Engineering Commons^™

Design And Evaluation Of Processes For Fuel Fabrication: Quarterly Progress Report #5, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The fifth quarter of the project covered the following:

· Literature Search: The process of evaluating the pertinent literature continued.

· Mr. Richard Silva continued the development of a simulation model with a Waelischmiller hot cell robot. Rich will continue to develop detailed 3-D process simulation models as his M.Sc. thesis project.

· Dr. Mauer presented a paper at the ANS Winter annual meeting in Washington, D.C. titled: “Design and Evaluation of Processes for Transmuter Fuel Fabrication.”

· Concepts and Methods for Vision-Based Hot Cell Supervision and control (Ph.D. Student Jae-Kyu Lee )

· Dr. Mauer presented a paper at …

Mechanistic Study Of Oxidation Of Hypophosphite On Pt Electrodes By Sniftirs, Tai-Xiang Jiang, Hui-Huang Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The oxidation of hypophosphite on a polycrystalline platinum electrode was studied by SNIFTIRS and cyclic voltammetry, the in-situ IR spectra were analyzed as a function of Pt electrode potentials in the solution of 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄+0.1 mol/L NaH₂PO₂. It was found that the dissociative adsorption of hypophosphite ions occurs on Pt surface, and the oxidation product is H₃PO₄, rather than H₂PO₃^- which was considered to produce on Ni electrodes, thereby a new insight into mechanism of hypophosphite oxidation on Pt in acidic media was …

Preparation And Electrochemical Lithium Intercalation Performance Of Different Shaped Carbon Nanotube, Mao-Hui Chen, Zhen-Cai Huang, Guo-Tao Wu, Jin-Kua You, Zu-Geng Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

In the present work, different shaped carbon nanotubes were produced by the general CVD and the template method at different temperature (600 ℃,700 ℃) with the reaction gas of acetylene. The morphology, structure and the electrochemical lithium intercalation performance were comparatively studied and characterized by TEM, HRTEM, SEM, XRD, Raman techniques and Charge/Discharge Test. It was found that the different preparation methods and temperatures all had an obvious effect on these properties of carbon nanotubes. In our samples, with the increase of preparation temperature, the degree of crystallinity decreased, and the reversible specific capacity increased respectively.

Nano-Sized Cobalt-Based Oxides As Negative Electrode For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Feng Huang, Zheng-Yong Yuan, Yun-Hong Zhou, Ju-Tang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nanosized cobalt-based oxide (Co₃O₄, CoB_1.36O_2.8 and CoB_0.5Al_0.1O_1.5) samples were prepared by rheological phase method and were tested as anodes in secondary lithium batteries. The cells were cycled between 0.01V and 3.00 V. The best electrochemical performance was obtained from the Co₃O₄ cell, which retained 95% of its initial capacity (931 mAh/g) after 30 cycles. The doping of B, Al reduced the reversible capacity during the first discharge/charge cycle, and the quantity of reversible capacity reduced with B, Al increasing. The modifying structures at difference …

Lithium Intercalation Performance Of P-Doped Phenolic Resin Pyrolysis Carbon, Bao-Hua Li, Kai-Xi Li, Yonggen Lv, Chun-Xiang Lv, Dong Wu, Li-Cheng Ling

Journal of Electrochemistry

Phosphorus-doped phenolic resin carbon was prepared by low temperature (700 ℃) pyrolysis of thermoplastic phenolic resin containing different amounts of phosphorus pentoxide after curing. X-ray diffraction pattern and the constang-current charge-discharge properties of phenolic resin carbon were studied. The results showed that the phenolic resin carbon microstructure became out of order with increasing of content phosphorus pentoxide, otherwise, the first discharge reversible capacities increased firstly and then decreased. The first discharge reversible capacity of phenolic resin carbon containing 9wt% phosphorus pentoxide was 528 mA·h·g^-1 which was higher than that of non-phosphorus doped phenolic resin carbon(230 mA·h·g^-1) did.

