Heat and mass transfer calculation for carbon capture pilot plant Assignment

Heat and mass transfer calculation for carbon capture pilot plant - Assignment Example The calculations show that with increase in the flow rate of both streams the temperature drop of the hot stream increased steadily. On the other hand, the temperature rise of the cold stream decreased substantially. The clear jacket allowed the observation that the jacket was continuously full at all times and because neither stream had any color, it was not possible to notice whether the turbulence of the two streams changed at all. In future experiments it might be a good idea to introduce a small stream of dye into both streams to observe turbulence. However, this would lead to a change in the mass flow rate and more importantly in the specific heat capacity, which would have to be accounted for in subsequent calculations. Important findings of this experiment are that the thermal efficiency of the plate and frame heat exchanger is better than that of the concentric tube heat exchanger and secondly, with the increase in flow rate the efficiency improved only marginally. This is perhaps because with the multiple pass arrangement where the two streams changed direction frequently an element of turbulence was already present that did not change much with the change in flow rates. However, the observations taken are too few to arrive at this conclusion with confidence. Important findings of this experiment are that the thermal efficiency of the plate and frame heat exchanger is comparable to that of the concentric tube heat exchanger but lower than that of the plate and frame heat exchanger. Secondly, with the increase in flow rate of the cold stream the efficiency improved marginally. In this case again, the conclusion can be that the design allows for introducing greater turbulence in the shell-side stream through the baffles

Chicken Chunks Essay Example for Free

Chicken Chunks Essay I have designed the layout of my advert so that when it is broadcast simultaneously across all childrens television networks, and depicted in colour advertisements in all childrens magazines universally, certain aspects will stand out and be immortalised in the memory of children. The Chicken Chunks slogan at the top of the page is in large, bold writing and has golden wings, and the way I have ingeniously positioned the box in the middle of the advertisement shows all children what the product they will soon be rushing to their local retailer to buy looks like. I chose the title Chicken Chunks initially for the way that no other product presently or previously on the market remotely resembles it, but I quickly realised that the title was also an excellent way of helping the children to remember the products name because it uses alliteration. It is not proven, but it is widely accepted, that using alliteration greatly improves the chances of committing the name from your short to long term memory banks, thereby making the name of Chicken Chunks much more memorable. This will be especially effective considering that the target audience for our advertising campaign is very young. I also used clear, bold writing so that the text I placed upon my advert can be easily read and understood by a young child. I think my advert will be extremely successful at cornering the market for childrens microwavable meals in minutes in the UK and across the globe. It will happen not only because of the excellent marketing strategy I have devised to thrust my product into the consumer world with alarming speed, but also by the way kids choose food these days not only to suit their nutritional needs, but as a lifestyle choice. The words Chicken Chunks will be synonymous with the epitome of cool for all children under eleven. Chicken Chunks will be the embodiment of young culture and will soon be flying from the supermarket shelves as if moving of their own volition.

World Politics: American Hegemony Essay -- The US as Global Hegemon

UNITED STATES POWER Whenever world politics is mentioned, the state that appears to be at the apex of affairs is the United States of America, although some will argue that it isn’t. It is paramount we know that the international system is shaped by certain defining events that has lead to some significant changes, particularly those connected with different chapters of violence. Certainly, the world wars of the twentieth century and the more recent war on terror must be included as defining moments. The warning of brute force on a potentially large scale also highlights the vigorousness of the cold war period, which dominated world politics within an interval of four decades. The practice of international relations (IR) was introduced out of a need to discuss the causes of war and the different conditions for calm in the wake of the first world war, and it is relevant we know that this has remained a crucial focus ever since. However, violence is not the only factor capable of causing interrupt ion in the international system. Economic elements also have a remarkable impact. The great depression that happened in the 1920s, and the global financial crises of the contemporary period can be used as examples. Another concurrent problem concerns the environment, with the human climate being one among different number of important concerns for the continuing future of humankind and the planet in general. In this paper, I will argue that the current system is hegemonial. My explanation to hegemony will then be centered on the sources of the United States as a hegemonial power. Furthermore, I will state the different primary implications associated with the rise of China and what the Roman Empire offers for understanding the United Sta... ... The Costs of US Hegemony: Military Power, Military Spending, and US Trade Performance. Sage. http://rrp.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/31/4/32.full.pdf+html R. Bruce Hitcher. (2008). Globalization Avant La Lettre: Globalization and the History of the Roman Empire. New Global Studies: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 2. Susan V. Lawrence, Michael F. Martin. (2013). Understanding China’s Political System. Congressional Research Services. https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41007.pdf The Rise of China and the Future of the West. (2008, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63042/g-john-ikenberry/the-rise-of-china-and-the-future-of-the-west Wei-Wei Zhang. (2004). The Implications of the Rise of China. Foresight, Vol. 6 Iss: 4, P. 223 – 226. http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/journals.htm?articleid=874264

