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At least 91 records · Page 5

A new composite cathode for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells with zirconia-based electrolytes

Improving the electrocatalytic activity of electrode materials is vitally important to achieve practically meaningful performance for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Here the present work develops a composite cathode consisting of an electronic conductor Sr-doped LaMnO 3 (LSM) and an ionic conductor Y- and Ce- co-doped Bi 2 O 3 (BYC7). BYC7 is an excellent oxide-ion conductor, exhibiting a high and stable ionic conductivity of 0.008 S cm -1 at 500 °C. The polarization resistance of LSM-BYC7 cathode in a symmetrical cell with doped ZrO 2 as electrolyte varies from 5.76 at 500 °C to 0.25 Ω cm 2 at 650 °C. The surface diffusion and charge transfer at the triple phase boundaries are the rate determining steps based on the dependence of polarization resistance on partial pressure of oxygen. The maximum power density of a ZrO 2 -based anode-supported cell with LSM-BYC7 composite cathode is 56.4, 154.6, 327.9, and 451.0 mW cm-2 at 500, 550, 600, and 650 °C respectively. AC impedance analysis reveals that the performance of IT-SOFC prepared in this study is actually limited by the anode, not by LSM-BYC7 cathode.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Rare Earth Nickelate Electrodes Containing Heavily Doped Ceria for Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The electrochemical performance of composite rare-earth nickelate-rare-earth doped ceria oxygen electrodes, with a high level of rare-earth doping in ceria are reported. Additionally, the chemical stability of these compositions is reported at both the sintering (1240 ?C) and operating temperature (800 ?C). Specifically, a lanthanum nickelate La2NiO4+d (LNO) ?? 50 mol% lanthanum doped ceria (LDC50) oxygen electrode and a neodymium nickelate Nd2NiO4+d (NNO) ?? 50 mol% neodymium doped ceria (NDC50) oxygen electrode are tested in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) modes and compared to a composite (La0.75Sr0.25)0.95MnO3±d (LSM)-8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrode. The LNO–LDC50 oxygen electrode reaches a current density which is approximately three times that of the LSM-YSZ electrode in SOFC mode at 0.7 V and approximately two times the LSM-YSZ electrode at 1.2 V in SOEC mode. Similarly the NNONDC50 oxygen electrode reaches a current density which is approximately two times and approximately one and a half times that of LSM-YSZ at 0.7 V and 1.2 V respectively. Oxygen surface exchange results for LNO and NNO are also reported which show different oxygen exchange kinetics during oxidation versus reduction steps.

solid oxide electrolysis, solid oxide fuel cell (S↗

La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} nanopowders: Synthesis of different powders structures and real magnetic properties of nanomanganites

The difference in the magnetic properties between two lanthanum manganite nanopowders with identical phase and chemical composition is discussed in terms of the influence of nanopowder synthesis conditions on their properties. The aim of this investigation was to show the influence of precursor type and structure on the structure and properties of final La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} nanopowders obtained by precipitation technique. The forming of a complex structure of precursor materials during drying and inheritance at firing stage led to the formation of bimodal particle size distribution and magnetic properties typical of coarse powders. The correct choice of precursor material and the technological conditions of the drying and firing stage were allowed for the creation of a uniform powder structure with special magnetic properties. We showed that the magnetic properties of nanopowders were not always determined by chemical or phase composition and mean particle size of synthesized powders. The difference in precipitation process can lead to unpredictable and catastrophic results, and masked the effect of nanoparticles on the magnetic properties of the material. - Highlights: • Precursor’s structure has a strong influence on LSM nanoparticles structure. • Amorphous precursor structure led to uniform LSM nanoparticles formation. • Crystal precursors led to the formation of bimodal LSM particles distribution. • Decrease the single-domain LSM NP size led to decrease the powder’s magnetization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhancement of La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ Durability and Surface Electro-catalytic Activity by La 0.85 Sr 0.15 MnO 3-δ Investigated using a New Test Electrode Platform

