated air was directed into the toe-kick voids of C. brevis infested cabinets to reduce heat sink effects and increase the heat penetration into these difficult-to-heat areas. Eight thermistor sensors placed inside toe-kick voids, treatment zone, embedded inside cabinets’ sidewalls, and in a wooden cube recorded target temperatures of above 46 °C or 50 °C for 120 minutes. A pretreatment and follow-up inspections were performed at 6 months posttreatment to monitor termite inactivity using visual observations and by recording the numbers of spiked peaks on a microwave technology termite detection device (Termatrac). In improved treatment condominiums, significantly higher numbers of spiked peaks were recorded at pretreatment as compared to 6 months posttreatment. Efficacious heat treatment protocols using the improved methods are proposed.

Technology Innovations in Dementia Care: Improvements in Functional Assessments Through Background Sensing

Technological innovations are becoming commonplace in research among persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers. However, few studies attempt to validate technology’s ability to appropriately monitor functional assessment in dementia care research. Bringing together industry, academia, and health care, we demonstrate the feasibility of using a novel in-situ sensor system to continuously and accurately assess daily functions for PWLDs in home or assisted care settings. Phase1 revealed a high accuracy (~85%) of detecting and classifying ADLs between sensors and human loggers across 26 defined activities. Phase 2, which will target 140 PLWDs, has already demonstrated the value of such sensors in detecting safety concerns (e.g., no heat). Technology-driven research for PLWD and their caregivers have practical applications for assessing diverse forms of functional assessment and environmental conditions which can improve measurement precision over time and space and the ability to better tailor care plans for PLWDs and their caregivers.

Heat Technology Aiming to Mitigate Structural Heat Sinks for Drywood Termite (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) Management

With heat treatments to control drywood termites (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae), the presence of heat sinks, which have insulating properties, causes heat to be distributed unevenly throughout the treatment areas. Drywood termites may move to galleries in heat sink areas to avoid exposure to lethal temperatures. To mitigate heat sink effect, studies were conducted in Crytotermes brevis-infested homes in Honolulu, Hawaii to reflect real-world scenarios; either a standard heat treatment performed by a heat remediation company or improved heat treatment methods were used. For improved treatments, heated air was directed into the toe-kick voids of cabinets to reduce heat sink effects. Eight thermistor sensors were placed inside toe-kick voids, in the treatment zone, embedded inside cabinets or the sidewall, or in a wooden cube to monitor internal and ambient temperatures to ensure sufficiently high heat reached all areas. Target temperatures above 46 °C or 50 °C were recorded in all areas for 120 minutes. A pretreatment inspection was conducted, and follow-up inspections were performed at 6 months posttreatment to confirm termite inactivity using visual observations and a Termatrac device. In improved treatment homes, no termite activity was found after treatment. Efficacious heat treatment protocols for structures using the improved method are proposed.

Study on Autogenous Heat Technology of Offshore Oilfield: Experiment Research, Process Design, and Application

Conventional heavy oil has abundant reserves and low recovery efficiency in offshore oilfields. Autogenous heat technology uses 2-3 kinds of inorganic salt solution to produce inert gas and release a lot of heat under the action of a catalyst. It is applied to improve heavy oil recovery of the offshore oilfield. This paper applies experimental schemes such as viscosity reduction rate evaluation, heat conditions, gas production conditions, reaction rate control, and effect of environmental factors. This paper evaluates the performance of the autogenous heat system, optimizes the process parameters, and designs the process scheme and construction scheme according to the oil well production. This paper researches an autogenous heat system with nontoxic and high heat production and optimizes the catalyst type, concentration, and time to reach exothermic peak. When the concentration of the thermogenic agent is 1.5 mol/L in the autogenous heat system, the range of temperature rise is 67°C, which achieves the target requirement of more than 50°C. Field application shows that the autogenous heat system can effectively reduce the viscosity of heavy oil, dissolve solid paraffin, clean organic scale, improve reservoir permeability, and increase heavy oil production. This paper applies autogenous heat technology to improving the efficiency of heavy oil recovery of the offshore oilfield. Research conclusions show that the autogenous heat system can effectively reduce the viscosity of heavy oil, improve reservoir permeability, and increase heavy oil production.

Scientific and Methodological Bases of Exergetic Analysis of the Processes of Heat Treatment of Concrete Products in Heat Technology Installations. Part 2

This article is the second part of the research devoted to the exergetic analysis of heat treatment processes of concrete products in heat technology installations. In the first part, the issues of calculating the exergy of a concrete mixture and hardening concrete have been considered, taking into account all the components of the exergy, viz. reaction, concentration and thermomechanical ones. In the present part of the study, exergetic criteria are proposed that make it possible to evaluate the energy efficiency of the operating modes of heat-technological equipment for the heat treatment of concrete products. These include the degree of thermodynamic perfection of a heat-power system, which is used to evaluate the completeness of the use of the exergetic input; thermodynamic efficiency of the system of heat treatment of concrete products in heat technology installations, representing the degree of thermodynamic perfection of the heat power system that is calculated without taking into account all the components of the sum of transit exergies; thermodynamic efficiency of the heat treatment system, taking into account the exergetic efficiency of the system of heat energy production and transportation; the degree of technological perfection that indicates at the portion of the exergy supplied to the heat technology installation for the heat treatment of concrete products is intended to obtain a technological result. To calculate the listed indicators and characteristics, a mathematical apparatus is proposed that takes into account the mass of the concrete product, the specific mass exergy of cement and hardening concrete, the specified degree of hydration of cement in concrete at the end of heat treatment, the exergetic flows supplied to the product in a heat technology installation during its heat treatment, and numerical indicators characterizing the incompleteness of the cement hydration process. The results obtained in this paper are discussed from the viewpoint of their applicability in the selection of heat treatment modes. They can be used in the selection of energy-saving modes of heat-technological equipment for industrial heat treatment of concrete products.

