Effect of a Nanoclay on the Mechanical,Thermal and Flame Retardant Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foam

Water blown rigid polyurethane foams (PUF) with organoclay/organically modified nanoclay (ONC) were prepared and their properties such as density, mechanical, morphological, insulation, thermal and flame retardant properties were studied. In this investigation, the ONC content was varied from 1 to 10 parts per hundred of polyol (php) by weight. It was observed that the compressive strength of ONC filled PUF increased up to 3 php of ONC loading and then it decreased. Wide angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies indicated the exfoliated dispersion of ONC in PUF. The thermal conductivity of ONC filled PUF decreases up to 5 php and then increases. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of PUF decreases on loading of ONC. The TGA analysis shows that there is slight increase in degradation temperature with increase in ONC loading. The flame retardant properties (LOI and flame spread rate) are improved slightly on addition (3 php) of ONC filled PUF.     

A New Polymer Flooding Agent Prepared Through Intermacromolecular Complexation

Abstract

This paper reports a new polymer flooding agent used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), poly(acrylamide-acrylic acid) [P(AM-AA)]/poly(acrylamide-dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) [P(AM-DMDAAC)] polyelectrolyte complex. The solution viscosity of prepared P(AM-AA)/P(AM-DMDAAC) complex is enhanced due to the strong interaction between the two oppositely charged copolymers, i.e., P(AM-AA) and P(AM-DMDAAC), which were prepared through radical copolymerization. The ionic content could be controlled by changing the reaction conditions. The structures of the two copolymers were characterized through FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and acidic and precipitation titration. The formation as well as the factors affecting the P(AM-AA)/P(AM-DMDAAC) polyelectrolyte complex were investigated by means of viscosity measuring and light transmittance testing. The experimental results show that the composition of the copolymers, the pH value, and the concentration of the polymer solutions have remarkable effects on the formation of P(AM-AA)/P(AM-DMDAAC) polyelectrolyte complex and the solution viscosity. When DMDAAC content in P(AM-DMDAAC) is 3.2 mol%, AA content in P(AM-AA) is 48–58 mol%, the weight ratio of P(AM-AA) to P(AM-DMDAAC) is 70/30–30/70, the pH value of the solution is 6–10, and the concentration of solution is 1000–3500 ppm, then a homogeneous solution of P(AM-AA)/P(AM-DMDAAC) poly-electrolyte complex could be obtained which exhibits a much higher solution viscosity compared with its components.     

SiO2/炭泡沫和SiC/炭泡沫复合材料的制备及表征

对炭泡沫为支撑骨架的氧化硅气凝胶(SiO₂/炭泡沫)和碳化硅(SiC/炭泡沫)复合材料分别采用XRD、SEM、激光导热仪、万能力学试验机进行物相、微观结构、热学及力学性能方面的表征.结果表明:所制备的SiO₂/炭泡沫与原炭泡沫相比,具备更高的抗压强度(14.95 MPa)和更低的室温热导率(0.44 W·m^-1·K^-1).SiC/炭泡沫材料则保持了较高的抗压强度值(14.66 MPa),其在 1 200 ℃下具备极低的高温热导率(2.18W·m^-1·K^-1).热重分析表明,SiC/炭泡沫在氧化氛围中到610 ℃才发生质量的损失,而内部炭发生完全烧蚀的温度高达844 ℃,这表明该材料的抗氧化性能远好于纯的炭泡沫材料.     

PPy modified titanium foam electrode with high performance for supercapacitor

Pyrrole was polymerized on the surface of titanium foam using FeCl₃ as oxidant and the as-synthesized product could be directly used as electrode for supercapacitor. The globular polypyrrole (PPy) particles were firmly loaded on the substrate with high density. The morphology study of PPy film is observed in SEM images, the XRD, FTIR and UV–vis spectra reveal the structure and crystalline of PPy nanoparticles. The electrochemical properties of PPy modified electrode are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) and cycle life techniques. The electrochemical measurements showed such a PPy–Ti electrode had a wide working potential window, a high specific capacitance of 855 F g⁻¹ and excellent cycle stability at a discharge current density of 1 A g⁻¹.     

