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At least 1,045 records · Page 58

Predictive simulation of non-steady-state transport of gases through rubbery polymer membranes

In this paper, a multiscale, physically-based, reaction-diffusion kinetics model is developed for non-steady-state transport of simple gases through a rubbery polymer. Experimental data from the literature, new measurements of non-steady-state permeation and a molecular dynamics simulation of a gas-polymer sticking probability for a typical system are used to construct and validate the model framework. Using no adjustable parameters, the model successfully reproduces time-dependent experimental data for two distinct systems: (1) O 2 quenching of a phosphorescent dye embedded in poly(n-butyl(amino) thionylphosphazene), and (2) O 2 , N 2 , CH 4 and CO 2 transport through poly(dimethyl siloxane). The calculations show that in the pre-steady-state regime, permeation is only correctly described if the sorbed gas concentration in the polymer is dynamically determined by the rise in pressure. Finally, the framework is used to predict selectivity targets for two applications involving rubbery membranes: CO 2 capture from air and blocking of methane cross-over in an aged solar fuels device.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Calculation of the Influence of the Ion Current Density and Temperature on the Accumulation Kinetics of Point Defects under the Irradiation of Si with Light Ions

Numerical calculations of the accumulation kinetics of point defects—vacancies and divacancies—under the irradiation of Si with ions having masses of M{sub 1} ≤ 31 amu and energies of E ≤ 100 keV under various irradiation conditions are performed. The previously proposed diffusion-coagulation model is used without application of the “weak diffusion” approximation, which was performed during its analytical implementation. The main peculiarities of the dependences of the concentrations of vacancies and divacancies on the dose, ion-current density, and temperature under irradiation are analyzed. A physical interpretation of these results is given. The developed computing complex is rather flexible and makes it possible to analyze the influence of model input parameters by means of their variation and include additional processes into consideration if necessary.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unifying Advective and Diffusive Descriptions of Bedform Pumping in the Benthic Biolayer of Streams

Abstract Many water quality and ecosystem functions performed by streams occur in the benthic biolayer, the biologically active upper (~5 cm) layer of the streambed. Solute transport through the benthic biolayer is facilitated by bedform pumping, a physical process in which dynamic and static pressure variations over the surface of stationary bedforms (e.g., ripples and dunes) drive flow across the sediment‐water interface. In this paper we derive two predictive modeling frameworks, one advective and the other diffusive, for solute transport through the benthic biolayer by bedform pumping. Both frameworks closely reproduce patterns and rates of bedform pumping previously measured in the laboratory, provided that the diffusion model's dispersion coefficient declines exponentially with depth. They are also functionally equivalent, such that parameter sets inferred from the 2D advective model can be applied to the 1D diffusive model, and vice versa. The functional equivalence and complementary strengths of these two models expand the range of questions that can be answered, for example, by adopting the 2D advective model to study the effects of geomorphic processes (such as bedform adjustments to land use change) on flow‐dependent processes and the 1D diffusive model to study problems where multiple transport mechanisms combine (such as bedform pumping and turbulent diffusion). By unifying 2D advective and 1D diffusive descriptions of bedform pumping, our analytical results provide a straightforward and computationally efficient approach for predicting, and better understanding, solute transport in the benthic biolayer of streams and coastal sediments.

