Engineering Commons^™

Performance Of A Reciprocating Packed Extraction Column, Thomas Vardaman Konkle

Masters Theses

"The performance of a mechanically-aided liquid extraction column was investigated utilizing the methyl isobutyl ketone-acetic acid-water ternary extraction system. Mechanical power was added to the extraction system by reciprocating a wire-mesh packing of high void volume at various frequencies and displacements. The effects of total throughput on performance were studied in increments of 5,000 pounds per hour per square foot up to the onset of flooding, and the column performance was evaluated as a function of power addition to the extraction system. In comparing the various types of mechanically-aided extraction columns, it was determined that the throughputs achieved with the …

The Production Of Glutamic Acid By Fermentation, Tsun-Hsiung Li

Masters Theses

"The method of producing glutamic acid by fermentation was studied in shake flasks and in a five liter fermentor. Strains of the micro-organism, Micrococcus glutamicus, were used to produce glutamic acid under different conditions ... A literature review of the general properties of glutamic acid and industrial methods of glutamic acid production was made. A detailed discussion of the fermentation method of glutamic acid production was also included"--Abstract, page ii.

The Design Of A Sensitive Probe For Mass Flux Measurements Of Water Vapor In Air, Devendra Vaikunthlal Mehta

Masters Theses

"This investigation pertains to the construction and investigation of a sensitive probe to determine the possibility of measuring the mass flux of water vapor in air under non-flow steady state conditions. The probe was a small electrolysis cell is which the electrolyte (partially hydrated phosphorus pentoxide) was used as the sensing element. The rate of mass transfer was determined by measuring the amount of direct current flowing through the acid film"--Abstract, page i.

Drag Reduction In Newtonian Polymer Solutions, Harry C. Hershey

Doctoral Dissertations

"Prior work in the area of drag reduction has been mainly limited to aqueous solutions. Theoretical and empirical analyses of the resulting data in aqueous solutions have been hindered by the fact that some polymers cause drag reduction and others do not...This investigation was directed to the study of how the size and configuration of the polymer molecule in solution affected drag reduction and the related phenomenon of turbulence suppression. Apparatuses were designed and built to measure viscometric flow, curves, friction factors, velocity profiles, and normal stresses (by a jet thrust technique developed by Metzner and associates)"--Summary, page 1-2.

Kinetics Of Base-Catalysed Reactions, Kunjvihari Ramanlal Mehta

Masters Theses

"The work of Wulfman on the mechanism of the Michael reactions suggests that the normal Michael reaction is second order kinetically, with the rate being proportional to the concentration of the acceptor and the active form of the addendum. A detailed reaction mechanism of normal Michael reaction was not proposed due to insufficient data which resulted from analytical difficulties. This investigation involves the study of the kinetics of normal Michael reaction from the stand point of base strength, solvent concentration and acidity of the reactants, solvent and products"--Experimental. A. Purpose of Investigation, page 17.

The Kinetics And Mechanisms Of The Reaction Of Benzyl Chloride With Potassium T̲-Butoxide In T̲-Butyl Alcohol, Der-Rong Chen

Masters Theses

"Benzyl chloride is a moderately reactive halide. Substitution of the Cl⁻ by other nucleophiles, e.g., HO⁻, AcO⁻, S₂O₃⁻, Br⁻ etc. proceeds almost quantitatively in solutions at convenient temperatures ... The object of this study was to investigate if the less basic t̲-butoxide in t̲-butyl alcohol would afford the same product, viz., stilbene; and, if so, by what mechanism. A study of the products and kinetics of the interaction between benzyl chloride and potassium t̲-butoxide in t̲-butyl alcohol therefore has been initiated"--Introduction, page 1.

The Dissolution Of Magnesium In Strong Acids And Neutral Solutions, Cheng-Ken Chi

Masters Theses

"The increasing demand for magnesium and magnesium- base alloys in the manufacture of aircraft has stimulated a great amount of research into the corrosion characteristics of these materials. The result of such research has been the development of suitable magnesium alloys and protective coatings to retard corrosion.

The basic mechanism of the anodic dissolution of metals such as magnesium, zinc, and cadmium in salt solutions is not completely known. Several schools of investigators have proposed different and opposing theories to explain the discrepancies which often arise between coulometer data and the weight loss of metal electrodes in certain salt solutions. …

Radiation Induced Polymerization Of Methyl Methacrylate, Ko-Hung Liu

Masters Theses

"A study has been made of the gamma radiation effect on the rate of polymerization of methyl methacrylate monomer, and also to determine the effects of the presence of clay of known composition and of other solids on the rate of polymerization. The results indicate that the monomer undergoes polymerization and then degradation as a function of radiation time at a given gamma flux"--Abstract, page ii.

