Ni doped La_(0.6)Sr_(0.4)FeO_(3-δ) symmetrical electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

The conventional Ni cermet anode suffers from severe carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning when fossil fuels are used. Alternative anode materials are desired for high performance hydrocarbon fuel solid oxide fuel cells （SOFCs）. We report the rational design of a very active Ni doped La0.6Sr0.4FeO3‐δ（LSFN） electrode for hydrocarbon fuel SOFCs. Homogeneously dispersed Ni‐Fe alloy nanoparticles were in situ extruded onto the surface of the LSFN particles during the operation of the cell. Sym‐metric SOFC single cells were prepared by impregnating a LSFN precursor solution onto a YSZ （yt‐tria stabilized zirconia） monolithic cell with a subsequent heat treatment. The open circuit voltage of the LSFN symmetric cell reached 1.18 and 1.0 V in humidified C3H8 and CH4 at 750？？, respective‐ly. The peak power densities of the cells were 400 and 230 mW/cm2 in humidified C3H8 and CH4, respectively. The electrode showed good stability in long term testing, which revealed LSFN has good catalytic activity for hydrocarbon fuel oxidation.

Review on the Relationship Between Liquid Aerospace Fuel Composition and Their Physicochemical Properties

The development of advanced air transportation has raised new demands for high-performance liquid hydrocarbon fuels.However,the measurement of fuel properties is time-consuming,cost-intensive,and limited to the operating conditions.The physicochemical properties of aerospace fuels are directly infl uenced by chemical composition.Thus,a thorough investigation should be conducted on the inherent relationship between fuel properties and composition for the design and synthesis of high-grade fuels and the prediction of fuel properties in the future.This work summarized the eff ects of fuel composition and hydrocarbon molecular structure on the fuel physicochemical properties,including density,net heat of combustion(NHOC),low-temperature fl uidity(viscosity and freezing point),fl ash point,and thermal-oxidative stability.Several correlations and predictions of fuel properties from chemical composition were reviewed.Additionally,we correlated the fuel properties with hydrogen/carbon molar ratios(n H/C)and molecular weight(M).The results from the least-square method implicate that the coupling of H/C molar ratio and M is suitable for the estimation of density,NHOC,viscosity and eff ectiveness for the design,manufacture,and evaluation of aviation hydrocarbon fuels.

Research Progress of Catalysts and Initiators for Promoting the Cracking of Endothermic Hydrocarbon Fuels

Catalytic/initiated cracking of endothermic hydrocarbon fuels is an eff ective technology for cooling a hypersonic aircraft with a high Mach number(over 5).Catalysts and initiators can promote fuel cracking at low temperatures,increase fuel conversion and the heat sink capacity,and suppress coke deposition,thereby reducing waste heat.Catalysts mainly include metal oxide catalysts,noble metal catalysts and metal nanoparticles,zeolite catalysts,nanozeolite catalysts,and coating catalysts.Moreover,initiators roughly include nitrogenous compounds,oxygenated compounds,and hyperbranched polymer initiators.In this review,we aim to summarize the catalysts and initiators for cracking endothermic hydrocarbon fuels and their mechanisms for promoting cracking.This review will facilitate the development of the synthesis and exploration of catalysts and initiators.

Investigation of heat sink of endothermic hydrocarbon fuels

Endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are advanced coolants for high-temperature structures of spacecraft. No data of tested-cooling-ability of endothermic fuels have been broadly discussed in literature. In this work a high-temperature flow calorimeter was designed, and the cooling capacity of six different hydrocarbon fuels were measured. Experimental results showed that these hydrocarbon fuels have capacity for cooling high-temperature structures, and that the cooling capacity of fuel N-1 can reach 3.15 M J/kg, which can nearly satisfy the requirement of thermal management for a Mach 3 cruise aircraft, whose heat sink requirement is about 3.5 M J/kg. The endothermic velocity of hydrocarbon fuels was also measured by the calorimeter.

