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A mathematical model is developed to describe column adsorption when the contaminant constitutes a significant amount of the fluid. This requires modelling the variation of pressure and velocity, in addition to the usual advection-diffusion-adsorption and kinetic equations describing concentration and adsorption rates. The model builds on previous work based on a linear kinetic equation, to include both physical and chemical adsorption. A semi-analytical solution is developed and validated against a numerical solution. The model is tested against experimental data for the adsorption of large quantities of CO$_2$ from a helium mixture, with a CO$_2$ volume fraction ranging from 14% to 69%, and a N$_2$ mixture with 16% to 33% CO$_2$ volume fraction. Our results show a significant improvement with respect to models for the removal of trace amounts of contaminant., Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables. Contains Supplementary Material (8 pages,2 figures, 2 tables)

We propose a mathematical model for describing column adsorption processes where large amounts of contaminant are removed from a carrier gas. The large mass loss causes velocity and pressure to be variables which must then be determined along with the contaminant and gas concentrations and adsorbed quantity. The adsorption rate is described using a Langmuir sink, which is physically more sensible than the linear sink used in a previous study. The proposed model is solved numerically and using a traveling wave approach. The analytical solutions are consistent with previous models with fixed gas velocity and provide excellent agreement when validated against experimental data., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

We develop a model that captures the dominant chemical mechanisms involved in the removal of fluoride from water by a novel adsorbent comprising mineral rich carbon (MRC) and chemically treated mineral rich carbon (TMRC). Working with experimental data, we validate the model for both MRC and TMRC based on the underlying chemical reactions. The model we derive from the chemical composition of TMRC and MRC shows good agreement with experimental results., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables. Corresponding author: L. C. Auton

We develop a mathematical model for adsorption based on averaging the flow around, and diffusion inside, adsorbent particles in a column. The model involves three coupled partial differential equations for the contaminant concentration both in the carrier fluid and within the particle as well as the adsorption rate. The adsorption rate is modelled using the Sips equation, which is suitable for describing both physical and chemical adsorption mechanisms. Non-dimensionalisation is used to determine the controlling parameter groups as well as to determine negligible terms and so reduce the system complexity. The inclusion of intra-particle diffusion introduces new dimensionless parameters to those found in standard works, including a form of internal Damk\"ohler number and a new characteristic time scale. We provide a numerical method for the full model and show how in certain situations a travelling wave approach can be utilized to find analytical solutions. The model is validated against available experimental data for the removal of Mercury(II) and CO$_\text{2}$. The results show excellent agreement with measurements of column outlet contaminant concentration and provide insights into the underlying chemical reactions., Comment: 36 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables

The electron magnetic moment,$-\mu/\mu_B = g/2 = 1.001 \, 159 \, 652 \, 180 \, 59 \, (13) \, [0.13\, \rm{ppt}]$, is determined 2.2 times more accurately than the value that stood for 14 years. The most precisely determined property of an elementary particle tests the most precise prediction of the Standard Model (SM) to $1$ part in $10^{12}$. The test would improve an order of magnitude if the uncertainty from discrepant measurements of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ is eliminated since the SM prediction is a function of $\alpha$. The new measurement and SM theory together predict $\alpha^{-1}=137.035 \, 999 \, 166 \, (15) \, [0.11 \, \rm{ppb}]$ with an uncertainty ten times smaller than the current disagreement between measured $\alpha$ values., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

We propose using trapped electrons as high-$Q$ resonators for detecting meV dark photon dark matter. When the rest energy of the dark photon matches the energy splitting of the two lowest cyclotron levels, the first excited state of the electron cyclotron will be resonantly excited. A proof-of-principle measurement, carried out with one electron, demonstrates that the method is background-free over a 7.4 day search. It sets a limit on dark photon dark matter at 148 GHz (0.6 meV) that is around 75 times better than previous constraints. Dark photon dark matter in the 0.1-1 meV mass range (20-200 GHz) could likely be detected at a similar sensitivity in an apparatus designed for dark photon detection., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

