Knovel K-News Archive

TUTORIAL: Calculating Wave Scour

Scenario: A shipping port is expanding its facilities and needs to build a new retaining wall near the open sea. A civil engineer working on the project needs to calculate potential wave scour (erosion) and its likely effects around the toe of the retaining wall to be sure a comfortable safety margin is built in. The engineer would like to know what models or equations exist that might assist in calculating wave scour. Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase wave scour. The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms wave and scour are both present and near each other on the same page or in the same row of data." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 2 titles that match the search query. The first title (Coastal Engineering Manual) is this issue's Featured Title. Click on the name.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents appears. Only those sections or chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. A quick glance shows a number of very interesting possibilities that may be relevant. Let's start with the very first section, "(2) Common Scour Problems". Click on the Text (3) link next to it.
    
    
4. A new window appears launching the Adobe Reader and displaying an entire section devoted to a discussion of scour and scour protection. By scrolling down a few pages, we notice a sub-section devoted to the prediction of scour, and an equation that may be used to estimate maximum scour for waves against a vertical wall. The civil engineer now has the information necessary to calculate the effects of scour for the retaining wall project.
    
   

TUTORIAL: Stainless Steel Corrosion

Scenario: A plant engineer is re-tooling for a new a process that requires the use of acetone. The acetone (at 100% concentration) is heated to 212 F and transported from one area of the plant to another. The engineer would like to use existing stainless steel pipes from a previous process but is concerned about corrosion at this temperature. An acceptable corrosion rate would be 1-2 mpy (mils per year). Will stainless steel pipes work? Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase (stainless steel OR ss) AND (acetone OR c3h6o). The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms stainless and steel OR the term ss is present, AND acetone OR c3h6o are also present, and all of the terms are near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." We've used both "acetone" and "c3h6o" (the molecular formula for acetone) in the query because different authors use different conventions and we don't want to miss a valid result. Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 72 titles that match the search query. The first title--Corrosion Survey Database (COR·SUR)--is this issue's Featured Title. Click on the name.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents appears. Only those sections or chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. The third section titled "Cr Stainless Steel (12Cr): Corrosion Data" looks promising because that is the type of stainless steel pipe used in the plant. Click on the Table (5) link next to it.
    
    
4. A new window appears launching a Knovel Interactive Table displaying the relevant information for stainless steel exposed to acetone under varying concentrations and temperatures. Notice the the very first row of data. Stainless steel was subjected to acetone at 100% concentration at temperatures up to 225 F with a resulting corrosion rate of less than 2 mpy. Perfect! The existing stainless steel pipes will work well for this new process.
    
   

TUTORIAL: Radar Ground Clutter Cancellation

Scenario: An aerospace manufacturer is researching a new radar system that will reduce the amount of radar-confusing "clutter" (interference) produced by wind farm turbines. The large turbines in wind farms have the effect of making standard airborne radar systems nearly useless in the general vicinity of the wind farm. The engineer managing the project needs to review current methods of ground clutter cancellation as a beginning point. Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase ground clutter cancellation. The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms ground and clutter and cancellation are all present near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 5 titles that match the search query. The second title listed is Air and Spaceborne Radar Systems - An Introduction--this issue's Featured Title. Click on the name of that title.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. The very first section titled "7.2.2 General Clutter Cancellation" looks promising. Click on the Text (2) link next to it.
    
    
4. A new window appears launching the Adobe Reader and opening a PDF file. The PDF displays the relevant section, highlighting and automatically scrolling to the search terms found. Right away the engineer sees a summary of three methods used to eliminate ground clutter. This quick summary is then followed by detailed explanations, complete with mathematical equations describing each method. The engineer now has the necessary background to proceed.
    
   

TUTORIAL: Testing the Purity of Acetone in Food Manufacturing

Scenario: A food manufacturing company plans to produce a new spice flavor by using an oleoresin (prepared by solvent extraction of ground spices). The food technologist in charge of the project plans to use acetone as the solvent for extraction, given its wide availability and economical cost. However, it is necessary when using chemicals in commercial food preparation to ensure the correct purity of the substances used. The food technologist would like to know the purity of acetone needed to meet acceptable standards, and what tests can be performed to measure its purity. Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the term acetone. In the lower right drop-down box, change the selection from "All Subject Areas" to "Food Science". The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the term acetone is present AND the title must be part of the Food Science Subject Area." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 53 titles that match the search query. The second title listed is Food Chemicals Codex (5th Edition)--this issue's Featured Title. Click on the name of that title.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. Click on the Table (2) link next to the entry called "Interactive Table - Monographs".
    
