ALBERT

Description: A system capable of operating in downhole conditions at depths of several thousand meters is developed for measuring drilling engineering parameters (DEP) in real time. The aim is to monitor DEP during drilling, including the weight on the drill bit (WOB), torque on the drill bit (TOB), and lateral force on the drill bit. The design of the structure and parameters of the sensors, calibration of the sensors, and the field test results are described. Four separate strain gages and a measuring system are designed to measure DEP in the downhole during drilling in real time. The field tests show that the designs are sound. The measured axial force is greater than the calculated value, which means that the real WOB is higher than the logging WOB and the real TOB is greater than the logging torque. Thus, the survey instruments can meet the requirements for rotary steerable drilling and conventional drilling. The measured WOB and TOB data can also be used to analyze drill string vibrations.

Description: The possibility of predicting motor oil behavior at high and low (moderate) temperatures is shown, and based on this a model that allows prediction of deposit forming tendency of oil at high (HTD) and low (LTD) temperatures is built within the framework of formulation of a physicomechanical (or motochemical) approach. The specific nature of HTD and LTD formation is associated with the peculiarities of disperse phase behavior, which is realized in various degrees of filling of the phase surface by oil additives and is expressed in the difference of temperature stability of surface (protective) layers.

Description: Asphaltenes of various heavy oil resids are oxidized by aqueous sodium percarbonate solutions at 200°C and 4 MPa pressure. The composition and properties of the obtained products are analyzed. Water-soluble oxidation products in the asphaltene oxidation products comprise 47.4-49.4%. Products of oxidative condensation of asphaltenes enriched with hydroxyl, ether, and carboxyl groups dominate in the composition of water-insoluble oxidation products. The water-soluble oxidation products represent carboxylic acid concentrate. The characteristics of the structural-group composition of the obtained oxidation products are disclosed. The possibility of practical utilization of asphaltene oxidation products as adhesion additives to road asphalt and for removal of phenol from water is demonstrated.

Description: Apparent kinetic parameters of carbon dioxide sorption from biogas using solutions produced by suspending calcined dolomite are given. The optimum and effective CO 2 absorption temperature is 20°C. Kinetic calculations show that the apparent absorption order and the apparent absorption rate constant decrease with a rise of temperature. It is shown that the CO 2 absorption rate is a direct function of CO 2 partial pressure and an inverse function of temperature. A dolomite solution obtained by filtration of a 1% dolomite suspension in water is recommended for CO 2 absorption.

Description: Experiments were performed on catalytic hydrogen-free upgrading of low-octane gasoline fractions on zeolite-containing catalysts with various silicate moduli. Chromatographic analysis showed the influence of a change in the molecular-sieve characteristics of zeolite-containing catalysts on the individual and group composition of the obtained gasolines. It was found to be expedient to combine zeolite-containing catalysts with various silicate moduli in the catalyst composite in order to increase the conversion of the feedstock fraction.

Description: Ti 3+ -doped TiO 2 nanosheets with tunable phase composition (doped TiO 2 (A/R)) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method with high surface area anatase TiO 2 nanosheets TiO 2 (A) as a substrate, structure directing agent, and inhibitor; the activity was evaluated using a probe reaction-photocatalytic CO 2 conversion to methane under visible light irradiation with H 2 as an electron donor and hydrogen source. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscope, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) etc., were used to characterize the photocatalysts. XRD and HRTEM measurements confirmed the existence of anatase-rutile phase junction, while Ti 3+ and single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy in the doped TiO 2 (A/R) photocatalyst were revealed byelectron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements. Effects of hydrothermal synthesis temperature and the amount of added anatase TiO 2 on the photocatalytic activity were elucidated. Significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of doped TiO 2 (A/R) was observed; under the optimized synthesis conditions, CH 4 generation rate of doped TiO 2 (A/R) was 2.3 times that of Ti 3+ -doped rutile TiO 2 .

Description: Butanol is a promising biofuel with high energy intensity and can be used as gasoline substitute. It can be produced as a sustainable energy by microorganisms (such as Clostridia) from low-value biomass. However, the low productivity, yield and selectivity in butanol fermentation are still big challenges due to the lack of an efficient butanol-producing host strain. In this article, we systematically review the host cell engineering of Clostridia, focusing on (1) various strategies to rebalance metabolic flux to achieve a high butanol production by regulating the metabolism of carbon, redox or energy, (2) the challenges in pathway manipulation, and (3) the application of proteomics technology to understand the intracellular metabolism. In addition, the process engineering is also briefly described. The objective of this review is to summarize the previous research achievements in the metabolic engineering of Clostridium and provide guidance for future novel strain construction to effectively produce butanol.

Description: The patterns of change in component and structural-group composition of bituminous binders modified by oxygen-containing compounds and finely dispersed Mn (II) oxide are determined. Manganese ions, taking part in high-temperature oxidation-reduction reactions of modifier compounds containing acyl radicals and double bonds, are capable of forming oxy-radicals in the presence of air oxygen. The content of alcohol-benzene resins, aromatic structures, and carbonyl groups increases in the samples. The obtained samples of modified binders have improved adhesive and low-temperature properties, which allow production of high-strength asphalt concrete surfacings.

Description: Deep and superdeep reservoirs over 5000 m deep are continually being discovered and developed in Western China, particularly in the Tarim Basin. The low pressure in these reservoirs makes it necessary to run sucker-rod pumps to great depths, which increases the load on the polished rod and creates pumping problems in deep wells. This study examines two rod-load-reduction techniques for deep wells, one using composite fiberglass-steel rods and the other using load reducers for the rods. The effects of these techniques on polished-rod load reduction are evaluated by calculation based on well operation data and comparison of the two techniques. Energy efficiency is analyzed by calculating the torque based on the difference between the maximum and minimum loads on the polished rod. The study results show that composite fiberglass-steel rods reduce the maximum load by 35.7% and that the load reducer decreases the load by an average of 22.8%, which is a significant outcome. The composite fiberglass-steel rod is more energy efficient than the load reducer.

Description: Condensation of sulfanilamide with acid anhydrides produced the corresponding amide derivatives, which on treatment with hydrazine hydrate yielded the hydrazones. The structures of the prepared compounds were confirmed by IR, PMR, and 13 C NMR spectroscopy and x-ray crystallography.

Description: We have measured the shape of the luminous zone in a laminar jet diffusion flame burning methane, ethylene, and propane in quiescent air in the pressure range 0.02-0.1 MPa. Soot emission by the flame was not permitted. The flame became more slender and luminous as the pressure increased. At relatively high fuel flow rates, the ethylene and propane flame heights increased with pressure. At low fuel flow rate, the flame height decreased as pressure increased for all three fuels. At high fuel flow rate, the methane flame height first decreased and then increased with pressure, due to the low tendency of methane to form soot. Finally, we observed a tendency toward decreasing – increasing – decreasing flame height at certain fuel flow rates and in certain pressure ranges.

Description: A voltammetric “electronic tongue” is proposed to identify motor oils. For this, carbon-paste electrodes (CPE) are developed that contain motor oil paste. It is shown by the method of projections to latent structures (PLS) that there are functional correlations between nitro compound marker reducing currents at the proposed CPE and physicochemical properties of motor oils. The possibility of voltammetric identification of motor oils is shown using chemometric methods of principal components analysis (PCA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMKA) with respect to square wave voltammograms of organic marker compounds (o- and p-isomers of aromatic nitro compounds) at carbon-paste electrodes containing the oils to be identified as the binder.