A mathematical model describing the erosion or leaching of a solid material by a flowing fluid in a column is developed. This involves an advection-diffusion equation coupled to a linear kinetic reaction describing the mass transfer between the solid and fluid. Two specific cases are analysed, the first where the extracted material has the same saturation solubility and rate of mass transfer throughout the process, the second where the solubility switches after a certain amount of erosion. In the first case there are only two model unknowns, the solubility and mass transfer coefficient, in the second there is a third unknown, the second solubility. Exploiting the fact that erosion is a slow process (relative to the flow rate) a perturbation solution based on the smallness of the amount removed is developed to describe the concentration and radius throughout the column. From this an analytical expression for the extracted fraction is obtained. The extracted fraction has a large linear section which results in a simple calculation to estimate the initial solubility from a very few or even a single data point. The remaining unknowns may also be easily calculated from the formula and later data points. A numerical solution, using finite differences, is developed to verify the perturbation solution. The analytical solution is also verified against experimental data for the removal of lanolin from wool fibres with a supercritical CO$_\text{2}$/ethanol solvent. Values for the mass transfer rate and two solubilities are obtained for different pressures and shown to provide excellent agreement with a series of experimental results for the extracted fraction.

With the goal of determining strategies to maximise drug delivery to a specific site in the body, we developed a mathematical model for the transport of drug nanocarriers (nanoparticles) in the bloodstream under the influence of an external magnetic field. Under the assumption of long (compared to the radius) blood vessels the Navier-Stokes equations are reduced, to a simpler model consistently with lubrication theory. Under these assumptions, analytical results are compared for Newtonian, power-law, Carreau and Ellis fluids, and these clearly demonstrate the importance of shear thinning effects when modelling blood flow. Incorporating nanoparticles and a magnetic field to the model we develop a numerical scheme and study the particle motion for different field strengths. We demonstrate the importance of the non-Newtonian behaviour: for the flow regimes investigated in this work, consistent with those in blood micro vessels, we find that the field strength needed to absorb a certain amount of particles in a non-Newtonian fluid has to be larger than the one needed in a Newtonian fluid. Specifically, for one case examined, a two times larger magnetic force had to be applied in the Ellis fluid than in the Newtonian fluid for the same number of particles to be absorbed through the vessel wall. Consequently, models based on a Newtonian fluid can drastically overestimate the effect of a magnetic field. Finally, we evaluate the particle concentration at the vessel wall and compute the evolution of the particle flux through the wall for different permeability values, as that is important when assessing the efficacy of drug delivery applications. The insights from our work bring us a step closer to successfully transferring magnetic nanoparticle drug delivery to the clinic.

The possibility to switch the damping rate for a one-electron oscillator is demonstrated, for an electron that oscillates along the magnetic field axis in a Penning trap. Strong axial damping can be switched on to allow this oscillation to be used for quantum nondemolition detection of the cyclotron and spin quantum state of the electron. Weak axial damping can be switched on to circumvent the backaction of the detection motion that has limited past measurements. The newly developed switch will reduce the linewidth of the cyclotron transition of one-electron by two orders of magnitude., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

A mathematical model is developed for the process of mass transfer from a fluid flowing through a packed column. Mass loss, whether by absorption or adsorption, may be significant. This is appropriate for example when removing contaminants from flue gases. With small mass loss the model reduces to a simpler form which is appropriate to describe the removal of contaminants/pollutants from liquids. A case study is carried out for the removal of CO2 from a gas mixture passing over activated carbon. Using the experimental parameter values it is shown, via non-dimensionalisation, that certain terms may be neglected from the governing equations, resulting in a form which may be solved analytically using a travelling wave substitution. From this all important quantities throughout the column may be described; concentration of gaseous materials, amount of material available for mass transfer, fluid velocity and pressure. Results are verified by comparison with experimental data for the breakthrough curve (the amount of carbon measured at the column outlet). The advantage of the analytical expression over a purely numerical solution is that it can easily be used to optimise the process. In the final section we demonstrate how the model may be further reduced when small amounts of contaminant are removed. The model is shown to exhibit better agreement than established models when compared to experimental data for the removal of amoxicillin and congo red dye from water.

A mathematical model of the process of carbon capture in a packed column by adsorption is developed and analysed. First a detailed study is made of the governing equations. Due to the complexity of the internal geometry it is standard practice to average these equations. Here the averaging process is revisited. This shows that there exists a number of errors and some confusion in the standard systems studied in the literature. These errors affect the parameter estimation, with consequences when the experimental set-up is modified or scaled-up. Assuming, as a first approximation, an isothermal model the gas concentration equation is solved numerically. Excellent agreement with data from a pressure swing adsorption experiment is demonstrated. A new analytical solution (valid away from the inlet) is obtained. This provides explicit relations for quantities such as the amount of adsorbed gas, time of first breakthrough, total process time and width and speed of the reaction zone, showing how these depend on the operating conditions and material parameters. The relations show clearly how to optimise the carbon capture process. By comparison with experimental data the analytical solution may also be used to calculate unknown system parameters.