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An, Ke

Publications and source records attributed to An, Ke.

At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

A portable hydro-thermo-mechanical loading cell for in-situ small angle neutron scattering studies of proton exchange membranes

A portable hydro-thermo-mechanical loading cell has been designed to enable in-situ small angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies of proton exchange membranes (PEM) under immersed tensile loadings at different temperatures. The cell consists of three main parts as follows: a letter-paper-size motor-driven mechanical load frame, a SANS friendly reservoir that provides stable immersed and thermal sample conditions, and a data acquisition & control system. The ex-situ tensile tests of Nafion 212 membranes demonstrated a satisfactory thermo-mechanical testing performance of the cell for either dry or immersed conditions at elevated temperatures. The in-situ SANS tensile measurements on the Nafion 212 membranes immersed in D2O at 70oC proved the feasibility and capability of the cell for small angle scattering study on deformation behaviors of PEM and other polymer materials under hydro-thermo-mechanical loading.

hydro-thermo-mechanical.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development of a Neutron Diffraction Based Experiemental Capability for Investigating Hydraulic Fracturing for EGS-like Conditions

Hydraulic fracturing to enhance formation permeability is an established practice in the Oil & Gas (O&G) industry and is expected to be an enabler for EGS. However, it is rarely employed in conventional geothermal systems and there are significant questions regarding the translation of practice from O&G to both conventional geothermal and EGS applications. Lithological differences(sedimentary versus crystalline rocks, significantly greater formation temperatures and different desired fracture characteristics are among a number of factors that are likely to result in a gap of understanding of how to manage hydraulic fracturing practice for geothermal. Whereas the O&G community has had both the capital and the opportunity to develop its understanding of hydraulic fracturing operations empirically in the field as well through extensive R&D efforts, field testing opportunities for EGS are likely to be minimal due to the high expense of hydraulic fracturing field trials. A significant portion of the knowledge needed to guide the management of geothermal/EGS hydraulic fracturing operations will therefore likely have to come from experimental efforts and simulation. This paper describes ongoing efforts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop an experimental capability to map the internal stresses/strains in core samples subjected to triaxial stress states and temperatures representative of EGS-like conditions using neutron diffraction based strain mapping techniques. This capability is being developed at ORNL\'s Spallation Neutron Source, the world\'s most powerful pulsed neutron source and is still in a proof of concept phase. A specialized pressure cell has been developed that permits independent radial and axial fluid pressurization of core samples, with axial flow through capability and a temperature rating up to 300 degrees C. This cell will ultimately be used to hydraulically pressurize EGS-representative core samples to conditions of imminent fracture and map the associated internal strain states of the sample. This will hopefully enable a more precise mapping of the rock material failure envelope, facilitate a more refined understanding of the mechanism of hydraulically induced rock fracture, particularly in crystalline rocks, and serve as a platform for validating and improving fracture simulation codes. The elements of the research program and preliminary strain mapping results of a Sierra White granite sample subjected only to compressive loading will be discussed in this paper.

egs↗
DOE OSTI2013

Characterization and Analyses of Degradation and Recovery of LaNi4.78Sn0.22 Hydrides Following Thermal Aging

LaNi4.78Sn0.22Hx hydride samples were held at a hydrogen content of x > 5.0 (x is H/La atomic ratio) and temperatures above 465 K to accelerate the intrinsic degradation processes. Although Sn-substituted alloys are much more resistant to disproportionation than nearly all other LaNi5 alloys, the present test conditions did produce substantial degradation. Effects observed included reduction in hydrogen storage capacity, decreases in the plateau pressures, increased slopes of the plateaus, and smaller hysteresis ratios. A regeneration process nearly completely restored the behavior of the degraded LaNi4.78Sn0.22 hydride to its initial value. First-principles chemical reaction kinetics and statistical thermodynamics simulations have replicated experimental pressure-composition hydrogen gas absorption isotherms for both initial and degraded LaNi4.78Sn0.22 hydride. Neutron diffraction characterization of phase compositions, crystal structures, and hydrogen content have been performed on undamaged, degraded, and regenerated LaNi4.78Sn0.22 deuterides.