Electrochemical Preparation And Reaction Mechanism Of Nanocrystalline Nio, Jia-Shan Gu, Ai-Jie Han, Xing-Fu Zhou, Dao-Bao Chu, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Metallic nickel was electrochemically dissolved in absolute ethanol and acetylacetone mixed solutions and in the presence of Bu₄NBr (as an electron-conductive additive). The electrolyte solution containing the precursor was then directly hydrolyzed to obtain nanocrystalline NiO. The precursor was characterized by FTIR, HNMR, Raman spectra and the nano-powder was characterized by XRD and TEM. The results showed that the NiO powder after calcined at 450 ℃ had formed the cubic NaCl structure and the nanocrystalline NiO prepared by this method had narrow size distribution of 10～15 nm. Moreover, the product yield could be improved by controlling temperature below …

Studies On The Inhibition Of Yki-05 Corrosion Inhibitor To 907a Steel In Different Immersed Environments, Hui Yu, Jian-Hua Wu, Hong-Ren Wang, Jian-Hua Qian, Guang-Zhang Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The inhibition of YKI-05 Corrosion inhibitor in different conditions was studied using potentiodynamic polarization technique. The resuled shown that (i) the inhibitor film layer was formed stably on the surface of 907A steel electrode when it was persistently immersed in static seawater and the inhibition efficiency reached 90% or so. The inhibition mechanism is negative catalytic effect. (ii) the inhibitior film layer was not stable when the electrode was periodically immersed in seawater and was destroyed more significantly with the increase of electrode exposing time. The film was only a covered layer on the surface of electrode and it retarded …

Steady State Simulation Of Ysz Intermediate-Temperature Fuel Cell, Zi-Jing Lin, Ye Gu, Xiao-Hua Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

With a coupled 2D electrochemical and thermal modeling software, the characteristics of the steady state operation of the intermediate-temperature fuel cell with thin yttria-stabilized zirconia(YSZ) electrolyte was analyzed. The parameters of I-V equation were obtained from fitting the experiment results and the choice of grid points was determined by balancing the accuracy requirement and computational efficiency. The temperature fields at different operation circumstances such as flow designs, material choices for interconnect, were examined. The dependences of the output power and cell efficiency on the operating voltage at different temperatures were studied. Based upon the analysis of the temperature profile, it …

Preparation And Performance Of Lifeo2 Coated Nickel Oxide Cathode For Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells, Chun-Ming Wang, Fei Li, Ke-Ao Hu

Journal of Electrochemistry

A novel cathode for molten carbonate fuel cells was prepared by coating LiFeO₂ over the surface of porous NiO cathode by a simple combustion process. The analytical results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that the LiFeO₂ coating on the surface of NiO particles consisted of nonometer-sized LiFeO₂ grains and sintered tightly with the NiO particles. The LiFeO₂ coating dramatically reduced the contacting area of NiO with the carbonate melts, thus the solubility of NiO in the carbonate melts was decreased. Meanwhile, …

Review Of Mathematical Model For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Shan-Hai Ge, Bao-Lian Yi, Hua-Min Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In the review with 49 references, the mathematical models for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) were summarized. The mechanistic model and empirical model were introduced. Transfer in the membrane, catalyst layer, diffusion layer and flow field of PEMFC were described. The importance of water and heat management was analyzed. The dimension, complexity and solving methods of the PEMFC model were discussed. The importance and validity to develop a model with time dimension are put forward.

Detection And Analysis Of Sec1 Immunological Reaction By Afm And Electrochemical Method, Sa-Ying Dong, Hong-Ren Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The goals of this work were to demonstrate the ability of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to detect various immunological processes between antibodies and antigens.A sensor was designed by covalently linking the antibody of staphylococcal enterotoxin Cl (SEC1) on the self-assembled gold surface. This sensor permitted detection of antibody-antigen recognition events which were highly correlated with the topography under different conditions. The statistic data of AFM were analysed. As control experiments, nonspecific antigens and lower concentration SEC1 antigens were directly observed. In addition, an acidic solution was used to break the antigen-antibody pair and made the sensor reuse. Electrochemical evidence was …

Properties Of Domestic Natural Graphite Used For Li-Ion Batteries, Cui-Wei Du, Yu-Juan Zhao, Gang Zhang, Yin-Shun Wu, Qing-Guo Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The structure, physical characteristics and electrochemical properties of the natural graphite produced in Shandong province have been studied. The result of X-ray diffraction showed that the graphite consisted of hexagonal structure and rhombic structure (30% rhombic structure). It was fine crystal graphite. Used as a negative material of Lithium ion battery, the natural graphite showed excellent voltage and high energy capacity, but poor compatibility with electrolyte solution containing propylene carbonate (PC) for its own structure limitation.

