Sharif Digital Repository

In this article, a new method is proposed to identify the constants of the extended Drucker-Prager yield surface for polypropylene nanocomposites. The method is based on optimizing the difference between the numerical and the experimental results of a three-point bending test. The test specimens are made of polypropylene/nanoclay and polypropylene/nano-calcium carbonate nanocomposites with different nanoparticles content. Moreover, the effect of composite filler content on the extended Drucker-Prager constants of polypropylene, as the composite matrix, is investigated. Inasmuch as numerical simulation is usually very time-consuming and highly nonlinear, a surrogate-based model with radial... 

The proper modeling of radiation is of great importance in numerical simulation of combustion processes. A simple gray weighted-sum-of-gray-gases (WSGG) model has been intensively used in CFD simulations of industrial combustion applications, mainly because of its low computational costs. However, the gray assumption is far from the real behavior of non-gray combustion gases. This could consequently affect the accuracy of temperature field and heat flux distribution predictions. On the other hand, modern non-gray global radiation models such as the standard spectral line-based weighted-sum-od-gray-gases (SLW) model are still computationally expensive for many engineering purposes. To... 

This paper deals with the development of a qualified thermal-hydraulic nodalization for modeling Station Black-Out (SBO) accident in PSB-VVER Integral Test Facility (ITF). This study has been performed in the framework of a research project, aiming to develop an appropriate accident management support tool for Bushehr nuclear power plant. In this regard, a nodalization has been developed for thermal-hydraulic modeling of the PSB-VVER ITF by MELCOR integrated code. The nodalization is qualitatively and quantitatively qualified at both steady-state and transient levels. The accuracy of the MELCOR predictions is quantified in the transient level using the Fast Fourier Transform Base Method... 

Power plant successful operation is always a function of its constituent sub-systems and components. Due to the current financial constraints in power industry, power plant operators are continuously facing a wide range of challenges when dealing with maintenance scheduling and asset management practices of the plant sub-systems. Knowledge on the roles and criticality of the constituent components on the plant overall performance will help in establishing the plans for its smooth, safe, and economic operation. To ensure making the techno-economical decisions on the maintenance of power plant equipment, this paper focuses on the reliability modeling of the combined cycle power plants (CCPP).... 

Membrane reactors are an advanced technology with vast application capacities for equilibrium limited endothermic reactions. The main propose of this study is to offer an optimized packed-bed membrane steam methane reforming (SMR) tubular reactor for sustainable CH4 conversion by implementing triple-objective optimization model based on optimum H2/CO ratio for low temperature Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process. In this study a one dimensional pseudo-homogeneous model based on mass, energy, and momentum conservation laws is used to simulate the behavior of a packed-bed membrane reactor for production of syngas by SMR. In the optimization section, the proposed work explores optimal values of... 

In this article, a novel solar still which is equipped with thermoelectric modules to utilize the heat of vapor condensation is experimentally investigated. The use of thermoelectric modules as devices for generating electricity from the temperature difference between two environments (hot vapor steam and cold ambient air) as well as taking outstanding advantages of evacuated tubes as collectors with high performances in adverse climatic conditions, led to utilizing of the energy dissipated due to vapor condensation and a considerable increase in the performance of the system. The effect of using the generated electricity to operate a small propeller fan for inducing forced convection was... 

The turbine control system is one of the key control loops in the dynamic performance of steam power generation units. In this paper a multivariable PID controller is designed for the governing system of steam turbine power generators. The necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of a strong robust H ∞ dynamic compensator are established in terms of linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. This controller is designed in succeeding to the existing proportional controller in a power plant. To reach to this goal, the complete dynamic model of an actual turbine-generator including the governor, turbine and generator, are derived. Simulation results show that proposed controller has good... 

Thermal recovery by steam injection has proven to be an effective means of recovering heavy oil. Forecasts of reservoir response to the application of steam are necessary before starting a steam drive project. Thermal numerical models are available to provide forecasts. However, these models are expensive and consume a great deal of computer time. An alternative to numerical modeling is to use a semi-analytical model. The objective of the current study was to investigate thermal applications of horizontal wells for displacement and gravity drainage processes using analytical modeling as well as reservoir simulation. The main novelties presented in the paper are: a) the transient temperature... 