hydrogen storage↗
DOE OSTI2013

Mechanical properties and microstructure changes of proton exchange membrane under immersed conditions

In this study, mechanical tensile stress strain response and microstructure changes of proton exchange membranes (PEM) in immersed conditions are studied. The effects of water pretreatment and immersion time on stress strain responses of NafionVR2212 membranes are discussed. It is found that in the water immersion it took 24 h for the membrane to reach saturation equilibrium. Compared with dry membrane, immersed Nafion membrane shows a lower stress level at 30C, but a higher stress level at 70C. In situ small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments show that with the increase of temperature and water uptake, domains of the membrane become ordered and stay stable at around 60C. Based on the observation, the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties is explained.

electrolyte↗
DOE OSTI2012

Visualizing the chemistry and structure dynamics in lithium-ion batteries by in-situ neutron diffraction

We report an in-situ neutron diffraction study of a large format pouch battery cell. The succession of Li-Graphite intercalation phases was fully captured under an 1C charge-discharge condition (i.e., charge to full capacity in 1 hour). However, the lithiation and dilithiation pathways are distinctively different and, unlike in slowing charging experiments with which the Li-Graphite phase diagram was established, no LiC24 phase was found during charge at 1C rate. Approximately 75 mol. % of the graphite converts to LiC6 at full charge, and a lattice dilation as large as 4% was observed during a charge-discharge cycle. Our work demonstrates the potential of in-situ, time and spatially resolved neutron diffraction study of the dynamic chemical and structural changes in “real-world” batteries under realistic cycling conditions, which should provide microscopic insights on degradation and the important role of diffusion kinetics in energy storage materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Unusual Thermal Stability of Nano-structured Ferritic alloys

A scientific question vitally important to the materials community is whether there exist self-assembled nanoclusters that are thermodynamically stable at elevated temperatures. Using in-situ neutron scattering, we characterized the structure and thermal stability of a nano-structured ferritic (NSF) alloy. Nanometer sized clusters were found to persist up to ~1400 C, providing direct evidence of a thermodynamically stable alloying state for the nanoclusters. Cluster formation requires the coexistence of Y, Ti, and O without the precipitation of oxide phases. The presence of thermally stable nanoclusters at grain boundaries limits the diffusion of Fe atoms, thereby stabilizing the microstructure of the ferritic matrix at high temperatures. Our experimental results provide physical insights of the dramatically improved high-temperature mechanical properties in NSF alloy and point to a new direction in alloy design.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Lightweight, durable lead-acid batteries

A lightweight, durable lead-acid battery is disclosed. Alternative electrode materials and configurations are used to reduce weight, to increase material utilization and to extend service life. The electrode can include a current collector having a buffer layer in contact with the current collector and an electrochemically active material in contact with the buffer layer. In one form, the buffer layer includes a carbide, and the current collector includes carbon fibers having the buffer layer. The buffer layer can include a carbide and/or a noble metal selected from of gold, silver, tantalum, platinum, palladium and rhodium. When the electrode is to be used in a lead-acid battery, the electrochemically active material is selected from metallic lead (for a negative electrode) or lead peroxide (for a positive electrode).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2011

First in-situ lattice strains measurements under load at VULCAN

The engineering materials diffractometer, VULCAN, at the Spallation Neutron Source began commissioning on June 26, 2009. This instrument is designed for materials science and engineering studies. In situ lattice strain measurements of a model metallic material under monotonic tensile load have been performed on VULCAN. The tensile load was applied under two different strain rates, and neutron diffraction measurements were carried out in both high-intensity and high-resolution modes. These experiments demonstrated VULCAN's in situ study capability of deformation behaviors even during the early phases of commissioning.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