Sharif Digital Repository

Industrial loads play an important role in the success of demand response programs (DRPs). However, these programs may compromise the consumers' convenience, which can overshadow their real-world practicality. In response, this article provides a two-level decision-making tree approach to effectively determine the participation abilities of different industrial processes in DRPs considering various features and abilities of these customers. The level I of this framework introduces several classifying variables by which a basic criterion is extracted to classify different industrial processes applying the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A participation factor is then introduced in level II... 

High resolution is nearly lost at the expense of throughput in most conventional bioseparation methods. Nanoparticles, due to their high surface to volume ratio, are attractiveenzyme carriers, which can boost the performance of extraction manifold. Here, wereport design and application ofa method highly capable of improving the partitioning of α-amylase in aqueous two-phase system of polymer and salt. Silica nanoparticle introduced to the system acts as a bridge that connects the enzyme and polymer. Theconjugated nanoparticles form the major part of the upper phase and thus significantly enhance the protein recovery. A thorough investigation was performed on the structure of the... 

In this research, a polymeric composite based on a chitosan/bacterial cellulose (CS/BC) matrix filled with MIL-100(Fe) particles was prepared to solve the recyclability of issue MIL-100(Fe) particles and utilized as an efficient adsorbent for removing dacarbazine (DTIC) from wastewater. The adsorption capacity of the composite (CS/BC-MIL) was higher than both MIL-100(Fe) and the CS/BC polymeric matrix. The adsorption performance of the fabricated composite was evaluated through kinetics and isotherm studies. While isotherm studies revealed that the adsorption of DTIC onto the adsorbent can be well described by the Freundlich model, kinetics studies indicated that a combination of factors,... 

In this study, the main recovery mechanisms behind oil/water/gas interactions during the water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection process, in a network of matrix/fracture, were fundamentally investigated. A visual micromodel was utilized to provide insights into the potential applications of WAG process in fractured oil-wet media as well as the possibility of observing microscopic displacement behavior of fluids in the model. The model was made of an oil-wet facture/matrix network system, comprised of four matrix blocks surrounded with fractures. Different WAG injection scenarios, such as slug arrangements and the effects of fluid injection rates on oil recovery were studied. A new equation... 

Congestion management (CM) is inevitable in today's competitive power markets. A CM method should be fast, fair, effective, and motivational. Moreover, in critical congestions, the system simplification and congestion clearing time are also of considerable importance. All the mentioned features can be found in an intelligent zonal CM. In this paper, using sensitivity analysis and power tracing techniques, a new CM model is developed based on power system partitioning. By the proposed model, a congestion index (CI) is introduced by which a candidate zone(s) is specified including some elements (generators and loads) with the highest CIs which means that they have high participation in... 

In this paper, novel zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) functionalized with Ag (Ag@ZIF-8) nanoparticles were synthesized through a green, facile and environmental-friendly process for wound dressing applications. X-ray diffraction revealed that the ZIF-8 and Ag@ZIF-8 were successfully synthesized by green solvents at ambient temperature. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy indicated a homogeneous porous blend of ∼30 nm chitosan/bacterial cellulose (CS/BC) nanofibers embedded with ∼80–110 nm nanoparticles of the ZIF-8 and Ag@ZIF-8. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the Ag@ZIF-8 nanostructures consist of ZIF-8 cores that are covered by 5–20 nm Ag nanoparticles. MTT assay... 

In this work, new multi-layer nanocomposite coatings comprised of chitosan (CS) nanofibers functionalized using an innovative silver-based metal–organic framework (SOF) were developed. The SOFs were produced via a facile process using green and environmental-friendly materials. The CS-SOF nanocomposites were coated on hierarchical oxide (HO) layers fabricated on titanium substrates by an innovative two-step etching process. X-ray diffraction revealed fruitful production of the SOF NPs and their stable crystalline structure within the nanocomposite coatings. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy approved uniform SOFs distribution in the CS-SOF nanocomposites. Atomic force microscopy indicated... 

In high speed machining, friction between the moving parts, generates heat. One of the major causes of thermal errors in linear axes is the heat generated in ball screw during operation at high speed. Thermal errors affect the accuracy of the linear axes and can cause a deviation from the nominal machining circular motion. The subject of this paper is to study the effects of feed velocity and ball screw Preload on the accuracy of circular motion. The temperature rise in the ball screw is measured by a laser thermometer. The errors in the linear and circular motions are measured by laser interferometer and ball bar. Training a neural network by the test results, thermal errors in all parts of... 

In this work, the selectivity coefficients of ionic liquids in liquid-liquid systems were correlated and predicted by the NRTL, UNIQUAC, and Wilson-NRF Gibbs free energy models and also by an artificial neural network system. The three thermodynamic models need six binary interaction parameters between solvent(1)-solvent(2), solvent(1)-ionic liquid, and solvent(2)-ionic liquid pairs in obtaining the selectivity of ionic liquid in liquid-liquid systems. Also, the selectivity coefficients of ionic liquids were modeled using an artificial neural network system. In the proposed neural network system, temperature, molecular weight of ionic liquid, molecular weight of solvents, and mole fractions... 

