Pd/BEA hydrocarbon traps: Effect of hydrothermal aging on trapping properties and Pd speciation
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With emission control regulations getting stricter, multi-functional catalyst systems are increasingly important for low-temperature operation. We investigate a wide range of multi-component catalyst systems, as physical mixtures and in multi-bed configurations, while varying the ratios of hydrocarbon traps (HCT), passive NOx adsorbers (PNAs), and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC). Using industrially guided protocols, we measured the ability of these complex catalyst systems to reduce emissions during a 40 °C/min temperature ramp to simulate cold-start conditions. Using a temperature boundary condition of 250 °C, the average conversion was calculated for each regulated pollutant: CO, NOx, and total hydrocarbons (THC). An emissions merit function was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of each system relative to the relevant emission standards and expected engine exhaust concentrations. This merit function identified that a 1:1:4 ratio of PNA:HCT:DOC was the most effective emissions reduction configuration and had similar reactivity as a physical mixture or as a PNA→HCT→DOC multi-bed reactor.
Abstract Hydraulic fracturing has unlocked vast amounts of hydrocarbons trapped within unconventional shale formations. This large-scale engineering approach inadvertently introduces microorganisms into the hydrocarbon reservoir, allowing them to inhabit a new physical space and thrive in the unique biogeochemical resources present in the environment. Advancing our fundamental understanding of microbial growth and physiology in this extreme subsurface environment is critical to improving biofouling control efficacy and maximizing opportunities for beneficial natural resource exploitation. Here, we used metaproteomics and exometabolomics to investigate the biochemical mechanisms underpinning the adaptation of model bacterium Halanaerobium congolense WG10 and mixed microbial consortia enriched from shale-produced fluids to hypersalinity and very low reservoir flow rates (metabolic stress). We also queried the metabolic foundation for biofilm formation in this system, a major impediment to subsurface energy exploration. For the first time, we report that H. congolense WG10 accumulates tyrosine for osmoprotection, an indication of the flexible robustness of stress tolerance that enables its long-term persistence in fractured shale environments. We also identified aromatic amino acid synthesis and cell wall maintenance as critical to biofilm formation. Finally, regulation of transmembrane transport is key to metabolic stress adaptation in shale bacteria under very low well flow rates. These results provide unique insights that enable better management of hydraulically fractured shale systems, for more efficient and sustainable energy extraction.
Samples of liquid oxygen, high pressure nitrogen, low pressure nitrogen, and missile grade air were studied to determine the hydrocarbon concentrations. Concentration of the samples was achieved by adsorption on a molecular sieve and activated charcoal. The trapped hydrocarbons were then desorbed and transferred to an analytical column in a gas chromatograph. The sensitivity of the method depends on the volume of gas passed through the adsorbent tubes. The value of the method was verified through recoverability and reproducibility studies. The use of this method enables LOX, GN2, and missile grade air systems to be routinely monitored to determine low level increases in specific hydrocarbon concentration that could lead to potentially hazardous conditions.
A single scoop of the Rocknest aeolian deposit was sieved (less than 150 micrometers), and four separate sample portions, each with a mass of approximately 50 mg, were delivered to individual cups inside the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument by the Mars Science Laboratory rover's sample acquisition system. The samples were analyzed separately by the SAM pyrolysis evolved gas and gas chromatograph mass spectrometer analysis modes. Several chlorinated hydrocarbons including chloromethane, dichloromethane, trichloromethane, a chloromethylpropene, and chlorobenzene were identified by SAM above background levels with abundances of approximately 0.01 to 2.3 nmol. The evolution of the chloromethanes observed during pyrolysis is coincident with the increase in O2 released from the Rocknest sample and the decomposition of a product of N-methyl-N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA), a chemical whose vapors were released from a derivatization cup inside SAM. The best candidate for the oxychlorine compounds in Rocknest is a hydrated calcium perchlorate (Ca(ClO4)2·nH2O), based on the temperature release of O2 that correlates with the release of the chlorinated hydrocarbons measured by SAM, although other chlorine-bearing phases are being considered. Laboratory analog experiments suggest that the reaction of Martian chlorine from perchlorate decomposition with terrestrial organic carbon from MTBSTFA during pyrolysis can explain the presence of three chloromethanes and a chloromethylpropene detected by SAM. Chlorobenzene may be attributed to reactions of Martian chlorine released during pyrolysis with terrestrial benzene or toluene derived from 2,6-diphenylphenylene oxide (Tenax) on the SAM hydrocarbon trap. At this time we do not have definitive evidence to support a nonterrestrial carbon source for these chlorinated hydrocarbons, nor do we exclude the possibility that future SAM analyses will reveal the presence of organic compounds native to the Martian regolith.
