Spent-fuel pool thermal hydraulics: The evaporation question

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yilmaz, T.P.; Lai, J.C.

1996-01-01

Many nuclear power plants are currently using dense fuel arrangements that increase the number of spent fuel elements stored in their spent-fuel pools (SFPs). The denser spent-fuel storage results in higher water temperatures, especially when certain event scenarios are analyzed. In some of these event scenarios, it is conservative to maximize the evaporation rate, while in other circumstances it is required to minimize the evaporation rates for conservatism. Evaporation is such a fundamental phenomenon that many branches of engineering developed various equations based on theory and experiments. The evaporation rates predicted by existing equations present a wide range of variation, especially at water temperatures >40 degrees C. Furthermore, a study on which equations provide the highest and lowest evaporation rates has not been done until now. This study explores the sensitivity of existing evaporation equations to various parameters and recommends the limiting evaporation equations for use in the solution of SFP thermal problems. Note that the results of this study may be applicable to a much wider range of applications from irrigation ponds, cooling lakes, and liquid-waste management to calculating adequate air exchange rate for swimming pools and health spas

Influence of ceria on the thermally durability of Pt/Rh automotive catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muraki, H.; Zhang, G.

1998-01-01

Full text: The use of cerium oxide as an oxygen storage component in automotive three-way catalysts has been well established. More recently the requirement of the three-way catalysts against the increase of the severity in emission standards has focused attention on the development of more active, durable catalysts. The thermally durability of Pt/Rh catalyst can be achieved by the utilization of thermally stable ceria as well as optimization of washcoat composition and structure in order to control the extent of interaction between PGM and ceria. In the present paper, we describe the influence of newly developed washcoat components and PGM interaction with ceria on catalytic performance. First, to clear that the interaction between PGM and ceria contributes to catalytic performance, several kinds of catalysts which have the varied interactions between PGM and ceria were prepared using engineered washcoat techniques and evaluated in the model gas reactor. It was obvious that the difference in performance among them after aging derived from a diversity of interactions between Pt, Rh, and ceria. Second, for the purpose of determining the thermally durability of the developed Pt/Rh catalyst, the catalysts including the current catalyst were aged under three different temperatures and evaluated on engine dynamometer. Result of engine dynamometer evaluation revealed that significant improvement in the thermal durability can be achieved by optimizing the PGM-ceria interaction. In conclusion, we recognize that a thermal durability of a three-way catalyst can be improved by the stabilization of proper PGM-ceria interaction after aging as well as the utilization of thermally durable ceria material

Vacuum thermal evaporation of polyaniline doped with camphor sulfonic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyne, Devon; Menegazzo, Nicola; Pupillo, Rachel C.; Rosenthal, Joel; Booksh, Karl S., E-mail: kbooksh@udel.edu [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716 (United States)

2015-05-15

Intrinsically conducting polymers belong to a class of organic polymers with intriguing electronic and physical properties specifically for electro-optical applications. Significant interest into doped polyaniline (PAni) can be attributed to its high conductivity and environmental stability. Poor dissolution in most solvents has thus far hindered the successful integration of PAni into commercial applications, which in turn, has led to the investigations of various deposition and acidic doping methods. Physical vapor deposition methods, including D.C. magnetron sputtering and vacuum thermal evaporation, have shown exceptional control over physical film properties (thickness and morphology). However, resulting films are less conductive than films deposited by conventional methods (i.e., spin and drop casting) due to interruption of the hyperconjugation of polymer chains. Specifically, vacuum thermal evaporation requires a postdoping process, which results in incorporation of impurities and oxidation of surface moieties. In this contribution, thermally evaporated films, sequentially doped by vacuum evaporation of an organic acid (camphorsulfonic acid, CSA) is explored. Spectroscopic evidence confirms the successful doping of PAni with CSA while physical characterization (atomic force microscopy) suggests films retain good morphology and are not damaged by the doping process. The procedure presented herein also combines other postpreparation methods in an attempt to improve conductivity and/or substrate adhesion.

The Evaporation and Survival of Cluster Galaxy Coronae. I. The Effectiveness of Isotropic Thermal Conduction Including Saturation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vijayaraghavan, Rukmani; Sarazin, Craig, E-mail: rukmani@virginia.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, 530 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States)

2017-05-20

We simulate the evolution of cluster galaxy hot interstellar medium (ISM) gas that is a result of the effects of ram pressure and thermal conduction in the intracluster medium (ICM). At the density and temperature of the ICM, the mean free paths of ICM electrons are comparable to the sizes of galaxies, therefore electrons can efficiently transport heat that is due to thermal conduction from the hot ICM to the cooler ISM. Galaxies consisting of dark matter halos and hot gas coronae are embedded in an ICM-like “wind tunnel” in our simulations. In this paper, we assume that thermal conduction is isotropic and include the effects of saturation. We find that as heat is transferred from the ICM to the ISM, the cooler denser ISM expands and evaporates. This process is significantly faster than gas loss due to ram pressure stripping; for our standard model galaxy, the evaporation time is 160 Myr, while the ram pressure stripping timescale is 2.5 Gyr. Thermal conduction also suppresses the formation of shear instabilities, and there are no stripped ISM tails since the ISM evaporates before tails can form. Observations of long-lived X-ray emitting coronae and ram pressure stripped X-ray tails in galaxies in group and cluster environments therefore require that thermal conduction is suppressed or offset by some additional physical process. The most likely process is anisotropic thermal conduction that is due to magnetic fields in the ISM and ICM, which we simulate and study in the next paper in this series.

The Evaporation and Survival of Cluster Galaxy Coronae. I. The Effectiveness of Isotropic Thermal Conduction Including Saturation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vijayaraghavan, Rukmani; Sarazin, Craig

2017-01-01

We simulate the evolution of cluster galaxy hot interstellar medium (ISM) gas that is a result of the effects of ram pressure and thermal conduction in the intracluster medium (ICM). At the density and temperature of the ICM, the mean free paths of ICM electrons are comparable to the sizes of galaxies, therefore electrons can efficiently transport heat that is due to thermal conduction from the hot ICM to the cooler ISM. Galaxies consisting of dark matter halos and hot gas coronae are embedded in an ICM-like “wind tunnel” in our simulations. In this paper, we assume that thermal conduction is isotropic and include the effects of saturation. We find that as heat is transferred from the ICM to the ISM, the cooler denser ISM expands and evaporates. This process is significantly faster than gas loss due to ram pressure stripping; for our standard model galaxy, the evaporation time is 160 Myr, while the ram pressure stripping timescale is 2.5 Gyr. Thermal conduction also suppresses the formation of shear instabilities, and there are no stripped ISM tails since the ISM evaporates before tails can form. Observations of long-lived X-ray emitting coronae and ram pressure stripped X-ray tails in galaxies in group and cluster environments therefore require that thermal conduction is suppressed or offset by some additional physical process. The most likely process is anisotropic thermal conduction that is due to magnetic fields in the ISM and ICM, which we simulate and study in the next paper in this series.

Catalyst-Free Biodiesel Production Methods: A Comparative Technical and Environmental Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oseweuba Valentine Okoro

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In response to existing global focus on improved biodiesel production methods via highly efficient catalyst-free high temperature and high pressure technologies, this study considered the comparative study of catalyst-free technologies for biodiesel production as an important research area. In this study, therefore, catalyst-free integrated subcritical lipid hydrolysis and supercritical esterification and catalyst-free one step supercritical transesterification processes for biodiesel production have been evaluated via undertaking straight forward comparative energetic and environmental assessments. Energetic comparisons were undertaken after heat integration was performed since energy reduction has favourable effects on the environmental performance of chemical processes. The study confirmed that both processes are capable of producing biodiesel of high purity with catalyst-free integrated subcritical lipid hydrolysis and supercritical esterification characterised by a greater energy cost than catalyst-free one step supercritical transesterification processes for an equivalent biodiesel productivity potential. It was demonstrated that a one-step supercritical transesterification for biodiesel production presents an energetically more favourable catalyst-free biodiesel production pathway compared to the integrated subcritical lipid hydrolysis and supercritical esterification biodiesel production process. The one-step supercritical transesterification for biodiesel production was also shown to present an improved environmental performance compared to the integrated subcritical lipid hydrolysis and supercritical esterification biodiesel production process. This is because of the higher potential environment impact calculated for the integrated subcritical lipid hydrolysis and supercritical esterification compared to the potential environment impact calculated for the supercritical transesterification process, when all material and energy flows are

Evaporation thermal anslysis of Swallow-tailed Axial-grooved Heat Pipe

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Renping

2018-03-01

A detailed mathematical model that describes evaporating characteristics through thin liquid film at the evaporator section of swallow-tailed axial-grooved heat pipe was developed. The numerical simulation results about thin film profile, liquid-vapour interface temperature, evaporating rate and heat flux at the evaporating thin film region were given by the current investigation and the effect of superheat on the liquid-vapour interface temperature, evaporating mass rate and heat flux was discussed. Meanwhile, thermal model of the meniscus region at the evaporating section was developed to calculate the rate of heat transfer. The ratio of the heat conduction in the evaporating thin liquid film region and total heat rate were also discussed. It is indicated that the thickness of thin liquid film rises in a nearly linear fashion. The disjoining pressure can be neglected with increasing the liquid film thickness, tends to be negligibly small. The heat transfer rate at the intrinsic meniscus cannot be compared with that of the evaporating liquid film region.

Synthesis of GeSe2 Nanobelts Using Thermal Evaporation and Their Photoelectrical Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lijie Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available GeSe2 nanobelts were synthesized via a simple thermal-evaporation process by using gold particles as catalyst and GeSe2 flakes as starting materials. The morphology, crystal structure, and composition were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS. SEM micrographs show that most of GeSe2 nanobelts have distinct segmented structures (wide belt, zigzag belt, and narrow belt. A possible mechanism was proposed for the growth of segmented nanobelts. It is possible that the growth of the segmented nanobelts is dominated by both vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid mechanisms. Devices made of single GeSe2 nanobelt have been fabricated and their photoelectrical property has been investigated. Results indicate that these nanobelt devices are potential building blocks for optoelectronic applications.

Thermal and electrochemical stability of tungsten carbide catalyst supports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chhina, H. [Ballard Power Systems, 9000 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC (Canada); Department of Materials Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada); Campbell, S. [Ballard Power Systems, 9000 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC (Canada); Kesler, O. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada)

2007-02-10

The thermal and electrochemical stability of tungsten carbide (WC), with and without a catalyst dispersed on it, have been investigated to evaluate the potential suitability of the material as an oxidation-resistant catalyst support. Standard techniques currently used to disperse Pt on carbon could not be used to disperse Pt on WC, so an alternative method was developed and used to disperse Pt on both commercially available WC and on carbon for comparison of stability. Electrochemical testing was performed by applying oxidation cycles between +0.6 V and +1.8 V to the support-catalyst material combinations and monitoring the activity of the supported catalyst over 100 oxidation cycles. Comparisons of activity change with cumulative oxidation cycles were made between C and WC supports with comparable loadings of catalyst by weight, solid volume, and powder volume. WC was found to be more thermally and electrochemically stable than currently used carbon support material Vulcan XC-72R. However, further optimization of the particle sizes and dispersion of Pt/WC catalyst/support materials and of comparison standards between new candidate materials and existing carbon-based supports are required. (author)

Effect of Different Catalyst Deposition Technique on Aligned Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Grown by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Shuaib Mohamed Saheed

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper reported the investigation of the substrate preparation technique involving deposition of iron catalyst by electron beam evaporation and ferrocene vaporization in order to produce vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes array needed for fabrication of tailored devices. Prior to the growth at 700°C in ethylene, silicon dioxide coated silicon substrate was prepared by depositing alumina followed by iron using two different methods as described earlier. Characterization analysis revealed that aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes array of 107.9 µm thickness grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition technique can only be achieved for the sample with iron deposited using ferrocene vaporization. The thick layer of partially oxidized iron film can prevent the deactivation of catalyst and thus is able to sustain the growth. It also increases the rate of permeation of the hydrocarbon gas into the catalyst particles and prevents agglomeration at the growth temperature. Combination of alumina-iron layer provides an efficient growth of high density multiwalled carbon nanotubes array with the steady growth rate of 3.6 µm per minute for the first 12 minutes and dropped by half after 40 minutes. Thicker and uniform iron catalyst film obtained from ferrocene vaporization is attributed to the multidirectional deposition of particles in the gaseous form.

Evaporators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Hans Jørgen Høgaard

1996-01-01

Type of evaporators. Regulation. Thermal dimensioning. Determination of pressure loss and heat transfer coefficients.......Type of evaporators. Regulation. Thermal dimensioning. Determination of pressure loss and heat transfer coefficients....

ZnO nanocoral reef grown on porous silicon substrates without catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdulgafour, H.I.; Yam, F.K.; Hassan, Z.; AL-Heuseen, K.; Jawad, M.J.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates. → Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. → The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency. → This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices. - Abstract: Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates with rough morphology. Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are also fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. The characteristics of these nanostructures are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of structures grown on both Si and porous Si substrates. The texture coefficient obtained from the XRD spectra indicates that the coral reef-like nanostructures are highly oriented on the porous silicon substrate with decreasing nanorods length and diameter from 800-900 nm to 3.5-5.5 μm and from 217-229 nm to 0.6-0.7 μm, respectively. The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency and the intensity increase with the improvement of ZnO crystallization. This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices.

ZnO nanocoral reef grown on porous silicon substrates without catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdulgafour, H.I., E-mail: hind_alshaikh@yahoo.com [School of Physics, University Sains Malaysia 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Yam, F.K.; Hassan, Z.; AL-Heuseen, K.; Jawad, M.J. [School of Physics, University Sains Malaysia 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

2011-05-05

Research highlights: > Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates. > Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. > The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency. > This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices. - Abstract: Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates with rough morphology. Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are also fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. The characteristics of these nanostructures are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of structures grown on both Si and porous Si substrates. The texture coefficient obtained from the XRD spectra indicates that the coral reef-like nanostructures are highly oriented on the porous silicon substrate with decreasing nanorods length and diameter from 800-900 nm to 3.5-5.5 {mu}m and from 217-229 nm to 0.6-0.7 {mu}m, respectively. The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency and the intensity increase with the improvement of ZnO crystallization. This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices.

A p-silicon nanowire/n-ZnO thin film heterojunction diode prepared by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazra, Purnima; Jit, S.

2014-01-01

This paper represents the electrical and optical characteristics of a SiNW/ZnO heterojunction diode and subsequent studies on the photodetection properties of the diode in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength region. In this work, silicon nanowire arrays were prepared on p-type (100)-oriented Si substrate by an electroless metal deposition and etching method with the help of ultrasonication. After that, catalyst-free deposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires on a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array substrate was done by utilizing a simple and cost-effective thermal evaporation technique without using a buffer layer. The SEM and XRD techniques are used to show the quality of the as-grown ZnO nanowire film. The junction properties of the diode are evaluated by measuring current—voltage and capacitance—voltage characteristics. The diode has a well-defined rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of 190 at ±2 V, turn-on voltage of 0.5 V, and barrier height is 0.727 eV at room temperature under dark conditions. The photodetection parameters of the diode are investigated in the bias voltage range of ±2 V. The diode shows responsivity of 0.8 A/W at a bias voltage of 2 V under UV illumination (wavelength = 365 nm). The characteristics of the device indicate that it can be used for UV detection applications in nano-optoelectronic and photonic devices. (semiconductor devices)

Numerical Investigation of AdBlue Droplet Evaporation and Thermal Decomposition in the Context of NOx-SCR Using a Multi-Component Evaporation Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaushal Nishad

2018-01-01

Full Text Available To cope with the progressive tightening of the emission regulations, gasoline and diesel engines will continuously require highly improved exhaust after-treatment systems. In the case of diesel engines, the selective catalytic reduction (SCR appears as one of the widely adopted technologies to reduce NOx (nitrogen oxides emissions. Thereby, with the help of available heat from exhaust gas, the injected urea–water solution (UWS turns inside the exhaust port immediately into gaseous ammonia (NH3 by evaporation of mixture and thermal decomposition of urea. The reaction and conversion efficiency mostly depend upon the evaporation and subsequent mixing of the NH3 into the exhaust gas, which in turn depends upon the engine loading conditions. Up to now, the aggregation of urea after evaporation of water and during the thermal decomposition of urea is not clearly understood. Hence, various scenarios for the urea depletion in the gaseous phase that can be envisaged have to be appraised under SCR operating conditions relying on an appropriate evaporation description. The objective of the present paper is therefore fourfold. First, a reliable multi-component evaporation model that includes a proper binary diffusion coefficient is developed for the first time in the Euler–Lagrangian CFD (computational fluid dynamics framework to account properly for the distinct evaporation regimes of adBlue droplets under various operating conditions. Second, this model is extended for thermal decomposition of urea in the gaseous phase, where, depending on how the heat of thermal decomposition of urea is provided, different scenarios are considered. Third, since the evaporation model at and around the droplet surface is based on a gas film approach, how the material properties are evaluated in the film influences the process results is reported, also for the first time. Finally, the impact of various ambient temperatures on the adBlue droplet depletion characteristics

Synthesis and optical properties of flower-like ZnO nanorods by thermal evaporation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, J.H.; Jiang, Q.; Lian, J.S.

2011-01-01

Flower-like ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by heating a mixture of ZnO/graphite powders using the thermal evaporation and vapor transport on Si (1 0 0) substrates without any catalyst. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of the products were characterized in detail by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. The synthesized products consisted of large quantities of flower-like ZnO nanostructures in the form of uniform nanorods. The flower-like ZnO nanorods had high purity and well crystallized wurtzite structure, whose high crystalline quality was proved by Raman spectroscopy. The as-synthesized flower-like ZnO nanorods showed a strong ultraviolet emission at 386 nm and a weak and broad yellow-green emission in visible spectrum in its room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. In addition, the growth mechanism of the flower-like ZnO nanorods was discussed based on the reaction conditions.

Spin-pump-induced spin transport in a thermally evaporated pentacene film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tani, Yasuo; Shikoh, Eiji, E-mail: shikoh@elec.eng.osaka-cu.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Teki, Yoshio [Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan)

2015-12-14

We report the spin-pump-induced spin transport properties of a pentacene film prepared by thermal evaporation. In a palladium(Pd)/pentacene/Ni{sub 80}Fe{sub 20} tri-layer sample, a pure spin-current is generated in the pentacene layer by the spin-pumping of Ni{sub 80}Fe{sub 20}, which is independent of the conductance mismatch problem in spin injection. The spin current is absorbed into the Pd layer, converted into a charge current with the inverse spin-Hall effect in Pd, and detected as an electromotive force. This is clear evidence for the pure spin current at room temperature in pentacene films prepared by thermal evaporation.

Analysis of a Free Surface Film from a Controlled Liquid Impinging Jet over a Rotating Disk Including Conjugate Effects, with and without Evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Sankaran, Subramanian (Technical Monitor); Rice, Jeremy; Faghri, Amir; Cetegen, Baki M.

2005-01-01

A detailed analysis of the liquid film characteristics and the accompanying heat transfer of a free surface controlled liquid impinging jet onto a rotating disk are presented. The computations were run on a two-dimensional axi-symmetric Eulerian mesh while the free surface was calculated with the volume of fluid method. Flow rates between 3 and 15 1pm with rotational speeds between 50 and 200 rpm are analyzed. The effects of inlet temperature on the film thickness and heat transfer are characterized as well as evaporative effects. The conjugate heating effect is modeled, and was found to effect the heat transfer results the most at both the inner and outer edges of the heated surface. The heat transfer was enhanced with both increasing flow rate and increasing rotational speeds. When evaporative effects were modeled, the evaporation was found to increase the heat transfer at the lower flow rates the most because of a fully developed thermal field that was achieved. The evaporative effects did not significantly enhance the heat transfer at the higher flow rates.

YBCO coated conductors by reactive thermal co-evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmatz, U.; Hoffmann, Ch.; Bauer, M.; Metzger, R.; Berberich, P.; Kinder, H. [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Garching (Germany). Physik-Department

2001-12-01

Coated tape conductors of YBCO require a deposition process allowing to obtain a high volume growth rate in order to produce long lengths of tape in a reasonable amount of time. We present our tape coating system where 15 parallel loops of travelling tape of 1 cm width can be coated simultaneously by reactive thermal co-evaporation. For high critical current densities, in-plane alignment of the YBCO film is necessary. Inclined substrate deposition (ISD) is a technique that allows to deposit in-plane oriented buffer layers suitable for YBCO growth at high deposition rates. We present results obtained for YBCO films grown on MgO-ISD buffer layers deposited by e-gun evaporation onto metallic tape substrates. (orig.)

Effect of deposition rate on melting point of copper film catalyst substrate at atomic scale

Science.gov (United States)

Marimpul, Rinaldo; Syuhada, Ibnu; Rosikhin, Ahmad; Winata, Toto

2018-03-01

Annealing process of copper film catalyst substrate was studied by molcular dynamics simulation. This copper film catalyst substrate was produced using thermal evaporation method. The annealing process was limited in nanosecond order to observe the mechanism at atomic scale. We found that deposition rate parameter affected the melting point of catalyst substrate. The change of crystalline structure of copper atoms was observed before it had been already at melting point. The optimum annealing temperature was obtained to get the highest percentage of fcc structure on copper film catalyst substrate.

Mesostructured platinum-free anode and carbon-free cathode catalysts for durable proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xiangzhi; Shi, Jianlin; Wang, Yongxia; Chen, Yu; Zhang, Lingxia; Hua, Zile

2014-01-01

As one of the most important clean energy sources, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been a topic of extensive research focus for decades. Unfortunately, several critical technique obstacles, such as the high cost of platinum electrode catalysts, performance degradation due to the CO poisoning of the platinum anode, and carbon corrosion by oxygen in the cathode, have greatly impeded its commercial development. A prototype of a single PEMFC catalyzed by a mesostructured platinum-free WO3/C anode and a mesostructured carbon-free Pt/WC cathode catalysts is reported herein. The prototype cell exhibited 93% power output of a standard PEMFC using commercial Pt/C catalysts at 50 and 70 °C, and more importantly, CO poisoning-free and carbon corrosion-resistant characters of the anode and cathode, respectively. Consequently, the prototype cell demonstrated considerably enhanced cell operation durability. The mesostructured electrode catalysts are therefore highly promising in the future development and application of PEMFCs. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Toluene degradation by non-thermal plasma combined with a ferroelectric catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Wen-Jun; Ma, Lin; Liu, Huan; Li, Jian

2013-08-01

Degradation of toluene in a gas by non-thermal plasma with a ferroelectric catalyst was studied at normal temperature and atmospheric pressure. Spontaneous polarization material (BaTiO3) and photocatalyst (TiO2) were added into plasma system simultively. Toluene degradation efficiency and specific energy density during the discharge process were investigated. Furthermore, byproducts and degradation mechanisms of toluene were also investigated. The toluene degradation efficiency increased when non-thermal plasma technology was combined with the catalyst. The toluene degradation efficiencies of the different catalysts tested were in the following order: BaTiO3/TiO2>BaTiO3>TiO2>no catalyst. A mass ratio of 2.38:1 was optimum for the BaTiO3 and TiO2 catalyst. The outlet gas was analyzed by gas chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the main compounds detected were CO2, H2O, O3 and benzene ring derivatives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Catalyst- and Reagent-free Electrochemical Azole C-H Amination.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Youai; Struwe, Julia; Meyer, Tjark H; Oliveira, Joao Carlos Agostinho Carlos Agostinho; Ackermann, Lutz

2018-06-14

Catalyst-, and chemical oxidant-free electrochemical azole C-H aminations were accomplished via cross-dehydrogenative C-H/N-H functionalization. The catalyst-free electrochemical C-H amination proved feasible on azoles with high levels of efficacy and selectivity, avoiding the use of stoichiometric oxidants under ambient conditions. Likewise, the C(sp3)-H nitrogenation proved viable under otherwise identical conditions. The dehydrogenative C-H amination featured ample scope, including cyclic and acyclic aliphatic amines as well as anilines, and employed sustainable electricity as the sole oxidant. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Production of Catalyst-Free Hyperpolarised Ethanol Aqueous Solution via Heterogeneous Hydrogenation with Parahydrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Salnikov, Oleg G.; Kovtunov, Kirill V.; Koptyug, Igor V.

2015-09-01

An experimental approach for the production of catalyst-free hyperpolarised ethanol solution in water via heterogeneous hydrogenation of vinyl acetate with parahydrogen and the subsequent hydrolysis of ethyl acetate was demonstrated. For an efficient hydrogenation, liquid vinyl acetate was transferred to the gas phase by parahydrogen bubbling and almost completely converted to ethyl acetate with Rh/TiO2 catalyst. Subsequent dissolution of ethyl acetate gas in water containing OH- ions led to the formation of catalyst- and organic solvent-free hyperpolarised ethanol and sodium acetate. These results represent the first demonstration of catalyst- and organic solvent-free hyperpolarised ethanol production achieved by heterogeneous hydrogenation of vinyl acetate vapour with parahydrogen and the subsequent ethyl acetate hydrolysis.

Single Atomic Iron Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Media: Particle Size Control and Thermal Activation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Hanguang; Hwang, Sooyeon; Wang, Maoyu; Feng, Zhenxing; Karakalos, Stavros; Luo, Langli; Qiao, Zhi; Xie, Xiaohong; Wang, Chongmin; Su, Dong; Shao, Yuyan; Wu, Gang (BNL); (Oregon State U.); (SC); (PNNL); (Buffalo)

2017-09-26

It remains a grand challenge to replace platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts with earth-abundant materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic media, which is crucial for large-scale deployment of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here, we report a high-performance atomic Fe catalyst derived from chemically Fe-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) by directly bonding Fe ions to imidazolate ligands within 3D frameworks. Although the ZIF was identified as a promising precursor, the new synthetic chemistry enables the creation of well-dispersed atomic Fe sites embedded into porous carbon without the formation of aggregates. The size of catalyst particles is tunable through synthesizing Fe-doped ZIF nanocrystal precursors in a wide range from 20 to 1000 nm followed by one-step thermal activation. Similar to Pt nanoparticles, the unique size control without altering chemical properties afforded by this approach is able to increase the number of PGM-free active sites. The best ORR activity is measured with the catalyst at a size of 50 nm. Further size reduction to 20 nm leads to significant particle agglomeration, thus decreasing the activity. Using the homogeneous atomic Fe model catalysts, we elucidated the active site formation process through correlating measured ORR activity with the change of chemical bonds in precursors during thermal activation up to 1100 °C. The critical temperature to form active sites is 800 °C, which is associated with a new Fe species with a reduced oxidation number (from Fe3+ to Fe2+) likely bonded with pyridinic N (FeN4) embedded into the carbon planes. Further increasing the temperature leads to continuously enhanced activity, linked to the rise of graphitic N and Fe–N species. The new atomic Fe catalyst has achieved respectable ORR activity in challenging acidic media (0.5 M H2SO4), showing a half-wave potential of 0.85 V vs RHE and leaving only a 30 mV gap with Pt/C (60 μgPt/cm2). Enhanced stability

Recent progress in synthesis and surface functionalization of mesoporous acidic heterogeneous catalysts for esterification of free fatty acid feedstocks: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soltani, Soroush; Rashid, Umer; Al-Resayes, Saud Ibrahim; Nehdi, Imededdine Arbi

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Mesoporous catalysts have potential to esterify the wastes feedstocks. • Surface area of mesoporous catalysts depends on materials synthesis methods. • Hydrophobic surface of sulfonated catalyst causes adsorption on FFA particles. • Mesoporous catalysts have large active sites to trap free fatty acids particles. • Recyclability of mesoporous catalyst is a key feature for biodiesel production. - Abstract: Biodiesel is considered as a sulfur free, non-toxic and biodegradable source of energy and its burning provide less pollution than petroleum based fuels. In case of using fried waste oils, animal’s fats and waste cultivated oil which contain high free fatty acid (FFA), esterification is taking place. Through esterification reaction, catalyst is an integral part which accelerates the FFA conversion to the methyl ester (ME) in shorter reaction time. Although, most of the current catalysts have some defect such as poor recyclability, less surface area and poor porosity. Mesoporous materials have been recently attracted remarkable interests because of its desirable properties, such as large and harmonized surface area, tuneable mesoporous channels with flexible pore size, excellent thermal stability, and post-functionalization surface characteristics. The combination of remarkable physico-chemical and textural properties as well as high activity has proposed them as advanced materials. In this review, it has been attempted to present the details of fundamental properties of mesoporous catalysts, various synthetic methods and formation mechanisms, and surface functionalization methodologies. The effects of various factors (such as surface area, porosity, acidity, post-calcination temperature, and reaction parameters) on esterification of different feedstocks are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the kinetic study of esterification reaction in the presence of mesoporous catalysts is also elaborated. At the end, remarkable challenges and outlooks

Preparation by thermal evaporation under vacuum of thin nickel films without support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prugne, P.; Garin, P.; Lechauguette, G.

1959-01-01

This note deals with the preparation of nickel films without support by means of the technique described but using a new evaporation apparatus. In effect it was necessary, in order to obtain these nickel films, to modify the thermal evaporation conditions. An attempt to obtain a film without support after evaporation in a conventional apparatus led almost invariably to defeat. This appeared to be due to the high concentration of oxygen and of various vapors (diffusion pumps, degassing, etc.) present in the residual atmosphere of the conventional evaporation system. Reprint of a paper published in 'Le Vide, N. 74, March-April 1958, p. 82-83

Allotropic Carbon Nanoforms as Advanced Metal-Free Catalysts or as Supports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hermenegildo Garcia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This perspective paper summarizes the use of three nanostructured carbon allotropes as metal-free catalysts (“carbocatalysts” or as supports of metal nanoparticles. After an introductory section commenting the interest of developing metal-free catalysts and main features of carbon nanoforms, the main body of this paper is focused on exemplifying the opportunities that carbon nanotubes, graphene, and diamond nanoparticles offer to develop advanced catalysts having active sites based on carbon in the absence of transition metals or as large area supports with special morphology and unique properties. The final section provides my personal view on future developments in this field.

Film-Evaporation MEMS Tunable Array for Picosat Propulsion and Thermal Control

Science.gov (United States)

Alexeenko, Alina; Cardiff, Eric; Martinez, Andres; Petro, Andrew

2015-01-01

The Film-Evaporation MEMS Tunable Array (FEMTA) concept for propulsion and thermal control of picosats exploits microscale surface tension effect in conjunction with temperature- dependent vapor pressure to realize compact, tunable and low-power thermal valving system. The FEMTA is intended to be a self-contained propulsion unit requiring only a low-voltage DC power source to operate. The microfabricated thermal valving and very-high-integration level enables fast high-capacity cooling and high-resolution, low-power micropropulsion for picosats that is superior to existing smallsat micropropulsion and thermal management alternatives.

Specificity Switching Pathways in Thermal and Mass Evaporation of Multicomponent Hydrocarbon Droplets: A Mesoscopic Observation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nasiri, Rasoul; Luo, Kai H

2017-07-10

For well over one century, the Hertz-Knudsen equation has established the relationship between thermal - mass transfer coefficients through a liquid - vapour interface and evaporation rate. These coefficients, however, have been often separately estimated for one-component equilibrium systems and their simultaneous influences on evaporation rate of fuel droplets in multicomponent systems have yet to be investigated at the atomic level. Here we first apply atomistic simulation techniques and quantum/statistical mechanics methods to understand how thermal and mass evaporation effects are controlled kinetically/thermodynamically. We then present a new development of a hybrid method of quantum transition state theory/improved kinetic gas theory, for multicomponent hydrocarbon systems to investigate how concerted-distinct conformational changes of hydrocarbons at the interface affect the evaporation rate. The results of this work provide an important physical concept in fundamental understanding of atomistic pathways in topological interface transitions of chain molecules, resolving an open problem in kinetics of fuel droplets evaporation.

Effect of evaporation section and condensation section length on thermal performance of flat plate heat pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Shuangfeng; Chen Jinjian; Hu Yanxin; Zhang Wei

2011-01-01

Flat plate heat pipes (FPHPs) are one of the available technologies to deal with the high density electronic cooling problem due to their high thermal conductivity, reliability, and low weight penalty. A series of experiments were performed to investigate the effect of evaporation and condensation length on thermal performance of flat plate heat pipes. In the experiments, the FPHP had heat transfer length of 255 mm and width of 25 mm, and pure water was used as the working fluid. The results show that comparing to vapor chamber, the FPHP could realize long-distance heat transfer; comparing to the traditional heat pipe, the FPHP has large area contact with heat sources; the thermal resistance decreased and the heat transfer limit increased with the increase of evaporation section length; the FPHP would dry out at a lower heating power with the increase of condensation section length, which indicated that the heat transfer limit decreased, but the evaporator temperature also decreased; when the condensation section length approached to evaporation section length, the FPHP had a better thermal performance. - Highlights: → A strip sintered FPHP is proposed and tested. → The total heat transfer length reaches 255 mm → The efficiency of heat transport reaches 94.4%. → When the condensation section length approached to evaporation section length, the FPHP has better overall performance.

Effect of Air Gap Entrapped in Firefighter Protective Clothing on Thermal Resistance and Evaporative Resistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Hualing

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Heat and water vapor transfer behavior of thermal protective clothing is greatly influenced by the air gap entrapped in multilayer fabric system. In this study, a sweating hot plate method was used to investigate the effect of air gap position and size on thermal resistance and evaporative resistance of firefighter clothing under a range of ambient temperature and humidity. Results indicated that the presence of air gap in multilayer fabric system decreased heat and water vapor transfer abilities under normal wear. Moreover, the air gap position slightly influenced the thermal and evaporative performances of the firefighter clothing. In this study, the multilayer fabric system obtained the highest thermal resistance, when the air space was located at position B. Furthermore, the effect of ambient temperature on heat and water vapor transfer properties of the multilayer fabric system was also investigated in the presence of a specific air gap. It was indicated that ambient temperature did not influence the evaporative resistance of thermal protective clothing. A thermographic image was used to test the surface temperature of multilayer fabric system when an air gap was incorporated. These results suggested that a certain air gap entrapped in thermal protective clothing system could affect wear comfort.

Solvent-free, catalyst-free aza-Michael addition of cyclohexylamine to diethyl maleate: reaction mechanism and kinetics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bláha, Michal; Trhlíková, Olga; Podešva, Jiří; Abbrent, Sabina; Steinhart, Miloš; Dybal, Jiří; Dušková-Smrčková, Miroslava

2018-01-01

Roč. 74, č. 1 (2018), s. 58-67 ISSN 0040-4020 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : Aza-Michael addition * solvent-free * catalyst-free Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry OBOR OECD: Polymer science Impact factor: 2.651, year: 2016

Radiant heat transfer during the natural evaporation from free surfaces exposed to solar radiation; Transferencia de calor radiante durante a evaporacao natural em superficies livres expostas a radiacao solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teixeira, C O.M. [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia; Hackenberg, C M [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica

1985-12-31

In this work a conductive-convective-radiant model which includes phase change behavior, is developed in order to determine the rate of evaporation from free surface exposed to solar radiation and consequently the most important parameters, and their effects, on the design of salt solutions concentrating natural evaporation reservoirs may be analysed. The numerical solutions of the resulting of system of equations are shown to represent very well the experimental results measured on evaporation chambers specially built for daily operations. The thermal effect of spectrally selective surfaces as coating agents for the reservoir is also analysed. (author). 11 refs., 8 figs

Power generation in microbial fuel cells using platinum group metal-free cathode catalyst: Effect of the catalyst loading on performance and costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Santoro, Carlo; Kodali, Mounika; Herrera, Sergio; Serov, Alexey; Ieropoulos, Ioannis; Atanassov, Plamen

2018-02-28

Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) catalyst with different loadings was investigated in air breathing electrodes microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Firstly, the electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the catalyst was investigated by rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) setup with different catalyst loadings. The results showed that higher loading led to an increased in the half wave potential and the limiting current and to a further decrease in the peroxide production. The electrons transferred also slightly increased with the catalyst loading up to the value of ≈3.75. This variation probably indicates that the catalyst investigated follow a 2x2e - transfer mechanism. The catalyst was integrated within activated carbon pellet-like air-breathing cathode in eight different loadings varying between 0.1 mgcm -2 and 10 mgcm -2 . Performance were enhanced gradually with the increase in catalyst content. Power densities varied between 90 ± 9 μWcm -2 and 262 ± 4 μWcm -2 with catalyst loading of 0.1 mgcm -2 and 10 mgcm -2 respectively. Cost assessments related to the catalyst performance are presented. An increase in catalyst utilization led to an increase in power generated with a substantial increase in the whole costs. Also a decrease in performance due to cathode/catalyst deterioration over time led to a further increase in the costs.

Spectroscopic study of jet-cooled indole-3-carbinol by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Cheol Joo; Kim, Eun Bin; Min, Ahreum; Ahn, Ahreum; Seong, Yeon Guk; Choi, Myong Yong

2016-01-01

Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower have relatively high levels of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which can be used as a possible cancer preventative agent particularly for breast, cervical, colorectal, and other hormone-related cancers. Thus, this naturally occurring substance, I3C, is now being used in dietary supplements. In conclusion, we have succeeded in obtaining the R2PI spectrum of a thermally unstable sample, I3C, by using a thermal buffer (herein, uracil) for the first time. Use of thermal evaporation method for thermally unstable biomolecules using thermal buffers will allow us to explore more gas phase spectroscopic studies for their intrinsic physiological properties in the near future

Spectroscopic study of jet-cooled indole-3-carbinol by thermal evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moon, Cheol Joo; Kim, Eun Bin; Min, Ahreum; Ahn, Ahreum; Seong, Yeon Guk; Choi, Myong Yong [Gyeongsang National University, Jinju (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower have relatively high levels of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which can be used as a possible cancer preventative agent particularly for breast, cervical, colorectal, and other hormone-related cancers. Thus, this naturally occurring substance, I3C, is now being used in dietary supplements. In conclusion, we have succeeded in obtaining the R2PI spectrum of a thermally unstable sample, I3C, by using a thermal buffer (herein, uracil) for the first time. Use of thermal evaporation method for thermally unstable biomolecules using thermal buffers will allow us to explore more gas phase spectroscopic studies for their intrinsic physiological properties in the near future.

Electrical transport properties of thermally evaporated phthalocyanine (H 2Pc) thin films

Science.gov (United States)

El-Nahass, M. M.; Farid, A. M.; Attia, A. A.; Ali, H. A. M.

2006-08-01

Thin films of H 2Pc of various thicknesses have been deposited onto glass substrates using thermal evaporation technique at room temperature. The dark electrical resistivity measurements were carried out at different temperatures in the range 298-473 K. An estimation of mean free path ( lo) of charge carriers in H 2Pc thin films was attempted. Measurements of thermoelectric power confirm that H 2Pc thin films behave as a p-type semiconductor. The current density-voltage characteristics of Au/H 2Pc/Au at room temperature showed ohmic conduction mechanism at low voltages. At higher voltages the space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) accompanied by an exponential trap distribution was dominant. The temperature dependence of current density allows the determination of some essential parameters such as the hole mobility ( μh), the total trap concentration ( Nt), the characteristic temperature ( Tt) and the trap density P( E).

Metal-free carbon materials-catalyzed sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes: A review on heterogeneous catalysts and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qingxia; Mao, Qiming; Zhou, Yaoyu; Wei, Jianhong; Liu, Xiaocheng; Yang, Junying; Luo, Lin; Zhang, Jiachao; Chen, Hong; Chen, Hongbo; Tang, Lin

2017-12-01

In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), especially sulfate radical based AOPs have been widely used in various fields of wastewater treatment due to their capability and adaptability in decontamination. Recently, metal-free carbon materials catalysts in sulfate radical production has been more and more concerned because these materials have been demonstrated to be promising alternatives to conventional metal-based catalysts, but the review of metal-free catalysts is rare. The present review outlines the current state of knowledge on the generation of sulfate radical using metal-free catalysts including carbon nanotubes, graphene, mesoporous carbon, activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, nanodiamond. The mechanism such as the radical pathway and non-radical pathway, and factors influencing of the activation of sulfate radical was also be revealed. Knowledge gaps and research needs have been identified, which include the perspectives on challenges related to metal-free catalyst, heterogeneous metal-free catalyst/persulfate systems and their potential in practical environmental remediation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single Atomic Iron Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Media: Particle Size Control and Thermal Activation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Hanguang [Department; Hwang, Sooyeon [Center; Wang, Maoyu [School; Feng, Zhenxing [School; Karakalos, Stavros [Department; Luo, Langli [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States; Qiao, Zhi [Department; Xie, Xiaohong [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States; Wang, Chongmin [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States; Su, Dong [Center; Shao, Yuyan [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States; Wu, Gang [Department

2017-09-26

To significantly reduce the cost of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, current Pt must be replaced by platinum-metal-group (PGM)-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid. We report here a new class of high-performance atomic iron dispersed carbon catalysts through controlled chemical doping of iron ions into zinc-zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF), a type of metal-organic framework (MOF). The novel synthetic chemistry enables accurate size control of Fe-doped ZIF catalyst particles with a wide range from 20 to 1000 nm without changing chemical properties, which provides a great opportunity to increase the density of active sites that is determined by the particle size. We elucidated the active site formation mechanism by correlating the chemical and structural changes with thermal activation process for the conversion from Fe-N4 complex containing hydrocarbon networks in ZIF to highly active FeNx sites embedded into carbon. A temperature of 800oC was identified as the critical point to start forming pyridinic nitrogen doping at the edge of the graphitized carbon planes. Further increasing heating temperature to 1100oC leads to increase of graphitic nitrogen, generating possible synergistic effect with FeNx sites to promote ORR activity. The best performing catalyst, which has well-defined particle size around 50 nm and abundance of atomic FeNx sites embedded into carbon structures, achieve a new performance milestone for the ORR in acid including a half-wave potential of 0.85 V vs RHE and only 20 mV loss after 10,000 cycles in O2 saturated H2SO4 electrolyte. The new class PGM-free catalyst with approaching activity to Pt holds great promise for future PEM fuel cells.

Catalyst-free, III-V nanowire photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, D. G.; Lambert, N.; Fry, P. W.; Foster, A.; Krysa, A. B.; Wilson, L. R.

2014-05-01

We report on room temperature, photovoltaic operation of catalyst-free GaAs p-i-n junction nanowire arrays. Growth studies were first performed to determine the optimum conditions for controlling the vertical and lateral growth of the nanowires. Following this, devices consisting of axial p-i-n junctions were fabricated by planarising the nanowire arrays with a hard baked polymer. We discuss the photovoltaic properties of this proof-of-concept device, and significant improvements to be made during the growth.

Numerical modeling of disperse material evaporation in axisymmetric thermal plasma reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefanović Predrag Lj.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available A numerical 3D Euler-Lagrangian stochastic-deterministic (LSD model of two-phase flow laden with solid particles was developed. The model includes the relevant physical effects, namely phase interaction, panicle dispersion by turbulence, lift forces, particle-particle collisions, particle-wall collisions, heat and mass transfer between phases, melting and evaporation of particles, vapour diffusion in the gas flow. It was applied to simulate the processes in thermal plasma reactors, designed for the production of the ceramic powders. Paper presents results of extensive numerical simulation provided (a to determine critical mechanism of interphase heat and mass transfer in plasma flows, (b to show relative influence of some plasma reactor parameters on solid precursor evaporation efficiency: 1 - inlet plasma temperature, 2 - inlet plasma velocity, 3 - particle initial diameter, 4 - particle injection angle a, and 5 - reactor wall temperature, (c to analyze the possibilities for high evaporation efficiency of different starting solid precursors (Si, Al, Ti, and B2O3 powder, and (d to compare different plasma reactor configurations in conjunction with disperse material evaporation efficiency.

Electrochemical dopamine sensor based on P-doped graphene: Highly active metal-free catalyst and metal catalyst support.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Ke; Wang, Fan; Zhao, Xiao-Lin; Wang, Xin-Wei; Tian, Ye

2017-12-01

Heteroatom doping is an effective strategy to enhance the catalytic activity of graphene and its hybrid materials. Despite a growing interest of P-doped graphene (P-G) in energy storage/generation applications, P-G has rarely been investigated for electrochemical sensing. Herein, we reported the employment of P-G as both metal-free catalyst and metal catalyst support for electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA). As a metal-free catalyst, P-G exhibited prominent DA sensing performances due to the important role of P doping in improving the electrocatalytic activity of graphene toward DA oxidation. Furthermore, P-G could be an efficient supporting material for loading Au nanoparticles, and resulting Au/P-G hybrid showed a dramatically enhanced electrocatalytic activity and extraordinary sensing performances with a wide linear range of 0.1-180μM and a low detection limit of 0.002μM. All these results demonstrated that P-G might be a very promising electrode material for electrochemical sensor applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality control for total evaporation technique by surface/thermal ionization mass spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Seikou; Inoue, Sinichi; Yamaguchi, Katsuyuki; Tsutaki, Yasuhiro

2007-01-01

For the measurement of uranium and plutonium isotopic composition, the surface/thermal ionization mass spectrometry is widely used at the both nuclear facilities and safeguards verification laboratories. The progress of instrument specification makes higher sensitivity. The total evaporation technique is one of the latest measurement techniques by using this progress, in which all of uranium or plutonium on the filament would be evaporated by increasing the filament current. The accuracy and precision of this technique is normally checked by using the certified isotope reference materials measurement. But the fluctuation of ion beam is very different by each filament, depending on the chemical form of evaporation. So, it should be considered how to check the measurement quality of unknown samples which has no certified values. This presentation is focused on the monitoring of ion yields and pattern of isotope ratio fluctuation to attain the traceability between reference material and unknown sample as quality control approach of total evaporation technique. (author)

Suitability of some promising soot combustion catalysts for application in diesel exhaust treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badini, Claudio; Saracco, Guido; Serra, Valentina; Specchia, Vito [Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali ed Ingegneria Chimica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24-10129 Torino (Italy)

1998-09-21

In this work, the effect of thermal treatment at 380C and 600C, under gaseous atmospheres containing some typical components of diesel emissions (SO{sub 2} and water), was studied on some promising catalysts for diesel particulate combustion. In particular, the ageing behaviour of two novel catalysts (based on CsVO{sub 3}+KCl and KVO{sub 3}+KCl, respectively) and of a more widely studied Cu-K-V-Cl catalyst was investigated. The catalytic activities of these novel catalysts were lower than that of the Cu-K-V-Cl one, but, contrary to this last counterpart, they almost completely maintained their activity during ageing treatments in dry or humid air at 380C and 600C, respectively. Moreover, after prolonged thermal exposure in wet air, the activity of the Cu-K-V-Cl catalyst became comparable with that of the CsVO{sub 3}+KCl one, while remaining still slightly higher than that of the KVO{sub 3}+KCl catalyst. The thermal treatments of all the catalysts under investigation in an atmosphere containing SO{sub 2} did not cause an activity decrease. X-ray diffraction analyses showed the formation of new phases (sulphates and vanadates with a K/V ratio different from that of metavanadates) which could also improve the catalytic activity, counterbalancing the loss of active components due to evaporation at high temperatures. Furthermore, the catalyst activity was evaluated after employing repeatedly these catalysts in carbon combustion. The catalytic activities were generally slightly lowered by the repeated use, even though, from this viewpoint, that of Cu-K-V-Cl was more affected than those of the other catalysts. On the basis of the obtained results the CsVO{sub 3}+KCl catalyst was found to allow the best compromise between satisfactory catalyst activity and stability

Solvent Free Preparation of p-Cymene from Limonene Using Vietnamese Montmorillonite

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Thao-Tran Thi; Duus, Fritz; Le, Thach Ngoc

2013-01-01

p-Cymene, an important intermediate in industrial chemistry, has been prepared in good yields by thermally induced dehydrogenation of limonene under solvent-free reaction conditions using Vietnamese montmorillonite as an efficient green catalyst.......p-Cymene, an important intermediate in industrial chemistry, has been prepared in good yields by thermally induced dehydrogenation of limonene under solvent-free reaction conditions using Vietnamese montmorillonite as an efficient green catalyst....

Thermally Evaporated Iron (Oxide) on an Alumina Barrier Layer, by XPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Madaan, Nitesh; Kanyal, Supriya S.; Jensen, David S.; Vail, Michael A.; Dadson, Andrew; Engelhard, Mark H.; Linford, Matthew R.

2013-09-06

We report the XPS characterization of a thermally evaporated iron thin film (6 nm) deposited on an Si/SiO_2/Al_2O_3 substrate using Al Ka X-rays. An XPS survey spectrum, narrow Fe 2p scan, narrow O 1s, and valence band scan are shown.

Evaporation model for beam based additive manufacturing using free surface lattice Boltzmann methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klassen, Alexander; Scharowsky, Thorsten; Körner, Carolin

2014-01-01

Evaporation plays an important role in many technical applications including beam-based additive manufacturing processes, such as selective electron beam or selective laser melting (SEBM/SLM). In this paper, we describe an evaporation model which we employ within the framework of a two-dimensional free surface lattice Boltzmann method. With this method, we solve the hydrodynamics as well as thermodynamics of the molten material taking into account the mass and energy losses due to evaporation and the recoil pressure acting on the melt pool. Validation of the numerical model is performed by measuring maximum melt depths and evaporative losses in samples of pure titanium and Ti–6Al–4V molten by an electron beam. Finally, the model is applied to create processing maps for an SEBM process. The results predict that the penetration depth of the electron beam, which is a function of the acceleration voltage, has a significant influence on evaporation effects. (paper)

Comparative studies of H absorption/desorption kinetics and evaporation of liquid lithium in different porous systems and free surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oyarzabal, E., E-mail: eider.oyarzabal@externos.ciemat.es [Ass. Euratom-Ciemat, Av. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Calle de Guzmán el Bueno, 133, 28003 Madrid (Spain); Martín-Rojo, A.B. [Ass. Euratom-Ciemat, Av. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Calle de Guzmán el Bueno, 133, 28003 Madrid (Spain); Tabarés, F.L. [Ass. Euratom-Ciemat, Av. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2017-04-15

In the present work, a study of the two most relevant properties of liquid lithium with respect to its suitability as a Plasma Facing Component (PFC) element in a Reactor, namely, its evaporation rate and the uptake/release of hydrogen, eventually leading to the formation of a stable hydride was carried out for Li in different porous systems and Li as a free surface. These properties were characterized in a temperature range of 200–500 °C. The H{sub 2} absorption kinetics at low pressure (<1torr) were measured for the different studied porous systems and then outgassed. Particle balance and chemical analysis were used to assess the retention properties of lithium for each case. Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) analysis was used for the assessment of possible hydride formation. Evaporation rates were determined by using a Quartz Microbalance (QMB). A significant reduction of the evaporation rate was observed when Li was trapped in a microstructure of sintered stainless steel with a characteristic porous size of 5–10 μm. On the other hand, a negligible rate of H{sub 2} uptake was found at temperatures above 500 °C in all cases.

Thermal management optimization of a thermoelectric-integrated methanol evaporator using a compact CFD modeling approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xin, Gao; Chen, Min; Snyder, G. Jeffrey

2013-01-01

exchange structure. The structure transfers the fuel cell exhaust heat to the evaporation chamber to evaporate the methanol, where TE modules are installed in between to facilitate the heat regulation. In this work, firstly, a numerical study is conducted to determine the working currents and working modes......To better manage the magnitude and the direction of the heat flux in an exchanger-based methanol evaporator of a fuel cell system, thermoelectric (TE) modules can be deployed as TE heat flux regulators (TERs). The performance of the TE-integrated evaporator is strongly influenced by its heat......, and uses a different material property acquisition method based on module manufacturers’ datasheets. Secondly, a simulation study is carried out on the novel evaporator to minimize its thermal resistance and to assess the evaporator pressure drop. The factors studied include: type of the fins of the heat...

SBA-15-functionalized 3-oxo-ABNO as recyclable catalyst for aerobic oxidation of alcohols under metal-free conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi, Babak; Farhangi, Elham; Vali, Hojatollah; Vahdati, Saleh

2014-09-01

The nitroxyl radical 3-oxo-9-azabicyclo [3.3.1]nonane-N-oxyl (3-oxo-ABNO) has been prepared using a simple protocol. This organocatalyst is found to be an efficient catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of a wide variety of alcohols under metal-free conditions. In addition, the preparation and characterization of a supported version of 3-oxo-ABNO on ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 (SABNO) is described for the first time. The catalyst has been characterized using several techniques including simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen sorption analysis. This catalyst exhibits catalytic performance comparable to its homogeneous analogue and much superior catalytic activity in comparison with (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxy (TEMPO) for the aerobic oxidation of almost the same range of alcohols under identical reaction conditions. It is also found that SABNO can be conveniently recovered and reused at least 12 times without significant effect on its catalytic efficiency. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaporational losses under different soil moisture regimes and atmospheric evaporativities using tritium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxena, P.; Chaudhary, T.N.; Mookerji, P.

1991-01-01

Tritium as tracer was used in a laboratory study to estimate the contribution of moisture from different soil depths towards actual soil water evaporation. Results indicated that for comparable amounts of free water evaporation (5 cm), contribution of moisture from 70-80 cm soil layer towards total soil moisture loss through evaporation increased nearly 1.5 to 3 folds for soils with water table at 90 cm than without water table. Identical initial soil moistures were exposed to different atmospheric evaporativities. Similarly, for a given initial soil moisture status, upward movement of moisture from 70-80 cm soil layer under low evaporativity was nearly 8 to 12 times that of under high evaporativity at 5 cm free water evaporation value. (author). 6 refs., 4 tabs., 2 figs

Measuring the thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of sleeping bags using a supine sweating fabric manikin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Y S; Fan, Jintu

2009-01-01

For testing the thermal insulation of sleeping bags, standard test methods and procedures using heated manikins are provided in ASTM F1720-06 and EN 13537:2002. However, with regard to the evaporative resistance of sleeping bags, no instrument or test method has so far been established to give a direct measurement. In this paper, we report on a novel supine sweating fabric manikin system for directly measuring the evaporative resistance of sleeping bags. Eleven sleeping bags were tested using the manikin under the isothermal condition, namely, both the mean skin temperature of the manikin and that of the environment were controlled to be the same at 35 °C, with the wind speed and ambient relative humidity at 0.3 m s −1 and 50%, respectively. The results showed that the novel supine sweating fabric manikin is reproducible and accurate in directly measuring the evaporative resistance of sleeping bags, and the measured evaporative resistance can be combined with thermal insulation to calculate the moisture permeability index of sleeping bags

Spin current relaxation time in thermally evaporated pentacene films

OpenAIRE

Tani, Yasuo; Kondo, Takuya; Teki, Yoshio; Shikoh, Eiji

2017-01-01

The spin current relaxation time [tau] in thermally evaporated pentacene films was evaluated with the spin-pump-induced spin transport properties and the charge current transport properties in pentacene films. Under an assumption of a diffusive transport of the spin current in pentacene films, the zero-field mobility and the diffusion constant of holes in pentacene films were experimentally obtained to be ~8.0x10^-7 m^2/Vs and ~2.0x10^-8 m^2/s, respectively. Using those values and the previou...

