A high pressure differential thermal analysis apparatus

A high pressure differential thermal analysis apparatus is described which is capable of operation in the pressure range from 1-600 atm of nitrogen gas and at temperatures from 25 to 500°C. Use of the apparatus is illustrated by the deaquation reactions of CuCl₂·2H₂0 and CoSO₄·7H₂O at pressures from 1 to 69 atm.     

New Microthermogravimetric Apparatus. Kinetics of metal sulphidation and transport properties of transition metal sulphides

A novel microthermogravimetric apparatus to study the kinetics of metal sulphur reactions and transport properties of transition metal sulphides has been described. The main feature of this arrangement includes the application of the carrier gas for sulphur vapour transportation and the protection of the balance chamber from sulphur attack. As a consequence, the helix balance could have been replaced by an automatic electronic microbalance and the accuracy of the mass change measurements increased more than two orders of magnitude, up to 10^–7 g. The application of two liquid sulphur reservoirs created very stable, strictly defined reaction conditions, and enabled to make rapid changes of sulphur partial pressure in the reaction chamber. It has been demonstrated that all these innovations make it possible to study not only the kinetics of very slow sulphidation processes but also to determine deviations from stoichiometry and defect mobility in transition metal sulphides. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Sorption of CO2, C2H4, N2O and their binary mixtures in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Sorption of carbon dioxide, ethylene, and nitrous oxide in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at 35°C has been characterized for each gas as a pure component and for mixtures of carbon dioxide/ethylene and carbon dioxide/nitrous oxide. Pressures up to 20 atm were examined. Pure-component sorption isotherms are concave to the pressure axis for each of the gases. This behavior is accurately described by the dual-mode sorption model. Using only the purecomponent dual-mode parameters and the generalization of the model for gas mixtures, one can predict the total concentration of gas sorbed in the polymer to within an average deviation of ±2.01% for the CO₂/C₂H₄/PMMA system and ±0.98% for the CO₂/N₂O/PMMA system. In both systems, for each component of the mixture, sorption levels were lower than corresponding pure-component sorption levels at pressures equal to the partial pressure of the respective components in the mixture. Depression of the sorbed concentration in mixture situations appears to be a general feature of the above systems and can be substantial in some situations. For the CO₂/C₂H₄/PMMA system, use of pure-component sorption data to estimate the total sorbed concentration in the mixture would be in error by as much as 40% if one failed to account for competition phenomena responsible for depression in mixed-gas situations. Mixture pressures as high as 20 atm were studied for both systems and in the CO₂/N₂O/PMMA system sorbed concentrations reach 33.90 [cm³(STP)/cm³ polymer] without any significant deviation from model predictions.     

The diffusion of CO2, CH4, C2H4, and C3H8 in polyethylene at elevated pressures

Diffusion and solubility coefficients have been determined for the CO₂^?, CH₄^?, C₂H₄^?, and C₃H₈-polyethylene systems at temperatures of 5, 20, and 35°C and at gas pressures up to 40 atm. Diffusion coefficients were obtained from rates of gas absorption in polyethylene rods under isothermal-isobaric conditions by means of a new diffusivity apparatus. The concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficients was represented satisfactorily by Fujita's free-volume model, modified for semicrystalline polymers, while the solubility of all the penetrants in polyethylene was within the limit of Henry's law. Semiempirical correlations were found for the free-volume parameters in terms of physicochemical properties of the penetrant gases and the penetrant-polymer systems. These correlations, if confirmed, should permit the prediction of diffusion and permeability coefficients of other gases and of gas mixtures in polyethylene as functions of pressure and temperature.     

TG Measurements of the Oxidation Kinetics of Fe-Cr Alloy with Regard to its Application as a Separator in SOFC

