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Silica Sand (silica + sand)
Selected AbstractsWeathering control over geomorphology of supermature Proterozoic Delhi quartzites of IndiaEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 13 2003Jayant K. Tripathi Abstract Quartz and quartzite are thought to be resistant as a mineral and a rock respectively; however, we have shown that the presence of small amounts of pyrite in the quartzites makes them vulnerable to weathering. We observe that weathering of Proterozoic quartzite in the semi-arid conditions around Delhi proceeded from fractures towards the inside and produced weathering rinds. The chemical index of alteration (CIA), which is actually a measure of weathering of aluminosilicate minerals, increases from the core outwards, through the rinds. Although aluminosilicate minerals occur only as minor phases (<2 per cent), their weathering indicates a movement of the weathering front from the periphery towards the core. We have suggested a coupled mechanism in which the dissolution of pyrites by moving water produced a sulphate-bearing acidic solution and ferrous iron, which reacted with aluminosilicate minerals and quartz, respectively. This initially makes the Delhi quartzite porous and subsequently friable. The total disintegration of grain to grain contacts imparted friability to this quartzite to produce silica sand. Subsequent physical erosion of loose sand, produced during rind development in the outermost zones, has given rise to features like tors, spheroids, gullies, cavities and small-scale caves on these quartzites. Thus, the terrain has acquired ruggedness in semi-arid conditions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Biofilm Growth and Bed Fluidization in a Fluidized Bed Reactor Packed with Support Materials of Low Density,ENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2004R.A. Saucedo-Terán Abstract Support materials of low-density for fluidized bed reactors provide several operational advantages, including lower energy requirements and proper biofilm growth balance. The aim of this investigation was to study the extent of biofilm growth and bed fluidization in an experimental reactor, using polyester resin (,pr,=,1220,kg/m3) and vitrified expanded perlite (,vep,=,1710,kg/m3) as alternative support materials to conventional silica sand. A noteworthy amount of biofilm was observed to be attached to both support materials from the very beginning of the bioreactor operation. Nevertheless, there were significant variations in biofilm growth and activity over the course of the experimental trials. For both perlite and polyester beds, the highest biofilm mass and the highest total number of mesophilic bacteria were observed between the 7th and the 10th day, showing a steady state trend at the end of the experimental runs. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal levels were concomitant with biofilm mass and total mesophilic bacteria changes, although the polyester bed efficiency was slightly higher than that for the perlite bed. As expected, the polyester bed was fluidized at a lower re-circulation flow compared to the perlite bed. Reactor back-washing was not required for these support materials since biomass excess was adequately separated by means of a special internal device. The efficiencies of removal of organic matter achieved were acceptable (up to 78,%) despite the low volume of the support material (25,%) and the low hydraulic retention time (30,min). [source] Influence of Potsdam sandstone on the trace element signatures of some 19th-century American and Canadian glass: Redwood, Redford, Mallorytown, and Como,HudsonGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008J. Victor Owen Potsdam sandstone from quarries and outcrops near 19th-century glassworks sites in Redwood, NY, and Saranac, NY, Mallorytown, ON, and Como and Hudson, QC, commonly contains _97% silica, so in terms of its purity can compete with other historical producers of silica sand (e.g., Cheshire quartzite, MA; southern New Jersey sand). Exploratory analysis of trace element data using multidimensional scaling (MDS) shows that geographically distinct sources of Potsdam sandstone can be distinguished from one another and from competing sources of silica sand, particularly in terms of high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Y, Ti, Zr), the rare earth elements, and radioactive elements (U, Th), and this geochemical signature is carried through to the glass it was used to manufacture. Other trace elements (e.g., Ba, Sr, Rb) are concentrated in various batch ingredients (e.g., limestone, alkali fluxes). The Hf/Nb, La/Ce, Nb/Th, and La/Zr ratios for each type of glass and nearby Potsdam sandstone sources cluster together in distinct fields on MDS plots. These data confirm the use of Potsdam sandstone in these important historical glassworks, and show that except for material sampled from neighboring communities (Mallorytown and Redwood), trace elements can be used to identify specific sources of silica historically used by the glassmaking industry. