Paraffin Carbon Research Articles

Enhancing the summer efficiency of solar ponds through integration of paraffin wax and carbon soot nanoparticles

Enhancing the summer efficiency of solar ponds through integration of paraffin wax and carbon soot nanoparticles

Development and optimization of hybrid heat dissipation system for lithium-ion battery packs

This study presents the development and optimization of an advanced hybrid heat dissipation system for lithium-ion battery packs designed explicitly for drone applications. The system employs a novel battery capsule filled with a phase change material (PCM) compound enhanced with 2 % Huber nano-carbon, demonstrating superior thermal conductivity and stability. The capsules were manufactured using 3D printing technology, with paraffin wax and carbon black powders as the PCM components. Thermal simulations and experimental results indicated that the oval-shaped capsules with a major/minor axis ratio of 17.2/14.2 mm provided the most effective heat dissipation, maintaining the battery within a safe operating temperature range. Comparative studies revealed that the PCM-filled capsules outperformed the efficiency of air-filled and pure paraffin wax-filled capsules in thermal management. The system’s dual approach, combining passive PCM cooling with active air cooling, significantly extended the battery’s operational life and safety by ensuring optimal temperature regulation. This research highlights the potential for integrating nano-carbon-enhanced PCMs in high-performance, temperature-sensitive devices, paving the way for broader applications in electric vehicles, portable electronics, and advanced energy storage systems.

Ultrasonic extraction of oil shale bitumen and study of its structural features using GC-MS and NMR techniques

ABSTRACT Oil shale is a raw material that is considered to be an alternative fossil fuels and it is widely used in producing energy and chemicals. Oil shale bitumen identification are not widely described in literature. This article tackles the structural elucidation of oil shale bitumen using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with a short sample preparation step, based on ultrasonic-assisted liquid extraction. The ultrasonic-assisted extraction was examined in terms of solvent type and volume, sample size, sonication time and temperatures. A bitumen recovery of 17.7 wt% dmmf (dry-mineral-matter-free) was achieved when 0.50 g of shale was mixed with 20 mL THF and sonicated for 10 min at ultrasonic power of 120 W at 45°C. GC-MS of the bitumen showed high polar oxygenated compounds with more than 20 wt% being esters and ethers. Small concentrations of thiols and amides have been also found. The structural identification of bitumen was carried out using 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR and the results showed highly aliphatic character bitumen, consisting of aromatic, paraffinic, naphthenic and olefinic hydrogen and carbon atoms. These results suggested that ultrasonic solvent extraction could be an efficient and environment-friendly method for obtaining of bitumen from oil shale.

Study of self-healing capability of composite material with phase changing paraffin wax and graphene

The main aim of this research work was to conduct an experimental study of self-healing capability of the composite material by using phase changing material. The phase changing material utilized was “paraffin wax” for healing the material made up of the carbon fiber and epoxy. Three combinations of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy with phase changing materials were prepared i.e., plain carbon fiber epoxy without any phase changing material, carbon fiber epoxy with paraffin wax and carbon fiber epoxy with paraffin wax nano graphene. The fabrication of the carbon fiber composite material inside the capsulation has been done by keeping the 3d model. To identify the structural properties of the material some tests were done i.e., the tensile test and flexural test at normal room temperature and pressure. Damage was produced at the center of each specimen with the help of a Barcol hardness test machine. The Specimens were tested without indentation damage, immediately after indentation damage and after 48 hours of producing damage.

Preparation and thermal properties of shape-stabilized composite phase change materials based on paraffin wax and carbon foam

Development of low-cost equipment that can store clean energy, such as solar energy, is effective for alleviating environmental pollution. In this study, the shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (PCMs) based on paraffin wax and carbon foam were prepared. The carbon foam prepared from melamine foam had a good pore structure and was used to encapsulate paraffin wax. The latent heat of melting and cooling of composite PCMs were 221.1 J/g and 213.7 J/g, respectively. Even after 100 cycles, it still showed good thermal performance. Meanwhile, the composite PCMs exhibited good light-to-heat conversion efficiencies of 53.94% and 67.43% at light intensities of 200 mW cm−2 and 300 mW cm−2, respectively. Overall, composite PCMs with excellent thermal performance and cycle stability have application prospects in industries such as construction, solar energy, and battery temperature-control systems.