Effect of Liquid-phase Oxidation Impurities on Solubility of Water in Hydrocarbon Fuels

The effect of liquid-phase oxidation impurities on the solubility of water in hydrocarbon fuels was studied.The results show that the concentration of polar surfactant molecules in the first region increases(true solution)during fuel oxidation,and since the oxidation groups(-COOH,-O=O,-OH,etc.)have similar dipole momentμ,the dielectric loss tangent tanδincreases linearly in this region with surfactant concentration.Upon further oxidation,micelle structures begin to form at a certain point.Micelle formation leads to a sharp decrease in the dipole moment attributable to the monomer unitμ/n,where nis the number of molecules in a micelle.A several-fold decrease in the dipole moment leads to a sharp drop in tanδ.Upon further increase in the number and size of micelles,the dipole moment remains practically unchanged,and the dielectric loss tangent begins to increase linearly again with surfactant concentration.If the critical concentration for micelle formation is achieved upon further oxidation of hydrocarbon liquids,micelle formation processes occur spontaneously in the solution,and the true solution becomes a colloidal system(sol).The resulting micelles are structured with hydrocarbon radicals of molecules toward the outside and hydrophilic(polar)groups toward the inside.Water molecules are located inside micelles and held so securely that water molecules do not aggregate as temperature decreases.The reason for significant differences in the equilibrium solubility of water in hydrocarbon fuels is the different oxidation factors of product samples,resulting from the accumulation of various concentrations of oxidation products,which are natural surfactants,in hydrocarbon fuels.

Alternative Fuels Derived from Solid Waste Plastics

The demand for fossil fuel is at an all time high worldwide. Annually-30 billion barrels of petroleum is being consumed worldwide. In this busy society, transportation is vital and, for transportation, petroleum is a requirement. All the major forms of business, agricultural, exports and imports depend on transportation. There are three forms of major transportation： by ground, air and sea. These transportations require petroleum to function. Vehicles in the road require gasoline/diesel, airway transportation requires aviation fuel and sea transportation requires fuel oil and other forms of fuels. For not only transportation but, petroleum is required to make all kind of daily use plastics. If the consumption of petroleum continues this way, it will be finished in the near future. Emissions released from evaporation and combustion of these fuel contribute to many environmental and health problems, including emitting greenhouse gases that contribute immensely to global warming. Annually-7 billion tons of carbon is released to the environment due to burning of petroleum. Moreover, when the plastics are discarded into the landfill, it becomes waste plastic and since plastic is non-biodegradable, it can remain in the landfill for a long time. Waste plastics presence in the landfill causes environmental problems for example, it can cause soil to decay, pollute underground water resource and cause land to be infertile. Alternative source of energy created from solar, wind, hydrogen fuel, biomass fuel, bio-diesel, green diesel, bio-ethanol, and geo-thermal has been proposed as a solution to these problems and in future with further research, these alternative sources will play an important role in the field of alternative energy.

Generation of Transportation Fuel from Solid Municipal Waste Plastics

Transportation fuels derived from imported fossil fuels are subjected to the price fluctuations of the global marketplace, and constitute a major expense in the operation of a vehicle. Emissions from the evaporation and combustion of these fuels contribute to a range of environmental and health problems, causing poor air quality and emitting greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Alternative fuel created from domestic sources has been proposed as a solution to these problems, and many fuels are being developed based on biomass and other renewable sources. Natural State Research, Inc. proposes a different alternative hydrocarbon fuel which is produced from abundant waste plastic materials. This fuel burns more efficiently and cleaner than commercial gasoline and diesel. The process exists to efficiently convert waste plastic into a reliable low cost source of fuel.

Regulating metal-acid double site balance on mesoporous SiO_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3) composite oxide for supercritical n-decane cracking

The balance between metal and acid sites directly affects the preparation of high-performance cracking catalysts with high heat sink and low coking.Nevertheless,how to control acid-metal sites balance and its relationship with cracking performance are reported scarcely.In this work,a series of Pt/Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) dual sites catalysts with different metal to acid active sites ratio(C_(M)/C_(SA))were constructed by ethanolassisted impregnation method and the impact on n-decane cracking under supercritical conditions was systematically and deeply investigated.The results showed that the conversion and carbon deposition increased gradually with varied C_(M)/C_(SA)and reached the balance at C_(M)/C_(SA)of 0.13.The proper ratio C_(M)/C_(SA)(0.13)can balance the deep dehydrogenation coking over metal active sites and high heat sink of cracking over acid active sites,the chemical heat sink reaches amazing 1.75 MJ/kg and carbon deposition is only22.03 mg/cm^(2) at 750℃.Meanwhile,the few metal sites at low C_(M)/C_(SA)and the few strong acid sites at high C_(M)/C_(SA)are the main factors limiting the cracking activity.Low C_(M)/C_(SA)limit the activation of C-H bond and deep dehydrogenation of coking precursor,resulting in relative low cracking activity and carbon deposition,while high C_(M)/C_(SA)limit the activation of C-C bond and increase the deep dehydrogenation.In this contribution,design and construction of metal-acid dual sites can not only provide the technical solution for the preparation of high heat sink and low coking cracking catalyst,but also deepen the understanding of the cracking path of hydrocarbon fuel.

