Engineering Commons^™

Increasing Hydrogen Production In Electrolysis With A Magnetic Field, Laurie Battle

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Hydrogen is an important energy carrier that has no carbon emissions when energy is extracted and also can be used as energy storage to increase the practicality of many renewable energy sources. The prominent methods of hydrogen production make use of fossil fuels, resulting in carbon emissions. Electrolysis is a lesser used technology for hydrogen production in which electricity splits water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen gases. If the electricity is sourced from renewable energies, this process releases little to no carbon and the resulting hydrogen is termed “green hydrogen.” While electrolysis and fossil fuel methods have comparable efficiencies of …

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #7 [Covering Former Hawthorne School And Aware Early Headstart], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #6 [Covering Small World Daycare], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #5 [Covering Mcglone Heights And Skating Rink], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #4 [Covering Butte Central Elementary & Middle School, Butte Central High School, Butte High School/Annex, East Middle School, Jeremy Bullock Soccer Fields, Webster Garfield School, & Whittier Elementary], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #3 [Covering Emerson Elementary, Headstart (Former Lincoln School), Headstart (Former Monroe School), & Margaret Leary Elementary], Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #2 (Covering Highland View Christian School, Hillcrest Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Silver Bow Montessori, & West Elementary), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2021 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) School Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #1 (Covering Ramsay Elementary School), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Butte Reclamation Evaluation System Field Manual, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Mine Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Phase Iii Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase I Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Revision 3. February 2021, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final Butte Reclaimed Areas Maintenance And Monitoring (M&M) Plan In Accordance With Butte Reclamation Evaluation System (Bres), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Semi-Arid Riparian Environments Using Satellite Imagery, Kira Overin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Semi-arid riparian environments are at risk of being over-exploited or degraded due to increased water usage associated with growing housing demands. Trends surrounding these developments can be monitored using freely available Landsat satellite imagery in conjunction with seasonal stream discharge rates. This project focuses on a stream system located southwest of Ennis, Montana, where population is growing rapidly. It aims to characterize the connection between variable discharge rates in small-scale riparian environments and adjoining vegetation health, while considering possible implications of continued urbanization. Methods for preventing riparian ecosystem degradation and promoting resilience are also discussed.

Vu Villa Structural Design And Rehabilitation, Kolby Sukut

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Vu Villa is a bar and pizzeria which has operated out of the first floor of the Campana building in Butte, Montana since 1967. Construction of the Campana building started in 1894 and was completed before the end of the 19^th century. The Campana building is a two-story building which primarily consists of exterior brick masonry walls and wood framing on the interior. Within the last several decades significant sag has been identified in the second-floor of the building as well as an adjacent staircase. In addition, renovation activities have been discussed for the upstairs which would involve …

Enhancing The Efficiency Of Electrokinetic Remediation Through The Use Of Complexing Agents, Timothy Driscoll

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Electrokinetic remediation was accessed as a viable remediation technology for heavy metal contamination modeled after contamination present in Butte, MT caused by over a century of hard rock mining. The remediation technology was assessed at a laboratory scale using copper sulfate (CuSO₄) as a model compound of mine tailing contamination, and an artificial soil to control for variables outside the scope of work. This thesis designed a laboratory scale experiment that produced consistent results and could be easily repeated. The system design also included a method for managing the waste material produced during experiments. Following the experimental design, …

Experimental Investigation Of The Thermochemical Reduction Of Arsenite And Sulfate: Low Temperature Hydrothermal Copper, Nickel, And Cobalt Arsenide And Sulfide Ore Formation, Nicholas Allin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Experiments were conducted to determine the relative rates of reduction of aqueous sulfate and aqueous arsenite (As(OH)₃,aq) using foils of copper, nickel, or cobalt as the reductant, at temperatures of 150ºC to 300ºC. At the highest temperature of 300°C, very limited sulfate reduction was observed with cobalt foil, but sulfate was reduced to sulfide by copper foil (precipitation of Cu₂S (chalcocite)) and partly reduced by nickel foil (precipitation of NiS₂ (vaesite) + NiSO₄·xH₂O). In the 300ºC arsenite reduction experiments, Cu₃As (domeykite), Ni₅As₂, or CoAs (langisite) …