    
4. A Knovel Interactive Table opens displaying properties information for acetone and acetone peroxides. Also included in the table are links to the corresponding monographs with full details. Click on the first view monograph link (the first row shown, record #3).
    
   
    
5. The Knovel Reader launches showing the full text of the acetone monograph from the FCC, including the Assay value of "Not less than 99.5% and not more than 100.5% of C₃H₆O, by weight." Also shown, when scrolling down the page, are a variety of tests to verify purity. The food technologist now has the needed information to proceed.
    
   

TUTORIAL: Methane Recovery Using Pressure Swing Adsorption

Scenario: An engineering firm is working with a local county government on the best way to recover methane from the local landfill (as a new source of revenue for the county). The engineer in charge of the project suspects the tried-and-proven method of Pressure Swing Adsorption would be a good candidate, but would like a brush-up on the technique and its use. Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase pressure swing adsorption. The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms pressure and swing and adsorption are all present near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 18 titles that match the search query. The first title listed is Large-Scale Adsorption and Chromatography, Volumes 1 -2--this issue's Featured Title. Click on the name of that title.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. Click on the Text (1) link next to the first entry called "4. Cyclic Operations: Pressure Swing Adsorption, Parametric Pumping, and Cycling Zone Adsorption".
    
    
4. The Adobe Reader launches, opening in a new window displaying an entire chapter devoted to explaining Pressure Swing Adsorption. Not only is the method discussed in detail (along with mathematical formulae), the coverage also includes many useful illustrations. The engineer now has an excellent primer/refresher on PSA that will help determine whether or not it will be an effective solution for methane recovery from the landfill.
    
   

TUTORIAL: #1 - Rankine Cycle Efficiency Calculation

Scenario: A manufacturing plant is looking to improve the performance of its steam turbines. Even a slight increase in efficiency can translate into millions of dollars per year for the company. The plant engineer in charge of the project is considering the addition of warm condenser cooling water instead of cooler lake water for the boiler feedwater make-up. The engineer wants to inject low-pressure steam (previously used to warm the lake water) into the turbine. To see if this idea has merit, the engineer needs to calculate the Rankine cycle efficiency number for the new pressure and temperature. Knovel can help.

1. Let's go directly to one of this issue's Featured Titles--Knovel Steam Tables--to help us find the information we seek. In order to quickly locate it, enter the title Knovel Steam Tables in the Search box on the Knovel Library home page. In the "Search in" drop down list, select "Title". This query means: "find any reference on Knovel where the words knovel and steam and tables are all present in the title." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 1 title that matches the search query. Click on the name.
    
    
3. The entire Table of Contents for Knovel Steam Tables appears. Notice there are a number of advanced software tools that comprise this reference, including Interactive Tables, Graph Digitizers, and Calculators. The "Power Cycle Efficiency Calculator" located near the top of the TOC looks promising. Click on the Calculator link.
    
    
4. A calculator launches in a new window. Our engineer is now able to input various values to perform "what if" scenarios, changing temperature and pressure at will. Notice that either English or the International System of Units (SI) measurements can be selected on-the-fly. The Knovel Power Cycle Efficiency Calculator creates a formatted table with entries for turbine outlet temperature, turbine outlet pressure, turbine outlet quality factor (% vapor), ideal Rankine cycle efficiency, and Carnot cycle efficiency. The engineer has just saved hours of time in manual calculations by using Knovel's new calculator!
    
   

TUTORIAL: #2 - Improve Chiller Plant Efficiency

Scenario: A university needs to cut costs to prevent a tuition increase. The facilities manager has been charged with reducing the operations budget by 5%. Given the recent dramatic increases in energy costs, cutting money from operations will be a major challenge. Working with the facilities engineer, the manager targets the university's aging chiller plant (air conditioning system) as the most likely candidate for improvement to reduce energy costs. What steps can be taken to increase efficiency in the chiller plant, thereby reducing the amount of energy needed? Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase chiller plant. The query entered means: "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms chiller and plant are both present near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 9 titles that match the search query. The first title listed is Energy Efficiency Manual--one of this week's Featured Titles. Click on the name of that title.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents for Energy Efficiency Manual appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. Notice the very first result called "Interactive Index to the Measures." Click the Table (61) link next to it.
    
    
4. An Interactive Table appears showing 61 Measures (action steps) related to chiller plants. Each Measure is a cost-saving technique with estimates of the energy saved, the cost to implement, and the payback period. The Interactive Table presents a summary of each Measure along with a link to the original full text description (in PDF format).
    
   
5. The information discovered is now quickly analyzed using sort, filter, select, and export. Knovel Interactive Tables enable users to hide or reveal columns, sort by columns, filter columns, select rows, and export information to an Excel spreadsheet, HTML file, PDF file, or text document.