Description: This study presents a novel nanostructural electrode made of 20-nm-diameter nanoparticles, which orderly decorated with 2-µm TiO 2 particles, deposited by a new gel process. The decorated electrode (DE) is better than the non-decorated electrode (NE) in both light scattering and light harvesting, as confirmed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction reveals that both electrodes have a mixture of anatase and rutile phases. The dye-sensitized solar cell based on the decorated electrode shows the highest power conversion efficiency of 7.80% as a result of less recombination demonstrated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. From internal power conversion efficiency measurement, the external quantum efficiency of DE cell at 530 nm is 89%, which is higher than that of NE cell (77%).

Description: Biological application of conjugates derived from oligonucleotides and quinone methides have previously been limited by the slow exchange of their covalent self-adducts and subsequent alkylation of target nucleic acids. To enhance the rates of these processes, a new quinone methide precursor with an electron donating substituent has been prepared. Additionally, this substituent has been placed para to the nascent exo-methylene group of the quinone methide for maximum effect. A conjugate made from this precursor and a 5'-aminohexyloligonucleotide accelerates formation of its reversible self-adduct and alkylation of its complementary DNA as predicted from prior model studies.

Description: Galvanic replacement, co-impregnation and sequential impregnation have been employed to prepare Pd-Cu bimetallic catalysts with less than 1 wt-% Cu and ca. 0.03 wt-% Pd for selective hydrogenation of acetylene in excess ethylene. High angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and H 2 chemisorption results confirmed that Pd-Cu singleatom alloy structures were constructed in all three bimetallic catalysts. Catalytic tests indicated that when the conversion of acetylene was above 99%, the selectivity of ethylene of these three single atom alloy catalysts was still more than 73%. Furthermore, the single atom alloy catalyst prepared by sequential incipient wetness impregnation was found to have the best stability among the three procedures used.

Description: β -Glucuronidase from Penicillium purpurogenum Li-3 (PGUS) can efficiently hydrolyze glycyrrhizin into the more valuable glycyrrhetic acid monoglucuronide. However, a low productivity of PGUS and the lack of an effective separation strategy have significantly limited its industrial applications. Therefore, the production of PGUS has been improved by optimizing both the fermentation and purification strategies. A two-stage fermentation strategy was developed where PGUS was first grown with glucose and then PGUS was produced in the presence of glycyrrhizin as an inducer. By using this strategy, the biomass was increased 1.5 times and the PGUS activity increased 5.4 times compared to that when glycyrrhizin was used as the sole carbon source. The amount of PGUS produced was increased another 16.6% when the fermentation was expanded to a 15-L fermenter. An effective protocol was also established to purify the PGUS using a sequential combination of hydrophobic, strong anionexchange and gel filtration chromatography. This protocol had a recovery yield of 6% and gave PGUS that was 39 times purer than the crude PGUS. The purified PGUS had a specific activity of 350 U•mg –1 .

Description: A coupled reaction-solvent extraction process was used to remove HCl from a simulated distiller waste. The extraction performances of various extractants and diluents were compared and the apparent basicity of N235 (a mixture of tertiary amines) in various diluents was determined. The best results were obtained using N235 and isoamyl alcohol as the extractant and diluent, respectively. The yield of HCl from the coupled extraction was 75% with this extraction system. The mechanisms for the removal of HCl in both the direct and coupled extractions were investigated. For the coupled extraction, the formation of an R 3 NHCl ion-pair complex was involved in the HCl removal. For the direct extraction, the mechanism involved the formation of hydrogen bonds at high concentrations of HCl.

Description: Two dimensional (2D) nanocrystals of noble metals (e.g., Au, Ag, Pt) often have unique structural and environmental properties which make them useful for applications in electronics, optics, sensors and biomedicines. In recent years, there has been a focus on discovering the fundamental mechanisms which govern the synthesis of the diverse geometries of these 2D metal nanocrystals (e.g., shapes, thickness, and lateral sizes). This has resulted in being able to better control the properties of these 2D structures for specific applications. In this review, a brief historical survey of the intrinsic anisotropic properties and quantum size effects of 2D noble metal nanocrystals is given and then a summary of synthetic approaches to control their shapes and sizes is presented. The unique properties and fascinating applications of these nanocrystals are also discussed.

Description: Foamable high melt strength polypropylene (HMSPP) was prepared by grafting styrene (St) onto polypropylene (PP) and simultaneously introducing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through a one-step melt extrusion process. The effect of PDMS viscosity on the foaming behavior of HMSPP was systematically investigated using supercritical CO 2 as the foaming agent. The results show that the addition of PDMS has little effect on the grafting reaction of St and HMSPP exhibits enhanced elastic response and obvious strain hardening effect. Though the CO 2 solubility of HMSPP with PDMS (PDMS-HMSPP) is lower than that of HMSPP without PDMS, especially for PDMS with low viscosity, the PDMS-HMSPP foams exhibit narrow cell size distribution and high cell density. The fracture morphology of PDMS-HMSPP shows that PDMS with low viscosity disperses more easily and uniformly in HMSPP matrix, leading to form small domains during the extrusion process. These small domains act as bubble nucleation sites and thus may be responsible for the improved foaming performance of HMSPP.

Description: Drilling gas-drainage holes in soft coal seams is essential for preventing coal and gas explosions. After analyzing and summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of existing spiral drilling and wind-pressure drilling processes, a new technology of drilling in soft coal seams using a foam drilling fluid is proposed in this paper. Experiments were conducted to determine the optimal drilling fluid formula for drilling to depths greater than 200 m. The most effective foam stabilizers are selected and correlations of foam half-life and volume with stabilizer concentration were found. Based on an analysis and comparison of all drilling fluid formulas, the recommended additives are 5% K 12 + 0.6% Sesbania powder + 1.0% Konjac powder or 5% K 12 + 0.8% Sesbania powder + 1.0% HEC. In field tests, five holes deeper than 200 m were drilled successfully by using this formula.

Description: The amount of heat radiated by flares is important for designing and locating flare systems. No methods are described in the literature for predicting radiation of enclosed ground flares. To investigate radiation of enclosed ground flares, a series of gas flares were simulated in this work by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The radiation values derived by CFD simulation match the experimental data. For methane, propane, and butane flaring, the radiation flux of 15.77 kW/m 2 was attained only above the flare system, so radiation will not affect the integrity of the structures. The radiation flux at the ground level was below 1.58 kW/m 2 , so this area is safe for personnel. For hydrogen, the radius of isopleth of radiation flux of 15.77 kW/m 2 can reach 33 m, so towers and elevated structures should not be located in these areas. The radius of isopleth of radiation flux of 6.31 kW/m 2 can reach 70 m, and on the ground the radius of isopleth of 1.58 kW/m 2 radiation flux can reach 120 m. Radiation decreases with increase in enclosed ground flare height, so the safe distance of enclosed ground flare can be reduced by increasing the ground flare height.

Description: Quantitative evaluation of rock drillability is of vital importance for selecting drilling bits and optimizing drilling parameters. The existing drillability evaluation methods are mostly designed for balanced and near-balanced drilling situation (roughly 0 bottomhole differential pressure), while investigations of under-balanced drilling are rare. In this work, rock drillability and acoustic velocity testing devices are used to investigate rock drillability in an under-balanced drilling situation. The experimental results showed that bottomhole differential pressure produces a great impact on both rock drillability and acoustic characteristics. Mathematical statistics methods have been applied to analyze the correlations between rock drillability and acoustic characteristics as well as between differential pressure and acoustic characteristics, and to build a model for forecasting rock drillability under various bottomhole differential pressures. The model provides a sound approach to quantitative assessment of rock drillability based on log data.

