NOPR Collection:

Quantitative Analysis of the Excess Capacity of the Chinese Iron and Steel Industry

2018-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Quantitative Analysis of the Excess Capacity of the Chinese Iron and Steel Industry Authors: Feng, Mei; Chen, Peng; Hao, Rong Abstract: This paper analyses the degree of excess capacity of the Chinese iron and steel industry from 2000 to 2016 through the composite index method. Our research shows that the Chinese iron and steel industry has been in a state of excess capacity in recent years, and this will worsen with the changing domestic and international economic environment. Thus, the contradiction of excess capacity must be resolved. Page(s): 377-380

An Improved Gasifier Cookstoves: Utilizing Fan Driven Forced Draft for Cleaner Combustion

2018-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: An Improved Gasifier Cookstoves: Utilizing Fan Driven Forced Draft for Cleaner Combustion Authors: Sonarkar, P R; Chaurasia, A S Abstract: The biomass constitutes the biggest source of energy in rural regions. However, its utilization in the domestic sector is most inefficient and polluting, resulting in resource wastage and indoor air pollution. Traditional cook stoves, predominantly used in the households for domestic cooking have been a major contributor to these ill effects. Looking at this scenario, we understand that there is strong need to bring change in the design and testing of the cook stoves. Accordingly, improvement in the design of cook stoves focused on the areas including primary and secondary air passage for complete combustion of biomass and quantity of biomass. Two designs of forced-draft type gasifier stoves are used, namely Purti and Mpurti and were assessed to know their efficiency by water boiling test (WBT) by changing things such as controlling the fan speed, blocked the air flow in primary and secondary inlet. To get comparative results water boiling test was performed, which involves measurement of parameters i.e. thermal efficiency, cooking power, energy delivered, and temperatures profile. Mpurti stove resulted in the improvement in thermal efficiency of the stove by 12-14% and overall increase in energy delivered by about 29-31% as compared to open fires. Page(s): 381-385

Bioprocess Optimization for Levan Production by Bacillus subtilis B58

2018-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Bioprocess Optimization for Levan Production by Bacillus subtilis B58 Authors: Hamid, K R Abdul; Elsayed, E A; Enshasy, H A El; Esawy, M; Malek, R Abd Abstract: Levan is an extracellular polysaccharide composed of fructose (fructans) with wide applications in pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The objectives of this research are to develop production medium through statistical optimization of medium composition in shake flask level, and bioprocess optimization for levan production by Bacillus subtilis B58 in 16-L bioreactor. At first, growth kinetic profiles for un-optimized medium yielded a maximal cell mass of 1.94 g L^-1 and maximal levan production of 13.5 g L^-1. Secondly, this medium was further optimized through Fractional Factorial Design of the main components that can influence levan production; i.e. sucrose, yeast extract, K₂HPO₄ and MgSO₄.7H₂O. Further optimization was achieved by Box-Behnken design, through which the optimum new medium formulation supporting higher levan production contained (g L^-1): sucrose, 130; yeast extract, 6.3 and K₂HPO₄, 5.0. Levan production increased up to 61.4% after the statistical optimization of medium components. Further optimization was achieved by transferring the cultivation process to 16-L bioreactor under controlled and uncontrolled pH conditions. The results showed that the uncontrolled cultivation condition was more favorable for levan production, where the maximal cell mass production in the bioreactor reached 5.05 g L^-1 and the maximal levan production reached 26.65 g L^-1. In conclusion, this study successfully produced levan up to 97.4% higher than that obtained in shake flask level after optimizing the production medium and the bioreactor cultivation conditions. Page(s): 386-393

A Triple Band Flexible Antenna Using Multi-Layer Graphene Patch and Polymer Substrate

2018-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: A Triple Band Flexible Antenna Using Multi-Layer Graphene Patch and Polymer Substrate Authors: Reddy, R; Palla, P; Kumar, V Abstract: This paper presents the potential application of multi-layer graphene (MLG) in Microstrip patch antenna (MPA) design on a flexible polymer substrate for microwave regime. This MPA performance analysis has been compared with copper based patch antenna with similar dimensions. A copper MPA with E-shape slot is designed for dual band with central frequencies at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. A similar antenna structure with MLG patch has been kept at optimised distance from the feed point shows resonance at two more frequencies 5GHz and6.8GHz.The performance is analysed in terms of its gain, return loss, and bandwidth. A value of -10dB reflection co-efficient bandwidth matching for MLG based patch antenna varies from50MHz to 100 MHz in all three bands with central frequencies 2.4GHz,5GHz and 6.8GHz. High conductivity of MLG in comparison to copper causes minimum resistance time varying current which results in a third band at 6.8GHz with gain of 6.3 dBi. Page(s): 394-398