Browsing by Subject "Reaction Kinetics"
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Item In Situ Polarization Modulation Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopic and Kinetic Investigations of Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions(2010-01-14) Cai, YunA molecular-level understanding of a heterogeneous catalytic reaction is the key goal of heterogeneous catalysis. A surface science approach enables the realization of this goal. However, the working conditions (ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions) of traditional surface science techniques restrict the investigations of heterogeneous catalysis system under industrial working conditions (atmospheric pressures). Polarization Modulation Infrared Reflection-Absorption Spectroscopy (PM-IRAS) can be operated in both UHV and atmospheric pressure conditions with a wide temperature span while providing high resolution (4 cm-1 is used in this dissertation) spectra. In this dissertation, PM-IRAS has been employed as a major technique to: 1) obtain both electronic and chemical information of catalysts from UHV to elevated pressure conditions; 2) explore reaction mechanisms by in situ monitoring surface species with concurrent kinetic measurements. In this dissertation, NO adsorption and dissociation on Rh(111) have been studied. Our PM-IRAS spectra show a transition of NO adsorption on three-fold hollow sites to atop sites occurs at low temperatures (<275 K). NO dissociation is found to account for this transition. The results indicated the dissociation of NO occurs well below the temperature previously reported. Characterizations of highly catalytically active Au films have also been carried out. Electronic and chemical properties of (1 x 1)- and (1 x 3)-Au/TiOx/Mo(112) films are investigated by PM-IRAS using CO as a probe molecule. The Au overlayers are found to be electron-rich and to have significantly different electronic properties compared with bulk Au. The exceptionally high catalytic activity of the Au bilayer structure is related to its unique electronic properties. CO oxidation reactions on Rh, Pd, and Pt single crystals are explored from low CO pressures under steady-state conditions (less than 1 x 10-4 Torr) to high pressures (0.01-10 Torr) at various gaseous reactant compositions. Surface CO species are probed with in situ PM-IRAS to elucidate the surface phases under reaction conditions. These experimental results are used to correlate reaction kinetics and surface reactant species. It is evident that there is a continuum over the pressure range studied with respect to the reaction mechanism. The most active phase has been shown to be an oxygen-dominant surface. The formation of a subsurface oxygen layer is found to deactivate the reaction.Item Single event kinetic modeling of solid acid alkylation of isobutane with butenes over proton-exchanged Y-Zeolites(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Martinis Coll, Jorge MaximilianoComplex reaction kinetics of the solid acid alkylation of isobutane with butenes over a proton-exchanged Y-zeolite has been modeled at the elementary step level. Starting with a computer algorithm that generated the reaction network based on the fundamentals of the carbenium ion chemistry, the formation of over 100+ product species has been modeled in order to gain understanding of the underlying phenomena leading to rapid catalyst deactivation and product selectivity shifts observed in experimental runs. An experimental investigation of the solid acid alkylation process was carried out in a fixed bed catalytic reactor operating with an excess of isobutane under isothermal conditions at moderate temperatures (353-393 K) in liquid phase. Experimental data varying with run-time for a set of butene space-times and reaction temperatures were collected for parameter estimation purposes. A kinetic model was formulated in terms of rate expressions at the elementary step level including a rigorous modeling of deactivation through site coverage. The single event concept was applied to each rate coefficient at the elementary step level to achieve a significant reduction in the number of model parameters. Based on the identification of structural changes leading to the creation or destruction of symmetry axes and chiral centers in an elementary step, formulae have been developed for the calculation of the number of single events. The Evans-Polanyi relationship and the concept of stabilization energy were introduced to account for energy levels in surface-bonded carbenium ions. A novel functional dependency of the stabilization energy with the nature of the carbenium ion and the carbon number was proposed to account for energy effects from the acid sites on the catalyst. Further reductions in the number of parameters and simplification of the equations for the transient pseudohomogeneous one-dimensional plug-flow model of the reactor were achieved by means of thermodynamic constraints. Altogether, the single event concept, the Evans-Polanyi relationship, the stabilization energy approach and the thermodynamic constraints led to a set of 14 parameters necessary for a complete description of solid acid alkylation at the elementary step level.Item Stimulation of Carbonate Reservoirs Using a New Emulsified Acid System(2013-05-15) Sayed, Mohammed Ali IbrahimThe scope of work can be divided into; the measurement of the rheological properties of a new emulsified acid system that can be suitable for high temperature applications, a study of the performance of the new emulsified acid in stimulating both calcite and dolomite formations, measuring the reaction rate and diffusion coefficient when the new emulsified acid systems react with both calcite and dolomite, and testing the new emulsified acid using core samples obtained from carbonate reservoirs. The droplet size has a practical impact on the performance of emulsified acid. A good understanding and characterization of the emulsified acid by its size distribution will lead to better understanding of its stability, rheology and how it reacts with carbonate rocks. The influence of the concentration of the new emulsifier on the droplet size, droplet size distribution and upon the rheology of emulsified acids is studied in detail. The emulsified acid reaction kinetics with calcite rocks was studied before in few studies, and very little work was done with dolomite. One of the main objectives of the present work is to study in detail the reaction of