Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Characterization Of Rock/Fluids Interactions At Reservoir Conditions, Dayanand Saini

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, interfacial phenomena of spreading, wettability, and rock/oil adhesion interactions in complex rock/oil/water systems were characterized at reservoir conditions of elevated pressures and temperatures. Capabilities of both ambient and reservoir condition optical cells were used for measuring the oil/water interfacial tension and dynamic (the water-receding and the water-advancing) contact angles for various complex rock/oil/water systems. Well known sessile oil drop volume alteration method was successfully used in this study for evaluating the applicability of the modified Young’s equation for characterizing the line tension in complex rock/oil/water systems at reservoir conditions. This appears to be first time when rock/fluids …

Arsenite Oxidation By Pure Cultures Of Thiomonas Arsenivorans Strain B6 In Bioreactor Systems, Aniruddha Dastidar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The removal of arsenic toxicity from water is accomplished by a preliminary preoxidative step transforming the most toxic form, arsenite (As (III)), to the least toxic form, arsenate (As (V)). The potential of As (III) oxidation to As (V) was initially investigated in batch reactors using the chemoautotrophic Thiomonas arsenivorans strain b6 under varying initial As (III) and cell concentrations and at optimal pH and temperature conditions (pH 6.0 and temperature 30°C). The strain b6 completely oxidized As (III) to As (V) during exponential growth phase for lower levels of As (III) concentrations (≤ 100 mg/L) but continued into stationary …

Remote Controlled Hydrogel Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications, Nitin S. Satarkar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

There is significant interest in the development of hydrogels and hydrogel nanocomposites for a variety of biomedical applications including drug delivery, sensors and actuators, and hyperthermia cancer treatment. The incorporation of nanoparticulates into a hydrogel matrix can result in unique material characteristics such as enhanced mechanical properties, swelling response, and capability of remote controlled (RC) actuation. In this dissertation, the development of hydrogel nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes, actuation with remote stimulus, and some of their applications are highlighted.

The primary hydrogel nanocomposite systems were synthesized by incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles into temperature responsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) matrices. Various nanocomposite properties …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Magnetic Hydrogel Nanocomposites For Cancer Therapy Applications, Samantha Ann Meenach

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Conventional cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection, but unfortunately, all of these methods have significant drawbacks. Hyperthermia, the heating of cancerous tissues to between 41 and 45°C, has been shown to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy when used in conjunction with irradiation and/or chemotherapy. In this work, a novel method for remotely administering heat is presented. This method involves heating of tumor tissue using hydrogel nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles which can be remotely heated upon exposure to an external alternating magnetic field (AMF). The …

Supercritical Pyrolysis Of N-Decane, Sean Bagley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fuels used in future generations of high-speed jet aircraft will be required to take on increasing heat loads in their role as the primary coolant for the absorption of waste heat from the engine. As a consequence, the hydrocarbon fuels will be exposed to elevated temperatures and pressures prior to their use as fuels, conditions which are beyond the critical point of the fuel and which lead to the formation of carbonaceous solid deposits in the pre-combustion environment.

Deposition of solids causes reduced engine performance and eventual failure, so understanding the mechanisms by which thermally stressed hydrocarbons become solids is …

Transient Study Of The Wetting Films In Porous Media Using 3d X-Ray Computed Micro-Tomography: Effect Of Imbibition Rate And Pore Geometry, Pradeep Bhattad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Imbibition in porous media is governed by the complex interplay between viscous and capillary forces, pore structure and fluid properties. Understanding and predicting imbibition is important in many natural and engineered applications; it affects the efficiency of oil production operations, the moisture and contaminant transport in soil science, and the formation of defects in certain types of composite materials. Majority of the studies published on the transient imbibition behavior in a porous medium were conducted in the simplified 2D transparent micromodels or the 2D projection visualization (X-ray or visible light) of the 3D porous medium. However, the pore level transient …

Response Surface Optimization Of Crystal Violet Decolorization By Pellets Of Pyncnoporus Sanguineus., Siti Suhana Sulaiman

Student Works (2010-2019)

Ligninolytic enzymes of white-rot fungi have broad specificities and have been implicated in transformation and mineralization of organo-pollutant with chemical structure similar to lignin e.g. synthetic dyes. This study was carried out to optimize selected parameters for decolorization of Crystal violet by Pycnoporus sanguineus in shake flasks. The parameters studied were initial dye concentration (ppm), agitation speed (rpm) and process time. They were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Subsequent to the optimization, the decolorization process was scaled up in stirred tank reactor (STR). Effect of different geometry of impellers on the decolorization process was studied. Curved blade and angled …

Characteristics Of Proton Conducting Pva-Chitosan Polymer Blend Electrolytes., Mohd Fakhrul Zamani Abdul Kadir

Student Works (2010-2019)

