Heat Transfer, Combustion Commons^™

Effect Of Waste Cooking Oil And Tapioca Starch On Energy Content And Combustion Performance Of Coconut Shell-Rice Husk Briquettes, Satworo Adiwidodo, Wirawan Wirawan, Kris Witono, Moh. Hartono, Asrori Asrori, Fauzan Baananto, Suliono Suliono, Syahrul Mubarok, Norhafana Binti Mohamed

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)

Agricultural waste, such as coconut shells and rice husks, is widely utilized as solid fuel. Tapioca starch serves as the binder, while waste cooking oil (WCO) is used as an additive. Briquette performance is influenced by the type of biomass, binder, and additives used. However, the individual and interactive effects of WCO and tapioca starch on the performance of coconut shell-rice husk briquettes remain insufficiently established. This research focused on evaluating the effects of WCO and tapioca starch on calorific value (CV)  and mass consumption rate. The briquettes' base composition consisted of 75% coconut shell charcoal and 25% rice husk …

Thermo-Entropic Analysis Of Unsteady Mhd Nanofluid Couette Flow: A Classical Spectral Approach With An Exploratory Quantum Linear-Solver Application, Serai Israel Mosala, Oluwole Daniel Makinde, Azwinndini Muronga

Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation with Applications

This study presents a thermo-entropic analysis of unsteady MHD nanofluid Couette flow, combining a classical bivariate spectral quasilinearisation (BI-SQLM) and Crank--Nicolson solution with an exploratory application of quantum linear solvers. An incompressible, electrically conducting nanofluid flows between parallel plates under partial slip and convective heat exchange; the discretised linear systems are additionally solved via the Harrow--Hassidim--Lloyd (HHL) algorithm and the Variational Quantum Linear Solver (VQLS). Results are presented for Pure Water, Cu-Water, and Al₂O₃-Water across seven parameter variations. The Hartmann number dominates velocity suppression and entropy amplification, while velocity slip reduces upper-wall entropy generation more than …

Effects Of Co-Rotating Cylinders And Boundary Conditions On Heat And Mass Transfer In A Trapezoidal Enclosure, Olalekan Adebayo Olayemi, Olalekan Tajudeen Popoola, Leke Thaddeus Oladimeji, Isaac Kayode Adegun, Taofiq Omoniyi Amoloye, Oluwatayo Babatope Ojo, Benjamin Ohida Daniel, Michael Olabode Ibiwoye

Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation with Applications

This study investigates the effects of rotational speed $(\Omega)$, Richardson number $\left(Ri\right)$, and Lewis number $\left(Le\right)$ on heat and mass transfer (HMT) around two co-rotating cylinders symmetrically situated in a trapezoidal enclosure. In the double-diffusive mechanism, the bottom wall of the trapezium is at a high temperature $\left(T_h\right)$ and concentration $\left(C_h\right)$, while the top wall is at a low temperature $\left(T_c\right)$ and concentration $\left(C_c\right)$. The side walls are perfectly insulated with zero mass flux, while the buoyancy ratio $\left(Br\right)$ is fixed at 1.0.  Two thermal-mass boundary scenarios are considered. Scenario 1: Cylinders are thermally insulated with zero mass flux, and …

Design And Fabrication Of 3d Bioprinted Scaffold: Experimental And Machine Learning Methods, Mohan K. Dey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The development of reliable hydrogel-based scaffolds for extrusion bioprinting remains limited by the poor structural fidelity of low-viscosity bioinks and the lack of robust, high-throughput quality evaluation methods. This dissertation can resolve such challenges by developing the combination of optimized hydrogel formulations, cryogenic-assisted bioprinting, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based scaffold evaluation to the use of tissue engineering and preclinical cancer modelling applications. To assess the rheological behavior, printability, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of the alginate – gelatin (Alg–Gel) system, a novel system of hydrogel was developed and characterized using Alg–Gel hydrogel system. The 7% alginate, 8% gelatin mixture was found to …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of The Utilization Of Waste-To-Energy In Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung, Wahyu Punjung Pesonagrata, Mohammad Akita Indianto

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Indonesia has a serious waste problem, which ranking second in marine pollution. Due to significant environmental impacts, a solution to overcome the complexity of waste problems is needed. This study took sample on waste management in Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP). JIEP is an Industrial area which covers 443 hectares of land in East Jakarta. This study aims to address Indonesia's serious waste problem by exploring the potential utilization of waste in the Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP) as Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) for a waste-to-energy (WtE) power plant. The proposed method used a steam power plant with RDF as fuel …

Quantification Of Uncertainty Propagation For Transient Heat Transfer In A Hollow Sphere, Rama Subba Reddy Gorla, Lochlan Joyce, Elie John Barbari

Faculty Publications

Uncertainty propagation and transient heat transfer for a hollow sphere are analyzed. The stochastic Biot number, stochastic linear non-dimensional initial conditions, and various boundary conditions are introduced to define uncertainty propagation influencing the temperature distribution throughout the hollow sphere. The resulting uncertainty amplitude was observed to have transient evolution in time. The uncertainty can either increase or decrease depending on the stochastic parameters. Results are presented for the variation in temperature due to uncertainties in the initial conditions and particular boundary conditions.

