Numerical investigation of hydrogen absorption in a stackable metal hydride reactor utilizing compartmentalization

In this paper, a three-dimensional model for hydrogen absorption in a metal alloy has been developed, validated against the experimental data in the literature, and then applied to a novel design for a hydrogen storage unit. The proposed design is similar to the fuel cell stack, but here the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) has been replaced by a metal hydride (MH) reactor placed between the flow-field plates. These are stacked together to achieve the required amount of hydrogen storage. The flow-field plates have channels engraved on one side for hydrogen supply and on the other, for coolant/heating medium. It is known that the effectiveness of a hydrogen storage unit is directly related to its heat transfer area, and therefore, the choice of its geometry is very important. The larger the size, the more the resistance to heat transfer. Although, the internal tubular heat exchangers have proven to be effective in heat transfer, they pose severe challenges such as cooling/heating medium leakage due to tube erosion, stresses generated, etc. and they displace the active metal hydride from the tank. The present stacked MH reactor configuration helps to overcome these challenges by stacking small MH reactors together and there is no chance of the cooling/heating medium leaking into the metal hydride. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the effect of coolant flow rate and percentage of flow-field plate rib area exposed to the MH reactor on temperature evolution and the amount of hydrogen stored. Further, a detailed study was carried out to understand the effect of compartmentalization of the MH reactor on temperature distribution. The results revealed that compartmentalization substantially helps to uniformly distribute the temperature in the metal bed, which is very important to maintain uniform utilization of the metal powder. Consequently, the uniform metal powder density for repeated absorption-desorption cycles without significant loss of its hydrogen storage capabilities.     

Performance of Na2O promoted alumina as CO2 chemisorbent in sorption-enhanced reaction process for simultaneous production of fuel-cell grade H2 and compressed CO2 from synthesis gas

The performance of a novel thermal swing sorption-enhanced reaction (TSSER) concept for simultaneous production of fuel-cell grade hydrogen and compressed carbon dioxide as a by-product from a synthesis gas feed is simulated using Na₂O promoted alumina as a CO₂ chemisorbent in the process. The process simultaneously carries out the water gas shift (WGS) reaction and removal of CO₂ from the reaction zone by chemisorption in a single unit. Periodic regeneration of the chemisorbent is achieved by using the principles of thermal swing adsorption employing super-heated steam purge.     

Selection of CO2 chemisorbent for fuel-cell grade H2 production by sorption-enhanced water gas shift reaction

New experimental data are reported to demonstrate that high purity H₂ can be directly produced by sorption-enhanced water gas shift (WGS) reaction using synthesis gas (CO + H₂O) as sorber-reactor feed gas. An admixture of a commercial WGS catalyst and a proprietary CO₂ chemisorbent (K₂CO₃ promoted hydrotalcite or Na₂O promoted alumina) was used in the sorber-reactor for removal of CO₂, the WGS reaction by-product, from the reaction zone. The promoted alumina was found to be a superior CO₂ chemisorbent for this application because (a) it could directly produce a fuel-cell grade H₂ product (<10–20 ppm CO) at reaction temperatures of 200 and 400 °C, and (b) it produced ∼45.6% more high purity H₂ product per unit amount of sorbent than the promoted hydrotalcite at 400 °C. Furthermore, the specific fuel-cell grade H₂ productivity by the promoted alumina at a reaction temperature of 200 °C was ∼3.6 times larger than that at 400 °C. These striking differences in the performance of the two CO₂ chemisorbents were caused by the differences in their CO₂ sorption equilibria and kinetics.     

Heat of Adsorption

Separation of gas mixtures by pressure swing and thermal swing adsorption processes is an established unit operation in the chemical industry. Mathematical simulations of these processes require precise knowledge of multicomponent gas adsorption equilibria, kinetics, and heats for the system of interest over all conditions of pressure, temperature, gas composition and adsorbate loading encountered by the adsorber during the separation process. Unfortunately, the published data on heats of adsorption are often not adequate. Limited heat data are generally available for pure gas adsorption, heat data for binary gas mixtures are rare, and heat data for mixtures containing three or more components are nonexistent.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured CaSiO3 biomaterial

Here we report a successful preparation of nanostructured calcium silicate by wet chemical approach. The synthesized sample was characterized by various physico-chemical methods. Thermal stability was investigated using thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Structural characterization of the sample was carried out by the X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) which confirmed its single phase hexagonal structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to study the nanostructure of the ceramics while homogeneous grain distribution was revealed by scanning electron microscopy studies (SEM). The elemental analysis data obtained from energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) were in close agreement with the starting composition used for the synthesis. Superhydrophilic nature of CaSiO₃ was investigated at room temperature by sessile drop technique. Effect of porous nanosized CaSiO₃ on early adhesion and proliferation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and cord blood mesenchymal stem (CBMSCs) cells was measured in vitro. MTT cytotoxicity test and cell adhesion test showed that the material had good biocompatibility and promoted cell viability and cell proliferation. It has been stated that the cell viability and proliferation are significantly affected by time and concentration of CaSiO₃. These findings indicate that the CaSiO₃ ceramics has good biocompatibility and that it is promising as a biomaterial.     

