Sharif Digital Repository

Geologic sequestration of CO2 in deep saline aquifers is becoming increasingly important as a method with the greatest potential to economically sequester large volumes of anthropogenic CO2. The interfacial tension (IFT) between the formation brine in the aquifer and the injected CO2 phase has a significant influence on the displacement, and its precise determination is essential for accurate modeling and evaluation of such a process. This paper presents two new mathematical models to calculate the brine/CO2 IFT. The two models differ in input parameters; pressure, temperature, and salinity for the first model, and pressure, temperature, and brine composition for the second one. The proposed... 

In the design of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) process, the thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide is of special concern. Hence, it is quite important to search for a quick and accurate determination of thermal conductivity of CO2 for precise modeling and evaluation of such a process. To achieve this aim, a robust computing methodology, entitled least square support vector machine (LSSVM) modeling, which is coupled with an optimization approach, was used to model this transport property. The model was constructed and evaluated employing a comprehensive data bank (more than 550 data series) covering wide ranges of pressures and temperatures. Before constructing the model, outlier... 

Microstructures and hardness of aluminum alloy ductile iron were investigated by SEM, XRD, EPMA and hardness measurement techniques. The results show, increasing the Al-alloying element leads to decrease of free ferrite and carbide, as well as increase in the pearlite volume fraction. It is also has been found that in the higher values of Al, about 85% of the matrix would be pearlite. It is indicated that an increase in the aluminum content also leads to a decrease in the spacing between pearlite layers. XRD results show, in the presence of Al, intermetallic compounds such as Al6Fe, AlFe3C0.5, Fe3Al and FeAl were produced. Furthermore the hardness measurements illustrate that by increasing... 

Controlled graphitization has become known as a practical method for improvement of wear resistance and machining properties in steels. In this paper, the effect of heat treatment on microstructure of CK45 steel has been investigated. Austenitising was carried out at 920°C for 5 hours. Besides, isothermal transformation was conducted at 750°C in the time range of 1-20 hours. The microstructure of the steel considerably changes by this heat treatment process which exhibits the effects of temperature, appropriate austenitising duration and isothermal transformation. Conducted experiments show a suitable distribution of semi-spherical graphite particles especially on the surface of the steel.... 

In this letter, we consider the problem of waveform design in colocated multiple-input multiple-output radars in order to obtain a desired beampattern. In this problem, practical constraints, such as constant envelope (CE) and low peak-to-average power ratio, are very important. Therefore, we propose a simple method to generate some practical waveforms, such as different versions of phase-shift keying and pulse-amplitude modulation. We map a non-CE to the desired finite alphabet by a mapping function (MP). In the proposed method, first, the values of cross-correlation relationship between the input and the output of MP are calculated in a few points, and then, using radial point... 

Objectives. This article describes the reduction of unsafe behaviors observed at a fertilizer complex by implementation of a behavior-based safety (BBS) program via a behavior observation form developed by a multidisciplinary team. Methods. Six observation categories, i.e., position of people, reaction of people, personal protective equipment (PPE), tools used, operating procedures and housekeeping, are used to monitor safe and unsafe behaviors for a period of 18 months. Results. Safe behaviors increased from 57 to 70% and unsafe behaviors reduced from 40 to 26%. Behaviors of employees working in various sections of fertilizer complex such as ammonia, urea, utility, bagging/shipping and... 

In this study, a two-layer feed-forward neural network was constructed and applied to determine a mapping associating mix design and testing factors of cement-nano silica (NS)-rice husk ash ternary blended concrete samples with their performance in conductance to the water absorption properties. To generate data for the neural network model (NNM), a total of 174 field cores from 58 different mixes at three ages were tested in the laboratory for each of percentage, velocity and coefficient of water absorption and mix volumetric properties. The significant factors (six items) that affect the permeability properties of ternary blended concrete were identified by experimental studies which were:... 

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of two different types of SiO2 nanoparticles (N and M series) with different ratios on the workability and compressive strength of developed binary blended concretes cured in water and lime solution as two different curing media. N and M series SiO2 nanoparticles with an average size of 15 nm were used as obtained from the suppliers. Fresh and hardened concretes incorporating 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% of N and 2% of M series nanoparticles with constant water to binder ratio and aggregate content were made and tested. Fresh mixtures were tested for workability and hardened concretes were tested for compressive strength at 7, 28 and 90 days of... 

