bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping the spatial and social changes in Tamil migrant communities in Vathuruthy, Ernakulam
Authors: Aathira H
Published: April 2021

In recent years, Kerala has witnessed an inflow of migrant labourers from various parts of the country. With rapid urbanisation and booms in the real estate markets in Kerala, the state’s economy has seen an increase in the construction sector, which indirectly brings more migrants as a part of growing urbanisation. The research has its focus laid on Vathuruthy, which is believed to be the largest Tamil migrant settlement in the city. This research critically analyses how the area increased in its urban sprawl and also compares the housing situation of these migrant communities in view of their actual housing typology. The outcomes of the research suggest that there exists a housing prototype that has been evolved from the concepts of mixed-use and flexible spaces. A co-relation of housing typology and various other physical parameters was found which had similarities to the housing typology that the migrants had back in their native hometown. Due to the rapid increase in the inflow of these migrants and their settlement in Vathuruthy, the state government has taken initiatives in the betterment of their community like providing basic infrastructure facilities. With the increase in rapid urbanisation and the possibility of a much larger inflow of immigrants, the research stands as a strong base to how the migrants have adapted to their living spaces in view of factors like liveability and adaptability. The research will highlight a study that looks into how the migrants have adapted and converted their households based on their aspiration ladder.
Addressing walkability of Kochi corporation area with a focus on inland water transportation
Authors: Dona Ann J , Sujith K M
Published: April 2021

Kochi Corporation area is one of the most densely populated corporations in Kerala. The haphazard growth results in least importance on pedestrians. Walking is a healthy culture, which is inevitable in our daily lives. When we consider other modes of transportation, waterborne transportation has the least negative impacts. Here, nearly fifty percent of Kochi corporation area is surrounded by water and has the potential to develop ferry routes. Through the ferry routes we can access the major nodes of the city. However, due to lack of walking infrastructure and proper connectivity, there is a decline in the walking culture. Identifying the scope of walkability in Kochi Corporation area helps to develop a walkable city, which can be an efficient contributor to sustainability. When we blend walking and ferry routes in an urban core, it gives in a ray of hope for sustainability. This paper looks into interlinking the potentials of urban ferry stations and walkability of Kochi Corporation area; thereby aiming to improve the connectivity and built environment of streets near ferry stations. This also looks into providing a safe and healthy built environment of Kochi Corporation area thereby playing a major role in balancing sustainability.
A s tudy on new amphibious housing solution for vulnerable communities in Kuttanad
Authors: Adithya T S , Manoj K K
Published: April 2021

Face of Kerala is changing with climate making it more vulnerable to flood and flood related hazards. Flood hazard mitigation strategies requires a greater degree of adaptability, which calls for the development of new housing types that build resilience among vulnerable population. Kuttanad is a low-lying deltaic region in Kerala with highest number of flood displaced population per year. The economically weaker section of this region is striving for a flood resilient house. Huge house damage loss followed by Kerala flood 2018 paved the way to think about a construction that lives with water without making any obstruction to its flow. Amphibious housing is a sustainable flood mitigation strategy that works in synchrony with the flood vulnerable region’s natural cycle of flooding. These type of constructions are already a part of Netherlands and Rural Louisiana since 1970’s. This paper reviews the case studies of existing amphibious buildings globally and present flood resilient constructions of Kerala. It also analyses the possibility and proposed a new amphibious housing solution based on timber for the vulnerable regions in Kuttanad. The material selection was based on certain parameters which ensure the sustainability of prototype. These type of construction can act as a permanent housing solution for the flood displaced population of Kuttanad.
Appraising the need for disaster mitigation in existing planning documents of Municipal Corporations of Kerala in the event of past disasters
Authors: Arun Shankar M , Bindu C A
Published: April 2021

The state of Kerala has a long history of natural disasters, of which the most recent disasters happen to be the floods and subsequent landslides in 2018 and 2019. Comparatively, the floods of 2018 and 2019 have claimed many lives, destroyed houses and have affected the normalcy and livelihood of many people than the earlier disasters that have occurred in Kerala. Apart from the floods, disasters like cyclones, earthquakes and droughts have also affected Kerala in the past. Understanding the vulnerability of Kerala to disasters, it is a requisite to address the same in the planning documents of every each district of Kerala. In many cases of disaster, it has been observed that the predicted susceptible area has drastically differed from the actual affected area. So as to signify the need of an in-depth disaster mitigation intervention in all the districts of Kerala, this paper intends to recommend a few suggestions and modifications to the existing planning documents of Municipal Corporations of Kerala through a condensed study on the impact of various disasters on different sectors of all the six Municipal Corporations of Kerala.
Impact of Covid-19 in shaping new resilient urban planning approach
Authors: Aiswarya Raj S , Angella E J , Pooja C
Published: April 2021

