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2014

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Articles 91 - 106 of 106

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Elements From A Green River Oil Shale, I. Extracts, Mark S. Solum, Charles L. Mayne, Anita M. Orendt, Ronald J. Pugmire, Jacob Adams, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2014

Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Elements From A Green River Oil Shale, I. Extracts, Mark S. Solum, Charles L. Mayne, Anita M. Orendt, Ronald J. Pugmire, Jacob Adams, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

This paper is the first of two associated papers describing the structural details of three sections of an oil shale core taken at the Skyline 16 mine in the Utah Uinta Basin. Bitumen was extracted from the shale using methanol/dichloromethane. Kerogen was isolated from the shale, using a nine-step extraction procedure using HCl and HF. Bitumen samples from the three cores were analyzed using high-resolution 13C NMR liquid-state spectroscopy, showing carbon aromaticities of 7%−11%. Aliphatic carbons were dominated by methylene structures, with average aliphatic chain lengths of 24 carbons. The three parent shales and the demineralized kerogens were each …


Influence Of Crystal Structure On The Electrochemical Performance Of A-Site-Deficient Sr1-SNb0.1Co0.9O3-Δ Perovskite Cathodes, Yinlong Zhu, Ye Lin, Xuan Shen, Jaka Sunarso, Wei Zhou, Shanshan Jiang, Dong Su, Fanglin Chen, Zongping Shao Jan 2014

Influence Of Crystal Structure On The Electrochemical Performance Of A-Site-Deficient Sr1-SNb0.1Co0.9O3-Δ Perovskite Cathodes, Yinlong Zhu, Ye Lin, Xuan Shen, Jaka Sunarso, Wei Zhou, Shanshan Jiang, Dong Su, Fanglin Chen, Zongping Shao

Faculty Publications

The creation of A-site cation defects within a perovskite oxide can substantially alter the structure and properties of its stoichiometric analogue. In this work, we demonstrate that by vacating 2 and 5% of Asite cations from SrNb0.1Co0.9O3-δ (SNC1.00) perovskites (Sr1-sNb0.1Co0.9O3-δ,s = 0.02 and 0.05; denoted as SNC0.98 and SNC0.95, respectively), a Jahn–Teller (JT) distortion with varying extents takes place, leading to the formation of a modified crystal lattice within a the perovskite framework. Electrical conductivity, electrochemical performance, chemical compatibility and microstructure of Sr1-sNb0.1Co …


A Platinum Nanowire Network As A Highly Effective Current Collector For Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Hanping Ding, Xingjian Xue Jan 2014

A Platinum Nanowire Network As A Highly Effective Current Collector For Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Hanping Ding, Xingjian Xue

Faculty Publications

We report the fabrication and evaluation of a platinum nanowire network as a highly efficient current collector for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The ink of carbon-black supported platinum nanoparticles was sprayed onto the cathode. After firing, the carbon black was oxidized and disappeared as carbon dioxide gas while the platinum nanoparticles connect with one another, forming a tree-branch-like nanowire network. The diameters of the nanowires range from 100 nm to 400 nm. Compared to a conventional platinum paste current collector, the polarization resistance of the PrBaCo2O5+δ (PBCO) cathode with a nanowire current collector was reduced …


Design, Fabrication, And Properties Of 2-2 Connectivity Cement/Polymer Based Piezoelectric Composites With Varied Piezoelectric Phase Distribution, Xu Dongyu, Cheng Xin, Sourav Banerjee, Huang Shifeng Jan 2014

Design, Fabrication, And Properties Of 2-2 Connectivity Cement/Polymer Based Piezoelectric Composites With Varied Piezoelectric Phase Distribution, Xu Dongyu, Cheng Xin, Sourav Banerjee, Huang Shifeng

Faculty Publications

The laminated 2-2 connectivity cement/polymer based piezoelectric composites with variedpiezoelectric phase distribution were fabricated by employing Lead Zirconium Titanate ceramicas active phase, and mixture of cement powder, epoxy resin, and hardener as matrix phase with a mass proportion of 4:4:1. The dielectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical coupling properties of the composites were studied. The composites with large total volume fraction ofpiezoelectric phase have large piezoelectric strain constant and relative permittivity, and thepiezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composites are independent of the dimensional variations of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. The composites with small total volume fraction of piezoelectric phase have large …


There Can Be Turbulence In Microfluidics At Low Reynolds Number, Guiren Wang, F. Yang, Wei Zhao Jan 2014

There Can Be Turbulence In Microfluidics At Low Reynolds Number, Guiren Wang, F. Yang, Wei Zhao

Faculty Publications

Turbulence is commonly viewed as a type of macroflow, where the Reynolds number (Re) has to be sufficiently high. In microfluidics, when Re is below or on the order of 1 and fast mixing is required, so far only chaotic flow has been reported to enhance mixing based on previous publications since turbulence is believed not to be possible to generate in such a low Re microflow. There is even a lack of velocimeter that can measure turbulence in microchannels. In this work, we report a direct observation of the existence of turbulence in microfluidics with Re on the order …


