Investigation of the microstructure and oxidation behavior of Cr-modified aluminide coatings on γ-TiAL alloys

The microstructure and oxidation behavior of aluminide coatings are investigated. The layers are examined by the optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with EDS, and the X-ray diffraction method. The isothermal oxidation behaviors of samples are investigated at 950°C for 200 h. The results show that TiAl₃ is formed on the substrate. In addition, the aluminide coating improves the oxidation resistance of γ-TiAl alloys by forming a protective alumina scale. Moreover, during oxidation treatment, the interdiffusion of the TiAl₃ layer with γ-TiAl substrate results in the depletion of aluminum in the TiAl₃ layer and the growth of the TiAl₂ layer. After the oxidation treatment, the coating layer preserves a microstructure with phases including TiAl₃, TiAl₂, and Al₂O₃.     

The relative performance of alternative oxygen carriers for liquid chemical looping combustion and gasification

The relative performance of different potential liquid oxygen carriers within a novel system that can be configured for either chemical looping gasification or combustion is assessed. The parameters considered here are the melting temperature, the Gibbs free energy, reaction enthalpy, exergy and energy flows, syngas quality and temperature difference between the two reactors. Results show that lead, copper and antimony oxides are meritorious candidates for the proposed systems. Antimony oxide was found to offer strong potential for high quality syngas production because it has a reasonable oxygen mass ratio for gasification. A sufficiently low operating temperature to be compatible with concentrated solar thermal energy and a propensity to generate methane. In contrast, copper and lead oxides offer greater potential for liquid chemical looping combustion because they have higher oxygen mass ratio and a higher operating temperature, which enables better efficiency from a power plant. For all three metal oxides, the production of methane via the undesirable methanation reaction is less than 2% of the product gasses for all operating temperatures and an order of magnitude lower for lead.     

Impedance spectroscopy study of aluminum electrocrystallization from basic molten salt (AlCl3-NaCl-KCl)

Aluminum electrocrystallization is studied by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A model based on random birth and deterministic growth of monolayers is proposed, in which the edges are assumed to follow a propagation law. The high frequency impedance data show charge transfer reaction of AlCl₄⁻ reduction while the low frequency features signifies the growth mode of deposits. The inductive response observed in the course of polycrystalline deposition reflects the activation of electrode area while a capacitive loop appears in regular growth. Parameters of impedance model in this system can be calculated from the fitting of experimental data to the Faradaic impedance function derived theoretically. The physical parameters of this function are analyzed by means of the dependence of simulated EIS spectra on kinetic parameters.     

Mathematical modelling of a hydrocracking reactor for triglyceride conversion to biofuel: model establishment and validation

In the study, a 2D, non‐isothermal, heterogeneous model of a triglyceride hydrocracking reactor is investigated. The internal heat and mass transfer within the phases in the reactor were considered using the film theory. The conservation equations for energy and mass were solved simultaneously using appropriate numerical techniques whose reliability was assessed by comparison of the results with previously reported experimental data. The modelling was performed with consideration of two proposed hydrocracking kinetic models. The model predictions showed reasonable correlation with published experimental data and conversion rates. The calculations indicated that at feed temperature of 380 °C, liquid hourly space velocity of 8 h^?1 and hydrogen : feed ratio of 1500:1, the total triglyceride conversion was 82.54% for four major classes of hydrocarbons (light, middle, heavy and oligomerised). In addition, the concentration distribution and temperature profile along the reactor were investigated. The product concentrations along the reactor show that higher rates of production at the beginning of the reactor were achieved because of high concentration of triglyceride due to the exothermic hydrocracking reactions and counter‐current flow modes of triglyceride and hydrogen; a jump of 90 °C was shown at the beginning of the reactor temperature profile. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An electrochemical study of the synthesis and properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly ortho aminophenol composites

Composites of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and poly ortho aminophenol (POAP) with good uniformity for use as electrodes in electrochemical capacitors were prepared by electropolymerization by using the ionic surfactant as electrolyte, for dispersing CNTs within conducting polymer/carbon nanotube composite films. The capacitance properties were investigated with cyclic voltammetry (CV), discharge tests and ac impedance spectroscopy. The composite electrode shows much higher specific capacitance, better power characteristics and is more promising for application in the capacitor than a pure POAP electrode. The effect and role of MWCNT in the composite electrode are discussed in detail. In comparison with a Ni–POAP/glassy carbon (GC), a Ni–MWCNT–POAP/GC electrode shows a better catalytic performance for the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol.     

