Temperature-programmed desorption and surface reaction of thiophene over co-mo/.gamma.-Al2O3 hydrodesulfurization catalysts

The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) of thiophene over a series of Co-Mo/gamma-Al2O3, hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts with varying Co to Mo ratios have been studied with the objective of understanding the promotional role of Co in the HDS reaction. As part of the study, the desorptions (TPD) and hydrogenations (TPSR) of butane, butene, and butadiene over these catalysts have also been investigated. The TPD of the hydrocarbons over catalysts containing no Co showed a single desorption profile while incorporation of Co created an additional site, with higher heats of desorption, without significantly affecting desorption from the original site. The TPSR measurements showed that the two sites had separate and independent activity for the hydrogenation of the C-4 hydrocarbons. The TPD of thiophene over catalysts with varying Co to Mo ratios showed a single desorption profile with identical heats of desorption, implying that Co does not affect or influence the adsorption sites for thiophene. The TPSR of the HDS of thiophene, however, showed that, although the products of the HDS reaction-butane, butene, and H2S-are the same irrespective of the Co content, the temperature profiles and the activation barriers for the formation of these species show considerable change with the Co/Co+Mo ratio. The results are discussed in light of the existing models for the promotional role of Co in the HDS reaction.

Variation of surface flashover voltage in SF6 with pressure

Surface flashover characteristics of solid spacers in a rod-plane configuration have been investigated in SF6, at pressures to 400 kPa, for switching impulse voltages to determine the effect of spacer, spacer materials and polarity of applied impulses. The effect of spacer material on the flashover voltage is not significant. For negative polarity impulses, the influence of the spacer is also insignificant. But for positive polarity impulses, at pressures < 200 kPa, the spacer efficiency becomes > 1.0. On the other hand, at pressures > 200 kPa, the presence of spacer drastically reduces the flashover voltage of the system. At about atmospheric pressure also, the spacer efficiency in air has been found to be > 1.0, with the same electrode geometry.

Water-modeling study of the surface disturbances in continuous slab caster

The present work is based on four static molds using nozzles of different port diameter, port angle, and immersion depth. It has been observed that the meniscus is wavy. The wave amplitude shows a parabolic variation with the nozzle exit velocity. The dimensionless amplitude is found to vary linearly with the Froude number. Vortex formation and bubble entrainment by the wave occurs at the meniscus beyond a critical flow rate, depending upon the nozzle configuration, immersion depth, and the mold aspect ratio.

A new model for drainage of static foams

Existing theories of foam drainage assume bubbles as pentagonal dodecahedrons, though a close-packed structure built with cells of this shape is not space-filling. The present work develops a theory for calculating drainage rates based on the more realistic beta-tetrakaidecahedral shape for the bubbles. In contrast with the earlier works, three types of films, and Plateau borders had to be considered in view of the more complex shape used in the present work. The exchange of liquid between Plateau borders was treated in a way different From earlier theories, using the idea that the volume of junctions of Plateau borders is negligible. For foams made of large bubble sizes, the present model performs as well as the previous models, but when bubble size is small, its predictions of drainage rates from static foams are in better agreement with the experimental observations.

Breakage of a drop of inviscid fluid due to a pressure fluctuation at its surface

In this work, an attempt is made to gain a better understanding of the breakage of low-viscosity drops in turbulent flows by determining the dynamics of deformation of an inviscid drop in response to a pressure variation acting on the drop surface. Known scaling relationships between wavenumbers and frequencies, and between pressure fluctuations and velocity fluctuations in the inertial subrange are used in characterizing the pressure fluctuation. The existence of a maximum stable drop diameter d(max) follows once scaling laws of turbulent flow are used to correlate the magnitude of the disruptive forces with the duration for which they act. Two undetermined dimensionless quantities, both of order unity, appear in the equations of continuity, motion, and the boundary conditions in terms of pressure fluctuations applied on the surface. One is a constant of proportionality relating root-mean-square values of pressure and velocity differences between two points separated by a distance l. The other is a Weber number based on turbulent stresses acting on the drop and the resisting stresses in the drop due to interfacial tension. The former is set equal to 1, and the latter is determined by studying the interaction of a drop of diameter equal to d(max) with a pressure fluctuation of length scale equal to the drop diameter. The model is then used to study the breakage of drops of diameter greater than d(max) and those with densities different from that of the suspending fluid. It is found that, at least during breakage of a drop of diameter greater than d(max) by interaction with a fluctuation of equal length scale, a satellite drop is always formed between two larger drops. When very large drops are broken by smaller-length-scale fluctuations, highly deformed shapes are produced suggesting the possibility of further fragmentation due to instabilities. The model predicts that as the dispersed-phase density increases, d(max) decreases.

Consolidation behavior of clayey soils under radial drainage

For Barren's degree of consolidation, U-r, versus the time factor, T-r, relationship for soils undergoing consolidation with radial drainage for the equal vertical strain condition, a simple method has been developed to determine the value of the coefficient of consolidation with radial drainage c(r). Theoretical log(10)(d(e)(2)/t) versus U-r curves where d(e) is the diameter of influence and r is the real time for the different known value of c(r) have been generated. A method has been developed wherein both the theoretical and experimental behaviors of soils undergoing consolidation with radial drainage can be simultaneously compared and studied on the same plot. The experimental log(10)(d(e)(2)/t) versus U-r curves have been compared with the theoretical curves. Effects of initial compression, secondary compression, and duration of load increment are studied. Simple procedures are presented for calculating the values of c(r) using the experimental log(10)(d(e)(2)/t) versus U-r curves. A comparative study of the coefficient of consolidation and the coefficient of permeability between the cases of vertical and radial drainage has been done.

