Digital Commons Network^™

Deep Geothermal Wells: Enhancing The Suitability Of High-Density-Water-Based Drilling Mud To Sustain Harsh Subsurface Hp/Ht Gradients., Opeyemi Olaolu Oni

Theses and Dissertations

The harsh temperature in which some reservoirs are geologically located has presented a major drilling fluids challenge to the geothermal industry. Therefore, the design of drilling fluid that will be effective and cost-friendly in high-temperature high-pressure (HPHT) environments has become an age-long threat to the economic development of geothermal resources. A geothermal drilling fluid should possess high thermal stability while performing the basic functions of drilling fluid all through the drilling process. Exerting sufficient hydrostatic pressure, suspension, and effective removal of cuttings, shale stabilization, minimum filtrate loss, and thin filter cake thickness. Ilmenite was adopted as a weighting material due …

Application Of Artificial Treatment Wetland Systems In The English Coulee, Michael Anthony Rosati

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial treatment wetlands are commonly used for treating urban stormwater runoffand surface waters affected by agricultural runoff. While this method is well-established, its effectiveness can vary based on environmental, design, and hydraulic factors. In Grand Forks, ND, the English Coulee, a hydraulically altered class III stream, is currently experiencing elevated nutrient pollution, specifically nitrates and phosphates. Implementing a floating treatment wetland (FTW) system in the English Coulee is a potential solution. This paper analyzes the feasibility and requirements for a 4.64 ha FTW to achieve a minimum of 50% nutrient removal, utilizing comprehensive modeling approaches. Through HEC-HMS and HECRAS simulations, …

Predicting Ash Deposition In A Cyclone-Fired Coal Boiler Under Variable Load Conditions, Evan Bloom

Theses and Dissertations

Today, a significant number of coal-fired power plants are required to decrease the operating load as a result of intermittent power availability from wind or solar sources. Low load conditions introduce a number of challenges for these plants, such as decreased efficiency and degradation of system components due to cycling. Ash deposition on heat transfer surfaces makes these problems even worse. The overall goal of this project is to improve the understanding of fireside ash deposition behavior as the load fluctuates, thereby allowing for more efficient operations. To accomplish this goal, a computation fluid dynamic (CFD) based simulation methodology was …

Serving Their Communities By Preserving And Explaining Their Past: North Dakota County And Local Museums, Austin Allen Olson

Theses and Dissertations

Museum scholars and professionals continue to debate the purpose of museums and their relationships to the public. These contentious debates revolve around the institution’s roles within contemporary societal issues. The purpose of this study is to analyze the expanding roles of county and local museums in North Dakota have in their communities with the goal to understand how these museums can thrive and provide positive outcomes to the communities they serve. This thesis argues that local and county museums must undertake an active role in their local communities to continue to positively preserve and interpret the area’s history. Utilizing interviews …

Application Of Dynamic Techno-Economic Assessment: A Case Study In Rare Earth Element Extraction, Michael Ryder

Theses and Dissertations

Rare earth elements are critical materials for many technologies driving the energy industry forward. However, there is increasingly low security and lack of sustainability of current supplies. New sources and processing methods are needed and are being intensely investigated among U.S. energy leaders such as rare earth extraction from lignite coal in North Dakota. A critical need is to confirm the technological and economic viability of these approaches, aspects which are inherently interconnected, would benefit from a dynamic approach. The current approach is Techno-Economic Assessments (TEAs). TEAs evaluate the economics of the process and commercialization of the technology for viability …

Exploration Of Early Career Teachers’ Perspectives On Preservice Training, Classroom Experiences, And Retention, Ashley Smalley

Theses and Dissertations

To promote the advancement of teacher recruitment, retention, and reduce attrition, K-12 teachers need to be fully prepared for the complex nature of being in a classroom, a classroom filled with students of all types. There is a unique nature to education and one must recognize the complexity of each individual student. The context of this study explores early career teachers’ perspectives on their preparedness for teaching. This research examines teachers’ perspectives in their first to fifth years of teaching who graduated from a North Dakota college. Each participant answered 13 questions regarding their perspectives on the preparation they received …

Evaluating The Impact Of Electricity And Electron Movement On The Electric Grid From Distributed Generation, Cooper R. Wade

Theses and Dissertations

The United States’ electric grid is currently undergoing a monumental energy transition involving the incorporation of new fuel sources, generation types, and operational modifications. Since 1920, the U.S. energy collective has been overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where during this tenure they have pursued the direct regulation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). This reasoning has been utilized over 300 times in federal cases and proceedings as the adoption rate of DERs has increased, which is based upon the language allowing the federal regulation of electricity based upon the flow of electrons. This is based solely upon the …