Thermal CFD study and improvement of table top fridge evaporator by virtual prototyping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georgi Todorov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The present paper aims to assess and to improve existing design of evaporators for household table top refrigeration appliances using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD. This category of refrigerators are compact and cheap solutions for domestic appliance. The requirement for low cost solution does not cancel necessity of high effectivity, usually referred as “energy class”. The evaporator is important component of refrigerator heat transport system and to its efficiency. Existing design of evaporator is improved in two directions – as shape of the serpentine and as cross section – constrained by overall cost limit. Two groups of thermal CFD analyses are performed over various design variants. Used virtual prototypes enable to view in detail heat transfer process and to reach an better solution in means of overall price/performance. This study shows the effect of serpentine geometry on evaporator performance as well as demonstrates the benefits of virtual prototyping when targeting optimization and improvement.

Catalyst-free activation of peroxides under visible LED light irradiation through photoexcitation pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Yaowen [Department of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079 (China); Shenzhen Research Institute of Wuhan University, Shenzhen, 518057 (China); Li, Yixi; Yao, Linyu; Li, Simiao; Liu, Jin [Department of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079 (China); Zhang, Hui, E-mail: eeng@whu.edu.cn [Department of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079 (China); Shenzhen Research Institute of Wuhan University, Shenzhen, 518057 (China)

2017-05-05

Highlights: • Persulfate could decolorize Rhodamine B (RhB) directly via non-radical reactions. • LED lamps emitting white light were utilized as the visible light source. • Dyes could activate peroxides through photoexcitation pathway. • Decolorization of dyes and production of radicals were achieved simultaneously. • The catalyst-free peroxide/dye/Vis process was effective in a broad pH range. - Abstract: Catalysts are known to activate peroxides to generate active radicals (i.e., hydroxyl radical (·OH) and sulfate radical (SO{sub 4}·{sup −})) under certain conditions, but the activation of peroxides in the absence of catalysts under visible light irradiation has been rarely reported. This work demonstrates a catalyst-free activation of peroxides for the generation of ·OH and/or SO{sub 4}·{sup −} through photoexcited electron transfer from organic dyes to peroxides under visible LED light irradiation, where Rhodamine B (RhB) and Eosin Y (EY) were selected as model dyes. The formation of ·OH and/or SO{sub 4}·{sup −} in the reactions and the electron transfer from the excited dyes to peroxides were validated via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), photoluminescence (PL) spectra and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The performance of the peroxide/dye/Vis process was demonstrated to be altered depending on the target substrate. Meanwhile, the peroxide/dye/Vis process was effective for simultaneous decolorization of dyes and production of active radicals under neutral even or basic conditions. The findings of this study clarified a novel photoexcitation pathway for catalyst-free activation of peroxides under visible light irradiation, which could avoid the secondary metal ion (dissolved or leached) pollution from the metal-based catalysts and expand the application range of the peroxide-based catalytic process.

Speciation of mercury in soils and sediments by thermal evaporation and cold vapor atomic absorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bombach, G.; Bombach, K.; Klemm, W.

1994-01-01

Evaporation studies of mercury in several chemical compounds, soils, and sediments with a high content of organic matter indicate that a quantitative release is possible at temperatures as low as 400 C. The desorption behaviour from a gold column is not influenced. Only from samples with a thermal prehistory, such as brown coal ash, did mercury evaporate at higher temperatures. Qualitative conclusions can be derived about the content of metallic mercury as well as mercury associated with organic matter or sulfide. A comparison of the analytical results obtained by using the evaporation technique or by dissolving using a mixture of conc. HCl and HNO 3 shows good agreement; the advantages of the evaporation technique are obvious at very low mercury concentrations. (orig.)

Flash evaporator

OpenAIRE

1997-01-01

A device and method for flash evaporating a reagent includes an evaporation chamber that houses a dome on which evaporation occurs. The dome is solid and of high thermal conductivity and mass, and may be heated to a temperature sufficient to vaporize a specific reagent. The reagent is supplied from an external source to the dome through a nozzle, and may be supplied as a continuous stream, as a shower, and as discrete drops. A carrier gas may be introduced into the evaporation chamber and cre...

Efficient Solar-Thermal Energy Harvest Driven by Interfacial Plasmonic Heating-Assisted Evaporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chao; Yang, Chao; Liu, Yanming; Tao, Peng; Song, Chengyi; Shang, Wen; Wu, Jianbo; Deng, Tao

2016-09-07

The plasmonic heating effect of noble nanoparticles has recently received tremendous attention for various important applications. Herein, we report the utilization of interfacial plasmonic heating-assisted evaporation for efficient and facile solar-thermal energy harvest. An airlaid paper-supported gold nanoparticle thin film was placed at the thermal energy conversion region within a sealed chamber to convert solar energy into thermal energy. The generated thermal energy instantly vaporizes the water underneath into hot vapors that quickly diffuse to the thermal energy release region of the chamber to condense into liquids and release the collected thermal energy. The condensed water automatically flows back to the thermal energy conversion region under the capillary force from the hydrophilic copper mesh. Such an approach simultaneously realizes efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion and rapid transportation of converted thermal energy to target application terminals. Compared to conventional external photothermal conversion design, the solar-thermal harvesting device driven by the internal plasmonic heating effect has reduced the overall thermal resistance by more than 50% and has demonstrated more than 25% improvement of solar water heating efficiency.

Thermal conductivity of catalyst layer of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: Part 1 - Experimental study

Science.gov (United States)

Ahadi, Mohammad; Tam, Mickey; Saha, Madhu S.; Stumper, Jürgen; Bahrami, Majid

2017-06-01

In this work, a new methodology is proposed for measuring the through-plane thermal conductivity of catalyst layers (CLs) in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The proposed methodology is based on deconvolution of bulk thermal conductivity of a CL from measurements of two thicknesses of the CL, where the CLs are sandwiched in a stack made of two catalyst-coated substrates. Effects of hot-pressing, compression, measurement method, and substrate on the through-plane thermal conductivity of the CL are studied. For this purpose, different thicknesses of catalyst are coated on ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and aluminum (Al) substrates by a conventional Mayer bar coater and measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The through-plane thermal conductivity of the CLs is measured by the well-known guarded heat flow (GHF) method as well as a recently developed transient plane source (TPS) method for thin films which modifies the original TPS thin film method. Measurements show that none of the studied factors has any effect on the through-plane thermal conductivity of the CL. GHF measurements of a non-hot-pressed CL on Al yield thermal conductivity of 0.214 ± 0.005 Wṡm-1ṡK-1, and TPS measurements of a hot-pressed CL on ETFE yield thermal conductivity of 0.218 ± 0.005 Wṡm-1ṡK-1.

Evaporation Kinetics of Polyol Droplets: Determination of Evaporation Coefficients and Diffusion Constants

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yong-Yang; Marsh, Aleksandra; Haddrell, Allen E.; Li, Zhi-Ming; Reid, Jonathan P.

2017-11-01

In order to quantify the kinetics of mass transfer between the gas and condensed phases in aerosol, physicochemical properties of the gas and condensed phases and kinetic parameters (mass/thermal accommodation coefficients) are crucial for estimating mass fluxes over a wide size range from the free molecule to continuum regimes. In this study, we report measurements of the evaporation kinetics of droplets of 1-butanol, ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and glycerol under well-controlled conditions (gas flow rates and temperature) using the previously developed cylindrical electrode electrodynamic balance technique. Measurements are compared with a model that captures the heat and mass transfer occurring at the evaporating droplet surface. The aim of these measurements is to clarify the discrepancy in the reported values of mass accommodation coefficient (αM, equals to evaporation coefficient based on microscopic reversibility) for 1-butanol, EG, and DEG and improve the accuracy of the value of the diffusion coefficient for glycerol in gaseous nitrogen. The uncertainties in the thermophysical and experimental parameters are carefully assessed, the literature values of the vapor pressures of these components are evaluated, and the plausible ranges of the evaporation coefficients for 1-butanol, EG, and DEG as well as uncertainty in diffusion coefficient for glycerol are reported. Results show that αM should be greater than 0.4, 0.2, and 0.4 for EG, DEG, and 1-butanol, respectively. The refined values are helpful for accurate prediction of the evaporation/condensation rates.

Preparation and optical and electrical evaluation of bulk SiO2 sonogel hybrid composites and vacuum thermal evaporated thin films prepared from molecular materials derived from (Fe, Co) metallic phthalocyanines and 1,8 dihydroxiantraquinone compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez Vergara, Maria Elena; Morales-Saavedra, Omar G.; Ontiveros-Barrera, Fernando G.; Torres-Zuniga, Vicente; Ortega-Martinez, Roberto; Ortiz Rebollo, Armando

2009-01-01

Semiconducting molecular material of PcFe(CN)L1 and PcCo(CN)L1 (L1 = 1,8 dihydroxianthraquinone), PcFe(CN)L2 and PcCo(CN)L2 (L2 = double potassium salt of 1,8 dihydroxianthraquinone) have been successfully used to prepare thin film and bulk sol-gel hybrid optical materials. These samples were developed according to the vacuum thermal evaporation technique and the catalyst-free sonogel route, respectively. Thin films samples were deposited on Corning glass substrates and crystalline silicon wafers and were characterized by infrared (FTIR), Raman and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopies. IR-spectroscopy and Raman studies unambiguously confirmed that the molecular material thin films exhibit the same intra-molecular bonds, which suggests that the thermal evaporation process does not alter these bonds significantly. These results show that it is possible to deposit molecular materials of PcFe(CN)L2 and PcCo(CN)L2 on Corning glass substrates and silicon wafers. From the UV-vis studies the optical band gap (E g ) was evaluated. The effect of temperature on conductivity was also evaluated in these samples. Finally, the studied molecular systems dissolved at different concentrations in tetrahydrofuran (THF) were successfully embedded into a highly pure SiO 2 sonogel network generated via sonochemical reactions to form several solid state, optically active sol-gel hybrid glasses. By this method, homogeneous and stable hybrid monoliths suitable for optical characterization can be produced. The linear optical properties of these amorphous bulk structures were determined by the Brewster angle method and by absorption-, Raman- and photoluminescent (PL)-spectroscopies, respectively

Physical properties of very thin SnS films deposited by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Shuying; Conibeer, Gavin

2011-01-01

SnS films with thicknesses of 20–65 nm have been deposited on glass substrates by thermal evaporation. The physical properties of the films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet–visible-near infrared spectroscopy at room temperature. The results from XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy analyses indicate that the deposited films mainly exhibit SnS phase, but they may contain a tiny amount of Sn 2 S 3 . The deposited SnS films are pinhole free, smooth and strongly adherent to the surfaces of the substrates. The color of the SnS films changes from pale yellow to brown with the increase of the film thickness from 20 nm to 65 nm. The very smooth surfaces of the thin films result in their high reflectance. The direct bandgap of the films is between 2.15 eV and 2.28 eV which is much larger than 1.3 eV of bulk SnS, this is deserving to be investigated further.

The thermal properties of controllable diameter carbon nanotubes synthesized by using AB5 alloy of micrometer magnitude as catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Haiyan; Chen Yiming; Zeng Guoxun; Huang Huiping; Xie Zhiwei; Jie Xiaohua

2007-01-01

We have synthesized multi-wall carbon nanotubes by catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CCVD) method using an AB 5 hydrogen storage alloy with diameter ranging from 38 to 150 μm as a catalyst. The H 2 uptake capacity of the carbon nanotubes prepared using an AB 5 alloy as a catalyst is about 4 wt.% through to the pressure of 8 MPa at room temperature. Differential thermal analysis-thermogravimetric analysis (DTA-TGA) technique has been applied to investigate the effect of the diameters of the AB 5 alloy catalyst of micrometer magnitude and the technique conditions in the CCVD process on the thermal properties of carbon nanotubes. As the catalyst diameter increases from 38 to 150 μm, the average diameter of the prepared carbon nanotubes increases and the diameter distribution also enlarges. Electron microscope, Raman spectrum and thermal analysis all indicated that the catalyst sizes affect the diameter and the thermal properties of the carbon nanotubes. When the catalyst diameter increases, the initial weight loss temperature and the differential thermal peak temperature of the carbon nanotubes increases, which shows that the lager the diameter of the carbon nanotubes is, the higher the oxidation temperature, and the better the anti-oxidizablity. However, if the diameter of the catalyst is larger than 100 μm, the anti-oxidizablity does not rise anymore but tend to be invariableness. In the CCVD preparation process, the anti-oxidizability of the carbon nanotubes increases, when raising the ratio of the hydrogen gas in the reaction gas in our experimental range (4:1, 3:1, and 2:1, respectively)

Preparation and optical and electrical evaluation of bulk SiO{sub 2} sonogel hybrid composites and vacuum thermal evaporated thin films prepared from molecular materials derived from (Fe, Co) metallic phthalocyanines and 1,8 dihydroxiantraquinone compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanchez Vergara, Maria Elena [Coordinacion de Ingenieria Mecatronica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte. Avenida Universidad Anahuac 46, Col. Lomas Anahuac, 52786 Huixquilucan, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Morales-Saavedra, Omar G. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnologico, CCADET-UNAM, A.P. 70-186, Coyoacan, 04510 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)], E-mail: omar.morales@ccadet.unam.mx; Ontiveros-Barrera, Fernando G.; Torres-Zuniga, Vicente; Ortega-Martinez, Roberto [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnologico, CCADET-UNAM, A.P. 70-186, Coyoacan, 04510 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Ortiz Rebollo, Armando [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, IIM-UNAM, A.P. 70-360, Coyoacan, 04510 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2009-02-25

Semiconducting molecular material of PcFe(CN)L1 and PcCo(CN)L1 (L1 = 1,8 dihydroxianthraquinone), PcFe(CN)L2 and PcCo(CN)L2 (L2 = double potassium salt of 1,8 dihydroxianthraquinone) have been successfully used to prepare thin film and bulk sol-gel hybrid optical materials. These samples were developed according to the vacuum thermal evaporation technique and the catalyst-free sonogel route, respectively. Thin films samples were deposited on Corning glass substrates and crystalline silicon wafers and were characterized by infrared (FTIR), Raman and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopies. IR-spectroscopy and Raman studies unambiguously confirmed that the molecular material thin films exhibit the same intra-molecular bonds, which suggests that the thermal evaporation process does not alter these bonds significantly. These results show that it is possible to deposit molecular materials of PcFe(CN)L2 and PcCo(CN)L2 on Corning glass substrates and silicon wafers. From the UV-vis studies the optical band gap (E{sub g}) was evaluated. The effect of temperature on conductivity was also evaluated in these samples. Finally, the studied molecular systems dissolved at different concentrations in tetrahydrofuran (THF) were successfully embedded into a highly pure SiO{sub 2} sonogel network generated via sonochemical reactions to form several solid state, optically active sol-gel hybrid glasses. By this method, homogeneous and stable hybrid monoliths suitable for optical characterization can be produced. The linear optical properties of these amorphous bulk structures were determined by the Brewster angle method and by absorption-, Raman- and photoluminescent (PL)-spectroscopies, respectively.

Evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delaney, B.T.; Turner, R.J.

1989-01-01

Evaporation has long been used as a unit operation in the manufacture of various products in the chemical-process industries. In addition, it is currently being used for the treatment of hazardous wastes such as radioactive liquids and sludges, metal-plating wastes, and other organic and inorganic wastes. Design choice is dependent on the liquid to be evaporated. The three most common types of evaporation equipment are the rising-film, falling-film, and forced-circulation evaporators. The first two rely on boiling heat transfer and the latter relies on flash vaporization. Heat exchangers, flash tanks, and ejectors are common auxiliary equipment items incorporated with evaporator bodies to complete an evaporator system. Properties of the liquid to be evaporated are critical in final selection of an appropriate evaporator system. Since operating costs are a significant factor in overall cost, heat-transfer characteristics and energy requirements are important considerations. Properties of liquids which are critical to the determination of final design include: heat capacity, heat of vaporization, density, thermal conductivity, boiling point rise, and heat-transfer coefficient. Evaporation is an expensive technology, both in terms of capital costs and operating costs. Additionally, mechanical evaporation produces a condensate and a bottoms stream, one or both of which may require further processing or disposal. 3 figs

Tungsten oxide thin films grown by thermal evaporation with high resistance to leaching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Correa, Diogo S. [Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias Quimicas, Farmaceuticas e de Alimentos; Pazinato, Julia C.O.; Freitas, Mauricio A. de; Radtke, Claudio; Garcia, Irene T.S., E-mail: irene@iq.ufrgs.br [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Instituto de Quimica; Dorneles, Lucio S. [Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), RS (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias Naturais e Exatas

2014-05-15

Tungsten oxides show different stoichiometries, crystal lattices and morphologies. These characteristics are important mainly when they are used as photocatalysts. In this work tungsten oxide thin films were obtained by thermal evaporation on (100) silicon substrates covered with gold and heated at 350 and 600 °C, with different deposition times. The stoichiometry of the films, morphology, crystal structure and resistance to leaching were characterized through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and O{sup 16} (α,α')O{sup 16} resonant nuclear reaction. Films obtained at higher temperatures show well-defined spherical nanometric structure; they are composed of WO{sub 3.1} and the presence of hydrated tungsten oxide was also observed. The major crystal structure observed is the hexagonal. Thin films obtained through thermal evaporation present resistance to leaching in aqueous media and excellent performance as photocatalysts, evaluated through the degradation of the methyl orange dye. (author)

Ethanol tolerant precious metal free cathode catalyst for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grimmer, Ilena; Zorn, Paul; Weinberger, Stephan; Grimmer, Christoph; Pichler, Birgit; Cermenek, Bernd; Gebetsroither, Florian; Schenk, Alexander; Mautner, Franz-Andreas

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Selective ORR catalysts are presented for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells. • Perovskite based cathode catalysts show high tolerance toward ethanol. • A membrane-free alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell is presented. - Abstract: La 0.7 Sr 0.3 (Fe 0.2 Co 0.8 )O 3 and La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 −based cathode catalysts are synthesized by the sol-gel method. These perovskite cathode catalysts are tested in half cell configuration and compared to MnO 2 as reference material in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFCs). The best performing cathode is tested in single cell setup using a standard carbon supported Pt 0.4 Ru 0.2 based anode. A backside Luggin capillary is used in order to register the anode potential during all measurements. Characteristic processes of the electrodes are investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Physical characterizations of the perovskite based cathode catalysts are performed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and by X-ray diffraction showing phase pure materials. In half cell setup, La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 shows the highest tolerance toward ethanol with a performance of 614 mA cm −2 at 0.65 V vs. RHE in 6 M KOH and 1 M EtOH at RT. This catalyst outperforms the state-of-the-art precious metal-free MnO 2 catalyst in presence of ethanol. In fuel cell setup, the peak power density is 27.6 mW cm −2 at a cell voltage of 0.345 V and a cathode potential of 0.873 V vs. RHE.

Thermal analysis of a direct evaporative cooling system enhancement with desiccant dehumidification for vehicular air conditioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alahmer, Ali

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal analysis was conducted to design a desiccant evaporative cooling system for vehicular air conditioning. • EC is more efficient than the conventional air conditioning when the gasoline price is more than 0.34 $/liter. • Drawbacks of evaporative cooler of increased weight and reduced COP. • A rotary desiccant dehumidifier with generation was combined with evaporative cooling to be more efficient. - Abstract: This manuscript analyzes the sub-systems of evaporative cooler (EC) combined with desiccant dehumidification and regeneration for automotive air conditioning purpose. The thermodynamic and psychometric analysis was conducted to design all evaporative cooling system components in terms of desiccant selection, regeneration process, compact heat exchanger and evaporative cooler. Moreover, the effect of the desiccant, heat exchanger and evaporative performances on the mass flow rate and water sprayed required for evaporative cooling system was investigated. The results show that the theoretical evaporative cooling design will achieve two main objectives: lower fuel consumption and less environmental pollutants. However, it has the two drawbacks in terms of increased weight and reduces the coefficient of performance (COP). The main remark is that evaporating cooling system is more efficient than the conventional air conditioning when the gasoline price is more than 0.34 $/liter.

Platinum Group Metal-free Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Microbial Electrolysis Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Heyang; He, Zhen

2017-07-01

Hydrogen gas is a green energy carrier with great environmental benefits. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can convert low-grade organic matter to hydrogen gas with low energy consumption and have gained a growing interest in the past decade. Cathode catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) present a major challenge for the development and future applications of MECs. An ideal cathode catalyst should be catalytically active, simple to synthesize, durable in a complex environment, and cost-effective. A variety of noble-metal free catalysts have been developed and investigated for HER in MECs, including Nickel and its alloys, MoS 2 , carbon-based catalysts and biocatalysts. MECs in turn can serve as a research platform to study the durability of the HER catalysts. This personal account has reviewed, analyzed, and discussed those catalysts with an emphasis on synthesis and modification, system performance and potential for practical applications. It is expected to provide insights into the development of HER catalysts towards MEC applications. © 2017 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of thermal treatment conditions on properties of vanadium molybdenum oxide catalyst in acrolein oxidation reaction to acrylic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorshkova, T.P.; Tarasova, D.V.; Olen'kova, I.P.; Andrushkevich, T.V.; Nikoro, T.A.

1984-01-01

The effect of thermal treatment conditions (temperature and gas medium) on properties of vanadium molybdenum oxide catalyst in acrolein oxidation reaction to acrylic acid is investigated. It is shown that active and selective catalysts are formed in the course of thermal decomposition of the drying product of ammonium metavanadate and paramolybdate under the conditions ensuring the vanadium ion reduction up to tetravalent state with conservation of molybdenum oxidation degree equal to 6. It is possible to realize it either by treatment of the catalyst calcinated in the air flow at 300 deg by the reaction mixture at the activation stage or by gas-reducer flow treatment at 280 deg. Thermal treatment in the reducing medium of the oxidized catalyst does not lead to complete regeneration of its properties

Performance of Cobalt-Based Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis Catalysts Using Dielectric-Barrier Discharge Plasma as an Alternative to Thermal Calcination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Suli; Huang Chengdu; Lv Jing; Li Zhenhua

2012-01-01

Co-based catalysts were prepared by using dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) plasma as an alternative method to conventional thermal calcination. The characterization results of N 2 -physisorption, temperature programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the catalysts prepared by DBD plasma had a higher specific surface area, lower reduction temperature, smaller particle size and higher cobalt dispersion as compared to calcined catalysts. The DBD plasma method can prevent the sintering and aggregation of active particles on the support due to the decreased treatment time (0.5 h) at lower temperature compared to the longer thermal calcination at higher temperature (at 500° C for 5 h). As a result, the catalytic performance of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis on DBD plasma treated Co/SiO 2 catalyst showed an enhanced activity, C 5+ selectivity and catalytic stability as compared to the conventional thermal calcined Co/SiO 2 catalyst.

Esterification of free fatty acids in biodiesel production with sulphonated pyrolysed carbohydrate catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Anders Theilgaard; Riisager, Anders; Fehrmann, Rasmus

The pre-treatment of free fatty acids in oils and fats in biodiesel production is of pivotal importance, and esterification in acidic medium must be done prior to basic transesterification of glycerides. The free fatty acids may be converted over an acidic catalyst of sulphonated pyrolysed...

Thermally oxidized aluminum as catalyst-support layer for vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotube growth using ethanol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Azam, Mohd Asyadi, E-mail: asyadi@jaist.ac.jp [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Fujiwara, Akihiko [Research and Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Shimoda, Tatsuya [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

2011-11-01

Characteristics and role of Al oxide (Al-O) films used as catalyst-support layer for vertical growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were studied. EB-deposited Al films (20 nm) were thermally oxidized at 400 deg. C (10 min, static air) to produce the most appropriate surface structure of Al-O. Al-O catalyst-support layers were characterized using various analytical measurements, i.e., atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and spectroscopy ellipsometry (SE). The thermally oxidized Al-O has a highly roughened surface, and also has the most suitable surface chemical states compared to other type of Al-O support layers. We suggest that the surface of thermally oxidized Al-O characterized in this work enhanced Co catalyst activity to promote the vertically aligned SWCNT growth.

Effect of Growth Parameters on SnO2 Nanowires Growth by Electron Beam Evaporation Method

Science.gov (United States)

Rakesh Kumar, R.; Manjula, Y.; Narasimha Rao, K.

2018-02-01

Tin oxide (SnO2) nanowires were synthesized via catalyst assisted VLS growth mechanism by the electron beam evaporation method at a growth temperature of 450 °C. The effects of growth parameters such as evaporation rate of Tin, catalyst film thickness, and different types of substrates on the growth of SnO2 nanowires were studied. Nanowires (NWs) growth was completely seized at higher tin evaporation rates due to the inability of the catalyst particle to initiate the NWs growth. Nanowires diameters were able to tune with catalyst film thickness. Nanowires growth was completely absent at higher catalyst film thickness due to agglomeration of the catalyst film. Optimum growth parameters for SnO2 NWs were presented. Nanocomposites such as Zinc oxide - SnO2, Graphene oxide sheets- SnO2 and Graphene nanosheets-SnO2 were able to synthesize at a lower substrate temperature of 450 °C. These nanocompsoites will be useful in enhancing the capacity of Li-ion batteries, the gas sensing response and also useful in increasing the photo catalytic activity.

Catalyst-free site-specific surface modifications of nanocrystalline diamond films via microchannel cantilever spotting

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Davydova, Marina; de los Santos Pereira, Andres; Bruns, M.; Kromka, Alexander; Ukraintsev, Egor; Hirtz, M.; Rodriguez-Emmenegger, Cesar

2016-01-01

Roč. 6, č. 63 (2016), s. 57820-57827 ISSN 2046-2069 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP14-06054P Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389013 Keywords : catalysts * nanocrystals * photonic devices * catalyst-free * functionalizations * high reproducibility * micropatterned * multicomponents Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics; CD - Macromolecular Chemistry (UMCH-V) Impact factor: 3.108, year: 2016

Solvent free oxidation of primary alcohols and diols using thymine iron(III) catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Hunaiti, Afnan; Niemi, Teemu; Sibaouih, Ahlam; Pihko, Petri; Leskelä, Markku; Repo, Timo

2010-12-28

In this study, we developed an efficient and selective iron-based catalyst system for the synthesis of ketones from secondary alcohols and carboxylic acids from primary alcohol. In situ generated iron catalyst of thymine-1-acetate (THA) and FeCl(3) under solvent-free condition exhibits high activity. As an example, 1-octanol and 2-octanol were oxidized to 1-octanoic acid and 2-octanone with 89% and 98% yields respectively.

Sampling gaseous compounds from essential oils evaporation by solid phase microextraction devices

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Wen-Hsi; Lai, Chin-Hsing

2014-12-01

Needle trap samplers (NTS) are packed with 80-100 mesh divinylbenzene (DVB) particles to extract indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study compared extraction efficiency between an NTS and a commercially available 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane-solid phase microextration (PDMS-SPME) fiber sampler used to sample gaseous products in heated tea tree essential oil in different evaporation modes, which were evaporated respectively by free convection inside a glass evaporation dish at 27 °C, by evaporation diffuser at 60 °C, and by thermal ceramic wicks at 100 °C. The experimental results indicated that the NTS performed better than the SPME fiber samplers and that the NTS primarily adsorbed 5.7 ng ethylbenzene, 5.8 ng m/p-xylenes, 11.1 ng 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 12.4 ng 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and 9.99 ng 1,4-diethylbenzene when thermal ceramic wicks were used to evaporate the tea tree essential oil during a 1-hr evaporation period. The experiment also indicated that the temperature used to heat the essential oils should be as low as possible to minimize irritant VOC by-products. If the evaporation temperature does not exceed 100 °C, the concentrations of main by-products trimethylbenzene and diethylbenzene are much lower than the threshold limit values recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Remotely monitoring evaporation rate and soil water status using thermal imaging and "three-temperatures model (3T Model)" under field-scale conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Guo Yu; Zhao, Ming

2010-03-01

Remote monitoring of soil evaporation and soil water status is necessary for water resource and environment management. Ground based remote sensing can be the bridge between satellite remote sensing and ground-based point measurement. The primary object of this study is to provide an algorithm to estimate evaporation and soil water status by remote sensing and to verify its accuracy. Observations were carried out in a flat field with varied soil water content. High-resolution thermal images were taken with a thermal camera; soil evaporation was measured with a weighing lysimeter; weather data were recorded at a nearby meteorological station. Based on the thermal imaging and the three-temperatures model (3T model), we developed an algorithm to estimate soil evaporation and soil water status. The required parameters of the proposed method were soil surface temperature, air temperature, and solar radiation. By using the proposed method, daily variation in soil evaporation was estimated. Meanwhile, soil water status was remotely monitored by using the soil evaporation transfer coefficient. Results showed that the daily variation trends of measured and estimated evaporation agreed with each other, with a regression line of y = 0.92x and coefficient of determination R(2) = 0.69. The simplicity of the proposed method makes the 3T model a potentially valuable tool for remote sensing.

Properties of Nanostructure Bismuth Telluride Thin Films Using Thermal Evaporation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swati Arora

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Bismuth telluride has high thermoelectric performance at room temperature; in present work, various nanostructure thin films of bismuth telluride were fabricated on silicon substrates at room temperature using thermal evaporation method. Tellurium (Te and bismuth (Bi were deposited on silicon substrate in different ratio of thickness. These films were annealed at 50°C and 100°C. After heat treatment, the thin films attained the semiconductor nature. Samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM to show granular growth.

Validation of the RALOC-mod.4 thermal-hydraulics code on evaporation transients in the Phebus containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitz, P.B.; Lemoine, F.; Tirini, S.

1997-01-01

IPSN (Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute) and GRS (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit Schwertnergasse 1) are developing the ESCADRE-ASTEC systems of codes devoted to the prediction of the behaviour of water-cooled reactors during a severe accident. The RALOC-mod 4 code belongs to this system and is specifically devoted to containment thermal-hydraulics studies. IPSN has designed a Thermal Hydraulic Containment Test Program in support to the Phebus Fission Product Test Program/2/. Evaporation tests have been recently performed in the Phebus containment test facility. The objective of this work is to assess against these tests the capability of the RALOC -mod 4 code to capture the phenomena observed in these experiments and more particularly the evaporation heat transfer and wall heat transfers. (DM)

An evaporation-based model of thermal neutron induced ternary fission of plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lestone, J.P.

2008-01-01

Ternary fission probabilities for thermal neutron induced fission of plutonium are analyzed within the framework of an evaporation-based model where the complexity of time-varying potentials, associated with the neck collapse, are included in a simplistic fashion. If the nuclear temperature at scission and the fission-neck-collapse time are assumed to be ~ 1.2 MeV and ~ 10 -22 s, respectively, then calculated relative probabilities of ternary-fission light-charged-particle emission follow the trends seen in the experimental data. The ability of this model to reproduce ternary fission probabilities spanning seven orders of magnitude for a wide range of light-particle charges and masses implies that ternary fission is caused by the coupling of an evaporation-like process with the rapid re-arrangement of the nuclear fluid following scission. (author)

Fabrication of carbon nanotube thermal interface material on aluminum alloy substrates with low pressure CVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Z L; Zhang, K; Yuen, M M F, E-mail: megzl@ust.hk [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

2011-07-01

High quality vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) arrays have been synthesized on bulk Al alloy (Al6063) substrates with an electron-beam (E-beam) evaporated Fe catalyst using low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). The pretreatment process of the catalyst was shown to play a critical role. This was studied comprehensively and optimized to repeatedly grow high quality VACNT arrays within a wide range of thicknesses of catalyst layer (2-11 nm) and acetylene (C{sub 2}H{sub 2}) flow rates (100-300 sccm). The thermal performance of the resulting VACNT arrays was evaluated. The minimum interfacial thermal resistance of the Si/VACNT/Al interfaces achieved so far is only 4 mm{sup 2} K W{sup -1}, and the average value is 14.6 mm{sup 2} K W{sup -1}.

Nondegradative Dielectric Coating of Graphene using Thermal Evaporation of SiO

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Seiya; Lee, Chien-Chung; Nagamori, Takashi; Schibli, Thomas; Yoshimura, Masamichi

2013-03-01

Deposition of dielectrics onto graphene is a challenging technique due to the difficulties of fabricating high quality oxide on pristine graphene without introducing atomic defects. Here we report on a novel method to fabricate silicon oxide layer on graphene by vacuum thermal evaporation of silicon monoxide (SiO). Raman spectroscopy and mapping showed the present method did not degrade graphene, in contrast to the e-beam evaporated SiO2 coating method previously reported. We fabricated graphene field effect transistor devices with four metal electrodes to measure gate voltage dependence of sheet resistance of the graphene, and deposited a top coating of SiO on the graphene channel. The electrical measurements before and after the top-coating revealed that the top coating suppressed chemical shift of the graphene from strong p-dope to nearly undoped. Since SiO is transparent for visible and infrared light, the coating can be available as a protection layer for optical devices of graphene such as photodetectors and electro-optic modulators. Since the SiO top coating is a simple vacuum evaporation, it is much easier than atomic-layer-deposition which requires additional functionalization of graphene, and compatible with industrial use. This research was supported in part by Toyoaki Scholarship Foundation

Fe phase complexes and their thermal stability in iron phosphate catalysts supported on silica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dasireddy, Venkata D. B. C., E-mail: dasireddy@gmail.com; Bharuth-Ram, K.; Harilal, A.; Singh, S.; Friedrich, H. B. [University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Chemistry and Physics (South Africa)

2015-04-15

Comparative XRD and Mössbauer spectroscopy studies have been conducted on the effect of temperature on the phase transformations of an iron phosphate catalyst synthesized using the ammonia gel method (CAT1) and a commercial grade FePO {sub 4} catalyst supported on silica using wet impregnation method (CAT2). The XRD patterns of both catalysts showed the presence of iron phosphate and the tridymite phase of aluminum phosphate. Mössbauer spectra of the catalysts show that the phases present in CAT1 are thermally stable up to 500 {sup ∘}C, but CAT2 shows significant changes with the tridymite phase of iron phosphate increasing from 6 % to 29 % of the spectral area at a temperature of 500 {sup ∘}C.

Gas sensing properties of zinc stannate (Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4}) nanowires prepared by carbon assisted thermal evaporation process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tharsika, T., E-mail: tharsika@siswa.um.edu.my [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Haseeb, A.S.M.A., E-mail: haseeb@um.edu.my [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Akbar, S.A., E-mail: akbar.1@osu.edu [Center for Industrial Sensors and Measurements (CISM), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ohio State University, 2041 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Sabri, M.F.M., E-mail: faizul@um.edu.my [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Wong, Y.H., E-mail: yhwong@um.edu.my [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2015-01-05

Highlights: • Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires are grown on Au/alumina substrate by a carbon assisted thermal evaporation process. • Optimum growth conditions for Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires are determined. • Ethanol gas is selectively sensed with high sensitivity. - Abstract: Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires are successfully synthesized by a carbon assisted thermal evaporation process with the help of a gold catalyst under ambient pressure. The as-synthesized nanowires are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The XRD patterns and elemental mapping via TEM–EDS clearly indicate that the nanowires are Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} with face centered spinel structure. HRTEM image confirms that Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires are single crystalline with an interplanar spacing of 0.26 nm, which is ascribed to the d-spacing of (3 1 1) planes of Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4}. The optimum processing condition and a possible formation mechanism of these Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires are discussed. Additionally, sensor performance of Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires based sensor is studied for various test gases such as ethanol, methane and hydrogen. The results reveal that Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires exhibit excellent sensitivity and selectivity toward ethanol with quick response and recovery times. The response of the Zn{sub 2}SnO{sub 4} nanowires based sensors to 50 ppm ethanol at an optimum operating temperature of 500 °C is about 21.6 with response and recovery times of about 116 s and 182 s, respectively.

Catalyst-free and solvent-free Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes by a grinding method

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Zong-Bo; Wu, Ming-Yu; He, Ting; Le, Zhang-Gao

2012-01-01

Summary An environmentally benign, fast and convenient protocol has been developed for the Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to β-nitroalkenes in good to excellent yields by a grinding method under catalyst- and solvent-free conditions. PMID:22563352

Effectiveness of indirect evaporative cooling and thermal mass in a hot arid climate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krueger, Eduardo [Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Tecnologia/Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia Civil, Departamento de Construcao Civil, Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana - UTFPR, Av. Sete de Setembro, 3165. Curitiba PR, CEP. 80230-901 (Brazil); Gonzalez Cruz, Eduardo [Instituto de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Diseno (IFAD), Universidad del Zulia, Nucleo Tecnico de LUZ, Av. Goajira (16) con Calle 67, Maracaibo, CP 4011-A-526 (Venezuela); Givoni, Baruch [Department of Architecture, School of Arts and Architecture, UCLA, Los Angeles CA, USA, and Ben Gurion University (Israel)

2010-06-15

In this paper, we compare results of a long-term temperature monitoring in a building with high thermal mass to indoor temperature predictions of a second building that uses an indirect evaporative cooling system as a means of passive cooling (Vivienda Bioclimatica Prototipo -VBP-1), for the climatic conditions of Sde Boqer, Negev region of Israel (local latitude 30 52'N, longitude 34 46'E, approximately 480 m above sea level). The high-mass building was monitored from January through September 2006 and belongs to a student dormitory complex located at the Sde Boqer Campus of Ben-Gurion University. VBP-1 was designed and built in Maracaibo, Venezuela (latitude 10 34'N, longitude 71 44'W, elevation 66 m above sea level) and had its indoor air temperatures, below and above a shaded roof pond, as well as the pond temperature monitored from February to September 2006. Formulas were developed for the VBP-1, based on part of the whole monitoring period, which represent the measured daily indoor maximum, average and minimum temperatures. The formulas were then validated against measurements taken independently in different time periods. The developed formulas were here used for estimating the building's thermal and energy performance at the climate of Sde Boqer, allowing a comparison of two different strategies: indirect evaporative cooling and the use of thermal mass. (author)

Thermal behavior of human eye in relation with change in blood perfusion, porosity, evaporation and ambient temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafiq, Aasma; Khanday, M A

2016-12-01

Extreme environmental and physiological conditions present challenges for thermal processes in body tissues including multi-layered human eye. A mathematical model has been formulated in this direction to study the thermal behavior of the human eye in relation with the change in blood perfusion, porosity, evaporation and environmental temperatures. In this study, a comprehensive thermal analysis has been performed on the multi-layered eye using Pennes' bio-heat equation with appropriate boundary and interface conditions. The variational finite element method and MATLAB software were used for the solution purpose and simulation of the results. The thermoregulatory effect due to blood perfusion rate, porosity, ambient temperature and evaporation at various regions of human eye was illustrated mathematically and graphically. The main applications of this model are associated with the medical sciences while performing laser therapy and other thermoregulatory investigation on human eye. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced Charge Extraction of Li-Doped TiO₂ for Efficient Thermal-Evaporated Sb₂S₃ Thin Film Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Chunfeng; Luo, Jingting; Lan, Huabin; Fan, Bo; Peng, Huanxin; Zhao, Jun; Sun, Huibin; Zheng, Zhuanghao; Liang, Guangxing; Fan, Ping

2018-02-28

We provided a new method to improve the efficiency of Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells. The TiO₂ electron transport layers were doped by lithium to improve their charge extraction properties for the thermal-evaporated Sb₂S₃ solar cells. The Mott-Schottky curves suggested a change of energy band and faster charge transport in the Li-doped TiO₂ films. Compared with the undoped TiO₂, Li-doped mesoporous TiO₂ dramatically improved the photo-voltaic performance of the thermal-evaporated Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells, with the average power conversion efficiency ( PCE ) increasing from 1.79% to 4.03%, as well as the improved open-voltage ( V oc ), short-circuit current ( J sc ) and fill factors. The best device based on Li-doped TiO₂ achieved a power conversion efficiency up to 4.42% as well as a V oc of 0.645 V, which are the highest values among the reported thermal-evaporated Sb₂S₃ solar cells. This study showed that Li-doping on TiO₂ can effectively enhance the charge extraction properties of electron transport layers, offering a new strategy to improve the efficiency of Sb₂S₃-based solar cells.

Fabrication of mesoporous silica/polymer composites through solvent evaporation process and investigation of their excellent low thermal expansion property.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Norihiro; Kiba, Shosuke; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2011-03-21

We fabricate mesoporous silica/epoxy polymer composites through a solvent evaporation process. The easy penetration of the epoxy polymers into mesopores is achieved by using a diluted polymer solution including a volatile organic solvent. After the complete solvent evaporation, around 90% of the mesopores are estimated to be filled with the epoxy polymer chains. Here we carefully investigate the thermal expansion behavior of the obtained mesoporous silica/polymer composites. Thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) charts revealed that coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CTE) gradually decreases, as the amount of the doped mesoporous silica increases. Compared with spherical silica particle without mesopores, mesoporous silica particles show a greater effect on lowering the CTE values. Interestingly, it is found that the CTE values are proportionally decreased with the decrease of the total amount of the polymers outside the mesopores. These data demonstrate that polymers embedded inside the mesopores become thermally stable, and do not greatly contribute to the thermal expansion behavior of the composites.

Effects of mesh size in a flat evaporator and condenser cooling capacity on the thermal performance of a capillary pumped loop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boo, Joon Hong

2000-01-01

The thermal performance of a flat evaporator for Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) applications was investigated. Two to four layers of coarse wire screen wicks were placed onto the heated surface to provide irregular passages for vapor flow. The evaporator and condenser were separated by a distance of 1.2 m and connected by individual liquid and vapor lines. The wall material was copper and the working fluid was ethanol. The experimental facility utilized a combination of capillary and gravitational forces for liquid return, and distribution over the evaporator surface. The tubing used for vapor and liquid lines was 9.35 mm or less in diameter and heat was removed from the condenser by convection of air. A heat flux of up to 4.9x10 4 W/m 2 was applied to a flat evaporator having dimensions of 100 mm by 200 mm, 20 mm thick. The thermal resistance of the system as well as the temperature characteristics of the system was investigated as the evaporator heat flux and the condenser cooling capacity varied. The performance of the evaporator and effect of condenser cooling capacity were analyzed and discussed

Transfer-free synthesis of multilayer graphene using a single-step process in an evaporator and formation confirmation by laser mode-locking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Won-Jun; Debnath, Pulak C; Song, Yong-Won; Lee, Junsu; Lee, Ju Han; Lim, Dae-Soon

2013-01-01

Multilayer graphene is synthesized by a simplified process employing an evaporator in which a target substrate is deposited with a Ni catalyst layer before being heated to grow graphene directly. Carbon atoms adsorbed onto the surface of the Ni source as impurities from the atmosphere are incorporated into the catalyst layer during the deposition, and diffuse toward the catalyst/substrate interface, where they crystallize as graphene with a thickness of less than 2 nm. The need for a transfer process and external carbon supply is eliminated. The graphene is characterized by conventional analysis approaches, including nano-scale visualization and Raman spectroscopy, and utilizing photonics, graphene-functionalized passive laser mode-locking is demonstrated to confirm the successful synthesis of the graphene layer, resulting in an operating center wavelength of 1569.4 nm, a pulse duration of 1.35 ps, and a repetition rate of 31.6 MHz. (paper)

Growth and structure of thermally evaporated Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogacheva, E.I., E-mail: rogacheva@kpi.kharkov.ua [National Technical University “Kharkov Polytechnic Institute”, 21 Frunze St., Kharkov 61002 (Ukraine); Budnik, A.V. [National Technical University “Kharkov Polytechnic Institute”, 21 Frunze St., Kharkov 61002 (Ukraine); Dobrotvorskaya, M.V.; Fedorov, A.G.; Krivonogov, S.I.; Mateychenko, P.V. [Institute for Single Crystals of NAS of Ukraine, 60 Lenin Prospect, Kharkov 61001 (Ukraine); Nashchekina, O.N.; Sipatov, A.Yu. [National Technical University “Kharkov Polytechnic Institute”, 21 Frunze St., Kharkov 61002 (Ukraine)

2016-08-01

The growth mechanism, microstructure, and crystal structure of the polycrystalline n-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films with thicknesses d = 15–350 nm, prepared by thermal evaporation in vacuum onto glass substrates, were studied. Bismuth telluride with Te excess was used as the initial material for the thin film preparation. The thin film characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scan electron microscopy, and electron force microscopy. It was established that the chemical composition of the prepared films corresponded rather well to the starting material composition and the films did not contain any phases apart from Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}. It was shown that the grain size and the film roughness increased with increasing film thickness. The preferential growth direction changed from [00l] to [015] under increasing d. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies showed that the thickness of the oxidized surface layer did not exceed 1.5–2.0 nm and practically did not change in the process of aging at room temperature, which is in agreement with the results reported earlier for single crystals. The obtained data show that using simple and inexpensive method of thermal evaporation in vacuum and appropriate technological parameters, one can grow n-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films of a sufficiently high quality. - Highlights: • The polycrystalline n-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films were grown thermal evaporation onto glass. • The growth mechanism and film structure were studied by different structure methods. • The grain size and film roughness increased with increasing film thickness. • The growth direction changes from [00l] to [015] under film thickness increasing. • The oxidized layer thickness (1–2 nm) did not change under aging at room temperature.

Space Evaporator Absorber Radiator (SEAR) for Thermal Storage on Manned Spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Izenson, Michael G.; Chen, Weibo; Chepko, Ariane; Bue, Grant; Quinn, Gregory

2015-01-01

Future manned exploration spacecraft will need to operate in challenging thermal environments. State-of-the-art technology for active thermal control relies on sublimating water ice and venting the vapor overboard in very hot environments, and or heavy phase change material heat exchangers for thermal storage. These approaches can lead to large loss of water and a significant mass penalties for the spacecraft. This paper describes an innovative thermal control system that uses a Space Evaporator Absorber Radiator (SEAR) to control spacecraft temperatures in highly variable environments without venting water. SEAR uses heat pumping and energy storage by LiCl/water absorption to enable effective cooling during hot periods and regeneration during cool periods. The LiCl absorber technology has the potential to absorb over 800 kJ per kg of system mass, compared to phase change heat sink systems that typically achieve approx. 50 kJ/kg. This paper describes analysis models to predict performance and optimize the size of the SEAR system, estimated size and mass of key components, and an assessment of potential mass savings compared with alternative thermal management approaches. We also describe a concept design for an ISS test package to demonstrate operation of a subscale system in zero gravity.

ElectroCat: DOE's approach to PGM-free catalyst and electrode R&D

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thompson, Simon T.; Wilson, Adria R.; Zelenay, Piotr; Myers, Deborah J.; More, Karren L.; Neyerlin, K. C.; Papageorgopoulos, Dimitrios

2018-06-01

The successful development of high-performance, durable platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts and electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) will ultimately improve the cost-competiveness of fuel cells in a wide range of applications. This is considered to be a critical development especially for automotive fuel cell applications in order to bring the system cost of an automotive fuel cell system down to the $30/kW cost target set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The platinum group metal (PGM) electrocatalysts are a major contributor to the system cost. Addressing the technical challenges to PGM-free electrocatalyst and electrode development, therefore, represents one of DOE's most pressing research and development (R&D) priorities. ElectroCat was formed by the DOE as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) in early 2016, and shares with other EMN consortia the goal of decreasing the time to market for advanced materials related to clean energy technologies, in the context of increasing U.S. fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) manufacturing competitiveness. To accomplish this, the consortium performs core research and development and provides universities and companies streamlined access to the unique, world-class set of tools and expertise relevant to early-stage applied PGM-free catalyst R&D of the member national laboratories. Moreover, ElectroCat fosters a systematic methodology by which prospective catalysts and electrodes are prepared and analyzed rapidly and comprehensively using high-throughput, combinatorial methods. Catalyst discovery is augmented by theory as well as foundational electrocatalysis and materials knowledge at the participating national laboratories. Furthermore, ElectroCat has developed a data sharing framework, requisite of all EMN consortia, for disseminating its findings to the public via a searchable database, to further expedite incorporation of PGM-free electrocatalysts into next

Raman Thermometry Measurements of Free Evaporation from Liquid Water Droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Jared D.; Cappa, Christopher D.; Drisdell, Walter S.; Cohen, Ronald C.; Saykally, Richard J.

2006-01-01

Recent theoretical and experimental studies of evaporation have suggested that on average, molecules in the higher-energy tail of the Boltzmann distribution are more readily transferred into the vapor during evaporation. To test these conclusions, the evaporative cooling rates of a droplet train of liquid water injected into vacuum have been studied via Raman thermometry. The resulting cooling rates are fit to an evaporative cooling model based on Knudsen's maximum rate of evaporation, in which we explicitly account for surface cooling. We have determined that the value of the evaporation coefficient (γ e ) of liquid water is 0.62 ± 0.09, confirming that a rate-limiting barrier impedes the evaporation rate. Such insight will facilitate the formulation of a microscopic mechanism for the evaporation of liquid water

Theoretical assessment of evaporation rate of isolated water drop under the conditions of cooling tower of thermal power plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shevelev Sergey

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the work is numerical modelling of heat and mass transfer at evaporation of water drops under the conditions which are typical for a modern chimney-type cooling tower of a thermal power plant. The dual task of heat and mass transfer with movable boundary at convective cooling and evaporation for a ‘drop–humid air’ system in a spherical coordinate system has been solved. It has been shown that there is a rapid decline of water evaporation rate at the initial stage of the process according to temperature decrease of its surface. It has been stated that the effect of evaporation rate decrease appears greatly in the area of small radiuses.

Analytical Model for Diffusive Evaporation of Sessile Droplets Coupled with Interfacial Cooling Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Tuan A H; Biggs, Simon R; Nguyen, Anh V

2018-05-30

Current analytical models for sessile droplet evaporation do not consider the nonuniform temperature field within the droplet and can overpredict the evaporation by 20%. This deviation can be attributed to a significant temperature drop due to the release of the latent heat of evaporation along the air-liquid interface. We report, for the first time, an analytical solution of the sessile droplet evaporation coupled with this interfacial cooling effect. The two-way coupling model of the quasi-steady thermal diffusion within the droplet and the quasi-steady diffusion-controlled droplet evaporation is conveniently solved in the toroidal coordinate system by applying the method of separation of variables. Our new analytical model for the coupled vapor concentration and temperature fields is in the closed form and is applicable for a full range of spherical-cap shape droplets of different contact angles and types of fluids. Our analytical results are uniquely quantified by a dimensionless evaporative cooling number E o whose magnitude is determined only by the thermophysical properties of the liquid and the atmosphere. Accordingly, the larger the magnitude of E o , the more significant the effect of the evaporative cooling, which results in stronger suppression on the evaporation rate. The classical isothermal model is recovered if the temperature gradient along the air-liquid interface is negligible ( E o = 0). For substrates with very high thermal conductivities (isothermal substrates), our analytical model predicts a reversal of temperature gradient along the droplet-free surface at a contact angle of 119°. Our findings pose interesting challenges but also guidance for experimental investigations.

Interfacial Instabilities in Evaporating Drops

Science.gov (United States)

Moffat, Ross; Sefiane, Khellil; Matar, Omar

2007-11-01

We study the effect of substrate thermal properties on the evaporation of sessile drops of various liquids. An infra-red imaging technique was used to record the interfacial temperature. This technique illustrates the non-uniformity in interfacial temperature distribution that characterises the evaporation process. Our results also demonstrate that the evaporation of methanol droplets is accompanied by the formation of wave-trains in the interfacial temperature field; similar patterns, however, were not observed in the case of water droplets. More complex patterns are observed for FC-72 refrigerant drops. The effect of substrate thermal conductivity on the structure of the complex pattern formation is also elucidated.

Thermal degradation of Shredded Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (SOPEFB) embedded with Cobalt catalyst by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Science.gov (United States)

Alias, R.; Hamid, N. H.; Jaapar, J.; Musa, M.; Alwi, H.; Halim, K. H. Ku

2018-03-01

Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of shredded oil palm empty fruit bunches (SOPEFB) were investigated in this study by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The SOPEFB were analyzed under conditions of temperature 30 °C to 900 °C with nitrogen gas flow at 50 ml/min. The SOPEFB were embedded with cobalt (II) nitrate solution with concentration 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The TG/DTG curves shows the degradation behavior of SOPEFB following with char production for each heating rate and each concentration of cobalt catalyst. Thermal degradation occurred in three phases, water drying phase, decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose phase, and lignin decomposition phase. The kinetic equation with relevant parameters described the activation energy required for thermal degradation at the temperature regions of 200 °C to 350 °C. Activation energy (E) for different heating rate with SOPEFB embedded with different concentration of cobalt catalyst showing that the lowest E required was at SOPEFB with 20% concentration of cobalt catalyst..

A Recyclable Cu-MOF-74 Catalyst for the Ligand-Free O-Arylation Reaction of 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde and Phenol.

Science.gov (United States)

Leo, Pedro; Orcajo, Gisela; Briones, David; Calleja, Guillermo; Sánchez-Sánchez, Manuel; Martínez, Fernando

2017-06-16

The activity and recyclability of Cu-MOF-74 as a catalyst was studied for the ligand-free C-O cross-coupling reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde (NB) with phenol (Ph) to form 4-formyldiphenyl ether (FDE). Cu-MOF-74 is characterized by having unsaturated copper sites in a highly porous metal-organic framework. The influence of solvent, reaction temperature, NB/Ph ratio, catalyst concentration, and basic agent (type and concentration) were evaluated. High conversions were achieved at 120 °C, 5 mol % of catalyst, NB/Ph ratio of 1:2, DMF as solvent, and 1 equivalent of K₂CO₃ base. The activity of Cu-MOF-74 material was higher than other ligand-free copper catalytic systems tested in this study. This catalyst was easily separated and reused in five successive runs, achieving a remarkable performance without significant porous framework degradation. The leaching of copper species in the reaction medium was negligible. The O-arylation between NB and Ph took place only in the presence of Cu-MOF-74 material, being negligible without the solid catalyst. The catalytic advantages of using nanostructured Cu-MOF-74 catalyst were also proven.

CO_2 evaporative cooling: The future for tracking detector thermal management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tropea, P.; Daguin, J.; Petagna, P.; Postema, H.; Verlaat, B.; Zwalinski, L.

2016-01-01

In the last few years, CO_2 evaporative cooling has been one of the favourite technologies chosen for the thermal management of tracking detectors at LHC. ATLAS Insertable B-Layer and CMS Pixel phase 1 upgrade have adopted it and their systems are now operational or under commissioning. The CERN PH-DT team is now merging the lessons learnt on these two systems in order to prepare the design and construction of the cooling systems for the new Upstream Tracker and the Velo upgrade in LHCb, due by 2018. Meanwhile, the preliminary design of the ATLAS and CMS full tracker upgrades is started, and both concepts heavily rely on CO_2 evaporative cooling. This paper highlights the performances of the systems now in operation and the challenges to overcome in order to scale them up to the requirements of the future generations of trackers. In particular, it focuses on the conceptual design of a new cooling system suited for the large phase 2 upgrade programmes, which will be validated with the construction of a common prototype in the next years.