Coadsorption of Dioxygen and Water on the Ni(110) Surface: Role of O1--Type Species in the Dissociation of Water

While the adsorption of dioxygen at a clean Ni(110) surface gives rise to two O(1s) features at 531 and 530 eV assigned to O-(a) and O2-(a) type species respectively, coadsorption of dioxygen and water mixtures result in the additional formation of hydroxyl species characterized by an O(1s) peak at 532.3 eV. The latter is attributed to the oxygen induced dissociation of water via a low energy pathway involving the O-(a)-type species. The proportions of the O-(a) and the hydroxyl species are greater for small O-2/H2O ratios and lower temperatures (120 K). With increase in temperature, the relative surface concentrations of the O-(a) and the hydroxyl species decrease while there is an increase in the concentration of the oxidic O2-(a) species. Thus, the surface concentrations of both the hydroxyl and the O2-(a) species depend critically on the presence of O- type species. Above 300K the surface chemistry in the main involves the conversion of O- to O2- species via the hydroxyl species.

Natural Convection Heat Transfer From an Isothermal Vertical Surface to a Stable Thermally Stratified Fluid

Natural convection from an isothermal vertical surface to a thermally stratified fluid is studied numerically. A wide range of stratification levels is considered. It is shown that at high levels of ambient thermal stratification, a portion at the top of the plate absorbs heat, while a horizontal plume forms around a location where the plate temperature equals the ambient temperature. The plume is shown to be inherently unsteady, and its transient nature is investigated in detail. The effect of the temperature defect in striating the plume is discussed. Average Nusselt number data are presented for Pr = 6.0 and 0.7.

Methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) conversion over ZSM-5. A temperature programmed surface reaction study

The conversion of methanol to gasoline over zeolite ZSM-5 has been studied by temperature programmed surface reaction (TPSR). The technique is able to monitor the two steps in the process: the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether and the subsequent conversion of dimethyl ether to hydrocarbons. The activation barriers associated with each step were evaluated from the TPSR profiles and are 25.7 and 46.5 kcal/mol respectively. The methanol desorption profile shows considerable change with the amount of methanol molecules adsorbed per Bronsted site of the zeolite. The energy associated with the desorption process, (CH3OHH+-ZSM5 --> (CH3OHH+-ZSM5 + CH3OH, shows a spectrum of values depending on n.

Crystal Structure Engineering by Fine-Tuning the Surface Energy: The Case of CdE (E = S/Se) Nanocrystals

We prove that CdS nanocrystals can be thermodynamically stabilized in both wurtzite and zinc-blende crystallographic phases at will, just by the proper choice of the capping ligand. As a striking demonstration of this, the largest CdS nanocrystals (similar to 15 nm diameter) ever formed with the zinc-blende structure have been synthesized at a high reaction temperature of 310 degrees C, in contrast to previous reports suggesting the formation of zinc-blende CdS only in the small size limit (< 4.5 nm) or at a lower reaction temperature (<= 240 degrees C). Theoretical analysis establishes that the binding energy of trioctylphosphine molecules on the (001) surface of zinc-blende CdS is significantly larger than that for any of the wurtzite planes. Consequently, trioctylphosphine as a capping agent stabilizes the zinc-blende phase via influencing the surface energy that plays an important role in the overall energetics of a nanocrystal. Besides achieving giant zinc-blende CdS nanocrystals, this new understanding allows us to prepare CdSe and CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals in the zinc-blende structure.

Passivation of surface and bulk defects in p-GaSb by hydrogenated amorphous silicon treatment

Passivation of point and extended defects in GaSb has been observed as a result of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) treatment by the glow discharge technique. Cathodoluminescence (CL) images recorded at various depths in the samples clearly show passivation of defects on the surface as well as in the bulk region. The passivation of various recombination centers in the bulk is attributed to the formation of hydrogen-impurity complexes by diffusion of hydrogen ions from the plasma a-Si:H acts as a protective cap layer and prevents surface degradation which is usually encountered by bare exposure to hydrogen plasma. An enhancement in luminescence intensity up to 20 times is seen due to the passivation of nonradiative recombination centers. The passivation efficiency is found to improve with an increase in a-Si:H deposition temperature. The relative passivation efficiency of donors and acceptors by hydrogen in undoped and Te-compensated p-GaSb has been evaluated by CL and by the temperature dependence of photoluminescence intensities. Most notably, effective passivation of minority dopants in tellurium compensated p-GaSb is evidenced for the first time. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Performance analysis of surface acoustic wave matched filters

SAW matched filter is commonly used in spread spectrum communication receivers in order to maximize the SNR prior to detection, At times the receiver would be a mobile one while the signal is processed at the IF level, In that case frequency deviations due to Doppler shift or temperature dependence of the acoustic medium used for SAW device would, severely effect it's performance, The impact of these errors on the receiver performance is analyzed on a generalised basis.

Tropical deep convection, convective available potential energy and sea surface temperature

The convective available potential energy (CAFE) based on monthly mean sounding has been shown to be relevant to deep convection in the tropics. The variation of CAFE with SST has been found to be similar to the variation of the frequency of deep convection at one station each in the tropical Atlantic and W. Pacific oceans. This suggests a strong link between the frequency of tropical convection and CAFE. It has been shown that CAFE so derived can be interpreted as the work potential of the atmosphere above the boundary layer with ascent in the convective region and subsidence in the surrounding cloud-free region.