Hydroliquefaction of low-sulfur coals using iron carbonyl complexes—Sulfur as catalysts

Hydroliquefaction of low-sulfur Australian coals (Wandoan and Yallourn) was studied using iron carbonyl complexes as catalyst. The addition of Fe(CO)₅ (2.8 wt% Fe of coal) increased coal conversion from 48.6 to 85.2% for Wandoan coal, and from 36.7 to 69.7% for Yallourn coal in 1-methylnaphthalene at 425°C under an initial hydrogen pressure of 50 kg cm^?2. When molecular sulfur was added to iron carbonyls (Fe(CO)₅, Fe₂(CO)₉ and Fe₃(CO)₁₂), higher coal converions ( > 92%) and higher oil yields (>46%) were obtained, along with an increase in the amount of hydrogen transferred to coal from the gas phase (0.2 to 2.8%, d.a.f. coal basis). In the liquefaction studies using a hydrogen donor solvent, tetralin, Fe(CO)₅S catalyst increased the amount of hydrogen absorbed from the gaseous phase and decreased the amount of naphthalene dehydrogenated from tetralin. The direct hydrogen transfer reaction from molecular hydrogen to coal fragment radicals seems to be a major reaction pathway. Organic sulfur compounds, dimethyldisulfide and benzothiophene, and inorganic FeS₂ and NiS were found to be good sulfur sources to Fe(CO)₅. From X-ray diffraction analyses of liquefaction residues, it is concluded that Fe(CO)₅ was converted into pyrrhotite (Fe_1?xS) when sulfur was present, but into Fe₃O₄ in the absence of sulfur.     

Interconnected power systems with superconducting magnetic energy storage

The objective of this work is to discuss the concept of back‐to‐back interconnection systems with energy storage, especially with a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) incorporated into a back‐to‐back DC link. In this case, each converter of the back‐to‐back system is used as a power conditioning system for the SMES coils. Since the AC–DC converter can be designed independently of the frequency of the power system, a two‐way switch is connected to the AC side of each converter. This two‐way switch can select the interconnected power systems. By using the two‐way switches, this system can provide the stored energy in the SMES system to each interconnected power system through two AC–DC converters. For instance, lower‐cost power of each power network can be stored through two converters during the off‐peak hours and made available for dispatch to each power network during periods of demand peak. Then this system increases the reliability of electric power networks and enables the economical operations depending on the power demand. This paper describes the unique operations of the back‐to‐back interconnection with SMES and discuses the optimal SMES configuration for a 300‐MW‐class back‐to‐back interconnection. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 164(2): 37–43, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20482     

Two-stage pyrolysis of heavy oils. 3. Pyrolysis of tar-sand bitumens. Relation between ethylene yield and structural characteristics of heavy oils

Thermal cracking of tar-sand bitumens has been carried out using a two-stage pyrolysis reactor with temperature zones of 440°C and 750–800°C, respectively. Feedstocks were pyrolysed in the first stage into cracked oils, which were carried to the second stage for subsequent pyrolysis. Only 12–14 wt% of ethylene was obtained from tar-sand bitumens at the residence time of 1.2 s in the second stage, although 27 and 16 wt% were obtained from Taching and Iranian heavy vacuum residues, respectively. The tar-sand bitumens contain shorter paraffinic straight-chains and have more branched molecules than the vacuum residues of petroleum. A straight-chain paraffin index is proposed, with which a good correlation was obtained between ethylene yield and the fraction of straight-chain paraffin carbons in the heavy oil.     

Effect of Agglomeration on Mechanical Properties of Porous Zirconia Fabricated by Partial Sintering

Porous ZrO₂ ceramics were fabricated by compacting a fine ZrO₂ powder, followed by pressureless sintering. Two unidirectional pressures of 30 and 75 MPa were used to prepare the green compacts. The strength and the fracture toughness of porous ZrO₂ specimens sintered from the compacts prepared by 75 MPa were substantially higher than those by 30 MPa, especially for the specimens with low porosity. However, the corresponding Young's moduli were identical. This caused the strain to failure of these porous bodies to increase significantly with increasing compaction pressure. Microstructural analyses showed that a number of voids and small flaws existed in the green compacts prepared by the lower pressure, due to the agglomeration of fine ZrO₂ grains. It was revealed that the ZrO₂ agglomeration resulted in a localized nonuniform shrinkage and degraded the mechanical properties of porous ZrO₂ ceramics.     

