Distillation boundaries originate from saddle azeotropes, dividing the composition space into distillation regions. In heterogeneous mixtures distilled in packed columns, distillation regions overlap. The common area of distillation regions is parametrically sensitive, and it determines the possibilities of crossing (at a finite reflux) the distillation boundaries defined for a total reflux or reboil ratio. This work is an extended research of the paper (Królikowski et al., 2011) conducted to scrutinize whether the distillation regions overlapped in heteroazeotropic systems distilled in staged columns. Presented studies were performed by finding such composition points of the products, for which the rectifying profiles of staged columns were ended in different distillation regions. Calculations were executed for the heterogeneous mixture classified under Serafimov's topological class as 3.1-2: ethanol - benzene - water. Distillation regions for staged columns were found to overlap each other in the heterogeneous systems. As a result, their common part was parametrically sensitive.

An intelligent boundary switch is a three-phase outdoor power distribution device equipped with a controller. It is installed at the boundary point on the medium voltage overhead distribution lines. It can automatically remove the single-phase-to-ground fault and isolation phase-to-phase short-circuit fault. Firstly, the structure of an intelligent boundary switch is studied, and then the fault detection principle is also investigated. The single-phase-to-ground fault and phase-to-phase short-circuit fault are studied respectively. A method using overcurrent to judge the short-circuit fault is presented. The characteristics of the single-phase-to-ground fault on an ungrounded distribution system and compositional grounded distribution system are analyzed. Based on these characteristics, a method using zero sequence current to detect the single-phase-to-ground fault is proposed. The research results of this paper give a reference for the specification and use of intelligent boundary switches.

The instability characteristics of a dielectric fluid layer heated from below under the influence of a uniform vertical alternating current (AC) electric field is analyzed for different types of electric potential (constant electric potential/ electric current), velocity (rigid/free) and temperature boundary conditions (constant temperature/heat flux or a mixed condition at the upper boundary). The resulting eigenvalue problem is solved numerically using the shooting method for various boundary conditions and the solution is also found in a simple closed form when the perturbation heat flux is zero at the boundaries. The possibility of a more precise control of electrothermal convection (ETC) through various boundary conditions is emphasized. The effect of increasing AC electric Rayleigh number is to hasten while that of Biot number is to delay the onset of ETC. The system is more stable for rigid-rigid boundaries when compared to rigid-free and least stable for free-free boundaries. The change of electric potential boundary condition at the upper boundary from constant electric potential to constant electric current is found to instill more stability on the system. Besides, increase in the AC electric Rayleigh number and the Biot number is to reduce the size of convection cells.

One of the most effective designs to control the road traffic noise is the T-shaped barrier. The aim of this study was to examine the performance of T-shape noise barriers covered with oblique diffusers using boundary element method. A 2D simulation technique based on the boundary element method (BEM) was used to compute the insertion loss at the center frequency of each one-third octave band. In designed barriers, the top surface of the T-shaped noise barriers was covered with oblique diffusers. The width and height of the barrier stem and the width of its cap were 0.3, 2.7, and 1 m, respectively. Angles of he oblique diffusers were 15, 30, and 45 degrees. The oblique diffusers were placed on the top surface with two designs including same oblique diffusers (SOD) and quadratic residue oblique diffusers (QROD). Barriers considered were made of concrete, an acoustically rigid material. The barrier with characteristics of QROD, forward direction, and sequence of angles (15, 30, and 45 degrees) had the greatest value of the overall A-weighted insertion loss equal to 18.3 to 21.8 dBA at a distance of 20 m with various heights of 0 to 6 m.

An efficiency of the nonsingular meshless method (MLM) was analyzed in an acoustic indoor problem. The solution was assumed in the form of the series of radial bases functions (RBFs). Three representative kinds of RBF were chosen: the Hardy’s multiquadratic, inverse multiquadratic, Duchon’s functions. The room acoustic field with uniform, impedance walls was considered. To achieve the goal, relationships among physical parameters of the problem and parameters of the approximate solution were first found. Physical parameters constitute the sound absorption coefficient of the boundary and the frequency of acoustic vibrations. In turn, parameters of the solution are the kind of RBFs, the number of elements in the series of the solution and the number and distribution of influence points. Next, it was shown that the approximate acoustic field can be calculated using MLM with a priori error assumed. All approximate results, averaged over representative rectangular section of the room, were calculated and then compared to the corresponding accurate results. This way, it was proved that the MLM, based on RBFs, is efficient method in description of acoustic boundary problems with impedance boundary conditions and in all acoustic frequencies.

