Engineering Commons^™

Wind And Thermal Effects On Ground Mounted Photovoltaic (Pv) Panels, Chowdhury Mohammad Jubayer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and wind tunnel experiments are carried out to investigate the effects of wind on the aerodynamic loading and heat transfer of a ground mounted stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) panel with tilt angle of 25^o in open country atmospheric boundary layer. Several azimuthal wind directions are considered: Southern 0^o, Southwest 45^o, Northwest 135^o and Northern 180^o. Three dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approaches with an unsteady solver using Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω turbulence closure are employed for the CFD simulations, whereas Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and …

Enhanced Dechlorination Of 1,2-Dichloroethane By Coupled Nano Iron-Dithionite Treatment, Ariel Nunez Garcia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is a chlorinated solvent classified as a probable human carcinogen. Due to its extensive industrial applications, widespread contamination and recalcitrance towards abiotic dechlorination, 1,2-DCA remains a challenging compound for the remediation community and one of the great research interests. Batch experiments combining bimetallic or monometallic nZVI (stabilized or non-stabilized) with sodium dithionite were conducted for the degradation of 1,2-DCA. These experiments have yielded up to 92 % degradation of the initial 1,2-DCA concentration over the course of a year. Observed pseudo-first order rate constants (k_obs) range from 3.8 x 10^-3 to 7.8 x 10^{-3 …}

Scale-Up Methodology For Bench-Scale Slurry Photocatalytic Reactors Using Combined Irradiation And Kinetic Modelling, Patricio J. Valades Pelayo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present study focuses on developing a predictive methodology to scale-up a slurry annular photoreactor using a TiO₂ Degussa P25 from the bench-scale to a pilot-plant scale. The bench-scale photoreactor is a Photo-CREC-Water II, a 2.65 L internally-irradiated slurry annular photocatalytic reactor. The pilot-plant scale photoreactor is a Photo-CREC Water Solar Simulator, a 9.8 L pilot-plant photoreactor, externally irradiated by eight lamps.

The adopted methodology allows the independent validation of radiative and kinetic models avoiding cross-correlation issues. The proposed approach involves two Monte Carlo methods, to model the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) inside each photoreactor. With this end, a …

Influence Of Water Chemistry Parameters On The Dissolution Rate Of The Lead (Ii) Carbonate Hydrocerussite, Caitlin Se Kushnir

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This work has focused on the kinetic dissolution of the lead (II) carbonate hydrocerussite (Pb₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂) under four pH conditions (7.5, 8, 9, 10), three dissolved inorganic concentrations (DIC; 10, 20, 50 mg C/L), and three initial hydrocerussite concentrations (10, 20, 50 mg/L) in batch experiments. Experiments were performed in at least duplicate to determine total dissolved lead dissolution curves at short time scales (hr.). All equilibrium dissolved lead concentrations were achieved in 40 minutes or less, and matched trends from previous studies; pH 7.5 and pH 10 corresponding to the highest and …

Solid-Phase Extraction As Sample Preparation For Bioassay-Based Micropollutant Quantification, Chen Feng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Solid phase extraction (SPE) using chemically bonded silica particles or small particles of an organic polymer resin, is being studied extensively for extraction of polar or non-polar compounds from various water matrices. This study focused on the evaluation of the performance of three commercial cartridges belonging to three different groups: reversed-phase, mixed-mode anion exchanger and mixed-mode cation exchanger. In the first stage of research, the performance of three cartridges was compared by extracting four antibiotics with different physic-chemical properties from water samples. The results obtained from column sorption experiments were plotted into breakthrough curves and batch equilibrium experiments results were …

Characterization Of The Green Roof Growth Media, Ginevra Alessandra Perelli

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Green roofs are becoming a popular solution to manage the stormwater, to reduce the energy consumption in highly urbanized environment and provide many additional benefits. One of the key components that characterize the green roof system is the growth medium; the medium supports the plants, providing water and nutrient storage, and contributes to the roof insulation.

The object of this thesis is to investigate the hydraulic and the thermal properties of the green roof growth medium and to study the relationship among these properties through extensive laboratory analyses. In addition, the laboratory results are compared with direct measurements in the …

Enhancement Of Biohydrogen Production From Co-Fermentation Of Glucose, Starch, And Cellulose, Medhavi Gupta

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The aim of this study was to assess the synergistic effects of co-fermentation of glucose, starch, and cellulose using anaerobic digester sludge (ADS) on the biohydrogen (H₂) production and the associated microbial communities. At initial pH of 5.5 and mesophilic temperature of 37 ºC, the H₂ yields were greater by an average of 27 ± 4% in all the different co-substrate conditions compared to the mono-substrate conditions, which affirmed that co-fermentation of different substrates improved the hydrogen potential. The sensitivity of mesophilic ADS to a temperature shock was also investigated. Unacclimatized mesophilic ADS responded well to a …

Electrical Resistivity Tomography For Mapping Subsurface Remediation, Christopher Power

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cleaning up sites contaminated with dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) remains a challenging geoenvironmental problem. The performance of site remediation methods is difficult to assess without a practical, non-destructive technique to map where and how quickly DNAPL mass is being reduced. The promise of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) in this context has not been realized, in part because traditional ERT methods were used to solve the near-impossible problem of mapping the initial DNAPL outline. However, new developments in ERT have emerged that focus on resolving subsurface changes over time. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of …

Mechanism Of Dissolution Of High Valence Lead Oxides In Water Under Depleting Chlorine Conditions, Daoping Guo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Destabilization of lead corrosion scales present in plumbing materials used in water distribution systems results in elevated lead concentrations in drinking water. Lead release caused by changes in water chemistry (e.g., redox conditions) is often due to the destabilization of lead carbonate and oxide solid phases. Although prior studies have examined the effects of varying water chemistry on the stability of β-PbO₂ (plattnerite), β-PbO₂ stability under depleting chlorine conditions is poorly understood. In addition little is known regarding the mechanisms by which Pb₃O₄ (minium) dissolves under drinking water conditions. In this thesis, long-term batch dissolution …

Removal And Recovery Of Heavy Metals By Nickel Smelter Slag, Maame Kyeiwaa Addai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The research was performed to assess the potential of nickel smelter slag, an industrial waste, as an adsorbent in the removal of heavy metals from solution. Results from batch studies on the effect of pH, metal-slag contact time, particle size, competition by other ions and slag dose were used to estimate the optimum adsorption conditions of the slag as an adsorbent for Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni and Zn. Adsorption of Cu and Pb were akin to the pseudo second order kinetic model and followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The calculated k₂ values were 0.18 mg g^-1min …