Effect Of Dissolved Oxygen On The Corrosion Behavior Of Coalesced Copper And Stainless Steel-206 In Acetic Solutions, Rong-Zong Hu, Xiong-Cao Zhao, Yu-Hua Weng, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Linear sweeping technique and dissolving oxygen sensor were used to study the effect of dissolved oxygen and relating factors on the corrosion behavior of coalesced copper and stainless steel-206 in acetic solutions. It was found: 1. The existing of dissolved oxygen is one of the important factors, which strongly influenced the corrosion behavior of coalesced copper and stainless steel-206 in acetic solution. 2. The existing of dissolved oxygen is benefitial to the preventing stainless steel-206 from corrosion in acetic solutions, but damage to the preventing coalesced copper from corrosion. 3. At the high temperature since the dissolved oxygen was escaping …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Formic Acid On Molybdate-Modified Platinum Electrode, Jun-Hua Du, Xue-Hui Xu, Hong Li, Hong-Yu Cheng, Wei-Shan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical behavior of molybdates on a platinum electrode in H₂SO₄ solutions with different H₂SO₄ concentrations was studied by cyclic voltammetry and double chronoamperometry. Molybdates were reduced to adsorb hydrogen molybdenum bronzes on the platinum electrode in H₂SO₄ solutions during cathodically potential sweep. The hydrogen molybdenum bronzes were oxidized to different forms of hydrogen molybdenum bronzes with less hydrogen, depending on the H₂SO₄ concentration. Platinum electrode was modified by these hydrogen molybdenum bronzes. However, this modified electrode was not stable in H₂SO₄ solutions. The modified …

Improvement Of The Low Temperature Electrochemical Performance Of Ab5-Type Hydrogen Storage Alloy, Hui Ye, Zhu Wu, Zhi-Lin Li, Hong Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Optimizing the rare earth composition and doping with boron have been used to improve the low temperature performance of AB₅ hydrogen storage alloy. The results show that Ce-rich alloy with a proper amount of boron is suitable for Ni/MH battery with the lower-limit temperature down to 238 K under smaller current density (≤120 mA/g). The improvement of low temperature performance of hydrogen storage alloy is well consistent with its microstructure, thermodynamic and kinetic properties.

Manufacture Of 1 Kw Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Stack, Sheng Sui, Xin-Jian Zhu, Zheng-Yu Fan, Guang-Yi Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

A molten carbonate fuel cell stack with an active area of 240 mm×140 mm consisted of 30 cells. The gas feed system works via interior manifolds, and the stack placed in a couple of self-chest, coupled with a heater at the bottom and other fours surrounded,to keep uniformity of temperature.Under ambient pressure and 650 ℃, fed with hydrogen and air as anode and cathode gases respectively, the stack gave a current density of 150 mA/cm² at an average cell voltage of 0.7 V. The peak output of the stack was 1.06 kW during its performance of 300 h.

Polarization Effects In Photoluminescence Of C- And M-Plane Gan/Algan Multiple Quantum Wells, E. Kuokstis, C. Q. Chen, M. E. Gaevski, W. H. Sun, J. W. Yang, Grigory Simin, M. Asif Khan, H. P. Maruska, D. W. Hill, M. C. Chou, J. J. Gallagher, B. Chai

Faculty Publications

Polarizationeffects have been studied in GaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells(MQWs) with different c-axis orientation by means of excitation-dependent photoluminescence(PL) analysis. Quantum structures were grown on [0001]-oriented sapphire substrates (C plane) and single-crystalline [11̄00]-oriented freestanding GaN (M plane) using the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition technique. Strong PL spectrum line blueshifts (up to 140 meV) which are correlated with the excitation intensity have been obtained for C-plane MQWs, whereas no shift has been observed for M-plane MQWs.Theoretical calculations and comparison with the PL data confirm that the built-in electric field for C-plane structures is much stronger than the field present for M-plane MQWs. …

Emerald Final Report For Nag5-9737, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Emerald Final Report for NAG5-9737" from November 22, 2002.

