Engineering Commons^™

Manufacture Of 1 Kw Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Stack, Sheng Sui, Xin-Jian Zhu, Zheng-Yu Fan, Guang-Yi Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

A molten carbonate fuel cell stack with an active area of 240 mm×140 mm consisted of 30 cells. The gas feed system works via interior manifolds, and the stack placed in a couple of self-chest, coupled with a heater at the bottom and other fours surrounded,to keep uniformity of temperature.Under ambient pressure and 650 ℃, fed with hydrogen and air as anode and cathode gases respectively, the stack gave a current density of 150 mA/cm² at an average cell voltage of 0.7 V. The peak output of the stack was 1.06 kW during its performance of 300 h.

Steady State Simulation Of Ysz Intermediate-Temperature Fuel Cell, Zi-Jing Lin, Ye Gu, Xiao-Hua Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

With a coupled 2D electrochemical and thermal modeling software, the characteristics of the steady state operation of the intermediate-temperature fuel cell with thin yttria-stabilized zirconia(YSZ) electrolyte was analyzed. The parameters of I-V equation were obtained from fitting the experiment results and the choice of grid points was determined by balancing the accuracy requirement and computational efficiency. The temperature fields at different operation circumstances such as flow designs, material choices for interconnect, were examined. The dependences of the output power and cell efficiency on the operating voltage at different temperatures were studied. Based upon the analysis of the temperature profile, it …

Method, Apparatus And Article For Microfluidic Control Via Electrowetting, For Chemical, Biochemical And Biological Assays And The Like, James D. Sterling

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

An active-matrix microfluidic platform employs thin film transistor active ("TFT") matrix liquid crystal display ~ technology to manipulate small samples of fluid for chemical, biochemical, or biological assays without moving parts, for example, using a two-dimensional matrix array of drive electrodes. The active-matrix microfluidic platform may employ existing active matrix 0 addressing schemes and/or commercial "off-the-shelf" animation software to program assay protocols. A feedback subsystem may > determine an actual location of a fluid in the microfluidic structure, and provides location information to for display, for example, on an active-matrix display, and/or to control movement of one or more fluid bodies …

An Approach To Sequence Dna Without Tagging, Sanjun Niu, Ravi F. Saraf

Papers in Biotechnology

Microarray technology is playing an increasingly important role in biology and medicine and its application to genomics for gene expression analysis has already reached the market with a variety of commercially available instruments. In these combinatorial analysis methods, known probe single-strand DNA (ssDNA) ‘primers’ are attached in clusters of typically 100 μm × 100 μm pixels. Each pixel of the array has a slightly different sequence. On exposure to ‘unknown’ target ssDNA, the pixels with the right complementary probe ssDNA sequence convert to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) by a hybridization reaction. To transduct the conversion of the pixel to dsDNA, the …

Accurate Quantification Of Steady And Pulsatile Flow With Segmented K-Space Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry, Haosen Zhang, Sandra S. Halliburton, James R. Moore, Orlando P. Simonetti, Paulo R. Schvartzman, Richard D. White, George P. Chatzimavroudis

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional non-segmented magnetic resonance phase velocity mapping (MRPVM) is an accurate but relatively slow velocimetric technique. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the much faster segmented k-space MRPVM in quantifying flow. The axial velocity was measured in four straight tubes (inner diameter: 5.6–26.2 mm), using a segmented MRPVM sequence with seven lines of k-space per segment. The flow rate and flow volume were accurately quantified (errorssteady (r²=0.99) and pulsatile flow (r²=0.98), respectively. The measured velocity profiles and flow rates from the segmented sequence agreed …

Microbial Cellulose Utilization: Fundamentals And Biotechnology, Lee R. Lynd, Paul J. Weimer, Willem H. Van Zyl, Isak S. Pretorius