A carefully designed test cell platform with a new electrode structure is utilized to determine the intrinsic surface catalytic properties of an electrode. With this design, the electrocatalytic activity and stability of an La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ (LSCF) cathode is enhanced by a dense thin La 0.85 Sr 0.15 MnO 3±δ (LSM) coating, suggesting that an efficient electrode architecture has been demonstrated that can make effective use of desirable properties of two different materials: fast ionic and electronic transport in the backbone (LSCF) and facile surface kinetics on the thin-film coating (LSM). Theoretical analyses suggest that the enhanced electrocatalytic activity of LSM-coated LSCF is attributed possibly to surface activation under cathodic polarization due to the promotion of oxygen adsorption and/or dissociation by the surface layer and the dramatically increased oxygen vacancy population in the surface film. Further, the observed time-dependent activation over a few hundreds of hours and durability are likely associated with the formation of a favorable hybrid surface phase intermediate between LSM and LSCF. This efficient electrode architecture was successfully applied to the state-of-the-art LSCF-based cathodes by a simple solution infiltration process, achieving reduced interfacial resistance and improved stability under fuel cell operating conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Novel Approach to Strengthening Ceramic Cathode Contact and Validation in a Generic Stack Test Fixture

The ceramic contact material at the cathode side has been identified as the weakest mechanical link in solid oxide fuel cells, due to poor sintering at low stack fabrication temperatures. In this work, a novel approach of mechanical interlocking with an engineered surface was proposed to strengthen LSM-type contacts. The engineered cathode surface was made by depositing large LSM20 granules onto a wet cathode print, followed by sintering. Granules of three sizes were tested (mesh #35, #60, and #100). Small coupons of anode-supported YSZ electrolyte with LSM cathode were joined at 850 and 950oC for 2h with LSM contact using either the engineered surface or plain surfaces. The results of contact strength measurements showed about 14 times increase with engineered surface compared to plain surfaces. Validation with a 2”x2” LSM-based cell in a generic stack fixture showed good thermal cycle stability with minimal change in ohmic impedance over ten cycles.

Chou, Yeong-Shyung↗

The Role of Surface Energy Exchange for Simulating Wind Inflow: An Evaluation of Multiple Land Surface Models in WRF for the Southern Great Plains Site Field Campaign Report

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate choice of land surface model (LSM) on the near-surface wind profile, including heights reached by multi-megawatt wind turbines. Simulations of wind profiles and surface energy fluxes were made using five LSMs of varying degrees of sophistication in dealing with soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility in Oklahoma. Surface-flux and wind-profile measurements were available for validation. The WRF model was run for three two-week periods during which varying canopy and meteorological conditions existed. The LSMs predicted a wide range of energy-flux and wind-shear magnitudes even during the cool autumn period when we expected less variability. Simulations of energy fluxes varied in accuracy by model sophistication, whereby LSMs with very simple or no soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks were the least accurate; however, the most complex models did not consistently produce more accurate results. Errors in wind shear also were sensitive to LSM choice and were partially related to the accuracy of energy flux data. The variability of LSM performance was relatively high, suggesting that LSM representation of energy fluxes in the WRF model remains a significant source of uncertainty for simulating wind turbine inflow conditions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

In-Operando Evaluation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Cathodes for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) Activity and Durability

Through this project we developed a new in-operando 18 O-isotope exchange technique, and determined the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and mechanisms in various solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes under real operating conditions of applied voltage. We were able to measure and determine oxygen surface exchange coefficients of labeled oxygen with La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 (LSM), La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (LSCF) and other cathode material samples with varying compositions. We related the cell polarization conditions to the surface exchange process and surface exchange coefficient, and suggested a model to describe this relation. Our findings imply that LSCF keeps its higher exchange rate performance over LSM under real operating conditions. Changing the A-site cation ratio in LSM can enhance its performance, especially under cathodic polarizations larger than -400mV. Cathode powder composites of LSM and LSCF with YSZ and GDC show lower exchange coefficient values under applied polarization compared to the single constituent powder samples, probably due to limited contact between the powder particles. Using our model and basic electrochemical properties of the cathode materials we are able to successfully predict the exchange kinetic properties of SOFC cathode material under real operating conditions of applied voltage / current from surface exchange coefficients obtained in the absence of an applied bias.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Microstructural Bands on the Localized Corrosion of Laser Surface-melted 316L Stainless Steel