Studies for determining thermal ion extraction potential for aluminium plasma generated by electron beam evaporator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, V Dileep; Barnwal, Tripti A; Mukherjee, Jaya; Gantayet, L M, E-mail: dileepv@barc.gov.i [Laser and Plasma Technology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085 (India)

2010-02-01

For effective evaporation of refractory metal, electron beam is found to be most suitable vapour generator source. Using electron beam, high throughput laser based purification processes are carried out. But due to highly concentrated electron beam, the vapour gets ionised and these ions lead to dilution of the pure product of laser based separation process. To estimate the concentration of these ions and extraction potential requirement to remove these ions from vapour stream, experiments have been conducted using aluminium as evaporant. The aluminium ingots were placed in water cooled copper crucible. Inserts were used to hold the evaporant, in order to attain higher number density in the vapour processing zone and also for confining the liquid metal. Parametric studies with beam power, number density and extraction potential were conducted. In this paper we discuss the trend of the generation of thermal ions and electrostatic field requirement for extraction.

Co-Assembled Supported Catalysts: Synthesis of Nano-Structured Supported Catalysts with Hierarchic Pores through Combined Flow and Radiation Induced Co-Assembled Nano-Reactors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galip Akay

2016-05-01

-particles dispersed in water which also contains the catalyst precursor nitrate salt. This support-catalyst precursor fluid must have a sufficiently low viscosity but high elastic modulus (high extensional viscosity to form films and bubbles when exposed to processing energy sources such as microwave, thermal, ultra-sound or UV-radiation or their combination. The micro-to-nano structures of the catalyst system are essentially formed at an early stage of energy input. It is shown that the primary particles of silica are transformed to a proto-silica particle state and form lamellar structures with the catalyst precursor. While the nano-structure is forming, water is evaporated leaving a highly porous solid support-catalyst precursor which then undergoes decomposition to form a silica-catalyst oxide system. The final catalyst system is obtained after catalyst oxide reduction. Although the XRD-based catalyst size changes slightly during the subsequent heat treatments, the nano-structure of the catalyst system remains substantially unaltered as evaluated through TEM images. However, if the catalyst preparation is carried out without film formation, the XRD-based catalyst size increases substantially by a factor of 2–8, with no significant alteration in surface area.

High-quality GaN nanowires grown on Si and porous silicon by thermal evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shekari, L., E-mail: lsg09_phy089@student.usm.my [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia); Ramizy, A.; Omar, K.; Hassan, H. Abu; Hassan, Z. [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new kind of substrate (porous silicon) was used. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Also this research introduces an easy and safe method to grow high quality GaN NWs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This is a new growth process to decrease the cost, complexity of growth of GaN NWs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is a controllable method to synthesize GaN NWs by thermal evaporation. - Abstract: Nanowires (NWs) of GaN thin films were prepared on as-grown Si (1 1 1) and porous silicon (PS) substrates using thermal evaporation method. The film growth produced high-quality wurtzite GaN NWs. The size, morphology, and nanostructures of the crystals were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The NWs grown on porous silicon were thinner, longer and denser compared with those on as-grown Si. The energy band gap of the NWs grown on PS was larger than that of NWs on as-grown Si. This is due to the greater quantum confinement effects of the crystalline structure of the NWs grown on PS.

Coatings of active and heat-resistant cobalt-aluminium xerogel catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Schubert, Miriam; Schubert, Lennart; Thomé, Andreas; Kiewidt, Lars; Rosebrock, Christopher; Thöming, Jorg; Roessner, Frank; Bäumer, Marcus

2016-09-01

The application of catalytically coated metallic foams in catalytic processes has a high potential for exothermic catalytic reactions such as CO2 methanation or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis due to good heat conductivity, improved turbulent flow properties and high catalyst efficiencies. But the preparation of homogenous catalyst coats without pore blocking is challenging with conventional wash coating techniques. Here, we report on a stable and additive free colloidal CoAlOOH suspension (sol) for the preparation of catalytically active Co/Al2O3 xerogel catalysts and coatings. Powders with 18wt% Co3O4 prepared from this additive free synthesis route show a catalytic activity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and CO2 methanation which is similar to a catalyst prepared by incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) after activating the material under flowing hydrogen at 430°C. Yet, the xerogel catalyst exhibits a much higher thermal stability as compared to the IWI catalyst, as demonstrated in catalytic tests after different heat agings between 430°C and 580°C. It was also found that the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the sol influences the catalytic properties of the formed xerogels negatively. Only non-reducible cobalt spinels were formed from a CoAlOOH sol with 20wt% PEG. Metallic foams with pores sizes between 450 and 1200μm were coated with the additive free CoAlOOH sol, which resulted in homogenous xerogel layers. First catalytic tests of the coated metal foams (1200μm) showed good performance in CO2 methanation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Process for Making a Noble Metal on Tin Oxide Catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Patricia; Miller, Irvin; Upchurch, Billy

2010-01-01

To produce a noble metal-on-metal oxide catalyst on an inert, high-surface-area support material (that functions as a catalyst at approximately room temperature using chloride-free reagents), for use in a carbon dioxide laser, requires two steps: First, a commercially available, inert, high-surface-area support material (silica spheres) is coated with a thin layer of metal oxide, a monolayer equivalent. Very beneficial results have been obtained using nitric acid as an oxidizing agent because it leaves no residue. It is also helpful if the spheres are first deaerated by boiling in water to allow the entire surface to be coated. A metal, such as tin, is then dissolved in the oxidizing agent/support material mixture to yield, in the case of tin, metastannic acid. Although tin has proven especially beneficial for use in a closed-cycle CO2 laser, in general any metal with two valence states, such as most transition metals and antimony, may be used. The metastannic acid will be adsorbed onto the high-surface-area spheres, coating them. Any excess oxidizing agent is then evaporated, and the resulting metastannic acid-coated spheres are dried and calcined, whereby the metastannic acid becomes tin(IV) oxide. The second step is accomplished by preparing an aqueous mixture of the tin(IV) oxide-coated spheres, and a soluble, chloride-free salt of at least one catalyst metal. The catalyst metal may be selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, ruthenium, gold, and rhodium, or other platinum group metals. Extremely beneficial results have been obtained using chloride-free salts of platinum, palladium, or a combination thereof, such as tetraammineplatinum (II) hydroxide ([Pt(NH3)4] (OH)2), or tetraammine palladium nitrate ([Pd(NH3)4](NO3)2).

Luminescence of one dimensional ZnO, GeO{sub 2}–Zn{sub 2}GeO{sub 4} nanostructure through thermal evaporation of Zn and Ge powder mixture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pham, Vuong-Hung, E-mail: vuong.phamhung@hust.edu.vn; Kien, Vu Trung; Tam, Phuong Dinh; Huy, Pham Thanh

2016-07-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • ZnO and GeO{sub 2}–ZnGeO{sub 4} nanowires were fabricated by thermal evaporation of Zn and Ge powder mixture. • Morphology of specimens were observed to have a nanowire structure to rod-like morphology. • Strong NBE emission band with suppressed visible green emission band were observed on the dominant ZnO nanowires. • Strong emission of ∼530 nm were observed on the GeO{sub 2}–Zn{sub 2}GeO{sub 4} nanowires. - Abstract: This paper reports the first attempt for fabrication of thermal evaporated Zn–Ge powder mixture to achieve near-band-edge (NBE) emission of ZnO and visible emission of GeO{sub 2}–Zn{sub 2}GeO{sub 4} nanowires with controllable intensities. The nanowires were fabricated by thermal evaporation of Zn and Ge powder mixture, particularly, by using different Zn:Ge ratio, temperature and evaporated times. The morphology of nanowires was depended on the Zn and Ge ratio that was observed to have a nanowire structure to rod-like morphology. The thermal evaporation of Zn:Ge powder mixture resulted in formation of dominant ZnO or GeO{sub 2}–Zn{sub 2}GeO{sub 4} nanowires as a function of evaporated parameters. These results suggest that the application of thermal evaporation of Zn and Ge mixture for potential application in synthesis of ZnO or GeO{sub 2}–Zn{sub 2}GeO{sub 4} nanowires for optoelectronic field.

Thermally evaporated Ag nanoparticle films for plasmonic enhancement in organic solar cells: effects of particle geometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haidari, G.; Hajimahmoodzadeh, M.; Fallah, H.R.; Peukert, A.; Chanaewa, A.; von Hauff, E.L.

2015-01-01

We report on the simple fabrication of Ag NP films via thermal evaporation and subsequent annealing. The NPs are formed on indium tin oxide electrodes, coated with PEDOT:PSS and implemented into PCPDTBT:PC70BM solar cells. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy are used to

Natrolite zeolite: A natural and reusable catalyst for one-pot synthesis of α-aminophosphonates under solvent-free conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siavash Bahari

2017-02-01

Full Text Available α-Aminophosphonates are synthesized efficiently by one-pot reaction of aldehydes or ketones, amines, trialkyl phosphites in the presence of Natrolite zeolite as a natural catalyst under solvent-free conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst can be reused several times without any significant loss of catalytic activity.

Enzymatic versus Inorganic Oxygen Reduction Catalysts: Comparison of the Energy Levels in a Free-Energy Scheme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Christian Hauge; Rossmeisl, Jan; Nørskov, Jens Kehlet

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present a method to directly compare the energy levels of intermediates in enzymatic and inorganic oxygen reduction catalysts. We initially describe how the energy levels of a Pt(111) catalyst, operating at pH = 0, are obtained. By a simple procedure, we then convert the energy...... levels of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) models obtained at physiological pH = 7 to the energy levels at pH = 0, which allows for comparison. Furthermore, we illustrate how different bias voltages will affect the free-energy landscapes of the catalysts. This allows us to determine the so-called theoretical...

High-temperature catalytic reforming of n-hexane over supported and core-shell Pt nanoparticle catalysts: role of oxide-metal interface and thermal stability.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Kwangjin; Zhang, Qiao; Alayoglu, Selim; Musselwhite, Nathan; Shin, Jae-Youn; Somorjai, Gabor A

2014-08-13

Designing catalysts with high thermal stability and resistance to deactivation while simultaneously maintaining their catalytic activity and selectivity is of key importance in high-temperature reforming reactions. We prepared Pt nanoparticle catalysts supported on either mesoporous SiO2 or TiO2. Sandwich-type Pt core@shell catalysts (SiO2@Pt@SiO2 and SiO2@Pt@TiO2) were also synthesized from Pt nanoparticles deposited on SiO2 spheres, which were encapsulated by either mesoporous SiO2 or TiO2 shells. n-Hexane reforming was carried out over these four catalysts at 240-500 °C with a hexane/H2 ratio of 1:5 to investigate thermal stability and the role of the support. For the production of high-octane gasoline, branched C6 isomers are more highly desired than other cyclic, aromatic, and cracking products. Over Pt/TiO2 catalyst, production of 2-methylpentane and 3-methylpentane via isomerization was increased selectively up to 420 °C by charge transfer at Pt-TiO2 interfaces, as compared to Pt/SiO2. When thermal stability was compared between supported catalysts and sandwich-type core@shell catalysts, the Pt/SiO2 catalyst suffered sintering above 400 °C, whereas the SiO2@Pt@SiO2 catalyst preserved the Pt nanoparticle size and shape up to 500 °C. The SiO2@Pt@TiO2 catalyst led to Pt nanoparticle sintering due to incomplete protection of the TiO2 shells during the reaction at 500 °C. Interestingly, over the Pt/TiO2 catalyst, the average size of Pt nanoparticles was maintained even after 500 °C without sintering. In situ ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that the Pt/TiO2 catalyst did not exhibit TiO2 overgrowth on the Pt surface or deactivation by Pt sintering up to 600 °C. The extraordinarily high stability of the Pt/TiO2 catalyst promoted high reaction rates (2.0 μmol · g(-1) · s(-1)), which was 8 times greater than other catalysts and high isomer selectivity (53.0% of C6 isomers at 440 °C). By the strong metal-support interaction

Fabrication of thermally evaporated Al thin film on cylindrical PET monofilament for wearable computing devices

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Kim, Eunju; Han, Jeong In

2016-01-01

During the initial development of wearable computing devices, the conductive fibers of Al thin film on cylindrical PET monofilament were fabricated by thermal evaporation. Their electrical current-voltage characteristics curves were excellent for incorporation into wearable devices such as fiber-based cylindrical capacitors or thin film transistors. Their surfaces were modified by UV exposure and dip coating of acryl or PVP to investigate the surface effect. The conductive fiber with PVP coating showed the best conductivities because the rough surface of the PET substrate transformed into a smooth surface. The conductivities of PET fiber with and without PVP were 6.81 × 103 Ω-1cm-1 and 5.62 × 103 Ω-1cm-1, respectively. In order to understand the deposition process of Al thin film on cylindrical PET, Al thin film on PET fiber was studied using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), conductivities and thickness measurements. Hillocks on the surface of conductive PET fibers were observed and investigated by AFM on the surface. Hillocks were formed and grown during Al thermal evaporation because of severe compressive strain and plastic deformation induced by large differences in thermal expansion between PET substrate and Al thin film. From the analysis of hillock size distribution, it turns out that hillocks grew not transversely but longitudinally. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Superior mercury-free catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination to VCM. Achieving high productivities and long catalyst life-time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liebens, A.T.; Piccinini, M. [Solvay S.A., Bruxelles (Belgium)

2013-11-01

New mercury-free catalytic systems based on the use of ionic liquids (IL) and noble metals (e.g. Pd, Au) have been evaluated for the hydrochlorination reaction of acetylene to produce Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM). Two different approaches have been investigated: gas-liquid homogeneous catalytic systems in the presence of molten IL/Metal and heterogeneous gas-solid ones using solid materials. For the latter case, very positive results have been obtained using SILP-type catalysts (SILP: Supported Ionic Liquid Phase) where IL/Metal were deposited onto a solid mesoporous support. Remarkably, both systems display very high Space Time Yield (STY) and breakthrough life-time stability. No deactivation is observed even after 500 h on stream indicating the strong advantages of these new materials compared to most investigated Au/C supported systems. The development of heterogeneous catalysts was preferred as the scale-up of gas-liquid technology implies important CAPEX investments to convert current plants from gas-solid to gas-liquid equipment. (orig.)

Modeling properties of chromospheric evaporation driven by thermal conduction fronts from reconnection shocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brannon, Sean; Longcope, Dana [Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States)

2014-09-01

Magnetic reconnection in the corona results in contracting flare loops, releasing energy into plasma heating and shocks. The hydrodynamic shocks produced in this manner drive thermal conduction fronts (TCFs) which transport energy into the chromosphere and drive upflows (evaporation) and downflows (condensation) in the cooler, denser footpoint plasma. Observations have revealed that certain properties of the transition point between evaporation and condensation (the 'flow reversal point' or FRP), such as temperature and velocity-temperature derivative at the FRP, vary between different flares. These properties may provide a diagnostic tool to determine parameters of the coronal energy release mechanism and the loop atmosphere. In this study, we develop a one-dimensional hydrodynamical flare loop model with a simplified three-region atmosphere (chromosphere/transition region/corona), with TCFs initiated by shocks introduced in the corona. We investigate the effect of two different flare loop parameters (post-shock temperature and transition region temperature ratio) on the FRP properties. We find that both of the evaporation characteristics have scaling-law relationships to the varied flare parameters, and we report the scaling exponents for our model. This provides a means of using spectroscopic observations of the chromosphere as quantitative diagnostics of flare energy release in the corona.

Esterification free fatty acid in sludge palm oil using ZrO2/SO42- - rice husk ash catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayat, Arif; Sutrisno, Bachrun

2017-05-01

Indonesia, as one of the biggest palm oil producers and exporters in the world, is producing large amounts of low-grade oil such as sludge palm oil (SPO) from palm oil industries. The use of SPO can lower the cost of biodiesel production significantly, which makes SPO a highly potential alternative feedstock for biodiesel production. In this paper, the esterification of free fatty acid on sludge palm oil was studied using rice husk ash as heterogeneous solid catalysts. Heterogeneous solid catalysts offer significant advantages of eliminating separation, corrosion, toxicity and environmental problems. In this paper the esterification of SPO, a by-product from palm oil industry, in the presence of modified rice husk ash catalysts was studied. The rice husk ash catalysts were synthesized by impregnating of Zirconia (Zr) on rice husk ash followed by sulfonation. The rice husk ash catalysts were characterized by using different techniques, such as FT-IR, XRD, and porous analysis. The effects of the mass ratio of catalyst to oil (1 - 10%), the molar ratio of methanol to oil (4:1 - 10:1), and the reaction temperature (40 - 60°C) were studied for the conversion of free fatty acids (FFAs) to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimal conditions were an methanol to oil molar ratio of 10:1, the amount of catalyst of 10%w, and reaction temperature of 60°C.

One-Pot Syntesis of 3-Functionalized 4-Hydroxycoumarin under Catalyst-Free Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Gao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A concise and efficient one-pot synthesis of 3-functionalized 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives via a three-component domino reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarin, phenylglyoxal and 3-arylaminocyclopent-2-enone or 4-arylaminofuran-2(5H-one under catalyst-free and microwave irradiation conditions is described. This synthesis involves a group-assisted purification process, which avoids traditional recrystallization and chromatographic purification methods.

CO{sub 2} evaporative cooling: The future for tracking detector thermal management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tropea, P., E-mail: paola.tropea@cern.ch [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Daguin, J.; Petagna, P.; Postema, H. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Verlaat, B. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Nikhef, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Zwalinski, L. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2016-07-11

In the last few years, CO{sub 2} evaporative cooling has been one of the favourite technologies chosen for the thermal management of tracking detectors at LHC. ATLAS Insertable B-Layer and CMS Pixel phase 1 upgrade have adopted it and their systems are now operational or under commissioning. The CERN PH-DT team is now merging the lessons learnt on these two systems in order to prepare the design and construction of the cooling systems for the new Upstream Tracker and the Velo upgrade in LHCb, due by 2018. Meanwhile, the preliminary design of the ATLAS and CMS full tracker upgrades is started, and both concepts heavily rely on CO{sub 2} evaporative cooling. This paper highlights the performances of the systems now in operation and the challenges to overcome in order to scale them up to the requirements of the future generations of trackers. In particular, it focuses on the conceptual design of a new cooling system suited for the large phase 2 upgrade programmes, which will be validated with the construction of a common prototype in the next years.

Chemical states and optical properties of thermally evaporated Ge-Te and Ge-Sb-Te amorphous thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, S.; Singh, D.; Shandhu, S. [Semiconductor Laboratory, Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar (India); Thangaraj, R., E-mail: rthangaraj@rediffmail.com [Semiconductor Laboratory, Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar (India)

2012-07-15

Thin amorphous films of Ge{sub 22}Sb{sub 22}Te{sub 56} and Ge{sub 50}Te{sub 50} have been prepared from their respective polycrystalline bulk on glass substrates by thermal evaporation technique. The amorphous nature of the films was checked with X-ray diffraction studies. Amorphous-to-crystalline transition of the films has been induced by thermal annealing and the structural phases have been identified by X-ray diffraction. The phase transformation temperature of the films was evaluated by temperature dependent sheet resistance measurement. The chemical structure of the amorphous films has been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the role of Sb in phase change Ge{sub 22}Sb{sub 22}Te{sub 56} film is discussed. Survey and core level (Ge 3d, Te 3d, Te 4d, Sb 3p, Sb 3d, O 1s, C 1s) band spectra has been recorded and analyzed. For optical studies, the transmittance and the reflectance spectra were measured over the wavelength ranges 400-2500 nm using UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. The optical band gap, refractive index and extinction coefficient are also presented for thermally evaporated amorphous thin films.

Conversion of glycerol to polyglycerol over waste duck-bones as a catalyst in solvent free etherification process

Science.gov (United States)

Ayoub, Muhammad; Sufian, Suriati; Mekuria Hailegiorgis, Sintayehu; Ullah, Sami; Uemura, Yoshimitsu

2017-08-01

The alkaline catalyst derived from the duck-bones was used for conversion of glycerol to polyglycerol via solvent free etherification process. The physicochemical properties of prepared materials were duck-bones were systematically investigated as a catalyst by latest techniques of Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface properties. TGA showed different trends of duck-bones decomposition from room temperature to 1000C. XRD pattern showed a clear and sharp peaks of a crystalline phase of CaO. The activity of the catalysts was in line with the basic amount of the strong base sites, surface area, and crystalline phase in the catalysts. The prepared catalyst derived from duck-bones provided high activity (99 %) for glycerol conversion and around 68 % yield for polyglycerol production. These ample wastes of duck-bones have good potential to be used as polyglycerol production catalysts due to have high quantity of Ca compare to other types of bones like cow, chicken and fish bones.

Encaging palladium(0 in layered double hydroxide: A sustainable catalyst for solvent-free and ligand-free Heck reaction in a ball mill

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Shi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the synthesis of a cheap, reusable and ligand-free Pd catalyst supported on MgAl layered double hydroxides (Pd/MgAl-LDHs by co-precipitation and reduction methods is described. The catalyst was used in Heck reactions under high-speed ball milling (HSBM conditions at room temperature. The effects of milling-ball size, milling-ball filling degree, reaction time, rotation speed and grinding auxiliary category, which would influence the yields of mechanochemical Heck reactions, were investigated in detail. The characterization results of XRD, ICP–MS and XPS suggest that Pd/MgAl-LDHs have excellent textural properties with zero-valence Pd on its layers. The reaction results indicate that the catalyst could be utilized in HSBM systems to afford a wide range of Heck coupling products in satisfactory yields. Furthermore, this catalyst could be easily recovered and reused for at least five times without significant loss of catalytic activity.

Production of Biodiesel by Esterification of Free Fatty Acid over Solid Catalyst from Biomass Waste

Science.gov (United States)

Mukti, N. I. F.; Sutrisno, B.; Hidayat, A.

2018-05-01

Recently, low cost feedstocks have been utilized to replace vegetable oils in order to improve the economic feasibility of biodiesel. The esterification of free fatty acid (FFA) on Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) with methanol using solid catalyst generated from bagasse fly ash is a promising method to convert FFA into biodiesel. In this research, the esterification of FFA on PFAD using the sulfonated bagasse fly ash catalyst was studied. The performances of the catalysts were evaluated in terms of the reaction temperatures, the molar ratios of methanol to PFAD, and the catalyst loading. The effects of the mass ratio of catalyst to oil (1-10%), the molar ratio of methanol to oil (6:1-12:1), and the reaction temperature (40-60°C) were studied for the conversion of PFAD to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimum conditions were methanol to PFAD molar ratio of 12:1, the amount of catalyst of 10%wt. of PFAD, and reaction temperature of 6°C. The reusability of the solid acid carbon catalysts was also studied in this work. The catalytic activity decreased up to 38% after third cycle. The significant decline in catalyst esterification activity was due to acid site leaching. The physico-characteristics and acid site densities were analyzed by Nitrogen gas adsorption, surface functional groups by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescent (XRF), and acid-base back titration methods for determination of acid density.

Thermal conductivity of partially graphitized biocarbon obtained by carbonization of medium-density fiberboard in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Orlova, T. S.; Parfen'eva, L. S.; Smirnov, B. I.; Gutierrez-Pardo, A.; Ramirez-Rico, J.

2016-01-01

The thermal conductivity k and resistivity ρ of biocarbon matrices, prepared by carbonizing medium-density fiberboard at T carb = 850 and 1500°C in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst (samples MDF-C( Ni)) and without a catalyst (samples MDF-C), have been measured for the first time in the temperature range of 5-300 K. X-ray diffraction analysis has revealed that the bulk graphite phase arises only at T carb = 1500°C. It has been shown that the temperature dependences of the thermal conductivity of samples MDFC- 850 and MDF-C-850(Ni) in the range of 80-300 K are to each other and follow the law of k( T) ˜ T 1.65, but the use of the Ni-catalyst leads to an increase in the thermal conductivity by a factor of approximately 1.5, due to the formation of a greater fraction of the nanocrystalline phase in the presence of the Ni-catalyst at T carb = 850°C. In biocarbon MDF-C-1500 prepared without a catalyst, the dependence is k( T) ˜ T 1.65, and it is controlled by the nanocrystalline phase. In MDF-C-1500(Ni), the bulk graphite phase formed increases the thermal conductivity by a factor of 1.5-2 compared to the thermal conductivity of MDF-C-1500 in the entire temperature range of 5-300 K; k( T = 300 K) reaches the values of ˜10 W m-1 K-1, characteristic of biocarbon obtained without a catalyst only at high temperatures of T carb = 2400°C. It has been shown that MDF-C-1500(Ni) in the temperature range of 40‒300 K is characterized by the dependence, k( T) ˜ T 1.3, which can be described in terms of the model of partially graphitized biocarbon as a composite of an amorphous matrix with spherical inclusions of the graphite phase.

Mean free path dependent phonon contributions to interfacial thermal conductance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tao, Yi; Liu, Chenhan; Chen, Weiyu; Cai, Shuang; Chen, Chen; Wei, Zhiyong; Bi, Kedong; Yang, Juekuan; Chen, Yunfei, E-mail: yunfeichen@seu.edu.cn

2017-06-15

Interfacial thermal conductance as an accumulation function of the phonon mean free path is rigorously derived from the thermal conductivity accumulation function. Based on our theoretical model, the interfacial thermal conductance accumulation function between Si/Ge is calculated. The results show that the range of mean free paths (MFPs) for phonons contributing to the interfacial thermal conductance is far narrower than that for phonons contributing to the thermal conductivity. The interfacial thermal conductance is mainly contributed by phonons with shorter MFPs, and the size effects can be observed only for an interface constructed by nanostructures with film thicknesses smaller than the MFPs of those phonons mainly contributing to the interfacial thermal conductance. This is why most experimental measurements cannot detect size effects on interfacial thermal conductance. A molecular dynamics simulation is employed to verify our proposed model. - Highlights: • A model to account for the interfacial thermal conductance as an accumulation function of phonon mean free path is proposed; • The model predicts that the range of mean free paths (MFPs) for phonons contributing to the interfacial thermal conductance is far narrower than that contributing to the thermal conductivity; • This model can be conveniently implemented to estimate the size effects on the interfacial thermal conductance for the interfaces formed by a nanostructure contacting a substrate.

Thermal characteristics of a medium-level concentration photovoltaic unit with evaporation cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Kokotov, Yuri V.; Reyz, Michael A.; Fisher, Yossi

2009-08-01

The results of thermal analysis and experiments are presented for a 1-kW brand new medium-level (8X) concentration photovoltaic (CPV) unit that is cooled by evaporation and built as an elongated floating solar unit. The unit keeps the silicon PV elements at low and stable temperature around the clock, significantly outperforms competitors' systems in terms of the power output and the life span of identical PV elements. It is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that the PV element temperature level exceeds the temperature level of water in the water basin (used as a heat sink) by just a few degrees.

Session 4: Combinatorial research of methane catalytic decomposition on supported nitride catalysts for CO-free hydrogen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jianghan, Shen; Hua, Wang; Zhongmin, Liu; Hongchao, Liu [Natural Gas Utilization and Applied Catalysis Lab., Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian P. R. (China)

2004-07-01

CO-free Hydrogen production is needed for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMs) because CO strongly poisons the anode-electrocatalysts. Methane directly catalytic decomposition is an attractive way to produce CO-free hydrogen for the large abundance of methane and its high H/C ratio. It is more effective to employ high-throughput screening (HTS) technology in heterogeneous catalysis. In this paper, a combinatorial multi-stream reaction system with online multi-stream mass spectrometer screening (MSMSS) detection technique was applied to study the decomposition of methane over supported MoN{sub x}O{sub y} catalysts (supports = Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, SiO{sub 2}, SBA-15, ZSM-5,13X, and NaY), which is a catalyst system seldom reported recently. (authors)

Fabrication and characterization of In2S3 thin films deposited by thermal evaporation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timoumi, A.; Bouzouita, H.; Kanzari, M.; Rezig, B.

2005-01-01

Indium sulphide, In 2 S 3 , thin films present an alternative to conventional CdS films as buffer layer for CIS-based thin film solar cells. The objective is to eliminate toxic cadmium for environmental reasons. Indium sulphide is synthesized and deposited by single source vacuum thermal evaporation method on glass substrates. The films are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and spectrophotometric measurements. They have a good crystallinity, homogeneity and adhesion. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the initial amorphous nature of the deposited InS film and phase transition into crystalline In 2 S 3 formed upon annealing at free air for 250 deg. C substrate temperature for 2 h. The optical constants of the deposited films were obtained from the analysis of the experimental recorded transmission and reflectance spectral data over the wavelength range of 300-1800 nm. We note that the films annealed at 250 deg. C for 2 h show a good homogeneity with 80% transmission. An analysis of the optical absorption data of the deposited films revealed an optical direct band gap energy in the range of 2.0-2.2 eV

Advances in Base-Free Oxidation of Bio-Based Compounds on Supported Gold Catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Wojcieszak

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The oxidation of bio-based molecules in general, and of carbohydrates and furanics in particular, is a highly attractive process. The catalytic conversion of renewable compounds is of high importance. Acids and other chemical intermediates issued from oxidation processes have many applications related, especially, to food and detergents, as well as to pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and the chemical industry. Until now, the oxidation of sugars, furfural, or 5-hydroxymethylfurfural has been mainly conducted through biochemical processes or with strong inorganic oxidants. The use of these processes very often presents many disadvantages, especially regarding products separation and selectivity control. Generally, the oxidation is performed in batch conditions using an appropriate catalyst and a basic aqueous solution (pH 7–9, while bubbling oxygen or air through the slurry. However, there is a renewed interest in working in base-free conditions to avoid the production of salts. Actually, this gives direct access to different acids or diacids without laborious product purification steps. This review focuses on processes applying gold-based catalysts, and on the catalytic properties of these systems in the base-free oxidation of important compounds: C5–C6 sugars, furfural, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. A better understanding of the chemical and physical properties of the catalysts and of the operating conditions applied in the oxidation reactions is essential. For this reason, in this review we put emphasis on these most impacting factors.

Thermal denitrification of evaporators concentrates in reactor with fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brugnot, C.

1993-11-01

As part of the treatments of liquid wastes coming from the Marcoule reprocessing plant, the study of a thermal denitrification process for evaporator concentrates has been chosen by the CEA/CEN Cadarache: the fluidized-bed calcination. This work presents the study of a calcination pilot-plant for wastes with a very high sodium nitrate content. After a reactional analysis carried out in a thermobalance on samples which are representative of the fluidized-bed compounds, the perfecting of many of the plant parameters - such as the solution injection system - was carried out on a scale-model at first. Then, it was verified on the pilot-plant, and some experiments have been carried out. A mathematical model for the particle growth inside the fluidized-bed is proposed. (author). 179 refs., 65 figs., 23 tabs

Production of Sn/SnO2/MWCNT composites by plasma oxidation after thermal evaporation from pure Sn targets onto buckypapers.

Science.gov (United States)

Alaf, M; Gultekin, D; Akbulut, H

2012-12-01

In this study, tin/tinoxide/multi oxide/multi walled carbon nano tube (Sn/SnO2/MWCNT) composites were produced by thermal evaporation and then subsequent plasma oxidation. Buckypapers having controlled porosity were prepared by vacuum filtration from functionalized MWCNTs. Pure metallic tin was thermally evaporated on the buckypapers in argon atmosphere with different thicknesses. It was determined that the evaporated pure tin nano crystals were mechanically penetrated into pores of buckypaper to form a nanocomposite. The tin/MWCNT composites were subjected to plasma oxidation process at oxygen/argon gas mixture. Three different plasma oxidation times (30, 45 and 60 minutes) were used to investigate oxidation and physical and microstructural properties. The effect of coating thickness and oxidation time was investigated to understand the effect of process parameters on the Sn and SnO2 phases after plasma oxidation. Quantitative phase analysis was performed in order to determine the relative phase amounts. The structural properties were studied by field-emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Marangoni Flow Induced Evaporation Enhancement on Binary Sessile Drops.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Pin; Harmand, Souad; Ouenzerfi, Safouene; Schiffler, Jesse

2017-06-15

The evaporation processes of pure water, pure 1-butanol, and 5% 1-butanol aqueous solution drops on heated hydrophobic substrates are investigated to determine the effect of temperature on the drop evaporation behavior. The evolution of the parameters (contact angle, diameter, and volume) during evaporation measured using a drop shape analyzer and the infrared thermal mapping of the drop surface recorded by an infrared camera were used in investigating the evaporation process. The pure 1-butanol drop does not show any thermal instability at different substrate temperatures, while the convection cells created by the thermal Marangoni effect appear on the surface of the pure water drop from 50 °C. Because 1-butanol and water have different surface tensions, the infrared video of the 5% 1-butanol aqueous solution drop shows that the convection cells are generated by the solutal Marangoni effect at any substrate temperature. Furthermore, when the substrate temperature exceeds 50 °C, coexistence of the thermal and solutal Marangoni flows is observed. By analyzing the relation between the ratio of the evaporation rate of pure water and 1-butanol aqueous solution drops and the Marangoni number, a series of empirical equations for predicting the evaporation rates of pure water and 1-butanol aqueous solution drops at the initial time as well as the equations for the evaporation rate of 1-butanol aqueous solution drop before the depletion of alcohol are derived. The results of these equations correspond fairly well to the experimental data.

Comparison of the Al back contact deposited by sputtering, e-beam, or thermal evaporation for inverted perovskite solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wahl, Tina; Hanisch, Jonas; Ahlswede, Erik

2018-04-01

In this work, we present inverted perovskite solar cells with Al top electrodes, which were deposited by three different methods. Besides the widely used thermal evaporation of Al, we also used the industrially important high deposition rate processes sputtering and electron beam evaporation for aluminium electrodes and examined the influence of the deposition method on the solar cell performance. The current-voltage characteristics of as grown solar cells with sputtered and e-beam Al electrode show an s-shape due to damage done to the organic electronic transport layers (ETL) during Al deposition. It can be cured by a short annealing step at a moderate temperature so that fill factors  >60% and power conversion efficiencies of almost 12% with negligible hysteresis can be achieved. While solar cells with thermally evaporated Al electrode do not show an s-shape, they also exhibit a clear improvement after a short annealing step. In addition, we varied the thickness of the ETL consisting of a double layer ([6,6]-Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester and bathocuproine) and investigated the influence on the solar cell parameters for the three different Al deposition methods, which showed distinct dependencies on ETL thickness.

Thermal decomposition of supported lithium nitrate catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz, Maria Lucia [INTEQUI (CONICET-UNSL), 25 de Mayo 384, V. Mercedes, 5730, San Luis (Argentina); Lick, Ileana Daniela [CINDECA (CONICET-UNLP), Calle 47 No 257, La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Ponzi, Marta Isabel [INTEQUI (CONICET-UNSL), 25 de Mayo 384, V. Mercedes, 5730, San Luis (Argentina); Castellon, Enrique Rodriguez; Jimenez-Lopez, Antonio [Departamento de Quimica Inorganica, Cristalografia y Mineralogia. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Malaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Malaga (Spain); Ponzi, Esther Natalia, E-mail: eponzi@quimica.unlp.edu.ar [CINDECA (CONICET-UNLP), Calle 47 No 257, La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2010-02-20

New catalysts for soot combustion were prepared by impregnation of different supports (SiO{sub 2}, ZrO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2}.nH{sub 2}O) with a LiNO{sub 3} solution and then characterized by means of FTIR, XPS, TGA and UV-vis spectroscopy, whereby the presence of lithium nitrate in the prepared catalysts was identified and quantified. The soot combustion rate using this series of catalysts (LiNO{sub 3}/support) was compared with the activity of a series of impregnated catalysts prepared using LiOH (Li{sub 2}O/supports). Catalysts prepared using LiNO{sub 3} are found to be more active than those prepared using LiOH. The catalytic performance was also studied with a NO/O{sub 2} mixture in the feed, demonstrating that NO increases the combustion rate of soot, probably as a consequence of lithium oxide forming an 'in situ' nitrate ion.

Correlation of Polymerization Conditions with Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Polyethylenes Made with Ziegler-Natta Catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Anwar Parvez

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the synthesis of polyethylenes has been carried out with titanium-magnesium supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts in laboratory-scale reactors. A correlation of different polymerization conditions with thermal and mechanical properties of polyethylenes has been established. It is seen that there is lowering of molecular weight (Mw, polymer yield, and catalyst activity at high hydrogen pressure and high temperature. The Mw, polymer yield, and catalyst activity are improved with the increase in ethylene pressure. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA results show that the increase in temperature and hydrogen pressure decreases storage modulus. The samples with higher Mw showed high activation energy. The melting point decreases with the increase in hydrogen pressure but increases slightly with the increase in ethylene pressure. It is seen that the increase in reaction temperature, ethylene pressure, and hydrogen pressure leads to an increase in crystallinity. The tensile modulus increases with the increase in hydrogen pressure and can be correlated with the crystallinity of polymer. The Mw has a major influence on the flow activation energy and tensile strength. But the other mechanical and thermal properties depend on Mw as well as other parameters.

Enhanced Charge Extraction of Li-Doped TiO2 for Efficient Thermal-Evaporated Sb2S3 Thin Film Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Chunfeng; Luo, Jingting; Lan, Huabin; Fan, Bo; Peng, Huanxin; Zhao, Jun; Sun, Huibin; Zheng, Zhuanghao; Liang, Guangxing; Fan, Ping

2018-01-01

We provided a new method to improve the efficiency of Sb2S3 thin film solar cells. The TiO2 electron transport layers were doped by lithium to improve their charge extraction properties for the thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 solar cells. The Mott-Schottky curves suggested a change of energy band and faster charge transport in the Li-doped TiO2 films. Compared with the undoped TiO2, Li-doped mesoporous TiO2 dramatically improved the photo-voltaic performance of the thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 thin film solar cells, with the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) increasing from 1.79% to 4.03%, as well as the improved open-voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Jsc) and fill factors. The best device based on Li-doped TiO2 achieved a power conversion efficiency up to 4.42% as well as a Voc of 0.645 V, which are the highest values among the reported thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 solar cells. This study showed that Li-doping on TiO2 can effectively enhance the charge extraction properties of electron transport layers, offering a new strategy to improve the efficiency of Sb2S3-based solar cells. PMID:29495612

Enhanced Charge Extraction of Li-Doped TiO2 for Efficient Thermal-Evaporated Sb2S3 Thin Film Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunfeng Lan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available We provided a new method to improve the efficiency of Sb2S3 thin film solar cells. The TiO2 electron transport layers were doped by lithium to improve their charge extraction properties for the thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 solar cells. The Mott-Schottky curves suggested a change of energy band and faster charge transport in the Li-doped TiO2 films. Compared with the undoped TiO2, Li-doped mesoporous TiO2 dramatically improved the photo-voltaic performance of the thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 thin film solar cells, with the average power conversion efficiency (PCE increasing from 1.79% to 4.03%, as well as the improved open-voltage (Voc, short-circuit current (Jsc and fill factors. The best device based on Li-doped TiO2 achieved a power conversion efficiency up to 4.42% as well as a Voc of 0.645 V, which are the highest values among the reported thermal-evaporated Sb2S3 solar cells. This study showed that Li-doping on TiO2 can effectively enhance the charge extraction properties of electron transport layers, offering a new strategy to improve the efficiency of Sb2S3-based solar cells.

Production of Biodiesel from Roasted Chicken Fat and Methanol: Free Catalyst

OpenAIRE

Jorge Ramírez-Ortiz; Merced Martínez Rosales; Horacio Flores Zúñiga

2014-01-01

Transesterification reactions free of catalyst between roasted chicken fat with methanol were carried out in a batch reactor in order to produce biodiesel to temperatures from 120°C to 140°C. Parameters related to the transesterification reactions, including temperature, time and the molar ratio of chicken fat to methanol also investigated. The maximum yield of the reaction was of 98% under conditions of 140°C, 4 h of reaction time and a molar ratio of chicken fat to meth...

SO2 oxidation catalyst model systems characterized by thermal methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hatem, G; Eriksen, Kim Michael; Gaune-Escard, M

2002-01-01

The molten salts M2S2O7 and MHSO4, the binary molten salt Systems M2S2O7-MHSO4 and the molten salt-gas systems M2S2O7 V2O5 and M2S2O7-M2SO4 V2O5 (M = Na, K, Rb, Cs) in O-2, SO2 and At atmospheres have been investigated by thermal methods like calorimetry, Differential Enthalpic Analysis (DEA) and...... to the mechanism Of SO2 oxidation by V2O5 based industrial catalysts....

Parametric study of thin film evaporation from nanoporous membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Wilke, Kyle L.; Barabadi, Banafsheh; Lu, Zhengmao; Zhang, TieJun; Wang, Evelyn N.

2017-10-01

The performance and lifetime of advanced electronics are often dictated by the ability to dissipate heat generated within the device. Thin film evaporation from nanoporous membranes is a promising thermal management approach, which reduces the thermal transport distance across the liquid film while also providing passive capillary pumping of liquid to the evaporating interface. In this work, we investigated the dependence of thin film evaporation from nanoporous membranes on a variety of geometric parameters. Anodic aluminum oxide membranes were used as experimental templates, where pore radii of 28-75 nm, porosities of 0.1-0.35, and meniscus locations down to 1 μm within the pore were tested. We demonstrated different heat transfer regimes and observed more than an order of magnitude increase in dissipated heat flux by operating in the pore-level evaporation regime. The pore diameter had little effect on pore-level evaporation performance due to the negligible conduction resistance from the pore wall to the evaporating interface. The dissipated heat flux scaled with porosity as the evaporative area increased. Furthermore, moving the meniscus as little as 1 μm into the pore decreased the dissipated heat flux by more than a factor of two due to the added resistance to vapor escaping the pore. The experimental results elucidate thin film evaporation from nanopores and confirm findings of recent modeling efforts. This work also provides guidance for the design of future thin film evaporation devices for advanced thermal management. Furthermore, evaporation from nanopores is relevant to water purification, chemical separations, microfluidics, and natural processes such as transpiration.

Direct fabrication of metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure as efficient cathode catalysts of fuel cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Yanqi; Liu, Mingda; Nie, Huagui, E-mail: huaguinie@126.com; Gu, Cancan; Liu, Ming; Yang, Zhi, E-mail: yang201079@126.com; Yang, Keqin; Chen, Xi’an; Huang, Shaoming, E-mail: smhuang@wzu.edu.cn [Wenzhou University, Nanomaterials and Chemistry Key Laboratory (China)

2016-06-15

Despite the good progress in developing carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the current metal-free carbon catalysts are still far from satisfactory for large-scale applications of fuel cell. Developing hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure is considered to be an ideal method to inhibit graphene stacking and improve their catalytic performance. Herein, we fabricated metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from assembly of SiO{sub 2} spheres. To our knowledge, although much researches involving the synthesis of graphene balls have been reported, investigations into the direct metal-free catalytic growth of hollow graphene balls are rare. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic performance shows that the resulting hollow graphene balls have significantly high catalytic activity. More importantly, such catalysts also possess much improved stability and better methanol tolerance in alkaline media during the ORR compared with commercial Pt/C catalysts. The outstanding performances coupled with an easy and inexpensive preparing method indicated the great potential of the hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure in large-scale applications of fuel cell.Graphical AbstractHollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure have been successfully fabricated, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from 3D assembly of SiO{sub 2} spheres. The hollow graphene balls can exhibit a high catalytic activity, long-term stability, and an excellent methanol tolerance for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Direct fabrication of metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure as efficient cathode catalysts of fuel cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Yanqi; Liu, Mingda; Nie, Huagui; Gu, Cancan; Liu, Ming; Yang, Zhi; Yang, Keqin; Chen, Xi’an; Huang, Shaoming

2016-01-01

Despite the good progress in developing carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the current metal-free carbon catalysts are still far from satisfactory for large-scale applications of fuel cell. Developing hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure is considered to be an ideal method to inhibit graphene stacking and improve their catalytic performance. Herein, we fabricated metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from assembly of SiO_2 spheres. To our knowledge, although much researches involving the synthesis of graphene balls have been reported, investigations into the direct metal-free catalytic growth of hollow graphene balls are rare. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic performance shows that the resulting hollow graphene balls have significantly high catalytic activity. More importantly, such catalysts also possess much improved stability and better methanol tolerance in alkaline media during the ORR compared with commercial Pt/C catalysts. The outstanding performances coupled with an easy and inexpensive preparing method indicated the great potential of the hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure in large-scale applications of fuel cell.Graphical AbstractHollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure have been successfully fabricated, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from 3D assembly of SiO_2 spheres. The hollow graphene balls can exhibit a high catalytic activity, long-term stability, and an excellent methanol tolerance for the oxygen reduction reaction

Structural consideration with respect to the thermal stability of a new platinum supported lanthanum-alumina catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oudet, F.; Bordes, E.; Courtine, P.; Maxant, G.; Lambert, C.; Guerlet, J.P.

1987-01-01

The influence of lanthanum aluminate, LaAlO 3 , on the thermal stability of both alumina and platinum supported alumina catalysts is investigated. In the case of alumina, the stabilization is interpreted in terms of structural coherence between δ-Al 2 O 3 and a three-fold superstructure of LaAlO 3 . The addition of LaAlO 3 , is shown to increase both the dispersion and the resistance to sintering of the platinum supported alumina catalyst. Moreover, lanthanum hexa-aluminate (La-β-Al 2 O 3 ) is present in the platinum catalyst fired at 1150 0 C. These observations are assumed to result for the epitaxial relations between platinum and the lanthanum-alumina support. 23 refs.; 8 figs.; 2 tabs

Study of mixed radiative thermal mass transfer in the case of spherical liquide particle evaporation in a high temperature thermal air plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garandeau, S.

1984-01-01

Radiative transfer in a semi-transparent non-isothermal medium with spherical configuration has been studied. Limit conditions have been detailed, among which the semi-transparent inner sphere case is a new case. Enthalpy and matter transfer equations related to these different cases have been established. An adimensional study of local conservation laws allowed to reveal a parameter set characteristic of radiation coupled phenomena thermal conduction, convection, diffusion. Transfer equations in the case of evaporation of a liquid spherical particle in an air thermal plasma have been simplified. An analytical solution for matter transfer is proposed. Numerical solution of radiative problems and matter transfer has been realized [fr

Solvent-Free Biginelli Condensation using Tungstate Sulfuric Acid: a Powerful and Reusable Catalyst for Selective Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rezvan Rezaee Nasab

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Tungstate sulfuric acid (TSA has been prepared and used as a recyclable catalyst for the Biginelli syn-thesis of some biologically active quinazolinones/thiones under solvent-free conditions. This method has advantages such as the avoidance of organic solvents, high yield of pure products, short reaction times, and operational simplicity.  © 2014 BCREC UNDIP. All rightsReceived: 28th April 2014; Revised: 15th May 2014; Accepted: 26th May 2014[ How to Cite: Nasab, R.R., Karami, B., Khodabakhshi, S. (2014. Selective Solvent‐free Biginelli Condensation using Tungstate Sulfuric Acid as Powerful and Reusable Catalyst. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 9 (2: 142-154. (doi:10.9767/bcrec.9.2.6794.148-154][ Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.9.2.6794.148-154

A calibration-free formulation of the complementary relationship of evaporation for continental-scale hydrology

Science.gov (United States)

Szilagyi, Jozsef; Crago, Richard; Qualls, Russell

2017-01-01

An important scaling consideration is introduced into the formulation of the complementary relationship (CR) of land surface evapotranspiration (ET) by specifying the maximum possible evaporation rate (Epmax) of a small water body (or wet patch) as a result of adiabatic drying from the prevailing near-neutral atmospheric conditions. In dimensionless form the CR therefore becomes yB = f(Epmax-EpEpmax-EwxB) = f(X) = 2X2 - X3, where yB = ET/Ep, xB = Ew/Ep. Ew is the wet-environment evaporation rate as given by the Priestley-Taylor equation, Ep is the evaporation rate of the same small wet surface for which Epmax is specified and estimated by the Penman equation. With the help of North American Regional Reanalysis data, the CR this way yields better continental-scale performance than earlier, calibrated versions of it and is on par with current land surface model results, the latter requiring vegetation, soil information and soil moisture bookkeeping. Validation has been performed by Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model precipitation and United States Geological Survey runoff data. A novel approach is also introduced to calculate the value of the Priestley-Taylor parameter to be used with continental-scale data, making the new formulation of the CR completely calibration free.

Catalyst free growth of ZnO nanowires on graphene and graphene oxide and its enhanced photoluminescence and photoresponse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biroju, Ravi K; Giri, P K; Tilak, Nikhil; Rajender, Gone; Dhara, S

2015-01-01

We demonstrate the graphene assisted catalyst free growth of ZnO nanowires (NWs) on chemical vapor deposited (CVD) and chemically processed graphene buffer layers at a relatively low growth temperature (580 °C) in the presence and absence of ZnO seed layers. In the case of CVD graphene covered with rapid thermal annealed ZnO buffer layer, the growth of vertically aligned ZnO NWs takes place, while the direct growth on CVD graphene, chemically derived graphene (graphene oxide and graphene quantum dots) without ZnO seed layer resulted in randomly oriented sparse ZnO NWs. Growth mechanism was studied from high resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy of the hybrid structure. Further, we demonstrate strong UV, visible photoluminescence (PL) and enhanced photoconductivity (PC) from the CVD graphene–ZnO NWs hybrids as compared to the ZnO NWs grown without the graphene buffer layer. The evolution of crystalinity in ZnO NWs grown with ZnO seed layer and graphene buffer layer is correlated with the Gaussian line shape of UV and visible PL. This is further supported by the strong Raman mode at 438 cm −1 significant for the wurtzite phase of the ZnO NWs grown on different graphene substrates. The effect of the thickness of ZnO seed layers and the role of graphene buffer layers on the aligned growth of ZnO NWs and its enhanced PC are investigated systematically. Our results demonstrate the catalyst free growth and superior performance of graphene–ZnO NW hybrid UV photodetectors as compared to the bare ZnO NW based photodetectors. (paper)

From quantum chemical formation free energies to evaporation rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. K. Ortega

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric new particle formation is an important source of atmospheric aerosols. Large efforts have been made during the past few years to identify which molecules are behind this phenomenon, but the actual birth mechanism of the particles is not yet well known. Quantum chemical calculations have proven to be a powerful tool to gain new insights into the very first steps of particle formation. In the present study we use formation free energies calculated by quantum chemical methods to estimate the evaporation rates of species from sulfuric acid clusters containing ammonia or dimethylamine. We have found that dimethylamine forms much more stable clusters with sulphuric acid than ammonia does. On the other hand, the existence of a very deep local minimum for clusters with two sulfuric acid molecules and two dimethylamine molecules hinders their growth to larger clusters. These results indicate that other compounds may be needed to make clusters grow to larger sizes (containing more than three sulfuric acid molecules.

Evaporation from a sphagnum moss surface

Science.gov (United States)

D.S. Nichols; J.M. Brown

1980-01-01

Peat cores, 45 cm in diameter, were collected from a sphagnum bog in northern Minnesota, and used to measure the effects of different temperatures and water levels on evaporation from a sphagnum moss surface in a growth chamber. Under all conditions, evaporation from the moss surface was greater than that from a free-water surface. Evaporation from the moss increased...

Growth of manganese sulfide (α-MnS) thin films by thermal vacuum evaporation: Structural, morphological and optical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hannachi, Amira, E-mail: amira.hannachi88@gmail.com [MALTA-Consolider Team, Institut de Ciència dels Materials – Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, University of Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Université de Tunis El-Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Chimie Analytique et Electrochimie, LR99ES15, 2092 Tunis (Tunisia); Segura, Alfredo [MALTA-Consolider Team, Institut de Ciència dels Materials – Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, University of Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Maghraoui-Meherzi, Hager [Université de Tunis El-Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Chimie Analytique et Electrochimie, LR99ES15, 2092 Tunis (Tunisia)

2016-09-15

MnS thin films have been successfully prepared by thermal evaporation method at different substrate temperatures using different masses of MnS powder. The prepared films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and UV–visible spectrophotometry. The XRD measurements show that the films crystallized in the pure α-MnS for substrate temperatures above 100 °C. The optical bandgap of thin films is found to be in the range of 3.2–3.3 eV. A factorial experimental design was used for determining the influence of the two experimental parameters on the films growth. - Highlights: • α-MnS films were deposited on glass and quartz substrates using the thermal evaporation technique. • The effect of substrate temperature on the properties of the MnS films has been studied. • The factorial design was used to determine the most influence parameters.

Thermally evaporated thin films of SnS for application in solar cell devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miles, Robert W.; Ogah, Ogah E.; Zoppi, Guillaume; Forbes, Ian

2009-01-01

SnS (tin sulphide) is of interest for use as an absorber layer and the wider energy bandgap phases e.g. SnS 2 , Sn 2 S 3 and Sn/S/O alloys of interest as Cd-free buffer layers for use in thin film solar cells. In this work thin films of tin sulphide have been thermally evaporated onto glass and SnO 2 :coated glass substrates with the aim of optimising the properties of the material for use in photovoltaic solar cell device structures. In particular the effects of source temperature, substrate temperature, deposition rate and film thickness on the chemical and physical properties of the layers were investigated. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis was used to determine the film composition, X-ray diffraction to determine the phases present and structure of each phase, transmittance and reflectance versus wavelength measurements to determine the energy bandgap and scanning electron microscopy to observe the surface topology and topography and the properties correlated to the deposition parameters. Using the optimised conditions it is possible to produce thin films of tin sulphide that are pinhole free, conformal to the substrate and that consist of densely packed columnar grains. The composition, phases present and the optical properties of the layers deposited were found to be highly sensitive to the deposition conditions. Energy bandgaps in the range 1.55 eV-1.7 eV were obtained for a film thickness of 0.8 μm, and increasing the film thickness to > 1 μm resulted in a reduction of the energy bandgap to less than 1.55 eV. The applicability of using these films in photovoltaic solar cell device structures is also discussed.

Evaporative lithographic patterning of binary colloidal films.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Daniel J; Conrad, Jacinta C; Lewis, Jennifer A

2009-12-28

Evaporative lithography offers a promising new route for patterning a broad array of soft materials. In this approach, a mask is placed above a drying film to create regions of free and hindered evaporation, which drive fluid convection and entrained particles to regions of highest evaporative flux. We show that binary colloidal films exhibit remarkable pattern formation when subjected to a periodic evaporative landscape during drying.

Evaporation heat transfer of hot water from horizontal free service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koizumi, Y.; Ebihara, Y.; Hirota, T.; Murase, M.

