1,720,992 research outputs found
Solution of bivariate population balance equations with high-order moment-conserving method of classes
No full textIn this work the high-order moment-conserving method of classes (HMMC) (Alopaeus et al., 2006) is extended to solve the bivariate Population Balance Equation (PBE). The method is capable of guaranteeing the internal consistency of the discretized equations for a generic moment set, including mixed-order moments of the distribution. The construction of the product tables in the case of aggregation, breakage and convection in internal coordinate space are discussed. Eventually, several test cases are considered to assess the accuracy of the method. The application to a realistic mass transfer problems in a liquid-liquid system is preliminarily discussed. The comparison with analytical solutions of pure aggregation problems shows that the proposed method is accurate with only a limited number of categories
Liquid-liquid extraction in a rotating disc column: Solution of 2D population balance with HMMC
No full textIn this work mass transfer in liquid-liquid extraction is investigated with the two-dimensional high-order moment-conserving method of classes (2D-HMMC) (Buffo and Alopaeus, 2016). The solution of a realistic liquid-liquid test case, a counter-current rotating disc column (RDC) composed of three stages where the droplets exchange mass with the continuous phase, is studied. This detailed modelling approach is compared with two other possible approximated models. In the first all the droplets are assumed to have the same size and concentration, and in the second all the droplets are assumed to have the same concentration but different sizes. The results of this comparison show that the information regarding the two-dimensional droplet size-concentration distribution may be needed to properly evaluate the mass transfer rates and therefore the behaviour of the system for all the operating conditions investigated
A novel simplified multivariate PBE solution method for mass transfer problems
No full textInterphase mass transfer estimation may require not only the accurate knowledge of the interfacial area, which depends on the information about the size of each dispersed element, but also on the driving force, that can be different if the elements of the disperse phase have different chemical composition. To take into account such polydispersity, bivariate (or multivariate) population balance model (PBM) are formulated according to physical phenomena occurring in the investigated mass transfer problem. This often includes aggregation, breakage, advection, mass transfer of the chemical species and chemical reactions of the transferring components. In this work we propose a novel and simplified method to solve the bivariate/multivariate population balance equation for a mass transfer problem, based on the high-order moment-conserving method of classes (HMMC) (Alopaeus et al., 2006). The proposed method is based on the idea of deriving additional material balance equations for the concentration of droplets belonging to each size class, reducing significantly the total number of unknown variables with respect to true bivariate/multivariate method of classes. This modeling approach is compared with two other possible solution methods for a test case in which mass transfer and chemical reactions occur in a system with two immiscible liquid phases. In the first the traditional approach is used, where a single material balance is formulated for the disperse phase along with PBM, while in the second a true bivariate/multivariate solution method is used. The results of this comparison show that the proposed method is robust and accurate, capable of properly describing the multidimensional droplet size-composition distribution needed to evaluate the mass transfer rates, in a fraction of computational time compared with more accurate methods
Experimental determination of size distributions: Analyzing proper sample sizes
Full text linkThe measurement of various particle size distributions is a crucial aspect for many applications in the process industry. Size distribution is often related to the final product quality, as in crystallization or polymerization. In other cases it is related to the correct evaluation of heat and mass transfer, as well as reaction rates, depending on the interfacial area between the different phases or to the assessment of yield stresses of polycrystalline metals/alloys samples. The experimental determination of such distributions often involves laborious sampling procedures and the statistical significance of the outcome is rarely investigated. In this work, we propose a novel rigorous tool, based on inferential statistics, to determine the number of samples needed to obtain reliable measurements of size distribution, according to specific requirements defined a priori. Such methodology can be adopted regardless of the measurement technique used
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Analytical time-stepping solution of the discretized population balance equation
No full textThe prediction of the particle-size distribution (PSD) of the particulate systems in chemical engineering is very important in a variety of different contexts, such as parameter identification, troubleshooting, process control, design, product quality, production economics etc. The time evolution of the PSD can be evaluated by means of the population balance equation (PBE), which is a complex integro-differential equation, whose solution in practical cases always requires sophisticated numerical methods that may be computationally tedious. In this work, we propose a novel technique that tackles this issue by using an analytical time-stepping procedure (ATS) to resolve the PSD time dependency. The ATS is an explicit time integrator, taking advantage of the linear or almost linear time dependency of the discretized population balance equation. Thus, linear approximation of the source term is a precondition for the ATS simulations. The presented technique is compared with a standard variable step time integrator (MATLAB ODE15s stiff solver), for practical examples e.g. emulsion, aging cellulose process, cooling crystallization, reactive dissolution, and liquid-liquid extraction. The results show that this advancing in time procedure is accurate for all tested practical examples, allowing reproducing the same results given by standard time integrators in a fraction of the computational time
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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