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At least 451 records · Page 25

Gas-Phase Composition as a Predictive Metric for Calendar Life Behavior of Next-Generation Silicon Anodes

The expansion of renewable technologies and electrification of the transportation sector is driving increased demand for next-generation battery materials that provide higher power and energy density with superior cycling and calendar life stability. Silicon (Si) has a theoretical capacity nearly 10x that of graphite, and is therefore a promising anode material candidate to meet these rigorous performance demands. While leading Si anode battery demonstrations are approaching target metrics for cycle life, a series of complex and interrelated modes of reactivity lead to reduced calendar life and therefore challenge practical adoption of these materials. Deconvoluting the degradation processes that impact Si calendar life is critical to informing the rational and accelerated design of improved Si materials. In the present work, we employ novel sampling techniques and GC-MS-FID characterization to measure gas-phase composition during initial Si cycling, which we tie to selective mechanisms of Si passivation. We utilize a tiered analysis approach to identify and quantify the gas-phase reaction products associated with three advanced Si material candidates under practical operating conditions. Ex situ analysis of Si powders (pure chemical reactivity) is coupled with nondestructive in situ sampling of Si electrodes in a practical pouch-cell format (coupled chemical and electrochemical reactivity). We link the observed gas-phase species evolution to electrochemical behavior and measured calendar life of the three Si materials. Further, we evaluate the voltage-resolved evolution of gas-phase species for one such Si nanomaterial, where nonmonotonic gas generation implies competition between passivating reaction pathways. The measured gas-phase compositional data serves as a critical input for our advanced electrochemical SEI models to identify favorable vs unfavorable reaction pathways to stabilize Si. In addition to bolstering a fundamental understanding of Si reactivity, the present approach informs specific and quantifiable gas-phase metrics tied to calendar life improvements in Si, which can streamline and accelerate the process of next-generation material development.

DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION,ENERGY STORAGE↗

Permanganate Oxidation of Actual Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Slurry Mix Evaporator Condensate Tank (SMECT) and Offgas Condensate Tank (OGCT) Samples to Remediate Glycolate

Savannah River Remediation (SRR) tasked Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to examine glycolate destruction in radioactive samples emulating the proposed process. Experiments with radioactive Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) condensates were performed to demonstrate the oxidation of glycolate using sodium permanganate. One test each was performed for Off-Gas Condensate Tank (OGCT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator Condensate Tank (SMECT) samples received. Condensates were blended with Recycle Collection Tank (RCT) heel simulant and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) product containing glycolate to represent typical RCT compositions with estimated nominal entrainment of glycolate. A permanganate to glycolate (P/G) molar ratio targeting 5.7 decreased sample glycolate concentration below Ion Chromatography (IC), glycolate method reporting limits in less than 2 hours for the OGCT sample and in less than 8 hours for the SMECT sample.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Capture of Iodine from Nuclear-Fuel-Reprocessing Off-Gas: Influence of Aging on a Reduced Silver Mordenite Adsorbent after Exposure to NO/NO 2

Iodine radioisotopes released during nuclear fuel reprocessing must be removed from the off-gas stream before discharge. One promising material for iodine capture is reduced silver mordenite (Ag 0 Z). Nevertheless, the adsorbent’s capacity will degrade, or age, over time when the material is exposed to other off-gas constituents. Though the overall impact of aging is known, the underlying physical and chemical processes are not. To examine these processes, Ag 0 Z samples were prepared and aged in 2% NO 2 in dry air and in 1% NO in N 2 gas streams at 150 °C for up to six months. Aged samples were then characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These techniques show that aging involves two overarching processes: (i) oxidation of the silver nanoparticles present in Ag 0 Z and (ii) migration of oxidized silver into the mordenite’s inner network. Silver on the nanoparticle’s surface is oxidized through adsorption of O 2 , NO, and NO 2 . Additionally, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicate that nitrates are the primary products of this adsorption. Most of these nitrates migrate into the interior of the mordenite and exchange at framework binding sites, returning silver to its unreduced state (AgZ). The remaining nitrates exist at a persistent concentration without aggregating into bulk-phase AgNO 3 . X-ray absorption spectroscopy results further indicate that iodine adsorption occurs on not just Ag 0 Z but also on AgZ and a portion of the nitrates in the system. AgZ adsorbs a sizable quantity of iodine early in the aging process, but its capacity drops rapidly over time. For well-aged samples, nitrates are responsible for up to 95% of mordenite’s iodine capacity. Overall, these results have enhanced our understanding of the aging process in silver mordenite and are expected to guide the development of superior adsorbents for the capture of radioactive iodine from reprocessing off-gas.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Diurnal leaf gas exchange survey, Feb2016-May2016, PA-SLZ, PA-PNM: Panama

