Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “PHOSPHORIC ACID”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5

Technology development for phosphoric acid fuel cell powerplant, phase 2

The development of materials, cell components, and reformers for on site integrated energy systems is described. Progress includes: (1) heat-treatment of 25 sq cm, 350 sq cm and 1200 sq cm cell test hardware was accomplished. Performance of fuel cells is improved by using this material; (2) electrochemical and chemical corrosion rates of heat-treated and as-molded graphite/phenolic resin composites in phosphoric acid were determined; (3) three cell, 5 in. x 15 in. stacks operated for up to 10,000 hours and 12 in. x 17 in. five cell stacks were tested for 5,000 hours; (4) a three cell 5 in. x 15 in. stack with 0.12 mg Pt/sq cm anodes and 0.25 mg Pt/sq cm cathodes was operated for 4,500 hours; and (5) an ERC proprietary high bubble pressure matrix, MAT-1, was tested for up to 10,000 hours.

Christner, L.↗

Technology development for phosphoric acid fuel cell powerplant, phase 2

Component development has resulted in routine molding of 12 in. by 17 in. bipolar plates with 80 percent acceptance. A 5 C per hour post-cure heating cycle for these plates was found to give blister free materials. Lowering the resin in a bipolar plate content from 32 percent to 22 percent decreases the resistivity more than 50 percent. Evaluation of the corrosion resistance of Novolak and Resol resins at 185 C in phosphoric acid indicates a slow etch. aerosol modified phenolics, however, decompose rapidly. Estimates of acid loss by the use of analytical expressions known as Margule, van Laar, and Wilson equations were not satisfactory. Experimental evaluation of the P4O10 vapor concentration of 103 wt percent acid at 191 C provided a value of 2 ppm. This value is based on a single experiment.

Christner, L.↗

Raman Spectroscopy Coupled with Chemometric Analysis for Speciation and Quantitative Analysis of Aqueous Phosphoric Acid Systems

Complex chemical systems that exhibit varied and matrix-dependent speciation are notoriously difficult to monitor and characterize on-line and in real-time. Optical spectroscopy is an ideal tool for in situ characterization of chemical species that can enable quantification as well as species identification. Chemometric modeling, a multivariate method, has been successfully paired with optical spectroscopy to enable measurement of analyte concentrations even in complex solutions where univariate methods such as Beer’s law analysis fail. Here, Raman spectroscopy is used to quantify the concentration of phosphoric acid and its three deprotonated forms during a titration. In this system, univariate approaches would be difficult to apply due to multiple species being present simultaneously within the solution as pH is varied. Locally Weighted Regression (LWR) modeling was used to determine phosphate concentration from spectral signature. LWR results, in tandem with Multivariate Curve Resolution modeling, provide direct measurement of the concentration of each phosphate species using only the Raman signal. Furthermore, results are presented within the context of fundamental solution chemistry, including Pitzer equations to compensate for activity coefficients and non-idealities associated with high ionic strength systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Non-noble catalysts and catalyst supports for phosphoric acid fuel cells

Tungsten carbide, which is active for hydrogen oxidation, is CO tolerant and has a hexagonal structure is discussed. Titanium carbide is inactive and has a cubic structure. Four different samples of the cubic alloys W sub x-1Ti sub XC sub 1-y were found to be active and CO tolerant. When the activities of these cubic alloys are weighted by the reciprocal of the square to those of highly forms of WC. They offer important insight into the nature of the active sites on W-C anode catalysts for use in phosphoric acid fuel cells.

Mcalister, A. J.↗

Non-noble catalysts and catalyst supports for phosphoric acid fuel cells

Four different samples of the cubic alloys W sub x-1 Ti sub x C sub 1-y were prepared and found to be active and CO tolerant. When the activities of these cubic alloys were weighted by the reciprocal of the square of the W exchange, they displayed magnitudes and dependence on bulk C deficiency comparable to those of highly active forms of WC. It is concluded that they may offer important insight into the nature of the active sites on, and means for improving the performance of, W-C anode catalysts for use in phosphoric acid fuel cells.

Mcalister, A. J.↗

Preparation and evaluation of advanced electrocatalysts for phosphoric acid fuel cells

Results are presented for hydrogen oxidation and hydrogen oxidation poisoned by carbon monoxide at levels between 0 and 30%. Due to the high activities that are now being observed for our platinum based electrocatalysts, the hydrogen concentrations were reduced to 10% levels in the gas supplies. Perturbation techniques were used to determine that a mechanism for the efficient operation of our porous gas diffusion electrodes is diffusion of the carbon monoxide out of the electrode structure through the electrolyte film on the electro-catalyst. A survey of the literature on platinum group materials (PGM) was carried out so that an identification of successful electrocatalysts could be made. Two PGM electrocatalysts were prepared and performance data for hydrogen oxidation in hot phosphoric acid in the presence of high carbon monoxide concentrations showed that they matched the best platinum on carbon electrocatalysts but with an electrocatalyst cost that was half of the platinum catalyst cost.