Description: The effect of gallium and its combination with zirconium on the acid and catalytic properties of pentasil in the upgrading of straight-run fractions in the absence of hydrogen was studied. Hydrogenation–dehydrogenation sites and medium–strength acid sites are formed upon the concurrent modification of phosphorus–containing N–Ultrasil by gallium and zirconium. An optimal ratio of these sites is achieved for Zr:Ga mass ratio 1:1 and this increases the rate of isomerization of nparaffins and the rate of aromatization of aliphatic and naphthenic hydrocarbons. Insertion of phosphorus into zeolite leads to an increased yield of liquid products due to weakening and redistribution of the acid sites.

Description: The composition of the structural fragments of resinous and asphaltic molecules in Usinsk heavy oil containing C – S sulfide bonds and of organosulfur compounds in the oily components of this petroleum was studied. The composition of the sulfur–containing fragments of the asphaltenes was studied separately for their low– and high–molecularweight fractions and occluded maltenes. Alkanes, naphthenes, mono and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dibenzothiophenes, and monobasic aliphatic acids were found in the fragments of the resinous–asphaltic compounds linked by sulfide bridges. The sulfur–containing structures of the oily components are represented by alkyl–substituted thiophenes, benzo, dibenzo, and benzonaphthothiophenes, and bicyclic sulfides. Heat treatment of this petroleum leads to decomposition of the resins and asphaltenes at the sulfide bridges and transition of individual fragments in the distillates, which must be taken into account in upgrading procedures.

Description: Thermocracking products of high-sulfur Mordovo-Karmal asphalt/bitumen containing 3.7 wt. % sulfur and 6.7 wt. % ibp-200 °C fraction are analyzed. Additional 8.1% ibp-360°C fraction can be obtained by cracking the bitumen at 450 °C for 120 min with maximum gas and coke yield totaling more than 20 wt. %. The effect of fly ash microspheres on the direction of transformations of bitumen components is studied. Bitumen cracking in the presence of 10% microspheres raises the yield of the IBP-360°C fraction by 10% with a total by-products (gas and coke) yield of only 4 wt. %. Structural-group composition analysis of resins and asphaltenes of bitumen cracking products indicates significant degradation of resin and asphaltene molecules in the presence of microspheres. The average molecular mass of asphaltenes decreases by 703 amu, the number of blocks in a molecule decreases from 4 to 3, and the number of naphthene rings decreases threefold, which leads to an increase in aromaticity factor, while the quantity of aliphatic fragments and the length of substituents diminish. The average asphaltene molecule becomes more compact and aromatic structural fragments dominate.

Description: Cardanol is a biobased raw material derived from cashew nut shell liquid. In order to extend its utility, new derivatives and additional applications are useful. In this work cardanol was first epoxidized, and a novel aniline derivative prepared from it under mild reaction conditions with the help of an ionic liquid catalyst. The reaction chemistry was studied by using nuclear magnetic resonance. The resulting aminohydrin adduct showed antioxidant property and should also be a useful synthon for further reactions. As an example, the aminohydrin was shown to undergo a condensation reaction with formaldehyde to form a prepolymer, which could be further reacted to form thermosetting resins.

Description: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized in the presence of polyacrylate through the reduction of silver nitrate by sodium borohydride in aqueous solution. The AgNO3 and polyacrylate carboxylate group concentrations were kept constant at 2.0 × 10 –4 and 1.0 × 10 –2 mol·L –1 , respectively, while the ratio of [NaBH 4 ]/[AgNO 3 ] was varied from 1 to 100. The ultraviolet-visible plasmon resonance spectra of these solutions were found to vary with time prior to stabilizing after 27 d, consistent with changes of AgNP size and distribution within the polyacrylate ensemble occurring. These observations, together with transmission electron microscopic results, show this rearrangement to be greatest among the samples at the lower ratios of [NaBH 4 ]/[AgNO 3 ] used in the preparation, whereas those at the higher ratios showed a more even distribution of smaller AgNP. All ten of the AgNP samples, upon a one thousand-fold dilution, catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the temperature range 283.2–303.2 K with a substantial induction time being observed at the lower temperatures.

Description: In order to study the characteristics of the flow regime, we conducted experiments on filtration of pure water and water/oil through an artificial fractured – vuggy medium. We found that both Darcy and non-Darcy flow can occur in a fractured – vuggy medium. After rewriting the Forchheimer equation, we calculated the inertial coefficient for different fracture widths and vug diameters. Based on the experimental studies, we also propose a new method for determining the flow regime for twophase flow using fractal theory.

Description: Xylotrophic basidial fungi capable of accumulating lipids while growing on inedible plant materials are a promising source of feedstock for obtaining biodiesel. Thirty strains of xylotrophic basidial fungi were screened for the accumulation of lipids, and the content of fatty acids in nine strains chosen by screening was determined. It was shown that the Piptoporus betulines MT-30.04 and Russula puellaris MT-32.06 strains are characterized by maximum content of oleic acid in the lipids and are therefore most promising as lipid formers for biodiesel production.

Description: A sequence of possible reactions occurring during evolution of deep-lying fluids, components of which could be sources of biogenous oil substances, is studied within the confines of biogenetic concept of formation of oil. Oxidative condensation transformation of methane and its immediate homologs under the action of sulfur present in some fluids might have facilitated formation of various types of hydrocarbons and organosulfur compounds. The possibility of such transformations is supported by the stable direct correlations between sulfur concentration in oils, their density, viscosity, content of asphaltic-resinous components and heavy fractions, and the scale of oil deposits. The proportion of gas in the oil-gas systems decreases with increase of sulfur content. Metals, like V and Ni, in the deep-lying fluids affect the geochemical type of oil. Vanadium oils are heavier (V 〉 Ni), have high sulfur contents, and occur closer to the surface, while Ni oils are lighter (Ni 〈 V), have low sulfur contents, and occur in deeper strata. These characteristics apparently stem from the different nature of catalytic properties of the metals and the structures containing them. Transformations of the oil fluid with the involvement of heterocomponents thus affect the fractional and chemical composition of oil-gas systems.

Description: A mathematical model (numerical simulation) of gas-oil flow in a multi-cup downhole gas-oil separator is proposed. The model takes into account the Gibbs wave equation to obtain the pump plunger velocity and the population balance model (PBM) for describing bubble aggregation and breakage. The gas-oil flow field distribution and the bubble behavior in the multi-cup gas-oil separator were simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The numerical simulation results showed that the main role of gas-oil flow distribution in the process of oil separation from the separator cup wall is the viscous effect. Small bubbles in the center tube aggregate into large bubbles, and interaction of the bubbles along the flow and the fluid running down the cup wall forms a clockwise spiral, which accelerates separation of the gas and oil phases in the separator cup. During the upstroke, the oil volume being sucked out by the center tube through the small hole is larger than the oil volume in the separator cup, which causes entry of air into the center tube and failure of the separator cup.

Description: In the process of oil field development by fire flooding, some sections of the tail gas gathering pipelines may get frozen and blocked due to high content in the gas of moisture, methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. To solve this problem, investigations were conducted to determine the effect of tail gas components, flow rate, pipeline length, and surrounding temperature on the process of reduction of transmission capacity of the gas pipelines due to freezing and blocking. It was found that the methane content in the gas is mainly responsible for gas hydrate formation and wall freezing, which occur predominantly in the back parts of straight pipes and pipe elbows and junctions. According to calculations, 70% methanol concentration is the best hydrate inhibitor.

