NO_x storage and reduction assisted by non-thermal plasma over Co/Pt/Ba/γ-Al_2O_3 catalyst using CH_4 as reductant

N_Ox storage and reduction(NSR) technology has been regarded as one of the most promising strategies for the removal of nitric oxides(NO_x) from lean-burn engines, and the potential of the plasma catalysis method for NO_x reduction has been confirmed in the past few decades. This work reports the NSR of nitric oxide(NO) by combining non-thermal plasma(NTP) and Co/Pt/Ba/γ-Al_2O_3(Co/PBA) catalyst using methane as a reductant. The experimental results reveal that the NO_x conversion of NSR assisted by NTP is notably enhanced compared to the catalytic efficiency obtained from NSR in the range of 150 °C–350 °C, and NO_x conversion of the 8% Co/PBA catalyst reaches 96.8% at 350°C. Oxygen(O_2) has a significant effect on the removal of NO_x, and the NO_x conversion increases firstly and then decreases when the O_2 concentration ranges from 2% to 10%. Water vapor reduces the NO_x storage capacity of Co/PBA catalysts on account of the competition for adsorption sites on the surface of Co/PBA catalysts. There is a negative correlation between sulfur dioxide(SO_2) and NO_x conversion in the NTP system, and the 8% Co/PBA catalyst exhibits higher NO_x conversion compared to other catalysts, which shows that Co has a certain SO_2 resistance.     

Degradation and mineralization of ciprofloxacin by gas–liquid discharge non-thermal plasma

A typical quinolones antibiotic ciprofloxacin(CIP) in aqueous solution was degraded by a gas–liquid discharge non-thermal plasma system. The discharge plasma power and the emission intensity of the excited reactive species(RS) generated in the gas phase were detected by the oscilloscope and the optical emission spectroscopy. The effects of various parameters on CIP degradation, i.e. input powers, initial concentrations addition of radical scavengers and p H values were investigated. With the increase of discharge power, the degradation efficiency increased but the energy efficiency significantly reduced. The degradation efficiency also reduced under high concentration of initial CIP conditions due to the competitive reactions between the plasma-induced RS with the degradation intermediates of CIP. Different radical scavengers(isopropanol and CCl_4) on ·OH and H· were added into the reaction system and the oxidation effects of ·OH radicals have been proved with high degradation capacity on CIP.Moreover, the long-term degradation effect on CIP in the plasma-treated aqueous solution proved that the long-lived RS(H_2O_2 and O_3, etc) might play key roles on the stay effect through multiple aqueous reactions leading to production of ·OH. The degradation intermediates were determined by the method of electrospray ionization(+)-mass spectroscopy, and the possible degradation mechanism were presented.     

Manufacture of Raney Ni catalyst with metastable Ni2Al3 by high—energy milling

The Ni-Al alloy containing Cr,Fe additives were prepared as Raney Ni Catalyst by high energy milling.The size and surface state of Ni-Al alloy powder were studied by particle size analyzer and sanning electron microscopy.the Structure was analyzed by XRD and Moessbauer methods.The results showed that after a high-energy milling(HEM).the Ni-Al alloy transforms to a nano-scale NiAl structure with rich Al.By annealing the alloy,a metastable Ni2Al3 phase can be obtained.     

Applicability of a catalytic reduction method using a palladium–copper catalyst and hydrazine for the denitration of a highly concentrated nitrate salt solution

Denitration of a highly concentrated sodium nitrate (NaNO₃) aqueous solution via a catalytic reduction method using a palladium–copper catalyst supported on carbon powder (Pd–Cu/C) and hydrazine (N₂H₄) was investigated. It was demonstrated that nitrate ion (NO₃ ^?) in a 5 mol L^?1 NaNO₃ solution was completely reduced through an intermediate nitrite ion (NO₂ ^?) to nitrogen compounds such as nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and ammonia. By comparing the reaction rates of NO₃ ^? and NO₂ ^? obtained using catalysts with various Pd–Cu compositions and different reductants (hydrogen (H₂) or N₂H₄), it was determined that the catalyst with a molar ratio of Pd:Cu = 1:0.66 provides the maximum reaction rates for NO₃ ^? and NO₂ ^? using N₂H₄, and that not only the reactions of NO₃ ^? and NO₂ ^? but also that of N₂H₄ were affected by the Pd–Cu composition.     

