Engineering Commons^™

On The Extraction Of Volatiles From Lunar Regolith Using Solar Power, Jorge Alberto Frias

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent lunar missions have confirmed the presence of water and miscellaneous volatiles within the craters of the Moon's South Pole. If harvested, these resources have the potential to provide an incredible budget saving to the human space exploration program by dropping the total mass that astronauts need to carry from the Earth. The area that develops these technologies is called In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). ISRU allows reducing the payload, and consequently reduces the energy consumption and cost of space exploration. The present thesis investigates methods for the extraction of volatiles from regolith within the shadowed craters of the Moon using …

Electrical Characterization Of Microcrystalline Lifepo4 For Application In Lithium Ion Batteries, Sukhdeep Amarjeet Labana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Electrical Characterization of Microcrystalline LiFePO4 for application in lithium ion batteries. Mainly, to study about the electrical properties of Lithium Iron Phosphate as a cathode material to increase its Electrical consumption.

High-Order Central Finite-Volume Schemes For Atmospheric Modeling, Kiran Kumar Katta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Atmospheric numerical modeling has been going through drastic changes over the past decade, mainly to utilize the massive computing capability of the petascale systems. This obliges the modelers to develop grid systems and numerical algorithms that facilitate exceptional level of scalability on these systems. The numerical algorithms that can address these challenges should have the local properties such as the high on-processor operation count and minimum parallel communication i.e., high parallel efficiency. They should also satisfy the following properties such as inherent local and global conservation, high-order accuracy, geometric flexibility, non-oscillatory advection and positivity preservation properties. The goal of this …

Cryogenic System Development For Lox/ Hydrocarbon Propulsion Research, Francisco Pineda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A propulsion research facility is being developed at the Center for Space Exploration Technology Research (cSETR) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). These facilities were developed in order to meet new research demand for Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/Liquid methane (LCH4) experiments. The main goal of this system is to produce in-house liquid methane and supply propellants to their respective test set up in a cryogenic state. The work presented describes the design, development, and operation of a liquid methane condensation system and a cryogenic delivery feed system. The condensation system design will allow for a production of methane …

Control Of A Robotic Prototype Multi-Axis Synergistic System, Julio A. Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Balance is an ability that every person has and uses in normal daily life, to walk, run, stand, dance, etc. However, there are people who suffer a kind of balance impairment. The Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP) is technique in balance rehabilitation, where the patient is asked to stand on a moving platform that is equipped with sensors that measure how well you maintain your balance. In this thesis, a new CDP mechatronic system, the Multi-Axis Synergistic System (MASS), for balance assessment is being developed.

As a first stage and as the objective of this research work the transferable control algorithm …

Impact Testing Of Zirconium Diboride, Mark David Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Refractory ceramic materials such as zirconium diborides (ZrB2) have been excellent candidate materials for application in turbine blades, leading edge surfaces of high mach aircraft and high temperature applications. This is due to their good strength at high temperatures (T>1800°C). But questions on their ultimate durability at such temperatures remains an issue, especially with respect to foreign object impact damage as well as oxidation. Little characterization of such materials of the impact durability of such materials at very high temperatures has been performed - In this talk an experimental approach for the impact testing of ceramic materials at elevated …

Heat Exchanger Design And Development For Automotive Exhaust Waste Heat Recovery Using Thermoelectric Devices, Kazi S. Hassan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this study several heat exchanger designs were constructed, tested, and the effect of the design on the overall efficiency and power generated by thermoelectric generators was measured. The thermoelectric elements were attached to the heat exchanger and hot gas passed through the system simulating automotive exhaust. An aluminum duct heat exchanger, a copper heat exchanger, and a heat exchanger with a twisted tape insertion were tested. The heat exchangers were all rectangular with similar dimensions and minimum thicknesses near the wall. The flow of exhaust gas was created by heated air flow ranging from 100-150 LPM. The cool side …

Development Of A High Pressure Optically Accessible Combustor And Shear Co Axial Injector, Christopher David Navarro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A trend in the last decade in the field of propulsion and rocketry is leaning toward the use of the combination of Liquid Methane and Liquid Oxygen as propellant fuels. This is in contrast with the earlier trend of using Hydrogen systems and toxic hypergolic systems. The Multi-Purpose Optically Accessible Combustor (MOAC) and Shear Coaxial injectors have been developed to investigate injector design and combustion research involving Oxygen and Methane propellants. The MOAC is intended for the experimentation and research of combustion of liquid and gaseous propellants. Development of the MOAC system and versatility to use a number of injector …

