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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Mechanisms of adsorbing hydrogen gas on metal decorated graphene

Hydrogen is a key player in global strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to make hydrogen a widely used fuel, we require more efficient methods of storing it than the current standard of pressurized cylinders. An alternative method is to adsorb H 2 in a material and avoid the use of high pressures. Among many potential materials, layered materials such as graphene present a practical advantage as they are lightweight. However, graphene and other 2D materials typically bind H 2 too weakly to store it at the typical operating conditions of a hydrogen fuel cell, meaning that high pressure would still be required. Modifying the material, for example by decorating graphene with adatoms, can strengthen the adsorption energy of H 2 molecules, but the underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. In this work, we systematically screen alkali and alkaline-earth metal decorated graphene sheets for the static thermodynamic adsorption of hydrogen gas from first principles and focus on the mechanisms of binding. We show that there are three mechanisms of adsorption on metal decorated graphene and each leads to distinctly different hydrogen adsorption structures. The three mechanisms can be described as weak van der Waals physisorption, metal adatom facilitated polarization, and Kubas adsorption. Among these mechanisms, we find that Kubas adsorption is easily perturbed by an external electric field, providing a way to tune H 2 adsorption. In conclusion, this work is foundational and builds our understanding of H 2 adsorption under idealized conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1967

Purification train produces ultrapure hydrogen gas

Three-stage purification train produces ultrapure hydrogen gas at 1000 psi from K-bottles of high-purity hydrogen. The continuous process incorporates deoxidation and dehydration units and a molecular sieve.

Walter, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Heat and mass transfer rates during flow of dissociated hydrogen gas over graphite surface

To improve upon the performance of chemical rockets, the nuclear reactor has been applied to a rocket propulsion system using hydrogen gas as working fluid and a graphite-composite forming a part of the structure. Under the boundary layer approximation, theoretical predictions of skin friction coefficient, surface heat transfer rate and surface regression rate have been made for laminar/turbulent dissociated hydrogen gas flowing over a flat graphite surface. The external stream is assumed to be frozen. The analysis is restricted to Mach numbers low enough to deal with the situation of only surface-reaction between hydrogen and graphite. Empirical correlations of displacement thickness, local skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number and local non-dimensional heat transfer rate have been obtained. The magnitude of the surface regression rate is found low enough to ensure the use of graphite as a linear or a component of the system over an extended period without loss of performance.

Nema, V. K.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Systematic error analysis in the absolute hydrogen gas jet polarimeter at RHIC

The Polarized Atomic Hydrogen Gas Jet Target polarimeter (HJET) is operated at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) since 2004 to measure the absolute polarization of each colliding proton beam. Polarimeter detectors and data acquisition were upgraded in 2015 to increase the solid angle, energy range, and to improve the energy and time resolution. These upgrades along with an improved beam intensity and polarization allowed us to greatly reduce the statistical and systematic errors for the proton polarization measurements in RHIC Runs 15 (E beam = 100 GeV) and 17 (255 GeV). For a typical 8 hour RHIC store, the measured proton beam average polarization was about P beam ~ 55 ± 2.0 stat ± 0.3 syst %. The elastic pp analyzing power, AN(t)~0.04, was determined with a precision of about |δA N (t)|~0.0002 in the momentum transfer squared range 0.001<-t<0.020 GeV 2 . In this paper we present a detailed systematic error analysis of the polarization measurements at HJET. Perspectives of using the HJET based absolute polarimeters in the future Electron Ion Collider (EIC) will be also discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Damage evolution in polymer due to exposure to high-pressure hydrogen gas

The use of hydrogen as a fuel is increasing exponentially, and the most economical way to store and transport hydrogen for fuel use is as a high-pressure gas. Polymers are widely used for hydrogen distribution and storage systems because they are chemically inert towards hydrogen. However, when exposed to high-pressure hydrogen, some hydrogen diffuses through polymers and occupies the preexisting cavities inside the material. Upon depressurization, the hydrogen trapped inside polymer cavities can cause blistering or cracking by expanding these cavities. A continuum mechanics--based deformation model was deployed to predict the stress distribution and damage propagation while the polymer undergoes depressurization after high-pressure hydrogen exposure. The effects of cavity size, cavity location, and pressure inside the cavity on damage initiation and evolution inside the polymer were studied. The stress and damage evolution in the presence of multiple cavities was also studied, because interaction among cavities alters the damage and stress field. It was found that all these factors significantly change the stress state in the polymer, resulting in different paths for damage propagation. The effect of adding carbon black filler particles and plasticizer on the damage was also studied. It was found that damage tolerance of the polymer increases drastically with the addition of carbon black fillers, but decreases with the addition of the plasticizer.

