Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Chemical Engineering

Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 2461 - 2490 of 14121

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Analyzing Spatio-Temporal Mechanisms Of Land Subsidence In The Parowan Valley, Utah, Usa, Jiawei Li, Ryan G. Smith, Katherine R. Grote Jan 2023

Analyzing Spatio-Temporal Mechanisms Of Land Subsidence In The Parowan Valley, Utah, Usa, Jiawei Li, Ryan G. Smith, Katherine R. Grote

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Parowan Valley, Utah (USA), is an agricultural region experiencing rapid subsidence due to extensive groundwater extraction from aquifers with a significant portion of fine-grained sediments. To analyze the subsidence spatio-temporally, time-series Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) of 155 Sentinel-1 C-band scenes were processed. These data showed approximately 30 cm of ground subsidence in Parowan Valley from 2014 to 2020. Because of the high temporal sampling rate of the Sentinel-1 satellite (12-day cycle), it is possible to determine the seasonal changes of ground deformation and relate this to groundwater extraction. To better understand the relationship between ground deformation and groundwater extraction …


Electrical Resistivity Tomography Revealing Possible Breaching Mechanism Of A Late Pleistocene Long-Lasted Gigantic Rockslide Dam In Diexi, China, Lanxin Dai, Xuanmei Fan, Dan Wang, Fanyu Zhang, Ali P. Yunus, Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian, J. David Rogers, Hans Balder Havenith Jan 2023

Electrical Resistivity Tomography Revealing Possible Breaching Mechanism Of A Late Pleistocene Long-Lasted Gigantic Rockslide Dam In Diexi, China, Lanxin Dai, Xuanmei Fan, Dan Wang, Fanyu Zhang, Ali P. Yunus, Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian, J. David Rogers, Hans Balder Havenith

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Landslide damming is a widespread phenomenon worldwide and significantly affects the evolution of fluvial landscapes. However, it is rarely witnessed from an antiquities perspective, and the case for observing their internal structure is challenging. We attempt to visualize the subsurface structure and understand the likely breaching mechanism of the late Pleistocene Diexi gigantic landslide dam (longevity of ~ 10 ka), using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method. Eight ERT measurements on the Diexi dam body revealed high resistivity zones near the periphery and lower resistivity zones in the middle portion of the profiles. Geomorphological mapping based on the LiDAR data determined …


Impact Of Composition And Salinity On Swelling And Gel Strength Of Poly (Acrylamide-Co-Acrylic Acid) Preformed Particle Gel, Ahmed Ben Ali, Reem Elaf, Mohammed Saad, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Baojun Bai Jan 2023

Impact Of Composition And Salinity On Swelling And Gel Strength Of Poly (Acrylamide-Co-Acrylic Acid) Preformed Particle Gel, Ahmed Ben Ali, Reem Elaf, Mohammed Saad, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effects of various material compositions and reservoir environments on the ultimate strength and swelling kinetics of a commercial preformed particle gel (PPG) have been investigated. This study used different ratios of acrylamide and acrylic acid copolymers with a specific crosslinker concentration. Results have indicated that increasing the acrylic acid proportion enhances the PPGs' ability to swell but weakens their network structure. In contrast, increasing the crosslinker content decreases the swelling ratio and increases the gel strength. The highest equilibrium swelling capacity among the six preformed particle gel samples was obtained for PPG2, which has the highest acrylic acid amount …


The Success Story Of First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot To Enhance The Recovery Of Heavy Oils On Alaska's North Slope, Abhijit Dandekar, Baojun Bai, John Barnes, Dave Cercone, Reid Edwards, Samson Ning, Randy Seright, Brent Sheets, Dongmei Wang, Yin Zhang Jan 2023

