Water Network Synthesis Using Mutation-Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization

Different techniques for the synthesis of industrial water reuse/recycle networks have been developed in recent process integration research. These tools range from graphical pinch analysis approaches to mathematical programming models. The latter have the advantage of being flexible enough to incorporate various water network constraints, but in many cases these are often non-linear, thus making the identification of global optima difficult. Recent work has demonstrated the effectiveness of metaheuristic algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), for finding good solutions these problems. This work describes the use of a modified PSO for solving mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) models for water network synthesis. By incorporating a mutation operator for the binary variables in the model, the algorithm is able to escape sub-optimal network topologies and proceed towards better solutions than can be found with ordinary PSO. Two case studies involving water recycle/reuse are used to demonstrate the new design methodology.     

Entrainment mortality of Ichthyoplankton: Detectability and precision of estimates

The ability to detect and to develop a precise and accurate estimate of the entrainment mortality fraction is an important step in projecting power plant impacts on future fish population levels. Recent work indicates that these mortailities may be considerably less than 100% for some fish species in the early life stages. Point estimates of the entrainment mortality fraction have been developed based on probabilistic arguments, but the precision of these estimates has not been studied beyond the simple statistical test of the null hypothesis that no entrainment mortaility exists.The ability to detect entrainment mortality is explored as a function of the sample sizes (numbers of organisms collected) at the intake and discharge sampling stations of a power plant and of the proportion of organisms found alive in the intake samples (intake survival). Minimum detectable entrainment mortality, confidence interval width, and type II error (probability of accepting the null hypothesis of no entrainment mortality when there is mortality) are considered. Increasing sample size and/or decreasing sampling mortality will decrease the minimum detectable entrainment mortality, confidence interval width, and type II error for a given level of type I error.The results of this study are considered in the context of designing useful monitoring programs for determining the entrainment mortality fraction. Preliminary estimates of intake survival and the entrainment mortality fraction can be used to obtain estimates of the sample size needed for a specified level of confidence interval width or type II error. Final estimates of the intake survival and the entrainment mortality fraction can be used to determine the minimum detectable entrainment mortality and the type II error.     

Shoal composition, body size and foraging in sticklebacks

Individuals which deviate from the majority in groups are likely to be most vulnerable to predation. This oddity effect, by definition, is frequency dependent, eventually fading at equal frequencies of the phenotypes in a group. It has been hypothesized that the increased predation risk of odd individuals may play an important role in the formation of phenotypically uniform shoals of fish. However, recent work has indicated that individuals may experience, or value, their predation hazard differently depending on their own size in relation to that of other group members: single large fish, but not small ones, appear concerned about their oddity in a shoal. Here I show that the apparent wariness of large fish is also expressed in a frequency-dependent manner, closely conforming to what is predicted if the oddity effect is responsible for their behavior. Using foraging activity of individuals as a means to evaluate their predation risk, I demonstrate with shoals comprising 12 threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that large fish forage least actively when in a shoal consisting of 2 large and 10 small fish. An increase in the number of large fish to 4 among 8 small individuals clearly results in an increase in their foraging activity. However, having reached an equal frequency with small fish in a shoal, large fish do not seem to change their foraging activity much even when their number in a shoal increases further. In contrast, foraging activity of small sticklebacks remains fairly constant throughout the entire range of tested shoal compositions, providing further evidence that small and large fish respond to their oddity differently. Received: 12 February 1998 / Accepted after revision: 7 May 1998     

基于粒子群算法的城市垃圾中转站的空间布局研究

随着城市化的进程，垃圾处理设施成为影响城市化质量的重要指标。依据人们实际所关注的垃圾处理设施的总成本和负效应两个因素，在前人研究的基础上，建立了垃圾收运多目标模型，使得总成本和负效应最优化。根据模型设计了粒子群算法，该算法属于智能算法，且精度高，收敛快，在许多领域也得到广泛应用。用设计的粒子群算法并结合案例求出了Pareto最优解，给出三种决策方案，验证了模型和算法的有效性和可行性，为决策者提供了一种理论参考。     

降解有机污染物的新方法—半导体微粒光催化降解

以半导体颗粒作为光催化剂，用光和氧化剂使有机物彻底转化成二氧化碳和水。这是近十年来正在逐步完善的降解有机物的新方法。许多国家正在投入大量资金和人力进行半导体光催化反应的基础研究及应用基础研究。     

Retrieval of refractive index of ultrafine single particle using hygroscopic growth factor obtained by high sensitive surface plasmon resonance microscopy