Influence of caged bicyclic phosphate and CaCO3 nanoparticles on char-forming property of PU rigid foams

Char-forming property of PU rigid foams, which can be assessed by char residue (%) when PU is burned at certain temperature, was studied by TG and DTG. The results showed that pure PU rigid foam had low char residue of only 17%, while 33% of char residue was achieved when PU rigid foam was modified by adding 8 wt% of 1-oxo-2,6,7-trioxa-1-phosphabicyclo[2,2,2] octane (PEPA), which is a caged bicyclic phosphate. The experiment results of FTIR and XPS showed that the PEPA modified PU rigid foam could be dehydrogenated and dehydrated at temperature between 380 and 450 °C, resulting in the increase of char residue of PU rigid foam. Further study also revealed that the addition of CaCO₃ nanoparticles could enhance the char stability when the PEPA modified PU rigid foam was being burned. The mechanism was investigated and it was found that the enhanced char stability could be attributed to the limited permeation of oxygen caused by the formation of calcium phosphate and calcium pyrophosphate by the reaction of PEPA and CaCO₃ at high temperature, which were covered on or buried in the char layer.     

Mechanistic Simulation Studies on Viscous-Elastic Polymer Flooding in Petroleum Reservoirs

Based on the theory and application developments of polymer flooding on enhancing oil recovery, an improved mathematical model has been developed to simulate the mechanism of viscous-elastic polymer flooding. IMPES method has been presented to solve the polymer flooding model considering the viscosifying effect of elasticity, the effect of decreasing residual oil and the degradation of polymer molecules. The validation of the model is approved by an experiment. A simulation example was carried out using the developed numerical simulator. The enhanced oil recovery mechanism was discussed for viscous-elastic polymer flooding, and corresponding influencing factors were also studied.     

The study of the stability of aqueous three-phase fire-resistant foam in typical liquidus hydrocarbons

The utilization of solid particles in aqueous foam has a great potential in improving fire fighting efficiency. In this study, aqueous foam supported by micro fly-ash (FA) was prepared and its stability in a specific type of oil was characterized. Firstly, different amount of FA was added to study the influence of FA concentration on foamability. It showed that within a specific extent, foam expansion ratio increased with the increasing of FA concentration. And compared with conventional foams, oil resistance of FA stabilized foams, which was investigated by analyzing drainage rate and evolution process with a self-made apparatus, was remarkably improved when FA concentration exceed 4.8wt.%. Secondly, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ particles with different median sizes were used to study the effect of particle size on stability. However, the smaller hydrophilic particles didn’t behave better as expected. Moreover, the foam stability in three hydrocarbons was evaluated in the same way. The results indicated that the short chain hydrocarbons had much stronger detrimental effect to both two-phase foam and three-phase foam. But overall, the three-phase foam stabilized by FA exhibited much better oil resistance, so it can be used as a promising material for pool fire extinguishing and prevention.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT     

Experimental Validation of the Temperature-Resistant and Salt-Tolerant Xanthan Enhanced Foam for Enhancing Oil Recovery

Xanthan enhanced foam (XGF) is a newly developed chemical agent for enhanced oil recovery in high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs. In this paper, laboratory experiments were performed to characterize the morphology and foam properties of XGF, to study its performance under different temperature and different salinity conditions, respectively. Based on simulate reservoir formation conditions of Xidaliya field, a series of research on XGF were conducted. The experimental results showed that the scanning electron microscopy of XGF reflected a more viscoelastic and stable nature of the foam system. High temperature had a great adverse impact upon the stability of XGF, and the increase of salinity in the solution helped to improve the stability of foam. The foam stability increased remarkably when XG4 is added, and an increase in ambient pressure made enhancement of foam stability became more noticeable. In the presence of crude oil, Xanthan could enhance the stability of emulsions and was more favorable to stabilize foam. XG4 enhanced foam had dramatic properties for mobility controlling and oil displacement in the porous media.