This study describes computer simulations of carbonization and graphite formation, including the effects of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. We introduce a novel technique to simulate carbonization, 'Simulation of Thermal Emission of Atoms and Molecules (STEAM)', designed to elucidate volatile outgassing and density variations in the intermediate material during carbonization. The investigation analyzes the functional groups that endure through high-temperature carbonization and examines the graphitization processes in carbon-rich materials containing non-carbon impurity elements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study introduces a new approach for constructing atomistic models of nanoporous carbon by randomly distributing carbon atoms and pore volumes in a periodic box and then using empirical and molecular simulation tools to find the suitable energy-minimum structures. The models, consisting of 5000, 8000, 12000, and 64000 atoms, each at mass densities of 0.5, 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Air Waste Manag Assoc
December 2018
Wet electrostatic precipitators (WESPs) are modern-era pollution control systems specifically designed to capture ultrafine particles as well as acid mist, highly resistive and sticky particles; however, this requires the use of expensive corrosion-resistant metal alloys. The work presented here is part of a continuing study at Ohio University aimed at reducing the cost of WESPs by using a novel combination of a polymer collector surfaces with a hybrid composite discharge electrode. In this study, a hybrid composite discharge electrode was tested, for the first time, inside a semi-pilot-scale experimental setup, with collection surfaces consists of a vertical array of strands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Air Waste Manag Assoc
September 2017
Unlabelled: Over the last few decades, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) have emerged as effective air pollution control devices for treating coal-fired power plant exhausts. Among the components of the ESP, the discharge electrodes are extremely important in determining the collection efficiency of the ESP. Typically, in wet ESPs, the discharge electrodes used must be made of corrosion-resistant alloys, which makes them extremely expensive and heavy.
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