Enolate chelating N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of Fe(II): Synthesis, structure and their catalytic activity for ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone

The reaction of anhydrous FeBr2 with two equivalents of anionic N-heterocyclic carbene (NaL1 and NaL2), which are generated in situ by the reaction of the corresponding salt [4-R-C6H4COCH2{CH- (NCHCHNiPr)}Br] (R = OCH3, H2L1Br, 1; R = F, H2L2Br, 2) with two equivalents of NaN(SiMe3)2, affords bis-ligand Fe(II) complexes of L12Fe (3) and L22Fe (4) in high yield, respectively. Attempt to synthesize mono-ligand Fe(II) bromide by the 1:1 molar ratio of NaL to FeBr2 is unsuccessful, and the same com- plexes of 3 and 4 were obtained. Both 3 and 4 have been depicted by elemental analysis and X-ray structure determination. Preliminary studies show that both 3 and 4 can be used as single-component catalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone, and the catalytic activity of 3 is higher than that of 4.     

A novel process for the recovery of iron,titanium, and vanadium from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite:sodium modification-direct reduction coupled process

A sodium modification-direct reduction coupled process was proposed for the simultaneous extraction of V and Fe from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite. The sodium oxidation of vanadium oxides to water-soluble sodium vanadate and the transformation of iron oxides to metallic iron were accomplished in a single-step high-temperature process. The increase in roasting temperature favors the reduction of iron oxides but disfavors the oxidation of vanadium oxides. The recoveries of vanadium, iron, and titanium reached 84.52%, 89.37%, and 95.59%, respectively. Moreover, the acid decomposition efficiency of titanium slag reached 96.45%. Compared with traditional processes, the novel process provides several advantages, including a shorter flow, a lower energy consumption, and a higher utilization efficiency of vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite resources.     

Combustion characteristics and kinetics of anthracite with added chlorine

The combustion process of Yangquan anthracite (YQ) with the addition of 0.045wt%, 0.211wt%, 1.026wt%, and 2.982wt% chlorine was investigated using a thermogravimetric method from an ambient temperature to 1173 K in an air atmosphere. Results show that the YQ combustion characteristics are not significantly affected by an increase in chlorine content. Data acquired for combustion conversion are then further processed for kinetic analysis. Average apparent activation energies determined using the model-free method (specifically the KAS method) are 103.025, 110.250, 99.906, and 110.641 kJ/mol, respectively, and the optimal kinetic model for describing the combustion process of chlorine-containing YQ is the nucleation kinetic model, as determined by the z(α) master plot method. The mechanism function of the nucleation kinetic model is then employed to estimate the pre-exponential factor, by making use of the compensation effect. The kinetic models to describe chlorine-containing YQ combustion are thus obtained through advanced determination of the optimal mechanism function, average apparent activation energy, and the pre-exponential factor.     

Use of high-resolution X-ray computed tomography and 3D image analysis to quantify mineral dissemination and pore space in oxide copper ore particles

Mineral dissemination and pore space distribution in ore particles are important features that influence heap leaching performance. To quantify the mineral dissemination and pore space distribution of an ore particle, a cylindrical copper oxide ore sample (φ4.6 mm×5.6 mm) was scanned using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT), a nondestructive imaging technology, at a spatial resolution of 4.85 μm. Combined with three-dimensional (3D) image analysis techniques, the main mineral phases and pore space were segmented and the volume fraction of each phase was calculated. In addition, the mass fraction of each mineral phase was estimated and the result was validated with that obtained using traditional techniques. Furthermore, the pore phase features, including the pore size distribution, pore surface area, pore fractal dimension, pore centerline, and the pore connectivity, were investigated quantitatively. The pore space analysis results indicate that the pore size distribution closely fits a log-normal distribution and that the pore space morphology is complicated, with a large surface area and low connectivity. This study demonstrates that the combination of HRXCT and 3D image analysis is an effective tool for acquiring 3D mineralogical and pore structural data.     

Development of liquid-nitrogen-cooling friction stir spot welding for AZ31 magnesium alloy joints

A liquid-nitrogen-cooling friction stir spot welding (C-FSSW) technology was developed for welding AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets. The liquid-nitrogen cooling degraded the deformability of the welded materials such that the width of interfacial cracks increased with increasing cooling time. The grain size of the stirred zone (SZ) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the C-FSSW-welded joints decreased, whereas that of the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) increased with increasing cooling time. The maximum tensile shear load of the C-FSSW-welded joints welded with a cooling time of 5 or 7 s was larger than that of the friction stir spot welding (FSSW)-welded joint, and the tensile shear load decreased with increasing cooling time. The microhardness of the C-FSSW-welded joints was greater than that of the FSSW-welded joint. Moreover, the microhardness of the SZ and the HAZ of the C-FSSW-welded joints increased, whereas that of the TMAZ decreased, with increasing cooling time.     

