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At least 19 records

Optimization of the tungsten oxide technique for measurement of atmospheric ammonia

Hollow tubes coated with tungstic acid have been shown to be of value in the determination of ammonia and nitric acid in ambient air. Practical application of this technique was demonstrated utilizing an automated sampling system for in-flight collection and analysis of atmospheric samples. Due to time constraints these previous measurements were performed on tubes that had not been well characterized in the laboratory. As a result the experimental precision could not be accurately estimated. Since the technique was being compared to other techniques for measuring these compounds, it became necessary to perform laboratory tests which would establish the reliability of the technique. This report is a summary of these laboratory experiments as they are applied to the determination of ambient ammonia concentration.

Brown, Kenneth G.↗

Inhibiting oxidation of tungsten at high temperatures

Coating of mixed ceramics protects tungsten from oxidation. Originally suggested for critical tungsten components on Space Shuttle, mixture consists of 98.5 percent aluminum oxide and 1.5 percent silicon dioxide. It is particularly useful in welding when there is danger that welding arc can burn adjacent components. If coating is applied to nearby tungsten parts, it prevents arcing.

Lombard, J.↗

Surface studies of barium and barium oxide on tungsten and its application to understanding the mechanism of operation of an impregnated tungsten cathode

Surface studies have been made of multilayer and monolayer films of barium and barium oxide on a tungsten substrate. The purpose of the investigation was to synthesize the surface conditions that exist on an activated impregnated tungsten cathode and obtain a better understanding of the mechanism of operation of such cathodes. The techniques employed in these measurements were Auger spectroscopy and work-function measurements. The results of this study show that the surface of an impregnated cathode is identical to that observed for a synthesized monolayer or partial monolayer of barium on oxidized tungsten by evaluating Auger spectra and work-function measurements. Data obtained from desorption studies of barium monolayers on a tungsten substrate in conjunction with Auger and work-function results have been interpreted to show that throughout most of its life an impreganated cathode has a partial monolayer, rather than a monolayer, of barium on its surface.

Forman, R.↗

Thermionic converter performance with oxide collectors

Thermionic converters using a variety of metal oxide collector surfaces have been fabricated and tested. Both work function and power output data are presented and evaluated. Oxides of barium, strontium, zinc, tungsten and titanium have been incorporated into a variable spacing converter. Tungsten oxide was found to give the highest converter performance and to furnish oxygen for the emitter at the same time. Oxygenated emitters operate at reduced cesium pressure with an increase in electrode spacing. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) performed on several tungsten oxide collectors showed cesium penetration of the oxide layer, possibly forming a cesium tungstate bronze. Titanium oxide showed high performance but did not furnish oxygen for the emitter; strontium oxide, in the form of a sprayed layer, appeared to dissociate in the presence of cesium. Sprayed coatings of barium and zinc oxides produced collector work functions of about 1.3 eV, but had excessive series resistance. Lanthanum hexaboride, in combination with oxygen introduced through a silver tube, and cesium produced a low work function collector and better than average performance.

Lieb, D.↗

Refractory inserts used to form cooling passages in cast superalloy turbine vanes

Economical technique has been developed for manufacturing air-cooled turbine blades and vanes for gas turbine engines. Process uses tungsten inserts to form coolant passages. After casting, inserts are reduced to tungsten oxide during sublimation with oxygen at elevated temperature. Tungsten oxide is leached out of coolant passages with a molten salt solution.

Terpay, A.↗

Thermionic converter studies at Thermo Electron

The Thermionic Energy Converter (TEC) development program includes theoretical and experimental surface studies, diode evaluation, enhanced mode converter investigations and system studies, as well as materials fabrication and testing. The primary effort has been concentrated on increasing converter performance via improved electrodes. Diodes with oxide collectors (i.e., tungsten oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide and barium oxide) have provided the best performance. Emitters requiring reduced cesium pressure (such as oxygenated tungsten, lanthanum hexaboride, platinum and graphite) are being tested. Converter configurations using particle spacing are under investigation. Experiments with auxiliary electrode thermionic converters are in progress. Both silicon carbide and alloy hot shells (i.e., barriers to isolate the converter from the combustion environment) have been fabricated and tested.

Huffman, F. N.↗

Addition of oxygen to and distribution of oxides in tantalum alloy T-111 at low concentrations

Oxygen was added at 820 and 990 C at an oxygen pressure of about .0003 torr. The technique permitted predetermined and reproducible oxygen doping of the tantalum alloy (T-111). Based on the temperature dependency of the doping reaction, it was concluded that the initial rates of oxygen pickup are probably controlled by solution of oxygen into the T-111 lattice. Although hafnium oxides are more stable than those of tantalum or tungsten, analyses of extracted residues indicate that the tantalum and tungsten oxides predominate in the as-doped specimens, presumably because of the higher concentrations of tantalum and tungsten in the alloy. However, high-temperature annealing promotes gettering of dissolved oxygen and oxygen from other oxides to form hafnium oxides. Small amounts of tantalum and tungsten oxides were still present after high temperature annealing. Tungsten oxide (WO3) volatilizes slightly from the surface of T-111 at 990 C but not at 820 C. The vaporization of WO3 has no apparent effect on the doping reaction.

