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Thermal hydraulic performance testing of printed circuit heat exchangers in a high-temperature helium test facility
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Development of a concentrating solar power system using fluidized-bed technology for thermal energy conversion and solid particles for thermal energy storage
Concentrating solar power (CSP) is an effective way to convert solar energy into electricity with an economic energy-storage capability for grid-scale, dispatchable renewable power generation. However, CSP plants need to reduce costs to be competitive with other power generation methods. Two ways to reduce CSP cost are to increase solar-to-electric efficiency by supporting a high-efficiency power conversion system, and to use low-cost materials in the system. The current nitrate-based molten-salt systems have limited potential for cost reduction and improved power-conversion efficiency with high operating temperatures. Even with significant improvements in operating performance, these systems face challenges in satisfying the cost and performance targets. This paper introduces a novel CSP system with high-temperature capability that can be integrated into a high-efficiency CSP plant and that meets the low-cost, high-performance CSP targets. Unlike a conventional salt-based CSP plant, this design uses gas/solid, two-phase flow as the heat-transfer fluid (HTF); separated solid particles as storage media; and stable, inexpensive materials for the high-temperature receiver and energy storage containment. We highlight the economic and performance benefits of this innovative CSP system design, which has thermal energy storage capability for base-load power generation.
Novel highly dispersible, thermally stable core/shell proppants for geothermal applications
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Monte Carlo simulation methods in moment-based scale-bridging algorithms for thermal radiative-transfer problems
We present a moment-based acceleration algorithm applied to Monte Carlo simulation of thermal radiative-transfer problems. Our acceleration algorithm employs a continuum system of moments to accelerate convergence of stiff absorption–emission physics. The combination of energy-conserving tallies and the use of an asymptotic approximation in optically thick regions remedy the difficulties of local energy conservation and mitigation of statistical noise in such regions. We demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the developed method. We also compare directly to the standard linearization-based method of Fleck and Cummings [1]. A factor of 40 reduction in total computational time is achieved with the new algorithm for an equivalent (or more accurate) solution as compared with the Fleck–Cummings algorithm.
Effects of long-term thermal aging on bulk and local mechanical behavior of ferritic-austenitic duplex stainless steels
Ferritic-austenitic duplex stainless steels (DSS) undergo significant thermal aging embrittlement in service in light water reactors. Specimens of cast CF–3 and CF–8 DSS have been laboratory aged for up to 17,200 h at four different temperatures (280, 320, 360, 400 °C) in order to characterize the aging evolution and mechanical properties. Standard Charpy V-Notch (CVN) impact testing and tensile testing are employed to measure the progression of embrittlement of the steels. Concurrently, nanoindentation measurements are performed to measure the hardening of the individual ferrite and austenite phases. Atom probe tomography (APT) analysis of the ferrite and austenite phases elucidates the relationship between spinodal decomposition of the ferrite and the mechanical effects of aging. The results are discussed to relate the effects of the local microstructure and property changes in the ferrite phase on the overall bulk mechanical evolution of these steels.
Real-Time Defect Correction in Large-Scale Polymer Additive Manufacturing via Thermal Imaging and Laser Profilometer
Defects can result in a failed part and are costly in terms of time and material. This cost is even greater in the context of large-scale additive manufacturing where the objects can be very large. As a result, a great deal of research has focused on defect identification and mitigation. To address defects during object construction, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility investigated an in-situ control system comprised of two sensors: a thermal camera and laser profilometer. This control system adjusted material flow and build speed to mitigate three types of defects: low layer times, underfill, and overfill. Several test objects were constructed. The control system was found to adjust build parameters to handle low layer times of approximately 15 seconds and height deviations from -100% underfill (the absence of a layer) to 50% overfill. Within two layers, height deviations could be returned to within 10% of the expected layer height. Further, preliminary results suggest the system can compensate for uneven build surfaces.
Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of Cold-Sprayed Nickel-Yttria Coating
The microstructural evolution under the extreme environments imposed during cold spray deposition of cermet coatings and the microstructural recovery during post-processing annealing treatments is rather complex and not well understood. Here, Ni-Yttria cermet coatings on an SS304 substrate were produced using cold spray technique, resulting in a bimodal grain structure. The grain growth, phase stability, hardness, and wear properties are observed in as-deposited and annealed (at 400 °C) Ni-Yttria and pure Ni coatings. A multimodal microstructural characterization using electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography shows the structural and compositional stability of yttria particles and Ni grains. A fragmentation of Y-rich particles and dispersion in Ni was observed, however, no forced mixing/dissolution of Y in Ni is detected. Nano-yttria dispersed within the Ni grains slowed the grain growth during annealing. After annealing, Yttria reinforced coating was 1.5 times harder and showed better thermal and mechanical stability compared to the Ni coating.
