Engineering Commons^™

The Influence Of Carbon Source Types And Nitrate On The Performance Of The Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal Systems, Shamim Ara Begum

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research focuses on two issues in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The first issue encompasses the effect of the type of carbon sources (i.e. volatile fatty acids and non volatile fatty acids) on the microbiology of EBPR. The second issue deals with the influence of denitrification on EBPR. Few studies have been performed to investigate these two issues. The recent findings on these areas are summarized below to establish the knowledge gaps this dissertation attempted to address. Details on the specific findings can be found in the literature review portion of this proposal.

Parametric Study Of Efficiency Measures For Home Energy Conservation In Las Vegas, Nevada, Todd M. France

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pulte Homes, a production home builder and community developer partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program, has collaborated with the Center for Energy Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and NV Energy, the local electric utility, on an energy conservation project in the Las Vegas Valley.

This study entails four model homes at a new development in the Summerlin community of Las Vegas, Nevada, named Villa Trieste. The home models, ranging in floor plan area from 1,487 to 1,777 square feet, have been constructed under the Environments for Living program and are LEED (Leadership in …

Optimization Of Channel Geometry In A Proton Exchange Membrane (Pem) Fuel Cell, Jephanya Kasukurthi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bipolar plates are the important components of the PEM fuel cell. The flow distribution inside the bipolar plate should be uniform. Non-uniform flow distribution inside the bipolar leads to poor performance of the fuel cell and wastage of expensive catalyst. A single channel PEM fuel cell is taken and electrochemical analysis is carried out on it. The results are compared with the available published experimental data obtained by other research group, and they are found to be in good agreement. A baseline design of the bipolar plate is taken and numerical analysis is carried out. The results show that the …

Optimization Of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Interconnect Design, Krishna C. Pulagam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is dependent of a set of complex physical and chemical processes occurring simultaneously. Interconnect for SOFC is important as it provides electrical connection between anode of one individual cell to the cathode of neighboring one. It also acts as a physical barrier to protect the air electrode material from the reducing environment of the fuel on the fuel electrode side, and it equally prevents the fuel electrode material from contacting with oxidizing atmosphere of the oxidant electrode side. A three-dimensional numerical model has been developed to evaluate the SOFC including the current collector, …

Soil Moisture And Water Stage Estimation Using Precipitation Radar, Sumit Puri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In south-western United States, soil moisture data is important for drought studies in the region which is experiencing a drought for many years, whereas in South Florida, water stage data is required by hydrologists to monitor the hydrological flow in wetlands. Soil moisture data and water stage data are not sufficiently available due to sparse monitoring stations. Installation of dense measuring stations over an extended area is costly and labor intensive. Therefore, there is a need to develop an alternative method of measuring soil moisture and water stage. Microwave remote sensing has proven to be a useful tool in the …

Empirically Derived Formulas To Predict Indoor Maximum, Average, And Minimum Temperatures In Roofpond Buildings Using Minimum Climatic Information, Ibrahim Kivarkis Kako

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis introduces an empirically developed formula to predict the comfort conditions and thermal performance of a Skytherm(TM) Southwest Roofpond placed over a light-weight un-insulated structure built at the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The predictive formula introduced in this study may be used in different parts of the world (particularly developing nations where insulation and air-conditioning are rarely used) to predict the performance of a Skytherm(TM) Southwest Roofpond using minimal climate data.

The data collected in the experimental setup at the Natural Energies Advanced Technologies Laboratory included outside and inside temperatures of various surfaces …

Two-Tank Indirect Thermal Storage Designs For Solar Parabolic Trough Power Plants, Joseph E. Kopp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The performance of a solar thermal parabolic trough plant with thermal storage is dependent upon the arrangement of the heat exchangers that ultimately transfer energy from the sun into steam. The steam is utilized in a traditional Rankine cycle power plant. The most commercially accepted thermal storage design is an indirect two-tank molten salt storage system where molten salt interacts with the solar field heat transfer fluid (HTF) through a heat exchanger. The molten salt remains in a closed loop with the HTF and the HTF is the heat source for steam generation. An alternate indirect two tank molten salt …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of A Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer For Hydrogen Production, Sachin S. Deshmukh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hydrogen as a fuel source has received attention from researchers globally due to its potential to replace fossil based fuels for energy production. Research is being performed on hydrogen production, storage and utilization methods to make its use economically feasible relative to current energy sources. The PEM electrolyzer is used to produce hydrogen and oxygen using water and electricity. Focus of our study is to provide a benchmark experiment and numerical model of a single cell electrolyzer that can assist in improving the current state of understanding of this system. Parametric analysis of an experimental cell was performed to understand …