NUMERICAL STUDIES ON THE MIXING OF CH_4 AND KEROSENE INJECTED INTO A SUPERSONIC FLOW WITH H_2 PILOT INJECTION

Two-fluid model and divisional computation techniques were used. The multispecies gas fully N-S equations were solved by upwind TVD scheme. Liquid phase equations were solved by NND scheme. The phases-interaction ODE equations were solved by 2nd Runge-Kutta approach. The favorable agreement is obtained between computational results and PLIF experimental results of iodized air injected into a supersonic flow. Then, the numerical studies,were carried out on the mixing of CH, and kerosene injected into a supersonic flow with H-2 pilot injection. The results indicate that the penetration of kerosene approaches maximum when it is injected from the second injector. But the kerosene is less diffused compared with the gas fuels. The free droplet region appears in the flow field. The mixing mechanism of CH4 with H-2 pilot injection is different from that of kerosene. In the staged duct, H-2 can be entrained into both recirculation zones produced by the step mid injectors. But CH, can only be carried into the recirculation between the injectors. Therefore, initiations of H, and CH4 carl occur in those regions. The staged duct is better in enhancing mixing and initiation with H-2 pilot flame.

Power Generation from Municipal Solid Waste Plastics

Generation of electrical energy from imported fossil fuels is subject to the price fluctuations of the global marketplace and, thus, constitutes a major expense in its distribution to the end users. Even with the current low prices of fuel, residents and businesses in the United States pay a significant price for their utilities, if not higher than most other countries in the world. Emissions from the evaporation and combustion of these traditional fossil fuels contribute to a range of environmental and health problems, causing poor air quality, and emitting greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Alternative fuel created from domestic sources has been proposed as a solution to these problems and much alternative energy are being developed based on solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, fuel cell, geothermal, etc. A new alternative hydrocarbon fuel which is produced from waste plastics can be used with compatble power plants and generators appliances to produce electricity that can be supplied into homes, businesses, power grids and other sectors.

Effect of turbulence models on predicting convective heat transfer to hydrocarbon fuel at supercritical pressure

A variety of turbulence models were used to perform numerical simulations of heat transfer for hydrocarbon fuel flowing upward and downward through uniformly heated vertical pipes at supercritical pressure. Inlet temperatures varied from 373 K to 663 K, with heat flux rang- ing from 300 kW/m2 to 550 kW/m2. Comparative analyses between predicted and experimental results were used to evaluate the ability of turbulence models to respond to variable thermophysical properties of hydrocarbon fuel at supercritical pressure. It was found that the prediction performance of turbulence models is mainly determined by the damping function, which enables them to respond differently to local flow conditions. Although prediction accuracy for experimental results varied from condition to condition, the shear stress transport （SST） and launder and sharma models performed better than all other models used in the study. For very small buoyancy-influenced runs, the thermal-induced acceleration due to variations in density lead to the impairment of heat transfer occurring in the vicinity of pseudo-critical points, and heat transfer was enhanced at higher temperatures through the combined action of four thermophysical properties： density, viscosity, thermal conductivity and specific heat. For very large buoyancy- influenced runs, the thermal-induced acceleration effect was over predicted by the LS and AB models.

Latest development of double perovskite electrode materials for solid oxide fuel cells:a review

Recently,the development and fabrication of electrode component of the solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC)have gained a significant importance,especially after the advent of electrode supported SOFCs.The function of the electrode involves the facilitation of fuel gas diffusion,oxidation of the fuel,transport of electrons,and transport of the byproduct of the electrochemical reaction.Impressive progress has been made in the development of alternative electrode materials with mixed conducting properties and a few of the other composite cermets.During the operation of a SOFC,it is necessary to avoid carburization and sulfidation problems.The present review focuses on the various aspects pertaining to a potential electrode material,the double perovskite,as an anode and cathode in the SOFC.More than 150 SOFCs electrode compositions which had been investigated in the literature have been analyzed.An evaluation has been performed in terms of phase,structure,diffraction pattern,electrical conductivity,and power density.Various methods adopted to determine the quality of electrode component have been provided in detail.This review comprises the literature values to suggest possible direction for future research.