Stonehart, P.↗

Features of the Thermodynamics of Trivalent Lanthanide/Actinide Distribution Reactions by Tri-n-Octylphosphine Oxide and Bis(2-EthylHexyl) Phosphoric Acid

A new methodology has been developed to study the thermochemical features of the biphasic transfer reactions of trisnitrato complexes of lanthanides and americium by a mono-functional solvating ligand (tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide - TOPO). Stability constants for successive nitrato complexes (M(NO3)x3-x (aq) where M is Eu3+, Am3+ or Cm3+) were determined to assist in the calculation of the extraction constant, Kex, for the metal ions under study. Enthalpies of extraction (?Hextr) for the lanthanide series (excluding Pm3+) and Am3+ by TOPO have been measured using isothermal titration calorimetry. The observed ?Hextr were found to be constant at ~29 kJ mol-1across the series from La3+-Er3+, with a slight decrease observed from Tm3+-Lu3+. These heats were found to be consistent with enthalpies determined using van ’t Hoff analysis of temperature dependent extraction studies. A complete set of thermodynamic parameters (?G, ?H, ?S) was calculated for Eu(NO3)3, Am(NO3)3 and Cm(NO3)3 extraction by TOPO and Am3+ and Cm3+ extraction by bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP). A discussion comparing the energetics of these systems is offered. The measured biphasic extraction heats for the transplutonium elements, ?Hextr, presented in these studies are the first ever direct measurements offered using two-phase calorimetric techniques.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Properties and reaction mechanism of phosphoric acid activated metakaolin geopolymer at varied curing temperatures

Reaction mechanism of phosphoric activated metakaolin is studied by techniques of calorimetry, ICP-OES, FTIR and NMR taking curing temperature and [H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}] as variables. A two-stage curing method including pre-curing at 40 °C for 24 h and second curing at 60/80 °C for another 24 h effectively mitigates thermal-cracking of the obtained silico-aluminate phosphate (SAP) samples, whose maximum compressive strength reaches 120 MPa. Dealumination of metakaolin in H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} solution produces low aluminate-containing silicate units and subsequently condensation of silicate tetrahedrons occurs. Higher temperature and H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} concentration accelerate the two processes. After complete reaction, A{sub VI} structure from metakaolin disappears and the dissolved Al preferably forms Al{sub VI}-O-P units. During reaction, metastable P-O-P intermediate appears in SAPs with higher P/Al ratio and finally transforms into Al-O-P structure upon PO{sub 4}{sup 3−} consumption. Phosphate units as P(OAl){sub x}(H{sub 2}O){sub 4-x} are connected with Si or Al structure units. Major structural units of the SAPs include Al-O-P, Si-O-P, Si-O-Si, and Si-O-Al.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Finely tuning the microporosity in phosphoric acid doped triptycene-containing polybenzimidazole membranes for highly permselective helium and hydrogen recovery

High-performance polymer membranes with well-defined microporosity and size-sieving ability are especially attractive for helium and hydrogen recovery. Here, in this study, we report novel macromolecular engineering of polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes that integrate hierarchical triptycene units for high permeability and polyprotic acid doping for size sieving via controllable manipulation of microporous architecture. The triptycene moieties disrupt chain packing and introduce additional configurational free volume, leading to significantly boosted He and H 2 permeabilities compared to previously reported PBI membranes. The acid doping resulted in crosslinked PBI membranes via hydrogen bonding and proton transfer with dramatically enhanced gas selectivities. Via adjusting the H 3 PO 4 -doping level, triptycene-based polybenzimidazole (TPBI) composite membranes (TPBI-(H 3 PO 4 ) x ) exhibit the highest gas selectivities for He enrichment (i.e., α(He/CH 4 ) = 7052 ± 156) and H 2 purification (i.e., α(H 2 /CH 4 ) = 5128 ± 110) among existing polymeric gas separation membranes. Additionally, under mixed-gas conditions at 150 °C, the TPBI-(H 3 PO 4 ) 0.98 membrane displays a H 2 permeability of 46.7 Barrer and a H 2 /CO 2 selectivity of 16, far beyond the Robeson's 2008 upper bound for H 2 /CO 2 separation. The facile and diverse tunability and excellent gas separation performance make TPBI-(H 3 PO 4 ) x membranes highly attractive for helium and hydrogen separation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A High-Rate Aqueous Proton Battery Delivering Power Below -78 °C via an Unfrozen Phosphoric Acid

Lithium-sulfur batteries are attractive for automobile and grid applications due to their high theoretical energy density and the abundance of sulfur. Despite the significant progress in cathode development, lithium metal degradation and the polysulfide shuttle remain two critical challenges in the practical application of Li-S batteries. Development of advanced electrolytes has become a promising strategy to simultaneously suppress lithium dendrite formation and prevent polysulfide dissolution. Here, a new class of concentrated siloxane-based electrolytes, demonstrating significantly improved performance over the widely investigated ether-based electrolytes are reported in terms of stabilizing the sulfur cathode and Li metal anode as well as minimizing flammability. Through a combination of experimental and computational investigation, it is found that siloxane solvents can effectively regulate a hidden solvation-ion-exchange process in the concentrated electrolytes that results from the interactions between cations/anions and solvents. As a result, it could invoke a quasi-solid-solid lithiation and enable reversible Li plating/stripping and robust solid-electrolyte interphase chemistries. The solvation-ion-exchange process in the concentrated electrolytes is a key factor in understanding and designing electrolytes for other high-energy lithium metal batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Probing air-water interfaces of dibutyl phosphoric acid (HDBP) aqueous solutions using vibrational sum frequency generation (vSFG) spectroscopy