Catalytic Cracking of Diverse Vacuum Residue Hydrocracking Gas Oils

AbstractTen gas oils and one deasphalted hydrocracked vacuum residue obtained from ebullated‐bed vacuum residue hydrocracking have been cracked in a laboratory advanced catalyst evaluation unit on a commercial fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst. It was found that the eleven secondary heavy oils obey second‐order reaction kinetics. The relations between gas oil properties and FCC conversion, product yields, and quality were evaluated by means of intercriteria analysis. It could be stated that the FCC conversion strongly correlates with the gas oil Kw characterization factor. The product yields were established to depend on the secondary gas oil carbon atoms number, aromatic ring index, paraffinic and aromatic carbon content, and the total aromatics content.

Catalytic Pyrolysis Kinetic Behavior and TG-FTIR-GC-MS Analysis of Metallized Food Packaging Plastics with Different Concentrations of ZSM-5 Zeolite Catalyst.

Recently, the pyrolysis process has been adapted as a sustainable strategy to convert metallized food packaging plastics waste (MFPW) into energy products (paraffin wax, biogas, and carbon black particles) and to recover aluminum. Usually, catalysts are used in pyrolysis treatment to refine pyrolysis products and to increase their yield. In order to study the effect of a catalyst on the formulated volatile products, this work aims to study the pyrolysis behavior of MFPW in presence of catalyst, using TG-FTIR-GC–MS system. The pyrolysis experiments were conducted with ZSM-5 Zeolite catalyst with different concentrations (10, 30, and 50 wt.%) at different heating rates (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C/min). In addition, TG-FTIR system and GC-MS unit were used to observe and analyze the thermal and chemical degradation of the obtained volatile compounds at maximum decomposition peaks. In addition, the kinetic results of catalytic pyrolysis of ZSM-5/MFPW samples matched when model-free methods, a distributed activation energy model (DAEM), and an independent parallel reaction kinetic model (IPR) were used. The TGA-DTG results showed that addition of a catalyst did not have a significant effect on the features of the TGA-DTG curves with similar weight loss of 87–90 wt.% (without taking the weight of the catalyst into account). Meanwhile, FTIR results manifested strong presence of methane and high-intensity functional group of carboxylic acid residues, especially at high concentration of ZSM-5 and high heating rates. Likewise, GC-MS measurements showed that Benzene, Toluene, Hexane, p-Xylene, etc. compounds (main flammable liquid compounds in petroleum oil) generated catalysts exceeding 50%. Finally, pyrolysis kinetics showed that the whole activation energies of catalytic pyrolysis process of MFPW were estimated at 289 kJ/mol and 110, 350, and 174 kJ/mol for ZSM-5/MFPW samples (10, 30, and 50 wt.%, respectively), whereas DAEM and IPR approaches succeeded to simulate TGA and DTG profiles with deviations below <1.

Microcrystalline paraffin wax, biogas, carbon particles and aluminum recovery from metallised food packaging plastics using pyrolysis, mechanical and chemical treatments