the emulsified acid with both calcite and dolomite rocks using the rotating disk apparatus. Most of the previous studies on the emulsified acid were done using core samples that were saturated with brine or deionized water. One of the main objectives of the present work is to study in detail the effect of the presence of crude oil in the reservoir rock on the performance of emulsified acids. Lastly, an innovative technique of emulsifying the chelating agents is evaluated for high temperature applications. The rheology of the emulsified chelating agent is measured using an HPHT rheometer. Also, the reaction of the new emulsified chelating agent with calcite is studied using the rotating disk apparatus, and coreflood experiments were performed using chelating agents and calcite core samples.Item The Application of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Enhanced NMR to Non-Equilibrium Systems(2012-02-14) Bowen, Sean MichaelNuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) yields remarkably detailed structural information about virtually any molecule. However, its application to non-equilibrium systems is hampered by a lack of sensitivity. To increase the amount of signal that can be obtained from a NMR experiment, various hyperpolarization schemes have been previously introduced. One such technique is dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which can enhance NMR sensitivity by several orders of magnitude. The work detailed here focuses on the development of methods utilizing DNP to study non-equilibrium systems such as chemical and biochemical reactions in real-time. To work with hyperpolarized samples, we have designed and constructed a rapid injection and mixing system. This system allows samples to be transported between superconducting magnets used for polarization and for NMR spectroscopy in less than two seconds. Rapid transport is essential for successful use of samples with short spin-lattice relaxation times. For the study of reactions under non-equilibrium conditions, the system provides the additional capability for samples to be mixed with a second, unpolarized reagent. A chromogenic trypsin catalyzed ester hydrolysis reaction was used to validate the DNP-NMR technique as a tool for kinetic analysis. It is shown that the DNP-NMR method agrees with the conventional UV method within the uncertainty of the measurement. Hyperpolarization in this modality presents both challenges and opportunities, each of which motivate the development of new NMR techniques. In addition to the determination of kinetics, DNP-NMR is amenable to mechanistic analysis of a reaction. We have developed a technique based on selective inversion of spin-polarization, which allows for mapping of atoms between reactant and product of a reaction. This scheme was applied to a Grignard reaction, demonstrating applicability to organic reactions. Signal averaging, as it is applied for conventional multi-dimensional correlation spectroscopy cannot always be applied easily when using hyperpolarized sample. For the rapid measurement of heteronuclear correlation spectra, we have developed a technique utilizing the differential scaling of scalar coupling under off-resonance irradiation. Although DNP-NMR yields spectra of outstanding quality even with small quantities of sample, peak intensities are not quantitative. It is nevertheless possible to compare peak multiplets obtained from fractionally isotope labeled samples. Using biosynthetically labeled lipids from E. Coli cells, we showed that the resulting labeling patterns reflect their biosynthetic pathways. As a final case-study employing several of these newly developed methods, the uronate isomerase catalyzed isomerization of glucuronate into fructuronate was studied. The ability to follow the reaction in real-time while directly observing all anomeric forms of the reactant and product permits the independent determination of kinetics for each anomeric form of substrate and product. This study revealed the anomeric specificity of the enzyme.Item Theoretical and Experimental Evaluation of Chemical Reactivity(2011-10-21) Wang, QingshengReactive chemicals are presented widely in the chemical and petrochemical process industry. Their chemical reactivity hazards have posed a significant challenge to the industries of manufacturing, storage and transportation. The accidents due to reactive chemicals have caused tremendous loss of properties and lives, and damages to the environment. In this research, three classes of reactive chemicals (unsaturated hydrocarbons, self-reacting chemicals, energetic materials) were evaluated through theoretical and experimental methods. Methylcyclopentadiene (MCP) and Hydroxylamine (HA) are selected as representatives of unsaturated hydrocarbons and self-reacting chemicals, respectively. Chemical reactivity of MCP, including isomerization, dimerization, and oxidation, is investigated by computational chemistry methods and empirical thermodynamic?energy correlation. Density functional and ab initio methods are used to search the initial thermal decomposition steps of HA, including unimolecular and bimolecular pathways. In addition, solvent effects are also examined using water cluster methods and Polarizable Continuum Models (PCM) for aqueous solution of HA. The thermal stability of a basic energetic material, Nitroethane, is investigated through both theoretical and experimental methods. Density functional methods are employed to explore the initial decomposition pathways, followed by developing detailed reaction networks. Experiments with a batch reactor and in situ GC are designed to analyze the distribution of reaction products and verify reaction mechanisms. Overall kinetic model is also built from calorimetric experiments using an Automated Pressure Tracking Adiabatic Calorimeter (APTAC). Finally, a general evaluation approach is developed for a wide range of reactive chemicals. An index of thermal risk is proposed as a preliminary risk assessment to screen reactive chemicals. Correlations are also developed between reactivity parameters, such as onset temperature, activation energy, and adiabatic time to maximum rate based on a limited number, 37 sets, of Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) data. The research shows broad applications in developing reaction mechanisms at the molecular level. The methodology of reaction modeling in combination with molecular modeling can also be used to study other reactive chemical systems.