Dartmouth Scholarship

Fundamental features of microbial cellulose utilization are examined at successively higher levels of aggregation encompassing the structure and composition of cellulosic biomass, taxonomic diversity, cellulase enzyme systems, molecular biology of cellulase enzymes, physiology of cellulolytic microorganisms, ecological aspects of cellulase-degrading communities, and rate-limiting factors in nature. The methodological basis for studying microbial cellulose utilization is considered relative to quantification of cells and enzymes in the presence of solid substrates as well as apparatus and analysis for cellulose-grown continuous cultures. Quantitative description of cellulose hydrolysis is addressed with respect to adsorption of cellulase enzymes, rates of enzymatic hydrolysis, bioenergetics of microbial …

Synthesis And Enzymatic Resolution Of Amino Acid Esters In "Green" Solvents -- Ionic Liquids, Hua Zhao

Dissertations

Chiral separation has attracted tremendous attention in pharmaceutical and chemical fields, especially in the area of chiral drug development. Chiral amino acids are among the most important intermediates in the asymmetric synthesis of modem drugs. This research has developed an effective method for obtaining optically pure amino acids by enzymatic resolution using a "green" solvent, named an ionic liquid.

Ionic liquids, a new type of "green" solvents, have been used in many organic reactions and other chemical processes (such as liquid-liquid extraction) with improved performance. This is mainly due to their favorable properties for chemical applications, such as low vapor …

Optimum Of Catalyst Layers For Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, Jun Zhang, Lei Li, Li Xu, Yu-Xin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The performances of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs)with various Pt loading were compared. The amount of Nafion in a catalytic layer was optimized, and the effect of Nafion loading on the resistance of MEAs was investigated with ac impedance spectroscopy. For a MEA with both Pt 4 mg/cm² in the anode and the cathode, suitable Nafion loading was 21.4 wt% in the anode. With 21.4 wt% Nafion loading in the cathode, the Direct Methanol Fuel Cells(DMFC) showed the highest performance at high current density. While, the DMFC performances came down, as Nafion loading increasing,for ohm and concentration polarization.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Lini0.8-XAlXCo0.2O2 As Cathodes For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Jun Zhang, Zhong-Kao Jin, Qing-He Yang, Qing-Mei Song, Xiao-Hua Ma, Xiang-Fu Zong

Journal of Electrochemistry

Single-phase solid solution of LiNi_0.8-xAl_xCo_0.2O₂ (0≤ x <0.1)had been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their electrochemical performance was examined by charge-discharge cycling. The LiNi_0.71Al_0.09Co_0.2O₂ compound showed a discharge capacity of 152 mAh/g after 20 cycles that corresponds to 97.4% capacity retention. The beneficial effect of co-doping with Al and Co elements was corro-borated by slow scanning cyclic voltammograms(SSCV), electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data on charged cathodes. These results show that the 2D-character of the crystal lattice was stabilized by co-doping with Al and Co, the phase transitions that occur during deintercalation or intercalation of Li-ions were significantly suppressed, …

Ionic Conduction In Ba0.95Ce0.9Y0.1O3 - Α Solid Oxide And Its Performance In Fuel Cell, Gui-Lin Ma, Ding-Xian Jia, Li-Gan Qiu, Hui Shi, Rong Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Using Ba_0.95Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_3-α as a solid electrolyte and porous platinum as electrodes,hydrogen and oxygen concentration cells and hydrogen-air fuel cell were constructed, respectively. Electromotive forces (MEFs) of the gas concentration cells and I-V characteristics of the fuel cell were detdrmined in the temperature range of 600～1 000 ℃. The Ba_0.95Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_3-α exhibited almost the pure protonic conduction under hydrogen gas,and a mixed conduction of oxide-ion and electron hole with oxide-ion transport number of 0.3～0.5 under oxygen gas. It exhibited a mixed conduction of proton and oxide-ion with the …

Electrically-Small Low Q Radiator Structure And Method Of Producing Em Waves Therewith, Craig A. Grimes, Dale M. Grimes, Faton Tefiku, Gang Lui

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

An electrically small radiator structure for radiating electromagnetic waves having an electrical size, k*a, with a value less than π/2 and above π/20,000 and configured to have at least a first and second magnetic, or electric, dipole element. Dipole elements are preferably oriented such that a source-associated standing energy value for the structure, or W_ds(t_R), is low, Radiative Q value preferably less than ⅓(k*a)³; and each of the elements, whether paired with respective electric dipole elements, is in electrical communication through a feed circuit to at least one power source. Further, a first …

