Sharif Digital Repository

We present a universal model of brain tissue microstructure that dynamically links osmosis and diffusion with geometrical parameters of brain extracellular space (ECS). Our model robustly describes and predicts the nonlinear time dependency of tortuosity (λ=D/D∗) changes with very high precision in various media with uniform and nonuniform osmolarity distribution, as demonstrated by previously published experimental data (D = free diffusion coefficient, D∗ = effective diffusion coefficient). To construct this model, we first developed a multiscale technique for computationally effective modeling of osmolarity in the brain tissue. Osmolarity differences across cell membranes lead to changes... 

The exploitation of solar energy facilitates the renewable energy paradigm. In this regard, parabolic trough collectors (PTC) are considered as a useful set-up to absorb solar energy. Simultaneous study of thermal, thermodynamic, and exergoeconomic performance of PTC systems paves the way for designers and manufacturers to not only have a better insight into understanding the underlying concepts about the operation of PTC systems but also to find the most effective and cost-effective circumstances. This study aims at analyzing a practical PTC system by considering an evacuated absorber tube with glass cover, non-uniform heat flux, and taking into account the convective and radiative heat... 

Wettability alteration is the principal low-salinity-effect (LSE) in many oil-brine-rock (OBR) systems. Our recent experimental results have demonstrated that wettability alteration by low salinity is slow. It is expected that the electrical behavior of oil/brine and rock/brine interfaces and the water film geometry control both the transient hydrodynamic pressure, and the time-scale of ionic transport in the film, thus the kinetics and degree of wettability alteration. In this paper, the electro-diffusion process induced by the imposed ionic strength gradient is simulated by solving Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations in a water film bound between two charged surfaces, using a finite... 

In this investigation, an accurate high pressure and temperature diffusion setup was applied to measure the diffusion coefficients of methane in Iranian heavy oils in presence and absence of porous media by using the pressure-decay method. The solvent diffusivity in heavy oil was determined by both graphical and numerical methods. In addition, the effects of the porous medium and the temperature on the molecular diffusion coefficient of the solvent gas in the liquid phase were discussed and finally, using experimental data, a functionality dependence of molecular diffusivity on temperature and porous medium characteristics was proposed  

The concentration and temperature behaviors of the self-diffusion coefficient were analyzed in glycerol-water and methanol-water solutions using Diffusion-Ordered Spectroscopy (DOSY) experiment. Our results indicate that the self-diffusion coefficient dips with increasing concentration and decreasing temperature. The concentration behavior shows that there is hydrogen bond interaction between water and alcohol, which declines the self-diffusion coefficients of both in the aqueous binary mixtures. The self-diffusion activation energies were estimated 13.6, 29.4, and 32.8 (kJ/mol) for methanol and 24.8, 25.5, and 27.6 (kJ/mol) for water in the methanol-water solutions with 0.03, 0.10, and 0.20... 

In this investigation, a reactor model for prediction of the deactivation behavior of MTO's porous catalyst in a fixed bed reactor is developed. Effect of coking on molecular transport in the porous structure of SAPO-34 has been simulated using the percolation theory. Thermal effects of the reaction were considered in the model and the temperature profile of the gas stream in the reactor was predicted. The predicted loss in catalyst activity with time-on-stream was in very good agreement with the experimental data. The resulting coke deposition and gas temperature profiles along the length of reactor suggested a reaction front moving toward the outlet of the fixed bed reactor at the... 

We present the rarefaction effects on diffusive mass transport in micro- and nanoscales using the results of direct simulation Monte Carlo DSMC method. Unlike the previous investigations, the momentum and heat contributions are eliminated from the computations via uniform velocity, pressure, and temperature field considerations. The effects of global Knudsen number on the diffusion phenomenon are studied for the same Peclet number and a unique mixer shape. The results indicate that there is considerable weakening in diffusion mechanism for high Knudsen number cases. As a result, the non-dimensional diffusive mass fluxes would decrease and the non-dimensional mixing length would increase as... 

This work utilizes the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) calculations and examines the influence of rarefication on the mixing length and effective diffusion coefficient in a two-species mixing problem. There have been efforts in past rarefied mixing flow studies to bridge between the mixing evolution rate and Knudsen number. A careful review of those efforts shows that the past derived relations did not determine the weights of Reynolds (or Peclet) number in the rarefaction influences. Although they indicated that an increase in Knudsen would decrease the mixing length, such reductions were primarily due to the Reynolds (or Peclet) reduction. Therefore, those studies could not explicitly... 

Electro-deposition process is one of the main steps in the LIGA procedure to fabricate microstructures. In this paper, one-dimensional modeling of Nickel electro-deposition process is implemented on Rayan and developed for simulation of time-dependence diffusion and migration of charge species with reduction reactions on the cathode surface. This model is proposed by considering governing equations on electro-kinetic phenomena consist of Nernst-Plank equation and Poisson's equation of electric potential. Transport of ions toward the cathode is considered based on the effect of convection, reaction rate, diffusion and migration. The numerical results cover two series of data consisting of... 