Abstract Metallised food packaging plastics waste (MFPW) is the most complex part of plastic waste ever with poor recyclability. In order to close the circle loop of MFPWs and to increase their economic and environmental benefits according to the zero waste principle, this research aims to convert MFPWs into energy products (Microcrystalline paraffin wax and biogas) and raw materials (carbon particles and aluminum) using three combined approaches: pyrolysis, mechanical and chemical treatments. The thermal treatment using mini-pyrolysis plant (capacity of 250 g) was applied as the main treatment to convert MFPWs into three main energy products: biooil, biogas, and char mixed with aluminum flakes (Al/char) at 25 °C/min up to 500, 600, and 700 °C, while the mechanical treatment using milling process was used to break the bonds between char and Al flakes, thus liberating Al flakes after sieving process. Finally, the leaching process using hydrochloric acid was employed to extract the remaining Al particles from the milled Al/char and to recover the carbon particles simultaneously, using a density separation method. The experiments were performed on a mixture of five types of equal shares of packages (potato chips, chocolate, bakery, coffee, and biscuits). The obtained energy products and recovered materials were analyzed by GC, FTIR, ICP, and SEM-EDS. The results showed that MFPWs can be decomposed thermally into Al/char (99.4%) only up to 500 °C, while in case of 600 and 700 °C, they can be converted into microcrystalline paraffin wax (19.5%), biogas (63%), and Al/char (17.8%). Also, the mechanical and chemical treatments were succeeded by leaching >90 wt% of Al and extraction of carbon particles on a micro-scale (10–50 μm). Finally, the assessment of economic performance and greenhouse gases showed that application of the developed approach on an industrial scale can provide an economic return up to 610 $/ton of MFPWs and decrease carbon footprint by −984 kg CO2-eq/t of MFPWs.

Experimental and numerical analysis of the thermal performance of polyurethane foams panels incorporating phase change material

The potential thermal regulation effect of rigid polyurethane (RPU) foams can be enhanced by the incorporation of phase change materials (PCM). The main goal of the present work is to evaluate the thermal characteristics of RPU panels using two different types of PCM (a commercial one and another based on paraffin and calcium carbonate) and to quantify their potential as thermal regulators of indoor spaces.The experimental results obtained revealed that the RPU panels incorporating PCM can lead to a thermal amplitude reduction of about 3.5–1 °C (peak maximum temperature – peak minimum temperature). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the performance of the RPU panel with PCM was enhanced when the external and internal mean temperature were closer to the melting peak temperature of the PCM. Additionally, it was also verified that the thermal amplitude reduction due to the PCM is more significant for the RPU panel incorporating PCM.In brief, the results showed that the efficiency of the RPU panels incorporating PCM is not exclusively dependent on the presence and quantity of PCM (equivalent in wt% in all cases) but it is also affected by the imposed temperature profile and the PCM thermal properties.

An Efficient Environmentally Friendly Composite Material Based on Carbonized Biological Cellulose/Paraffin: Thermal and Sustainable Properties Analysis

AbstractA shape‐stabilized composite phase change material (SS‐CPCM) with paraffin (PA) and biological porous carbon (BPC) was prepared. Freeze‐dried biological‐cellulose include abandoned pomelo peel (APP) and tangerine peel (ATP) were carbonized in vacuum at 800 °C to obtain BPC to be used as a matrix material to prevent PA leakage and enhance thermal conductivity. A vacuum impregnation process was utilized to obtain the SS‐CPCM. Scanning electron microscopy showed that BPC (carbonized APP is subsequently referred to as BPC1 and carbonized ATP as BPC2) has a porous, honeycomb‐like structure, and that the paraffin encapsulated by the pores is evenly distributed. The SS‐CPCM2 (made from ATP) had the highest thermal conductivity (2.10 W/m K), which is 1.89 and 10 times that of the SS‐CPCM1 (made using APP) and pure PA, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermo‐gravimetric analysis were applied to determine the thermal performance and thermal reliability of the SS‐CPCM. Therefore, the prepared SS‐CPCM has potential in the field of energy storage.

