Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Separation Of The Petroleum System, Ali Ibrahim Neamah

The Hilltop Review

This study discusses the overall process of crude oil separation as well as the necessary equipment used in the process. Also discussed and analyzed are potential issues seen in the crude oil extraction process. Reasons why these operation problems may occur are analyzed as well as treatment options for such occurring issues are discussed for employees and students alike. This research is based off of personal involvement at the Nasiriyah Degassing Station located in Dhi Qar, Iraq.

The Effects Of Multiple Probes On The Hybridization Of Target Dna On Surfaces, Ryan C. Welling, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

DNA microarrays have disruptive potential in many fields including genetics and medicine, but the technology has yet to find widespread clinical use due to poor reliability. Microarrays work on the principle of hybridization and can only be as dependable as this process is reliable. As such, a significant amount of theoretical research has been done to understand hybridization on surfaces on the molecular level. Previous simulations of a target strand with a single, surface-tethered probe molecule have yielded valuable insights, but such is an ideal system and little is known about the effects of multiple probes—a situation that more closely …

Electrochemical Processes In Microfluidics Systems Under Ac Electric Fields, Ran An

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Alternating current (AC) electric signal has been widely applied in microfluidic systems to induce AC electrokinetic behavior. AC electrokinetic phenomena including AC electrophoresis, AC dielectrophoresis, AC electroosmosis flow and AC electrothermal flow are widely applied in (bio)particle sorting, separation and concentration and micropumps. However, numbers of non-ideal AC electrokinetic behaviors have been reported: human erythrocyte deformation in AC dielectrophoresis system has been observed; flow reversal in AC electroosmosis flow pumps has also been reported. In this dissertation, a systematic study on human erythrocyte crenation in AC dielectrophoresis system was firstly conducted. Multiple possible physical mechanisms inducing cell crenation including temperature, …

Bio-Oil And Biodiesel As Biofuels Derived From Microalgal Oil And Their Characterization By Using Instrumental Techniques, Dipesh Kumar, Bhaskar Singh, Kuldeep Bauddh, John Korstad

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

Microalgal oil has been a source for production of biofuels such as bio-oil and biodiesel. These two biofuels can be characterized quantitatively using advanced instrumentation techniques. Nile red fluorescence method, PAM fluorometry, NMR, GC/GC-MS, and FTIR are among the major techniques available for characterization and quantification of algal oil. NMR is a rapid and nondestructive analytical technique as it requires minimal sample preparation, and even one intact algal cell can be analyzed. It can also be used for continuous monitoring of cellular composition of algal culture. NMR can be used to monitor transesterification reaction and oxidation of lipids and biodiesel …

The Optimization And Comparison Of A Cerium Salt-Based Phosphate Filtration System To Industry Standard Phosphate Removal Water Filtration Systems, Nicholas Seymour, Snehi Shrestha, Laura Viktoria Pretzman

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Phosphorous, being one of the fundamental building blocks of life, has been linked with the increase of cyanobacteria and algae growth. One of the main ways that phosphorous enters the marine ecosystem is through the form of runoff phosphates from fertilizers and industrial processes. In addition to disrupting the biology of ecosystems another drawback of excess of phosphates is the tendency for these chemical groups to form scale buildup on metal through the form of calcium phosphate.

The goal of our project is to investigate a novel way of removing phosphate groups from wastewater with the use of the rare …

Rapid Diagnostics With Nanoparticles, Lance Johnson, Sai Katikala, Maaz Nawaz

Capstone Design Expo Posters

More than 500,000 open-heart surgeries are performed in the United States every year. The anticoagulant Heparin is used to decrease the likelihood of thrombosis or hemorrhaging in each surgery by bonding to the enzyme inhibitor antithrombin III (AT-III). However, anesthesiologists currently lack the ability to measure antithrombin levels in a patient quickly, making appropriate Heparin dosages difficult to determine and possibly resulting in thrombosis or hemorrhaging if thrombin levels move outside the allowable range. This could be prevented with a simple bedside test. Current tests use gold, but we believe Iron (III) Oxide (commonly known as rust) can be used …

A Treatment For Menorrhagia And Irregular Menstruation: Free Flowing Cryo-Fluid Endometrial Ablation, Julia Biddle, Hubertina Rose Tolpa, Krystal Zentgraf

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Menorrhagia (abnormally heavy and prolonged menstrual period) is a condition suffered by many women; these women have menstrual flow greater than 80 mL per cycle compared to the average 30 mL for normal cycles. The area of the uterus responsible for menorrhagia is the regenerative basal layer of the endometrium (inner uterine layer). In order to relieve menorrhagia, the endometrium needs to be destroyed through the basal layer. This project looks to address issues which patients face with current standard menorrhagia treatments, such as invasiveness, intense pain, or incomplete treatment of the uterine wall, by developing a superior remedy.

