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At least 19 records

Effects of seawater and deionized water at 0 to 80 deg C on the flexural properties of a glass/epoxy composite

The effect on the flexural properties of a glass/epoxy composite of immersion in deionized water or seawater at 0, 25, and 80 C for 451 hr was examined. The percent weight gain at 0 and 25 C was low (0.06 to 0.17 percent) and there was no significant change in the flexural properties for these environmental conditions. At 80 C there was a decrease in the flexural strength of 17 and 20 percent in seawater and deionized water, respectively. This is a comparison to control samples exposed to 80 C heat alone. These decreases were found to be nearly reversible once the samples were dried. Optical microscopy did not reveal cracking of the matrix. The flexural modulus was essentially unaffected by exposure to deionized water and seawater at 80 C.

Penn, B. G.↗

Pinhole‐Free Ultrathin Silicon Oxide Layer by Ozone‐Dissolved Deionized Water

The pinhole‐free silicon oxide (SiO x ) layer grown using dissolved ozone in deionized water (DI‐O 3 ) is demonstrated. An ultrathin SiO x layer of thickness 1.53 nm ± 1.5% is grown on silicon wafer using 7 ppm DI‐O 3 . A four‐step methodology, including 25 wt% aq. tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution at 80 °C, is employed to magnify the pinhole signatures in the underlying silicon and visualized with dark‐field optical microscopy (DFOM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The DFOM images show spots on the surface of wafer that originate from airborne particles, contamination, etc. SEM images reveal the absence of etch pits in silicon even after etching of SiO x /silicon in TMAH for 300 s. The minority carrier lifetime and interface states density in AlO x ‐capped SiO x /Si structure are ≥2 ms at carrier density of 1 × 10 15 cm −3 and less than 2 × 10 11 cm −2 eV −1 , respectively.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Sister Rod Destructive Examinations (FY22) Appendix J: Leaching of High Burnup Used Nuclear Fuel in Deionized Water

The leaching experiment aims to understand the trends in the radiolysis-enhanced dissolution of HBU SNF when exposed to water (e.g., in-reactor or in-pool cladding failures). Specimens from a baseline M5-clad rod and a heat-treated M5 rod were cut from the fractured CIRFT specimens and placed in 100 mL deionized water for a period of 128 days. Both radial and axial sections were cut to provide different surface areas of fuel in contact with the leachate. During the four-month exposure period, aliquot samples of the leachate were analyzed using gamma spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis quantified the amount of fuel leached into the solutions and provided individual isotopic release fractions (of 30+ isotopes) which were compared as a function of time and surface area of the fuel exposed.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Sister Rod Destructive Examinations (FY23): Appendix J: Leaching of High Burnup Used Nuclear Fuel in Deionized Water

The leaching experiment aims to understand the trends in the radiolysis-enhanced dissolution of HBU SNF when exposed to water (e.g., in-reactor or in-pool cladding failures). Specimens from a baseline M5-clad rod and a heat-treated M5 rod were cut from the fractured CIRFT specimens and placed in 100 mL deionized water for a period of 128 days. Both radial and axial sections were cut to provide different surface areas of fuel in contact with the leachate. During the four-month exposure period, aliquot samples of the leachate were analyzed using gamma spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis quantified the amount of fuel leached into the solutions and provided individual isotopic release fractions (of 30+ isotopes) which were compared as a function of time and surface area of the fuel exposed. Consistent with existing literature, the leaching followed a trend in which isotopes of certain elements such as Cs and Mo were among the first species in the matrix to dissolve, and with the highest release rates. This was followed by a gradual matrix dissolution consisting of uranium and other actinides and a slower-than-matrix release from some isotopes, including Ru and Rh. It was also observed that the circumferential samples having less exposed fuel surface area (to begin with) leached more than the axial samples for a majority of the isotopes during the timespan of the study. Previous experiments were conducted by decladding or exposing the pellet-clad surface completely, but the samples used in this study retained the cladding. One possible explanation for the higher leaching rate of the circumferential samples is that the pellet-clad interface, which has a greater density of grain boundaries and defects, may be the most vulnerable area to leaching of fuel in the presence of water.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