It is known that the thermomechanical processing is one of the most important techniques for improving quality and mechanical properties of microalloyed steels. In this paper, the main parameters of hot forging (preheat temperature, strain and post-forging cooling rate) on the primary austenite grain size of vanadium microalloyed steel (30MSV6) were studied. From this investigation, it was found that increasing preheat temperature from 1150 °C to 1300 °C will result in a decrease in grain size number. Furthermore, it has shown that as the strain increases, the austenite grain size number increases, as is evident for the two cooling rates of 2.5 °C/s and 1.5 °C/s for primary austenite.... 

The present study is aimed at the synthesis of MnFe2O4@SiO2@PMIDA in terms of highly efficient sensing platform for anti-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) immobilization. Superparamagnetic manganese ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized following co-precipitation method and then SiO2 shell was coated on the magnetic core with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) through a silanization reaction to prevent oxidation, agglomeration and, increase the density of OH groups on the surface of MnFe2O4. Subsequently, MnFe2O4@SiO2@PMIDA obtained as a result of the reaction between N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) and MnFe2O4@SiO2. The reactive carboxyl groups on the surface of magnetic... 

Coal, a solid fossil fuel, consists of organic and inorganic matter. Its complex structure contains fused aromatic moieties, constituting a three-dimensional macromolecular coal structure network. More efficient utilisation technologies are required to ensure coal becomes a considerably cleaner source of energy in the future. Due to the increase in energy, liquid fuels, and combustible gas demands, coal utilisation is necessary for some developing countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, and India. Furthermore, coal is globally being used to produce liquid fuels and combustible gases. The benefits and drawbacks of various Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalysts are discussed. For clean coal... 

There are increasing evidences that adjusting the chemistry of the injecting water improves the oil recovery efficiency. However, the underlying mechanisms for this technique which is referred to as "smart waterflood" have not yet been thoroughly understood. It is needed to explore the role of individual ions through set of different tests, to find the right mechanisms behind "smart waterflood". This study is focused on the fluid/solid (carbonate) interactions through systematic wettability measurement. Contact angle measurements accompanied by spontaneous imbibition tests were employed to determine the role of individual monovalent and divalent ions in wettability alteration process by... 

Graphitization in steels is a subject which has been studied temporarily in past decades. The importance of this phenomenon is due to the fact that graphite formation in steels can ease machining treatment and increase cold-work capability of steels. Weight reduction of the parts and the dedicated bioenvironmental properties of these steels are considered as a valuable replacement for lead containing steels for researchers. Anyway there has been always the assumption that this operation is long and not economically cost effective. For this reason due to the different conditions of applied heat treatments, the effects of the temperature and the time period of heat treatment on the... 

Controlled graphitization has become known as a practical method for improvement of wear resistance and machining properties in steels. In this paper, the effect of heat treatment on microstructure of CK45 steel has been investigated. Austenitising was carried out at 920 °C for 5 h. Besides, isothermal transformation was conducted at 750 °C in the time range of 1-20 h. In this work, full potential carbon resource was tried to be used around samples as a factor to prevent the burning of the limited carbon in steel and also to increase the percentage of sample surface carbon in order to improve wear capability and machining. The microstructure of the steel considerably changes by this heat... 

Energy security refers to a country’s capacity to provide the energy resources essential to its wellbeing, including a reliable supply at an affordable costs. Economic growth and development cannot occur without access to reliable energy sources. Energy availability is a proxy for a country’s standard of living and a key factor in its economic development and technical progress. Solar power is the most reliable and cost-effective option when it comes to meeting the world’s energy needs. Solar-powered cooling systems are one example of how solar energy may be used in the real world. Solar-powered air conditioners have become more popular in recent years. The problems caused by our reliance on... 

In this paper, the effect of aluminum content on the formation mechanism, volume fraction, morphology and particle size distribution of graphite has been investigated. Addition of aluminum on ductile iron causes some fundamental changes in iron-carbon phase-diagram and as a result, improves the graphite formation during eutectic transformation. The results reveals that aluminum compounds have been formed in the core of graphite nodules, thus aluminum plays an important role in the formation of graphite nodules. Furthermore, it is indicated that an increase in the aluminum content also leads to an increase in the number of graphite nodules and a decrease in the nodules size. By using EPMA,...