Ni-Doped Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-Δ As Anode Materials For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Guoliang Xiao, Siwei Wang, Ye Lin, Zhibin Yang, Minfang Han, Fanglin Chen Jan 2014

Ni-Doped Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-Δ As Anode Materials For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Guoliang Xiao, Siwei Wang, Ye Lin, Zhibin Yang, Minfang Han, Fanglin Chen

Faculty Publications

10% Ni-doped Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-δ with A-site deficiency is prepared to induce in situ precipitation of B-site metals under anode conditions in solid oxide fuel cells. XRD, SEM and TEM results show that a significant amount of nano-sized Ni-Fe alloy metal phase has precipitated out from Sr1.9Fe1.4Ni0.1Mo0.5O6-δ upon reduction at 800C in H2. The conductivity of the reduced composite reaches 29 S cm−1 at 800C in H2. Furthermore, fuel cell performance of the composite anode Sr1.9 …


Modeling Of Chemical-Mechanical Couplings In Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells And Reliability Analysis, Xinfang Jin, Xingjian Xue Jan 2014

Modeling Of Chemical-Mechanical Couplings In Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells And Reliability Analysis, Xinfang Jin, Xingjian Xue

Faculty Publications

Oxygen ionic transport in conducting ceramics is an important mechanism enabling solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. The multi-physicochemical processes lead to the fact that the distribution of oxygen vacancy site fraction is not uniform in a positive-electrode electrolyte negative-electrode (PEN) assembly. Different oxygen vacancy concentrations induce different volumetric expansion of ceramics, resulting in complicated chemical–mechanical coupling phenomena and chemical stress in SOFCs. In this research, a mathematical model is developed to study oxygen ionic transport induced chemical stress in an SOFC. The model is validated using experimental polarization curves. Comprehensive simulations are performed to investigate chemical stress distribution in …


Low Frequency Energy Scavenging Using Sub-Wave Length Scale Acousto-Elastic Metamaterial, Raiz U. Ahmed, Sourav Banerjee Jan 2014

Low Frequency Energy Scavenging Using Sub-Wave Length Scale Acousto-Elastic Metamaterial, Raiz U. Ahmed, Sourav Banerjee

Faculty Publications

This letter presents the possibility of energy scavenging (ES) utilizing the physics of acousto-elastic metamaterial (AEMM) at low frequencies (<∼3KHz). It is proposed to use the AEMM in a dual mode (Acoustic Filter and Energy Harvester), simultaneously. AEMM’s are typically reported for filtering acoustic waves by trapping or guiding the acoustic energy, whereas this letter shows that the dynamic energy trapped inside the soft constituent (matrix) ofmetamaterials can be significantly harvested by strategically embedding piezoelectric wafers in the matrix. With unit cell AEMM model, we experimentally asserted that at lower acoustic frequencies (< ∼3 KHz), maximum power in the micro Watts (∼35µW) range can be generated, whereas, recently reported phononic crystal based metamaterials harvested only nano Watt (∼30nW) power against 10KΩ resistive load. Efficient energy scavengers at low acoustic frequencies are almost absent due to large required size relevant to the acoustic wavelength. Here we report sub wave length scale energy scavengers utilizing the coupled physics of local, structural and matrix resonances. Upon validation of the argument through analytical, numerical and experimental studies, a multi-frequency energy scavenger (ES) with multi-cellmodel is designed with varying geometrical properties capable of scavenging energy (power output from ∼10µW – ∼90µW) between 0.2 KHz and 1.5 KHz acoustic frequencies.


Analysis Of Software Contributions To Military Aviation And Drone Mishaps, Veronica Foreman, Francesca Favaro, Joseph Saleh Jan 2014

Analysis Of Software Contributions To Military Aviation And Drone Mishaps, Veronica Foreman, Francesca Favaro, Joseph Saleh

Faculty Publications

Software is assuming an increasing role in the aerospace industry, and by the same token it is also playing an increasing role in many recent incidents and accidents of both military and commercial vehicles. To better understand this role, we examine two case studies from the accident database of the Air Force Accident Investigation Board (AIB). We previously illustrated the limitations of the notion of “software failure” and developed, in its stead, the notion of software contribution to adverse events. We show here how specific operational scenarios, generally unconsidered during the software development and testing, trigger those contributions. We provide …


Self-Healing Catalysts: Co3O4 Nanorods For Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Cun Wen, Darrius D. Dunbar, Xin Zhang, Jochen A. Lauterbach, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers Jan 2014

Self-Healing Catalysts: Co3O4 Nanorods For Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Cun Wen, Darrius D. Dunbar, Xin Zhang, Jochen A. Lauterbach, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers

Faculty Publications

We combine kinetic and spectroscopic data to demonstrate the concept of a self-healing catalyst, which effectively eliminates the need for catalyst regeneration. The observed self-healing is triggered by controlling the crystallographic orientation at the catalyst surface.