KOH vs Deionized Water Operation in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMELs) have recently received significant attention due to their potential advantages over proton exchange membrane electrolyzers (PEMELs). However, some AEMELs feed an aqueous salt solution to the cell where PEMELs typically feed deionized (DI) water. DI water is preferred to keep the system and maintenance costs low. Because of this, many AEMEL researchers report performance both in the salt solution (typically KOH) and DI water. However, the methodology for switching between KOH and DI water is often poorly defined, and it is unclear what impact the residual salt has on cell performance after switching from salt to DI water. Having a fully deionized environment is important because the presence of salts in the water feed increase the effective electrochemical surface area of the catalyst in the three-dimensional electrode and residual salt remaining after switching to DI water feed can have a misleading transient effect on cell performance. This paper focuses on understanding the transition from KOH to DI water testing in AEMELs. It is shown that when switching from salt to DI water feed, a large volume of DI water must be fed over several hours to achieve true DI-water performance. It is also shown that starting AEMELs from the beginning with DI water feed (without any KOH ever being fed to the cell) results in better cell durability. Lastly, a cell is demonstrated having operated exclusively on DI water at 1.0 A cm −2 for 500 h at an operating voltage of ca. 2 V and a low degradation rate.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Performance and lifetime of intercalative water deionization cells for mono- and divalent ion removal

We report intercalative deionization (IDI) uses two cation intercalation electrodes separated by an anion exchange membrane in a symmetric cell design that has the potential to deliver electrochemically desalinated water in an energy- and water-efficient way. Here, we define and measure metrics to describe the performance and lifetime of IDI cells and compare them for NaCl and CaCl 2 feed solutions. With 20 mM NaCl, NiHCF/AEM/NiHCF flow cells achieve 10 mM average concentration change at a productivity of 20 l/h/m 2 and 5 mM average concentration change at 130 l/h/m 2 . In both cases the cells are operated at a 3C current rate and consume ~30 Wh/m 3 of energy. With 10 mM CaCl 2 , the specific capacity and salt removal of IDI flow cells is ~4 times lower. NiHCF/NiHCF beaker cells with CaCl 2 electrolyte suffer from strong capacity fade, while the same cells with NaCl electrolyte achieve 500 cycles without any capacity fade. Our post-mortem analysis using X-ray diffraction, secondary electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy and micro X-ray fluorescence mapping reveals that NiHCF dissolves upon repeated intercalation with Ca 2+ , releasing residual K + , Ni 2+ and Fe(CN) 6 3 , which precipitates as a crystalline decomposition product on the electrodes. This side reaction deprives the active material NiHCF of charge compensating Fe, and thus accounts for the observed capacity fade.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Integrated Experimental and Modeling Study of Geochemical Reactions of Simple Fracturing Fluids with Caney Shale

