Energy and exergy analysis of a downstream single-row air washer at different droplet diameters for air cooling application

This study proposes a downstream single-row air washer for air cooling. The theoretical energy and exergy balance models were established at different droplet diameters and verified by the experimental data. Based on the abovementioned theoretical relationship, the single performance indicator of heat exchange efficiency (HEE) and exergy efficiency was quantitatively analyzed; a comprehensive analysis method of two indicators was proposed, combining HEE and exergy efficiency, and a numerical simulation was carried out. Results show that the smaller the droplet diameter and the larger the water–air ratio, the lower the dry-bulb temperature of the outlet air and the higher the HEE and exergy flux destruction. When the droplet diameter is less than 440 μm, the droplet diameter does not affect exergy efficiency and dry-bulb temperature. When the droplet diameter is larger than 440 μm, the droplet diameter is positively correlated with the air outlet dry-bulb temperature and exergy efficiency; in contrast, the water–gas ratio is negatively correlated with the air outlet dry-bulb temperature. An engineering case reveals that when the air outlet temperature is less than 34°C, the critical water–gas ratio can be set as 2.6 (mass ratio). At this time, the HEE is more than 90%, the exergy efficiency is more than 60%, and the critical value of droplet diameter is 440 μm. The research results provide an essential theoretical basis for the optimization of engineering design calculation.

Meridional Circulation of Dust and Gas in the Circumstellar Disk: Delivery of Solids onto the Circumplanetary Region

We carried out 3D dust + gas radiative hydrodynamic simulations of forming planets. We investigated a parameter grid of a Neptune-mass, a Saturn-mass, a Jupiter-mass, and a five-Jupiter-mass planet at 5.2, 30, and 50 au distance from their star. We found that the meridional circulation (Szulágyi et al. 2014; Fung & Chiang 2016) drives a strong vertical flow for the dust as well, hence the dust is not settled in the midplane, even for millimeter-sized grains. The meridional circulation will deliver dust and gas vertically onto the circumplanetary region, efficiently bridging over the gap. The Hill-sphere accretion rates for the dust are ∼10−8–10−10 M Jup yr−1, increasing with planet mass. For the gas component, the gain is 10−6–10−8 M Jup yr−1. The difference between the dust and gas-accretion rates is smaller with decreasing planetary mass. In the vicinity of the planet, the millimeter-sized grains can get trapped easier than the gas, which means the circumplanetary disk might be enriched with solids in comparison to the circumstellar disk. We calculated the local dust-to-gas ratio (DTG) everywhere in the circumstellar disk and identified the altitude above the midplane where the DTG is 1, 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001. The larger the planetary mass, the more the millimeter-sized dust is delivered and a larger fraction of the dust disk is lifted by the planet. The stirring of millimeter-sized dust is negligible for Neptune-mass planets or below, but significant above Saturn-mass planets.

Enrichment of gas storage in clathrate hydrates by optimizing the molar liquid water–gas ratio

Methane and carbon dioxide storage in hydrate form.

Pulsed plasma nitriding of high velocity oxy-fuel sprayed Inconel 625 coatings

A hardening of high velocity oxy-fuel sprayed Inconel 625 coating systems was performed by pulsed plasma nitriding treatment. After deposition of an Inconel 625 coating, samples were pulsed plasma nitrided at 520 °C for 12 h in a gas ratio of 3:1 N2 and H2 under a constant pressure of 2.5 × 102 Pa. Pulsed plasma nitriding improved the microhardness of the high velocity oxy-fuel sprayed Inconel 625 coating from 355 to 401 HV0.05. The high velocity oxy-fuel-sprayed Inconel 625 coating after pulsed plasma nitriding process showed excellent corrosion resistance as well as a reduction of both the friction coefficient and wear rate during the sliding phase in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution against sliding action of Al2O3 ball.

Potassium Nitrate Treatment Is Associated with Modulation of Seed Water Uptake, Antioxidative Metabolism and Phytohormone Levels of Pea Seedlings

(1) Background: Seed treatment with potassium nitrate (KNO3) has been associated with dormancy breaking, improved germination and enhanced seedling growth and uniformity in a variety of plant species. However, the KNO3 effect seems to be dependent on plant species and treatment conditions. (2) Methods: We describe the effect of incubation of dry pea seeds with different KNO3 concentration on water uptake kinetic, early seedling growth, antioxidant metabolism and hormone profile in pea seedlings. (3) Results: Low (0.25 mM) KNO3 levels increased seedling water uptake and growth, whereas high (40 mM) levels decreased seedling growth. KNO3 treatment differentially affected the antioxidant defences. Low KNO3 levels maintained the activity of antioxidant enzymes, while high levels reduced the activity of H2O2-scavenging enzymes. KNO3 induced a progressive decline in ascorbate levels and reduced (GSH) and oxidised (GSSG) glutathione. Low KNO3 levels strongly increased GA1 and decreased ABA in both seedlings and cotyledons, resulting in a decline in the ABA/GAs ratio. (4) Conclusions: Pea seed treatment with a low KNO3 level promoted early seedling growth. In this process, an interaction among KNO3, antioxidant defences and ABA/GAs ratio is proposed.

