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Besmann, Theodore M

Publications and source records attributed to Besmann, Theodore M.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Mitigating the effect of siloxanes on internal combustion engines using landfill gasses

A waste gas combustion method that includes providing a combustible fuel source, in which the combustible fuel source is composed of at least methane and siloxane gas. A sodium source or magnesium source is mixed with the combustible fuel source. Combustion of the siloxane gas of the combustible fuel source produces a silicon containing product. The sodium source or magnesium source reacts with the silicon containing product to provide a sodium containing glass or sodium containing silicate, or a magnesium containing silicate. By producing the sodium containing glass or sodium containing silicate, or the magnesium containing silicate, or magnesium source for precipitating particulate silica instead of hard coating, the method may reduce or eliminate the formation of silica deposits within the combustion chamber and the exhaust components of the internal combustion engine.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fission product release and survivability of UN-kernel LWR TRISO fuel

A thermomechanical assessment of the LWR application of TRISO fuel with UN kernels was performed. Fission product release under operational and transient temperature conditions was determined by extrapolation from fission product recoil calculations and limited data from irradiated UN pellets. Both fission recoil and diffusive release were considered and internal particle pressures computed for both 650 and 800 um diameter kernels as a function of buffer layer thickness. These pressures were used in conjunction with a finite element program to compute the radial and tangential stresses generated within a TRISO particle undergoing burnup. Creep and swelling of the inner and outer pyrolytic carbon layers were included in the analyses. A measure of reliability of the TRISO particle was obtained by computing the probability of survival of the SiC barrier layer and the maximum tensile stress generated in the pyrolytic carbon layers from internal pressure and thermomechanics of the layers. These reliability estimates were obtained as functions of the kernel diameter, buffer layer thickness, and pyrolytic carbon layer thickness. The value of the probability of survival at the end of irradiation was inversely proportional to the maximum pressure.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fuel Flexibility: Landfill Gas Contaminant Mitigation for Power Generation

This research project focused on the mitigation of silica damage to engine-based renewable landfill gas energy systems. Characterization of the landfill gas siloxane contamination, combined with characterization of the silica deposits in engines, led to development of two new mitigation strategies. The first involved a novel method for removing the siloxanes and other heavy contaminants from the landfill gas prior to use by the engines. The second strategy sought to interrupt the formation of hard silica deposits in the engine itself, based on inspection of failed landfill gas engine parts. In addition to mitigation, the project had a third task to develop a robust sensor for siloxanes that could be used to control existing and/or future removal processes.

CHP↗
DOE OSTI2014

Mitigating the effect of siloxanes on internal combustion engines using landfill gasses

A waste gas combustion method that includes providing a combustible fuel source, in which the combustible fuel source is composed of at least methane and siloxane gas. A sodium source or magnesium source is mixed with the combustible fuel source. Combustion of the siloxane gas of the combustible fuel source produces a silicon containing product. The sodium source or magnesium source reacts with the silicon containing product to provide a sodium containing glass or sodium containing silicate, or a magnesium containing silicate. By producing the sodium containing glass or sodium containing silicate, or the magnesium containing silicate, or magnesium source for precipitating particulate silica instead of hard coating, the method may reduce or eliminate the formation of silica deposits within the combustion chamber and the exhaust components of the internal combustion engine.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Carbothermic Synthesis of 820 m UN Kernels: Literature Review, Thermodynamics, Analysis, and Related Experiments

The U.S. Department of Energy is considering a new nuclear fuel that would be less susceptible to ruptures during a loss-of-coolant accident. The fuel would consist of tristructural isotropic coated particles with large, dense uranium nitride (UN) kernels. This effort explores many factors involved in using gel-derived uranium oxide-carbon microspheres to make large UN kernels. Analysis of recent studies with sufficient experimental details is provided. Extensive thermodynamic calculations are used to predict carbon monoxide and other pressures for several different reactions that may be involved in conversion of uranium oxides and carbides to UN. Experimentally, the method for making the gel-derived microspheres is described. These were used in a microbalance with an attached mass spectrometer to determine details of carbothermic conversion in argon, nitrogen, or vacuum. A quantitative model is derived from experiments for vacuum conversion to an uranium oxide-carbide kernel.

carothermic↗
DOE OSTI2013

Thermochemical modeling of the U1-yGdyO2 x phase

A thermodynamic model for the U1-yGdyO2 x phase was developed using the compound energy formalism (CEF) with a three sublattice approach and is an extension of the already successful CEF representation of the fluorite UO2 x phase. The Gibbs energies for the end-members created by the addition of Gd to the cation sublattice are estimated using the lattice stability of a fictive gadolinium oxide fluorite structure compound from density functional theory. The model interaction parameters are determined from reported oxygen potential-temperature-composition measurements. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data and the trends are consistent. The CEF for the U1-yGdyO2 x solid solution can be combined with other representations of actinide and fission product containing fluorite UO2 phases to develop multi-component models within the CEF framework.