Kulkarni, Shank S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Polarization Measurements of p ↑ and 3 He ↑ Beams at RHIC and Future EIC Using the Polarized Atomic Hydrogen Gas Jet Target

At the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the Polarized Atomic Hydrogen Gas Jet Target polarimeter (HJET) is employed for the precise measurement of the absolute transverse (vertical) polarization of proton beams, achieving low systematic uncertainties of approximately σ$^{syst}_P$/P≤0.5% . The acquired experimental data not only facilitated the determination of single A N (t) and double A NN (t) spin analyzing powers for 100 and 255 GeV proton beams, but also revealed a non-zero Pomeron spin-flip contribution through a Regge fit. Preliminary results obtained for forward inelastic p ↑ p and elastic p ↑ A analyzing powers will be discussed. The success of the HJET at RHIC suggests its potential application for proton beam polarimetry at the upcoming Electron–Ion Collider (EIC), aiming for an accuracy of 1%. Moreover, the provided analysis indicates that the RHIC HJET target can serve as a tool for the precision calibration, with the required accuracy, of the 3 He beam polarization at the EIC.

3He beam breakup↗
DOE OSTI2022

Subdiffusive High-Pressure Hydrogen Gas Dynamics in Elastomers

We report elastomeric rubber materials serve a vital role as sealing materials in the hydrogen storage and transport infrastructure. With applications including O-rings and hose liners, these components are exposed to pressurized hydrogen at a range of temperatures, cycling rates, and pressure extremes. High-pressure exposure and subsequent rapid decompression often lead to cavitation and stress-induced damage of the elastomer due to localization of the hydrogen gas. Here, we use all-atom classical molecular dynamics simulations to assess the impact of compositional variations on gas diffusion within the commonly used elastomer ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM). With the aim to build a predictive understanding of precursors to cavitation and to motivate material formulations that are less sensitive to hydrogen-induced failure, we perform systematic simulations of gas dynamics in EPDM as a function of temperature, gas concentration, and cross-link density. Our simulations reveal anomalous, subdiffusive hydrogen motion at pressure and intermediate times. We identify two groups of gas with different mobilities: one group exhibiting high mobility and one group exhibiting low mobility due to their motion being impeded by the polymer. With decreasing temperatures, the low-mobility group shows increased gas localization, the necessary precursor for cavitation damage in these materials. At lower temperatures, increasing cross-link density led to greater hydrogen gas mobility and a lower fraction of caged hydrogen, indicating that increasing cross-link density may reduce precursors to cavitation. Finally, we use a two-state kinetic model to determine the energetics associated with transitions between these two mobility states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Radiolytic and Thermolytic Bubble Gas Hydrogen Composition

The original version of this report described the development of a mathematical model for the estimation of the hydrogen composition of gas bubbles trapped in radioactive waste. The model described therein used a material balance approach to accurately incorporate the rates of hydrogen generation by several physical phenomena and scale the aforementioned rates in a manner that allows calculation of the final hydrogen composition. The proposed model accounted for the following physical phenomena: H 2 generation by primary radiolysis of water and salt solutions; H 2 generation by secondary radiolysis of formate and glycolate molecules in solution; Observation of negligible H 2 generation by thermolysis of formate at temperatures below 120 °C; H 2 generation by thermolysis of glycolate in caustic solutions; O 2 consumption by radiolysis and thermolysis of organic species. Additionally, the originally-proposed model conservatively excluded the following physical phenomena that are known to contribute slightly to the hydrogen composition in trapped gas bubbles: Equilibrium concentration of water vapor in trapped gas bubbles; Generation of N 2 O during radiolysis of nitrite solutions; Incomplete consumption of O 2 by organics. In this revision, the methodology for glycolate thermolysis has been improved to agree with recent findings published by Woodham and Martino. Furthermore, considerations for the thermolysis of organics other than glycolate have been made. In the case of non-glycolate organics, no evidence of non-flammable gas formation exists. Therefore, non-glycolate thermolysis is considered additive for conservatism.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1982

The development of a magnetically enhanced hydrogen gas dissociation

Application of a dc magnetic field on an RF hydrogen gas dissociator led to the development of a more efficient source of atoms for hydrogen masers. The influence of the applied magnetic field on the plasma and some details of the resulting enhancement of the dissociation efficiency are discussed. Ways that this improved efficiency can result in the enhancement of the operation and field life of hydrogen masers, as well as aid the development of spaceborne masers, are considered.