The Success Story Of First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot To Enhance The Recovery Of Heavy Oils On Alaska's North Slope, Abhijit Dandekar, Baojun Bai, John Barnes, Dave Cercone, Reid Edwards, Samson Ning, Randy Seright, Brent Sheets, Dongmei Wang, Yin Zhang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The primary goal of the first ever polymer flood field pilot at Milne Point is to validate the use of polymers for heavy oil Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) on Alaska North Slope (ANS). The specific objectives are systematic evaluation of advanced technology that integrates polymer flooding, low salinity water flooding, horizontal wells, and numerical simulation based on polymer flood performance data. Accordingly, under the co-sponsorship of the US Department of Energy and Hilcorp Alaska LLC the first ever polymer field pilot commenced on August 28, 2018 in the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoir at the Milne Point Unit (MPU) on …


Kinetic Experimental And Modeling Evaluations Of Asphaltene Morphology And Growth Rate Under Varying Temperature And Brine Conditions, Kwamena Ato Quainoo, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Cornelius Borecho Bavoh Jan 2023

Kinetic Experimental And Modeling Evaluations Of Asphaltene Morphology And Growth Rate Under Varying Temperature And Brine Conditions, Kwamena Ato Quainoo, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Cornelius Borecho Bavoh

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The utilization of predictive mechanisms to resolve asphaltene precipitation during oil production is a cleaner and less expensive means than the mechanical/chemical remediation techniques currently employed. Existing models lack predictive success due to opposing views on temperature-asphaltene precipitation interactions. In this study, the effect of varying temperatures (40, 50, 60, 70 80 and 90 °C) and brine concentrations (0 – 5 wt.%) on the long-time kinetics of asphaltene precipitations was evaluated. A series of experiments were conducted using the filtration technique and the confocal microscopy to study asphaltene precipitation on a model oil system consisting of asphaltenes, a precipitant, and …


Risk As A Process: A History Informed Hazard Planning Approach Applied To The 2018 Post-Fire Debris Flows, Montecito, California, Anna Serra-Llobet, John Radke, G. Mathias Kondolf, Larry Gurrola, J. David Rogers, Sarah Lindbergh, Johnny Douvinet Jan 2023

Risk As A Process: A History Informed Hazard Planning Approach Applied To The 2018 Post-Fire Debris Flows, Montecito, California, Anna Serra-Llobet, John Radke, G. Mathias Kondolf, Larry Gurrola, J. David Rogers, Sarah Lindbergh, Johnny Douvinet

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Historical information about floods is not commonly used in the US to inform land use planning decisions. Rather, the current approach to managing floods is based on static maps derived from computer simulations of the area inundated by floods of specified return intervals. These maps provide some information about flood hazard, but they do not reflect the underlying processes involved in creating a flood disaster, which typically include increased exposure due to building on flood-prone land, nor do they account for the greater hazard resulting from wildfire. We developed and applied an approach to analyze how exposure has evolved in …


Transport And Plugging Performance Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Microgel Used For Conformance Control In Mature Oilfields With Super-Permeable Channels, Adel Alotibi, T. Song, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman Jan 2023

Transport And Plugging Performance Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Microgel Used For Conformance Control In Mature Oilfields With Super-Permeable Channels, Adel Alotibi, T. Song, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preformed particle gels (PPG) have been widely applied in oilfields to control excessive water production. However, PPG has limited success in treating opening features because the particles can be flushed readily during post-water flooding. We have developed a novel micro-sized Re-crosslinkable PPG (micro-RPPG) to solve the problem. The microgel can re-crosslink to form a bulk gel, avoiding being washed out easily. This paper evaluates the novel microgels' transport and plugging performance through super-permeable channels. Micro-RPPG was synthesized and evaluated for this study. Its storage moduli after fully swelling are approximately 82 Pa. The microgel characterization, self-healing process, transportation behavior, and …


Impact Of Hvfr Loading Concentrations On Its Viscoelastic Properties And Proppant Transport Performance, Ghith Biheri, Shari Dunn Norman, Abdulmohsin Imqam Jan 2023