The …

Separation Technologies Of Base Oils: The Optimization Of An Anaerobic Thermal Desorption Unit, Kelsey Mangham, Nicholas Montesdeoca, Michael "Ngyuon" Lay

Capstone Design Expo Posters

There has been a recent increase in the amount of oil and natural gas exploration due to fuel reserves that were once inaccessible in North America becoming available through methods such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. However, these methods of exploration generate substantial amounts of oil contaminated waste which pose significant pollution risks of which current methods of treatment are slow and ineffective. This project aims to design a better operating process for use with Anaerobic Thermal Desorption Units (ATDU) that are currently manufactured by RLC Technologies which offer more environmentally safe and quick processing of such wastes.

Current …

Carbon Adsorber Fouling: Removal Of Ammonium Bisulfate, Ahmed Ahmed Elmak, R. Luke Bolten, Christopher Holland

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Infilco Degremont’s efficient sludge treatment process using a High Temperature Fluidized Bed (HTFB) incinerator is used by several waste processing plants in the United States and Canada. In a few instances, a buildup of ammonium bisulfate within the activated carbon bed absorbers has become an issue. The carbon bed absorbers are used for the removal of mercury from the incinerator flue gas. Buildup of this compound on the carbon surface results in increases in the pressure drop across the adsorber, as well as decreases in the efficiency of the unit. This eventually leads to the need to shutdown the afflicted …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Algal Biofuels, Dipesh Kumar, John Korstad, Bhaskar Singh

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

First- and second-generation biofuels are widely recognized as unsustainable in the long run due to associated challenges and are incapable to completely displace petroleum-based transportation fuels. Biofuel from algae (third generation of biofuels) is an emerging area of research and offers several potential benefits over first and second generation of biofuels. To achieve the goals of sustainable development needed today requires moving beyond the general compliance to specified norms for environmental protection and a cradle-to-grave-approach-based analysis of products and processes. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool to assess the environmental, social, and economic performance of alternative products and …

Upgrade Of Flash Pyrolysis Condensate By Esterification With Higher Alcohols, Tim Schulzke, Stefan Conrad, Stefan Kaluza, Tom Van Loo

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Palm Oil Mills Into Biorefineries: Technical, And Environmental Assessment Of Six Biorefinery Options, Jesus Alberto Garcia-Nunez, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Daisy Tatiana Rodriguez, Nidia Elizabeth Ramirez, Carlos Fontanilla, Claudio Stockle, James Amonette, Craig Frear, Electro Silva

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Organosolv Pretreatment As A Major Step Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Refining, Dimitrios Sidiras, Ioanna Salapa

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Fractionation Of Flash Pyrolysis Condensates By Staged Condensation, Tim Schulzke, Stefan Conrad, Jan Westermeyer

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Electrical Characterization Of Different Carbon Based Polymer Composites, Mauro Giorcelli, Aamer Abbas Khan, Patrizia Savi, Franco Berruti, Alberto Tagliaferro

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Biorecoverbiomass Residues Conversion & Valorisation For An Economic Refinery, Paul J. De Wild

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Pure Aromatics From Biomass, Matti Reinikainen, David Thomas, Pekka Simell, Ikka Hannula

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Organosolv Pretreatment As A Major Step Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Refining, Dimitrios K. Sidiras, Ioanna S. Salapa

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.

Effluent Treatment And Recovery Of Polyether Using Nanoporous Technology, Suhaib Alramamneh, Zachary Turner, Allison Warth

Capstone Design Expo Posters

This semester Evonik Industries, a specialty chemical producer located in Hopewell, Virginia, approached VCU’s Chemical Engineering department with a project that would reduce their costs and increase process sustainability. The project is to determine a way to separate their liquid organic product from their waste stream in order to recycle the lost product. Liquid-Liquid extraction is a procedure used across most of the chemical industry. Proven separation techniques already exist for the standard liquid-liquid separation; however, when one liquid is miscible in the other the difficulty of separation is greatly increased. In order to do a liquid-liquid separation of an …

Synthetic Fuels From 3-Φ Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis Using Bio-Derived Gas Feed And Novel Nanometric Catalysts, James Aluha, Nadi Braidy, Yongfeng Hu, Ajay Dalai, Nicolas Abatzoglou

Biorefinery I: Chemicals and Materials From Thermo-Chemical Biomass Conversion and Related Processes

No abstract provided.