With unprecedented urbanization in the 21st century, world nations have been consistently working on addressing climatic challenges and improving urban life. The Covid-19 outbreak has exposed the consequences of our negligent approach to urbanization and planning. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected each of us globally and has left us questioning the way we lead our lives. Severe repercussions of Covid-19 are felt across every aspect of the society. However, though pandemics have devastated mankind, a look into history proves that, they have been critical in modifying the condition of the built environment. This paper primarily focuses on the impact Covid-19 has on urban spatial planning, with an understanding of the relationship between pandemics and various spatial planning aspects. There is a critical assessment of the long-term impacts Covid-19 has on urban life across the world. The various challenges caused by the pandemic, with focus on urban planning context and the changes that has happened in the planning field, during the pandemic have been discussed. Covid-19 crisis could fundamentally change spatial planning and the current way of life. This necessitates the need to understand the challenges posed, the failures, the potentials hidden; and thereby facilitate building pandemic resilient cities for a better tomorrow. The current innovations and trends in urban planning as coerced by Covid-19 is researched and developed upon keeping in my mind the past lessons and issues to usher a new sustainable-resilient urban planning.
Blue Covenant: Planning strategies for water conservation
Authors: Steffy Thomas Angel , Geetha A
Published: April 2021

Safe, clean and ample freshwater is vital for the endurance of all living organism and the smooth performance of ecosystems, economies and communities. A decline in the quality and quantity of water is now a global concern as the population grows, agricultural and industrial activities expands, and climate change hovers to cause alterations to hydrological cycle. By 2050, an expected 40% of the world’s population will live in severely water-stressed conditions. Due to the increasing demand in both rural and urban areas, it has led to disputes and tension over command and sharing over water resources. Hence, water scarcity is a complex issue, which deserves an urgent global attention. In this context, this paper attempts to understand the various factors affecting the water scarcity of area and the different water conservation strategies adopted in Cape Town and Israel. The outcome of the paper focussing on what are the factors/sectors to be considered while framing the planning strategies of water conservation an area.
Design of gas cleaning unit for biomass gasifier
Authors: Rahul C G , Shaji K
Published: April 2021

Biomass is considered as renewable energy and its energy potential is promising due to the reason that biomass is a more evenly dispersed source over the earth and thus available nearly worldwide. The challenge is to remove the biomass-derived contaminants such as tar, particulates, H2S and HCl, alkali compounds from the product gas, and then use it for other applications. The objective is to design a proposed gas cleaning unit using ANSYS for the downdraft biomass gasifier and thereby remove the contaminants. From the simulation it was concluded that, the outlet temperature of the downdraft gasifier found from the simulation is 1285.7 K. From the simulation of the proposed cleaning unit, the outlet temperature of 1264.6 K is formed.
Jet mixing enhancement of a supersonic twin jet nozzle using rectangular tabs
Authors: Ambily P N , Mubarak A K , Rekha L , Abdul Samad P A
Published: April 2021

Computational study on the development of mean flow and mixing capability of a rectangular tab placed at the exit of a Mach 1.6 single and twin jet nozzles has been presented. Placing two identical conical nozzles side by side separated by a distance of 1.5 times exit diameters makes the twin jet configuration. The mitigation technique for twin jet cross coupling effects by rectangular tabs for the enhancement of aerodynamic and acoustic characteristics is validating. The results are relevant to situations wherever shock cell structures, potential core length, jet mixing related noise are of concern. Centre line pressure decay characteristics shows that there is an abrupt reduction in the core length and suppression of shock cell structure at off design conditions. The results are in good agreement with the experimental results.
The effects of winglet on hawt blade and the optimum ratio between wing and winglet dimensions
Authors: Pillai Pradeep S , Harikumar A R
Published: April 2021

Government wanted to make India a leading wind power nation. The government offers SOP to private investors to setup wind farms. But the wind flow patterns and the nature of the terrain are not always support to the installation of wind farms. Many stations have little wind to run their windmills. Even if power is generated, companies do not find it profitable to sell to the grid. Induced drag developed by tip vortices stands as a major reason for low power output. This study aims to find the changes in the power generation by wind mills after the addition of winglet to wind turbine blade and also to find an optimum ratio between the span of wing and winglet. The winglet helps to reduce the induced drag. A horizontal axis wind turbine (HWAT) with winglets is proposed. The selection of different airfoil shapes from NACA series was done and blade aerodynamics was simulated to investigate the flow structures and general aerodynamic coefficients are extracted using ANSYS software. A comparison of aerodynamic performance of different airfoil geometries is done to find a suitable airfoil shape based on L/D characteristics. 3D model analysis of blade from selected airfoil cross section, with and without winglet is carried out using ANSYS Fluent and the aerodynamic performance is compared to study the effectiveness of the winglet. It is found that the blade with winglet gives an L/D ratio of 13.8 compared to the one without winglet, 8.8, for a 3m wing span. The study then continued with the wing span of 5m and 7m. The study also extends to find an optimum ratio between wing and winglet.
Estimation of thermal stress at the interface of sliding in a pin on disc tribometer using finite element approach
Authors: Vijay Renjish , Aju Kumar V N , Sadiq A , Sandeep S B
Published: April 2021