The high-temperature oxidation behavior of a ferritic alloy (SUS 430) in a SOFC environment, corresponding to the anode (H₂/H₂O gas mixture) and cathode (air) operating conditions, was determined with regard to application of the alloy as a metallic separator material in SOFC. The oxidation kinetics of Fe-16Cr alloy (SUS 430), was studied by thermogravimetry in H₂/H₂O gas mixtures with p_H/p_HO=94/6 and 97/3 and in air, in the temperature range 1023-1223 K, for 3.6 up to 1080 ks. It was found that the protective oxide scale, composed mainly of Cr₂O₃ with uniform thickness and excellent adhesion to the metal substrate, grows in accordance with the parabolic rate law. The dependence of the parabolic rate constant, k_p, of the scale on temperature obeys the Arrhenius equation: k_p=6.8×10^-4 exp (-202.3 kJ mol^-1R^-1T^-1) for H₂/H₂O gas mixtures with p_H/p_HO=94/6. The determined k_p was independent of the oxygen partial pressure in the range from 5.2×10^-22 to 0.21 atm at 1073 K, which means that the rates of growth of the scale on Fe-16Cr alloy in the above-mentioned atmospheres are comparable. The oxidation test results on Fe-16Cr alloy in H₂/H₂O gas mixtures and air demonstrate the applicability of SUS 430 alloys as a separator for SOFC. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Poly(ether urethane) and poly(ether urethane urea) membranes with high H2S/CH4 selectivity

The objective of this study was to synthesize rubbery polymers with a high H₂S/CH₄ selectivity for possible use as membrane materials for the separation of H₂S from ‘low-quality’ natural gas. Two poly(ether urethanes), designated hereafter PU1 and PU3, and two poly(ether urethane ureas), designated PU2 and PU4, were synthesized and cast in the form of ‘dense’ (homogeneous) membranes. PU1 and PU2 contained poly(propylene oxide) whereas PU3 and PU4 contained poly(ethylene oxide) as the polyether component. The permeability of these membranes to two ternary mixtures of CH₄, CO₂, and H₂S was measured at 35°C, and for a PU4 membrane also at 20°C, in the pressure range from 4 to 13.6 atm (4.05–13.78×10⁵ Pa). PU4 is a very promising membrane material for H₂S separation from mixtures with CH₄ and CO₂, having a H₂S/CH₄ selectivity greater than 100 at 20°C as well as a very high permeability to H₂S. Permeability measurements were also made with commercial PEBAX^TM membranes for comparison. The possibility of upgrading low-quality natural gas to US pipeline specifications for H₂S and CO₂ by means of membrane processes utilizing both highly H₂S-selective and CO₂-selective polymer membranes is discussed.     

Measuring the ignition delay time for hydrogen-oxygen mixtures behind the front of an incident shock wave

The delay time τ has been measured for the formation of the ^·OH radical in igniting hydrogenoxygen mixtures diluted with argon (79–97%). The experiments have been carried out under incident shock wave conditions at temperatures of 900–3000 K, pressures of 0.5–2.5 atm, and H₂/O₂ ratios of 0.2–20. The dependence of τ on the pressure P _s of the stoichiometric part of the combustible mixture (2H₂-O₂) has been investigated for different mixture compositions. Under the above conditions, τ depends practically linearly on 1/P _s at P _s = 0.02−0.1 atm, irrespective of the mixture composition. This allows the measured τ data to be converted to one quantity, τP _s. The temperature dependence of τP _s in the P _s range from 0.02 to 0.1 atm is Arrhenius-like. For the hydrogen-rich mixtures (H₂/O₂ = 2–20), this dependence appears as τP _s= 0.057 + 0.0256exp(7470/T) μs atm; for the lean mixtures (H₂/O₂ = 0.125–1), τP _s = 0.021 + 0.0069exp(7470/T) μs atm. The length of the shock-heated gas plug in the incident shock wave poses limitations on the ignition delay time measurements at T < 900 K.     

High pressure differential thermal analysis of the lanthanum nickel-hydrogen system

A high pressure differential thermal analysis apparatus is described which is capable of operation in the pressure range from 1–680 atm of hydrogen at temperatures from 20 to 900°C. This system has been used to investigate the LaNi₅H₂ system from 1–200 atm.     

The kinetic isotope effect for carbon and oxygen in the reaction CO + OH

The kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for carbon and oxygen in the reaction CO + OH has been measured over a range of pressures of air and at 0.2 and 1.0 atm of oxygen, argon, and helium. The reaction was carried out with 21–86% conversion under static conditions, utilizing the photolysis of H₂O₂ as a source of OH radicals. The value of the KIE for carbon varies with pressure and the kind of ambient gas; for air the ratio of the reaction rates ¹²k/¹³k has the value 1.007 at 1.00 atm and decreases to 0.997 at 0.2 atm; for oxygen and argon over the same pressure range the values are 1.002–0.994 and 1.000–0.991, respectively. The value of the KIE for the CO oxygen atom is ¹⁶k/¹⁸k = 0.990 over the pressure range 0.2–1.0 atm and is independent of the kind of ambient gas. No exchange of the oxygen atoms in the activated complex, followed by decomposition to the starting molecules, was observed. From the mechanistic standpoint the normal KIE observed for carbon at the high pressure is attributed to the initial formation of the activated HOCO radical, whereas the inverse KIE observed at low pressures is a result of the KIE for the reverse reaction HOCO? → CO + OH being greater than that for the forward reaction HOCO^? → CO₂ + H. The derived isotopic equilibrium constant for HOCO ?CO favors the enrichment of ¹³C in the more strongly bound HOCO.     

