Digital Commons Network^™

Determination Of Physical Parameters Affecting Biofiltration Of Vocs, Steven Matthew Wojdyla

Theses

This study dealt with the determination of physical and design parameters affecting the transient behavior of classical biofilters employed in removal of VOCs from airstreams. The column packing material consisted of a mixture of peat and perlite particles (2:3, v:v). The design parameters investigated were the density of the packing material, its porosity, and the void fraction of the filter-bed. The physical parameters investigated were the characteristics of adsorption equilibrium between VOCs and packing material, and the mass transfer coefficients of VOCs to the packing material.

The density of the packing material was found to be 0.679 x 106 g-packing/ …

Sensivity Analysis And Design Calculations With Biofiltration Models, Michael Lawrence Cohen

Theses

Biofiltration is a new technology for biological treatment of volatile organic compounds present in airstreams. It is a complex process and thus, engineering models which attempt to describe it are by necessity very involved and contain a large number of parameters.

In this study, two models describing biofiltration of airstreams carrying a single pollutant (VOC) were used in detailed parameter-sensitivity studies. One model concerned biofiltration under steady-state conditions, while the second described the transient behavior of the process. The intent of the sensitivity studies was to determine which model parameters need to be known with accuracy in order to allow …

Characterization Of Low Pressure Chemically Vapor Deposited Boron Nitride Films As Low Dielectric Constant Materials, Manish Narayan

Theses

Boron nitride thin films were synthesized on Si and quartz wafers by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using borane triethylamine complex and ammonia as precursors. The films were processed at 400°C, 475°C and 550°C at a constant pressure of 0.5 Torr and at different precursor flow ratios.

The films deposited were uniform, amorphous and the composition of the films varied with deposition temperature and precursor flow ratios. The thickness of the film increased with increasing flow ratio, but, decreased with increasing temperature. The stresses in the film were either mildly tensile or compressive.

The least dielectric constant for the films …

Construction Of Accurate Molecular Models Using Laser Stereolithography And Determination Of Nmr Spectra For Amiloride Hydrochloride And Its Free Base, Ana Deborah Ofsievich

Theses

Accurate molecular models were constructed by a rapid prototyping process, called stereolithography. This process uses a computer-controlled laser to cure and solidify a photosensitive liquid polymer. Using a computer-aided design (CAD) program, spheres of appropriate van der Waals or CPK radii were drawn and placed in the three dimensional CAD space, in accordance with the atomic coordinates obtained from quantum mechanical calculations and from neutron diffraction data. These design data were used to drive the stereolithography system where the models were built in the same shape as the CAD image. The models built for the purpose of this work consisted …

Comparison Of Adaptive Radar Algorithms : Transformed Smi, Eigencanceler, And Smi, Chaitanya H. Kathiari

Theses

Advanced airborne radars must perform target detection in the presence of interference and heavy clutter. In many applications, the practical usefulness of adaptive arrays is limited by their convergence rate. In this paper, we first analyze the performance of the SMI method. Then, two other methods, the transformed SMI and the eigencanceler, both based on the principle component inversion (PCI) technique, are described and analyzed by simulation. It is shown by simulation based comparison that the transformed SMI and the Eigencanceler outperform the SMI method. It is also shown that the transformed SMI and the eigencanceler has higher convergence rate …

Nondestructive Dynamic Load Testing Of Bridges Using Strain Sensors, Suzanne Boland

Theses

This thesis investigates the use of nondestructive bridge load testing utilizing strain sensing equipment. Nondestructive bridge load testing has not been used extensively due to lack of expertise and perceived high cost. It can, however, play a key role when an existing bridge needs to be evaluated. Since most evaluation techniques tend to be conservative, the results from such an evaluation may not represent the real properties of the structural members. The true properties of an existing bridge can be identified using the results from nondestructive static and dynamic load testing. The procedures used to identify a structure with the …

Investigation Of Potential Oxygen Defect Mechanism Of Persistent Photoconductivity And Photoinduced Superconductivity In Yba2cu3ox, Denise Catherine Chew

Theses

In this thesis work, we conclude that oxygen vacancy defects play a fundamental role in the PPC/PISC mechanism and identify the oxygen defects as F centers (an oxygen vacancy which traps two electrons) or F⁺ centers. Also, the correlation between the peaks observed in the luminescence spectra and those observed in the wavelength dependence of PPC suggest that the photogeneration of charges and their annihilation via luminescent recombination occur in the same level (Cu-O chains) of the YBa₂Cu₃O_x crystal. Previous models had assigned the peaks in the PPC excitation spectrum to charge transfer in …

Comparison Of Reductive Dehalogenation By Microbial Populations On Adsorptive Versus Non-Adsorptive Bioreactor Support Materials, Linda S. Colella

