Effect of Inclusion and Filtration on Grain Refinement Efficiency of Aluminum Alloy

It is well known that the filtration efficiency of ceramic foam filters (CFF) on aluminum melt can be significantly reduced by the addition of grain refiner particles under a high inclusion load. Also, it is usually considered that the filtration process has little impact on grain refinement efficiency. In this work, the influence of inclusions and filtration on the grain refinement effect of AA 6060 alloy has been studied. This was done through TP-1 type solidification experiments where the aluminum melt prior to and after the filter during a pilot-scale filtration test was investigated. In the experiments, 80 PPi CFFs were used to filtrate aluminum melt with an ultra-high inclusion load and two addition levels of Al–3Ti–1B master alloys. It is found that both inclusions and filtration significantly reduce the grain refinement efficiency of the grain refiner master alloys. A detailed characterization of the used filters shows that the reduction of grain refinement efficiency is due to the strong adherence of TiB2 particles to the oxide films, which are blocked by the CFF during filtration. A grain size prediction model based on deterministic nucleation mechanisms and dendritic growth kinetics has been applied to calculate the solidification grain size and estimate the loss of effective grain refiner particles during filtration. It is shown that due to the strong adherence between TiB2 particles and oxide films in the melt, the high addition level of aluminum chips also has an influence on reducing the grain refinement efficiency of aluminum melt without filtration. The results of this study extended our understanding of the behavior and performance of inoculant particles in CFF and their interactions with the inclusions.

Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx Over Hierarchical Cu-ZSM-5 Coated on Ceramic Foam Support

The development of structured catalysts for process intensification is of growing interest in catalytic processes due to heat and mass transfer limitations at an industrial scale. This limitation can be...

Removal of Inclusions from Melts

Inclusion origins and the methods for determining the content of inclusions in a melt are described. Removal of inclusions by flotation/settling is demonstrated. The method for removing inclusions from molten metals by bubbling is described in detail with attachment mechanism to bubbles. Use of microbubbles are included. Filtration capture mechanisms of inclusions, cake and deep bed mode, are derived. A model for removal of inclusions by ceramic foam filters is introduced. Re-entrainment of inclusions are examined. In addition the use of rotational and electromagnetic forces to remove inclusions is explained. The number size distribution of inclusions is taken into account, both the change in the distribution function and the growth of inclusions with time. In the end the interaction of dissolved elements and inclusions is described.

Effect of thickness on the thermo-hydraulic performance of porous volumetric solar receivers with different internal geometries

In this work, the effect of thickness on the thermal and hydrodynamic performance of porous volumetric solar receivers made of open-cell silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic foam is investigated using an in-house detailed numerical model. The model is based in a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique to solve the volume averaged mass, momentum and energy conservation equations, including the exchange of thermal radiation inside the receiver. A Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) method was developed and then used to model the solar radiation transport in the porous media. Two optimised internal geometries (porosity and pores size) of the receiver with adiabatic side-walls are investigated for different thicknesses. Results show that the optimal thickness depends on the porosity and pores size and there is a value from which the thermal efficiency is nearly constant and the pressure drop always increase. It was also found that the thickness should be approximately between 5 and 7 cm for porosity and pores diameter between 0.85 and 0.90 and 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm, respectively, aiming to maximise thermal efficiency by decreasing the transmission losses of solar radiation, and to keep low pressure drop.

Development of Synthesis and Fabrication Process for Mn-CeO2 Foam via Two-Step Water-Splitting Cycle Hydrogen Production

The effects of doping manganese ions into a cerium oxide lattice for a thermochemical two-step water-splitting cycle to produce oxygen and hydrogen and new synthesis methods were experimentally investigated. In order to comparison of oxygen/hydrogen producing performance, pristine CeO2, a coprecipitation method for Mn-CeO2, and a direct depositing method for Mn-CeO2 with different particle sizes (50~75, 100–212, over 212 μm) and doping extents (0, 5, 15 mol%) were tested in the context of synthesis and fabrication processes of reactive metal oxide coated ceramic foam devices. Sample powders were coated onto zirconia (magnesium partially stabilized zirconia oxide, MPSZ) porous foam at 30 weight percent using spin coating or a direct depositing method, tested using a solar reactor at 1400 °C as a thermal reduction step and at 1200 °C as a water decomposition step for five repeated cycles. The sample foam devices were irradiated using a 3-kWth sun-simulator, and all reactive foam devices recorded successful oxygen/hydrogen production using the two-step water-splitting cycles. Among the seven sample devices, the 5 mol% Mn-CeO2 foam device, that synthesized using the coprecipitation method, showed the greatest hydrogen production. The newly suggested direct depositing method, with its contemporaneous synthesis and coating of the Mn-CeO2 foam device, showed successful oxygen/hydrogen production with a reduction in the manufacturing time and reactants, which was lossless compared to conventional spin coating processes. However, proposed direct depositing method still needs further investigation to improve its stability and long-term device durability.