Drying behavior of broad beans (Vicia faba) was studied in a pilot scaled fluidized bed dryer with inert particles assisted by dielectric heating. The effective diffusion coefficient of moisture transfer was determined by Fickian method at four different air drying temperatures of 35, 45, 55 and 65 °C. Correlations for moisture diffusivity as a function of moisture content and temperature of the drying medium were developed. The values of moisture diffusivity were obtained within the range of 1.27 × 10-9-6.48 × 10-9 m2/s and the activation energies for FBD and FBD + DE were found to be 27.71 and 17.10 kJ/mol, respectively. The shrinkage behavior of the broad beans was also investigated by... 

Saffron is the most precious and expensive agricultural product. A dehydration treatment is necessary to convert Crocus sativus L. stigmas into saffron spice. To the best of our knowledge, no information on mass transfer parameters of saffron stigmas is available in the literature. This study aimed at investigating the moisture transfer parameters and quality attributes of saffron stigmas under infrared treatment at different temperatures (60, 70, ..., 110°C). It was observed that the dehydration process of the samples occurred in a short accelerating rate period at the start followed by a falling rate period. The effective moisture diffusivity and convective mass transfer coefficient were... 

Saffron is the most precious and expensive agricultural product. A dehydration treatment is necessary to convert Crocus sativus L. stigmas into saffron spice. To the best of our knowledge, no information on mass transfer parameters of saffron stigmas is available in the literature. This study aimed at investigating the moisture transfer parameters and quality attributes of saffron stigmas under infrared treatment at different temperatures (60, 70, …, 110 °C). It was observed that the dehydration process of the samples occurred in a short accelerating rate period at the start followed by a falling rate period. The effective moisture diffusivity and convective mass transfer coefficient were... 

The efficiency of low salinity waterflooding, particularly during tertiary mode injection, is highly controlled by in situ mixing between the stagnant regions holding high salinity water (HSW) and the flowing regions containing low salinity water (LSW) because it impacts directly the electrokinetics of wettability alteration and the time scale of the low salinity effect. This study aims to address the effects of oil polarity and charged rock surfaces on the time scale of mixing and transport under two-phase flow conditions. A systematic series of micromodel experiments were performed. The micromodels were first saturated with high salinity formation brine and oil (both model and crude oil);... 

HAp and HAp/ZrO2 composite coatings were successfully electrodepesited on 316L stainless steel substrates in the solutions containing ZrO2 particles at different concentrations. The effects of ZrO2 content on characteristics of the coatings were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and bonding strength test. Polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were carried out in order to evaluate corrosion behavior of the coatings. In-vitro test in SBF and further SEM observations were performed to examine bioactivity of the coatings. HAp/ZrO2 composite coatings showed better... 

We report experimental evidence of Cu surface segregation in Ni/Cu system, during deposition of Ni film onto Cu substrate at room temperature and during heat treatment in vacuum. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) by Tougaard's analysis results show that surface segregation defeats in competition with increase in Ni thickness and terminates when thickness of Ni increase to more than 4 nm. Surface energy and concentration were calculated using contact angle measurements and the results confirm that segregation reduces the surface energy. Surface segregation during heat treatment at 150-220 °C range as a function of time initially shows linear mass... 

TiO 2 nanorods, TiO 2 nanorod/TiO 2 nanoparticle and TiO 2 nanorod/ZnO nanoparticle composite structures were integrated as photoanodes in backside illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Incorporation of TiO 2 nanoparticles into the bare nanorods increased the dye loading and improved the short-circuit current density (J sc) from 2.22 mA/cm 2 to 3.57 mA/cm 2. ZnO nanoparticles electrochemically grown into the TiO 2 nanorod layer could increase the surface area. Nevertheless, this considerably reduced the J sc to 0.57 mA/cm 2 and consequently cell efficiency. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results showed that ZnO incorporated samples have better effective diffusion... 

Molecular diffusivity is an essential parameter for modeling of mass transfer in enhanced oil recovery processes. However, experimentally determined diffusivities for light gas-heavy oil systems in the presence of porous media are relatively rare. A few correlations are available in the literature that predict diffusivity of gases into heavy oil in presence of porous media. In this work the pressure-decay method was applied to obtain effective molecular diffusion of CO 2, CH 4 and N 2-heavy oil systems in both bulk and porous media systems at different temperatures. The diffusivity of gases in heavy oil was determined by matching the numerically calculated pressures to the measured data. A... 

Both nonlinear rheology and finite EDL thickness effects on the mixing process in an electroosmotically actuated Y-sensor are being investigated in this paper, utilizing a depthwise averaging method based on the Taylor dispersion theory. The fluid rheological behavior is assumed to obey the power-law viscosity model. Analytical solutions are obtained assuming a large channel width to depth ratio for which a 1-D profile can efficiently describe the velocity distribution. Full numerical simulations are also performed to determine the applicability range of the analytical model, revealing that it is able to provide accurate results for channel aspect ratios of ten and higher and quite...