The facilities manager quickly reviews the list of energy-saving ideas for chiller plants, chooses the best candidates by evaluating ease of retrofit and cost, and exports the results to a customized document to be shared with the facilities engineer. No doubt there's at least a few Measures from the Energy Efficiency Manual that will help the university trim energy usage in the chiller plant, resulting in money saved.

TUTORIAL: Enthalpy of Formation for Terephthalic Acid

Scenario: A chemical manufacturing plant uses terephthalic acid as the starting compound to manufacture polyester. The process engineer wants to change the temperature of the acid to improve the reaction process. However, the engineer needs to ensure there are not significant variations in the enthalpy of formation that might impact the equilibrium constant for the reaction. How can the engineer calculate enthalpy of formation for terephthalic acid at different temperatures? Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase enthalpy formation terephthalic acid. The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms enthalpy and formation and terephthalic and acid are all present near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 5 titles that match the search query. The first title listed is Knovel Critical Tables--this week's Featured Title. Click on the name of that title.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents for Knovel Critical Tables appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query are displayed by default. Notice the third entry called "Enthalpy of Formation". It is a Knovel Interactive Table with an Equation Plotter. Click on the Table (1) link next to the sigma icon.
    
    
4. A Knovel Interactive Table opens in a new window displaying various bits of information about terephthalic acid including CAS Registry number, molecular weight, molecular forumla, and the enthalpy of formation values for two different temperatures. However, Knovel has created an interactive graph/plot of this information that allows the user to calculate the enthalpy of formation for any temperature. Click the sigma icon to launch the Equation Plotter.
    
    
5. A new window opens with an Equation Plotter automatically loaded with the details for terephthalic acid. The engineer can now click along the plotted curve to determine enthalpy for any temperature.
    
   

TUTORIAL: Helium Leak Testing

Scenario: A manufacturing engineer at a medical device company needs to test a new pacemaker design. A new ceramic material will be used and there is a concern about the material's ability to withstand the manufacturing process. Any micro-cracks would lead to a loss of hermeticity (fluid and gases leaking into the device) which would likely result in failure of the circuitry and/or premature battery failure. The engineer wants to use helium leak testing because of helium's advantages--very light, inert, inexpensive, and present in very small amounts in the air. However, the engineer would like more details on the use of helium testing to be sure this method is appropriate. Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase helium leak testing. The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms helium and leak and testing are all present near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 10 titles that match the search query. The first title listed is Hermeticity of Electronic Packages--this week's Featured Title. Click on the name of that title.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents for Hermeticity appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query "helium leak testing" are displayed by default. The list of sections does not appear to be all that helpful. Sometimes the names of sections are not meaningful without knowing the larger context. Let's click on the radio button called "Hits in Context" to see if that helps.
    
    
4. That's much better! We can now see that many sections belong to Chapter 6, called "Understanding Helium Fine Leak Testing in Accordance with Method 1014, MIL-STD-883." Let's click on the first sub-section titled, "1.0 Purpose of the Test".
    
    
5. A new window opens and a PDF file of Chapter 6 appears. Chapter 6 is entirely devoted to helium leak testing and is the perfect source for details needed by the engineer.
    
   

TUTORIAL: Ohm's Law

Scenario: A student in an introductory physics class has an upcoming laboratory session on Ohm's Law and simple circuits. One of the experiments is the (classic) measurement of electrical resistance of a light bulb. Although the textbook and lab manual supply a good description of the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance (Ohm's Law), the student wants another perspective on how it works. Knovel can help.

1. In the Search box on the Knovel Library home page enter the phrase ohms law. The query entered means, "find any page of text or row of data from an interactive table where the terms ohms and law are both present near each other on the same page or are in the same row of data." Note: We did not use an apostrophe (ohm's) in our query. All punctuation is ignored by the Knovel search engine. Click the Search button.
    
    
2. The search results page shows 87 titles that match the search query. The first title listed is Industrial Electronics for Engineers, Chemists, and Technicians - With Optional Lab Experiments--this week's Featured Title. Click on the Industrial Electronics title link.
    
    
3. The Table of Contents for Industrial Electronics appears. Only those sections/chapters containing hits for the search query "ohms law" are displayed by default. Notice the very first section called "Ohm's Law". That looks like a good starting point! Click the Text (1) link on the right to open this section.
    
    
4. A new window opens and a PDF file of Chapter 2 appears. Chapter 2 is entirely devoted to a discussion of Ohm's Law and its measurements. The beginning of the chapter supplies a memorable metaphor (called "The Water Analog") comparing a water pumping system and its component pieces to that of an electronic circuit. This information provides an excellent framework of understanding for the student.