The localized corrosion of laser surface melted (LSM) 316L stainless steel is investigated by a combination of potentiodynamic anodic polarization in 0.1M HCl and microscopic investigation of the initiation and propagation of localized corrosion. The pitting potential of LSM 316L is significantly lower than the pitting potential of wrought 316L. The LSM microstructure is highly banded as a consequence of the high laser power density and high linear energy density. The bands are composed of zones of changing modes of solidification, cycling between very narrow regions of primary austenite solidification and very wide regions of primary ferrite solidification. Pits initiate in the outer edge of each band where the mode of solidification is primary austenite plane front solidification and primary austenite cellular solidification. The primary austenite regions have low chromium concentration (and possibly low molybdenum concentration), which explains their susceptibility to pitting corrosion. The ferrite is enriched in chromium, which explains the absence of pitting in the primary ferrite regions. The presence of the low chromium regions of primary austenite solidification explains the lower pitting resistance of LSM 316L relative to wrought 316L. The influence of banding on localized corrosion is applicable to other rapidly solidified processes such as additive manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of Chromium and Sulfur Getter for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) System

Under the “real world” SOFC operating conditions, gaseous Cr and S species coexist in air stream. The combined Cr and S effect on the electrochemical poisoning of candidate LSM and LSCF electrodes has been investigated. Electrochemical and structural analysis revealed that the combined Cr and S interactions with the LSCF electrode remains significantly different from those of the individual Cr and S interactions. S reacts with the surface SrO accompanied by morphological changes whereas the hexavalent gaseous Cr species mainly deposit at the LSCF/GDC interface as is the case with Cr-only poisoning. For LSM electrode, the combined interactions of Cr and S remains similar to the sum of individual Cr and S effects as SO 2 reacts with Sr-rich regions of the bulk LSM, while Cr deposits at the electrochemically active sites. The use of getter, consisting of alkaline earth and transition metal oxides, has been proposed as a cost-effective approach to mitigate electrode poisoning. SrMnO 3 (SMO) is suggested as a robust getter material for the co-capture of airborne gaseous S and Cr species entering high-temperature electrochemical systems. The honeycomb getter forms, covered with SMO nanoparticles, were fabricated using dip coating. The SMO getter successfully maintained the electrochemical activity of LSM under the presence of gaseous Cr and S species, validating the efficacy of the getter. Post-test characterization revealed that the absorption of S and Cr contaminants led to the elongation of granular SMO particles, forming SrO nanorods and SrCrO 4 whiskers leaving Mn oxides underneath where inward-migrating Cr reside, indicating the high mutual affinity of Sr and Mn. The growth of reaction products during the long term exposure favors continued absorption of incoming S and Cr contaminants. The Mn 2 O 9 dimers, existing on the surface, are considered to help absorb S and Cr impurities, along with the Sr-terminated surface. The SMO getter also displays robust stability in humid environments at high temperatures without phase transformation or hydrolysis, fulfilling the requirement for operation in high-temperature electrochemical systems.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Stable, Ductile and Strong Ultrafine HT-9 Steels via Large Strain Machining

Beyond the current commercial materials, refining the grain size is among the proposed strategies to manufacture resilient materials for industrial applications demanding high resistance to severe environments. Here, large strain machining (LSM) was used to manufacture nanostructured HT-9 steel with enhanced thermal stability, mechanical properties, and ductility. Nanocrystalline HT-9 steels with different aspect rations are achieved. In-situ transmission electron microscopy annealing experiments demonstrated that the nanocrystalline grains have excellent thermal stability up to 700 °C with no additional elemental segregation on the grain boundaries other than the initial carbides, attributing the thermal stability of the LSM materials to the low dislocation densities and strains in the final microstructure. Nano-indentation and micro-tensile testing performed on the LSM material pre- and post-annealing demonstrated the possibility of tuning the material’s strength and ductility. The results expound on the possibility of manufacturing controlled nanocrystalline materials via a scalable and cost-effective method, albeit with additional fundamental understanding of the resultant morphology dependence on the LSM conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Theoretical analysis of Wolter/LSM X-ray telescope systems

A ray tracing analysis has been performed for the spectral slicing zoom X-ray telescope for configurations in which a convex layered synthetic microstructure (LSM) optic is placed in front of the prime focus or a concave LSM optic is placed behind the prime focus. The analysis has considered the geometrical shape of the LSM optic to be either a hyperboloid, sphere, ellipsoid or constant optical path aspheric element for two configurations of the glancing incidence X-ray telescope: the ATM Experimental S-056 Wolter I system and the Stanford/MSFC Wolter-Schwarzchild nested system. For the different systems the RMS blur circle radii, the point spread function (PSF), the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the PSF have been evaluated as a function of field angle and magnification of the secondary to determine resolution of the system. The effects of decentration and tilt of the selected LSM element on the performance of the system have been studied to determine mounting and alignment tolerances.