Remediation Investigation And Feasibility Study For “Inplace” Mine Waste Influenced Grove Gulch, Butte, Mt, Westley Lund

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Historical mining activities in Butte, Montana contributed to the deposition of heavy metal contaminated mine waste/tailings along the tributary streams of the Clark Fork River. These tributary streams, Silver Bow Creek (SBC), Blacktail Creek (BTC), and Grove Gulch make up the headwaters of the Clark Fork River, which flows through western Montana. SBC is currently impaired for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn), and sedimentation (MTDEQ, 2016). BTC is the headwaters of SBC, while Grove Gulch discharges into BTC. Grove Gulch is an intermittent stream south of Butte, that is approximately 6 miles in …

Evaluation Of Continuous, Low-Intensity Ultraviolet Irradiation For Biofilm Prevention, Stephanie Conrad

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Biofilms occur when planktonic bacteria attach to a surface, forming a sticky, extracellular matrix that makes them difficult to remove. Biofilms are especially troublesome in water filtration membrane systems due to their strong adhesive properties. Once attached, biofilms cause a decrease in water production (biofouling) and an increase in membrane degradation. Traditional cleaning methods use harsh chemicals and require modules being taken offline, which reduces water production rates. Moreover, despite current cleaning efforts, irreversible biofouling inevitably leads to membrane module replacement. The implementation of low-intensity UV irradiation for biofilm prevention could decrease waste and increase production. However, while much is …

Development Of A Uav-Based System To Monitor Air Quality Over An Oil Field, Siwen Liu

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The growth of hydraulic fracturing has pushed the whole petroleum industries forward. As a result, gas (mainly methane [CH4]) emissions have significantly increased over the past decades (Macey et al., 2014). Gas leaks can occur at almost all stages of a petroleum production process, such as drilling, fracking, and refining. For years, ground-based air quality monitoring has been conducted around production sites. An improved understanding of air quality would be enabled by supplementing ground-based with airborne monitoring. The latter would involve the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry a compact, portable air monitoring system. The purpose of this …

Reliability, Laying The Groundwork In Theory And In Practice, Nicholas Smith

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Soils do not have specific properties like materials such as concrete and steel. The goal of this project is to measure these specific properties through field and laboratory tests-and to show how the information relates to engineering analysis and design.

Reliability Analysis Of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Walls, Michael Powers

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Geosynthetic reinforced soil walls have been widely used for earth retention and stabilization in many geotechnical applications. In the traditional design of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls, Allowable Stress Design (ASD) is used to address the uncertainties. However, it cannot explicitly consider the uncertainties in a systematic way in the design process; especially geotechnical uncertainties are typically at high levels and problem-specific. Traditional methods usually result in over-conservativeness, inconsistence, and empiricism in the design practice. Recently there has been a trend of the application of reliability methods for design of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls to explicitly address uncertainties in the design …

Performance-Based Contracting For Rest Area Maintenance, Michael Powers

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

To maintain rest area stops in the United States, three methods are used. They are the In-House method, Method-Based Contracting (MBC), and Performance-Based Contracting (PBC). In recent years, the PBC method has become increasingly popular because this method reduces the strain of managing In-House employees or MBC contracts, generates more business in the public sector, can increase the level of service (LOS), and generally reduces the costs of maintaining rest area stops up to 5%. In the United States, no less than 15 states use the PBC method to maintain their rest area stops, and the results from switching to …

Evaluation Of The Fertilization Properties Of Algal Biomass And Assessment Of Koh-Induced Flocculation Of Pw95 Algal Cells, Olakunle Ogunsakin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Microalgae from the Coal Bed Methane (CBM) ponds of the Powder River Basin (PRB) in Southeastern Montana have the potential to be utilized as fertilizer for use on the economically important plants of Montana. Three very important economic field crops of Montana (winter wheat - Triticum aestivum, potato - Solanum tuberosum, and flax - Linum usitatissimum) were used for the fertilization experiments. Isolates of unicellular green algae - PW95 (sequenced as Neospongiococcum sp.) from the CBM ponds, and blue-green microalgae – Cyanobacteria (Anabaena Cylindrica) were cultured in the laboratory and the cells were concentrated using gravity sedimentation. Nutrient analysis of …