2011-01-01

Evaporation heat transfer from the hot water flow to the cold air flow in a horizontal duct was examined. Hot water was in the range of 35 o C ~ 65 o C. Cold air was approximately 25 o C. The air velocity was varied from 0.0656 m/s ~ 1.41 m/s. The heat transfer rate from the water flow to the air flow became large with an increase in the air velocity. The higher the water temperature was, the larger the heat transfer rate was. When the total heat flux from water to the air flow is divided into two terms; the evaporation term and the forced flow convection term, the evaporation term dominate main part and that is about 90 ~ 80 % of the total heat flux. The measured values of the evaporation term and the forced flow convection term were larger than the predicted because of the effect of the diffusion of evaporated vapor. The correlation to predict the heat transfer from the hot water flow to the cold air flow with the evaporation was developed by modifying the laminar flow mass transfer correlation and the laminar forced convection heat transfer correlation. Good results were obtained. (author)

Evaporation heat transfer of hot water from horizontal free service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koizumi, Y.; Ebihara, Y.; Hirota, T. [Shinshu Univ., Ueda, Nagano (Japan); Murase, M. [INSS, Mihama-cho, Fukui (Japan)

2011-07-01

Evaporation heat transfer from the hot water flow to the cold air flow in a horizontal duct was examined. Hot water was in the range of 35{sup o}C ~ 65{sup o}C. Cold air was approximately 25{sup o}C. The air velocity was varied from 0.0656 m/s ~ 1.41 m/s. The heat transfer rate from the water flow to the air flow became large with an increase in the air velocity. The higher the water temperature was, the larger the heat transfer rate was. When the total heat flux from water to the air flow is divided into two terms; the evaporation term and the forced flow convection term, the evaporation term dominate main part and that is about 90 ~ 80 % of the total heat flux. The measured values of the evaporation term and the forced flow convection term were larger than the predicted because of the effect of the diffusion of evaporated vapor. The correlation to predict the heat transfer from the hot water flow to the cold air flow with the evaporation was developed by modifying the laminar flow mass transfer correlation and the laminar forced convection heat transfer correlation. Good results were obtained. (author)

Silica sulfuric acid: a reusable solid catalyst for one pot synthesis of densely substituted pyrrole-fused isocoumarins under solvent-free conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudipta Pathak

2013-11-01

Full Text Available A convenient and efficient methodology for the synthesis of densely substituted pyrrole-fused isocoumarins, which employs solid-supported silica sulfuric acid (SSA as catalyst, has been developed. When the mixture of ninhydrin adducts of acetylacetone/ethyl acetoacetate and primary amines was heated on the solid surface of SSA under solvent-free conditions, the pyrrole-fused isocoumarins were formed in good yields. This synthetic method has several advantages such as the employment of solvent-free reaction conditions without the use of any toxic reagents and metal catalysts, the ease of product isolation, the use of a recyclable catalyst, the low cost, the easy availability of the starting materials, and the excellent yields of products.

Efficient hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural and levulinic acid on the facilely synthesized noble-metal-free Cu–Cr catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Kai; Chen, Aicheng

2013-01-01

Biomass-derived platform intermediate furfural and levulinic acid were efficiently hydrogenated to the value-added furfuryl alcohol and promising biofuel γ-valerolactone, respectively, using a noble-metal-free Cu–Cr catalyst, which was facilely and successfully synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method using the cheap metal nitrates. In the first hydrogenation of furfural, 95% yield of furfuryl alcohol was highly selectively produced at 99% conversion of furfural under the mild conditions. For the hydrogenation of levulinic acid, 90% yield of γ-valerolactone was highly selectively produced at 97.8% conversion. Besides, the physical properties of the resulting Cu–Cr catalysts were studied by XRD (X-ray diffraction), EDX (Energy-dispersive X-ray), TEM (Transmission electron microscopy) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) to reveal their influence on the catalytic performance. Subsequently, different reaction parameters were studied and it was found that Cu 2+ /Cr 3+ ratios (0.5, 1 and 2), reaction temperature (120–220 °C) and hydrogen pressure (35–70 bar) presented important influence on the catalytic activities. In the end, the stability of the Cu–Cr catalysts was also studied. - Highlights: • A noble-metal-free Cu–Cr catalyst was successfully synthesized using metal nitrates. • Cu–Cr catalysts were highly selective hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural to FA. • Cu–Cr catalysts were efficient for hydrogenation of biomass-derived LA to biofuel GVL. • The physical properties of the resulting Cu–Cr catalysts were systematically studied. • Reaction parameters and stability in the hydrogenation of furfural were studied in details

Vapor-based interferometric measurement of local evaporation rate and interfacial temperature of evaporating droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehaeck, Sam; Rednikov, Alexey; Colinet, Pierre

2014-03-04

The local evaporation rate and interfacial temperature are two quintessential characteristics for the study of evaporating droplets. Here, it is shown how one can extract these quantities by measuring the vapor concentration field around the droplet with digital holographic interferometry. As a concrete example, an evaporating freely receding pending droplet of 3M Novec HFE-7000 is analyzed at ambient conditions. The measured vapor cloud is shown to deviate significantly from a pure-diffusion regime calculation, but it compares favorably to a new boundary-layer theory accounting for a buoyancy-induced convection in the gas and the influence upon it of a thermal Marangoni flow. By integration of the measured local evaporation rate over the interface, the global evaporation rate is obtained and validated by a side-view measurement of the droplet shape. Advective effects are found to boost the global evaporation rate by a factor of 4 as compared to the diffusion-limited theory.

Structural, optical and electrical properties of CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} thin films grown by thermal evaporation method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gannouni, M., E-mail: gm_mounir@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique et Materiaux Semi-conducteurs -ENIT BP 37, Le belvedere 1002-Tunis (Tunisia); Kanzari, M. [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique et Materiaux Semi-conducteurs -ENIT BP 37, Le belvedere 1002-Tunis (Tunisia)

2011-05-19

Highlights: > In this work, thin films of CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} were successfully deposited onto glass substrates by thermal evaporation and annealed in air. > Post-depositional annealing effects on structural, optical and electrical properties of thermal evaporated CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} thin films were studied. > The results reported in this work make this material attractive as an absorber material in solar cells applications. - Abstract: Stoichiometric compound of copper indium sulfur (CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8}) was synthesized by direct reaction of high purity elemental copper, indium and sulfur in an evacuated quartz tube. The phase structure of the synthesized material revealed the cubic spinel structure. The lattice parameter (a) of single crystals was calculated to be 10.667 A. Thin films of CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} were deposited onto glass substrates under the pressure of 10{sup -6} Torr using thermal evaporation technique. CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} thin films were then thermally annealed in air from 100 to 300 deg. C for 2 h. The effects of thermal annealing on their physico-chemical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical transmission and hot probe method. XRD studies of CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} thin films showed that as-deposited films were amorphous in nature and transformed into polycrystalline spinel structure with strong preferred orientation along the (3 1 1) plane after the annealing at 200 deg. C. The composition is greatly affected by thermal treatment. From the optical transmission and reflection, an important absorption coefficient exceeds 10{sup 4} cm{sup -1} was found. As increasing the annealing temperature, the optical energy band gap decreases from 1.83 eV for the as-deposited films to 1.43 eV for the annealed films at 300 deg. C. It was found that CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} thin film is an n-type semiconductor at 300 deg. C.

Perlite-SO3H nanoparticles as an efficient and reusable catalyst for one-pot three-component synthesis of 1,2-dihydro-1-aryl-naphtho[1,2-e][1,3]oxazine-3-one derivatives under both microwave-assisted and thermal solvent-free conditions: Single crystal X-ray structure analysis and theoretical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Ramazani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A general synthetic route for the synthesis of 1,2-dihydro-1-aryl-naphtho[1,2-e][1,3]oxazine-3-one derivatives has been developed using perlite-SO3H nanoparticles as efficient catalyst under both microwave-assisted and thermal solvent-free conditions. The combination of 2-naphthol, aldehyde and urea enabled the synthesis of 1,2-dihydro-1-aryl-naphtho[1,2-e][1,3]oxazine-3-one derivatives in the presence of perlite-SO3H nanoparticles in good to excellent yields. This method provides several advantages like simple work-up, environmentally benign, and shorter reaction times along with high yields. In order to explore the recyclability of the catalyst, the perlite-SO3H nanoparticles in solvent-free conditions were used as catalyst for the same reaction repeatedly and the change in their catalytic activity was studied. It was found that perlite-SO3H nanoparticles could be reused for four cycles with negligible loss of their activity. Single crystal X-ray structure analysis and theoretical studies also were investigated for 4i product. The electronic properties of the compound have been analyzed using DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-311+G*. The FMO analysis suggests that charge transfer takes place within the molecule and the HOMO is localized mainly on naphthalene and oxazinone rings whereas the LUMO resides on the naphthalene ring.

Wet catalyst-support films for production of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, Noe T; Hamilton, Christopher E; Pint, Cary L; Orbaek, Alvin; Yao, Jun; Frosinini, Aldo L; Barron, Andrew R; Tour, James M; Hauge, Robert H

2010-07-01

A procedure for vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VA-CNT) production has been developed through liquid-phase deposition of alumoxanes (aluminum oxide hydroxides, boehmite) as a catalyst support. Through a simple spin-coating of alumoxane nanoparticles, uniform centimer-square thin film surfaces were coated and used as supports for subsequent deposition of metal catalyst. Uniform VA-CNTs are observed to grow from this film following deposition of both conventional evaporated Fe catalyst, as well as premade Fe nanoparticles drop-dried from the liquid phase. The quality and uniformity of the VA-CNTs are comparable to growth from conventional evaporated layers of Al(2)O(3). The combined use of alumoxane and Fe nanoparticles to coat surfaces represents an inexpensive and scalable approach to large-scale VA-CNT production that makes chemical vapor deposition significantly more competitive when compared to other CNT production techniques.

Multilayer composite material and method for evaporative cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Buckley, Theresa M. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A multilayer composite material and method for evaporative cooling of a person employs an evaporative cooling liquid that changes phase from a liquid to a gaseous state to absorb thermal energy. The evaporative cooling liquid is absorbed into a superabsorbent material enclosed within the multilayer composite material. The multilayer composite material has a high percentage of the evaporative cooling liquid in the matrix. The cooling effect can be sustained for an extended period of time because of the high percentage of phase change liquid that can be absorbed into the superabsorbent. Such a composite can be used for cooling febrile patients by evaporative cooling as the evaporative cooling liquid in the matrix changes from a liquid to a gaseous state to absorb thermal energy. The composite can be made with a perforated barrier material around the outside to regulate the evaporation rate of the phase change liquid. Alternatively, the composite can be made with an imperveous barrier material or semipermeable membrane on one side to prevent the liquid from contacting the person's skin. The evaporative cooling liquid in the matrix can be recharged by soaking the material in the liquid. The multilayer composite material can be fashioned into blankets, garments and other articles.

Advancements in rationally designed PGM-free fuel cell catalysts derived from metal–organic frameworks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barkholtz, Heather M.; Liu, Di-Jia

2016-01-01

Over the past several years, metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived platinum group metal free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts have gained considerable attention due to their high efficiency and low cost as potential replacement for platinum in catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this review, we summarize the recent advancements in design, synthesis and characterization of MOF-derived ORR catalysts and their performances in acidic and alkaline media. As a result, we also discuss the key challenges such as durability and activity enhancement critical in moving forward this emerging electrocatalyst science.

Molecular dynamics simulations for the motion of evaporative droplets driven by thermal gradients along nanochannels

KAUST Repository

Wu, Congmin

2013-04-04

For a one-component fluid on a solid substrate, a thermal singularity may occur at the contact line where the liquid-vapor interface intersects the solid surface. Physically, the liquid-vapor interface is almost isothermal at the liquid-vapor coexistence temperature in one-component fluids while the solid surface is almost isothermal for solids of high thermal conductivity. Therefore, a temperature discontinuity is formed if the two isothermal interfaces are of different temperatures and intersect at the contact line. This leads to the so-called thermal singularity. The localized hydrodynamics involving evaporation/condensation near the contact line leads to a contact angle depending on the underlying substrate temperature. This dependence has been shown to lead to the motion of liquid droplets on solid substrates with thermal gradients (Xu and Qian 2012 Phys. Rev. E 85 061603). In the present work, we carry out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as numerical experiments to further confirm the predictions made from our previous continuum hydrodynamic modeling and simulations, which are actually semi-quantitatively accurate down to the small length scales in the problem. Using MD simulations, we investigate the motion of evaporative droplets in one-component Lennard-Jones fluids confined in nanochannels with thermal gradients. The droplet is found to migrate in the direction of decreasing temperature of solid walls, with a migration velocity linearly proportional to the temperature gradient. This agrees with the prediction of our continuum model. We then measure the effect of droplet size on the droplet motion. It is found that the droplet mobility is inversely proportional to a dimensionless coefficient associated with the total rate of dissipation due to droplet movement. Our results show that this coefficient is of order unity and increases with the droplet size for the small droplets (∼10 nm) simulated in the present work. These findings are in semi

Effect of solution processed and thermally evaporated interlayers on the performance of backgrated polymer solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jayawardena, K.D.G.I.; Amarasinghe, K.M.P.; Nismy, N.A. [Advanced Technology Institute, Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Mills, C.A. [Advanced Technology Institute, Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Advanced Coatings Group, Surface Engineering Department, Tata Steel Research Development and Technology, Swinden Technology Centre, Rotherham, S60 3AR (United Kingdom); Silva, S.R.P., E-mail: s.silva@surrey.ac.uk [Advanced Technology Institute, Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2015-09-30

Polymer solar cells are fast gaining momentum as a potential solution towards low cost sustainable energy generation. However, the performance of architectures is known to be limited by the thin film nature of the active layer which, although required due to low charge carrier mobilities, limits the optical coupling to the active layer. The formation of periodic backgratings has been proposed as a solution to this problem. Here, we investigate the effect of solution processed and thermally evaporated interlayers on the performance of backgrated polymer solar cells. Analysis of device performance under standard conditions indicates higher power conversion efficiencies with the incorporation of the evaporated interlayer (5.7%) over a sol–gel processed interlayer (4.9%). This is driven by a more conformal coating as evidenced through two orders of magnitude higher electron mobilities (10{sup −5} versus 10{sup −7} cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}) as well as the balanced electron and hole transport observed for the former architecture. It is believed that these results will catalyse further development of such device engineering concepts for improved optical coupling in thin film photovoltaics. - Highlights: • Effect of interlayers on backgrated photovoltaic devices is tested. • Evaporated interlayers lead to better device performance. • Better charge extraction is observed for evaporated interlayers.

Soil water content and evaporation determined by thermal parameters obtained from ground-based and remote measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Reginato, R. J.; Idso, S. B.; Jackson, R. D.; Vedder, J. F.; Blanchard, M. B.; Goettelman, R.

1976-01-01

Soil water contents from both smooth and rough bare soil were estimated from remotely sensed surface soil and air temperatures. An inverse relationship between two thermal parameters and gravimetric soil water content was found for Avondale loam when its water content was between air-dry and field capacity. These parameters, daily maximum minus minimum surface soil temperature and daily maximum soil minus air temperature, appear to describe the relationship reasonably well. These two parameters also describe relative soil water evaporation (actual/potential). Surface soil temperatures showed good agreement among three measurement techniques: in situ thermocouples, a ground-based infrared radiation thermometer, and the thermal infrared band of an airborne multispectral scanner.

Structuring of polymer solutions upon solvent evaporation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaefer, C.; van der Schoot, P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/102140618; Michels, J. J.

2015-01-01

The morphology of solution-cast, phase-separated polymers becomes finer with increasing solvent evaporation rate. We address this observation theoretically for a model polymer where demixing is induced by steady solvent evaporation. In contrast to what is the case for a classical, thermal quench

Magnetic Pd-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} heterodimer nanocrystals as recoverable catalysts for ligand-free hiyama cross-coupling reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Woong Sup; Byun, Sang Moon; Kwon, Jung Min; Kim, B. Moon [Dept. of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

Ligand-free Hiyama cross-coupling reaction was achieved through the use of Pd-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} heterodimeric nanocrystals (1 mol% in Pd) as recyclable catalysts. The nanocrystal catalysts exhibited good activities accommodating a variety of substrates including aryl bromides and iodides with substituents of varying electronic and steric properties. Furthermore, the nanocrystal catalyst could be conveniently recovered with the aid of an external magnet and recycled five times without the loss of catalytic activity to a considerable degree.

Effect of magnetic field on the growth of Be films prepared by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Kai; Luo, Bing-chi; Tan, Xiu-lan; Zhang, Ji-qiang; Wu, Wei-dong; Liu, Ying

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The Be films were prepared on Si (1 0 0) substrates with and without a magnetic field by thermal evaporation, respectively. • The grain diameter in the Be film transited from 300 nm to 18 nm by application of the magnetic field. • The surface roughness of the Be film decreased from 61 nm to 3 nm by application of the magnetic field. • The Be film grown with the magnetic field was easily oxidized due to its refined grains and the oxidation was gradually decreased with increasing the etching depth in the film. - Abstract: Grain refinement of beryllium deposits is studied as a significant subject for beryllium capsule in the Inertial Confinement Fusion project. The Be films were prepared on the Si (1 0 0) substrates by thermal evaporation with and without a magnetic field, respectively. The two separate groups of prepared Be films were characterized. The results showed the grain diameter in the Be film transited from 300 nm to 18 nm and the surface roughness of the Be film decreased from 61 nm to 3 nm by application of the magnetic field during the deposition process of Be coating. However, the Be film grown with the magnetic field was easily oxidized in comparison with that grown without magnetic field due to the refined grains, and the oxidation was gradually decreased with the increase of etching depth in the Be film. The reason for grain refinement of Be film was also qualitatively described

Passive cooling effect of RC roof covered with the ceramics having high water retention and evaporation capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, M; Kanaya, M; Shimazu, T; Ohashi, T; Kato, N; Horikoshi, T

2011-01-01

Hot days in metropolitan cities have increased remarkably by the heat island phenomenon these days. Thus the authors tried to develop the porous ceramics with high water retention and evaporation capacity as a maintenance-free material to improve thermal environment. The developed ceramic pellets have high water retention of more than 60% of water absorption and high water evaporation which is similar to water surface. In this study, three types of 5 meter squared large flat-roofed structural specimen simulated reinforced concrete (RC) slab were constructed on the outside. The variation of water content and temperature of the specimens and atmosphere temperature around the specimens were measured from summer in 2009. In the case of the ceramic pellets, the temperature under RC slab was around 15 deg. lower than that of the control. The results were probably contributed by passive cooling effect of evaporated rain water, and the effect was similar to in the case of the grasses. From the viewpoint of thermal environment improvement, substitution of a rooftop gardening by the porous ceramics could be a promising method.

Passive cooling effect of RC roof covered with the ceramics having high water retention and evaporation capacity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamazaki, M; Kanaya, M; Shimazu, T; Ohashi, T [INAX Corporation, 97-1, Yariba, Kume, Tokoname, Aichi, 479-0002 (Japan); Kato, N; Horikoshi, T, E-mail: m.yamazaki@i2.inax.co.jp [Department of Architecture, Nagoya Institute of technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8555 (Japan)

2011-10-29

Hot days in metropolitan cities have increased remarkably by the heat island phenomenon these days. Thus the authors tried to develop the porous ceramics with high water retention and evaporation capacity as a maintenance-free material to improve thermal environment. The developed ceramic pellets have high water retention of more than 60% of water absorption and high water evaporation which is similar to water surface. In this study, three types of 5 meter squared large flat-roofed structural specimen simulated reinforced concrete (RC) slab were constructed on the outside. The variation of water content and temperature of the specimens and atmosphere temperature around the specimens were measured from summer in 2009. In the case of the ceramic pellets, the temperature under RC slab was around 15 deg. lower than that of the control. The results were probably contributed by passive cooling effect of evaporated rain water, and the effect was similar to in the case of the grasses. From the viewpoint of thermal environment improvement, substitution of a rooftop gardening by the porous ceramics could be a promising method.

Removal of gas phase low-concentration toluene over Mn, Ag and Ce modified HZSM-5 catalysts by periodical operation of adsorption and non-thermal plasma regeneration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wenzheng; Wang, Honglei; Zhu, Tianle; Fan, Xing

2015-07-15

Ag/HZSM-5, Mn/HZSM-5, Ce/HZSM-5, Ag-Mn/HZSM-5 and Ce-Mn/HZSM-5 were prepared by impregnation method. Both their adsorption capacity and catalytic activity were investigated for the removal of gas phase low-concentration toluene by periodical operation of adsorption and non-thermal plasma regeneration. Results show that catalysts loaded with Ag (Ag/HZSM-5 and Ag-Mn/HZSM-5) had larger adsorption capacity for toluene than the other catalysts. And Ag-Mn/HZSM-5 displayed the best catalytic performance for both toluene oxidation by non-thermal plasma and byproducts suppression. On the other hand, the deactivated catalyst can be fully regenerated by calcining in air stream when its adsorption capacity and catalytic activity of the Ag-Mn/HZSM-5 catalyst was found to be decreased after 10 cycles of periodical adsorption and non-thermal regeneration. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effect of radiation-thermal treatment on the physicochemical properties of the Ni-Mo/Al2O3 hydrotreatment catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solovetskij, Yu.I.; Lunin, V.V.; Miroshnichenko, I.I.

1993-01-01

A study was made on reasons of radiation-thermal damage by 2.0 MeV accelerated electron beams of surface and active metal phases of Al, Ni, Mo base hydrodesulfurization catalysts. Data of diffusion reflection electron spectra for coked industrial and model systems after radiation-thermal treatment are presented. 14 refs., 2 figs

CO2-Free Power Generation on an Iron Group Nanoalloy Catalyst via Selective Oxidation of Ethylene Glycol to Oxalic Acid in Alkaline Media

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Takeshi; Sadakiyo, Masaaki; Ooi, Mei Lee; Kitano, Sho; Yamamoto, Tomokazu; Matsumura, Syo; Kato, Kenichi; Takeguchi, Tatsuya; Yamauchi, Miho

2014-07-01

An Fe group ternary nanoalloy (NA) catalyst enabled selective electrocatalysis towards CO2-free power generation from highly deliverable ethylene glycol (EG). A solid-solution-type FeCoNi NA catalyst supported on carbon was prepared by a two-step reduction method. High-resolution electron microscopy techniques identified atomic-level mixing of constituent elements in the nanoalloy. We examined the distribution of oxidised species, including CO2, produced on the FeCoNi nanoalloy catalyst in the EG electrooxidation under alkaline conditions. The FeCoNi nanoalloy catalyst exhibited the highest selectivities toward the formation of C2 products and to oxalic acid, i.e., 99 and 60%, respectively, at 0.4 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), without CO2 generation. We successfully generated power by a direct EG alkaline fuel cell employing the FeCoNi nanoalloy catalyst and a solid-oxide electrolyte with oxygen reduction ability, i.e., a completely precious-metal-free system.

First-Row-Transition Ion Metals(II-EDTA Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles as Catalysts for Solvent-Free Microwave-Induced Oxidation of Alcohols

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuno M. R. Martins

2017-11-01

Full Text Available A series of first-row transition-metals combined with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA, as metal-based N,O-chelating ligands, at the surface of ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs was prepared by a co-precipitation method. Those EDTA functionalized MNPs with general formula Fe3O4@EDTA-M2+ [M = Mn2+ (1, Fe2+ (2, Co2+ (3, Ni2+ (4, Cu2+ (5 or Zn2+ (6] were characterized by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, powder XRD (X-ray Diffraction, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope, EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrometer, VSM (Vibrating Sample Magnetometer and TGA (Thermal Gravity Analysis. The application of the magnetic NPs towards the microwave-assisted oxidation of several alcohol substrates in a solvent-free medium was evaluated. The influence of reaction parameters such as temperature, time, type of oxidant, and presence of organic radicals was investigated. This study demonstrates that these MNPs can act as efficient catalysts for the conversion of alcohols to the corresponding ketones or aldehydes with high selectivity and yields up to 99% after 2 h of reaction at 110 °C using t-BuOOH as oxidant. Moreover, they have the advantage of being magnetically recoverable catalysts that can be easily recycled in following runs.

Magnetic field and temperature dependent measurements of hall coefficient in thermal evaporated Tin-Doped Cadmium Oxide Thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamadi, O.; Shakir, N.; Mohammed, F.

2010-01-01

CdO:Sn thin films are deposited onto glass substrates by thermal evaporation under vacuum. The studied films are polycrystalline and have an NaCl structure. The Hall effect is studied for films with different thickness as substrates are maintained at different temperatures. The temperature dependence of the Hall mobility is also investigated. (authors)

Esterification free fatty acid in palm fatty acid distillate using sulfonated rice husk ash catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayat, Arif; Sutrisno, Bachrun

2017-01-01

Indonesia, as one of the biggest palm oil producers and exporters in the world, is producing large amounts of low-grade oil such as Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) from palm oil industries. The use of PFAD can reduce the cost of biodiesel production significantly, which makes PFAD a highly potential alternative feedstock for biodiesel production. In this paper, the esterification of free fatty acid (FFA) on PFAD was studied using rice husk ash (RHA) as heterogeneous catalyst. The rice husk ash catalyst was synthesized by sulfonation using concentrated sulfuric acid. The RHA catalyst were characterized by using different techniques, such as porosity analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, total number of acid sites and elemental analysis. The effects of the molar ratio of methanol to PFAD (1-10%), the molar ratio of methanol to PFAD (4:1-10:1), and the reaction temperature (40-60°C) were studied for the conversion of FFA to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimal conditions were an methanol to PFAD molar ratio of 10:1, the catalyst amount of 10 wt% of PFAD, and reaction temperature of 60°C.

Sodium evaporation into a forced argon flow, (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumada, Toshiaki; Kasahara, Fumio; Ishiguro, Ryoji

1976-01-01

Measurements were made on the rate of evaporation from a rectangular-shaped free surface of liquid sodium into argon flow. Tests were carried out at various levels of sodium temperature, of argon velocity and of argon temperature, under conditions where fog formation could be expected. To gain information on the enhancement of evaporation occasioned by fog formation, a supplementary experiment was performed on convection heat transfer into flowing air from a heated plate of the same geometry as the free surface of the sodium in the preceding measurements. The values obtained for the rate of evaporation and Sherwood number were compared with those predicted by the heat transfer experiment and by the theory by Hill and Szekely. The overall results revealed that the rate of sodium evaporation can amount to as much as three times that predicted by the heat transfer experiment, and that it varies roughly linearly with the heat transfer rate and with the sodium vapor pressure prevailing at the free surface. (auth.)

In-situ growing NiCo2O4 nanoplatelets on carbon cloth as binder-free catalyst air-cathode for high-performance microbial fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Chun; Wei, Liling; Wang, Gang; Shen, Jianquan

2017-01-01

Highlights: • NiCo 2 O 4 nanoplatelets were in-situ growing on carbon cloth as ORR catalyst in biofuel cells. • Binder-free cathode with the lower internal resistance. • Binder-free cathode was low-cost. • NiCo 2 O 4 -CFC shows better power generation performance than Pt/C. - Abstract: Air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was one of most promising sustainable new energy device as well as an advanced sewage treatment technology, and thoroughly studies have been devoted to lower its cost and enhance its power generation. Herein, a binder-free and low-cost catalyst air-cathode was fabricated by in-situ electro-deposition of NiCo 2 O 4 nanoplatelets on carbon cloth, followed by feasible calcinations. The catalytic activity of catalyst air-cathode was optimized by varying the deposition time. And the optimal air-cathode was installed in real MFCs and exhibited distinct maximum out-put power density (645 ± 6 mW m −2 ), which was 12.96% higher than commercial Pt/C (571 ± 11 mW m −2 ). Noted that its remarkable electricity generation performance in MFCs should absolutely attributed to the well catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction, and more likely ascribed to its low internal resistance since binder-free catalyst air-cathode can facilitate the electron/charge transfer process. Therefore, it was an efficient strategy to improve the electricity generation performance of MFCs by using this binder-free catalyst air-cathode, which was also potential for application in many other electrochemical devices.

Metaloxide--ZrO2 catalysts for the esterification and transesterification of free fatty acids and triglycerides to obtain bio-diesel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Manhoe; Salley, Steven O.; Ng, K. Y. Simon

2016-09-06

Mixed metal oxide catalysts (ZnO, CeO, La2O3, NiO, Al203, SiO2, TiO2, Nd2O3, Yb2O3, or any combination of these) supported on zirconia (ZrO2) or hydrous zirconia are provided. These mixed metal oxide catalysts can be prepared via coprecipitation, impregnation, or sol-gel methods from metal salt precursors with/without a Zirconium salt precursor. Metal oxides/ZrO2 catalyzes both esterification and transesterification of oil containing free fatty acids in one batch or in single stage. In particular, these mixed metal oxides supported or added on zirconium oxide exhibit good activity and selectivity for esterification and transesterification. The low acid strength of this catalyst can avoid undesirable side reaction such as alcohol dehydration or cracking of fatty acids. Metal oxides/ZrO2 catalysts are not sensitive to any water generated from esterification. Thus, esterification does not require a water free condition or the presence of excess methanol to occur when using the mixed metal oxide catalyst. The FAME yield obtained with metal oxides/ZrO2 is higher than that obtained with homogeneous sulfuric acid catalyst. Metal oxides/ZrO2 catalasts can be prepared as strong pellets and in various shapes for use directly in a flow reactor. Furthermore, the pellet has a strong resistance toward dissolution to aqueous or oil phases.

Practical, economical, and eco-friendly starch-supported palladium catalyst for Suzuki coupling reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Baran, Talat

2017-06-15

In catalytic systems, the support materials need to be both eco friendly and low cost as well as having high thermal and chemical stability. In this paper, a novel starch supported palladium catalyst, which had these outstanding properties, was designed and its catalytic activity was evaluated in a Suzuki coupling reaction under microwave heating with solvent-free and mild reaction conditions. The starch supported catalyst gave remarkable reaction yields after only 5min as a result of the coupling reaction of the phenyl boronic acid with 23 different substrates, which are bearing aril bromide, iodide, and chloride. The longevity of the catalyst was also investigated, and the catalyst could be reused for 10 runs. The starch supported Pd(II) catalyst yielded remarkable TON (up to 25,000) and TOF (up to 312,500) values by using a simple, fast and eco-friendly method. In addition, the catalytic performance of the catalyst was tested against different commercial palladium catalysts, and the green starch supported catalyst had excellent selectivity. The catalytic tests showed that the novel starch based palladium catalyst proved to be an economical and practical catalyst for the synthesis of biaryl compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of platinum group metal-free catalyst synthesis on microbial fuel cell performance

Science.gov (United States)

Santoro, Carlo; Rojas-Carbonell, Santiago; Awais, Roxanne; Gokhale, Rohan; Kodali, Mounika; Serov, Alexey; Artyushkova, Kateryna; Atanassov, Plamen

2018-01-01

Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) ORR catalysts from the Fe-N-C family were synthesized using sacrificial support method (SSM) technique. Six experimental steps were used during the synthesis: 1) mixing the precursor, the metal salt, and the silica template; 2) first pyrolysis in hydrogen rich atmosphere; 3) ball milling; 4) etching the silica template using harsh acids environment; 5) the second pyrolysis in ammonia rich atmosphere; 6) final ball milling. Three independent batches were fabricated following the same procedure. The effect of each synthetic parameters on the surface chemistry and the electrocatalytic performance in neutral media was studied. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) experiment showed an increase in half wave potential and limiting current after the pyrolysis steps. The additional improvement was observed after etching and performing the second pyrolysis. A similar trend was seen in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), in which the power output increased from 167 ± 2 μW cm-2 to 214 ± 5 μW cm-2. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to evaluate surface chemistry of catalysts obtained after each synthetic step. The changes in chemical composition were directly correlated with the improvements in performance. We report outstanding reproducibility in both composition and performance among the three different batches.

Radiation catalytical effects in the pre-irradiated and thermally treated catalyst BASF K-3-10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motl, A.

1987-01-01

The effects of different heat treatment methods on radiation catalysis, induced by pre-irradiation of the BASF K-3-10 catalyst by γ- or β-radiation or by fast neutrons were investigated. It was found that calcination of the irradiated non-reduced catalyst resulted in a strong decrease in or even a total disappearance of the final radiation catalytical effects; however, at the same time the catalytical activity of the unirradiated catalyst was found to increase. The calcination of the catalyst in a nitrogen atmosphere after reduction also led to a substantial decrease in the resulting positive radiation catalytical effects and the exceedance of a certain calcination temperature also resulted in a decrease in the unirradiated catalyst activity. It could be concluded that calcination in nitrogen of the reduced irradiated samples decreased the radiation catalytical effects to a lesser degree than the calcination in the air of the non-reduced irradiated samples. In both cases, a different thermal stability of effects induced by different types of ionizing radiation was observed and it was found that it increased in the sequence beta radiation - gamma radiation - fast neutrons. The investigation of the γ radiation dose dependence of the radiation catalytical effect on the catalyst calcined before irradiation in the presence of air showed that the final radiation catalytical effects were lower than those observed in case of similarly irradiated but non-calcined samples. The dose dependence of the effect had the same character in both cases. (author). 3 tabs., 8 refs

Study of the effect of wind speed on evaporation from soil through integrated modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer and shallow subsurface.

Science.gov (United States)

Davarzani, Hossein; Smits, Kathleen; Tolene, Ryan M; Illangasekare, Tissa

2014-01-01

In an effort to develop methods based on integrating the subsurface to the atmospheric boundary layer to estimate evaporation, we developed a model based on the coupling of Navier-Stokes free flow and Darcy flow in porous medium. The model was tested using experimental data to study the effect of wind speed on evaporation. The model consists of the coupled equations of mass conservation for two-phase flow in porous medium with single-phase flow in the free-flow domain under nonisothermal, nonequilibrium phase change conditions. In this model, the evaporation rate and soil surface temperature and relative humidity at the interface come directly from the integrated model output. To experimentally validate numerical results, we developed a unique test system consisting of a wind tunnel interfaced with a soil tank instrumented with a network of sensors to measure soil-water variables. Results demonstrated that, by using this coupling approach, it is possible to predict the different stages of the drying process with good accuracy. Increasing the wind speed increases the first stage evaporation rate and decreases the transition time between two evaporative stages (soil water flow to vapor diffusion controlled) at low velocity values; then, at high wind speeds the evaporation rate becomes less dependent on the wind speed. On the contrary, the impact of wind speed on second stage evaporation (diffusion-dominant stage) is not significant. We found that the thermal and solute dispersion in free-flow systems has a significant influence on drying processes from porous media and should be taken into account.

Study of the Effect of Turbulence and Large Obstacles on the Evaporation from Bare Soil Surface through Coupled Free-flow and Porous-medium Flow Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, B.; Smits, K. M.

2017-12-01

Evaporation is a strongly coupled exchange process of mass, momentum and energy between the atmosphere and the soil. Several mechanisms influence evaporation, such as the atmospheric conditions, the structure of the soil surface, and the physical properties of the soil. Among the previous studies associated with evaporation modeling, most efforts use uncoupled models which simplify the influences of the atmosphere and soil through the use of resistance terms. Those that do consider the coupling between the free flow and porous media flow mainly consider flat terrain with grain-scale roughness. However, larger obstacles, which may form drags or ridges allowing normal convective air flow through the soil, are common in nature and may affect the evaporation significantly. Therefore, the goal of this work is to study the influence of large obstacles such as wavy surfaces on the flow behavior within the soil and exchange processes to the atmosphere under turbulent free-flow conditions. For simplicity, the soil surface with large obstacles are represented by a simple wavy surface. To do this, we modified a previously developed theory for two-phase two-component porous-medium flow, coupling it to single-phase two-component turbulent flow to simulate and analyze the evaporation from wavy soil surfaces. Detailed laboratory scale experiments using a wind tunnel interfaced with a porous media tank were carried out to test the modeling results. The characteristics of turbulent flow across a permeable wavy surface are discussed. Results demonstrate that there is an obvious recirculation zone formed at the surface, which is special because of the accumulation of water vapor and the thicker boundary layer in this area. In addition, the influences of both the free flow and porous medium on the evaporation are also analyzed. The porous medium affects the evaporation through the amount of water it can provide to the soil surface; while the atmosphere influences the evaporation

Characterization of thermally evaporated lead iodide films aimed for the detection of X-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldeira Filho, A.M.; Mulato, M.

2011-01-01

Some semiconductor materials such as lead iodide (PbI 2 ) have applications in the detection of ionizing radiation at room temperature using the direct detection method. In this work we investigate lead iodide films deposited by thermal evaporation. The morphology, structure, and electric properties were investigated as a function of deposition height, i.e. the distance between evaporation-boat and substrates. The results show a morphology of vertical leaves and X-ray diffraction shows just one preferential orientation along the direction 110. Energy dispersive spectroscopy reveals that the films are not stoichiometric, with excess iodine atoms. Electrical resistivity of about 10 8 Ω cm was measured. This is smaller than for the bulk due to structural defects. The values of activation energy for electric transport increase from 0.52 up to 1.1 eV with decreasing deposition height, what indicates that the best film is the one deposited at the shortest distance. Exposure under X-ray mammographic energy shows a linear behavior up to 500 mR. No variation in sensibility was observed between 22 and 30 kVp.

Self-excited hydrothermal waves in evaporating sessile drops

Science.gov (United States)

Sefiane, K.; Moffat, J. R.; Matar, O. K.; Craster, R. V.

2008-08-01

Pattern formation driven by the spontaneous evaporation of sessile drops of methanol, ethanol, and FC-72 using infrared thermography is observed and, in certain cases, interpreted in terms of hydrothermal waves. Both methanol and ethanol drops exhibit thermal wave trains, whose wave number depends strongly on the liquid volatililty and substrate thermal conductivity. The FC-72 drops develop cellular structures whose size is proportional to the local thickness. Prior to this work, hydrothermal waves have been observed in the absence of evaporation in shallow liquid layers subjected to an imposed temperature gradient. In contrast, here both the temperature gradients and the drop thickness vary spatially and temporally and are a natural consequence of the evaporation process.

Understanding the performance and mechanism of Mg-containing oxides as support catalysts in the thermal dry reforming of methane.

Science.gov (United States)

Khairudin, Nor Fazila; Sukri, Mohd Farid Fahmi; Khavarian, Mehrnoush; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman

2018-01-01

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is one of the more promising methods for syngas (synthetic gas) production and co-utilization of methane and carbon dioxide, which are the main greenhouse gases. Magnesium is commonly applied in a Ni-based catalyst in DRM to improve catalyst performance and inhibit carbon deposition. The aim of this review is to gain better insight into recent developments on the use of Mg as a support or promoter for DRM catalysts. Its high basicity and high thermal stability make Mg suitable for introduction into the highly endothermic reaction of DRM. The introduction of Mg as a support or promoter for Ni-based catalysts allows for good metal dispersion on the catalyst surface, which consequently facilitates high catalytic activity and low catalyst deactivation. The mechanism of DRM and carbon formation and reduction are reviewed. This work further explores how different constraints, such as the synthesis method, metal loading, pretreatment, and operating conditions, influence the dry reforming reactions and product yields. In this review, different strategies for enhancing catalytic activity and the effect of metal dispersion on Mg-containing oxide catalysts are highlighted.

Drop evaporation and triple line dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Sobac, Benjamin; Brutin, David; Gavillet, Jerome; Université de Provence Team; Cea Liten Team

2011-03-01

Sessile drop evaporation is a phenomenon commonly came across in nature or in industry with cooling, paintings or DNA mapping. However, the evaporation of a drop deposited on a substrate is not completely understood due to the complexity of the problem. Here we investigate, with several nano-coating of the substrate (PTFE, SiOx, SiOc and CF), the influence of the dynamic of the triple line on the evaporation process. The experiment consists in analyzing simultaneously the motion of the triple line, the kinetics of evaporation, the internal thermal motion and the heat and mass transfer. Measurements of temperature, heat-flux and visualizations with visible and infrared cameras are performed. The dynamics of the evaporative heat flux appears clearly different depending of the motion of the triple line

Electrochemical behaviour of PES ionomer and Pt-free catalyst for PEMFCs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

STEFANIA GIORDANO

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs represent promising technologies to the world economy, with many applications and low environmental impact. A most important aspect concerning their widespread implementation is the cost of polymeric membranes, typically perfluorinated membranes and platinum-based catalytic electrode materials, all of which are necessary to promote electrode reactions, thus increasing fuel cell energy efficiency. In this work, we present some data about non-fluorinated polyetheresulphone (PES membranes and Pt-free catalysts, as possible substitutes of the above materials. Their electrochemical behaviour in oxygen reduction reaction in acidic media are investigated and compared with available reference materials.

A new magnetically recoverable catalyst promoting the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine and polyhydroquinoline derivatives via the Hantzsch condensation under solvent-free conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taheri, Narges; Heidarizadeh, Fariba; Kiasat, Alireza

2017-04-15

In the current study, 1,4-dihydropyridine and polyhydroquinoline derivatives were efficiently synthesized under solvent-less conditions with a magnetic catalyst containing novel acidic ionic liquid functionalized silica modified Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles through a four component combination of β-ketoester, aldehydes and ammonium acetate (1, 2, 2). Several approaches have been reported for synthesizing these derivatives, while each of these approaches have some weaknesses including long time of reaction, excess of volatile organic solvent, low efficiency, costly reagents, complex operation, high temperatures, production of a number of side products, and difficult catalyst recovery. The simple operation, short time of reaction (5–30 min) and the high efficiency (80–94%) are the special advantages of this technique. The immobilized catalyst exhibited an appropriate thermal stability and excellent recyclability. Different methods such as FT-IR, SEM, EDX, TGA-DTA, and VSM were used to confirm and characterize the catalyst. - Highlights: • A new acidic ionic liquid were first synthesized and applied in both symmetric and asymmetric hantzsch reactions for preparing 1, 4-dihydropyridine and polyhydroquinoline derivatives with high efficiencies under solvent-less conditions. • The immobilized catalyst exhibited an appropriate thermal stability and excellent recyclability. • The nanomagnetic catalyst could be recovered from solution with an external magnet at once, allowing undemanding recovery and reuse. • The catalyst was reused for five times with no considerable decrease in catalytic activity.

Solvent-free Hydrodeoxygenation of Bio-oil Model Compounds Cyclopentanone and Acetophenone over Flame-made Bimetallic Pt-Pd/ZrO2 Catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yijiao; Büchel, Robert; Huang, Jun; Krumeich, Frank; Pratsinis, Sotiris E.; Baiker, Alfons

2013-01-01

Bimetallic Pt-Pd/ZrO2 catalysts with different Pt/Pd atomic ratio and homogeneous dispersion of the metal nanoparticles were prepared in a single step by flame-spray pyrolysis. The catalysts show high activity and tuneable product selectivity for the solvent-free hydrodeoxygenation of the bio-oil model compounds cyclopentanone and acetophenone. PMID:22674738

I2/K2CO3: An efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 5-aryl-2,6-dicyano ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Molecular iodine in the presence of potassium carbonate has been found to be an efficient and eco- friendly catalyst for the synthesis of polysubstituted dicyanoanilines from aldehydes, acetone and malononitrile under solvent-free thermal condition. The experimental procedure is simple, includes shorter reaction ...

Reaction kinetics of free fatty acids esterification in palm fatty acid distillate using coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayat, Arif; Rochmadi, Wijaya, Karna; Budiman, Arief

2015-12-01

Recently, a new strategy of preparing novel carbon-based solid acids has been developed. In this research, the esterification reactions of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) with methanol, using coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalyst from biomass wastes as catalyst, were studied. In this study, the coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalysts were synthesized by sulfonating the coconut shell biochar using concentrated H2SO4. The kinetics of free fatty acid (FFA) esterification in PFAD using a coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalyst was also studied. The effects of the mass ratio of catalyst to oil (1-10%), the molar ratio of methanol to oil (6:1-12:1), and the reaction temperature (40-60°C) were studied for the conversion of PFAD to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimal conditions were an methanol to PFAD molar ratio of 12:1, the amount of catalyst of 10%w, and reaction temperature of 60°C. The proposed kinetic model shows a reversible second order reaction and represents all the experimental data satisfactorily, providing deeper insight into the kinetics of the reaction.

Direct observation of free-exciton thermalization in quantum-well structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Umlauff, M.; Hoffmann, J.; Kalt, H.

1998-01-01

We report on a direct observation of free-exciton thermalization in quantum-well structures. A narrow energy distribution of free 1s excitons is created in ZnSe-based quantum wells by emission of one LO phonon after optical excitation of the continuum stales with picosecond laser pulses. The subs......We report on a direct observation of free-exciton thermalization in quantum-well structures. A narrow energy distribution of free 1s excitons is created in ZnSe-based quantum wells by emission of one LO phonon after optical excitation of the continuum stales with picosecond laser pulses...

The anomalous low temperature resistivity of thermally evaporated α-Mn thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ampong, F.K.; Boakye, F.; Nkum, R.K.

2010-01-01

Electrical resistivity measurements have been carried out on thermally evaporated α-Mn thin film between 300 and 1.4 K using the van der Pauw four probe technique. The film was grown on a glass substrate held at a temperature of 373 K, in an ambient pressure of 5x10 -6 Torr. The results show a resistance minimum, a notable characteristic of α-Mn but at a (rather high) temperature of 194±1 K. Below the resistivity maximum which corresponds to 70 K, the resistivity drops by only 0.02 μΩm indicating a rather short range magnetic ordering. The low temperature results show a tendency towards saturation of the resistivity as the temperature approaches zero suggesting a Kondo scattering.

The anomalous low temperature resistivity of thermally evaporated alpha-Mn thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ampong, F.K., E-mail: kampxx@yahoo.co [Department of Physics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana); Boakye, F.; Nkum, R.K. [Department of Physics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana)

2010-08-15

Electrical resistivity measurements have been carried out on thermally evaporated alpha-Mn thin film between 300 and 1.4 K using the van der Pauw four probe technique. The film was grown on a glass substrate held at a temperature of 373 K, in an ambient pressure of 5x10{sup -6} Torr. The results show a resistance minimum, a notable characteristic of alpha-Mn but at a (rather high) temperature of 194+-1 K. Below the resistivity maximum which corresponds to 70 K, the resistivity drops by only 0.02 muOMEGAm indicating a rather short range magnetic ordering. The low temperature results show a tendency towards saturation of the resistivity as the temperature approaches zero suggesting a Kondo scattering.

Chloro-benquinone Modified on Graphene Oxide as Metal-free Catalyst: Strong Promotion of Hydroxyl Radical and Generation of Ultra-Small Graphene Oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, He; Wang, Juehua; Zhang, Di; Dai, Qin; Han, Qingzhen; Du, Penghui; Liu, Chenming; Xie, Yongbing; Zhang, Yi; Cao, Hongbin; Fan, Zhuangjun

2017-03-01

Carbon-based metal-free catalyst has attracted more and more attention. It is a big challenge to improve catalytic activity of metal-free catalyst for decomposition of H2O2 to produce hydroxyl radical (HO•). Here, we report chloro-benquinone (TCBQ) modified on graphene oxide (GO) as metal-free catalyst for strong promotion of HO•. By the incorporation of GO, the HO• production by H2O2 and TCBQ is significantly promoted. Based on density functional theory, TCBQ modified GO (GO-TCBQ) is more prone to be nucleophilic attacked by H2O2 to yield HO• via electron transfer acceleration. Furthermore, the generated HO• can cut GO nanosheets into uniform ultra-small graphene oxide (USGO) through the cleavage of epoxy and C-C bonds. Interestingly, the damaged GO and in situ formed GO fragments can further enhance decomposition of H2O2 to produce HO•. Different from other catalytic processes, the GO-TCBQ metal-free catalysis process can be enhanced by GO itself, producing more HO•, and uniform USGO also can be generated. Thus, the metal free catalysis will be considered a fabrication method for uniform USGO, and may be extended to other fields including detoxifying organic pollutants and the application as disinfectants.

Hemoglobin-carbon nanotube derived noble-metal-free Fe5C2-based catalyst for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Vij, Varun; Tiwari, Jitendra N.; Lee, Wang-Geun; Yoon, Taeseung; Kim, Kwang S.

2016-02-01

High performance non-precious cathodic catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are vital for the development of energy materials and devices. Here, we report an noble metal free, Fe5C2 nanoparticles-studded sp2 carbon supported mesoporous material (CNTHb-700) as cathodic catalyst for ORR, which was prepared by pyrolizing the hybrid adduct of single walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and lyophilized hemoglobin (Hb) at 700 °C. The catalyst shows onset potentials of 0.92 V in 0.1 M HClO4 and in 0.1 M KOH which are as good as commercial Pt/C catalyst, giving very high current density of 6.34 and 6.69 mA cm-2 at 0.55 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), respectively. This catalyst has been confirmed to follow 4-electron mechanism for ORR and shows high electrochemical stability in both acidic and basic media. Catalyst CNTHb-700 possesses much higher tolerance towards methanol than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Highly efficient catalytic properties of CNTHb-700 could lead to fundamental understanding of utilization of biomolecules in ORR and materialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells for clean energy production.

Thermoelectric properties of V{sub 2}O{sub 5} thin films deposited by thermal evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, R.; Loureiro, J., E-mail: joa.loureiro@gmail.com; Nogueira, A.; Elangovan, E.; Pinto, J.V.; Veiga, J.P.; Busani, T.; Fortunato, E.; Martins, R.; Ferreira, I., E-mail: imf@fct.unl.pt

2013-10-01

This work reports the structural, optical, electrical and thermoelectric properties of vanadium pentoxide (V{sub 2}O{sub 5}) thin films deposited at room temperature by thermal evaporation on Corning glass substrates. A post-deposition thermal treatment up to 973 K under atmospheric conditions induces the crystallization of the as-deposited amorphous films with an orthorhombic V{sub 2}O{sub 5} phase with grain sizes around 26 nm. As the annealing temperature rises up to 773 K the electrical conductivity increases. The films exhibit thermoelectric properties with a maximum Seebeck coefficient of −218 μV/K and electrical conductivity of 5.5 (Ω m){sup −1}. All the films show NIR-Vis optical transmittance above 60% and optical band gap of 2.8 eV.

Solid-Liquid Interface Thermal Resistance Affects the Evaporation Rate of Droplets from a Surface: A Study of Perfluorohexane on Chromium Using Molecular Dynamics and Continuum Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Haoxue; Schlawitschek, Christiane; Katyal, Naman; Stephan, Peter; Gambaryan-Roisman, Tatiana; Leroy, Frédéric; Müller-Plathe, Florian

2017-05-30

We study the role of solid-liquid interface thermal resistance (Kapitza resistance) on the evaporation rate of droplets on a heated surface by using a multiscale combination of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and analytical continuum theory. We parametrize the nonbonded interaction potential between perfluorohexane (C 6 F 14 ) and a face-centered-cubic solid surface to reproduce the experimental wetting behavior of C 6 F 14 on black chromium through the solid-liquid work of adhesion (quantity directly related to the wetting angle). The thermal conductances between C 6 F 14 and (100) and (111) solid substrates are evaluated by a nonequilibrium molecular dynamics approach for a liquid pressure lower than 2 MPa. Finally, we examine the influence of the Kapitza resistance on evaporation of droplets in the vicinity of a three-phase contact line with continuum theory, where the thermal resistance of liquid layer is comparable with the Kapitza resistance. We determine the thermodynamic conditions under which the Kapitza resistance plays an important role in correctly predicting the evaporation heat flux.

Catalyst-free dehydrative α-alkylation of ketones with alcohols: green and selective autocatalyzed synthesis of alcohols and ketones.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Qing; Chen, Jianhui; Tian, Haiwen; Yuan, Xueqin; Li, Shuangyan; Zhou, Chongkuan; Liu, Jianping

2014-01-03

Direct dehydrative α-alkylation reactions of ketones with alcohols are now realized under simple, practical, and green conditions without using external catalysts. These catalyst-free autocatalyzed alkylation methods can efficiently afford useful alkylated ketone or alcohol products in a one-pot manner and on a large scale by CC bond formation of the in situ generated intermediates with subsequent controllable and selective Meerwein-Pondorf-Verley-Oppenauer-type redox processes. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Heavy metal evaporation kinetics in thermal waste treatment processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ludwig, Ch; Stucki, S; Schuler, A J [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1999-08-01

To investigate the evaporation kinetics of heavy metals, experiments were performed by conventional thermogravimetry and a new method using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The new method allows online measurements in time intervals that are typically below one minute. The evaporation of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn from synthetic mixtures and filter ashes from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) was of major interest. (author) 2 figs., 4 refs.

Growth Structural and Optical Properties of the Thermally Evaporated Tin Diselenide (SnSe2) Thin Films

OpenAIRE

R. Sachdeva1,; M. Sharma1,; A. Devi1,; U. Parihar1,; N. Kumar1,; N. Padha1,; C.J. Panchal

2011-01-01

Tin diselenide (SnSe2) compound was prepared by melt-quenching technique from its constituent elements. The phase structure and composition of the chemical constituents present in the bulk has been determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersion X-ray analysis (EDAX) respectively. SnSe2 thin films were grown using direct thermal evaporation of SnSe2 compound material on chemically cleaned glass substrate, which were held at different substrate temperatures. X-ray diffraction an...

Quantum Evaporation from Liquid 4He by Rotons

Science.gov (United States)

Hope, F. R.; Baird, M. J.; Wyatt, A. F. G.

1984-04-01

We have shown that rotons as well as phonons can evaporate 4He atoms in a single-quantum process. Measurements of the time of flight and the angular distribution of the evaporated atoms clearly distinguish between evaporation by phonons and rotons. The results indicate that energy and the parallel component of momentum are conserved at the free liquid surface.

Vacuum-thermal-evaporation: the route for roll-to-roll production of large-area organic electronic circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, D M

2015-01-01

Surprisingly little consideration is apparently being given to vacuum-evaporation as the route for the roll-to-roll (R2R) production of large-area organic electronic circuits. While considerable progress has been made by combining silicon lithographic approaches with solution processing, it is not obvious that these will be compatible with a low-cost, high-speed R2R process. Most efforts at achieving this ambition are directed at conventional solution printing approaches such as inkjet and gravure. This is surprising considering that vacuum-evaporation of organic semiconductors (OSCs) is already used commercially in the production of organic light emitting diode displays. Beginning from a discussion of the materials and geometrical parameters determining transistor performance and drawing on results from numerous publications, this review makes a case for vacuum-evaporation as an enabler of R2R organic circuit production. The potential of the vacuum route is benchmarked against solution approaches and found to be highly competitive. For example, evaporated small molecules tend to have higher mobility than printed OSCs. High resolution metal patterning on plastic films is already a low-cost commercial process for high-volume packaging applications. Similarly, solvent-free flash-evaporation and polymerization of thin films on plastic substrates is also a high-volume commercial process and has been shown capable of producing robust gate dielectrics. Reports of basic logic circuit elements produced in a vacuum R2R environment are reviewed and shown to be superior to all-solution printing approaches. Finally, the main issues that need to be resolved in order to fully develop the vacuum route to R2R circuit production are highlighted. (paper)

Effect of ambient hydrogen sulfide on the physical properties of vacuum evaporated thin films of zinc sulfide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Beer Pal [Department of Physics, C.C.S. University, Meerut 250004 (India)], E-mail: drbeerpal@gmail.com; Singh, Virendra [Forensic Science Laboratory, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi 110017 (India); Tyagi, R.C.; Sharma, T.P. [Department of Physics, C.C.S. University, Meerut 250004 (India)

2008-02-15

Evaporated thin films of zinc sulfide (ZnS) have been deposited in a low ambient atmosphere of hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S {approx}10{sup -4} Torr). The H{sub 2}S atmosphere was obtained by a controlled thermal decomposition of thiourea [CS(NH{sub 2}){sub 2}] inside the vacuum chamber. It has been observed that at elevated substrates temperature of about 200 deg. C helps eject any sulfur atoms deposited due to thermal decomposition of ZnS during evaporation. The zinc ions promptly recombine with H{sub 2}S to give better stoichiometry of the deposited films. Optical spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron micrographs depict the better crystallites and uniformity of films deposited by this technique. These deposited films were found to be more adherent to the substrates and are pinhole free, which is a very vital factor in device fabrication.

