Reconstructed Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts: The Impact of Surface Dynamics on Intrinsic Activities

Electroreduction of small molecules such as H₂O, CO₂, and N₂ for producing clean fuels or valuable chemicals provides a sustainable approach to meet the increasing global energy demands and to alleviate the concern on climate change resulting from fossil fuel consumption. On the path to implement this purpose, however, several scientific hurdles remain, one of which is the low energy efficiency due to the sluggish kinetics of the paired oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In response, it is highly desirable to synthesize high-performance and cost-effective OER electrocatalysts. Recent advances have witnessed surface reconstruction engineering as a salient tool to significantly improve the catalytic performance of OER electrocatalysts. In this review, recent progress on the reconstructed OER electrocatalysts and future opportunities are discussed. A brief introduction of the fundamentals of OER and the experimental approaches for generating and characterizing the reconstructed active sites in OER nanocatalysts are given first, followed by an expanded discussion of recent advances on the reconstructed OER electrocatalysts with improved activities, with a particular emphasis on understanding the correlation between surface dynamics and activities. Finally, a prospect for clean future energy communities harnessing surface reconstruction-promoted electrochemical water oxidation will be provided.     

Review on synthesis of porous TiO2-based catalysts for energy conversion systems

Porous TiO₂-based catalysts have recently received remarkable attention in the field of energy conversion systems, including hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen/nitrogen reduction reaction, and photodegradation of pollutants owing to their unique structure, large surface area, and good chemical stability. In this report, we review existing research on porous TiO₂-based catalysts for energy conversion systems during the past four years. First, the advantages of porous TiO₂-based catalysts are introduced. Next, the synthetic approaches in developing porous TiO₂-based catalysts are summarized. The different types of energy conversion systems based on porous TiO₂-based catalysts are then presented. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives in synthesizing porous TiO₂-based catalysts are discussed.     

一类分数阶微积分的中值定理及应用

Riemann-Liouville分数阶微积分算子是一类带有一个函数的分数阶微积分算子的特殊情形，以Riemann-Liouville分数阶微积分算子的积分中值定理和微分中值定理为基础，我们得到了一类带有一个函数的分数阶微积分算子的积分中值定理和微分中值定理，并给出其在计算方面的一些应用。     

煤泥燃烧过程中汞的迁移行为研究

采用在线汞测试方法，以山西省低热值煤电厂中掺烧的煤泥为研究对象，利用实验室小型流化床，研究煤泥中汞的热转化行为差异及共性特征、影响煤泥热转化过程中汞迁移的关键因素，以揭示煤泥热转化过程中汞污染物的迁移机理。结果表明，同一种煤泥，相同气氛，800、900、1 000 ℃下，燃烧温度对煤泥中的汞的释放比例没有变化；相同温度，汞的释放比例为氮气>空气>氧气。3种煤泥在相同燃烧条件下，汞的释放特征相似，元素汞的释放量和释放比例差异较大。释放量与煤泥中的汞含量正相关，释放比例与煤泥中汞的赋存形态有一定关系。     

Energy conversion performances during biomass air gasification process under microwave irradiation

Biomass gasification technology under microwave irradiation is a new and novel method, and the energy conversion performances during the process play a guiding role in improving the energy conversion efficiencies and developing the gasification simulation models. In order to improve the energy utilization efficiency of microwave biomass gasification system, this study investigated and presented the energy conversion performances during biomass gasification process under microwave irradiation, and these were materialized through detailing (a) the energy conversion performance in the microwave heating stage, and (b) the energy conversion performance in the microwave assisted biomass gasification stage. Different forms of energies in the biomass microwave gasification process were calculated by the method given in this study based on the experimental data. The results showed that the useful energy (energy in silicon carbide (SiC), 18.73 kJ) accounted for 31.22% of the total energy input (electrical energy, 60.00 kJ) in the heating stage, and the useful energy (energy in the products, 758.55 kJ) accounted for 63.41% of the total energy input (electrical and biomass energy, 1196.28 kJ) in the gasification stage. During the whole biomass gasification process under microwave irradiation, the useful energy output (energy in the products, 758.55 kJ) accounted for 60.38% of the total energy input (electrical and biomass energy, 1256.28 kJ), and the energy in the gas (523.40 kJ) product played a dominate role in product energy (758.55 kJ). The energy loss mainly included the heat loss in the gas flow (89.20 kJ), magnetron loss (191.80 kJ) and microwave dissipation loss (198.00 kJ), which accounted for 7.10%, 15.27% and 15.76% of the total energy, respectively. The contents detailed in this study not only presented the energy conversion performances during microwave assisted gasification process but also supplied important data for developing gasification simulation models.     