Impact Of Hvfr Loading Concentrations On Its Viscoelastic Properties And Proppant Transport Performance, Ghith Biheri, Shari Dunn Norman, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In unconventional reservoirs, increasing the low formation conductivities through hydraulic fracturing may substantially increase oil production from wells. This work of improving the fracture conductivity could be conducted by distributing and transporting proppant within the fracture lengths using high fracture fluid concentrations. This research focused on three areas. First, it assessed the fluid rheology including the viscosity and elasticity of a high viscosity friction reducer (HVFR) and linear guar using deionized (DI) water at different fluid concentrations (i.e., 2, 4, and 8 gpt for the HVFR and 15, 25, and 35 ppt for linear guar), and measured the impact of …


Beeswax Wraps As An Alternative To Single-Use Plastics, Sarah Skiver Jan 2023

Beeswax Wraps As An Alternative To Single-Use Plastics, Sarah Skiver

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The project goal was to compare the food storage efficacy of sustainable beeswax wraps verses the single-use plastic methods of resealable plastic sandwich bags and plastic cling wrap. The goal was also to test the reusability of the beeswax wraps, as it is a key advantage of beeswax wraps that is advertised. The project purpose was to explore sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to single use plastics, which are harmful to the environment in both their production and their disposal. Food spoilage was compared in beeswax wrap, plastic sandwich bags, and plastic cling wrap, and spoilage was also observed in a …


Structural Design And Application Of Polymeric Silicon Elastomers, Jacob Wyant Jan 2023

Structural Design And Application Of Polymeric Silicon Elastomers, Jacob Wyant

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project was to determine how the polymeric structure and mechanical properties of this elastomer are affected by the ratio between the polydimethylsiloxane macromolecular chains and the crosslinkers. These were determined via tensile and compression testing. Then, spiropyran was added to observe how this fluorescence and crosslinking agent affected the elastomer. Also, the elastomer’s fluorescent and icephobic nature were tested. The elastomers with a higher ratio of crosslinker to macromolecular chain could withstand higher tensile and compressive strains but failed at lower stresses than their counterparts with lower concentrations of crosslinkers. The elastomers were also found to …


Teflon Replacement In Pans, Teodora Neamtu Jan 2023

Teflon Replacement In Pans, Teodora Neamtu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of the project is to determine an optimal prepping method of common cooking oils for pans that will be as effective as Teflon non-stick pans. The reason for this is to replace Teflon coating in pans, which can be very toxic for humans and the environment. Teflon has been a common coating for non-stick surfaces that is useful when cooking things such as eggs. To determine an optimal cooking method, three different oils were used: olive oil, vegetable oil, and shortening. The oils were tested on an aluminum pan by cooking egg whites at various temperatures, cooking times, …


Studies On Non-Transition Metal Substitution To Ab2 Metal Hydride Alloys For Battery Application, Shiuan Chang Jan 2023

Studies On Non-Transition Metal Substitution To Ab2 Metal Hydride Alloys For Battery Application, Shiuan Chang

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nowadays, multiphase transition metal-based AB2 metal hydride alloys and the rare-earth metal-based AB5 alloys (currently used in consumer NiMH batteries) are used as negative electrodes in NiMH batteries. It is of great interest to explore the possibility of significantly improving NiMH battery performance to compete with Li-ion batteries. In this area, the effect of dopant elements from Group-IA, -IIA, -IIIA non-transition metal family has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, lithium, magnesium, and boron (a metalloid considered metal in this study) were chosen as modifiers in the C14-phase predominant AB2 alloy by different dopant concentrations and synthesis methods, doping …


Optical Diagnostics Of Hydrocarbon Fuel Autoignition Using The Corrected Filtered Natural Emission Of Species Technique, Maysam Molana Jan 2023

Optical Diagnostics Of Hydrocarbon Fuel Autoignition Using The Corrected Filtered Natural Emission Of Species Technique, Maysam Molana

Wayne State University Dissertations

The gas temperature and concentration of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide of a hydrocarbon fuel mixture were measured using a rapid compression machine by applying a modern optical diagnostics methodology called the corrected filtered natural emission of species (C-FNES) technique. This technique uses a correction factor that includes all of the experimental and simulation errors and uncertainties into the measurements. To ensure the robustness of the proposed technique, the effect of temperature and pressure on the measured data was investigated extensively. To this end, a pentane inert mixture was tested in a wide range of operation conditions: six compressed gas …