Finite Element Method (FEM), introduced at the end of sixties, is used for solving engineering problems by mathematical formulations. The present study estimates the thermal stresses and temperature distribution induced at the contact surface during frictional sliding. The pin on disc tribometer is modelled as per ASTM G99 in ANSYS Workbench simulation software with the help of User Defined Function (UDF). Aluminium alloy 6061 coated with Yttrium stabilized zirconia is used for the analysis where the alloy is subjected to continuous sliding motion against aluminium oxide disc material. User Defined Results are employed in this analysis for the determination of thermal stress generated at the contact surface during frictional sliding. Temperature distribution is determined and is represented in contours.
The effect of free fatty acids on the tribological properties of karanja oil
Authors: Joshy J , Naveen  , Mahipal D
Published: April 2021

Research is being carried extensively on vegetable-based lubricants to provide a suitable replacement against toxic and non-biodegradable petroleum-based lubricants. In this work, tribological properties of free fatty acids in non-edible karanja seed oil are evaluated. Free fatty acids namely palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid were added at 1%, 2%, 3%, and 5%by weight of the base oil. A four ball tribotester was utilized to study the friction and wear properties of different samples. These additives provided both anti-wear and anti-friction properties. Palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid reduced wear by 34.39%, 28.82%, and 13.12% respectively. Further, the coefficient of friction was reduced by 27.51%, 30.15%, and 44.97% respectively. The wear scar region was analyzed using optical microscopy. Flash temperature parameter (FTP) for different additives was calculated and found that at lower additive concentrations, stearic acid had a better FTP but at 5%wt., palmitic acid had the best FTP. Energy consumed during the test was calculated for different additive concentrations and oleic acid additive had the lowest energy consumption.
Effect of SiC nanoparticles on the tribological properties of rice bran oil-based lubricant
Authors: Thampi Ananthan D , Sneha E , Sasidharan Baiju , Rani S
Published: April 2021

The environmental impact of petroleum products has forced the industry to search for alternative bio-products. Vegetable oils can be considered as an alternative to these petroleum products due to the high viscosity index and excellent boundary lubrication properties. In this work, rice bran oil (RBO) is selected as a base-stock for developing bio-lubricants. The silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles were added to RBO in different proportions (0.01 to 0.05 wt. %). The tribological properties were evaluated for different samples using a standard four-ball tribo-tester. The weight percentage of SiC in RBO was optimised based on the tribological results. The optimum concentration of SiC nanoparticles in RBO was found to be 0.03 wt. %. The experimental study also evaluated the tribological properties of chemically modified RBO (MRBO) with 0.03% SiC nanoparticles. It was noted that the tribological properties are better for MRBO with 0.03% SiC nanoparticles.
Numerical analysis and simulation of micro-EDM plasma in de-ionised water
Authors: Varghese Leeba , Vysakh P , Manesh K K
Published: April 2021

Micro-EDM is extensively used for the manufacture of miniature components in the field of biomedical, aerospace and automobile applications, where the surface integrity of the manufactured component is a crucial factor. But it has still not replaced other manufacturing methods like Laser Beam Machining because of its low energy efficiency. In order to improve the process efficiency and make it a commercially viable, so many parametric studies have been conducted, considering the various input and output parameters involved. Very little effort is taken in the direction of studying about the plasma, which is the actual source of energy in micro-EDM. This is due to difficulty in analysing it as the plasma lasts only for a few micro seconds in micro-EDM. The existing studies about plasma formation and its role in material removal in a micro EDM process is lacking in many respects, considering the underlying mechanism of plasma formation. This simulation is an attempt to bridge that gap. A one-dimensional model, based on fluid dynamic approach, considering the chemistry involved in plasma formation is simulated. The evolution of plasma characteristics was studied for one level of electric field and gap width. The results obtained for electron density is compared with experimentally obtained results and is found to be in close agreement. The value of temperature obtained is much lower compared to that found in literature. This shows that the data imported as chemical reactions is not complete in all respects. The simulation requires further improvement.
Sustainable product development using balanced scorecard perspectives
Authors: Vijayan S C , Shalij P R , Biju P L
Published: April 2021

The triple bottom line principle of sustainability is an important philosophy which leads to the reduction of environmental and economic impacts and risks. Its application in new product development helps to achieve an excellent brand image, thereby improving the competitive advantage in similar type of products. This paper proposes a tool that incorporates the sustainability dimensions along with the balanced scorecard perspectives for the new product development. The proposed tool, Sustainability Balanced Score card matrix is tested by applying it in a small scale industry. The successful usage of the tool in the development of a product, demonstrate its potential for the development of a customer satisfying, profitable and sustainable product.
Modelling and cost optimization of a community microgrid
Authors: Himabindu N , Mandi Rajashekar P , Santoshkumar H
Published: April 2021