Description: A versatile biodiesel production process that allows simulation of a plant that can produce biodiesel by transesterification of vegetable oils of any composition to methyl esters is proposed. The validity of the simulation was verified by producing biodiesel and glycerin from different amounts of algal oil feedstocks. The versatile model can be applied to different types of oils by changing only the input parameters. It provides a series of advantages not only in terms of resource and time saving when building a real plant, but also when selecting the most suitable feedstocks for biodiesel production.

Description: The results of determination of thermal stability of mineral and partly synthetic motor oils are presented. The criterion of thermal stability is substantiated and the correlation between it and antiwear properties of the oils is determined. Direct photometric measurement method, which helps obtain an integral parameter of accumulation of all degradation products in the studied oil that can be determined from the luminous flux absorption coefficient, is chosen as the basic method of evaluation of thermal degradation processes. The essential feature of the method consists in comprehensive evaluation of thermal stability and antiwear properties of lube oils from the parameters, namely, the coefficient of luminous flux absorption, relative viscosity, vaporizability, and wear. Correlations of optical properties, viscosity, vaporizability, and antiwear properties of the lube oils with thermostating temperature are obtained, and based on them the limiting temperature of lube oil performing ability was established.

Description: In this paper, we present a model for calculating the open-hole extended-reach limit for an extendedreach well which takes into account such factors as annular pressure loss, equivalent density of formation fracture pressure, etc. Studies have shown that the proposed model is the most accurate model available. We also present results of an analysis of the effect of different drilling parameters on the extended-reach limit of the well. Calculations have shown that the extended-reach limit is proportional to the equivalent density of the formation fracture pressure and inversely proportional to the pump rate, the drilling fluid density, and the mechanical rate of penetration (ROP).

Description: The results of studies on the development of the flame atomic absorption method for determining the elemental composition of precipitates formed during use of petroleum products are reported. The feasibility of applying this method to determine the elemental composition of pollutants removed from the fuel and oil feed systems of the equipment and determination of the nature and causes of formation of these pollutants is demonstrated.

Description: We propose a mathematical model describing gas flow from a fractured shale reservoir into a horizontal well. Based on Langmuir adsorption theory and Darcy’s law, we have obtained a basic solution using a combination of a point source function, an integral of a Bessel’s function, and the Poisson summation formula. We plotted typical curves for the dimensionless pressure and its derivative on a log-log scale. We analyze the stages of gas flow from the shale formation to the horizontal well and the factors influencing it.

Description: It is shown that in the mineral transformer oil oxidation process the fluorescence spectrum of the oil shifts to the long-wave region. This phenomenon lies at the foundation of the method of determination of the degree of electroinsulating oil oxidation in real time. The oxidation state is determined by measuring the diagnostic parameter, i.e., the oxidation index that characterizes the magnitude of shift of the fluorescence spectrum of the oil upon its oxidation. The oxidation index is defined as the ratio of the fluorescence intensity measured in the longer-wave spectral range to the intensity measured in the shorter-wave spectral range. The results of measurement of the transformer oil oxidation degree by the fluorescence method vis-à-vis other measurement methods, such as titration and IR spectroscopy, are presented. The proposed method can be used to determine the increase in oil oxidation rate at the earlier stage. The device for implementing the developed method can be a portable one or can be installed in the oil-filled system of the equipment.

Description: The results of modeling of thermal cracking of oil sludge activated by electromagnetic radiation are reported. An experimental-statistical model of dependence of wide gas oil fraction yield on radiation frequency, electromagnetic radiation power, and oil sludge activation time is obtained to optimize the cracking process conditions.

Description: While drug resistance appears to be an inevitable problem of an increasing number of anticancer drugs in monotherapy, combination drug therapy has become a prosperous method to reduce the administered total drug dosages as well as overcome the drug resistance of carcinoma cells. Curcumin, considered to possess multifaceted roles in cancer treatment according to its multiple anti-neoplastic mechanisms as a depressor of chemoresistance, can significantly facilitate its anti-cancer functions and improve therapeutic effects via combination usage with a variety of other drugs with different reaction mechanisms. To explore this possibility, four anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents that all possess a certain degree of drug resistance problems, including three tyrosine kinase inhibitors (erlotinib, sunitinib and sorafenib) that are acting on different cell pathways and a typical anticancer drug doxorubicin, were combined with curcumin individually to examine the synergistic anti-tumor effect both in vitro and in vivo . Results revealed that sunitinib combined with curcumin at the molar ratio of 0.46 yielded the most potent synergistic effect in vitro , and was therefore chosen for further animal evaluation. To further enhance the anticancer effect, bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles were utilized as a carrier to deliver the selected drug combination in situ . Preliminary in vivo findings confirmed our hypothesis of being able to maintain a similar injected drug ratio for prolonged time periods in tested animals by our approach, thereby maximizing the therapeutic potency yet minimizing the toxicity of these drugs. This work could open up a new avenue on combination drug therapy and realization the clinical utility of such drugs.

Description: Modeling structural and thermodynamic properties of nucleic acids has long been a challenge in the development of force fields. Polarizable force fields are a new generation of potential functions to take charge redistribution and induced dipole into account, and have been proved to be reliable to model small molecules, polypeptides and proteins, but their use on nucleic acids is still rather limited. In this article, the interactions between nucleic acids and a small molecule or ion were modeled by AMOEBAbio09, a modern polarizable force field, and conventional non-polarizable AMBER99sb and CHARMM36 force fields. The resulting intermolecular interaction energies were compared with those calculated by ab initio quantum mechanics methods. Although the test is not sufficient to prove the reliability of the polarizable force field, the results at least validate its capability in modeling energetics of static configurations, which is one basic component in force field parameterization.

Description: In order to study the reasons for borehole instability, we calculated the mud density window for horizontal wells in complex formations based on logging data. From the results of the mud density window calculation, we found that for mudstone shales it decreases as the inclination angle and the azimuth increase, while for coal it took on negative values. We found that collapse and expansion are conducive to maintaining borehole stability, while in coal seams a positive mud density window can be achieved only by collapse (a decrease in the borehole diameter). It was determined that we need to increase the mud density from 1.2 to 1.4 g/cm 3 and use drill pipes that are as small as possible for the longest possible period of time. In this case, the borehole trajectory should be determined according to the seam location and the mud density.

Description: A sol-gel technique has been developed for the synthesis of a magnetite-silica-titania (Fe 3 O 4 -SiO 2 -TiO 2 ) tertiary nanocomposite with improved photocatalytic properties based on the use of inexpensive titania and silica precursors. The exceptional photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials was demonstrated by using them to photocatalyze the degradation of methylene blue solution. The best formulation achieved 98% methylene blue degradation. An interesting feature of the present work was the ability to magnetically separate and reuse the catalyst. The efficiency of the catalyst remained high during two reuses. The synthesized nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultra-violet-visible spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. XRD analysis revealed the formation of multicrystalline systems of cubic magnetite and anatase titania crystals. SEM and TEM characterization revealed well-developed and homo-geneously dispersed particles of size less than 15 nm. FTIR spectra confirmed the chemical interaction of titania and silica. It was further noticed that the optical properties of the prepared materials were dependent on the relative contents of their constituent metal oxides.

