Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

3d Heart Model For Mapping Rf Ablation Sites, Danielle Corsino, Ashleigh Mims, Andrew Potter, Alejandro Rivera

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Electro-Cardiologists routinely insert radiofrequency probes into the heart and conduct targeted ablation procedures to correct irregular heartbeats. Current techniques are very experience and “touch” based, and require the novice cardiologist about 50 procedures to become proficient. There is a need for a functional heart model device that can be used to reduce the amount of procedures on human patients before cardiologist become proficient. Project constraints included limited software availability for segmenting accuracy, available 3D printing technology and materials, and cost to 3D print heart models due to the complex geometry. The team began with a CT scan, ITK SNAP and …

3d Printed Teeth: Anatomically Correct Primary Replicas, Anh Nguyen, Stefan Harris

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The current method of molding teeth, especially primary teeth, cannot accurately reproduce internal tooth structures. Therefore, there is a need for primary teeth to be made anatomically accurate on-demand with the ability to customize a model for specific patients. This project aims that any tooth extracted digitally from a Dental Cone Beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan of a child's mouth can be 3D printed into an accurate replicate with which dental students can practice. Constraints include viable materials that can be printed by a 3D printer, represent tooth anatomy and provide desirable mechanical properties compatible with the dental drilling operation. …

Adjustable Pipe Hanger: Newport News Shipbuilding, Ryan Fitzgerald, Ahmad Othman, Emily Holland, Zinullah Ghaznawi

Capstone Design Expo Posters

This senior design project is sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding. The objective of this project is to design a pipe hanger system that could be installed during initial fabrication while still allowing adjustment when the pipe path deviates from the initial drawings. The design must be cheap and utilize already existing parts. One key constraint is to hold a load of 250 pounds and withstand a velocity between 100-120 inches per second. The original design created utilizes a C-channel track attached to the ceiling and a spring locking mechanism to provide flexibility. This final design eliminated the spring device with …

Super-Efficient Condiment And Detergent Storage Containers, Anurag Baral, Rehman Chaudry, Andree Cochran

Capstone Design Expo Posters

(1) unmet need - engineering problem being addressed: Approximately fifteen percent of ketchup, detergent and shampoo still remain on the walls of storage containers. Due to this problem, billions of dollars are wasted annually. (2) project deliverables: Models are created to represent working prototypes that are more efficeint for the products. (3) constraints: Glass bottles are less expensive to produce, but are more expensive to transport. (4) approach: Ketchup, shampoo and detergent droplets were placed onto plastics to test which plastic best suited the products. Then, the plastics were coated with candlewax, car wax, beeswax, Alkyl Ketene Dimer (AKD) and …

Microstructured Thin Film Nitinol For A Neurovascular Flow-Diverter, Yanfei Chen, Connor Howe, Yongkuk Lee, Seongsik Cheon, Woon-Hong Yeo, Youngjae Chun

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

A cerebral aneurysm occurs as a result of a weakened blood vessel, which allows blood to flow into a sac or a ballooned section. Recent advancement shows that a new device, ‘flow-diverter’, can divert blood flow away from the aneurysm sac. People found that a flow-diverter based on thin film nitinol (TFN), works very effectively, however there are no studies proving the mechanical safety in irregular, curved blood vessels. Here, we study the mechanical behaviors and structural safety of a novel microstructured TFN membrane through the computational and experimental studies, which establish the fundamental aspects of stretching and bending mechanics …

Educational Nuclear Reactor Simulator, Kevin Jeunang, Koueni Tchamambe, Mutasem Albulushi, Malcolm Breckenridge

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The VCU Reactor Simulator provides a solid technical and visual approach to simulating a commercial pressurized water nuclear power plant. The simulator provides several benefits for VCU including: a hands on learning instrument that can be used in nuclear engineering courses, an opportunity for students to gain experience in nuclear modeling and simulation, and a community outreach tool to expand the public’s knowledge of nuclear technology.

