Development of a TG-FTIR system for investigations with condensable and corrosive gases

A thermogravimetric analyzer and a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer were combined and redesigned for investigations with corrosive and condensable reactive gases. The standard gas inlet and outlet of the thermogravimetric analyzer were changed in order to heat the gas tubes, which are lead through the flanges, and avoid condensation in these parts of the system. Furthermore, all tubes upstream and downstream of the thermogravimetric analyzer were trace heated up to 180°C. The gas measuring cell of the FTIR spectrometer was designed such that an optimum compromise between the small flow rates through the thermogravimetric analyzer and a short residence time of the gases in the gas measuring cell could be achieved. The gas supply allows the dosage of different gas compositions containing nitrogen, oxygen, water, NH3, and NO2, for example. The system was validated by analyzing the composition of a diesel particulate matter (PM) sample with a temperature-programmed desorption followed by oxidation (TPD/O) experiment, which showed good agreement with the established analysis methods. The reactivity of the PM sample was investigated by temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) experiments with different reactive gas mixtures of oxygen, water, and NO2 in nitrogen. By adding NO2, the soot oxidation started at lower temperatures and the addition of water lead to a shift of the maxima of the carbon oxidation rates to lower temperatures. The ratio of formed CO2 and CO was shifted to higher values by the addition of NO2 and water whereby the influence of water was much more pronounce

Basic investigation of the chemical deactivation of V2O5/WO3-TiO2 SCR catalysts by potassium, calcium, and phosphate

The influence of the combustion products of different lubrication oil additives and impurities in fuel or urea solution on the activity and selectivity of V2O5/WO3-TiO2 catalysts in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides by ammonia was investigated. Focusing on the deactivation by calcium, phosphate, and potassium, the DeNO x activity followed the order K ≫ Ca >PO4. This trend was investigated on the structural level of the catalyst by means of temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD) and a DRIFT characterization of the adsorbed ammonia species. The results suggest that the studied elements strongly reduce the acidity of the SCR catalyst in the order K ≫ Ca >PO4 by mainly affecting the Brønsted acidity of the surfac

Surface modification of food-grade PVC monitored by angle-resolved XPS

In this work the covalent functionalization of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) by nucleophilic substitution was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface of food-grade PVC was characterized before and after treatment with ethanol and with 5% and 10% MPTMS solutions in ethanol. Special attention was paid to the determination of the chemistry, composition and thickness of the functionalized polymer surface by angle-resolved XPS (ARXPS). XPS analysis in standard mode and ARXPS spectra showed the presence of sulphur, silicon and oxygen from the MPTMS molecule. The quantitative analysis was in good agreement with the stoichiometry of the molecule. A small amount of chlorine, detected also at grazing angles, supported the formation of a layer, which resulted to be 2.2(0.2) nm thick including the hydrocarbon contamination usually detected by XPS on samples in contact with solutions. It is here demonstrated that XPS and ARXPS allow monitoring the surface functionalization and tune the conditions for achieving a good reproducibility during the functionalization of food-grade PVC by MPTMS. This is the starting point for further functionalization to obtain active food packaging with antimicrobial properties

The role of organic compounds in artificial saliva for corrosion studies: evidence from XPS analyses

Several formulations of artificial saliva have been used for corrosion studies. The present work focuses on the effect of different saliva formulations on the composition of the surface film formed on CuZn37 brass alloy by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), in order to clarify the corrosion mechanism of historical brass wind instruments when used. Three different saliva solutions, Darvell (D), Carter-Brugirard (C-B) and SALMO, were selected. They differ for the content of the organic compounds. The XPS results show the presence of a film made of CuSCN and zinc-phosphate on the brass exposed to C-B and SALMO. In the case of samples exposed to D formulation, phosphorus is not revealed, a decrease in the zinc content in the film is detected and the S 2p shows the presence of a second component together with the one ascribed to CuSCN. A comparison with the results obtained on the pure metals in the presence of the organic compounds suggests that the formation of zinc and copper complexes may lead to thin and less protective surface film and thus to the observed high corrosion rates