Theses

The overall performance of two bioreactors was studied. The reactor with a wood-based activated carbon as a biosupport completely dehalogenated a higher feed concentration of trichlorophenol than that with Manville beads. The carbon reactor was further characterized by the development of adsorption isotherms for most of the class of chlorophenols. Competitive adsorption wag investigated using an anaerobic medium, and a lignite-based carbon was studied for comparison. The order of adsorption strength on both carbons is trichloropenols> dichlorophenols> monochlorophenols, with the wood-based carbon having higher overall adsorption than the lignite-based carbon. The presence of the anaerobic medium decreased the extent of …

Implementation Of A Three-Dimensional Non-Intrusive Particle Tracking System, Vivek Gupta

Theses

A Three-Dimensional Non-Intrusive Particle Tracking System has been developed at NJIT's Particle Technology Center to provide experimental results for validating theories being developed in the field of Particle Technology. The system utilizes the principle of magnetic induction between several high-frequency miniature transmitters mounted inside a sphere and a set of receiving loop antennae mounted outside the experimental apparatus. Basic theories and algorithms for the tracking system have already been developed. The focus of this thesis is to make the tracking system more accurate, reliable and user-friendly and to apply it to the study of vibrated beds and chute flows. Various …

Continuous Monitoring Of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions Using Microtrap Based Injection Technique And Gas Chromatography, Wenjun Chen

Theses

A microtrap is made by packing a small diameter tubing with an adsorbent. The microtrap can be rapidly heated with a pulse of electrical current resulting in a sharp desorption that can act as an injection for GC separation. The microtrap can be used in several configurations to concentrate and inject sample in continuous, on-line monitoring system.

In this research a laboratory scale catalytic incinerator was set up and volatile organic compounds in the incinerator effluents were monitored using the microtrap based injection systems. The detection systems used were gas chromatography and nonmethane organic carbon (NMOC) analyzer. Conventional sample valve, …

Intermodal Commuter Network Planning, Maria P. Boile

Dissertations

An intermodal commuter network is an integration of passenger transportation systems, or modes, to a single comprehensive system that provides connections among the various modes, and improved travel choices to users. In the system examined in this dissertation, commuters access their final destination via auto, rail, and intermodal auto-to-rail modes. There are numerous highway paths by which a commuter can reach the final destination. Once on the highway, the commuter can switch to rail at stations along the rail route. The commuter may also choose to walk to the rail station closest to the trip's origin.

The main focus of …

Removal Of Vocs From Air By Absorption And Stripping In Hollow Fiber Devices, Tarun K. Poddar

Dissertations

Large volumes of exhaust air streams contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as toluene, xylene, acetone etc. are discharged into the atmosphere by various industrial facilities. Common technologies for VOC emission abatement e.g., activated carbon adsorption, absorption in a liquid, incineration and catalytic oxidation, have many strengths as well as considerable limitations. In this study, a regenerative absorption-based removal of VOCs from N₂ in an inert, nonvolatile, organic liquid flowing in compact hollow fiber devices has been developed. The process eliminates flooding, loading and entrainment encountered in conventional absorption devices.

Contaminated air/N₂ stream was fed through the …

Computer-Aided Process Design For Waste Minimization, Konstadinos Abeliotis

Dissertations

Problems related to process design with environmental considerations have been studied in this dissertation. A new heuristic design methodology has been formulated with the objective of minimizing the adverse environmental impact of chemical processes.

This hierarchical methodology starts with the definition and analysis of a process flowsheet followed by quantification of the process environmental loads. The quantification of environmental loads is an essential aspect of this methodology, because it serves as the comparative measure for environmental performance.

If the calculated environmental loads do not satisfy the environmental constraints (e.g., regulatory limits), waste minimization is investigated in the following order:

• Pollution …

A Theoretical Analysis Of Volatile Contaminant Removal By The Pneumatic Fracturing Process, Yuan Ding

Dissertations

A mathematical model that simulates the process of contaminant removal from a pneumatically induced fracture within a porous medium is presented. It includes: (1) model development; (2) parameter evaluation; (3) statistical sensitivity analysis; and (4) model validation.

Based on the dual porosity approach, a mathematical model for a fractured porous formation is developed for both two dimensional and axial symmetrical cases. This model constitutes a pair of coupled partial differential equations for the porous medium and discrete fracture, respectively. The initial and boundary conditions have been determined based on field considerations of a soil vapor extraction system. By means of …

Automatic Visual Recognition Using Parallel Machines, Yui-Liang Chen

Dissertations

Invariant features and quick matching algorithms are two major concerns in the area of automatic visual recognition. The former reduces the size of an established model database, and the latter shortens the computation time. This dissertation, will discussed both line invariants under perspective projection and parallel implementation of a dynamic programming technique for shape recognition. The feasibility of using parallel machines can be demonstrated through the dramatically reduced time complexity.