Coarsening Dynamics Of Biaxial Nematic Liquid Crystals, Nikolai V. Priezjev, Robert A. Pelcovits

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

We study the coarsening dynamics of two- and three-dimensional biaxial nematic liquid crystals, using Langevin dynamics. Unlike previous work, we use a model with no a priori relationship among the three elastic constants associated with director deformations. Biaxial nematics possess four topologically distinct classes of defects, three of which have half-integer charge, while the fourth, which plays a minor role in coarsening, is of integer charge. We find a rich variety of coarsening behavior, including the presence of one, two, or three of the half-integer classes at late times, depending on the relative values of the elastic constants and the …

The Recovery Of The Aviation Industry: The Aviation Security Challenge, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article is based on a presentation made to the SAE 2002 World Aviation Congress on November 6, 2002 by the IBPP Editor. The article’s focus is on how representatives of the aviation industry need to think about aviation security to facilitate the industry’s economic recovery.

Method, Apparatus And Article For Microfluidic Control Via Electrowetting, For Chemical, Biochemical And Biological Assays And The Like, James D. Sterling

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

An active-matrix microfluidic platform employs thin film transistor active ("TFT") matrix liquid crystal display ~ technology to manipulate small samples of fluid for chemical, biochemical, or biological assays without moving parts, for example, using a two-dimensional matrix array of drive electrodes. The active-matrix microfluidic platform may employ existing active matrix 0 addressing schemes and/or commercial "off-the-shelf" animation software to program assay protocols. A feedback subsystem may > determine an actual location of a fluid in the microfluidic structure, and provides location information to for display, for example, on an active-matrix display, and/or to control movement of one or more fluid bodies …

Development Of A Systems Engineering Model Of The Chemical Separations Process: Quarterly Progress Report 8/16/02- 11/15/02, Yitung Chen, Randy Clarksean, Darrell Pepper

Separations Campaign (TRP)

Two activities are proposed in this Phase I task: the development of a systems engineering model and the refinement of the Argonne code AMUSE (Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction). The detailed systems engineering model is the start of an integrated approach to the analysis of the materials separations associated with the AAA Program. A second portion of the project is to streamline and improve an integral part of the overall systems model, which is the software package AMUSE. AMUSE analyzes the UREX process and other related solvent extraction processes and defines many of the process streams that are integral …

Development And Design Of Constant-Force Mechanisms, Brent Lewis Weight

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis adds to the knowledge base of constant-force mechanisms (CFMs). It begins by reviewing past work done in the area of CFMs and then develops new nondimensionalized parameters that are used to simplify the calculations required to design a CFM. Comparison techniques are then developed that utilize these non-dimensionalized parameters to compare mechanisms based on stiffnesses, percent constant-force, actual lengths, normal displacements, and feasible design orientations. These comparison techniques are then combined with optimization to define new mechanisms with improved performance and range of capabilities. This thesis also outlines a design process, methods to identify mechanisms that are suitable …

The Wpi/Goddard Space Flight Center Projects Program, Fred J. Looft, William W. Durgin

Office of the Provost Scholarship

The WP/IGSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) Projects Program is an off-campus, multi-disciplinary opportunity for students to complete their capstone design project requirement during 10 weeks of on-site project work. Students accepted into this program are required to spend one term in a project preparation course where they carry out background research, interact with their project mentor(s) at the space center, and write a detailed project proposal. At the completion of the preparation course and several weeks before the start of the following academic year, the students relocate to the Washington area and work full time for ten weeks on their …

Student Perceptions Of Institutional And Instructor Based Techniques For Dealing With Academic Dishonesty, Donald D. Carpenter, Trevor S. Harding, Susan M. Montgomery, Nicholas H. Steneck, Eric Dey

