Tuning catalytic performances of cobalt catalysts for clean hydrogen generation via variation of the type of carbon support and catalyst post-treatment temperature

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes, three types of activated carbons, single wall carbon nanotube and reduced graphene oxides were used to synthesize nano-sized Co catalysts for H₂ preparation via NH₃ decomposition. Catalyst samples were characterized by number of techniques such as N₂ physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopes (XPS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), CO chemisorption, temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) and temperature-programmed desorption (N₂-TPD). The catalytic activities of the studied catalysts for H₂ production via NH₃ decomposition were measured in a fixed-bed micro-reactor. Co catalyst supported on multi-wall carbon nanotubes has shown the highest catalytic activity. The Co particles size was significantly affected by the variation of the post-treatment temperature. The Co particles size in the range of 4.7–64.8 nm can be effectively controlled by varying post-treatment temperature between 230 and 700 °C. The maximum TOF of NH₃ decomposition was registered on cobalt catalyst post-treated at 600 °C.     

The effect of elevated inlet air temperature and relative humidity on cogeneration system

The effect of elevated inlet air temperature and relative humidity on a gas turbine (GT) cogeneration system performance was investigated. The analysis was carried out on a GT of a capacity 171 MW at ISO condition, which is integrated with a dual pressure heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), the cogeneration system had been tested under Kuwait summer climate conditions. A computational model was developed and solved using engineering equation solver professional package to investigate the performance of a dual pressure GT‐HRSG system. The suggested HRSG is capable of producing high‐pressure superheated steam at 150 bar and 510°C to operate a power generation steam turbine cycle, and a medium pressure saturated steam at 15 bar to run a thermal vapor compression (TVC) desalination system. In this research, the influence of elevated inlet air temperature and relative humidity on the energy assessment of the suggested cogeneration system was thoroughly investigated. Results indicated that operating GT under elevated values of inlet air temperatures is characterized by low values of net power and thermal efficiency. At elevated inlet air temperatures, increasing relative humidity has a small positive impact on GT cycle net power and thermal efficiency. Integrating the GT with HRSG to generate steam for power generation and process heat tends to increase energy utilization factor of the system at elevated inlet air temperatures. Increasing inlet air temperature plays a negative impact on power to heat ratio (PHR), while relative humidity has no effect on PHR. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of preparation methods on the catalyst performance of Co/MgLa mixed oxide catalyst for COx-free hydrogen production by ammonia decomposition

This work deals with the effect of catalyst preparation method of the mixed Co, Mg and La oxide catalysts on their structure and catalytic properties for ammonia decomposition. Two methods are used for catalysts preparations impregnation and co-precipitation (in air and in pure O₂ atmosphere), The Mg/La = 2 molar ratio and 5 wt% of cobalt content was maintained same in all catalysts. The catalyst performance was evaluated in the temperature range 300–550 °C at atmospheric pressure. The prepared catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, TPR, XPS, CO₂-TPD and SEM techniques. No pronounced differences were observed in BET among the catalysts. It was found that the 5CML-OXY (5 wt%Co over MgLa catalyst prepared by co-precipitation method in oxygen atmosphere) has superior activity among the other catalysts. This could be attributed to availability of easily reducible cobalt species determined by TPR studies and enhanced interaction between Mg and La determined by SEM and XPS. The moderate basic site density determined by CO₂-TPD results was also increased in 5CML–OXY catalysts compared with other catalysts. These consequences are might be one of the reasons for enhanced activity of 5CML–OXY catalyst compared to other catalysts. Hence catalyst preparation by co-precipitation in oxygen atmosphere is the best method which might be one of the parameters that influenced on catalytic properties of the cobalt on MgOLa₂O₃ system, for ammonia decomposition.     

Evaluation of the effect of nanocoated window glazing films on the thermal behavior of buildings

In this study, different coating samples of antimony tin oxide (ATO) films on clear glass were prepared and their optical and thermal properties were evaluated. Performance parameters such as glass U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient, temperature distribution, and net heat transfer gain using the glazed walls inside the test room were determined through numerical simulations. The results obtained indicate that the nanocoating thickness and doping level concentration of ATO films have a pronounced effect on the thermal insulation of the window glass. When compared with normal window clear glass, the transmittance of solar radiation for ATO thin-film coating of thickness 1140 nm reduced from 0.881 to 0.114 in the visible (VIS) region and 0.817 to 0.012 in the infrared (IR) region, whereas radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) region was almost completely blocked. Similarly, for the ATO films with doping level 15%, the transmittance value reduced from 0.742 to 0.432 in the VIS region and from 0.718 to 0.114 in the IR region, and radiation in the UV region was almost totally blocked. Finally from the analysis of results, it was observed that the ATO thin films show exceptional optical and thermal properties and exhibit improved solar blocking behavior when compared with commercially available glazing (eg, from Saudi Arabian glass companies).     