Analysis Of Plastic Pyrolysis Oil Separation Using Chemcad, Brian Berish, Juliana Mcgaffic Jan 2023

Analysis Of Plastic Pyrolysis Oil Separation Using Chemcad, Brian Berish, Juliana Mcgaffic

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Excessive plastic waste is a massive global issue. Plastic pyrolysis is a process of melting plastic in the absence of oxygen to create an wax-oil type substance called pyrolysis oil. This project will use a ChemCAD simulation to perform a distillation of a predetermined plastic pyrolysis oil into usable products. Heat integration will be used to construct a heat exchanger network and estimate utility usage. Sizing and costing of all equipment will be calculated and an overall cost analysis of the completed simulation will be performed to determine the economic viability of plant construction. Market research for potential products will …


Level And Temperature Controlled Vessel, Cameron Macesich Jan 2023

Level And Temperature Controlled Vessel, Cameron Macesich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Using two Arduino microcontrollers, level and temperature Proportional-Integral control systems for a continuously stirred tank reactor were designed and configured. Open-loop step tests were performed and fitted with First Order Plus Time Delay responses so that controller tuning parameters could be analytically derived. The effectiveness of the designed systems was evaluated by monitoring the response of closed-loop setpoint changes.


Defining The Proper Operating Time For The Septa Extractor, Abigail Jones Jan 2023

Defining The Proper Operating Time For The Septa Extractor, Abigail Jones

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Anionic polymerizations are a common type of reaction used to produce synthetic rubber. During these reactions, it is necessary to charge initiators, modifiers, and other substances, through pressurized containers that are sealed with rubber septa. These septa prevent oxygen and moisture from entering the pressurized container, and the reactor, though they need to be cleaned before use to remove other impurities. Currently a glass Soxhlet Extractor is used to remove such impurities, and though effective, it has a limited capacity, so it has to run frequently. This limitation led to the commissioning of the Septa Extractor, which is an automated …


Architectural Paint Tank Cleaning, Callie Ruppen Jan 2023

Architectural Paint Tank Cleaning, Callie Ruppen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Architectural paint is highly susceptible to bacterial contamination, so material preservative ingredients are added during production to prevent bacterial contamination which can lead to wet-state spoilage of paint. In recent years however, paint formulations have reduced or eliminated volatile organic compounds (VOC) and regulations on the use of material preservative ingredients have been increased, reducing the use of traditional material preservatives. As a result, the coating industry must focus on improving microbial control through manufacturing hygiene programs including process tank cleaning and sanitization. While requirements for tank cleaning are clearly outlined in standard operating procedures (SOPs) and internal standards, there …


Anti-Freeze Double Network Hydrogels, William Gross Jan 2023

Anti-Freeze Double Network Hydrogels, William Gross

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Three polyethylene glycol (PEG) based crosslinkers with repeat unit nominal weights of 62.1, 200, and 400 g/mol in agar/PAM double network (DN) hydrogels were used to study the effect of different crosslinkers on thermal and mechanical properties. Using the one-pot synthesis method, hydrogels with the PEG crosslinkers or methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAA) were made via sol-gel transition for formation of agar network, and photopolymerization of the PAM network using Irgacure 2959 as photo initiator. Tensile and compression tests were performed on as prepared, swollen, and swollen & cooled specimens of each hydrogel. Freezing time and thermal imaging were performed in -20 °C …


Utilizing Computer-Aided Molecular Design With Azido-Ester Plasticizers, Justin Ebert Jan 2023

Utilizing Computer-Aided Molecular Design With Azido-Ester Plasticizers, Justin Ebert