Comparison Between Comercial Arable Farming in Canada and Guyana Essay

Commercial arable farming is a system of farming carried out on a very large scale, it is the extensive cultivation of usually one crop for sale in order for large profits (Monoculture). Some examples of crops that are associated with commercial arable farming are tobacco in Cuba, sugarcane in Barbados and Cotton in India. Guyana, a Caribbean territory located between Venezuela and Suriname in South America practices arable farming on a large scale. Their crop/product for export is lumber, simply because forests are the most abundant resource in Guyana. They cover about 80% of the country. These forests range from dry evergreen and seasonal forests to evergreen rainforests. These trees (which the lumber comes from) grow in the forests areas which are located mainly to the northwest of the territory where Guyana receives majority of its rainfall due to the ITCZ and other weather conditions. Some species of lumber produced by Guyana are; * Greenheart- used for the construction of houses, jetties, bridges etc. * Purpleheart- floors and ceilings * Wallaba- charcoal, firewood and electricity poles * Mora- houses * Crabwood- furniture * Balata- used in handicraft and golf balls. Commercial Arable farming in Guyana is very important. It comes with a lot of benefits for both the country and the people. Some benefits and importance of Guyana’s forest industry include; * Employment: Since the forest industry is progressing on such a large scale it creates a high demand for employment. Persons get jobs in that sector very easily with a descent pay. * Foreign exchange and contribution to the GDP: With a successful forest industry Guyana will get a steady flow of income contributing to the country’s GDP. Exports of lumber to other countries are plentiful bringing more revenue. Reduces soil erosion and landslides: with so many trees planted, Guyana will have less soil erosion due to heavy rainfall. The tree roots will hold the soil together. * Ecosystems: the forest areas of Guyana are home to many rear species of plants. These need be protected and cherished for years to come. * Medicines research and scientific study: scientists and herbalist are able to scrutinize plants to develop new medication and conduct indebt scientific study. * Improves water supply: Trees have been shown to influence the flow of water. Trees reduce topsoil erosion by catching precipitation with their leaf canopies. This lessens the force of storms and slows down water runoff which in turn ensures that our groundwater supplies are continually being replenished. * Linkage Industry: Other industries and businesses may rely on the forestry industry in order for their progression. In every industry there are challenges that are faced. Examples of challenges faced by the forestry industry in Guyana are: * Technology- lumbering companies are not technologically advanced so they use old technology. In order to address this more advanced tools and equipments should be introduced to improve efficiency. Manpower- the industry has a shortage of skilled workers with great knowledge on the tasks and forestry. To improve this training can be done to improve and expand employee’s knowledge. * Sustainability- steps should be taken to preserve and conserve the forest resources. Unfortunately Guyana lacks the data needed for proper forest management. * Over exploitation-An increasing global demand, logging is taking place more frequent than trees can grow. Good management strategies and farming techniques are essential to ensure that the industry progresses. Diseases-Good forest management, regular spraying is needed to minimize diseases. The Guyanese governments are unable to fund and undertake such measures. Canada  is a North American country consisting of 10 provinces and 3 territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It also practices arable farming. Canada’s main crop for export is Wheat. In the early 1900’s the Prairie Provinces of Canada became a major wheat producing area and later one of the largest wheat exporters in the world. The Prairie Provinces are located between British Columbia and Ontario. Extending from the USA border into the territories of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatwan. This is because Canada has the right conditions for growing this crop. Some of these conditions are flat undulating land and the climate which is 500mm of rainfall annually which is sufficient for the ripening of the grain. Canada exports wheat to places such as USA, Europe, South America and the Caribbean. The Importance of the Wheat Industry in Canada; * The country receives a great Income and revenue because of the large amount of wheat exported. Jobs are created in this sector working in planting, harvesting, processing and shipping of the wheat. Some challenges faces in the wheat industry include: 1. Pesticides 2. Herbicides these all harm the development of the wheat plant 3. Fungicides 4. fertilizers 5. Bad weather- hail storms, frost during long winters affect the wheat 6. Fluctuation in world prices- some years in the past there is over production and excess wheat causes prices to fall. The opposite happens when there is a shortage in wheat. 7. Technology- New equipments to enhance work power. To address these challenges plants need to be sprayed to keep away bugs and pests. Weather should be monitored carefully daily. New machinery should be used in convenience and sufficiently. As shown in the above data, Canada and Guyana are completely different when talking about arable farming. They have different products but the same concept. Meaning that they sell the raw material and it is processed somewhere else to make something different (Linkage Industry). Arable farming clearly brings in a large part in there economy and has a big part of the GDP. They share similar challenges like technology.

