Engineering Commons^™

Hybrid Sulfur Process For Solar Production Of Hydrogen, John Jacob Isenhower, Katherine Cross Henderson, Nicholas Joseph Eigenbrot

Senior Theses

Lowering dependence on fossil-based fuels has become a major area of focus in research, especially in transportation fuels. One particularly interesting field is that of hydrogen production. Hydrogen is promising because it has the potential to emit no greenhouse gases when used as fuel and is an excellent vessel for energy storage. Because traditional methods for its generation are inefficient and require nonrenewable fuel use, researchers have begun to focus on thermochemical cycles.

Thermochemical cycles are systems that require heat transfer intrinsically and do not consume fossil fuels nor emit greenhouse gases if renewable energy is used for heating. The …

Characteristics Of The Hydrogen Electrode In High Temperature Steam Electrolysis Process, Chao Jin, Chenghao Yang, Fanglin Chen

Faculty Publications

YSZ-electrolyte supported solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOECs) using LSM-YSZ oxygen electrode but with three types of hydrogen electrode, Ni–SDC, Ni–YSZ and LSCM–YSZ have been fabricated and characterized under different steam contents in the feeding gas at 850°C. Electrochemical impedance spectra results show that cell resistances increase with the increase in steam concentrations under both open circuit voltage and electrolysis conditions, suggesting that electrolysis reaction becomes more difficult in high steam content. Pt reference electrode was applied to evaluate the contributions of the hydrogen electrode and oxygen electrode in the electrolysis process. Electrochemical impedance spectra and over potential of both electrodes …

Effect Of Water Transport On The Production Of Hydrogen And Sulfuric Acid In A Pem Electrolyzer, John A. Staser, John W. Weidner

Faculty Publications

The thermochemical cycle involving the interconversion between sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid is a promising method for efficient, large-scale production of hydrogen. A key step in the process is the oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid in an electrolyzer. Gaseous SO₂ fed to a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer was previously investigated and was shown to be a promising system for the electrolysis step. A critical factor in the performance of this gas-fed electrolyzer is the management of water since it: (i) is needed as a reactant, (ii) determines the product sulfuric acid concentration, …

Modeling Of A Nickel-Hydrogen Cell: Phase Reactions In The Nickel Active Material, B. Wu, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Self‐Discharge Model Of A Nickel‐Hydrogen Cell, B. Wu, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Multiple Electroplated Zinc Layers On The Inhibition Of Hydrogen Permeation Through An Iron Membrane, D. H. Coleman, G. Zheng, Branko N. Popov, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

The Devanathan-Stachurski permeation technique was used to investigate the rate of hydrogen permeation through an iron membrane with consecutively electroplated zinc layers. Hydrogen evolution rates and hydrogen permeation rates were followed as functions of time at different applied potentials. Hydrogen evolution and permeation decreased with each successive zinc layer until finally reaching an average decrease of 93 and 96%, respectively, as compared with bare iron. Hydrogen surface coverage, exchange current density, absorption-adsorption reaction constant, and hydrogen recombination constant were estimated on bare iron and on zinc-plated iron. It was found that the decrease in the permeation rate of hydrogen through …

Use Of A Hydrogen Anode For Nitrate Waste Destruction, E. E. Kalu, Ralph E. White, D. T. Hobbs

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Determination Of Transport And Electrochemical Kinetic Parameters Of Bare And Copper-Coated Lani4.27Sn0.24 Electrodes In Alkaline Solution, G. Zheng, Branko N. Popov, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

Electrochemical properties of bare and copper-coated LaNi_4.27Sn_0.24 electrodes were investigated in alkaline solution. The exchange current density, polarization resistance, and equilibrium potential were determined as functions of the state of charge in the electrodes. The symmetry factors for bare and copper-coated electrodes were estimated to be 0.53 and 0.52, respectively. By using a constant current discharge technique, the hydrogen diffusion coefficient in bare and coated LaNi_4.27Sn_0.24 was estimated to be 6.75 × 10^–11 cm²/s.

A Multiphase Mathematical Model Of A Nickel/Hydrogen Cell, Pauline De Vidts

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Electrochemical Determination Of The Diffusion Coefficient Of Hydrogen Through An Lani4.25Al0.75 Electrode In Alkaline Aqueous Solution, G. Zheng, Branko N. Popov, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

The constant potential and constant current discharge techniques were used to determine the hydrogen diffusion coefficients in an LaNi_4.25Al_0.75 electrode. The values obtained were 2.97 × 10^–11 and 3.30 × 10^–11 cm²/s, respectively. The advantages and disadvantages of these two techniques are discussed.