Stecura, S.↗

DOE/JPL advanced thermionic technology program

Progress made in different tasks of the advanced thermionic technology program is described. The tasks include surface and plasma investigations (surface characterization, spectroscopic plasma experiments, and converter theory); low temperature converter development (tungsten emitter, tungsten oxide collector and tungsten emitter, nickel collector); component hardware development (hot shell development); flame-fired silicon carbide converters; high temperature and advanced converter studies; postoperational diagnostics; and correlation of design interfaces.

Source record↗

Oxidation-Resistant Coating For Bipolar Lead/Acid Battery

Cathode side of bipolar substrate coated with nonoxidizable conductive layer. Coating prepared as water slurry of aqueous dispersion of polyethylene copolymer plus such conductive fillers as tin oxide, titanium, tantalum, or tungsten oxide. Applied easily to substrate of polyethylene carbon plastic. As slurry dries, conductive, oxidation-resistant coating forms on positive side of substrate.

Bolstad, James J.↗

An intercomparison of five ammonia measurement techniques

Results obtained from five techniques for measuring gas-phase ammonia at low concentration in the atmosphere are compared. These methods are: (1) a photofragmentation/laser-induced fluorescence (PF/LIF) instrument; (2) a molybdenum oxide annular denuder sampling/chemiluminescence detection technique; (3) a tungsten oxide denuder sampling/chemiluminescence detection system; (4) a citric-acid-coated denuder sampling/ion chromatographic analysis (CAD/IC) method; and (5) an oxalic-acid-coated filter pack sampling/colorimetric analysis method. It was found that two of the techniques, the PF/LIF and the CAD/IC methods, measured approximately 90 percent of the calculated ammonia added in the spiking tests and agreed very well with each other in the ambient measurements.

Williams, E. J.↗

Advanced thermionic converter development

Recent progress at Thermo Electron in developing advanced thermionic converters is summarized with particular attention paid to the development of electrodes, diodes, and triodes. It is found that one class of materials (ZnO, BaO and SrO) provides interesting cesiated work functions (1.3-1.4 eV) without additional oxygen. The second class of materials studied (rare earth oxides and hexaborides) gives cesiated/oxygenated work functions of less than 1.2 eV. Five techniques of oxygen addition to thermionic converters are discussed. Vapor deposited tungsten oxide collector diodes and the reflux converter are considered.

Huffman, F. N.↗

Tunnel emission cold cathodes

Vacuum chamber characteristics and tungsten, tungsten oxide, gold tunnel junction fabrication for tunnel emission cold cathodes

TUNNEL CATHODE↗

Thermionic technology infrastructure for space power

An assessment is made of the potential effectiveness, designs, and technological difficulties involved in the construction of space nuclear reactors coupled to thermionic energy converters (TEC). The TECs can be positioned either inside or outside of the reactor core. The out-of-core design lowers the reactor shielding requirements, as well as removing the need for mechanically pumped coolant for the reactor. R&D is still needed for the heat pipes for the reactor and the collectors, electrical insulation, and to reduce the potential losses in the interelectrode space. A cylindrical converter for the out-of-core configuration consists of a tungsten emitter heated by a tungsten-lithium heat pipe. The collector is a layer of tungsten oxide deposited on a Nb-1%Zr alloy, and has been tested at emitter temperatures of 1300-1850 K and a collector temperature range of 700-850 K. A design of a superheated thermionic converter is described, noting that a prototype has been operated at 1730 K for 12,000 hr.

Huffman, F.↗

Aircraft measurements of ammonia and nitric acid in the lower troposphere

The first simultaneous measurements of ammonia and nitric acid in the troposphere have been made from an aircraft using a tungsten oxide denuder system. Vertical profiles of NH3 and HNO3 taken over coastal Virginia and Maryland in March and September, 1983, at altitudes from 150 m to 3000 m, show mixing ratios that decrease with altitude. Ammonia profiles show substantial seasonal variation, while nitric acid profiles do not. Using the measured profiles and a one-dimensional photochemical model, lifetimes due to heterogeneous loss of one day for HNO3 and ten days for NH3 are calculated. In contrast, NH3 profiles up to 5300 m over the North Atlantic Ocean during August 1982 show mixing ratios that increase slightly with altitude. These data represent the first ammonia profiles measured over the ocean. It is suggested that the increase in NH3 with altitude is a result of an ammonia-rich continental air mass advected over the ocean, followed by the dissolution of NH3 in the marine boundary layer on water-covered sea salt particles.

Lebel, P. J.↗