Describe the spatial patterns and dimensions of one ecosystem at risk, and analyse the negative impacts of human activity on this ecosystem Essay

Describe the spatial patterns and dimensions of one (1) ecosystem at risk, and analyse the negative impacts of human activity on this ecosystem. One ecosystem at risk that has been studied is the coral reef; The Great Barrier Reef is located off the East coast of Northern Queensland. It stretches approximately 2300km from Papua New Guinea to Fraser Island. Overall the Great Barrier Reef system covers an area of over 348,000km2 making a vast, very complex ecosystem. There is a long history of human activity and use on and of the Great Barrier Reef. Negative impacts on the Great Barrier Reef include climate change, oil spills, tourism, overfishing, land clearing, sewage and waste disposal, coral harvesting and dredging and sand mining. Climate change has impacted Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef as it increases in sea temperature, increases in average sea level, has a change in rainfall patterns. It changes the ocean currents and circulation, which has an increase in El Nino events which cause extreme weather and can damage the reef and cause a large amount of run off from the land, causing turbidity, lowering of salinity on the reef and increased amount of sediment. Extreme weather conditions can also increase the CO2 levels which can also change the chemical structure of the Great Barrier Reef causing coral bleaching. On-going climate change will have and has already caused many consequences for the Great Barrier Reef. This change will and has directly impacted many species of fish, invertebrate, mammals and birds along with many aquatic and terrestrial plants. There are also substantial impacts on the functioning of the reef. The biggest concern about climate change and the Great Barrier Reef is the rise in sea temperature which will affect the movement of water around the reef and the nutrient cycle on the reef which also means the chemical structure which will be altered because of the increased amount of CO2 dissolved into the water. With this and the rising sea levels, may be enough to destroy the reef, collapsing of the reef ecosystem. Recreational fishing is also a common past-time on the reef. When boats anchor on the reef, the heavy metal anchors damage the reefs coral formations and dredge up the sea grass bed. These boats are also a source of pollution through oil and oil spills, rubbish and sewage. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority estimates that around 6000 large commercial ships transit through the Great Barrier Reef each year. These ships can carry anything from grain, minerals, bulk cargo (such as cars) and oil. Luckily there has not been a major oil spill on the reef. Ships also have the potential to bring with them feral aquatic species by releasing ballast water which is used to balance the ship containing these aquatic animals. Commercial fishing or overfishing has been an important economic activity for Queensland’s coastal communities. Unsustainable fishing practices in the past have left many areas of the Great Barrier Reef with decreased fish stocks. While many areas of the Great Barrier Reef are now off limits to commercial fishers, various areas of the reef can still be fished. Local fishermen are now no longer a major threat to the reef as they understand the need to protect the area’s fish stocks. However, the reef still remains threatened by illegal fishing, which is often carried out by foreign fishing trawlers, and by unsustainable recreational fishing. Tourism is one of the most important industries in Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef being ranked twelfth on the ‘Wonders of the World’ list brings a lot of tourism to Australia and especially far North Queensland. The economic value of the Great Barrier Reef exceeds more than $4 billion a year. In 2005, over 1.8 million tourists visited the reef. Research conducted by the James Cook University in Cairns has shown that tourism has five main impacts on the reef ecosystem; these are coastal tourism development, island-based tourism, marine based tourism, water-based activities and wildlife interactions. Coastal tourism development is explained as tourists mainly visit and stay at mainland Hotels, Motels and Resorts, where this places a strain on coastal environments, including estuarine river systems. Island-based tourism is the growth of tourism on islands throughout the Great Barrier Reef, which creates problems associated with sewage and rubbish discharges. Marine based tourism is where tourist boat companies make thousands of journeys out to the Great Barrier Reef each year, which brings rubbish and a potential for oil spills. These boats also require mooring points or anchor points on the reef which can destroy the coral. Water-based activities for explain diving and snorkelling are the most popular water-based activities on the reef. Most divers are very careful and usually cause no damage to the corals. However, studies have shown that a small proportion of divers swim too close to the corals, breaking them. The more fragile corals are susceptible to this. Wildlife interactions is the interactions with aquatic animals that live on the reef, most tourism operators are very careful