Ultrasonic promoted catalyst-free N-formylation of amines in neutral ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinod T. Kamble

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A catalyst-free, simple and efficient protocol for N-formylation of alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl amines with formic acid under ultrasonic irradiation at room temperature using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [Bmim]BF4 as a neutral medium is described.

Denton E-beam Evaporator #1

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Description:CORAL Name: E-Beam Evap 1This is a dual e-beam/thermal evaporator for the deposition of metal and dielectric thin films. Materials available are: Ag, Al,...

Film flow analysis for a vertical evaporating tube with inner evaporation and outer condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Il Seouk

2008-01-01

A numerical study for the flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics of the evaporating tube with the films flowing down on both the inside and outside tube walls has been carried out. The condensation occurs along the outside wall while the evaporation occurs at the free surface of the inside film. The transport equations for momentum and energy are parabolized by the boundary-layer approximation and solved by using the marching technique. The calculation domain of 2 film flow regions (evaporating and condensation films at the inside and outside tube wall respectively) and tube wall is solved simultaneously. The coupling technique for the problem with the 3 different regions and the 2 interfaces of them has been developed to calculated the temperature field. The velocity and temperature fields and the amount of the condensed and evaporated mass as well as the position where the evaporating film is completely dried out are successfully predicted for various inside pressures and inside film inlet flow rates

Enhancement in microstructural and optoelectrical properties of thermally evaporated CdTe films for solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Chander, Subhash; Dhaka, M. S.

2018-03-01

The optimization of microstructural and optoelectrical properties of a thin layer is an important step prior device fabrication process, so an enhancement in these properties of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films is reported in this communication. The films having thickness 450 nm and 850 nm were deposited on thoroughly cleaned glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates followed by annealing at 450 °C in air atmosphere. These films were characterized for microstructural and optoelectrical properties employing X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and source meter. The films found to be have zinc-blende cubic structure with preferred reflection (111) while the crystallographic parameters and direct energy band gap are strongly influenced by the film thickness. The surface morphology studies show that the films are uniform, smooth, homogeneous and nearly dense-packed as well as free from voids and pitfalls as where elemental analysis revealed the presence of Cd and Te element in the deposited films. The electrical analysis showed linear behavior of current with voltage while conductivity is decreased for higher thickness. The results show that the microstructural and optoelectrical properties of CdTe thin layer could be enhanced by varying thickness and films having higher thickness might be processed as promising absorber thin layer to the CdTe-based solar cells.

Thermocapillary flow about an evaporating meniscus

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, G. R.; Chung, T. J.

1992-01-01

The steady motion and thermal behavior of an evaporating superheated liquid in a small cavity bounded by isothermal sidewalls is examined. Scaling analyses and a two-dimensional finite element model are used to investigate the influence of thermocapillarity, buoyancy, and temperature-dependent mass flux on flowfield, interfacial heat transfer, and meniscus morphology. Numerical investigations indicate the existence of two counter-rotating cells symmetric about the cavity center. Results also show that evaporation tends to counteract this circulation by directing flow toward the hotter sidewalls. Although thermocapillarity and evaporation yield different flowfield distributions, both effects tend to increase interfacial temperature and heat transfer.

Effect of catalyst on melamine-formaldehyde organic aerogel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Zhipeng; Yang Xi; Fu Zhibing; Zhong Minglong; Wang Chaoyang; Ma Kangfu; Huang Xiaoli; Chang Lijuan

2013-01-01

A series of melamine-formaldehyde(MF) organic aerogel templates were prepared with different categories and concentration of catalyst. Their molecular structure, thermal stability and pore structure were tested by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and nitrogen adsorption. It is indicated that the type and concentration of catalyst do not affect molecular structure and thermal stability of the MF organic aerogel template. The specific surface area and pore volume of the MF organic aerogel template using Na 2 CO 3 as catalyst are higher than those using NaOH, NaHCO 3 as catalyst. When the ratio of the concentration of melamine to that of catalyst is 500, the specific surface area is maximized. (authors)

Growth and Characterization of Indium Doped ZnO Nano wires Using Thermal Evaporation Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrar Ismardi; Dee, C.F.; Majlis, B.Y.

2011-01-01

Indium doped ZnO nano wires were grown on silicon substrate using vapor thermal deposition method without using any catalyst. Morphological structures were extensively investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and show that the nano wires have uniformly hexagonal nano structures with diameters less than 100 nm and lengths from one to a few microns. The sample was measured for elemental composition with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Zn, In and O elements were found on the sample. XRD spectrum of indium doped ZnO nano wires revealed that the nano wires have a high crystalline structure. (author)

Hollow-Fiber Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator

Science.gov (United States)

Bue, Grant; Trevino, Luis; Tsioulos, Gus; Mitchell, Keith; Settles, Joseph

2013-01-01

The hollow-fiber spacesuit water membrane evaporator (HoFi SWME) is being developed to perform the thermal control function for advanced spacesuits and spacecraft to take advantage of recent advances in micropore membrane technology in providing a robust, heat-rejection device that is less sensitive to contamination than is the sublimator. After recent contamination tests, a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) micro porous hollow-fiber membrane was selected for prototype development as the most suitable candidate among commercial hollow-fiber evaporator alternatives. An innovative design that grouped the fiber layers into stacks, which were separated by small spaces and packaged into a cylindrical shape, was developed into a full-scale prototype for the spacesuit application. Vacuum chamber testing has been performed to characterize heat rejection as a function of inlet water temperature and water vapor back-pressure, and to show contamination resistance to the constituents expected to be found in potable water produced by the wastewater reclamation distillation processes. Other tests showed tolerance to freezing and suitability to reject heat in a Mars pressure environment. In summary, HoFi SWME is a lightweight, compact evaporator for heat rejection in the spacesuit that is robust, contamination- insensitive, freeze-tolerant, and able to reject the required heat of spacewalks in microgravity, lunar, and Martian environments. The HoFi is packaged to reject 810 W of heat through 800 hours of use in a vacuum environment, and 370 W in a Mars environment. The device also eliminates free gas and dissolved gas from the coolant loop.

Isotope Fractionation of Water During Evaporation Without Condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cappa, Christopher D.; Drisdell, Walter S.; Smith, Jared D.; Saykally, Richard J.; Cohen, Ronald C.

2005-01-01

The microscopic events engendering liquid water evaporation have received much attention over the last century, but remain incompletely understood. We present measurements of isotope fractionation occurring during free molecular evaporation from liquid microjets and show that the isotope ratios of evaporating molecules exhibit dramatic differences from equilibrium vapor values, strong variations with the solution deuterium mole fraction, and a clear temperature dependence. These results indicate the existence of an energetic barrier to evaporation and that the evaporation coefficient of water is less than unity. These new insights into water evaporation promise to advance our understanding of the processes that control the formation and lifetime of clouds in the atmosphere.

Transfer-free graphene synthesis on sapphire by catalyst metal agglomeration technique and demonstration of top-gate field-effect transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyoshi, Makoto; Arima, Yukinori; Kubo, Toshiharu; Egawa, Takashi; Mizuno, Masaya; Soga, Tetsuo

2015-01-01

Transfer-free graphene synthesis was performed on sapphire substrates by using the catalyst metal agglomeration technique, and the graphene film quality was compared to that synthesized on sputtered SiO 2 /Si substrates. Raman scattering measurements indicated that the graphene film on sapphire has better structural qualities than that on sputtered SiO 2 /Si substrates. The cross-sectional transmission microscopic study also revealed that the film flatness was drastically improved by using sapphire substrates instead of sputtered SiO 2 /Si substrates. These quality improvements seemed to be due the chemical and thermal stabilities of sapphire. Top-gate field-effect transistors were fabricated using the graphene films on sapphire, and it was confirmed that their drain current can be modulated with applied gate voltages. The maximum field-effect mobilities were estimated to be 720 cm 2 /V s for electrons and 880 cm 2 /V s for holes, respectively

Transfer-free graphene synthesis on sapphire by catalyst metal agglomeration technique and demonstration of top-gate field-effect transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyoshi, Makoto, E-mail: miyoshi.makoto@nitech.ac.jp; Arima, Yukinori; Kubo, Toshiharu; Egawa, Takashi [Research Center for Nano Device and Advanced Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Mizuno, Masaya [Research Center for Nano Device and Advanced Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Soga, Tetsuo [Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan)

2015-08-17

Transfer-free graphene synthesis was performed on sapphire substrates by using the catalyst metal agglomeration technique, and the graphene film quality was compared to that synthesized on sputtered SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates. Raman scattering measurements indicated that the graphene film on sapphire has better structural qualities than that on sputtered SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates. The cross-sectional transmission microscopic study also revealed that the film flatness was drastically improved by using sapphire substrates instead of sputtered SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates. These quality improvements seemed to be due the chemical and thermal stabilities of sapphire. Top-gate field-effect transistors were fabricated using the graphene films on sapphire, and it was confirmed that their drain current can be modulated with applied gate voltages. The maximum field-effect mobilities were estimated to be 720 cm{sup 2}/V s for electrons and 880 cm{sup 2}/V s for holes, respectively.

Evaporation rate of water in hydrophobic confinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Sumit; Debenedetti, Pablo G

2012-03-20

The drying of hydrophobic cavities is believed to play an important role in biophysical phenomena such as the folding of globular proteins, the opening and closing of ligand-gated ion channels, and ligand binding to hydrophobic pockets. We use forward flux sampling, a molecular simulation technique, to compute the rate of capillary evaporation of water confined between two hydrophobic surfaces separated by nanoscopic gaps, as a function of gap, surface size, and temperature. Over the range of conditions investigated (gaps between 9 and 14 Å and surface areas between 1 and 9 nm(2)), the free energy barrier to evaporation scales linearly with the gap between hydrophobic surfaces, suggesting that line tension makes the predominant contribution to the free energy barrier. The exponential dependence of the evaporation rate on the gap between confining surfaces causes a 10 order-of-magnitude decrease in the rate when the gap increases from 9 to 14 Å. The computed free energy barriers are of the order of 50 kT and are predominantly enthalpic. Evaporation rates per unit area are found to be two orders of magnitude faster in confinement by the larger (9 nm(2)) than by the smaller (1 nm(2)) surfaces considered here, at otherwise identical conditions. We show that this rate enhancement is a consequence of the dependence of hydrophobic hydration on the size of solvated objects. For sufficiently large surfaces, the critical nucleus for the evaporation process is a gap-spanning vapor tube.

Mechanochemical Solvent-Free and Catalyst-Free One-Pot Synthesis of Pyrano[2,3-d]Pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H-Diones with Quantitative Yields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Reza Naimi-Jamal

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Solvent-free synthesis of pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H-diones by ball-milling and without any catalyst is described. This method provides several advantages such as being environmentally friendly, using a simple workup procedure, and affording high yields.

A Pd/C-CeO2 Anode Catalyst for High-Performance Platinum-Free Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Hamish A; Lavacchi, Alessandro; Vizza, Francesco; Marelli, Marcello; Di Benedetto, Francesco; D'Acapito, Francesco; Paska, Yair; Page, Miles; Dekel, Dario R

2016-05-10

One of the biggest obstacles to the dissemination of fuel cells is their cost, a large part of which is due to platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts. Complete removal of Pt is a difficult if not impossible task for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM-FCs). The anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEM-FC) has long been proposed as a solution as non-Pt metals may be employed. Despite this, few examples of Pt-free AEM-FCs have been demonstrated with modest power output. The main obstacle preventing the realization of a high power density Pt-free AEM-FC is sluggish hydrogen oxidation (HOR) kinetics of the anode catalyst. Here we describe a Pt-free AEM-FC that employs a mixed carbon-CeO2 supported palladium (Pd) anode catalyst that exhibits enhanced kinetics for the HOR. AEM-FC tests run on dry H2 and pure air show peak power densities of more than 500 mW cm(-2) . © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of boat material on the structure, stoichiometry and optical properties of gallium sulphide films prepared by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, Pritty; Kumar, Sanjiv; Sahoo, N.K.

2015-01-01

The paper describes the deposition of thin films of gallium sulphide on soda-lime glass substrates by thermal evaporation of chemically synthesized powders consisting of gallium sulphide and gallium oxyhydroxide from a Mo or Ta boat and the evolution of their compositional, structural and optical properties on vacuum annealing. The films deposited from Mo or Ta boats possessed distinctly different properties. The Mo-boat evaporated pristine films were amorphous, transparent (α ∼ 10 3  cm −1 ) in visible region and had a direct band gap of about 3.2 eV. Vacuum annealing at 723 K brought about their crystallization predominantly into cubic γ-Ga 2 S 3 and a blue shift by about 0.2 eV. The Ta-boat evaporated pristine films were also amorphous but were absorbing (α ∼ 10 4  cm −1 ) and had a direct band gap of about 2.1 eV. These crystallized into hexagonal GaS and experienced a blue shift by more than 1.0 eV on vacuum annealing at 723 K. The dissimilar properties of the two kinds of films arose mainly from their different atomic compositions. The Mo-boat evaporated pristine films contained Ga and S in ∼1:1 atomic proportions while those prepared using Ta-boat were Ga rich which impaired their transmission characteristics. The former composition favoured the stabilization of S rich gallium sulphide (Ga 2 S 3 ) phase while the latter stabilised S deficient species, GaS. Besides inducing crystallization, vacuum annealing at 723 K also caused the diffusion of Ga in excess of atomic composition of the phase formed, into soda-lime glass which improved the optical transmission of the films. Gallium oxyhydroxide, an inevitable co-product of the chemical synthetic process, in the evaporant introduced oxygen and hydrogen impurities in the films which do not seem to significantly influence their optical properties. - Highlights: • Gallium sulphide films are prepared by thermal evaporation from a Mo or Ta boat. • Mo-boat prepared pristine film has Ga

Development of a model for spray evaporation based on droplet analysis

KAUST Repository

Chen, Q.

2016-08-20

Extreme flash evaporation occurs when superheated liquid is sprayed into a low pressure zone. This method has high potential to improve the performance of thermally-driven desalination plants. To enable a more in-depth understanding on flash evaporation of a superheated feed water spray, a theoretical model has been developed with key considerations given to droplet motion and droplet size distribution. The model has been validated against 14 experimental data sets from literature sources to within 12% discrepancy. This model is capable of accurately predicting the water productivity and thermal efficiency of existing spray evaporator under specific operating conditions. Employing this model, the effect of several design parameters on system performance was investigated. Key results revealed that smaller droplet enabled faster evaporation process while higher initial droplet velocity promoted water productivity. Thermal utilization marginally changes with the degree of superheat, which renders a quick design calculation of the brine temperature without the need for iterations. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Development of a model for spray evaporation based on droplet analysis

KAUST Repository

Chen, Q.; Thu, K.; Bui, T.D.; Li, Y.; Ng, Kim Choon; Chua, K.J.

2016-01-01

Extreme flash evaporation occurs when superheated liquid is sprayed into a low pressure zone. This method has high potential to improve the performance of thermally-driven desalination plants. To enable a more in-depth understanding on flash evaporation of a superheated feed water spray, a theoretical model has been developed with key considerations given to droplet motion and droplet size distribution. The model has been validated against 14 experimental data sets from literature sources to within 12% discrepancy. This model is capable of accurately predicting the water productivity and thermal efficiency of existing spray evaporator under specific operating conditions. Employing this model, the effect of several design parameters on system performance was investigated. Key results revealed that smaller droplet enabled faster evaporation process while higher initial droplet velocity promoted water productivity. Thermal utilization marginally changes with the degree of superheat, which renders a quick design calculation of the brine temperature without the need for iterations. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Numerical simulation of strong evaporation and condensation for plasma-facing materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunugi, T.; Yasuda, H.

1994-01-01

The thermal response of the divertor plate to the hard plasma disruptions had been analyzed numerically by the two dimensional transient heat transfer code. There are several studies of the vapor shielding effects on the thermal response to the plasma disruption. However, it was pointed out some discrepancies among the numerical results calculated by U.S., EC and Japan for the same disruption conditions by van der Laan. One of the authors studied the sensitivity of some parameters (i.e., the temperature dependency of the thermal properties, an evaporation coefficient and a saturated condensation ratio) of disruption erosion analysis. Though the authors expected that the variations in evaporation models lead to the large variety of the erosion, they gave no significant effects on the surface temperature, the evaporation and melt-layer thickness. In this paper, the authors will describe the development of the numerical simulation codes for the strong evaporation and condensation from the plasma facing materials (PFMs) such as carbon, tungsten and beryllium

Lipase biofilm deposited by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aronne, Antonio; Bloisi, Francesco; Calabria, Raffaela; Califano, Valeria; Depero, Laura E.; Fanelli, Esther; Federici, Stefania; Massoli, Patrizio; Vicari, Luciano R.M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A lipase film was deposited with Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation technique. • FTIR spectra show that laser irradiation do not damage lipase molecule. • Laser fluence controls the characteristics of complex structure generated by MAPLE. - Abstract: Lipase is an enzyme that finds application in biodiesel production and for detection of esters and triglycerides in biosensors. Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE), a technique derived from Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) for deposition of undamaged biomolecules or polymers, is characterized by the use of a frozen target obtained from a solution/suspension of the guest material (to be deposited) in a volatile matrix (solvent). The presence of the solvent avoids or at least reduces the potential damage of guest molecules by laser radiation but only the guest material reaches the substrate in an essentially solvent-free deposition. MAPLE can be used for enzymes immobilization, essential for industrial application, allowing the development of continuous processes, an easier separation of products, the reuse of the catalyst and, in some cases, enhancing enzyme properties (pH, temperature stability, etc.) and catalytic activity in non-aqueous media. Here we show that MAPLE technique can be used to deposit undamaged lipase and that the complex structure (due to droplets generated during extraction from target) of the deposited material can be controlled by changing the laser beam fluence

Lipase biofilm deposited by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aronne, Antonio [Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production, University of Naples “Federico II”, Napoli (Italy); Bloisi, Francesco, E-mail: bloisi@na.infn.it [SPIN – CNR, Naples (Italy); Department of Physics, University of Naples “Federico II”, Napoli (Italy); Calabria, Raffaela; Califano, Valeria [Istituto Motori – CNR, Naples (Italy); Depero, Laura E. [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia (Italy); Fanelli, Esther [Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production, University of Naples “Federico II”, Napoli (Italy); Federici, Stefania [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia (Italy); Massoli, Patrizio [Istituto Motori – CNR, Naples (Italy); Vicari, Luciano R.M. [SPIN – CNR, Naples (Italy); Department of Physics, University of Naples “Federico II”, Napoli (Italy)

2015-05-01

Highlights: • A lipase film was deposited with Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation technique. • FTIR spectra show that laser irradiation do not damage lipase molecule. • Laser fluence controls the characteristics of complex structure generated by MAPLE. - Abstract: Lipase is an enzyme that finds application in biodiesel production and for detection of esters and triglycerides in biosensors. Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE), a technique derived from Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) for deposition of undamaged biomolecules or polymers, is characterized by the use of a frozen target obtained from a solution/suspension of the guest material (to be deposited) in a volatile matrix (solvent). The presence of the solvent avoids or at least reduces the potential damage of guest molecules by laser radiation but only the guest material reaches the substrate in an essentially solvent-free deposition. MAPLE can be used for enzymes immobilization, essential for industrial application, allowing the development of continuous processes, an easier separation of products, the reuse of the catalyst and, in some cases, enhancing enzyme properties (pH, temperature stability, etc.) and catalytic activity in non-aqueous media. Here we show that MAPLE technique can be used to deposit undamaged lipase and that the complex structure (due to droplets generated during extraction from target) of the deposited material can be controlled by changing the laser beam fluence.

Direct atomic-level insight into the active sites of a high-performance PGM-free ORR catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Hoon T.; Cullen, David A.; Higgins, Drew; Sneed, Brian T.; Holby, Edward F.; More, Karren L.; Zelenay, Piotr

2017-08-01

Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have emerged as a promising alternative to their costly platinum (Pt)-based counterparts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) but still face some major challenges, including (i) the identification of the most relevant catalytic site for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and (ii) demonstration of competitive PEFC performance under automotive-application conditions in the hydrogen (H2)-air fuel cell. Herein, we demonstrate H2-air performance gains achieved with an iron-nitrogen-carbon catalyst synthesized with two nitrogen precursors that developed hierarchical porosity. Current densities recorded in the kinetic region of cathode operation, at fuel cell voltages greater than ~0.75 V, were the same as those obtained with a Pt cathode at a loading of 0.1 milligram of Pt per centimeter squared. The proposed catalytic active site, carbon-embedded nitrogen-coordinated iron (FeN4), was directly visualized with aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the contributions of these active sites associated with specific lattice-level carbon structures were explored computationally.

Tungsten carbide/porous carbon composite as superior support for platinum catalyst toward methanol electro-oxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Liming; Fu, Honggang; Wang, Lei; Mu, Guang; Jiang, Baojiang; Zhou, Wei; Wang, Ruihong

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: The WC nanoparticles are well dispersed in the carbon matrix. The size of WC nanoparticles is about 30 nm. It can be concluded that tungsten carbide and carbon composite was successfully prepared by the present synthesis conditions. - Highlights: • The WC/PC composite with high specific surface area was prepared by a simple way. • The Pt/WC/PC catalyst has superior performance toward methanol electro-oxidation. • The current density for methanol electro-oxidation is as high as 595.93 A g −1 Pt. • The Pt/WC/PC catalyst shows better durability and stronger CO electro-oxidation. • The performance of Pt/WC/PC is superior to the commercial Pt/C (JM) catalyst. - Abstract: Tungsten carbide/porous carbon (WC/PC) composites have been successfully synthesized through a surfactant assisted evaporation-induced-assembly method, followed by a thermal treatment process. In particular, WC/PC-35-1000 composite with tungsten content of 35% synthesized at the carbonized temperature of 1000 °C, exhibited a specific surface area (S BET ) of 457.92 m 2 g −1 . After loading Pt nanoparticles (NPs), the obtained Pt/WC/PC-35-1000 catalyst exhibits the highest unit mass electroactivity (595.93 A g −1 Pt) toward methanol electro-oxidation, which is about 2.6 times as that of the commercial Pt/C (JM) catalyst. Furthermore, the Pt/WC/PC-35-1000 catalyst displays much stronger resistance to CO poisoning and better durability toward methanol electrooxidation compared with the commercial Pt/C (JM) catalyst. The high electrocatalytic activity, strong poison-resistivity and good stability of Pt/WC/PC-35-1000 catalyst are attributed to the porous structures and high specific surface area of WC/PC support could facilitate the rapid mass transportation. Moreover, synergistic effect between WC and Pt NPs is favorable to the higher catalytic performance

Effects of water on the esterification of free fatty acids by acid catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Ji-Yeon; Kim, Deog-Keun; Lee, Jin-Suk [Korea Institute of Energy Research, 71-2, Jang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-343 (Korea); Wang, Zhong-Ming [Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, No. 2 Nengyuan Rd, Wushan, Tianhe, Guangzhou 510-640 (China)

2010-03-15

To maximize the production of biodiesel from soybean soapstock, the effects of water on the esterification of high-FFA (free fatty acid) oils were investigated. Oleic acid and high acid acid oil (HAAO) were esterified by reaction with methanol in the presence of Amberlyst-15 as a heterogeneous catalyst or sulfuric acid as a homogeneous catalyst. The yield of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was studied at oil to methanol molar ratios of 1:3 and 1:6 and reaction temperatures of 60 and 80 C. The rate of esterification of oleic acid significantly decreased as the initial water content increased to 20% of the oil. The activity of Amberlyst-15 decreased more rapidly than that of sulfuric acid, due to the direct poisoning of acid sites by water. Esterification using sulfuric acid was not affected by water until there was a 5% water addition at a 1:6 molar ratio of oil to methanol. FAME content of HAAO prepared from soapstock rapidly increased for the first 30 min of esterification. Following the 30-min mark, the rate of FAME production decreased significantly due to the accumulation of water. When methanol and Amberlyst-15 were removed from the HAAO after 30 min of esterification and fresh methanol and a catalyst were added, the time required to reach 85% FAME content was reduced from 6 h to 1.8 h. (author)

Pt-Fe catalyst nanoparticles supported on single-wall carbon nanotubes: Direct synthesis and electrochemical performance for methanol oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiaohui; Luo, Liqiang; Zhu, Limei; Yu, Liming; Sheng, Leimei; An, Kang; Ando, Yoshinori; Zhao, Xinluo

2013-11-01

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) supported Pt-Fe nanoparticles have been prepared by one-step hydrogen arc discharge evaporation of carbon electrode containing both Pt and Fe metal elements. The formation of SWCNTs and Pt-Fe nanoparticles occur simultaneously during the evaporation process. High-temperature hydrogen treatment and hydrochloric acid soaking have been carried out to purify and activate those materials in order to obtain a new type of Pt-Fe/SWCNTs catalyst for methanol oxidation. The Pt-Fe/SWCNTs catalyst performs much higher electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation, better stability and better durability than a commercial Pt/C catalyst according to the electrochemical measurements, indicating that it has a great potential for applications in direct methanol fuel cells.

Photolithography-free fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes for lighting applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, I H; Shin, D C; Park, J W

2013-01-01

We investigate the photolithography-free fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for lighting applications with an attempt to embed the deposition and patterning process of an indium–tin–oxide (ITO) anode and insulating layer into an in-line-type organic evaporation system. This scheme inevitably brings in leakage current induced by the spike-like surface of ITO. To suppress it, we cover the ITO edges with three different insulation materials (i.e. sputter-deposited inorganic Al 2 O 3 thin film, monomer (polymer) thin film deposited by organic acrylate evaporation or thermally evaporated organic insulation layer (tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq 3 ))). Although small-molecule organic insulation materials that can be thermally evaporated are the most suitable for such a cost-effective fabrication process, yet their insulation capability is low due to the carrier transporting property. In this paper, we demonstrate that it can be boosted to a great extent with an increase of their thickness. It is likely that pinholes existing on the Al 2 O 3 thin film act as leak channels, degrading the device performance. We also verify that the insulation capability of polymer fabricated by organic acrylate evaporation is just comparable with that of polyimide (PI) insulator patterned using a standard photolithography process. (paper)

Water evaporation in silica colloidal deposits.

Science.gov (United States)

Peixinho, Jorge; Lefèvre, Grégory; Coudert, François-Xavier; Hurisse, Olivier

2013-10-15

The results of an experimental study on the evaporation and boiling of water confined in the pores of deposits made of mono-dispersed silica colloidal micro-spheres are reported. The deposits are studied using scanning electron microscopy, adsorption of nitrogen, and adsorption of water through attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy. The evaporation is characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. Optical microscopy is used to observe the patterns on the deposits after evaporation. When heating at a constant rate and above boiling temperature, the release of water out of the deposits is a two step process. The first step is due to the evaporation and boiling of the surrounding and bulk water and the second is due to the desorption of water from the pores. Additional experiments on the evaporation of water from membranes having cylindrical pores and of heptane from silica deposits suggest that the second step is due to the morphology of the deposits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Part I: A Comparative Thermal Aging Study on the Regenerability of Rh/Al2O3 and Rh/CexOy-ZrO2 as Model Catalysts for Automotive Three Way Catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinghe Zheng

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The rhodium (Rh component in automotive three way catalysts (TWC experiences severe thermal deactivation during fuel shutoff, an engine mode (e.g., at downhill coasting used for enhancing fuel economy. In a subsequent switch to a slightly fuel rich condition, in situ catalyst regeneration is accomplished by reduction with H2 generated through steam reforming catalyzed by Rh0 sites. The present work reports the effects of the two processes on the activity and properties of 0.5% Rh/Al2O3 and 0.5% Rh/CexOy-ZrO2 (CZO as model catalysts for Rh-TWC. A very brief introduction of three way catalysts and system considerations is also given. During simulated fuel shutoff, catalyst deactivation is accelerated with increasing aging temperature from 800 °C to 1050 °C. Rh on a CZO support experiences less deactivation and faster regeneration than Rh on Al2O3. Catalyst characterization techniques including BET surface area, CO chemisorption, TPR, and XPS measurements were applied to examine the roles of metal-support interactions in each catalyst system. For Rh/Al2O3, strong metal-support interactions with the formation of stable rhodium aluminate (Rh(AlO2y complex dominates in fuel shutoff, leading to more difficult catalyst regeneration. For Rh/CZO, Rh sites were partially oxidized to Rh2O3 and were relatively easy to be reduced to active Rh0 during regeneration.

Low platinum catalyst and method of preparation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Di-Jia; Chong, Lina

2017-11-21

A low platinum catalyst and method for making same. The catalyst comprises platinum-transition metal bimetallic alloy microcrystallites over a transition metal-nitrogen-carbon composite. A method of making a catalyst comprises preparation of transition metal organic frameworks, infusion of platinum, thermal treatment, and reduction to form the microcrystallites and composite.

Influences of surface and solvent on retention of HEMA/mixture components after evaporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Fernanda C P; Wang, Linda; Pereira, Lúcia C G; de Andrade e Silva, Safira M; Júnior, Luiz M; Carrilho, Marcela Rocha de Oliveira

2010-01-01

This study examined the retention of solvents within experimental HEMA/solvent primers after two conditions for solvent evaporation: from a free surface or from dentine surface. Experimental primers were prepared by mixing 35% HEMA with 65% water, methanol, ethanol or acetone (v/v). Aliquots of each primer (50 microl) were placed on glass wells or they were applied to the surface of acid-etched dentine cubes (2mm x 2mm x 2mm) (n=5). For both conditions (i.e. from free surface or dentine cubes), change in primers mass due to solvent evaporation was gravimetrically measured for 10min at 51% RH and 21 degrees C. The rate of solvent evaporation was calculated as a function of loss of primers mass (%) over time. Data were analysed by two-way ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls (pevaporation rate (%/min) depending on the solvent present in the primer and the condition for evaporation (from free surface or dentine cubes) (pevaporation for HEMA/acetone primer was almost 2- to 10-times higher than for HEMA/water primer depending whether evaporation occurred, respectively, from a free surface or dentine cubes. The rate of solvent evaporation varied with time, being in general highest at the earliest periods. The rate of solvent evaporation and its retention into HEMA/solvent primers was influenced by the type of the solvent and condition allowed for their evaporation.

Localised boundary air layer and clothing evaporative resistances for individual body segments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Faming; del Ferraro, Simona; Lin, Li-Yen; Sotto Mayor, Tiago; Molinaro, Vincenzo; Ribeiro, Miguel; Gao, Chuansi; Kuklane, Kalev; Holmér, Ingvar

2012-01-01

Evaporative resistance is an important parameter to characterise clothing thermal comfort. However, previous work has focused mainly on either total static or dynamic evaporative resistance. There is a lack of investigation of localised clothing evaporative resistance. The objective of this study was to study localised evaporative resistance using sweating thermal manikins. The individual and interaction effects of air and body movements on localised resultant evaporative resistance were examined in a strict protocol. The boundary air layer's localised evaporative resistance was investigated on nude sweating manikins at three different air velocity levels (0.18, 0.48 and 0.78 m/s) and three different walking speeds (0, 0.96 and 1.17 m/s). Similarly, localised clothing evaporative resistance was measured on sweating manikins at three different air velocities (0.13, 0.48 and 0.70 m/s) and three walking speeds (0, 0.96 and 1.17 m/s). Results showed that the wind speed has distinct effects on local body segments. In contrast, walking speed brought much more effect on the limbs, such as thigh and forearm, than on body torso, such as back and waist. In addition, the combined effect of body and air movement on localised evaporative resistance demonstrated that the walking effect has more influence on the extremities than on the torso. Therefore, localised evaporative resistance values should be provided when reporting test results in order to clearly describe clothing local moisture transfer characteristics. Localised boundary air layer and clothing evaporative resistances are essential data for clothing design and assessment of thermal comfort. A comprehensive understanding of the effects of air and body movement on localised evaporative resistance is also necessary by both textile and apparel researchers and industry.

In{sub 6}Se{sub 7} thin films by heating thermally evaporated indium and chemical bath deposited selenium multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ornelas, R.E.; Avellaneda, D. [Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon-66450 (Mexico); Shaji, S. [Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon-66450 (Mexico); Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon-CIIDIT, Apodaca, N.L (Mexico); Castillo, G.A.; Roy, T.K. Das [Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon-66450 (Mexico); Krishnan, B., E-mail: kbindu_k@yahoo.com [Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon-66450 (Mexico); Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon-CIIDIT, Apodaca, N.L (Mexico)

2012-05-15

Indium selenide (In{sub 6}Se{sub 7}) thin films were prepared via selenization of thermally evaporated indium thin films by dipping in sodium selenosulphate solution followed by annealing in nitrogen atmosphere. First, indium was thermally evaporated on glass substrate. Then, the indium coated glass substrates were dipped in a solution containing 80 ml 0.125 M sodium selenosulphate and 1.5 ml dilute acetic acid (25%) for 5 min. Glass/In-Se layers were annealed at 200-400 Degree-Sign C in nitrogen atmosphere (0.1 Torr) for 30 min. X-ray diffraction studies showed the formation of monoclinic In{sub 6}Se{sub 7}. Morphology of the thin films formed at different conditions was analyzed using Scanning electron microscopy. The elemental analysis was done using Energy dispersive X-ray detection. Electrical conductivity under dark and illumination conditions was evaluated. Optical band gap was computed using transmittance and reflectance spectra. The band gap value was in the range 1.8-2.6 eV corresponding to a direct allowed transition. We studied the effect of indium layer thickness and selenium deposition time on the structure, electrical and optical properties of In{sub 6}Se{sub 7} thin films.

The generalized heavy free gas thermalization operator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitcher, H.H.W.

1963-05-01

This paper gives an introduction to the generalized heavy free gas (Horowitz) thermalization operator, which is a device for simplifying thermalization calculations. Analytical, experimental,and numerical methods for determining the energy-dependent function f in the operator are discussed. The dependence of f on the nature of the moderator, its temperature, and the absorption of the system are investigated, using a program FOCS which derives f's from DSN (multigroup) thermal spectra; it is found that for most purposes the dependence on absorption is negligible except when Pu240 is present. The sensitivity of calculated spectra and reaction rate to changes in f is considered. f is given for graphite at 300 and 600 deg. K. (author)

Kinetics of methane decomposition to CO{sub x}-free hydrogen and carbon nanofiber over Ni-Cu/MgO catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borghei, Maryam; Karimzadeh, Ramin [Chemical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran (Iran); Rashidi, Alimorad; Izadi, Nosrat [Research Center of Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran (Iran)

2010-09-15

Kinetic modeling of methane decomposition to CO{sub x}-free hydrogen and carbon nanofiber has been carried out in the temperature range 550-650 C over Ni-Cu/MgO catalyst from CH{sub 4}-H{sub 2} mixtures at atmospheric pressure. Assuming the different mechanisms of the reaction, several kinetic models were derived based on Langmuir-Hinshelwood type. The optimum value of kinetic parameters has been obtained by Genetic Algorithm and statistical analysis has been used for the model discrimination. The suggested kinetic model relates to the mechanism when the dissociative adsorption of methane molecule is the rate-determining stage and the estimated activation energy is 50.4 kJ/mol in agreement with the literature. The catalyst deactivation was found to be dependent on the time, reaction temperature, and partial pressures of methane and hydrogen. Inspection of the behavior of the catalyst activity in relation to time, led to a model of second order for catalyst deactivation. (author)

Control of the Thermal Evaporation of Organic Semiconductors via Exact Linearization

OpenAIRE

Martin Steinberger; Martin Horn

2011-01-01

In this article, a high vacuum system for the evaporation of organic semiconductors is introduced and a mathematical model is given. Based on the exact input output linearization a deposition rate controller is designed and tested with different evaporation materials.

Investigation of Chirality Selection Mechanism of Single Walled Carbon Nanotube-3

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-14

termination. Fe ions were implanted into Al2O3 (10 nm) / SiO2 / Si wafer and then thin Fe film (1 nm) was deposited on the substrate by e-beam...for the growth of uniform and tall CNT forests. Introduction : The key lesson from the research of previous years’ is that maintaining the catalyst...catalyst preparation—physical vapor deposition (PVD) of a catalyst thin film on a substrate by thermal evaporation, e-beam evaporation, or sputtering

Heteroepitaxial Growth of Vacuum-Evaporated Si-Ge Films on Nano structured Silicon Substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayu Wazira Azhari; Ayu Wazira Azhari; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Saleem Hussain Zaidi

2015-01-01

In this study, a low-cost vacuum-evaporated technique is used in the heteroepitaxial growth of Si-Ge films. Three different surface variations are employed: for example polished Si, Si micro pyramids and Si nano pillars profiles. A simple metal-assisted chemical etching method is used to fabricate the Si nano pillars, with Ag acting as a catalyst. Following deposition, substrates are subjected to post-deposition thermal annealing at 1000 degree Celsius to improve the crystallinity of the Ge layer. Optical and morphological studies of surface area are conducted using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. From the infrared spectroscopy analysis, the energy bandgap for Si-Ge films is estimated to be around 0.94 eV. This high-quality Si-Ge film is most favourable for optics, optoelectronics and high-efficiency solar cell applications. (author)

The thermal conductivity of defect-free single-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pronevskij, A.G.; Tivanov, M.S.

2015-01-01

The heat conduction model of defect-free SWCNTs was proposed. This model is based on the known Debye's model for heat capacity and on the kinetic model for the phonon heat transfer that takes into account the length of SWCNTs due to redetermining of Debye's model for the case of nanoscale structures and also of the contribution made by phonon-phonon scattering on the basis of Clemens's formula. The length is considered in the context of parameterization of the lower integration frequency in the Debye formula. Based on this model, the dependences of the two-dimensional thermal conductivity of defect-free SWCNTs on their length and temperature were defined. It was found that the obtained temperature dependences of the two-dimensional thermal conductivity of defect-free SWCNTs have an obvious maximum slightly shifted on the temperature axis to higher temperatures with an increase in the length of SWCNTs. Particularly this aspect determines the effective temperature interval for the use of CNTs as heat-sink elements in nanoelectronic devices. The absolute value of a maximum at the curve for the two-dimensional thermal conductivity as a function of temperature is increased with the SWCNT length, gradually reaching saturation. Thermal conductivities for defect-free SWCNTs show insignificant differences as a function of their chirality ('zigzag' or 'armchair'). (authors)

A "catalyst switch" Strategy for the sequential metal-free polymerization of epoxides and cyclic Esters/Carbonate

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Junpeng

2014-06-24

A "catalyst switch" strategy was used to synthesize well-defined polyether-polyester/polycarbonate block copolymers. Epoxides (ethylene oxide and/or 1,2-butylene oxide) were first polymerized from a monoalcohol in the presence of a strong phosphazene base promoter (t-BuP4). Then an excess of diphenyl phosphate (DPP) was introduced, followed by the addition and polymerization of a cyclic ester (ε-caprolactone or δ-valerolactone) or a cyclic carbonate (trimethylene carbonate), where DPP acted as both the neutralizer of phosphazenium alkoxide (polyether chain end) and the activator of cyclic ester/carbonate. This work has provided a one-pot sequential polymerization method for the metal-free synthesis of block copolymers from monomers which are suited for different types of organic catalysts. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

A "catalyst switch" Strategy for the sequential metal-free polymerization of epoxides and cyclic Esters/Carbonate

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Junpeng; Pahovnik, David; Gnanou, Yves; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2014-01-01

A "catalyst switch" strategy was used to synthesize well-defined polyether-polyester/polycarbonate block copolymers. Epoxides (ethylene oxide and/or 1,2-butylene oxide) were first polymerized from a monoalcohol in the presence of a strong phosphazene base promoter (t-BuP4). Then an excess of diphenyl phosphate (DPP) was introduced, followed by the addition and polymerization of a cyclic ester (ε-caprolactone or δ-valerolactone) or a cyclic carbonate (trimethylene carbonate), where DPP acted as both the neutralizer of phosphazenium alkoxide (polyether chain end) and the activator of cyclic ester/carbonate. This work has provided a one-pot sequential polymerization method for the metal-free synthesis of block copolymers from monomers which are suited for different types of organic catalysts. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Ligh oil-gas cracking on zeolite-containing catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koval' chuk, L V; Takhmarova, G M; Topchieva, K V

1977-01-01

A comparative study was made of the activity of cation-decationized forms of zeolite-containing catalysts in the cracking of the kerosene-gas oil fraction. The greatest benzene yield was obtained at 400/sup 0/. Temperatures greater than that lead to a more intense cracking and to changes in the redistributive ability of the catalysts. An increase in the polyvalent cations was shown to have little effect on the activity of the thermally processed zeolite-containing catalysts but did lead to a reduction in the activity of the thermally processed samples. 5 tables, 6 references.

Synthesis of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil with large amounts of free fatty acids using a carbon-based solid acid catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, Qing; Gao, Jixian; Nawaz, Zeeshan; Liao, Yuhui; Wang, Dezheng; Wang, Jinfu [Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-08-15

A carbon-based solid acid catalyst was prepared by the sulfonation of carbonized vegetable oil asphalt. This catalyst was employed to simultaneously catalyze esterification and transesterification to synthesis biodiesel when a waste vegetable oil with large amounts of free fatty acids (FFAs) was used as feedstock. The physical and chemical properties of this catalyst were characterized by a variety of techniques. The maximum conversion of triglyceride and FFA reached 80.5 wt.% and 94.8 wt.% after 4.5 h at 220 C, when using a 16.8 M ratio of methanol to oil and 0.2 wt.% of catalyst to oil. The high catalytic activity and stability of this catalyst was related to its high acid site density (-OH, Broensted acid sites), hydrophobicity that prevented the hydration of -OH species, hydrophilic functional groups (-SO{sub 3}H) that gave improved accessibility of methanol to the triglyceride and FFAs, and large pores that provided more acid sites for the reactants. (author)

Multi-objective superstructure-free synthesis and optimization of thermal power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Ligang; Lampe, Matthias; Voll, Philip; Yang, Yongping; Bardow, André

2016-01-01

The merits of superstructure-free synthesis are demonstrated for bi-objective design of thermal power plants. The design of thermal power plants is complex and thus best solved by optimization. Common optimization methods require specification of a superstructure which becomes a tedious and error-prone task for complex systems. Superstructure specification is avoided by the presented superstructure-free approach, which is shown to successfully solve the design task yielding a high-quality Pareto front of promising structural alternatives. The economic objective function avoids introducing infinite numbers of units (e.g., turbine, reheater and feedwater preheater) as favored by pure thermodynamic optimization. The number of feasible solutions found per number of mutation tries is still high even after many generations but declines after introducing highly-nonlinear cost functions leading to challenging MINLP problems. The identified Pareto-optimal solutions tend to employ more units than found in modern power plants indicating the need for cost functions to reflect current industrial practice. In summary, the multi-objective superstructure-free synthesis framework is a robust approach for very complex problems in the synthesis of thermal power plants. - Highlights: • A generalized multi-objective superstructure-free synthesis framework for thermal power plants is presented. • The superstructure-free synthesis framework is comprehensively evaluated by complex bi-objective synthesis problems. • The proposed framework is effective to explore the structural design space even for complex problems.

A stability investigation of two-dimensional surface waves on evaporating, isothermal or condensing liquid films - Part I, Thermal non-equilibrium effects on wave velocity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chunxi, L.; Xuemin, Y.

2004-01-01

The temporal stability equation of the two-dimensional traveling waves of evaporating or condensing liquid films falling down on an inclined wall is established based on the Prandtl boundary layer theory and complete boundary conditions. The model indicates that the wave velocity is related to the effects of evaporating, isothermal and condensing states, thermo-capillarity, Reynolds number, fluid property and inclined angle, and the effects of above factors are distinctly different under different Reynolds numbers. The theoretical studies show that evaporation process induces the wave velocity to increase slightly compared with the isothermal case, and condensation process induces the wave velocity to decrease slightly. Furthermore, the wave velocity decreases because of the effects of thermo-capillarity under evaporation and increases because of the effects of thermo-capillarity under condensation. The effects of thermal non-equilibrium conditions have relatively obvious effects under lower Reynolds numbers and little effects under higher Reynolds numbers

Information-to-free-energy conversion: Utilizing thermal fluctuations.

Science.gov (United States)

Toyabe, Shoichi; Muneyuki, Eiro

2013-01-01

Maxwell's demon is a hypothetical creature that can convert information to free energy. A debate that has lasted for more than 100 years has revealed that the demon's operation does not contradict the laws of thermodynamics; hence, the demon can be realized physically. We briefly review the first experimental demonstration of Maxwell's demon of Szilard's engine type that converts information to free energy. We pump heat from an isothermal environment by using the information about the thermal fluctuations of a Brownian particle and increase the particle's free energy.

A practical and catalyst-free trifluoroethylation reaction of amines using trifluoroacetic acid

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Keith G.; Faizova, Radmila; Denton, Ross M.

2017-06-01

Amines are a fundamentally important class of biologically active compounds and the ability to manipulate their physicochemical properties through the introduction of fluorine is of paramount importance in medicinal chemistry. Current synthesis methods for the construction of fluorinated amines rely on air and moisture sensitive reagents that require special handling or harsh reductants that limit functionality. Here we report practical, catalyst-free, reductive trifluoroethylation reactions of free amines exhibiting remarkable functional group tolerance. The reactions proceed in conventional glassware without rigorous exclusion of either moisture or oxygen, and use trifluoroacetic acid as a stable and inexpensive fluorine source. The new methods provide access to a wide range of medicinally relevant functionalized tertiary β-fluoroalkylamine cores, either through direct trifluoroethylation of secondary amines or via a three-component coupling of primary amines, aldehydes and trifluoroacetic acid. A reduction of in situ-generated silyl ester species is proposed to account for the reductive selectivity observed.

OSU-6: A Highly Efficient, Metal-Free, Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Click Synthesis of 5-Benzyl and 5-Aryl-1H-tetrazoles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baskar Nammalwar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available OSU-6, an MCM-41 type hexagonal mesoporous silica with mild Brönsted acid properties, has been used as an efficient, metal-free, heterogeneous catalyst for the click synthesis of 5-benzyl and 5-aryl-1H-tetrazoles from nitriles in DMF at 90 °C. This catalyst offers advantages including ease of operation, milder conditions, high yields, and reusability. Studies are presented that demonstrate the robust nature of the catalyst under the optimized reaction conditions. OSU-6 promotes the 1,3-dipolar addition of azides to nitriles without significant degradation or clogging of the nanoporous structure. The catalyst can be reused up to five times without a significant reduction in yield, and it does not require treatment with acid between reactions.

Design and development of a split-evaporator heat-pump system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Somerville, M.H.; Penoncello, S.G.

1981-12-01

The designs and experimental results of three types of multiple source heat pumps are presented. The three designs are the parallel evaporator, the series evaporator, and the parallel evaporator with active subcooling, with the parallel evaporator with the active subcooling showing the most promise for solving the problem of defrosting of air evaporators. Three design procedures for multiple source heat pumps were developed. One of these is a hand calculational procedure, the others are computer based. The models are based upon the refrigerant flow rate, rather than the refrigeration effect of the evaporator. The technical results of a detailed analytical and experimental model of the heat transfer rates on a flat plate ice maker are presented. It is shown, both analytically and experimentally, that the temperature of the air surrounding the flat plate ice maker can play a dominant role in the rate of ice formation. A detailed weather analysis for forty cities located throughout the nation was completed. These data were processed to allow easy computation of thermal storage requirements for full, partial, or minimum ACES systems, or upon other design requirements, such as off-peak air conditioning. The results of an innovative ice storage system that is thermally coupled to the earth are described. This system has the potential for meeting both the off-peak air conditioning needs and the thermal storage requirements for the heating cycle. An economic and energy comparison of multiple source heat pumps with ACES, and air-to-air heat pump systems is presented.

Melt and vapor characteristics in an electron beam evaporator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blumenfeld, L.; Fleche, J.L.; Gonella, C.; Soubbaramayer

1994-12-31

Two different approaches have been compared for the calculation of the free surface temperature Ts in cerium or copper evaporation experiments: the first method considers properties of the melt: an empirical law is used to take into account turbulent thermal convection, instabilities and characterization of the free surface. The second method considers the vapor flow expansion and connects Ts to the measured terminal temperature and terminal mean parallel velocity of the vapor jet, by direct simulation Monte Carlo calculations including an atom-atom inelastic collision algorithm. The agreement between the two approaches is better for cerium than for copper in the high characterization case. The analysis, from the point of view of the properties of the melt, of the terminal parameters of the vapor jet for the high beam powers shows that Ts and the Knudsen number at the vapour source reach a threshold when the beam power increases. (author). 12 figs., 1 tab., 21 refs.

Fuel Evaporation in an Atmospheric Premixed Burner: Sensitivity Analysis and Spray Vaporization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dávid Csemány

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Calculation of evaporation requires accurate thermophysical properties of the liquid. Such data are well-known for conventional fossil fuels. In contrast, e.g., thermal conductivity or dynamic viscosity of the fuel vapor are rarely available for modern liquid fuels. To overcome this problem, molecular models can be used. Currently, the measurement-based properties of n-heptane and diesel oil are compared with estimated values, using the state-of-the-art molecular models to derive the temperature-dependent material properties. Then their effect on droplet evaporation was evaluated. The critical parameters were liquid density, latent heat of vaporization, boiling temperature, and vapor thermal conductivity where the estimation affected the evaporation time notably. Besides a general sensitivity analysis, evaporation modeling in a practical burner ended up with similar results. By calculating droplet motion, the evaporation number, the evaporation-to-residence time ratio can be derived. An empirical cumulative distribution function is used for the spray of the analyzed burner to evaluate evaporation in the mixing tube. Evaporation number did not exceed 0.4, meaning a full evaporation prior to reaching the burner lip in all cases. As droplet inertia depends upon its size, the residence time has a minimum value due to the phenomenon of overshooting.

Surface heterogeneity and ionization of Cs promoter in carbon-based ruthenium catalyst for ammonia synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotarba, Andrzej; Dmytrzyk, Jaromir; Rarog-Pilecka, Wioletta; Kowalczyk, Zbigniew

2003-01-01

Second-generation ammonia synthesis cesium-doped ruthenium catalyst supported on turbostratic carbon was investigated by the species resolved thermal alkali desorption method (SR-TAD). Energetic barriers for cesium ions (2.86 eV), ground state (1.96 eV) and electronically excited atoms (5.76 eV) desorbing from the Cs-Ru/C catalyst were determined. In the case of ruthenium-free Cs/C system, cesium desorbs as ground state atoms only, with an energy barrier of 2.87 eV. The work functions determined by the thermionic emission of electrons from Cs/C and Cs-Ru/C were of the same value (2.9 eV). It was concluded that ruthenium induces heterogeneous distribution of cesium on the catalyst surface. The promoter stability is reduced on low work function areas and its surface ionization on high work function areas opens the ionic desorption channel. The Cs desorption from the catalyst is discussed in terms of the literature data for the cesium/graphite system

Pattern-free thermal modulator via thermal radiation between Van der Waals materials

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xianglei; Shen, Jiadong; Xuan, Yimin

2017-10-01

Modulating heat flux provides a platform for a plethora of emerging devices such as thermal diodes, thermal transistors, and thermal memories. Here, a pattern-free noncontact thermal modulator is proposed based on the mechanical rotation between two Van der Waals films with optical axes parallel to the surfaces. A modulation contrast can reach a value higher than 5 for hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) films separated by a nanoscale gap distance. The dominant radiative heat exchange comes from the excitation of both Type I and Type II hyperbolic surface phonon polaritons (HSPhPs) at the vacuum-hBN interface for different orientations, while the large modulation contrast is mainly attributed to the mismatching Type I HSPhPs induced by rotation. This work opens the possibility to design cheap thermal modulators without relying on nanofabrication techniques, and paves the way to apply natural Van der Waals materials in manipulating heat currents in an active way.

Evaporation suppression from water reservoirs using floating covers: Lab scale observations and model predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Or, D.; Lehmann, P.; Aminzadeh, M.; Sommer, M.; Wey, H.; Wunderli, H.; Breitenstein, D.

2016-12-01

The competition over dwindling fresh water resources is expected to intensify with projected increase in human population in arid regions, expansion of irrigated land and changes in climate and drought patterns. The volume of water stored in reservoirs would also increase to mitigate seasonal shortages due to rainfall variability and to meet irrigation water needs. By some estimates up to half of the stored water is lost to evaporation thereby exacerbating the water scarcity problem. Recently, there is an upsurge in the use of self-assembling floating covers to suppress evaporation, yet the design, and implementation remain largely empirical. Studies have shown that evaporation suppression is highly nonlinear, as also known from a century of research on gas exchange from plant leaves (that often evaporate as free water surfaces through stomata that are only 1% of leaf area). We report a systematic evaluation of different cover types and external drivers (radiation, wind, wind+radiation) on evaporation suppression and energy balance of a 1.4 m2 basin placed in a wind-tunnel. Surprisingly, evaporation suppression by black and white floating covers (balls and plates) were similar despite significantly different energy balance regimes over the cover surfaces. Moreover, the evaporation suppression efficiency was a simple function of the uncovered area (square root of the uncovered fraction) with linear relations with the covered area in some cases. The thermally decoupled floating covers offer an efficient solution to the evaporation suppression with limited influence of the surface energy balance (water temperature for black and white covers was similar and remained nearly constant). The results will be linked with a predictive evaporation-energy balance model and issues of spatial scales and long exposure times will be studied.

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis over Iron Manganese Catalysts: Effect of Preparation and Operating Conditions on Catalyst Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali A. Mirzaei

2009-01-01

molar basis which is the most active catalyst for the conversion of synthesis gas to light olefins. The effects of different promoters and supports with loading of optimum support on the catalytic performance of catalysts are also studied. It was found that the catalyst containing 50%Fe/50%Mn/5 wt.%Al2O3 is an optimum-modified catalyst. The catalytic performance of optimal catalyst has been studied in operation conditions such as a range of reaction temperatures, H2/CO molar feed ratios and a range of total pressures. Characterization of both precursors and calcined catalysts is carried out by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, BET specific surface area and thermal analysis methods such as TGA and DSC.