Structure and catalytic properties of Ni/MWCNTs and Ni/AC catalysts for hydrogen production via ammonia decomposition

The structure and catalytic properties of nickel catalysts supported on multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and on three different types of activated carbon (AC) were studied. The surface areas of AC carriers were defining the size of supported nickel particles. Large surface area of AC led to small Ni nanoparticles and high Ni dispersion. Turnover frequency (TOF_NH3) of ammonia decomposition decreased with decreasing of Ni particle size. The highest degree of ammonia conversion was observed on Ni/AC prepared by using of AC support with largest surface area. The catalytic activity of Ni/MWCNTs was much higher than catalytic activity of the studied Ni/AC catalysts. The synergic nickel-support interaction and special electronic conductivity properties of MWCNTs were responsible for high catalytic activity of Ni/MWCNTs catalyst.     

Correlations for Natural Convective Heat Transfer from Isothermal Surface of Octagonal and Hexagonal Shapes of Different Aspect Ratios

The effect of surface shape on laminar natural convective heat transfer from vertical isothermal hexagonal and octagonal flat plates embedded in a plane adiabatic surface, the adiabatic surface being in the same plane as the surface of the heated plate, has been numerically investigated. Results for the hexagonal and octagonal surface shapes with different aspect ratios have been obtained. It has been assumed that the fluid properties are constant except for the density change with temperature which gives rise to the buoyancy forces, this having been treated using the Boussinesq approach. The solution has been obtained by numerically solving the full three‐dimensional form of governing equations, these equations being written in dimensionless form. The solution was obtained using the commercial finite volume method based cfd code, FLUENT^©14.5. The solution has the surface shape, the Rayleigh number, the dimensionless plate width and the Prandtl number as parameters. Results have only been obtained for a Prandtl number of 0.7 for Rayleigh numbers between 10³ and 10⁸ for various surface shapes with width‐to‐height ratios between 0 and 0.6. The effect of these parameters on the mean Nusselt number has been studied and empirical correlation equations for the mean heat transfer rate have been derived.     

Correlations for Natural Convective Heat Transfer From Vertical and Inclined Cylinders

Natural convective heat transfer from the exposed top surface of an inclined isothermal cylinder, with a circular cross section, mounted on a flat adiabatic base plate, has been numerically investigated. The cylinder is mounted normal to the flat adiabatic base plate. The numerical solution has been obtained by solving the dimensionless governing equations, subject to boundary conditions, using the commercial finite-volume method-based code FLUENT. The flow has been assumed to be symmetrical about the vertical center-plane through the cylinder. Results have only been obtained for Prandtl number of 0.7, which is the value existing in the application that originally motivated this study. The simulations consider Rayleigh numbers between 10³ and 10⁷, inclination angles between 0º and 180º, and dimensionless cylinder diameters between 0.25 and 1. The effects of dimensionless diameter, Rayleigh numbers, and inclination angles on the mean Nusselt number for the top exposed surface of the cylinder have been studied. Empirical correlations for the heat transfer rates from the top exposed surface of the cylinder have been derived.     

A graph isomorphism algorithm for object recognition

We present an algorithm to solve the graph isomorphism problem for the purpose of object recognition. Objects, such as those which exist in a robot workspace, may be represented by labelled graphs (graphs with attributes on their nodes and/or edges). Thereafter, object recognition is achieved by matching pairs of these graphs. Assuming that all objects are sufficiently different so that their corresponding representative graphs are distinct, then given a new graph, the algorthm efficiently finds the isomorphic stored graph (if it exists). The algorithm consists of three phases: preprocessing, link construction, and ambiguity resolution. Results from experiments on a wide variety and sizes of graphs are reported. Results are also reported for experiments on recognising graphs that represent protein molecules. The algorithm works for all types of graphs except for a class of highly ambiguous graphs which includes strongly regular graphs. However, members of this class are detected in polynomial time, which leaves the option of switching to a higher complexity algorithm if desired.     

The performance of subsidized urban and rural public bus operators: Empirical evidence from Norway

The performance of Norwegian subsidized urban and rural bus operators is analyzed to gain insight about factors affecting it. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to analyze efficiency differences in the sector. In addition, Mann-Whitney rank test is employed to test for efficiency and scale differences with respect to ownership, region of operation and scope of operation. The results suggest that there is in general a potential for input saving in the whole sector of about 28 percent. Nevertheless, while no significant differences are found between urban and rural operators with respect to input saving and output increasing efficiency scores, rural operators on average have lower mean scale efficiency and a higher variance of scale efficiency. Further, statistical tests using a Mann-Whitney rank test verify the latter. Thus the crucial issue in the Norwegian bus industry is less a question of differences in ownership or economies of scope but more a result of sub-optimal input allocation, which varies according to area of operations; either urban or rural. The analysis presented here also demonstrates that DEA is an appealing procedure for assessing efficiency in the bus industry, which is also easily acceptable to the decision-makers.The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor of this journal for their constructive comments during the preparation of this paper.Received: July 2000 / Accepted: March 2003