ISEP – DEQ – Comunicações em eventos científicos
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- Efficient computer simulation of the dynamics of na agitated liquid-liquid extraction columnPublication . Guimarães, M. M. L.; Gomes, M. L.; Regueiras, P. F. R.; Ribeiro, M. L.; Cruz-Pinto, J. J. C.Given the difficulties associated with experimentation upon liquid-liquid extraction processes, computer simulation of these processes has recently acquired great relevance and usefulness as complement, if not an alternative, to direct experimentation. This is becoming increasingly attractive, as both the power and the availability of personal computing increase. Recently, Ribeiro (1995), Ribeiro ef al. (1997)) developed a fast and precise algorithm, adapting population balance models as Coulaloglou and Tavlarides' (1977) for the dispersed phase breakage and coalescence, and both the rigid and the oscillating drop models as proposed by Cruz-Pinto ef al. (1983), for mass transfer. The algorithm enabled the simulation’ of the evolution in time of the trivariate joint distribution of drop properties in two-phase continuous mixers, in steady and transient states. A simplified version of this algorithm, that calculates the drop size distribution and the mean and standard deviation of solute concentration within each volume class, was further developed by Regueiras ef al (1996). In this work, the applicability of this simplified algorithm to the dynamic simulation of a Kithni liquid-liquid extraction column is illustrated. A transport model was developed from previous models of Cruz-Pinto (1979). Coulaloglou and Tavlarides’ (1977) drop interaction model was again adopted. It is shown that the algorithm is able to describe both the transient and the steady-state behaviour of a Kihni pilot column (Technical University of Munich), and the simulation runs that were made show good agreement with the experimental results. The present version of the algorithm predicts local hold-ups and drop size distributions at different column stages. So far, the results do not include mass transfer, but future work will contemplate this feature.
- THE SIMULATION OF INTERACTING LIQUID-LIQUID DISPERSIONS - A NEW ALGORITHM AND ITS POTENTIALITYPublication . Guimarães, M. M. L.; Cruz-Pinto, J. J. C.; Regueiras, P. F. R.; Madureira, C. N. M.[Abstract] The simulation of interacting liquid-liquid dispersions undergoing mass transfer and/or chemical reactions is a major chemical engineering problem, that has not yet been satisfactorily solved. The difficulties do not exclusively lie on the experimental validation of the models and their predictions, but are still rooted on the inability of current algorithms to describe the real nature of the dispersion, namely its full trivariate structure - distribution of drop volumes (v), ages (tT) and _= solute concentrations (c) - where v, t and ce are not satistically independent. A survey is given of the authors' latest, recently published (1,2), work and a detailed discussion is then presented of the fine structure and behaviour of the dispersion; the major requirement of an adequate statistical analysis of the simulation results is also dealt with. The paper ends with the authors views on possible trends of future research on this topic.
- Insights on the use of wind speed vertical extrapolation methodsPublication . Pintor, A.; Pinto, C.; Mendonça, J.; Pilão, Rosa Maria; Pinto, P.The present work aims to study the influence of using different methods for wind speed extrapolation in energy production calculations. A dataset of 21 meteorological masts from several landscape characteristics and locations, with at least one year of 10-minute wind speed/direction data, was used as the basis for calculations. Both the power law through estimation of wind shear coefficients, and the logarithmic-based profile using WAsP, were used as mathematical models for predicting wind shear. Wind speed extrapolation was performed either from the top-most height, using a distance method that incorporated all measurement heights, or using the function for wind shear coefficient prediction. It was found that using the logarithmicbased profile was the less reliable of all studied methods. The study showed that the most accurate method was the power law with wind shear coefficients estimated from the two upper heights closest to the extrapolation height, by wind direction sector of 30º, and the wind speeds extrapolation from the topmost height of the two. It is suggested that the use of this method reduces uncertainty in AEP estimates.
- Gender Differences in Students’ Assessment in a Fluid Mechanics CoursePublication . Sena-Esteves, Maria Teresa; Morais, Cristina; Ribeiro, Margarida; Pereira, Isabel; Guedes, Anabela; Soares, Filomena Baptista; Leao, Celina PintoThe main objective of the present work is to verify if, and in what extent, there is a correlation between gender and grades in a topic that is regarded as a core competence of chemical engineering. This analysis is based on data collected through a questionnaire concerning students’ perceptions. Besides no statistical difference on final student's marks, specific differences were obtained and discussed, namely concerning teaching methodologies.
- Slow pyrolysis of oil palm mesocarp fibres: Effect of operating temperaturePublication . Almeida, A. F.; Direito, D.; Pilão, Rosa Maria; Mayer, B.This study investigated the effect of temperature on the slow pyrolysis of oil palm mesocarp fibres. The biomass was characterized in terms of proximate and ultimate analysis, and its higher heating value (HHV) was 18.51 MJ/kg. For pyrolysis temperatures from 469 to 783°C, at a heating rate of 20°C/min, bio-char yield varied between 32.7% and 25.8%. Gas and liquid phases were analysed by gas chromatography and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), respectively. CO2 was the major gas produced for all temperatures (6.9 to 10.0mol/kg of biomass) and H2 concentration increased rapidly as the temperature rose (0.6 to 8.0 mol/kg of biomass). FTIR measurements show that the bio-oils contained alcohols, phenols, alkanes, alkenes, carboxylic acids, aldehydes and aromatic compounds. The HHV of both bio-chars (27.50 to 28.86 MJ/kg) and bio-oils (25.95 to 28.50 MJ/kg) were measured. Thermal decomposition of the fibres was also studied using thermogravimetric analysis.