When exposed to different relative humidities (RHs), the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols will change because of changes in the aerosol particle size and complex refractive index (RI), which will affect haze formation and global climate change. The potential contributions of ultrafine particles to the atmospheric optical characteristics and to haze spreading cannot be ignored because of their high particle number concentrations and strong diffusibility; measurement of the optical properties of wet ultrafine particles is thus highly important for environmental assessment. Therefore, a surface plasmon resonance microscopy with azimuthal rotation illumination (SPRM-ARI) system is designed to determine the RIs of single particle aerosols with diameters of less than 100 nm in the hygroscopic growth process. Measurements are taken using mixed single particles with different mass ratios. The RIs of mixed single aerosols at different RHs are retrieved by measuring the scattering light intensity using the SPRM-ARI system and almost all the RIs of the bicomponent particles with different mass ratios decrease with increasing water content under high RH conditions. Finally, for each of the bicomponent particles, the maximum standard deviations for the retrieved RI values are only $2.06\times {10}^{-3}$, $3.08\times {10}^{-3}$ and $3.83\times {10}^{-3}$, corresponding to the NaCl and NaNO₃ bicomponent particles with a 3:1 mass ratio at 76.0% RH, the NaCl and glucose particles with a 1:3 mass ratio at 89.0% RH, and the NaCl and OA particles with a 1:1 mass ratio at 78.0% RH, respectively; these results indicate that the high-sensitivity SPRM-ARI system can measure the RI effectively and accurately.     

环境烟草烟气粒径分布及其对光散射的影响

为了测量典型办公室内环境中环境烟草烟气悬浮颗粒物的数浓度和粒径分布变化,以及其对颗粒光散射的影响,在6.8 m×3.2mx2.8 m的试验间进行试验,采用测量范围为5～1 000 nm的DMS500扫描电迁移率粒径谱仪进行粒径测量.结果表明,不同卷烟样品的烟气粒径分布曲线近似,都可以用对数正态分布函数来描述.4种卷烟样品粒径分布及参数变化速率相似,在4 800 s内数中值粒径CMD平均值从105 nm增大至155 nm,几何标准差GSD平均值从1,58减小至1.45,CMD和GSD的变化趋势近似符合指数函数.利用基于Mueller光散射理论的程序计算烟颗粒对散射光的影响.粒径分布的变化显著改变了颗粒散射光强度,CMD最大使散射光强度增大7倍,GSD引起的强度变化较小.综合考虑烟气颗粒数浓度降低和粒径分布的变化,散射光强度最大增大3倍.     

喷嘴直径对降尘效果影响的试验研究

为提高喷雾降尘效率,以改善作业环境,有必要研究喷嘴直径与降尘效果间的关系。基于自行设计的喷雾降尘试验系统,采用马尔文实时高速喷雾粒度分析仪、高速摄像仪及粉尘浓度测定仪对不同直径喷嘴的雾化特性参数和降尘效率进行测定。结果表明,在相同喷雾压力下,随着喷嘴直径的增大,全尘降尘效率持续增加,而呼吸性粉尘降尘效率先增加后减小,并在喷嘴直径为1.5 mm时达到最大值;在耗水量相同的情况下,随着喷嘴直径的增大,全尘和呼吸性粉尘降尘效率均下降。在井下喷雾降尘中,当耗水量不受限制时,为同时确保全尘和呼吸性粉尘降尘效率,宜选择直径为1.5 mm的喷嘴;当耗水量受限制时,宜选择直径为1.2 mm的喷嘴。     

Pollution levels and characteristics of phthalate esters in indoor air of offices

The pollution status and characteristics of PAEs (phthalate esters) were investigated in indoor air of offices, and PAEs of both gas-phase and particulate-phase were detected in all the samples. The concentration (sum of the gas phase and the particulate phase) was 4748.24 ng/m³, ranging between 3070.09 and 6700.14 ng/m³. Diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were the most abundant compounds, together accounting for 70% of the Σ6PAEs. Dividing the particulate-phase PAEs into four size ranges (<2.5, 2.5-5, 5-10, >10 μm), the result indicated that PAEs in PM_2.5 were the most abundant, with the proportion of 72.64%. In addition, the PAE concentration in PM_2.5 correlated significantly with the total particulate-phase PAEs (R² = 0.85). Thus, the amount of PAEs in PM_2.5 can be estimated from the total amount of particulate-phase PAEs using this proportion. In a comparison between the offices and a newly decorated study room, it was found that pollution characteristics were similar between these two places. Thus, it is implied that the PAE concentration decreased by 50% 2 yr after decorating.     

Insights into metals in individual fine particles from municipal solid waste using synchrotron radiation-based micro-analytical techniques

Excessive inter-contamination with heavy metals hampers the application of biological treatment products derived from mixed or mechanically-sorted municipal solid waste (MSW). In this study, we investigated fine particles of < 2 mm, which are small fractions in MSW but constitute a significant component of the total heavy metal content, using bulk detection techniques. A total of 17 individual fine particles were evaluated using synchrotron radiation-based micro-X-ray fluorescence and micro-X-ray diffraction. We also discussed the association, speciation and source apportionment of heavy metals. Metals were found to exist in a diffuse distribution with heterogeneous intensities and intense hot-spots of < 10 μm within the fine particles. Zn-Cu, Pb-Fe and Fe-Mn-Cr had significant correlations in terms of spatial distribution. The overlapped enrichment, spatial association, and the mineral phases of metals revealed the potential sources of fine particles from size-reduced waste fractions (such as scraps of organic wastes or ceramics) or from the importation of other particles. The diverse sources of heavy metal pollutants within the fine particles suggested that separate collection and treatment of the biodegradable waste fraction (such as food waste) is a preferable means of facilitating the beneficial utilization of the stabilized products.