Robert T. Rewick

Carbon gasification in the presence of metal catalysts

Abstract The development of new processes for the production of gaseous fuels from carbon-containing solids is essential in meeting the energy needs of the nation. In this paper, catalysed carbon gasification is examined. The change in the reactivity of the interface between gaseous reactant (hydrogen or steam) and solid carbon has been measured in the presence of various metal catalysts. With platinum it is found that over a range of temperatures the specific rate of methane production is of the same magnitude as the rate of hydrogen atomization. The catalytic effect is interpretable in terms of an enhanced rate of hydrogen dissociation on the metal surface, followed by surface diffusion across the metal/carbon interface and reaction with carbon. The gas formation rate during the interaction of water vapour with catalyst-activated carbons has been increased by more than an order of magnitude by depositing small weight fractions of active metal catalyst on the carbon surface. At the temperatures employed in this study (975–1175 K), carbon monoxide and hydrogen are the products of the catalysed reaction for each of the catalysts examined.

The UV Absorption Spectra of Chemical Agents and Simulants

The uv spectra of chemical agents GA, GB, GD, VX, HD, and L and common agent simulants have been measured in cyclohexane solution from 350 to 200 nm. The purity of the agents, measured by gas chromatographic analysis, was in general >96%. At 230 nm, the strength of the uv absorption followed the general trend L > VX > GA > HD > GD > GB > DMMP. Except for HD and L, agent spectra lacked characteristic features that will be useful for remote detection by uv sensors.

A Simple Device for Studying FT-IR Emission Spectra of Solid Surfaces

We have designed and tested a spectral infrared emissivity device (SIRED) for studying the FT-IR emission spectra of solid surfaces. The cell, which is commercially available, can be used from near room temperature to 400°C. Emissivity results obtained by SIRED for several common laboratory samples compare well to published values for similar materials. As an example of another measurement using SIRED, we show results for the evaluation of the plasma wavelength of a semiconductor.

Simple test of dispersant effectiveness based on interfacial tension measurements

Abstract Results from this study suggest that the effectiveness of a dispersant in dispersing No. 2 fuel oil (for description, 1974 Annual Book of ASTM Standards , Part 23, p. 220) in seawater is related to the dispersants critical micelle concentration (c.m.c.) as measured by interfacial tension. For three water-base, nonionic dispersants, we found that the more effective the product, the lower the c.m.c. value. As a test to rank the effectiveness of oil-spill products, the procedures described here offer cost and time advantages over other testing methods (less than 4 hours are required to evaluate one dispersant and one oil) and require less laboratory space and a simple, commercially available apparatus.