Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Preparation Of Co-Electrodeposited Pd-Au Nanocatalyst For Methanol Electro-Oxidation, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Ahmad M. Mohammad, Yaser M. Asal, Sayed S. Abd El Rehim

Chemical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Hydrogen Adsorption On Sub-Bituminous Coal: Implications For Hydrogen Geo-Storage, Sefan Iglauer, Hussein Abid, Ahmed Z. Al-Yaseri, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that can potentially revolutionize the energy supply chain and decarbonize fuel consumption. However, a key hurdle that needs to be overcome before a full-scale hydrogen economy can be established is hydrogen storage which is currently the main limitation. Here, we propose that hydrogen gas can be stored in underground coal seams, where it adsorbs on the coal surface. However, currently, no hard data related to such a procedure exists. We, therefore, demonstrate experimentally that significant amounts of hydrogen gas can be stored via this route. Hydrogen adsorption capacities reached 0.6 moles H₂/kg of …

Enhanced Oil Recovery By Hydrophilic Silica Nanofluid: Experimental Evaluation Of The Impact Of Parameters And Mechanisms On Recovery Potential, Tariq A. Chandio, Muhammad A. Manan, Khalil R. Memon, Ghulam Abbas, Ghazanfer R. Abbasi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Nanofluids as an EOR technique are reported to enhance oil recoveries. Among all the nanomaterial silica with promising lab results, economic and environmental acceptability are an ideal material for future applications. Despite the potential to enhance recoveries, understanding the two-fold impact of parameters such as concentration, salinity, stability, injection rate, and irreproducibility of results has arisen ambiguities that have delayed field applications. This integrated study is conducted to ascertain two-fold impacts of concentration and salinity on recovery and stability and evaluates corresponding changes in the recovery mechanism with variance in the parameters. Initially, silica nanofluids’ recovery potential was evaluated by …

Characterization And Analysis Of Naturally Fractured Gas Reservoirs Based On Stimulated Reservoir Volume And Petro-Physical Parameters, Ali Al-Rubaye, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Muhammad Ali, Hisham Ben Mahmud

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2021, The Author(s). Fracture is one of the most important geological phenomena that affect the production of hydrocarbon compounds in broken carbonate reservoirs. However, fracture controlling factors must be combined with well data to achieve accurate fracture modeling. Therefore, structural data, drilling data, well flow diagrams, cores data, wells production data, and dynamic reservoir data have been considered here. Finally, by combining the above-mentioned information and through statistical and mathematical methods, the mechanism of fracture creation, general trends, and dominant fracture patterns are determined. These patterns are directly related to the tectonic regime and the stresses governing the region. …

Physicochemical Characterisation Of Zirconia Nanoparticles Based Sodium Alginate Polymer Suspension For Enhanced Oil Recovery, Udit S. Mohanty, Faisal Ur Rahman Awan, Muhammad Ali, Adnan Aftab, Alireza Keshavarz, Sefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Biopolymers have been employed in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to their high viscosity and significant effects on waterflooding performance. Sodium alginate (NaAlg) is an excellent biopolymer that is extracted primarily from brown algae. It has been used in the biotechnology industry as a thickening agent, colloidal stabilizer, and oil recovery application. In the present study, a series of sodium alginate/zirconium oxide nanoparticle suspensions were prepared via solution mixing, and the effect of nanoparticle content, polymer concentration, temperature, salinity was investigated on the rheological behavior using a concentric cylinder dynamic rheometer. The rheology results revealed that the lower concentration of …

Shale Adhesion Force Measurements Via Atomic Force Microscopy, Nikolai Mitiurev, Michael Verrall, Svetlana Shilobreeva, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Wettability of sedimentary rock surface is an essential parameter that defines oil recovery and production rates of a reservoir. The discovery of wettability alteration in reservoirs, as well as complications that occur in analysis of heterogeneous sample, such as shale, for instance, have prompted scientists to look for the methods of wettability assessment at nanoscale. At the same time, bulk techniques, which are commonly applied, such as USBM (United States Bureau of Mines) or Amott tests, are not sensitive enough in cases with mixed wettability of rocks as they provide average wettability values of a core plug. Atomic Force Microscopy …

New Horizons For Processing And Utilizing Red Mud, M. Archambo

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Red mud is an industrial slurry waste that is produced as a byproduct of the Bayer process for alumina. The waste is generated in large quantities, up to a ratio of 2:1 against the valued product alumina. Red mud exhibits many chemical and physical properties that categorize it as a hazardous material. Due to the addition of sodium hydroxide in processing, the pH is typically at values close to 13. Small particle size discourages separation from water for disposal, so drying red mud happens over many years.