Crystal Structure Evolution and Notable Thermal Expansion in Hybrid Perovskites Formamidinium Tin Iodide and Formamidinium Lead Bromide
The temperature-dependent structure evolution of the hybrid halide perovskite compounds, formamidinium tin iodide (FASnI 3 , FA + = CH[NH 2 ] 2 + ) and formamidinium lead bromide (FAPbBr 3 ), has been monitored using high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction between 300 and 100 K. The data are consistent with a transition from cubic Pm$\bar{3}$m (No. 221) to tetragonal P 4 /mbm (No. 127) for both materials upon cooling; this occurs for FAPbBr 3 between 275 and 250 K, and for FASnI 3 between 250 and 225 K. Upon further cooling, between 150 and 125 K, both materials undergo a transition to an orthorhombic Pnma (No. 62) structure. The transitions are confirmed by calorimetry and dielectric measurements. In the tetragonal regime, the coefficients of volumetric thermal expansion of FASnI 3 and FAPbBr 3 are among the highest recorded for any extended inorganic crystalline solid, reaching 219 ppm K –1 for FASnI 3 at 225 K. Atomic displacement parameters of all atoms for both materials suggest dynamic motion is occurring in the inorganic sublattice due to the flexibility of the inorganic network and dynamic lone pair stereochemical activity on the B-site. Unusual pseudocubic behavior is displayed in the tetragonal phase of the FAPbBr 3 , similar to that previously observed in FAPbI 3 .
H Atom Production and Reaction in the Gamma Radiolysis of Thermally Modified Boehmite
The correlation between the formation of H atoms and H2 was observed in the radiolysis of thermally modified boehmite (?-AlOOH). Boehmite was pretreated by heating to 300, 400, and 550°C, loaded with adsorbed water, and irradiated with gamma rays. Long-lived H atoms trapped in the interstitial matrix was observed by electron paramagnetic resonance techniques and the amount of gaseous H2 by gas chromatography. Heating the boehmite to 400°C before radiolysis results in the collapse of the matrix with loss of trapped H atoms and a substantial increase in the production of H2. Samples without added water post-heating showed no production of H2 suggesting that it is formed by the diffusion of H atoms to the surface followed by an abstraction reaction with water. Boehmite heated to 550°C has completely converted to alumina and the radiolytic responses of each are similar. Post-irradiation heating of boehmite to 300°C results in a doubling of the H2 yield at pretreated temperatures below 300°C due to the release of trapped H atoms.
Optimized Microwave-Based Synthesis of Thermally Stable Inverse Catalytic Core-shell Motifs for CO2 Hydrogenation
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Palladium Nanoparticle Formation on TiO2(110) by Thermal Decomposition of Palladium(II) Hexafluoroacetylacetonate
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Thermal Stabilization of Metal–Organic Framework-Derived Single-Site Catalytic Clusters through Nanocasting
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide convenient systems for organizing high concentrations of single catalytic sites derived from metallic or oxo-metallic nodes. However, high-temperature processes cause agglomeration of these nodes, so that the single-site character and catalytic activity are lost. In this work, we present a simple nanocasting approach to provide a thermally stable secondary scaffold for MOP-based catalytic single sites, preventing their aggregation even after exposure to air at 600 degrees C. We describe the nanocasting of NU-1000, a MOP with 3 nm channels and Lewis-acidic oxozirconium clusters, with silica. By condensing tetramethylorthosilicate within the NU-1000 pores via a vapor-phase HCl treatment, a silica layer is created on the inner walls of NU-1000. This silica layer provides anchoring sites for the oxozirconium clusters in NU-1000 after the organic linkers are removed at high temperatures. Differential pair distribution functions obtained from synchrotron X-ray scattering confirmed that isolated oxozirconium clusters are maintained in the heated nanocast materials. Pyridine adsorption experiments and a glucose isomerization reaction demonstrate that the clusters remain accessible to reagents and maintain their acidic character and catalytic activity even after the nanocast materials have been heated to 500-600 degrees C in air. Density functional theory calculations show a correlation between the Lewis acidity of the oxozirconium clusters and their catalytic activity. The ability to produce MOF-derived materials that retain their catalytic properties after exposure to high temperatures makes nanocasting a useful technique for obtaining single-site catalysts suitable for high-temperature reactions.
Large Thermal Motion in Halide Perovskites
Solar cells based on hybrid perovskites have shown high efficiency while possessing simple processing methods. To gain a fundamental understanding of their properties on an atomic level, we investigate single crystals of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 with a narrow transition (~5 K) near 327 K. Temperature dependent structural measurements reveal a persistent tetragonal structure with smooth changes in the atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) on crossing T*. We show that the ADPs for I ions yield extended flat regions in the potential wells consistent with the measured large thermal expansion parameter. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that this material exhibits significant asymmetries in the Pb-I pair distribution functions. We also show that the intrinsically enhanced freedom of motion of the iodine atoms enables large deformations. This flexibility (softness) of the atomic structure results in highly localized atomic relaxation about defects and hence accounts for both the high carrier mobility as well as the structural instability.