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Full-Text Articles in Chemical Engineering

A Finite Element Simulation Of Temperature And Material Flow In Fricton Stir Welding, Mark J. Lasley Dec 2004

A Finite Element Simulation Of Temperature And Material Flow In Fricton Stir Welding, Mark J. Lasley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to use the Transvalor S.A. product, Forge3, to develop a finite element simulation of the friction stir welding process that improves the predictability of temperature evolution and material flow within the plunge portion of the process. Previous modeling created more heating within the billet than experimental results, probably due to the simplification of the simulation with adiabatic boundary conditions. More realistic tooling temperatures were included in this model as these affect heat evolution which is a determining factor in microcrystalline growth. These results were validated by experimental efforts using a billet and tooling instrumented …


The Effect Of Gas Pressure On No Conversion Energy Efficiency In Nonthermal Nitrogen Plasma, Morris D. Argyle, Gui-Bing Zhao, S.V.B. Janardhan Garikipati, Xudong Hu, Maciej Radosz Nov 2004

The Effect Of Gas Pressure On No Conversion Energy Efficiency In Nonthermal Nitrogen Plasma, Morris D. Argyle, Gui-Bing Zhao, S.V.B. Janardhan Garikipati, Xudong Hu, Maciej Radosz

Faculty Publications

This work explores the effect of gas pressure on the rate of electron collision reactions and energy consumption for NO conversion in N2 in a pulsed corona discharge reactor. A previous study showed that the rate constant of electron collision reactions, multiplied by the electron concentration, can be expressed as k[e] = βα−0.5P−0.5W0.75exp(−αP/W). The model parameter α remains constant with increasing gas pressure, which verifies the previous assumption that the electron temperature is inversely proportional to gas pressure. However, the model parameter β decreases with increasing gas pressure, which indicates that the rate constant of electron collision reactions decreases with …


Molecular-Dynamics Simulation Of The Effect Of Ions On A Liquid–Liquid Interface For A Partially Miscible Mixture, Richard L. Rowley, Kent E. Wardle, Eric Carlson, Douglas Henderson Apr 2004

Molecular-Dynamics Simulation Of The Effect Of Ions On A Liquid–Liquid Interface For A Partially Miscible Mixture, Richard L. Rowley, Kent E. Wardle, Eric Carlson, Douglas Henderson

Faculty Publications

Molecular-dynamics simulations were performed to model the effect of added salt ions on the liquid-liquid interface in a partially miscible system. Simulations of the interface between saturated phases of a model 1-hexanol + water system show a bilayer structure of 1-hexanol molecules at the interface with OH heads of the first layer directed into the water phase and the opposite orientation for the second layer. The alignment of the polar OH groups at the interface stabilizes a charge separation of sodium and chloride ions when salt is introduced into the aqueous phase, producing an electrical double layer. Chloride ions aggregate …


Ignition Behavior Of Live California Chaparral Leaves, Joshua D. Engstrom, Jared K. Butler, Steven G. Smith, Larry L. Baxter, Thomas H. Fletcher, David R. Weise Jan 2004

Ignition Behavior Of Live California Chaparral Leaves, Joshua D. Engstrom, Jared K. Butler, Steven G. Smith, Larry L. Baxter, Thomas H. Fletcher, David R. Weise

Faculty Publications

Current forest fire models are largely empirical correlations based on data from beds of dead vegetation. Improvement in model capabilities is sought by developing models of the combustion of live fuels. A facility was developed to determine the combustion behavior of small samples of live fuels, consisting of a flat-flame burner on a moveable platform. Qualitative and quantitative combustion data are presented for representative samples of California chaparral: manzanita (Arctostaphylos parryana); oak (Quercus berberidifolia); ceanothus (Ceanothus crassifolius), and chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum). Times to ignition were significantly influenced by shape effects, whereas ignition temperature was more dependent on chemical composition


Modeling The Direct Solar Conversion Of Co2 To Co And O2, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2004

Modeling The Direct Solar Conversion Of Co2 To Co And O2, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

At high temperatures (greater than 2300 K), CO2 is known to dissociate to CO and O. A prototype solar collector was previously demonstrated to achieve such high temperatures, achieving 4-6 mol % CO in the product stream from an inlet stream of pure CO2. This paper describes the results of computer modeling performed to determine the flow, temperature, and reactions occurring in the prototype device. Of particular interest are the heat-transfer and reaction mechanisms involved and how much photolysis occurs in the prototype. Predictions were performed with two different computational fluid dynamic codes (Fluent and PCGC-3). The …