Description: Amphiphilic block copolymers (ABCs) assemble into a spherical nanoscopic supramolecular core/shell nanostructure termed a polymeric micelle that has been widely researched as an injectable nanocarrier for poorly water-soluble anticancer agents. The aim of this review article is to update progress in the field of drug delivery towards clinical trials, highlighting advances in polymeric micelles used for drug solubilization, reduced off-target toxicity and tumor targeting by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Polymeric micelles vary in stability in blood and drug release rate, and accordingly play different but key roles in drug delivery. For intravenous (IV) infusion, polymeric micelles that disassemble in blood and rapidly release poorly water-soluble anticancer agent such as paclitaxel have been used for drug solubilization, safety and the distinct possibility of toxicity reduction relative to existing solubilizing agents, e.g., Cremophor EL. Stable polymeric micelles are long-circulating in blood and reduce distribution to non-target tissue, lowering off-target toxicity. Further, they participate in the EPR effect in murine tumor models. In summary, polymeric micelles act as injectable nanocarriers for poorly water-soluble anticancer agents, achieving reduced toxicity and targeting tumors by the EPR effect.

Description: The deterging effect and wetting capacity of some widely used commercial surfactants and demulsifiers are examined and studied from the standpoint of the oilfield treatment of crude oil. The deterging effect of surfactants of various structures is shown to be selective in washing off disperse particles of mechanical paraffin, resin, and asphaltene impurities from the surface. New methods are proposed for determining the deterging effect of surfactacts in oil-bearing disperse systems. The mechanism of breakdown of the structure of disperse particles surrounded by a hydrocarbon adsorption layer under the action of detergents is described. The studies identified a number of surfactants that have an intrinsically pronounced deterging effect.

Description: A method has been developed for determination of the thermooxidative stability of lubricating oils by substitution of single-stage extraction of mechanical impurities from oxidized oil in a Soxhlet apparatus for stages wherein the oxidized oil is held in a solvent, filtered, and additionally eluted of residue with solvent. The precision indexes of the proposed method meet specifications GOST 11063–77, GOST 23652–79, and GOST 6370–83.

Description: A correlation is established experimentally between the content of oxidation products determined by IR spectroscopy and the acid number of lubricating oils used in gas-pumping units. A new express method is proposed fro determining acid number.

Description: We have studied the melting points and the hexagonal—rhombic transition temperatures in the solid state of the crude oil paraffin P-1 (mixed Ozek-Suat oil) and its narrow fractions. We have identified for the first time a correlation between the phase transition temperatures for the narrow fractions and the corresponding temperatures for the predominant high-melting and low-melting n-alkanes in these fractions.

Description: Crude oil acids, isolated from high-acid crude oil, were decarboxylated in a continuous flow-through reactor in the presence of nanosized titanium dioxide. We studied the effect of the reaction temperature on the acid number of the product and the acid conversion. The product obtained, with low acidity and high calorific value and representing a mixture of naphthenic hydrocarbons, is proposed as a component of jet fuels.

Description: We use the Aspen HYSYS software to simulate the process of amine sweetening of natural gas with high acid gas content. We analyze the effect of the lean amine (absorbent) temperature on the acid gas content in the sweetened gas and saturated amine solution (the rich amine). We found that the optimal temperature for the regenerated amine solution (lean amine), at which the maximum sweetening of the gas is achieved with minimum amine circulation rate, is within the range 38°C-45°C.

Description: We describe a statistical method for determining the fracture parameters and the vertical and lateral distribution of these parameters. We examine the correlation between the fracture properties and the filtration characteristics: permeability and deliverability. The grid method is an accurate and efficient tool that makes it possible to describe the surface density of fractures in the core. The parameters determined from the core can be used to calibrate the results from interpretation of well logging data, in order to sufficiently accurately determine the nature of the change in the parameters across the entire wellbore. We have established that the permeability and deliverability of the deposits clearly depends on the fracture spacing and the fracture surface density within the Dabei block of the Kuqa depression.

Description: The potential content and properties of oil distillate fractions of heavy crude oil from the Ashal’chinskoe field are analyzed. The properties of the lubricants obtained from these fractions are studied. Theoretical possibility of use of this type of hydrocarbon feedstock for production of commercial motor oils and conserving lubricants is shown.

Description: The effect of adding Co, Ni or La on the methanation activity of a Mo-based sulfur-resistant catalyst was investigated. As promoters, Co, Ni and La all improved the methanation activity of a 15% MoO 3 /Al 2 O 3 catalyst but to different extents. Similar improvements were also found when Co, Ni or La was added to a 15% MoO 3 /25%-CeO 2 -Al 2 O 3 catalyst. The promotion effects of Co and Ni were better than that of La. However, the catalytic methanation activity deteriorated the most with time for the Ni-promoted catalyst. The used catalysts were analyzed by nitrogen adsorption measurement, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Description: The catalysts supported on LiAl 5 O 8 (spinel) for vapor phase synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from methyl nitrite (MN) have been studied. Their catalytic activities on supports prepared by different methods were evaluated in a continuous reactor. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reduction of H 2 . Li/Al molar ratio and calcination temperature greatly influence the structure of crystalline phase of Li-Al-O oxides. Desirable LiAl 5 O 8 (spinel) was formed at 800°C, while LiAl 5 O 8 (primitive cube) formed at 900°C is undesirable for the reaction. A high Li/Al molar ratio, which was related with LiAlO 2 , also slowed the reaction rate. The electron transfer ability and the interaction with active component are the important properties of the spinel-based supports. The CuCl 2 -PdCl 2 /LiAl 5 O 8 (spinel) with better electron transfer ability and low Pd 2+ reduction temperature exhibited a better catalytic ability.

Description: We examine a new technology for shale gas recovery: high-temperature supercritical carbon dioxide flooding. We analyze the physical and chemical properties of supercritical carbon dioxide, the characteristics of shale gas reservoirs, the adsorption/desorption mechanism and the factors affecting it. We discuss the advantages of the proposed technology and the feasibility of its application in the industry.

Description: Solid components contained in aged GK-type transformer oil are studied employing scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy-dispersion spectroscopy. The composition and properties of sulfur compounds are shown to change markedly in the oil-performance process, including conversion of non-corrosive compounds to corrosive ones.

Description: This article describes the development of the modern paradigm of chemmotology as a set of concepts, definitions, and terms and shows the importance of modern chemmotological terminology.

Description: Multilayer carbon nanotubes obtained by pyrolytic treatment and mechanical activation of amorphous carbon, synthesized from various plant materials, are distinguished by high hydrogen sorption capacity. We have studied the microstructure of the amorphous carbon and the nanotubes. We have found that the mechanical activation time and hydrogen saturation conditions affect the sorption capacity of the nanotubes.

Description: We have studied thermal pyrolysis of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) at 400°C, 450°C, and 500°C. We have studied the effect of temperature on the yield of solid, liquid, and gaseous pyrolysis products. The maximum yield (33.67%) of liquid product (bio-oil) is obtained at 500°C. The bio-oil contains oxygen-containing compounds with hydroxyl and carboxyl groups: phenol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-methylphenol, 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, etc.

Description: Results are reported from laboratory studies of the influence of nitrogen-containing additives on the friction and wear of metallic pairs in diesel fuel. The elemental composition, structure, and thickness of protective films formed on friction surfaces due to the wear of moving pairs in various media are analyzed by X-ray photoelectron tomography. It is shown that the protective film is 1.5 times thicker if the diesel fuel contains a nitrogen-bearing additive rather than no additives.

Description: CuCl supported on molecular sieves has attracted increasing attention in catalyzing oxidative carbonylation of ethanol to diethyl carbonate. Mesoporous MCM-41 has been widely used as catalyst support due to its large surface area and well defined mesoporous structure. Considering its intrinsic weak acidity, MCM-41 was modified by a simple impregnation method to incorporate Al. The incorporation of Al components resulted in the high dispersion of Cu species and the increase of acid sites without changing the mesoporous structure of MCM-41, and thus enhanceed the catalytic activity of CuCl/MCM-41 for diethyl carbonate synthesis.