This data package contains the results of a diurnal leaf gas exchange survey measured on sunlit canopy trees within the NGEE Tropics sites Parque Natural Metropolitano (PA-PNM) and Bosque Protector San Lorenzo (PA-SLZ) in Panama. Measurements were taken on a monthly basis from February to May of 2016. This data was collected as part of the 2016 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) campaign. Included in this data package are two Excel files with data (2016ENSO_Panama_DiurnalGasEx, 2016ENSO_Panama_AreaCorrections) and additional Excel files with associated metadata. Also included is a Word document (Metadata_description_2016_ENSO_Panama) with details such as data collection methods, equipment used, and site information. See related datasets for further sample details, leaf water potential, LMA, leaf spectra, other gas exchange and leaf chemistry. VERSION 2 update. The identification of a species from the PNM site has been corrected as follows: the identification of the tree initially identified as Pseudosamanea guachapele (ALBIED) has been revised to Albizia adinocephala (ALBIAD). The updated data package includes revised data, metadata and protocol documents updated to reflect this change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

CO2 response (ACi) gas exchange, calculated Vcmax & Jmax parameters, Feb2016-May2016, PA-SLZ, PA-PNM: Panama

This data package contains CO2 response (ACi) gas exchange and fitted Vcmax and Jmax parameters measured on sunlit canopy trees within the NGEE Tropics sites Parque Natural Metropolitano (PA-PNM) and Bosque Protector San Lorenzo (PA-SLZ) in Panama. Measurements were taken on a monthly basis from February to May of 2016. This data was collected as part of the 2016 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) campaign. Included in this data package are two Excel files with data (2016ENSO_Panama_ACi, 2016ENSO_Panama_Fitted_Vcmax_Jmax) and three Excel files with associated metadata. Also included is a Word document (Metadata_description_2016_ENSO_Panama) with details such as data collection methods, equipment used, and site information and a pdf (NGEE_Tropics_ENSO_Aci_Protocol_V2). See related datasets for further sample details, leaf water potential, LMA, leaf spectra, diurnal gas exchange and leaf chemistry. VERSION 2 update. The identification of a species from the PNM site has been corrected as follows: the identification of the tree initially identified as Pseudosamanea guachapele (ALBIED) has been revised to Albizia adinocephala (ALBIAD). The updated data package includes revised data, metadata and protocol documents updated to reflect this change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Conversions between gas-phase metallicities in MaNGA