The main focus of this present work is to build a good conducting solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) blend. Solution cast technique has been employed to produce sample films in this work. From the scanning electron micrographs (SEM) the surface morphology of the blend containing 40 wt.% chitosan and 60 wt.% PVA (C4P6) is homogenous and miscible in one and another. The C4P6 film is the most amorphous and is the best candidate for the polymer host in the electrolyte systems studied in the present work. Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3) is the doping salt that provides …

Electrodeposition Of Tin Using Tin (Ii) Methanesulfonate From Mixture Of Ionic Liquid And Methane Sulfonic Acid., Yang Kok Kee

Student Works (2010-2019)

The electrodeposition of tin from Tin(II) Methane Sulfonate (MSA) with varying concentration in air and water stable 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate, (BMPOTF) ionic liquid at room temperature was studied. Cyclic Voltammetry served to characterize the electrochemical behavior of tin reduction and oxidation. The diffusion coefficient of stannous ions in the mixture of BMPOTF ionic liquid and MSA based electrolyte obtained via Randles-Sevcik and Cottrell equation was 2 × 10-7 cm2/s. Electroplating on copper panel was conducted under different current densities to determine BMPOTF based tin plating solution current efficiency. Mixture of BMPOTF and MSA based tin plating solution gave current efficiency as …

Synthesis Of Urethane Acrylate Macromer From Palm Oil-Based Polyol And Its Application As A Resin For Dental Composite., Fadhel A. A. Alsanabani

Student Works (2010-2019)

A slightly branched urethane acrylate macromer (UAM) was synthesized by reacting palm oil-based polyol with excess amounts of polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) to form urethane prepolymer, then reacted with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the urethane and grafted acrylate groups. 0.2% by weight of camphoroquinone (CQ) and 0.8% by weight of ethyl-4-N,N-dimethylamino-benzoate (4EDMAB) by weight were added to render the experimental resins light-curable. Their viscosity, percentage of degree of conversion (%DC) and cross-linking density (CLD), percentage of volumetric polymerization shrinkage (%VPS), water sorption and solubility, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and toughness were determined and compared to …

Thermo-Electrical And Mechanical Studies On Polymer-Organically Modified Montmorillonite Composite., Norhana Abdul Halim

Student Works (2010-2019)

The field of polymer-nanoclay composite has attracted a lot of attention in materials studies due to the dramatic improvement on polymers characteristics. For example mechanical and thermal properties, chemical resistance as well as the reduced gas permeability. However, structural changes and the mechanisms that may contribute to these improvements are not fully understood. In this work, the study on polymer nanoclay composite concentrates on the effects of OMON inclusion within different polymer matrix systems. The matrixes are a series of natural rubbers (Standard Malaysia Rubber – Latex grade (SMRL); Deproteinized Natural Rubber (DPNR) and Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR-50)), plasticized Polyvinyl …

Electrical And Structural Studies Of Polyacrylonitrile (Pan) Complexed With Inorganic Salts., Khairul Bahiyah Md Isa

Student Works (2010-2019)

In the present study, polymer electrolyte films composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a host polymer, ethylene carbonate (EC) as the plasticizer and lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) and sodium triflate (NaCF3SO3) as dopant salts were prepared by the solution cast technique. Five systems of polymer electrolytes films have been prepared; these systems are the plasticized-PAN system i.e. PAN-EC system, two salted-PAN systems i.e. PAN-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-NaCF3SO3, and two plasticized-salted PAN systems i.e. PAN-EC-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-EC-NaCF3SO3. The pure PAN film was prepared as a reference. The ionic conductivity for each system is characterized using impedance spectroscopy. The room temperature conductivity of the pure …

Synthesis Of Chromium-Based Ziegler-Natta Catalysts And Thier Application In Ethylene Polymerization And Copolymerization., Wong Jun Xuan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Four chromium-based oxo-trinuclear carboxylate complexes were prepared by reacting Cr(NO3).9H2O with acetic acid and substituted carboxylic acids to produce [Cr3O(CH3COO)6.3H2O]NO3.7H2O,[Cr3O(ClCH2COO)6.3H2O]NO3.3H2O, [Cr3O(Cl2CHCOO)6.3H2O]NO3.H2O and [Cr3O(Cl3CCOO)6.3H2O]NO3.2H2O, which alysis (TGA).Chromium content in each complex was determined by titrimetry method and the result was in good agreement with that from TGA. Chromium(III)monochloroacetate complex[Cr3O(ClCH2COO)6.3H2O]NO3.3H2O in combination with diethylaluminium chloride formed heterogeneous catalyst system for ethylene polymerization and ethylene-propylene copolymerization. Both Al/Cr ratio and temperature influenced the catalytic activity. The maximum activity of ethylene polymerization was 1768 gPE/gCr/hr/atm, achieved by polymerizing ethylene at 29°C with Al/Cr ratio 30.8. Effect of chloro-substituent groups on carboxylic ligand was studied …

Electrodeposition Of Tin Using Tin(Ii) Methanesulfonate From Mixture Of Ionic Liquid And Methane Sulfonic Acid., Yang Kok Kee

Student Works (2010-2019)

