A surge in interest in developing alternative renewable energy technologies has been observed in recent years. In particular, thermoelectrics has drawn attention because thermoelectric effects enable direct conversion between thermal and electrical energy, and provide power generation and refrigeration alternatives. During the past decade, the performance of thermoelectric materials has been considerably improved; however, many challenges continue to exist. Developing thermoelectric materials with superior performance means tailoring interconnected thermoelectric physical parameters-electrical conductivities, Seebeck coefficients, and thermal conductivities for a crystalline system. The objectives of this paper are to introduce the recent developments in semiconductor thermoelectric materials, and briefly summarize the applications of such materials.
Great progress has been made in the past two decades in the development of the electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This review article is focused on recent advances made in the kinetic-activity improvement on platinum- (Pt-) based cathode electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The origin of the limited ORR activity of Pt catalysts is discussed, followed by a review on the development of Pt alloy catalysts, Pt monolayer catalysts, and shape- and facet-controlled Pt-alloy nanocrystal catalysts. Mechanistic understanding is reviewed as well on the factors contributing to the enhanced ORR activity of these catalysts. Finally, future directions for PEMFC catalyst research are proposed.
The nongray behavior of combustion products plays an important role in various areas of engineering. Based on the statistical narrow-band (SNB) spectral model with an exponential-tailed inverse intensity distribution and the ray-tracing method, a comprehensive investigation of the influence of soot on nongray radiation from mixtures containing H2O/N2+soot, CO2/N2+soot, or H2O/CO2/N2+soot was conducted in this paper. In combustion applications, radiation transfer is significantly enhanced by soot due to its spectrally continuous emission. The effect of soot volume fraction up to 1×10-6 on the source term, the narrow-band radiation intensities along a line-of-sight, and the net wall heat fluxes were investigated for a wide range of temperature. The effect of soot was significant and became increasingly drastic with the increase of soot loading.
Permeability and thermal conductivity test units were set up to study the heat and mass transfer performance of the host material, i.e. expanded natural graphite (ENG), for consolidated activated carbon (AC) adsorbent. The permeability was tested with nitrogen as the gas source, and the thermal conductivity was studied using steady-state heat source method. The results showed that the values of permeability and thermal conductivity were 10-15 to 10-12 m2 and 1.7 to 3.2 W/(m·K), respectively, while the density compressed expanded natural graphite (CENG) varied from 100 to 500 kg/m3. The permeability decreased with the increasing density of CENG, whereas the thermal conductivity increased with the increasing density of CENG. Then the thermal conductivity and permeability of granular AC were researched. It was discovered that the thermal conductivity of samples with different grain size almost kept constant at 0.36 W/(m·K) while the density was approximately 600 kg/m3. This means that the thermal conductivity was not related to the grain size of AC. The thermal conductivity of CENG was improved by 5 to 10 times compared with that of granular AC. Such a result showed that CENG was a promising host material for AC to improve the heat transfer performance, while the mass transfer performance should be considered in different conditions for utilization of adsorbent.
In this paper, the feasibility of using metal foams to enhance the heat transfer capability of phase change materials (PCMs) in low- and high-temperature thermal energy storage systems was assessed. Heat transfer in solid/liquid phase change of porous materials (metal foams and expanded graphite) at low and high temperatures was investigated. Organic commercial paraffin wax and inorganic calcium chloride hydrate were employed as the low-temperature materials, whereas sodium nitrate was used as the high-temperature material in the experiment. Heat transfer characteristics of these PCMs embedded with open-cell metal foams were studied. Composites of paraffin and expanded graphite with a graphite mass ratio of 3%, 6%, and 9% were developed. The heat transfer performances of these composites were tested and compared with metal foams. The results indicate that metal foams have better heat transfer performance due to their continuous inter-connected structures than expanded graphite. However, porous materials can suppress the effects of natural convection in liquid zone, particularly for PCMs with low viscosities, thereby leading to different heat transfer performances at different regimes (solid, solid/liquid, and liquid regions). This implies that porous materials do not always enhance heat transfer in every regime.
Current work on the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and gas turbine hybrid system is presented. Each component model developed and applied is mathematically defined. The electrochemical performance of single SOFC with different fuels is tested. Experimental results are used to validate the SOFC mathematical model. Based on the simulation model, a safe operation regime of the hybrid system is accurately plotted first. Three different part-load strategies are introduced and used to analyze the part-load performance of the hybrid system using the safe regime. Another major objective of this paper is to introduce a suitable startup and shutdown strategy for the hybrid system. The sequences for the startup and shutdown are proposed in detail, and the system responses are acquired with the simulation model. Hydrogen is used instead of methane during the startup and shutdown process. Thus, the supply of externally generated steam is not needed for the reforming reaction. The gas turbine is driven by complementary fuel and supplies compressed air to heat up or cool down the SOFC stack operating temperature. The dynamic simulation results show that smooth cooling and heating of the cell stack can be accomplished without external electrical power.
A fully three-dimensional mathematical model of a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with complete direct internal steam reforming was constructed to investigate the chemical and electrochemical characteristics of the porous-electrode-supported (PES)-SOFC developed by the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry of Japan. The effective kinetic models developed over the Ni/YSZ anode takes into account the heat transfer and species diffusion limitations in this porous anode. The models were used to simulate the methane steam reforming processes at the co- and counter-flow patterns. The results show that the flow patterns of gas and air have certain effects on cell performance. The cell at the counter-flow has a higher output voltage and output power density at the same operating conditions. At the counter-flow, however, a high hotspot temperature is observed in the anode with a non-fixed position, even when the air inlet flow rate is increased. This is disadvantageous to the cell. Both cell voltage and power density decrease with increased air flow rate.
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a complicated system with heat and mass transfer as well as electrochemical reactions. The flowing configuration of fuel and oxidants in the fuel cell will greatly affect the performance of the fuel cell stack. Based on the developed mathematical model of direct internal reforming SOFC, this paper established a distributed parameters simulation model for cocurrent and countercurrent types of SOFC based on the volume-resistance characteristic modeling method. The steady-state distribution characteristics and dynamic performances were compared and were analyzed for cocurrent and countercurrent types of SOFCs. The results indicate that the cocurrent configuration of SOFC is more suitable with regard to performance and safety.
Surface nitrogen complex formation upon reaction of coal char with NO at 600°C was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Particle size had a noticeable effect on the magnitude of changes, which was observed on the surface of the coal char in the nitrogen functional group. The surface increased its -NO, pyridine-N-oxide, and -NO2 functional group contents with a decrease in particle size. The chemisorption processes of NO molecules on the char were simulated using the ab initio Hartree–Fock method and density functional theory. Molecular modeling was applied to determine the thermodynamics of the reactions. Mechanisms were proposed to explain the formation of the -NO, pyridine-N-oxide, and -NO2 functional groups at 600°C.
Approximately 2.8 × 1010 m3 of methane is emitted per year to the atmosphere from coal mining activities around the world. Mitigation and utilization of the fugitive coal mine methane is very difficult because its concentration is very low and varies from 0.1% to1%, and the methane is contained in a large air flow rate of 150–400 m3/s. This paper overviews existing and developing technologies for the mitigation and utilization of the fugitive mine methane, and then presents research progress in developing an innovative lean burn catalytic turbine technology for fugitive methane mitigation and utilization. This turbine system can be powered with about 1% methane in air.