Interactions between rock minerals and hydraulic fluids directly impact the geochemical and geomechanical properties of shale formations. However, the mechanisms of geochemical reactions in shale unconventional reservoirs remain poorly understood. Here, to investigate the geochemical reactions between shale and hydraulic fracturing fluids, a series of batch reactor experiments were undertaken. Three rock samples with different mineralogical compositions and three fluid samples of different compositions (deionized water, deionized water + 2% potassium chloride (KCl), and deionized water + 0.5% choline chloride (C 5 H 14 ClNO) were used. Experiments were undertaken at reservoir temperature and atmospheric pressure. Elemental compositions of effluents after 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 days were analyzed using Inductively Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Medical Computed Tomography (CT) scan and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) were conducted on the entire core run to help upscale results obtained from rock-fluid interaction experiments. Geochemical modeling using a reactive simulator, TOUGHREACT, was undertaken to corroborate experimental results. Results show that lower pH triggered high dissolution rates in the rock samples, especially the carbonate components. As pH increased, the rate of dissolution declined significantly, though for most cases dissolution still continued. Observed dissolved silica concentrations were much higher than the quartz solubility, suggesting that much of the silica originates from more soluble silica polymorphs and possibly desorption from clay mineral exchange sites. Concentration of most elemental species in solution increased but aluminium and magnesium concentrations declined rapidly following initial entry into solution. Geochemical modeling corroborated the conclusions regarding mineral dissolution and precipitation observed from experiments, notably; the dissolution of calcite and oxidation of pyrite in reacted shale samples, the likely presence of silica polymorphs such as opal, chalcedony or amorphous silica in these samples, and the reduction of Al and Mg concentrations in solution by precipitation of secondary aluminosilicate phases. The de-flocculation of clay minerals during reaction implies fines migration after hydraulic fracturing. This is detrimental to reservoir productivity as clay fines are displaces and lodged within the micro and nano-fractures created during fracturing. The immediate consumption of aluminium and magnesium also has implications on blockage of hydrocarbon pathways due to precipitation of new minerals in these locations.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗

Availability and redundancy design considerations for Electron-Ion Collider cooling water systems and components

The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is composed of several large-scale systems, which all require highly available cooling systems based on the Conceptual Design Report. Since the overall EIC availability goal is 85%, all the subsystems will contribute. Availability is defined by the time that a component or system is functional given a required or scheduled run time. The focus of the project was to determine if redundant or extra cooling water and deionized water pumps were needed in a subsystem to increase the overall EIC availability. The largest subsystem in the ring is the 10 o’clock cooling system, so this was used for redundancy analysis. Relationships between the components were defined as parallel, series, or m-out-of-n for the cooling towers, valves, pumps and heat exchangers to perform calculations. A comparison between an original system versus a redundant one was then done using component availability from industry standards. Cost analysis was also performed to see how much the availability and cost would decrease if the redundancy application was not chosen. The Collider-Accelerator Department (CAD) also has a calculation in place for the Relativistic-Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), so cooling water failure data was collected from their operational log and analyzed for real-life component availability. A comparison of component availability from the CAD data to the industry standards was made through the 10 o’clock cooling system layout. The results showed that the subsystems need to have over a 98% availability for an 85% goal, and that the CAD data is very close to the industry component standards. The cost differential is miniscule compared to the potential availability increase. Therefore, redundant systems can increase the overall EIC availability by a sizable amount and are worth implementing.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Electrodeionization Using Microseparated Bipolar Membranes

An electrochemical technique for deionizing water, now under development, is intended to overcome a major limitation of prior electrically-based water-purification techniques. The limitation in question is caused by the desired decrease in the concentration of ions during purification: As the concentration of ions decreases, the electrical resistivity of the water increases, posing an electrical barrier to the removal of the remaining ions. In the present technique, this limitation is overcome by use of electrodes, a flowfield structure, and solid electrolytes configured to provide conductive paths for the removal of ions from the water to be deionized, even when the water has already been purified to a high degree. The technique involves the use of a bipolar membrane unit (BMU), which includes a cation-exchange membrane and an anion-exchange membrane separated by a nonconductive mesh that has been coated by an ionically conductive material (see figure). The mesh ensures the desired microseparation between the ion-exchange membranes: The interstices bounded by the inner surfaces of the membranes and the outer surfaces of the coated mesh constitute a flow-field structure that allows the water that one seeks to deionize (hereafter called "process water" for short) to flow through the BMU with a low pressure drop. The flow-field structure is such that the distance between any point in the flow field and an ionically conductive material is small; thus, the flow-field structure facilitates the diffusion of molecules and ions to and from the ion-exchange membranes. The BMU is placed between an anode and a cathode, but not in direct contact with these electrodes. Instead, the space between the anion-exchange membrane and the anode is denoted the anode compartment and is filled with an ionic solution. Similarly, the space between the cation-exchange membrane and the cathode is denoted the cathode compartment and is filled with a different ionic solution. The electrodes are made of titanium coated with platinum.