With the increasing energy demand and promotion of usage of renewable energy resources to reduce the environmental effects, hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) has become very feasible and attractive. In this paper grid-connected hybrid power system model consisting of Solar PV and Wind turbine as HRES are considered to carry out the techno-economic feasibility study. The potential of wind and solar energies are estimated by collecting the data from various resources of a community Microgrid located at the geographical location with latitude of 14.135° N, longitude of 76.239° E in Chitradurga District, south Indian state of Karnataka. HOMER Pro software is used for simulation and promising results are obtained.
A methodology to analyze undergraduate engineering student’scampus start-up activities and its scope of B2C companies
Authors: Pradeep M , Satish K P
Published: April 2021

Business is passion for the educated youth in the current global market scenario. Youth have a vision on Business-to-Consumer venture for their profit growth. This is achieved by the acceptance and utilization of technology trends and are handled by engineering students. Curriculum projects of engineering students should be converted into useful products for the society through the business model. Innovative projects are happening in the campus, but scope of these projects scaled up into prototypes and its development in to marketable products is minimal. Most of these markets are in the electronics and information sciences arena. Mechanical Engineering stream has a huge potential that is waiting to be explored. The aim of this paper is to enhance discussion on the entrepreneurial inquisitiveness of mechanical engineering students to campus start-up and its possibilities for a Business-to-Consumer model. For that, final year undergraduate mechanical engineering students across Kerala, India has been selected.SEM was applied to a sample of 392 students from the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, across Kerala, India. The findings highlight the participation of mechanical engineering students on campus start-ups and its support from various organizations. The scope of start-up products from business to consumer is positively accepted.
Fabrication and dry sliding wear analysis of centrifugally casted A 356-10% SiCp functionally graded metal matrix composites at different rotational speeds
Authors: Mohan Arjun , Sajikumar K S , Gopal Karun V
Published: April 2021

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are advanced composite materials characterized by their variation in the composition or microstructure in a specific direction. The composition of FGMs is continuously varying. The desired properties can be achieved in a single bulk material of FGM which makes them especially applicable for mechanical and tribological applications. Using a vertical centrifugal casting machine fabrication of aluminium A 356-SiCp functionally graded metal matrix composites (FGMMC) were done. 10% by volume of SiCp particle were taken. An average size of 34 μm is chosen for additive SiCp, so that dispersed particulate matter in matrix of A-356 will enhance mechanical and tribological properties such as wear resistance, ultimate strength and hardness. The castings were carried out at 1100 rpm, 1200 rpm, 1400 rpm, 1550 rpm, 1700 rpm and 1950 rpm of the machine. The microstructural analysis projects a good gradation at 1700 rpm. The observations are validated using hardness analysis. Dry sliding wear behaviour of FGMMCs fabricated at rotor speeds of 1550 rpm, 1700 rpm and 1950 rpm were done. Hardness improvement at outer radial position than that of inner radial position of FGMMCs are 1.19, 1.29, 1.35 and 1.54 times at speeds 1400, 1550, 1700 and 1950 rpm of the machine respectively. The casting at 1700 rpm showed a good gradation at transition region compared to others. Wear resistance at outer surfaces of FGMMCs are improved with the presence of SiCp at the expense of COF.
Finite element analysis of response of v-shaped hull plates under blast loading
Authors: Markose Agesh , Jojo Rahul , Rose Aurea , Thomas Tinto , Lakshmana Rao C
Published: April 2021

Armoured vehicles usually employ shaped plate for protection from blast loads arising from landmines. In most of the cases the plates deflect a part of the load away from the vehicle thus protecting the crew. Important parameters which affect the design of the plates include the included angle of the V shaped plate and standoff distance between the explosive and plate. In this study Finite Element (FE) analysis is carried out to estimate energy absorbed by the plates and the impulse transmitted to the superstructure. A validated numerical procedure with ABAQUS is used to conduct the parametric studies to compare and estimate the effectiveness of two different configurations. Guidelines for selecting the required plate angle and location of the plate could be developed based on the suggestions of the numerical study.
Effect of tool axis offset and relative position of materials on the performance of dissimilar friction stir welded aluminium alloy joints–an overview
Authors: Subrahmanian K , Ramachandran K K , Vamadevan Rajeev
Published: April 2021

At present most of the manufacturing sectors are looking for high strength lightweight structures with high specific stiffness and good corrosion resistance. In this context, combined use of different types of aluminium alloys are required and warrants efficient joining of the dissimilar alloys. But, efficient joining of dissimilar aluminium alloys by fusion welding techniques is very difficult due to the poor weldability of dissimilar aluminium alloys. It is reported that FSW being a solid state welding technique can avoid all problems associated with fusion welding and is a potential candidate technique for joining difficult to weld materials including dissimilar aluminium alloys. With regard to FSW dissimilar aluminium alloys, the tool axis offset and relative positioning of alloys are also reported to be important. In this article, a comprehensive discussion on the influence of tool axis offset and relative positioning of the materials on the joint performance that reported in the literature is presented. The literature showed that there is uniqueness in the value and sign of the tool axis offset that can result defect free joint with good joint properties. With regard to relative positioning of the materials also, conflicting arguments are reported in the literature.
Cloud based data management for experiential products: a case study on motion pictures
Authors: Jagath J L , Shalij P R , Naduthodi H , Hisam A M
Published: April 2021