Investigation On A Gas-Solid Fluidized Bed Hydrodynamics Using A Non-Intrusive Technology To Visualize Flow Field, Md Rashedul Hasan Sarker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The biggest challenge for 21st century is to fulfill global energy demand and at the same time reduce detrimental impact on environment. Gasification technology can meet the requirement and also reduce emission without compromising its performance. In coal gasification, instead of burning coal completely a partial combustion takes place with presence of steam and limited amount of oxygen. In this controlled environment a chemical reaction takes place and produces a mixture of clean synthetic gas. Gas-solid fluidized bed is one type of gasification technology. During gasification mixing behavior of solid (coal) and gas and their flow pattern very complicated to …

Comparison Study Between Fem And Sem For Wave Propagation Models Applied To Solids, Shaddy Roberto Castillo Ponton

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Wave propagation is a field whose application has spread across many disciplines. In the field of structural engineering, wave propagation methods have focused their attention specifically in the area of structural health monitoring and active control of vibrations and noise. Likewise, the development of new methods and their application have been successful in the area of material science with a special emphasis on the field of structural integrity evaluation of anisotropic and inhomogeneous structures (laminated composite structures). The current available analysis tools are inadequate to handle the modeling of complex structures. One-dimensional wave propagation problems in solids are still a …

Investigation Of A Water Desalination Method Via A Humidification-Dehumidification Process Using Hvac Technology, Juan Antonio Cornejo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Potable water is becoming a scarce resource in many arid regions of the world. An experimental unit was designed and constructed to examine and characterize the production capabilities of a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination process. An HDH cycle offers a viable, technologically light, alternative for producing fresh water from brackish water because the low relative humidity air is infused with water vapor through evaporation by means of conventional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) components. The evaporation process effectively separates salts and suspended solids from the brackish feed-water. Desalinated water is subsequently recovered by extracting the water vapor from the moist …

Development Of A Multi-Material, Multi-Technology Fdm System For Process Improvement Experimentation, David Espalin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the last three decades, developments within the area of Additive Manufacturing (AM) have resulted in novel technologies capable of producing highly customized, complex part geometries in a fraction of the lead time required by traditional manufacturing methods (e.g., injection molding, metal casting). In particular, fused deposition modeling (FDM), a material extrusion AM process, can produce parts using production-grade thermoplastics like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, and polyetherimide. Additionally, non-commercial materials (e.g., polycaprolactone, ceramic loaded polymers, carbon nanotube loaded polymers) have been processed using FDM in part to demonstrate the potential diversity in material selection.

Recently, a myriad of personal 3D …

Oxidation Of Borides And Carbides With Y2o3 And Ta Additions, Salvador Manuel Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study presented here describes an investigation of an oxidation scale of a fully-sintered Y2O3-ZrB2-TiC composite exposed in air at 1173K. Upon oxidation of the boride/carbide, a ZrO2-TiO2 was expected to form similar to the ZrO2-SiO2 dual scale of an oxidized ZrB2-SiC. The 47wt% Y2O3-38wt%ZrB2-16wt%TiC composite formed a dual scale consisting primarily of an Y2O3-ZrO2-TiC inner scale with an outer scale of ZrO2-TiO2-Y2O3.

The samples oxidized with a parabolic layer growth allowing the calculation of the effective diffusion coefficient indicating that the oxidation was controlled by oxygen ingress through primarily the ZrO2-Y2O3 phase. The oxygen potential between the inner layer …

Development Of Thermoelectric Temperature Sensors, Jennifer Jazmin Kuchle Ituarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Temperature measurements in power generation systems can provide useful information on the performance parameters of the units. This paper presents a conceptual measurement technique using a simulated thermoelectric loop (signal transmitter). The transmitter simulates the induced current and magnetic field emanating from the center of an n and p loop. The receiver used in this study is a Hall Effect sensing device which measures the magnetic flux density produced by the transmitter. Three experimental setups were designed and built for the measurements. The first setup used a pendulum to move a coil simulating a loop thermoelectric generator thereby creating a …