Thermodynamic analysis of the thermal-technological complex of sugar production: criteria for energy efficiency of an enterprise

A procedure for analyzing the effectiveness of using fuel and energy resources (FER) in sugar production, based on the developed idealized circuit of the thermal-technological complex (TTC) as the base for comparison was presented. This procedure makes it possible to quantify the level of perfection of existing and proposed thermal circuits, as well as the impact of measures for enhancing energy efficiency on their perfection. By idealizing technological and energy processes, a hypothetical TTC was synthesized, for which the minimum possible energy and entropy characteristics are determined. Under these conditions, the minimum possible heat consumption for the implementation of technological processes according to the classical heat technology circuit was calculated – 118.40 MJ/t; a "minimum" total increase in entropy from irreversible processes of the HTC – 314.68 kJ/(t·K); a minimum complex magnitude of specific consumption of conventional fuel – 0.8 % to m. b. The determined characteristics are absolute criteria for the efficiency of sugar production systems, since it is impossible to reach lower values under existing technology, quality of raw materials and other conditions. The content of the criteria of energy efficiency of TTC was stated and the system of coefficients was proposed: coefficient of total energy efficiency of the TTC, coefficient of energy efficiency of the system of heat supply of the technological processes and coefficients of energy efficiency of internal and external structures of the TTC. The proposed criteria provide an objective and thermodynamically correct characteristic of the TTC of different structures. The presented results of analysis of various measures for increasing the energy efficiency of sugar production show that only a gradual comprehensive reconstruction of an enterprise makes it possible to consistently reduce the FER consumption for technological needs, approaching the boundary values.

Influence of Vanadium-Chromium Carbide on the Microstructure of Reinforced FeCrV15 Hardfacing during Laser Cladding Deposit

The increasing manufacturing technologies is a crucial aspect of industrialization. Laser additive manufacturing is the process of manufacturing using laser (heat) technology to manufacture component from scratch and or strengthening and modification of surfaces that are subject to abrasion. The combination of both Chromium Carbide (CrC) and Vanadium Carbide reinforced iron based hard facings have gotten progressively significant in enhancing the corrosion and wear resistance of tool subject to adverse abrasive and impact conditions. This study investigates the effect of vanadium-chromium carbide on the microstructure of the clad with respect to its laser processing parameters.

Scientific and Methodological Bases of Exergetic Analysis of the Processes of Heat Treatment of Concrete Products in Heat Technology Installations

Having proven its effectiveness in finding the best options for energy supply and energy consumption the exergetic method of thermodynamic analysis of complex heat and power systems has been widely recognized in recent years. However, its application is hindered by the lack of appropriate scientific and methodological heat technology support, especially if their application involves not only transformation of energy, but also transformation of substances. Heat treatment of concrete and reinforced concrete products belongs to such technologies. This article presents new scientific results related to the development of exergetic balances of the processes of preparation of concrete mixture in a mixer and heat treatment of a concrete product in a heat-technological installation. For each of these cases, the analysis of exergetic flows was carried out, the structure of the exergy of the concrete mixture and the hardening concrete was determined. Based on the analysis of the literature data on the chemical composition of cement clinkers, cements, and hydration products, new dependences have been proposed for calculating the exergy of the concrete mixture flow and the exergy of concrete under its heat treatment, including all their components, viz. thermomechanical, reaction, and concentration constituents. Absolute energy indicators have been developed. The calculation of the mentioned values was performed on a specific example with the use of the developed scientific and methodological support. In the second part of this paper, the results of the study related to the determination of relative exergetic indicators that allow evaluating the energy efficiency of the processes of heat treatment of concrete products in heat technology installations will be published. The results obtained in this paper can be used for the selection of energy-saving modes of heat-technological equipment intended for industrial heat treatment of concrete products.

Energy-saving heat technologies for obtaining soy based plant powders

The monograph is devoted to solving the problem of energy-saving and development of resource-saving heat technology for processing soybeans and their mixtures with carotene-containing raw materials on functional phytoestrogenic food powders. The paper considers modern research and methods of processing phytoestrogenic raw materials. The study of heat and mass transfer processes during convective drying and the study of thermophysical and physicochemical properties of phytoestrogenic raw materials and its proteincarotene mixtures are presented. Innovative heat technology for the production of phytoestrogenic powders based on soybeans, recommended for use in the pharmaceutical, dairy and food industries, has been developed. The monograph is intended for employees of the food industry, students of higher educational institutions, masters and graduate students of engineering and technical specialties.