CALPHAD↗
DOE OSTI2012

Uranium Nitride as LWR TRISO Fuel: Thermodynamic Modeling of U-C-N

TRISO coated particle fuel is envisioned as a next generation replacement for current urania pellet fuel in LWR applications. To obtain adequate fissile loading the kernel of the TRISO particle will need to be UN. In support of the fuel development effort, an assessment of phase regions of interest in the U-C-N system was undertaken as the fuel will be prepared by the carbothermic reduction of the oxide and it will be in equilibrium with carbon within the TRISO particle. The phase equilibria and thermochemistry of the U-C-N system is reviewed, including nitrogen pressure measurements above various phase fields. Selected measurements were used to fit a first order model of the UC1-xNx phase, represented by the inter-solution of UN and UC. Fit to the data was significantly improved by also adjusting the heat of formation for UN by ~12 kJ/mol and the phase equilbria was best reproduced by also adjusting the heat for U2N3 by +XXX. The determined interaction parameters yielded a slightly positive deviation from ideality, which agrees with lattice parameter measurements which show positive deviation from Vegard s law. The resultant model together with reported values for other phases in the system were used to generate isothermal sections of the U-C-N phase diagram. Nitrogen partial pressures were also computed for regions of interest.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Modeling Deep Burn TRISO Particle Nuclear Fuel

Under the DOE Deep Burn program TRISO fuel is being investigated as a fuel form for consuming plutonium and minor actinides, and for greater efficiency in uranium utilization. The result will thus be to drive TRISO particulate fuel to very high burn-ups. In the current effort the various phenomena in the TRISO particle are being modeled using a variety of techniques. The chemical behavior is being treated utilizing thermochemical analysis to identify phase formation/transformation and chemical activities in the particle, including kernel migration. First principles calculations are being used to investigate the critical issue of fission product palladium attack on the SiC coating layer. Density functional theory is being used to understand fission product diffusion within the plutonia oxide kernel. Kinetic Monte Carlo techniques are shedding light on transport of fission products, most notably silver, through the carbon and SiC coating layers. The diffusion of fission products through an alternative coating layer, ZrC, is being assessed via DFT methods. Finally, a multiscale approach is being used to understand thermal transport, including the effect of radiation damage induced defects, in a model SiC material.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Self-Aligned Cu-Si Core-Shell Nanowire Array as a High-Performance Anode for Li-Ion Batteries

Silicon nanowires (NWs) have been reported as a promising anode that demonstrated high capacity without pulverization during cycling, however, they present some technical issues that remain to be solved. The high aspect ratio of the NWs and their small contact areas with the current collector cause high electrical resistance, which results in inefficient electron transport. The nano-size interface between a NW and the substrate experiences high shear stress during lithiation, causing the wire to separate from the current collector. In addition, most reported methods for producing silicon NWs involve high-temperature processing and require catalysts that later become contaminants. This study developed a new self-aligned Cu-Si core-shell NW array using a low-temperature, catalyst-free process to address the issues described. The silicon shell is amorphous as synthesized and accommodates Li-ions without phase transformation. The copper core functions as a built-in current collector to provide very short (nm) electron transport pathways as well as backbone to improve mechanical strength. Initial electrochemical evaluation has demonstrated good capacity retention and high Coulombic efficiency for this new anode material in a half-cell configuration. No wire fracture or core-shell separation was observed after cycling. However, electrolyte decomposition products largely covered the top surface of the NW array, restricting electrolyte access and causing capacity reduction at high charging rates.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Hf-Doped Ni-Al2O3 Interfaces at Equilibrium

In this study, a series of dewetting experiments of pure and Hf-doped Ni films on sapphire and HfO2 substrates were conducted in order to measure the change in interface energy of the Ni-Al2O3 interface in the presence of Hf, and to study Hf interfacial segregation. It was found that Hf oxidizes under the conditions of the experiment (P(O2)=10-20atm.), and that the presence of HfO2 at the Ni-Al2O3 interface increases the interface energy from 2.16 0.2 to 2.7 0.4 [J/m2]. This result contradicts several theoretical studies that predict that Hf segregates to the interface to stabilize it thermodynamically. The solubility of Hf in bulk Ni was found to be significantly lower than the value reported in the equilibrium phase diagram.

Meltzman, Hila↗