Identification and characterization of microbial contaminants isolated from stored aviation fuels by DNA sequencing and restriction fragment length analysis of a PCR-amplified region of the 16S rRNA gene

Microorganisms contaminating aircraft fuel tanks containing jet propellant-8 (JP-8) were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Thirty-three samples from six geographically separated airport bases were collected. Two bacterial genera were identified by DNA sequencing including the following isolates: Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Populations of the above species recovered on culture media ranged from 10 to 10³ CFU/ml with Staphylococcus and Agrobacterium being identified in samples taken from more than one airport base. From the bacterial communities isolated and identified in this study, only Staphylococcus was previously reported to thrive in aviation fuel tanks. Changes in aviation fuel composition and/or the ability of certain microbes to grow under certain environmental conditions may account for the isolation of previously undocumented bacterial species in aviation fuel tanks. Restriction fragment length analysis of the PCR-product proved a more reliable, simpler and quicker method to distinguish S. epidermidis and A. tumefaciens than conventional DNA sequencing.     

Phase stability and electric conductivity of Er2O3-Nb2O5 co-doped Bi2O3 electrolyte

Two oxides, Er₂O₃ and Nb₂O₃, are used to stabilize delta-phase Bi₂O₃ used as electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cell. Optimization of dopant ratio and total doping concentration (TDC) is determined by X-ray diffraction, and successfully reduce the TDC (Er + Nb) to 10-15 mol.%. Conductivities of different compositions are measured by two-probe method. The results show that highest conductivity appears at the minimum doping concentrations. Phase stability of ENSB samples with Er/Nb ratio of 2/1 and TDC of 10-20 mol.% at 650 °C up to 300 h is analyzed showing two newly formed (alpha- and gamma-) phases in the samples. Degradation of conductivity at 650 °C is studied in detail by DTA and TEM. The abnormity of lattice contraction of delta-phase is discussed.     

核化工与核燃料工程专业人才培养三维体系研究

根据国家教育部核军工特色专业及相关人才的发展需要,紧密围绕核化工与核燃料工程专业人才培养方向,构建适合核工业发展和专业需求的三维培养体系。并以东华理工大学2010级核化工与核燃料工程专业为试点开展实践研究,取得了较好的效果。     

Molecular Dynamics Study of Complex Dopant Electrolyte Nd2–xHoxZr2O7: Structure,Conductivity, and Thermal Expansion

Nd_2–xHo_xZr₂O₇ is an ionic conductor for solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes. Temperature and dopant composition are two main factors that affect ionic conductivity of these groups of materials. Accordingly, Nd_2–xHo_xZr₂O₇ was studied in a wide range of temperature, 1,173–1,873 K, and dopant composition, x = 0.0–2.0, by molecular dynamics simulation. Arrhenius plots of ionic conductivity in region of low temperature declared that the maximum occurred at composition x = 0.6 (H6). Surprisingly, it was observed that complexity of dopant improved ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. Moreover, radial distribution function confirmed this result. Two types of anions were observed in the electrolyte, which were dynamic oxygen ions (DOIs) and static oxygen ions (SOIs). Mean square displacement (MSD) of DOIs was higher than SOIs and enhanced oxygen ionic conductivity. Migration barrier of Nd_2–xHo_xZr₂O₇ varied from 0.68 to 1.22 eV that was in the range of a good solid oxide electrolyte. Nd_1.2Gd_0.8Zr₂O₇ (G8) and Y_0.2Zr_0.9O_2.1 (Y2) were simulated and their results of simulations were compared with H6. Order of ionic conductivity at low temperatures was H6 > Y2 > G8. Another important factor of electrolyte is thermal expansion. Thermal expansion of Nd_2–xHo_xZr₂O₇ was around a constant value in the studied temperature range.     

Thermoneutral Design Aspects of Gasoline Chemical Looping Reformer

Chemical looping reforming (CLR) is a new technology for syngas generation. The theoretical process design aspects of syngas generation using CLR of isooctane (gasoline) are studied in this paper to assess its ability for fuel processor development for solid oxide fuel cells. The fuel processor operating conditions for maximum syngas generation at thermoneutral conditions are determined in this study using nickel oxide as oxygen carrier for different inputs of oxygen carrier within the temperature range of 600–1,000 °C at 1 bar pressure. The thermoneutral temperatures for the dual reactor fuel processor were calculated using the hot product gas stream and exothermic CLR process enthalpy to completely balance the endothermic process requirements. The thermoneutral point of 879.5 °C (NiO input of 7 moles) delivered maximum syngas (13.92 moles) using lowest amount of air (26.13 moles) in the process was found to be the most suitable thermoneutral temperature for the fuel processor operation. The novel fuel processor design can also be used for other fuels and oxygen carriers.     