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Modelling strain localization in granular materials using micropolar theory: numerical implementation and verificationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 15 2006Khalid A. Alshibli Abstract Implementation and applications for a constitutive numerical model on F-75 silica sand, course silica sand and two sizes of glass beads compressed under plane strain conditions are presented in this work. The numerical model is used to predict the stress versus axial strain and volumetric strain versus axial strain relationships of those materials; moreover, comparisons between measured and predicted shear band thickness and inclination angles are discussed and the numerical results compare well with the experimental measurements. The numerical model is found to respond to the changes in confining pressure and the initial relative density of a given granular material. The mean particle size is used as an internal length scale. Increasing the confining pressure and the initial density is found to decrease the shear band thickness and increase the inclination angle. The micropolar or Cosserat theory is found to be effective in capturing strain localization in granular materials. The finite element formulations and the solution method for the boundary value problem in the updated Lagrangian frame (UP) are discussed in the companion paper. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Catalytic porous ceramic prepared in-situ by sol-gelation for butane-to-syngas processing in microreactorsAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2009Nico Hotz Abstract In this study, a novel flow-based method is presented to place catalytic nanoparticles into a reactor by sol-gelation of a porous ceramic consisting of Rh/ceria/zirconia nanoparticles, silica sand, ceramic binder, and a gelation agent. This method allows for the placement of a liquid precursor containing the catalyst into the final reactor geometry without the need of impregnating or coating of a substrate with the catalytic material. The so generated foam-like porous ceramic shows properties highly appropriate for use as catalytic reactor material, e.g., reasonable pressure drop due to its porosity, high thermal and catalytic stability, and excellent catalytic behavior. To investigate the catalytic activity, microreactors containing this foam-like ceramic are employed for the production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide-rich syngas from butane. The effect of operating parameters such as the inlet flow rate on the hydrocarbon processing is analyzed and the limitation of the reactor by diffusion mass transport is investigated. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Transient fluidization and segregation of binary mixtures of particlesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 11 2000A. Marzocchella Fluidization of binary mixtures of particles belonging to group B of the Geldart classification of powders was studied. Beds tested were prepared by mixing in different proportions particles with almost equal density (,2,500 kg/m3) and dissimilar size (125 ,m silica sand and 500 ,m glass beads). Experiments were carried out using a segmented fluidization column equipped with multiple pressure transducers. Experimental procedures included continuous monitoring of pressure drop at different locations along the bed during quasi-steady or stepwise changes of gas superficial velocity, and characterization of particle-size distributions in each segment of the fluidization column after fluidization of the bed for given times. Three ranges of gas superficial velocity were recognized for each solids mixture. At low velocity the bed behaves as a fixed bed. At high velocity, it is fully and steadily fluidized. In an intermediate velocity range, transient fluidization takes place: an initially uniform fluidized bed eventually undergoes segregation, giving rise to a defluidized bottom layer rich in the coarser solids and to a "supernatant" fluidized layer where finer particles prevail. The thresholds between these velocity ranges are rather sharp and were characterized as functions of initial bed composition. Rates at which the defluidized solids layer builds up from initially uniform beds, and the ultimate compositions of the defluidized bottom and fluidized top layers are characterized for beds with different compositions at variable gas superficial velocity. [source] Numerical modelling of fluid flow in microscopic images of granular materialsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 1 2002E. Masad Abstract A program for the simulation of two-dimensional (2-D) fluid flow at the microstructural level of a saturated anisotropic granular medium is presented. The program provides a numerical solution to the complete set of Navier,Stokes equations without a priori assumptions on the viscous or convection components. This is especially suited for the simulation of the flow of fluids with different density and viscosity values and for a wide range of granular material porosity. The analytical solution for fluid flow in a simple microstructure of porous medium is used to verify the computer program. Subsequently, the flow field is computed within microscopic images of granular material that differ in porosity, particle size and particle shape. The computed flow fields are shown to follow certain paths depending on air void size and connectivity. The permeability tensor coefficients are derived from the flow fields, and their values are shown to compare well with laboratory experimental data on glass beads, Ottawa sand and silica sands. The directional distribution of permeability is expressed in a functional form and its anisotropy is quantified. Permeability anisotropy is found to be more pronounced in the silica sand medium that consists of elongated particles. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||