Ion assisted deposition of thermally evaporated Ag and Al films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwangbo, C.K.; Lingg, L.J.; Lehan, J.P.; Macleod, H.A.; Makous, J.L.; Kim, S.Y.; University of Arizona, Physics Department, Tucson, Arizona 85721; Aju University, Physics Department, Suwon, Korea)

1989-01-01

Optical, electrical, and microstructural effects of Ar ion bombardment and Ar incorporation on thermally evaporated Ag and Al thin films are investigated. The results show that as the momentum supplied to the growing films by the bombarding ions per arriving metal atom increases, the refractive index at 632.8 nm increases and the extinction coefficient decreases, lattice spacing expands, grain size decreases, electrical resistivity increases, and trapped Ar increases slightly. In Ag films, stress reverses from tensile to compressive and in Al films compressive stress increases. In the Al films the change in optical constants can be explained by the variation in void volume. The reversal of stress from tensile to compressive in Ag films requires a threshold level of momentum. The increase in electrical resistivity is related to the decrease in grain size and increase in trapped Ar in both types of film. Many of these properties correlate well with the momentum transferred, suggesting that the momentum is an important physical parameter in describing the influence of ion beam on growing thin films and determining the characteristics of thin metal films prepared by ion assisted deposition

Effect of Ni-Co Ternary Molten Salt Catalysts on Coal Catalytic Pyrolysis Process

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xin; Qi, Cong; Li, Liang; Li, Yimin; Li, Song

2017-08-01

In order to facilitate efficient and clean utilization of coal, a series of Ni-Co ternary molten salt crystals are explored and the catalytic pyrolysis mechanism of Datong coal is investigated. The reaction mechanisms of coal are achieved by thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), and a reactive kinetic model is constructed. The microcosmic structure and macerals are observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The catalytic effects of ternary molten salt crystals at different stages of pyrolysis are analyzed. The experimental results show that Ni-Co ternary molten salt catalysts have the capability to bring down activation energy required by pyrolytic reactions at its initial phase. Also, the catalysts exert a preferable catalytic action on macromolecular structure decomposition and free radical polycondensation reactions. Furthermore, the high-temperature condensation polymerization is driven to decompose further with a faster reaction rate by the additions of Ni-Co ternary molten salt crystal catalysts. According to pyrolysis kinetic research, the addition of catalysts can effectively decrease the activation energy needed in each phase of pyrolysis reaction.

Copper phthalocyanine and metal free phthalocyanine bulk heterojunction photodetector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farooq, Amjad, E-mail: amjad.farooq1212@hotmail.com [Wah Engineering College, University of Wah, Wah Cantt. 47040 (Pakistan); GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23640, Swabi (Pakistan); Karimov, Kh.S. [GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23640, Swabi (Pakistan); Physical Technical Institute, Aini St. 299/1, Dushanbe 734063 (Tajikistan); Ahmed, Nisar; Ali, Taimoor [GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23640, Swabi (Pakistan); Khalid Alamgir, M. [National Institute of Vacuum Science and Technology, NCP complex, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Usman, Muhammad [Experimental Physics Laboratories, National Centre for Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan)

2015-01-15

In this study we present the dependence of electrical properties of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and metal free phthalocyanine (H{sub 2}Pc) bulk heterojunction structure under different illumination levels. To fabricate the device on ITO coated glass substrate the bulk heterojunction thin film of CuPc and H{sub 2}Pc with thickness varying from 100 nm to 300 nm are deposited by thermal evaporator. Aluminum thin film was deposited by thermal evaporation as a top contact. The optical properties of the fabricated device are investigated using UV–vis spectroscopy. The current-voltage characteristics in dark and under illumination show that the device is sensitive towards visible light. The absorption spectrum describes its photo sensitivity in the range of wavelength from 200 nm to 850 nm. Simulation of current-intensity of light curve is carried out and experimental results are found in good agreement with simulated ones.

Copper phthalocyanine and metal free phthalocyanine bulk heterojunction photodetector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farooq, Amjad; Karimov, Kh.S.; Ahmed, Nisar; Ali, Taimoor; Khalid Alamgir, M.; Usman, Muhammad

2015-01-01

In this study we present the dependence of electrical properties of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and metal free phthalocyanine (H 2 Pc) bulk heterojunction structure under different illumination levels. To fabricate the device on ITO coated glass substrate the bulk heterojunction thin film of CuPc and H 2 Pc with thickness varying from 100 nm to 300 nm are deposited by thermal evaporator. Aluminum thin film was deposited by thermal evaporation as a top contact. The optical properties of the fabricated device are investigated using UV–vis spectroscopy. The current-voltage characteristics in dark and under illumination show that the device is sensitive towards visible light. The absorption spectrum describes its photo sensitivity in the range of wavelength from 200 nm to 850 nm. Simulation of current-intensity of light curve is carried out and experimental results are found in good agreement with simulated ones

Evaporation and condensation devices for passive heat removal systems in nuclear power engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gershuni, A.N.; Pis'mennyj, E.N.; Nishchik, A.P.

2016-01-01

The paper justifies advantages of evaporation and condensation heat transfer devices as means of passive heat removal and thermal shielding in nuclear power engineering. The main thermophysical factors that limit heat transfer capacity of evaporation and condensation systems have been examined in the research. The results of experimental studies of heat engineering properties of elongated (8-m) vertically oriented evaporation and condensation devices (two-phase thermosyphons), which showed a high enough heat transfer capacity, as well as stability and reliability both in steady state and in start-up modes, are provided. The paper presents the examples of schematic designs of evaporation and condensation systems for passive heat removal and thermal shielding in application to nuclear power equipment

Snap evaporation of droplets on smooth topographies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Gary G; Ruiz-Gutiérrez, Élfego; Le Lirzin, Youen; Nourry, Anthony; Orme, Bethany V; Pradas, Marc; Ledesma-Aguilar, Rodrigo

2018-04-11

Droplet evaporation on solid surfaces is important in many applications including printing, micro-patterning and cooling. While seemingly simple, the configuration of evaporating droplets on solids is difficult to predict and control. This is because evaporation typically proceeds as a "stick-slip" sequence-a combination of pinning and de-pinning events dominated by static friction or "pinning", caused by microscopic surface roughness. Here we show how smooth, pinning-free, solid surfaces of non-planar topography promote a different process called snap evaporation. During snap evaporation a droplet follows a reproducible sequence of configurations, consisting of a quasi-static phase-change controlled by mass diffusion interrupted by out-of-equilibrium snaps. Snaps are triggered by bifurcations of the equilibrium droplet shape mediated by the underlying non-planar solid. Because the evolution of droplets during snap evaporation is controlled by a smooth topography, and not by surface roughness, our ideas can inspire programmable surfaces that manage liquids in heat- and mass-transfer applications.

A fast transfer-free synthesis of high-quality monolayer graphene on insulating substrates by a simple rapid thermal treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zefei; Guo, Yanqing; Guo, Yuzheng; Huang, Rui; Xu, Shuigang; Song, Jie; Lu, Huanhuan; Lin, Zhenxu; Han, Yu; Li, Hongliang; Han, Tianyi; Lin, Jiangxiazi; Wu, Yingying; Long, Gen; Cai, Yuan; Cheng, Chun; Su, Dangsheng; Robertson, John; Wang, Ning

2016-02-07

The transfer-free synthesis of high-quality, large-area graphene on a given dielectric substrate, which is highly desirable for device applications, remains a significant challenge. In this paper, we report on a simple rapid thermal treatment (RTT) method for the fast and direct growth of high-quality, large-scale monolayer graphene on a SiO2/Si substrate from solid carbon sources. The stack structure of a solid carbon layer/copper film/SiO2 is adopted in the RTT process. The inserted copper film does not only act as an active catalyst for the carbon precursor but also serves as a "filter" that prevents premature carbon dissolution, and thus, contributes to graphene growth on SiO2/Si. The produced graphene exhibits a high carrier mobility of up to 3000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at room temperature and standard half-integer quantum oscillations. Our work provides a promising simple transfer-free approach using solid carbon sources to obtain high-quality graphene for practical applications.

Steady state operation of a copper-water LHP with a flat-oval evaporator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, S.; Vershinin, S.; Sartre, V.; Laurien, E.; Bonjour, J.; Maydanik, Yu.F.

2011-01-01

In order to dissipate the heat generated by electronic boxes in avionic systems, a copper-water LHP with a flat-oval evaporator was fabricated and tested at steady state. The LHP consists of a flat shaped evaporator, 7 mm thick, including compensation chamber with attached heat exchanger. The condenser is cooled by forced convection of liquid. The variable parameters are the heat sink and ambient temperatures (20 and 55 o C), the orientation (-90 o to +90 o in two perpendicular planes) and the power input (0-100 W). Evaporator wall temperatures are higher when the evaporator is placed above the condenser. For heat sink and ambient temperature of 20 o C the evaporator wall temperature does not vary much with heat load for all measured elevations. But it fluctuates at heat sink and ambient temperature equal to 55 o C when the evaporator is placed below the condenser. The LHP total thermal resistance is governed by the condenser resistance. It decreases with increasing heat load, whatever the operating conditions, because the part of the condenser internal surface area used for condensation increases too. A minimum thermal resistance of 0.2 K/W was obtained. The maximum thermal resistance was 2.7 K/W.

Effect of the Evaporative Cooling on the Human Thermal Comfort and Heat Stress in a Greenhouse under Arid Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Abdel-Ghany

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Thermal sensation and heat stress were evaluated in a plastic greenhouse, with and without evaporative cooling, under arid climatic conditions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Suitable thermal comfort and heat stress scales were selected for the evaluation. Experiments were conducted in hot sunny days to measure the required parameters (i.e., the dry and wet bulb temperatures, globe temperature, natural wet bulb temperature, and solar radiation flux in the greenhouse. The results showed that in the uncooled greenhouse, workers are exposed to strong heat stress and would feel very hot most of the day time; they are safe from heat stress risk and would feel comfortable during night. An efficient evaporative cooling is necessary during the day to reduce heat stress and to improve the comfort conditions and is not necessary at night. In the cooled greenhouse, workers can do any activity: except at around noon they should follow a proposed working schedule, in which the different types of work were scheduled along the daytimes based on the heat stress value. To avoid heat stress and to provide comfort conditions in the greenhouses, the optimum ranges of relative humidity and air temperature are 48–55% and 24–28°C, respectively.

Impact of cathode evaporation on a free-burning arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etemadi, K.

1990-01-01

In the center of a free-burning, high intensity argon arc at atmospheric pressure, a highly ionized vapor beam of copper has been generated by a continuous feeding of a thin (0.5 and 1 mm diameter) copper wire to the hot surface region of the cathode in the vicinity of the plasma attachment. The copper vapor is carried into the plasma column between the electrodes by the self-magnetic induced plasma flow caused by the conical shape of the cathode. In order to study the vapor beam, the arc is modeled at atmospheric pressure, with a current of 150 A, a gap spacing of 1 cm, a cathode tip of 60 degrees and a copper vapor flow of 1 mg/s. The temperature, mass flow, current flow and Cu concentration are calculated for the entire plasma region. The intensity distribution of CuI spectral line at 5218.2 angstrom is also recorded by emission spectroscopy and compared with the calculated values. The copper vapor in the cathode region has velocities of 210 m/s with a mass concentration of above 90% within 0.5 mm from the arc axis. The vapor passes from the cathode toward the anode with a slight diffusion in the argon plasma. Higher temperatures and current densities in the core of the arc, caused by the cathode evaporation, are calculated

Activity targets for nanostructured platinum-group-metal-free catalysts in hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Setzler, Brian P.; Zhuang, Zhongbin; Wittkopf, Jarrid A.; Yan, Yushan

2016-12-01

Fuel cells are the zero-emission automotive power source that best preserves the advantages of gasoline automobiles: low upfront cost, long driving range and fast refuelling. To make fuel-cell cars a reality, the US Department of Energy has set a fuel cell system cost target of US$30 kW-1 in the long-term, which equates to US$2,400 per vehicle, excluding several major powertrain components (in comparison, a basic, but complete, internal combustion engine system costs approximately US$3,000). To date, most research for automotive applications has focused on proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), because these systems have demonstrated the highest power density. Recently, however, an alternative technology, hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs), has gained significant attention, because of the possibility to use stable platinum-group-metal-free catalysts, with inherent, long-term cost advantages. In this Perspective, we discuss the cost profile of PEMFCs and the advantages offered by HEMFCs. In particular, we discuss catalyst development needs for HEMFCs and set catalyst activity targets to achieve performance parity with state-of-the-art automotive PEMFCs. Meeting these targets requires careful optimization of nanostructures to pack high surface areas into a small volume, while maintaining high area-specific activity and favourable pore-transport properties.

Synthesis of Ni2B nanoparticles by RF thermal plasma for fuel cell catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Y; Tanaka, M; Watanabe, T; Choi, S Y; Shin, M S; Lee, K H

2014-01-01

The catalyst of Ni 2 B nanoparticles was successfully prepared using nickel and boron as precursors with the quenching gas in radio frequency thermal plasmas. The generating of Ni 2 B needs adequate reaction temperature and boron content in precursors. The quenching gas is beneficial for the synthesis of Ni 2 B in RF thermal plasma. The effect of quenching rate, powder feed rate and boron content in feeding powders on the synthesis of nickel boride nanoparticles was studied in this research. The high mass fraction of 28 % of Ni 2 B nanoparticles can be generated at the fixed initial composition of Ni:B = 2:3. Quenching gas is necessary in the synthesis of Ni 2 B nanoaprticles. In addition, the mass fraction of Ni 2 B increases with the increase of quenching gas flow rate and powder feed rate

Generation of Transparent Oxygen Evolution Electrode Consisting of Regularly Ordered Nanoparticles from Self-Assembly Cobalt Phthalocyanine as a Template

KAUST Repository

Ziani, Ahmed

2016-11-04

The decoration of (photo)electrodes for efficient photoresponse requires the use of electrocatalysts with good dispersion and high transparency for efficient light absorption by the photoelectrode. As a result of the ease of thermal evaporation and particulate self-assembly growth, the phthalocyanine molecular species can be uniformly deposited layer-by-layer on the surface of substrates. This structure can be used as a template to achieve a tunable amount of catalysts, high dispersion of the nanoparticles, and transparency of the catalysts. In this study, we present a systematic study of the structural and optical properties, surface morphologies, and electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of cobalt oxide prepared from a phthalocyanine metal precursor. Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) films with different thicknesses were deposited by thermal evaporation on different substrates. The films were annealed at 400 °C in air to form a material with the cobalt oxide phase. The final Co oxide catalysts exhibit high transparency after thermal treatment. Their OER measurements demonstrate well expected mass activity for OER. Thermally evaporated and treated transition metal oxide nanoparticles are attractive for the functionalization of (photo)anodes for water oxidation.

New catalysts for exhaust gas cleaning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haerkoenen, M [Kemira Metalkat Oy, Oulu (Finland)

1997-12-31

Major challenge for future catalyst systems was to develop thermally more stable washcoats for close coupled operating conditions and for engines operating under high speed and load conditions. To design these future emission systems extensive research and development was undertaken to develop methods to disperse and stabilize the key catalytic materials for operation at much higher temperatures. Second priority was to design catalysts that are more effective under low temperature exhaust conditions and have improved oxygen storage properties in the washcoats. Incorporating new materials and modified preparation technology a new generation of metallic catalyst formulations emerged, those being trimetallic K6 (Pt:Pd:Rh and bimetallic K7) (Pd+Pd:Rh). The target was to combine the best property of Pt:Rh (good NO{sub x} reduction) with that of the good HC oxidation activity of Pd and to ensure that precious metal/support interactions were positively maintained. Both K6 and K7 concepts contain special catalyst structures with optimized washcoat performance which can be brick converter configuration. Improvement in light-off, thermal stability and transient performance with these new catalyst formulations have clearly been shown in both laboratory and vehicle testing. (author) (20 refs.)

New catalysts for exhaust gas cleaning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haerkoenen, M. [Kemira Metalkat Oy, Oulu (Finland)

1996-12-31

Major challenge for future catalyst systems was to develop thermally more stable washcoats for close coupled operating conditions and for engines operating under high speed and load conditions. To design these future emission systems extensive research and development was undertaken to develop methods to disperse and stabilize the key catalytic materials for operation at much higher temperatures. Second priority was to design catalysts that are more effective under low temperature exhaust conditions and have improved oxygen storage properties in the washcoats. Incorporating new materials and modified preparation technology a new generation of metallic catalyst formulations emerged, those being trimetallic K6 (Pt:Pd:Rh and bimetallic K7) (Pd+Pd:Rh). The target was to combine the best property of Pt:Rh (good NO{sub x} reduction) with that of the good HC oxidation activity of Pd and to ensure that precious metal/support interactions were positively maintained. Both K6 and K7 concepts contain special catalyst structures with optimized washcoat performance which can be brick converter configuration. Improvement in light-off, thermal stability and transient performance with these new catalyst formulations have clearly been shown in both laboratory and vehicle testing. (author) (20 refs.)

Numerical simulation of droplet evaporation between two circular plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bam, Hang Jin; Son, Gi Hun

2015-01-01

Numerical simulation is performed for droplet evaporation between two circular plates. The flow and thermal characteristics of the droplet evaporation are numerically investigated by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and mass fraction in the liquid and gas phases. The liquid-gas interface is tracked by a sharp-interface level-set method which is modified to include the effects of evaporation at the liquid-gas interface and contact angle hysteresis at the liquid-gas-solid contact line. An analytical model to predict the droplet evaporation is also developed by simplifying the mass and vapor fraction equations in the gas phase. The numerical results demonstrate that the 1-D analytical prediction is not applicable to the high rate evaporation process. The effects of plate gap and receding contact angle on the droplet evaporation are also quantified.

Operational characteristics of miniature loop heat pipe with flat evaporator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gai, Dongxing; Liu, Zhichun; Liu, Wei; Yang, Jinguo [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Wuhan, Hubei (China)

2009-12-15

Loop heat pipes are heat transfer devices whose operating principle is based on the evaporation and condensation of a working fluid, and which use the capillary pumping forces to ensure the fluid circulation. A series of tests have been carried out with a miniature loop heat pipe (mLHP) with flat evaporator and fin-and-tube type condenser. The loop is made of pure copper with stainless mesh wick and methanol as the working fluid. Detailed study is conducted on the start-up reliability of the mLHP at high as well as low heat loads. During the testing of mLHP under step power cycles, the thermal response presented by the loop to achieve steady state is very short. At low heat loads, temperature oscillations are observed throughout the loop. The amplitudes and frequencies of these fluctuations are large at evaporator wall and evaporator inlet. It is expected that the extent and nature of the oscillations occurrence is dependent on the thermal and hydrodynamic conditions inside the compensation chamber. The thermal resistance of the mLHP lies between 0.29 and 3.2 C/W. The effects of different liquid charging ratios and the tilt angles to the start-up and the temperature oscillation are studied in detail. (orig.)

Lake Nasser evaporation reduction study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hala M.I. Ebaid

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims to evaluate the reduction of evaporation of Lake Nasser’s water caused by disconnecting (fully or partially some of its secondary channels (khors. This evaluation integrates remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS techniques, aerodynamic principles, and Landsat7 ETM+ images. Three main procedures were carried out in this study; the first derived the surface temperature from Landsat thermal band; the second derived evaporation depth and approximate evaporation volume for the entire lake, and quantified evaporation loss to the secondary channels’ level over one month (March by applied aerodynamic principles on surface temperature of the raster data; the third procedure applied GIS suitability analysis to determine which of these secondary channels (khors should be disconnected. The results showed evaporation depth ranging from 2.73 mm/day at the middle of the lake to 9.58 mm/day at the edge. The evaporated water-loss value throughout the entire lake was about 0.86 billion m3/month (March. The analysis suggests that it is possible to save an approximate total evaporation volume loss of 19.7 million m3/month (March, and thus 2.4 billion m3/year, by disconnecting two khors with approximate construction heights of 8 m and 15 m. In conclusion, remote sensing and GIS are useful for applications in remote locations where field-based information is not readily available and thus recommended for decision makers remotely planning in water conservation and management.

Structural, magnetic and magneto-transport properties of thermally evaporated Fe/Cu multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bouziane, K.; Al-Busaidi, M.; Gismelseed, A.; Al-Rawas, A. [Physics Department, College of Science, Sultan Qabos University, P. O. Box 36, Postal Code 123, Al-Khodh, Muscat (Oman)

2004-05-01

Structural, magnetic and magneto-transport properties of thermally evaporated Fe/Cu multilayers (MLs) have been investigated. Although multilayered structure has been successfully obtained, a substantial interfacial roughness ranging from 0.6 nm to 1.2 nm has been determined. All Fe/Cu MLs were polycrystalline with an average grain size of about 10 nm. Fe was bcc and textured (110) whereas Cu was fcc(111). Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the fcc Cu layer was rather textured (110) and (100) at least in the first stage of growth of the Fe/Cu MLs. Conversion electron Moessbauer (CEMS) measurements indicated the existence of three phases. Two of them were magnetic with a dominant bcc Fe phase, followed by fcc Fe phase. The third phase was superparamagnetic. The CEMS results were explained in terms of the partial diffusion of Fe into Cu with three different zones. The small magnetoresistance (MR<0.2%) was correlated to Fe clusters located at Fe-Cu interfaces. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Dipyridine cobalt chloride as an efficient and chemoselective catalyst for the synthesis of 1,1-diacetates under solvent-free conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sobhan Rezayati

2014-02-01

Full Text Available 1,1-Diacetates(acylals were prepared by direct condensation of various aldehydes with acetic anhydride using dipyridine cobalt chloride (CoPy2Cl2 as an efficient and green catalyst under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. The important features of this catalyst method are that the catalyst is solid, stable at high temperatures, soluble in water, stable in air, immiscible in common organic solvents, and low toxic and, above all, it is reusable. CoPy2Cl2 can be recycled after a simple work-up and reused at least five runs without appreciable loss of its catalytic activity. High chemo-selectivity toward aldehyde in the presence of ketones is another advantage of the present method which provides selective protection of aldehydes in their mixtures with ketones.

Sodium evaporation into a forced argon flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumada, Toshiaki; Kasahara, Fumio; Ishiguro, Ryoji

1975-01-01

Evaporation from a rectangular sodium free surface into an argon flow was measured. Tests were carried out with varying sodium temperature, argon velocity and argon temperature respectively under conditions of fog formation being possible. In order to clarify the enhancement of evaporation by fog formation, convection heat transfer from a plate of the same geometry into an air flow was also measured. The evaporation rate and Sherwood number were compared with those predicted by both the heat transfer experiment and the theory proposed by Hill and Szekely, and also a comparison was run with the previously reported experimental results of sodium evaporation. As a result it was shown that the sodium evaporation rate in this experiment is at least four times as large as that predicted by the heat transfer experiment and varies almost linearly with the heat transfer rate and the sodium vapour pressure. (auth.)

Modeling Evaporation and Particle Assembly in Colloidal Droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Mingfei; Yong, Xin

2017-06-13

Evaporation-induced assembly of nanoparticles in a drying droplet is of great importance in many engineering applications, including printing, coating, and thin film processing. The investigation of particle dynamics in evaporating droplets can provide fundamental hydrodynamic insight for revealing the processing-structure relationship in the particle self-organization induced by solvent evaporation. We develop a free-energy-based multiphase lattice Boltzmann method coupled with Brownian dynamics to simulate evaporating colloidal droplets on solid substrates with specified wetting properties. The influence of interface-bound nanoparticles on the surface tension and evaporation of a flat liquid-vapor interface is first quantified. The results indicate that the particles at the interface reduce surface tension and enhance evaporation flux. For evaporating particle-covered droplets on substrates with different wetting properties, we characterize the increase of evaporate rate via measuring droplet volume. We find that droplet evaporation is determined by the number density and circumferential distribution of interfacial particles. We further correlate particle dynamics and assembly to the evaporation-induced convection in the bulk and on the surface of droplet. Finally, we observe distinct final deposits from evaporating colloidal droplets with bulk-dispersed and interface-bound particles. In addition, the deposit pattern is also influenced by the equilibrium contact angle of droplet.

Tungsten carbide/porous carbon composite as superior support for platinum catalyst toward methanol electro-oxidation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Liming [School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Fu, Honggang, E-mail: fuhg@vip.sina.com [School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080 (China); Wang, Lei; Mu, Guang; Jiang, Baojiang; Zhou, Wei; Wang, Ruihong [Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080 (China)

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: The WC nanoparticles are well dispersed in the carbon matrix. The size of WC nanoparticles is about 30 nm. It can be concluded that tungsten carbide and carbon composite was successfully prepared by the present synthesis conditions. - Highlights: • The WC/PC composite with high specific surface area was prepared by a simple way. • The Pt/WC/PC catalyst has superior performance toward methanol electro-oxidation. • The current density for methanol electro-oxidation is as high as 595.93 A g{sup −1} Pt. • The Pt/WC/PC catalyst shows better durability and stronger CO electro-oxidation. • The performance of Pt/WC/PC is superior to the commercial Pt/C (JM) catalyst. - Abstract: Tungsten carbide/porous carbon (WC/PC) composites have been successfully synthesized through a surfactant assisted evaporation-induced-assembly method, followed by a thermal treatment process. In particular, WC/PC-35-1000 composite with tungsten content of 35% synthesized at the carbonized temperature of 1000 °C, exhibited a specific surface area (S{sub BET}) of 457.92 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}. After loading Pt nanoparticles (NPs), the obtained Pt/WC/PC-35-1000 catalyst exhibits the highest unit mass electroactivity (595.93 A g{sup −1} Pt) toward methanol electro-oxidation, which is about 2.6 times as that of the commercial Pt/C (JM) catalyst. Furthermore, the Pt/WC/PC-35-1000 catalyst displays much stronger resistance to CO poisoning and better durability toward methanol electrooxidation compared with the commercial Pt/C (JM) catalyst. The high electrocatalytic activity, strong poison-resistivity and good stability of Pt/WC/PC-35-1000 catalyst are attributed to the porous structures and high specific surface area of WC/PC support could facilitate the rapid mass transportation. Moreover, synergistic effect between WC and Pt NPs is favorable to the higher catalytic performance.

Solvent-free and catalyst-free chemistry: A benign pathway to sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

In the past decade, alternative benign organic methodologies have become an imperative part of organic syntheses and novel chemical reactions. The various new and innovative sustainable organic reactions and methodologies using no solvents or catalysts and employing alternative ...

Flashing evaporation under different pressure levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, Yixiang; Lucas, Dirk; Krepper, Eckhard; Rzehak, Roland

2013-01-01

Highlights: • CFD simulation based on two-fluid model for flashing boiling inside a vertical pipe. • Effect of pressure level on the maximum thermal energy available for evaporation. • Effect of presumed bubble size on the onset of flashing as well as evaporation rate. • Effect of pressure level on the critical bubble size that can start stable flashing. • Effect of pressure level on nucleation rate and mechanism. - Abstract: Flashing evaporation of water inside a vertical pipe under four pressure levels is investigated both experimentally and numerically. In the experiment depressurization is realized through a blow-off valve, and the evaporation rate is controlled by the opening rate and degree of the valve. In the CFD simulation phase change is assumed to be caused by thermal heat transfer between steam–water interface and the surrounding water. Consequently, the evaporation rate is determined by heat transfer coefficient, interfacial area density as well as liquid superheat degree. The simulated temporal course of cross-section averaged steam volume fraction is compared with the measured one. It is found that the increasing rate and maximum value of steam volume fraction is over-predicted under low-pressure conditions, which is mainly caused by the neglect of bubble growth in the mono-dispersed simulation. The agreement is notably improved by performing poly-dispersed simulations with the inhomogeneous MUSIG approach (IMUSIG). On the other hand an underestimation of the maximum steam volume fraction is observed in high-pressure cases, since the contribution of nucleation to the total steam generation rate becomes large as the system pressure increases. Reliable models for nucleation rate as well as bubble detachment size are indispensable for reliable predictions. An effect of the system pressure level on the nucleation mechanism is observed in the experiment

Evaporation of nanofluid droplet on heated surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeung Chan Kim

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, an experiment on the evaporation of nanofluid sessile droplet on a heated surface was conducted. A nanofluid of 0.5% volumetric concentration mixed with 80-nm-sized CuO powder and pure water were used for experiment. Droplet was applied to the heated surface, and images of the evaporation process were obtained. The recorded images were analyzed to find the volume, diameter, and contact angle of the droplet. In addition, the evaporative heat transfer coefficient was calculated from experimental result. The results of this study are summarized as follows: the base diameter of the droplet was maintained stably during the evaporation. The measured temperature of the droplet was increased rapidly for a very short time, then maintained constantly. The nanofluid droplet was evaporated faster than the pure water droplet under the experimental conditions of the same initial volume and temperature, and the average evaporative heat transfer coefficient of the nanofluid droplet was higher than that of pure water. We can consider the effects of the initial contact angle and thermal conductivity of nanofluid as the reason for this experimental result. However, the effect of surface roughness on the evaporative heat transfer of nanofluid droplet appeared unclear.

Solvent-Free Synthesis of Aryl Iodide Using Nano SiO2/HIO4 as a Reusable Acid Catalyst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Bamoniri

2014-07-01

Full Text Available An efficient and environmentally benign   method for the synthesis of aryl iodides have been developed by diazotization of aromatic amines with NaNO2 and nanosilica periodic acid (nano-SPIA as a green catalyst via grinding followed by a sandmeyer iodination by KI under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. The ensuing aryl diazonium salts supported on nano-SPIA were sufficiently stable to be kept at room temperature in the dry state. This method is a novel, efficient, eco-friendly route for solvent-free synthesis of aryl iodides.

Easily controlled dye doped phosphorescent OLEDs with evaporation rate in single furnace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahmoudi, Malek; Janghouri, Mohammad; Mohajerani, Ezeddin, E-mail: e-mohajerani@sbu.ac.ir

2015-04-15

Electrical and optical characteristic, surface morphology and energy transfer of Ir(ppy){sub 3}:PtTPP were studied as a function of thermal evaporation rate. We have investigated the effect of various evaporation rates for mixture of dyes using single furnace method. When the deposition rate increased from 0.5 to 5 Ǻ/s, the luminescence efficiency, current density and energy transfer of OLED increased. AFM measurements showed that the surface roughness of the Ir(ppy){sub 3}:PtTPP films decreased with increasing deposition rates. These blends show excellent red emitting guest–host system with easier deposition rate control. - Highlights: • Thermal evaporation rate is used to control the doping by using single furnace. • The advantages of using single furnace are discussed. • It is shown that the evaporation rate also affects the surface roughness.

Optimized evaporative cooling for sodium Bose-Einstein condensation against three-body loss

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shobu, Takahiko; Yamaoka, Hironobu; Imai, Hiromitsu; Morinaga, Atsuo; Yamashita, Makoto

2011-01-01

We report on a highly efficient evaporative cooling optimized experimentally. We successfully created sodium Bose-Einstein condensates with 6.4x10 7 atoms starting from 6.6x10 9 thermal atoms trapped in a magnetic trap by employing a fast linear sweep of radio frequency at the final stage of evaporative cooling so as to overcome the serious three-body losses. The experimental results such as the cooling trajectory and the condensate growth quantitatively agree with the numerical simulations of evaporative cooling on the basis of the kinetic theory of a Bose gas carefully taking into account our specific experimental conditions. We further discuss theoretically a possibility of producing large condensates, more than 10 8 sodium atoms, by simply increasing the number of initial thermal trapped atoms and the corresponding optimization of evaporative cooling.

Total evaporation in thermal ionization mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callis, E.L.; Cappis, J.H.

1996-01-01

Experiments were conducted to assess the effects of impurities on the total evaporation method for mass spectrometric measurement of the isotope ratio of uranium. Standard samples were spiked with Na, Ca, Fe, Zr and Ba. The results indicated that only Fe, and possible Na, displayed any interference, and then only at high concentrations. One problem limiting the accuracy of the method is the determination of the relative efficiency of the collectors in the multicollector system. 3 refs., 1 tab

Urea thermolysis and NOx reduction with and without SCR catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Howard L.; DaCosta, Herbert F.M.

2003-01-01

Urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) has been a leading contender for removal of nitrogen oxides (deNO x ) from diesel engine emissions. Despite its advantages, the SCR technology faces some critical detriments to its catalytic performance such as catalyst surface passivation (caused by deposit formation) and consequent stoichiometric imbalance of the urea consumption. Deposit formation deactivates catalytic performance by not only consuming part of the ammonia produced during urea decomposition but also degrading the structural and thermal properties of the catalyst surface. We have characterized the urea thermolysis with and without the urea-SCR catalyst using both spectroscopic (DRIFTS and Raman) and thermal techniques (thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)) to identify the deposit components and their corresponding thermal properties. Urea thermolysis exhibits two decomposition stages, involving ammonia generation and consumption, respectively. The decomposition after the second stage leads to the product of melamine complexes, (HNC=NH) x (HNCO) y , that hinder catalytic performance. The presence of catalyst accompanied with a good spray of the urea solution helps to eliminate the second stage. In this work, kinetics of the direct reduction of NO x by urea is determined and the possibility of using additives to the urea solution in order to rejuvenate the catalyst surface and improve its performance will be discussed

Leaf surface wetness and evaporation studies with a β-ray gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthakur, N.N.

1984-01-01

Surface wetness duration was measured by a β-ray gauge as a function of wind velocity in the laboratory. The instrument was field-tested as a dewmeter over a wax bean canopy. Diurnal variations of the net count rate through a turgid tobacco leaf measured by a β-ray gauge system corresponded with the stomatal movement. The approximate exponential relationship of the transmission of β-particles with absorber thickness was found acceptable to study rates of evaporation from free water and through pores. The cumulative rate of evaporation of free water varied linearly with time. Three distinct stages of evaporation rates were observed through a porous medium. (author)

Bypass line assisted start-up of a loop heat pipe with a flat evaporator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boo, Joon Hong; Jung, Eui Guk

2009-01-01

Loop heat pipes often experience start-up problems especially under low thermal loads. A bypass line was installed between the evaporator and the liquid reservoir to alleviate the difficulties associated with start-up of a loop heat pipe with flat evaporator. The evaporator and condenser had dimensions of 40 mm (W) by 50 mm (L). The wall and tube materials were stainless steel and the working fluid was methanol. Axial grooves were provided in the flat evaporator to serve as vapor passages. The inner diameters of liquid and vapor transport lines were 2 mm and 4 mm, respectively, and the length of the two lines was 0.5 m each. The thermal load range was up to 130 W for horizontal alignment with the condenser temperature of 10 .deg. C. The experimental results showed that the minimum thermal load for start-up was lowered by 37% when the bypass line was employed

Star-Formation in Free-Floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules

Science.gov (United States)

Sahai, Raghvendra

2017-08-01

We propose to study the stellar embryos in select members of a newly recognized class of Free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules (frEGGS) embedded in HII regions and having head-tail shapes. We discovered two of these in the Cygnus massive star-forming region (MSFR) with HST, including one of the most prominent members of this class (IRAS20324). Subsequent archival searches of Spitzer imaging of MSFRs has allowed us to build a statistical sample of frEGGs. Our molecular-line observations show the presence of dense molecular cores with total gas masses of (0.5-few) Msun in these objects, and our radio continuum images and Halpha images (from the IPHAS survey) reveal bright photo-ionized peripheries around these objects. We hypothesize that frEGGs are density concentrations originating in giant molecular clouds, that, when subject to the sculpting and compression by strong winds and UV radiation from massive stars, become active star-forming cores. For the 4 frEGGs with HST or near-IR AO images showing young stars and bipolar cavities produced by their jets or collimated outflows, the symmetry axis points roughly toward the external ionizing star or star cluster - exciting new evidence for our overpressure-induced star formation hypothesis. We propose to test this hypothesis by imaging 24 frEGGs in two nearby MSFRs that represent different radiation-dominated environments. Using ACS imaging with filters F606W, F814W, & F658N (Ha+[NII]), we will search for jets and outflow-excavated cavities, investigate the stellar nurseries inside frEGGs, and determine whether the globules are generally forming multiple star systems or small clusters, as in IRAS20324.

BaSi2 formation mechanism in thermally evaporated films and its application to reducing oxygen impurity concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Kosuke O.; Yamamoto, Chiaya; Yamanaka, Junji; Arimoto, Keisuke; Nakagawa, Kiyokazu; Usami, Noritaka

2018-04-01

Thermal evaporation is a simple and rapid method to fabricate semiconducting BaSi2 films. In this study, to elucidate the BaSi2 formation mechanism, the microstructure of a BaSi2 epitaxial film fabricated by thermal evaporation has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The BaSi2 film is found to consist of three layers with different microstructural characteristics, which is well explained by assuming two stages of film deposition. In the first stage, BaSi2 forms through the diffusion of Ba atoms from the deposited Ba-rich film to the Si substrate while in the second stage, the mutual diffusion of Ba and Si atoms in the film leads to BaSi2 formation. On the basis of the BaSi2 formation mechanism, two issues are addressed. One is the as-yet unclarified reason for epitaxial growth. It is found important to quickly form BaSi2 in the first stage for the epitaxial growth of upper layers. The other issue is the high oxygen concentration in BaSi2 films around the BaSi2-Si interface. Two routes of oxygen incorporation, i.e., oxidation of the Si substrate surface and initially deposited Ba-rich layer by the residual gas, are identified. On the basis of this knowledge, oxygen concentration is decreased by reducing the holding time of the substrate at high temperatures and by premelting of the source. In addition, X-ray diffraction results show that the decrease in oxygen concentration can lead to an increased proportion of a-axis-oriented grains.

PFR evaporator leak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smedley, J.A.

1975-01-01

PFR has three heat removal circuits each one having an evaporator, superheater, reheater; all separate units. The status of the system was that circuit No 3 was steaming with 10 MW thermal nuclear power; No 1 circuit was filled with sodium but with the evaporator awaiting modification to cure gas entrainment problems already reported. The leak was in No 2 circuit and was located in the evaporator unit. The evaporator is rated at 120 M thermal at full power and as such is a large unit. The circuit was filled with both sodium and water for the first time three weeks before the conference so it was recent history being reported and therefore any figures quoted should be taken as indicative only. The history of the steam generator was that it was built at works to a very high standard and underwent all the usual tests of strength, inspection of welds and helium leak testing. The steam generator is of U tube design with a tube plate to which the boiler tubes are welded, with all the welds in one of two gas spaces. The inlet and outlet sides are separated by a baffle and the salient features are illustrated in the attached figure. The unit achieved a leak tightness better than the detection limit in the helium leak test at works. This limit was assessed as being less than an equivalent leak of 10 -6 g/s water under steam generator service conditions. However even though all the steam generator units passed this test at works a further test was carried out when the circuits had been completed. The test was carried out during commissioning after sodium filling and with the units hot. The method was to introduce a mixture of helium/ argon at 500 pounds/square inch into the water side of the steam generators and measure the helium concentration in the sodium side gas spaces of the circuit. The test lasted many days and under these conditions the sensitivity is such that a leak equivalent to somewhere between 10 -7 to 10 -6 g/s equivalent water leak could be detected, i

PFR evaporator leak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smedley, J A

1975-07-01

PFR has three heat removal circuits each one having an evaporator, superheater, reheater; all separate units. The status of the system was that circuit No 3 was steaming with 10 MW thermal nuclear power; No 1 circuit was filled with sodium but with the evaporator awaiting modification to cure gas entrainment problems already reported. The leak was in No 2 circuit and was located in the evaporator unit. The evaporator is rated at 120 M thermal at full power and as such is a large unit. The circuit was filled with both sodium and water for the first time three weeks before the conference so it was recent history being reported and therefore any figures quoted should be taken as indicative only. The history of the steam generator was that it was built at works to a very high standard and underwent all the usual tests of strength, inspection of welds and helium leak testing. The steam generator is of U tube design with a tube plate to which the boiler tubes are welded, with all the welds in one of two gas spaces. The inlet and outlet sides are separated by a baffle and the salient features are illustrated in the attached figure. The unit achieved a leak tightness better than the detection limit in the helium leak test at works. This limit was assessed as being less than an equivalent leak of 10{sup -6} g/s water under steam generator service conditions. However even though all the steam generator units passed this test at works a further test was carried out when the circuits had been completed. The test was carried out during commissioning after sodium filling and with the units hot. The method was to introduce a mixture of helium/ argon at 500 pounds/square inch into the water side of the steam generators and measure the helium concentration in the sodium side gas spaces of the circuit. The test lasted many days and under these conditions the sensitivity is such that a leak equivalent to somewhere between 10{sup -7} to 10{sup -6} g/s equivalent water leak could be

ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF SOLAR EVAPORATOR-COLLECTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakaria Mohd. Amin

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Solar energy is considered a sustainable resource that poses little to no harmful effects on the environment. The performance of a solar system depends to a great extent on the collector used for the conversion of solar radiant energy to thermal energy. A solar evaporator-collector (SEC is basically an unglazed flat plate collector where refrigerants, such as R134a is used as the working fluid. As the operating temperature of the SEC is very low, it utilizes both solar irradiation and ambient energy leading to a much higher efficiency than the conventional collectors. This capability of SECs to utilize ambient energy also enables the system to operate at night. This type of collector can be locally made and is relatively much cheaper than the conventional collector.   At the National University of Singapore, the evaporator-collector was integrated to a heat pump and the performance was investigated for several thermal applications: (i water heating, (ii drying and (iii desalination. A 2-dimensional transient mathematical model of this system was developed and validated by experimental data. The present study provides a comprehensive study of performance. KEYWORDS: heat pump; evaporator-collector.

Thermoacoustic model of a modified free piston Stirling engine with a thermal buffer tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Qin; Luo, Ercang; Dai, Wei; Yu, Guoyao

2012-01-01

This article presents a modified free-piston Stirling heat engine configuration in which a thermal buffer tube is added to sandwich between the hot and cold heat exchangers. Such a modified configuration may lead to an easier fabrication and lighter weight of a free piston. To analyze the thermodynamic performance of the modified free piston Stirling heat engine, thermoacoustic theory is used. In the thermoacoustic modelling, the regenerator, the free piston, and the thermal buffer tube are given at first. Then, based on linear thermoacoustic network theory, the thermal and thermodynamic networks are presented to characterize acoustic pressure and volume flow rate distributions at different interfaces, and the global performance such as the power output, the heat input and the thermal efficiency. A free piston Stirling heat engine with several hundreds of watts mechanical power output is selected as an example. The typical operating and structure parameters are as follows: frequency around 50 Hz, mean pressure around 3.0 MPa, and a diameter of free piston around 50 mm. From the analysis, it was found that the modified free-piston Stirling heat engine has almost the same thermodynamic performance as the original design, which indicates that the modified configuration is worthy to develop in future because of its mechanical simplicity and reliability.

Block Copolymers of Macrolactones/Small Lactones by a “Catalyst-Switch” Organocatalytic Strategy. Thermal Properties and Phase Behavior

KAUST Repository

Ladelta, Viko

2018-03-16

Poly(macrolactones) (PMLs) can be considered as biodegradable alternatives of polyethylene; however, controlling the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of macrolactone (ML) monomers remains a challenge due to their low ring strain. To overcome this problem, phosphazene (t-BuP4), a strong superbase, has to be used as catalyst. Unfortunately, the one-pot sequential block copolymerization of MLs with small lactones (SLs) is impossible since the high basicity of t-BuP4 promotes both intra- and intermolecular transesterification reactions, thus leading to random copolymers. By using ROP and the “catalyst-switch” strategy [benzyl alcohol, t-BuP4/neutralization with diphenyl phosphate/(t-BuP2)], we were able to synthesize different well-defined PML-b-PSL block copolymers (MLs: dodecalactone, ω-pentadecalactone, and ω-hexadecalactone; SLs: δ-valerolactone and ε-caprolactone). The thermal properties and the phase behavior of these block copolymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. This study shows that the thermal properties and phase behavior of PMLs-b-PSLs are largely influenced by the PMLs block if PMLs components constitute the majority of the block copolymers.

Block Copolymers of Macrolactones/Small Lactones by a “Catalyst-Switch” Organocatalytic Strategy. Thermal Properties and Phase Behavior

KAUST Repository

Ladelta, Viko; Kim, Joey D.; Bilalis, Panagiotis; Gnanou, Yves; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2018-01-01

Poly(macrolactones) (PMLs) can be considered as biodegradable alternatives of polyethylene; however, controlling the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of macrolactone (ML) monomers remains a challenge due to their low ring strain. To overcome this problem, phosphazene (t-BuP4), a strong superbase, has to be used as catalyst. Unfortunately, the one-pot sequential block copolymerization of MLs with small lactones (SLs) is impossible since the high basicity of t-BuP4 promotes both intra- and intermolecular transesterification reactions, thus leading to random copolymers. By using ROP and the “catalyst-switch” strategy [benzyl alcohol, t-BuP4/neutralization with diphenyl phosphate/(t-BuP2)], we were able to synthesize different well-defined PML-b-PSL block copolymers (MLs: dodecalactone, ω-pentadecalactone, and ω-hexadecalactone; SLs: δ-valerolactone and ε-caprolactone). The thermal properties and the phase behavior of these block copolymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. This study shows that the thermal properties and phase behavior of PMLs-b-PSLs are largely influenced by the PMLs block if PMLs components constitute the majority of the block copolymers.

Electron microscopic studies of natural gas oxidation catalyst – Effects of thermally accelerated aging on catalyst microstructure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Honkanen, Mari; Hansen, Thomas Willum; Jiang, Hua

2017-01-01

Structural changes of PtPd nanoparticles in a natural gas oxidation catalyst were studied at elevated temperatures in air and low-oxygen conditions and in situ using environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM). The fresh catalyst shows

Advanced multi-evaporator loop thermosyphon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mameli, M.; Mangini, D.; Vanoli, G.F.T.; Araneo, L.; Filippeschi, S.; Marengo, M.

2016-01-01

A novel prototype of multi-evaporator closed loop thermosyphon is designed and tested at different heaters position, inclinations and heat input levels, in order to prove that a peculiar arrangement of multiple heaters may be used in order to enhance the flow motion and consequently the thermal performance. The device consists in an aluminum tube (Inner/Outer tube diameter 3.0 mm/5.0 mm), bent into a planar serpentine with five U-turns and partially filled with FC-72, 50% vol. The evaporator zone is equipped with five heated patches (one for each U-turn) in series with respect to the flow path. In the first arrangement, heaters are wrapped on each bend symmetrically, while in the second layout heaters are located on the branch just above the U-turn, non-symmetrical with respect to the gravity direction, in order to promote the fluid circulation in a preferential direction. The condenser zone is cooled by forced air and equipped with a 50 mm transparent section for the flow pattern visualization. The non-symmetrical heater arrangement effectively promotes a stable fluid circulation and a reliable operation for a wider range of heat input levels and orientations with respect to the symmetrical case. In vertical position, the heat flux dissipation exceeds the pool boiling heat transfer limit for FC-72 by 75% and the tube wall temperatures in the evaporator zone are kept lower than 80 °C. Furthermore, the heat flux capability is up to five times larger with respect to the other existing wickless heat pipe technologies demonstrating the attractiveness of the new concept for electronic cooling thermal management. - Highlights: • A novel passive heat transfer device named Multi-Evaporator Loop Thermosyphon is tested. • The loop is investigated at different heating patterns, inclinations and heat power levels. • The non-symmetrical heating configuration promotes the fluid circulation within the loop. • The performance in terms of maximum heat flux exceeds the

Multi-Evaporator Miniature Loop Heat Pipe for Small Spacecraft Thermal Control. Part 1; New Technologies and Validation Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Jentung; Ottenstein, Laura; Douglas, Donya; Hoang, Triem

2010-01-01

Under NASA s New Millennium Program Space Technology 8 (ST 8) Project, four experiments Thermal Loop, Dependable Microprocessor, SAILMAST, and UltraFlex - were conducted to advance the maturity of individual technologies from proof of concept to prototype demonstration in a relevant environment , i.e. from a technology readiness level (TRL) of 3 to a level of 6. This paper presents the new technologies and validation approach of the Thermal Loop experiment. The Thermal Loop is an advanced thermal control system consisting of a miniature loop heat pipe (MLHP) with multiple evaporators and multiple condensers designed for future small system applications requiring low mass, low power, and compactness. The MLHP retains all features of state-of-the-art loop heat pipes (LHPs) and offers additional advantages to enhance the functionality, performance, versatility, and reliability of the system. Details of the thermal loop concept, technical advances, benefits, objectives, level 1 requirements, and performance characteristics are described. Also included in the paper are descriptions of the test articles and mathematical modeling used for the technology validation. An MLHP breadboard was built and tested in the laboratory and thermal vacuum environments for TRL 4 and TRL 5 validations, and an MLHP proto-flight unit was built and tested in a thermal vacuum chamber for the TRL 6 validation. In addition, an analytical model was developed to simulate the steady state and transient behaviors of the MLHP during various validation tests. Capabilities and limitations of the analytical model are also addressed.

Catalyst free growth of CNTs by CVD on nanoscale rough surfaces of silicon substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Damodar, D.; Sahoo, R. K.; Jacob, C.

2013-06-01

Catalyst free growth of carbon nanotubes (CNT) has been achieved using atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) on surface modified Si(111) substrates. The effect of the substrate surface has been observed by partially etching with KOH (potassium hydroxide) solution which is an anisotropic etchant. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of CNTs over most of the area of the substrate where substrates were anisotropically etched. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the internal structure of the CNTs. Raman spectroscopy further confirmed the formation of the carbon nanostructures and also their graphitic crystallinity.

Mass and heat transfer between evaporation and condensation surfaces: Atomistic simulation and solution of Boltzmann kinetic equation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhakhovsky, Vasily V; Kryukov, Alexei P; Levashov, Vladimir Yu; Shishkova, Irina N; Anisimov, Sergey I

2018-04-16

Boundary conditions required for numerical solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation (BKE) for mass/heat transfer between evaporation and condensation surfaces are analyzed by comparison of BKE results with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Lennard-Jones potential with parameters corresponding to solid argon is used to simulate evaporation from the hot side, nonequilibrium vapor flow with a Knudsen number of about 0.02, and condensation on the cold side of the condensed phase. The equilibrium density of vapor obtained in MD simulation of phase coexistence is used in BKE calculations for consistency of BKE results with MD data. The collision cross-section is also adjusted to provide a thermal flux in vapor identical to that in MD. Our MD simulations of evaporation toward a nonreflective absorbing boundary show that the velocity distribution function (VDF) of evaporated atoms has the nearly semi-Maxwellian shape because the binding energy of atoms evaporated from the interphase layer between bulk phase and vapor is much smaller than the cohesive energy in the condensed phase. Indeed, the calculated temperature and density profiles within the interphase layer indicate that the averaged kinetic energy of atoms remains near-constant with decreasing density almost until the interphase edge. Using consistent BKE and MD methods, the profiles of gas density, mass velocity, and temperatures together with VDFs in a gap of many mean free paths between the evaporation and condensation surfaces are obtained and compared. We demonstrate that the best fit of BKE results with MD simulations can be achieved with the evaporation and condensation coefficients both close to unity.

A Selenium-Based Ionic Liquid as a Recyclable Solvent for the Catalyst-Free Synthesis of 3-Selenylindoles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eder J. Lenardão

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methylselenite, [bmim][SeO2(OCH3], was successfully used as solvent in the catalyst-free preparation of 3-arylselenylindoles by the reaction of indole with ArSeCl at room temperature. The products were obtained selectively in good yields without the need of any additive and the solvent was easily reused for several cycles with good results.

Evaporative behavior of carbon with MPD Arc Jet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sukegawa, Toshio; Madarame, Haruki; Okamoto, Koji [Tokyo Univ., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Nuclear Engineering Research Lab.

1996-10-01

Using the Magneto-Plasma-Dynamic Arc Jet (MPD Arc Jet) device, the plasma-material interaction during simulated plasma disruption was experimentally investigated. To clarify the effects of the evaporation, the isotropic graphite was used as a target. The thermal conductivity of the isotropic graphite was much higher than that of the pyrolytic graphite, resulting in smaller evaporation. The light intensity distribution during the simulated disruption for the isotropic graphite was quite different from that for the pyrolytic graphite. (author)

ARE LARGE, COMETARY-SHAPED PROPLYDS REALLY (FREE-FLOATING) EVAPORATING GAS GLOBULES?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahai, R.; Güsten, R.; Morris, M. R.

2012-01-01

We report the detection of strong and compact molecular line emission (in the CO J = 3-2, 4-3, 6-5, 7-6, 13 CO J = 3-2, HCN, and HCO + J = 4-3 transitions) from a cometary-shaped object (Carina-frEGG1) in the Carina star-forming region (SFR) previously classified as a photoevaporating protoplanetary disk (proplyd). We derive a molecular mass of 0.35 M ☉ for Carina-frEGG1, which shows that it is not a proplyd, but belongs to a class of free-floating evaporating gas globules (frEGGs) recently found in the Cygnus SFR by Sahai et al. Archival adaptive optics near-IR (Ks) images show a central hourglass-shaped nebula. The derived source luminosity (about 8-18 L ☉ ), the hourglass morphology, and the presence of collimated jets seen in Hubble Space Telescope images imply the presence of a jet-driving, young, low-mass star deeply embedded in the dust inside Carina-frEGG1. Our results suggest that the true nature of many or most such cometary-shaped objects seen in massive SFRs and previously labeled as proplyds has been misunderstood, and that these are really frEGGs.

Modelling the evaporation of boron species. Part 1: Alkali-free borosilicate glass melts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Limpt, J.A.C. van; Beerkens, R.G.C.; Cook, S.; O'Connor, R.; Simon, J.

2011-01-01

A laboratory test facility has been used to measure the boron evaporation rates from borosilicate glass melts. The impact of furnace atmosphere composition and glass melt composition on the temperature dependent boron evaporation rates has been investigated experimentally. In Part 1 of this paper

Catalyst for hydrogen-amine D exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holtslander, W.J.; Johnson, R.E.

1976-01-01

A process is claimed for deuterium isotopic enrichment (suitable for use in heavy water production) by amine-hydrogen exchange in which the exchange catalyst comprises a mixture of alkyl amides of two metals selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals. Catalyst mixtures comprising at least one of the alkali amides of lithium and potassium are preferred. At least one of the following benefits are obtained: decreased hydride formation, decreased thermal decomposition of alkyl amide, increased catalyst solubility in the amine phase, and increased exchange efficiency. 11 claims

Investigating performance of microchannel evaporators for automobile air conditioning with different port structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoliang Zhou

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Microchannel evaporator has been widely applied in automobile air conditioning, while it faces the problem of refrigerant maldistribution which deteriorates the thermal performance of evaporator. In this study, the performances of microchannel evaporators with different port structures are experimentally investigated for purpose of reducing evaporator pressure drop. Four evaporator samples with different port number and hydraulic diameter are made for this study. The performances of the evaporator samples are tested on a psychometric calorimeter test bench with the refrigerant R-134A at a real automobile air conditioning. The results on the variations of the evaporator pressure drop and evaporator surface temperature distribution are presented and analyzed. By studying the performance of an evaporator, seeking proper port structure is an approach to reduce refrigerant pressure drop as well as improve refrigerant distribution.