Mathematical Model of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell with Consideration of Water Management

One‐dimensional model on the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of proton exchange membrane fuel cell is proposed, where the membrane hydration/dehydration and the possible water flooding of the respective cathode and anode gas diffusion layers are considered. A novel approach of phase‐equilibrium approximation is proposed to trace the water front and the detailed saturation profile once water emerges in either anode or cathode gas diffusion layer. The approach is validated by a semi‐analytical method published earlier. The novel approach is applicable to the polarization regime from open circuit voltage to the limiting current density under practical operation conditions. Oxygen diffusion is limited by water accumulation in the cathode gas diffusion layer as current increases, caused by excessive water generation at the cathode catalyst layer and the electro‐osmotic drag across the membrane. The existence of liquid water in the anode gas diffusion layer is predicted at low current densities if high degrees of humidification in both anode and cathode feeds are employed. The influences of inlet relative humidity, imposed pressure drop, and cell temperature are correlated well with the cell performance. In addition, the overpotentials attributed from individual components of the MEA are delineated against the cell current densities.     

Investigation of the Mechanical Stability of Micro‐Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Membranes Using Scanning Laser Vibrometry

Scanning laser vibrometry was used to investigate the mechanical stability of free‐standing micro‐solid oxide fuel cell (micro‐SOFC) membranes. Arrays of square‐shaped 460 nm thin micro‐SOFC membranes were fabricated on silicon substrates using pulsed laser deposition for the yttria‐stabilized zirconia electrolyte and magnetron sputtering for the platinum electrodes. Resonance frequency, displacement and acceleration measurements were carried out using interferometry analysis of the membrane reflection. The resonance frequencies scale with the reciprocal of the membrane length. At the resonance, the 390 × 390 μm² micro‐SOFC membranes exhibit an out‐of‐plane displacement of ca. 1.2 μm only. All free‐standing micro‐SOFC membranes survive the resonant vibration without rupturing. These results are promising for the failure‐free implementation of micro‐SOFC in portable electronic devices.     

Use of Segmented Cell Operated in Hydrogen Recirculation Mode to Detect Water Accumulation in PEMFC

Adequate water management is crucial to increase stability and durability of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells. In this paper, a test rig suitable for water balance and nitrogen crossover studies was built around a hydrogen‐air segmented cell and used to indirectly assess flooding or drying conditions in specific zones of the active cell area. In particular, the anode of the segmented cell was operated in recirculation mode with continuous water removal. Current density distribution (CDD) diagrams were obtained for different anode operating parameters, namely, the recirculated gas flow rate, anode pressure, and time between purges. Water accumulation at the electrodes was assessed from CDD diagrams and confirmed using water balance and flow‐patterns calculations. It was concluded that lower recirculation flow rates led to flooding due to decreased water removal capabilities at the anode. For higher recirculation flow rates, drying was observed in one zone of the cell but homogeneous CDD in the other. Finally, the use of partially segment bipolar plates was proposed to increase the in‐plane electrical resistance between adjacent segments. The partial segmentation increased the segment to segment in‐plane electrical resistance between 14 and 21% and decreased the through‐plane to in‐plane resistance ratio by 17%.     

Toward Fully‐ and Semi‐passive Operation of a Liquid‐Fed Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

This work reports the performance characteristics of a liquid‐fed direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) operated in both fully‐ and semi‐passive conditions. For the latter case, a blower is used to provide forced air convection at the cathode so as to reveal how and how much a passive DMFC suffers from its structural constraint and also the mass and heat transfer limitations. The results based on the fully passive operation suggest that the cell performance is greatly affected by the level of methanol concentration. In this study, 2 M performs the best when the cell uses different structural setups. Besides, the effects of ambient temperature and the cathode self‐heating mechanisms are also explored under a fully passive condition. For the semi‐passive operation, forced air convection is proved to be helpful in enhancing oxygen delivery but may lead to faster heat and water dissipation and thus significantly reduces the cell performance. An optimal blowing intensity is obtained when the blower operates at a half speed. When the cathode diffusion layer is removed, the effects of active air supply become weakened. Considering the limited performance improvement and parasitic losses caused by a blower, we believe the self‐breathing mode is still an attractive choice.     

Novel Ag–Glass Composite Interconnect Materials for Anode‐Supported Flat‐Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Operated at an Intermediate Temperature

We developed novel Ag–glass composite interconnect materials for anode‐supported flat‐tubular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operated at 700 °C by optimization of the glass content. For this purpose, the variations of phase stability, area specific resistance (ASR), microstructure, gas leak rate, cell performance, and open circuit voltage (OCV) were determined for the Ag–glass composite materials with respect to the glass content. The Ag–glass composite materials maintain phase stability without chemical reactions. The ASR increased as the glass content increases due to glass existing as an insulator between the Ag phases. All the composite materials showed dense coating layers on the anode support and had a low gas leak. The cell performance and OCV were measured to identify the optimum composition of the Ag–glass composites. Our results confirm that Ag–glass composites are suitable for high performance interconnects in anode‐supported flat‐tubular fuel cells operated below 700 °C.