Electric Current Locator: Sees What No Eye Can See

Vacuum arc remelting (VAR) is a crucial step in creating metals and alloys with the advanced properties needed for the aerospace, power generation, defense, medical, and nuclear industries. The problem is that the metal ingots produced occasionally contain defects, but who can see within the enclosed crucible of the furnace to know what causes these defects?

Sensors for the ELC, placed outside the furnace, can “see” through walls.

The new electric current locator (ECL) can “see” where eyes cannot. Developed under an agreement between the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and the Specialty Metals Processing Consortium, the ECL tracks the positions of the electric arcs inside the VAR furnace in real-time. Knowing where the arcs are shows how energy is being distributed to the molten metal during the remelting process. “Seeing” the arcs is a first step toward controlling them and thereby controlling the melting process, which is necessary for consistently defect-free materials.

Initially envisioned as monitoring device for processes such as VAR, the ECL technology can easily be retrofitted to existing furnaces. The technology has been successfully applied to an industrial VAR during commercial production of a titanium alloy, during which some previously unreported aspects of arc behavior were identified and described in publications. For instance, the VAR showed that different patterns of arc distribution can arise for different melts, even though the same alloy is being melted using the same control program. These differences were not detectable by previous furnace controls. A patent application for the ECL has been filed, and NETL is looking for commercial partners to refine the technology and license it for commercial applications.

Novel Catalyst Technology Helps Convert Diesel to Syngas

Methods for generating synthesis gas from simple hydrocarbons such as methane routinely involve the use of a catalyst, but the high sulfur and aromatic content of fuels such as diesel poses a major challenge, since these components can deactivate conventional catalysts. Unfortunately, no economically feasible reforming catalyst is available for converting diesel and coal-based fuels into hydrogen-rich synthesis gas necessary for use in SOFCs.

Incorporating active metals into the crystal structure of pyrochlore minimizes catalyst poisoning.

To minimize catalyst poisoning while maintaining high activity, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) researchers developed the novel idea of incorporating active metals into the crystal structure of a thermally stable material: pyrochlore. The unique crystalline structure of pyrochlore allows for chemical modifications tailored to specific fuels and reaction conditions. Development of this technology has resulted in two patent-pending inventions, one for utilization of pyrochlore catalysts in hydrocarbon reforming processes and the other for a method of optimizing the performance of pyrochlore catalysts for a particular application or specific operating condition. Together these inventions help overcome the limitations of current catalysts by efficiently reforming diesel fuel while maintaining thermal stability and resistance to sulfur, aromatics, and carbon formation.

The commercial potential of these inventions has recently been recognized through the execution of an exclusive licensing agreement with the newly-formed Pyrochem Catalyst Corporation. This agreement marks the first time that an NETL-licensed technology has been used as a basis for the creation of a start-up company. The successful commercialization of pyrochlore-type catalysts for reforming hydrocarbon fuels may lead to the creation of high-technology jobs.

A Novel Process and Device for Rapid Gas Hydrate Formation

Experimental results at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) show that rapid and continuous formation of methane (natural gas) hydrate, as well as other gas-derived hydrates is achievable. This technology will provide a safer and potentially lower-cost alternative for natural gas storage and transportation.

NETL's rapid hydrate formation process allows instantaneous and continuous methane hydrate formation by use of a novel nozzle.

Methane hydrate formation typically takes anywhere from six hours to several days or weeks under laboratory conditions. However, NETL's rapid hydrate formation process allows instantaneous and continuous methane hydrate formation by use of a novel nozzle. This patent-pending technology produces gas hydrates from a mixture of water and a hydrate forming gas. The two-phase mixture is created within the spray nozzle. The mixture is subsequently sprayed into a reaction vessel, under pressure and temperature conditions suitable for gas hydrate formation. Because the reaction zone pressure is less than the mixing zone pressure, the expansion of the hydrate-forming gas in the mixture provides a degree of cooling and optimal mixing, while allowing for improved gas solubility and heat transfer.

Gas hydrates have the potential to provide a tremendous cost savings over the transport of compressed and liquefied natural gas. In addition, this technology may be applicable to carbon dioxide sequestration, separation of mixed gases (e.g., natural gas streams containing carbon dioxide and other gases impacting higher methane content), cold energy storage, transportation fuels, and desalination processes. Also, reduced capital and operational costs for small to mid-sized gas fields make the adoption of gas hydrate more attractive to commercial interests.