Engineering Commons^™

Elevated Temperature Progressive Damage And Failure Of Duplex Stainless Steel, Darren P. Luke

Civil Engineering ETDs

Ductile failure of metals has been the focus of research efforts within academia and industry for many years since it is tremendously important for understanding the failure of structures under extreme loading conditions. However, limited research has been dedicated to elevated temperature ductile failure, which is critical for evaluating catastrophic events such as industrial, structural or shipping vessel fires. A detailed investigation was conducted on the structural response of Duplex Stainless Steel at elevated temperatures. The temperature dependence of elastic modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength, and ductility was measured up to 1000°C and a continuum damage plasticity model was developed. …

An Engineered Fit-For-Purpose Polymer Nanocomposite Seal Repair Material For Wellbores, Moneeb Genedy

Civil Engineering ETDs

Seal integrity of wellbores has become of significant interest due to repeated leakage and spill incidents occurring worldwide that jeopardize both human health and the environment in addition to causing significant economic burden. This is attributed to the fact that wellbores intersecting geographical formations contain potential leakage pathways. The cement-steel and cement-rock formation interfaces are recognized as two critical leakage pathways.

A seal repair material that has good bond strength with both steel and rock formations in addition to the ability to completely fill thin microcracks is needed to restore the seal integrity of wellbores. In this research, engineered polymer …

Exposure Assessment Of Citizens To Traffic Related Air Pollutants In A Long-Range Transportation Plan, Amir Poorfakhraei

Civil Engineering ETDs

A large body of evidence links fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure with a wide range of negative health outcomes. Research finds that about 30% of individuals’ exposure to particulate matter in urban areas come from mobiles sources. Evaluating regional transportation plans and estimating how they impact air quality and exposure to PM_2.5 in the future is thus of major concern.

There are two major concerns about the current practice of evaluating regional transportation plans also known as long-range transportation plans (LRTPs). First, how LRTPs affect future air quality are at best evaluated by estimating the change in …

Investigation Of Acetaminophen And Caffeine Removal Using Manganese Oxides And Granular Activated Carbon In Column Experiments, Rachael E. Miera

Civil Engineering ETDs

This study was conducted to investigate the application of manganese dioxide (MnO_x(s)) and granular activated carbon (GAC) media for the removal of the acetaminophen and caffeine. Treatment of emerging micropollutants has become a concern due to their effects on environmental health. Manganese oxides can be a viable alternative for water treatment due to their abundance in the environment. Laboratory scale flow through column experiments were performed using different combinations of commercial MnO_x(s) and GAC to assess the removal of caffeine and acetaminophen, and the release of Mn due to the reductive dissolution of MnO_x(s). Results …

Autonomous Vehicle Traffic Impact Scenario Analysis: Central New Mexico Case Study, Razieh Nadafianshahamabadi

Shared Knowledge Conference

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are on their way to becoming a significant part of our transportation systems and cities. Previous studies have mainly focused on how much AVs could improve traffic flow and reduce congestion or improve safety. Reducing congestion and the cost of travel time is also expected to increase travel demand, but by how much is not well understood. This study, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, uses an integrated travel demand and land-use modeling system to evaluate how AVs may affect congestion, travel demand and land use. Our modeling system considers how traffic patterns, travel demand and land use …

Sustainable And Equitable Financing For Pedestrian Infrastructure Maintenance, Alexis Corning Padilla

Shared Knowledge Conference

In many communities, pedestrian infrastructure is discontinuous, inaccessible to those with physical disabilities, and poorly maintained. Correcting these problems would be a first step in providing infrastructure to achieve the active travel and related transportation goals of many communities. One nearly universal challenge to maintaining sidewalks in a state of good repair and addressing environmental justice concerns is an adequate, sustainable and equitable source of funding. Municipal governments across the country maintain and repair their streets and roadways; however, most require residents to maintain and repair public sidewalks adjacent to their property. These policies are difficult to enforce and may …