Evaluation of evaporation coefficient for micro-droplets exposed to low pressure: A semi-analytical approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakraborty, Prodyut R., E-mail: pchakraborty@iitj.ac.in [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, 342011 (India); Hiremath, Kirankumar R., E-mail: k.r.hiremath@iitj.ac.in [Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, 342011 (India); Sharma, Manvendra, E-mail: PG201283003@iitj.ac.in [Defence Laboratory Jodhpur, Defence Research & Development Organisation, 342011 (India)

2017-02-05

Evaporation rate of water is strongly influenced by energy barrier due to molecular collision and heat transfer limitations. The evaporation coefficient, defined as the ratio of experimentally measured evaporation rate to that maximum possible theoretical limit, varies over a conflicting three orders of magnitude. In the present work, a semi-analytical transient heat diffusion model of droplet evaporation is developed considering the effect of change in droplet size due to evaporation from its surface, when the droplet is injected into vacuum. Negligible effect of droplet size reduction due to evaporation on cooling rate is found to be true. However, the evaporation coefficient is found to approach theoretical limit of unity, when the droplet radius is less than that of mean free path of vapor molecules on droplet surface contrary to the reported theoretical predictions. Evaporation coefficient was found to reduce rapidly when the droplet under consideration has a radius larger than the mean free path of evaporating molecules, confirming the molecular collision barrier to evaporation rate. The trend of change in evaporation coefficient with increasing droplet size predicted by the proposed model will facilitate obtaining functional relation of evaporation coefficient with droplet size, and can be used for benchmarking the interaction between multiple droplets during evaporation in vacuum.

Evaluation of evaporation coefficient for micro-droplets exposed to low pressure: A semi-analytical approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, Prodyut R.; Hiremath, Kirankumar R.; Sharma, Manvendra

2017-01-01

Evaporation rate of water is strongly influenced by energy barrier due to molecular collision and heat transfer limitations. The evaporation coefficient, defined as the ratio of experimentally measured evaporation rate to that maximum possible theoretical limit, varies over a conflicting three orders of magnitude. In the present work, a semi-analytical transient heat diffusion model of droplet evaporation is developed considering the effect of change in droplet size due to evaporation from its surface, when the droplet is injected into vacuum. Negligible effect of droplet size reduction due to evaporation on cooling rate is found to be true. However, the evaporation coefficient is found to approach theoretical limit of unity, when the droplet radius is less than that of mean free path of vapor molecules on droplet surface contrary to the reported theoretical predictions. Evaporation coefficient was found to reduce rapidly when the droplet under consideration has a radius larger than the mean free path of evaporating molecules, confirming the molecular collision barrier to evaporation rate. The trend of change in evaporation coefficient with increasing droplet size predicted by the proposed model will facilitate obtaining functional relation of evaporation coefficient with droplet size, and can be used for benchmarking the interaction between multiple droplets during evaporation in vacuum.

Catalyst-free growth of InN nanorods by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Hwa; Moon, Dae Young; Park, Jinsub; Nanishi, Yasushi; Yi, Gyu-Chul; Yoon, Euijoon

2012-01-01

We demonstrated the growth of catalyst-free InN nanostructures including nanorods on (0001) Al 2 O 3 substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. As the growth time increased, growth rate along c-direction increased superlinearly with decreasing c-plane area fractions and increasing side wall areas. It was also found that desorption from the sidewalls of InN nanostructures during the InN nanorods formation was one of essential key parameters of the growth mechanism. We propose a growth model to explain the InN nanostructure evolution by considering the side wall desorption and re-deposition of indium at top c-plane surfaces. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Synthesis and characterization of thermally evaporated Cu2SnSe3 ternary semiconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Hamdani, K.; Chaouche, M.; Benabdeslem, M.; Bechiri, L.; Benslim, N.; Amara, A.; Portier, X.; Bououdina, M.; Otmani, A.; Marie, P.

2014-11-01

Copper Tin Selenide (CuSnSe) powder was mechanically alloyed by high energy planetary ball milling, starting from elemental powders. Synthesis time and velocity have been optimized to produce Cu2SnSe3 materials. Thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation on Corning glass substrate at Ts = 300 °C. The structural, compositional, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized semiconductor have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The analyzed powder exhibited a cubic crystal structure, with the presence of Cu2Se as a secondary phase. On the other hand, the deposited films showed a cubic Cu2SnSe3 ternary phase and extra peaks belonging to some binary compounds. Furthermore, optical measurements showed that the deposited layers have a relatively high absorption coefficient of 105 cm-1 and present a band gap of 0.94 eV.

Power balance equation in electron beam evaporation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumenfeld, L.; Soubbaramayer.

1994-01-01

The aim of the paper is to solve the equation giving the total power of the gun, used in the electron beam evaporation process, in terms of the power used to generated the vapor stream and the three main power losses due to three parasite phenomena: turbulent thermal convection in the molten pool, electron back scattering and heat radiation from the vapor emitting surface. Scaling laws are first reviewed and results are given with the example of the evaporation of aluminium with a 5 kW axisymmetric gun working in steady state mode. The influence of an applied magnetic field on the evaporation rate is also examined. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Synthesis of ZnO Nanowires via Hotwire Thermal Evaporation of Brass (CuZn) Assisted by Vapor Phase Transport of Methanol

OpenAIRE

Tamil Many K. Thandavan; Siti Meriam Abdul Gani; Chiow San Wong; Roslan Md Nor

2014-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) were synthesized using vapor phase transport (VPT) and thermal evaporation of Zn from CuZn. Time dependence of ZnO NWs growth was investigated for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minutes. Significant changes were observed from the field electron scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images as well as from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) profile. The photoluminescence (PL) profile was attributed to the contribution of oxygen vacancy, zinc interstitials, and hydrogen defec...

Lattice Boltzmann model for thermal free surface flows with liquid-solid phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attar, Elham; Koerner, Carolin

2011-01-01

Purpose: The main objective of this work is to develop an algorithm to use the Lattice Boltzmann method for solving free surface thermal flow problems with solid/liquid phase changes. Approach: A multi-distribution function model is applied to simulate hydrodynamic flow and the coupled thermal diffusion-convection problem. Findings: The free surface problem, i.e. the reconstruction of the missing distribution functions at the interface, can be solved by applying a physical transparent momentum and heat flux based methodology. The developed method is subsequently applied to some test cases in order to assess its computational potentials. Practical implications: Many industrial processes involve problems where non-isothermal motion and simultaneous solidification of fluids with free surface is important. Examples are all castings processes and especially foaming processes which are characterized by a huge and strongly changing surface. Value: A reconstruction algorithm to treat a thermal hydrodynamic problem with free surfaces is presented which is physically transparent and easy to implement.

Effect of ambient temperature and relative humidity on interfacial temperature during early stages of drop evaporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukatani, Yuki; Orejon, Daniel; Kita, Yutaku; Takata, Yasuyuki; Kim, Jungho; Sefiane, Khellil

2016-04-01

Understanding drop evaporation mechanisms is important for many industrial, biological, and other applications. Drops of organic solvents undergoing evaporation have been found to display distinct thermal patterns, which in turn depend on the physical properties of the liquid, the substrate, and ambient conditions. These patterns have been reported previously to be bulk patterns from the solid-liquid to the liquid-gas drop interface. In the present work the effect of ambient temperature and humidity during the first stage of evaporation, i.e., pinned contact line, is studied paying special attention to the thermal information retrieved at the liquid-gas interface through IR thermography. This is coupled with drop profile monitoring to experimentally investigate the effect of ambient temperature and relative humidity on the drop interfacial thermal patterns and the evaporation rate. Results indicate that self-generated thermal patterns are enhanced by an increase in ambient temperature and/or a decrease in humidity. The more active thermal patterns observed at high ambient temperatures are explained in light of a greater temperature difference generated between the apex and the edge of the drop due to greater evaporative cooling. On the other hand, the presence of water humidity in the atmosphere is found to decrease the temperature difference along the drop interface due to the heat of adsorption, absorption and/or that of condensation of water onto the ethanol drops. The control, i.e., enhancement or suppression, of these thermal patterns at the drop interface by means of ambient temperature and relative humidity is quantified and reported.

Thermal Fatigue Evaluation of Pb-Free Solder Joints: Results, Lessons Learned, and Future Trends

Science.gov (United States)

Coyle, Richard J.; Sweatman, Keith; Arfaei, Babak

2015-09-01

Thermal fatigue is a major source of failure of solder joints in surface mount electronic components and it is critically important in high reliability applications such as telecommunication, military, and aeronautics. The electronic packaging industry has seen an increase in the number of Pb-free solder alloy choices beyond the common near-eutectic Sn-Ag-Cu alloys first established as replacements for eutectic SnPb. This paper discusses the results from Pb-free solder joint reliability programs sponsored by two industry consortia. The characteristic life in accelerated thermal cycling is reported for 12 different Pb-free solder alloys and a SnPb control in 9 different accelerated thermal cycling test profiles in terms of the effects of component type, accelerated thermal cycling profile and dwell time. Microstructural analysis on assembled and failed samples was performed to investigate the effect of initial microstructure and its evolution during accelerated thermal cycling test. A significant finding from the study is that the beneficial effect of Ag on accelerated thermal cycling reliability (measured by characteristic lifetime) diminishes as the severity of the accelerated thermal cycling, defined by greater ΔT, higher peak temperature, and longer dwell time increases. The results also indicate that all the Pb-free solders are more reliable in accelerated thermal cycling than the SnPb alloy they have replaced. Suggestions are made for future work, particularly with respect to the continued evolution of alloy development for emerging application requirements and the value of using advanced analytical methods to provide a better understanding of the effect of microstructure and its evolution on accelerated thermal cycling performance.

Synthesis of a nano-crystalline solid acid catalyst from fly ash and its catalytic performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chitralekha Khatri; Ashu Rani [Government P.G. College, Kota (India). Environmental Chemistry Laboratory

2008-10-15

The synthesis of nano-crystalline activated fly ash catalyst (AFAC) with crystallite size of 12 nm was carried out by chemical and thermal treatment of fly ash, a waste material generated from coal-burning power plants. Fly ash was chemically activated using sulfuric acid followed by thermal activation at 600{sup o}C. The variation of surface and physico-chemical properties of the fly ash by activation methods resulted in improved acidity and therefore, catalytic activity for acid catalyzed reactions. The AFAC was characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, N{sub 2}-adsorption-desorption isotherm, scanning electron microscopy, flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and sulfur content by CHNS/O elemental analysis. It showed amorphous nature due to high silica content (81%) and possessed high BET surface area (120 m{sup 2}/g). The catalyst was found to be highly active solid acid catalyst for liquid phase esterification of salicylic acid with acetic anhydride and methanol giving acetylsalicylic acid and methyl salicylate respectively. A maximum yield of 97% with high purity of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and a very high conversion 87% of salicylic acid to methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen) was obtained with AFAC. The surface acidity and therefore, catalytic activity in AFAC was originated by increased silica content, hydroxyl content and higher surface area as compared to fly ash. The study shows that coal generated fly ash can be converted into potential solid acid catalyst for acid catalyzed reactions. Furthermore, this catalyst may replace conventional environmentally hazardous homogeneous liquid acids making an ecofriendly; solvent free, atom efficient, solid acid based catalytic process. 27 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Meso- and macroporous sulfonated starch solid acid catalyst for esterification of palm fatty acid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim M. Lokman

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In the present work, a heterogeneous solid acid catalyst was successfully developed from starch. The catalyst was prepared by a significant two-step process; the initial step was incomplete carbonization of starch (ICS at 400 °C for 12 h and consequently followed by sulfonation process using concentrated H2SO4 to produce sulfonated-incomplete carbonized starch (ICS-SO3H. The characterization of the ICS-SO3H catalyst was done for chemical and physical properties such as X-ray diffraction (XRD, ammonia-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD, surface area analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA, elemental analysis and morphology analysis by scanning electron microscope (SEM. BET results showed the structure of ICS-SO3H consists of meso- and macro-porous properties, which allowed high density of the SO3H group attached on its carbon networks. The catalytic activity of ICS-SO3H catalyst was determined by analyzing the catalyst performance to esterify palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD and sequentially produced methyl ester. The maximum free fatty acid (FFA conversion and FAME yield were as high as 94.6% and 90.4%, respectively, at 75 °C using 10:1 methanol-to-PFAD molar ratio and 2 wt.% of catalyst within 3 h. The catalyst has sufficient potential to recycle up to 6 reactions without reactivation step and any remarkable loss of catalytic activity. It revealed that the heterogeneous ICS-SO3H catalyst exhibits high stability, reusability and catalytic activity.

Modeling Coupled Evaporation and Seepage in Ventilated Cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghezzehei, T.; Trautz, R.; Finsterle, S.; Cook, P.; Ahlers, C.

2004-01-01

Cavities excavated in unsaturated geological formations are important to activities such as nuclear waste disposal and mining. Such cavities provide a unique setting for simultaneous occurrence of seepage and evaporation. Previously, inverse numerical modeling of field liquid-release tests and associated seepage into cavities were used to provide seepage-related large-scale formation properties by ignoring the impact of evaporation. The applicability of such models was limited to the narrow range of ventilation conditions under which the models were calibrated. The objective of this study was to alleviate this limitation by incorporating evaporation into the seepage models. We modeled evaporation as an isothermal vapor diffusion process. The semi-physical model accounts for the relative humidity, temperature, and ventilation conditions of the cavities. The evaporation boundary layer thickness (BLT) over which diffusion occurs was estimated by calibration against free-water evaporation data collected inside the experimental cavities. The estimated values of BLT were 5 to 7 mm for the open underground drifts and 20 mm for niches closed off by bulkheads. Compared to previous models that neglected the effect of evaporation, this new approach showed significant improvement in capturing seepage fluctuations into open cavities of low relative humidity. At high relative-humidity values (greater than 85%), the effect of evaporation on seepage was very small

CATALYST-FREE REACTIONS UNDER SOLVENT-FEE CONDITIONS: MICROWAVE-ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF HETEROCYCLIC HYDRAZONES BELOW THE MELTING POINT OF NEAT REACTANTS: JOURNAL ARTICLE

Science.gov (United States)

NRMRL-CIN-1437 Jeselnik, M., Varma*, R.S., Polanc, S., and Kocevar, M. Catalyst-free Reactions under Solvent-fee Conditions: Microwave-assisted Synthesis of Heterocyclic Hydrazones below the Melting Point of Neat Reactants. Published in: Chemical Communications 18:1716-1717 (200...

Hierarchical hybrid peroxidase catalysts for remediation of phenol wastewater

KAUST Repository

Duan, Xiaonan

2014-02-20

We report a new family of hierarchical hybrid catalysts comprised of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-magnetic nanoparticles for advanced oxidation processes and demonstrate their utility in the removal of phenol from water. The immobilized HRP catalyzes the oxidation of phenols in the presence of H2O2, producing free radicals. The phenoxy radicals react with each other in a non-enzymatic process to form polymers, which can be removed by precipitation with salts or condensation. The hybrid peroxidase catalysts exhibit three times higher activity than free HRP and are able to remove three times more phenol from water compared to free HRP under similar conditions. In addition, the hybrid catalysts reduce substrate inhibition and limit inactivation from reaction products, which are common problems with free or conventionally immobilized enzymes. Reusability is improved when the HRP-magnetic nanoparticle hybrids are supported on micron-scale magnetic particles, and can be retained with a specially designed magnetically driven reactor. The performance of the hybrid catalysts makes them attractive for several industrial and environmental applications and their development might pave the way for practical applications by eliminating most of the limitations that have prevented the use of free or conventionally immobilized enzymes. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hierarchical hybrid peroxidase catalysts for remediation of phenol wastewater

KAUST Repository

Duan, Xiaonan; Corgié , Sté phane C.; Aneshansley, Daniel J.; Wang, Peng; Walker, Larry P.; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.

2014-01-01

We report a new family of hierarchical hybrid catalysts comprised of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-magnetic nanoparticles for advanced oxidation processes and demonstrate their utility in the removal of phenol from water. The immobilized HRP catalyzes the oxidation of phenols in the presence of H2O2, producing free radicals. The phenoxy radicals react with each other in a non-enzymatic process to form polymers, which can be removed by precipitation with salts or condensation. The hybrid peroxidase catalysts exhibit three times higher activity than free HRP and are able to remove three times more phenol from water compared to free HRP under similar conditions. In addition, the hybrid catalysts reduce substrate inhibition and limit inactivation from reaction products, which are common problems with free or conventionally immobilized enzymes. Reusability is improved when the HRP-magnetic nanoparticle hybrids are supported on micron-scale magnetic particles, and can be retained with a specially designed magnetically driven reactor. The performance of the hybrid catalysts makes them attractive for several industrial and environmental applications and their development might pave the way for practical applications by eliminating most of the limitations that have prevented the use of free or conventionally immobilized enzymes. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Waste Feed Evaporation Physical Properties Modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daniel, W.E.

2003-01-01

This document describes the waste feed evaporator modeling work done in the Waste Feed Evaporation and Physical Properties Modeling test specification and in support of the Hanford River Protection Project (RPP) Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) project. A private database (ZEOLITE) was developed and used in this work in order to include the behavior of aluminosilicates such a NAS-gel in the OLI/ESP simulations, in addition to the development of the mathematical models. Mathematical models were developed that describe certain physical properties in the Hanford RPP-WTP waste feed evaporator process (FEP). In particular, models were developed for the feed stream to the first ultra-filtration step characterizing its heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and viscosity, as well as the density of the evaporator contents. The scope of the task was expanded to include the volume reduction factor across the waste feed evaporator (total evaporator feed volume/evaporator bottoms volume). All the physical properties were modeled as functions of the waste feed composition, temperature, and the high level waste recycle volumetric flow rate relative to that of the waste feed. The goal for the mathematical models was to predict the physical property to predicted simulation value. The simulation model approximating the FEP process used to develop the correlations was relatively complex, and not possible to duplicate within the scope of the bench scale evaporation experiments. Therefore, simulants were made of 13 design points (a subset of the points used in the model fits) using the compositions of the ultra-filtration feed streams as predicted by the simulation model. The chemistry and physical properties of the supernate (the modeled stream) as predicted by the simulation were compared with the analytical results of experimental simulant work as a method of validating the simulation software

Visible light photocatalytic activities of template free porous graphitic carbon nitride-BiOBr composite catalysts towards the mineralization of reactive dyes

Science.gov (United States)

Kanagaraj, Thamaraiselvi; Thiripuranthagan, Sivakumar; Paskalis, Sahaya Murphin Kumar; Abe, Hideki

2017-12-01

Template free porous g-C3N4 (pGCN) and flower like bismuth oxybromide catalysts were synthesized by poly condensation and precipitation methods respectively. Various weight percentages of porous GCN-BiOBr composite catalysts (x% pGCN-BiOBr where x = 5, 10, 30, 50 & 70 wt% of pGCN) were synthesized by impregnation method. All the synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-Ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, BET surface area analyzer, UV Visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer, X-Ray photoelectron spectrophotometer, SEM with Energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (SEM/EDAX) and elemental mapping, Transmission electron microscope, Photoluminescence spectrophotometer and Electrochemical impedance. Photocatalytic degradation of all the synthesized catalysts were tested towards the harmful reactive dyes such as reactive blue 198 (RB 198), reactive black 5 (RB 5) and reactive yellow 145 (RY 145) in presence of visible irradiation. Among the catalysts 30% pGCN-BiOBr resulted in the highest photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of all the three dyes in presence of UV, visible and solar irradiations. Kinetics studies on the photocatalytic mineralization of dyes indicated that it followed pseudo first order. HPLC, TOC and COD studies confirm that the dyes are mineralized into CO2, water and mineral salts.

Continuous synthesis of methanol: heterogeneous hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate over Cu/HMS catalysts in a fixed bed reactor system.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xi; Cui, Yuanyuan; Wen, Chao; Wang, Bin; Dai, Wei-Lin

2015-09-18

Continuous fixed-bed catalytic hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate (EC) to methanol and ethylene glycol (EG), an emerging synthetic process of methanol via indirect conversion of CO2, was successfully performed over Cu/HMS catalysts prepared by the ammonia evaporation (AE) method. The catalysts possessed superb performance with a conversion of 100% and a selectivity to methanol of 74%.

Direct production of carbon nanofibers decorated with Cu2O by thermal chemical vapor deposition on Ni catalyst electroplated on a copper substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MA Vesaghi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available  Carbon nanofibers (CNFs decorated with Cu2O particles were grown on a Ni catalyst layer deposited on a Cu substrate by thermal. chemical vapor deposition from liquid petroleum gas. Ni catalyst nanoparticles with different sizes were produced in an electroplating system at 35˚C. These nanoparticles provide the nucleation sites for CNF growth, removing the need for a buffer layer. High temperature surface segregation of the Cu substrate into the Ni catalyst layer and its exposition to O2 at atmospheric environment, during the CNFs growth, lead to the production of CNFs decorated with Cu2O particles. The surface morphology of the Ni catalyst films and grown CNFs over it was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed the formation of CNFs. The selected area electron diffraction pattern and electron diffraction studies show that these CNFs were decorated with Cu2O nanoparticles.

Lanthanoid-free perovskite oxide catalyst for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene working with redox mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Ryo; Ikushima, Maiko; Mukawa, Kei; Sumomozawa, Fumitaka; Ogo, Shuhei; Sekine, Yasushi

2013-01-01

For the development of highly active and robust catalysts for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EBDH) to produce styrene; an important monomer for polystyrene production, perovskite-type oxides were applied to the reaction. Controlling the mobility of lattice oxygen by changing the structure of Ba1 − xSrxFeyMn1 − yO3 − δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, 0.2 ≤ y ≤ 0.8), perovskite catalyst showed higher activity and stability on EBDH. The optimized Ba/Sr and Fe/Mn molar ratios were 0.4/0.6 and 0.6/0.4, respectively. Comparison of the dehydrogenation activity of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst with that of an industrial potassium promoted iron (Fe–K) catalyst revealed that the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst showed higher initial activity than the industrial Fe–K oxide catalyst. Additionally, the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst showed high activity and stability under severe conditions, even at temperatures as low as 783 K, or at the low steam/EB ratio of 2, while, the Fe–K catalyst showed low activity in such conditions. Comparing reduction profiles of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ and the Fe–K catalysts in a H2O/H2 atmosphere, reduction was suppressed by the presence of H2O over the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst while the Fe–K catalyst was reduced. In other words, Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst had higher potential for activating the steam than the Fe–K catalyst. The lattice oxygen in perovskite-structure was consumed by H2, subsequently the consumed lattice oxygen was regenerated by H2O. So the catalytic performance of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ was superior to that of Fe–K catalyst thanks to the high redox property of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ perovskite oxide. PMID:24790949

Lanthanoid-free perovskite oxide catalyst for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene working with redox mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryo eWatanabe

2013-10-01

Full Text Available For the development of highly active and robust catalysts for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EBDH to produce styrene; an important monomer for polystyrene production, perovskite-type oxides were applied to the reaction. Controlling the mobility of lattice oxygen by changing the structure of Ba1–xSrxFeyMn1–yO3–d(0 ≤ x≤ 1, 0.2 ≤ y≤ 0.8, perovskite catalyst showed higher activity and stability on EBDH. The optimized Ba/Sr and Fe/Mn molar ratios were 0.4/0.6 and 0.6/0.4, respectively. Comparison of the dehydrogenation activity of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d catalyst with that of an industrial potassium promoted iron (Fe–K catalyst revealed that the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d catalyst showed higher initial activity than the industrial Fe–K oxide catalyst. Additionally, the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d catalyst showed high activity and stability under severe conditions, even at temperatures as low as 783 K, or at the low steam/EB ratio of 2, while, the Fe–K catalyst showed low activity in such conditions. Comparing reduction profiles of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d and the Fe–K catalysts in aH2O/H2 atmosphere, reduction was suppressed by the presence of H2O over the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d catalyst while the Fe–K catalyst was reduced. In other words, Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d catalyst had higher potential for activating the steam than the Fe–K catalyst. The lattice oxygen in perovskite-structure was consumed by H2, subsequently the consumed lattice oxygen was regenerated by H2O. So the catalytic performance of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d was superior to that of Fe–K catalyst thanks to the high redox property of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3–d perovskite oxide.

Lanthanoid-free perovskite oxide catalyst for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene working with redox mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Ryo; Ikushima, Maiko; Mukawa, Kei; Sumomozawa, Fumitaka; Ogo, Shuhei; Sekine, Yasushi

2013-10-01

For the development of highly active and robust catalysts for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EBDH) to produce styrene; an important monomer for polystyrene production, perovskite-type oxides were applied to the reaction. Controlling the mobility of lattice oxygen by changing the structure of Ba1-xSrxFeyMn1-yO3-d(0 ≤ x≤ 1, 0.2 ≤ y≤ 0.8), perovskite catalyst showed higher activity and stability on EBDH. The optimized Ba/Sr and Fe/Mn molar ratios were 0.4/0.6 and 0.6/0.4, respectively. Comparison of the dehydrogenation activity of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d catalyst with that of an industrial potassium promoted iron (Fe-K) catalyst revealed that the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d catalyst showed higher initial activity than the industrial Fe-K oxide catalyst. Additionally, the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d catalyst showed high activity and stability under severe conditions, even at temperatures as low as 783 K, or at the low steam/EB ratio of 2, while, the Fe-K catalyst showed low activity in such conditions. Comparing reduction profiles of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d and the Fe-K catalysts in aH2O/H2 atmosphere, reduction was suppressed by the presence of H2O over the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d catalyst while the Fe-K catalyst was reduced. In other words, Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d catalyst had higher potential for activating the steam than the Fe-K catalyst. The lattice oxygen in perovskite-structure was consumed by H2, subsequently the consumed lattice oxygen was regenerated by H2O. So the catalytic performance of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d was superior to that of Fe-K catalyst thanks to the high redox property of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3-d perovskite oxide.

Lanthanoid-free perovskite oxide catalyst for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene working with redox mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Ryo; Ikushima, Maiko; Mukawa, Kei; Sumomozawa, Fumitaka; Ogo, Shuhei; Sekine, Yasushi

2013-01-01

For the development of highly active and robust catalysts for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EBDH) to produce styrene; an important monomer for polystyrene production, perovskite-type oxides were applied to the reaction. Controlling the mobility of lattice oxygen by changing the structure of Ba1 - x SrxFe y Mn1 - y O3 - δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, 0.2 ≤ y ≤ 0.8), perovskite catalyst showed higher activity and stability on EBDH. The optimized Ba/Sr and Fe/Mn molar ratios were 0.4/0.6 and 0.6/0.4, respectively. Comparison of the dehydrogenation activity of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ catalyst with that of an industrial potassium promoted iron (Fe-K) catalyst revealed that the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ catalyst showed higher initial activity than the industrial Fe-K oxide catalyst. Additionally, the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ catalyst showed high activity and stability under severe conditions, even at temperatures as low as 783 K, or at the low steam/EB ratio of 2, while, the Fe-K catalyst showed low activity in such conditions. Comparing reduction profiles of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ and the Fe-K catalysts in a H2O/H2 atmosphere, reduction was suppressed by the presence of H2O over the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ catalyst while the Fe-K catalyst was reduced. In other words, Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ catalyst had higher potential for activating the steam than the Fe-K catalyst. The lattice oxygen in perovskite-structure was consumed by H2, subsequently the consumed lattice oxygen was regenerated by H2O. So the catalytic performance of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ was superior to that of Fe-K catalyst thanks to the high redox property of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 - δ perovskite oxide.

Dynamics of Catalyst Nanoparticles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Thomas Willum; Cavalca, Filippo; Wagner, Jakob Birkedal

and pharmaceuticals, and the cleanup of exhaust from automobiles and stationary power plants. Sintering, or thermal deactivation, is an important mechanism for the loss of catalyst activity. In order to initiate a systematic study of the dynamics and sintering of nanoparticles, various catalytic systems have been...... under gas exposure, dynamic phenomena such as sintering and growth can be observed with sub-Ångstrøm resolution. Metal nanoparticles contain the active sites in heterogeneous catalysts, which are important for many industrial applications including the production of clean fuels, chemicals...

Water-evaporation-induced electricity with nanostructured carbon materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Guobin; Xu, Ying; Ding, Tianpeng; Li, Jia; Yin, Jun; Fei, Wenwen; Cao, Yuanzhi; Yu, Jin; Yuan, Longyan; Gong, Li; Chen, Jian; Deng, Shaozhi; Zhou, Jun; Guo, Wanlin

2017-05-01

Water evaporation is a ubiquitous natural process that harvests thermal energy from the ambient environment. It has previously been utilized in a number of applications including the synthesis of nanostructures and the creation of energy-harvesting devices. Here, we show that water evaporation from the surface of a variety of nanostructured carbon materials can be used to generate electricity. We find that evaporation from centimetre-sized carbon black sheets can reliably generate sustained voltages of up to 1 V under ambient conditions. The interaction between the water molecules and the carbon layers and moreover evaporation-induced water flow within the porous carbon sheets are thought to be key to the voltage generation. This approach to electricity generation is related to the traditional streaming potential, which relies on driving ionic solutions through narrow gaps, and the recently reported method of moving ionic solutions across graphene surfaces, but as it exploits the natural process of evaporation and uses cheap carbon black it could offer advantages in the development of practical devices.

Characterization of CuIn1-xAlxS2 thin films prepared by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smaili, F.; Kanzari, M.; Rezig, B.

2008-01-01

Ingots containing single crystals of the quaternary alloys CuIn 1-x Al x S 2 (CIAS) were grown by a horizontal Bridgman method for compositions with x = 0, 0.2 and x = 0.4. (CIAS) thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique on to glass substrates. Structural and optical properties of the films were studied in function of the Al content. Band gap, and absorption coefficients were determined from the analysis of the optical spectra (transmittance and reflectance as a function of wavelength) recorded by a spectrophotometer. The samples have direct bandgap energies of 1.95 eV (x = 0), 2.06 eV (x = 0,2) and 2.1 eV (x = 0,4). These optical results were correlated with the structural analysis by X-Ray diffraction

[Pd(NH{sub 3}){sub 4}]MoO{sub 4} as a precursor for Pd–Mo-containing catalysts: Thermal behavior, X-ray analysis of the thermolysis products and related catalytic studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gubanov, Alexander I., E-mail: gubanov@niic.nsc.su [Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Prospekt 3, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova str. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Filatov, Eugeny Yu.; Semitut, Eugeny Yu.; Smolentsev, Anton I. [Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Prospekt 3, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova str. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Snytnikov, Pavel V.; Potemkin, Dmitry I. [Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova str. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Prospekt 5, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Korenev, Sergey V. [Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Prospekt 3, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova str. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2013-08-20

Highlights: • [Pd(NH{sub 3}){sub 4}]MoO{sub 4} as a precursor for Pd–Mo-containing catalysts. • Different products are formed depending on atmosphere of thermal decomposition. • Thermolysis in He atmosphere affords finely mixed two-phase nanosized system Pd–MoO{sub 2}. • Pd–MoO{sub 2} system can be a promising catalyst both in pure and supported form. - Abstract: Compound [Pd(NH{sub 3}){sub 4}]MoO{sub 4} (1) has been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, analytical data, powder and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Thermal properties of 1 have been examined by thermogravimetry. Powder X-ray diffraction has been applied to investigate the nanosized products of thermal decomposition of the precursor in hydrogen (Pd–Mo) and helium (Pd–MoO{sub 2}) atmospheres. Pd–Mo catalysts supported with γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} have been tested in oxidation of CO and H{sub 2} mixtures.

Development of a thermally-intensive reactor and process for upgrading heavy crude oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauptmann, E.G. [Refinery Science Corp., El Paso, TX (United States)

2008-07-01

This paper discussed a pilot study conducted to test the performance of a 15 bpd high thermal flux short vapor residence time reactor. The technology was comprised of a flowing, free-surface channel of molten metal salts. Heavy crude droplets were placed on the flowing surface and mixed with catalysts. A free vapor space was used to remove and condense the clean, particulate-free cracked hydrocarbon vapors. An additional process was used to remove and separate the coke, catalysts and heavy metals for further processing and recovery. Placing the heavy crude onto a hot surface caused the drops to float or sputter on the surface. As the temperature increased, the film became thinner and broke down at the Leidenfrost point. A peak heat transfer coefficient then occurred during the intense nucleate boiling at the drop surface. The heavy crude was cracked through the combined effects of rapid heating and the presence of the catalyst. The clean, cracked hydrocarbon vapors were then removed from the drops and away from the heating source. Heavy metals were removed from the liquid product and discharged from the reactor with the coke and the catalyst. It was concluded that tests conducted to evaluate the performance of the technology demonstrated that the reactor required no external fuel for continuous operation after start-up, and all process water was fully recyclable. 5 refs., 2 tabs., 9 figs.

Standard test method for determination of uranium or plutonium isotopic composition or concentration by the total evaporation method using a thermal ionization mass spectrometer

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 This method describes the determination of the isotopic composition and/or the concentration of uranium and plutonium as nitrate solutions by the thermal ionization mass spectrometric (TIMS) total evaporation method. Purified uranium or plutonium nitrate solutions are loaded onto a degassed metal filament and placed in the mass spectrometer. Under computer control, ion currents are generated by heating of the filament(s). The ion beams are continually measured until the sample is exhausted. The measured ion currents are integrated over the course of the run, and normalized to a reference isotope ion current to yield isotopic ratios. 1.2 In principle, the total evaporation method should yield isotopic ratios that do not require mass bias correction. In practice, some samples may require this bias correction. When compared to the conventional TIMS method, the total evaporation method is approximately two times faster, improves precision from two to four fold, and utilizes smaller sample sizes. 1.3 The tot...

Evaporative water loss, relative water economy and evaporative partitioning of a heterothermic marsupial, the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides).

Science.gov (United States)

Withers, Philip C; Cooper, Christine E; Nespolo, Roberto F

2012-08-15

We examine here evaporative water loss, economy and partitioning at ambient temperatures from 14 to 33°C for the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), a microbiotheriid marsupial found only in temperate rainforests of Chile. The monito's standard evaporative water loss (2.58 mg g(-1) h(-1) at 30°C) was typical for a marsupial of its body mass and phylogenetic position. Evaporative water loss was independent of air temperature below thermoneutrality, but enhanced evaporative water loss and hyperthermia were the primary thermal responses above the thermoneutral zone. Non-invasive partitioning of total evaporative water loss indicated that respiratory loss accounted for 59-77% of the total, with no change in respiratory loss with ambient temperature, but a small change in cutaneous loss below thermoneutrality and an increase in cutaneous loss in and above thermoneutrality. Relative water economy (metabolic water production/evaporative water loss) increased at low ambient temperatures, with a point of relative water economy of 15.4°C. Thermolability had little effect on relative water economy, but conferred substantial energy savings at low ambient temperatures. Torpor reduced total evaporative water loss to as little as 21% of normothermic values, but relative water economy during torpor was poor even at low ambient temperatures because of the relatively greater reduction in metabolic water production than in evaporative water loss. The poor water economy of the monito during torpor suggests that negative water balance may explain why hibernators periodically arouse to normothermia, to obtain water by drinking or via an improved water economy.

Black hole evaporation in conformal gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bambi, Cosimo; Rachwał, Lesław [Center for Field Theory and Particle Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, 200433 Shanghai (China); Modesto, Leonardo [Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Road, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Porey, Shiladitya, E-mail: bambi@fudan.edu.cn, E-mail: lmodesto@sustc.edu.cn, E-mail: shilp@iitk.ac.in, E-mail: rachwal@fudan.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, 208016 Kanpur (India)

2017-09-01

We study the formation and the evaporation of a spherically symmetric black hole in conformal gravity. From the collapse of a spherically symmetric thin shell of radiation, we find a singularity-free non-rotating black hole. This black hole has the same Hawking temperature as a Schwarzschild black hole with the same mass, and it completely evaporates either in a finite or in an infinite time, depending on the ensemble. We consider the analysis both in the canonical and in the micro-canonical statistical ensembles. Last, we discuss the corresponding Penrose diagram of this physical process.

Influence of electron evaporative cooling on ultracold plasma expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, Truman; Chen, Wei-Ting; Roberts, Jacob

2013-01-01

The expansion of ultracold neutral plasmas (UCP) is driven primarily by the thermal pressure of the electron component and is therefore sensitive to the electron temperature. For typical UCP spatial extents, evaporative cooling has a significant influence on the UCP expansion rate at lower densities (less than 10 8 /cm 3 ). We studied the effect of electron evaporation in this density range. Owing to the low density, the effects of three-body recombination were negligible. We modeled the expansion by taking into account the change in electron temperature owing to evaporation as well as adiabatic expansion and found good agreement with our data. We also developed a simple model for initial evaporation over a range of ultracold plasma densities, sizes, and electron temperatures to determine over what parameter range electron evaporation is expected to have a significant effect. We also report on a signal calibration technique, which relates the signal at our detector to the total number of ions and electrons in the ultracold plasma

Technologies of Selective Energy Supply at Evaporation of Food Solutes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burdo O.G.

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research is to create innovative evaporating equipment that can produce concentrates with a high content of solids, with a low level of thermal effects on raw materials. The significance of the solution of technological problems of the key process of food technologies - concentration of liquid solutions (juices, extracts, etc. is shown. Problems and scientific contradictions are formulated and the hypothesis on using of electromagnetic energy sources for direct energy transfer to solution’s moisture has been offered. The prospects of such an energy effect are proved by the energy management methods. The schemes of fuel energy conversion for the conventional thermal concentration technology and the innovative plant based on the electromagnetic energy generators are presented. By means of the similarity theory the obtained model is transformed to the criterial one depicted kinetic of evaporation process at the electromagnetic field action. The dimensionless capacity of the plant is expressed by the dependence between the Energetic effect number and relative moisture content. The scheme of automated experimental system for study of the evaporation process in the microwave field is shown. The experimental results of juice evaporation are presented. It has been demonstrated that the technologies of selective energy supply represent an effective tool for improvement of juice concentration evaporative plants. The main result of the research is design of the evaporator that allows reaching juice concentrates with °brix 95 at the temperature as low as 35 °С, i.e. 2…3 times superior than traditional technologies.

Understanding Atom Probe Tomography of Oxide-Supported Metal Nanoparticles by Correlation with Atomic-Resolution Electron Microscopy and Field Evaporation Simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Devaraj, Arun; Colby, Robert; Vurpillot, François; Thevuthasan, Suntharampillai

2014-04-17

Oxide-supported metal nanoparticles are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis. The increasingly detailed design of such catalysts necessitates three-dimensional characterization with high spatial resolution and elemental selectivity. Laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT) is uniquely suited to the task but faces challenges with the evaporation of metal/insulator systems. Correlation of APT with aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), for Au nanoparticles embedded in MgO, reveals preferential evaporation of the MgO and an inaccurate assessment of nanoparticle composition. Finite element field evaporation modeling is used to illustrate the evolution of the evaporation front. Nanoparticle composition is most accurately predicted when the MgO is treated as having a locally variable evaporation field, indicating the importance of considering laser-oxide interactions and the evaporation of various molecular oxide ions. These results demonstrate the viability of APT for analysis of oxide-supported metal nanoparticles, highlighting the need for developing a theoretical framework for the evaporation of heterogeneous materials.

High-Capacity Spacesuit Evaporator Absorber Radiator (SEAR)

Science.gov (United States)

Izenson, Michael G.; Chen, Weibo; Phillips, Scott; Chepko, Ariane; Bue, Grant; Quinn, Gregory

2015-01-01

Future human space exploration missions will require advanced life support technology that can operate across a wide range of applications and environments. Thermal control systems for space suits and spacecraft will need to meet critical requirements for water conservation and multifunctional operation. This paper describes a Space Evaporator Absorber Radiator (SEAR) that has been designed to meet performance requirements for future life support systems. A SEAR system comprises a lithium chloride absorber radiator (LCAR) for heat rejection coupled with a space water membrane evaporator (SWME) for heat acquisition. SEAR systems provide heat pumping to minimize radiator size, thermal storage to accommodate variable environmental conditions, and water absorption to minimize use of expendables. We have built and tested a flight-like, high-capacity LCAR, demonstrated its performance in thermal vacuum tests, and explored the feasibility of an ISS demonstration test of a SEAR system. The new LCAR design provides the same cooling capability as prior LCAR prototypes while enabling over 30% more heat absorbing capacity. Studies show that it should be feasible to demonstrate SEAR operation in flight by coupling with an existing EMU on the space station.

Influence of multi-depositions on the final properties of thermally evaporated TlBr films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Destefano, N.; Mulato, M.

2010-01-01

Thallium bromide is a promising candidate material for photodetectors in medical imaging systems. This work investigates the structural, optical and electrical properties of thermally evaporated TlBr films. The main fabrication parameter is the number of depositions. The use of sequential runs is aimed to increase the thickness of the films, as necessary, for technological applications. We deposited films using one-four runs, that led to maximum thickness of about 50 μm. Crystallographic and morphological changes were observed with varying deposition runs. Nevertheless, the optical gap and electrical resistivity in the dark remained constant at about 2.85 eV and 10 9 Ω cm, respectively. Thicker samples have a larger ratio of photo-to-dark signal under medical X-ray exposure, with a larger linear region as a function of applied voltage. The results are discussed aiming at future technological applications in medical imaging.

Free radical and thermal curing of terpyridine-modified terpolymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofmeier, H.; El-Ghayoury, A.; Schubert, U.S.

2004-01-01

Terpolymers bearing terpyridine as well as (meth)acrylates as free radical curable groups (UV-curing) or hydroxyl groups (thermal curing with bis-isocyanates) were synthesized and characterized using 1H NMR, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as GPC. Subsequently, the ability of covalent

Dynamics of contact line depinning during droplet evaporation based on thermodynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Dong In; Kwak, Ho Jae; Doh, Seung Woo; Ahn, Ho Seon; Park, Hyun Sun; Kiyofumi, Moriyama; Kim, Moo Hwan

2015-02-17

For several decades, evaporation phenomena have been intensively investigated for a broad range of applications. However, the dynamics of contact line depinning during droplet evaporation has only been inductively inferred on the basis of experimental data and remains unclear. This study focuses on the dynamics of contact line depinning during droplet evaporation based on thermodynamics. Considering the decrease in the Gibbs free energy of a system with different evaporation modes, a theoretical model was developed to estimate the receding contact angle during contact line depinning as a function of surface conditions. Comparison of experimentally measured and theoretically modeled receding contact angles indicated that the dynamics of contact line depinning during droplet evaporation was caused by the most favorable thermodynamic process encountered during constant contact radius (CCR mode) and constant contact angle (CCA mode) evaporation to rapidly reach an equilibrium state during droplet evaporation.

Numerical Study of Thermal Radiation Effect on Confined Turbulent Free Triangular Jets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiyan Parham

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The present study investigates the effects of thermal radiation on turbulent free triangular jets. Finite volume method is applied for solving mass, momentum, and energy equations simultaneously. Discrete ordinate method is used to determine radiation transfer equation (RTE. Results are presented in terms of velocity, kinetic energy, and its dissipation rate fields. Results show that thermal radiation speeds the development of velocity on the jet axis and enhances kinetic energy; therefore, when radiation is added to free jet its mixing power, due to extra kinetic energy, increases.

KEPLER PLANETS: A TALE OF EVAPORATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen, James E.; Wu, Yanqin

2013-01-01

Inspired by the Kepler mission's planet discoveries, we consider the thermal contraction of planets close to their parent star, under the influence of evaporation. The mass-loss rates are based on hydrodynamic models of evaporation that include both X-ray and EUV irradiation. We find that only low mass planets with hydrogen envelopes are significantly affected by evaporation, with evaporation being able to remove massive hydrogen envelopes inward of ∼0.1 AU for Neptune-mass objects, while evaporation is negligible for Jupiter-mass objects. Moreover, most of the evaporation occurs in the first 100 Myr of stars' lives when they are more chromospherically active. We construct a theoretical population of planets with varying core masses, envelope masses, orbital separations, and stellar spectral types, and compare this population with the sizes and densities measured for low-mass planets, both in the Kepler mission and from radial velocity surveys. This exercise leads us to conclude that evaporation is the driving force of evolution for close-in Kepler planets. In fact, some 50% of the Kepler planet candidates may have been significantly eroded. Evaporation explains two striking correlations observed in these objects: a lack of large radius/low density planets close to the stars and a possible bimodal distribution in planet sizes with a deficit of planets around 2 R ⊕ . Planets that have experienced high X-ray exposures are generally smaller than this size, and those with lower X-ray exposures are typically larger. A bimodal planet size distribution is naturally predicted by the evaporation model, where, depending on their X-ray exposure, close-in planets can either hold on to hydrogen envelopes ∼0.5%-1% in mass or be stripped entirely. To quantitatively reproduce the observed features, we argue that not only do low-mass Kepler planets need to be made of rocky cores surrounded with hydrogen envelopes, but few of them should have initial masses above 20 M ⊕ and

KEPLER PLANETS: A TALE OF EVAPORATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Owen, James E. [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada); Wu, Yanqin, E-mail: jowen@cita.utoronto.ca, E-mail: wu@astro.utoronto.ca [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada)

2013-10-01

Inspired by the Kepler mission's planet discoveries, we consider the thermal contraction of planets close to their parent star, under the influence of evaporation. The mass-loss rates are based on hydrodynamic models of evaporation that include both X-ray and EUV irradiation. We find that only low mass planets with hydrogen envelopes are significantly affected by evaporation, with evaporation being able to remove massive hydrogen envelopes inward of ∼0.1 AU for Neptune-mass objects, while evaporation is negligible for Jupiter-mass objects. Moreover, most of the evaporation occurs in the first 100 Myr of stars' lives when they are more chromospherically active. We construct a theoretical population of planets with varying core masses, envelope masses, orbital separations, and stellar spectral types, and compare this population with the sizes and densities measured for low-mass planets, both in the Kepler mission and from radial velocity surveys. This exercise leads us to conclude that evaporation is the driving force of evolution for close-in Kepler planets. In fact, some 50% of the Kepler planet candidates may have been significantly eroded. Evaporation explains two striking correlations observed in these objects: a lack of large radius/low density planets close to the stars and a possible bimodal distribution in planet sizes with a deficit of planets around 2 R{sub ⊕}. Planets that have experienced high X-ray exposures are generally smaller than this size, and those with lower X-ray exposures are typically larger. A bimodal planet size distribution is naturally predicted by the evaporation model, where, depending on their X-ray exposure, close-in planets can either hold on to hydrogen envelopes ∼0.5%-1% in mass or be stripped entirely. To quantitatively reproduce the observed features, we argue that not only do low-mass Kepler planets need to be made of rocky cores surrounded with hydrogen envelopes, but few of them should have initial masses above

Heat transfer and evaporative cooling in the function of pot-in-pot coolers

Science.gov (United States)

Chemin, Arsène; Levy Dit Vehel, Victor; Caussarieu, Aude; Plihon, Nicolas; Taberlet, Nicolas

2018-03-01

A pot-in-pot cooler is an affordable electricity-free refrigerator which uses the latent heat of vaporization of water to maintain a low temperature inside an inner compartment. In this article, we experimentally investigate the influence of the main physical parameters in model pot-in-pot coolers. The effect of the wind on the evaporation rate of the cooling fluid is studied in model experiments while the influence of the fluid properties (thermal conductivity, specific heat, and latent heat) is elucidated using a variety of cooling fluids (water, ethanol, and ether). A model based on a simplified heat conduction equation is proposed and is shown to be in good quantitative agreement with the experimental measurements.

Preferential removal of Sm by evaporation from Nd-Sm mixture and its application in direct burn-up determination of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajimol, R.; Bera, S.; Nalini, S.; Sivaraman, N.; Joseph, M.; Kumar, T.

2016-01-01

Rate of evaporation of Sm and Nd from their mixture was studied based on their ion intensities using thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Because of the comparatively larger evaporation rate of Sm, it was found possible to get the isotopic composition of Nd (fission product monitor) free from isobaric interference of Sm isotopes. The decrease in ion intensity of Sm was studied as a function of time and filament temperature. Based on this study, an easy and time effective method for the determination of burn-up of spent nuclear fuel was examined and the results are compared with that obtained by the conventional method. Typical burn-up value obtained for a pressurized heavy water reactor fuel dissolver solution using the direct method by preferential evaporation of Sm is: 0.84 at.%, whereas the one obtained by the use of conventional method is 0.82 at.%. In both the cases, Nd was employed as the fission product monitor. (author)

Evaporative cooling in ATLAS - present and future

CERN Document Server

Viehhauser, G; The ATLAS collaboration

2010-01-01

The ATLAS Inner Detector cooling system is the largest evaporative cooling system used in High Energy Physics today. During the installation and commissioning of this system many lessons had to be learned, but the system is now operating reliably, although it does not achieve all original design specifications in all its circuits. We have re-evaluated the requirements for the cooling system, in particular for the evaporation temperature, over the full ATLAS operational lifetime. We find that the critical requirement is for thermal stability at the end of the operation in the high-radiation environment. To predict this we have developed a simple thermal model of the detector modules which yields analytical expressions to evaluate the results of changes in the operating conditions. After a comparison of the revised requirements and the actual present cooling system performance we will discuss various modifications to the system which will be required for future operation. In parallel we are developing a cooling...

Iridium-catalyst-based autonomous bubble-propelled graphene micromotors with ultralow catalyst loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong; Sofer, Zdeněk; Eng, Alex Yong Sheng; Pumera, Martin

2014-11-10

A novel concept of an iridium-based bubble-propelled Janus-particle-type graphene micromotor with very high surface area and with very low catalyst loading is described. The low loading of Ir catalyst (0.54 at %) allows for fast motion of graphene microparticles with high surface area of 316.2 m(2)  g(-1). The micromotor was prepared with a simple and scalable method by thermal exfoliation of iridium-doped graphite oxide precursor composite in hydrogen atmosphere. Oxygen bubbles generated from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide at the iridium catalytic sites provide robust propulsion thrust for the graphene micromotor. The high surface area and low iridium catalyst loading of the bubble-propelled graphene motors offer great possibilities for dramatically enhanced cargo delivery. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of straw mulching on soil evaporation during the soil thawing ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Qiang Fu

2018-03-27

Mar 27, 2018 ... Materials and methods. 2.1 Study area ... 110 days, and the frost-free period is approximately. 140 days. ..... flow to the soil surface was sufficient to meet the evaporative ..... Impact of ambient conditions on evaporation from porous media ... through integrated modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer and ...

Aerosol processing: a wind of innovation in the field of advanced heterogeneous catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Debecker, Damien P; Le Bras, Solène; Boissière, Cédric; Chaumonnot, Alexandra; Sanchez, Clément

2018-04-16

Aerosol processing is long known and implemented industrially to obtain various types of divided materials and nanomaterials. The atomisation of a liquid solution or suspension produces a mist of aerosol droplets which can then be transformed via a diversity of processes including spray-drying, spray pyrolysis, flame spray pyrolysis, thermal decomposition, micronisation, gas atomisation, etc. The attractive technical features of these aerosol processes make them highly interesting for the continuous, large scale, and tailored production of heterogeneous catalysts. Indeed, during aerosol processing, each liquid droplet undergoes well-controlled physical and chemical transformations, allowing for example to dry and aggregate pre-existing solid particles or to synthesise new micro- or nanoparticles from mixtures of molecular or colloidal precursors. In the last two decades, more advanced reactive aerosol processes have emerged as innovative means to synthesise tailored-made nanomaterials with tunable surface properties, textures, compositions, etc. In particular, the "aerosol-assisted sol-gel" process (AASG) has demonstrated tremendous potential for the preparation of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts. The method is mainly based on the low-cost, scalable, and environmentally benign sol-gel chemistry process, often coupled with the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) concept. It allows producing micronic or submicronic, inorganic or hybrid organic-inorganic particles bearing tuneable and calibrated porous structures at different scales. In addition, pre-formed nanoparticles can be easily incorporated or formed in a "one-pot" bottom-up approach within the porous inorganic or hybrid spheres produced by such spray drying method. Thus, multifunctional catalysts with tailored catalytic activities can be prepared in a relatively simple way. This account is an overview of aerosol processed heterogeneous catalysts which demonstrated interesting performance in

Convective instability of sludge storage under evaporation and solar radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Tsiberkin, Kirill; Tatyana, Lyubimova

2014-05-01

The sludge storages are an important part of production cycle at salt manufacturing, water supply, etc. A quality of water in the storage depends on mixing of pure water and settled sediment. One of the leading factors is thermal convection. There are two main mechanisms of the layer instability exist. First, it is instability of water due to evaporation from the free surface [1]. It cools the water from upside, increases the particles concentration and leads to the instability in the near-surface layer. Second, the sediment absorbs a solar radiation and heats the liquid from below making it unstable in the near-bottom area. We assume the initial state is the mechanical equilibrium. The water and sediment particles are motionless, the sediment forms a uniform sludge layer of thickness z0, there are no evaporation and heating by solar energy, and the temperature has a linear profile is determined by fixed upper and bottom temperatures of the layer. Taking into account the evaporation and solar radiation absorption, we obtain a non-stationary solution for the temperature using Fourier series method. The local temperature gradients increases rapidly with time, and local Rayleigh number can be estimated by thermal conduction length Lt: Raloc(z,t) = gβ(δT(z,t)/δz)L4t-/νΞ , Lt ~ √Ξt, (1) where g is gravity acceleration, β, ν and Ξ are thermal volume expansion coefficient, kinematic viscosity and thermal conductivity of the liquid, respectively. Raloc* reaches the critical value at finite time t* and water motion begins. The maximal power of solar radiation in visible band equals 230 Wt/m2 at the latitude of "Uralkalii" salt manufacturer (Berezniki, Perm Region, Russian Federation). We neglect IR and UV radiation because of its huge absorption by water [2]. The evaporation speed is found using results for shallow water reservoir [3] and meteorological data for Berezniki [4]. We get the t*~ 6 · 102 s (10 min) for the layer of 1 m depth and t*~ 2 · 103 s (40

Soybean oil transesterification: Study of using Nb2O5.xH2O as catalyst in biodiesel production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah A. dos Santos

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Economic and environmental reasons show a trend towards replacing fossil fuels with biofuels such as those from triglycerides. Biodiesel can be obtained from vegetable oils and animal fat through several processes such as transesterification, esterification, usually with methanol, ethanol or through pyrolysis, all of them in the presence of an acid or basis catalyst. The use of solid catalysts in biodiesel production has the following advantages: easy recovery and reuse, thus decreasing process costs and amount of waste generated.1 Some of the problems in the use of solid catalysts are: low concentration of active sites, microporosity, and leaching of active sites.2 Studies aiming at developing methodologies involving hydrated niobium oxide as catalyst in biodiesel production have been carried out by our research group.3,4 Parameters such as the use of assistant solvent to increase the boiling point of the mixture (toluene, ethylene glycol, and DMSO, pre-thermal treatment (calcinations and catalyst molar concentration were initially assessed in esterification, oleic acid, and methanol reactions.  From these studies we could observe that high temperatures and excessive alcohol favor esterification reactions.  The best reaction conditions were then used as models and employed in transesterification reactions of soybean oil.  DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide was the solvent used to increase the reaction medium temperature without evaporating all the methanol. Transesterification reactions were carried out with soybean oil (0.5 g, methanol (0.85 g, DMSO (2.50 ml, and hydrated niobium oxide as catalyst in ratios of 20% and 100% (in relation to oil mass.  Catalyst was employed without pretreatment and after pretreatment at 115 °C, 300 °C, and 500 °C. The reactions occurred at 170 °C, under reflux for 48 hours.  A reaction without a catalyst was also carried out. All the reactions have shown conversion using CCD and they have been determined by 1H NMR

Carbon-free H2 production from ammonia triggered at room temperature with an acidic RuO2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagaoka, Katsutoshi; Eboshi, Takaaki; Takeishi, Yuma; Tasaki, Ryo; Honda, Kyoko; Imamura, Kazuya; Sato, Katsutoshi

2017-04-01

Ammonia has been suggested as a carbon-free hydrogen source, but a convenient method for producing hydrogen from ammonia with rapid initiation has not been developed. Ideally, this method would require no external energy input. We demonstrate hydrogen production by exposing ammonia and O 2 at room temperature to an acidic RuO 2 /γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Because adsorption of ammonia onto the catalyst is exothermic, the catalyst bed is rapidly heated to the catalytic ammonia autoignition temperature, and subsequent oxidative decomposition of ammonia produces hydrogen. A differential calorimeter combined with a volumetric gas adsorption analyzer revealed a large quantity of heat evolved both with chemisorption of ammonia onto RuO 2 and acidic sites on the γ-Al 2 O 3 and with physisorption of multiple ammonia molecules.

