Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Image Analysis Of A Vesicle To Calculate The Bending Modulus, Pheobe Appel, Charlie Lin, Vivek Narsimhan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The cell membrane is an essential component of living cells and the dynamics of the membrane will provide insight into how a biological cell reacts to mechanical strain. Membrane mechanics are important in a variety of cellular processes like secretion, trafficking, signaling, and storage. Giant unilamellar vesicles are a model system for cellular membranes since the major component of all membranes is a phospholipid bilayer. Giant unilamellar vesicles allow one to examine physicochemical processes that occur in all cellular membranes, such as fusion, budding, and fission in a more controlled fashion. Contour fluctuations of the vesicles are analyzed to calculate …

Developing Strategies To Toughen Bio-Inspired Adhesives, Narelli P. Narciso, Samuel Lee Huntington, Jonathan J. Wilker

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Mussels and other marine creatures adhere very well in underwater environments, having the ability to withstand the force of the sea. These animals have inspired synthetic biomimetic adhesives for wet systems, presenting potential for biomedical applications. However, most current commercial adhesives tend to be brittle, not resisting repetitive movements. This study assesses toughening strategies to improve the mussel-inspired adhesives’ ductility while maintaining its strength. The strategies included altering the polymer’s chemical structure by changing the percentage of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the molecule and by adding fillers, such as calcium carbonate, silica and nacre - a calcium carbonate compound found …

Thermophotovoltaic Devices: Combustion Chamber Optimization And Modelling To Maximize Fuel Efficiency, Arnold Chris Toppo, Ernesto Marinero, Zhaxylyk Kudyshev

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently, 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas (primarily methane), a potent greenhouse gas, are flared off for environmental and safety reasons. This process results in enough fuel to provide the combined natural gas consumption of Germany and France. The research team developed a thermophotovoltaic device to convert thermal energy to electricity at a high efficiency using proprietary emitters and combustion system. With the current focus being fuel efficiency and the combustion process, the assembly was simulated using ANSYS Fluent modelling software and the following parameters were optimized: air/fuel ratios, flow rates, and inlet sizes. Simultaneously the heat transfer across …

Computational Catalysis: Creating A User-Friendly Tool For Research And Education, Kevin P. Greenman, Peilin Liao

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Catalysis is used in a significant portion of production processes in the industrialized world, including most processing of chemicals and fuels. This makes maximizing the efficiency of catalysts a high priority. However, the immense number of candidates for new catalysts precludes the possibility of testing all of them by experiments. Density functional theory (DFT) has been widely and successfully used to calculate material properties relevant to catalysis and to screen promising candidates for experimental testing, but there currently exists no publicly- available, user-friendly tool for performing these DFT calculations. This work details the development of such a tool for nanoHUB.org …

Electronic Effect Of Platinum Alloy Catalysts On Olefin Hydrogenation Kinetics, Colin Reedy, Jeff Miller, Stephen Purdy

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Dehydrogenation of alkanes is the first step in transforming light hydrocarbons into liquid fuels and chemicals. This process has traditionally used platinum alloys as catalysts. Alloys are used industrially because they have a greater selectivity than monometallic platinum. Alloying platinum with an inactive promoter modifies the crystalline structure of the surface (geometric effect), and the 5d electrons in platinum responsible for chemistry (electronic effect); both have been suggested to be primarily responsible for dehydrogenation selectivity in platinum alloys. Alloy catalysts have been synthesized using early 3d transition metal promoters with the same Pt₃M crystal structure. X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy …

Evaluation And Analysis Of Ethane Transformation To Liquid Hydrocarbons Through Steam Cracking, Christian Omar Villa Santos, Wasiu Peter Oladipupo, Taufik Ridha, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Process design and sensitivity studies for a steam cracking reactor was performed. Steam cracking is commonly employed to convert ethane to ethylene, a building block of many other products. Although this technology is generally employed at large scale (>6 Billion pounds of ethylene per year), understanding the process and its economic performance is critical to set target criteria for other processes under development. Aspen Plus was used to simulate the ethane steam cracking reactor and other process units. Sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the most efficient and cost-effective operation regarding product yield. The results show that the maximum …

Targeted Epigenetic Editing Using Optogenetic Tools, Joshua Hahn, Chongli Yuan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Epigenetics markers, such as DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications, are modifications to the structure of DNA that impact gene expression without altering the genetic code. Among them, DNA methylation plays a critical role in various biological processes including the differentiation of stem cells, regulation of gene expression, and adaptation to environmental signals. The ability to modify DNA methylation at particular genes in various cell types is thus desirable for engineering specific cell phenotypes. Although technologies exist that can alter DNA methylation at target genes, these techniques lack spatial and temporal resolution and are not able to selectively edit individual …

