Some People Just Gotta Google©

“Cessation of work is not accompanied by cessation of expenses.” -- Cato The Elder

Today’s action item: Ask your vendor rep about automatic authentication.

In order to be effective researchers, your team needs to keep up with published results from researchers working in other organizations.

You know this.

So your organization has chosen, at great expense, to subscribe to one or more online databases.  And yet, your people persist in Googling or Yahooing or Binging to find what they need.

Fortunately, many online vendors like ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/) will work with you to enable your team members to access, through the magic of automatic authentication, the full text of subscribed content even if they find it on a search engine like Google©.  Your vendor rep probably will be able to explain how to do this.  No doubt you will have to get IT involved.  Oh, well.

It will be well worth the aggravation   Not only will you increase usage of the expensive subscription service, you will get ideas on how to promote its use within your organization to make the subscription a go-to source at least as important as the popular search engines.

To illustrate …

Imagine a researcher on your team is looking for recent articles dealing desulfurization using ionic liquids.  She or he finds the following on Google© Scholar …

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COSMO-RS based predictions for the desulphurization of diesel oil using ionic liquids: Effect of cation and anion combination

R Anantharaj… - Fuel Processing Technology, 2011 - Elsevier
... COSMO-RS based predictions for the desulphurization of diesel oil using ionic liquids: Effect
of cation and anion combination. ... Abstract. Ionic Liquids ILs provide an important alternative in
removing aromatic sulphur compounds by Liquid–Liquid Extraction (LLE). ...

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When your researcher clicks the hyperlink he / she sees …

If you have set everything up correctly, your researcher will be automatically authenticated to access the full text of the article with no further action on her / his part.

And, you may be able to use results like this to nudge your team in the direction of searching the subscribed database directly … which is why you subscribed in the first place.

Today’s  bonus action item: Add the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/) as a feed on your organization’s Intranet. It will provide a continuing series of tips on how to search the Web for valuable research results.

Pilot Plant Search Strategy

“In keeping his heading by the stars, a pilot must remember that they move” -- Charles Lindberg

The tip of the day … Bench scale v. Pilot scale
Technology research fits into three broad categories.  They bleed into each other, but the categories are …

• Basic
• Bench scale
• Pilot scale

It is typical for an abstract to mention the phrase “bench scale” or “pilot scale” to clue the reader as to the research being described.

Take advantage of this fact.  When you are interested in seeing what’s being done at bench scale, include the phrase in your search strategy.  For example …

One result …

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Environmental Engineering Science (Online Ahead of Print: November 1, 2011)
Optimization of Thiophene Removal by an Ultrasound-Assisted Oxidative Desulfurization Process
Teng-Chien Chen, 1,2
Yun-Hwei Shen, 1
Wen-Jhy Lee, 2,3
Chih-Chung Lin, 4
Meng-Wei Wan 5
peterwan@mail.chna.edu.tw
1 Department of Resources Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
2 Resource Recycling and Management Research Center National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
3 Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
4 Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, National Ping Tung University of Science and Technology, Ping Tung, Taiwan.
5 Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan.
Abstract
Thiophene (T) is considered one of the most refractory organic sulfur compounds in oxidative desulfurization. This study used an ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization process to optimize T oxidation on a bench scale. Four control factors, including durations of sonication, the amounts of transition metal catalyst (TMC), phase transfer agent (PTA), and hydrogen peroxide, were carefully examined. The best operation condition, evaluated by using the analysis of variance, was found at mass ratios of T: H2O2:PTA:TMC at 1:1.5:0.005:0.01 with 20 min of sonication, where almost 73.5% of T, 89.9% of benzothiophene (BT), and 100% of dibenzothiophene (DBT) were oxidized to their corresponding sulfones. Moreover, the electron density on the sulfur atom of various compounds, including T, BT, and DBT, and their methyl-substituted derivatives and oxidation rate constants were also examined. The oxidative reactivity of sulfur compounds increased with the increasing electron density on sulfur atoms. The T that is commonly considered more difficult to the oxidized is attributed to the combined effect of low electron density of the sulfur atom and low boiling temperature under mild oxidation reaction. This information is essential for the deep desulfurization process under oxidative conditions.
Source: http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ees.2011.0123 ///////
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Conversely, if you are interested in research that is closer to actual implementation, replace “bench scale” with “pilot scale” in your search statement.  Here is one result …

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2011 International Conference on Computer Distributed Control and Intelligent Environmental Monitoring (CDCIEM), Changsha, 19-20 Feb. 2011, page(s): 1737 - 1741
Study on Flue Gas Desulfurization of Sintering in Pilot-Scale Experiment
Wu Fuzhong;   Wang Wenhao;  
Mater. & Metall. Coll., Guizhou Univ., Guiyang, China  
Abstract
The pilot-scale experiment is done to speed up the pace of industrial application. The results show that the whole set of devices runs smoothly, the process for pilot-scale experiment is reasonable, the desulfurization rate can be above 92% for long time, the rate of leaching Mn2+ can be over 80%;The product of MnSO4 can arrive the fertilizer level(GB1622-86) and feed level (GB5252-876).
source: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=5748153 ///////
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And remember, no matter what scale you are interested in, the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/} will help you research it.  Tell your friends and colleagues.