This work aims to discuss the results of wide ranges of laboratory investigations to evaluate the performance of a newly-formulated surfactant for heavy oil reservoirs in order to improve the microscopic sweep efficiency after water flooding processes. In the first part, the specific behavior of the formulated surfactant including its salinity tolerance, interfacial tension, and optimum performance window was determined. Then, the application of surfactant solutions in real sandstone reservoir rocks was assessed for both oil-wet and water-wet cases. Besides, the effect of changing the capillary and viscous forces and interfacial tension on the residual phase saturations were characterized.... 

In this work, a newly formulated sulfonate-based surfactant and two other commercial sulfate-based surfactants with the capability of tolerating harsh underground reservoir conditions, such as high-saline formation water and high temperature, were prepared. Sodium metaborate as an effective alkali compound was also used to provide alkali-surfactant combination. Interfacial tension (IFT) measurements as well as wettability examinations for different salinities and mixture conditions were performed for an extended range of the chemical concentrations. The wettability tests including both contact angle measurements and Amott cell tests were performed on saturated Berea sandstone plug samples... 

A newly-designed surfactant was formulated to tolerate the harsh conditions of oil reservoirs, including high salinity of the formation brine and temperature. The specific emulsion and interfacial tension (IFT) behavior of this new surface active agent were investigated by performing emulsion stability tests, emulsion size analysis, and IFT behavior in the presence of four different types of alkalis. Image processing was utilized to analyze the droplet size distribution using microscopic images of the samples. The results show that depending on the composition of the mixtures, the optimum phase region and interfacial tension behavior change considerably. Solutions containing a higher... 

In this work, a newly formulated sulfonate-based surfactant and two other commercial sulfate-based surfactants with the capability of tolerating harsh underground reservoir conditions, such as high-saline formation water and high temperature, were prepared. Sodium metaborate as an effective alkali compound was also used to provide alkali-surfactant combination. Interfacial tension (IFT) measurements as well as wettability examinations for different salinities and mixture conditions were performed for an extended range of the chemical concentrations. The wettability tests including both contact angle measurements and Amott cell tests were performed on saturated Berea sandstone plug samples... 

This work aims to discuss the results of wide ranges of laboratory investigations to evaluate the performance of a newly-formulated surfactant for heavy oil reservoirs in order to improve the microscopic sweep efficiency after water flooding processes. In the first part, the specific behavior of the formulated surfactant including its salinity tolerance, interfacial tension, and optimum performance window was determined. Then, the application of surfactant solutions in real sandstone reservoir rocks was assessed for both oil-wet and water-wet cases. Besides, the effect of changing the capillary and viscous forces and interfacial tension on the residual phase saturations were characterized.... 

In this study, electrolytic plasma processing (EPP) was employed for surface nitrocarburizing of AISI 1020 steel in a urea electrolyte, where the substrate samples were connected cathodically to a high-voltage DC current power supply. The structural, mechanical, wear and corrosion properties of the samples treated for 3-5 min were investigated. The results show that the surface layers formed on the samples by this treatment at 220 V have a ferritic nitrocarburizing characteristic which consists of a compound layer and diffusion zone. The surface layers of the treated samples at 240 V consisted of a compound layer, martensitic layer and diffusion zone, respectively, which is a marker of... 

A proper vertex k-coloring of a graph G is called dynamic, if there is no vertex v∈V(G) with d(v)<2 and all of its neighbors have the same color. The smallest integer k such that G has a k-dynamic coloring is called the dynamic chromatic number of G and denoted by χ2(G). We say that v∈V(G) in a proper vertex coloring of G is a bad vertex if d(v)<2 and only one color appears in the neighbors of v. In this paper, we show that if G is a graph with the chromatic number at least 6, then there exists a proper vertex χ(G)-coloring of G such that the set of bad vertices of G is an independent set. Also, we provide some upper bounds for χ2(G)- χ(G) in terms of some parameters of the graph G  

Objective: Belonging to the class II drugs according to the biopharmaceutics classification system, silibinin (SLB) benefits from high permeability but suffers poor solubility that negatively affects the development of any delivery system. This research aimed to improve SLB solubility by combined use of co-solvency and complexation phenomena. Methods: Solubility studies were performed using the phase solubility analysis according to the shake-flask method in the presence of ethanol and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as a co-solvent and inclusion complexing agent, respectively. SLB release studies from chitosan nanoparticles were carried out in double-wall, diffusion cells using the... 

A new-designed surfactant was prepared with capability of tolerating high saline formation water and real oil reservoir conditions. The specific emulsion behavior of this new chemical was investigated by doing all sets of emulsion stability and emulsion behavior tests in presence of different alkalis. Four types of alkalis (Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Metaborate, and Triethanolamine) were mixed with the surfactant and their combined effect on aqueous-oil emulsion behavior was inspected. The experimental results shoine formation water and real oil reservoir conditions. The specific emulsion behavior of this new chemical was investigated by doing all sets of emulsion stability...