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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

The Effects Of Oxidized Biodiesel Fuel On Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Composition And Particulate Matter Emissions From A Light-Duty Diesel Engine, Jack Elliot Reed Jan 2021

The Effects Of Oxidized Biodiesel Fuel On Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Composition And Particulate Matter Emissions From A Light-Duty Diesel Engine, Jack Elliot Reed

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Diesel particulate matter (PM) is classified by the EPA as carcinogenic, with the transportation sector largely responsible these emissions within the United States. Biodiesel (B100) is derived from renewable sources, providing similar chemical composition to diesel fuel and is in the current diesel supply up to 5% across the nation. However, biodiesel has an inherent oxidation issue due to the unique mixture of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) molecules present in the biodiesel that are not in diesel. Biodiesel oxidation can only be delayed, and the inevitable process results in changes to the original fuel composition that may alter emissions …


Investigating The Influence Of Gold Nanoparticles On The Photocatalytic And Catalytic Reactivity Of Porous Tungsten Oxide Microparticles, Daniel P. Depuccio Jan 2016

Investigating The Influence Of Gold Nanoparticles On The Photocatalytic And Catalytic Reactivity Of Porous Tungsten Oxide Microparticles, Daniel P. Depuccio

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Tungsten oxide (WO3) is a semiconducting transition metal oxide with interesting electronic, structural, and chemical properties that have been exploited in applications including catalysis, gas sensing, electrochromic displays, and solar energy conversion. Nanocrystalline WO3 can absorb visible light to catalyze heterogeneous photooxidation reactions. Also, the acidity of the WO3 surface makes this oxide a good thermal catalyst in the dehydration of alcohols to various industrially relevant chemicals. This dissertation explores the photocatalytic and thermal catalytic reactivity of nanocrystalline porous WO3 microparticles. Furthermore, investigations into the changes in WO3 reactivity are carried out after modifying the porous WO3 particles with gold …


Burst Pressure Properties And Ex Vivo Analysis Of Alginate-Based Hydrogels For Tissue Sealant Applications, Patrick Nelson Charron Jan 2015

Burst Pressure Properties And Ex Vivo Analysis Of Alginate-Based Hydrogels For Tissue Sealant Applications, Patrick Nelson Charron

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Lung diseases, cancers, and trauma can result in injury to the connective tissue lining the lung, i.e., the pleura. Pleural injuries lead to pneumothoraxes or pleural effusions, i.e., air or fluid leaking out of the lung respectively, and potential lung collapse - an immediately life threatening condition. While several bioengineered soft tissue sealants exist on the market, there is only one sealant FDA-approved for use in pulmonary surgery. In addition, very limited techniques are presented in the literature for characterizing the burst properties of hydrogel tissue sealants. For my thesis, I proposed to develop a protocol for characterizing the burst …


Aero-Thermal Characterization Of Silicon Carbide Flexible Tps Using A 30kw Icp Torch, Walten Owens Jan 2015

Aero-Thermal Characterization Of Silicon Carbide Flexible Tps Using A 30kw Icp Torch, Walten Owens

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Flexible thermal protection systems are of interest due to their necessity for the success of future atmospheric entry vehicles. Current non-ablative flexible designs incorporate a two-dimensional woven fabric on the leading surface of the vehicle. The focus of this research investigation was to characterize the aerothermal performance of silicon carbide fabric using the 30 kW Inductively Coupled Plasma Torch located at the University of Vermont. Experimental results have shown that SiC fabric test coupons achieving surface temperatures between 1000°C and 1500°C formed an amorphous silicon dioxide layer within seconds after insertion into air plasmas. The transient morphological changes that occurred …