Improvement of molten core–concrete interaction model in debris spreading analysis module with consideration of concrete degradation by heat

Understanding the situation inside of the reactors at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and planning of the methods for debris removal are important for decommissioning the reactors. A debris spreading analysis (DSA) module in the severe accident analysis code SAMPSON has been improved and verified to analyze composite phenomena of molten core (debris) spreading on a reactor containment floor and concrete erosion to the inside of the floor by molten core–concrete interaction (MCCI). The primary models in the DSA module were three-dimensional natural convection with simultaneous spreading, melting and solidification in an open space. In addition to these, the analysis capability has been improved to treat phenomena in a closed space, such as debris eroding laterally under concrete floors at the bottom of the sump pit which is done by an advanced method for boundary processing. A buffer cell for flow analysis, which is defined by a different array variable, is arranged in the same coordinates of the concrete cell (structure cell). Mass, momentum, and the advection term of energy between the debris melt cells and the buffer cells are solved. At the same instant, the heat transfer is calculated between the debris melt cells and the structure cells coexisting side by side with the buffer cells. In this study, technical knowledge regarding changes in physical properties due to thermal degradation of concrete was considered for the prediction of erosion rate, and the DSA module with the models noted above was verified by comparison with erosion data of the core–concrete interaction tests in the OECD/MCCI program. The calculated erosion depth, width, and erosion rate under the concrete floor showed good agreement with the test data and the analysis capability of the module was confirmed.     

Pulsed gas–liquid discharge plasma catalytic degradation of bisphenol A over graphene/Cd S: process parameters optimization and O3 activation mechanism analysis

In the present work, pulsed gas–liquid hybrid discharge plasma coupled with graphene/Cd S catalyst was evaluated to eliminate bisphenol A(BPA) in wastewater. The optimization of a series of process parameters was performed in terms of BPA degradation performance. The experimental results demonstrated that nearly 90% of BPA(20 mg l^-1) in the synthetic wastewater(p H = 7.5,σ = 10 μS m^-1) was degraded by the plasma catalytic system over 0.2 g l^-1 graphene/Cd S at 19...     

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma synthesis of Ag/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for catalytic oxidation of CO

In this study, Ag/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were synthesized by an Ar dielectric barrier discharge plasma using silver nitrate as the Ag source and γ-alumina(γ-Al₂O₃) as the support. It is revealed that plasma can reduce silver ions to generate crystalline silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs)of good dispersion and uniformity on the alumina surface, leading to the formation of Ag/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts in a green manner without traditional chemical red...     

Preparation of tungsten coatings on graphite by electro-deposition via Na2WO4–WO3 molten salt system

Tungsten coating on graphite substrate is one of the most promising candidate materials as the ITER plasma facing components. In this paper, tungsten coatings on graphite substrates were fabricated by electro-deposition from Na₂WO₄–WO₃ molten salt system at 1173 K in atmosphere. Tungsten coatings with no impurities were successfully deposited on graphite substrates under various pulsed current densities in an hour. By increasing the current density from 60 mA cm⁻² to 120 mA cm⁻² an increase of the average size of tungsten grains, the thickness and the hardness of tungsten coatings occurs. The average size of tungsten grains can reach 7.13 μm, the thickness of tungsten coating was in the range of 28.8–51 μm, and the hardness of coating was higher than 400 HV. No cracks or voids were observed between tungsten coating and graphite substrate. The oxygen content of tungsten coating is about 0.022 wt%.     

Thermal–hydraulic modeling of water/Al2O3 nanofluid as the coolant in annular fuels for a typical VVER-1000 core

