Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Combustion Dynamics Of Individual Reactive Material Particles, Carlo Francisco Badiola

Theses

Metallic reactive powders are widely used as solid fuels, pyrotechnic materials, and components of enhanced blast explosives. Metals are attractive because of their high combustion enthalpies and temperatures. Quantitative descriptions of the combustion processes and mechanisms for both pure metal and composite particles are also desired for their proper implementation in specific applications. Among reactive metals, Al is used most widely and its combustion has been studied extensively. A recently developed experimental setup using laser-ignited metal powders enabled one to record optical signatures for time-resolved combustion instances for 2-25 µm diameter aluminum particles burning in different atmospheres. Individual particle diameters …

Preparation Of Different Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes By Interfacial Polymerization And The Effect Of Post-Polymerization Treatment On Separation Performance, Yu Qin

Theses

Interfacial polymerization (IP) is a powerful technique for fabrication of thin film composite (TFC) membranes. In this study, polyamide nanofiltration (NF) composite membranes ware prepared by interfacial polymerization of polyethylenimine (PEI) or m-phenylene diamine (MPD) with isophthaloyl dichloride (IPD) on the surface of a porous polyethersulfone (PES) support. Concentrations of monomer reactants for this reaction were decided by equivalent weight ratio. A standard IP procedure was applied to successfully coat PES flat films. After preparation, three different post-polymerization treatments were employed and one optimal treatment was proven after membrane testing.

The TFC flat film membranes were characterized by nanofiltration of …

Carbon Dioxide Transfer Through Hollow Fiber Membranes, Pavlo Kostetskyy

Theses and Dissertations

Studies on absorption of CO2 into an aqueous solution using hydrophobic microporous hollow fiber membranes (HFM's) were performed. The use of HFM's for CO2 transfer could significantly improve the biomass growth rate in a photobioreactor for algal biofuel production. The membrane modules were operated in a sealed-end, parallel flow configuration. Several modules were constructed that ranged in interfacial surface area from 466 to 1397 m2/m3. The mass transfer coefficients were calculated based on a model of the system that included a prediction of the internal axial gas concentrations within the fiber lumen. This model was validated by measuring bulk gas …

Altering Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Surface Properties Induce Cortical Neuron Cytotoxicity, Christopher J. Rivet, Yuan Yuan, Diana Andra Borca-Tasciuc, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, with diameters in the range of a few tens of nanometers, display the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and are envisioned as diagnostic and therapeutic tools in neuro-medicine. However, despite the numerous applications being explored, insufficient information is available on their potential toxic effect on neurons. While iron oxide has been shown to pose a decreased risk of toxicity, surface functionalization, often employed for targeted delivery, can significantly alter the biological response. This aspect is addressed in the present study, which investigates the response of primary cortical neurons to iron oxide nanoparticles with coatings frequently …

Can Morphology Tailoring Improve The Open Circuit Voltage Of Organic Solar Cells?, Biswajit Ray, M. S. Lundstrom, Muhammad A. Alam

Birck and NCN Publications

While the effect of interfacial morphology on the short circuit current (I_SC) of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) is well known, its impact on open circuit voltage (V_OC) and fill-factor (FF) are less clear. Since the output power of a solar cell Pout = I_SCV_OCFF, such understanding is critical for designing high-performance, morphology-engineered OPVs. In this letter, we provide an explicit analytical proof that any effort to radically improve V_OC by tailoring bulk heterojunction morphology is futile, because any increase in ISC due to larger interface area is counterbalanced by corresponding increase …

Resolution Limit For Dna Barcodes In The Odijk Regime, Yanwei Wang, Wes F. Reinhart, Douglas R. Tree, Kevin D. Dorfman

Faculty Publications

We develop an approximation for the probability of optically resolving two fluorescent labels on the backbone of a DNA molecule confined in a nanochannel in the Odijk regime as a function of the fluorescence wavelength, channel size, and the properties of the DNA (persistence length and effective width). The theoretical predictions agree well with equivalent data produced by Monte Carlo simulations of a touching wormlike bead model of DNA in a high ionic strength buffer. Although the theory is only strictly valid in the limit where the effective width of the nanochannel is small compared with the persistence length of …

The Potential Of Industrial Waste And Agricultural Feedstock Towards Sustainable Biofuels Production: Techno-Economic And Environmental Impact Perspectives, Felix K. Adom

