Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 8-1-2022

Abstract

Hydrogen getter materials are used to irreversibly absorb hydrogen gas in sealed environments. The DEB based getter system, despite finding widespread use in this application, still posses challenges with respect to experimental performance analysis and fundamental understanding of reaction mechanism. The second chapter of this report addresses the experimental challenges of this getter system by demonstrating the utility and experimental strengths of a custom magnetic suspension balance (MSB) based gravimetric sorption system. This apparatus enables performance evaluation in process relevant conditions including dilute mixed gas environments which our results indicate is necessary for accurate performance evaluation of getter systems. Chapter three of this report posits a parallel-series reaction mechanism for DEB hydrogenation and uses kinetic expressions developed from this framework to model the reaction in terms of intermediate and fully hydrogenated DEB species. The kinetic framework modeled in this report suggests considerable hydrogen mobility in the getter system. Furthermore, the shift in selectivity with hydrogen pressure indicates that the hydrogen exposure history of the getter material, and by extension the containment structure, may be ascertained by analyzing the relative concentration of DEB and its hydrogenation products.

Keywords

hydrogen, adsorption, chemisorption, mass transfer, kinetics, organic, getter, sink

Sponsors

USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Chemical Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Chemical and Biological Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Fernando Garzon

Second Committee Member

Abhaya Datye

Third Committee Member

Rajinder Singh

Third Advisor

Kathryn Berchtold

Download

Share

COinS