Cementitious Sensors Exhibiting Stopbands In Acoustic Transmission Spectra, Shreya Vemuganti

Shared Knowledge Conference

Ultrasonic monitoring in cementitious materials is challenging due to the high degree of attenuation. In wellbore environments, monitoring becomes more challenging due to inaccessibility. Meta materials, also known as acoustic bandgap materials, exhibit an interesting feature of forbidding the propagation of elastic/sound waves and isolate vibration in a certain frequency band. Traditionally, acoustic bandgap materials are developed with inclusions such as tin, aluminum, gold, steel in a polymer matrix. In this study, we present the development of three-dimensional cementitious sensors capable of exhibiting stopbands in the acoustic transmission spectra using carbon nanotubes. Relatively wide stopbands were engineered using Floquet-Bloch periodic …

Modeling And Simulation Of Damage In The Brazilian Indirect Tension Test Using The Finite-Discrete Element Method, Jeremiah C. Leyba

Civil Engineering ETDs

The Brazilian indirect tension test is used to investigate possible correlations between progressive damage and associated permeability changes. The test offers ease of replicability with a damage behavior known to lead to fracture openings as a tool for interpreting the indirect tensile strength of concrete and rocks. This behavior can lend insight into the nature of tensile damage and fracture progression in association with changes in permeability. The nature of these brittle materials is known to exhibit rapid failures in the Brazilian indirect tension test and require a method to retard the progression of damage for the possibility of acquiring …

Understanding Asphalt Concrete Aging Using Nanoindentation, Hasan M. Faisal

Civil Engineering ETDs

Asphalt concrete (AC) is created by mixing liquid asphalt binder with solid aggregates. When asphalt binder is mixed with aggregates, it creates a thin film (about 7-16 microns thick) around the aggregate surface. Fine aggregate (smaller than 0.075 mm size) get entrapped within the binder film or mixed with the binder, and create a phase called mastic. Both asphalt film and mastic play significant roles in aging of asphalt pavement. To this day, tests were performed mainly on the bulk liquid asphalt, but not on the film or mastic. In this study, for the first time, nanoindentation tests were done …

Decision-Making Framework For The Selection Of Sustainable Alternatives For Energy-Retrofits, Amirhosein Jafari

Civil Engineering ETDs

Buildings are major consumers of energy worldwide. On the other hand, over 60% of the US housing inventory is over 30 years old and a large number of these homes are energy inefficient. Therefore, it is essential to target the existing building stock for energy efficient interventions as a key to substantially reduce the adverse impacts of buildings on the environment and economy.

Building energy retrofitting has emerged as a primary strategy for reducing energy use and carbon emissions in existing buildings. An energy retrofit can be defined as a physical or operational change in a building, its energy-consuming equipment, …

Dna Identification Of Polyculture, Andrew Schuler

Energize New Mexico (NSF EPSCoR Track 1 IV)

DNA sequencing of algae polyculture growing in oilfield produced water. It is dominated by the algae species Parachlorella kessleri and Cyanobacterium aponinum.

An Investigation Into Remote Sensing Techniques For Describing Hydraulic Roughness, Smriti Chaulagain

Civil Engineering ETDs

Riparian vegetation, an indicator of healthy river system, increases the hydraulic roughness and reduces the conveyance capacity of a channel. Vegetation provides dominant drag force influencing the velocity distribution, turbulence intensity and water depth. Thus, the study of hydraulic roughness due to vegetation is essential to determine the characteristics of flow. Traditionally, a constant Manning’s roughness value is assigned based on land cover maps and that does not adequately account for vegetation. The roughness due to vegetation are determined on the basis of its parameters like height, density, LAI and flexibility. Remote sensing data (LiDAR, aerial photos or satellite images) …

Characterizing Patterns In E. Coli Levels In Rio Grande River Water And Riverbed Sediments Near Albuquerque, Nm, James Fluke

Civil Engineering ETDs

In this work I examined how Fecal indicator Bacteria (FIB) behave in a large environmental system (Rio Grande near Albuquerque, ~60 km distance). I addressed the questions: How do FIB levels in river water and riverbed sediments of this reach change with distance along the river and throughout one year?