Lintz (1972) has defined remote sensing for petroleum exploration as the detection from a distance of variations of the earth's surface or properties. Possibilities foreseen by Lintz could be realized with the Lander satellite. When used in 'phase-one' exploration programs, Landsat data have been effective in 'zeroing-in' on potential hydrocarbon traps, and later, when supplemented by more conventional exploration procedures, have led to the discovery of these resources. The present investigation is concerned with an overview of the methods utilized in 'phase-one' hydrocarbon exploration programs. The considered methods are to serve as an initial tool to aid the more conventional exploration procedures. Attention is given to visual interpretations, digital image processing, lineament analysis, surface anomalies, and geomorphology and topography.
The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the Curiosity rover is designed to determine the inventory of organic and inorganic volatiles thermally evolved from solid samples using a combination of evolved gas analysis (EGA), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS), and tunable laser spectroscopy. The first solid samples analyzed by SAM, a scoop of windblown dust and sand at Rocknest (RN), revealed chlorinated hydrocarbons derived primarily from reactions between a martian oxychlorine phase (e.g. perchlorate) and terrestrial carbon from N-methyl-N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) vapor present in the SAM instrument background. Chlorobenzene (CBZ) was also identified by SAM GCMS at RN at trace levels (approx.0.007 nmol) and was attributed to the reaction of chlorine with the Tenax polymers used in the hydrocarbon traps. After the RN analyses, Curiosity traveled to Yellowknife Bay and drilled two separate holes designated John Klein (JK) and Cumberland (CB). Analyses of JK and CB by both SAM and the CheMin x-ray diffraction instrument revealed a mudstone consisting of approx.20 wt% smectite clays, which on Earth are known to aid the concentration and preservation of organic matter. In addition, higher abundances and a more diverse suite of chlorinated hydrocarbons in CB compared to RN suggests that martian or meteoritic organic sources may be preserved in the mudstone. Here we discuss the SAM EGA and GCMS measurements of volatiles released from the Sheepbed mudstone. We focus primarily on the elevated CBZ detections at CB and laboratory analog experiments conducted to help determine if CBZ is derived from primarily terrestrial, martian, or a combination of sources.
Hydraulic fracturing technology, along with horizontal drilling and associated completion technologies, dramatically increased US oil and gas production, by increasing the permeability of tight shales and allowing for cost-effective extraction of trapped hydrocarbons. For efficient and economical production, the targeted shale has to be fractured easily (i.e., good ‘frackability’), but also the permeability of induced fractures have to be sustained during production (good ‘sustainability’). For these reasons, currently, ductile shale with high clay content (>~40%) is difficult to exploit as a hydrocarbon resource, although hydrocarbons can still be found in it. Good frackability, high-TOC, low-clay-content resource shales—the ‘low-hanging fruit’—will be depleted, and we need to develop tools that allow tapping into currently underutilized, clay-rich ductile shales. This research project aims (1) to understand the behavior of fractures in clay-rich, ductile (and sometimes swelling) shales and (2) to begin to develop technologies for efficient and economical production from such shales. With these objectives, we examine time-dependent, coupled mechanical-hydrological behavior of open and proppant-filled fractures within different types of shales. In the preceding project, the focus of the research was to understand the behavior of the fractures and to predict their permeability changes due to fracture closure from shale matrix deformation and proppant embedment. In the current project, we investigate the possibility of chemically manipulating the sustainability of hydraulic fractures in ductile shales—specifically by altering the proppant-embedding behavior—via chemical means, at different stages of oil and gas production.
Several vacuum applications of copper foams in the density range 2-5% and pore sizes of 0.5-0.7 mm are discussed, such as a foreline hydrocarbon trap in a mechanical vacuum pump, a molecular-flow resistor, a diffuser, and a water injector. Other suggested applications include the use of foam copper in the form of an externally heated plug to remove traces of oxygen from inert gases bled into a vacuum system through a stainless steel line and the use of the porous surface for minimizing release of secondary electrons from electrodes in the path of charged particle beams.