Performance enhancement of methanol reforming reactor through finned surfaces and diffused entry for on-board hydrogen generation

Hydrogen-rich combustion in engines helps in reducing pollutants significantly. But hydrogen usage on a moving vehicle is not getting large-scale user acceptance mainly due to its poor energy storage density resulting in shorter driving ranges. This storage issue led to the hunt for mediums that can efficiently produce on-board hydrogen. Methanol proves to be an efficient alcohol fuel for producing hydrogen through steam reforming reaction. The heat energy required for such endothermic reaction is obtained through exhaust engine waste energy and this process is collectively known as thermochemical recuperation. However, the conventional reactor used for this process faces a lot of problems in terms of efficiency and methanol conversion. In this study, an attempt has been made to improve the design of the reactor for on-board hydrogen generation using engine exhaust heat for addressing the challenges related to performance and hydrogen yield. For enhancing the heat transfer, a finned surface (straight & wavy) was introduced in the reactor which resulted in an increment in methanol conversion significantly. It was found that wavy fin improved the methanol conversion up to 96.8% at an exhaust inlet temperature of 673 K. Also, a diffusing inlet section was introduced to increase the residence time of reactant gases while passing through the catalyst zone. Under given inlet conditions, the methanol conversion for 6° diffuse inlet reactor goes up to 87.9% as compared to 75.4% for the conventional reactor.     

Experimental and numerical study on tube-side flow and heat transfer characteristics of superheated vapor flow in catalyst-filled LH2 spiral wound heat exchanger

High energy consumption is considered to be one of the most persistent problems in liquid hydrogen (LH₂) plants. The combination of heat exchanger and ortho-para (O–P) hydrogen conversion has attracted considerable attention as a cutting-edge technology to reduce energy consumption. The flow and heat transfer characteristics of O–P hydrogen conversion catalyst-filled spiral wound heat exchanger (SWHE) were investigated in this study in two steps. In the first step, pressure-drop experiments were performed in a tube filled with porous media. The results indicated that the pressure drop was overestimated when using Ergun's equation. Therefore, a new empirical pressure-drop correlation for a channel filled with O–P catalyst was formulated. Subsequently, a novel heat transfer model was established based on this correlation for further numerical simulations. The distributions of the temperature, pressure, and para hydrogen content in a catalyst-filled tube were determined. In addition, the influence of the flow rate on the heat exchange coefficient and outlet para hydrogen was clarified; it was found that, with an increase in the flow rate, the heat exchange coefficient increased, whereas the outlet para hydrogen content decreased. At a flow rate of 0.5 m³/h, the para hydrogen content increased by 44% after hydrogen flowed through the channel filled with the O–P catalyst. Furthermore, a prediction model for the para hydrogen content with a flow rate range of 0–1.5 m³/h was derived. This study provides promising theoretical evidence for the engineering application of SWHEs filled with O–P catalysts in large-scale hydrogen liquefaction units.     

切顶卸压技术在双鸭山矿区沿空留巷中的应用

为了使双鸭山矿区煤炭资源最大程度地被采掘,减少资源浪费,提高矿井效益,延长矿井服务年限及促进矿井安全生产,以双鸭山矿区3个缓倾斜中厚煤层综采工作面为工程背景,对切顶卸压无煤柱开采技术进行深入探索,经过实际的检验证明,在双鸭山矿区缓倾斜中厚煤层中,采用切顶卸压技术进行沿空留巷,技术可行,经济合理,工艺简单,成巷率高。     

Flash Lamps as Ignition and Initiation Sources of the VS-2 Pyrotechnic Composition

In the present work it is found that the pyrotechnic composition VS-2 can be initiated with flash lamps IFC-500 and EVIS. VS-2 pyrotechnic composition contains 90% of mercury（Ⅱ） 5-hydrazinotetrazolate perchlorate and 10% of optically transparent copolymer of 2-methyl-5-vinyltetrazole and methacrylic acid （PVMT）. We have found that the flash lamps make it possible to initiate combustion of VS-2 composition with its transition to detonation both in cylindrical charges placed in brass caps of 5 mm diameter and 2 mm high， and film charges with 10 mm×80 mm in size and surface weights of 60 mg·cm^-2 and 90 mg·cm^-2， showing ignition delay times 10 μs and 3 μs， respectively. We also measured detonation velocities for VS-2 composition film charges， which were 4375-4505 m·s^-1 （of the charge being surface mass 60 mg·cm^-2） and 4221-4281 m·s^-1 （of the charge being surface mass 90 mg·cm^-2） and their blasting action on the aluminum plate. The depths of the normal shock wave imprints at the charge-barrier interface were 0.6-0.7 mm （for surface mass of the film charges 60 mg·cm^-2） and 1.2-1.3 mm （for surface mass of the film charges 90 mg·cm^-2）.     

Economic competitiveness of compact steam methane reforming technology for on-site hydrogen supply: A Foshan case study

On-site hydrogen production through steam-methane reforming (SMR) from city gas or natural gas is believed to be a cost-effective way for hydrogen-based infrastructure due to high cost of hydrogen transportation. In recent years, there have been a lot of on-site hydrogen fueling stations under design or construction in China. This study introduces current developments and technology prospects of skid-mounted SMR hydrogen generator. Also, technical solutions and economic analysis are discussed based on China's first on-site hydrogen fueling station project in Foshan. The cost of hydrogen product from skid-mounted SMR hydrogen generator is about 23 CNY/kg with 3.24 CNY/Nm³ natural gas. If hydrogen price is 60 CNY/kg, IRR of on-site hydrogen fueling station project reaches to 10.8%. While natural gas price fall to 2.3 CNY/Nm³, the hydrogen cost can be reduced to 18 CNY/kg, and IRR can be raised to 13.1%. The conclusion is that skid-mounted SMR technology has matured and is developing towards more compact and intelligent design, and will be a promising way for hydrogen fueling infrastructures in near future.