National Institute of Technology, Silchar

About: National Institute of Technology, Silchar is a education organization based out in Silchar, Assam, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Control theory. The organization has 1934 authors who have published 4219 publications receiving 41149 citations. The organization is also known as: NIT Silchar.

Novel Ag-SnO2-βC3N4 ternary nanocomposite based gas sensor for enhanced low-concentration NO2 sensing at room temperature

Abstract: Herein, a novel gas sensor based on Ag nanoparticles, tin oxide and carbon nitride nanocomposite (Ag-SnO2-βC3N4) was fabricated and its utility towards room-temperature NO2 gas sensing was investigated. TheAg-SnO2-βC3N4 ternary nanocomposite was characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) etc. The ternary heterojunction based sensor responded strongly to low concentrations of NO2 gas at room-temperature. For 5 ppm NO2 concentration, an excellent response time of 27.2 s for 90 % of response was achieved with higher recovery time of 110.5 s. The ternary nanocomposite sensor showed synergistic response which is ∼1.14 times and ∼1.9 times of that of the SnO2-C3N4 and pristine SnO2 sensors, respectively. The superior sensitivity of the ternary nanocomposite sensor is attributed to the higher conductivity and catalytic activity of the Ag-SnO2-βC3N4 ternary nanocomposite. The enhanced sensing properties of Ag-SnO2-βC3N4 sensor were discussed from the points of SnO2-βC3N4 n-n heterojunction and Ag-SnO2-βC3N4 Schottky contact on the basis of depletion layer model.

Optimal Design of a Stable Trapezoidal Channel Section Using Hybrid Optimization Techniques

Abstract: A cost effective channel section for a specified flow rate, roughness coefficients, longitudinal slope, and various cost parameters can be determined using an optimization technique. However, the derived optimal channel section may not be feasible for construction because of in situ conditions. The local soil conditions may not support the optimal side slope of the channel and if constructed, the slope may fail. It is therefore necessary to also incorporate the criteria for side slope stability in designing an optimal open channel section. In this paper, a new methodology has been developed to design a stable and optimal channel section using hybrid optimization techniques. A genetic algorithm based optimization model is developed initially to determine the factor of safety of a channel slope for given soil parameters. This optimization model is then externally linked with a separate sequential quadratic programming based optimization model to evaluate the parameters of the stable and optimal channel section. Solution for various example problems incorporating different soil parameters are illustrated to demonstrate the applicability of the developed methodology.

Torrefaction: a sustainable method for transforming of agri-wastes to high energy density solids (biocoal)

Abstract: The depletion of fossil fuel reserves and greenhouse gas emissions led to limit the use of fossil fuels, including natural gas, coal, or petroleum, and demand a clean and sustainable source of energy. Many efforts are being made by the researchers to address these issues through the use of natural renewable resources (or lignocellulosic biomass), such as agricultural wastes and forest residues as a cleaner source of energy. But its poor properties like low energy density, high moisture content, irregular shape and size, and heterogeneity make it difficult to use in its natural form. Torrefaction, a simple heat treatment procedure, is widely employed to the natural bioresources to improve its thermal properties to be used as an energy source in the domestic power plants. The quality of the resultant torrefied solids (the so-called biocoal) is depending on the settings of heating conditions under the absence of oxygen, which can be improved by selecting and adjusting the processing conditions precisely. Typically, the process brings down the moisture content up to < 3 wt%, and increases the grinding energy up to 90%. Mainly, the calorific value and fixed carbon content of torrefied biomass increase by roughly 15–25 wt%, which makes it more appealing than non-torrefied biomass. The review emphasizes the available biomass torrefaction technologies, and it’s potential in the field of bioenergy generations. It also covers few case studies of biomass torrefaction and its application in the power generation sectors.