Search results for "Mathematical Modeling"
showing 10 items of 31 documents
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wastewater Treatment Plants on a Plantwide Scale: Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis
2016
This paper presents the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of a mathematical model for greenhouse gas emission (GHG) and energy consumption assessment in wastewater treatment plants. A sensitivity analysis was carried out (using two different methods) to determine which model factors have the greatest effect on the predicted values of the GHG production. Further, an uncertainty analysis was carried out to quantify the uncertainty of the key model outputs, such as carbon dioxide production from activated sludge treatment. The results show that influent fractionation factors, which characterize influent composition, have an important role on direct and indirect GHGs production and emission.…
Biotrickling filter modeling for styrene abatement. Part 2: Simulating a two-phase partitioning bioreactor.
2017
Abstract A dynamic model describing styrene abatement was developed for a two-phase partitioning bioreactor operated as a biotrickling filter (TPPB-BTF). The model was built as a coupled set of two different systems of partial differential equations depending on whether an irrigation or a non-irrigation period was simulated. The maximum growth rate was previously calibrated from a conventional BTF treating styrene (Part 1). The model was extended to simulate the TPPB-BTF based on the hypothesis that the main change associated with the non-aqueous phase is the modification of the pollutant properties in the liquid phase. The three phases considered were gas, a water–silicone liquid mixture, …
Improvement of ALT decay kinetics by all-oral HCV treatment: Role of NS5A inhibitors and differences with IFN-based regimens
2017
Background Intracellular HCV-RNA reduction is a proposed mechanism of action of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), alternative to hepatocytes elimination by pegylated-interferon plus ribavirin (PR). We modeled ALT and HCV-RNA kinetics in cirrhotic patients treated with currently-used all-DAA combinations to evaluate their mode of action and cytotoxicity compared with telaprevir (TVR)+PR. Study design Mathematical modeling of ALT and HCV-RNA kinetics was performed in 111 HCV-1 cirrhotic patients, 81 treated with all-DAA regimens and 30 with TVR+PR. Kinetic-models and Cox-analysis were used to assess determinants of ALT-decay and normalization. Results HCV-RNA kinetics was biphasic, reflecting …
Modeling the isothermal inactivation curves of Listeria innocua CECT 910 in a vegetable beverage under low-temperature treatments and different pH le…
2015
Thermal inactivation kinetics of Listeria innocua CECT 910 inoculated in a vegetable beverage at three pH conditions (4.25, 4.75, and 5.20), four levels of temperature (50, 55, 60, 65℃), and different treatment times (0–75 min) were obtained. Survival curves did not follow a log-linear relationship and consequently were fitted to various mathematical models: Weibull, Geeraerd, Cerf with shoulder, and the modified Gompertz equation. Results indicated that the best model for the treatment conditions was the modified Gompertz equation, which provides the best goodness-of-fit and the lowest Akaike information criterion value. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the most influential factors affe…
Recent advances in 2D and 3D in vitro systems using primary hepatocytes, alternative hepatocyte sources and non-parenchymal liver cells and their use…
2013
This review encompasses the most important advances in liver functions and hepatotoxicity and analyzes which mechanisms can be studied in vitro. In a complex architecture of nested, zonated lobules, the liver consists of approximately 80 % hepatocytes and 20 % non-parenchymal cells, the latter being involved in a secondary phase that may dramatically aggravate the initial damage. Hepatotoxicity, as well as hepatic metabolism, is controlled by a set of nuclear receptors (including PXR, CAR, HNF-4α, FXR, LXR, SHP, VDR and PPAR) and signaling pathways. When isolating liver cells, some pathways are activated, e.g., the RAS/MEK/ERK pathway, whereas others are silenced (e.g. HNF-4α), resulting in…
Evaluation of biomass activity in membrane bioreactors by means of respirometric techniques
2016
The paper reports the main results of a respirometric experimental survey carried out on several membrane bioreactor pilot plants, characterized by different pilot plant layouts as well as operational conditions. The main aim was to assess the influence of specific conditions on biokinetic/stoichiometric parameters. In particular, the respirometric tests were specifically aimed at investigating the activity of both heterotrophic and autotrophic bacterial species. The achieved results showed that the plant configuration and the features of the feeding wastewater and operational conditions determine significant variation of the kinetic coefficients. The respirometric analysis was confirmed to…
Modeling of Magnetic-Field-Assisted Fluidization: Model Development and CFD Simulation of Magnetically Stabilized Fluidized Beds
2014
Magnetic-field-assisted fluidization is starting to be considered as a viable alternative to standard fluidized beds for those operations (such as particle separations, filtration, adsorption) in which the solid phase can be made of magnetic particles or, alternatively, the fluidizing agent is a ferro-fluid; thus the fluid bed responds to the action of magnetic fields, and stabilized fluidization regimes can be generated. One of the major difficulties to be tackled is the development of a predictive model capable of estimating the stabilized-to-bubbling transition velocity for a given magnetic field or, on the other hand, the magnetic field intensity required to stabilize the bed to a quies…
The Influence of Surface Roughness on the Structure of Magnetohydrodynamic Flows and Stability of Shallow Water Flows
2008
Promocijas darbā analizēta virsmas negluduma ietekme uz šķidruma plūsmas struktūru magnētiskā laukā un sekla ūdens plūsmas stabilitāti. Promocijas darbā tika aplūkoti šādi modeļi: 1) vadoša šķidruma plūsma ārējā magnētiskā laukā virs dažāda veida negluduma elementiem uz virsmas un 2) sekla ūdens plūsma aiz šķēršļiem. Turklāt ir iegūta magnētiskā lauka struktūra pilnīgi attīstītai plūsmai virs negluduma elementiem. Ir konstruēts analītisks atrisinājums uzdevumam par vadoša šķidruma plūsmu magnētiskā laukā, ja negluduma elementiem ir taisnstūrveida forma. Ir aprēķināti šķidruma plūsmas ātruma un inducētā magnētiskā lauka sadalījumi. Problēmas asimptotisks atrisinājums (elementārās funkcijās) …
A Friendly-Biological Reactor SIMulator (BioReSIM) for studying biological processes in wastewater treatment processes
2014
Biological processes for wastewater treatments are inherently dynamic systems because of the large variations in the influent wastewater flow rate, concentration composition and the adaptive behavior of the involved microorganisms. Moreover, the sludge retention time (SRT) is a critical factor to understand the bioreactor performances when changes in the influent or in the operation conditions take place. Since SRT are usually in the range of 10-30 days, the performance of biological reactors needs a long time to be monitored in a regular laboratory demonstration, limiting the knowledge that can be obtained in the experimental lab practice. In order to overcome this lack, mathematical model…
Main Fuel Cells mathematical models: Comparison and analysis in terms of free parameters
2010
This paper resumes the main mathematical models of Fuel Cells (PEM models). In particular, a comparison study of the various models introduced in the technical literature is presented and the dependency of the various model parameters is analyzed in different operating conditions. As the manifold of the model parameter is very wide and their determination is difficult, it is mandatory to introduce approximations and simplifications on which each model is based. The novelty of this work is the organization of the existing models in three categories with regard to the number of free parameters and to the dependency of such parameters on the different running conditions and the usage of a refe…