In this paper, a thermal–hydraulic analysis of nanofluid as the coolant is performed in a typical VVER-1000 reactor with internally and externally cooled annular fuel. The fuel assembly for annular case with 8 × 8 arrays is considered for annular pin configuration. The considered nanofluid is a mixture composed of water and particles of Al₂O₃ with various volume percentages. The fuel rod is modeled using a CFD code. To validate the calculated results, the present results of solid fuel with nanofluid and pure water are compared with other studies which have been done with visual FORTRAN language, DRAGON/DONJON code, COBRA-EN code and the mentioned analytical approaches have been validated by comparing with the final safety analysis report (FSAR). The comparison of the calculated results shows that the results are in good agreement with other studies. Thus, the accuracy of the validation is satisfactory. Moreover, the temperature distributions of the fuel, clad and coolant are described for water/Al₂O₃ nanofluid in solid fuel and annular fuel. It is observed that as the concentration of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles increases, due to higher heat transfer coefficient of Al₂O₃ nanofluid, the temperature of the coolant is increased and the central fuel temperature is reduced. Thus, it improves margin from peak fuel temperature to melting. Finally, it is illustrated the use of the annular fuel instead of solid fuel in core of the reactor, security and efficiency of the nuclear power plant will be increased.     

Preparation of ThO2-UO3 Sols with Uranium Contents of 0–35% for Gelation into Microspheres in CC14-Ammonia Media

The conditions for producing mixed ThO₂-UO₃ sols with 0–40% U by neutralizing nitrate solutions with ammonia solution under pH control are studied. With 0–35% U, good source sols for gelation in CCl₄-ammonia media are obtained. Colloid fraction of U in producible stable sols is lower than that of Th. The former, moreover, decreases considerably with increase in U content while the latter does only a little; this results abrupt decrease in their colloid fraction of (Th+U) with increase in U content. Whether gelation behavior of such sols is good or not depends on fraction of 4.1 nm or larger colloids, and on U content. The minimum value of the colloid fractions resulting no gel-sphere failure also decreases with increase in U content. The gel-sphere failure is a crack for lower U content and a hole like a dimple or a navel for higher one. The difference is also discussed.     

Investigation of plasma exposed W–1% La2O3 tungsten in a high ion flux,low ion energy,low carbon impurity plasma environment for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

Previous investigations of tungsten for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) were focusing on using energetic ion beams whose energies were over 1 keV. This study presents experimental results of exposed W–1% La₂O₃ in high ion flux (10²² m^–2), low ion energies (about 110 eV) steady-state deuterium plasmas at elevated temperatures (873–1250 K). The tungsten samples are floating during plasma exposure. Using a high-pressure gas analyzer, the residual carbon impurities in the plasma are found to be about 0.25%. No carbon film is detected on the surface by the EDX analysis after plasma exposure. An infrared pyrometer is also used as an in situ detector to monitor the surface emissivities of the substrates during plasma exposure. Using the scanning electron microscopy, microscopic pits of sizes ranging from 0.1 to 5 μm are observed on the plasma exposed tungsten surfaces. These pits are believed to be the results of erupted deuterium gas bubbles, which recombine underneath the surface at defect locations and grain boundaries, leading to substrate damage and erosion loss of the substrate material. Low temperature plasma exposure of a tungsten foil indicates that deuterium gas (D₂) is trapped inside the substrate. Macroscopic blisters are observed on the surface. The erosion yield of the W–1% La₂O₃ increases with temperature and seems to saturate at around 1050 K. Scattered networks of bubble sites are found 5 μm below the substrate surface. High temperature plasma exposure appears to reduce the population as well as the size of the pits. The plasma exposed W–1% La₂O₃ substrates, exposed above 850 K, retain about 10¹⁹ D/m², which is two orders of magnitude less than those retained by the tungsten foils exposed at 400 K.     

Production of (Th,U)O2 Microspheres with Uranium Content of 0–35% by Sol-Gel Process Using CC14 as Gelation Media

Microspheres of (Th, U)O₂ with 0–40% U and with 0.3–1.3 mm diameter are produced through gelling source-sol drops in CCl₄-ammonia media, and also their characteristics are measured.

Their sphericity becomes worse with increasing U content or with decreasing colloid fraction of source sols; this is due to greater shrinkage which occurs anisotropically on the gelation. So, acceptable microspheres are obtained for U content up to 35% but not for 40% U. The shrinkage also makes microsphere surface rougher for higher U content; this is clarified by comparing their BET and geometrical surface areas and by observing them with a microscope. Their apparent and hulk densities are measured and compared. Microspheres are easily sintered up to 98% T.D. for mixed oxides but not for ThO₂; densities of the latter are scattered from 87 to 99% T.D. For all including ThO₂ with such low densities, open porosity is less than 1% T. D.