Investigation of flow resistance characteristics of endothermic hydrocarbon fuel under supercritical pressures

The characteristics of flow resistance of a typical hydrocarbon fuel(RP-3)flowthrough adiabatic horizontal miniature tubes at supercritical pressures are experimentallyinvestigated for both laminar and turbulent flow.The experiments are conducted by using along tube measuring section and a short tube measuring section simultaneously in order toeliminate the effect of local pressure drop.In these experiments,the temperature of RP-3changes from(295 to 789)K and the reduced pressure(P/Pc,Pc=2.33 MPa)ranges from 1 to2.58,the mass flux is up to 1572.7 kg/(m^(2).s).Test results indicate that frictional pressuredrops for various supercritical pressures at the same mass flux can be considered as equalwith each other when the reduced temperature Tb/Tpc<0.95.When Tb/Tpc>0.95,differenceappears and increases with the increase of Tb/Tpc.Additionally,the friction factor(f)of thesupercritical fluid for turbulent flow has a critical value at Tb/Tpc=1,the values of f at thispoint for all pressures and mass fluxes are equal with each other.Moreover,at the same massflux,there are two comresponding friction factors for the same Re,one is in the region of Tb/Tpc<1,the other is in the region of Tb/Tpc> 1.Finally, classical conelations of frictionfactor is inapplicable when Tb/Tpc>0.95 at supercritical pressure and a new coelation hasbeen obtained based on the experimental data.

Artificial neural network analysis of the Nusselt number and friction factor of hydrocarbon fuel under supercritical pressure

This paper presents the Nusselt number and friction factor model for hydrocarbon fuel under supercritical pressure in horizontal circular tubes using an artificial neural network(ANN)analysis on the basis of the back propagation algorithm.The derivation of the proposed model relies on a large number of experimental data obtained from the tests performed with the platform of supercritical flow and heat transfer.Different topology structures,training algo-rithms and transfer functions are employed in model optimization.The performance of the optimal ANN model is evaluated with the mean relative error,the determination coefficient,the number of iterations and the convergence time.It is demonstrated that the model has high prediction accuracy when the tansig transfer function,the Levenberg-Marquardt training algo-rithm and the three-layer topology of 4-9-1 are selected.In addition,the accuracy of the ANN model is observed to be the highest compared with other classic empirical correlations.Mean relative error values of 4.4%and 3.4%have been achieved for modeling of the Nusselt number and friction factor respectively over the whole experimental data set.The ANN model estab-lished in this paper is shown to have an excellent performance in learning ability and general-ization for characterizing the flow and heat transfer law of hydrocarbon fuel,which can provide an alternative approach for the future study of supercritical fluid characteristics and the associ-ated engineering applications.

Experimental Study of Operation Performance for Hydrocarbon Fuel Pump with Low Specific Speed

In this paper, a small flow rate hydrocarbon turbine pump was used to pressurize the fuel supply system of scramjet engine. Some experiments were carried out to investigate the characteristics of turbine pump driven by nitrogen or combustion gas under different operating conditions. A experimental database with regard to the curves of the rotational speed, mass flow rate and net head with regard to centrifugal pump were plotted. These curves were represented as functions of the pressure and temperature at turbine inlet/outlet and the throttle diameter at downstream of centrifugal pump. A sensitivity study has been carried out based on design of experiments. The experimental was employed to analyze net head of centrifugal and throttle characteristics. The research results can accumulate foundations for the close loop control system of turbine pump.

Converting rubber seed oil into hydrocarbon fuels via supported Pd-catalyst

The one-step hydrotreatment of rubber seed oil to produce hydrocarbon fuels has been carried out via supported Pd-catalyst,and analyzed emphatically some elements affected catalytic cracking process,for example,temperature,hydrogen partial pressure and dosage of catalyst,etc.Through experimental research,the author found out the appropriate catalytic cracking conditions as follows:310℃ of reaction temperature,2 MPa of hydrogen partial pressure,15 of the ratio of oil to catalyst(m(oil)/m(catalyst)),100 r/min of stirring speed.Under these conditions,effective component of hydrocarbon fuels in the converted oil accounts for 99.49%,and the proportion of C_(8)-C_(16) can reach as high as 79.61%.The converted oil was similar to petroleum-based oil in chemical composition,and can be used for future the aviation biofuels development as the source of raw material because it contains a large amount of hydrocarbon in the range of C_(8)-C_(16).