Characterization and Sintering Behavior of Alkoxide-Derived Aluminosilicate Powders

Submicrometer SiO₂-Al₂O₃ powders with compositions of 46.5 to 76.6 wt% Al₂O₃ were prepared by hydrolysis of mixed alkoxides. Phase change, mullite composition, and particle size of powders with heating were analyzed by DTA, XRD, IR, BET, and TEM. As-produced amorphous powders partially transformed to mullite and Al-Si spinel at around 980°C. The compositions of mullite produced at 1400° and 1550°C were richer in Al₂O₃ than the compositions of stable mullite solid solutions predicted from the phase diagram of the SiO₂-Al₂O₃ system. Particle size decreased with increasing Al₂O₃ content. The sintered densities depended upon the amount of SiO₂-rich glassy phase formed during sintering and the green density expressed as a function of particle size.     

Tribological Characteristics of SiC Ceramics in High-Temperature and High-Pressure Water

The effects of temperature and sliding speed on the tribological behavior of a SiC ceramic by sliding on the same material in deoxygenated water were investigated from room temperature to 300°C under the corresponding saturated vapor pressures. The friction coefficient and specific wear rates of both plates and disks increased at elevated temperatures at all sliding speeds, but decreased with increasing sliding speed at 120° and 300°C. Fine mirrorlike worn surfaces were observed without wear debris under all sliding conditions. The wear mechanism appears to consist of hydrothermal oxidation of SiC and dissolution of reaction products such as silica.     

Microstructures of functionally graded materials fabricated by centrifugal solid-particle andin-situ methods

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) belong to a relatively new class of inhomogeneous composite materials, in which the composition and/or microstructure undergo a gradual change along some directions. In this review article, the microstructures and composition gradients in Al/SiC, Al/Shirasu (volcanic eruptions commonly found in south Kyushu in Japan), Al/Al₃Ti, Al/Al₃Ni, Al/Al₂Cu FGMs have been investigated. The Al/SiC, Al/Shirasu and Al/Al₃Ti FGMs are fabricated by the centrifugal solid particle method where the distribution particles of SiC, Shirasu and Al₃Ti are solids in the melts. On the other hand, Al/Al₃Ni and Al/Al₂Cu FGMs are fabricated by the centrifugalin-situ method where Al/Al₃Ni and Al/Al₂Cu systems have lower liquidus temperatures than the processing temperatures. The feature of Al/(Al₃Ti−Al₃Ni) hydrid FGM, which is fabricated by a method combining both the centrifugal solid-particle andin-situ methods, is also shown.     

Relationship between crystallinity and device characteristics of In‐Sn‐Zn oxide

We have reported that the transistors having the c‐axis‐aligned crystalline (CAAC) In‐Ga‐Zn oxide (IGZO) show good performance. Recently, In‐Sn‐Zn Oxide (ITZO) has attracted much attention because of its high electron mobility, as well as IGZO. However, it has been reported that ITZO field effect transistors (FET) tend to have positive Vth (normally‐on characteristics) and poor reliability compared with IGZO‐FETs. We have reported that high‐performance and high‐reliability OS‐FETs can be fabricated by using CAAC‐IGZO, which has high crystallinity and has no clear grain boundaries, as an active layer. Therefore, we have fabricated CAAC‐ITZO thin films to improve performance of ITZO‐FETs by using CAAC‐ITZO as an active layer. In addition, FETs employing CAAC‐ITZO have better characteristics and reliability than FETs using nano‐crystal ITZO. Furthermore, constant photocurrent method (CPM) measurement was carried out in order to estimate density of deep‐level defect states caused by oxygen vacancies in oxide semiconductors. The results show that CAAC‐ITZO has lower density of deep‐level defect states than nano‐crystal ITZO. We attribute the improvement in reliability of ITZO‐FETs to a decrease in deep‐level defect states of an ITZO active layer, as is the case with IGZO.     

A new optical elasticity resin for mobile LCD modules

Abstract— The display used in current cell phones has an air gap between the cover glass and the liquid‐crystal‐display (LCD) module to prevent the LCD glass from being damaged. Reflections at the boundaries of the air gap cause a reduction in the LCD luminance and contrast. To address this problem, a newly proposed LCD structure has been investigated. The “Super View Resin (SVR),” a transparent elastic resin which improves the shock resistance and visibility of the LCD, has been developed. Filling the air gap between the cover glass and LCD module with a refractive‐index‐matching resin solves the light‐reflection problem inherent in the use of a reinforced cover‐glass lens. Moreover, the elastic filler works as a damper, reducing any external shock, which prevents not only the cover glass and LCD module from being damaged, but also the glass from being shattered when it is broken.