Anodic Dissolution Of Silver In Aqueous Solutions, Jagdish Shantilal Sanghvi

Masters Theses

"Silver and platinum, although not used extensively in industry, find considerable use in specialized work. Silver, because of its much lower cost, is used to a greater extent than platinum. Since silver has a high position in the electromotive series, it is very resistant to chemical attack. It is unaffected by alkaline conditions even at high temperatures and hence silver is used in ladles and molds for producing pure sodium and potassium hydroxides. This and its excellent electrical conductivity makes it a very useful material in circuitry.

It has been reported in the literature that when active metals such as …

The Microbial Hydrolysis Of Cellulose And Some Factors Affecting The Production Of Cellulase In A Submerged Culture Of Alternaria Sp, Robert Murray Logan

Doctoral Dissertations

"A mile hydrolyzing procedure was utilized to degrade oak sawdust. Its capability of producing a suitable fermentatation [sic] medium was studied. In the interest of solubilizing, enzymatically, the carbohydrate portion of oak sawdust, an investigation was conducted in which various microorganisms were examined for their ability to utilize different forms of cellulose for their growth and to produce cellulose decomposing enzymes. The microorganisms included a myxobacterium, several fungi, and a wood-rotting basidiomycete. The fungi included two highly cellulolytic organisms, Myrothecium verrucaria and Trichoderma viride. The myxobacterium used was Sorangium cellulosum and the basidiomycete was Pleurotus ostreatus. The principla substrates employed …

Construction Of A Capillary Viscometer And The Study Of Non-Newtonian Liquids, Hsun Kuang Yang

Masters Theses

"A capillary tube viscometer was built for the purpose of investigating the fluid properties of non-Newtonian aqueous CMC and Carbopol solutions. The viscometer was tested with Newtonian liquids (glycerine, water and two different oils) having known viscosities to insure that the viscometer was operating correctly. The shear stress-shear rate data obtained for different concentrations of CMC and Carbopol solutions were correlated using the simple power law model. The power law constants were only slightly affected by saturating the solution with iodine and carbon tetrachloride. Aging had very little effect on the viscosities of the CMC solutions but had a considerable …

Thermal Degradation Of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) In Solution In Various Solvents, Ya-Chih Chen

Masters Theses

"A study has been made of the thermal degradation of poly (methyl methacrylate) of different molecular weights in toluene, ethyl acetate and chloroform. Four poly (methyl methacrylate) samples having molecular weights of 2,210,000, 733,000, 320,000, and 43,00, respectively were studied in this investigation. The results indicated that the polymer having a molecular weight of 2,210,000 undergoes degradation while the low molecular weight polymers having molecular weights of 733,000, 320,000, 43,000 undergo reverse polymerization"--Abstract, page [ii].

Thermal Degradation Of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) In Solutions In A Closed System, Vikram Pranjivandas Parikh

Masters Theses

"A study has been made of the thermal degradation of poly (methyl methacrylate) of two different molecular weights, 2,303,000 and 43,000, in 1,2-dichloroethane in a closed system. The results indicated that the polymer having a molecular weight of 2,303,000 undergoes degradation while the low molecular weight polymer 43,000 undergoes reverse polymerization, and the molecular weight remains constant. The molecular weight of high molecular weight samples after 48 hours decreased from 2,303,000 to 2,232,000 and 1,690,400 at 50⁰C and at 98.5⁰C, respectively"--Abstract, page [i].

The Separation Of Radioactive Technetium And Zirconium By Electrodialysis And A Study Of The Behavior Of Technetium In Aqueous Solutions, William Victor Andoe

Masters Theses

"The rapid increase in radioisotope applications necessitates improved technology for separation and purification of the fission product elements. Electrodialysis techniques employing Permutit anion exchange membrane(3148) were used to separate technetium from zirconium. The method was based upon the stability of the pertechnetate ion in alkaline solutions and the precipitation of zirconium from alkaline solutions. The separation of radiotechnetium and radiozirconium was effected with a two cell electrodialysis unit employing an anion exchange membrane. The solution medium consisted of fluoride and nitrate ions which were made basic with sodium hydroxide. The minimum basicity for a good separation was 0.1N NaOH"--Abstract, page …

Permeability And Additive Absorption And Extraction In Lubricating Greases, Eugene Hsiung-Jen Tu

Masters Theses

"A permeability apparatus was used to measure the permeability coefficients of eight Lithium-Calcium greases and ten Baragel greases in which the viscosity and type of the oil component were varied. The oil present in each grease was used for its permeability measurement.