ABSTRACT We present polynomial conversions between each of 11 different strong line gas-phase metallicity calibrations, each based on ∼1.1 million star-forming spaxels in the public Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 15 (DR15) Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey. For this sample, which is ∼20 times larger than previous works, we present fifth-order polynomial fits for each of 110 possible calibration conversions, for both Small Magellanic Cloud-type and Milky Way-type dust corrections. The typical 2σ scatter around our polynomial fits is 0.1 dex; we present the range over which the metallicities are valid. Conversions between metallicities which rely on the same set of line ratios, or a heavily shared set of emission lines, have reduced scatter in their conversions relative to those conversions with little overlap in required emission lines. Calibration conversions with less consistent sets of emission lines also have increased galaxy-to-galaxy variability, and this variability can account for up to 35 per cent of the total scatter. We also compare our conversions to previous work with the single fibre SDSS DR7 spectra along with higher spatial resolution data from the TYPHOON Integral Field Spectroscopy survey, resulting in comparison samples with spatial resolutions from several kpc down to ∼100 pc. Our metallicity conversions, obtained with the large sample of MaNGA, are robust against the influence of diffuse ionized gas, redshift, effective radius, and spatial blurring, and are therefore consistent across both integrated spectra and the high-resolution integral field spectroscopy data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Leaf sample detail, Feb2016-May2016, PA-SLZ, PA-PNM, PA-BCI: Panama

This data package contains details of the date, location, species and photographs of leaf samples collected on a monthly basis from Feb to May 2016 from Parque Natural Metropolitano (PA-PNM), Barro Colorado Island (PA-BCI) and Bosque Protector San Lorenzo (PA-SLZ) in Panama. Data from BCI only available for March. This data was collected as part of the 2016 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) campaign. Included in this data package are an Excel file with data (2016ENSO_Panama_LeafSamples) and two Excel files with associated metadata. Sample photos are included in five zip files, organized by month and site. Also included is a Word document (Metadata_description_2016_ENSO_Panama) with details such as data collection methods, equipment used, and site information. Data to be used as a reference to linking related datasets including leaf water potential, leaf spectra, LMA, gas exchange and leaf chemistry (CHN, NSC). Most leaves were sampled from sunlit canopy trees. VERSION 2 update. The identification of a species from the PNM site has been corrected as follows: the identification of the tree initially identified as Pseudosamanea guachapele (ALBIED) has been revised to Albizia adinocephala (ALBIAD). The updated data package includes revised data, metadata and protocol documents updated to reflect this change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

One–Step Fabrication of Nanocrystalline Nanonetwork SnO 2 Gas Sensors by Integrated Multilaser Processing

An integrated multilaser process is developed to fabricate nanocrystalline nanonetwork SnO 2 gas sensors in one integrated procedure, which combines electrodes fabrication, nanomaterials deposition, and postannealing. Interdigit electrodes are fabricated on an Au-coated fused silica substrate using a picosecond (ps) laser, which ablates the Au coating from the back of the substrate to pattern the electrodes. A novel transmitted Ps laser deposition (TPLD) process is designed to deposit SnO 2 nanonetwork on the interdigit electrodes with precise deposition area control under a close target-to-substrate distance. The obtained SnO 2 nanonetwork is in situ postannealed by a CO 2 laser to improve the crystallinity, while the nano morphology and grain size keep intact. To investigate the morphology and formation process of the nanonetwork, the microstructure of the laser-deposited SnO 2 layer is characterized. As a result, the crystallization control of CO 2 laser annealing is investigated through analyzing the Raman spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, and lattice structures of the samples. By exposed to H 2 atmosphere, the fabricated gas sensor is demonstrated for H 2 monitoring.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Outflows in star-forming galaxies: Stacking analyses of resolved winds and the relation to their hosts’ properties

