Inferential Control

Many variables which characterize the quality of the final product in a chemical process are often difficult to measure in real-time, and hence cannot be directly used in a feedback configuration for process control. 'Inferential' control has come to cover of such problems from the case where the primary output is not measurable, to the case where the primary variable measurement is available at a lower frequency (and often time delayed) relative to the rapid secondary measurements. In general, inferential control algorithms cover both the construction of estimates of unmeasured outputs as well as estimates of unmeasured disturbances.

In regard the inferential control, “Nonlinear inferential control for process applications” has been published in Journal of Process Control and I found it very interesting.

Material Characterization Techniques: Gas Chromatography (GC)

Gas chromatography (GC), is a common type of chromatography used in analytic chemistry for separating and analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. Typical uses of GC include testing the purity of a particular substance, or separating the different components of a mixture (the relative amounts of such components can also be determined). In some situations; GC may help in identifying a compound as well.

The 7th International Chemical Engineering Congress and Exhibition (IChEC 2011)

Since the establishment of the Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers in 1990, 13 annual national and 6 international congresses of chemical engineering have been the major forum for Iranian and international chemical engineers and scientists to present and exchange their research papers. The number of papers presented at these congresses has been steadily increasing each year. The congresses cover vast areas of chemical engineering science and practice including specialized workshops and industrial researches. Deadline for online submission of full paper is July 7, 2011. Visit Conference-Service.com to find the conferences and meetings in 2011-2012.

Granular Flows

Granular flows are fundamentally different from any other type of flow. Here are some clips demonstrate the meaning of granular flows and this is why I am really interested in modeling, simulation and optimization of these systems.

New US Visa Policy For Iranian Students

As of May 20, 2011, qualified Iranian applicants for visas in the F, J, and M categories for non-sensitive, non-technical fields of study and research and their dependents will be eligible to receive two-year, multiple-entry visas. This is an increase in the current visa validity of three months, single entry.

Top 50 Engineering & Technology universities

Although the quality of your research is just depend on your hard working, intelligence and the facility you have, every years we all look at the rankings of universities. Here is the name of Top 50 Engineering & Technology universities in the world.

Interesting Articles I Have Read Last Week

I read interesting articles on modeling, numerical simulation and control of chemical processes recently . The first one has been published in Journal of Fuel on 2010 entitled “A comprehensive mathematical model for biomass gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor”. The detailed process modeling approach and modeling structure (dividing the main model into three sub-models) is very interesting and creative. “CFD modeling of a liquid-solid fluidized bed reactor” has been published on 2007 in Chemical Engineering Science. Modeling parameters such as mesh, time step and convergence criteria have been selected wisely. A comprehensive review on fuel cell modeling, simulation and control has been represented on “Mathematical Modeling, Steady-State and Dynamic Behavior, and Control of Fuel Cells: A Review” published on Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. As I didn’t have any experience in modeling, simulation and control of fuel cell systems, I found this article very attractive. At the end of the paper, in view of the current status of the research activities, topics that require further research studies are discussed that can be really useful for graduate students as well. The last paper I have read is “Caustic Dilution Control: An Industrial Application” published on Journal of Control and Intelligent Systems. The hybrid advanced control structure of adaptive inferential PID and optimal average level control strategy is very creative.

Scientists Afflict Computers With 'Schizophrenia' to Better Understand the Human Brain

Computer networks that can't forget fast enough can show symptoms of a kind of virtual schizophrenia, giving researchers further clues to the inner workings of schizophrenic brains, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Yale University have found. Read more on ScienceDaily.

EEG Headset With Flying Harness Lets Users 'Fly' by Controlling Their Thoughts

A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students has created a system that pairs an EEG headset with a 3-D theatrical flying harness, allowing users to "fly" by controlling their thoughts. The "Infinity Simulator" will make its debut with an art installation in which participants rise into the air and trigger light, sound, and video effects by calming their thoughts. Read more on ScienceDaily.

MATLAB Signal Processing Virtual Conference

Learn how industry leaders are building signal processing systems better and faster through innovative design methods. At the MATLAB Signal Processing Virtual Conference, leading companies across industries will show how they solved real-world design problems using MATLAB and Simulink.
Register here: http://matlab.my/gJUSlh

Virtual protyping, polymer processing

In the last few decades, polymers have emerged as a cost-effective, flexible solution for numerous applications in the materials and chemical processing industries. Because of their light weight, impact strength and processability at relatively low temperatures, plastic and rubber parts have experienced enormous growth in demand, despite surging oil prices and competition from alternatives such as metals and glass. At the same time, global competition continues to put pressure on profit margins and time to market, pushing manufacturers to constantly innovate in the areas of product performance and production efficiency. Read more on ANSYS

Computer Simulation

A computer simulation or a computer model is a computer program that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system. Read more on ScienceDaly.

Developing Advanced Biofuels: Researchers Counteract Biofuel Toxicity in Microbes

Advanced biofuels liquid transportation fuels derived from the cellulosic biomass of perennial grasses and other non-food plants, as well as from agricultural waste  are highly touted as potential replacements for gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. Equally touted is the synthesis of these fuels through the use of microbes. However, many of the best candidate compounds for advanced biofuels are toxic to microbes, which presents a "production versus survival" conundrum. Read more on ScienceDaily

It's Not Easy Flying Green: Large Variability in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Alternative Fuels

There's a race afoot to give biofuel wings in the aviation industry, part of an effort to combat soaring fuel prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions. In 2008, Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly a plane on a blend of biofuel and petroleum. Since then, Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways and Continental Airlines, among others, have flown biofuel test flights, and Lufthansa is racing to be the first carrier to run daily flights on a biofuel blend. Read more on ScienceDaily

New Mathematical Model of Information Processing in the Brain

The human retina the part of the eye that converts incoming light into electrochemical signals has about 100 million light-sensitive cells. So retinal images contain a huge amount of data. High-level visual-processing tasks like object recognition, gauging size and distance, or calculating the trajectory of a moving object couldn't possibly preserve all that data: The brain just doesn't have enough neurons. So vision scientists have long assumed that the brain must somehow summarize the content of retinal images, reducing their informational load before passing them on to higher-order processes. Read more on ScienceDaily

Free-Standing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Thin Films

Thin films of SWCNTs have many unique properties such as high porosity and specific surface area, low density, high ratio of optical transmittance to sheet resistance, high thermal conductivity and chemical sensitivity, and tunable metallic and semiconducting properties. Read more on ScienceDaily

Looking Inside Nanomaterials in 3-D

Most solid materials are composed of millions of small crystals, packed together to form a fully dense solid. The orientations, shapes, sizes and relative arrangement of these crystals are important in determining many material properties. Read more on ScienceDaily.