Educator Perceptions On Equity And Inclusion In The Classroom, Brittany N. Melfi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is to identify solutions that can improve equity and inclusion measures in the educational classroom settings for all school community members. This qualitative research explores educators’ perceptions of solutions and barriers to improving equity and inclusion in education. Currently, there is limited research from this stakeholder perspective. This bottom-up research approach aims to determine the needs of those stakeholders in the immediate environment and what supports they feel are necessary to make immediate and lasting change. The qualitative research study took place in a small Pennsylvania school with an enrollment of 387 students and …

Carbon Capture Storage Implemented On Flexible Power Plants And Their Grid Impacts, Michael Kenneth Misch

Theses and Dissertations

The energy grid is under a constant state of evolution from outside factors such as the rise ofrenewable energy in the form of solar and wind generation as well as competing with the changes in weather patterns from climate change leading to significant storms like the arctic event of 2022. Thermal power plants are greatly impacted by these changes. As a significant contributor of CO2 emissions, thermal power plants play an important role in emerging green technology policies to help the efforts of climate change. There is a significant cost associated with this change, however, as thermal plants are some …

Deep Learning Models For Analysis Of Non-Destructive Evaluation Data To Evaluate Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks: A Survey, Dayakar Naik Lavadiya, Sattar Dorafshan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Application of deep learning (DL) for automatic condition assessment of bridge decks has been on the raise in the last few years. From the published literature, it is evident that lot of research efforts has been done in identifying the surface defects such as cracks, potholes, spalling and so forth using supervised learning methods such as deep learning. However, the health of a reinforced concrete bridge deck is jeopardized substantially due to presence of subsurface defects. Subsurface defects in bridge decks are genearlly detected using non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods. Interpertation of NDE data for autonomous deck evaluation requires development of …

Open-Source Flight Data: Free, But At What Cost?, James Norman

Aviation Faculty Publications

The proliferation of open-source flight data has been heralded throughout the aviation industry, from air traffic service providers seeking efficiencies to the voyeuristic tracking of celebrity aircraft movements. However, the rise of open-source data presents challenges when juxtaposed against the traditional safety management systems that have sustained commercial aviation until now. Open-source data are not protected legally to the same extent as traditional flight data, and data from open-source platforms are not subject to the same validation standards as traditional flight data. Pilots are now able to interface with their own flight data, which diverges from the original aggregate intent …

Winter Commencement: December 15-16, 2022, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 15 and 16, 2022.

Comparison Between Supervised And Unsupervised Learning For Autonomous Delamination Detection Using Impact Echo, Faezeh Jafari, Sattar Dorafshan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Impact echo (IE) is a non-destructive evaluation method commonly used to detect subsurface delamination in reinforced concrete bridge decks. Existing analysis methods are based on frequency domain which can lead to inaccurate assessments of reinforced concrete bridge decks since they do not consider features of the IE signals in the time domain. The authors propose a new method for IE classification by combining features in the time and the frequency domains. The features used in this study included normalized peak values, energy, power, time of peaks, and signal lengths that were extracted from IE signals after they are preprocessed. We …

Autonomous Gyroscopic 2-Wheel Differential Robot, Haruka Kido, James Vrtis, Luke Anderson, Tarek Elderini

Electrical Engineering Student Publications

This paper demonstrates the implementation of an autonomous gyroscopic 2-wheel differential robot, including a forward and inverse kinematics simulation in MatLAB, a test hardware robot and programmed demonstration of a simple move forward and spin left motion, and a final configuration of a complete square path based on programming kinematics, gyroscopic speed responses, and remote-control functionality.

Statistical Analysis Of Photovoltaic Voltage Outputs From Axial Laser Beam Alignments In Experimental Laser-Based Wireless Power Transmission, Haruka Kido

Electrical Engineering Student Publications

This paper demonstrates the statistical analysis of a receiver’s voltage outputs from laser beam alignment adjustments in a laser-based wireless power transmission’s experimental photovoltaic cell characterization test. The purpose of the experiment is to investigate how the voltage outputs of the photovoltaic cell vary in response to changes in the X-axis distance between the center of the transmitter’s laser beam and the center of the receiver’s vertical multi-junction photovoltaic cell, with constant laser power supply wattage at 𝟏. 𝟒 𝑾 and constant driver current at 𝟐. 𝟎𝟖𝑨. The experimental data collected from the LPT configuration is used in statistical analysis …

December 6, 2022, The Dakota Student

The Dakota Student

No abstract provided.