ABSTRACT Outflows form an integral component in regulating the gas cycling in and out of galaxies, although their impact on the galaxy hosts is still poorly understood. Here we present an analysis of 405 high mass (log M*/M⊙ ≥ 10), star-forming galaxies (excluding AGN) with low inclinations at z ∼ 0, using stacking techniques of the Na D λλ5889, 5895 Å neutral gas tracer in IFU observations from the MaNGA DR15 survey. We detect outflows in the central regions of 78/405 galaxies and determine their extent and power through the construction of stacked annuli. We find outflows are most powerful in central regions and extend out to ∼1Re, with declining mass outflow rates and loading factors as a function of radius. The stacking of spaxels over key galaxy quantities reveals outflow detections in regions of high ΣSFR (≳0.01 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2) and $\Sigma _{M_{*}}$ (≳107 M⊙ kpc−2) along the resolved main sequence. Clear correlations with ΣSFR suggest it is the main regulator of outflows, with a critical threshold of ∼0.01 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 needed to escape the weight of the disc and launch them. Furthermore, measurements of the Hδ and Dn4000 indices reveal virtually identical star formation histories between galaxies with outflows and those without. Finally, through stacking of H i 21 cm observations for a subset of our sample, we find outflow galaxies show reduced H i gas fractions at central velocities compared to their non-detection control counterparts, suggestive of some removal of H i gas, likely in the central regions of the galaxies, but not enough to completely quench the host.

Roberts-Borsani, G. W.↗

Understanding Isomeric Effects on Properties of Aviation Fuels via a Group Contribution Method: Preprint

The molecular composition of aviation fuels, including conventional and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), significantly influences their performance, safety, and environmental impact. This study examines the effect of isomeric variation for compounds with the same carbon number and chemical family on key fuel properties, focusing on compounds commonly found in conventional jet fuels and SAFs. A group contribution method (GCM) is employed to predict thermophysical and combustion properties, providing an efficient analytical approach to evaluate the contributions of individual compounds to overall fuel mixture behavior. As part of this work, we introduce FuelLib, an open-source Python tool built around the GCM, to calculate individual compound and fuel mixture properties using various mixing rules. Our work evaluates whether the GCM can capture isomeric effects, that are often overlooked in traditional fuel property estimation. This is particularly important for SAFs, which often are composed of a more limited set of compound classes than conventional fuels, making isomeric differences more critical. Two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) data, which can be obtained from small fuel samples, provides weight percentages of compounds grouped by chemical family and carbon number rather than detailed information about individual compounds. As a result, assumptions must be made when decomposing GCxGC data into functional groups for GCM applications. Using GCxGC data, we show that the FuelLib tool can be used to predict the fuel properties of conventional jet fuels, with validation against experimental data. The provided tool enables researchers to predict fuel properties of candidate fuels and supports the design of new SAFs at both the component and mixture levels. This capability provides a foundation for studying fuel and combustion properties during SAF development, reducing reliance on costly experimental methods and advancing progress toward certification of new SAFs.The molecular composition of aviation fuels, including conventional and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), significantly influences their performance, safety, and environmental impact. This study examines the effect of isomeric variation for compounds with the same carbon number and chemical family on key fuel properties, focusing on compounds commonly found in conventional jet fuels and SAFs. A group contribution method (GCM) is employed to predict thermophysical and combustion properties, providing an efficient analytical approach to evaluate the contributions of individual compounds to overall fuel mixture behavior. As part of this work, we introduce FuelLib, an open-source Python tool built around the GCM, to calculate individual compound and fuel mixture properties using various mixing rules. Our work evaluates whether the GCM can capture isomeric effects, that are often overlooked in traditional fuel property estimation. This is particularly important for SAFs, which often are composed of a more limited set of compound classes than conventional fuels, making isomeric differences more critical. Two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) data, which can be obtained from small fuel samples, provides weight percentages of compounds grouped by chemical family and carbon number rather than detailed information about individual compounds. As a result, assumptions must be made when decomposing GCxGC data into functional groups for GCM applications. Using GCxGC data, we show that the FuelLib tool can be used to predict the fuel properties of conventional jet fuels, with validation against experimental data. The provided tool enables researchers to predict fuel properties of candidate fuels and supports the design of new SAFs at both the component and mixture levels. This capability provides a foundation for studying fuel and combustion properties during SAF development, reducing reliance on costly experimental methods and advancing progress toward certification of new SAFs.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Development and Demonstration of a Prototype Molten Salt Sampling System