- Flocculation of Arthrospira maxima for improved harvestingPublication . Caetano, Nídia; Martins, A.A.; Gorgich, M.; Gutiérrez, D.M.; Ribeiro, T.J.; Mata, T.M.The environmental impacts associated with the burning of fossil fuels coupled with growing concerns about security of energy supply, motivated the search for more sustainable forms of energy production, among which came microalgae for biofuels production. However, the commercial production of microalgae biofuels is still not competitive compared to fossil fuels, as it is necessary to solve some process bottlenecks, among which biomass harvesting, that is the focus of this work. Hence, this work intends to study the harvesting of microalga Arthrospira maxima through flocculation by pH variation and/or addition of CaCl2 as flocculant. Thus, it is described the effect of pH variation (in the range 6 to 12), followed by the addition of flocculant, on the harvesting efficiency. Results show that by pH increase over 10 using NaOH, or by flocculation using CaCl2 at a concentration of 0.2-2.0 g/L and at a 1:30 ratio (v/v) of CaCl2/microalgae culture, it is possible to effectively harvest this microalga.
- Pyrolysis of leather wastes from the footwear industry –preliminary resultsPublication . Direito, D.; Pilão, Rosa Maria; Crispim, Alfredo; Ribeiro, A.M.Most of the leather used by the footwear industry (more than 70%) is produced from skins and hides tanned with chromium sulphate [1]. The production of leather goods, especially shoes, gives rise to wastes that amount to 15 – 20% of the entry leather [2]. As an example, the European footwear industry generates between 1x105 to 2x105 tons per year of leather wastes [1]. In the last few years, various investigations have been carried out in order to find alternatives to the disposal of these residues in landfills. Several processes have been developed to treat the leather residues that include, among others, combustion, pyrolysis, chemical treatment (oxidation and hydrolysis) or direct application of the wastes [2]. Pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of wastes, in the presence of an inert atmosphere, producing a solid phase (biochar), a liquid phase (bio-oil) and a gas phase composed mainly of CO2, CO, CH4 and H2 [3]. Several authors have reported work on the pyrolysis of chromium tanned leather wastes [4, 5, 6]. [...]
- Sustainability evaluation of a Portuguese “terroir” winePublication . Martins, A.A.; Costa, M.C.; Araújo, A.R.; Morgado, A.; Pereira, J.M.; Fontes, N.; Graça, A.; Caetano, Nídia; Mata, T.M.The challenges of sustainability are transversal to all human activities, and the wine sector has its own role to play in the march for a more sustainable development. The proper definition of the most adequate measures and/or policies must be based on an objective and quantitative evaluation of the sustainability of a product or process. In this work the sustainability of a “terroir” wine is assessed taking into account its life cycle and using the following indicators: carbon and water footprint, material intensity, solid waste generated, worker turnover rate, investment in H&S training and EBITDA. All indicators are expressed per functional unit of 0.75 L of wine. The evaluation used data from the company complemented with data/information from the literature or life cycle inventory databases. To account for climatic variability, data from three consecutive years was used. Average values of 3.51 kgCO2eq and 481.4 L per functional unit were obtained for the carbon and water footprint respectively, both values within the range of values reported in the literature.
- Evaluation of Areca palm renewable options to replace disposable plastic containers using life cycle assessment methodologyPublication . Gautam, Anirudh; Mata, Teresa M.; Martins, António A.; Caetano, NídiaIn spite of raising awareness of the environmental impacts associated to the production and utilization of plastics, in many situations, the use of plastics is advantageous, and options are still unavailable or under development, representing an opportunity to develop more sustainable options, such as less energy intensive solutions. In this work, the LCA methodology is used to evaluate the environmental impacts of boxes, bowls and plates produced using Areca palm (Areca catechu) sheath, a waste material common in southern India. The inventory is a combination of primary data from a company in India, complemented with secondary data from the Ecoinvent v2.1 (Simapro V7.3). Results show that the main contributors to the potential environmental impact categories and the most energy intensive life cycle steps, are transportation, shipping and electricity generation. Carbon footprints of 1180, 1033 and 1090 kg CO2eq/ton were obtained for Areca boxes, plates and bowls, respectively. Plates made from Areca palm sheath have lower environmental impacts than plastic plates, except in the ozone layer depletion and terrestrial toxicity impact categories.
- Ground-source energy systems for building heating and cooling — A case studyPublication . Sanmamed, Victor P.; Caetano, Nídia; Felgueiras, CarlosThe growing concern about decarbonization of the energy production system led to the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). However, RES has the drawback of being inherently intermittent and lack controllability, placing limitations on their use. To avoid such limitations, the exploitation of a wide range of energy storage strategies that allow the balancing of energy production and demand is needed. One possibility is to use (BTES). This paper explores the use of BTES in a warehouse in Norway. The system presented in this Borehole Thermal Energy Storage study consists in hybridization of several technologies: PV-T solar panels, air, heat pumps and 8 geothermal wells.