Experimental investigations on rotation–vibration energy transfer in H2-N2 collisions

We investigated the rotational-vibrational impact energy transfer processes in a H2–N2 gas mixture system. The stimulated Raman pumping technique was used to excite H2 molecules to the (1,7) high rotational states. The population of the H2(1,7) level was verified by the coherent anti-Stokes Raman (CARS) spectra, the total pressure of the mixture was maintained at 500 Torr, and nitrogen with different molar ratios was filled in the sample cell. The collisional deactivation rate coefficients of the excited state H2(1,7) with H2 and N2 were obtained by fitting the experimental data with the Stern–Volmer equation. The multi-quantum near-resonant rotational relaxation process of H2(1, 7) colliding with N2 was confirmed by the time-resolved CARS profile measurements of H2(v=1, J=7, 5, 3) after the excitation of H2(1, 7).

Study on the Joint Toxicity of Multi-component Mixtures of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

Pollutants generally exist as mixtures in the environment. Their cumulative toxicity and toxicity interactions are potential risks. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the variation of joint toxicity of a multi-component mixture system, which consisted of six common quaternary ammonium salt surfactants in the environment, on Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67 (Q67). Vibrio qinghaiensis sp. -Q67 (Vqin-Q67) is a freshwater luminescent bacterium that continuously emits blue-green light (485 nm). The bacterium has been widely used for detecting toxic contaminants. In the mixture system, the luminescent toxicity of each component of the mixture to Q67 was determined by the microplate toxicity analysis method, and the toxicity interaction of the mixture was determined by the toxicity unit method (TU). The combined toxicity of the mixture system was investigated from four aspects, including the number of components, key components, concentration (toxicity) ratio, and exposure time. The results showed that the combined toxic effect of the same mixture system tends to be an additive effect with the increase of the number of components. The combined toxicity of the mixture system was close to that of the key components. Antagonism was presented in the equal toxicity mixture, while synergism was presented in the non-equal toxicity mixture. The combined toxic effect of the multi-component mixture system was not only related to the concentration of the pollutant but also related to the exposure time of the pollutant.

Application of Ethylene Oxide Gas and Argon Gas Mixture System Method for Scale Deacidification of Cellulose-Based Cultural Heritage Collections

Deacidification plays an important role in the conservation of paper-based cultural heritage objects. Herein, a novel approach for the conservation of scale paper-based cultural heritage objects is proposed using a mixture of argon and ethylene oxide (EO-Ar) for the first time. The optimum process conditions for deacidification of ethylene oxide and argon mixture system are determined by orthogonal testing. To evaluate the stabilization effect of paper treated with EO-Ar, the degradation of the mechanical properties (tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength tests) of paper after artificial aging was evaluated. The results show that the treated paper had better durability with respect to tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength. Additionally, thermal stability, crystallinity and fiber wall thickness increased after EO-Ar treated, which was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), diffraction of X-rays (XRD), and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis. Some compounds, such as polyethylene glycol, organic acids, esters, were detected by GC-MS after treatment with EO-Ar. Two hundred and forty books including acidic, weak acidic and alkaline books were successfully deacidified, resulting in pH values of paper ranges suitable for paper preservation. Finally, a possible mechanism of deacidification of EO-Ar was proposed.

URAGAN-2M GAS MIXING SYSTEM

Gas mixture system (GMS) was developed, created and installed at Uragan-2M (U-2M) device. GMS is based on already known gas mixing method  successive puffing. It is implemented through successive puffing of several gases from separate high pressure cylinders into working volume. A number of experiments were carried out to create a He+H2 gas mixture with different percentages. The results of measurements of the He+H2 percentage in the GMS and the U-2M vacuum chamber are in good agreement each to other. This system allows you to change the pressure of the mixture in the U-2M chamber at a constant percentage of gases in the mixture.