Steady-State Method To Measure The In-Plane Thermal Conductivity Of Thin Sheet Materials, Evgeny Pakhomenko, Andrew James Wildridge, Abraham Mathew Koshy, Souvik Das, Andreas Jung

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

A new generation of silicon pixel detectors is required to cope with the unprecedented luminosities at the high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) in 2025. The HL-LHC provides a high radiation, high interaction rate environment for the innermost detector region of the CMS detector. This can lead to an uncontrolled increase in temperature of the detector that can destroy the silicon pixels. Moreover, too high operating temperature can add noise to the data obtained from the detector and can slow the read out cheap down. Therefore, the Phase II upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment requires …

Scaling Relationships Across Chemically Related Adsorbates For Fast Screening Of Alloy Catalysts For Propane Dehydrogenation, Anne Esther Serban, Ranga Rohit Seemakurthi, Brandon C. Bukowski, Jeffrey Greeley

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

A catalyst is a material which speeds up the rate of a specific reaction. A reaction that is of significant importance to the chemical industry is the selective transformations of light alkanes (ethane, propane), which are largely available in shale gas, to olefins. These olefins can then be converted into higher-value chemicals, materials, and fuels. However, there are several undesired reactions that take place alongside the main dehydrogenation reaction, so a catalyst of high selectivity is desired. Apart from the industrially used PtSn catalyst, work by our experimental collaborators has shown that various other Pt and Pd alloys (In, Zn) …

Bringing Particle Scale Properties Into Descriptions Of Powder Behavior Through The Enhanced Centrifuge Method, Andrew R. Roginski, Caralyn A. Coultas-Mckenney, Contessa G. Norris, Stephen P. Beaudoin

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Inconsistent powder behavior introduces problems such as agglomeration, poor flowability, dust hazards, and segregation that decrease efficiency in powder processing environments. Understanding how a powder interacts with a surface at the particle scale provides insight into how to accommodate individual particle properties and avoid process deficiencies. This project uses an enhanced centrifuge technique to evaluate the adhesion between a stainless-steel surface and a powder comprised of fluorescent particles. Particles are deposited onto stainless steel plates which are rotated in a centrifuge. The adhesion properties are monitored by tracking the rotational speed at which particles of a known size are removed …

Satellite-Based Monitoring Of Spatiotemporal Changes In Batudulang Forest In Sumbawa, Indonesia, Mohammad Muslim, Arief Budhi Witarto, Wahyu Indrajaya

Makara Journal of Technology

Space-based earth observation technology applicable to forest inventory and monitoring is well known in the scientific community. High-resolution satellite images form an important data source for forest mapping and change detection at regional and national scales. The value of forest change information derived from remote sensing data is significantly enhanced if this information is integrated into a spatially explicit geographic information system. Satellite-based rapid assessment was conducted to measure spatiotemporal changes in Batudulang forest over the years. The general approach to quantify change in the spatial aspect of the forest involved change detection using moderate-resolution imaging spectro-radiometer satellite-based normalized difference …

Strength Structure Analysis Of Main Gate Graving Dock Using Pontoons For Condition Repairs, Budianto Budianto

Makara Journal of Technology

Main gate graving dock with pontoon type can certainly suffered some level of damage after a long period of operation. Many employments within the graving dock can delay the process repair of main gate. The main gate may not be opened, because employees are still working to ship fabrication process under sea waterline. For accommodate these interrelated conditions, the best solution with repair one side of the main gate with type pontoon and employees can still work ship fabrication process in graving dock conducted simultaneously. The repair process conditions must be required main gate structure that consists of only one …

Microstructures And Hardness Of Tig Welded Experimental 57fe15cr25ni Steel, Parikin Parikin, Mohammad Dani, Abu Khalid Rivai, Agus Hadi Ismoyo, Riza Iskandar, Arbi Dimyati

Makara Journal of Technology

The microstructures and hardness of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded experimental 57Fe15Cr25Ni steel were investigated through optical–scanning electron microscopy analyses and with a hardness tester, respectively. The welding process restructured the constituent atoms into regular and irregular crystal lattices. Rapid cooling of the weld metal allowed the formation of a dendritic (columnar) structure, with porous grains. By contrast, slow cooling influenced HAZ and led to the formation of grain structures. The crystal lattice became more organized and larger than other zones. Meanwhile, the base metal formed circular nets that covered large area inside thick and thin grain boundaries. The diffraction …

