Thermodynamics Commons^™

Effect Of Aerogel On The Thermal Performance Of Corrugated Composite Sandwich Structures, Jacob Dillon Chess

Master's Theses

Current insulation solutions across multiple industries, especially the commercial sector, can be bulky and ineffective when considering their volume. Aerogels are excellent insulators, exhibiting low thermal conductivities and low densities with a porosity of around 95%. Such characteristics make aerogels effective in decreasing conductive heat transfer within a solid. These requirements are crucial for aerospace and spaceflight applications, where sensitive components exist among extreme temperature environments. When implemented into insulation applications, aerogel can perform better than existing technology while using less material, which limits the amount of volume allocated for insulation. The application of these materials into composites can result …

Air Temperatures Tutorial, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Computational Modeling Of The Structure And Catalytic Behavior Of Graphene-Supported Pt And Ptru Nanoparticles, Raymond Gasper

Doctoral Dissertations

Computer modeling has the potential to revolutionize the search for new catalysts for specific applications primarily via high-throughput methodologies that allow researchers to scan through thousands or millions of potential catalysts in search of an optimal candidate. To date, the bulk of the literature on computational studies of heterogeneous catalysis has focused on idealized systems with near-perfect crystalline surfaces that are representative of macroscopic catalysts. Advancing the frontier to nanoscale catalysis, in particular, heterogeneous catalysis on nanoclusters, requires consideration of low-symmetry nanoparticles with realistic structures including the attendant complexity arising from under-coordination of catalyst atoms and dynamic fluxionality of clusters. …

Thermophotovoltaic Devices: Combustion Chamber Optimization And Modelling To Maximize Fuel Efficiency, Arnold Chris Toppo, Ernesto Marinero, Zhaxylyk Kudyshev

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently, 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas (primarily methane), a potent greenhouse gas, are flared off for environmental and safety reasons. This process results in enough fuel to provide the combined natural gas consumption of Germany and France. The research team developed a thermophotovoltaic device to convert thermal energy to electricity at a high efficiency using proprietary emitters and combustion system. With the current focus being fuel efficiency and the combustion process, the assembly was simulated using ANSYS Fluent modelling software and the following parameters were optimized: air/fuel ratios, flow rates, and inlet sizes. Simultaneously the heat transfer across …

Steady-State Method To Measure The In-Plane Thermal Conductivity Of Thin Sheet Materials, Evgeny Pakhomenko, Andrew James Wildridge, Abraham Mathew Koshy, Souvik Das, Andreas Jung

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

A new generation of silicon pixel detectors is required to cope with the unprecedented luminosities at the high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) in 2025. The HL-LHC provides a high radiation, high interaction rate environment for the innermost detector region of the CMS detector. This can lead to an uncontrolled increase in temperature of the detector that can destroy the silicon pixels. Moreover, too high operating temperature can add noise to the data obtained from the detector and can slow the read out cheap down. Therefore, the Phase II upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment requires …

Opto-Thermal Characterization Of Plasmon And Coupled Lattice Resonances In 2-D Metamaterial Arrays, Vinith Bejugam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing population and climate change inevitably requires longstanding dependency on sustainable sources of energy that are conducive to ecological balance, economies of scale and reduction of waste heat. Plasmonic-photonic systems are at the forefront of offering a promising path towards efficient light harvesting for enhanced optoelectronics, sensing, and chemical separations. Two-dimensional (2-D) metamaterial arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles arranged in polymer lattices developed herein support thermoplasmonic heating at off-resonances (near infrared, NIR) in addition to regular plasmonic resonances (visible), which extends their applicability compared to random dispersions. Especially, thermal responses of 2-D arrays at coupled lattice resonance (CLR) wavelengths were comparable …

Self-Assembling Networks In Soft Materials, Ishan Prasad

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a study on heterogeneous network structure in two distinct classes of soft material systems: disordered assemblies of jammed binary spheres and ordered morphologies of block copolymer melts. The aim is to investigate the combined role of geometry and entropy in structure formation of soft matter assemblies. First, we investigate the influence of particle size asymmetry on structural properties of jammed binary sphere mixtures. We give evidence of two distinct classes of materials separated by a critical size ratio that marks the onset of a sharp transition due to simultaneous jamming of a sub-component of the packing. We …

What Can I Do As A Student To Make A Positive Impact On The Environment?, Tammy Guthrie, Greg Herzig, Kathy Prophet, Cassie Kautzer

Middle School Lesson Plans

Students discover ways they can make a positive impact on the environment.

Properties Of Matter, Mike Jackson, Holly Haney

High School Lesson Plans

Students will investigate the relationship(s) between thermal and electrical properties of matter. First, students will use a multimeter and temperature probe to investigate the relationship between electrical resistance and temperature of an electrical resistor composed of metals. They will then graph collected data to analyze the relationship and draw a conclusion as to their relationship. They will then perform the same investigation on a thermal resistor made of a semiconducting substance and analyze that collected data. Finally, using ClaimEvidence-Reasoning (CER) structure, students will use their experimental evidence to state the similarities and differences between the electro-thermal properties of metals and …

Aerothermodynamic Analysis Of A Mars Sample Return Earth-Entry Vehicle, Daniel A. Boyd

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Because of the severe quarantine constraints that must be imposed on any returned extraterrestrial samples, the Mars sample return Earth-entry vehicle must remain intact through sample recovery. Vehicles returning on a Mars-Earth trajectory will attain velocities exceeding any that have been experienced by prior space exploration missions, with velocities approaching 14 km/s. Velocities as high as these will encounter significant heating during atmospheric re-entry to Earth.