The pH of red mud can be reduced with inexpensive reagents. Carbon dioxide …

Anaerobic Reductive Bioleaching Of Manganese Ores, Neha Sharma

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The increasing demand of manganese in the industries and various hindrances in its production from low grade ores by conventional method has made it imperative for researchers around the world to develop a method of manganese extraction from low grade ores that is both environment friendly and economical. Bioleaching has shown significant potential in manganese extraction and efficiencies of extraction have been found to be 70-98% with the help of various bacteria and fungi.

This study focuses on extraction of manganese with the help of mixed bacterial strains that have been collected from their natural anaerobic environment. The extraction of …

Kinetics Of Photolysis And Photocatalytic Oxidation Of Ammonium Sulfite For Hydrogen Production, Moustafa A. Soliman, Maryam Zakaria

Chemical Engineering

The production of hydrogen via photocatalytic water splitting is one of the most promising technologies for obtaining chemical energy from direct solar energy while maintaining the least possible waste and pollutants. In this paper, we obtain the kinetic parameters necessary for the design of a photoreactor for photolysis and photocatalysis of ammonium sulfite solution. For the case of photolysis, we obtain the kinetics for the effect of changing the pH on the produced amount of hydrogen. For the case of photocatalysis, the intrinsic kinetic parameters of photocatalysis of water splitting reaction of ammonium sulfite and water in the presence of …

Analysis Of A Solar Hybrid Sulfur Ammonia Copper Oxide Thermochemical Cycle For Hydrogen Production, Moustafa A. Soliman, Abdel Moniem Abomosalam, Noran Shedid, Mohamed Othman, Toka Hatem, Marc Samer

Chemical Engineering

Solar energy conversion to hydrogen by water splitting is a promising technique because it is sustainable and environmentally friendly. One option for water splitting is through thermochemical cycles in which one of the steps is electrolytic or photocatalytic. In this paper, the economics of a thermochemical process that combines photocatalysis, photovoltaics, high temperature thermal energy and energy storage to harvest solar energy is assessed. This paper focuses on the standard hybrid sulfur ammonia thermochemical cycle (SA) in which the electrolytic step of the hydrogen production from ammonium sulfite solution is augmented by a photocatalytic step. Trying to make use of …

The Impacts Of The Net Stress And Stress Shadow On The Productivity Of Marcellus Shale Horizontal Well, Mohamed El Sgher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shale gas development has become a crucial part of the global oil and gas industry in recent years, especially in North America. Even though the application of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques have successfully unlocked considerable reserves of natural gas in shale-gas reservoirs, production rates from unconventional reservoirs decline more rapidly than conventional reservoirs. This is because production from a reservoir results in an increase in net stress due to a reduction in the pore pressure, while overburden pressure remains constant. This leads to the reduction in permeability of both the matrix and the fissures, as well as the …

Dynamic Optimization Algorithms For Baseload Power Plant Cycling Under Variable Renewable Energy, Rebecca Hyen Hae Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The growing deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE) sources, such as wind and solar, is mainly due to the decline in the cost of renewable technologies and the increase of societal and cultural pressures. Solar and wind power generation are also known to have zero marginal costs and fuel emissions during dispatch. Thereby, the VRE from these sources should be prioritized when available. However, the rapid deployment of VRE has heightened concerns regarding the challenges in the integration between fossil-fueled and renewable energy systems. The high variability introduced by the VRE as well as the limited alignment between demand and …

Process Modeling And Techno-Economic Analysis Of Micro- Encapsulated Carbon Sorbents (Mecs) For Co2 Capture In A Fixed Bed And Moving Bed Reactors, Goutham Kotamreddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is seen as a suite of technologies to curb the carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and plays a crucial role to meet the net zero emissions target for many countries by 2050. One of the major sources for CO₂ emissions is combustion of fossil fuels. Various innovative capture technologies are being explored because the state-of-the-art monoethanolamine (MEA) based carbon capture technology has drawbacks such as corrosion, energy penalty. There are several potential solvents that have lower energy penalty, but they are highly viscous or may turn into solid phase in the absorber …