Harvesting eMail Addresses

“What's it all about, Alfie?” -- Jude Law (English Actor, b.1972)

This Desulfurization Blog is about more than desulfurization technology.  It is about how to make the most effective use of your time no matter what technology you research.

So today we offer another timesaver tip.  It is one of those tips that seem so obvious, and yet until you are reminded of it, you might not think of it.

The tip: Cursor and copy.

This works especially well for ScienceDirect.  It is typical of this database to provide hyperlinks to author emails.  When you click on the hyperlink, it opens up an email window in your Microsoft Exchange or other email client account.

But what if you want to save the email address, but are not yet ready to send an email?

Or, what if you have no email client configured on your laptop?

Try this …

·         Rest your cursor on the eMail icon

·         Look at the email address displayed in the lower left corner of your screen

·         Type the address into your favorite application

The screenshot below illustrates the procedure …

A second tip … Make new friends among your colleagues by telling them about the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/)

Go Boolean to Save Time

“Few companies that installed computers to reduce the employment of clerks have realized their expectations.... They now need more, and more expensive clerks even though they call them 'operators' or 'programmers.'” -- Peter F. Drucker (American Educator and Writer, b.1909)

 

Half the battle in keeping up with important developments in your field lies in efficient use of your time to do so.  Today we offer you a time saver tip …

Use Boolean operators when you search Google Patents.

Let’s pose a hypothetical … you are interested in seeing recent desulfurization-related patents produced by a number of catalyst companies.

So you navigate to Google Patents (http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en), click the Advanced Search link, and enter the following into the search form …

 

In case the screen shot is too small to read, the search strategy is …
Find results with: desulfurization
Assignee: UOP
Date – Return patents between 2001 and 2011

The result is about 300 hits, including the following:


SELECTIVE NAPHTHA DESULFURIZATION PROCESS AND CATALYST

patents.google.comUS Pat. App 12605730 - Filed Oct 26, 2009 - UOP LLC
... (54) SELECTIVE NAPHTHA DESULFURIZATION PROCESS AND CATALYST (75) Inventors: Lorenz J. Bauer, Schaumburg, IL (US); Suheil F. Abdo, Lincolnshire, IL (US); ...


You repeat the search strategy, substituting “BASF” for “UOP” in the assignee field.
You repeat again, this time searching for “Albemarle” in the assignee field.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could search for ALL THREE vendors at the same time?

Yes, it would.  And yes, you can.

Here’s how.  In the assignee field enter the three vendor names separated by the Boolean operator OR.

The result is a list of patents produced by EITHER UOP or BASF or ALBEMARLE during the past 10 years.  You now have only one search to perform, and one list to browse through.

Follow the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com) for a continuing stream of time-saver tips.  Even better, add it as a feed to your organization’s Web.

Spring Into Action … Add Value to Your Journal Subscriptions

“It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” -- Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)
A recent edition of Hydrocarbon Engineering (http://www.palladian-publications.com/) included the following article.

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Slimming Down Sulfur: Part Three
Alan Kramer, Albemarle, USA, explores the rare earth free solutions to FCC sulfur problems. The final installment of this three part article focuses specifically on fuel sulfur reduction, with a particular examination of the problems caused by gasoline range sulfur.
Source: http://www.energyglobal.com/magazines/issue.aspx?seo=hydrocarbon-engineering&month=12&year=2011
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The article inspired me to post two tips on how to maximize the cost of a subscription to this or any other journal.

1. Google® the author
2. ScienceDirect  the affiliation (If we can turn Google into a verb, we can do the same with ScienceDirect)

Everybody knows how to Google®.  My job is to show you how to do so more effectively.

When you Google® Alan Kramer, for instance, you get over 18 million hits.

Google® Alan Kramer Albemarle, however, and you get something in the range of 6 million hits.  That’s still more than you would want to scroll through, but you can use the same concept to refine your search string even more.  Add sulfur to the search string …

Alan Kramer Albemarle sulfur
… and you now have only about one million hits.

As good as Googling is, you need to add ScienceDirecting to your tool kit.  Which leads us to Tip Number 2 …

When you visit ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), consider clicking the Advanced Search link.