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

This Ph.D. research is comprised of three major components; (i) Characterization study to analyze the composition of defatted corn syrup (DCS) from a dry corn mill facility (ii) Hydrolysis experiments to optimize the production of fermentable sugars and amino acid platform using DCS and (iii) Sustainability analyses. Analyses of DCS included total solids, ash content, total protein, amino acids, inorganic elements, starch, total carbohydrates, lignin, organic acids, glycerol, and presence of functional groups. Total solids content was 37.4% (± 0.4%) by weight, and the mass balance closure was 101%. Total carbohydrates [27% (± 5%) wt.] comprised of starch (5.6%), soluble …

Analysis Of The Penney-Ante Game Using Difference Equations: Development Of An Optimal And A Mixed-Strategies Protocol, Carl Barratt, Pauline Schwartz

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

Penney-Ante is a well known two-player (Player I and Player II) game based on an information paradox. We present a new approach, using difference-equations, to analyzing the outcome for each player. One strategy yields a winning outcome of 75% for Player II, the player playing second. The approach also permits investigation of non-optimal strategies, and demonstrates how mixing of such strategies can be used to tune the winning edge of either player. We generalize the analysis to accommodate the possibility of a biased coin.

Controlling Nanoparticles Formation In Molten Metallic Bilayers By Pulsed-Laser Interference Heating, Mikhail Khenner, Sagar Yadavali, Ramki Kalyanaraman

Mathematics Faculty Publications

The impacts of the two-beam interference heating on the number of core-shell and embedded nanoparticles and on nanostructure coarsening are studied numerically based on the non-linear dynamical model for dewetting of the pulsed-laser irradiated, thin (< 20 nm) metallic bilayers. The model incorporates thermocapillary forces and disjoining pressures, and assumes dewetting from the optically transparent substrate atop of the reflective support layer, which results in the complicated dependence of light reflectivity and absorption on the thicknesses of the layers. Stabilizing thermocapillary effect is due to the local thickness-dependent, steady- state temperature profile in the liquid, which is derived based on the mean substrate temperature estimated from the elaborate thermal model of transient heating and melting/freezing. Linear stability analysis of the model equations set for Ag/Co bilayer predicts the dewetting length scales in the qualitative agreement with experiment.

Kinetic Models Of The Prebiotic Replication Of Dsrna Under Thermal Cycling Conditions, Pauline Schwartz, Dante M. Lepore, Carl Barratt

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

We present computational models for the replication of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) or related macromolecules under thermal cycling conditions that would reflect prebiotic (i.e. non-enzymatic) environments. Two models of the replication of dsRNA are represented as multi-step chemical systems. The objective of this investigation was to better understand the kinetic features of such chemical systems. It is shown that thermal cycling in a chemical system is advantageous (relative to a fixed temperature) if there are two competing reactions, one favored at high temperature and one favored at low temperature. For the prebiotic replication of dsRNA, a high temperature favors formation …

Sustainable Design Of Complex Industrial And Energy Systems Under Uncertainty, Zheng Liu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Depletion of natural resources, environmental pressure, economic globalization, etc., demand seriously industrial organizations to ensure that their manufacturing be sustainable. On the other hand, the efforts of pursing sustainability also give raise to potential opportunities for improvements and collaborations among various types of industries.

Owing to inherent complexity and uncertainty, however, sustainability problems of industrial and energy systems are always very difficult to deal with, which has made industrial practice mostly experience based. For existing research efforts on the study of industrial sustainability, although systems approaches have been applied in dealing with the challenge of system complexity, most of them …

Biofuels Production From Hydrotreating Of Vegetable Oil Using Supported Noble Metals, And Transition Metal Carbide And Nitride, Huali Wang

Wayne State University Dissertations

The focus of this research is to prepare non-sulfided hydrotreating catalysts, supported noble metal and transition metal carbide/ nitride, and evaluate their hydrocracking activities and selectivities by using soybean oil as the feedstock. For comparison study, catalytic cracking of soybean oil over a commercialized ZSM-5 was investigated. However, steady state could not be reached because significant amounts of tar and coke were generated during the reaction though a high yield (21%) of jet fuel was obtained from the process. Compared to the catalytic cracking process, less tar and coke were formed during the hydrocracking process and stable continuous flow reaction …

New Precursors And Chemistry For The Growth Of Transition Metal Films By Atomic Layer Deposition, Thomas Joseph Knisley

Wayne State University Dissertations

The advancing complexity of advanced microelectronic devices is placing rigorous demands on currently used PVD and CVD deposition techniques. The ALD deposition method is proposed to meet the film thickness and conformality constraints needed by the semiconductor industry in future manufacturing processes. Unfortunately, there is a limited number of chemical precursors available that have high thermal stability, reactivity, and vapor pressure suitable for ALD film growth to occur. These properties collectively contribute to the lack of suitable transition metal precursors available for use in ALD. In this thesis, we report the discovery of a series of novel transition metal diazadienate …