Losses in the Post-Collision Extraction Line

The CLIC beam delivery system focuses 1.5 TeV electron and positron beams to a nanometre-sized cross section when colliding them at the interaction point (IP). The intense focusing leads to large beam-beam effects, causing the production of beamstrahlung photons, coherent and incoherent e+e− pairs, as well as a significant disruption of the main beam. The transport of the post-collision beams requires a minimal loss extraction line, with high acceptance for energy deviation and divergence. The current design includes vertical bends close to the IP in order to separate the charged particles with a sign opposite to the main beam into a diagnostic-equipped intermediate dump, whilst transporting the photons and the main beam to the final dump. Photon and charged particle losses on magnet masks and dumps result in a complex radiation field and IP background particle fluxes. In this paper, the electromagnetic backgrounds at the IP arising from the losses occurring closest to the collision point are calculated

Photon backgrounds at the CLIC interaction point due to losses in the post-collision extraction line

The CLIC beam delivery system focuses 1.5~TeV electron and positron beams to a nanometre-sized cross section when colliding them at the interaction point (IP). The intense focusing leads to large beam-beam effects, causing the production of beamstrahlung photons, coherent and incoherent $e^+e^-$ pairs, as well as a significant disruption of the main beam. The transport of the post-collision beams requires a minimal loss extraction line, with high acceptance for energy deviation and divergence. The current design includes vertical bends close to the IP in order to separate the charged particles with a sign opposite to the main beam into a diagnostic-equipped intermediate dump, whilst transporting the photons and the main beam to the final dump. Photon and charged particle losses on magnet masks and dumps result in a complex radiation field and IP background particle fluxes. In this paper, the electromagnetic backgrounds at the IP arising from the losses occurring closest to the collision point are calculated

NO x reduction in the exhaust of mobile heavy-duty diesel engines by urea-SCR

A DeNO x demonstration system for a diesel engine used in construction machineries and mobile cranes was setup. In preliminary experiments various extruded and coated SCR catalysts were evaluated with and without oxidizing pre-catalyst. The data from stationary tests with two selected catalysts were used to establish various model-based control algorithms for the optimum dosage of urea in the ESC and ETC. A NO x conversion of >93% at <10ppm average ammonia slip could be achieved at a converter-to-swept volume ratio of <2.

There are three major Neisseria gonorrhoeae β-lactamase plasmid variants which are associated with specific lineages and carry distinct TEM alleles

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a significant threat to global health with an estimated incidence of over 80 million cases each year and high levels of antimicrobial resistance. The gonococcal β-lactamase plasmid, pbla, carries the TEM β-lactamase, which requires only one or two amino acid changes to become an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL); this would render last resort treatments for gonorrhoea ineffective. Although pbla is not mobile, it can be transferred by the conjugative plasmid, pConj, found in N. gonorrhoeae. Seven variants of pbla have been described previously, but little is known about their frequency or distribution in the gonococcal population. We characterised sequences of pbla variants and devised a typing scheme, Ng_pblaST that allows their identification from whole genome short-read sequences. We implemented Ng_pblaST to assess the distribution of pbla variants in 15 532 gonococcal isolates. This demonstrated that only three pbla variants commonly circulate in gonococci, which together account for >99 % of sequences. The pbla variants carry different TEM alleles and are prevalent in distinct gonococcal lineages. Analysis of 2758 pbla-containing isolates revealed the co-occurrence of pbla with certain pConj types, indicating co-operativity between pbla and pConj variants in the spread of plasmid-mediated AMR in N. gonorrhoeae. Understanding the variation and distribution of pbla is essential for monitoring and predicting the spread of plasmid-mediated β-lactam resistance in N. gonorrhoeae

Design and Performance of the CNGS Secondary Beam Line

An intense muon-neutrino beam (1017nm /day) is generated at CERN and directed towards the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, LNGS, in Italy, 732 km away from CERN. In the presently approved physics programme, it is foreseen to run the CNGS facility with 4.5.1019 protons per year for five years. During a nominal CNGS cycle, i.e. every 6s, two nominal SPS extractions of 2.4.1013 protons each at 400GeV/c are sent down the proton beam line to the target. The CNGS secondary beam line, starting with the target, has to cope with this situation, which pushes the beam line equipment and instrumentation to the limits of radiation hardness and mechanical stresses during the CNGS operation. An overview of the CNGS secondary beam line is given. Emphasis is on the target, the magnetic focusing lenses (horn and reflector) and the muon monitors. The performance of the secondary beam line during beam commissioning and physics operation is discussed and measurements are compared with simulations