The Effects Of Corrosive Chemicals On Corrosion Rate Of Steel Reinforcement Bars: I. Swamp Water, Sulistyoweni Widanarko, Henki W. Ashadi, Andri Krisnadi Wicaksono

Makara Journal of Technology

Most of infrastructures using steel concrete to reinforce the strength of concrete. Steel concrete is so vulnerable to chemical compounds that can cause corrosion. It can happen due to the presence of chemical compounds in acid environment in low pH level. These chemical compounds are SO4 2-, Cl-, NO3 -. There are many swamp area in Indonesia. The acid contents and the concentration of ion sulphate, chlorides, and nitrate are higher in the swamp water than in the ground water .The objective of this research was to find out the influence of corrosive chemicals in the swamp water to the …

The Effects Of Corrosive Chemicals On Corrosion Rate Of Steel Reinforcement Bars: Ii. Swamp Sludges, Henki W. Ashadi, Sulistyoweni Widanarko, Irma Gusniani

Makara Journal of Technology

A polluted environment will influence the building age. The objective of this research was to find out the influence of corrosive chemicals within the sludge swamp area with the corrosion rate of steel concrete. Corrosion in steel concrete usually occur in acid area which contain of SO4 2-, Cl- and NO3 -. The research treatment used by emerging ST 37 and ST 60 within 60 days in ‘polluted’ sludge swamp area. Three variation of ‘polluted’ swamp sludge were made by increasing the concentration a corrosive unsure up to 1X, 5X and 10X. The corrosion rate measured by using an Immersion …

The Effect Of Ca Content On Cao-Zeolite On Nitrogen Adsorption Capacity, Mohammad Nasikin, Tania Surya Utami, Agustina Tp Siahaan

Makara Journal of Technology

In industry, Ca zeolite is used as nitrogen selective adsorbent with the use of PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption)/VSA (Vacuum Swing Adsorption) methods. Natural zeolite modified to be Cao-zeolite by ion exchange process using Ca(OH)2. Adsorption test was done on CaO-zeolite with different Ca concentration to understand how it’s adsorption phenomena on oxygen and nitrogen. Adsorption test has been done for CaO-zeolite with Ca concentration = 0,682%, 0,849% and 1,244% to oxygen and nitrogen with equal concentration seperately. Pressure variation has being done three times (5 minutes long each time) adsorption time to analyze the connection between adsorption time and how …

Cetane Number Booster Additive For Diesel Fuel Synthesized From Coconut Oil, Mohammad Nasikin, Rita Arbianti, Abdul Azis

Makara Journal of Technology

To reduce NOx, SOx, HC, and particulates that produce because of using diesel fuel, can be done by increasing cetane number. One of methods is adding an additive to diesel fuel. 2-Ethyl Hexyl Nitrate (2-EHN) is a commercial additive that an organic nitrate. Making an additive in this research is used palm oil by nitration reaction that used HNO3 and H2SO4. Result of this reaction is methyl ester nitrate that has a structure looks like 2-EHN. IR spectra from research show that methyl ester nitrate is indicated by spectrum NO2 at 1635 cm-1. This result show that methyl ester nitrate …

Analogy Method Development For Cost Estimation Of Software Design, Riyanarto Sarno, Joko Lianto Buliali, Siti Maimunah

Makara Journal of Technology

The important aspect of planning and managing software development project is to estimate the cost of a project. There are several methods for estimating the cost of a software development project, and the Analogy method is a method which gives relatively better estimates. This paper shows that the modified Analogy method selects a closer project reference, estimates more accurate project effort and cost. This study enhances the cost estimate technique by including valid and complete cost parameters, therefore the estimate of a project cost is better than the result of the standard Analogy method.