I conducted year-round river water and sediment sampling for concentration of E. coli bacteria, a persistent contaminant in the area. I found that over the year, E. coli loading in river water increased along the 60 km reach and E. coli in the sediments mainly increased near the Albuquerque urban …

Metal Reactivity In Laboratory Burned Wood From A Watershed Affected By Wildfires, Asifur Rahman

Civil Engineering ETDs

Massive amounts of wood ash are deposited into nearby streams as a result of runoff from storm events after increasing frequency of wildfire events that negatively affect water quality. Ash and debris from burned vegetation can alter the pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen (DO) in water and can release heavy metals, organic matter, and nutrients. We investigated interfacial processes affecting metal mobility in wood ash burned under laboratory-controlled conditions using aqueous chemistry, microscopy and spectroscopy analyses. Wood was collected from the Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico which has experienced two wildfires since 2011 that have caused devastating effects. …

The Investigation Of Silica Removal In Reverse Osmosis Concentrate By Changing Design Parameters, John M. Stomp Iv

Civil Engineering ETDs

Silica at high concentrations can precipitate and polymerize, forming scales on heat exchangers, boilers and turbines in industrial equipment, and on the feed side of the semi-permeable membranes in Reverse Osmosis (RO). Silica scale can cause decreased efficiency, increased treatment costs and, in some cases, irreversible damage. The removal of silica scale is challenging because it requires the handling of dangerous and hazardous chemicals. Therefore, much research has gone into the removal of soluble silica. The purpose of this research was to compare the overall effectiveness of silica removal in RO concentrate water with freshly precipitated Mg(OH)₂ and Fe(OH) …

Study Of Building Vibrations Caused By Machinery, Bipesh Shrestha

Civil Engineering ETDs

ABSTRACT

This thesis studies the vibration of structures caused by machinery. Machines exhibit unique vibrational characteristics. This thesis focuses on detection of these unique vibrational characteristics through the study of structural vibration caused by machines. The study extends from simple laboratory structures to a real existing building called the Ford Utility Building. The vibrational readings on the roof of the Ford Utility Building are studied to capture signals that can be attributed to machines running inside the building. This thesis supports the research in remote detection and identification of concealed machinery through SAR vibrometry.

A study of human perception of …

Achieving Public Health And Climate Change Goals: What Do We Need To Know About The Transportation System?, Mohammad Tayarani

Civil Engineering ETDs

The overall aim of this dissertation is evaluating what new knowledge can be gained about the environmental and public health outcomes of regional transportation planning strategies by implementing a suite of more spatially and temporally detailed transportation and air quality models. This new knowledge can be used to better understand the potential health effects of emissions exposure while also guiding the development of new transportation and land-use plans, and related policies that have the potential to achieve large reductions in pollution exposure and green house gas emissions at local and regional level.

Growth Of An Algae Polyculture And Dunaliella Tertiolecta In Oilfield Produced Water At A Range Of Salinities And Nutrient Concentrations For Biofuels Production., Thomas C. Hopkins

Civil Engineering ETDs

Growth of algae in saline produced waters (wastewater) from oil and gas production is of interest for potential production of algal biofuels, wastewater treatment and potential reuse or disposal. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of salt concentrations and nitrogen source (ammonia or nitrate) and concentration on algal growth, lipid production, and nutrient removal to help determine suitability for growth on saline produced waters. Dunaliella tertiolecta (a marine algae) and a polyculture (previously discovered growing in PW) were grown on produced water with a range of salinities and varying nitrogen source and concentration, in a series …

Industry Requirement Gap Analysis For Sustainable Construction Technology, Parya Nickbeen

