Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Novel Spiral Micromixer with Sinusoidal Channel Walls

A novel spiral micromixer with sinusoidal channel walls was designed to enhance the mixing index in the low to intermediate Reynolds number range (1 < Re < 100). To analyze the fluid flow, a set of numerical simulations were performed using the finite-difference method. The microchip was fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane, employing the soft-lithography technique. The degree of mixing was increased by 99.11 % when using the proposed micromixer, compared to 59.44 % for a simple spiral micromixer. The introduced microchannel drastically reduced the mixing length, increasing the mixing index of a 0.5-loop spiral-sinusoidal microchannel compared to that of the simple spiral microchannel with 1.5 loops. The mixing index of the 3-loop mixer was higher than that of the microchannel with 1.5 loops, and its pressure drop was increased.     

Study on vapour dispersion and explosion from compressed hydrogen spill: Risk assessment on a hydrogen plant

Hydrogen produced from renewable resources is one of the cleanest fuels and could be used to store intermittent solar, wind and other energies. The main concern about using hydrogen is its hazards, such as high storage pressure, wide-range flammability, low mass density, and high diffusion. This study investigated the hazards of compressed hydrogen storage by developing a CFD model to understand the gas dispersion behaviour. The model was validated using the past experimental data and showed a good agreement, which could demonstrate the diffusion characteristics and gas stratification of a buoyant gas. A case study of an accidental release of compressed hydrogen from a storage tank was investigated to evaluate the risk of a hydrogen plant. A mathematical model of the jet spill was used to account for the choking effect from a high-pressure release to ensure the input velocity in CFD simulation is suitable for modelling gas dispersion using verified spatial and temporal scales, then the simulation results were used as inputs of vapour cloud explosions (VCEs) to investigate the potential overpressure effect. It was found the CFD model could predict a more reasonable flammable gas amount in cloud than using the bulk hydrogen release rate. The safety distance based on the overpressure prediction was reduced by 35%. The method proposed in this study can provide more validity for the consequence analysis as part of risk assessment.     

Impedance matching optimization of SiCf/Si3N4–SiOC composites for excellent microwave absorption properties

SiC fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites (SiC_f-CMCs) are considered to be one of the most promising materials in the electromagnetic (EM) stealth of aero-engines, which is expected to achieve strong absorption and broad-band performance. Multiscale structural design was applied to SiC_f/Si₃N₄–SiOC composites by construction of micro/nanoscale heterogeneous interfaces and macro double-layer impedance matching structure. SiC_f/Si₃N₄–SiOC composites were fabricated by using SiC fibers with different conductivities and SiOC–Si₃N₄ matrices with gradient impedance structures to improve impedance matching effectively. Owing to its unique structure, SiC_f/Si₃N₄–SiOC composites (A3-composites) achieved excellent EM wave absorption performance with a minimum reflection coefficient (RC_min) of ?25.1 dB at 2.45 mm and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.0 GHz at 2.85 mm in X-band. Moreover, double-layer SiC_f/Si₃N₄–SiOC with an improved impedance matching structure obtained an RC_min of ?56.9 dB and an EAB of 4.2 GHz at 3.00 mm, which means it can absorb more than 90% of the EM waves in the whole X-band. The RC is less than ?8 dB at 2.6–2.8 mm from RT to 600 °C in the whole X-band, displaying excellent high-temperature absorption performance. The results provide a new design opinion for broad-band EM absorbing SiC_f-CMCs at high temperatures.     

Spin-state regulating of cobalt assisted by iron doping and coordination for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction

Customizing catalysts from the electronic structure, such as spin state, is an effective but challenging strategy for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, an ultrafine Co–Fe material highly dispersed on nitrogen carbide matrix is fabricated by coordination polymer and self-templating method to scrutinize the impact of spin state of Co on OER through Fe doping. The optimized catalyst shows boosted OER performance, which only requires overpotential of 333 mV at 10 mA cm^?2, outperforming other control samples and commercial RuO₂. The elevated local spin states of Co by Fe doping lead to charge transfer acceleration and fast generation of oxygenated intermediates, which is proved to account for the OER elevation. In addition, the long-term stability of Co–Fe material is guaranteed by the strong coordination of Co/Fe to the melamine-formaldehyde resin, which is used to adsorb metal ions, contributing to the high dispersion of active sites during the OER process.     

Statistical optimization of operating parameters of microbial electrolysis cell treating dairy industry wastewater using quadratic model to enhance energy generation

The performance of Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is affected by several operating conditions. Therefore, in the present study, an optimization study was done to determine the working efficiency of MEC in terms of COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal, hydrogen and current generation. Optimization was carried out using a quadratic mathematical model of response surface methodology (RSM). Thirteen sets of experimental runs were performed to optimize the applied voltage and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of single chambered batch fed MEC operated with dairy industry wastewater. The operating conditions (i.e) an applied voltage of 0.8 V and HRT of 2 days that showed a maximum COD removal response was chosen for further studies. The MEC operated at optimized condition (HRT- 2 days and applied voltage- 0.8 V) showed a COD removal efficiency of 95 ± 2%, hydrogen generation of 32 ± 5 mL/L/d, Power density of 152 mW/cm² and current generation of 19 mA. The results of the study implied that RSM, with its high degree of accuracy can be a reliable tool for optimizing the process of wastewater treatment. Also, dairy industry wastewater can be considered to be a potential source to generate hydrogen and energy through MEC at short HRT.     