Low Energy Disruption Of Lipid Containing Biomass, Joaquin Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Lipid containing biomass from microalgae has received recent research interest as a renewable and sustainable feedstock for biofuel production. Algae is known to offer as much as 30 times the energy density than corn based ethanol, the current world standard for biomass based liquid transportation fuels. The development of large scale systems and methods of extracting lipids from microalgae is still in the early stages of development and significant increases in efficiency and reduction in costs are necessary to substantiate algae as a feasible alternative source of fuel. Traditional conversion of algae feedstock into a refineable feedstock for biofuel can …

Investigation Of A Water Desalination Method Via A Humidification-Dehumidification Process Using Hvac Technology, Juan A. Cornejo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Potable water is becoming a scarce resource in many arid regions of the world. An experimental unit was designed and constructed to examine and characterize the production capabilities of a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination process. An HDH cycle offers a viable, technologically light, alternative for producing fresh water from brackish water because the low relative humidity air is infused with water vapor through evaporation by means of conventional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) components. The evaporation process effectively separates salts and suspended solids from the brackish feed-water. Desalinated water is subsequently recovered by extracting the water vapor from the moist …

An Experimental Investigation On Lox/Lch4 Reaction Control Thrusters, Arturo Acosta-Zamora

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work describes the development and preliminary testing of a thrust measurement system, in combination with a propellant feed and automation controls systems to test the performance of 8.9 to 35.6 N (2 to 8 lbf) LOX/Methane reaction control thrusters. LOX/LCH4 has come to be the main focus of next generation "green" propellants for future space exploration. As there is limited experience with this propellant combination, an effort is being conducted to research performance of rockets using these propellants. The development of a thrust measurement, propellant feed, and automation controls systems is necessary for proper testing and qualification of thruster …

Development Of The Control And Ignition Systems On A High Pressure Gas Turbine Combustor, Carlos Alejandro Valdez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The ignition and control systems of a laboratory scale high-pressure gas turbine combustor were developed in the present work. This work provides a detailed description of the design, development and testing of the remote control system developed for a High Pressure Gas Turbine Combustor (HPTC).

The combustor has the capability to operate at pressures up to 1.5 MPa and temperatures up to 2400 K. It is also designed for a maximum air and fuel flow rates of 81.93 g/s and 35.77 g/s respectively. The fuel used will be CH4 for the early experiments but it is designed to operate using …

Numerical Analysis Of Single Tank Thermocline Thermal Storage System For Concentrated Solar Power Plant, Samia Afrin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The overall efficiency of a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant depends on the effectiveness of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. A Single tank TES system has potential to provide effective solution. In a single tank TES system, a thermocline region, which produces the temperature gradient between hot and cold storage fluid by density difference, is used. Preservation of this thermocline region in the tank during charging and discharging cycles depends on the uniformity of the velocity profile at any horizontal plane. One of the major challenges for the single tank thermocline is actually maintaining the thermocline region in the tank, …

Instrumentation, Control And Torch Ignition Systems Development For Lox/Methane Propulsion Research, Jesus Betancourt-Roque

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A liquid propulsion research facility has been developed at the Center for Space Exploration Technology Research at The University of Texas at El Paso. This facility has capabilities for producing up to 25 liters of Liquid Methane, feeding LOX/Methane propellants to 100 N class thrusters and conducting automated steady state and pulsing combustion experiments. This work describes the design, development and testing process of the Data Acquisition and Remote Control System developed to integrate an Altitude Simulation System, a Cryogenic Delivery System, and multiple rocket combustors and thrusters. A Torch Ignition System development is detailed as well as the evaluation …

Combustion And Compaction Of Lunar Regolith/Magnesium Mixtures, Armando Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Feasible techniques that require low energy consumption and reduced costs are of vital importance to enable humans to explore and occupy space. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is the branch in the Human Exploration Technology that studies the production of consumables and materials using indigenous lunar and planetary resources. ISRU represents an enabling opportunity for establishing long lasting human exploration missions. Construction materials produced in-situ are of special interest because of the high payload they represent when launching them from Earth. The in-situ production of construction materials that requires low energy input would be advantageous due to the limited energy in …