Here’s an example of how this strategy can make your day a little easier.

Type Albemarle in the search box, then click the Search button.  The result is over 3000 hits.  Very few of them will be useful if you are interested in Albemarle the corporation.

Return to the Advanced Search page.  Type Albemarle again.  This time, restrict the search to Affiliations, illustrated below.

You’ve now narrowed the field to about 500 hits.  Each article has been authored by someone affiliated with Albemarle, the corporation.

Push the envelope further by ANDing the above with desulfurization.  You now have just 6 hits, including the following …

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Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis, Volume 162, 2006, Pages 143-150
Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts
Preparation of monolithic catalysts for hydrodesulfurizationJ. Tsoua, J. Carneiroa, A.F. Pérez-Cadenasa, S. Eijsboutsb, M. Makkeea, J.A. Moulijna
a Reactor & Catalysis Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL D
b Albemarle Catalysts, Research Centre, P.O. box 37650, 1030 BE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
AbstractThe aim of this research project is the design and synthesis of optimal monolithic reaxctors and its use in deep desulfurization. In order to do so, stateof-of-the-art HDS compared to the monolithic catalysts. These monolithic catalysts were prepared from cordierite and coated first with two layers of α-Al₂O₃ followed by one layer of γ-Al₂O₃. The coated monoliths were then impregnated with NiMo solutions (optimized for the powder catalysts) and some parameters were optimized (such as impregnation time and drying procedure). Finally, monolithic catalysts with the same characteristics as powder catalysts were obtained.
source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167299106809018
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So, as interesting as is the Slimming Down Sulfur article, by using it as a springboard we have added value to it with a  minimum of effort on our part.

Try out this approach the next time you read a thought-provoking article.

Speaking of which, the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/)  is a quick way to add value to your online searching.  Add the blog to your toolbox.

Of Faucets and Information Flow

"Lie down and listen to the crabgrass grow, the faucet leak, and learn to leave them so" -- Marya Mannes (American Writer, 1904-1990)
A couple of decades ago I read somewhere, I wish I could remember where, of a vision promulgated by an information executive ... a vision of creating a world in which information flows much as water flows in a municipal water system.  Just as we pay a modest monthly fee for access to clean drinking water, we would pay a reasonable fee for useful information.

Are we there yet?  Some would say that Google-Yahoo!-Bing serve the function of an information spigot.  If all you need is the latest news on Justin Bieber ... yup.

But if you are interested in the full text of peer reviewed technical articles that can provide the kind of high quality information you need to advance the goals of your organization ... nope.

Full text journal articles, in most cases, cost money.  Turn the Google spigot wide open and  you may get a drip or two, if you're lucky.

In order to provide the quality information their employees need, many organizations subscribe to online services like ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/).  Problem solved, right?  No, not quite.  Although they overlap, each online service is unique in the content it provides.

None of the following items, for example, is available in ScienceDirect.