Mars is a planet of great interest for Astrobiology since its past environmental conditions are thought to have been favourable for the emergence life. At present, the Red Planet is extremely cold and dry and the surface is exposed to intense UV and ionizing radiation, conditions generally considered to be incompatible with life as we know it on Earth. It was proposed that the shallow subsurface of Mars, where temperatures can be above freezing and liquid water can exist on rock surfaces, could harbor chemolithoautotrophic bacteria such as the iron oxidizing microorganism Pseudomonas sp. HerB. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will provide the next opportunity to carry out in situ measurements for organic compounds of possible biological origin on Mars. One instrument onboard MSL, called the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite, will carry out a broad and sensitive search for organic compounds in surface samples using either high temperature pyrolysis or chemical extraction followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. We present gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC/MS) data on crushed olivine rock powders that have been inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. HerB at different concentrations ranging from approx 10(exp 2) to 10(exp 7) cells per gram. The inoculated olivine samples were heated under helium carrier gas flow at 500 C and the pyrolysis products concentrated using a SAM-like hydrocarbon trap set at -20 C followed by trap heating and analysis by GC/Ms. In addition, the samples were also extracted using a low temperature "one-pot" chemical extraction technique using N-methyl, N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) as the silylating agent prior to GC/MS analysis. We identified several aldehydes, thiols, and alkene nitriles after pyrolysis GC/MS analysis of the bacteria that were not found in the olivine control samples that had not been inoculated with bacteria. The distribution of pyrolysis products extracted from the bacteria was clearly distinct from similar GC/MS analyses of the carbonaceous meteorite Murchison that was dominated by sulfur containing aromatic compounds. A similar comparison, if organic compounds are detected by SAM on Mars, could be useful to help discriminate between meteoritic or biological origins.
Oxides of nitrogen in the form of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) commonly referred to as NOx, is one of the two chemical precursors that lead to ground-level ozone, a ubiquitous air pollutant in urban areas. A major source of NOx is generated by equipment and vehicles powered by diesel engines, which have a combustion exhaust that contains NOx in the presence of excess O 2 . Vehicular emission control catalysts are ineffective in eliminating CO, hydrocarbons, and NO x during engine cold-start when exhaust temperatures are below 200°C. The objective of the project was to develop and demonstrate a multi-functional, catalyzed trap that enables vehicles with advanced combustion strategies to meet Tier 3 emissions standards while achieving the 150 °C challenge for sustained co-oxidation of HCs and CO and ≥90% NO trapping and release during warmup. Specifically, the multi-functional Lean HC+NOx (LHCNT) was developed for application in the exhaust aftertreatment of conventional diesel engines and engines having low temperature combustion (LTC) regimes. Activities included the design and synthesis of adsorbents and catalysts, screening and evaluation. Passive NOx absorbers (PNA), hydrocarbon (HC) traps, and oxidation catalysts (OC) were evaluated for use in series or as integrated devices. Predictive tools were developed utilizing the characterization and analysis of these materials, and an emission system was designed and optimized utilizing the catalyst systems. Microkinetic models were developed for the PNA for the simple NO-only feed and complex feed containing CO, H 2 , and model hydrocarbons (ethylene and dodecane). A first-principles, mechanistic-based model of the PNA was developed which utilized molecular-scale estimates (density functional theory) of energy barriers, mechanistic-based kinetics and realistic treatments of the flow and transport processes. Two new oxidation catalysts were developed (PdCu alloy, mixed copper-ceria-cobalt oxide), both of which significantly lessened the detrimental inhibition by CO on hydrocarbon and NO oxidation. A method for lessening the detrimental impact of CO on PNA activity was developed that involves use of an oxidation catalyst upstream of the PNA. The SwRI Ectolab TM burner system was applied to evaluate the baseline PNA material and confirmed performance comparable to the benchflow PNA studies using simulated exhaust. Spatially-resolved mass spectrometry (SpaciMS) was used to measure the transient spatial profiles of reacting species spanning the length of a three-function LHCNT containing PNA, HCT, and OC. The findings from this study provide diesel vehicle and catalyst companies valuable information to develop more cost effective emission control catalysts which helps to expand the use of more fuel efficient diesel power. The fundamental modeling and experimental tools and findings from this project can be applied to catalyst technologies used in the energy and chemical industries. The project led to 14 publications in the peer-reviewed literature with 2 additional currently under review. Finally, the project also led to training of several doctoral students who were placed in research jobs in industry and academia. Specifically, Mugdha Ambast (UH) has joined Cummins, Kevin Gu (UVa) has joined GM, and Abhay Gupta (UH) is to join Caterpillar.