Geometry of the fluid container plays a key role in the shape of acoustic streaming patterns. Inadvertent vortices can be troublesome in some cases, but if treated properly, the problem turns into a very useful parameter in acoustic tweezing or micromixing applications. In this paper, the effects of sinusoidal boundaries of a microchannel on acoustic streaming patterns are studied. The results show that while top and bottom sinusoidal walls are vertically actuated at the resonance frequency of basic hypothetical rectangular microchannel, some repetitive acoustic streaming patterns are recognised in classifiable cases. Such patterns can never be produced in the rectangular geometry with flat boundaries. Relations between geometrical parameters and emerging acoustic streaming patterns lead us to propose formulas in order to predict more cases. Such results and formulations were not trivial at a glance.

Two optimization aspects of the meshless method (MLM) based on nonsingular radial basis functions (RBFs) are considered in an acoustic indoor problem. The former is based on the minimization of the mean value of the relative error of the solution in the domain. The letter is based on the minimization of the relative error of the solution at the selected points in the domain. In both cases the optimization leads to the finding relations between physical parameters and the approximate solution parameters. The room acoustic field with uniform, impedance walls is considered.

As results, the most effective Hardy’s Radial Basis Function (H-RBF) is pointed out and the number of elements in the series solution as a function of frequency is indicated. Next, for H-RBF and fixed n, distributions of appropriate acoustic fields in the domain are compared. It is shown that both aspects of optimization improve the description of the acoustic field in the domain in a strictly defined sense.

In the paper, differential quadrature method (DQM) is used to find numerical solutions of reaction-diffusion equations with different boundary conditions. The DQM-method changes the reaction- diffusion equation (ordinary differential equation) into a system of algebraic equations. The obtained system is solved using built-in procedures of Maple®(Computer Algebra System-type program). Calculations were performed with Maple®program. The test problems include reaction-diffusion equation applied in heterogeneous catalysis. The method can be employed even in relatively hard tasks (e.g. ill-conditioned, free boundary problems).

During the 1920s and 1930s Gdynia transformed from a small fishing village into a dynamically developing city through the construction in its vicinity of the largest seaport of interwar Poland. The city’s first expansion plan (1926, Adam Kuncewicz, Roman Feliński), designed for approximately 100 000 inhabitants, had to be revised already within a few years because development of the port has proved to be faster and the terrain requirements of the port substantially greater than originally predicted. In effect grounds originally planned for general city functions were yielded to the rapidly developing port. It was not until 2003 when the port boundaries shifted significantly as a result of restrictions and changes in the nature of port activity. These changes freed around 53 ha of post-harbour sites for new development, attractively located in the immediate vicinity of the existing city centre and waterfront. In 2015 the port boundaries shifted again adding 3 ha more of post-harbour sites. The changes also spurred investment in the north of downtown Gdynia – in accordance with the intentions of first city planners. Ideas how to make good use of post-harbour areas have been invented and evolved since 1990s. The concept which is currently under development was prepared in 2008 by the City Planning Offi ce of Gdynia. Since 2010 analyses and studies of future development have been conducted using 3D model. The concept is continuously updated and new details are added based on projects obtained through architectural competitions. Since 2015 development areas of the northern part of the city center were rebranded as Gdynia Sea City. In accordance with this concept Gdynia Sea City will be the modern city centre with areas designed for leisure, relaxation and business and will be inhabited by more than 10 thousand people. The area’s new grid is a continuation of the urban grid of historical downtown Gdynia and draws upon unrealized city plans of the interwar period. The scale of new buildings in the area is reminiscent of the historical buildings in the area. Groups of higher buildings are allowed outside of a protected area of the historic center, in areas selected through view and cityscape analysis. The residential and commercial complex Sea Towers together with two other newly constructed tall buildings is currently the dominant in this area. Several new development complexes are under construction. Planning concepts assume public availability of quays around the port basins and maintaining spacious openings towards the sea. Construction of marinas is expected using part of the docks and the ability to expand and reduce existing wharves, movement of pedestrians and cyclists between Fishermen Pier and South Pier will be facilitated through the construction of a bridge or a ferry connection. The planned enlargement into the post-harbour areas will double the current potential of Gdynia downtown, and enlarge the scope of representative areas and change the panorama from the historic city center and from the sea. Attractive downtown sites can provide an answer to the issue of uncontrolled urban spill into peripheral areas of adjacent municipalities.