In the six years since its inception, the only prior major modification to the simulator was the replacement of in-house written LabVIEW coding as the calculation engine with the RETRAN- 3D code, a program …

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle For Vertically Profiling Ultrafine Particle Distribution, Ahmed Almutawa, Ola Saadeh, Mudaher Alkhawajah, Grant Carey

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Recent epidemiologic studies show that ultrafine particles (UFPs) may play a definitive role in development of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer related mortality. In order to support the growing interest in understanding the effects of UFPs on human health, Dr. Chen has developed a miniaturized electronic ultrafine particle sizing device, or mini-eUPS. This device utilizes many of the functions of equipment currently used in laboratory environments to test and measure UFP levels in aerosols, but has been miniaturized to maximize mobility and ease of use. The small size and weight of the device allow a unique ability …

Transparent Furnace For Observing Electrochemical Separation Of Used Nuclear Fuel, Hoor Almazmi, Abbie Dewitte, Kelli Mckenna, Svetlana Ruseva

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Electrochemical separation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) operating at 500°C is confined within a furnace, making it difficult for a visual observation. Thus, flow characteristic predictions from the furnace are often calculated through advanced computational modeling methods. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an innovative idea, combining mechanical and chemical skill sets to design and build a transparent furnace that provides a clear visualization that can later be coupled with an optical flow-visualization method, such as Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). Deliverables of the project include the complete design and illustration of the prototype operating up to 500°C. Challenges of the …

Electromechanical Robotic Platform For Patient Motion Management In Radiotherapy, Thomas Dwyer, Ross Cruikshank, Daniel Martinez, Melvin Rosario

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Head and neck cancer is often treated with radiation therapy. During this treatment, patient movement causes healthy cells to receive excessive radiological dose. We have designed an electromechanical robotic platform that enables compensation of patient movement during treatment. This project includes analysis of materials and motion of the system, design of the control system and model, and the functional prototype. The design of the robotic platform will be compatible with pre-existing head and mouth harnesses in order to keep a patient’s head steady while the patient’s headrest in motion. For radiotherapy, this system requires radio-compatible materials. Through the use of …

Continuously Expanding Mandrel, Cory Bleistein, Dylan Dawson, Anton Rabinky, Marshall Smith

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of this project was to develop a better, safer, more efficient system for Sealeze to manufacture spiral-wrapped strip brushes in a continuous fashion at a variable diameter. The end results produced a finalized drawing sheet for machining and production, numerous design variations within CAD drawings, and extensive mechanical evaluations and analyses proving the strength and capabilities of the proposed design. In production of these brushes, various different materials will be used for the core, backing, and filament, creating a need for a mandrel that will be strong enough to handle the most resiliant of materials while maintaining a …

Flow-Differential Pressure Test Rig, Stuart Jennings, David Keegan, Juan Ramonet, Nicholas Upton

Capstone Design Expo Posters

provider of filters for critical applications in various industries, Porvair Filtration Group often needs to validate the pressure drop across a given filter medium at various flow rates and to perform quality assurance prior to delivery. The Flow-Differential Pressure Test Apparatus will allow for a test cycle with significant savings in time and money for Porvair going forward.

The design uses high-purity deionized water as the test fluid and performs continual filtration to ensure consistent properties. Flow rates of 0-100 gallons per minute at pressures up to 100 psi gauge are achieved by controlling a pump with i) a variable-frequency …

Remote Control Aircraft, Thomas Gutema, Catherine Jones, Judy Liang, Kendall Moore

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of the RC aircraft design was not to address a problem that has not been solved, but to redesign an aircraft with the intent to understand the practical applications of the building process. Our approach to completing this project involved two phases; the planning phase and the building phase. In the planning phase, we made selections for the airfoil, wing, fuselage, tail, elevators, and ailerons. These choices were made using aeronautical engineering concepts and theory. For the building phase, we focused on materials selection, fabrication, and testing.

During our design process, a lot of time went to choosing …

Formula Hybrid At Vcu: Epicyclic Power Distribution System, Brandon Rivera, Dmitriy Kirzhner, Maxwell O’Neill, Ryan Witko

Capstone Design Expo Posters

In today’s automotive industry, the need for more performance and power efficiency is ever increasing. However, with the growing concern of greenhouse gases and their impact on the environment, petrol burning cars need to be improved. Hybrid powertrains in automotive vehicles are being designed to increase fuel economy, reduce emissions, and improve engine efficiency through gearing all the while being competitive.