Development and application of a new similar material for fluid–solid coupling model test

Correct selection of similar materials is key to geomechanical model tests. According to similarity theories, a novel similar material for the fluid–solid coupling model test was developed to solve problems of low similarity and poor stability. A similar material is mixed with calcium carbonate, white cement, paraffin, quartz sand, silicone oil, talc, and iron powder. Quartz sand and talc powder are the main materials; white cement, calcium carbonate, and paraffin are glue; silicone oil and iron powder are regulators. The effects of different mixing ratios on the compressive strength, permeability coefficient, and specific gravity were studied using a single factor analysis method. The main components controlling the material properties were determined through numerous laboratory tests. The experimental results show that the new material strength is controlled by cement, paraffin, and calcium carbonate. Its permeability coefficient can be adjusted by altering the ratio of silicone oil and paraffin. Its specific gravity is mainly affected by iron powder. The new material can simulate low-strength and medium-strength rock materials with different permeabilities, and it can effectively solve the problem that mechanical properties and nonhydrophilic properties cannot be satisfied simultaneously. The material was successfully applied in geological model tests of fault water inrush.

Voltammetric determination of sunscreen by convenient epoxy-carbon composite electrodes

An electrode composed of an epoxy resin and graphite powder is fast and convenient to fabricate. The performance as a working electrode for cyclic voltammetry measurement of hexacyanoferrate(III) in aqueous and nonaqueous systems is compared with a paraffin carbon paste electrode. Well defined current-potential curves, and well linearity of current-root scan rate and current-concentration system are reported. The electroanalytical studies of the octyl methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone, benzophenone, octyl salicylate, and butyl methoxy dizenzoyl methane, that are often used as sunscreens in commercial cosmetic products, were described at the carbon-epoxy composite electrodes in nonaqueous solvent.

Development of structural layers PVC incorporating phase change materials for thermal energy storage

The use of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) structural layers incorporating phase change materials (PCM) for latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) has become more attractive in the recent years compared to other supporting materials. In this study, PVC layers with different types of PCM were prepared using blending and compression moulding methods. Two types of synthesized PCM, one based on paraffin and calcium carbonate (PCM@CaCO3) and the other on paraffin, silica and graphene oxide (PCM@SiGO) have been developed to enhance the thermal conductivity of the PVC matrix and thus achieve a more effective charging and discharging process. PVC layers prepared using a commercial PCM (PCM@BASF) were also prepared for comparison.SEM images and DSC results reveal homogeneous distribution of the PCM in PVC layers and that most PCM particles are undamaged. The shell material (in the case of PCM@BASF) and the shape stability (in the case of synthesized PCM@CaCO3 and PCM@SiGO) prevent leakage of molten paraffin during the PVC layer production.The thermal conductivity profile of the PVC layer without PCM have a decreasing tendency with the temperature increase when determined using different measurement approaches, the transient plane heat source method (HotDisk Analyser, TPS 2500 S) and thermal flux meter method (steady-state method). However, for PVC layers with PCM the thermal conductivity profile shows a different behaviour when the mean surface temperature of the specimen is below the phase change transition temperature range (increasing tendency). During phase change transition (18–26 °C), the thermal conductivity presents two distinct tendencies. Firstly, the thermal conductivity reveals a decreasing tendency as the mean temperature of the specimen rises and afterwards an increasing tendency. Secondly, when the mean surface temperature is above the phase change transition temperature range, the thermal conductivity profile shows a decreasing tendency, independent of the PCM.The mechanical properties of PVC layers were also assessed and the results obtained revealed that the incorporation of PCM into the PVC matrix reduces the mechanical performance of the composites, however for LHETS applications not subjected to high tensile stress levels (over 1 kPa), this is not a significant drawback.

Wear Resistant Nanocomposites Based on Biomedical Grade UHMWPE Paraffin Oil and Carbon Nano-Filler: Preliminary Biocompatibility and Antibacterial Activity Investigation.

In the present paper, we investigate the effectiveness of nanocomposites (composed of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) mixed with carbon nano-filler (CNF) and medical grade paraffin oil (PO), from the biological point of view. Wear measurements were carried out without (air) and with lubricant (distilled water, natural, and artificial lubricant), and antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity were evaluated. The results highlighted that the presence of CNF is important in the nanocomposite formulation because it reduces the wear rate and prevents oxidative degradation during its processing. An amount of 1.0 wt % of CNF is best because it reaches the optimal distribution within the polymeric matrix, resulting in the best wear resistant, bio-active, and anti-bacterial nanocomposite among all investigated samples.