Pr<Subscript>5</Subscript>Mo<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>16 + δ</Subscript>: A New Anode Material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The thermomechanical and electrical conductivity properties of praseodymium molybdate Pr₅Mo₃O_{16 + δ} prepared by a solid-phase method were studied. The electrical conductivity of praseodymium molybdate samples measured at temperatures in the range 373–1173 K with the oxygen partial pressure in the gas of 10^–3 to 0.21 atm was found to increase from ~10^–7 to ~10^–2 S/cm and to be almost independent of oxygen pressure. It is for the first time that electrical conductivity a reductive atmosphere (Ar/H₂ 5%) was found to increase from 0.1 to 1.2 S/cm in the same temperature range. Studies of the chemical stability of Pr₅Mo₃O_{16 + δ} with respect to solid electrolytes showed the absence of chemical reactions with GDC at 1273 K and with YSZ at 1223 K. The combination of these properties evidences for the potential of praseodymium molybdate for use as an anode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).     

Capacity and kinetic measurements of methane and nitrogen adsorption on H+-mordenite at 243–303 K and pressures to 900 kPa using a dynamic column breakthrough apparatus

A dynamic column breakthrough (DCB) apparatus was used to measure the capacity and kinetics of CH₄ and N₂ adsorption on zeolite H⁺-mordenite at temperatures in the range 243.8–302.9 K and pressures up to 903 kPa. Equilibrium adsorption capacities of pure CH₄ and pure N₂ were determined by these dynamic experiments and Langmuir isotherm models were regressed to these pure fluid data over the ranges of temperature and pressure measured. A linear driving force-based model of adsorption in a fixed bed was developed to extract the mass transfer coefficients (MTCs) for CH₄ and N₂ from the pure gas experimental data. The MTCs determined from single adsorbate experiments were used to successfully predict the component breakthroughs for experiments with equimolar CH₄ + N₂ gas mixtures in the DCB apparatus. The MTC of CH₄ on H⁺-mordenite at 902 kPa was 0.013 s^?1 at 302.9 K and 0.004 s^?1 at 243.6 K. The MTC of N₂ on H⁺-mordenite at 902 kPa was 0.011 s^?1 at 302.9 K and 0.005 s^?1 at 243.5 K. The values of the MTCs measured for each gas at a constant feed gas flow rate were observed to increase in a linear trend with the inverse of pressure. However, the apparent MTCs obtained at the lowest pressures studied (≈105 kPa) were systematically below this linear trend, because of the slightly longer residence time of helium in the mass spectrometer used to monitor effluent composition. Nevertheless, the pure fluid dynamic breakthrough data at these lowest pressures could still be reasonably well described using MTC values estimated from the linear trend. Furthermore, the results of dynamic breakthrough experiments with mixtures were all reliably predicted using the capacity and MTC correlations developed for the pure fluids.     

A high pressure electrical conductivity apparatus

A high pressure electrical conductivity (EC) apparatus. capable of operation at pressures from 1 to 170 atm in the temperature range from 25 to 500°C, is described. The effects of the sample holder geometry, pressure, and sample packing on the resulting EC curves are given. Operation of the apparatus is illustrated by the deaquation reactions of BaCI₂·2H₂0.     

Analysis of Niobium–Rare-Earth Ores by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

To determine the composition of niobium–rare-earth ores by atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, two procedures are developed for sample preparation based on autoclave decomposition and flux fusion. Autoclave decomposition is carried out in a mixture of HF and HNO₃ at a temperature of up to 220°C and a pressure of up to 160 atm using a developed system with resistive heating. Subsequent evaporation to dry salts ensures the removal of F^– ions and silicon as SiF₄. The residue is dissolved in a mixture of HCl and H₂O₂ at 160°C under elevated pressure. The resulting solutions (10% with respect to HCl with the addition of H₂O₂) are diluted before measurements. The dissolution process is monitored for each sample using stable highly enriched isotopes of ⁹¹Zr, ¹⁰⁰Mo, ¹⁴⁹Sm, and ¹⁷⁸Hf. The second procedure is based on fusing samples with a mixture of Na₂CO₃ and Na₂B₄O₇ at 1050°C in a muffle furnace and dissolving the resulting melt in a mixture of HCl and H₂O₂. The procedures were tested using the national (NFS-23) and foreign standard samples of composition (OREAS-462, 463, 464, 465, Australia) and real samples of niobium–rare-earth ores.     