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) offer potential operability and safety advantages when compared to commercial light water reactors (LWRs). However, operating experience with MSRs is sparse in comparison to what exists for LWRs. Further, the chemical and isotopic composition of the fuel and/or coolant salt is dynamic and difficult to characterize continuously, posing potential safety, operability, and safeguards unknowns that need to be addressed. A molten salt sampling system (MSSS) is regarded as a necessary subsystem within first generation MSRs used to obtain samples of salt for chemical and isotopic analysis in support of the need to monitor and control salt composition during operation. The MSSS is being developed using the Safety-in-Design (SiD) methodology, which incorporates incremental integration of safety analysis into the design process. The MSSS conceptual design emerging from the application of the early stages of the SiD methodology consists of a sample collection system and its housing, a freeze port, and inert gas control and delivery systems. This article describes the prototypes developed to test the functions of these MSSS subsystems, presents the results of testing in both dry and molten salt environments (including reliability data collection performed in accordance with the principles of SiD and the development of a semiquantitative fault tree model), and summarizes the opportunities for future design and testing enhancements based on the results of prototype testing.

molten salt reactor↗

Using STAX data to predict IMS radioxenon concentrations

The noble gas collection and measurement stations in the International Monitoring System (IMS) are heavily influenced by releases from medical isotope production facilities. The ability to reliably model the movement of radioxenon from the points of release to these IMS samplers has improved enough that a routine aspect of the analysis of IMS radioxenon data should be the prediction of the effect of releases from civilian nuclear facilities on the sample concentrations. In this work, predicted concentrations at IMS noble gas systems in Germany and Sweden based on measured releases from Institute for Radioelements (IRE) in Belgium and atmospheric transport modeling for a four-month period are presented and discussed.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

STUDIES ON PIPELINE POLYETHYLENES IN HYDROGEN GAS ENVIRONMENTS USING IN-SITU AND EX-SITU CHARACTERIZATION METHODS

Polymeric materials are commonplace in the natural gas infrastructure as distribution pipes, coatings, seals, and gaskets. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy HyBlend program, one of the means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is with replacing natural gas, either partially or completely, with hydrogen. This approach makes it imperative that we conduct near-term and long-term materials compatibility research in these relevant environments. Insights into the effects of hydrogen and hydrogen gas blends on polymer integrity can be gained through both ex-situ and in-situ analytical methods. Our work represented here highlights a study of the behavior of pipeline polyethylene (PE) materials, including HDPE (Dow 2490 and GDB50) and MDPE (Ineos and legacy Dupont Aldyl A), when exposed to hydrogen by means of in-situ X-ray scattering and ex-situ Raman spectroscopy techniques. Samples were tested in ex-situ hydrogen and argon gas environments and in-situ hydrogen environments to identify differences due to permeation and solubility of these gases. These methods complemented each other because Raman spectroscopy could capture permanent effects after materials were removed from gaseous environments, and in-situ X-ray scattering analysis collected real-time data to elucidate the impact of the gas environment on polymer microstructure. Data collected revealed that the aforementioned polymers did not show significant changes in crystallinity and microstructure under the exposure conditions tested. Our findings from these studies will help establish real-time effects caused by hydrogen gas transport through pipeline polyethylenes by way of its influence on polymer structure and chemistry, which is directly related to pipeline mechanical strength and longevity of service.