to ensure tourists are well informed and to be strict with these rules and make sure that the tourists do not get too close to the wild animals that live on the reef, However, once again research shows that there are still a small portion of operators and tourists that are careless and disrupt wildlife which can impact on breeding cycles and natural interactions. Other impacts of tourism on the Great Barrier Reef include trampling of coral. This is a common occurrence where people walk on the reefs and the coral that become exposed at low tide. Souveniring of coral, shells and other elements of the reef ecosystem was also a major problem. In the past tourists and some commercial traders took large amounts of materials such as corals, mostly from the inner reef, which has now been constituted as being illegal unless the collector is correctly licensed. There are 26 major river systems that flow into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef from mainland Queensland. Approximately 25% of the land area of Queensland drains onto the reef. This runoff represents a major impact on the reef. Coastal development on land adjacent to the reef is expanding rapidly. Tourist developments such as those found between Cairns and Port Douglas, result in large amounts of land that is being cleared. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has information and research that the clearing of wetlands is another major issue impacting on the sustainability of the reef. Intertidal wetlands provide important habitats and nurseries for many of thousands of species that liv eon or near the reef. These wetlands also hold a large amount of water reducing the amount of fresh water the Great Barrier Reef receives each year which keeps salinity levels stable. Aquaculture is becoming a more popular form of commercial farming. Prawns, a number of fish species and pearl and edible oysters are commercially farmed throughout the Great Barrier Reef and in ponds near or next to the reef. These farms can sometimes release chemicals and diseases that impact and cause damage to the other species of aquatic life on the reef which can also cause pollution. Conventional agriculture on the coastal plain adjacent to the reef has been of great concern for reef ecologists and marine biologists. The use of chemical fertilisers in the farming areas of the reef can increase nutrients that promote algae growth. The algae can and already has been smothering the reef which causes a decrease in light penetration for the corals to perform photosynthesis to grow. A type of agriculture that can dramatically harm the reef includes land clearing which results in the erosion of topsoil and an increase in turbidity levels in the water. There are a large number of negative impacts on the ecosystem at risk studied, but the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, along with other smaller groups including the Aboriginal Culture have been enforcing a number of ways to protect and create awareness to tourists, fishers and all people on or visiting the reef or surroundings to keep the ecosystem as stable as they can.

75 Synonyms for Hard

75 Synonyms for Hard 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Hard† 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Hard† By Mark Nichol It’s easy to write about how hard something is, because so many synonyms exist for that vague word and its more formal cousin difficult. Many of these terms are somewhat interchangeable (that’s why they call them synonyms), but even then, the senses are often slightly distinct; do a little more research on usage when you find a promising variation for that abstract (or is it abstruse?) phrasing you’re attempting to finesse. 1. Abstract: disassociation from a practical reference that would aid in comprehension 2. Abstruse: difficult because of technical considerations 3. Arduous: great physical exertion 4. Augean: unpleasantly, overwhelmingly hard (a classical reference to the Augean stables, cleaned by Hercules as one of his legendary twelve labors) 5. Backbreaking: tiring and often dispiriting physical effort 6. Bruising: physically wearing and damaging 7. Brutal: unpleasantly difficult 8. Burdensome: physically or emotionally difficult 9. Challenging: requiring special effort; may have a positive or a negative sense depending on context 10. Complex: difficult because of multiple interrelated factors 11. Complicated: see complex 12. Convoluted: see complex; with an additional connotation of twisting or intertwining 13. Cruel: marked by uncompromising difficulty that disregards the worker’s welfare 14. Daunting: inspiring a feeling of great difficulty 15. Demanding: suggestive of a great commitment of time and effort 16. Distressing: causing emotional anguish 17. Effortful: requiring effort 18. Elusive: difficult to comprehend, or evasive 19. Exacting: requiring meticulous attention to detail, or requiring relentless effort 20. Exhausting: difficult in terms of physical or mental exertion 21. Formidable: discouraging because of expected difficulty; also has a positive connotation of impressiveness 22. Frustrating: producing feelings of hopelessness or defeat 23. Grievous: causing pain or suffering 24. Grim: evidencing unyielding difficulty or severity; can also mean â€Å"grim,† â€Å"gloomy,† or â€Å"sinister† 25. Grueling (also spelled gruelling): requiring unrelenting or extreme effort 26. Hairy: difficult (informal) 27. Harsh: excessively difficult 28. Heavy: involving great effort 29. Herculean: suggestive of great difficulty 30. Inhuman: so difficult as to seem beyond human capability 31. Insoluble: seemingly too difficult to be solved or resolved 32. Intimidating: so difficult that the task or prospect inspires fear or hopelessness 33. Intricate: see complex 34. Involved: see convoluted 35. Knotty: see convoluted 36. Labored: requiring wearying physical or mental exertion 37. Laborious: see labored 38. Merciless: marked by effort that seems to be required with no regard for the welfare of the worker 39. Moiling: requiring much effort 40. Murderous: suggestive of risk of physical or mental harm (informal) 41. Onerous: see burdensome 42. Opaque: difficult because of a lack of clarity or communication 43. Oppressive: harshly difficult 44. Overwhelming: too hard to do or bear without suffering 45. Painful: causing physical or mental discomfort or harm 46. Pick-and-shovel: suggestive of great manual effort 47-48. Problematic/problematical: difficulty in solving a problem 49. Punishing: difficulty heedless of consequences of physical or mental strain 50. Recondite: difficult to comprehend because of obscurity or the need to possess more knowledge 51. Rigid: inflexibly difficult 52. Rigorous: difficulty caused by conditions of inflexibility or requirements of great precision 53. Rugged: suggestive of conditions requiring strength and stamina 54. Serious: requiring a great deal of effort 55. Severe: difficult because of the nature of requirements or constraints or because of the need to expend great effort 56. Spiny: replete with difficulties 57. Sisyphean: suggestive of relentless, repetitive toil (a classical reference to Sisyphus, tormented in Hades by having to repeatedly roll a boulder up a hill, then retrieve it when it rolls down again) 58. Stiff: see rigid 59. Strenuous: see arduous 60. Stressful: so difficult as to cause tension or nervousness 61. Strict: difficult especially because of standards imposed 62. Stringent: see strict 63. Stubborn: persistently difficult 64. Sweaty: suggestive of great physical exertion, causing perspiration 65. Tall: see formidable (informal) 66. Taxing: see burdensome 67. Testing: calling for great effort, as if to test one’s abilities 68. Thorny: see spiny 69. Ticklish: difficult because of the problem’s sensitive nature 70. Tight: hard because of a lack of flexibility 71. Toilsome: see labored 72. Tough: physically or mentally demanding (informal) 73. Tricky: see ticklish 74. Trying: requiring great endurance 75. Uphill: see labored Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†One Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Adverbs and Hyphens

15 Tactics To Boost Twitter Engagement Backed By Research

15 Tactics To Boost Twitter Engagement Backed By Research Imagine standing in a room full of people while presenting a speech. Now keep in mind, this is one of the best speeches you’ve ever given. It’s filled with creative ideas and useful information you know your audience will love. The only problem isnobody in the room is listening to you. Now imagine you are publishing content on Twitter. This is the best content you’ve ever produced. Except this time, no one is clicking on the link you provided or even bothering to look at the graphic you’ve designed for it. This is what the content marketing world likes to call engagement. When it comes to using Twitter, your job is to maximize engagement on every piece of content you send out. But how? By the end of this post, you will become a Twitter engagement mastermind. 15 Tactics To Boost Twitter Engagement Backed By Research1. Use Images To Increase Retweets By 150% In order for your audience to engage with your posts and click on your content, they need to actually see what you’re posting. One of the best ways to make your content stand out is by adding an image. Buffer found that sharing images on Twitter increases retweets by 150%. Including a large image with a short summary of text on Twitter is more visually appealing than a text-only post. In fact, research shows that users engaged at a rate 5X higher  when an image was included. Go forth engage your audience with these tactics https://t.co/CwTHAbcrsa pic.twitter.com/mhMfzzGjyp (@) August 14, 2016 Include an image in every post for 35% more retweets. Images can be anything from pictures and screenshots to mini infographics and charts. Make sure your visual is directly related to the content it’s tied with. Recommended Reading: How To Make The Best Social Media Images The Easy Way (+84 Free Images) 2. Use Memes and GIFs To Show Personality Aside from adding an image to your tweet, you can use memes and GIFs when publishing your content on Twitter. This adds a fun spin to your plain post and will be too irresistible for your audience to scroll past. â€Å"GIFs are a great way to showcase your brand's personality, stay trendy, and have fun† -HeyOrca. Twitter has made it easy to add GIFs by doing all the work for you within the tweet box. All you have to do is choose an appropriate GIF from the drop-down menu or search for a specific genre in the search box. Memes and GIFs are becoming extremely popular among top companies.  