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Wang, Ping

Publications and source records attributed to Wang, Ping.

At least 73 records · Page 4

A Study of Temperature Distribution and Thermal Stresses in a Hot Rock Due to Rapid Cooling

Thermal stresses may be induced in a hot dry rock when a cold fluid is injected in the well. To study this problem, we look at the thermoelastic response of a hot rock that is suddenly cooled. The cooling is assumed to be either at a constant temperature or at a constant heat flux per unit depth. Our approach is to nondimensionalize the equations and perform a parametric study and look at the temperature distribution and the induced-thermal stresses. The results indicate that depending on the extent of cooling and the cooling time, thermal stresses can be induced. Numerical simulations on sandstone, with an initial uniform temperature of 473 K, are also carried out. The results show that if the cooling is due to the surface temperature maintained at 463 K (10 °C lower than the initial temperature of the hot rock), thermal stresses that are larger than the rock tensile strength could be induced. When the cooling is due to a constant surface heat flux, this temperature can be reached after about 777 days of cooling with a minimum value of a heat flux of -20 W/m.

Tran, Phuoc↗

Differential Power Processing for Ultra-Efficient Data Storage

Here this paper presents the hardware, software, and power codesign of an ultra-efficient data storage server with differential power processing (DPP). DPP can reduce the power conversion stress, improve the efficiency, and enhance the functionality of modular power electronics systems. The power inputs of a large number of hard disk drives (HDDs) were connected in series and supported by a multiport ac-coupled differential power processing (MAC-DPP) converter through a multiwinding transformer. Methods for controlling the multi-input multi-output power flow in the multiwinding transformer while avoiding core saturation were investigated. A ten-port MAC-DPP prototype with 700-W/in 3 power density was built to support a 450-W HDD storage system with ten series-stacked voltage domains. The prototype was tested on a 50-HDD server testbench, and the overall system loss is below 1 W (99.77% system efficiency). The server was able to maintain high-speed reading and writing operation of all 50 HDDs against the worst hot-swapping scenarios. A variety of hardware/software configurations and many cloud storage techniques were tested on the fully functioning server. Experimental results show that the energy efficiency of large-scale information systems (CPU/GPU clusters, memory banks, HDD arrays, etc.) can be greatly improved by software, hardware, and power codesign.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Biomolecular complex viewed by dynamic nuclear polarization solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) is an indispensable tool for elucidating the structure and dynamics of insoluble and non-crystalline biomolecules. The recent advances in the sensitivity-enhancing technique magic-angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS-DNP) have substantially expanded the territory of ssNMR investigations and enabled the detection of polymer interfaces in a cellular environment. This article highlights the emerging MAS-DNP approaches and their applications to the analysis of biomolecular composites and intact cells to determine the folding pathway and ligand binding of proteins, the structural polymorphism of low-populated biopolymers, as well as the physical interactions between carbohydrates, proteins, and lignin. Furthermore, these structural features provide an atomic-level understanding of many cellular processes, promoting the development of better biomaterials and inhibitors. It is anticipated that the capabilities of MAS-DNP in biomolecular and biomaterial research will be further enlarged by the rapid development of instrumentation and methodology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Examining and Modeling Oxygen Uncoupling Kinetics of Cu-Based Oxygen Carriers for Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (CLOU) in a Drop Tube Fluidized Bed Reactor