The Regeneratively Cooled Engine Development (R.E.D.) Project, Joseph Traverso, Sharjeel Malik, Ford Catlin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Experimental Rocket Propulsion Lab (ERPL) is a student-run organization dedicated to designing, building, and testing experimental rocket engines. With ERPL transitioning toward flight vehicles, developing engines with longer burn times is critical to future club success. One limitation to burn time is an engine’s ability to withstand extreme combustion temperatures, typically in excess of 5000 F. ERPL engines have found success with passive cooling techniques such as ablative, heatsink, and film cooling, but these techniques aren’t suitable for extended burn times. Therefore, ERPL has created the Regeneratively cooled Engine Development (R.E.D) project, with the objective to design, analyze, and …

Turbine Aerodynamics And Performance Characterization, Anuranan Bharadwaj, Kalkamanali Satvaldy, Vincent Shi

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This research presents an integrated study combining computational modeling and experimental validation to enhance the design and performance characterization of small-scale turbine systems. The theoretical component focuses on developing an object-oriented Python code for the preliminary design and performance prediction of radial turbines, capable of generating velocity triangles, thermodynamic properties, and geometric parameters from user-defined inputs. The tool employs Whitfield-based correlations and fundamental gas-dynamic relations to estimate exit flow parameters, work ratio, and efficiency, offering flexibility for expansion into geometry export and CAD integration.   Complementing the computational model, the experimental component aims to improve the aerodynamic testing capabilities of the …

Modeling Seiche Oscillations Using Damped Vibration Differential Equations, Sharjeel Malik, Justin Della

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Combustion instability in liquid rocket engines is driven by coupling acoustic pressure oscillations and unsteady heat release. To achieve specific desired outcomes, small perturbations can be made to either decay or grow, depending on system dynamics and artificial parameters. Using a linearized eigenvalue framework, where eigenvalues determine growth/decay rates and frequencies, and eigenvectors describe spatial mode shapes and couplings between pressure, velocity, and heat release, a mathematical model can be derived to describe said behavior for a cross-section of the rocket engine. The Rayleigh criterion is used to identify conditions under which energy is added to oscillations, while flame transfer …

A Differential Equation Approach To Heat Flow In A Thin Rod, Alexandria Krol, David Cardona, Collin Petrie

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

A Differential Equation Approach to Heat Flow in a Thin Rod examines how differential equations can be used to model and understand heat conduction in a fundamental physical system. Heat transfer in solids is a key concept in physics and engineering, particularly in systems where temperature changes over time. A thin rod provides a useful one-dimensional model for studying how heat moves through a material and how temperature varies along the rod as time passes. The primary objective is to develop a mathematical description of this process using differential equations. The analysis begins with physical principles such as conservation of …

Water-Heated Maisotsenko Cycle Humidifiers: A Component-Level Study On Evaporation And Exit Brine Concentration, Omar Abdulfattah Farag Omar A. Farag

Renewable Mechanical Energy

Maisotsenko-cycle (M-cycle) Heat-and-Mass Exchangers (HMXs) are usually assessed as part of complete cooling or desalination systems, which makes the behaviour of the humidifier itself difficult to distinguish. Here, a validated model is used to examine a water-heated M-cycle humidifier as an independent component. Inlet saline-water temperature, ambient temperature, Relative Humidity (RH), and water-to-air Mass-flow Ratio (MR) were varied, and performance was described by Water Evaporation Rate (WER), outlet-air specific humidity, and outlet brine salinity. Water heating and a larger MR produced the strongest increase in moisture addition because they maintained a warmer water film and greater transfer potential. At fixed …

Integrated Power, Energy, And Thermal Management For Autonomous Hybrid Off-Road Vehicles: Multi-Timescale Modeling, Predictive Control, And Resilient Thermal Design, Anirudh Sundar

All Dissertations

Electrification and autonomy are increasingly important for off-road vehicles operating in construction, agriculture, mining, defense, and other demanding environments. These platforms must deliver high tractive power under unstructured terrain, harsh ambient conditions, low-speed operation, and large auxiliary loads. While hybrid and electrified powertrains offer improved efficiency, mobility, and auxiliary power capability, they also introduce significant challenges in managing tightly coupled power, energy, and thermal subsystems. In particular, lithium-ion batteries, power electronics, electric machines, and internal combustion engine-generator systems operate across different temperature limits and timescales, requiring coordinated management to ensure efficiency, durability, and safe operation. This dissertation develops modeling, planning, …

Developing Simulation To Improve G3p3 Efficiencies, Andrew Gaudette

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems offer a promising method of renewable energy generation by using heliostats to focus sunlight onto a falling particle receiver. At the National Solar Thermal Testing Facility (NSTTF), particles absorb and store solar energy for later power generation. A major source of efficiency loss is wind-driven particle escape through the receiver aperture. This thesis develops computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to characterize wind flow around the G3P3 falling particle receiver and support future wind mitigation strategies. Numerical studies were conducted to establish an appropriate simulation methodology. Iteration studies showed that 2,000 iterations were sufficient for convergence, …