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Oxidative Desulfurization of Gasoline Oil Using K2FeO4 over SO42–/ZrO2 Solid SuperacidHua Song, Deng Wang, Yong Wei Zhang
Abstract
A catalyst comprising SO42–/ZrO2 superacid was prepared by impregnation and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and BET. A novel procedure for oxidative desulfurization of simulated light fuel oil using K2FeO4 over the SO42–/ZrO2 solid superacid was developed. The effects of the oxidantion and extraction conditions on desulfurization were investigated. At temperature of 30 ?C, SZ of 0.2 g, K2FeO4 of 0.2 g, reaction time of 1 h, 20 mL of oil is oxidized, followed by methanol extraction at 15 ?C for 10 min with the volume ratio of solvent/oil of 1, the results display desulfurization rate for simulated light fuel oil and straight-run gasoline were 88.2% and 89.2%, respectively
source: http://www.scientific.net/AMR.183-185.2086
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The computer optimization control system for the catalytic cracking unit of gasoline qualityJing Chen;  
Heilongjiang Univ., Harbin, China  
Cross Strait Quad-Regional Radio Science and Wireless Technology Conference (CSQRWC), Harbin, 2011, Date: 26-30 July 2011, page(s): 1169 - 1171
Abstract
In the process of refining petroleum, the gasoline-final boiling point and the steam pressure 10% point, which are major indicators of gasoline quality, can not be real time measured online. Therefore, controlling gasoline quality has become a major difficulty in the field of industrial processing control. This paper introduces the designing thoughts and the realization method of computer optimization control for gasoline quality. By means of soft-meter [1] monitoring and optimizing techniques, along with setting up the dynamic mathematics model of gasoline-final boiling point online, the complicated technologies of computer monitoring and optimal controlling of gasoline quality for the catalytic cracking unit can be carried out.
source: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=6037168
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Petroleum Science and Technology
Volume 29, Issue 22, 2011
A New Approach to Dearomatization of Gasoline by Ionic Liquid and Liquid–Liquid ExtractionN. Farzin Nejad (a, b) & E. Karimi Zand (a)
a Analytical Department, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran, Iran
b Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
The objective of this article was the development of a separation technology for the selective recovery of the aromatic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) from gasoline by extraction. A liquid–liquid extraction method using ionic liquid (IL) was optimized simultaneously for some aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline. 1-Butyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrachloroaluminate ionic liquid or [BMIM][AlCl4] was used to extract aromatic compounds from gasoline. [BMIM][AlCl4] was found to be effective for the selective removal of aromatic hydrocarbons from gasoline. The dearomatization experiments were carried out with a 1:1 volume ratio of ionic liquid to gasoline for 60 min at 50°C. The aromatic hydrocarbons removal selectivity followed the order benzene > toluene > xylene > ethylbenzene.
source: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10916461003716665
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10th International Conference on Engines & Vehicles, September 2011, Naples, ITALY, Session: SI Combustion Experiments, Paper Number: 2011-24-0057
Optical Investigation of the Effect on the Combustion Process of Butanol-Gasoline Blend in a PFI SI Boosted EngineSimona Silvia Merola - Istituto Motori CNR
Cinzia Tornatore - Istituto Motori CNR
Gerardo Valentino - Istituto Motori CNR
Luca Marchitto - Istituto Motori CNR
Felice Corcione - Istituto Motori CNR
Abstract
The addition of alcohol to conventional hydrocarbon fuels for a spark-ignition engine can increase the fuel octane rating and the power for a given engine displacement and compression ratio. In this work, the influence of butanol addition to gasoline was investigated. The experiments were performed in an optical ported fuel injection single cylinder SI engine with an external boosting device. The engine was equipped with the head of a commercial SI turbocharged engine having the same geometrical specifications (bore, stroke and compression ratio). The effect of a blend of 20% of n-butanol and 80% of gasoline (BU20) on in-cylinder combustion process was investigated by cycle resolved visualization. The engine worked at low speed, medium boosting and wide open throttle. Changes in spark timing and fuel injection phasing were considered. Comparisons between the flame luminosity and the combustion pressure data were performed. The fuel was injected both at closed intake valve (CV) and open intake valve (OV). The spark timing was changed to identify the maximum brake torque and the knocking limit. Butanol blend allowed working in more advanced spark timing without occurrence of abnormal combustion. For the blend BU20, the duration of injection (DOI) was increased to obtain a stoichiometric mixture. For both fuels, at stoichiometric conditions, DOI in OV was maintained shorter than that in CV, due to the lower amount of fuel deposited on intake port and on piston surface
source: http://papers.sae.org/2011-24-0057
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Catalysis in Industry, Volume 3, Number 2, 157-160
Improving catalysts for the refining of straight-run gasoline fractions of petroleumE. V. Urzhumova, L. M. Velichkina, A. V. Vosmerikov and A. E. Ermakov
Abstract
We propose a method for modifying catalysts based on a high-silica zeolite of the ZSM-5 type using Ni nanopowder to improve catalysts for the refining of straight-run gasoline fractions. The proposed method, which involves solid-phase mechanical mixing with Ni nanopowder, is more environmentally friendly than conventional methods of impregnation and ion exchange; the developed Ni-containing zeolite catalysts allow us to lower the temperature for the refining of low-octane gasoline fractions by 20–40°C and to increase the yield of target products containing high amounts of high-octane components, i.e., isoalkanes. The acidic and catalytic properties of high-silica zeolites containing different amounts of Ni nanopowder were studied. The activity of the catalyst systems in the conversion of straight-run gasoline fractions of petroleum was analyzed. The optimum catalyst composition and the process conditions for obtaining a maximum yield of the target product, i.e., high-octane gasoline, are determined.
source: http://www.springerlink.com/content/g89w08gq3m07w629/
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Energy Fuels, 2011, 25 (9), pp 3940–3949
Catalytic Mechanism of MCM-41 Supported Phosphoric Acid Catalyst for FCC Gasoline Desulfurization by Alkylation: Experimental and Theoretical InvestigationRong Wang†, Yonghong Li*†‡, Benshuai Guo†, and Hongwei Sun§
yhli@tju.edu.cn
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of State Education Ministry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
National Engineering Research Center for Distillation Technology, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
Department of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
Abstract