Description: Based on a review of recent foreign publications, we examine the typical features in simulation modeling of in-situ combustion of high-viscosity crude oils and natural bitumens. We pay special attention to phase and kinetics models, and also examine the differences between combustion of heavy and light oils. We formulate approaches and describe important aspects on which we need to focus when comparing models.

Description: Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermal, vapor-driven transportation process through micro porous hydrophobic membranes that is increasingly being applied to seawater and brine desalination processes. Two types of hydrophobic microporous polyethersulfone flat sheet membranes, namely, annealed polyethersulfone and a polyethersulfone/tetraethoxysilane (PES/TEOS) blend were prepared by a phase inversion process. The membranes were characterized and their performances were investigated using the vacuum membrane distillation of an aqueous NaCl solution. The performances of the prepared membranes were also compared with two commercially available hydrophobic membranes, polytetrafluorethylene and polyvinylidene fluoride. The influence of operational parameters such as feed temperature (25–65 °C), permeate vacuum pressure (200–800 mbar), feed flow rate (8–22 mL/s) and feed salt concentration (3000 to 35000 mg/L) on the MD permeation flux were investigated for the four membranes. The hydrophobic PES/TEOS membrane had the highest salt rejection (99.7%) and permeate flux (86 kg/(m 2 ·h)) at 65 °C, with a feed of 7000 ppm and a pressure of 200 mbar.

Description: A series of unsupported MoS 2 catalysts with or without Al 2 O 3 modification was prepared using a modified thermal decomposition approach. The catalysts were tested for the methanation of carbon monoxide and the optimum one has 25.6 wt-% Al 2 O 3 content. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption measurement, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that adding appropriate amount of Al 2 O 3 increases the dispersion of MoS 2 , and the increased interaction force between MoS 2 and Al 2 O 3 can inhibit the sintering of active MoS 2 to some extent.

Description: This paper describes using the familiar MT-2 platform to build an instrument capable of supporting dynamic observations and recording of the kinetics of physicochemical processes during cryoscopic osmometry of crude oil media and refined petroleum products in automatic mode. Modifications of the MT-2 design generally include introduction of a laser source, a videographic speckle recording system, a digitizing board for the speckle recording signal, a stepper motor control module and redesigned micromechanics controllable by it, which via signals supplied by the computer (the nature of which is controlled by specially written software) alters the movement of the analytical head. As a result of the modification, the MT-2 with digital speckle recording, laser module, and microcamera allows us: to determine the transition to irreversible aggregation of the asphaltenes, characterized by their deposition on the walls of the measuring bath (after desorption of the resins); to do realtime classification of crude oil by speckle morphometry methods; to observe and identify the emulsion properties of the crude oil, including formation of “carpenter’s level” bubble inclusions and coacervate droplets; to carry out a rheological falling-drop experiment with thermographic monitoring; to make rheogoniometric observations while rotating the measuring instrument or thin cuvet; to observe wavy perturbations on the surface of the medium while the drop is falling, with delayed relaxation (dissipation) due to viscoelastic properties.

Description: A study has been made of 13 industrial fractionating towers having a variety of plate contact devices (S-valve, straight-through valve, rectangular-cap, and Glitch valve devices) and 11 industrial fractionating towers having a variety of cross-flow packing contact devices. It is demonstrated that the efficiency of contact devices of various designs is less in the stripping sections of the fractionating towers than in the concentrating sections. Analysis of the mechanisms of diffusion of fractionated components in vapor and liquid phases in contact devices shows that the diffusion coefficient in the vapor phase decreases from the top to the bottom of the tower as the concentration of high-boiling components increases. This reduces mass transfer from one phase to another in the contact device in the stripping section of the tower and, as a result, reduces the efficiency of the contact device in this section of the tower. It is shown that elevation of pressure in the tower and increased temperature gradient across the tower height cause further decline of the contact device efficiency in the stripping section of the tower.

Description: Heteropoly compounds with the general formula Cs 1 M 0.5 x + H 3‒0.5 x P 1.2 Mo 11 VO 40 (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu or Zn) and Cs 1 Cu y H 3‒2 y P 1.2 Mo 11 VO 40 ( y = 0.1, 0.3 or 0.7) were synthesized and then used as catalysts for the selective oxidation of methacrolein to methacrylic acid. The effects of the transition metals on the structure and activity of the catalysts were investigated. FTIR spectra showed that the transition metal-doped catalysts maintained the Keggin structure of the undoped catalysts. X-ray diffraction results indicated that before calcination, the catalysts doped with Fe and Cu had cubic secondary structures, while the catalysts doped with Co, Ni or Zn had both triclinic and cubic phases and the Co-doped catalyst had the highest content of the triclinic form. Thermal treatment can decrease the content of the triclinic phase. NH 3 temperature-programmed desorption and H 2 temperature- programmed reduction results showed that the transition metals changed the acid and redox properties of the catalysts. The addition of Fe or Cu had positive effects on the activities of the catalyst which is due to the improvement of the electron transfer between the Fe or Cu and the Mo. The effects of the copper content on structure and catalytic activity were also investigated. The Cs 1 Cu 0.3 H 2 P 1.2 Mo 11 VO 40 catalyst had the best performance for the selective oxidation of methacrolein to methacrylic acid.