Development Of Sustainable, Efficient And Economic Manufacturing Methods For Fabricating Novel Nano-Layered Materials For Multifunctional Applications, Maharshi Dey

Theses and Dissertations

Non-oxide ternary and/or quaternary ceramics called MAX and MAB Phases have attracted a lot of interest in the recent years due to their remarkable properties like damage tolerance, and triboactive behavior as compared to their binary counterparts. These properties make these materials a strong candidate for several high temperature, hypersonic and structural applications. A wide variety of compounds including Cr2AlC and MoAlB, belonging to the same class of materials, have also been reported over the last few decades. These materials have been used as bulk materials, reinforcements and matrices for different composites and coatings on different substrates, apart from different …

Whole Fruit Consumption, 100% Fruit Juice Consumption, And Cardiovascular Disease (Cvd) In U.S. Adults: Analysis Of 2019 Brfss, Brendan James Kesler

Theses and Dissertations

The consumption of whole fruit is well established to promote health and prevent disease. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans includes both whole fruit and 100% fruit juice in its intake recommendations. Compositional differences between whole fruit and 100% fruit juice may exist especially with regard to health-promoting dietary fiber. Based on potential compositional differences, a primary hypothesis was created: whole fruit consumption frequency will be lower in adults with less favorable cardiovascular measures. Additionally, a secondary hypothesis was created: 100% fruit juice consumption frequency will be higher in adults with less favorable cardiovascular measures. To explore the hypothesis, a cross-sectional, …

A Deep Learning-Based Framework For Food Safety, Cleanliness, And Data Privacy Assurance, Hamed Taheri Gorji

Theses and Dissertations

Food safety and foodborne diseases are significant global public health concerns. Precise, reliable, and speedy contamination detection and disinfection technology while preserving the business owners’ data privacy is an ongoing challenge for the food-service industry. Contamination in food-related services can cause foodborne illness, endangering customers and jeopardizing provider reputations.This dissertation performed a cleanliness assessment and disinfection and data privacy assurance in the food services industry using fluorescence imaging, state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms, and a novel paradigm in machine learning named federated learning. In chapter 3, we combined two deep learning algorithms (EfficientNet-B0 and U-Net) and fluorescence imaging for automatic detection …

Projecting Electric Vehicle Charging Demand In North Dakota And Minnesota, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet projecting the demand for electric vehicle (EV) charging and the future of EVs and EV charging stations in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Understanding Students' Views Of Science Identity Development, Daphne E. Pedersen, Alena Kubatova, Rebecca Simmons

Biology Faculty Publications

Science identity is composed of three key components, including competence (possessing scientific knowledge), performance (the capacity to use scientific tools and language in appropriate settings), and recognition (earning validation from others in the field) (Carlone & Johnson, 2007). The significance of a strong science identity is in shaping a student’s future behavior, such as intent to graduate and pursue a STEM career (Chang et al., 2011; Chemers et al., 2011), which is particularly important for those with notable retention challenges within STEM like women, underrepresented minorities, first generation, and rural students (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012). …

Will Communication Delays Impact Mission Controllers? An Investigation Of Mood, Performance, And Workload During Analog Missions, Madison Diamond

Theses and Dissertations

Mission Controllers (MCs) are responsible for ensuring astronauts remain safe and healthy, making them vital for successful human spaceflight missions. They are the main point of contact for crews in space and communicate frequently over the course of the day. On a mission to Mars, there will be as long as 22-minute one way communication delays between the ground and the crew, causing major changes to current communication infrastructures. Research has commenced on investigating how these communication delays will impact missions. However, thus far, this research has focused on the crew as their subjects, despite alluding to the potential consequences …

Assessment Of Blood Pressure And Postural Control Mechanisms In Parkinson’S Disease During An Orthostatic Challenge, Rabie Fadil

Theses and Dissertations

Upon standing, 500–1000 mL of blood shifts from the central body compartments to the lower extremities and splanchnic circulation, leading to a decreased venous return to the heart, reduced cardiac output, and a consequent decline in blood pressure. In healthy individuals, the drop in blood pressure is quickly compensated via regulatory mechanisms. On the other hand, people with Parkinson’s disease may experience impaired reflex responses and a persistent drop in blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension, OH), leading to visual disturbances, loss of consciousness, postural instability, and fainting. Parkinson’s disease patients have impaired balance and gait control as a symptom of the …

Performance Comparison Of Weak And Strong Learners In Detecting Gps Spoofing Attacks On Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Aydan Gasimova