At , we’ve recently started using memes and GIFs on Twitter and have found that they receive far more likes and retweets than regular images. You had a hard week! Relax today...it can wait till Monday! pic.twitter.com/I7NyU9ON2A - (@) August 12, 2016 Use real-life pictures of employees to show a true look inside the company, versus internet memes, gives a personal feel and helps build the  story behind your brand. GIFs are a great way to promote special offers and events. Memes and GIFs help you connect with your fans and followers in a new way because they sometimes convey emotions much better than text or photos or even videos. Use the correct  sizing  for GIFs and memes and don't forget to add a witty caption. 3. Create Twitter Polls To Engage With Followers People are often willing to provide you their opinion- and this is especially true on social media networks. Twitter polls are  a great way to engage  your followers and obtain valuable information about your customer base.  It also shows your followers that you care about their opinions, which in turn helps to build trust and loyalty, further strengthening your brand identity and reputation. To create a Twitter Poll: Open your Twitter page on a web or mobile device, click the Tweet button in the top navigation bar. Click the Add poll icon located in the bottom left corner. Type your poll question into the main compose box. Insert your first poll option into the Choice 1 box, followed by your second poll option into the Choice 2 box. Click  + Add a choice  to add additional options to your poll. You can  have up to four options per poll. A poll automatically defaults to run for 1 day. You can change the duration of your poll by clicking 1 day and adjusting the days, hours, and minutes.  The minimum amount of time for a poll is 5 minutes, and the maximum is 7 days. Click Tweet to post the poll. We recently ran a poll  asking our followers the burning question of how to pronounce the word "GIF." To our surprise, we received an overwhelming amount of responses. We have to ask! How is the word "Gif" pronounced? - (@) June 16, 2016 Keep your poll questions short and sweet. Your audience is more likely to respond when you keep your poll simple. Ask questions about your services, products, and brand in general. Be sure to mix in a fun Twitter poll every now and then about an office debate or what color to use for you next blog post. Store a list of potential Twitter poll questions and post a new poll every week for consistency. 4. Participate In Twitter Chats To Promote Your Brand A great way to build engagement for your brand is to communicate with people who are interested in similar products or topics. Instead of posting Tweets or sending direct messages, you can have conversations using Twitter chats. What is a Twitter chat?  It's a conversation around one unique hashtag. This hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in it. Twitter chats are usually recurring and on specific topics to regularly connect people with these interests. Participating in Twitter chats allows you to have real-time conversations with hundreds of different users while promoting your expertise and building your authority  on a topic. Be on the lookout for different hashtags to find Twitter chats relevant to your brand. From there, all you need to do is join in on the conversation happening and include the hashtag. A6 Being present! Make sure you're involved with your twitter account everyday sharing content that's worth looking at #ContentWritingChat - (@) August 2, 2016 The goal of joining Twitter chats is to gain  interest in your brand from Twitter users who aren’t part of your follower base yet. 67% of Twitter users are far more likely to buy from the brands they follow  on Twitter. Choose a Twitter chat that is relevant and beneficial to participate in. Look to leading brands  in your industry and reach out to them to co-host with you to expand your network. 5. Host Twitter Chats To Reach A Larger Audience Once you get the hang of participating in Twitter chats, you can choose to host your own. Here are a few key points from Buffer  to keep in mind before jumping into your own Twitter chat: Decide on a clear and brief hashtag that represents your brand. Choose a day and time that you can consistently hold Twitter chats. Come up with an appropriate topic and questions. Plan and promote your chat via Twitter. Make sure you choose a topic that is relevant to your audience. If you are a content marketer, choose a topic relating to social media, SEO, marketing, or something similar. Before beginning your chat, asks everyone to introduce themselves and where they are tweeting from. Engaging with your participants is the most important part of hosting a Twitter chat. After asking each question, reply to a few responses to remain in the loop. Recommended Reading: How To Use A Twitter Chat To Grow Your Audience And Gain Trust 6. Pin Tweets To Boost Your Best Content Do you have an awesome Tweet you want all of your followers to see? You can pin tweets to your profile that will remain on the top of your page until you removed the pin. It’s a simple tactic with big results to boost engagement. Just select the tweet you want pinned, click the â€Å"...