Utilizing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and neutron imaging to better understand transport characteristics of fuel cells

Issued as final reportAmerican Chemical Societ

Application of digital image analysis for size distribution measurements of microbubbles

This work employs digital image analysis to measure the size distribution of microbubbles generated by the process of electroflotation for use in solid/liquid separation processes. Microbubbles are used for separations in the mineral processing industry and also in the treatment of potable water and wastewater.As the bubbles move upward in a solid/liquid column due to buoyancy, particles collide with and attach to the bubbles and are carried to the surface of the column where they are removed by skimming. The removal efficiency of solids is strongly affected by the size of the bubbles. In general, higher separation is achieved by a smaller bubble size. The primary focus of this study was to characterize the size and size distribution of bubbles generated in electroflotation using image analysis. The study found that bubble diameter increased slightly as the current density applied to the system was increased. Additionally, electroflotation produces a uniform bubble size with narrow distribution which optimizes the removal of fine particles from solution

Modeling of depleted uranium transport in subsurface systems

Water, Air, and Soil Pollution1401-4173-201WAPL

Effect of sorption on flocculation kinetics: Experimental studies

Sorption of copper and cadmium ions from aqueous solutions by ferric oxide particles was studied using batch equilibrium and kinetic experiments. The sorption process was found to be pH dependent, with the uptake increasing at high pH values. An increase in equilibrium pH was observed when the initial pH was in the acidic range and a decrease from initial values was observed in the basic range, in the case of both copper and cadmium sorption. The former phenomenon is due to competition between metal and proton binding and the latter is due to precipitation mechanisms at high initial pH values. A large increase in the zeta potential of the particles from baseline values was observed during equilibrium sorption. This increase occurs as a result of surface charge neutralization due to metal ion uptake. Particle destabilization appears to occur as a result of metal ion sorption. Kinetic experiments indicate that the uptake of copper by ferric oxide particles is a slow process. pH histories were similar to those obtained in the sorption equilibrium experiments. Changes in the size distribution of the ferric oxide particles due to aggregate formation during uptake of ions is observed in the kinetic studies. These findings indicate a potential role of metal ion uptake in particle flocculation kinetics through alteration of the surface electrostatic potential

Magnetic-seeding filtration

Magnetic-seeding filtration consists of two steps: heterogeneous particle flocculation of magnetic and nonmagnetic particles in a stirred tank and high-gradient magnetic filtration (HGMF). The effects of various parameters affecting magnetic-seeding filtration (HGMF). The effects of various parameters affecting magnetic seeding filtration are theoretically and experimentally investigated. A trajectory model that includes hydrodynamic resistance, van der Waals, and electrostatic forces is developed to calculate the flocculation frequency in a turbulent-shear regime. Fractal dimension is introduced to simulate the open structure of aggregates. A magnetic-filtration model that consists of trajectory analysis, a particle build-up model, a breakthrough model, and a bivariate population-balance model is developed to predict the breakthrough curve of magnetic-seeding filtration. A good agreement between modeling results and experimental data is obtained. The results show that the model developed in this study can be used to predict the performance of magnetic-seeding filtration without using empirical coefficients or fitting parameters. 35 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Effects of chemical and physical properties of influent on copper sorption onto activated carbon fixed-bed columns

10.1016/S0008-6223(03)00117-9Carbon4181635-1644CRBN

Incorporating radioactive decay into charging and coagulation of multicomponent radioactive aerosols

Compositional changes by the decay of radionuclides in radioactive aerosols can influence their charging state, coagulation frequency and size distribution throughout their atmospheric lifetime. The importance of such effects is unknown as they have not been considered in microphysical and global radioactivity transport studies to date. We explore the effects of compositional changes on the charging efficiency and coagulation rates of aerosols using a set of kinetic equations that couple all relevant processes (decay, charging and coagulation) and their evolution over time. Compared to a coupled aggregation-tracer model for the prediction of the radioactive composition of particulates undergoing coagulation, our kinetic approach can provide similar results using much less central processing unit time. Together with other considerations, our approach is computational efficient enough to allow implementation in 3D atmospheric transport models. The decay of radionuclides and the production of decay products within radioactive aerosols may significantly affect the aerosol charging rates, and either hinder or promote the coagulation of multicomponent radioactive aerosols. These results suggest that radiological phenomena occurring within radioactive aerosols, as well as subsequent effects on aerosol microphysics, should be considered in regional and global models to more accurately predict radioactivity transport in the atmosphere in case of a nuclear plant accident. © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Charging and coagulation of radioactive and nonradioactive particles in the atmosphere

Charging and coagulation influence one another and impact the particle charge and size distributions in the atmosphere. However, few investigations to date have focused on the coagulation kinetics of atmospheric particles accumulating charge. This study presents three approaches to include mutual effects of charging and coagulation on the microphysical evolution of atmospheric particles such as radioactive particles. The first approach employs ion balance, charge balance, and a bivariate population balance model (PBM) to comprehensively calculate both charge accumulation and coagulation rates of particles. The second approach involves a much simpler description of charging, and uses a monovariate PBM and subsequent effects of charge on particle coagulation. The third approach is further simplified assuming that particles instantaneously reach their steady-state charge distributions. It is found that compared to the other two approaches, the first approach can accurately predict time-dependent changes in the size and charge distributions of particles over a wide size range covering from the free molecule to continuum regimes. The other two approaches can reliably predict both charge accumulation and coagulation rates for particles larger than about 0.04 micrometers and atmospherically relevant conditions. These approaches are applied to investigate coagulation kinetics of particles accumulating charge in a radioactive neutralizer, the urban atmosphere, and an atmospheric system containing radioactive particles. Limitations of the approaches are discussed. © 2016 Author(s)