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems (UAVs) are widely used in civil and military applications. These systems rely on trustworthy connections with various nodes in their network to conduct their safe operations and return-to-home. These entities consist of other aircrafts, ground control facilities, air traffic control facilities, and satellite navigation systems. Global positioning systems (GPS) play a significant role in UAV's communication with different nodes, navigation, and positioning tasks. However, due to the unencrypted nature of the GPS signals, these vehicles are prone to several cyberattacks, including GPS meaconing, GPS spoofing, and jamming. Therefore, this thesis aims at conducting a detailed comparison …

High Resolution Compositional Characterization Of Degraded Crude Oils Using Petroleomics, Miguel Fernando Jimenez Jacome

Theses and Dissertations

The compositional evaluation and geochemical characterization of twenty wellhead samples from six fields of the heavy oil belt on the western flank of the Middle Magdalena Valley basin in Colombia (MMVB) were completed by analyzing its polar fraction, that is, compounds of Nitrogen, Sulfur and Oxygen (NSO) using 15 Tesla and 21 Tesla Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS), combined with negative electrospray ionization (-)ESI and positive atmospheric pressure photoionization (+) APPI. To highlight the sulfur compounds and organic acids, the Propyl Sulfonic Acid (PRS) and Amino-Propyl Silica (APS) fractionations were used respectively.

The results validate the use …

Improved Pressure Loss And Multiphase Flow Behavior Predictions For In-Line Gas-Liquid Contactors Using Experimental Measurements And Cfd Simulations, Evan Lowry

Theses and Dissertations

Treatment of gas by liquid absorption is a common unit operation in industry. Traditionally, contact between the gas and liquid is accomplished in co-current flow utilizing a tower or column. With the increased demand for natural gas and renewable gas, higher treating capacities for new installations and methods for de-bottlenecking existing plants are needed. Co-current gas treating with static mixers is an increasingly attractive alternative for process intensification. The corrugated plate (SMV-style) mixer is currently the most widely used mixing element for gas-continuous mixing with a liquid phase and has been recommended as the best standard option for this service. …

Determining Optimum Coal Bottom Ash Content For Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure, Samrawit Menda

Theses and Dissertations

Concrete usage is increasing rapidly; subsequently, the industry's carbon footprint is increasing. Coal Bottom Ash (CBA)/Boiler Slag Bottom Ash (BS) is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants. This material can replace fine aggregate in concrete to reduce global natural material depletion. Using CBA/BS in the construction industry will reduce the technical and economic problems associated with power plants by reducing solid waste. This project's objective was to determine whether using new sustainable materials, such as CBA/BS, in concrete will reduce natural raw material usage and energy consumption. This study included three projects: comparing increased CBA/BS content to the three-control projects …

A Comparative Qualitative Case Study About The Role Of College Debt And Personal Finances In Career Experiences Of Higher Education Professional Staff, Renee Nilsen

Theses and Dissertations

As the cost of higher education has risen, partly due to the embrace of neoliberalism in higher education, students and families have faced a growing cost-sharing burden. Along with an increased demand for graduate education credentials, this trend has led to the growth of student loan debt in the United States. This narrative case study researched how personal finance situations have impacted the career experiences of people aged 28-40 who work as professional staff in higher education. Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model guided the design and analysis to capture the dynamics between the policy realms, institutional and industry career development provisions, and …

A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study On Voluntary Reporting Of Professional Groups In U.S. Commercial Aviation, James Norman

Theses and Dissertations

Aviation safety culture research does not exist regarding the specific factors that either promote or discourage voluntary safety reporting among different frontline groups in U.S. Part 121 operations. Moreover, while safety culture has been shown to vary across workgroups, cross-sectional research across multiple aviation organizations regarding voluntary reporting is lacking. To address this gap in the literature, an exploratory study was conducted utilizing a sequential, confirmatory mixed methods approach. A 28-item survey was distributed to air traffic controllers, dispatchers, maintenance technicians, and pilots. The instrument quantitatively assessed organizational safety values, reporting friction, previous reporting experience, just culture, and voluntary reporting …

Vertical Transfer Student Integration At A Technical University: A Case Study Of A Large, Urban, Private Institution, Eric Michael Pope

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of vertical transfer students currently enrolled at a technical university and the academic and social integration of these students into their new institution. The purposes of this study were two-fold. The first objective was to better understand how community colleges prepare students academically and socially for their eventual transfer. The second objective was to understand the academic and social integration of students entering a technical university. A qualitative case study was conducted to learn more about the experiences of vertical transfer students entering this institution. The data collection method included one-on-one interviews with ten recently …