Dust Rings as a Footprint of Planet Formation in a Protoplanetary Disk

Relatively large dust grains (referred to as pebbles) accumulate at the outer edge of the gap induced by a planet in a protoplanetary disk, and a ring structure with a high dust-to-gas ratio can be formed. Such a ring has been thought to be located immediately outside the planetary orbit. We examined the evolution of the dust ring formed by a migrating planet, by performing two-fluid (gas and dust) hydrodynamic simulations. We found that the initial dust ring does not follow the migrating planet and remains at the initial location of the planet in cases with a low viscosity of α ∼ 10−4. The initial ring is gradually deformed by viscous diffusion, and a new ring is formed in the vicinity of the migrating planet, which develops from the trapping of the dust grains leaking from the initial ring. During this phase, two rings coexist outside the planetary orbit. This phase can continue over ∼1 Myr for a planet migrating from 100 au. After the initial ring disappears, only the later ring remains. This change in the ring morphology can provide clues as to when and where the planet was formed, and is the footprint of the planet. We also carried out simulations with a planet growing in mass. These simulations show more complex asymmetric structures in the dust rings. The observed asymmetric structures in the protoplanetary disks may be related to a migrating and growing planet.

Forecasting the Water Flooding for the Production Wells of a Gas Condensate Field with a Fractured Reservoir Type

As is known, fractured reservoirs compared to conventional reservoirs have such features as complex pore volume structure, high heterogeneity of the porosity and permeability properties etc. Apart from this, the productivity of a specific well is defined above all by the number of natural fractures penetrated by the wellbore and their properties. Development of fractured reservoirs is associated with a number of issues, one of which is related to uneven and accelerated water flooding due to water breakthrough through fractures to the wellbores, for this reason it becomes difficult to forecast the well performance. Under conditions of lack of information on the reservoir structure and aquifer activity, the 3D digital models of the field generated using the hydrodynamic simulators may feature insufficient predictive capability. However, forecasting of breakthroughs is important in terms of generating reliable HC and water production profiles and decision-making on reservoir management and field facilities for produced water treatment. Identification of possible sources of water flooding and planning of individual parameters of production well operation for the purpose of extending the water-free operation period play significant role in the development of these reservoirs. The purpose of this study is to describe the results of the hydrochemical monitoring to forecast the water flooding of the wells that penetrated a fractured reservoir on the example of a gas condensate field in Bolivia. The study contains data on the field development status and associated difficulties and uncertainties. The initial data were results of monthly analyses of the produced water and the water-gas ratio dynamics that were analyzed and compared to the data on the analogue fields. The data analysis demonstrated that first signs of water flooding for the wells of the field under study may be diagnosed through the monitoring of the produced water mineralization - the water-gas ratio (WGR) increase is preceded by the mineralization increase that may be observed approximately a month earlier. However, the data on the analogue fields shows that this period may be longer – from few months to two years. Thus, the hydrochemical method within integrated monitoring of development of a field with a fractured reservoir could be one of the efficient methods to timely adjust the well operation parameters and may extend the water-free period of its operation.

Efficiency Survey of a Drainage Wellbore and Well Placement in Gas Fields

The paper describes the assessment process of methods for the construction and operation of gas wells with a large water-gas ratio. One of the ways to tackle the issue of poor performance of high WGR wells is to drill a drainage wellbore with an ESP to lift accumulating water. In addition, various configurations of well placement through gas-bearing and water-bearing reservoirs have been considered. To evaluate the efficiency of a drainage wellbore with an ESP installed for lifting water that comes from the main, productive, wellbore, industry-recognized non-stationary dynamic multiphase flow simulator was used, as well as a more refined tool, such as the physical simulator based on the finite volume method (computational fluid dynamics, CFD). A non-stationary dynamic simulator was also used to assess the impact of well placement through gas- and water-bearings reservoirs. Well data, fluid data, physical parameters were entered into the models and, by varying the input parameters, dependencies and results were obtained, allowing to draw a conclusion about the efficiency of each method, as well as about the software capabilities and limitations. The applicability and technical efficiency of an additional drainage borehole with an ESP tto ensure stable operation / high productivity of the well strongly depend on the value of the water-gas ratio, the higher it is, the lower the efficiency of the method. In addition, efficiency also decreases with increasing gas rate. To assess the correctness of the calculation made with dynamic multiphase flow simulator, which is the industry standard, a verification calculation was also carried out on a physical simulator using the finite volume method, which shows the same trends, but with different absolute values. It also made it possible to assess the influence of the geometry factor on the distribution of flows, which could not be done by the non-stationary multiphase flow simulator. Apart from this, it was concluded that the location of a water-bearing reservoir in the last lower part of the wellbore is preferable, since then the impact on production is less than when it is located above the gas-bearing interval. Changing the well layout to a U-shaped one affects the dynamics of its operation insignificantly. The study helps to answer the question about the efficiency of using a borehole with an ESP and about the degree of influence of drilling through gas- and water-bearing reservoirs using the example of a real field, as well as it presents the method of conducting such an assessment for other fields.