Scalable metamaterial thermally sprayed catalyst coatings for nuclear reactor high temperature solid oxide steam electrolysis.

The UK government in their 2021 Hydrogen Strategy recognises that the low carbon hydrogen plays a critical role in achieving transition to net zero and sets a target of 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 for use across the economy. Unfortunately, pure hydrogen cannot be found in nature and it has to be produced. Currently, the most common hydrogen production method is the steam methane reformation, where methane gas is reacted with steam to produce hydrogen. This process is very carbon incentive, but can be made low carbon with the carbon capture and storage, which does not exist yet. A better alternative is to use renewables electricity such as from solar, wind, nuclear to split water into hydrogen in an electrolyser achieving zero carbon hydrogen. Since there is virtually no zero-carbon hydrogen production plant in the UK, it will require a significant and rapid scale up of activities in research and commercialisation. There are eight electrolysers at different stages of development and among those, solid oxide electrolyser technology has many attractive advantages to scale up to industrial scale. Its high temperature operation is suitable for utilising waste heat from industry. Moreover, excess stream generated in nuclear power plant can be easily utilised for producing hydrogen using solid oxide electrolyser. This talk will explore in detail the design of a solid oxide electrolyser including the use of different materials, how the design of each components affects the performance of an electrolyser and how optimising each component and operating parameters will improve performance. Finally, this talk will give a summary of our recently funded Energy and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) project on scalable metamaterial thermally sprayed catalyst coatings in improving solid oxide electrolyser performance. The talk will explain how metamaterial can be optimised through CFD modelling and experimentation, how it can improve flows inside an electrolyser and how it offers increased current density using similar size of an electrolyser

Modelling, optimisation and analysis of tubular high temperature solid oxide steam electrolysis cell.

Developing electrolyser cells with enhanced hydrogen production and their scalable manufacturing can play an important role in enabling not only eco-friendly development but also cost-effective, reliable, and sustainable opportunities. Thermomechanical assessments of expected deformations at high temperature bandwidth for two types of materials, used as a cell metal support were performed. Revealed changes to geometry, especially, at fixed-fixed conditions provide a basis to estimate the overall cell stability, optimise the fluid dynamics component and electrochemical performance

Modelling, optimisation and analysis of tubular high temperature solid oxide steam electrolysis cell.

High temperature solid oxide steam electrolysis (HTSOSE) is an efficient and ecologically-friendly method of hydrogen production through conversion of the water substance into hydrogen and oxygen, using the heat and electrical energy. The HT SOSE is outstanding for its efficiency due to: 1)use of heat energy; 2)use of solid materials which allows reducing the cell volume; 3)reduced production and operation costs. The SOSE technology has the most positive perspectives of integration with the existing power plants based on the nuclear or renewable energy, and also with aerospace technologies, where the excess heat and electricity is available as a by product

Thermomechanical deformation analysis of a tubular solid oxide steam electrolysis cell.

Technologies behind electrolysis cells for hydrogen production are making progress in terms of portability, cost reduction, performance enhancement, prolonged operation, and integration in stacks and with existing power infrastructure. The solid oxide steam electrolysis technology is well suited for integration with existing sources of heat and electricity given its high temperature operation. This would lead to higher efficiencies compared to other electrolyser technologies. In this study, a tubular solid oxide steam electrolysis (SOSE) cell has been investigated for high-temperature conditions. The electrolysing reaction in the SOSE occurs across a series of layers, typical composition of which comprises multiple materials (metallics, ceramics). This means a significant mismatch in the thermomechanical behavior at a high temperature which leads to the damage build up over long operation times. To analyse the combined effect of boundary conditions, material composition, porosity variation, and pressure in the internal gas channel, a series of thermomechanical simulations using finite element analysis (FEA) technique has been performed for a tubular solid oxide cell design. The results indicate a significant tube elongation, which leads to stress accumulation near the fixed end connections. The maximum deformation is found to increase by about 1.4 times with the temperature elevation from 600 to 800 C for non-porous materials. These effects can be substantially reduced if porous structures are used