Electrochemical impedance studies of methanol oxidation on GC/Ni and GC/NiCu electrode

The electro-oxidation of methanol on nickel and nickel–copper alloy modified glassy carbon electrodes (GC/Ni and GC/NiCu) in a 1 M NaOH solution at different concentrations of methanol was studied by the method of ac-impedance spectroscopy. Two semicircles in the first quadrant of a Nyquist diagram were observed for electro-oxidation of methanol on GC/Ni corresponding to charge transfer resistance and adsorption of intermediates. Electro-oxidation of methanol on GC/NiCu shows negative resistance in impedance plots as signified by semi-circles terminating in the second quadrant. The impedance behavior shows different patterns at different applied anodic potential. The influence of the electrode potential on impedance pattern is studied and a mathematical model was put forward to quantitatively account for the impedance behavior of methanol oxidation. At potentials higher than 0.49 V vs. Ag/AgCl, a pseudoinductive behavior is observed but at higher than 0.58 V, impedance patterns terminate in the second quadrant. The conditions required for this behavior are delineated with the use of the impedance model.     

Dynamic properties of calcareous and siliceous sands under isotropic and anisotropic stress conditions

The strain-dependent dynamic properties of sand are generally described by their relative density and mean effective stress, while the contribution of other factors, like soil origin, mineralogy, grain morphology, and initial stress anisotropy, have not been fully recognized. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the shear modulus and damping ratio of calcareous and siliceous sands of different origins and their identical grain size distribution and stress-density states. Resonant column and cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on reconstituted samples of these two sands obtained from coastal areas. The significance of the initial effective confining pressure and stress anisotropy on the dynamic properties of the sands is evaluated and compared. It is demonstrated that the small-strain shear modulus of the calcareous sand is more affected by an increase in mean effective confining pressure than the siliceous sand. However, the effect of the initial shear on the secant shear modulus of the sands is unique. Based on the test data, a rigorous correction factor is proposed to account for the influence of the initial stress anisotropy on the small-strain shear modulus of the sands. A comparison between the strain-dependent dynamic properties of the calcareous and siliceous sands reveals that the calcareous sand has a higher secant shear modulus, lower damping ratio, and higher linear and volumetric threshold strain. Since the stress-density states and grain size distribution of the two sands were identical in the experiments, the discrepancy in the dynamic properties can be attributed to other factors, including sand origin, grain angularity, mineralogy, and formation processes, which are not commonly taken into account in the current practice.     

Synthesis and properties of high corrosion resistant Ni–cerium oxide nano‐composite coating

The effect of cerium ion on the formation, morphology, composition, and corrosion behavior of Ni–cerium oxide coatings was investigated by SEM, FESEM, XRD, EDS, XPS, EIS, and potentiodynamic polarization. The extremely highest corrosion resistant coating was obtained when the cerium ion concentration in the plating bath was 16 mM. It has been observed that the presence of cerium ion in the plating bath led to changes in the morphology of the coating from pyramid nodular structure to coaxial structure. By adding cerium ion to the plating bath, a considerable grain refinement in the nanometer region was observed.     

Fuzzy modeling techniques and artificial neural networks to estimate annual energy output of a wind turbine

The purpose of this article is to develop a new method to estimate annual energy output for a given wind turbine in any region which should be easy to use and has satisfactory accuracy. To do this, hourly wind speeds of 25 different stations in Netherlands, output power curve of S47 wind turbine and fuzzy modeling techniques and artificial neural networks were used and a model is developed to estimate annual energy output for S47 wind turbine in different regions. Since this model has three inputs (average wind speed, standard deviation of wind speed, and air density of that region), this model is easy to use. The accuracy of this method is compared with the accuracy of conventional methods and it is shown that this new method performs better. Thereafter, we have shown that by making some small changes to this proposed model, other pitch control wind turbines could be modeled too. As an example, we have modeled E82 wind turbine based on the model developed for S47 and it is shown that this model has still satisfactory accuracy.     

Martensite/austenite interfaces in ultrafine grained Fe–Ni–C alloy

In this article, orientation relationships (ORs) at martensite/austenite interface (M/A interface) transformed from coarse-grained and ultrafine-grained austenites were investigated. The results showed that the OR at the M/A interfaces of lenticular martensite transformed from coarse-grained austenite was close to Kurdjumov–Sachs (K–S). The OR of butterfly martensite was close to K–S in the outer side of M/A interface and it deviated to Nishiyama–Wasserman (N–W) at the inner side of M/A interface. In contrast, the OR of lenticular martensite transformed from ultrafine-grained austenite was close to Greninger–Troiano (G–T), and the OR of butterfly martensite was close to K–S at outer side of M/A interface and it deviated to G–T at the inner side of M/A interface. The significantly small size of martensite plate transformed from ultrafine-grained austenite resulted in the different ORs from coarse-grained austenite.