Mapping Of Bruise Of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunch During Loading And Transportation From Field To Mill, Andreas Wahyu Krisdiarto

Makara Journal of Technology

Fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) are used as raw materials for palm oil, and their transport from a field is a critical step to maintain their quality. Fruit integrity should be maintained so the mill can efficiently obtain palm oil with less than 5% free fatty acid content. Physical treatments for FFBs during loading to truck bins and transport may cause physical injuries. This research aimed to map fruit bruises. The map can be used as a basis in managing transport of FFBs. Physical injuries were assessed by bruise index (BI), which was calculated by measuring the bruise area and weight …

Benchmarking Product Service System Of Generator Set Distributors, Venny Violetta Tiurindah, Tanika Dewi Sofianti

Makara Journal of Technology

Power generation is an industry that is essential to sustain daily life and competes with generator set distributors. The product service system of distributors must be improved to survive the competition. This research aims to develop tools for benchmarking the product service system of generator set distributors. Benchmarking identifies gaps between a product and other competitors’ products. In this work, a product service system board is used to visualize the current product service system of a generator set distributor. A PPIAF framework and a SERVQUAL framework are adapted to assess product performance and service quality, respectively. AHP is used as …

Economic Model Predictive Control Design Via Nonlinear Model Identification, Laura Giuliani, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

Increasing pushes toward next-generation/smart manufacturing motivate the development of economic model predictive control (EMPC) designs which can be practically deployed. For EMPC, the constraints, objective function, and accuracy of the state predictions would benefit from process models that describe the process physics. However, obtaining first- principles models of chemical process systems can be time-consuming or challenging such that it is preferable to develop physics-based process models automatically from process operating data. In this work, we take initial steps in this direction by suggesting that because experiments that are used to characterize first-principles models often target specific types of data, an …

Imaging Characterization Of Current Generating Lipid-Protein Membranes, Joel D. Kamwa

Microelectronics-Photonics Student Works

Imaging Characterization of Current Generating Lipid-protein Membranes

Insights Into Low Salinity Water Flooding, Hasan N. Al-Saedi, Ralph E. Flori, Patrick V. Brady

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In our previous work, we examined the potential of divalent cations (Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) in formation water (FW) for low-salinity (LS) EOR effect, where the increase in divalent cations in FW lowered the impact of LS water EOR.

In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of the same divalent cations in the injected water (both FW and LS water). We also try to relate the percentage of the divalent cations in the injected water to that in the FW to engineer the optimum concentration of the injected water and obtain the maximum oil recovery from sandstone reservoirs. …

A Reference High-Pressure Co2 Adsorption Isotherm For Ammonium Zsm-5 Zeolite: Results Of An Interlaboratory Study, H. G.T. Nguyen, L. Espinal, R. D. Van Zee, M. Thommes, B. Toman, M. S.L. Hudson, E. Mangano, S. Brandani, D. P. Broom, M. J. Benham, K. Cychosz, P. Bertier, F. Yang, B. M. Krooss, R. L. Siegelman, M. Hakuman, K. Nakai, A. D. Ebner, L. Erden, J. A. Ritter, A. Moran, Orhan Talu, Y. Huang, K. S. Walton, P. Billemont, G. De Weireld

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

© 2018, The Author(s). This paper reports the results of an international interlaboratory study led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on the measurement of high-pressure surface excess carbon dioxide adsorption isotherms on NIST Reference Material RM 8852 (ammonium ZSM-5 zeolite), at 293.15 K (20 °C) from 1 kPa up to 4.5 MPa. Eleven laboratories participated in this exercise and, for the first time, high-pressure adsorption reference data are reported using a reference material. An empirical reference equation nex=d(1+exp[(-ln(P)+a)/b])c, [nex-surface excess uptake (mmol/g), P-equilibrium pressure (MPa), a = −6.22, b = 1.97, c = 4.73, and d …

State Measurement Spoofing Prevention Through Model Predictive Control Design, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

Security of chemical process control systems against cyberattacks is critical due to the potential for injuries and loss of life when chemical process systems fail. A potential means by which process control systems may be attacked is through the manipulation of the measurements received by the controller. One approach for addressing this is to design controllers that make manipulating the measurements received by the controller in any meaningful fashion very difficult, making the controllers a less attractive target for a cyberattack of this type. In this work, we develop a model predictive control (MPC) implementation strategy that incorporates Lyapunov-based stability …