An improved sample packing technique was developed to improve the repeatability of permeability measurements. Repeatability of ± 3% was achieved. In general the permeability coefficients of the non-soap Baragel greases were higher than those of the lithium-calcium greases with comparable oil components, and those of greases containing paraffinic oils were higher than these containing naphthenic oils. The effect …

Radial Water Encroachment - An Approximation, Tommie C. Wilson

Masters Theses

"This presentation consists of the application of empirical equations for the calculation of the water influx into a radial oil reservoir in which the history of the rate and cumulative water influx are equated to the pressure decrements and time. This new analysis, based on William Hurst's solution for the steady-state water influx, yields an accurate method for determining water influx through the application of simple linear empirical equations. These linear approximations reproduce the rigorous influx solutions to a maximum deviation of 1.6 per cent"--Abstract, page ii.

The Anodic Dissolution Of Cadmium In Nitrate Solution, Eh Deng

Masters Theses

"It is only relatively recently that the immensity of the problem of corrosion prevention has begun to be realized. In times when materials were plentiful, the problem did not seem so pressing. Now that a finite limit can be seen for the world*s resources of metals, and the cost of finding, mining and extracting them has become ever more expensive, the problem of controlling the destructive processes of corrosion has become an urgent one.

The basic mechanism of the anodic dissolution of metals such as cadmium, zinc, silver and magnesium in salt solutions is not completely known. Although several mechanisms …

The Electrochemical Oxidation Of Crotonic Acid, John L. Cannaday

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to explain the mechanism of the electrochemical oxidation of crotonic acid on platinized-platinum anodes at 80⁰C.

A current-potential study was conducted using the parameters of pH and crotonic acid concentration. Faradaic efficiency was determined by measurement of CO₂ production.

Oxidation occurred both in acidic and basic solutions.The Faradaic efficiency was approximately 100 per cent.

The results were interpreted in terms of a mechanism having the following characteristics.

(a) The first charge transfer is the rate determining step.

(b) The rate is the sum of the rates for two parallel reactions. In strongly acidic solutions, …

Mass Transfer In The Electrodialytic Desalination Of Brackish Water And A Correlation Of Experimental Data With Theory, James Shih-Jiann Yang

Masters Theses

"The object of this work is an experimental investigation into the possibility of obtaining an increase in mass transfer in the electrodialysis of brackish water by altering the physical character of the selective membrane, and a correlation of experimental mass transfer data with theory"--Introduction, page 1.

Study Of Deformation Of Non-Oscillating Droplets In Liquid Media, Arun Kumar Agrawal

Masters Theses

"The object of this investigation was to find a method for predicting the deformation of non-oscillating liquid droplets which are moving in liquid media, from a knowledge of droplet size and the physical properties of the continuous and dispersed phase systems. The deformation of thirteen liquid-liquid systems was experimentally studied in this investigation"--Abstract, page i.

Oxidation Of Ortho-Xylene To Phthalic Anhydride Using A Fluidized Bed Catalysis, Jyue-Sheng Wang

Masters Theses

"This investigation was conducted to study the vapor-phase oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride in a fluidized bed reactor. Parameters investigated during the study were temperature, molar ratio of air to o-xylene vapor, and space velocity. The catalyst used was vanadium pentoxide supported on a silica base and diluted with potassium sulfate. The studies were conducted on a laboratory scale"--Abstract, page ii.

An Analysis Of Pressure Build-Up Theory, Hansraj J. Patel

Masters Theses

"Various theories regarding the pressure build-up characteristics for producing wells are analyzed. The merits and limitations of each theory are discussed. The error involved in plotting the pressure build-up data for the case of well-bore pressure versus shut-in time is pointed out. Equations have been presented for the various quantitative determinations of reservoir properties which can be obtained from typical pressure build-up data. Utilizing all the previous methods presented in the literature, a recommended procedure for field application is proposed. One oil well and three gas wells have been analyzed using the recommended procedure with the attendant calculations given in …

A Study Of Degradation In The Pumping Of Dilute Polymer Solutions, I-Chung Chang

Masters Theses

"In the course of an investigation of the turbulent flow properties of dilute high polymer solutions in organic solvents, a number of supplementary investigations were required. These were: 1. Determination of the molecular weights of a number of polymers by intrinsic viscosity measurements. 2. Determination of the effect of pumping on the degradation of high polymers in dilute solutions. This included development of a method for estimating the concentration of dilute polymer solutions. 3. Determination of the effects of density, viscosity and non-Newtonian behavior on the calibration of turbine flow meters"--Introduction, page 1.