The electrodeposition of tin from Tin(II) Methane Sulfonate (MSA) with varying concentration in air and water stable 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate, (BMPOTF) ionic liquid at room temperature was studied. Cyclic Voltammetry served to characterize the electrochemical behavior of tin reduction and oxidation. The diffusion coefficient of stannous ions in the mixture of BMPOTF ionic liquid and MSA based electrolyte obtained via Randles-Sevcik and Cottrell equation was 2 × 10-7 cm2/s. Electroplating on copper panel was conducted under different current densities to determine BMPOTF based tin plating solution current efficiency. Mixture of BMPOTF and MSA based tin plating solution gave current efficiency as …

Effect Of Selected Physical And Chemical Parameters On Crystal Violet Decolorization By Immobilized Laccase., Nur Atiqah Ismail

Student Works (2010-2019)

Synthetic dyes are used for coloration of various materials like textiles, leather and food. Wastewater from dyeing industries constitutes a threat to the environment as many synthetic dyes are often toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Besides, light absorption is hindered by the dyes run-off creating problems to photosynthetic aquatic plants and algae. Biodegradation of waste dyestuff with enzymes provides a viable alternative compared to the often expensive physical/chemical methods. Laccase from Trametes versicolor was chosen in this study as it exhibits low substrate specificity and high ability to oxidize many pollutants which suggested its potential in wastewater treatment and bioremediation. The …

Investigation Of Nitrogen Release During Coal Pyrolysis In An Oxy-Fuel Combustion Process, John M. Sowa, Kolbein K. Kolste, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Three coals were studied in a flat flame burner (FFB) to determine nitrogen release during pyrolysis as a function of the temperature from 1600 to 1900 K in an oxy-fuel environment. The oxy-fuel environment was created by replacing the background N2 with CO2 in the FFB experiments. Both types of experiments were conducted under fuel-rich conditions, with no O2 present in the postflame gases. The oxy-fuel results were compared to previous results from FFB experiments in a N2 atmosphere. A bituminous coal showed no difference in mass and nitrogen release between the two environments. The sub-bituminous coal exhibited higher mass …

The Surface Characteristics And Reactivity Of Residual Carbon In Coal Gasification Slag, Xianglong Zhao, Cai Zeng, Yanyan Mao, Wenhua Li, Yun Peng, Tao Wang, Boris Eiteneer, Vladimir Zamansky, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

In a slagging entrained-flow coal gasifier, a large portion of the inorganic matter will form liquid slag that may have strong physical and chemical interactions with char. Understanding the char-slag interaction is important for improving the modeling and design of gasifiers. This paper reports the characteristics of residual carbon in both coarse and fine slag from a typical entrained-flow coal water slurry gasifier. The surface characteristics of slag and residual carbon in slag were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The reactivity of the residual carbon in slag was compared through thermal gravimetric analysis. It was …

A Sub-Grid, Mixture–Fraction-Based Thermodynamic Equilibrium Model For Gas Phase Combustion In Firetec: Development And Results, Michael M. Clark, Thomas H. Fletcher, Rodman R. Linn

Faculty Publications

The chemical processes of gas phase combustion in wildland fires are complex and occur at length-scales that are not resolved in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of landscape-scale wildland fire. A new approach for modelling fire chemistry in HIGRAD/FIRETEC (a landscape-scale CFD wildfire model) applies a mixture–fraction model relying on thermodynamic chemical equilibrium to predict combustion flame temperatures and product species compositions. The mixture–fraction approach is common in combustor modelling applications. However, since individual flame sheets are not resolved in HIGRAD/FIRETEC, application of the mixture–fraction approach requires the development of a sub-grid model, which is based on the two assumptions …

Optimization Of Parameters And Study Of Kinetics In Lactulose Production By Lactose Isomerization Using Strong Basic Anion Exchange Resin, Arvind Nanduri

Masters Theses

"In this work, an experimental design was employed to investigate the effects of different operating conditions on the isomerization of lactose to lactulose by using strong basic anion exchange resin (AMBERLITE-IRA 402). Temperature, resin/lactose mass ratio and pH were considered to be the three factors affecting the conversion of lactose. Box-Behnken design was then used to optimize the operating conditions for maximum response and also to study the various interaction and main effects of the factors. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the experimental data showed a high correlation coefficient R² (0.99) and a low root mean square error (2.84) …

Fabrication Of A Memory Device Using Polyaniline Nanofibers And Gold Nanoparticles, Krunal R. Waghela

Masters Theses

"Fabrication of a memory device using one-step/one-pot synthesis for making a PANI (polyaniline)/Au nanocomposite is reported. Although various devices with horizontal and vertical electrode structures were made, the basic structure used consisted of a PANI/Au thin film sandwiched between two electrodes. The ratio of the current in the OFF state to the current in the ON state was seen to be as high as 5000. These devices showed a bistable behavior, which is typical of memory devices. The PANI/Au nanocomposite thin film was constructed right on the electrode using microfabrication techniques with ultraviolet irradiation. The fabrication techniques discussed in this …