The desulfurization of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline by alkylation over solid acid catalysts is considered to be a viable and less costly path to meet environmental regulations of sulfur emissions. However, side reactions in the process lead to significant levels of coke, which will greatly reduce the lifetime of the catalyst. In this paper, the catalytic mechanism of MCM-41 supported phosphoric acid catalyst for gasoline desulfurization by alkylation has been investigated by using experimental methods and quantum chemical calculations to study the catalytic behavior for the adsorption and reaction of different reactants, which can help optimize the reaction conditions and preparation methods of the catalyst for a more efficient alkylation process. The results showed that both the typical main and side reactions in the alkylation process started from a stable alkoxide intermediate that was formed by protonation of olefin adsorbed on the catalyst. Thiophenic compounds were more inclined to be adsorbed on the alkoxide intermediate than olefins for further reaction, and the activation energy for the alkylation of thiophenic sulfurs with alkenes was obviously lower than that for alkene oligomerization. Moreover, the thiophene alkylation was exothermic while the olefin oligomerization was endothermic. On the basis of these findings obtained by experimental and theoretical investigation, two methods that might be useful to further inhibit the occurrence of side reactions and improve the catalyst performance in the alkylation process were proposed.
source: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ef200705b?mi=v8k6so&af=R&pageSize=20&searchText=Gasoline+desulfurization
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45th International Petroleum Conference, June 13, 2011, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Comparison of conventional gas chromatography and comprehensive twodimensional gas chromatography for the detailed analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline samplesRoman Gorovenko, Jan Krupcik, Ivan Spanik
Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology,
STU, Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava,
Slovakia
e-mail: romagorovenko@gmail.com
The precise and accurate determination of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes (BTEX) as well as the level of total aromatic compounds in gasolines is important for control of refining processes and for government regulatory compliance. Capillary gas chromatography is a separation technique which is used in analytical praxis to separate hydrocarbons in gasoline samples. Flow modulated comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography equipped bothwith flame ionization detector (GC×GC–FID) as well as with quadrupole mass spectrometric detector (GCxGC-QMSD) were used for quantification of C6 through C12 aromatic hydrocarbons. A 25 m capillary with 0.25 mm i.d. and 0.25 µm film thickness of non-polar stationary phase (first dimension) was coupled via flow modulator to 5 m capillary with 0.25 mm i.d. and 0.25 µm of polar ionic liquid capillary column (second dimension). Normalized percents were used to express quantitative data for all individual aromatic hydrocarbons. For total aromatic compounds good agreement with the more complex conventional multidimensional GC technique was obtained. The identification of the aromatic hydrocarbons was confirmed by GC×GC–MS.
source: http://www.vurup.sk/sites/default/files/downloads/45_gorovenko_symposium.pdf
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THESIS
Simulation of Combustion and Mixture Formation for Gasoline Direct Injection Engine ApplicationChen Huang (2011)
Department of Applied Mechanics, Combustion, Chalmers University of Technology
Abstract
The development and introduction of new engine technologies are primarily motivated by the need to comply with increasingly stringent emissions legislation and to reduce fuel consumption. One of the most important of these new engine technologies is direct gasoline injection, which is considered to be an important and cost-effective measure to meet both targets. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and optical methods are important tools in the development of direct injection gasoline engines. The aim of the work described in this thesis was to develop models, methods, and a numerical platform for simulating the behavior of Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI) engines using a variety of fuels, including gasoline-ethanol blends. One of the most important goals of this work was to devise improvements to OpenFOAM (a free, open source CFD package) that would increase its utility as a tool for studying SIDI engines, as there is strong industrial demand for inexpensive software. The work described in this thesis addressed two important problems relevant to modeling combustion in a DISI engine. First, to facilitate the simulation of turbulent burning and pollutant formation, a chemical mechanism for the combustion of gasoline-ethanol blends was refined and thoroughly validated under various conditions (equivalence ratios F, initial temperatures Tu, and pressures p). The gasoline surrogate used in this project was composed of iso-octane, toluene, and n-heptane in volumetric ratios of 55%:35%:10%, respectively. The hydrogen to carbon ratio (the H/C ratio) of this blend is similar to that of gasoline, which is around 1.87, as is its equivalence ratio; this is particularly important when studying DISI engines. The integrated mechanism for gasoline-ethanol blends features 120 species participating in 677 reactions and is suitable for use in CFD engine modeling. The mechanism was tested against experimental data on ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds, obtained for various n-heptane/iso-octane/toluene/ethanol-air mixtures under various equivalence ratios, initial temperatures, and pressures. Second, the gasoline and ethanol hollow cone sprays released by an outward-opening pintle-type piezo-controlled injector commonly associated with GDI engines were studied numerically, since accurate simulation of fuel-air mixing and the flow field is critical for subsequent combustion modeling. A pintle injector model was implemented into OpenFOAM in order to simulate the spray discharged by an outward-opening piezo injector. The flow field calculated using the pintle injector model is more realistic than that predicted by the default unit injector model normally used in OpenFOAM. A number of modifications were made to the standard spray submodels in OpenFOAM, including the LISA, TAB and Reitz-KHRT breakup models and the O'Rourke and Trajectory collision models. For instance, three different modified Reitz-KHRT models were implemented into OpenFOAM; these modifications were found to have noticeable effects on the accuracy of the simulated liquid penetration and SMD. Extensive sensitivity studies were carried out on the hollow cone sprays, focusing on the effects of varying the initial and boundary conditions, spray model constants, and other parameters. Validation studies showed that several combinations of spray submodels yield acceptable results in liquid penetration and SMD, including the combination of the Rosin-Rammler + Reitz-Diwakar models and that of the uniform droplet size + Reitz-KHRT models; the latter combination offered the best performance under the studied conditions.
source: http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/cpl/record/index.xsql?pubid=137351
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The eight items above come from eight different online sources.
Scientific.net (http://www.scientific.net/)
IEEE (ieeexplore.ieee.org)
TandF Online (http://www.tandfonline.com/)
SAE (papers.sae.org)
Springerlink (http://www.springerlink.com/)
ACS (pubs.acs.org)
Vurup (http://www.vurup.sk/)
Chalmers (publications.lib.chalmers.se)