Civil Engineering ETDs

As sustainable construction becomes a standard necessity in the construction industry, construction engineering and management programs seek to integrate sustainable construction concepts and skills into their degree programs. The aim of this research is to identify industry-required competencies and recognize the possible gaps between industry skills demands and the education provided by academia for sustainable construction technologist jobs. In this study, industry requirements for sustainable construction technologist (mid-level) positions were identified through the analysis of job advertisements, literature review, job analysis (i.e., Developing a Curriculum-DACUM- process), and surveys. Results from the DACUM process provided a categorization of 4 main duties …

Modeling The Interdependencies Of Energy And Water In New Mexico: Historic Drivers, Hydrologic Impacts, And Energy Requirements, Catherine M. Zemlick 5774203

Civil Engineering ETDs

There is increasing need to understand the interdependencies between energy resource development and water resources, particularly in arid regions with vast energy reserves like New Mexico. The state has a long history of energy resource development, including both uranium and fossil fuels. These activities have and continue to impact scarce water resources. There exist gaps in knowledge regarding the drivers of historic uranium mining and the uncertainties inherent in past estimates of groundwater impacts because of mining activity and in current understanding of the energy required to manage water in the oil and gas industry. Although uranium has not been …

Assessing The Power Of Remotely-Sensed Snow Cover Extent To Improve Understanding Of Snowpack-Streamflow Dynamics: An Application Of Modis Snow Cover In Western U.S. Mountain Watersheds, Jennifer N. Van Osdel

Civil Engineering ETDs

Mountain snowpacks provide essential water for socio-economic systems around the world, with nearly two billion people living in snow sensitive regions. Therefore, methods for characterizing the snowpack-streamflow dynamics at the watershed level are essential for understanding how changes in temperature and precipitation due to climate change will affect the water supply in these regions. However, in-situ snowpack measurements, such as snow water equivalent (SWE), are often unavailable or insufficient due to the financial and logistical constraints of installing snowpack monitoring systems. Remotely-sensed snow cover extent (SCE), or the proportion of a watershed that is covered in snow, has been previously …

Investigation Of Anion And Cation Exchange Membranes For Enhancing Desalination And Power Generation In A Microbial Desalination Cell, Francisco Lopez Moruno

Civil Engineering ETDs

Microbial desalination cell (MDC) is a bioelectrochemical system capable of oxidizing organics, generating electricity and reducing the salinity content into the desalination chamber. In the first part of this study, quaternary ammonium poly(2,6-dimethyl 1,4-phenylene oxide) (QAPPO) anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with topographically patterned surfaces were assessed in a microbial desalination cell (MDC) system. The MDC results with these QAPPO AEMs were benchmarked against a commercially available AEM. The MDC with the non-patterned QAPPO AEM (Q1) displayed the best desalination rate (a reduction of salinity by 53±3 %) and power generation (189±5 mW m^-2) when compared against the commercially …

Physical And Chemical Interactions Affecting U And V Transport From Mine Wastes, Sumant Avasarala

Civil Engineering ETDs

This research investigates the physical and chemical interactions that affect the transport of uranium (U) and vanadium (V) from uranium mine waste sites by integrating laboratory experiments and reactive transport modelling with various spectroscopy, microscopy, and diffraction techniques. The document consists of results from three related studies. In the first study (Chapter 3), the reactive transport of U and V was investigated by sequentially reacting mine wastes collected from Blue Gap/Tachee Claim-28 mine site, AZ with 10mM NaHCO₃ (7.9) and 10mM CH₃COOH (3.4) during continuous flow through column experiments. Under both of these conditions (pH 3.4 and …

Characterization Of Wellbore Microannuli, Serafin Garcia Fernandez

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wellbore integrity is a principal concern for the safe and efficient underground storage of hydrocarbons, disposal of various wastes and in oil and gas production. Poor wellbore integrity can lead to leakage and loss of extracted or stored material, and the potential for contamination of groundwater. The microannuli, which is the space between the steel casing and the cement sheath has been identified as a common and critical leakage pathway. There are no data of the actual size or character of microannuli; however, it is possible to estimate the hydraulic aperture of the microannulus from flow measurements at the wellhead. …