Global Time-Resolved Measurements Of Inlet/Isolator Unstart Induced By Mass Injection, Andrew N. Bustard, Benjamin L. Bemis, Aaron Marques, Matthew J. Zahr, Thomas J. Juliano

Publications

The inner surface pressure of an axisymmetric inlet/isolator model was measured using anodized-aluminum pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) viewing through cast acrylic. Temperaturesensitive paint was utilized to correct for the PSP’s temperature sensitivity. The model was tested under Mach 5.7 flow at 𝑹𝒆 = 7.1 ×106 /m under conventional noise conditions. Transverse jet injection with jet-to-inlet mass-flow ratios up to 0.8 was used to induce unstart in the inlet/isolator. Background-oriented schlieren visualization of the inlet shocks was collected simultaneously with the PSP to determine when the inlet unstarted. Computational fluid dynamics results were used to determine off-wall flow structures and quantify approach …

A Reduced-Order Framework For Stochastic Criticality Estimation In Granular Energetic Materials, Philip T. Melton

LSU Master's Theses

Granular energetic materials (EMs) exhibit stochastic shock initiation because pore collapse, frictional dissipation, and localized thermal activation depend on microstructural descriptors that vary between nominally identical samples. Fully resolved mesoscale and atomistic calculations can represent these mechanisms, but their computational cost limits direct ensemble evaluation of microstructure-conditioned criticality thresholds. This thesis introduces a reduced-order framework for stochastic criticality estimation in granular EMs by coupling five explicitly defined model components: first, a one-dimensional steady compaction-shock model that maps initial solid volume fraction and shock pressure to a bulk mass-specific dissipated-work budget; second, an SEM/synthetic-image segmentation workflow that extracts pore area, perimeter, …

Prediction Of Satellite Temperature During An Orbit Of A Cubesat, Michael Reynolds

Honors Theses

This thesis develops a thermal-simulation strategy for predicting CubeSat component temperatures, applied to Jag-Sat-1, a CubeSat developed at the University of South Alabama and deployed from the International Space Station in 2022. The orbit was reconstructed from two-line element (TLE) data using simplified general perturbations (SGP4) propagation, and spacecraft attitude was recovered from onboard gyroscope measurements. Sunlight, penumbra, and umbra intervals were computed geometrically, and the external radiative environment — direct solar, Earth infrared, and albedo heat fluxes — was modeled using orientation-dependent view factors. These time-varying fluxes drove a transient finite-element thermal simulation of the full satellite geometry in …

Stakblocks, Micah Satoshi Inoshita, Ava Rose Doerschlag, Cody J. Ellis, Zach M. Lawton, Fernando M. Nalin, Nicholas Humphrey, Aiden Reed Anderson, Sara Maya Suratkal

Mechanical Engineering

Researchers developing sustainable building materials from agricultural waste need a faster way to prototype and evaluate small-scale samples under controlled temperature and pressure before scaling to production. Sponsored by Professor Pete Schwartz of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, whose work focuses on sustainable technology for developing communities, this project aims to create a prototype testing device for researchers studying agricultural-waste bricks, with the University of Malawi as a potential future testing partner. The final product is intended to inform improved future designs rather than serve as a production-ready device, ultimately supporting the development of affordable, sustainable building materials for communities …

Peltier-Based Hydration Accumulation Terminal (P.H.A.T.), Jenner Mucher, Ethan Pace, Renee Robolledo, Sabrina Luo, Taehoon Lee, Tarsem Pal

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this project is to design an innovative potable water dispenser capable of safely delivering hot, ambient, and chilled water on demand for human lander missions. The system will support astronauts’ hydration and food rehydration needs while minimizing mass, power, maintenance, and contamination risks in microgravity and partial-gravity environments. Current spacecraft dispensers, such as the International Space Station (ISS) system, provide only heated water and have limited temperature control, cleaning accessibility, and microbial resilience. Building on NASA heritage designs and lessons learned from the ISS Potable Water Dispenser, this project advances a lighter, simpler, and more energy-efficient concept …

Thermosiphon Lab Experiment, Ella C. Perry, Zach Barry, Madison K. Felton, Lane A. Hunter

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Department aims to develop a new lab centered on a thermosiphon solar system. This lab will introduce the operating principles of thermosiphons while integrating concepts from heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. A thermosiphon functions by heating water using thermal energy. The lab will examine the efficiency of this energy transfer. The final lab will be tailored to enhance student learning while ensuring ease of use for the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Process Improvement For Thermal Barrier Coating Masking Applications, Katherine Meezan, Aiden Senn, Saksham Giri, Katelyn Perez

Mechanical Engineering

Solar Turbines, a gas turbine manufacturer, needs a more efficient method to prevent the application of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) to select areas of their combustion liners during manufacturing. Currently, the process is labor, material, and time intensive: reusable masking tools should increase the efficiency of the TBC process.

This project is sponsored in full by Solar Turbines, and is under the guidance and administration of three Solar Turbines engineers: Chris Noone, Rick Rogers, and Carson Roff. The project is mentored by Cal Poly senior design Coach, Rick Lasko. This project will be completed by a team of four …