Biological Conversion Of Carbon Dioxide To Value-Added Chemicals, Owen James Mcgrath

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) levels in the atmosphere continue to rise due to human intervention, there is increased urgency to take actions to mitigate the potential ramifications. Many countries have instituted a CO₂ tax and have provided funding to finding potential solutions to our growing CO₂ problem. Further investigating CO₂ capture, sequestration, and utilization is key to combating rising CO₂ levels and methods being investigated have increased substantially in recent years. Converting CO₂ into fuels and value-added chemicals provides a unique opportunity to create materials of value from a substance that is being …

Application Of Fiber Optics Das On Completion Design Optimization, Aliou Sylla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Interstage communication during well stimulation reducing the effectivity of the well completion is known to be a concern in the oil and gas industry. The leading cause of this is fracture communication due to the presence of natural fractures where the formation is being hydraulically fractured. In this study, a technique was developed to map natural fractures, on a larger scale, underground to be able to avoid the high fracture intensity zones when hydraulically fracturing. This study developed a technique to optimize well completion designs by introducing the ability of locating natural fractures zones in the formation (Marcellus Shale) which …

Analyzing And Measuring Petrophysical Properties Of Marcellus Shale, Yahia Mustafa Yassin Mustafa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Unconventional oil and natural gas play a key role in our nation's future. The U.S. has vast reserves of such resources that are commercially viable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. These technologies enable greater access to oil and natural gas in shale formations. Responsible development of America's shale gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling apply the latest technologies and make it commercially viable to recover shale gas and oil.

In order to estimate the original gas-in-place, predict the production rates, and optimize the hydraulic …

Dry Reforming Of Methane Using Microwave Irradiated Metal Oxide/Coal Char Catalysts, Anthony Carter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research focuses on the synthesis of both shaped and amorphous powder materials, the combination of these materials with dried Powder River Basin (PRB) coal char, and their reactionary properties with methane and carbon dioxide gasses with conventional and microwave (MW) heating. The first goal of this project was to synthesize shaped micro and nano sized particles with ideal dielectric properties for converting electromagnetic energy into heat and proven capabilities of activating methane. These particles were synthesized via solvothermal, hydrothermal, and co-preceptory treatments alone and onto the surface of dried PRB coal char. PRB is a sub-bituminous, low-ranking coal (LRC) …

Improving Performance And Durability Of Intermediate Temperature Proton‐Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells Via Materials Design And Catalyst Surface Engineering, Hanchen Tian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solid oxide steam electrolysis cell, a promising electrical-chemical conversion device for the next generation efficient hydrogen production and energy storage, has been actively studied because of their high energy conversion efficiencies and prospective applications as electrochemical reactors. After decades of research on protonic ceramic materials, remarkable advances have been made in the protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) air electrode and electrolyte. However, the existing air electrodes are far from satisfying the requirements of practical applications, a series of issues, including the lack of active and durable electrodes, greatly limit the commercialization. To date, the systematic development of triple conducting catalysts …

Simultaneous Activation Of Stable Molecules- Methane And Nitrogen- Using Microwave Reactor With And Without Plasma- To Produce Ethylene And Ammonia, Sarojini Tiwari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The discovery of stranded natural gas around the world has made shale gas cheaper and widely accessible. This has driven the relevant research towards the direct utilization of Methane (CH4), a major component of natural gas. CH4 is a highly stable molecule, hence its activation and consequent formation of value-added chemicals in a direct and efficient manner is a relevant problem of the 21st century. All the commercial processes convert natural gas to chemicals indirectly, via the formation of syngas followed by several reactions. The conventional systems are energy intensive and one of the major contributors to green-house gas emissions. …

Microwave-Assisted Natural Gas Conversion To Value-Added Chemicals, Xinwei Bai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stranded gas is a raw gas mixture of volatile hydrocarbons where the main composition is methane. The producers flare the stranded gas at the site because the cost of collecting and transporting the gas is higher than the value of the gas itself. To reduce the waste of this natural resource, it is worthwhile to utilize the on-site stranded natural gas as feedstock to produce value-added chemicals without emitting greenhouse gas. Direct natural gas conversion process is more desirable because of lower capital investment. Methane and ethane, the two major components of natural gas, are very stable molecules that usually …