Experimental investigation of a building integrated photovoltaic/thermal roof collector combined with a liquid desiccant enhanced indirect evaporative cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buker, Mahmut Sami; Mempouo, Blaise; Riffat, Saffa B.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Novel solar thermal collector for liquid desiccant air conditioning was introduced. • Low cost poly heat exchanger loop underneath the photovoltaic modules was proposed. • The ability of the combined system was experimentally investigated. • Water temperature in the loop could reach up to 35.5 °C during the tests. • This tri-gen system can supply 3 kW heating, 5.2 kW cooling and 10.3 MW h/year power. - Abstract: Large consumption of limited conventional fossil fuel resources, economic and environmental problems associated with the global warming and climate change have emphasized the immediate need to transition to renewable energy resources. Solar thermal applications along with renewable energy based cooling practices have attracted considerable interest towards sustainable solutions promising various technical, economic and environmental benefits. This study introduces a new concept on solar thermal energy driven liquid desiccant based dew point cooling system that integrates several green technologies; including photovoltaic modules, polyethylene heat exchanger loop and a combined liquid desiccant dehumidification-indirect evaporative air conditioning unit. A pilot scale experimental set-up was developed and tested to investigate the performance of the proposed system and influence of the various parameters such as weather condition, air flow and regeneration temperature. A cost effective, easy-to-make polyethylene heat exchanger loop was employed underneath PV panels for heat generation. In addition, a liquid desiccant enhanced dew point cooling unit was utilized to provide air conditioning through dehumidification of humid air and indirect evaporative cooling. The experimental results show that the proposed tri-generation system is capable of providing about 3 kW of heating, 5.2 kW of cooling power and 10.3 MW h/year power generation, respectively. The findings confirm the potential of the examined technology, and elucidate the

Apparatus for diffusion-gap thermal desalination

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstein, Andrew

2017-09-26

A thermal distillation apparatus including evaporation surfaces that are wetted with a solution, and from which at least some of the volatile solvent contained in the solution evaporates, condensers having an external surface in close proximity to, but not touching, a corresponding one of the one or more evaporation surfaces, and on which vapors of the solvent condense, releasing thermal energy that heats a flow of the solution moving upward within the condensers, spacers that prevent contact between the evaporating surfaces and the condensers, wherein spaces between the evaporating surfaces and the condensers are filled with a gaseous mixture composed of solvent vapor and one or more non-condensable gases, and except for diffusion of the solvent vapor relative to the non-condensable gases, the gaseous mixture is stationary.

Comparison of structural properties of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films on different substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tariq, G.H.; Anis-ur-Rehman, M.

2011-01-01

The direct energy band gap in the range of 1.5 eV and the high absorption coefficient (105 cm/sup -1/) makes Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) a suitable material for fabrication of thin film solar cells. Thin film solar cells based on CdTe (1 cm area) achieved efficiency of 15.6% on a laboratory scale. CdTe thin films were deposited by thermal evaporation technique under vacuum 2 X 10/sup -5/mbar on glass and stainless steel (SS) substrates. During deposition substrates temperature was kept same at 200 deg. C for all samples. The structural properties were determined by the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns. All samples exhibit polycrystalline nature. Dependence of different structural parameters such as lattice parameter, micro strain, and grain size and dislocation density on thickness was studied. Also the influence of the different substrates on these parameters was investigated. The analysis showed that the preferential orientation of films was dependent on the substrate type. (author)

Direct synthesis of Pt-free catalyst on gas diffusion layer of fuel cell and usage of high boiling point fuels for efficient utilization of waste heat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandan, Ravi; Goswami, Gopal Krishna; Nanda, Karuna Kar

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: Direct-grown boron-doped carbon nanotubes on gas-diffusion layer as efficient Pt-free cathode catalyst for alcohol fuel cells, high boiling point fuels used to obtain hot fuels for the enhancement of cell performance that paves the way for the utilization of waste heat. Display Omitted -- Highlights: •One-step direct synthesis of boron-doped carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) on gas diffusion layer (GDL). •Home built fuel-cell testing using BCNTs on GDL as Pt-free cathode catalyst. •BCNTs exhibit concentration dependent oxygen reduction reaction and the cell performance. •Effective utilization of waste heat to raise the fuel temperature. •Fuel selectivity to raise the fuel temperature and the overall performance of the fuel cells. -- Abstract: Gas diffusion layers (GDL) and electrocatalysts are integral parts of fuel cells. It is, however, a challenging task to grow Pt-free robust electrocatalyst directly on GDL for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) – a key reaction in fuel cells. Here, we demonstrate that boron-doped carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) grown directly on gas-diffusion layer (which avoid the need of ionomer solution used for catalyst loading) can be used as efficient Pt-free catalyst in alcohol fuel cells. Increase in boron concentration improves the electrochemical ORR activity in terms of onset and ORR peak positions, half-wave potentials and diffusion-limited current density that ensure the optimization of the device performance. The preferential 4e − pathway, excellent cell performance, superior tolerance to fuel crossover and long-term stability makes directly grown BCNTs as an efficient Pt-free cathode catalyst for cost-effective fuel cells. The maximum power density of the fuel cell is found to increase monotonically with boron concentration. In addition to the application of BCNTs in fuel cell, we have introduced the concept of hot fuels so that waste heat can effectively be used and external power sources can be avoided. The fuel

Study of structural and morphological properties of thermally evaporated Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ben Mehrez, N., E-mail: najia.benmehrez@gmail.com [Université Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Photovoltaïque et Matériaux Semi-conducteurs, ENIT, BP 37, Le belvédère, 1002 Tunis (Tunisia); Khemiri, N. [Université Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Photovoltaïque et Matériaux Semi-conducteurs, ENIT, BP 37, Le belvédère, 1002 Tunis (Tunisia); Kanzari, M. [Université Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Photovoltaïque et Matériaux Semi-conducteurs, ENIT, BP 37, Le belvédère, 1002 Tunis (Tunisia); Institut Préparatoire aux Etudes d’Ingénieurs de Tunis Montfleury, Université de Tunis (Tunisia)

2016-10-01

In this study, we report the structural and morphological properties of the new material Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} thin films prepared on glass substrates by vacuum thermal evaporation at various substrate temperatures (30, 60, 100, 140, 180 and 200 °C). Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} ingot was synthesized by the horizontal Bridgman technique. The structural properties of Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} powder were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The films were characterized for their structural properties by using XRD. All films were polycrystalline in nature. The variations of the structural parameters of the films with the substrate temperature were investigated. The results show that the crystallite sizes increase as the substrate temperature increases. The morphological properties of the films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The roughness and the topography of the surface of the films strongly depend on the substrate temperature. - Highlights: • Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} powder was successfully synthesized by the horizontal Bridgman technique. • Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} films were grown by thermal evaporation at different substrate temperatures. • Structural properties of Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} powder were investigated. • The effect of the substrate temperature on structural and morphological of Sn{sub 2}Sb{sub 6}S{sub 11} films properties was studied.

Self-excited hydrothermal waves in evaporating sessile drops

OpenAIRE

Sefiane K.; Moffat J.R.; Matar O.K.; Craster R.V.

2008-01-01

Pattern formation driven by the spontaneous evaporation of sessile drops of methanol, ethanol, and FC-72 using infrared thermography is observed and, in certain cases, interpreted in terms of hydrothermal waves. Both methanol and ethanol drops exhibit thermal wave trains, whose wave number depends strongly on the liquid volatililty and substrate thermal conductivity. The FC- 72 drops develop cellular structures whose size is proportional to the local thickness. Prior to this work, hydrotherma...

Space thermal control development

Science.gov (United States)

Hoover, M. J.; Grodzka, P. G.; Oneill, M. J.

1971-01-01

The results of experimental investigations on a number of various phase change materials (PCMs) and PCMs in combination with metals and other materials are reported. The evaluations include the following PCM system performance characteristics: PCM and PCM/filler thermal diffusivities, the effects of long-term thermal cycling, PCM-container compatibility, and catalyst effectiveness and stability. Three PCMs demonstrated performance acceptable enough to be considered for use in prototype aluminum thermal control devices. These three PCMs are lithium nitrate trihydrate with zinc hydroxy nitrate catalyst, acetamide, and myristic acid. Of the fillers tested, aluminum honeycomb filler was found to offer the most increase in system thermal diffusivity.

A Study of Iron-Nitrogen-Carbon Fuel Cell Catalysts: Chemistry - Nanostructure - Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Workman, Michael J., Jr.

Fuel cells have the potential to be a pollution-free, low-cost, and energy efficient alternative to the internal combustion engine for transportation and small-scale stationary power applications. The current state of fuel cell technology has already achieved two of these three lofty goals. The remaining barrier to wide-scale deployment is the high cost, which is primarily caused by dependence on large amounts of platinum to catalyze the energy conversion reactions. To overcome this barrier and facilitate the integration of fuel cells into mainstream applications, research into a new class of catalyst materials that do not require platinum is needed. There has been a significant amount of research effort directed toward the development of platinum-group metal free (PGM-free) catalysts, yet there is a lack of consensus on both the engineering parameters necessary to improve the technology and the fundamental science that would facilitate rational design. I have engaged in research on PGM-free catalysts based on inexpensive and abundant reagents, specifically: nicarbazin and iron. Catalysts made from these precursors have previously proven to be among the best PGM-free catalysts, but their continued advancement suffered from the same lack of understanding that besets all catalysts in this class. The work I have performed address both engineering concerns and fundamental underlying principles. I present results demonstrating correlations between physical structure, chemical speciation, and synthesis parameters, as well as addressing active site chemistry and likely locations. My research presented herein introduces new morphology analysis techniques and elucidates several key structure-to-property characteristics of catalysts derived from iron and nicarbazin. I discuss the development and application of a new length-scale specific surface analysis technique that allows for analysis of well-defined size ranges from a few nm to several microns. The existing technique of

Sol-to-Gel Transition in Fast Evaporating Systems Observed by in Situ Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Innocenzi, Plinio; Malfatti, Luca; Carboni, Davide; Takahashi, Masahide

2015-06-22

The in situ observation of a sol-to-gel transition in fast evaporating systems is a challenging task and the lack of a suitable experimental design, which includes the chemistry and the analytical method, has limited the observations. We synthesise an acidic sol, employing only tetraethylorthosilicate, SiCl4 as catalyst and deuterated water; the absence of water added to the sol allows us to follow the absorption from the external environment and the evaporation of deuterated water. The time-resolved data, obtained by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy on an evaporating droplet, enables us to identify four different stages during evaporation. They are linked to specific hydrolysis and condensation rates that affect the uptake of water from external environment. The second stage is characterized by a decrease in hydroxyl content, a fast rise of condensation rate and an almost stationary absorption of water. This stage has been associated with the sol-to-gel transition. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reverse microemulsion prepared Ni–Pt catalysts for methane cracking to produce COx-free hydrogen

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Lu

2017-09-08

A monodispersed 15 nm Ni9Pt1 catalyst synthesized via a reverse microemulsion method, shows a lower activation energy than both Ni and Pt catalysts during the methane cracking reaction. Thanks to the synergic effect of Ni–Pt alloy, this catalyst presents a stable H2 formation rate at 700 °C, and forms carbon nanotubes, anchoring the catalyst particles on top.

Reverse microemulsion prepared Ni–Pt catalysts for methane cracking to produce COx-free hydrogen

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Lu; Harb, Moussab; Enakonda, Linga Reddy; Al Mana, Noor; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Basset, Jean-Marie

2017-01-01

A monodispersed 15 nm Ni9Pt1 catalyst synthesized via a reverse microemulsion method, shows a lower activation energy than both Ni and Pt catalysts during the methane cracking reaction. Thanks to the synergic effect of Ni–Pt alloy, this catalyst presents a stable H2 formation rate at 700 °C, and forms carbon nanotubes, anchoring the catalyst particles on top.

Biodiesel production from esterification of free fatty acid over PA/NaY solid catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Wei; Yin, Ping; Zhang, Jiang; Tang, Qinghua; Qu, Rongjun

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Biodiesel production from esterification of oleic acid was catalyzed by PA/NaY. • The influences of the process operating parameters were studied. • RSM was employed to optimize the experimental conditions. • The kinetic equation of the esterification reaction was investigated. - Abstract: Because of the incitements from increasing petroleum prices, diminishing petroleum reserves and the environmental consequences of exhaust gases from petroleum fueled engines, biodiesel has been used as a substitute of the regular diesel in recent years. In this paper, biodiesel production from the esterification of the free fatty oil oleic acid with ethanol catalyzed by PA/NaY (PA = organic phosphonic acid) was investigated, and the effect of reaction conditions such as PA loading, catalyst amount, molar ratio of alcohol to acid, reaction temperature and reaction time on the esterification reaction was examined. The process optimization using response surface methodology (RSM) was performed and the interactions between the operational variables were elucidated. The optimum values for maximum conversion ratio of oleic acid could be obtained by using a Box–Behnken center-united design with a minimum of experimental work. The oleic acid conversion reached 79.51 ± 0.68% with the molar ratio of alcohol to oleic acid being 7:1 and 1.7 g PA/NaY catalyst (20 ml of PA loading) at 105 °C for 7 h. Moreover, a kinetic model for the esterification catalyzed by PA/NaY catalyst was established. By fitting the kinetic model with the experimental results, the reaction order n = 2, activation energy of the positive reaction Ea + = 43.41 kJ/mol and that of the reverse reaction Ea − = 59.74 kJ/mol were obtained

Plasma and catalyst for the oxidation of NOx

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jögi, I.; Erme, K.; Levoll, E.

2017-01-01

The removal of NOx from the exhaust gases requires the oxidation of most abundant NO to NO2 or N2O5. The oxidation can be done by non-thermal plasma but the efficiency is limited due to the back-reaction of NO2 to NO by O radicals. Present contribution investigates the role of catalysts in the im......The removal of NOx from the exhaust gases requires the oxidation of most abundant NO to NO2 or N2O5. The oxidation can be done by non-thermal plasma but the efficiency is limited due to the back-reaction of NO2 to NO by O radicals. Present contribution investigates the role of catalysts...... in the improvement of oxidation efficiency based on the stationary and time-dependent studies of the NOx oxidation at different reactor configurations and experimental conditions. The plasma produced active oxygen species (O, O3) were shown to play an important role in the reactions taking place on the catalyst...... surfaces while the exact mechanism and extent of the effect depended on the reactor configuration. The effect of catalyst at different experimental conditions was quantitatively described with the aid of analytical lumped kinetic models derived for the NOx oxidation when the catalyst was directly...

Out-of-tank evaporator demonstration: Tanks focus area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-11-01

Approximately 100 million gal of liquid waste is stored in underground storage tanks (UST)s at the Hanford Site, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Savannah River Site (SRS), and Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). This waste is radioactive with a high salt content. The US Department of Energy (DOE) wants to minimize the volume of radioactive liquid waste in USTs by removing the excess water. This procedure conserves tank space; lowers the cost of storage; and reduces the volume of wastes subsequently requiring separation, immobilization, and disposal. The Out-of-Tank Evaporator Demonstration (OTED) was initiated to test a modular, skid-mounted evaporator. A mobile evaporator system manufactured by Delta Thermal Inc. was selected. The evaporator design was routinely used in commercial applications such as concentrating metal-plating wastes for recycle and concentrating ethylene glycol solutions. In FY 1995, the skid-mounted evaporator system was procured and installed in an existing ORNL facility (Building 7877) with temporary shielding and remote controls. The evaporator system was operational in January 1996. The system operated 24 h/day and processed 22,000 gal of Melton Valley Storage Tank (MVST) supernatant. The distillate contained essentially no salts or radionuclides. Upon completion of the demonstration, the evaporator underwent decontamination testing to illustrate the feasibility of hands-on maintenance and potential transport to another DOE facility. This report describes the process and the evaporator, its performance at ORNL, future plans, applications of this technology, cost estimates, regulatory and policy considerations, and lessons learned

Simultaneous determination of mass and thermal accommodation coefficients from temporal evolution of an evaporating water microdroplet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zientara, M; Jakubczyk, D; Derkachov, G; Kolwas, K; Kolwas, M

2005-01-01

Scattering of coherent light by an evaporating droplet of pure water several micrometres in size was investigated. The droplet was levitated in an electrodynamic trap placed in a small climatic chamber. The evolution of the droplet radius and the evolution dynamics were investigated by means of analysing the scattering patterns with the aid of Mie theory. A numerical model of droplet evolution, incorporating the kinetic effects near the droplet surface, was constructed. Application of this model to the experimental data allowed us to determine the mass and thermal accommodation coefficients to be α C = 0.12 ± 0.02 and α T = 0.65 ± 0.09, respectively. This model enabled us to determine with high precision the temperature evolution of the droplet and the relative humidity in the droplet vicinity

One-pot synthesis of Cu/ZnO/ZnAl2O4 catalysts and their catalytic performance in glycerol hydrogenolysis

KAUST Repository

Tan, Hua

2013-01-01

In this work, a series of Cu/ZnO/ZnAl2O4 catalysts with different metal molar fractions (Cu:Zn:Al) were successfully prepared using a one-pot method via the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) of Pluronic P123 and the corresponding metal precursors. The catalysts were characterized using N2 adsorption, H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). The catalytic properties of the resulting Cu/ZnO/ZnAl2O4 with different molar fractions of metals were investigated for the selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO). It was observed that the ZnAl2O 4 support exerts a strong positive effect on the catalytic activity of the copper-based catalysts, and the presence of ZnO further improves the catalytic activity of the Cu/ZnAl2O4 catalysts. The Cu/ZnO/ZnAl2O4 catalyst (Cu10Zn 30Al60, Cu/Zn/Al molar ratio is 10:30:60), which was the best catalyst, exhibited the highest yield (79%) of 1,2-PDO with 85.8% glycerol conversion and 92.1% 1,2-PDO selectivity at 180 °C reaction temperature in 80 wt% glycerol aqueous solution over 10 h reaction time. The high catalytic activity was attributed to the presence of the ZnAl2O4 support, the strong interaction between ZnO and Cu nanoparticles and the small particle size of ZnO and Cu. Moreover, the Cu/ZnO/ZnAl2O4 catalysts exhibited higher stability than Cu/ZnO and Cu/ZnO/Al2O 3 catalysts prepared by a co-precipitation method during consecutive cycling experiments, which is due to the high chemical and thermal stability of crystalline ZnAl2O4 under harsh reaction conditions. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Pining phenomena of an evaporated droplet on the hydrophobic micro-textured surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Dong In; Doh, Seung Woo; Park, Hyun Sun; Moriyama Kiyofumia; Kim, Moo Hwan; Kwak, Ho Jae; Ahn, Ho Seon

2015-01-01

When the decreased contact angle reaches the receding contact angle, the contact radius is reduced while maintaining a constant contact angle, i.e., this evaporation mode is known as the constant contact angle (CCA) mode. The emphasis of the droplet evaporation is that the transition from CCR to CCA modes is relative with the rate of the droplet evaporation, and it is markedly influenced by the surface wettability. In this study, it is focused on the evaporation mode transition. Especially, the transition from CCR to CCA modes is investigated on the hydrophobic microtextured surfaces. On the basis of the thermodynamics, the transition from CCR to CCA mode is theoretically analyzed. The thermodynamic model is developed to estimate the receding contact angle at the evaporation mode transition. Additionally, to compare between the theoretical model and experimental results, it is shown that the experimental receding contact angle is well estimated by the receding contact angle with the theoretical model. This study was performed to investigate the pinning phenomena of an evaporated droplet on the hydrophobic micro-textured surfaces. The pinning phenomena at the contact line were shown theoretically to be due to the most favorable thermodynamics process that caused the Gibbs free energy to rapidly reach an equilibrium state during droplet evaporation. The evaporation mode underwent a transition when the decrease in the Gibbs free energy was equivalent for the CCR and CCA modes. On the basis of the analysis described here, a theoretical model was developed to estimate the receding contact angle at the mode transition as a function of the surface conditions

Pulse thermal energy transport/storage system

Science.gov (United States)

Weislogel, Mark M.

1992-07-07

A pulse-thermal pump having a novel fluid flow wherein heat admitted to a closed system raises the pressure in a closed evaporator chamber while another interconnected evaporator chamber remains open. This creates a large pressure differential, and at a predetermined pressure the closed evaporator is opened and the opened evaporator is closed. This difference in pressure initiates fluid flow in the system.

[Dynamics of Irreversible Evaporation of a Water-Protein Droplet and a Problem of Structural and Dynamical Experiments with Single Molecules].

Science.gov (United States)

Shaitan, K V; Armeev, G A; Shaytan, A K

2016-01-01

We discuss the effect of isothermal and adiabatic evaporation of water on the state of a water-protein droplet. The discussed problem is of current importance due to development of techniques to perform single molecule experiments using free electron lasers. In such structure-dynamic experiments the delivery of a sample into the X-ray beam is performed using the microdroplet injector. The time between the injection and delivery is in the order of microseconds. In this paper we developed a specialized variant of all-atom molecular dynamics simulations for the study of irreversible isothermal evaporation of the droplet. Using in silico experiments we determined the parameters of isothermal evaporation of the water-protein droplet with the sodium and chloride ions in the concentration range of 0.3 M at different temperatures. The energy of irreversible evaporation determined from in silico experiments at the initial stages of evaporation virtually coincides with the specific heat of evaporation for water. For the kinetics of irreversible adiabatic evaporation an exact analytical solution was obtained in the limit of high thermal conductivity of the droplet (or up to the droplet size of -100 Å). This analytical solution incorporates parameters that are determined using in silico. experiments on isothermal droplet evaporation. We show that the kinetics of adiabatic evaporation and cooling of the droplet scales with the droplet size. Our estimates of the water-protemi droplet. freezing rate in the adiabatic regime in a vacuum chamber show that additional techniques for stabilizing the temperature inside the droplet should be used in order to study the conformational transitions of the protein in single molecules. Isothermal and quasi-isothermal conditions are most suitable for studying the conformational transitions upon object functioning. However, in this case it is necessary to take into account the effects of dehydration and rapid increase of ionic strength in an

Thermal performance of a multiple PCM thermal storage unit for free cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosaffa, A.H.; Infante Ferreira, C.A.; Talati, F.; Rosen, M.A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Numerical analysis on the performance of a thermal storages as free cooling system. ► Employing multiple PCMs to enhance heat transfer rate in thermal storages. ► Using an effective heat capacity method, the phase change parameters are determined. ► The effect of the slabs size and air channel thickness on COP is investigated. - Abstract: As demand for refrigeration and air conditioning increased during the last decade, the opportunities have expanded for using thermal energy storage (TES) systems in an economically advantageous manner in place of conventional cooling plants. Many cool storage systems use phase change materials (PCMs) and achieve peak load shifting in buildings. This work presents numerical investigations of the performance enhancement of a free cooling system using a TES unit employing multiple PCMs. The TES unit is composed of a number of rectangular channels for the flowing heat transfer fluid, separated by PCM slabs. Using the effective heat capacity method, the melting and solidification of the PCM is solved. The forced convective heat transfer inside the channels is analyzed by solving the energy equation, which is coupled with the heat conduction equation in the container wall. The effect of design parameters such as PCM slab length, thickness and fluid passage gap on the storage performance is also investigated using an energy based optimization. The results show that a system which can guarantee comfort conditions for the climate of Tabriz, Iran has an optimum COP of 7.0. This could be achieved by a combination of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O with RT25 with the optimum air channel thickness of 3.2 mm, length of 1.3 m and PCM slab thickness of 10 mm

Sulfidization of an aluminocobaltomolybdenum catalyst using the 35S radioisotope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isagulyants, G.V.; Greish, A.A.; Kogan, V.M.

1987-01-01

It has been established that in aluminocobaltomolybdenum catalyst sulfidized with elemental sulfur there are two types of sulfur, free and bound. The maximum amount of bound sulfur in ACM catalyst is 6.6 wt. %, which corresponds to practically complete sulfidation of the ACM catalyst. In the presence of hydrogen an equilibrium distribution of bound sulfur is achieved in a granule of ACM catalyst irrespective of the temperature of sulfidation. In a nitrogen atmosphere it is primarily the surface layers of the catalyst that are sulfured

Naphthenic acid removal from HVGO by alkaline earth metal catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, L.; Rahimi, P.; Hawkins, R.; Bhatt, S.; Shi, Y. [National Centre for Upgrading Technology, Devon, AB (Canada); Natural Resources Canada, Devon, AB (Canada). CanmetENERGY

2009-07-01

This poster highlighted a study that investigated naphthenic acid removal from bitumen-derived heavy vacuum gas oil (HVGO) by thermal cracking and catalytic decarboxylation over alkaline earth-metal oxides and ZnO catalysts in a batch reactor and a continuous fixed-bed reactor. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}-TPD), and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the fresh and spent catalysts. With MgO and ZnO, naphthenic acid removal proceeded via catalytic decarboxylation. No crystalline phase changes were observed after reaction. With CaO, multiple pathways such as catalytic decarboxylation, neutralization, and thermal cracking were responsible for naphthenic acid conversion. The spent catalysts contained Ca(OH){sub 2} and CaCO{sub 3}. With BaO, naphthenic acid conversion occurred through neutralization. All BaO was converted to Ba(OH){sub 2} during the reaction. tabs., figs.

Surface modification of g-C3N4 by hydrazine: Simple way for noble-metal free hydrogen evolution catalysts

KAUST Repository

Chen, Yin

2015-11-02

The graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) usually is thought to be an inert material and it’s difficult to have the surface terminated NH2 groups functionalized. By modifying the g-C3N4 surface with hydrazine, the diazanyl group was successfully introduced onto the g-C3N4 surface, which allows the introduction with many other function groups. Here we illustrated that by reaction of surface hydrazine group modified g-C3N4 with CS2 under basic condition, a water electrolysis active group C(=S)SNi can be implanted on the g-C3N4 surface, and leads to a noble metal free hydrogen evolution catalyst. This catalyst has 40% hydrogen evolution efficiency compare to the 3 wt% Pt photo precipitated g-C3N4, with only less than 0.2 wt% nickel.

Surface modification of g-C3N4 by hydrazine: Simple way for noble-metal free hydrogen evolution catalysts

KAUST Repository

Chen, Yin; Lin, Bin; Wang, Hong; Yang, Yong; Zhu, Haibo; Yu, Weili; Basset, Jean-Marie

2015-01-01

The graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) usually is thought to be an inert material and it’s difficult to have the surface terminated NH2 groups functionalized. By modifying the g-C3N4 surface with hydrazine, the diazanyl group was successfully introduced onto the g-C3N4 surface, which allows the introduction with many other function groups. Here we illustrated that by reaction of surface hydrazine group modified g-C3N4 with CS2 under basic condition, a water electrolysis active group C(=S)SNi can be implanted on the g-C3N4 surface, and leads to a noble metal free hydrogen evolution catalyst. This catalyst has 40% hydrogen evolution efficiency compare to the 3 wt% Pt photo precipitated g-C3N4, with only less than 0.2 wt% nickel.

Detailed finite element method modeling of evaporating multi-component droplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diddens, Christian, E-mail: C.Diddens@tue.nl

2017-07-01

The evaporation of sessile multi-component droplets is modeled with an axisymmetic finite element method. The model comprises the coupled processes of mixture evaporation, multi-component flow with composition-dependent fluid properties and thermal effects. Based on representative examples of water–glycerol and water–ethanol droplets, regular and chaotic examples of solutal Marangoni flows are discussed. Furthermore, the relevance of the substrate thickness for the evaporative cooling of volatile binary mixture droplets is pointed out. It is shown how the evaporation of the more volatile component can drastically decrease the interface temperature, so that ambient vapor of the less volatile component condenses on the droplet. Finally, results of this model are compared with corresponding results of a lubrication theory model, showing that the application of lubrication theory can cause considerable errors even for moderate contact angles of 40°. - Graphical abstract:.

CATALYSTS NHI Thermochemical Systems FY 2009 Year-End Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginosar, Daniel M.

2009-01-01

Fiscal Year 2009 work in the Catalysts project focused on advanced catalysts for the decomposition of sulfuric acid, a reaction common to both the Sulfur-Iodine (S-I) cycle and the Hybrid Sulfur cycle. Prior years effort in this project has found that although platinum supported on titanium oxide will be an acceptable catalyst for sulfuric acid decomposition in the integrated laboratory scale (ILS) project, the material has short comings, including significant cost and high deactivation rates due to sintering and platinum evaporation. For pilot and larger scale systems, the catalyst stability needs to be improved significantly. In Fiscal Year 2008 it was found that at atmospheric pressure, deactivation rates of a 1 wt% platinum catalyst could be reduced by 300% by adding either 0.3 wt% iridium (Ir) or 0.3 wt% ruthenium (Ru) to the catalyst. In Fiscal Year 2009, work focused on examining the platinum group metal catalysts activity and stability at elevated pressures. In addition, simple and complex metal oxides are known to catalyze the sulfuric acid decomposition reaction. These metal oxides could offer activities comparable to platinum but at significantly reduced cost. Thus a second focus for Fiscal Year 2009 was to explore metal oxide catalysts for the sulfuric acid decomposition reaction. In Fiscal Year 2007 several commercial activated carbons had been identified for the HI decomposition reaction; a reaction specific to the S-I cycle. Those materials should be acceptable for the pilot scale project. The activated carbon catalysts have some disadvantages including low activity at the lower range of reactor operating temperature (350 to 400 C) and a propensity to generate carbon monoxide in the presence of water that could contaminate the hydrogen product, but due to limited funding, this area had low priority in Fiscal Year 2009. Fiscal Year 2009 catalyst work included five tasks: development, and testing of stabilized platinum based H2SO4 catalysts

Congruent evaporation temperature of GaAs(001) controlled by As flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Z. Y.; Zheng, C. X.; Tang, W. X.; Jesson, D. E.; Tersoff, J.

2010-01-01

The congruent evaporation temperature T c is a fundamental surface characteristic of GaAs and similar compounds. Above T c the rate of As evaporation exceeds that of Ga during Langmuir (free) evaporation into a vacuum. However, during molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) there is generally an external As flux F incident on the surface. Here we show that this flux directly controls T c . We introduce a sensitive approach to measure T c based on Ga droplet stability, and determine the dependence of T c on F. This dependence is explained by a simple model for evaporation in the presence of external flux. The capability of manipulating T c via changing F offers a means of controlling congruent evaporation with relevance to MBE, surface preparation methods, and droplet epitaxy.

Evaporative cooling in ATLAS – present and future

CERN Document Server

Viehhauser, G; The ATLAS collaboration

2010-01-01

Evaporative cooling is gaining interest in the particle physics community, due to the promise of reduced material, good temperature uniformity, and the wide range of temperatures accessible. The largest such system to-date operates in ATLAS, where it removes the heat from the semiconductor detector systems (Silicon strips and pixels). During the installation and commissioning of this system many lessons had to be learned. In parallel we have re-evaluated the requirements for the cooling system, in particular for the evaporation temperature, over the full ATLAS operational lifetime, and can compare them to the real system performance. The critical requirement is for thermal stability at the end of the operation in the high-radiation environment. To predict this we have developed a simple thermal model of the detector modules which yields analytical expressions to evaluate the results of changes in the operating conditions. After a comparison of the revised requirements and the actual present cooling system per...

The impact of fouling on performance evaluation of evaporative coolers and condensers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qureshi, B.A.; Zubair, S.M. [King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia). Mechanical Engineering Dept.

2005-11-15

Fouling of evaporative cooler and condenser tubes is one of the most important factors affecting their thermal performance, which reduces effectiveness and heat transfer capability with time. In this paper, the experimental data on fouling reported in the literature are used to develop a fouling model for this class of heat exchangers. The model predicts the decrease in heat transfer rate with the growth of fouling. A detailed model of evaporative coolers and condensers, in conjunction with the fouling model, is used to study the effect of fouling on the thermal performance of these heat exchangers at different air inlet wet bulb temperatures. The results demonstrate that fouling of tubes reduces gains in performance resulting from decreasing values of air inlet wet bulb temperature. It is found that the maximum decrease in effectiveness due to fouling is about 55 and 78% for the evaporative coolers and condensers, respectively, investigated in this study. For the evaporative cooler, the value of process fluid outlet temperature T{sub p,out} varies by 0.66% only at the clean condition for the ambient wet bulb temperatures considered. (author)

Homogeneous deuterium exchange using rhenium and platinum chloride catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fawdry, R.M.

1979-01-01

Previous studies of homogeneous hydrogen isotope exchange are mostly confined to one catalyst, the tetrachloroplatinite salt. Recent reports have indicated that chloride salts of iridium and rhodium may also be homogeneous exchange catalysts similar to the tetrachloroplatinite, but with much lower activities. Exchange by these homogeneous catalysts is frequently accompanied by metal precipitation with the termination of homogeneous exchange, particularly in the case of alkane exchange. The studies presented in this thesis describe two different approaches to overcome this limitation of homogeneous hydrogen isotope exchange catalysts. The first approach was to improve the stability of an existing homogeneous catalyst and the second was to develop a new homogeneous exchange catalyst which is free of the instability limitation

Microstructure and Thermal Properties of Polypropylene/Clay Nanocomposites with TiCl4/MgCl2/Clay Compound Catalyst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Limei Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Polypropylene (PP/clay nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ intercalative polymerization with TiCl4/MgCl2/clay compound catalyst. Microstructure and thermal properties of PP/clay nanocomposites were studied in detail. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectra indicated that PP/clay nanocomposites were successfully prepared. Both wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM examination proved that clay layers are homogeneously distributed in PP matrix. XRD patterns also showed that the α phase was the dominate crystal phase of PP in the nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA examinations confirmed that thermal stability of PP/clay nanocomposites was markedly superior to pure PP. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC scans showed that the melt temperature and the crystallinity of nanocomposites were slightly lower than those of pure PP due to crystals imperfections.

Thermal degradation kinetics of polyketone based on styrene and carbon monoxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mu, Jiali; Fan, Wenjun; Shan, Shaoyun; Su, Hongying; Wu, Shuisheng; Jia, Qingming

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The PK were synthesized from carbon monoxide and styrene in the presence of PANI-PdCl 2 catalyst and PdCl 2 catalyst. • The structures and thermal behaviors of PK prepared by homogenous and the supported catalyst were investigated. • The microstructures of PK were changed in the supported catalyst system. • The alternating PK copolymer (PANI-PdCl 2 catalyst) was more thermally stable than PK (PdCl 2 catalyst). • The degradation activation energy values were estimated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method and Kissinger method. - Abstract: Copolymerization of styrene with carbon monoxide to give polyketones (PK) was carried out under homogeneous palladium catalyst and polyaniline (PANI) supported palladium(II) catalyst, respectively. The copolymers were characterized by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and GPC. The results indicated that the PK catalyzed by the supported catalyst has narrow molecular weight distribution (PDI = 1.18). For comparison purpose of thermal behaviors of PK prepared by the homogeneous and the supported catalyst, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) were conducted at different heating rates. The peak temperatures (396–402 °C) for PK prepared by the supported catalyst are higher than those (387–395 °C) of PK prepared by the homogeneous catalyst. The degradation activation energy (E k ) values were estimated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method and Kissinger method, respectively. The E k values, as determined by two methods, were found to be in the range 270.72 ± 0.03–297.55 ± 0.10 kJ mol −1 . Structures analysis and thermal degradation analysis revealed that the supported catalyst changed the microstructures of PK, resulting in improving thermal stability of PK

Thermal degradation kinetics of polyketone based on styrene and carbon monoxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mu, Jiali, E-mail: jiaqm411@163.com; Fan, Wenjun; Shan, Shaoyun; Su, Hongying; Wu, Shuisheng; Jia, Qingming

2014-03-01

Highlights: • The PK were synthesized from carbon monoxide and styrene in the presence of PANI-PdCl{sub 2} catalyst and PdCl{sub 2} catalyst. • The structures and thermal behaviors of PK prepared by homogenous and the supported catalyst were investigated. • The microstructures of PK were changed in the supported catalyst system. • The alternating PK copolymer (PANI-PdCl{sub 2} catalyst) was more thermally stable than PK (PdCl{sub 2} catalyst). • The degradation activation energy values were estimated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method and Kissinger method. - Abstract: Copolymerization of styrene with carbon monoxide to give polyketones (PK) was carried out under homogeneous palladium catalyst and polyaniline (PANI) supported palladium(II) catalyst, respectively. The copolymers were characterized by {sup 1}H NMR, {sup 13}C NMR and GPC. The results indicated that the PK catalyzed by the supported catalyst has narrow molecular weight distribution (PDI = 1.18). For comparison purpose of thermal behaviors of PK prepared by the homogeneous and the supported catalyst, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) were conducted at different heating rates. The peak temperatures (396–402 °C) for PK prepared by the supported catalyst are higher than those (387–395 °C) of PK prepared by the homogeneous catalyst. The degradation activation energy (E{sub k}) values were estimated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method and Kissinger method, respectively. The E{sub k} values, as determined by two methods, were found to be in the range 270.72 ± 0.03–297.55 ± 0.10 kJ mol{sup −1}. Structures analysis and thermal degradation analysis revealed that the supported catalyst changed the microstructures of PK, resulting in improving thermal stability of PK.

Thermal stress-dependent dilation of concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfeiffer, P.A.; Marchertas, A.H.

1984-01-01

Recent studies in nuclear fast reactor safety consider the possibility of concrete containment being subjected to extremely severe environmental conditions. Certain safety scenarios subject the concrete to very high temperatures hence raising the concern of containment integrity. Some of the main detrimental effects of high temperature on concrete are: reduction of strength, redistribution of moisture and etc. Consequently, analytical prediction of concrete response under the high temperature conditions becomes very complex. A rather simple but important experiment of concrete at high temperatures was conducted by Anderberg and Thelandersson. The test samples were small so that moisture was free to evaporate with no appreciable gradient as the temperature increased. Their results revealed that good correlation with analysis could be obtained if thermal expansion was made a function of both temperature and stress. The method of relating the thermal strain to temperature and stress has been integrated into the TEMP-STRESS code. Thus, high temperature concrete computational capability is now available for thermal-stress calculations

Out-of-tank evaporator demonstration. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucero, A.J.; Jennings, H.L.; VanEssen, D.C.

1998-02-01

The project reported here was conducted to demonstrate a skid-mounted, subatmospheric evaporator to concentrate liquid low-level waste (LLLW) stored in underground tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This waste is similar to wastes stored at Hanford and Savannah River. A single-stage subatmospheric evaporator rated to produce 90 gallons of distillate per hour was procured from Delta Thermal, Inc., of Pensacola, Florida, and installed in an existing building. During the 8-day demonstration, 22,000 gal of LLLW was concentrated by 25% with the evaporator system. Decontamination factors achieved averaged 5 x 10 6 (i.e., the distillate contained five million times less Cesium 137 than the feed). Evaporator performance substantially exceeded design requirements and expectations based on bench-scale surrogate test data. Out-of tank evaporator demonstration operations successfully addressed the feasibility of hands-on maintenance. Demonstration activities indicate that: (1) skid-mounted, mobile equipment is a viable alternative for the treatment of ORNL LLLW, and (2) hands-on maintenance and decontamination for movement to another site is achievable. Cost analysis show that 10% of the demonstration costs will be immediately recovered by elimination of solidification and disposal costs. The entire cost of the demonstration can be recovered by processing the inventory of Melton Valley Storage Tank waste and/or sluice water prior to solidifications. An additional savings of approximately $200,000 per year can be obtained by processing newly generated waste through the system. The results indicate that this type of evaporator system should be considered for application across the DOE complex. 25 refs., 11 figs., 2 tabs

Evaporation Behavior and Characterization of Eutectic Solvent and Ibuprofen Eutectic Solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Phaechamud, Thawatchai; Tuntarawongsa, Sarun; Charoensuksai, Purin

2016-10-01

Liquid eutectic system of menthol and camphor has been reported as solvent and co-solvent for some drug delivery systems. However, surprisingly, the phase diagram of menthol-camphor eutectic has not been reported previously. The evaporation behavior, physicochemical, and thermal properties of this liquid eutectic and ibuprofen eutectic solution were characterized in this study. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis indicated that a eutectic point of this system was near to 1:1 menthol/camphor and its eutectic temperature was -1°C. The solubility of ibuprofen in this eutectic was 282.11 ± 6.67 mg mL(-1) and increased the drug aqueous solubility fourfold. The shift of wave number from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the hydrogen bonding of each compound in eutectic mixture. The weight loss from thermogravimetric analysis of menthol and camphor related to the evaporation and sublimation, respectively. Menthol demonstrated a lower apparent sublimation rate than camphor, and the evaporation rate of eutectic solvent was lower than the sublimation rate of camphor but higher than the evaporation of menthol. The evaporation rate of the ibuprofen eutectic solution was lower than that of the eutectic solvent because ibuprofen did not sublimate. This eutectic solvent prolonged the ibuprofen release with diffusion control. Thus, the beneficial information for thermal behavior and related properties of eutectic solvent comprising menthol-camphor and ibuprofen eutectic solution was attained successfully. The rather low evaporation of eutectic mixture will be beneficial for investigation and tracking the mechanism of transformation from nanoemulsion into nanosuspension in the further study using eutectic as oil phase.

Bifunctional Au@TiO_2 core–shell nanoparticle films for clean water generation by photocatalysis and solar evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Jian; He, Yurong; Wang, Li; Huang, Yimin; Jiang, Baocheng

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Au@TiO_2 core-shell nanoparticles were prepared in this study. • Bifunctional films for photocatalysis and solar evaporation were designed. • The evaporation and photodegradation with core-shell structures were investigated. - Abstract: With water scarcity becoming an increasingly critical issue for modern society, solar seawater desalination represents a promising approach to mitigating water shortage. In addition, solar seawater desalination shows great potential for mitigating the energy crisis due to its high photo-thermal conversion efficiency. However, the increasing contamination of seawater makes it difficult to generate clean water through simple desalination processes. In this work, clean water is generated by a newly designed bifunctional Au@TiO_2 core-shell nanoparticle film with a high photo-thermal conversion efficiency that is capable of photocatalysis and solar evaporation for seawater desalination. Bifunctional films of Au@TiO_2 core-shell nanoparticles with good stability were prepared. It was found that the formation of the core-shell structures played a key role in promoting the photo-thermal conversion efficiency and the evaporation of seawater, while the photocatalytic function demonstrated herein could contribute to the purification of polluted seawater. Furthermore, the film structure can serve to concentrate the NPs for the photo-reaction, as well as heat for water evaporation, improving both the photo-reaction efficiency and photo-thermal conversion efficiency. This efficient approach to solar seawater desalination, which combines evaporation with the photodegradation of pollutants, could help to address the dual issues of water scarcity and water pollution.

The asymmetric Schrock olefin metathesis catalysts. A computational study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goumans, T.P.M.; Ehlers, A.W.; Lammertsma, K.

2005-01-01

The mechanism of the transition metal catalyzed olefin metathesis reaction with the Schrock catalyst is investigated with pure (BP86) and hybrid (B3LYP) density functional theory. On the free-energy surface there is no adduct between ethylene and model catalyst (MeO)

Micro thermal diode with glass thermal insulation structure embedded in a vapor chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukamoto, Takashiro; Hirayanagi, Takashi; Tanaka, Shuji

2017-04-01

This paper reports a micro thermal diode based on one-way working fluid circulation driven by surface tension force. In forward mode, working fluid evaporates and condenses at a heated and cooled area, respectively, and the condensed liquid returns to the evaporation area due to the wettability difference. By this vapor-liquid phase change mechanism, the overall heat transfer coefficient becomes high. On the other hand, in reverse mode, no continuous evaporation-condensation cycle exists. The conductive heat loss in reverse mode was minimized by an embedded glass thermal isolation structure, which makes overall heat transfer coefficient low. The test device was made by a standard MEMS process combined with glass reflow and gold bump sealing. The overall heat transfer coefficients of 13 300 \\text{W}~{{\\text{m}}-2}~\\text{K} for forward mode and 4790 \\text{W}~{{\\text{m}}-2}~\\text{K} for reverse mode were measured. The performance index of the micro thermal diode was about 2.8.

Evaporation and condensation heat transfer with a noncondensable gas present

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murase, M.; Kataoka, Y.; Fujii, T.

1993-01-01

To evaluate the system pressure of an external water wall type containment vessel, which is one of the passive systems for containment cooling, the evaporation and condensation behavior under a noncondensable gas presence has been experimentally examined. In the system, steam evaporated from the suppression pool surface into the wetwell, filled with noncondensable gas, and condensed on the containment vessel wall. The system pressure was the sum of the noncondensable gas pressure and saturated steam pressure in the wetwell. The wetwell temperature was, however, lower than the suppression pool temperature and depended on the thermal resistance on the suppression pool surface. The evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients in the presence of air as noncondensable gas were measured and expressed by functions of steam/air mass ratio. The evaporation heat transfer coefficients were one order higher than the condensation heat transfer coefficients because the local noncondensable gas pressure was much lower on the evaporating pool surface than on the condensing liquid surface. Using logal properties of the heat transfer surfaces, there was a similar trend between evaporation and condensation even with a noncondensable gas present. (orig.)

Synthesis of 2-Substituted Benzofurans from o-Iodophenols and Terminal Alkynes with a Recyclable Palladium Catalyst Supported on Nano-sized Carbon Balls under Copper- and Ligand-Free Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yum, Eul Kgun; Yang, Okkyung; Kim, Jieun; Park, Hee Jank [Chungnam National Univ., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-09-15

We have developed a one-step synthesis of benzofurans from o-iodophenol and various terminal alkynes, by using Pd catalyst supported on nano-sized carbon balls (NCB) under copper- and ligand free conditions. This recyclable catalyst could be reused more than 5 times in the same heteroannulation reaction. The results have demonstrated that diverse 2-substituted benzofurans with tolerant functional groups can be prepared simply and conveniently under these conditions.

Synthesis of 2-Substituted Benzofurans from o-Iodophenols and Terminal Alkynes with a Recyclable Palladium Catalyst Supported on Nano-sized Carbon Balls under Copper- and Ligand-Free Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yum, Eul Kgun; Yang, Okkyung; Kim, Jieun; Park, Hee Jank

2013-01-01

We have developed a one-step synthesis of benzofurans from o-iodophenol and various terminal alkynes, by using Pd catalyst supported on nano-sized carbon balls (NCB) under copper- and ligand free conditions. This recyclable catalyst could be reused more than 5 times in the same heteroannulation reaction. The results have demonstrated that diverse 2-substituted benzofurans with tolerant functional groups can be prepared simply and conveniently under these conditions

Regeneration of LOHC dehydrogenation catalysts: In-situ IR spectroscopy on single crystals, model catalysts, and real catalysts from UHV to near ambient pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amende, Max; Kaftan, Andre; Bachmann, Philipp; Brehmer, Richard; Preuster, Patrick; Koch, Marcus

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We examine the regeneration of Pt-based catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. • A microscopic mechanism of the removal of degradation products from Pt is proposed. • Results of our UHV studies on model catalysts are transferred to real catalysis. • Oxidative regeneration of Pt/alumina is possible under mild conditions (600 K). • The degree and temperature regime of regeneration depends on the catalyst morphology. - Abstract: The Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) concept offers an efficient route to store hydrogen using organic compounds that are reversibly hydrogenated and dehydrogenated. One important challenge towards application of the LOHC technology at a larger scale is to minimize degradation of Pt-based dehydrogenation catalysts during long-term operation. Herein, we investigate the regeneration of Pt/alumina catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. We combine ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) studies on Pt(111), investigations on well-defined Pt/Al_2O_3 model catalysts, and near-ambient pressure (NAP) measurements on real core–shell Pt/Al_2O_3 catalyst pellets. The catalysts were purposely poisoned by reaction with the LOHC perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (H18-MSH) and with dicyclohexylmethane (DCHM) as a simpler model compound. We focus on oxidative regeneration under conditions that may be applied in real dehydrogenation reactors. The degree of poisoning and regeneration under oxidative reaction conditions was quantified using CO as a probe molecule and measured by infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for planar model systems and real catalysts, respectively. We find that regeneration strongly depends on the composition of the catalyst surface. While the clean surface of a poisoned Pt(111) single crystal is fully restored upon thermal treatment in oxygen up to 700 K, contaminated Pt/Al_2O_3 model catalyst and core–shell pellet were only

Regeneration of LOHC dehydrogenation catalysts: In-situ IR spectroscopy on single crystals, model catalysts, and real catalysts from UHV to near ambient pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amende, Max, E-mail: max.amende@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Kaftan, Andre, E-mail: andre.kaftan@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Bachmann, Philipp, E-mail: philipp.bachmann@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Brehmer, Richard, E-mail: richard.brehmer@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Preuster, Patrick, E-mail: patrick.preuster@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Koch, Marcus, E-mail: marcus.koch@crt.cbi.uni-erlangen.de [Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); and others

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We examine the regeneration of Pt-based catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. • A microscopic mechanism of the removal of degradation products from Pt is proposed. • Results of our UHV studies on model catalysts are transferred to real catalysis. • Oxidative regeneration of Pt/alumina is possible under mild conditions (600 K). • The degree and temperature regime of regeneration depends on the catalyst morphology. - Abstract: The Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) concept offers an efficient route to store hydrogen using organic compounds that are reversibly hydrogenated and dehydrogenated. One important challenge towards application of the LOHC technology at a larger scale is to minimize degradation of Pt-based dehydrogenation catalysts during long-term operation. Herein, we investigate the regeneration of Pt/alumina catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. We combine ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) studies on Pt(111), investigations on well-defined Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} model catalysts, and near-ambient pressure (NAP) measurements on real core–shell Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst pellets. The catalysts were purposely poisoned by reaction with the LOHC perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (H18-MSH) and with dicyclohexylmethane (DCHM) as a simpler model compound. We focus on oxidative regeneration under conditions that may be applied in real dehydrogenation reactors. The degree of poisoning and regeneration under oxidative reaction conditions was quantified using CO as a probe molecule and measured by infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for planar model systems and real catalysts, respectively. We find that regeneration strongly depends on the composition of the catalyst surface. While the clean surface of a poisoned Pt(111) single crystal is fully restored upon thermal treatment in oxygen up to 700 K, contaminated Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} model catalyst and

Porous fiber formation in polymer-solvent system undergoing solvent evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Dayal, Pratyush; Kyu, Thein

2006-08-01

Temporal evolution of the fiber morphology during dry spinning has been investigated in the framework of Cahn-Hilliard equation [J. Chem. Phys. 28, 258 (1958)] pertaining to the concentration order parameter or volume fraction given by the Flory-Huggins free energy of mixing [P. J. Flory, Principles of Polymer Chemistry (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1953), p. 672] in conjunction with the solvent evaporation rate. To guide the solvent evaporation induced phase separation, equilibrium phase diagram of the starting polymer solution was established on the basis of the Flory-Huggins free energy of mixing. The quasi-steady-state approximation has been adopted to account for the nonconserved nature of the concentration field caused by the solvent loss. The process of solvent evaporation across the fiber skin-air interface was treated in accordance with the classical Fick's law [R. B. Bird et al., Transport Phenomena (J. Wiley, New York, 1960), p. 780]. The simulated morphologies include gradient type, hollow fiber type, bicontinuous type, and host-guest type. The development of these diverse fiber morphologies is explicable in terms of the phase diagram of the polymer solution in a manner dependent on the competition between the phase separation dynamics and rate of solvent evaporation.

Manipulating the reactivity of nanoscale catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conradsen, Christian Nagstrup

. Equally, the desorption profile of a flat ruthenium single crystal can be obtained by annealing a thinfilm of nanoparticles to 900 K for 10 min. In the second project it is found that forming a pseudomorphic overlayer of copper on ruthenium enhances the activity compared to both copper and ruthenium...... to be more active than both copper and ruthenium. The importance of Cu being an overlayer is investigated by co-evaporation and co-incipient wetness impregnation of the thinfilm and real catalyst respectively. Incorporating copper in ruthenium did not have any beneficial effect on the Cu/Ru system...

Experimental Investigation Evaporation of Liquid Mixture Droplets during Depressurization into Air Stream

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, L.; Bi, Q. C.; Terekhov, Victor I.; Shishkin, Nikolay E.

2010-03-01

The objective of this study is to develop experimental method to study the evaporation process of liquid mixture droplets during depressurization and into air stream. During the experiment, a droplet was suspended on a thermocouple; an infrared thermal imager was used to measure the droplet surface temperature transition. Saltwater droplets were used to investigate the evaporation process during depressurization, and volatile liquid mixtures of ethanol, methanol and acetone in water were applied to experimentally research the evaporation into air stream. According to the results, the composition and concentration has a complex influence on the evaporation rate and the temperature transition. With an increase in the share of more volatile component, the evaporation rate increases. While, a higher salt concentration in water results in a lower evaporation rate. The shape variation of saltwater droplet also depends on the mass concentration in solution, whether it is higher or lower than the eutectic point (22.4%). The results provide important insight into the complex heat and mass transfer of liquid mixture during evaporation.