† icon, and then click Pin to your profile page. Pin a Tweet that has an eye catching image to boost retweets by 35%. A pinned tweet is similar to an ad, except you don’t have to pay for it. Take advantage of this free advertisement by having a strong call to action. Include a URL in your pinned tweet to receive 86% more engagement. Pin tweets to boost your best content.7. Use Standalone Graphics To Share Information By now, we all know that using images in tweets will increase engagement, but what about adding an image without any links? We tested this theory out on our Twitter page and found that in fact, it does have a positive affect! Not just any random image, but a standalone graphic. Don't forget to take care of the little guy pic.twitter.com/x8YQ4Loq4q - (@) August 22, 2016 A standalone graphic is an image that gives useful information on its own without needing a link back to something. For our standalone graphics, we give tidbits of information and quotes from well-known marketers. Research shows that posting a standalone graphic with a quote increases retweets by 19%.   Use a graphic with text that gives quick information to your followers. Grab small pieces of information from your blog posts to put in your standalone graphic. Use tools like Canva to create a standalone graphic. Recommended Reading: How To Design The Best Blog Graphics With Free Tools And Design Theory 8. Social Listening Helps Build Loyalty â€Å"Research shows that customer emotions become permanent with time. It’s best for an effective intervention to take place as close to the experience as possible,† says Baba Shiv, Stanford Professor of Marketing at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. When users respond to your posts on Twitter or mention your business name, respond quickly. If you don’t, then it’s going to seem like you’re not very active on your own Twitter page- or you simply don’t care. It’s been found that 72% of people who complain on Twitter expect a response within an hour  so it’s your priority to respond as fast as possible. Our team uses the Mention app to respond to our followers quickly and efficiently.  Mention is monitored several times throughout the day by our team to ensure each and every person is responded to promptly. Many of our followers have questions that need urgent answers, so it’s important to reach out to them to resolve the issue. Or to simply thank your followers for sharing your content. Your followers will be much more likely to post comments if they know that you are reading them and that you will respond to them in a helpful manner. Use first names when you are responding. Addressing your followers in this way makes them feel more appreciated- not to mention that people love to be acknowledged. Small gestures like these help to build loyalty. If you respond right away, there’s a chance that the conversation will continue since they may still be on your page. 9. Curate Content To Increase Traffic Are you only tweeting your own content? Sharing the content of others is one of the best ways to show that you’re not all about you, and that you value the work of others enough to share it on your own Twitter feed. One report found that 82% of marketers curate content. At , we curate our content with our Chrome extension tool  for fast curation that can be schedule ahead of time. Curating content is a widely known tactic for a reason because it works. Over 50% of marketers that curate content indicate that it has increased their brand visibility, thought leadership, SEO, web traffic and buyer engagement.  Next time you post on Twitter, mix in a few curated pieces along with your usual content to increase engagement among your followers to expand their experience. Find the best content, the content you enjoyed, the content your audience members are sharing and talking about, the content that is actually helpful. Connect with influencers. You’re going to be sharing content by the leaders in your industry, opening the doors to communicating with them. Plan your curated content ahead of time for consistency. 10. Use Hashtags To Double Engagement Twitter didn’t invent the hashtag (#), but it certainly popularized it with the masses. Hashtags are proven to double your engagement rate and help users to easily search for a topic or trend on Twitter. They are a great way to join in a conversation already happening or organize a conversation, like a Twitter chat. Hashtags identify the subject of your content, making it easier for Twitter users to stumble across your page when searching for similar subjects. Because of this, using hashtags is an incredible way to boost social media engagement among both followers and non-followers since you’re making your content more visible. A good hashtag is memorable, unique, and relevant to your content. Try not to use more than two hashtags per post to avoid being annoying. Always use a hashtag when participating in or hosting a Twitter chat. Recommended Reading: How To Use Hashtags Effectively Without Being Annoying 11. Use Video in Tweets For A 28% Boost While images perform better than text, Twitter users love videos. 82% of users watch video content on Twitterthat’s a big number!  Simon Rodgers found that adding a video to your tweet will give you a 28% boost in engagement. You have 10 seconds to win over your followers. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer. Promote and educate your followers about your brand using video. Adding in a weekly tip to your page is a sure way to engage with new followers. Include people around your office in Twitter videos to give a personal touch to your followers. Use video in tweets for a 28% engagement boost.12. Use Twitter Ads For Higher Click-Through Rates If you’re looking for a fast and guaranteed way to boost Twitter engagement, than Twitter Ads are something to look into, especially if you don’t have a lot of followers to engage with. To set up Twitter Ads: Choose between promoted tweets and promoted accounts. According to Hubspot, promoting tweets will allow your tweets to appear in users’ Twitter streams or in Twitter search results, whereas promoting your account will display your username under the â€Å"Who to Follow† section in users’ homepages. Choose your target audience.  You can target a specific audience based on demographics and psychographics. Targeting the right audience will ensure that your ads are seen by the right people who would benefit from your brand. Create your tweets.  Now that you've chosen what type of ads you want and the type of audience to target, you can begin creating your tweets.  You can either select from existing tweets in your account, or create new ones from scratch. Be sure to assign your Twitter ad campaign a daily budget and maximum spend limit before setting it live. Low Twitter follower count? Try running Twitter ads.Recent studies have found that Twitter ads consistently deliver higher click-through rates  (even higher than Facebook ads). Plan ahead by choosing a Twitter ad campaign that fits your brand's goals. Use interest targeting and keywords to target the right audience for the best results. Create visually appealing images for your Twitter ads to reach more people and boost engagement. 13. Tweet At The Best Times The number of people you engage with is directly related to followers viewing your tweets. In order to maximize engagement, you must post at the best possible times. After doing some research on 10 different studies about the best times to post on social media, studies show a few ways to make every tweet get a little more engagement: Wednesdays at 12 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays at 12-3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Any day of the week from 2-3 a.m., 6-7 a.m., and 9-10 p.m. Use these times as a guideline. Test out different times and find out when your audience is the most active on Twitter. You can also check out Twitter Analytics to see when your specific audience is most active. 14. Use Twitter Cards To Drive Traffic To Your Website You may be asking, "What are Twitter Cards?" Twitter Cards allow you to go beyond the  140-character limit and attach different forms of media. According to Forbes, they add visual interest through images, product info, videos, and other expanded content. All you have to do to get started with using the feature is add a couple lines of code to your site. Refer to our post on Social Media Optimization to get set up. There are seven distinct Twitter Cards to choose from: Gallery cards featuring a number of images Single photo cards Summary cards which let you post a link with further information Summary cards with images App cards Player cards which showcase videos Product cards Below is an example of a Summary Card which includes a title, description, thumbnail image, Twitter account attribution and a direct link to the content. Test different types of cards.  Every site is different, and Twitter Card analytics will help you measure which cards yield the most engagement with your content. Engage with Influencers.  Twitter Card analytics make it possible determine who is sharing your content with the most velocity - make sure to engage with these accounts to promote further interaction! Add a few lines of HTML to your webpage. Users who Tweet links to your content will have a â€Å"Card† added to the Tweet that’s visible to all of their followers. How can Twitter Cards improve your engagement?15. Use Emoticons To Increase Favorites By 57% Instead of having a plain block of text, consider breaking up the text with an emoticon. Emoticons show a certain element of playfulness that provides your brand with a bit of personality. In fact, statistics show that the using emoticons  will boost the share and comment rate of your posts, and can help increase favorites by as much as 57%.   Choose one or two emoticons per tweet. â€Å"Think of emojis as the ultimate elevator pitch for your business: you have one or two symbols to let people know exactly what value you’re bringing them with every Tweet.† Use emoticons when responding to your followers to add a personal touch and show appreciation. Emphasize specific parts of your tweet with a correlating emoticon to intensify engagement. What Twitter Engagement Tactics Work For You? Analyzing engagement rates allows you to see how much of an impression your brand is leaving on your audience. Look at engagement as a stepping stone that leads followers to view your website, subscribe to your newsletters, and purchase your product. Without engagement you will be tweeting to a black abyss. Building a strong relationship with your Twitter followers will bring forth high engagement. Implement these tactics the next time you post on Twitter and watch your engagement rate skyrocket.