Liquid-liquid extraction is a separation technique implemented in a wide variety of areas, achieving particular success in both the nuclear and biomedical fields. In this work, vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy (VSFG) and surface tension measurements were used to investigate the adsorption of dibutyl phosphate (DBP) at air-aqueous interfaces to simulate liquid-liquid systems relevant to the Plutonium Uranium Redox Extraction (PUREX) Process. The objective of this work is to establish qualitative relationships between changes in the bulk aqueous phase concentrations of DBP and its concentration and structure at air-liquid interface as probed with VSFG. Nitric acid concentration and solution ionic strength were varied to examine their effect on the interfacial DBP.. Introduction of DBP into neat water resulted in reduction of the VSFG spectral intensity in the dangling O-H region (3680 – 3800 cm -1 ) but large increase in the H-bonded O-H stretch frequency region (3000 – 3500 cm-1) and the appearance of the CH 3 symmetric stretch and CH 3 Fermi resonance peaks at ~ 2880 and 2945 cm -1 , respectively, indicating DBP at the air-water interface. The intensity of the C-H strecth peaks increased as DBP concentration increased from 0.24 to 32 mM, accompanied by a decreasing surface tension values. At fixed DBP concentration, the addition of either or both of HNO 3 and NaNO 3 to an ionic strength of 1 M or 3 M led to significant reduction of the O-H VSFG peaks and enhancement of the C-H peaks. The origins of these experimental observations are attributed to both the increased HDBP molecules partitioning and adsorption to the interface and the protonation of the interfacial DBP- molecules.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Stabilization of Pt monolayer catalysts under harsh conditions of fuel cells

We employed density functional theory to explore the stability of core (M = Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir, Au)-shell (Pt) catalysts under harsh conditions, including solutions and reaction intermediates involved in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. A pseudomorphic surface alloy (PSA) with a Pt monolayer (Pt{sub 1ML}) supported on an M surface, Pt{sub 1ML}/M(111) or (001), was considered as a model system. Different sets of candidate M cores were identified to achieve a stable Pt{sub 1ML} shell depending on the conditions. In vacuum conditions, the Pt{sub 1ML} shell can be stabilized on the most of M cores except Cu, Ag, and Au. The situation varies under various electrochemical conditions. Depending on the solutions and the operating reaction pathways of the ORR, different M should be considered. Pd and Ir are the only core metals studied, being able to keep the Pt{sub ML} shell intact in perchloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and alkaline solutions as well as under the ORR conditions via different pathways. Ru and Os cores should also be paid attention, which only fall during the ORR via the *OOH intermediate. Rh core works well as long as the ORR does not undergo the pathway via *O intermediate. Our results show that PSAs can behave differently from the near surface alloy, Pt{sub 1ML}/M{sub 1ML}/Pt(111), highlighting the importance of considering both chemical environments and the atomic structures in rational design of highly stable core-shell nanocatalysts. Finally, the roles that d-band center of a core M played in determining the stability of supported Pt{sub 1ML} shell were also discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Evaluation of Iron‐Phosphate Glass–Ceramic Waste Form for Electrorefiner Salt Waste Simulant Dechlorinated With Phosphoric Acid

The importance of glass and glass–ceramic nuclear waste forms has been reaffirmed in recent years by the growing interest in nuclear power as a reliable energy source. Determination of processing methods for the disposal of halide-containing wastes will be essential for the advancement of nuclear technologies such as non-aqueous fuel reprocessing. Phosphate-based dechlorination and subsequent vitrification of radioactive salt waste into an iron-phosphate waste form have been identified as a potential processing scheme for electrochemical processing waste. The impact of H 3 PO 4 -based dechlorination of complex salt mixtures on the vitrification process and structure of the final iron-phosphate waste form has not yet been investigated. In this work, iron-phosphate glass–ceramics were made from simulant salt waste (48LiCl–33KCl–19NaCl mol%) dechlorinated with the H3PO4-based method. The glass-forming region was compared to that of traditionally prepared Na 2 O–Fe 2 O 3 –P 2 O 5 systems. For a candidate glass-forming composition, the processing scheme presented here was determined to favor Fe 3+ species. The O/P molar ratio was consistent for the candidate composition when dechlorinated at 400°C and 600°C in air and argon environments, indicating glass network connectivity was maintained despite variations in processing parameters. The results presented here validate processing schemes requiring iron-phosphate waste form synthesis following H 3 PO 4 -based dechlorination.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