Electrochemical Determination Of The Diffusion Coefficient Of Hydrogen Through An Lani4.25Al0.75 Electrode In Alkaline Aqueous Solution, G. Zheng, Branko N. Popov, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

The constant potential and constant current discharge techniques were used to determine the hydrogen diffusion coefficients in an LaNi_4.25Al_0.75 electrode. The values obtained were 2.97 × 10^–11 and 3.30 × 10^–11 cm²/s, respectively. The advantages and disadvantages of these two techniques are discussed.

Hydrogen-Atom Direct-Entry Mechanism Into Metal Membranes, G. Zheng, Branko N. Popov, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

The hydrogen-atom direct-entry mechanism is used to explain why the steady-state hydrogen permeation current density through a metal membrane is directly proportional to the cathodic current density, i_c, and is independent of the membrane thickness when i_c is small.

Theoretical Analysis Of The Discharge Performance Of A Niooh/H2 Cell, Z. Mao, P. De Vidts, Ralph E. White, John Newman

Faculty Publications

A mathematical model is presented for the discharge of a NiOOH/H₂ cell. This model includes diffusion and migration in the electrolyte phase as well as proton diffusion and ohmic drop across the solid active material in the porous nickelelectrode. A theoretical analysis of the cell performance is presented for different design parameters using this model. It is predicted that proton diffusion in the solid active material is the main factor in limiting the cell voltage and the utilizationof the active material. It is also predicted that use of a thick nickel electrode is an effective method for increasing electrode …

Thermal Characteristics Of A Nickel-Hydrogen Battery, Junbom Kim, T. V. Nguyen, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

The maximum allowable temperature difference inside a nickel-hydrogen battery to avoid water relocation was calculated by using a graphical method together with a vapor pressure vs. temperature correlation equation for water vapor over potassium hydroxide solution. An equation was developed for this maximum allowable temperature difference for vessel-wall temperatures from 0 to 30°C and potassium hydroxide concentrations from 20 to 32%. A heat-generation equation for the nickel-hydrogen battery was used to investigate the effect of the location of heat generation on the maximum temperature in the cell and the temperature distribution in the cell.

The Role Of Thallium As A Hydrogen Entry Promoter On Cathodically Polarized Hy-130 Steel, G. Zheng, Branko N. Popov, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

Hydrogen permeation experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of thallium on hydrogen entry into HY-130steel. These experiments show that the presence of thallium ions in an electrolyte drastically increase the hydrogen entry rate. The hydrogen entry efficiency and hydrogen surface coverage were increased by a factor of 10 and 6, respectively. In order to fit the permeation experimental data, the Iyer-Pickering-Zamanzadeh (I-P-Z) hydrogen permeation model was modified by including a mass-transfer term in the discharging equation. The relationship between hydrogen permeation and the hydrogen evolution reaction were investigated and new relationships were obtained.

Hydrogen Diffusion, Solubility, And Water Uptake In Dow's Short-Side-Chain Perfluorocarbon Membranes, Yu-Min Tsou, M. C. Kimble, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

Hydrogen gas diffusion coefficients and solubilities as well as water uptake values are reported for Dow's short-side-chain perfluoro-sulfonic and -carboxylic membranes of different equivalent weight (EW). The diffusion coefficients and solubilities were determined with an electrochemical test cell. Hydrogen solubility decreases with increasing EW in the lower EW range and tends to level off at higher EWs for both types of membranes. Both hydrogen solubility and diffusion coefficients of a sulfonic membrane with EW higher than 800 are higher than the corresponding values of a carboxylic membrane of similar EW. An unusual maximum is observed in the diffusion coefficient-EW plot …

Electrodeposition Of Copper-Nickel Alloys From Citrate Solutions On A Rotating Disk Electrode, Ramona Y. Ying, Patrick K. Ng, Z. Mao, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

A mathematical model is developed to simulate the electrodeposition of Cu-Ni alloy from citrate solutions onto a rotating disk electrode under potentiostatic control. The model includes the influence of diffusion, ionic migration, forced convection, and homogeneous equilibria. The three major electrochemical reactions treated in the model are copper deposition, nickel deposition, and hydrogen evolution. Using experimental parameters when available, the model was fitted and tested against experimentally-obtained results for different bath compositions and operating conditions. The model agreed reasonably well with the experimental results particularly in the codeposition region, –1.0 to –1.2V vs. SCE, where hydrogen evolution is not the …