In situ synthesis/generation of nano transition metal sulfide either unsupported or supported on matrix (alumina, zeolites) will give more efficient catalyst systems for upgrading of heavy residues in to value added products. There is an increased interest in the synthesis of zeolite nanoparticles (<100nm) due to high external to internal surface ratios resulting in increased resistance to deactivation and for enabling catalysis with large molecules that are unable to enter the zeolite pores. Short channel length zeolite nano crystals provides for fast diffusion times and therefore an increased catalytic activity. Another important feature of nano crystalline zeolites are their ability to form stable suspensions in liquid media, which can have tremendous impact in the preparation/processing of zeolite additives. Nanomaterials are expected to create new opportunities for applications in the fields of separations sciences, for use directly as molecular sieves or as new molecular sieving sorbant materials in catalysis, as heterogeneous catalysts; and as supports for other catalytic materials as well as other novel applications. Another approach to synthesizing large pore and large single crystals of zeolytic materials is being pioneered by Geoffrey Ozin and his group at the University of Toronto, who have demonstrated that crystals as large as 5 mm can be synthesized . The ability to synthesize such large crystals has important implications for discovery of new sensors (selective chemical adsorbants) and membrane devices (selective transport of molecular species), since large single crystals can now be available to the researchers to carry out fundamental studies of adsorption and diffusion properties with such materials.
Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) for hydrogen storage Materials with higher hydrogen storage per unit volume and weight are considered by many to be an enabling technology for vehicular fuel cell applications. Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratories, US A have developed an approach that enables materials such as Mg to be used for hydrogen storage. Magnesium is of interest because it can store about 7.7
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Petrotech Journal December Issue 2009
wt % hydrogen, but its adsorption/ desorption kinetics are slow, i.e., the rate of charge (hydrogen dissociation and hydride formation) is much slower than in metal hydrides. At Los Alamos, high surface area mixtures of nanoscale Mg and Mg2Ni particles are produced by mechanical means & by ball milling. Carbon nanotubes have the interesting property that they could either be semiconducting or conducting (metallic), depending on the chirality and diameter of the nanotube. CNT are associated with extreme mechanical strength & also display highest thermal conductivity. Porous carbons are of interest as molecular sieve materials, both as sorbants and as membranes, or as nanostraws for filtration. One of the major research objectives is to develop materials or structures with exceedingly high storage capacity per unit volume and weight, for gases such as H2 or CH4 so as to become an economic source of combustion fuel or a means to power fuel cells for ultra low-emission vehicles or for electric power generation. CNT are being researched as a possible hydrogen storage media for use in fuel cells. CNT, e.g. can adsorb 10% wt of hydrogen at room temperature as compared to just 5.3 wt % by activated carbon and that too at much lower temperature (77 K). Microporous hollow carbon fibers have exhibited high permeance and high selectivity as hydrogen selective membranes, and development is now
underway to scale up these membranes to commercial levels.
Nanotechnology in E&P Sector Drilling fluids having nano sized superfine powders suspended in conventional drilling fluids have been reported. These materials lead to massive quantitative improvements in the drilling processes. Drillings bits require extreme hardness and nano silicon carbide coated layer on the drilling bits offer advantages for deep drilling in rocky areas. In deep water exploration, nano sensors are under development, which can with stand extreme pressure conditions. Consortium of energy companies is putting millions of dollars into the development of new micro- and nanosensor technologies. The seven companies that make up the Advanced Energy Consortium (AEC), includes BP America, ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil Company, Occidental Oil & Gas Corporation, Shell International E & P, Schlumberger Technology Corporation and Halliburton Energy Services, will put up $21 million in total to fund the research. The aim of the project is to develop subsurface sensors that can be used to improve both the discovery and the recovery of hydrocarbons. Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University, in Houston is a technical partner to the consortium. Another partner in the project is electrical engineering and