Fuel membrane

Sterculic acid is a potent inhibitor of several desaturases, which are the enzymes responsible for the formation of double bonds in long-chain acids used as fuels, membrane components, and other critical biological molecules. Consequently, vegetable oils containing sterculic acid must be hydrogenated or processed at high temperatures to reduce or destroy the cyclopropene ring. 

Tsai, J.C., Cheng, H.P., Kuo, J.F., Huang, Y.H., and Chen, C.Y. (2009) Blended Nation/ s-PEEK direct methanol fuel membranes for reduced methanol permeability, J. Power Sourc., 189, 958-965. 

The concept of the reversed fuel cell, as shown schematically, consists of two parts. One is the already discussed direct oxidation fuel cell. The other consists of an electrochemical cell consisting of a membrane electrode assembly where the anode comprises Pt/C (or related) catalysts and the cathode, various metal catalysts on carbon. The membrane used is the new proton-conducting PEM-type membrane we developed, which minimizes crossover. 

Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell. The electrolyte in a PEFC is an ion-exchange (qv) membrane, a fluorinated sulfonic acid polymer, which is a proton conductor (see Membrane technology). The only Hquid present in this fuel cell is the product water thus corrosion problems are minimal. Water management in the membrane is critical for efficient performance. The fuel cell must operate under conditions where the by-product water does not evaporate faster than it is produced because the membrane must be hydrated to maintain acceptable proton conductivity. Because of the limitation on the operating temperature, usually less than 120°C, H2-rich gas having Htde or no (

A. H. BaHweg and co-workers, "Pervaporation Membranes," Proceedings of the Fifth InternationalMlcohol Fuels Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand, May 13—18, John Mclndoe, Dunedin, New Zealand, 1982. 

Specifications for gas turbine fuels prescribe test limits that must be met by the refiner who manufactures fuel however, it is customary for fuel users to define quality control limits for fuel at the point of delivery or of custody transfer. These limits must be met by third parties who distribute and handle fuels on or near the airport. Tests on receipt at airport depots include appearance, distfllation, flash point (or vapor pressure), density, freezing point, smoke point, corrosion, existing gum, water reaction, and water separation. Tests on delivery to the aircraft include appearance, particulates, membrane color, free water, and electrical conductivity. 

Hydrogen Hydrogen recovery was the first large commercial membrane gas separation. Polysulfone fiber membranes became available in 1980 at a time when H9 needs were rising, and these novel membranes qiiickly came to dominate the market. Applications include recovery of H9 from ammonia purge gas, and extraction of H9 from petroleum crackiug streams. Hydrogen once diverted to low-quahty fuel use is now recovered to become ammonia, or is used to desulfurize fuel, etc. H9 is the fast gas. 

To be ionicaUy conducting, the fluorocarbon ionomer must be wet under equilibrium conditions, it will contain about 20 percent water. The operating temperature of the fuel cell must be less than 373 K (212°F), therefore, to prevent the membrane from drying out. 

By the time the next overview of electrical properties of polymers was published (Blythe 1979), besides a detailed treatment of dielectric properties it included a chapter on conduction, both ionic and electronic. To take ionic conduction first, ion-exchange membranes as separation tools for electrolytes go back a long way historically, to the beginning of the twentieth century a polymeric membrane semipermeable to ions was first used in 1950 for the desalination of water (Jusa and McRae 1950). This kind of membrane is surveyed in detail by Strathmann (1994). Much more recently, highly developed polymeric membranes began to be used as electrolytes for experimental rechargeable batteries and, with particular success, for fuel cells. This important use is further discussed in Chapter 11. 

A completely separate family of conducting polymers is based on ionic conduction polymers of this kind (Section 11.3.1.2) are used to make solid electrolyte membranes for advanced batteries and some kinds of fuel cell. 

Later, Du Pont in America developed its own ionically conducting membrane, mainly for large-scale electrolysis of sodium chloride to manufacture chlorine, Nafion , (the US Navy also used it on board submarines to generate oxygen by electrolysis of water), while Dow Chemical, also in America, developed its own even more efficient version in the 1980s, while another version will be described below in connection with fuel cells. Meanwhile, Fenton et al. (1973) discovered the first of a... 

---