Oxides of nitrogen in the form of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) commonly referred to as NOx, is one of the two chemical precursors that lead to ground-level ozone, a ubiquitous air pollutant in urban areas. A major source of NOx is generated by equipment and vehicles powered by diesel engines, which have a combustion exhaust that contains NOx in the presence of excess O 2 . Vehicular emission control catalysts are ineffective in eliminating CO, hydrocarbons, and NOx during engine cold-start when exhaust temperatures are below 200°C. The objective of the project was to develop and demonstrate a multi-functional, catalyzed trap that enables vehicles with advanced combustion strategies to meet Tier 3 emissions standards while achieving the 150 °C challenge for sustained co-oxidation of HCs and CO and ≥90% NO trapping and release during warmup. Specifically, the multi-functional Lean HC+NOx (LHCNT) was developed for application in the exhaust aftertreatment of conventional diesel engines and engines having low temperature combustion (LTC) regimes. Activities included the design and synthesis of adsorbents and catalysts, screening and evaluation. Passive NOx absorbers (PNA), hydrocarbon (HC) traps, and oxidation catalysts (OC) were evaluated for use in series or as integrated devices. Predictive tools were developed utilizing the characterization and analysis of these materials, and an emission system was designed and optimized utilizing the catalyst systems. Microkinetic models were developed for the PNA for the simple NO-only feed and complex feed containing CO, H 2 , and model hydrocarbons (ethylene and dodecane). A first-principles, mechanistic-based model of the PNA was developed which utilized molecular-scale estimates (density functional theory) of energy barriers, mechanistic-based kinetics and realistic treatments of the flow and transport processes. Two new oxidation catalysts were developed (PdCu alloy, mixed copper-ceria-cobalt oxide), both of which significantly lessened the detrimental inhibition by CO on hydrocarbon and NO oxidation. A method for lessening the detrimental impact of CO on PNA activity was developed that involves use of an oxidation catalyst upstream of the PNA. The SwRI Ectolab TM burner system was applied to evaluate the baseline PNA material and confirmed performance comparable to the benchflow PNA studies using simulated exhaust. Spatially-resolved mass spectrometry (SpaciMS) was used to measure the transient spatial profiles of reacting species spanning the length of a three-function LHCNT containing PNA, HCT, and OC. The findings from this study provide diesel vehicle and catalyst companies valuable information to develop more cost effective emission control catalysts which helps to expand the use of more fuel efficient diesel power. The fundamental modeling and experimental tools and findings from this project can be applied to catalyst technologies used in the energy and chemical industries. The project led to 14 publications in the peer-reviewed literature with 2 additional currently under review. Finally, the project also led to training of several doctoral students who were placed in research jobs in industry and academia. Specifically, Mugdha Ambast (UH) has joined Cummins, Kevin Gu (UVa) has joined GM, and Abhay Gupta (UH) is to join Caterpillar.
According to Oparin, Mendeleev thought that the origin of petroleum was the result of the hydrolysis of iron carbides by superheated steam under pressure from the deep interior of the Earth through geological formations where the metal carbides exist. As early as 1877, Mendeleev described the reaction leading to the synthesis of hydrocarbons according to the general equation 3Fe(sub m)C(sub n) + mH2O yields mFe3O4 + C(sub 3n)H(sub 8m). Other experimental studies on the production of hydrocarbons from cast iron have been reported. Because of the possibility that hydrocarbons may have been trapped within the carbon matrix of the cast iron, which usually has a high content of carbon, we have studied the reaction of pure iron carbide with deuterium chloride and deuterated water. This was done in order to distinguish any newly formed deuterated hydrocarbons from any possible impurities of trapped hydrocarbons. The experiments were carried out by simply allowing iron carbide to react with concentrated deuterium chloride in D2O. The volatile hydrocarbon fraction examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), using a Finnigan 1020/OWA instrument. contained low molecular weight hydrocarbons in a range C3 to C7. Lower molecular weight hydrocarbons were not detected by GC/MS because the MS scanning mode was preset above mass 40 to exclude components of air. The identified hydrocarbons are similar to those obtained under prebiotic conditions using high frequency discharge. The hydrocarbons found in common were propane, butane, pentane, 3-methylpentane, hexane, and heptane. The percent yields decline with increasing carbon number (propane 11%, n-heptane 1%). Similar results have been obtained by the direct treatment of metal carbides by pulse laser vaporization mass spectrometry. These results show that the hydrolysis of iron carbides may have been a significant source of hydrocarbons on the primitive Earth. There appears to be a predominance of straight chain isomers, which may have been important in the prebiotic synthesis of membrane-forming compounds.