Product complexity is on the rise with the advancing technological progresses and improved customer demands. This resulted in the implementation of finest technologies and philosophies in the product development arena. Product Data Management (PDM) is one such promising area contributing to the cost-saving, quality and time aspects of product development. Currently, the applications of PDM are mostly limited to the discrete products. In this work it is attempted to bring the experiential product domain too under the purview of PDM. The case of motion picture is taken for studying the application of PDM to the experiential product domain. The comparability of motion pictures with any generic discrete product is confirmed in this study and the necessity of a system for Motion Picture Data Management (MPDM) is established. Cloud-based Motion Picture Data Management system is proposed as a solution for the requirements in motion picture development. Functionalities, components, and architecture of the system are described in this work.
Simulation analysis of stirring parameters in stir casting of AA7068/VC/B4Chybrid metal matrix composite using ANSYS
Authors: Poulose Jasmine , Arun M S , Abdul Samad P A
Published: April 2021

Aluminium-based metal matrix composites (AMMCs) are the most commonly used MMC in the automotive and aerospace applications, because of its special properties. The better way to produce MMCs is stir casting method. In the solid-liquid mixing vessel, a remarkable effect on the particle distribution is its flow behaviour of the fluid. Therefore to lead the experimental research, simulation analysis is a powerful tool. The complexity of obtaining a uniform mixture is an important obligation in the method of stir casting. The advantage of obtaining equal dispensation inside the matrix is a serious issue that affects the features and nature of the integrated materials. The dispensation of the reinforcing particles inside the matrix is dependent on numerous parameters at the time of casting. Crucible particle distribution that is stirred during stir casting was simulated in this work using ANSYS and validation was done based on the value of suspension quality. The effects of some important stirring process parameters such as impeller blade angle and stirrer speed of the molten matrix were examined to get the better particle distribution. AA7068 was used as the matrix and vanadium carbide (VC) and boron carbide(B4C) were used as the reinforcements.
An experimental studyon the effect of manganese dioxide & ferric oxide nano-particles for sewage water decontamination
Authors: Jishnu M , Manjith Kumar B , Narayanan Jishnu
Published: April 2021

The vision of this paper is to investigate and introduce a technique to decontaminate, one of the most essential commodities of life that is, water. The requirement of water for an individual varies from a minimum of 8 liters per day for drinking and cooking to about 20-50 liter per day for other daily needs. Unfortunately, about half of a billion people face the problem of water scarcity throughout the year. The treatment of wastewater namely sewage water can reduce these concerns however; the traditional methods of treatment are not efficient enough to completely remove the emerging pollutants. In this paper an experimental study was conducted for the effect of nano-sized materials on the purification of sewage water. As a matter of fact, various nano-materials have been prepared and used for the removal of contaminants from water. Herein the mechanism of adsorption was taken in to consideration were manganese dioxide and ferric oxide nano-particles were utilized as an adsorbent for decontamination of sewage water. The nano-materials were synthesized by means of planetary ball mills and characterization was done through scanning electron microscope. Then the prepared nano-particles were introduced in to the pre-tested water samples for contaminant adsorption. It was observed that the nano-materials can adsorb contaminants like zinc, magnesium, cadmium, chlorides & sulphates to some extent. In addition to this, the treated water shows excellent water quality standards.
Proposing a new design for segmental bone defect (SBD) tibial implant unit cell
Authors: Sayooj K S , Arun M S
Published: April 2021

One of the critical problems in designing and making an implant is to reduce the weight of the implant without compromising its mechanical properties and make it more porous that replicate the biomechanical properties of the bone. A new design is proposed for segmental bone defect (SBD) tibial implant unit cells rather than the existing design of Aaron Vance and Klaudio Bari (2018). Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was completed for the choice of the unit cell and to predict the implant performance. The optimization is carried out to reduce the mass of the existing unit cell design. The outcome of this research shows that the developed implant unit cell exhibits a mass of 1.06g, the maximum stress of 42.885 MPa, and a relative density of 0.2413. This is slightly lower than the existing unit cells to allow for the replacement of the existing implant unit cell with a porosity of 75.2% which is considered significant for the determination of the unit cell for global structure.
Preparation of chip type negative temperature coefficient thermistor
Authors: Vishnupriya P P , Jaini Thomas , Mariya Binoy , Nair Praseetha P , Ranjana R , Sajeenabeevi B , Jayakumar M M
Published: April 2021