Pressure dependencies of copper oxidation for low- and high-temperature parabolic laws

Studies of the oxidation kinetics of copper have been conducted in the thin-film range at temperatures of 383–398 K and in the oxygen pressure range of 0.278–21.27 kPa; whereas in the thick-film regime at 1123 K, studies have been conducted in the oxygen pressure range of 2.53–21.27 kPa. Furthermore, the effect of continuously impressed direct current with oxygen pressure variation in Wagner's parabolic range has been studied also in order to have a better understanding of the effective charge on the migrating species. In the low-temperature range, the rate constant, k_P ∝ \(P_{O_2 }^{1/4} \) , suggesting that the migration of neutral vacancies in the growing film predominates. At high temperature, 1123 K, in the Wagnerian regime, the observed approximate pressure dependencies of the parabolic rate constants are the following: $$\begin{gathered} {\text{k}}_{\text{p}} (normal oxidation) \propto \sim {\text{P}}_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{1/7}}} \hfill \\ {\text{k}}_{\text{p}} (sample cathodic) \propto \sim {\text{P}}_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{1/5}}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ and $${\text{k}}_{\text{p}} (sample anodic) \propto \sim {\text{P}}_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{1/10}}} $$ .     

Studies on lipid and fatty acid compositions of puffer livers from Indian coastal waters with seasonal variation

The puffer fishes Chelonodon patoca, Sphaeroides oblongus, Lagocephalus lunaris, and L. inermis of Indian coastal waters are wasted in huge quantity. The livers of these fishes were investigated for their lipid contents and fatty acid compositions in different seasons. It was found that monsoon season is the suitable time to obtain the maximal lipids (40.1–48.8%) from their livers, an amount similar to cod liver lipid content (39.5–55.0%). The fatty acids were mostly saturates and monoenes (60–70%). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations (7–12%) were high during monsoon season. Neutral lipids were the predominant lipid class (>80%) and comprised triglycerides (277–674 mg/g) and cholesterol (0.6–3.1 mg/g). Quality indices of puffer liver lipids, e.g., specific gravity, refractive index, acid value, iodine value, saponification value and unsaponifiable matter, were evaluated. Puffer liver lipids were quantitatively and qualitatively comparable to other commercially important marine fish oils. The overall study suggests the possibility of future commercial utilization of liver lipids from puffer, an unconventional, cheap, and easily available source.     

Chimeric anti-TAG72 receptors with immunoglobulin constant Fc domains and gamma or zeta signalling chains

High serum levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are risk factors for coronary heart disease and are strongly related to several haemostatic parameters. Thyroid disorders are a frequent feature in hyperlipidemic patients and are also associated with a variety of haemostatic abnormalities. Therefore, we analysed the relationships between free T4 (fT4) levels and Factor VII and VIII activities (FVIIc and FVIIc), D-Dimers (DDI) and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), in a group of 472 healthy patients referred for hyperlipidemia. Fourty patients were found to have primary hypothyroidism. A negative correlation was found in the whole study population between fT4 and DDI (p = 0.0001, r = -0.21) and the same results were found after exclusion of the patients with fT4 below the normal range (p = 0.0007, r = -0.17). In a multivariate regression analysis, the relationship between DDI and fT4 was independent of age, Body Mass Index (BMI), gender and total cholesterol. Less impressive correlation coefficients were found with FVIIc (r = -0.10), FVIIIc (r = -0.09) and PAI-1 (r = -0.09). These results suggest that fT4 may play a physiological role in the regulation of the haemostatic equilibrium in hyperlipidemic patients and that low levels of fT4 are associated with a hypercoagulable state.     

Laser-clad Ni70Al20Cr7Hf3 alloys with extended solid solution of Hf: Part I. Microstructure evolution

Coatings for superalloys for extended service in atmospheres at high temperature are of great interest at present. The addition of reactive elements (RE’s) such as Hf to these coatings has a pronounced effect on their high-temperature oxidation resistance. A laser-cladding technique was used to produce Ni-Al-Cr-Hf alloys with an extended solid solution of Hf in a nearstoichiometric Ni₃Al matrix. A 10 kW CO₂ laser with mixed powder feed was used for the cladding process. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) were employed for studies of microstructural evolution of alloys produced during the laser-cladding process. Microstructural studies reveal the formation of dendrites with a solid solubility of about 11 to 14 wt pct Hf and also a eutectic structure. Convergent-beam techniques and X-ray spectroscopy have been applied to characterize the phases formed during the cladding process.     

Vibration of rectilinear plates on Vlasov's foundation at large amplitude

Berger's dynamic field equations for large deflections of elastic plates have been used to investigate the free vibrations of rectilinear plates in the form of (i) an isosceles right-angled triangle and (ii) an equilateral triangle, resting on single-layered elastic half-space model of, Vlasov type (historically, this model is credited to Pasternak). Numerical computations, graphically depicted, bring forth the dominance of shear springs over the compression one of such foundation on the time periods of vibrations of plates considered.With 6 Figures