Shealy, D. L.↗

Copernicus: Lunar surface mapper

The Utah State University (USU) 1991-92 Space Systems Design Team has designed a Lunar Surface Mapper (LSM) to parallel the development of the NASA Office of Exploration lunar initiatives. USU students named the LSM 'Copernicus' after the 16th century Polish astronomer, for whom the large lunar crater on the face of the moon was also named. The top level requirements for the Copernicus LSM are to produce a digital map of the lunar surface with an overall resolution of 12 meters (39.4 ft). It will also identify specified local surface features/areas to be mapped at higher resolutions by follow-on missions. The mapping operation will be conducted from a 300 km (186 mi) lunar-polar orbit. Although the entire surface should be mapped within six months, the spacecraft design lifetime will exceed one year with sufficient propellant planned for orbit maintenance in the anomalous lunar gravity field. The Copernicus LSM is a small satellite capable of reaching lunar orbit following launch on a Conestoga launch vehicle which is capable of placing 410 kg (900 lb) into translunar orbit. Upon orbital insertion, the spacecraft will weigh approximately 233 kg (513 lb). This rather severe mass constraint has insured attention to component/subsystem size and mass, and prevented 'requirements creep.' Transmission of data will be via line-of-sight to an earth-based receiving system.

Redd, Frank J.↗

Interannual Variability of the Mosaic Land-Surface Model

Recently, NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-1) reanalysis data has been used to provide forcing for the Koster and Suarez Mosaic Land-surface Model (LSM). The LSM was integrated off-line at all global land points for the period of 1983 - 1995 by the Off-line Land- surface GEOS Assimilation system (OLGA). Here, we compare the interannual variability of OLGA, GEOS-1 and surface observing stations temperature and moisture. Particular attention is given to the United States because of the extreme seasons of 1988 and 1993. Furthermore, the comparison of OLGA is extended to include the analysis of data on the'tiles' (different surface types) in the Mosaic LSM. Results indicate that the GEOS-1 near-surface temperature and moisture reasonably represents the interannual variability in more normal years. However, OLGA also simulates the extreme drought and floods years well. The analysis of the tile information shows that the "Bare soil" surface type is most sensitive to the climate extremes. Off-line testing has provided valuable information on the performance of the Mosaic LSM prior to its incorporation into the new version of the GEOS Data Assimilation System and the integration of a new long reanalysis.

Bosilovich, Michael G.↗

Validation of Land-Surface Mosaic Heterogeneity in the GEOS DAS

The Mosaic Land-surface Model (LSM) has been included into the current GEOS Data Assimilation System (DAS). The LSM uses a more advanced representation of physical processes than previous versions of the GEOS DAS, including the representation of sub-grid heterogeneity of the land-surface through the Mosaic approach. As a first approximation, Mosaic assumes that all similar surface types within a grid-cell can be lumped together as a single'tile'. Within one GCM grid-cell, there might be 1 - 5 different tiles or surface types. All tiles are subjected to the grid-scale forcing (radiation, air temperature and specific humidity, and precipitation), and the sub-grid variability is a function of the tile characteristics. In this paper, we validate the LSM sub-grid scale variability (tiles) using a variety of surface observing stations from the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. One of the primary goals of SGP ARM is to study the variability of atmospheric radiation within a G,CM grid-cell. Enough surface data has been collected by ARM to extend this goal to sub-grid variability of the land-surface energy and water budgets. The time period of this study is the Summer of 1998 (June I - September 1). The ARM site data consists of surface meteorology, energy flux (eddy correlation and bowen ratio), soil water observations spread over an area similar to the size of a G-CM grid-cell. Various ARM stations are described as wheat and alfalfa crops, pasture and range land. The LSM tiles considered at the grid-space (2 x 2.5) nearest the ARM site include, grassland, deciduous forests, bare soil and dwarf trees. Surface energy and water balances for each tile type are compared with observations. Furthermore, we will discuss the land-surface sub-grid variability of both the ARM observations and the DAS.