High-pressure calorimetric study of plasticization of poly(methyl methacrylate) by methane,ethylene, and carbon dioxide

Glass transition in the system poly(methyl methacrylate)/compressed gas was studied as a function of the gas pressure p using a high-pressure Tian-Calvet heat flow calorimeter. Measurements were made on PMMA-CH₄-C₂H₄, and ;-CO₂ at pressures to 200 atm. All three gases plasticize the polymer leading to depression of the glass transition temperature T_g. Trends in the T_g depression were the same as those reported for the solubility of these gases in PMMA; the higher the solubility the larger the depression in T_g. CO₂ was found to be the most effective plasticizer producing a depression of about 40°C at a pressure of about 37 atm. In the low-pressure limit, the pressure coefficient of the glass transition temperature (dT_g/dp) was found to be about −0.2°C atm^-1 for PMMA-CH₄, the same as that observed for polystyrene-CH₄. For PMMA-C₂H₄, the pressure coefficient was −0.7°C atm^-1, which is lower than the value of −0.9°C atm^-1 observed for PS-C₂H₄. The pressure coefficient for PMMA-CO₂ was found to be about −1.2°C atm^-1, which is larger than the value of −0.9°C atm^-1 observed for PS-CO₂. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of ethane oxidation

Ethane oxidation in jet-stirred reactor has recently been investigated at high temperature (800–1200 K) in the pressure range 1–10 atm and molecular species (H₂, CO, CO₂, CH₄, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆) concentration profiles were obtained by probe sampling and GC analysis. Ethane oxidation was modeled using a comprehensive kinetic reaction mechanism including the most recent findings concerning the kinetics of the reactions involved in the oxidation of C₁? C₄ hydrocarbons. The proposed mechanism is able to reproduce experimental data obtained in our high-pressure jet stirred reactor and ignition delay times measured in shock tube in the pressure range 1–13 atm, for temperatures extending from 800 to 2000 K and equivalence ratios of 0.1 to 2. It is also able to reproduce atoms concentrations (H,O) measured in shock tube at ≈2 atm. The same detailed kinetic mechanism can also be used to model the oxidation of methane, ethylene, propyne, and allene in similar conditions.     

IR laser absorption diagnostic for C2H4 in shock tube kinetics studies

An IR laser absorption diagnostic has been further developed for accurate and sensitive time‐resolved measurements of ethylene in shock tube kinetic experiments. The diagnostic utilizes the P14 line of a tunable CO₂ gas laser at 10.532 μm (the (0 0 1) → (1 0 0) vibrational band) and achieves improved signal‐to‐noise ratio by using IR photovoltaic detectors and accurate identification of the P14 line via an MIR wavemeter. Ethylene absorption cross sections were measured over 643–1959 K and 0.3–18.6 atm behind both incident and reflected shock waves, showing evident exponential decay with temperature. Very weak pressure dependence was observed over the pressure range of 1.2–18.6 atm. By measuring ethylene decomposition time histories at high‐temperature conditions (1519–1895 K, 2.0–2.8 atm) behind reflected shocks, the rate coefficient of the dominant elementary reaction C₂H₄ + M → C₂H₂ + H₂ + M was determined to be k₁ = (2.6 ± 0.5) × 10¹⁶exp(?34,130/T, K) cm³ mol^?1 s^?1 with low data scatter. Ethylene concentration time histories were also measured during the oxidation of 0.5% C₂H₄/O₂/Ar mixtures varying in equivalence ratio from 0.25 to 2. Initial reflected shock conditions ranged from 1267 to 1440 K and 2.95 to 3.45 atm. The measured time histories were compared to the modeled predictions of four ethylene oxidation mechanisms, showing excellent agreement with the Ranzi et al. mechanism (updated in 2011). This diagnostic scheme provides a promising tool for the study and validation of detailed hydrocarbon pyrolysis and oxidation mechanisms of fuel surrogates and realistic fuels. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 423–432, 2012     

High pressure isomerization of 1,4-bis(methylthio)hexafluoro-2-butene to-1-butene