Hydrogen materials compatibility, Natural gas pipe↗

Pore accessibility and trapping of methane in Marcellus shale

Accessibility of pore space in unconventional reservoirs is an important factor influencing both methane storage capacity and the kinetics of methane desorption. The determination of open (accessible) versus closed (inaccessible) porosity is therefore vital for the prediction of gas production potential. This study investigates accessibility of pores to methane in overmature middle Devonian Marcellus shale samples (cut parallel and perpendicular to bedding) using small and ultra-small neutron scattering (SANS and USANS) with contrast matching (CM), supplemented by other complementary techniques, such as mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) and low pressure gas (N2 and CO2) adsorption. Our results demonstrate that for the samples studied, only about 6 % of pores with diameter 25-500 nm are accessible to methane. The accessibility fraction for pores larger than 500 nm is 35%. For nanopores smaller than 25 nm, pore accessibility could not be quantitatively determined due to increased methane density and condensation effects in confinement. Our observations indicate that methane penetrates the accessible small mesopores and micropores down to at least 1 nm in diameter, and the density of confined deuterated methane (CD4) is 0.68 g/cm3 for pores of diameter 25 nm and gradually increases with the decreased pore size. Moreover, elevated gas pressure causes formation of additional high-density methane nano-clusters. These clusters have a form of slightly anisotropic polydisperse discs oriented along bedding plane, about 1-12 nm in diameter and with average thickness of 3.6 nm. Utilizing samples cut parallel and perpendicular to the bedding, this study also briefly addresses anisotropy of pores. Based on the iso-size intensity ratio R, our SANS and USANS results demonstrate anisotropy in the out-of-bedding direction and suggest that the degree of anisotropy depends on the pore size. Specifically, for pore diameters ~2.5 to 250 nm, the extent of anisotropy is smaller than for pores ~500 nm to 6 µm in diameter. Finally, comparison of pore size distribution results calculated from SANS/USANS to those obtained using MICP shows good agreement at low pressures, but large difference at pressures above 1000 bar. Here, this discrepancy requires further testing; it is possible that the high mercury pressure used in MICP alters the mesopore and micropore structure of shales.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Analysis, identification and confirmation of synthetic opioids using chloroformate chemistry: Retrospective detection of fentanyl and acetylfentanyl in urine and plasma samples by EI-GC-MS and HR-LC-MS

Electron Impact Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (EI-GC-MS) and High Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HR-LC-MS) have been used in the analysis of products arising from the trichloroethoxycarbonylation of fentanyl and acetylfentanyl in urine and plasma matrices. The method involves the initial extraction of both synthetic opioids separately from the matrices followed by detection of the unique products that arise from their reaction with 2,2,2-trichloroethoxycarbonyl chloride (Troc-Cl), namely Troc-norfentanyl and Troc-noracetylfentanyl. The optimized protocol was successfully evaluated for its efficacy at detecting these species formed from fentanyl and acetylfentanyl when present at low and high levels in urine (fentanyl: 5 and 10 ng/mL and acetylfentanyl: 20 and 100 ng/mL) and plasma (fentanyl: 10 and 20 ng/mL and acetylfentanyl: 50 and 200 ng/mL), values that reflect levels reported in overdose victims. The HR-LC-MS method’s LOQ (limit of quantitation) for the Troc-norfentanyl and Troc-noracetylfentanyl products was determined to be ~10 ng/mL for both species. Even though the superiority in the detection of these species by HR-LC-MS over EI-GC-MS, the latter method proved to be important in the detection of the second product from the reaction, namely 2-phenylethyl chloride that is crucial in the determination of the original opioid. This observation highlights the importance of using complimentary analytical techniques in the analysis of a sample, whether biological or environmental in nature. The method herein serves as a complementary, qualitative confirmation for the presence of a fentanyl in collected urine, plasma and by extension other biological samples amenable to the common extraction procedures described for opioid analysis. More importantly, the method’s main strength comes from its ability to react with unknown fentanyls to yield products that can be not only detected by EI-GC-MS and HR-LC-MS but can then be used to retrospectively identify an unknown fentanyl.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Raw leaf gas exchange data in the Amazon basin, 2014-2016