The purpose of this study has been to systematically investigate the aerothermodynamic challenges that will result from a Mars sample return, Earth-entry vehicle design. The goal was to enable efficient estimation of maximum stagnation …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Thermal Removal Of Carbon Dioxide From The Atmosphere: Energy Requirements And Scaling Issues, Ted Von Hippel

Publications

I conduct a systems-level study of direct air capture of CO2 using techniques from thermal physics. This system relies on a combination of an efficient heat exchanger, radiative cooling, and refrigeration, all at industrial scale and operated in environments at low ambient temperatures. While technological developments will be required for such a system to operate efficiently, those developments rest on a long history of refrigeration expertise and technology, and they can be developed and tested at modest scale. I estimate that the energy required to remove CO2 via this approach is comparable to direct air capture by other techniques. The …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Zachary Wiese

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few

decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a

public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects

of chronic low-level exposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO),

traces of pharmaceuticals products have been reported in different water sources such as

surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.[1] One pharmaceutical of

interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine is a

common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic

pain, and various psychological disorders. It’s mechanism …

Sulfate Removal From Mine Impacted Waters, Luis Sagarnaga

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Woo Pig Sulfate (WPS) has developed two methods for reducing levels of calcium sulfate in mine impacted waters, a “hot process” and a two-stage nanofiltration process. Both processes were designed to treat gypsum saturated water that is currently being pumped via interceptor wells to prevent the spread of a sulfate plume into a nearby community. Each solution was designed for Freeport McMoran’s Sierrita mine in Green Valley, Arizona, which was visited in order to gain insight about the problem. Below 250 ppm on the treated stream, nanofiltration and the hot process achieve overall recoveries of 84 and 99%, respectively. The …

Sulfate Removal From Mine Impacted Waters, Tyler Shock

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Woo Pig Sulfate (WPS) has developed two methods for reducing levels of calcium sulfate in mine impacted waters, a “hot process” and a two-stage nanofiltration process. Both processes were designed to treat gypsum saturated water that is currently being pumped via interceptor wells to prevent the spread of a sulfate plume into a nearby community. Each solution was designed for Freeport McMoran’s Sierrita mine in Green Valley, Arizona, which was visited in order to gain insight about the problem. Below 250 ppm on the treated stream, nanofiltration and the hot process achieve overall recoveries of 84 and 99%, respectively. The …

Distillation Optimization In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Clayton Carter

Honors Theses

Distillations are commonly used throughout industry to perform separations by phase change. producing a liquid phase and vapor distillate. However. the process of distilling can be slow and energy intensive, providing a limitation in the production process. Possible improvements to current distillation systems were considered on the basis of thermal efficiency, material throughput (cycle time), and material tolerance. Consideration was given to ensure maintenance is straightforward and relatively quick, as fouling, contamination and tank utilization were concerns. Economic viability of the improvements was completed to determine the project benefit. The optimized design offers increased efficiency for production lines.

Variable Temperature Thermochromic Switching Under Varying Illumination, Alexis Corbett, Danielle Hall, John E. Sinko

Huskies Showcase

Award for "Runner-Up Poster Presentation".

Abstract

Minnesota is home to some of the greatest temperature ranges in the United States, with lows reaching below -40º Celsius and highs reaching nearly 40ºC. This results in higher than average spending on the heating and cooling of buildings. We have been investigating into responsive building materials to help address this. In particular, we have been studying a thermochromic paint that can capture solar energy and transfer it into the building as heat at low temperatures and reflect the energy at higher temperatures to keep the building cooler.

Co2 Biomass Fluidized Gasification. Thermodynamic And Reactivity Studies., Amanda Kuhn Bastos

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study reports biomass gasification in a CREC Riser Simulator under thermal and catalytic conditions. Steam-CO₂ and steam-inert were used as gasifier agents. Biomass feedstocks and a model compound were employed to evaluate gasification performance. It was proven that catalytic steam-CO₂ gasification significantly reduces tar formation while improving carbon conversion to syngas.

Experimental results were compared with thermodynamic equilibrium model predictions. This model accounts for biomass composition, bed temperature and gasifying agents. The model predictions are close to experimental results for steam-CO₂ gasification, leading to a zero CO₂ gain.

2-methoxy-4-methylphenol and 20%Ni-5%CeO₂/γ-Al₂O …

Multicomponent Working Fluids In Organic Rankine Cycle Evaporators, Jennifer Fromm

Honors Theses

Organic Rankine cycles are a promising technology to convert waste heat energy into usable mechanical or electric power, giving them the potential to reduce fossil fuel emissions generated by traditional energy generation. The heat exchangers of these devices are of particular interest, as maximizing energy extraction from these free heat sources will increase net electrical power output. For this project I created a model to predict the effects of mixture working fluids on the evaporator performance of an organic Rankine cycle generator for a wide range of waste heat source temperatures. This model combines empirically derived heat exchanger performance parameters …

An Autothermal, Representative Scale Test Of Compost Heat Potential Using Geostatistical Analysis, William J. Mccune-Sanders

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Composting has been practiced for thousands of years as a way of stabilizing and recycling organic matter into useful soil amendments. Thermophilic compost releases significant amounts of heat at temperatures (~140 °F) that are useful for environmental heating or process water. This heat has been taken advantage of in various ways throughout history, but development of a widely adopted technology remains elusive.

The biggest barrier to adoption of compost heat recovery (CHR) systems is projecting accurate, attractive economic returns. The cost of transfer equipment is significant, and with variability in composting substrates and methods, it is difficult to predict the …