Salt-rejecting rGO-coated melamine foams for high-efficiency solar desalination

Solar-driven interfacial desalination has been emerged as a promising water treatment technology to generate drinkable water out of seawater. The accumulated salt crystals generated from seawater, however, have adverse effects on solar-driven interfacial evaporation. In this work, we prepared a salt-rejecting reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam by depositing rGO particles on a hydrophilic melamine foam for solar desalination. Benefitting from the intrinsic porous microstructure and hydrophilicity, the rGO-coated melamine foam has sufficient wettability to draw water to the evaporation region, leading to rapid replenishment of water and simultaneously avoiding salt precipitation. Based on the rGO-coated melamine foam, the interfacial evaporation system can achieve a steady-state evaporation efficiency of 89.6% under a solar flux of 1 kW m−2 and has good durability under one sun over 12 h. With the high solar-to-thermal conversion efficiency and excellent long-term stability, this interfacial evaporation system exhibits the potential of commercial seawater desalination. Graphic abstract

Lagrangian analysis of atmospheric water balance over the Bay of Bengal

<p>The origin of the atmospheric freshwater fluxes into the Bay of Bengal (BoB) are traced with Lagrangian water trajectories for both present and possible future climates. The water is traced backward from the precipitation at the sea surface to the evaporation regions. In the present-day simulation, the source is mostly from the Western Indian Ocean and near the Western Australian Coast. In the future climate scenario, simulated by EC-Earth, the origin of the moisture will not be the same as the present climate. In addition to it, the Bay of Bengal sourced water is also traced from the evaporation region to the precipitation locations. Most of the BoB originated moisture is precipitating within the neighbouring areas of the drainage basin and some part is transported into the Pacific Ocean. The Lagrangian model TRACMASS is currently running and a detailed analysis and results will be presented in the conference.</p>

Пределы горения вспененной эмульсии с высоким содержанием воды

The paper considers a novel perspective approach for the burning out of water-saturated hydrocarbons in a form of the foamed emulsion that can maintain combustibility even at water content more than 90% wt. On the basis of the carried out numerical-theoretical analysis, it was proposed that the fundamental physical mechanism determining the wide range of combustibility limits of the foamed emulsion is related to the natural spatial separation between the combustion zone and water evaporation region. It was shown that during combustion the foamed emulsion mainly decays into emulsion droplets. Nonstationary modes of the combustion are determined by the foam structure. Obtained results define the applicability area of the considered approach for water-saturated hydrocarbons burning out.

Heat Transport Characteristics in a Miniature Flat Heat Pipe With Wire Core Wicks

A mathematical model predicting the heat transport capability in a miniature flat heat pipe (FHP) with a wired wick structure was developed to analytically determine its maximum heat transport rate including the capillary limit. The effects of gravity on the profile of the thin-film-evaporation region and the distribution of the heat flux along a curved surface were investigated. The heat transfer characteristics of the thin-film evaporation on the curved surface were also analyzed and compared with that on a flat surface. Combining the analysis on the thin-film-condensation heat transfer in the condenser, the model can be used to predict the total temperature drop between the evaporator and condenser in the FHP. In order to verify the model, an experimental investigation was conducted. The theoretical results predicted by the model agree well with the experimental data for the heat transfer process occurring in the FHP with the wired wick structure. Results of the investigation will assist in the optimum design of the curved-surface wicks to enlarge the thin-film-evaporation region and a better understanding of heat transfer mechanisms in heat pipes.

Hadronic Electrons?

A new form of high energy electron-hadron coupling is examined with reference to the experimental data. The electron is taken to have a neutral vector gluon cloud with a radius ~ 10-18 m. This is shown to be consistent with measurements on e+e- -+ e+e- and 9.-2. At low energies, only photons couple to the gluons, but at higher energies 'evaporation' then 'boiling' of OJ and �J occurs, allowing strong interactions. The model yields accurate predictions for the form of the rise in R = u(e+e--+h)/u(e+e--+p.+p.-). Arguments are given for the order of magnitude of m. and for the lack of a permanent meson cloud in leptons. Strong interaction selection rules forbid a contribution to nO -+ e+e-, and interference with the one-photon channel produces minimal scaling violation in eN processes at present energies. The constant value of u(e+e-)/u(pp) is correctly predicted and evidence from high energy pp interactions is also cited. The'll particles are interpreted as e+eresonances in the evaporation region, and their properties are generated correctly. Predictions are given for the behaviour of u(e�e-) at high energies.