The complete bond migration of the internal olefinic bond of trans-1,4-bis(methythio)hexafluoro-2-butene(I) under high pressure to the terminal olefinic bond to form cis- and trans-1,4-bis(methylthio)hexafluoro-1-butene(II) is described. The Teflon-lined high pressure cell maintains a constant pressure at 16,000 atm and 180 to 200°C for 24 hours. The cis- and trans-II are elucidated from gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, which shows two identical parent ions at m/e value of 255(C₆H₆F₆S₂⁺), but at different elution times. The ¹⁹FNMR data of the isomeric products are summarized. Elemental analysis of II is verified by double focussing high resolution mass spectrometer.     

Photolytic cage effect of iodine in gases at high pressures

The photolysis of iodine has been studied in the gas phase using laser flash photolysis at 6943 A. The dependence of the quantum yield on the pressure has been investigated in the range 0.1–1000 atm for several inert gases. For Kr, Xe, O₂, CO₂, CH₄, C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ a decrease of the quantum yield with increasing pressure was obtained; for He, Ne, Ar and H₂ no effect could be observed. These results may correspond to a photolycitc cage effect of iodine in the gas phase analogous to that known from the liquid phase.     

Hydrogenation characteristics of the hyperstoichiometric ZrCrFeTx system (T = Mn,Fe, Co,Ni, or Cu)

The formation and characteristics of the hydride of ZrCrFeT_x (T = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, or Cu and x = 0.8) were studied at various temperatures and in the pressure range up to ～60 atm. The hydrogen vapor pressure of the ZrCrFeH system is raised approximately 10- to 400-fold by the addition of excess d-element or Cu to the ZrCrFe lattice. The equilibrium vapor pressure of ZrCrFeCo_0.8H is unusually high relative to the other quaternary systems and is consistent with the observed unit cell dimensions. This pronounced effect suggests that the Co has a striking influence on the ZrCrFe band structure. The enthalpy and entropy of dehydrogenation, ranging between 19.4 and 32 kJ(mole H₂)^?1 and 77.2 and 100 J(kmole H₂)^?1, are significantly lower than that of the ZrCrFeH. The high effective entropies of the hydride (high configurational entropy of H in the lattice) is attributed to extensive hydrogen disorder in the ZrCrFeT_0.8 lattice. The kinetics of hydride formation and decomposition are extremely fast. The favorable thermodynamic features and rapid kinetics make these substances rather attractive for practical applications.     

Laser photolysis studies of hydrazine vapor: 193 and 222-nm H-atom primary quantum yields at 296 K,and the kinetics of H + N2H4 reaction over the temperature range 222–657 K

The primary quantum yield of H-atom production in the pulsed-laser photolysis of hydrazine vapor, N₂H₄ + hν → H + N₂H₃, was measured to be (1.01 ± 0.12) at 193 nm relative to HBr photolysis, and (1.06 ± 0.16) at 222 nm relative to 248-nm N₂H₄ photolysis, in excess He buffer gas at 296 K. The H-atoms were directly monitored in the photolysis by cw-resonance fluorescence detection of H(²S) at 121.6 nm. The high H-atom yield observed in the photolysis is consistent with the continuous ultraviolet absorption spectrum of N₂H₄ involving unit dissociation of the diamine from repulsive excited singlet state(s). The laser photodissociation of N₂H₄ was thus used as a ‘clean’ source of H-atoms in excess N₂H₄ and He buffer gas to study the gas-phase reaction, H + N₂H₄ → products; (k₁), in a thermostated photolysis reactor made of quartz or Pyrex. The pseudo-first-order temporal profiles of [H] decay immediately after photolysis were determined for a range of different hydrazine concentrations employed in the experiments to calculate the absolute second-order reaction rate coefficient, k₁. The Arrhenius expression was determined to be k₁ = (11.7 ± 0.7) × 10^?12 exp[?(1260 ± 20)/T] cm³ molec^?1 s^?1 in the temperature range 222–657 K. The rate coefficient at room temperature was, within experimental errors, independent of the He buffer gas pressure in the range 24.5–603 torr. The above temperature dependence of k₁ is in excellent agreement to that we determine in our discharge flow-tube apparatus in the temperature range 372–252 K and in 9.5 torr of He pressure. The Arrhenius parameters we report are consistent with a metathesis reaction mechanism involving the abstraction of hydrogen from N₂H₄ by the H-atom. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.