Effectiveness of Retro Walking and Forward Walking Treadmill Training on Abdominal Adiposity in Untrained Young AdultsA Quasi-experimental Study

Introduction: Retro walking or backward walking is an exercise mode which incurs an increased metabolic cost and results in a greater cardiopulmonary demand when compared to forward walking, while placing a lower stress on the joints of the lower limb. Abdominal adiposity, a part of metabolic syndrome, is an early risk-factor for morbidity and mortality in adulthood. Aim: The study aims to compare the effect of retro walking treadmill training and that of forward walking treadmill training, as potential modifiers of general obesity and abdominal obesity in untrained young adults. Materials and Methods: In this quasi experimental study, 111 untrained young men/young males aged 18-25 who were students of a medical university in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were recruited and allocated randomly into two groups. One group underwent retro walking treadmill training five times a week for six weeks, and the other group underwent forward walking treadmill training for the same period. Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), Waist- Height Ratio (WHtR) and Body Mass Index (BMI) were measured before and after the six-week intervention and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: There was a significant reduction in WHR and WHtR in the participants of the retro walking program when compared to participants of forward walking program. The decrease in BMI was not statistically significant. Conclusion: A retro walking training program is more effective in reducing BMI, WHR and WHtR in untrained young adults as compared to a forward walking program

Retro walking treadmill training reduces C—reactive protein levels in overweight and obese young adults: A randomized comparative study

Abstract Background and Aims Retro walking has been shown to acquire a greater metabolic cost, placing a higher cardiopulmonary demand on the body, when compared with forward walking at a similar speed. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of retro walking with that of forward walking on C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) and to understand the influence of independent factors namely systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and BMI on CRP in untrained overweight and obese young adults. Methods This was a randomised controlled trial whereby 106 participants underwent either retro walking (n = 53) or forward walking (n = 53) treadmill training four times a week for 12 weeks before and after which CRP, BMI, and BP levels were measured. Comparison of the measured values before and after intervention and between the groups was done and influence of BMI and BP on CRP levels was determined. Results Both groups recorded a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in CRP, BMI, and BP levels postintervention. The participants who underwent retro walking training showed a significantly (p < 0.001) higher decrease in all the outcomes as compared with the forward walking group. C‐reactive protein levels were seen to be influenced by BMI and DBP. Conclusion Retro‐walking training leads to greater decrease in CRP, BMI, and BP when compared with forward walking, and CRP levels are influenced by BMI and DBP. Retro walking treadmill training can be used preferentially to bring about reduction in cardiovascular risk factors

Effect of Community Education Program on Stroke Symptoms and Treatment on School and College Students from South India: A Longitudinal Observational Study

Community awareness regarding stroke signs, risk factors, and actions that help reduce the risk and complications of stroke is poorly addressed, as it is thought to be the best approach to control and prevent stroke. Aim: To establish the awareness of stroke and its management among high school and college students using an educational intervention. A questionnaire was administered to students from five high schools and four colleges with different areas of focus, (arts, science and commerce), types (public, semi-public and private), and economic locations before and after an educational lecture on stroke. The lecture covered the following elements: stroke definition, signs, risk factors, actions, time window for thrombolytic therapy, and types of rehabilitation interventions. This study included 1036 participants, of whom 36.3% were male and 56.4% were high school students, and the mean age was 17.15 ± 1.29 (15–22) years. Before the lecture, 147 participants were unaware of a single sign of stroke, and 124 did not know the risk factors. After the intervention, 439 participants knew four signs of stroke, and 196 knew 12 risk factors. Female students had better knowledge about stroke signs (odds ratio (OR), 3.08; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.15–4.43). Hypertension (52.7%) and weakness (59.85%) were the most known signs and risk factors. The proportion of students who selected traditional medicine as the mode of treatment decreased from 34.75% to 8.59% after the lecture. Other rehabilitation methods (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and counseling) were chosen by more than 80% of the students. The results of the current study showed that the awareness on stroke risk factors and management among the school and college students can be significantly improved with regular educational interventions, and therefore stroke can be prevented to some extent