Thermal Transformations of Petroleum Residue Components in the Presence of Power-Plant Flyash Ferrospheres and Sunflower Oil

The thermal transformations of components of the residue (boiling point above 350°C) of Zuunbayan heavy, high-wax oil (Mongolia) in the presence of cogeneration plant flyash ferrospheres and sunflower oil have been studied. The use of the additives made it possible to obtain additional amounts of distillate fractions (IBP–360°C). The physicochemical characteristics and composition of the products have been determined. The structural-group characteristics of the resin–asphaltene components of the feed petroleum residue and the products of its thermal conversion in the presence of sunflower oil and flyash ferrospheres have been compared. The presence of sunflower oil and ferrospheres leads to a decrease in the molecular weight of the resins and asphaltenes isolated from thermolysis products. The number of naphthenic and paraffinic carbon atoms in resin and asphaltene molecules decreases, and the proportion of aromatic atoms markedly increases.

The atmospheric, vacuum and pressurized pyrolysis of used bleaching soils along with polymeric wastes to reach the valuable and economical fuels

The atmospheric, vacuum and pressurized pyrolysis of oil-rich bleached soil with polymeric wastes was investigated using a semi batch stirred reactor. Also, the gas chromatograph mass spectrometry (GC/MS) instrument was used to measure the hydrocarbon components containing paraffin, olefin, naphtehene and aromatic (PONA) and carbon number of the liquid product which the liquid products were classified to the different commercial fuel ranges. The atmospheric co-pyrolysis of oil-rich bleached soil with polyethylene tended to produce the heavy hydrocarbons while the pressurized pyrolysis decreased the products molecular weight obviously. The atmospheric co-pyrolysis of oil-rich bleached soil with polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) shifted to the medium and light fuels respectively. Also, manual filtration of the co-pyrolysis oils with the regenerated fluid cracking catalyst (FCC) at ambient temperature showed that the obtained oil from co-pyrolysis of polypropylene and bleached soil did not require re-filtration and had a very light color. The vacuum co-pyrolysis of bleached soil and the polymers produced more liquid with less cyclic compounds and lighter color compared to nitrogen pyrolysis. The pressurized pyrolysis of polyethylene and bleached soil using different carrier gases such as nitrogen, hydrogen, ethylene and propylene, tended to produce the lighter products in the commercial fuels range. Also, re-polymerization of the obtained liquid from co-pyrolysis, was carried out using benzoyl peroxide at 95 °C and atmospheric pressure, which only polystyrene and bleached soil co-pyrolysis product was able to take part in the polymerization process and two other co-pyrolysis products did not react with peroxide clearly.

Correlation of Elastohydrodynamic Friction with Molecular Structure of Highly Refined Hydrocarbon Base Oils

The molecular compositions of a range of low viscosity hydrocarbon base oils spanning API Groups II to IV have been quantified using 13C NMR and correlated with base oil elastohydrodynamic (EHD) friction. A strong correlation has been found between the proportions of paraffin, linear and branched carbons and EHD friction, with a high proportion of linear and paraffinic carbon atoms contributing to low-EHD friction but branched carbons contributing to high-EHD friction. Correlation equations have been developed to predict EHD friction based on base oil composition. At very high temperature and low pressure, this correlation breaks down as the lubricant in the contact does not reach sufficiently high shear stress for shear thinning to occur. For Group IV polyalphaolefin, the correlation must be extended to account for the very high proportion of linear carbons originating from linear alkene oligomerization. The correlations developed in this study can be used to guide the design of low-EHD friction base oils.