Subscribing to one or two or three of them may well provide most of the full text that your people need.  But there will always be a need to purchase items ad hoc, i.e., outside of a subscribed online service.  The easiest way to address ad hoc purchases is to give each employee a credit card.  You may not want to do this, because of cost control and accountability issues.  So you may need to designate one or more gatekeepers to make ad hoc purchases on behalf of your people.

Here are today’s tips …

Compare online database content to see which services best serve your organization’s needs
Design an ad hoc purchase policy that will control costs without unduly hampering access to full text

A final tip … let your people know about the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/).  Encourage them to follow it.  The Blog provides tips that will help them improve their online search effectiveness no matter what technology they are researching.

Pi in the Sky: Another Simple Trick

“The trick is growing up without growing old.” -- Casey Stengel (American Baseball Player and Manager, 1891-1975)
Searching for technical literature on pi complexation – an important key phrase in desulfurization research – can be tricky.  That’s because searching for “pi complexation” yields a different set of results than searching for “π complexation.”

To illustrate … when we search Google scholar for articles containing “pi complexation” in the title, the result is 52 hits …

 Desulfurization of transportation fuels by [pi]-complexation sorbents: Cu (I)-, Ni (II)-, and Zn (II)-zeolitesAJ Hernandez-Maldonado, FH Yang, G Qi… - Applied Catalysis B: …, 2005 - Elsevier
New π-complexation-based sorbents were studied for desulfurization of diesel, gasoline,
and jet fuels. The sorbents were obtained by ion exchanging faujasite type zeolites with
Cu+, Ni2+ or Zn2+ cations using different techniques, including liquid phase ion exchange ...
Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092633730400503X

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Perform the same search using “π complexation” and the result is 92 hits.
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Desulfurization of liquid fuels by adsorption via π complexation with Cu (I)-Y and Ag-Y zeolitesAJ Hernández-Maldonado… - Industrial & engineering …, 2003 - ACS Publications
Fixed-bed adsorption using different π-complexation adsorbents for desulfurization of liquid
fuels was investigated. Cu (I)-Y (autoreduced Cu (II)-Y), Ag-Y, HY, and Na-Y zeolites were
used to separate low-concentration thiophene from mixtures including benzene and/or n- ...
Source: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie020728j

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So how do you search for “π“ (the symbol) vs. “pi” (the word)?

Here’s a simple trick …

Open Word
Click the Insert tab
Click the Symbol icon
Locate and click the “π” symbol
Select the “π” symbol that appears in your Word document
Copy it to your clipboard
Go to your Google Scholar window and paste the “π” symbol into the search box
Add the word “complexation”

That’s it.  Simple, yet effective.  That’s the kind of tips and tricks we like to provide in the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com). Here’s another simple trick … add the Blog as a feed on your organization’s Web for a continuing stream of useful tips.
 

Google Scholar Search Strategies Made Easy

“I have little patience with scientists who take a board of wood, look for its thinnest part, and drill a great number of holes where drilling is easy.” -- Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist, 1879-1955)

Google© Scholar has made it easy, with its advanced search feature, to create sophisticated search strategies to retrieve what you need while reducing the amount of time you spend wading through irrelevant results.