2017 Asc Bidding Competition – Heavy Civil, Shandy Holm, Kenneth Hunter, Kendra Jackson, Carlos Martinez, Jacob Nistler, Katherine Schuler

Proceedings of the Annual Montana Tech Electrical and General Engineering Symposium

We represent the 2017 Montana Tech Heavy Civil Team. Our senior design project consisted of competing in the Region 6 ASC (Associated Schools of Construction) Heavy Civil Bidding Competition in Sparks, Nevada. The competition required a full year of preparation. The fall semester was composed of planning, practicing, and gathering resources. The spring semester involved traveling to Sparks, Nevada, and performing in the competition. Preparing for the competition involved practice bids, where the team studied various aspects of heavy civil construction. Time was devoted to developing presentation skills, and different team bonding exercises encouraged unit cohesion. Finally, our preparation culminated …

Restoring Capacity In Compromised Glued Laminated Beams, Cole Moller

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

After structural fires are extinguished, presuming the structure is not a total loss, structural wood members can be inspected for residual properties. Through this research, we explored alternative methods aimed at keeping structurally compromised wood member’s in service when they would otherwise warrant replacement. For this study, we used 24F-V8 DF/DF glued laminated beams that had been loaded to their max capacity; both non-fire damaged and fire damaged. In situations where physical and mechanical changes occur, and the beam warrants individual replacement, a new restoration procedure could be used to salvage the member. Salvaging the member could mean to keep …

Procedural Treatment Options To Address Intermittent Pentachlorophenol Effluent Exceedances At A Former Wood-Treatment Site In Butte, Montana, Travis Dunkle

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Montana Pole and Treating Plant in Butte, Montana treated wood with preservatives, mainly pentachlorophenol (PCP), which had been dissolved in a carrier fluid. Accidents and careless handling spilled large quantities of the fluid on the site, contaminating the vadose zone and groundwater. This site has been undergoing remediation since it was added to the CERCLA National Priorities List in 1987. Pentachlorophenol and dioxin are the contaminants of concern. Remediation technologies have included soil removal and installation of two water recovery trenches that collect groundwater, which is then pumped through a granular activated carbon (GAC) water treatment system. There were …

A Life Cycle Assessment Of A Diesel Generator Set, Kelly Benton

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Today, nearly every industry needs a continuous power supply, as data loss can be more expensive than the capital expenditure for the backup power equipment. The demand for emergency standby power (ESP) generator sets is on the rise because of increasing industrialization. With increased industrialization comes a societal concern about the issue of natural resource depletion and environmental degradation. In response, manufacturing companies are providing more sustainable solutions in their products and processes. In this work, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has been applied to quantify the energy demands of each life cycle stage of an ESP generator set …

Characterization Of Heavy Metal Removal From Aqueous Solutions Using Natural Fiber Impregnated With Metallic Nanoparticles, Samantha Hutchenson

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Heavy metals are found in varying concentrations in anthropogenically influenced water sources including waste water discharge from mining operations. The heavy metals need to be removed to meet applicable discharge standards and to eliminate potential health effects. There has been substantial research recently in the field of water treatment technologies to produce low-cost materials that have metal-binding capabilities. The goal of this research is to characterize the toxic metal removal capabilities of a novel, low cost water treatment system.

This research uses a natural fiber substrate and incorporates specific nanometallic particles to remove toxic heavy metals from water. Natural fiber …

Application Of Qual2k Model To Macrophyte Rich Silver Bow Creek, Dylan Uecker

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Silver Bow Creek (SBC, Blacktail Creek to Warm Springs Creek) is a small urbanized stream in western Montana (MT) identified as impaired for nitrate, total nitrogen and total phosphorus on the 2014 303(d) list. Enrichment of SBC occurs primarily from a single municipal point source that results in excessive primary production, macrophyte growth, large diel waterquality swings, and nightly hypoxic conditions that likely impair aquatic life uses. The objective of this study is to apply QUAL2K (a surface water-quality model) to a 5.6 km long reach of SBC to predict in-stream dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations under different nutrient loading scenarios. …