Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Why Do I Have To Know This? Engineering In A Globalized Society, Caleb Cunningham

Honors Theses

Through a pilot comparative study, this thesis examines the problem-solving of chemical engineering students and chemical engineering faculty. Specifically, the thesis examines the extent to which individuals include global factors (cultural, social, environmental, and economic) into their engineering solutions as specified by ABET. Several hypotheses were investigated in this pilot study: (i) having a study abroad experience would increase the likelihood that participants included the global factors of interest, (ii) the type (PUI, Research Intensive, Unique) of institution students attended would impact how individuals approached the problem, (iii) students with similar career aspirations would approach the problems similarly, (iv) having …

Application Of Decline Curve Analysis To Unconventional Reservoir, Ahmed Wasel Alqattan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The oil and gas industry has been dealing with the unconventional reservoirs for about only two decades. Consequently, many challenges remain in evaluating the unconventional reservoirs. A few of these obstacles are the absence of the adequate production history, understanding the fluid flow regime after hydraulic fracturing, and estimating the drainage volume of the reservoir. One of the essential elements for evaluation of the oil and reservoir is to estimate the production rates over time in order to investigate the economic potential of the project.

Decline Curve Analysis (DCA) is most common the methodology for predicting the production rates over …

Dynamic Study Of Mo/Zsm-5 Catalyst For Ch4 Dehydroadomation, Hadi Yahya Almusawa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Methane dehydroaromatization (CH₄-MDA) is a highly promising venture for natural gas utilization/exploitation, i.e., direct conversion of methane (CH₄) to liquid aromatics (benzene) and hydrogen. This process is a catalytic reaction and therefore, is subject to all the advantages and constraints of catalysis. This study discussed the structure and reactivity of Mo/ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts and their effect on the active conversion of methane to valuable aromatic products such as benzene: 1) The preparation and characterization of Mo/ZSM-5, which are crucial steps in any catalytic reaction process since a better performing catalyst consequently leads to better outcomes; 2) …

Elucidating The Properties And Mechanism For Cellulose Dissolution In Tetrabutylphosphonium-Based Ionic Liquids Using High Concentrations Of Water, Brad Crawford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The structural, transport, and thermodynamic properties related to cellulose dissolution by tetrabutylphosphonium chloride (TBPCl) and tetrabutylphosphonium hydroxide (TBPH)-water mixtures have been calculated via molecular dynamics simulations. For both ionic liquid (IL)-water solutions, water veins begin to form between the TBPs interlocking arms at 80 mol % water, opening a pathway for the diffusion of the anions, cations, and water. The water veins allow for a diffusion regime shift in the concentration region from 80 to 92.5 mol % water, providing a higher probability of solvent interaction with the dissolving cellulose strand. The hydrogen bonding was compared between small and large …

A Comparison Of Fiber Mat Thickness Measurement Techniques Using Laser Interferometry And Water Displacement, Ryan Seabeck

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Polymer fiber mats may often be very thin which leads to complications in measuring thickness. The thickness of fiber mats, however, is crucial in understanding their behavior. Thickness affects how well the mat works as a filter as well as the pressure drop across the mat, and herein lies the need for accurate measurement techniques. Currently two of the available techniques for measuring mat thickness are by laser interferometry[1] and by buoyancy force when submerged in water[2]. Instead of measuring the buoyancy force in this experiment, an enclosure intended to measure the thickness via water displacement was …

Utilizing Virtual High-Throughput Screens To Identify Promising Inhibitors Of Complement Factor C1s, Lyndsey Schmucker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A large study was conducted to identify possible drug candidates to treat various diseases using computer algorithms, virtual high-throughput screens, and experimental validation of activity. Since the algorithm has the capability to screen millions of compounds, it is beneficial to pharmaceutical development as it allows a larger pool of compounds to be considered that would have otherwise been overlooked. As part of this larger study, this project attempts to identify drug candidates to treat human complement factor C1, a protein which causes tissue damage when underregulated¹. A series of designed experiments validate candidates and confirm the performance of …

Design Of Pigments For Use In “Cool” Coatings, Tyler Laughorn

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project was focused on the development and testing of several novel pigments that exhibit high NIR-reflectance and therefore show potential for use in “cool” coatings. A “cool” coating will reflect more solar radiation than other standard coatings, and so a coated structure would require less energy to keep cool. Four sets of pigments were synthesized: Co_1-xMg_xCr₂O₄ (teal), Co_0.25Mg_0.75Cr_2-yAl_yO₄ (blue), Ti_1-x-yNi_xSb_yO₂ (yellow), and Cr_2-xFe_xO₃ (black). NIR and TSR values were then measured …

Filtration Apparatus Design For Oil-Water Separation Using Membranes And Sponges, Alec Jerger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

It can be difficult to separate water and oil emulsions through traditional filtration. Therefore, investigations of filtering using thermo-responsive (TR) polymers, in this case poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), was conducted. It’s hypothesized that below its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), PVME has an affinity for water while oil substances do not. Above the LCST the opposite will be true. To verify this hypothesis, iterations of filtration designs were created to provide optimum control over the parameters to measure flow. The final optimized experimental apparatus was a Chromaflex glass column which was air tight and controlled all parameters besides fluid flow. …

Zips Precious Plastics: Plastic Extruder, Patrick Cole

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project's goal was to design and build an affordable desktop filament extruder that can precisely and consistently extrude filament to a certain tolerance acceptable for 3D printers using wasted printing material. The group is partnering with an on campus organization focusing on engineering applications for sustainable futures. Zips Precious Plastics is a student run design group that intends to bring an innovation space on campus to help educate students about the importance of a closed looped system within plastic manufacturing.