Chemical looping combustion with oxygen uncoupling (CLOU) is a promising carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for conversion of gaseous and solid hydrocarbon fuels where the release of gaseous O 2 from an oxygen carrier is favored at high temperature and low O 2 partial pressure. One promising CLOU material is the copper oxide redox system (CuO–Cu 2 O). The primary objective of this study was to examine the use of a drop tube fluidized bed reactor (DT-FBR) for evaluating the kinetics of oxygen uncoupling with Cu-based oxygen carriers. Appropriate rate expressions from redox experiments are needed to model and scale up CLOU systems. Additionally, the determined oxygen uncoupling kinetic parameters were validated using a computational fluid dynamic model. Two oxygen carriers consisting of 20 wt % CuO/Al 2 O 3 and 9 wt % CuO/Al 2 O 3 were prepared by physical mixing. A third oxygen carrier sample was prepared at 9 wt % CuO/Al 2 O 3 by incipient wetness impregnation. The reaction rates of the copper oxide redox system are strongly dependent on thermodynamic effects of the oxygen partial pressure relative to the equilibrium oxygen partial pressure. The results presented in this paper offer an alternative and simplified kinetic analysis compared to that traditionally presented in the literature for the thermal reduction of copper oxide or other CLOU oxygen carriers. The reactor system used in this study allows for operating parameters to be adjusted, minimizing thermodynamic and mass transfer limitations, which eliminates the need for more complex kinetic/thermodynamic reaction models. The reaction kinetics measured in this study is compared based on the preparation method and the CuO weight percent loading. These results may aid in the development of CLOU technologies during reactor design and process modeling.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Heat losses associated with the upward flow of air, water, CO 2 in geothermal production wells

This present work reports on the heat losses associated with the upward flow of hot air, water, and CO 2 in a production well. The heat losses considered here are the frictional heat loss, the gravitational heat loss, the Joule-Thomson effect, and the conduction heat loss to the surrounding rock formation. These heat losses were characterized using the mass flow rate, the operation time as variable parameters while the surrounding formation was assumed to have constant properties with a linear geothermal gradient. The results show that, the frictional heat loss was small while the influences of the others depended on the flow conditions and the operation time. For water, the Joule-Thomson effect was a heating effect and its magnitude was comparable to that due to the gravitational effect. The conduction heat loss was dominant for all situations. For air as well as CO 2 , the Joule-Thomson effects were the cooling effects. For low mass flow rates, the conduction heat loss was the dominant heat loss during the initial stages of the operation and the combined heat losses due to the gravitational and the Joule-Thomson effects became dominant during the later times. For high mass flow rates, throughout the operation life time, the gravitational and the Joule-Thomson effects were the dominant heat losses that control the temperature of air and CO 2 in the production well.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Coal Chemical-Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (CLOU) Using a Cu-Based Oxygen Carrier Derived from Natural Minerals

Chemical-looping with oxygen uncoupling (CLOU) is considered a promising technology to burn solid fuels with improved CO 2 capture and has the potential to improve fuel conversion and reaction rates. Cu-based oxygen carriers (Cu-OC) are often used in solid fuel CLOU. This study focused on investigating Cu-OC derived from a natural mineral for solid fuel CLOU because of their potentially lower cost compared to synthetic OCs. Reactivity and recyclability of a natural ore-derived Cu-OC on coal char (Powder River Basin sub-bituminous coal) were studied at 900 °C in Ar and air using TGA-QMS and fixed-bed reactor-QMS for five cycles. Cu-OC was prepared by simply heating chalcopyrite in air. Chalcopyrite is one of the principle copper sulfide ores and one of the primary ores for copper. The prepared Cu-OC had primarily CuO and CuFe 2 O 4 (CuOFe 2 O 3 ) as active compounds based on XRD analysis and an oxygen capacity 3.3% from oxygen uncoupling. The carbon conversion efficiency Xc was 0.94 for reduction at a ratio of Cu-OC to char Φ = 75 and the product gas was primarily CO 2 with trace O 2 . The reactivities and the rates were similar for five redox cycles. These results indicate that the natural ore-derived material with low cost has potential as a competitive oxygen carrier in solid fuel CLOU based on its reactivity in this study.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Optimization of Fused Bicyclic Allosteric SHP2 Inhibitors

SHP2 is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine phosphatase within the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway controlling cell growth, differentiation, and oncogenic transformation. SHP2 also participates in the programed cell death pathway (PD-1/PD-L1) governing immune surveillance. Small-molecule inhibition of SHP2 has been widely investigated, including in our previous reports describing SHP099 (2), which binds to a tunnel-like allosteric binding site. To broaden our approach to allosteric inhibition of SHP2, we conducted additional hit finding, evaluation, and structure-based scaffold morphing. These studies, reported here in the first of two papers, led to the identification of multiple 5,6-fused bicyclic scaffolds that bind to the same allosteric tunnel as 2. We demonstrate the structural diversity permitted by the tunnel pharmacophore and culminated in the identification of pyrazolopyrimidinones (e.g., SHP389, 1) that modulate MAPK signaling in vivo. These studies also served as the basis for further scaffold morphing and optimization, detailed in the following manuscript.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

