Search

This work studies the particle exchange rates in horizontal fluidized beds equipped with different weir designs between compartments. These particle exchange rates provide information on the axial dispersion of the solid material within the process. For this purpose discrete particle modelling (DPM) was used to determine the particle exchange on microscopic level. This method uses a coupled CFD-DEM approach to observe particle dynamics in a fluid field. The model was validated against exchange rates in a lab-scale setup as determined by Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) with very good quantitative agreement, showing the suitability of the method for the evaluation of weir designs. Simulations were performed for different weir designs and under variation of the hold-up mass, the feed rate and gas velocity to predict their transport behavior in a pilot-scale 3D horizontal fluidized bed. The results indicate that the solids transport behavior is strongly dependent on the used weir design and the main driving force for the particle transport that can be influenced by the process conditions. The installation of weirs between two compartments induces a transport resistance, while the base type without the installation of a weir between the two chambers represents the fastest possibility for mixing the particles of a two-compartment system. It has been observed that the general trend shows higher particle recirculation rates for the overflow weir and base configuration (no weir), whereas the underflow and sideflow weir applications improve the solids transport through the horizontal fluidized bed.

This work focuses on continuously operated spray granulation processes in horizontal fluidized beds highlighting the influence of process conditions on the particle properties of the resulting product granules. The drying process has a decisive influence on the kinetics of the growth rate and thus also on the properties of the particles, such as the morphological structure, particle moisture content and porosity as well as density, compression strength and the wetting behavior. This influence has been considered in this study in more detail on the basis of the model material sodium benzoate. In order to compare the produced granules at different drying conditions and spray rates of the suspension an external product classification was used to achieve a certain product granule size. The obtained experimental results show a deep influence of the thermal conditions onto granule morphology and structural properties, which is in qualitative agreement with recent experimental observations (Rieck et al., 2015; Hoffmann et al., 2015a , Schmidt et al., 2017b ). The overall trend of the results reveal smoother product granules with decreasing spray rates of the suspension and increasing drying temperatures. These smoother surface morphologies lead to a more homogeneous layering which has as a consequence that the internal particle porosity is decreasing while the solids density and the compression strength of the particles are increasing at the same time. In this study the purely qualitative classification of the surface texture from previous experimental studies was extended by the topographic analysis of the product granules, giving the possibility to quantify the morphological structure by means of roughness measurements. This makes the morphological design accessible as product property and permits the utilization of models that describe the morphology according to the process conditions.

Research into the regulation of gene expression underwent a shift from focusing on DNA-binding proteins as key transcriptional regulators to RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that come into play once transcription has been initiated. RBPs orchestrate all RNA-processing steps in the cell. To obtain a global view of in vivo targets, the RNA complement associated with particular RBPs is determined via immunoprecipitation of the RBP and subsequent identification of bound RNAs via RNA-seq. Here, we describe technical advances in identifying RBP in vivo targets and their binding motifs. We provide an up-to-date view of targets of nucleocytoplasmic RBPs collected in arabidopsis. We also discuss current experimental limitations and provide an outlook on how the approaches may advance our understanding of post-transcriptional networks.

Residence time distributions (RTDs) in horizontal fluidised beds have a huge effect on solid product properties and are influenced by the internal design of the apparatus, e.g. the separation into different compartments by weirs. Weirs can be passed in or against the overall solid transport direction, with the back-flow resulting in axial dispersion, which is a measure of the spread of the RTD. Therefore, the ratio of exchange rates at weirs under different fluidisation conditions provides information on axial dispersion. In this work, a methodology based on particle tracking velocimetry is presented to obtain information on the exchange rates of particles at weirs in horizontal fluidised beds. The internal recirculation is studied for over-flow weirs with respect to different fluidisation conditions, providing a first step towards determining the effects of weirs and fluidisation conditions on axial dispersion and RTDs in horizontal fluidised beds.

Several studies—theoretical and experimental—show that continuous fluidised bed layering granulation with external classification can show instability in the form of self-sustained oscillations. Recent results show that the process stability does not only depend on product-related process parameters but also on the formation of functional zones in the fluidised bed chamber, especially the formation of a spray and drying zone. In this work a systematic evaluation of zone formation in different apparatus designs (e.g., top- and bottom-spray in cylindrical apparatuses) and its influence on process stability is performed, resulting in a stability regime map for the different apparatus designs and key operation parameters.

In this work a generic multi-compartment, multi-zone population balance model (PBM) is developed which allows predicting the process dynamics of particle formation in a horizontal fluidized bed. It focuses on the particle size distribution (PSD) which is an important quality parameter in solids process industry. It is influenced by different factors, e.g. apparatus design (weir and nozzle assembly) and process conditions (mass flow rate), respectively. In this study the apparatus design by an over and under flow weir configuration, used separately or in combination, is investigated to obtain the product properties at the outlet of the apparatus. Simulation results show how characteristic product data depend on the process conditions and apparatus design. The obtained trends can then be used for an inverse apparatus design of horizontal fluidized beds to obtain particles with desired properties.

Animations presented at different speed are assumed to differentially interact with learners’ perception and cognition due to the constraints imposed by learners’ limited sensitivity to incoming dynamic information. To investigate the effects of high and low presentation speed of animation, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, participants were 55 students who learned about the functioning of a four-stroke engine from an animation with user-controlled presentation speed. In Study 2, eye movements of 19 students were analysed for different system-controlled presentation speeds of animation. Results indicated that high presentation speeds accentuated global events (i.e., macro-events), whereas low speeds accentuated local events (i.e., micro-events). However, eye movements were primarily affected by the content rather than the presentation speed of animation.

Measurement of the electrochemical properties phase-by-phase on the nanoscale in real (commercial) alloys is critical to understanding the microstructure-corrosion relationship and subsequently controlling it. This work presents a novel AFM based in situ corrosion probing methodology (for the first time) that is capable of resolving the electrochemical activity (impedance response) into the nanometer range; the method subsequently having major ramifications in the study of aluminium alloy corrosion, the interpretation of corrosion propagation, and the subsequent development of corrosion resistant aluminium alloys.