Study on Binary Mixture System of Lauroyl Sodium Glutamate Surfactant

In the present study, binary mixtures of sodium N-lauroylglutamate (SLG) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) or dodecylbetaine (BS-12) were examined for their synergistic effect. The surface chemical properties of the compound systems with different molar ratios were determined by the regular solution theory. Results indicated that both compound systems show synergistic effects of overall synergy, in which the SLG/DTAC system exhibited a better activity than the SLG/BS-12 system. The aggregation number of SLG compound systems was smaller than that of single surfactants, and the difference of the proportion of the two surfactants had little effect on the aggregation number of compound systems.

Molecular dynamic simulation of the molecular characteristic and mechanical property of methane hydrate/ water/ ice mixture

The microscopic molecular characteristic will impact on the mechanical property of hydrate. Thus, molecular dynamics simulation is employed to investigate the molecular characteristic and mechanical property of methane hydrate/ water/ ice mixture system. The brittle fracture occurred during the tensile deformation of the system. Besides, the maximum stress of the hydrate/ water/ ice mixture system is lower than that of intact hydrate system. The fracture strain of studied system is smaller than that of pure hydrate system. The order parameters F3 and F4 can be used for determining the fracture position of mixture system and the changing of micro configuration on the mixture interface.

Numerical Simulation Investigation on Foamy Oil Behavior for a System of Heavy Oil-Mixture Solvent in Porous Media

Heavy oil resources, as a non-renewable energy resource, often requires extra enhanced oil recovery techniques such as solvent-based processes. Many kinds of solvents including pure and mixed solvent have been tested in the solvent-based applications. Compared with pure solvent, the solvent mixture has an advantage of relatively higher dew point pressure while maintaining desirable solubility in heavy oil. The characterization of foamy oil behavior in pure solvent system is different from the solvent mixture system despite their similarities. Thus, an additional numerical simulation study is necessary for solvent mixture system. This work conducted simulation studies to investigate foamy oil behavior in a heavy oil-mixture solvent (C1+C3) system from pressure depletion tests. A better understanding of foamy oil characterization and mechanism in a heavy oil-mixture solvent system is obtained. A reliable non-equilibrium model is developed to perform simulation studies. Since previous experiments suggest the behavior of foamy oil in the solvent mixture system share similarities with the heavy oil-methane system, this investigation first conducted simulation study with consideration of two reactions in the model and achieved good agreements between the simulated calculation results and experimentally measurement. Then four reactions are considered in the model for simulation study and obtained better history match results. The simulation results suggest methane has more impact on the foamy oil behaviors than propane in the heavy oil-mixture solvent system. This work also discussed effect of model parameters involved in the history matching process and conducted sensitivity analysis.

Synergistic Solubilization of Phenanthrene by Mixed Micelles Composed of Biosurfactants and a Conventional Non-Ionic Surfactant

This study investigated the solubilization capabilities of rhamnolipids biosurfactant and synthetic surfactant mixtures for the application of a mixed surfactant in surfactant-enhanced remediation. The mass ratios between Triton X-100 and rhamnolipids were set at 1:0, 9:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 0:1. The ideal critical micelle concentration values of the Triton X-100/rhamnolipids mixture system were higher than that of the theoretical predicted value suggesting the existence of interactions between the two surfactants. Solubilization capabilities were quantified in term of weight solubilization ratio and micellar-water partition coefficient. The highest value of the weight solubilization ratio was detected in the treatment where only Triton X-100 was used. This ratio decreased with the increase in the mass of rhamnolipids in the mixed surfactant systems. The parameters of the interaction between surfactants and the micellar mole fraction in the mixed system have been determined. The factors that influence phenanthrene solubilization, such as pH, ionic strength, and acetic acid concentration have been discussed in the paper. The aqueous solubility of phenanthrene increased linearly with the total surfactant concentration in all treatments. The mixed rhamnolipids and synthetic surfactants showed synergistic behavior and enhanced the solubilization capabilities of the mixture, which would extend the rhamnolipids application.