In this dissertation, our algorithms are implemented on the AP1000 MIMD parallel machines. For processing an object with a features, the time complexity of the proposed parallel algorithm is O(n) …

Vibration As An Aid In Robotic Peg-In-Hole Assembly, Hsin-Te Liao

Dissertations

This dissertation presents an analytical and experimental investigation of vibration assisted engagement for parts mating. A dynamic model of assembly is established by using Lagrange's equation for impact to derive impact equations for a robotic manipulator in peg-in-hole assembly. The model can be used to analyze part motion and contact force in the mating of parts by robots. The impact equations of a SCARA robot are derived using this model and utilized to investigate how robot configuration, insertion speed, chamfer angle, coefficient of restitution and other system parameters affect impulsive force and departure angle in the assembly of a peg …

Particle Deposition On Surfaces In A Divergent Channal Flow, Ding Sun

Dissertations

Particle trajectory and deposition of two phase gas-solid flows in a convergent or divergent two-dimensional channel are investigated numerically in a wide range of parameters. For the fluid phase, a two dimensional, incompressible laminar fluid flow is considered in the analysis. The particle phase is a diluted suspension. The effects of inertia, gravity, viscous force and electrostatic image force are included in the computational model.

Both convergent and divergent channel flow are solved by the finite element method based on the software FIDAP. The flow separations will appear in a divergent channel and their separation positions are obtained in the …

Performance Analysis For Genetic Algorithms., Hermrean Wong

Dissertations

Genetic algorithms have been shown effective for solving complex optimization problems such as job scheduling, machine learning, pattern recognition, and assembly planning. Due to the random process involved in genetic algorithms, the analysis of performance characteristics of genetic algorithms is a challenging research topic. Studied in this dissertation are methods to analyze convergence of genetic algorithms and to investigate whether modifications made to genetic algorithms, such as varying the operator rates during the iterative process, improve their performance. Both statistical analysis, which is used for investigation of different modifications to the genetic algorithm, and probability analysis, which is used to …

Automatic Office Document Classification And Information Extraction, Xiaolong Hao

Dissertations

TEXPR.OS (TEXt PROcessing System) is a document processing system (DPS) to support and assist office workers in their daily work in dealing with information and document management. In this thesis, document classification and information extraction, which are two of the major functional capabilities in TEXPROS, are investigated.

Based on the nature of its content, a document is divided into structured and unstructured (i.e., of free text) parts. The conceptual and content structures are introduced to capture the semantics of the structured and unstructured part of the document respectively. The document is classified and information is extracted based on the analyses …

The Effect Of Sulfur And Phosphorus Compounds On Supported Platinum Catalyst Activity, Yi Wang

Dissertations

The effect of sulfur poisoning on the activity of catalysts containing 1.5% platinum supported on γ-Al₂O₃, TiO₂, ZrO₂, or SiO₂ was investigated in this study. These four catalysts were aged with 100 ppmv H₂S in air at 400°C for 24 hours to determine the effect of sulfur poisoning under oxidizing conditions. In separate experiments, 1.5% Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst was aged in nitrogen containing 100 ppmv H₂S to obtain a frame of reference for non-oxidizing conditions.

The oxidation of 1% CO, 1% methane, and 1% propane …

Optimizing Rail-Truck Intermodal Drayage Operations, Wen Zhang

Theses

This thesis presents a case study of the trucking (or drayage) portion of rail-truck intermodal freight transportation. The approach used was to examine in detail the current costs and potential for improvement at one New Jersey intermodal terminal. The analysis is conducted using a mathematical programming model to find an optimal scheduling plan for the drayage operation. To solve the model more efficiently, a modification is made to explore the special structure of the original problem which has a sparse constraint matrix. The model is solved first with an objective function that minimizes the total cost of the operation, and …

Effectiveness Of Sediment Control Structure : Reducing Nonpoint-Source Pollution Entering A Rural Housing Development Lake In Mercer County, Pennsylvania, Elaine K. Brenner

Theses

For the past two decades, water quality of both natural and man-made lakes has been a major environmental concern. Numerous studies suggest that land use patterns and/or storm water runoff are major factors in nutrient loading and bacterial contamination of freshwater lakes. In 1986, the Property Owners Association at Lake Latonka in Jackson Center, Pa., installed three sediment control structures in an attempt to reduce the amount of nonpoint-source pollution entering the lake. The Association installed a fourth structure in 1988. It has yet to be determined if any improvement in the water quality has occurred due to the control …

Investigation Into Fracture Behavior And Longevity Of Pneumatically Fractured Fine-Grained Formations, Heathe Ann Hall

Theses

This study investigates volume changes in fine-grained soil formations and their effect on pneumatically induced fractures. Pneumatic fracturing is an enhancement technology for in situ remediation of hazardous waste sites, which increases the formation permeability by creating fractures. A number of formation properties and environmental conditions which affect fracture aperture were identified in this study.