Working state map of hydrocarbon fuels for regenerative cooling

Regenerative cooling by endothermic hydrocarbon fuel(EHF)is one of the most promising techniques for thermal management of supersonic or hypersonic aircraft.How to maintain the fuel working in proper states is an important issue to maximize the cooling potential of EHT.This work proposes a novel working state map,including risking zone(RZ),thermal cracking zone(TCZ),supercritical zone(SupZ)and subcritical zone(SubZ),to differentiate possible working states of an EHF during regenerative cooling.Using n-decane flowing in a circular tube as an example,the boundaries of four zones are determined by numerical simulation covering different heat fluxes(0.2-4.0 MW·m^(-2))and mass flow rates(0.5-10.5 g·s^(-1))under two operating pressures(3.45 and 5.00 MPa).Empirical correlations for three boundary lines are obtained and the maximum cooling capacity is identified,as well as the identification of the pressure effect.The revelation of such new perspective of regenerative cooling is of great implication to the design and optimization of cooling system for future thermal management.

Analyses of surrogate models for calculating thermophysical properties of aviation kerosene RP-3 at supercritical pressures

Aviation kerosene is commonly used in combustion and regenerative engine cooling processes in propulsion and power-generation systems,including rocket,scramjet,and advanced gas turbine engines.In this paper,many surrogate models proposed in the open literature are examined for their applicability and accuracy in calculating thermodynamic and transport properties of the China aviation kerosene RP-3 at supercritical pressures,based on the extended corresponding-states methods.The enthalpy change from endothermic decomposition and low heating value from combustion of the jet fuel are also evaluated.Results from a number of simple and representative surrogate models,which contain species components ranging from 1 to10,are analyzed in detail.Data analyses indicate that a surrogate model with four species is the best choice for thermophysical property calculations under the tested conditions,with fluid temperature up to 650 K at various supercritical pressures.The surrogate model is particularly accurate in predicting the pseudo-critical temperature of aviation kerosene RP-3 at a supercritical pressure.A simple surrogate model containing the n-decane species and a surrogate model containing 10 species are the other two acceptable options.The work conducted herein is of practical importance for theoretical analyses and numerical simulations of various physicochemical processes at engine operating conditions.

Model validation and parametric study of fluid flows and heat transfer of aviation kerosene with endothermic pyrolysis at supercritical pressure

The regenerative cooling technology is a promising approach for effective thermal protection of propulsion and power-generation systems.A mathematical model has been used to examine fluid flows and heat transfer of the aviation kerosene RP-3 with endothermic fuel pyrolysis at a supercritical pressure of 5 MPa.A pyrolytic reaction mechanism,which consists of 18 species and 24 elementary reactions,is incorporated to account for fuel pyrolysis.Detailed model validations are conducted against a series of experimental data,including fluid temperature,fuel conversion rate,various product yields,and chemical heat sink,fully verifying the accuracy and reliability of the model.Effects of fuel pyrolysis and inlet flow velocity on flow dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of RP-3 are investigated.Results reveal that the endothermic fuel pyrolysis significantly improves the heat transfer process in the high fluid temperature region.During the supercritical-pressure heat transfer process,the flow velocity significantly increases,caused by the drastic variations of thermophysical properties.Under all the tested conditions,the Nusselt number initially increases,consistent with the increased flow velocity,and then slightly decreases in the high fluid temperature region,mainly owing to the decreased heat absorption rate from the endothermic pyrolytic chemical reactions.

Thermodynamic analysis for a chemically recuperated scramjet

Endothermic hydrocarbon fuel is regarded as an optimal fuel for a scramjet with regenerative cooling,which provides extra cooling through endothermic chemical conversion to avoid the severly limited cooling capacity when conventional fuels are adopted for cooling.Although endothermic cooling is proposed from the view point that the heat sink of a conventional fuel is insufficient,the heat-absorbing through endothermic chemical reaction is actually a chemical recuperation process because the wasted heat dissipated from the engine thermal structure is recovered through the endothermic chemical reaction.Therefore,the working process of a scramjet with endothermic hydrocarbon fuel cooling is a chemical recuperative cycle.To analyze the chemical recuperative cycle of a chemically recuperated scramjet engine,we defined physical and chemical recuperation effectivenesses and heating value increment rate,and derived engine performance parameters with chemical recuperation.The heat value benefits from both physical and chemical recuperations,and it increases with the increase in recuperation effectiveness.The scramjet performance parameters also increase with the increase in chemical recuperation effectiveness.The increase in chemical recuperation effectiveness improves both the performances of the fuel cooling system and the combustion system.The results of analysis prove that the existence of a chemical recuperation process greatly improves the performance of the whole scramjet.