Tuning The Underwater Oleophobicity Of Graphene Oxide Coatings Via Uv Irradiation, H. Li, Yi Huang, Y. Mao, W. Xu, Harry J. Ploehn, Miao Yu Jan 2014

Tuning The Underwater Oleophobicity Of Graphene Oxide Coatings Via Uv Irradiation, H. Li, Yi Huang, Y. Mao, W. Xu, Harry J. Ploehn, Miao Yu

Faculty Publications

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was utilized to gradually modify the chemistry and structure of graphene oxide (GO) flakes, as confirmed by XPS and AFM. Ultrathin GO coatings/membranes, made of UV-irradiated flakes, showed tunable underwater oleophobicity. UV-treated, superoleophobic GO membranes exhibited excellent antifouling capability for oil/water separation.


Toward A Framework For Levels Of Robot Autonomy In Human-Robot Interaction, Jenay Beer, A. D. Fisk, W. A. Rogers Jan 2014

Toward A Framework For Levels Of Robot Autonomy In Human-Robot Interaction, Jenay Beer, A. D. Fisk, W. A. Rogers

Faculty Publications

Autonomy is a critical construct related to human-robot interaction (HRI) and varies widely across robot platforms. Levels of robot autonomy (LORA), ranging from teleoperation to fully autonomous systems, influence the way in which humans and robots interact with one another. Thus, there is a need to understand HRI by identifying variables that influence—and are influenced by—robot autonomy. Our overarching goal is to develop a framework for LORA in HRI. To reach this goal, our framework draws links between HRI and human-automation interaction, a field with a long history of studying and understanding human-related variables. The construct of autonomy is reviewed …


Long Life Electrochemical Diodes For Continuous Electrowetting, Mehdi Khodayari, Ben Hahne, Nathan B. Crane Jan 2014

Long Life Electrochemical Diodes For Continuous Electrowetting, Mehdi Khodayari, Ben Hahne, Nathan B. Crane

Faculty Publications

The rate of electrochemical reactions in some systems varies with the polarity of the overpotential on the working electrode, introducing diode-like behavior at the electrode/electrolyte interface. However, with repeated bipolar cycling, the electrochemical current damages the electrodes. We have connected electrochemical diodes in series with opposing polarities to reduce the diode current while charging a capacitive circuit. We have previously used this capacitive circuit arrangement to actuate aqueous droplets continuously using the electrowetting (EW) effect. In this study, the performance of electrochemical diodes under repeated voltage cycles is investigated. Aluminum and titanium electrodes in contact with three electrolyte solutions (0.1 …


Review Of High-Temperature Central Receiver Designs For Concentrating Solar Power, Brian D. Iverson, Clifford K. Ho Jan 2014

Review Of High-Temperature Central Receiver Designs For Concentrating Solar Power, Brian D. Iverson, Clifford K. Ho

Faculty Publications

This paper reviews central receiver designs for concentrating solar power applications with high-temperature power cycles. Desired features include low-cost and durable materials that can withstand high concentration ratios (~1000 suns), heat-transfer fluids that can withstand temperatures > 650°C, high solar absorptance, and low radiative and convective heat losses leading to a thermal efficiency > 90%. Different receiver designs are categorized and evaluated in this paper: (1) gas receivers, (2) liquid receivers, and (3) solid particle receivers. For each design, the following information is provided: general principle and review of previous modeling and testing activities, expected outlet temperature and thermal efficiency, benefits, perceived …


System-Level Simulation Of A Solar Power Tower Plant With Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage, Scott M. Flueckiger, Brian D. Iverson, Suresh V. Garimella, James E. Pacheco Jan 2014

System-Level Simulation Of A Solar Power Tower Plant With Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage, Scott M. Flueckiger, Brian D. Iverson, Suresh V. Garimella, James E. Pacheco

Faculty Publications

A thermocline tank is a low-cost thermal energy storage subsystem for concentrating solar power plants that typically utilizes molten salt and quartzite rock as storage media. Longterm thermal stability of the storage concept remains a design concern. A new model is developed to provide comprehensive simulation of thermocline tank operation at low computational cost, addressing deficiencies with previous models in the literature. The proposed model is then incorporated into a system-level model of a 100 MWe power tower plant to investigate storage performance during long-term operation. Solar irradiance data, taken from measurements for the year 1977 near Barstow, CA, are …


Sensitivity Analysis Of Wind Plant Performance To Key Turbine Design Parameters: A Systems Engineering Approach, Katherine Dykes, Andrew Ning, Ryan King, Peter Graf, George Scott, Paul Veers Jan 2014

Sensitivity Analysis Of Wind Plant Performance To Key Turbine Design Parameters: A Systems Engineering Approach, Katherine Dykes, Andrew Ning, Ryan King, Peter Graf, George Scott, Paul Veers

Faculty Publications

This paper introduces the development of a new software framework for research, design, and development of wind energy systems which is meant to 1) represent a full wind plant including all physical and nonphysical assets and associated costs up to the point of grid interconnection, 2) allow use of interchangeable models of varying fidelity for different aspects of the system, and 3) support system level multidisciplinary analyses and optimizations. This paper describes the design of the overall software capability and applies it to a global sensitivity analysis of wind turbine and plant performance and cost. The analysis was performed using …