Effects and mechanisms of fluorite on the co-reduction of blast furnace dust and seaside titanomagnetite

The co-reduction roasting and grinding magne -tic separation of seaside titanomagnetite and blast furnace dust was investigated with and without fluorite addition at a reduction roasting temperature of 1250℃ for 60 min, a grinding fineness of -43 μm accounting for 69.02wt% of the total, and a low-intensity magnetic field strength of 151 kA/m. The mineral composition, microstructure, and state of the roasted products were analyzed, and the concentrations of CO and CO₂ were analyzed in the co-reduction roasting. Better results were achieved with a small fluorite dosage (≤ 4wt%) in the process of co-reduction. In addition, F- was found to reduce the melting point and viscosity of the slag phase because of the high content of aluminate and silicate minerals in the blast furnace dust. The low moisture content of the blast furnace dust and calcic minerals inhibited the hydrolysis of CaF₂ and the loss of F-. Compared with the blast furnace dust from Chengdeng, the blast furnace dusts from Jiugang and Jinxin inhibited the diffusion of F- when used as reducing agents, leading to weaker effects of fluorite.     

Mechanism and simulation of droplet coalescence in molten steel

Droplet coalescence in liquid steel was carefully investigated through observations of the distribution pattern of inclusions in solidified steel samples. The process of droplet coalescence was slow, and the critical Weber number (We) was used to evaluate the coalescence or separation of droplets. The relationship between the collision parameter and the critical We indicated whether slow coalescence or bouncing of droplets occurred. The critical We was 5.5, which means that the droplets gradually coalesce when We ≤ 5.5, whereas they bounce when We > 5.5. For the carbonate wire feeding into liquid steel, a mathematical model implementing a combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-discrete element method (DEM) approach was developed to simulate the movement and coalescence of variably sized droplets in a bottom-argon-blowing ladle. In the CFD model, the flow field was solved on the premise that the fluid was a continuous medium. Meanwhile, the droplets were dispersed in the DEM model, and the coalescence criterion of the particles was added to simulate the collision-coalescence process of the particles. The numerical simulation results and observations of inclusion coalescence in steel samples are consistent.     

Tribological behavior of CrN-coated Cr-Mo-V steels used as die materials

DIN 1.2343 and 1.2367 steels are commonly used as die materials in aluminum extrusion, and single/duplex/multi-coatings enhance their surface properties. The design of an appropriate substrate/coating system is important for improving the tribological performance of these steels under service conditions because the load-carrying capacity of the system can be increased by decreasing the plastic deformation of the substrate. In this study, the tribological behavior of CrN-coated Cr-Mo-V steels (DIN 1.2343, 1.2367, and 1.2999 grades) was investigated using different setups and tribological pairs at room and elevated temperatures. The aim of this study was to reveal the wear resistance of a suggested system (1.2999/CrN) not yet studied and to understand both the wear and the failure characteristics of coated systems. The results showed that (i) among the steels studied, the DIN 1.2999 grade steel exhibited the lowest friction coefficient because it had the highest load-carrying capacity as a result of secondary hardening at elevated temperatures; (ii) at room temperature, both abrasive tracks and adhesive layers were observed on the worn surfaces; and (iii) a combination of chemical reactions and progressive oxidation caused aluminum adhesion on the worn surface, and the detachment of droplets and microcracking were the characteristic damage mechanisms at high temperatures.     

Optimizing Conditions of Enhancing Granule Sludge Concentration and Performance

An expanded granular sludge bed （EGSB） reactor was adopted to study the influence factors and rule of enhancing granular sludge concentration and performance. The experiment was performed at 33 ℃, pH 6.0-8.0 with continuous flow by adding proper quantity of nutritional trace elements. The results show that SLR was the key of steady operation of EGSB reactor. The increment of the granular sludge was influenced by volume loading rate （VLR）, liquid up-flow velocity and sludge loading rate （SLR）. Concentration of granular sludge increased rapidly when liquid up-flow velocity was over 0.94 m · h^-1 with SLR being at 1.0-2.0 d ^-1. With the propriety parameters： liquid up-flow velocity 2.52 m · h^-1, SLR 1.0-2.2 d^-1 and VLR 8.2-13.1 kg · m ^3 · d^-1, 23 days＇ continuous operation resulted in an increment by over 80% of granular sludge concentration in the EGSB reactor, plus good granular sludge property.     

A Deep Web Query Interfaces Classification Method Based on RBF Neural Network

This paper proposes a new approach for classification for query interfaces of Deep Web, which extracts features from the form＇s text data on the query interfaces, assisted with the synonym library, and uses radial basic function neural network （RBFNN） algorithm to classify the query interfaces. The applied RBFNN is a kind of effective feed-forward artificial neural network, which has a simple networking structure but features with strength of excellent nonlinear approximation, fast convergence and global convergence. A TEL_8 query interfaces＇ data set from UIUC on-line database is used in our experiments, which consists of 477 query interfaces in 8 typical domains. Experimental results proved that the proposed approach can efficiently classify the query interfaces with an accuracy of 95.67%.