Grant, Stanley B.↗

THE DETECTION OF A SN IIn IN OPTICAL FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS OF ICECUBE NEUTRINO EVENTS

The IceCube neutrino observatory pursues a follow-up program selecting interesting neutrino events in real-time and issuing alerts for electromagnetic follow-up observations. In 2012 March, the most significant neutrino alert during the first three years of operation was issued by IceCube. In the follow-up observations performed by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF), a Type IIn supernova (SN IIn) PTF12csy was found 0.°2 away from the neutrino alert direction, with an error radius of 0.°54. It has a redshift of z = 0.0684, corresponding to a luminosity distance of about 300 Mpc and the Pan-STARRS1 survey shows that its explosion time was at least 158 days (in host galaxy rest frame) before the neutrino alert, so that a causal connection is unlikely. The a posteriori significance of the chance detection of both the neutrinos and the SN at any epoch is 2.2σ within IceCube's 2011/12 data acquisition season. Also, a complementary neutrino analysis reveals no long-term signal over the course of one year. Therefore, we consider the SN detection coincidental and the neutrinos uncorrelated to the SN. However, the SN is unusual and interesting by itself: it is luminous and energetic, bearing strong resemblance to the SN IIn 2010jl, and shows signs of interaction of the SN ejecta with a dense circumstellar medium. High-energy neutrino emission is expected in models of diffusive shock acceleration, but at a low, non-detectable level for this specific SN. In this paper, we describe the SN PTF12csy and present both the neutrino and electromagnetic data, as well as their analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Adsorption Performance and Mechanisms of Methylene Blue Removal by Non-magnetic and Magnetic Particles Derived from the Vallisneria natans Waste

Vallisneria natans (V. natans) is a submerged aquatic plant, and its dried biomass waste was used to prepare magnetic particle biomass adsorbent by chemical co-precipitation via FeSO{sub 4}·7H{sub 2}O and FeCl{sub 3}·6H{sub 2}O as iron precursors. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area, total pore volume, and average pore width were 7.434 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}, 0.013 cm{sup 3} g{sup −1}, and 6.992 nm for magnetic V. natans, correspondingly, and 3.575 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}, 0.004 cm{sup 3} g{sup −1}, and 4.476 nm for non-magnetic V. natans, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of methylene blue (MB) is a more appropriate fit for pseudo-second-order kinetic model than pseudo-first-order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models. Isotherm results showed that the adsorption of MB onto the non-magnetic and magnetic adsorbents agrees well with Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm model. Moreover, the thermodynamics study implied that the adsorption of MB onto both adsorbents is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The maximum adsorption capacities of MB on non-magnetic and magnetic V. natans were 657.90 and 473.93 mg g{sup −1} at 303 K, correspondingly.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Diffusion across the modified polyethylene separator GX in the heat-sterilizable AgO-Zn battery

Models of diffusion across an inert membrane have been studied using the computer program CINDA. The models were constructed to simulate various conditions obtained in the consideration of the diffusion of Ag (OH)2 ions in the AgO-Zn battery. The effects on concentrations across the membrane at the steady state and on the fluxout as a function of time were used to examine the consequences of stepwise reducing the number of sources of ions, of stepwise blocking the source and sink surfaces, of varying the magnitude of the diffusion coefficient for a uniform membrane, of varying the diffusion coefficient across the membrane, and of excluding volumes to diffusion.

Lutwack, R.↗

Analytical models of axisymmetric reaction–diffusion phenomena in composite media

Reaction–diffusion equations describe a number of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena, many of which occur in composite environments with piece-wise constant diffusion coefficients. In this work, we develop semi-analytical solutions of axisymmetric reaction–diffusion equations with first-order reaction kinetics and continuous transient boundary conditions. These solutions are directly applicable to heat conduction in composite media with transient boundary conditions and heat generation. The solutions lose their robustness in the long time regime, when the Laplace variable tends to zero. Lastly, this limitation is overcome by the use of corresponding steady-state solutions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Impacts of Observational Constraints Related to Sea Level on Estimates of Climate Sensitivity

