Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, As Represented by the Minister of National Defence of Her Majesty's Canadian Government

Universite Du Quebec a Trois-rivieres

Gas Metropolitain Inc.

Societe Quebecoise D'initiatives Petrolieres

Universite Du Quebec a Trois-rivieres, Societe Quebecoise D'initiatives

Richard Chahine

Tapan K Bose

Jean-Marie St-Arnaud

Daniel Cossement

Louis Marchildon

Carbon nanostructures for use as catalyst supports in hydrogen fuel cells are produced by mixing a carbon material with at least one transition metal such as iron and cobalt, subjecting the mixture thus produced to mechanical grinding, e.g. ball milling in a hydrogen atmosphere for a time sufficient for hydrogen to be absorbed into the mixture, and heating the mixture in an inert atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to crystallize at least one of the carbon material and carbide nanocrystals.

Carbon nanostructure catalyst support

The invention is concerned with a high-density adsorbent comprising a compacted mass of high surface area carbon particles bound together with a binder and defining a network of substantially unobstructed micropores, the mass of carbon particles having been compacted under a pressure sufficient to cause a reduction of about 50 to about 200% in bulk volume of the mass and a corresponding increase of about 50 to about 200% in density, thereby providing a gas storage capacity increase of about 20 to about 100% over that of the high surface area carbon particles in loose or uncompacted form. The high-density adsorbent according to the invention is particularly useful in adsorption storage systems for low-pressure storage of compressed natural gas.

High-density adsorbent and method of producing same

A method and apparatus for measuring physical adsorption of a gas by a solid adsorbent are disclosed. Use is made of a capacitance cell in controlled gas flow communication with a sample cell initially under vacuum and containing the solid adsorbent. The capacitance cell is filled with an adsorptive gas at a predetermined pressure and the dielectric constant of the gas at the predetermined pressure is measured to determine a first density value. The gas from the capacitance cell is then allowed to expand into the sample cell for adsorption by the solid adsorbent, whereby an adsorption takes place pressure falls until eqilibrium is established. The dielectric constant of the gas at equilibrium pressure is measured to determine a second density value, and the amount of gas adsorbed by the solid adsorbent is determined from the first and second density values.

Method and apparatus for measuring physical adsorption of gases based on

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Trois-Rivieres, Canada

Richard Chahine