Lyons, Donald↗

Effects of external environments on the short beam shear strength of filament wound graphite/epoxy

Filament wound graphite/epoxy samples were immersed in seawater, deionized water, and toluene at room temperature and 80 deg C for 5, 15, and 43 days, and in methanol at room temperature for 15 and 43 days. The percent weight gains and short beam shear strengths were determined after environmental exposure. Samples immersed in deionized water and seawater had higher percent weight gains than those immersed in toluene at room temperature and 80 deg C. The percent weight gains for samples immersed in methanol at room temperature were comparable to those of deionized water and seawater immersed samples. A comparison of percent decreases in short beam shear strengths could not be made due to a large scatter in data. This may indicate defects in samples due to machining or variations in material properties due to processing.

Penn, B. G.↗

Automated Desalting Apparatus

Because salt and metals can mask the signature of a variety of organic molecules (like amino acids) in any given sample, an automated system to purify complex field samples has been created for the analytical techniques of electrospray ionization/ mass spectroscopy (ESI/MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and biological assays where unique identification requires at least some processing of complex samples. This development allows for automated sample preparation in the laboratory and analysis of complex samples in the field with multiple types of analytical instruments. Rather than using tedious, exacting protocols for desalting samples by hand, this innovation, called the Automated Sample Processing System (ASPS), takes analytes that have been extracted through high-temperature solvent extraction and introduces them into the desalting column. After 20 minutes, the eluent is produced. This clear liquid can then be directly analyzed by the techniques listed above. The current apparatus including the computer and power supplies is sturdy, has an approximate mass of 10 kg, and a volume of about 20 20 20 cm, and is undergoing further miniaturization. This system currently targets amino acids. For these molecules, a slurry of 1 g cation exchange resin in deionized water is packed into a column of the apparatus. Initial generation of the resin is done by flowing sequentially 2.3 bed volumes of 2N NaOH and 2N HCl (1 mL each) to rinse the resin, followed by .5 mL of deionized water. This makes the pH of the resin near neutral, and eliminates cross sample contamination. Afterward, 2.3 mL of extracted sample is then loaded into the column onto the top of the resin bed. Because the column is packed tightly, the sample can be applied without disturbing the resin bed. This is a vital step needed to ensure that the analytes adhere to the resin. After the sample is drained, oxalic acid (1 mL, pH 1.6-1.8, adjusted with NH4OH) is pumped into the column. Oxalic acid works as a chelating reagent to bring out metal ions, such as calcium and iron, which would otherwise interfere with amino acid analysis. After oxalic acid, 1 mL 0.01 N HCl and 1 mL deionized water is used to sequentially rinse the resin. Finally, the amino acids attached to the resin, and the analytes are eluted using 2.5 M NH4OH (1 mL), and the NH4OH eluent is collected in a vial for analysis.

Spencer, Maegan K.↗

Testing and validation of the microbial environment of the NASA rodent spaceflight habitat water delivery system.

Sterilized, deionized water within a closed, self-sufficient system has been used in NASA spaceflight rodent studies for several decades. Within the specialized spaceflight rodent habitat, water is delivered through a compression spring-loaded bag system to maintain positive pressure. Refill of the drinking water occurs every 30 days by direct transfer of potable water from aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This enables long term use without a weekly water change out, which meets spaceflight requirements, but contrasts with the general guidelines for the sanitation of water delivery systems. Even though the water is iodinated to minimize microbial growth, rodents are fed a special diet of high moisture nutrient-rich food bars based on the AIN-93 diet that may contribute to microbial growth in this water system. We designed a ground study to assess the quality of drinking water that is given to rodents throughout a mission. We conducted the ground test using 20 female C57BL/6J mice housed in this specialized habitat to mimic the timeline of a 90-day mission as well as the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and pCO2) within the ISS. We used a novel sampling method to test water at 2-week intervals for the 90-days, and also after each 30-day refill of the water delivery system. Mice in standard vivarium cages with water bottles were also included for comparison to the habitat. The results showed that overall microbial load remained close to zero for the duration, while total organic compound concentrations increased from 1370g/L to 10650g/L over the course of 90 days but remained below the level of concern. Inorganic ions and pH were also found to be at acceptable levels. Overall, we conclude that this system is effective in delivering clean, potable water to rodents for the 90-day duration of current missions to the ISS.