Carbonated water has been recently proposed as an enhanced oil recovery method for crude oil reservoirs. Interfacial tension (IFT) plays a crucial rule on the displacement of trapped oil ganglia in the porous media. This investigation is designed to systematically assess the dynamic interfacial tension (DIFT) of two different types of crude oils with carbonated water (CW). In addition, the measured experimental data were applied into specified models. The DIFT behavior of acidic and non-acidic crude oil samples/CW and deionized water (DW) are also compared to find the effect of dissolved carbon dioxide in water on IFT. At the next stage, DIFT of all the results were used through three... 

Auto-thermal reforming (ATR), a combination of exothermic partial oxidation and endothermic steam reforming of methane, is an important process to produce syngas for petrochemical industries. In a commercial ATR unit, tubular fixed bed reactors are typically used. Pressure drop across the tube, high manufacturing costs, and low production capacity are some disadvantages of these reactors. The main propose of this study is to offer an optimized radial flow, spherical packed bed reactor as a promising alternative for overcoming the drawbacks of conventional tubular reactors. In the current research, a one dimensional pseudo-homogeneous model based on mass, energy, and momentum balances is... 

In this study, lamination as extrinsic mechanism was considered to enhance damage tolerance of three-layer Al6061-5%vol. SiCp/Al1050/Al6061-5%vol. SiCp composites. To fabricate laminates of dissimilar interfacial adhesion, different rolling strains were applied during hot roll-bonding. The discrepancy in interfacial strength of laminates was examined by shear test while toughness values were studied using three-point bending test. It was revealed that both interfacial adhesion and damage tolerance were influenced by rolling strain. Interfacial bonding played the major role in the energy absorption during fracture which was quantified as initiation, propagation and total toughness. The... 

For the purposes of lowering environmental emission cost and increasing economic profit, energy efficient combined heat and power (CHP) units can be integrated with conventional separate heat and power production units to meet heat and power demands. The goal of this study is to develop and examine a novel heuristic and deterministic optimization algorithm for solving the profit-based unit commitment (PBUC) problem for a generation company with integrated CHP-thermal-heat only system for (i) satisfying demands for heat and power, (ii) selling spinning reserve for power, (iii) reducing environmental CO2 emission cost, and (iv) accounting for valve-point effects for steam turbines. For... 

The steam reforming of ethylene glycol, a simple model compound for biomass-derived liquids, is considered to be an environmentally green process for producing renewable hydrogen. Both Pt and Ni species are known for their catalytic activity under steam reforming reaction conditions. In this investigation, alumina supported Ni-Pt bimetallic catalysts (X wt% Ni-Y wt% Pt/Al2O3 named XNi-YPt) were employed for steam reforming of ethylene glycol. The prepared catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, H2-TPR, H₂-Chemisorption, and TEM. It was observed that Ni/Pt ratio strongly affected the redox behavior, BET surface area, and particle size of the samples that in turn affected their catalytic... 

The main function of a fired heater in a petrochemical site is to produce supersaturated steam. Due to extremely difficult working conditions and high temperatures, there is a very high probability of failures in different parts of a fired heater. In the fired heater under study, tube guides are frequently damaged due to malfunctions and fractures in bolt connections. To investigate the nature of such fractures, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element (FE) method, Charpy impact test and fractography were used. To obtain the temperature of various components of the fired heater, a CFD analysis was carried out by considering the combustion process and modeling the central and side... 

Injection of Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) water into the primary loops of the Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) leads to rapid cooling of Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) inside wall after Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA). This condition, known as Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) intensifies the propagation of the RPV structural defects and would be considered as an ageing mechanism. For structural and fracture analysis of RPV wall, thermal-hydraulic analysis of PTS should be accomplished to obtain the steam/water flow characteristics in the downcomer. For this purpose, simulation of steam/water stratified flow (due to density difference) after the injection point should be done by... 

The current study deals with the preparation and characterization of polysaccharide-based biocomposite films acquired by the incorporation of cellulose nanofiber within glycerol plasticized matrix formed by starch. The application of starch-based films is limited due to highly hydrophilic nature and poor mechanical properties. These problems are solved by forming a nanocomposite of thermoplastic starch (TPS) as matrix and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) as reinforcement. CNF is successfully prepared from short henequen fibers which consist of almost 60% cellulose by a chemo-mechanical process. TPS/CNF composite films are prepared by the polymer solution casting method, and their characterizations...