Materials Engineering

Research suggests that a large percentage of engineering students engage in some form of academic dishonesty. To investigate this very serious concern, the authors have undertaken a research project on the Perceptions and Attitudes toward Cheating among Engineering Students (PACES). The premise of this research is that a combination of pressures, rather than malicious motivations, account for most student cheating. This paper focuses on a portion of the PACES survey; student opinions on what actions might prevent cheating. The authors examined data collected from approximately 350 engineering and pre-engineering undergraduate students at 5 institutions. In the survey, the students were …

Illuminating Electronics Problem Solving With The Cal Poly Mohat Technique, David Braun, Fred W. Depiero, Michael Borland

Electrical Engineering

This paper describes a Cal Poly version of circuit analysis to assist both students and instructors. The primary focus of the technique is helping students perform hand analysis, particularly the type of hand analysis that clarifies the student’s understanding of circuit operation in a manner that can benefit subsequent design decisions. The technique nicely complements graphical solution techniques such as load-line analyses and computer aided circuit simulation. MoHAT, an abbreviation of Model-Hypothesize-Analyze-Test, provides students with a roadmap to use, when analyzing even relatively complex circuits containing diodes and transistors. This paper emphasizes the pedagogy of MoHAT and describes a web-based …

A Comparison Of The Role Of Academic Dishonesty Policies Of Several Colleges On The Cheating Behavior Of Engineering And Pre-Engineering Students, Trevor S. Harding, Donald D. Carpenter, Susan M. Montgomery, Nicholas H. Steneck

Materials Engineering

While universities take a variety of approaches in dealing with academic dishonesty, current evidence suggests that institutions with honor codes have a significantly lower level of self-reported cheating as compared to nonhonor code institutions. This paper focuses on five institutions and their effectiveness in dealing with cheating, specifically among engineering or pre-engineering students. The authors' goal is to provide greater understanding of what institutional approaches appear to be most effective in minimizing cheating among this specific sub-group. The paper presents a predictive model of the extent of cheating among engineering students at these institutions using a variety of variables, including …

Segmented Roll For Casting Metal Strip, James R. Sauer, Ronald J. O'Malley, Robert S. Williams

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Casting molten metal using a segmented roll for casting continuous metal strip. A strip caster (10) for producing a continuous strip (18) includes a tundish for containing a melt and a pair of horizontally disposed water cooled composite casting rolls (84). The casting rolls are juxtaposed relative to one another for forming a pouring basin (16) for receiving molten metal. The composite rolls are formed from a plurality of annular segments (45). Each segment preferably includes at least a pair of coolant openings (34) and means for aligning the coolant openings, such as a pair of alignment openings (26). The …

A Long-Term Hydrologically-Based Data Set Of Land Surface Fluxes And States For The Conterminous United States, Edwin P. Maurer, A. W. Wood, J. C. Adam, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, B. Nijssen

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

A frequently encountered difficulty in assessing model-predicted land–atmosphere exchanges of moisture and energy is the absence of comprehensive observations to which model predictions can be compared at the spatial and temporal resolutions at which the models operate. Various methods have been used to evaluate the land surface schemes in coupled models, including comparisons of model-predicted evapotranspiration with values derived from atmospheric water balances, comparison of model-predicted energy and radiative fluxes with tower measurements during periods of intensive observations, comparison of model-predicted runoff with observed streamflow, and comparison of model predictions of soil moisture with spatial averages of point observations. While …

Comprehensive Subgrade Deflection Acceptance Criteria - Executive Summary, James Crovetti

Transportation Research Center: Subgrade Deflection Studies

This executive summary presents a summary of the findings of all study phases conducted to develop recommendations for the development of specifications for subgrade acceptance based on measured deflections. The rolling wheel deflectomter (RWD), portable truck-mounted deflection measurement systems, and dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) were utilized on numerous subgrade construction projects between the 1998 and 2001 construction seasons. Comparative nuclear density and soil stiffness gauge readings were also obtained at selected locations on many of the included construction projects.

The research findings indicate that deflection test results may be appropriate for identifying areas of poor in-place stability within constructed subgrades. …