The Role Of Si3n4 Amorphous Phase In Nc-Tin/A-Si3n4 Nanocomposites In Increases The Hardness And Thermal Stability, Keba Moto

Makara Journal of Technology

The role of Si3N4 amorphous phase in nc-TiN/a-Si3N4 nanocomposites will be shown and compared with polycrystalline ZrN/Ni which has no such amorphous phase (non-composites). The presence of amorphous phase Si3N4 increases the hardness of film as well as the toughness of the bulk nanocomposites under indentation load. It has been observed that nc-TiN/a-Si3N4 nanocomposites films has higher thermal stability than ZrN/Ni polycrystalline films.

Biodiesel's Characteristics Preparation From Palm Oil, Tilani Hamid. S, Rachman Yusuf

Makara Journal of Technology

Biodiesel’s characteristics preparation from palm oil. Using vegetable oils directly as an alternative diesel fuel has presented engine problems. The problems have been attributed to high viscosity of vegetable oil that causes the poor atomization of fuel in the injector system and pruduces uncomplete combustion. Therefore, it is necessary to convert the vegetable oil into ester (metil ester) by tranesterification process to decrease its viscosity. In this research has made biodiesel by reaction of palm oil and methanol using lye (NaOH) as catalyst with operation conditions: constant temperature at 60 oC in atmosferic pressure, palm oil : methanol volume ratio …

Development Of Hardness Measurement Procedure For Nanocomposite Nc-Tin/A-Si3n4, Keba Moto

Makara Journal of Technology

Hardness of nc-TiN/a-Si3N4 nanocomposites which was determined by using two methods of measurements i. e. depth sensing method and remaining plastic indentation area that were magnified by using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) lie in the good agreement. The hardness value is not influenced by the biaxial and residual compressive stress. The measurement of the biaxial stress on the substrate shows a very small value of biaxial stress as well as the constant hardness and crystallite size against annealing temperature. Therefore, the reported hardness value here is the intrinsic value that depend on its microstructure properties.

Design And Analysis For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides, Xiaolong Wu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Fundamental issues related to the selection of a metallic fuel casting furnace design are presented and discussed including heating mechanisms, casting issues, crucible design, and issues related to the mass transport of americium. The process of evaluating all of these different criteria is undertaken to select a concept that would have the greatest chance of success for casting americium in a metallic fuel rod. Based on this evaluation process, a concept for the casting of metallic fuel pins containing high vapor pressure materials is selected and discussed. The important physics of this concept include mass transport of americium from the …

Modeling And Simulation Of The Chemical Etching Process In Niobium Cavities, Qin Xue

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Niobium Cavities are important parts of the integrated NC/SC high-power linear accelerator (linac) that can accelerate over 100 mA of protons to several GeV. Surface finish of the niobium cavity plays an important role of achieving the best performance of niobium cavity. The chemical etching techniques have been widely used.

Chemical etching of the inner surface of the cavity is achieved by circulating acid through it. The acid interacts with the surface and eliminates imperfections. During the etching process, a pipe with baffles is inserted within the cavity to direct the flow along the surfaces.

A 2-D, axisymmetric, steady state, …

Poly (1-Trimethysilyl-1-Propyne) Membrane Regeneration Process, Andrei G. Fadeev, Michael M. Meagher

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

A novel process for the regeneration of PTMSP membranes is disclosed. The regeneration process includes washing a fouled PTMSP membrane with a solution containing at least about 50% butanol in water for a time sufficient to increase the flux and/or selectivity of the membrane. This regeneration process with a butanol containing solution significantly improves both the flux and selectivity of the PTMSP membrane and can regenerate the flux of the PTMSP membrane to the level of a previously unused membrane.

