Engineering Commons^™

Design Of A Portable Biogas Purification And Storage System, Anikumar Kosna, Bade Shrestha

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award (FRACAA)

The objective of this study is to propose and design a commercial portable purification and storage system to commercialize biogas (which mainly consists of 45 - 75 % of methane and 15 - 16% of carbon dioxide), produced from household/non-commercial biogas plants. The selection of purification process is based on the portability of the purification system.

Computer Simulation Of Flexiblity And Inertial Effects On Self-Propelled Swimming Bodies, Ye Luo, Tai-Hsien Wu

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

In this research, a numerical simulation method is employed to simulate a flapping movement for a flexible slender swimmer in a fluid. Our objective is to study dynamic behaviors of the flapping movement. Fig. 1 shows a sketch of the simulation: the leading edge of the swimming body is swung in the vertical direction to generate a horizontal thrust force, which drives the body itself to cruise in the horizontal direction in a fluid. The simulation is based on a combination of three numerical methods: the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), Lattice Spring Model (LSM), and Immersed Boundary Method (IBM). The …

Simulation Of Deformation Of Red Blood Cells, Tai-Hsien Wu

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Using simulation to discuss the deformation of cells is not only efficient, but also inexpensive. In this study, a red blood cell (RBC) model is introduced which is simple but rigorous. This RBC model has been stretched to examine its properties and its results agree well with an experiment which was conducted in 2003. Therefore, the model allows researchers to conduct studies related to deformation of RBCs or investigate properties of RBCs. Based on this RBC model, we can couple it with the computational fluid dynamics to investigate the interaction between cells and flows, as well as mimic other cells …

Evaluation Of Thin Film Nanotube-Antibody Matrix Materials For Potential Integration Into Immunodiagnostic Biosensors, Brian Young

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award (FRACAA)

Most quantitative immunodiagnostic assay products require large laboratory equipment, controlled lab environments, and highly skilled technicians, making them expensive and impractical for use in other environments such as physician offices, the home and field clinics of developing countries. The long-range goal of this work is to attempt to develop an inexpensive quantitative hand-held immunobiosensor-based technology that can easily be applied to any antibody:antigen combination and used in any setting. A new approach to measure antibody:antigen binding in the presence of nanotubes has been described in several recent studies. Using conductive polymer/nanotube/antibody solution-impregnated filter paper, these researchers showed a change in …

S-Stem Scholars, A Second Generation: Support For At-Risk Upper Division And Transfer Students In Ceas, Andrew A. Kline, Betsy M. Aller

Academic Leadership Academy

Begun in 2010, the S-STEM Scholar Program increases opportunities for financially needy but academically talented students. These students:

•Are first-time, first year students •Demonstrate financial need through FAFSA applications

•Will enter a major in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

•Have a math ACT of 24 or above

Student awardees receive up to $3,000 per semester, and continue to receive this amount for up to eight semesters with continued academic success and progress to degree.

The Impact Of Driving Conditions On Phev Battery Performance, Nathan Christensen, John Patten, Steven Srivastava, Gary P. Nola

Green Manufacturing Research Journal

The battery performance of a modified Prius with a 5 kWh plug-in battery was documented for a year to determine the impact of environmental conditions and user attributes on vehicle performance. Both fuel economy and pure electrical efficiency were compared to ambient temperature. The fuel economy has a positive relationship with ambient temperature until approximately 70˚F where the efficiency begins to drop. Electrical performance has a positive linear relationship with ambient temperature. With the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs) and PHEVs from a variety of automotive manufacturers, information on EV and PHEV performance for consumers will become more important.