Maleki, L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Magnetically Enhanced Hydrogen Gas Dissociator: a Progress Report

The application of a sensitive hydrogen gas detector led to the observation of a significant increase in the efficiency of atom production of a magnetically enhanced dissociator. An increase of about 7000% in the production of atoms in the hyperfine state desired for maser operation is observed at certain values of the applied magnetic field. A preliminary test of the dissociator in the maser led to an observed increase of 6.18 dB in the maser power.

Lee, G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Physical model and experimental validation of a high temperature proton exchange membrane electrochemical hydrogen pump cell for efficient single-stage extraction of low concentration hydrogen gas

There is interest in valorization of existing natural gas infrastructure to facilitate the co-transportation of hydrogen via blending of hydrogen gas initially at limited concentrations of 1–20 vol% H2 and to subsequently extract hydrogen at fuel cell quality standards (SAE J2719/ISO14687-2). High temperature proton exchange membrane electrochemical hydrogen pump (HT-PEM EHP) based on phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole (PA-PBI) exhibits good performance at elevated temperatures (>120 °C), which provides desirable tolerance to non-methane natural gas constituents that are problematic for lower temperature based EHP. To better understand the suitability of the HT-PEM EHP for such gas separation processes, a two-dimensional model of EHP based on PA-PBI was developed. The model is validated for several relevant operating conditions and across cells with differing amounts of phosphoric acid content in the electrodes. Operando micro x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging of an HT-PEM EHP was used to further validate physical parameters and assumptions of the model. The impacts of pressure, relative humidity of the anode feed, and concentration of feed gases on separation performance are investigated. This study shows that a specific energy of separation of 5.1 kWh/kg H2 at a hydrogen recovery factor (HRF) of 50 vol% can be achieved in a single stage with the EHP, producing fuel cell quality hydrogen purity of 99.99 vol% H2 from a 2 vol% H2/CH4 feed blend, while pressurizing the product H2 at a pressure ratio of 1.3 relative to feed pressure.

Stansberry, John M↗
DOE OSTI2026

Impact of Hydrogen on Methane and Pollutant Emissions over Three-Way Catalysts with Natural Gas–Hydrogen Blends

Blending natural gas (NG) with hydrogen (H₂) can improve combustion and engine performance while potentially facilitating the catalytic conversion of methane and other pollutants, resulting in cleaner tailpipe emissions. This study evaluates the impact of H2 on the conversion of methane, CO, and NOx emissions on a commercial three-way catalyst (TWC) in a flow reactor using synthetic gas mixtures that simulate stoichiometric engine exhausts with NG or NG+H₂ combustion. The work examines whether, and how, the additional amount of H₂ in the exhaust stream affects the conversion efficiency of methane and other pollutants. Experiments were conducted with both degreened and aged catalysts under controlled conditions, systematically varying temperature, the air-to-fuel equivalence ratio (λ), and λ modulation. Test conditions covered λ values from 0.996 to 1.000 to represent nominally stoichiometric engine operation with different λ modulation amplitudes, as well as a range of temperatures to inform control strategies for effective CH₄, CO, and NOₓ reduction. Overall, the results show that hydrogen addition significantly improves the conversion efficiency of CH₄ and NOₓ, particularly at temperatures below 500 °C. More significantly, this study highlights that exhaust gas composition, operating temperature, λ management, and the oxygen storage capacity of the TWC all play major roles in affecting the tailpipe emissions from NG and NG+H₂ combustion.

Prikhodko, Vitaly [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000244685836)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fatigue Performance of High-Strength Pipeline Steels and Their Welds in Hydrogen Gas Service

Objectives of the project include: Enable the use of high strength steel hydrogen pipelines, as significant cost savings can result by implementing high strength steels as compared to lower strength pipes. Demonstrate that girth welds in high-strength steel pipe exhibit fatigue performance similar to lower-strength steels in high-pressure hydrogen gas. Identify pathways for developing high-strength pipeline steels by establishing the relationship between microstructure constituents and hydrogen-accelerated fatigue crack growth (HA-FCG)

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1992

Laser Raman sensor for measurement of trace-hydrogen gas

A new optical hydrogen sensor based on spontaneous Raman scattering of laser light has been designed and constructed for rugged field use. It provides good sensitivity, rapid response, and the inherent Raman characteristics of linearity and background gas independence of the signal. Efficient light collection and discrimination by using fast optics and a bandpass interference filter compensate for the inefficiency of the Raman-scattering process. A multipass optical cavity with a Herriott-type configuration provides intense illumination from an air-cooled CW gas laser. The observed performance is in good agreement with the theoretical signal and noise level predictions.

Adler-Golden, Steven M.↗