6-Amino-3-methylpyrimidinones as Potent, Selective, and Orally Efficacious SHP2 Inhibitors

Protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 is an oncoprotein associated with cancer as well as a potential immune modulator because of its role in the programmed cell death PD-L1/PD-1 pathway. In the preceding manuscript, we described the optimization of a fused, bicyclic screening hit for potency, selectivity, and physicochemical properties in order to further expand the chemical diversity of allosteric SHP2 inhibitors. In this manuscript, we describe the further expansion of our approach, morphing the fused, bicyclic system into a novel monocyclic pyrimidinone scaffold through our understanding of SAR and use of structure-based design. These studies led to the identification of SHP394 (1), an orally efficacious inhibitor of SHP2, with high lipophilic efficiency, improved potency, and enhanced pharmacokinetic properties. We also report other pyrimidinone analogues with favorable pharmacokinetic and potency profiles. Overall, this work improves upon our previously described allosteric inhibitors and exemplifies and extends the range of permissible chemical templates that inhibit SHP2 via the allosteric mechanism.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structural reorganization of SHP2 by oncogenic mutations and implications for oncoprotein resistance to allosteric inhibition

Activating mutations in PTPN11, encoding the cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, result in developmental disorders and act as oncogenic drivers in patients with hematologic cancers. The allosteric inhibitor SHP099 stabilizes the wild-type SHP2 enzyme in an autoinhibited conformation that is itself destabilized by oncogenic mutations. Here, we report the impact of the highly activated and most frequently observed mutation, E76K, on the structure of SHP2, and investigate the effect of E76K and other oncogenic mutations on allosteric inhibition by SHP099. SHP2 E76K adopts an open conformation but can be restored to the closed, autoinhibited conformation, near-identical to the unoccupied wild-type enzyme, when complexed with SHP099. SHP099 inhibitory activity against oncogenic SHP2 variants in vitro and in cells scales inversely with the activating strength of the mutation, indicating that either oncoselective or vastly more potent inhibitors will be necessary to suppress oncogenic signaling by the most strongly activating SHP2 mutations in cancer.

Chemical biology↗

Molecular architecture of fungal cell walls revealed by solid-state NMR

The high mortality of invasive fungal infections, and the limited number and inefficacy of antifungals necessitate the development of new agents with novel mechanisms and targets. The fungal cell wall is a promising target as it contains polysaccharides absent in humans, however, its molecular structure remains elusive. Here we report the architecture of the cell walls in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy, assisted by dynamic nuclear polarization and glycosyl linkage analysis, reveals that chitin and α-1,3-glucan build a hydrophobic scaffold that is surrounded by a hydrated matrix of diversely linked β-glucans and capped by a dynamic layer of glycoproteins and α-1,3-glucan. The two-domain distribution of α-1,3-glucans signifies the dual functions of this molecule: contributing to cell wall rigidity and fungal virulence. This study provides a high-resolution model of fungal cell walls and serves as the basis for assessing drug response to promote the development of wall-targeted antifungals.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Exergy of air, CO 2 , and H 2 O for use as geothermal fluids

Geothermal energy refers to the thermal energy naturally stored in the hot rock formation buried deep beneath the Earth’s surface. To harvest this source of energy, a fluid is pumped down in a set of injection wells, circulates through the hot rock and then is collected via a set of production wells for heating or other purposes. Furthermore, the selection of this fluid is an important component of a geothermal system. In this work, we review, evaluate, and develop the fundamental equations that can reliably predict the thermodynamic and the transport properties of air, CO 2 , and H 2 O. Using these equations, we characterize and compare the heat extraction and exergy carried by these fluids as they circulate through a hot rock reservoir to determine which fluid offers better functionality for geothermal heat harvesting applications. The results indicate that, in terms of heat extraction and exergy, air is a better fluid compared to CO 2 and water.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