Fluoride Release From Model Glass Ionomer Cements, A. Guida, R. G. Hill, Mark R. Towler, S. Eramo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Glass ionomer cements (GICs) are an important class of biomedical material used extensively for color matched mercury free, dental restorations. GICs can release clinically beneficial amounts of fluoride and have acceptable handling properties which make them suitable as dental restoratives. The fluoride release of model GICs produced from specially synthesized fluoro-alumino-silicate glasses was studied. Nine glasses of varying fluoride content based on 4.5SiO₂-3Al₂O₃-1.5P₂O₅-(5-Z)CaO-ZCaF₂ were synthesized, and cement disks were prepared from them. The glass transition temperature reduced with increasing fluorine content of the glass. Fluoride ion release was measured …

A Preliminary Study Of An Aluminum-Free Glass Polyalkenoate Cement, Mark R. Towler, C. M. Crowley, D. Murphy, A. M.C. O'Callaghan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Corrosion Inhibitor On Pre-Corroded Carbon Steel In Co2 Medium By Impedance Spectroscopy, Joseph Buchweishaija

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The effect of pre-corrosion of carbon steel on the performance of a commercial amine based fatty acid corrosion inhibitor, KI384, was investigated in formation water solutions saturated with CO₂ using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The investigation was performed at constant partial pressure of CO₂ using an autoclave system with Rotating Cylinder Electrodes (RCE). Carbon steel was pre-corroded for periods up to 7 days at 35 and 80 °C in the test solution prior to inhibitor injection. The results showed that when KI384 was applied on non-corroded carbon steel specimen, high inhibitor performance (99.8 %) was achieved independent of temperature. …

Comparative Analysis Of H₂S Removal Ability Of Different Calcium-Based Absorbents Under Coal Gasification Conditions, Hassan Katalambula

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Calcium-based sorbents, such as limestone and dolomite are viable candidates for capturing pollutants in an in-situ coal gasification/desulphurisation process. Recently, scallop shell is also used as a Ca-based sorbent. However, the ability in capturing pollutants varies from one type to another and it also depends on the process involved. In this study, two types of limestone, scallop shell and dolomite were characterized and studied for H₂S absorption ability under the coal gasification conditions. The characterizations were done using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermal analysis and Surface Area analysis. All of the samples showed a porous structure, and …

A Device For Surface Study Of Confined Micron Thin Films In A Total Internal Reflection Geometry, Sergey Mamedov, Alexander D. Schwab, Ali Dhinojwala

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

A device to probe the molecular structure of materials next to a solid interface in a thin film geometry has been developed. The device can produce controlled thicknesses as small as 1 mum with parallelity better than 0.003degrees. We have shown that the thickness and the parallelity of the film produced between two optical surfaces can be quantified using white light and monochromatic light interferometry, respectively. In addition, this apparatus allows the study of these films in a static state or under shear using spectroscopic techniques involving transmission or reflection measurements. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Nano-Devices Using Block-Copolymers, Ravi F. Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

A structure including a substrate. A first electrode and a second electrode are arranged spaced apart from each other on the substrate. A polymer string is positioned on the substrate between the two electrodes, the polymer line has a width of less than about 50 nm.

Remote Magneto-Elastic Analyte, Viscosity And Temperature Sensing Apparatus And Associated Methods Of Sensing, Craig A. Grimes, Plamen G. Stoyanov

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

An analyte, viscosity, or temperature sensing apparatus for operative arrangement within a time-varying magnetic field, including a sensor with an outer surface that is chemically, frictionally, or thermally responsive and adhered to a base magnetostrictive element, and a receiver to measure a first and second value for magneto-elastic emission intensity of the sensor taken at, respectively, a first and second interrogation frequency. A change in mass or a change in material stiffness of the sensor due to the responsiveness, the viscosity and mass density of a fluid therearound, or the temperature, can be identified. The receiver, alternatively, measures a plurality …

Low Salinity Flooding In A Selected Carbonate Reservoir: Experimental Approach, Mohamed Yehia Mohamed Mahmoud

Theses

Low-salinity water flooding LoSal^TM has been used to improve oil recovery for many decades. Historically, the mechanisms behind this improvement in oil recovery were attributed to the pressure maintenance and displacement of oil by injected water, i.e. physical mechanism. Recently, evidence from laboratory and field tests indicated that water flooding also involves chemical processes and that modifying of the injection brine salinity and its ionic composition can significantly impact the oil recovery. Several theories regarding the mechanism of LoSal^TM flooding have been discussed in the literature. These include interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration (cation exchange), change in pH …