Here, from simple to increasingly complex, are four examples, each illustrated with samples from the results list.  To get the most out of the examples, navigate to Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en&tab=ws), then click “Advanced Scholar Search.”  All search strings are restricted to a publication date of “2011.”

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The simplest of all search strategies is to search for one key word …
Search String: DESULFURIZATION
One result (out of 3440):
Journal of Catalysis, Volume 279, Issue 2, 25 April 2011, Pages 269-275
Oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene and diesel over [Bmim]3PMo12O40
Jian Zhang (a), Anjie Wang (a, b), Xiang Li (a, b), Xuehu Ma (b)
ajwang@dlut.edu.cn
a State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116012, PR China
b Liaoning Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Technology and Equipments, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116012, PR China
Abstract
A hybrid material ([Bmim]3PMo12O40) was synthesized by reacting H3PMo12O40 with the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide. SiO2-supported [Bmim]3PMo12O40 showed a high catalytic activity in the oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) with 29% H2O2 aqueous solution as the oxidant. Maximum activity was observed at a loading of 20 wt.% [Bmim]3PMo12O40 on SiO2, and 100% DBT conversion was achieved at 60 °C, atmospheric pressure, and an oxygen to sulfur (O/S) molar ratio of 3.0 in 100 min. The high performance of [Bmim]3PMo12O40/SiO2 might be attributable to its amphiphilicity, which enhances adsorption of both H2O2 and sulfur-containing compounds. [Bmim]3PMo12O40/SiO2 could be easily separated by centrifugation and reused without deactivation after seven runs. Quinoline and carbazole had slightly positive effects on DBT oxidation, whereas indole had a negative effect. The high performance of [Bmim]3PMo12O40 was verified in the sulfur removal from a real diesel by means of oxidation followed by dimethylformamide extraction.
source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021951711000285
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Focus  your search by adding a second key word.  Type the two key words into the “with all the words” box …
Search String: desulfurization diesel
One result (out of 685):
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 264-268
Sono-desulfurization oxidation reactivities of FCC diesel fuel in metal ion/H2O2 systems
Yongchuan Dai (a), Dezhi Zhao (a), Yutai Qi (b)
ych_dasic@yahoo.com
a Department of Petroleum Chemical Engineering, School of Petroleum Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Shihua University, Fushun 113001, PR China
b School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 115001, PR China
Abstract
The objective of this work was to probe experimentally the characteristics of the use of Fe2+ or Cu2+ ions in the ultrasound-assisted oxidation desulfurization (UAODS) of diesel fuels and to develop a model that appropriately represented the mechanism. The influence of metal ions (Fe2+ or Cu2+) on aqueous phase pH values of the UAODS of diesel fuels was investigated. The UAODS proceeded rapidly only within a limited pH range from 1.9 to 2.1. It was observed that the UAODS of diesel fuels fitted pseudo-first-order kinetics under our experimental conditions. In UAODS of diesel fuels the apparent reaction rate constants can be greatly enhanced by addition of metal ions and/or using ultrasound. The combination of ultrasound and the metal ions can also reduce the apparent activation energy rapidly. The order of the apparent reaction rate constants in UAODS of diesel fuels is US–Fe2+–H2O2 system > US–Cu2+–H2O2 system > US–H2O2 system > H2O2 system.
source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350417710001045 ///////
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Refine your search by adding a Boolean OR statement.  Type “desulfurization” in the “with all the words” box.  Type “diesel gasoline” in the “with at least one of the words” box.  The resulting Google Scholar search string will be …
Search string: desulfurization diesel OR gasoline
Two results (out of 904):
Journal of Environmental Sciences, Volume 23, Issue 6, June 2011, Pages 975-982
Desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) by a novel strain Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 isolated from diesel contaminated soil
Ashutosh Bahuguna (a), Madhuri K. Lily (a), Ashok Munjal (b), Ravindra N. Singh (c), Koushalya Dangwal (a),
ashubahuguna@gmail.com
kdangwall@yahoo.co.in
a Department of Biotechnology, Modern Institute of Technology (MIT), Dhalwala, Rishikesh 249201, Uttarakhand, India
b Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University, Banasthali 304022, Rajasthan, India
c Department of Biochemistry, S.B.S. P.G. Institute of Biomédical Sciences and Research, Balawala, Dehradun 248001, Uttarakhand, India
Abstract
A new bacterial strain DMT-7 capable of selectively desulfurizing dibenzothiophene (DBT) was isolated from diesel contaminated soil. The DMT-7 was characterized and identified as Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 (NCBI GenBank Accession No. GQ496620) using 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. The desulfurized product of DBT, 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2HBP), was identified and confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis respectively. The desulfurization kinetics revealed that DMT-7 started desulfurization of DBT into 2HBP after the lag phase of 24 hr, exponentially increasing the accumulation of 2HBP up to 15 days leading to approximately 60% desulfurization of the DBT. However, further growth resulted into DBT degradation. The induced culture of DMT-7 showed shorter lag phase of 6 hr and early onset of stationary phase within 10 days for desulfurization as compared to that of non-induced culture clearly indicating the inducibility of the desulfurization pathway of DMT-7. In addition, Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 also possess the ability to utilize broad range of substrates as sole source of sulfur such as benzothiophene, 3,4-benzo DBT, 4,6-dimethyl DBT, and 4,6-dibutyl DBT. Therefore, Lysinibacillus sphaericus DMT-7 could serve as model system for efficient biodesulfurization of diesel and petrol.
source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1001074210605049