A thermistor is a class of resistor whose resistance varies with temperature. The two types of thermistors are Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor and Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor. NTC thermistors have a negative electrical resistance versus temperature (R/T) relationship. These thermistors are extremely versatile and accurate. This makes them best for a wide variety of applications that measure temperature. They find application in firebrand photographic processing, meteorological, geological, and oceanographic research equipment, as well as in consumer and household appliances. This paper presents the development of a chip-type Mn-Ni based negative temperature coefficient thermistor with varying CuO (Dopant) concentration. The changes in electrical properties are also reported. The expected results indicate an increase in resistivity, material constant and temperature coefficient of resistance (a) with an increase in CuO concentration for all the compositions.
Optimization studies on aqueous two-phase extraction of hexavalent chromium from contaminated aqueous solutions
Authors: Suji S K , Sinju M , Radhakrishnan K B
Published: April 2021

Chromium has wide applications in industry and its resources are limited. The total chromium discharge to the environment needs to be monitoredand regulated. The extraction of chromium to PEG offers its reuse in pure form. The present study focuses on the optimization of hexavalent chromium extraction to PEG 1500 using ammonium salt. The effect of independent parameters as to the initial salt solution pH and initial salt phase metal concentration on the extraction efficiency has been studied experimentally. Second-order polynomial models have been used to fit the dependent variables in the experimental range of parameters.Central composite rotatable design in Minitabstatistical software version 16is used as the optimization tool. The maximum efficiency that is achieved through the optimization studies is 29.8%at an initialsalt solution pH of 6.5 and initial metal concentration 24.4 ppm. The corresponding distribution coefficient at the optimum conditionshas been found to be 1.14. The results of the optimization studies have been validated by conducting experiments at the optimum conditions.
Removal of total hardness using low cost adsorbents
Authors: Bindhu B K , Shaji H , Kuruvila K J , Nazerine M , Shaji S
Published: April 2021

Water hardness is an undesirable quality of water in many regions around the world. Hardness can be removed by different methods like ion exchange method, reverse osmosis, distillation, lime soda process etc. But owing to the increase in cost, energy and hectic processes in these methods, it is essential to find an alternative method for softening of water. Nowadays, adsorption methods are gaining attention due its simplicity and efficiency. Efficiency of different adsorbents like Amorphophallus campanulatus (Elephant foot yam), wheat straw ash and rice husk ash and coconut shell activated carbon which are naturally available are investigated in this study. Yam is freely abundant and found to be more efficient compared to others. The efficiency of softening is above 80% for yam. Value of equilibrium constant (RL) and adsorption intensity factor (n) gives the feasibility and intensity of adsorption. Acidic modification has given a negative impact in softening of water for the used materials. High carbon containing substance in ash form has brilliant adsorption ability. Investigations to find out efficiencies are done by optimizing parameters such as adsorbent dosage, pH and contact time. The performances are assessed by isotherm studies. These studies and experiments are done to suggest a simple setup which rectifies the problems of conventional methods for the removal of hardness.
Preparation of thermally and chemically activated charcoal from coconut shell and adsorption studies for iron removal from drinking water
Authors: Jasna K K , Padmavathy K S , Haseena P V
Published: April 2021

Iron is one of the contaminants that reduces potability of water. As per the Safe Drinking Water Act Secondary Standards, permissible concentration of iron in drinking water is 0.3 ppm. Iron content in the water available in industrial area is too high. Natural cleaning methods can be adopted to reduce iron concentration. Activated charcoal prepared from coconut shell can be effectively used as an adsorbent for the removal of iron from drinking water. This project aims on the preparation of thermally and chemically activated charcoal from coconut shell and its characterization. This work also focused on the adsorption studies using the prepared charcoal by varying parameters such as adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and shaking time. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, as well as pseudo first order and pseudo second order has been studied. Adsorption data is well fitted with Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second order kinetics.
Assessment of river water quality indices based on various fuzzy models and arithmetic indexing method
Authors: Divya A H , Soloman P A
Published: April 2021

River water is a major source of natural freshwater for both rural and urban areas. The severe threat in the form of pollutants is the major cause of deterioration of surface water quality. Water Quality Index (WQI) is a single measure of overall water quality in a specific location with a special emphasis on the time-based readings of water quality parameters. WQI can be used as a good tool to assess the intensity of water pollution. In this study, two water quality index models using fuzzy logic in MATLAB R2015a by trapezoidal and sigmoid membership functions are proposed. Fuzzy water quality index models were developed for various seasons, using eight experimentally estimated water quality parameters, such as Temperature (T), Chlorides (Cal−), Nitrates (NO3−), Sulphates (SO4−), Total Coli forms (TC), Total Dissolved Solids(TDS), Electrical conductivity (EC) and Total Hardness (TH) of the water samples at 8 locations stretching55 km of Chalakudy River from January 2018 to December 2018. The models are validated by comparing with the WQI values obtained by the application of arithmetic index method (AIM) based on Indian Standards, by finding the absolute average relative error (AARE) and root mean square error (RMSE). The fuzzy logic model using trapezoidal membership function (FTWQI) was found to be more reliable with the least error (AARE 0.0214 and RMSE 0.318) compared with the fFuzzy sigmoid water quality index (FSWQI) (AARE 0.573 and RMSE 0.86). The models enable the easy prediction of the risk of water consumption.
Simulation of Methoxy methyl heptane (MMH) production using unisim design R460.1
Authors: Aneesha M S , Manilal A M
Published: April 2021