Laboratory experiments were performed with control devices to investigate idealized fracture flow under linear and radial flow geometries. These tests exhibited cubic law behavior, and gas compressibility was seen as a measurable effect. A horizontal infiltrometer device was successfully developed to induce and control volume …

Application Of Approximate Graph Matching Techniques For Searching Databases Of Two-Dimensional Chemical Structures, Karen R. Pysniak

Theses

This paper proposes the application of approximate graph matching techniques for best-match searching of two-dimensional chemical structure databases based upon topology. Chemical structures are represented as labeled graphs, each atom a node in the graph and each bond an edge. By inserting; deleting and renaming nodes/edges, one structure may be transformed into another. We define similarity as the weighted sum of the costs of these edit operations. An algorithm for approximating the minimum distance between two graphs based on simulated annealing is applied. Best-match searches are performed utilizing this pre-computed distance information and applying the concepts of triangle inequality to …

Ultrasonic Enhanced Soil Washing, Chu-Feng Wei

Theses

Soil washing is an ex-situ process employing chemical and physical extraction and separation techniques to remove a broad range of organic, inorganic, and radioactive contaminants from soils. This research investigates the enhanced soil washing of a high level Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated coal tar soil by the application of ultrasound energy coupled with surfactant (soap) emulsions and attempts to optimize pollutant removal from contaminated soils. The non-ionic surfactant, octyl-phenyl-ethoxylate, was used as the surfactant.

Using bench-scale experiments, the magnitude of the ultrasonic enhancement was evaluated by changing the process parameters, such as ultrasonic power density, Dwell (extractor residence time), …

Removal Of Vocs From Waste Gas Streams By A Hollow Fiber Permeator, Varinder Pal Malik

Theses

Removal of various VOCs from air/nitrogen feed streams using a novel hollow fiber membrane was studied. Hollow Fiber Module (HFM) used had composite silicone membranes wherein an ultrathin (~ 1μm), nonporous silicone rubber membrane layer had been plasma polymerized on a porous (porosity: 0.4) polypropylene substrate. VOCs studied were toluene, methanol, acetone, methylene chloride and hexane. Primary focus was on single VOCs, although separation of VOC mixtures was also briefly studied. HFM was found to be extremely effective in removing various VOCs from feed streams. Removal of 90-99 % of various VOCs was achieved at low feed flow rates and …

A Study Of Settlement In Landfills Due To Biodegradation, Michael Guasconi

Theses

Finding new space for landfills is difficult due to land availability, stringent environmental regulations, and public sentiment. So other means of waste disposal, such as hauling it to a distant landfill, or incinerating it, will have to be resorted to. These methods may be unpopular with the public involved. By studying settlement due to biodegradation, ways to increase settlement can be found, allowing for additional waste disposal capacity in operating, and closed landfills.

Existing theoretical models are based on rheological concepts, not on biodegradation. So, they do not realistically model settlement. In this study, a model to determine the rate, …

Catalytic Oxidation Of Trace Concentrations Of Trichloroethylene Over Cr2o3 And 5% Cr2o3 On ?-Al2o3, Soyoung Myung

Theses

This research addressed the ability of Cr₂O₃ and 5% Cr₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ to catalytically oxidize trichioroethylene (TCE). Various types of Cr₂O₃ catalysts were compared with Pt, CuO and Fe₂O₃ which were previously tested in our laboratory. A number of sample catalysts containing 5% Cr₂O₃ on γ-Al₂O₃ were synthesized for this research. Different procedures were evaluated in the synthesis in order to find which procedure gives the most active catalyst. The oxidation of TCE was used as a diagnostic reaction to …

Chute Flow Experiments, Yahong Zhang

Theses

The objective of this thesis is to study the behavior of granular materials flowing down an inclined chute using three diagnostic techniques under different chute inclination angles and chute floor conditions. The three methods are: (1) tracking the motion of single particle within the mass in a noninvasive manner using a transmitting sphere and antenna receiving system, (2) scale mass flow rate measurement, and (3) high speed camera system to obtain flow velocity measurements.

For these purposes, an experimental setup has been completed and a set experiments has been performed.

Analysis Of Cim Performance Using Different Lan Structures A Simulation Approach, Kirk Rawle

Theses

This research illustrates a systematic procedure for modeling and performance analysis of the integration effect of communication network to the physical system. The concept is to model different layouts of Computer Integration Manufacturing (CIM) using different Local Area Network(LAN) structures. The steps to accomplish this concepts are, a) To determine the performance measures for physical layouts and the communication network, in order to obtain a performance analysis. b) Modeling the physical layout using Promodel simulation package. c) Extracting results from the outcome of the simulation of the physical layout and using this as input to the communication network simulation. d) …