Bosilovich, Michael G.↗

The Interplay Between Transpiration and Runoff Formulations in Land Surface Schemes Used with Atmospheric Models

The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) has shown that different land surface models (LSMS) driven by the same meteorological forcing can produce markedly different surface energy and water budgets, even when certain critical aspects of the LSMs (vegetation cover, albedo, turbulent drag coefficient, and snow cover) are carefully controlled. To help explain these differences, the authors devised a monthly water balance model that successfully reproduces the annual and seasonal water balances of the different PILPS schemes. Analysis of this model leads to the identification of two quantities that characterize an LSM's formulation of soil water balance dynamics: (1) the efficiency of the soil's evaporation sink integrated over the active soil moisture range, and (2) the fraction of this range over which runoff is generated. Regardless of the LSM's complexity, the combination of these two derived parameters with rates of interception loss, potential evaporation, and precipitation provides a reasonable estimate for the LSM's simulated annual water balance. The two derived parameters shed light on how evaporation and runoff formulations interact in an LSM, and the analysis as a whole underscores the need for compatibility in these formulations.

Koster, Rindal D.↗

Timescales of Land Surface Evapotranspiration Response

Soil and vegetation exert strong control over the evapotranspiration rate, which couples the land surface water and energy balances. A method is presented to quantify the timescale of this surface control using daily general circulation model (GCM) simulation values of evapotranspiration and precipitation. By equating the time history of evaporation efficiency (ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration) to the convolution of precipitation and a unit kernel (temporal weighting function), response functions are generated that can be used to characterize the timescales of evapotranspiration response for the land surface model (LSM) component of GCMS. The technique is applied to the output of two multiyear simulations of a GCM, one using a Surface-Vegetation-Atmosphere-Transfer (SVAT) scheme and the other a Bucket LSM. The derived response functions show that the Bucket LSM's response is significantly slower than that of the SVAT across the globe. The analysis also shows how the timescales of interception reservoir evaporation, bare soil evaporation, and vegetation transpiration differ within the SVAT LSM.

Scott, Russell↗

Expansion of the Real-time Sport-land Information System for NOAA/National Weather Service Situational Awareness and Local Modeling Applications

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has been running a real-time version of the Land Information System (LIS) since summer 2010 (hereafter, SPoRTLIS). The real-time SPoRT-LIS runs the Noah land surface model (LSM) in an offline capacity apart from a numerical weather prediction model, using input atmospheric and precipitation analyses (i.e., "forcings") to drive the Noah LSM integration at 3-km resolution. Its objectives are to (1) produce local-scale information about the soil state for NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) situational awareness applications such as drought monitoring and assessing flood potential, and (2) provide land surface initialization fields for local modeling initiatives. The current domain extent has been limited by the input atmospheric analyses that drive the Noah LSM integration within SPoRT-LIS, specifically the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Stage IV precipitation analyses. Due to the nature of the geographical edges of the Stage IV precipitation grid and its limitations in the western U.S., the SPoRT-LIS was originally confined to a domain fully nested within the Stage IV grid, over the southeastern half of the Conterminous United States (CONUS). In order to expand the real-time SPoRT-LIS to a full CONUS domain, alternative precipitation forcing datasets were explored in year-long, offline comparison runs of the Noah LSM. Based on results of these comparison simulations, we chose to implement the radar/gauge-based precipitation analyses from the National Severe Storms Laboratory as a replacement to the Stage IV product. The Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS; formerly known as the National Mosaic and multi-sensor Quantitative precipitation estimate) product has full CONUS coverage at higher-resolution, thereby providing better coverage and greater detail than that of the Stage IV product. This paper will describe the expanded/upgraded SPoRT-LIS, present comparisons between the original and upgraded SPoRT-LIS, and discuss the path forward for future collaboration opportunities with SPoRT partners in the NWS.

Case, Jonathan L.↗

Uncertainties in Evapotranspiration Estimates over West Africa

An evapotranspiration (ET) ensemble composed of 36 land surface model (LSM) experiments and four diagnostic datasets (GLEAM, ALEXI, MOD16, and FLUXNET) is used to investigate uncertainties in ET estimate over five climate regions in West Africa. Diagnostic ET datasets show lower uncertainty estimates and smaller seasonal variations than the LSM-based ET values, particularly in the humid climate regions. Overall, the impact of the choice of LSMs and meteorological forcing datasets on the modeled ET rates increases from north to south. The LSM formulations and parameters have the largest impact on ET in humid regions, contributing to 90% of the ET uncertainty estimates. Precipitation contributes to the ET uncertainty primarily in arid regions. The LSM-based ET estimates are sensitive to the uncertainty of net radiation in arid region and precipitation in humid region. This study serves as support for better determining water availability for agriculture and livelihoods in Africa with earth observations and land surface models.

land surface model↗