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Controlled growth of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 nanorods with exposed [0 0 1] facets and the fabrication of an Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 magnetic composite by a microwave-assisted polyol process, were achieved in this study. The adsorptivity and photocatalytic performance of the composite toward sunset yellow dye degradation were greatly enhanced by the 〈em〉β〈/em〉-cyclodextrin cavities on its surface, firmly anchored through a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide linkage. A series of examinations and characterizations were carried out to determine the influence of various factors on the morphological modulation-photocatalytic behavior of the pure Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 prior to final functionalization. Changing the pH of the precursor solution impacted the formation of 0D, 2D, and 3D structures; however, the presence of hexamethylenetetramine surfactant induced the development of 1D nanorod structure. A reasonable crystal growth mechanism was proposed to elucidate the formation process. Conversely, the mechanism of the activity enhancement of 〈em〉β〈/em〉-cyclodextrin functionalized Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉, compared to that of the non-functionalized samples, could be realized with the assistance of chemical trapping experiments on sunset yellow, and was confirmed on the colorless antibiotic (sulfamethoxazole). The high performance and durability of this composite can be attributed to the facet-dependent activity, large adsorption capacity due to inclusion interactions, enhanced visible light absorption, and efficient charge separation.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1808_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉In the production of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and recycling of spent LIBs, a large amount of low-concentration lithium-containing wastewater (LCW) is generated. The recovery of Li from this medium has attracted significant global attention from both the environmental and economic perspectives. To achieve effective Li recycling, the features of impurity removal and the interactions among different ions must be understood. However, it is generally difficult to ensure highly efficient removal of impurity ions while retaining Li in the solution for further recovery. In this study, the removal of typical impurity ions from LCW and the interactions between these species were systematically investigated from the thermodynamic and kinetics aspects. It was found that the main impurities (e.g., Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉) could be efficiently removed with high Li recovery by controlling the ionic strength of the solution. The mechanisms of Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 removal were investigated to identify the controlling steps and reaction kinetics. It was found that the precipitates are formed by a zero-order reaction, and the activation energies tend to be low with a sequence of fast chemical reactions that reach equilibrium very quickly. Moreover, this study focused on Li loss during removal of the impurities, and the corresponding removal rates of Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 were found to be 99.8%, 99.5%, 99%, and 99.7%, respectively. Consequently, high-purity Li〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 was obtained via one-step precipitation. Thus, this research demonstrates a potential route for the effective recovery of Li from low-concentration LCW and for the appropriate treatment of acidic LCW.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1806_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈p〉Modern ideas about the aging process of road binders and the principles of restoring their properties and structure are given. Technology of production of standard restored road binders (bitumen and polymer modified bituminous materials) using devulcanized rubber crumb (RC) obtained by crushing spent tires, elemental sulfur, oil dispersing agents (asphalt from deasphalting tar and heavy gas oil catalytic cracking) and polymer-thermoplastic elastomer is proposed. In addition, this technology provides the skillful use of elemental sulfur, waste asphalt from the process of deasphalting tars, and straight-run tar that is in surplus at many refineries. The physical and chemical properties of the restored road binders were evaluated for compliance with the Russian and American standards.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉A zeolite-containing diesel-fuel dearomatization catalyst was prepared using synthesized tungsten-doped zirconia 〈span〉 〈span〉\( {\mathrm{WO}}_4^{2-} \)〈/span〉 〈/span〉/ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and an Ni—Mo complex. The catalyst was tested for diesel fuel dearomatization at 4.5 MPa, feedstock input volume flow rate 1.5 h〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉, H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/feedstock volume ratio 1000 nm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉, and temperature range 270-330°C. The highest conversion (78.8%) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and greatest cetane number were attained at 290°C. Also, the cloud and pour points of the diesel fuel decreased by 23-25°C because of cracking at 310-330°C and extensive isomerization at 290°C. This was confirmed by the yields of target diesel fraction of 69.8-72.9 and 89.2 wt. %, respectively.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae biomass at various temperatures was studied. The products were analyzed by thermogravimetry, elemental analysis, and gas-chromatography—mass-spectromeny. It was concluded that the temperature affected the product yield and composition. The quantitative contents of the major components in the gasoline fraction of the produced bio-oil were determined. The main components in the gasoline fraction were aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, and cycloalkanes. The hydrothermal processing products also contained significant quantities of phenols, organic sulfides, and nitrogenous organic compounds that prevented their direct use as fuel components.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Activities of HCeY vacuum gas-oil cracking catalysts based on the H-form of Fe-modified kaolinites from Kazakhstan deposits with and without zeolites are reported. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were determined. The main cracking product of vacuum gas oil on Fe-modified H-kaolinites without zeolites was light gas oil, the yields of which was 65.3-67.3%. Adding zeolite increased the gasoline yield up to 22% with rather high feedstock conversion (up to 90.3%).〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Bis-alkylsulfonic acid and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-substituted BF〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 azadipyrromethenes have been synthesized by an adaptable and versatile route. Only four synthetic stages were required to produce the penultimate fluorophore compounds, containing either two alcohol or two terminal alkyne substituents. The final synthetic step introduced either sulfonic acid or polyethylene glycol groups to impart aqueous solubility. Sulfonic acid groups were introduced by reaction of the bis-alcohol-substituted fluorophore with sulfur trioxide, and a double Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition reaction between the bis-alkyne fluorophore and methoxypolyethylene glycol azide yielded a neutral bis-pegylated derivative. Both fluorophores exhibited excellent near-infrared (NIR) photophysical properties in methanol and aqueous solutions. Live cell microscopy imaging revealed efficient uptake and intracellular labelling of cells for both fluorophores. Their simple synthesis, with potential for last-step structural modifications, makes the present NIR-active azadipyrromethene derivatives potentially useful as NIR fluorescence imaging probes for live cells.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1828_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉This paper compares the techno-economic performances of three technologies for CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture from a lignite-based IGCC power plant located in the Czech Republic: (1) Physical absorption with a Rectisol-based process; (2) Polymeric CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-selective membrane-based capture; (3) Low-temperature capture. The evaluations show that the IGCC plant with CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture leads to costs of electricity between 91 and 120 € · MWh〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, depending on the capture technology employed, compared to 65 € · MWh〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for the power plant without capture. This results in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 avoidance costs ranging from 42 to 84 € · 〈span〉 〈span〉\({\text{t}_{{\text{CO}_2},\text{avoided}}}^{ - 1}\)〈/span〉 〈/span〉, mainly linked to the losses in net power output. From both energy and cost points of view, the low-temperature and Rectisol based CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture processes are the most efficient capture technologies. Furthermore, partial CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture appears as a good mean to ensure early implementation due to the limited increase in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 avoidance cost when considering partial capture. To go beyond the two specific CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-selective membranes considered, a cost/membrane property map for CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-selective membranes was developed. This map emphasise the need to develop high performance membrane to compete with solvent technology. Finally, the cost of the whole CCS chain was estimated at 54 € · 〈span〉 〈span〉\({\text{t}_{{\text{CO}_2},\text{avoided}}}^{ - 1}\)〈/span〉 〈/span〉 once pipeline transport and storage are taken into consideration. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1870_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉In traditional ceramic processing techniques, high sintering temperature is necessary to achieve fully dense microstructures. But it can cause various problems including warpage, overfiring, element evaporation, and polymorphic transformation. To overcome these drawbacks, a novel processing technique called “cold sintering process (CSP)” has been explored by Randall et al. CSP enables densification of ceramics at ultra-low temperature (⩽300°C) with the assistance of transient aqueous solution and applied pressure. In CSP, the processing conditions including aqueous solution, pressure, temperature, and sintering duration play critical roles in the densification and properties of ceramics, which will be reviewed. The review will also include the applications of CSP in solid-state rechargeable batteries. Finally, the perspectives about CSP is proposed.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1832_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM)/paper-like stainless steel fibers (PSSF) has been manufactured by pyrolyzing poly (furfuryl alcohol) (PFA) coated on the metal fibers. PFAwas synthesized using oxalic acid dihydrate as a catalyst and coated on microfibers by dip coating method. For the purpose of investigating the effects of final carbonization temperature, the composites were carbonized between 400°C and 800°C under flowing nitrogen. The morphology and microstructure were examined by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adsorption and desorption, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra. The consequences of characterization showed that the CMSM containing mesopores of 3.9 nm were manufactured. The specific surface area of the CMSM/PSSF fabricated in different pyrolysis temperature varies from 26.5 to 169.1 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉·g〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉 and pore volume varies from 0.06 to 0.23 cm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉·g〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉. When pyrolysis temperature exceeds 600°C, the specific surface, pore diameter and pore volume decreased as carbonization temperature increased. Besides, the degree of graphitization in carbon matrix increased with rising pyrolysis temperature. Toluene adsorption experiments on different structured fixed bed that was padded by CMSM/PSSF and granular activated carbon (GAC) were conducted. For the sake of comparison, adsorption test was also performed on fixed bed packed with GAC. The experimental results indicated that the rate constant κ’ was dramatically increased as the proportion of CMCM/PSSF composites increased on the basis of Yoon-Nelson model, which suggested that structured fixed bed padded with CMSM/PSSF composite offered higher adsorption rate and mass transfer efficiency. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1827_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Gasification of mixtures of biomass (sunflower seed shells, corn cobs) and heavy oil residues (tar) with added water and preliminary mechanochemical activation of the feedstock is investigated. The influence of the gasification conditions on the yield and composition of the obtained syngas is studied.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Due to the complexity of fluid composition and the dynamic characteristics of a gas reservoir with an underlying aquifer and an oil rim, estimating the storage capacity of such a reservoir is a complex problem. In this work, the method of numerical simulation is used to calculate the dynamic characteristics of such reservoirs. The obtained data on the distribution of the three phases in the reservoir show the expansion of the gas cap and the penetration of the underlying water into the oil rim, resulting in a three-phase transition zone which increases seepage resistance. The capacity of the reservoir is calculated by the method of numerical simulation taking into account the seepage resistance of the three phases, and the material balance method without taking into account the seepage resistance. The results of calculations show that the storage capacity calculated by the first method is 74% of the value calculated by the second method. Thus, we can conclude that the three-phase transition zone is the main parameter affecting the calculated reservoir capacity, and the effect of the transition zone cannot be neglected when estimating the storage capacity of the reservoir.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Results are given for a study on the optimization of the composition of crude oil consisting of petroleum, fuel oil, and gas condensate to improve atmospheric distillation at an installation of the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat Atmospheric and Vacuum Distillation Company. The results of a determination of the size of dispersed phase particles and the stability factor were used to predict the effect of the gas condensate in the crude oil on the major physicochemical properties and yield of light petroleum products. An active state of the dispersed system in the mixed crude oil was found at 40 wt.%. Atmospheric distillation of the activated crude oil permits an increase in the yield of light petroleum products by 28 wt. %.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉During more than 100 years of oil development, cementing technologies have been constantly improved. Depending on the well conditions, the technologies vary in number of stages, cementing mixture composition, and methods to provide leakage-proof and gas-tight cementing, etc. In this paper the authors analyzed the creep law application and its models for the salt-gypsum layer and performed the comparative adaptability evaluation of cementing methods in the salt-gypsum layer.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉The first author’s name is incorrect. It should read〈/p〉 〈p〉A. S. Stoporev.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉The acknowledgement is missing. It reads〈/p〉 〈p〉The study was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (unique project identifier RFMEFI57717X0252).〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉The deformation—strength (strength and plasticity) and dilatometric properties (contraction or volume shrinkage) of binary composites of food paraffin P-1 and the polymers low-pressure polyethylene, polyethylene waxes, atactic polypropylene, and copolymers of ethylene and vinylacetate are investigated. The structural and mechanical properties of the polymer—paraffin composites are plotted as functions of composition. The dependences of these properties on the content of modifying component in the P-1 composites are compared.〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene, as a gasoline model oil, over an industrial Ni-Mo/Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 catalyst was investigated in a continuous system under microwave irradiation. The HDS efficiency was much higher (5%–14%) under microwave irradiation than conventional heating. It was proved that the reaction was enhanced by both microwave thermal and non-thermal effects. Microwave selective heating caused hot spots inside the catalyst, thus improved the reaction rate. From the analysis of the non-thermal effect, the molecular collisions were significantly increased under microwave irradiation. However, instead of being reduced, the apparent activation energy increased. This may be due to the microwave treatment hindering the adsorption though upright S-bind (η〈sup〉1〈/sup〉) and enhancing the parallel adsorption (η〈sup〉5〈/sup〉), both adsorptions were considered to favor to the direct desulfurization route and the hydrogenation route respectively. Therefore, the HDS process was considered to proceed along the hydrogenation route under microwave irradiation. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1839_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Solar powered steam generation is an emerging area in the field of energy harvest and sustainable technologies. The nano-structured photothermal materials are able to harvest energy from the full solar spectrum and convert it to heat with high efficiency. Moreover, the materials and structures for heat management as well as the mass transportation are also brought to the forefront. Several groups have reported their materials and structures as solutions for high performance devices, a few creatively coupled other physical fields with solar energy to achieve even better results. This paper provides a systematic review on the recent developments in photothermal nanomaterial discovery, material selection, structural design and mass/heat management, as well as their applications in seawater desalination and fresh water production from waste water with free solar energy. It also discusses current technical challenges and likely future developments. This article will help to stimulate novel ideas and new designs for the photothermal materials, towards efficient, low cost practical solar-driven clean water production. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1824_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉The work studied a non-catalytic upgrading of fast pyrolysis bio-oil by blending under supercritical conditions using methanol, ethanol and isopropanol as solvent and hydrogen donor. Characterisation of the bio-oil and the upgraded bio-oils was carried out including moisture content, elemental content, pH, heating value, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS), Fourier transform infrared radiation, 〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis to evaluate the effects of blending and supercritical reactions. The GCMS analysis indicated that the supercritical methanol reaction removed the acids in the bio-oil consequently the pH increased from 2.39 in the crude bio-oil to 4.04 after the supercritical methanol reaction. The ester contents increased by 87.49% after the supercritical methanol reaction indicating ester formation could be the major deacidification mechanism for reducing the acidity of the bio-oil and improving its pH value. Simply blending crude bio-oil with isopropanol was effective in increasing the C and H content, reducing the O content and increasing the heating value to 27.55 from 17.51 MJ·kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in the crude bio-oil. After the supercritical isopropanol reaction, the heating value of the liquid product slightly further increased to 28.85 MJ·kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1861_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉The utilization of materials with a hierarchical porous structure as multi-functional additives is highly attractive in the preparation of hybrid membranes. In this study, novel hybrid membranes are designed by embedding hierarchical porous Santa Barbara Amorphous 15 (SBA-15) with a dual-pore architecture (micropores and mesopores) for pervaporation desulfurization. The SBA-15 with cylindrical mesopores provides molecular transport expressways to ensure improved permeability, while micropores on the wall have molecular sieving effects that are essential for the enhancement of permselectivity of thiophene molecules. Considering thiophene/〈em〉n〈/em〉-octane mixture as a model system, the hybrid membrane with embedded 6 wt-% SBA-15 exhibits optimal pervaporation desulfurization performance with a permeation flux of 22.07 kg·m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉·h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and an enrichment factor of 6.76. Moreover, the detailed structure and properties of hybrid membranes are systematically characterized. This study demonstrates the immense potential of hierarchical porous materials as additives in membranes to simultaneously increase permeability and permselectivity.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1830_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Despite all major breakthroughs in recent years of research, we are still unsuccessful to effectively diagnose and treat cancer that has express and metastasizes. Thus, the development of a novel approach for cancer detection and treatment is crucial. Recent progress in Glyconanotechnology has allowed the use of glycans and lectins as bio-functional molecules for many biological and biomedical applications. With the known advantages of quantum dots (QDs) and versatility of carbohydrates and lectins, Glyco-functionalised QD is a new prospect in constructing biomedical imaging platform for cancer behaviour study as well as treatment. In this review, we aim to describe the current utilisation of Glyco-functionalised QDs as well as their future prospective to interpret and confront cancer.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1863_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉SSZ-39 zeolite with AEI framework structure is a good catalyst candidate for the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) reaction. However, the diffusion limitation and coke formation often results in fast deactivation of the SSZ-39 zeolite catalyst. One solution for this challenge is to introduce mesoporosity in the SSZ-39 zeolite. Herein, we report the synthesis of mesoporous SSZ-39 zeolite using an organosilane surfactant, 〈em〉N〈/em〉,〈em〉N〈/em〉-dimethyl-〈em〉N〈/em〉-(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl)octan-1-aminium chloride, as a mesopore template and 〈em〉N〈/em〉,〈em〉N〈/em〉-dimethyl-〈em〉cis〈/em〉-2,6-dimethylpiperidinium as a micropore template. The obtained zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 sorption, scanning electron microscopy, temperature programmed desorption of ammonia, and magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance of 〈sup〉27〈/sup〉Al. The results show that the mesoporous SSZ-39 zeolite has high crystallinity, meso/microporosity, high surface area, cuboid morphology, and abundant acidic sites. More importantly, this mesoporous SSZ-39 zeolite exhibits enhanced catalyst lifetime in the MTO reaction due to the presence of mesoporosity for fast mass transfer, compared with a conventional SSZ-39 zeolite without mesoporosity.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1845_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