Advanced Electrodes And Electrolytes For Long-Lived And High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Deepesh Gopalakrishnan

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ADVANCED ELECTRODES AND ELECTROLYTES FOR LONG-LIVED AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE LITHIUM-SULFUR BATTERIES

by

DEEPESH GOPALAKRISHNAN

August 2020

Advisor: Dr. Leela Mohana Reddy Arava

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Lithium – Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have received much attention and considered as a promising candidate for next generation energy storage devices because of their high theoretical energy density (≈2600 Wh kg‒1) and environmental friendliness. However, the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites in the lithium metal anode and the fatal effect of polysulfide shuttle hinder their practical applications. The formation of dendrites during repeated Li plating/stripping processes results in: reduced Li availability …

Enabling 3d Printing Technologies For Artificial Compound Eye System And Penetrating Neural Probes, Boshen Zhang

Wayne State University Dissertations

3D printing has become a useful and transformative method and has applications in many different fields, including organ printing, aerospace applications, and medical devices. With higher resolution, faster production speed, and more design flexibility, 3D printing technologies can lead to more novel devices and systems. In this research, two new techniques have been developed to enable 3D printing technologies for artificial compound eye system and penetrating glassy carbon neural electrode array.

This work focuses on developing new applications based on the SLA 3D printing process, which uses the liquid resin to create a solid 3D structure. The limitation of SLA …

Comparative Scoping Study Report For The Extraction Of Microalgae Oils From Two Subspecies Of Chlorella Vulgaris, Jasmine Kreft, Eric Moe, Nicholas Garcia, Andrew Ross, Wayne Seames

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The production of microalgae as a fatty acid oil resource for use in biofuels production is a widespread research topic at the lab scale. Microalgae contain a higher lipid content on a dry-weight basis compared to oilseeds such as soybeans. Additionally, the growth and cultivation cycle of microalgae is 15 days, in comparison to soybeans, for which the cycle occurs once or twice annually. However, to date, it has been uneconomical to produce microalgae oils in a world-scale facility due to limitations in cultivating microalgae at commercial scales. Recent developments suggest that the use of heterotrophic microalgae may be economically …

Using Batman Software To Analyze Metabolic Changes In Type 1 Diabetes-Susceptible Rats, Connor Hall

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Reactions At The Critical Point Of Solution, Jason Mote

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Directed Assembly Of Binary Magnetic Particles, Thomas Thelen

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Controlled Crystallization Of Pet Filaments In Additive Manufacturing, Ryan Kordahi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) appears in daily life in many forms, the most common being disposable soft drink bottling. To deal with the ever-growing quantitity of disposed PET (both in landfills and environment), a waste plan revolving around depolymerization should be implemented. Specifically, the potential of PET depolymerization through aminolysis into useful, low molecular weight monomers will be explored with the end goal of producing a 3D printing filament and analyzing economic feasibility.

Optimization Of E-Textiles For Lactic Acid Detection, Andrew Laboy, Mallory David

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The overall goal of the project is to develop an e-textile that will be able to determine different characteristics of an athlete's health through multiple sensors. The goal of these sensors is to monitor physiological parameters for health and fitness uses in real time. Building from the existing sodium concentration sensor, these new sensors will detect lactate levels within sweat to monitor instantaneous health which allows customization of workout and overall health regimen.

Evaluating Rubber Aging On Tire Durability: Quantitative Evaluation Of Rubber Aging, Brian Auffenberg

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Rubber is considered one of the most important polymers in the world due to its variety of uses. There are many different conditions that can affect the useful life of rubber. The purpose of this research was to determine how the mechanical loading on the rubber may affect the aging of the rubber. The scope of the project was to focus on the rubber used for tire production. The research was limited to focusing only on rubber supplied by industry mentors which was styrene-butadiene rubber. By varying the length of time for testing as well as the temperature of the …

A Foundational Approach To Extrusion And Compounding, David Frankart

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With a history of nearly 200 years, polymer processing and compounding is constantly changing to fit the material science needs of the era. Exposure of undergraduate students to the technology and practices used in industry today in a lab setting would create new opportunities for experiential learning and growth. The objective was to set up a 0.75”, 25 L/D Thermo Haake single screw extruder for lab use and run trials of material in a single screw extruder to set up a basis for experiments. Trials were run of co-polyester resin through a single screw extruder with carbon fiber additives varying …

Effects Of Crosslinking Conditions On Biofouling Of Polymer Substrates With A Hydrogel Layer, Laura Davila

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The introduction of a hydrogel coating to a surface has been looked at for different benefits. Certain hydrogels offer antifouling properties that are beneficial to different applications like medical components. Previous attempts (2) (3)have been done to introduce a hydrogel surface to plastic substrates. One of them is to use grafting brushes which works properly but it is not sufficient since the layer is too thin and therefore can be damaged. The second method have a bulkier coating without crosslinking. Opposite to grafting brushes this method has too thick of a layer. Additionally, there is no crosslink therefore the coating …