Study Of Air Bubble Injection Into Laminar And Turbulent Water Flow Through An Annular Test Section, Debbrata Das

Dissertations and Theses

Injection of bubbles into a vertical upward flow of water in an annular flow channel was studied experimentally under laminar and turbulent conditions. In order to measure the size and shape of the bubbles, a flow visualization system was set up in a vertical test section with a high speed video camera. A PIV measurement technique was also used to determine laminar and turbulent velocity profiles in the liquid stream. In this study, an efficient image processing methodology was used to obtain the velocity profiles, bubble size, shapes and trajectory at different Reynolds numbers. The measured velocity profiles matched theoretical …

Aggregation Of Sediment And Bacteria With Mucilage From The Opuntia Ficus-Indica Cactus, Audrey Lynn Buttice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flocculants are commonly used in industrial settings where solid-liquid separations are desired including industrial and municipal wastewater management and potable water production facilities. Conventional flocculants include inorganic metal salts and synthetic organic polymers. The cost, availability, and harmful effects of the non-biodegradable nature of these flocculants have led to the widespread study of natural flocculants. Current natural flocculants being studied include polysaccharides cultivated from microbial extracellular matrix products and plant based materials. In this study, the mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica cactus was evaluated as a natural flocculant for sediments and bacteria. The O. ficus-indica cactus is also known as the …

Design Of Colloidal Composite Catalysts For Co2 Photoreduction And For Co Oxidation, Bijith D. Mankidy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this doctoral dissertation, novel colloidal routes were used to synthesize nanomaterials with unique features. We have studied the impact of nanoparticle size of catalyst, role of high surface area of a photocatalyst, and the effect of varying elemental composition of co-catalytic nanoparticles in combination with core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles. We have demonstrated how physical and chemical characteristics of nanomaterials with these unique features play a role in catalytic reactions, specifically the oxidation of CO and the photoreduction of CO2. The first objective of this doctoral dissertation involved the preparation of CoO nanoparticles with discrete nanoparticles sizes (1-14 nm) using a …

A Modeling, Optimization, And Analysis Framework For Designing Multi-Product Lignocellulosic Biorefineries, Paritosh Kumar Sharma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this research is to propose a methodology to develop modular decision analysis frameworks to design value chains for enterprises in the renewable fuels and chemicals sector. The decision support framework focuses on providing strategic decision support to startup and new product ventures. The tasks that are embedded in the framework include process and systems design, technology and product selection, forecasting cost and market variables, designing network capacities, and analysis of risks. The Decision support system (DSS) proposed is based on optimization modeling; systems design are carried out using integer programming with multiple sets of process and network …

Global Homotopy Continuation And Stability Analysis: Optimal Application To Chemical Engineering Design, David Anthony Harney

Doctoral Dissertations

"The design of chemical engineering process equipment routinely necessitates the solution of large systems of non-linear equations. The processing speed of standard desktop computers have allowed for equation-oriented process simulators to become commercially viable. For a fully equation-oriented simulator to be competitive with standard iterative solvers, a robust and reliable non-linear equation solver is required and standard Newton methods fail to provide the necessary reliability.

Homotopy continuation methods have been proposed as a way to greatly expand the domain of convergence of the process simulator's equation solving algorithm. This research expands upon existing homotopy continuation algorithms, investigates bounding algorithms, corrector …

Investigation Of Drillstring Vibration Reduction Tools, Mohammed Fayez Al Dushaishi

Masters Theses

"Drilling related problems such as drillstring vibration is an important cause of premature failure of drillstring components and drilling inefficiency. The vibration of drillstring interferes with measurement collected while drilling. In severe cases, drillstring vibration will lead to wellbore instability that will result in an increase in the operation cost. In the late 1980's, a lot of studies and techniques were developed to mitigate drillstring vibration and downhole vibration measurements were introduced to the industry in two forms; real time measurements and memory devices measurements

A study of drillstring vibration of three different wells located in the Norwegian North Sea …

Polymeric Nanocarriers For The Regional And Systemic Delivery Of Therapeutics To And Through The Lungs, Balaji Bharatwaj

Wayne State University Dissertations

The lungs are considered as one of the fastest portals of entry to the bloodstream and oral inhalation (OI) has long been accepted as the preferred mode of administration of therapeutics to the respiratory tract. However, despite its advantages, the lungs have been largely underutilized to target ailments not only of systemic relevance but also several other grave conditions including lung cancer and tuberculosis. Polymeric nanocarriers (PNCs) have several advantages over other drug delivery vehicles including sustained release of moieties, ease of cellular internalization and improved targeting, and hence hold the promise to greatly augment the potential of OI therapies. …