Reduced complexity climate models are necessary tools for quantifying decision-relevant uncertainties, given their flexibility, computational efficiency, and suitability for large-ensemble frameworks necessary for statistical estimation using resampling techniques (e.g. Markov chain Monte Carlo—MCMC). Here we document a new version of the simple, open-source, global climate model Hector, coupled with a one-dimensional diffusive heat and energy balance model (Diffusion Ocean Energy balance CLIMate model; DOECLIM) and a sea-level change module (Building blocks for Relevant Ice and Climate Knowledge; BRICK) that also represents contributions from thermal expansion, glaciers and ice caps, and polar ice sheets. We apply a Bayesian calibration approach to quantify model uncertainties surrounding 39 model parameters with prescribed radiative forcing, using observational information from global surface temperature, ocean heat uptake, and sea-level change. Furthermore, we find sea-level change as an observational constraint sharpens inference for the upper tail of posterior climate sensitivity estimates (the 97.5 percentile is tightened from 6.5 K to 5.3 K). The addition of sea-level change as an observational constraint also has implications for probabilistic projections of global surface temperature (the 97.5 percentile for RCP8.5 2100 temperature decreases 0.3 K) and sea-level rise (the 97.5 percentile for RCP8.5 2100 sea level decreases 0.5 m).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Comparison of the telegraph and hyperdiffusion approximations in cosmic-ray transport

The telegraph equation and its generalizations have been repeatedly considered in the models of diffusive cosmic-ray transport. Yet the telegraph model has well-known limitations, and analytical arguments suggest that a hyperdiffusion model should serve as a more accurate alternative to the telegraph model, especially on the timescale of a few scattering times. We present a detailed side-by-side comparison of an evolving particle density profile, predicted by the telegraph and hyperdiffusion models in the context of a simple but physically meaningful initial-value problem, compare the predictions with the solution based on the Fokker–Planck equation, and discuss the applicability of the telegraph and hyperdiffusion approximations to the description of strongly anisotropic particle distributions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Application of the Locally Nonequilibrium Diffusion-Drift Cattaneo–Vernotte Model to the Calculation of Photocurrent Relaxation in Diode Structures under Subpicosecond Pulses of Ionizing Radiation

The excitation-relaxation process in electron–hole plasma upon exposure to ionizing radiation for a time shorter than the relaxation time of the mobile carrier energy and momentum is considered. By the example of the calculation of transient ionization processes in a silicon hyperhigh-frequency Schottky diode, local-equilibrium and local-nonequilibrium carrier transport models are compared. It is shown that the local-nonequilibrium model features a wider field of application for describing fast relaxation processes.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Comparing Constant and Transient Membrane Transport Parameters for Use in Wave Desalination Models

Directly pressurizing seawater for desalination with reverse osmosis membranes via wave motion is a promising and sustainable method for producing freshwater in coastal regions. However, such a system could result in significant pressure fluctuations and a departure from conventional steady-state desalination operations. This study sought to assess if membrane transport parameters (apparent water and salt permeability) should be modeled as transient or constant in solution–diffusion-based modeling efforts of dynamically operated desalination systems, such as those coupled to wave power. Two approaches were used to model membrane transport parameters: one considered each parameter to be a function of the net driving pressure of the system, and the other assumed they were constant across all conditions. A pilot-scale system was used to conduct steady-state and controlled ramping experiments. Data from steady-state experiments were used to calculate transient and constant transport parameters. Parameter combinations were used in a simulation model to predict water flux and effective permeate salinity, and simulation outcomes were compared against experimental ramping results. The transient relationships for both water and salt permeability produced the most accurate results for water flux and comparable results for effective permeate salinity. Development of such relationships would be unique to a specific system but could be valuable in modeling wave-driven desalination systems across the wide range of operating conditions they experience.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

The effect of gas diffusion on the flow coefficient for a ventilated cavity

The results of an experimental investigation into the effect of gas diffusion on the volume flow-rate of gas needed to sustain a ventilated cavity are presented. Gas diffusion was found to have a significant effect on the ventilated flow rate required to sustain a cavity of a given size. An analysis for the gas diffusion effect was conducted based on a mathematical model of diffusion proposed by Brennen. The results compare favorably with experimental data. Also, an empirical scaling relationship is proposed for ventilated cavity flows.

Billet, M. L.↗