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To examine the formation of tiger stripes (TS) phenomenon on the surface of the injection molding parts, a home‐made injection mold with a rapid heat exchange system and in situ measurement of pressure and temperature was designed and manufactured. Based on this special mold, the TS diagrams as a function of mold temperature and injection pressure for isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and its blend with a type of polyolefin elastomer (iPP/POE) were explored for the first time. It is found that there exists a critical mold temperature and a critical injection pressure for the TS appearance or disappearance in both systems. The critical temperatures of TS disappearance for iPP and iPP/POE are ~50 and ~ 120°C, respectively. As evidenced by the correlation between melt pressure drop and TS appearance, the wall slip mechanism is regarded as the main cause of TS formation. Compared with the critical shear stress of wall slip (σw) in totally molten PP, the lower σw value in this study further indicates that the wall slip could be facilitated by the crystallization of iPP during injection. Combined with white light interferometer, micro‐area x‐ray diffraction nanoindentation and scanning electron microscopy, it is demonstrated that the cloudy and glossy region of TS in pure iPP system could be distinguished by surface crystallinity. In the blend system, however, the rubber phase orientation as a dominant factor contributes to the glossiness of TS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas saturation degree and flow patterns are key factors for modeling and designing multiphase systems and operations. In turn, these factors are strongly related to the flow dynamics, which are controlled largely by the fluid and media properties. However, predicting the gas distribution and flow pattern remains elusive. Data from 11 series of steady air injection experiments into initially water‐saturated granular media, conducted with different media and flow geometries, are analyzed to identify the main factors governing air saturation and flow patterns. For air injection into otherwise water‐saturated granular media, the flow pattern is affected mainly by the ratio between the Capillary number (ratio of viscous to capillary forces) and the Bond number (ratio of gravitational to capillary forces), that is, by the ratio of viscous to gravitational forces. Moreover, the meta‐analysis presented here indicates that the steady air saturation degree is correlated strongly to flow velocity and grain diameter. Furthermore, analysis of experimental results from different studies of air injection into coarse, homogeneous, granular media (glass beads, sand) also suggests a significant effect of inertial forces. Both viscous and buoyancy forces increased air saturation, while capillary forces decreased the saturation degree. The ratio between capillary and buoyancy forces determines the air flow pattern during air injection into otherwise water‐saturated media. Key Points: Capillary, viscous, gravity, and inertial forces control air flow regime and content, the latter increases with velocity and grain sizeA new phase diagram depicts the effect of Ca and Bo on air flow patternsThe effect of the background saturation degree cannot be easily decoupled from the Bo‐Ca‐flow pattern phase diagram [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer extrudate swell is a rheological phenomenon taking place after polymer melt flow emerges the die exit of extrusion equipment, due to flow redistributions and molecular stress relaxations. The associated die design is based on the strategy of inhibiting or compensating the swelling behavior downstream the die exit. This contribution comprehensively highlights the current knowledge and plethora of experimental and modeling tools to tune extrudate swell of polymer melts. The novelty lies in the combined consideration of the impact and interplay of i) the processing parameters, ii) the die geometry, iii) the macromolecular characteristics (e.g., molar mass distribution and branching level), and iv) the additive macroscopic properties. Furthermore, the prediction of extrudate swell through various flow geometries by semiempirical expressions and fundamental viscoelastic constitutive models is compared. Specific focus is on the differential Phan–Thien–Tanner (PTT), the molecular‐based Double‐Convected POM–POM model (DCPP), and the integral Kaye–Bernstein–Kearsley–Zapas (K‐BKZ) model and their usefulness for 3D swelling descriptions, indicating the optimum model to understand the fundamental relation of molecular parameters and viscoelasticity. The relevance of such detailed analysis is also illustrated by including case studies addressing design at the final product scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Continuous ethanol fermentation productivity strongly depends on yeast concentration. Therefore apparatuses, which can handle high cell concentrations, separation and recycling of adapted yeasts are of high interest. In our work, an enhanced sedimentation rate ( ESR) settler for a Blenke cascade system, avoiding large electrical power consumption, was designed. To improve the sedimentation rate, the ESR settler was connected in series with a small conventional gravitational settler. Yeast recycling was executed in two modes, direct and activation modes. Yeast cell samples taken from both cascade and settler were counted and tested for cell viability using methylene blue staining technique and a haemocytometer. The samples were cultured on agar plate with yeast extract peptone dextrose broth and analyzed by HPLC to determine ethanol, residual sugars content and by-products (of yeast and bacterial origin). Results The results showed that, using ESR settler in series with a small conventional gravitational settler, more than 85% of the yeast cells were sedimented and were recycled by the direct or activation mode. The ethanol productivities were Qp = 19.45 ± 0.13 and Qp = 20.31 ± 0.11 g L−1 h−1 for direct and activation recycle mode, respectively. Continuous fermentation, yeast recycling and sedimentation were contamination-free processes. Conclusion With an ESR settler, more adapted yeast can be recycled into the continuous process. High ethanol productivity can be achieved by an activation recycling mode. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The investigation of flow-ecology relationships constitutes the basis for the development of environmental flow criteria. The need to understand hydrology-ecology linkages in natural systems has increased owing to the prospect of climate change and flow regime management, especially in water-scarce areas such as Mediterranean basins. Our research quantified the macroinvertebrate community response at family, genus and species level to natural flow regime dynamics in freshwater streams of a Mediterranean semiarid basin (Segura River, SE Spain) and identified the flow components that influence the composition and richness of biotic assemblages. Flow stability and minimum flows were the principal hydrological drivers of macroinvertebrate assemblages, whereas the magnitude of average and maximum flows had a limited effect. Perennial stable streams were characterized by flow sensitive lotic taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) and intermittent streams by predominately lentic taxa (Odonata, Coleoptera, Heteroptera and Diptera). Relatively minor biological changes were recorded for intermediate flow regime classes along a gradient of flow stability. Seasonal variation and minimum flows are key hydrological components that need to be considered for river management and environmental flows in the Segura River basin and other Mediterranean basins. The anthropogenic modification of these parameters, due to both human activities and climate change, would probably lead to significant changes in the structure and composition of communities in perennial stable streams. This would be characterized by a reduction of flow sensitive Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa and an increase in more resilient Odonata, Coleoptera, Heteroptera and Diptera taxa. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the linear stability of inviscid plane Poiseuille flow between two parallel free surfaces. We show that there are short wave instabilities with eigenfunctions localized near the free surface and derive the asymptotics of these modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine papers in the area of ‘Flow in collapsible tubes or over compliant surfaces for biomedical applications’ are collated and presented in this special issue. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]