Catalytic coatings on steel for low-temperature propane prereforming to solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) application

Catalyst layers (4–20 lm) of rhodium (1 wt%) supported on alumina, titania, and ceria–zirconia (Ce0.5Zr0.5O2) were coated on stainless-steel corrugated sheets by dip-coating in very stable colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles in water. Catalytic performances were studied for low-temperature (6500 C) steam reforming of propane at a steam to carbon ratio equal to 3 and low contact time (0.01 s). The best catalytic activity for propane steam reforming was observed for titania and ceria–zirconia supports for which propane conversion started at 250 C and was more than three times better at 350 C than conversion measured on alumina catalyst. For all catalysts a first-order kinetics was found with respect to propane at 500 C. Addition of PEG 2000 in titania and ceria–zirconia sols eliminated the film cracking observed without additive with these supports. Besides, the PEG addition strongly expanded the porosity of the layers, so that full catalytic efficiency was maintained when the thickness of the ceria–zirconia and titania films was increased

3D numerical simulation of Circulating Fluidized Bed: comparison between theoretical results and experimental measurements of hydrodynamic

This work was realized in the frame of the European GAYA project supported by ADEME. This paper presents a description of the hydrodynamic into a CFB according to experimental measurements of gas pressure and solid mass flux. These experimental data are compared to three dimensional numerical simulation with an Eulerian approach. The obtained numerical results show that the applied mathematical models are able to predict the complex gas-solid behavior in the CFB and highlight the large influence of the particle wall boundary condition. Indeed, it is shown that free slip wall boundary condition gives a good prediction a solid mass flux profile in comparison with experimental measurements nevertheless a convex shape. Moreover, the numerical solid hold-up is underestimated compared to the experimental data. On the contrary, a no-slip boundary condition improves the profile shape of solid mass flux but highly overestimates its intensity and the solid hold-up. A compromise appears to be a friction particle-wall boundary condition such as Johnson and Jackson (1) but the model parameters have to be chosen very carefully especially the restitution coefficient

Effect of cerium concentration on corrosion resistance and polymerization of hybrid sol–gel coating on martensitic stainless steel

Stainless steels are increasingly used in the aeronautics field for the manufacture of structural parts. One of them, the X13VD martensitic stainless steel (X12CrNiMoV12-3), known for its good mechanical properties, has a poor corrosion resistance in confined or severe environments. In the past years, Cr(VI) based pre-treatments have been currently used for corrosion protection of different metals, however, they are toxic and due to environmental regulations, they will be definitely banned in a near future. Alternatives to replace Cr(VI) show advantages and drawbacks considering key properties such as: corrosion resistance, adhesion of coatings, fatigue resistance, durability and reliability. However, some of their possible alternatives show high potential. In this paper, a process was developed to improve the corrosion resistance of the martensitic stainless steel. Organic–inorganic hybrid coatings with different cerium concentrations were deposited onto stainless steel by sol–gel process. Corrosion resistance of the coatings was evaluated by electrochemical impedance measurements and it has been proved that cerium concentration of 0.01 M into hybrid coating was an optimal content. Adhesion tests were also carried out by "nanoscratchtest" to characterize the coatings mechanical properties as a function of cerium concentration but results do not clearly show the influence of cerium for the coating adhesion toward the substrate. To try to correlate with the electrochemical properties, liquid 29Si NMR spectroscopy was then performed to investigate hydrolysis and condensation reactions of sol–gel process, and by this method, it was demonstrated that for higher cerium concentration (>0.01 M) there is a modification of the chemical structure of the sol–gel network

Modeling and simulation of drying operation in PVC powder production line: a pneumatic dryer model

A one-dimensional steady-state model is developed to simulate drying of PVC powder in a pneumatic dryer. In this model, a two-phase continuum model was used to describe the steady-state flow of a dilute dispersed phase (wet PVC powder) and a continuous phase (humid air) through dryer. The particle scale kinetics was obtained by immersion of a fixed mass of wet PVC’s particles (cake) in a batch dense fluidized bed containing inert hot particles (glass bead). The drying kinetics was described by a shrinking core type model and integrated in pneumatic dryer model. The results show that the inlet temperature is the most important parameter in the operation. The drying rate is controlled by a two-stage process. The first stage corresponds to the surface water evaporation, and the second to the pore water evaporation

Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of barium (magnesium) aluminosilicate glass sealants for solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) correspond to efficient energy conversion systems coupled with low emissions of pollutants. In the aim to fabricate high temperature planar SOFC, glass and glass-ceramic sealants are developed to associate several criteria and properties : high thermal expansion (11.0 to 12.0 ⋅ 10− 6 K− 1), high electrical resistance > 2 kΩ/cm2, good thermochemical compatibility with the other active materials of the fuel cell, and stability under H2 and H2O atmospheres at an operation temperature of 800 °C for a long time. According to these requirements, new BAS (BaO–Al2O3–SiO2) and BMAS (BaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2) glass-ceramic sealants have been developed by sol–gel route which is a non-conventional process for such applications. By this soft chemistry process, we anticipate a decrease in the glasses processing temperature due to a better homogeneity between cationic precursors in the mixture and a more important reactivity of materials. Experimental results in terms of thermomechanical properties, thermal expansion coefficient, crystalline phase content, and microstructure were discussed. In particular, the influence of the %BaO on the thermomechanical properties of glass-ceramics was described. Changes in properties of glass-ceramics were closely related to the microstructure. The influence of MgO on glass processing temperatures, on the structure and on the microstructure is evaluated in order to confirm that these glass-ceramics are promising candidates to SOFC applications. So, after performing a systematic investigation to the various systems, the properties of suitable glass were proposed

Development of new processes to protect zinc against corrosion, suitable for on-site use

Protection against corrosion of metals is well known as an important issue in numerous fields. In all cases, the improvement of durability of these metals has to be connected to the development of environmentally friendly processes. Sol–gel protective coatings have shown excellent chemical stability and enhanced corrosion resistance for zinc substrates. Further, the sol–gel method, used as technique of surface protection, showed the potential for the replacement of toxic pre-treatments. This paper highlights the recent developments and applications of silane based sol–gel coatings on zinc substrates. Then, the challenges for industrial transfer of the developed process are also discussed because this process presents a disadvantage for on-site use, which is the too time-consuming thermal treatment. So, the goal of this study was to determine the convenient experimental conditions to reduce the duration of heat treatment of the hybrid sol–gel layer, compatible with the severe industrial requirements, without reducing the protection against corrosion. To reach this objective, a correlation between the results of chemical analyses and the protection against corrosion efficiency was established

Dust emission by powder handling: Influence of the hopper outlet on the dust plume

Dust generation in solids handling involving free fall of bulk materials and impacts on a stockpile can cause many problems in industry and be a great danger for operators health. This paper describes an experimental set up to characterize the dust plume formed in free fall of powders from a hopper and investigates the influence of various outlet geometries on the dust plume. For this purpose an image analysis technique was developed to quantify the characteristics of the dust plume

Sol–gel processing and characterization of (RE-Y)-zirconia powders for thermal barrier coatings

The effect of doping on the structural, morphological and thermal properties of ZrO2–XO1.5 (X=Y, La, Sm, Er) solid solutions for thermal barrier (TBC) applications was investigated. Oxide powders of various compositions from 9.7 to 40 mol% XO1.5 (X=Y, La, Sm, Er) were synthesised by the sol–gel route. The structural analysis of the powders was performed using X-ray diffraction analysis coupled with Rietveld refinements and the measurement of their specific surface area with the BET method. For each rare earth dopant, the morphology of the powders varies from monoliths to agglomerates of thinner particles when the doping amount increases. In order to determine the specific heat, the thermal diffusivity at room temperature and the thermal expansion coefficient of some selected compositions, DSC, laser thermal diffusivity and hightemperature dilatometry measurements were performed on samples densified by Spark Plasma Sintering. Working thermal characterisation indicated that zirconia doped with 30 mol% SmO1.5 and ErO1.5 have better insulation properties and a lower thermal expansion coefficient than our reference YSZ ceramic. These various compositions are very promising for the elaboration of multilayer TBCs by the sol–gel process