Various fuel additives are employed till now like ethanol, ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), MTBE, Di Isopropyl alcohol (DIPA) etc. after the phase-out of lead-based compounds to enhance the octane number of fuel. MMH is suggested as an alternative to methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and similar ethers since they causes groundwater contamination. The liquid phase reversible reaction of methanol (MHOH) with 2-methyl1-heptene (MH) produces MMH. But there is an undesirable reaction also to form Dimethyl ether (DME) and 2-methyl-2-heptanol (MHOH). The process of MMH production is simulated using Unisim Design software R460.1. Conventionally, MMH is produced through a reactor and three distillation column sequences for yielding high purity MMH. This reactor-column sequence requires either high MH recycle or large-sized reactor to have the desired yield. Both results in large capital and operating costs. A reactive distillation concept can tackle these constraints with reactor and distillation in a single column known as reactive distillation column (RDC).The feasibility of RDC and analysis of the process can be observed using Unisim Design software since pilot plants are costly for this type of RD process. The simulation of the process using different test bed Unisim R460.1 is not explored yet.
Dynamic simulation of manufacture of styrene by the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene
Authors: Bose Kishore , Soloman P A
Published: April 2021

Styrene is an important chemical compound derived from benzene. It is produced conventionally by the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in the presence of iron oxide catalyst. The reaction is reversible endothermic and is carried out in a series of adiabatic packed bed reactors. The present study deals with the dynamic simulation of the process of styrene manufacture using the Honeywell UniSim design suite. The control parameters of various controllers in the process have been derived using the auto-tune feature of the software. Various scenarios of servo problems were studied. The dynamic behaviour of the process parameters during various scenarios in the operating chemical plant is also studied. The results are very much useful for conducting the hazard analysis of the plant and thereby designing the trip systems of the plant.
Reliability analysis and condition monitoring of polymer based dye sensitized solar cell: a DOE approach
Authors: Abrol Shivani Arora , Bhargava Cherry , Sharma Pardeep Kumar
Published: April 2021

Organic Photo Voltaic cells such as dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are bringing about a revolution in the sustainable field. Better economic feasibility and decent efficiencies make it more eminent amongst the available products in the market. Reliability of these cells becomes an area of concern as environmental and electrical energy parameters wobble dynamically. The research article focuses on new techniques for observing the lifetime of a DSSC experiencing the impact of warning parameters like light source temperature, frequency, humidity and thermal stresses on working factors of DSSC such as Fill Factor, voltage, current and Efficiency. Optimization of prediction of failure for lifetime of the cell is done by Design of Experiment (DOE) methodology based on Taguchi’s model using Minitab 18.1 software. The health condition of fabricated dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) is monitored using Accelerated life testing as well as analytical method. Analysis shows that the mean lifetime of the fabricated dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using the experimental method and analytical method is 18 488.67 h and 22 167.05 h respectively. The error analysis shows that the analytical method has 3.63% error, which confirms its accuracy as 96.37%.
Properties prediction and design of self-healing epoxy resin combining molecular dynamics simulation and back propagation neural network
Authors: Luo Hao , Jin Kai , Tao Jie , Wang Hao
Published: April 2021

It is difficult to synergistically improve the self-healing and mechanical properties of self-healing epoxy resin system based on Diels-Alder (DA) reversible covalent bond due to its different compositions. In this study, a method combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and back propagation (BP) neural network was employed to achieve a balance between self-healing property and mechanical property. In addition, self-healing and mechanical properties were predicted and the influence of different compositions of the system on these properties was investigated by the BP neural network. It was found that the DA bond formed by the furan group of furfuryl glycidyl ether (FGE) and the maleimide group of bismaleimide (BMI) was of great importance for self-healing property, and that diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) with a mass fraction of 25%–48% could improve the tensile property of the system. Finally, a self-healing epoxy resin system with superior comprehensive properties was designed through the proposed method under four indexes of Young’s modulus (E), self-healing efficiency (

η

), Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS), and glass transition temperature (Tg).
Possible negative correlation between electrical and thermal conductivity in p-doped WSe2 single crystal
Authors: Kumari Neha , Kalyan Mansi , Ghosh SuryaKanta , Maity Amit Ranjan , Mukherjee Rupam
Published: April 2021