Optimization of structural parameters for the sound absorption performance of a cellular ceramic foam

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an optimization schedule of structural parameters for the sound absorption performance of a cellular ceramic foam in the sound frequency range of 200–4,000 Hz.Design/methodology/approachThe cellular ceramic foam with porosity of about 60–75% and the pore size of about 1–7 mm was successfully prepared by using natural zeolite powder as the main raw material. For this ceramic foam, the sound absorption performance was measured, and the absorption structure was optimized by some important structural parameters. With orthogonal experiment, optimization of structural parameters was found for absorption performance. By means of the range analysis method, the main factor is known to influence the performance of ceramic foam.FindingsThe present ceramic foam may have good absorption performance although at relatively low frequencies of 400–4,000 Hz while structural parameters of sample are appropriately combined. With orthogonal experiment, optimization of structural parameters for the absorption performance was found to be as follows: sample thickness, 25 mm; porosity, 73.5%; pore size, 4–5 mm and air gap depth, 20 mm. To influence the performance, sample thickness is the main factor, air gap depth is the second and both of pore size and porosity would have a relatively slight effect.Originality/valueThis paper presents a method to optimize the structural parameters of a cellular ceramic foam for sound absorption performance by means of orthogonal experiment.

Adequate Correlation between the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Glass Foam

The paper presents experimental results obtained in the manufacturing process of a glass foam by adequate correlation between its physical and thermal properties (density, porosity, thermal conductivity) and mechanical (compressive strength) by a slight controlled overheating of the foamed material. Using a powder mixture of glass waste (87-91.5 %), coal fly ash (3-9 %) and silicon carbide (4-5.5 %) microwave heated at 935-975 ºC by this unconventional technique, constituting the originality of the work, was obtained a glass-ceramic foam with moderate compressive strength (1.8-2.6 MPa) and very low thermal conductivity (0.058-0.070 W/m·K). The material overheating generated a homogeneous porous structure characterized by closed cells with relatively large dimensions (without the tendency to join neighboring cells) making it difficult to transfer heat across the material. The foamed product is suitable for the manufacture of thermal insulation blocks for the inner or outer walls of the building without excessive mechanical stress, being an advantageous alternative by comparison with known types of polymeric or fiberglass thermal insulation materials.

Adequate Correlation between the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Glass Foam

The paper presents experimental results obtained in the manufacturing process of a glass foam by adequate correlation between its physical and thermal properties (density, porosity, thermal conductivity) and mechanical (compressive strength) by a slight controlled overheating of the foamed material. Using a powder mixture of glass waste (87-91.5 %), coal fly ash (3-9 %) and silicon carbide (4-5.5 %) microwave heated at 935-975 ºC by this unconventional technique, constituting the originality of the work, was obtained a glass-ceramic foam with moderate compressive strength (1.8-2.6 MPa) and very low thermal conductivity (0.058-0.070 W/m·K). The material overheating generated a homogeneous porous structure characterized by closed cells with relatively large dimensions (without the tendency to join neighboring cells) making it difficult to transfer heat across the material. The foamed product is suitable for the manufacture of thermal insulation blocks for the inner or outer walls of the building without excessive mechanical stress, being an advantageous alternative by comparison with known types of polymeric or fiberglass thermal insulation materials.

The Influences of Grain Refiner, Inclusion Level, and Filter Grade on the Filtration Performance of Aluminum Melt

The addition of grain refiner particles in the aluminum melt is known to reduce the filtration efficiency of ceramic foam filter (CFF). In the present work, a systematic study on the influence of the addition level of Al-Ti-B master alloys and the inclusion level on the filtration performance of aluminum melt has been investigated by pilot-scale filtration tests using 50 PPi and 80 PPi filters. The inclusion level of the melt has been measured using both LiMCA and PoDFA. For 80 PPi CFF, the N20 inclusion (diameter larger than 20 μm) value in the post-filtrated melt does not increase when an ultra-high level of inclusions is introduced in the form of chips. For the melts with a low level of grain refiners (~ 0.5 kg/ton), the filtration performance of CFF is not affected by grain refiners, regardless of inclusion load. An addition of 2.0 kg/ton grain refiners reduces the filtration performance for melts with a high inclusion level, where post-filtration inclusions with the size of 15-20 µm were significantly increased. It is found, however, for the melts with an ultra-high inclusion load, the filtration performance of 80 PPi CFF is not affected by the grain refiner addition up to 2.0 kg/ton. The interactions between inclusions and grain refiner particles and the filtration mechanism have been studied by characterizing the spent filter and measuring the pressure drop during the filtration process. It is revealed that the strong adherence between oxide film with grain refiner particles dominates the grain refiner influence on the filtration performance of CFF. During the filtration process, oxide films have strong influences on the capturing of other inclusions such as oxide particles and TiB2 particles by the filter. A mechanism based on the interactions between oxide films and grain refiner particles is proposed to explain the CFF performance under the influence of grain refiner.