This data package contains raw leaf gas exchange data used to support the publication "Leaf isoprene and monoterpene emission distribution across hyperdominant tree genera in the Amazon basin," Phytochemistry, in-press. Data was collected from 162 individuals, distributed among 25 botanical families and 113 species, from four sites in the Amazon. The data was collected using a modified portable photosynthesis system for environmental control coupled to a thermal desorption tube for volatile isoprenoid collections. Collected TD tube samples were analysed in Manaus, Brazil, using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). The dataset includes both photosynthesis and isoprene/monoterpene emission rates from leaves under standard environmental conditions as well as controlled light response curves. For detailed methods and raw data, refer to the publication and related material cited in Dataset References.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

CLEAR: The Ionization and Chemical-enrichment Properties of Galaxies at 1.1 < z < 2.3

We use deep spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope Wide-Field-Camera 3 IR grisms combined with broadband photometry to study the stellar populations, gas ionization and chemical abundances in star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1.1–2.3. The data stem from the CANDELS Lyα Emission At Reionization (CLEAR) survey. At these redshifts, the grism spectroscopy measure the [O II] λλ3727, 3729, [O III]λλ4959, 5008, and Hβ strong emission features, which constrain the ionization parameter and oxygen abundance of the nebular gas. We compare the line-flux measurements to predictions from updated photoionization models (MAPPINGS V; Kewley et al.), which include an updated treatment of nebular gas pressure, $\mathrm{log}P/k={n}_{e}{T}_{e}$. Compared to low-redshift samples (z ~ 0.2) at fixed stellar mass, $\mathrm{log}{M}_{* }/{M}_{\odot }\,=$ 9.4–9.8, the CLEAR galaxies at z = 1.35 (1.90) have lower gas-phase metallicity, ${\rm{\Delta }}(\mathrm{log}Z)$ = 0.25 (0.35) dex, and higher ionization parameters, ${\rm{\Delta }}(\mathrm{log}q)$ = 0.25 (0.35) dex, where U ≡ q/c. We provide updated analytic calibrations between the [O III], [O II], and Hβ emission-line ratios, metallicity, and ionization parameter. The CLEAR galaxies show that at fixed stellar mass, the gas ionization parameter is correlated with the galaxy specific star formation rates, where ${\rm{\Delta }}\mathrm{log}q\simeq 0.4\times {\rm{\Delta }}(\mathrm{log}\,\mathrm{sSFR})$, derived from changes in the strength of galaxy Hβ equivalent width. We interpret this as a consequence of higher gas densities, lower gas covering fractions, combined with a higher escape fraction of H-ionizing photons. We discuss both tests to confirm these assertions and implications this has for future observations of galaxies at higher redshifts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Geocatalytically generated methane from low-maturity coal and shale source rocks at low temperatures (80–120 °C) over 52 months

Geocatalytic methanogenesis has been proposed to contribute to methane generation from low-maturity coal and shale source rocks. This study contributes further evidence for geocatalytic methanogenesis from low-maturity source rocks based on long-term experiments lasting up to 52 months. Samples from the Upper Devonian New Albany Shale (R o 0.54 %) and Springfield Coal No. 2 (Pennsylvanian; R o 0.54 %) were heated in glass tubes at 80, 100, and 120 °C for 52 months. Sample aliquots from the Upper Cretaceous Second White Specks Formation (R o 0.42 %) were heated in gold tubes at 80 and 100 °C for 42 months at elevated hydrostatic pressures of 100 to 300 MPa. The product gases — methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) — were collected and quantified, and gas yields were corrected for leakage from imperfectly closed pores in samples during heating. The results show that longer heating produced more CH 4 . The average CH 4 yields from New Albany Shale and Springfield Coal No. 2 are 0.47 and 3.0 μmol CH 4 per gram of total organic carbon (TOC) over 52 months of heating. Elevated hydrostatic pressure caused lower CH 4 yields from the Second White Specks Formation (3.82 to 1.20 μmol g –1 TOC), suggesting that pressure can retard methanogenesis. Maceral type critically controls the methanogenesis potential of low-maturity coal and shale source rocks. Finally, results of this study provide important insights to the origin of natural gas in low-maturity sedimentary basins.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