Numerical modeling of hydrogen catalytic reactions over a circular bluff body

This paper was intended to delineate numerical research for hydrogen catalytic combustion over a circular cylinder. The wire/rod-type catalytic reactor is a simple geometry reactor with an economical design with less pressure loss. For the single rod in the reaction channel, the flow characteristic and the difference of conversion efficiency between non-gas-phase reaction and gas-phase reaction have been delineated in the present study. The flow field and the chemical reactions were numerically modeled using 2D Large Eddy Simulation combined with the gas-phase and surface reaction mechanisms. The results show that the current numerical simulation has been validated to precisely predict the vortex shedding and its frequency in the cold flows. Despite the variation trends being dominated by the upstream flow, the vortex shedding phenomena were affected by the flue gas generated from the rod surface. It can be seen from the linear relationship between the vortex shedding frequency of reacting flow and Reynolds Number. It is noted that the vortex shedding vanished if the gas-phase reaction was ignited in the reaction channel. In addition, the geometric modified conversion efficiency was proposed to delineate an indicator that could be potential for the optimization of rod-type catalytic reactor. In summary, the fundamental study of a rod in a 2D flow channel can provide information for optimizing the catalytic design or the rod array arrangement in the reactor. Moreover, the rod can also be a partial catalytic flame holder to ignite and stabilize the gas-phase reaction. The obtained results could be the potential for practical applications of rod-type catalytic combustion, catalytic gas turbine, hydrogen generation, partially catalytic reaction flame holder, and other catalytic reactions that can be appreciated.     

Synthesis and characterizations of highly responsive H2S sensor using p-type Co3O4 nanoparticles/nanorods mixed nanostructures

High-quality p-type semiconducting Co₃O₄ with mixed morphology of nanoparticles/nanorods are synthesized using a hydrothermal route for high response and selective hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) sensor application. XRD and Raman studies revealed the crystal structure and molecular bonding for obtained Co₃O_4, respectively. The nanoparticles/nanorods-like structures were confirmed for Co₃O₄ using FESEM and TEM analysis. The EDS and XPS spectra analysis were carried out for elemental composition and chemical atomic states of Co₃O₄. The Co₃O₄ sensor is investigated for gas sensing properties in dynamic conditions. The sensor exhibited the highest selectivity towards H₂S among various hydrogen-contained gases at 225 °C. The sensor revealed a high response of 357% and 44% for 100 and 10 ppm H₂S gas concentrations, respectively. The Co₃O₄ sensor exhibited a systematic dynamic resistance response for 100–10 ppm range H₂S gas. The excellent dynamic resistance repeatability of the sensor was shown towards 25 ppm H₂S gas. The response of Co₃O₄ sensor was investigated at different operating temperatures and H₂S concentrations. The sensor stability and H₂S sensing mechanism for the Co₃O₄ sensor have been reported. Highly uniform and mixed nanostructures of Co₃O₄ can be the potential sensor material for real-time high-performance H₂S sensor application.     

Microscopic high-speed video observation of oxygen bubble generation behavior and effects of anode electrode shape on OER performance in alkaline water electrolysis

An important difficulty associated with alkaline water electrolysis is the rise in anode overpotential attributable to bubble coverage of the electrode surface. For this study, a system with a high-speed video camera was developed, achieving in-situ observation of bubble generation on an electrode surface, monitoring an area of 1.02 mm² at 6000 frames per second. The relation between polarization curve (current density up to 3.0 A cm^?2) and oxygen bubble generation behavior on nickel electrodes having cylindrical wires and rectangular wires of different sizes (100–300 μm) was clarified. The generated bubbles slide upward, contacting the electrode surface and detaching at the top edge. Observations indicate that small electrodes have short bubble residence time and thin bubble covering layer on the electrode. As a result, the small electrode diameter contributes to smaller overpotential at high current density.     

A high temperature and pressure framework for supercritical water electrolysis

Water electrolysis technologies aim to provide a significant increase in green hydrogen production efficiency. In this work, a framework was developed to explore the use of supercritical water for alkaline electrolysis. This framework was used to perform Arrhenius analysis as a function of potential, and to explore activation energies for sub- and supercritical water electrolysis. An analysis of the conductivity of solution unveiled a discontinuity in the trends between sub- and supercritical potassium hydroxide solution conductivity. Unlike prior work on supercritical water electrolysis, this work investigates trends in electrochemical parameters, the sources of these trends, and how they change between the sub- and supercritical regimes.     

Hydrogen-rich gas generation via the exhaust gas-fuel reformer for the marine LNG engine

Reformed exhaust gas recirculation technology has attracted great attention in internal combustion engines. A platform of an exhaust gas-fuel reformer connected with the marine LNG engine was set up for generating on-board hydrogen. Based on the platform, effects of the methane to oxygen ratio (M/O) and reformed exhaust gas ratio (R_EG) from the reformer and excess air ratio (λ) from the engine on the components, hydrogen yield, thermal efficiency and reforming process of the reformer were experimentally investigated. Results shown that hydrogen-rich gases (reformate) can be generated by reforming the mixture of engine exhaust gas (about 400 °C) and methane supplied via the reformer with Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst, and the hydrogen concentration of reformate was between 6.2% and 12.6% by volume. The methane supplied rate and λ affected the components and temperature of the reactant in the reformer, while R_EG changed the gas hour space velocity during the exhaust gas-fuel reforming processes, resulting in the difference in the components of the reformate and thermal efficiency. At the present experimental condition, the highest H₂ concentration reformate was generated under the M/O of 2.0, λ of 1.55 and R_EG of 6%.