Our senior design team has developed an epicyclic power distribution (EPD) system which combines two independent power inputs from an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE). This system has been designed specifically for the Formula Hybrid race …

An Injection And Mixing Element For Delivery And Monitoring Of Inhaled Nitric Oxide, Andrew R. Martin, Chris Jackson, Samuel Fromont, Chloe Pont, Ira M. Katz, Georges Caillobotte

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Background

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator used primarily in the critical care setting for patients concurrently supported by invasive or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. NO delivery devices interface with ventilator breathing circuits to inject NO in proportion with the flow of air/oxygen through the circuit, in order to maintain a constant, target concentration of inhaled NO.

Methods

In the present article, a NO injection and mixing element is presented. The device borrows from the design of static elements to promote rapid mixing of injected NO-containing gas with breathing circuit gases. Bench experiments are reported to demonstrate …

Sustainability: Reusing Data Center Waste Heat, John Boushra, Kyle Duncan, Aleksandr Kogan, Giang Pham

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Data Centers are facilities used to house a large number of computer systems and their associated components, such as telecommunications and data storage systems. Nowadays many organizations depend on the reliable operation of their data centers for their day to day business operations. Data centers are designed with redundant and backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, robust cybersecurity protocols and very strict environmental controls. The many computer systems held in a typical data center generate large heat loads that need to be continuously removed with high grade air conditioning systems. Anthem currently owns a large corporate data center in …

Tracking Surgical Instruments, Akia Wells, Samuel Samvura, Brandon Santiago

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Surgical instruments and sponges are mistakenly left inside patients for more than a dozen times a day. Hospitalizations involving a lost instrument or sponge can average costing more than $60,000 for a hospital. The objective of this design project is to develop a simple, innovative tracking flow process that will better keep track of surgical instruments and sponges before and after surgeries. Using high temperature stickers with matrix barcode technology attached to the surgical instruments, the instruments will be easily scanned into a database to track when instruments are checked in and checked out. Before all instruments are used and …

Using Mavt To Incorporate Public Perception When Choosing A Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Stephen Clement

Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear energy is a source of carbon free power. With many countries striving to make deep carbon cuts in their energy sectors, nuclear energy could be a large part of the solution. One of the main obstacles standing in the way of the use of nuclear energy is the issue of used nuclear fuel disposal. According to the NEI, the U.S. creates about 2000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel per year and has generated around 76,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel over the last 4 decades. While there are technical problems that need to be solved, it is …

Magnetic Materials Characterization And Modeling For The Enhanced Design Of Magnetic Shielding Of Cryomodules In Particle Accelerators., Sanjay K. Sah

Theses and Dissertations

Particle accelerators produce beams of high-energy particles, which are used for both fundamental and applied scientific research and are critical to the development of accelerator driven sub-critical reactor systems. An effective magnetic shield is very important to achieve higher quality factor (Qo) of the cryomodule of a particle accelerator. The allowed value of field inside the cavity due to all external fields (particularly the Earth’s magnetic field) is ~15 mG or less. The goal of this PhD dissertation is to comprehensively study the magnetic properties of commonly used magnetic shielding materials at both cryogenic and room temperatures. This knowledge can …

Remote Sensing Of Neutron And Gamma Radiation Using Aerial Unmanned Autonomous System, Alex Barzilov, Jessica Hartman, Ivan Novikov

Graduate & Professional Student Association Research Forum

With the continuing advancement of nuclear technologies, the detection and identification of radioactive material is a necessary part of commercial and government applications. There is a wide array of options available for detection and identification of material, but most rely on compact devices which are manually positioned. The deployment of robots equipped with detection equipment is not always feasible, especially in locations where there is considerable debris on the ground, or where there are low clearance areas. To solve this, the goal of this research was to design a remote sensing system for radiation using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A …

Synthesis Of Radioactive Nanostructures In A Research Nuclear Reactor, Maria Camila Garcia Toro

Masters Theses

In this work, the synthesis of radioactive nanostructures by water radiolysis was studied. The irradiation processes were done in the Missouri University of Science and Technology research nuclear reactor (MSTR).

Radioactive gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized from aqueous solutions containing the metal salt precursors by radiolysis of water. Seven different samples were irradiated at 200kW of thermal power for 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes. The average sizes of the obtained nanoparticles ranged from 3 nm to 400 nm, it was found that the particle size decreased with the irradiation time. Some agglomerations of particles were found …