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This experiment was designed to determine the types and amounts of information valuable to petroleum exploration extractable from ERTS data and the cost of obtaining the information using traditional or conventional means. It was desired that an evaluation of this new petroleum exploration tool be made in a geologically well known area in order to assess its usefulness in an unknown area. The Anadarko Basin lies in western Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas. It was chosen as a test site because there is a great deal of published information available on the surface and subsurface geology of the area, and there are many known structures that act as traps for hydrocarbons. This basin is similar to several other large epicontinental sedimentary basins. It was found that ERTS imagery is an excellent tool for reconnaissance exploration of large sedimentary basins or new exploration provinces. For the first time, small and medium size oil companies can rapidly and effectively analyze exploration provinces as a whole.
This investigation was undertaken to determine the types and amounts of information valuable to petroleum exploration that are extractable from ERTS data and to determine the cost of obtaining the information from ERTS relative to costs using traditional or conventional means. In particular, it was desirable to evaluate this new petroleum exploration tool in a geologically well-known area in order to assess its potential usefulness in an unknown area. In light of the current energy situation, it is felt that such an evaluation is important in order to best utilize technical efforts with customary exploration tools, by rapidly focusing attention on the most promising areas in order to reduce the time required to go through the exploration cycle and to maximize cost savings. The Anadarko Basin lies in western Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas (Figure 1). It was chosen as a test site because there is a great deal of published information available on the surface and subsurface geology of the area, there are many known structures that act as traps for hydrocarbons, and it is similar to several other large epicontinental sedimentary basins.
Most of Titan's atmospheric organic and nitrogen chemistry, aerosol formation, and atmospheric loss are driven from external energy sources such as Solar UV, Saturn's magnetosphere, solar wind and galactic cosmic rays. The Solar UV tends to dominate the energy input at lower altitudes of approximately 1100 km but which can extend down to approximately 400 km, while the plasma interaction from Saturn's magnetosphere, Saturn's magnetosheath or solar wind are more important at higher altitudes of approximately 1400 km, but the heavy ion plasma [O(+)] of approximately 2 keV and energetic ions [H(+)] of approximately 30 keV or higher from Saturn's magnetosphere can penetrate below 950km. Cosmic rays with energies of greater than 1 GeV can penetrate much deeper into Titan's atmosphere with most of its energy deposited at approximately 100 km altitude. The haze layer tends to dominate between 100 km and 300 km. The induced magnetic field from Titan's interaction with the external plasma can be very complex and will tend to channel the flow of energy into Titan's upper atmosphere. Cassini observations combined with advanced hybrid simulations of the plasma interaction with Titan's upper atmosphere show significant changes in the character of the interaction with Saturn local time at Titan's orbit where the magnetosphere displays large and systematic changes with local time. The external solar wind can also drive sub-storms within the magnetosphere which can then modify the magnetospheric interaction with Titan. Another important parameter is solar zenith angle (SZA) with respect to the co-rotation direction of the magnetospheric flow. Titan's interaction can contribute to atmospheric loss via pickup ion loss, scavenging of Titan's ionospheric plasma, loss of ionospheric plasma down its induced magnetotail via an ionospheric wind, and non-thermal loss of the atmosphere via heating and sputtering induced by the bombardment of magnetospheric keV ions and electrons. This energy input evidently drives the large positive and negative ions observed below approximately 1100 km altitude with ion masses exceeding 10,000 daltons. We refer to these ions as seed particles for the aerosols observed below 300 km altitude. These seed particles can be formed, for example, from the polymerization of acetylene (C2H2) and benzene (C6H6) molecules in Titan's upper atmosphere to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and/or fullerenes (C60). In the case of fullerenes, which are hollow spherical carbon shells, magnetospheric keV [O(+)] ions can become trapped inside the fullerenes and eventually find themselves inside the aerosols as free oxygen. The aerosols are then expected to fall to Titan's surface as polymerized hydrocarbons with trapped free oxygen where unknown surface chemistry can take place.