Development of polyurethane foam incorporating phase change material for thermal energy storage

The major aim of the present study is to improve the thermal characteristics of polyurethane foams (PUFs) that have been almost exclusively used for thermal insulation purposes but can also play a role in potential thermal energy storage components as a matrix material.To overcome the low thermal conductivity of the of PUFs matrix, a synthesized phase change material (PCM) based on paraffin and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) has been developed to enhance the thermal conductivity and thus achieve a more effective charging and discharging process. The synthesized PCM (PCM@CaCO3) exhibited a good phase change performance with significant thermal storage capacity and thermal stability compared to commercial based PCM (PCM@BASF).Different PUFs formulations incorporating PCM (PCM@CaCO3 and PCM@BASF) were used to produce PUFs panels (rigid and soft PUFs panels). The thermal conductivity of the PUFs panels was measured using the transient plane heat source method (HotDisk Analyser, TPS 2500 S) and the thermal flux metre method (steady-state method). The results obtained revealed that, regardless of the method used, the thermal conductivity profile has a similar increasing trend before and after the bounds of the PCM phase change transition zone, whilst during PCM phase transition both methods showed a decreasing trend of the thermal conductivity as the temperature increased.In addition, this work presents and discusses the limitation of the HotDisk method to analyse panels composed by multilayers.

Unique structure of fibrous ZSM-5 catalyst expedited prolonged hydrogen atom restoration for selective production of propylene from methanol

A unique mesostructured fibrous silica@ZSM-5 (HSi@ZSM-5) catalyst was synthesized via microemulsion ZSM-5 zeolite seed assisted synthesis method and successfully applied in enhanced propylene formation in methanol to olefin (MTO) process. Characterization of the catalysts were carried out by FESEM, TEM, XRD, TGA, N2 adsorption-desorption, NH3 and KBr probed FTIR. Catalytic performance of as-synthesized catalyst was examined using a micro-pulse reactor and compared with the commercial HZSM-5. The reaction mechanism was elucidated by in-situ methanol FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that HSi@ZSM-5 produced higher propylene selectivity (56%) and was stable for long time on stream (80 h), nearly three-fold higher than that of commercial HZSM-5. In addition, HSi@ZSM-5 displayed higher rate of methanol dehydration, surface methoxy species generation and olefin methylation, indicating that alkene catalytic cycle is the dominant reaction mechanism. The higher selectivity towards propylene was correlated to the existence of moderate acidity which impeded the formation of paraffins and polymethylbenzene intermediates. These observations are further supported by KBr probed FTIR findings which revealed negligible paraffinic carbon species on HSi@ZSM-5. Thus, the unique fibrous silica@ZSM-5 retarded coke deposition due to suppression of undesired side reactions thereby signifying intensified propylene formation, which is highly desirable in commercial MTO processes.

Influence of Heavy Organics Composition on Wax Properties and Flow Behavior of Waxy Crude Oils

Paraffinic crude oils are desirable because of their high content of saturated hydrocarbons but may present handling challenges due to crystallization of high molecular weight paraffin at low temperatures. The prediction of wax properties and behavior of waxy crude oil is important in order to adopt appropriate mitigative measures to forestall flow assurance problems associated with wax crystallization and deposition. Accurate predictive models are limited mainly by the sheer complexity of crude oil composition. Result of analysis of saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltene content of crude oils (SARA) has been used as a simple tool to predict and interpret crude oil properties and behavior but has been found inadequate in predicting wax instability. In this paper, we report on the use of SARA analysis and paraffin distribution data to interpret the wax properties and flow behavior of Niger-Delta crude oils. The crude oil properties determined include wax content, asphaltene and resin content by gravimetry, pour point, wax appearance temperature by cross-polarized microscopy and paraffin carbon number distribution of whole oil and wax precipitate by GC-FID. Asphaltene and resin content were found to influence the oil pour point, while saturates content, paraffin carbon number of crystallizing waxes and wax content control its low-temperature flow properties.