water↗

Stainless Steel Coating Test Report

A process was developed to coat 316L stainless steel pieces having very low levels of fixed contamination on their surface (~100 dpm/100 cm²). The coating process served to significantly decrease the likelihood of any fixed contamination becoming loose contamination due to physical shocks. Prior to coating, the stainless steel was etched with a commercial methane sulfonic acid (MSA) solution in a heated ultrasonic bath, rinsed with deionized water, cleaned with a basic detergent solution, and then rinsed with deionized water. The MSA etched the surface of the stainless-steel pieces, creating a more favorable surface on which the coating could adhere. Due to the short timeline of the project, only commercially available clear coating products were considered. The clear coating had to be wear-resistant, shock resistant, radiation resistant, and have high adhesion to the surface of the stainless steel. Adhesion of coatings to stainless steel is notoriously difficult. A commercial, high molecular weight polymer coating was found that met these requirements. The adhesion properties of this coating to stainless steel are very good, and are significantly improved by the etching process. The etching process results in a higher surface area that is free of debris and other residues, making the surface much more wetable, and at the same time creating a favorable surface topography for adhesion. The polymer in its uncured form is a low viscosity liquid. It can be applied by brush or pipette, and it cures in air alone, but heat is required to speed up curing and attain the highest performance of the cured polymer. As the project progressed, the project team became interested in the composition of the selected commercial polymer coating, and in ways that this polymer coating could be made more wear resistant and potentially more radiation resistant. Nano-particle addition was chosen as the preferred way to achieve higher performance. Therefore, a series of tests were planned and performed. This report summarizes these tests, and presents the results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Underwater thermomagnetic generator for remote marine thermal energy harvesting and sensing

Thermomagnetic generators offer a promising approach for sustainable power generation in remote marine environments. Here, this study presents the design, thermal modeling, and experimental validation of a passively driven underwater thermomagnetic generator developed for powering ocean observation and monitoring sensors. The generator was evaluated under varying working fluids, thermal boundary conditions, and extended operation to assess real-world applicability. Two fluids, deionized water and silicone-based Thermal C5, were tested under simulated shallow- and deep-ocean conditions. Deionized water outperformed Thermal C5, especially in colder environments (~5°C), achieving a peak output of 2.7 mW due to larger temperature gradients and enhanced convective-evaporative heat transfer. Long-duration tests revealed a transient evaporation-condensation cycle that temporarily reduced rotor immersion and performance before stabilizing. The generator powered commercial marine sensors for over 6 h without external batteries, demonstrating the viability of compact, passively cooled thermomagnetic systems for autonomous, off-grid marine sensing.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Insights into the structure and dynamics of K + ions at the muscovite–water interface from machine learning potential simulations

The surfaces of many minerals are covered by naturally occurring cations that become partially hydrated and can be replaced by hydronium or other cations when the surface is exposed to water or an aqueous solution. These ion exchange processes are relevant to various chemical and transport phenomena, yet elucidating their microscopic details is challenging for both experiments and simulations. Here, in this work, we make a first step in this direction by investigating the behavior of the native K + ions at the interface between neat water and the muscovite mica (001) surface with ab-initio -based machine learning molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling simulations. Our results show that the desorption of the surface K + ions in pure ion-free water has a significant free energy barrier irrespective of their local surface arrangement. In contrast, facile K + diffusion between mica’s ditrigonal cavities characterized by different Al/Si orderings is observed. This behavior suggests that the K + ions may favor a dynamic disordered surface arrangement rather than complete desorption when exposed to deionized water.

Ab-initio molecular dynamics↗