The materials with high electrical conductivity σ and low thermal conductivity κ are the driving force for an efficient thermoelectric device. In general, electrical and thermal conductivity cannot be controlled independently as both electron and phonon participate in transport processes. Two dimensional layered materials are one such kind where van der Waals inter-layer interaction and covalent intra-layer bond favours strong phonon mediated electronic interaction. Here, we report that the substitutional p-type doping of WSe2 demonstrate negative correlation between σ and κ at wide temperature range from 5–300 K. Nominal 0.5% Nb doping of WSe2 (WSe2:Nb) increases the electrical conductivity by an order of magnitude and suppresses the thermal conductivity by the same magnitude. The formation of impurity band at close proximity (0.2 meV) of valance band display large delocalized carrier density and temperature independent mobility as compared to the undoped sample. Simultaneously, the strong delocalization of degenerate band impurity is also found to lower the thermal conductivity to 6 W m−1 K−1 at 300 K.
Synthesis of bulk nanostructured Mg-based alloy via spark plasma sintering through in situ crystallization of an amorphous precursor
Authors: Kim Song-Yi , Kim Hyeon-Ah , Lee A-Young , Kim Do-Hyang , Lim Hyunkyu , Lee Min-Ha
Published: April 2021

We present the synthesis of a bulk nanostructured Mg-based alloy that has a grain size less than 300 nm. A nanostructured Mg-Zn-Cu-Nd alloy with an exceptionally high hardness can be obtained through simultaneous consolidation and in situ crystallization of the amorphous Mg84Zn7Cu3Nd6 alloy precursor using the spark plasma sintering process. We evaluate the relationship between the microstructure and preparation conditions on the grain size of nanostructured Mg-based alloys during the sintering process. The hardness of the bulk sample produced from the sintered amorphous Mg-Zn-Cu-Nd precursor at 260 °C is maximized via the nanocrystallization of intermetallic compounds using the sintering process. The populated crystallization and confined growth of phases contribute to the refinement of gains in nanostructured Mg-based alloys.
Dosimetric effect of nanoparticles in the breast cancer treatment using INTRABEAM® system with spherical applicators in the presence of tissue heterogeneities: A Monte Carlo study
Authors: Tegaw Eyachew Misganew , Geraily Ghazale , Etesami Seyed Mohsen , Ghanbari Hossein , Gholami Somayeh , Shojaei Mehdi , Farzin Mostafa , Tadesse Getu Ferenji
Published: April 2021

Using the 50 kV INTRABEAM® IORT system after breast-conserving surgery: tumor recurrence and organs at risk (OARs), such as the lung and heart, long-term complications remain the challenging problems for breast cancer patients. So, the objective of this study was to address these two problems with the help of high atomic number nanoparticles (NPs). A Monte Carlo (MC) Simulation type EGSnrc C++ class library (egspp) with its Easy particle propagation (Epp) user code was used. The simulation was validated against the measured depth dose data found in our previous study (Tegaw, et al 2020 Dosimetric characteristics of the INTRABEAM ® system with spherical applicators in the presence of air gaps and tissue heterogeneities, Radiat. Environ. Biophys. (10.1007/s00411-020-00835-0)) using the gamma index and passed 2%/2 mm acceptance criteria in the gamma analysis. Gold (Au) NPs were selected after comparing Dose Enhancement Ratios (DERs) of bismuth (Bi), Au, and platinum (Pt) NPs which were calculated from the simulated results. As a result, 0.02, 0.2, 2, 10, and 20 mg-Au/g-breast tissue were used throughout this study. These particles were not distributed in discrete but in a uniform concentration. For 20 mg-Au/g-breast tissue, the DERs were 3.6, 0.420, and 0.323 for breast tissue, lung, heart, respectively, using the 1.5 cm-diameter applicator (AP) and 3.61, 0.428, and 0.335 forbreast tissue, lung, and heart using the 5 cm-diameter applicator, respectively. DER increased with the decrease in the depth of tissues and increase in the effective atomic number (Zeff) and concentration of Au NPs, however, there was no significant change as AP sizes increased. Therefore, Au NPs showed dual advantages such as dose enhancement within the tumor bed and reduction in the OARs (heart and lung).
Dose-area product ratio in external small-beam radiotherapy: beam shape, size and energy dependencies in clinical photon beams
Authors: Niemelä Jarkko , Partanen Mari , Ojala Jarkko , Kapanen Mika , Keyriläinen Jani
Published: April 2021

In small-field radiotherapy (RT), a significant challenge is to define the amount of radiation dose absorbed in the patient where the quality of the beam has to be measured with high accuracy. The properties of a proposed new beam quality specifier, namely the dose-area-product ratio at 20 and 10 cm depths in water or DAPR20,10, were studied to yield more information on its feasibility over the conventional quality specifier tissue-phantom ratio or TPR20,10. The DAPR20,10 may be measured with a large-area ionization chamber (LAC) instead of small volume chambers or semi-conductors where detector, beam and water phantom positioning and beam perturbations introduce uncertainties. The effects of beam shape, size and energy on the DAPR20,10 were studied and it was shown that the DAPR20,10 increases with increasing beam energy similarly to TPR20,10 but in contrast exhibits a small beam size and shape dependence. The beam profile outside the beam limiting devices has been shown to have a large contribution to the DAPR20,10. There is potential in large area chambers to be used in DAPR measurement and its use in dosimetry of small-beam RT for beam quality measurements.