Energy Fuels, 2011, 25 (9), pp 3940–3949
Catalytic Mechanism of MCM-41 Supported Phosphoric Acid Catalyst for FCC Gasoline Desulfurization by Alkylation: Experimental and Theoretical Investigation
Rong Wang†, Yonghong Li*†‡, Benshuai Guo†, and Hongwei Sun§
yhli@tju.edu.cn
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of State Education Ministry, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
National Engineering Research Center for Distillation Technology, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
Department of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
Abstract
The desulfurization of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline by alkylation over solid acid catalysts is considered to be a viable and less costly path to meet environmental regulations of sulfur emissions. However, side reactions in the process lead to significant levels of coke, which will greatly reduce the lifetime of the catalyst. In this paper, the catalytic mechanism of MCM-41 supported phosphoric acid catalyst for gasoline desulfurization by alkylation has been investigated by using experimental methods and quantum chemical calculations to study the catalytic behavior for the adsorption and reaction of different reactants, which can help optimize the reaction conditions and preparation methods of the catalyst for a more efficient alkylation process. The results showed that both the typical main and side reactions in the alkylation process started from a stable alkoxide intermediate that was formed by protonation of olefin adsorbed on the catalyst. Thiophenic compounds were more inclined to be adsorbed on the alkoxide intermediate than olefins for further reaction, and the activation energy for the alkylation of thiophenic sulfurs with alkenes was obviously lower than that for alkene oligomerization. Moreover, the thiophene alkylation was exothermic while the olefin oligomerization was endothermic. On the basis of these findings obtained by experimental and theoretical investigation, two methods that might be useful to further inhibit the occurrence of side reactions and improve the catalyst performance in the alkylation process were proposed
source: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ef200705b?mi=v8k6so&af=R&pageSize=20&searchText=Gasoline+desulfurization
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Fine tune your search by adding a key phrase.  Type “diesel gasoline” in the “with at least one of the words” box.  Type “deep desulfurization” in the “with the exact phrase” box.  The resulting Google Scholar search string will be …
Search string: diesel OR gasoline "deep desulfurization"
One result (out of 166):
China Petroleum Processing and Petrochemical Technology, 2011,Vol. 13, No. 3, pp 16-20, September 30, 2011
Deep Desulfurization via Adsorption by Silver Modified Bentonite
Tang Xiaolin; Le Zheting; Shi Li
(State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science andTechnology, Shanghai 200237)
Abstract:
In order to further reduce the sulfur content in liquid hydrocarbon fuels, a desulfurization process by adsorption for removing alkyl dibenzothiophenes was investigated. Desulfurization of model gasoline by bentonite adsorbents loaded with silver nitrate was studied. The test results indicated that the bentonite adsorbents loaded with Ag+ ions were effective for adsorbing the alkyl dibenzothiophenes. The crystal structure of bentonite adsorbents was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and their acidity was measured by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Several factors influencing the desulfurization capability, including the Ag+ loading, the baking temperature,  as well as the reaction temperature, were investigated. The desulfurization efficiency was enhanced by increasing the Ag+ loading and the best result was obtained at a silver loading of 7 m%. It was found that the adsorption capacity of the alkyl dibenzothiophenes on bentonite loaded with Ag+ ions increased with a decreasing temperature. Baking of the adsorbent could also improve the desulfurization capacity and the optimum baking temperature was 423 K
View Full Text At No Charge: http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:QRxzGLXFtUIJ:scholar.google.com/+diesel+OR+gasoline+%22deep+desulfurization%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0,6&as_ylo=2011&as_yhi=2011
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The key words to take away from this post …

1) Search
2) Focus
3) Refine
4) Fine Tune

Oh, and one other key word …

5) Subscribe … to the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/), that is, for more tips on finding what you need on the Web.