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project was to utilize Computer-Aided Molecular Design (CAMD) using the Signature molecular descriptor to inversely design optimized azido-ester plasticizers. Azido-ester plasticizers are used to modify the mechanical properties of propellant and explosive formulations. With the assistance of quantitative structure-property relationships, QSPRs, and two types of constraint equations, these new, novel plasticizers have the potential to possess optimal physical and chemical properties. Properties investigated in this work were decomposition temperature, heat of formation, glass transition temperature, and molecular weight. These properties were chosen for their importance when formulating propellants or explosives. After the filters were applied to …


Cross-Seeding Of Protegin-1 And Amyloid Beta To Inhibit Amyloid Beta Aggregation, Sarah Robinson Jan 2023

Cross-Seeding Of Protegin-1 And Amyloid Beta To Inhibit Amyloid Beta Aggregation, Sarah Robinson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Amyloid beta (Aβ) is considered a major component in the progression of degenerative disease like Alzheimer’s disease. In an attempt to cure Alzheimer’s before it has presented, this project proposes a study on the effects of protegrin-1 (PG-1) on the aggregation of Aβ. By cross-seeding to form a PG-1- Aβ heterocomplex, it is believed that aggregation of Aβ on the human brain can be inhibited, thus helping to stop the neurodegeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease. To complete this project, an initial literature review of previous work done by the graduate student leading the project will be completed. After this, experiments …


Computational Investigation Of A Series Of Small Molecules As Potential Compounds For Lysyl Hydroxylase-2 (Lh2) Inhibition, Yazdan Maghsoud, Erik Antonio Vázquez-Montelongo, Xudong Yang, Chengwen Liu, Zhifeng Jing, Juhoon Lee, Matthew Harger, Ally K. Smith, Miguel Espinoza, Hou-Fu Guo, Jonathan M. Kurie, Kevin N. Dalby, Pengyu Ren, G. Andrés Cisneros Jan 2023

Computational Investigation Of A Series Of Small Molecules As Potential Compounds For Lysyl Hydroxylase-2 (Lh2) Inhibition, Yazdan Maghsoud, Erik Antonio Vázquez-Montelongo, Xudong Yang, Chengwen Liu, Zhifeng Jing, Juhoon Lee, Matthew Harger, Ally K. Smith, Miguel Espinoza, Hou-Fu Guo, Jonathan M. Kurie, Kevin N. Dalby, Pengyu Ren, G. Andrés Cisneros

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The catalytic function of lysyl hydroxylase-2 (LH2), a member of the Fe(II)/αKG-dependent oxygenase superfamily, is to catalyze the hydroxylation of lysine to hydroxylysine in collagen, resulting in stable hydroxylysine aldehyde-derived collagen cross- links (HLCCs). Reports show that high amounts of LH2 lead to the accumulation of HLCCs, causing fibrosis and specific types of cancer metastasis. Some members of the Fe(II)/αKG-dependent family have also been reported to have intramolecular O2 tunnels, which aid in transporting one of the required cosubstrates into the active site. While LH2 can be a promising target to combat these diseases, efficacious inhibitors are still lacking. We …


Increased Liver Stiffness Promotes Hepatitis B Progression By Impairing Innate Immunity In Ccl4-Induced Fibrotic Hbv+ Transgenic Mice, Grace Bybee, Youra Moeun, Weimin Wang, Kusum K. Kharbanda, Larisa Y. Poluektova, Srivatsan Kidambi, Natalia A. Osna, Murali Ganesan Jan 2023

Increased Liver Stiffness Promotes Hepatitis B Progression By Impairing Innate Immunity In Ccl4-Induced Fibrotic Hbv+ Transgenic Mice, Grace Bybee, Youra Moeun, Weimin Wang, Kusum K. Kharbanda, Larisa Y. Poluektova, Srivatsan Kidambi, Natalia A. Osna, Murali Ganesan

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection develops as an acute or chronic liver disease, which progresses from steatosis, hepatitis, and fibrosis to end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An increased stromal stiffness accompanies fibrosis in chronic liver diseases and is considered a strong predictor for disease progression. The goal of this study was to establish the mechanisms by which enhanced liver stiffness regulates HBV infectivity in the fibrotic liver tissue. Methods: For in vitro studies, HBV-transfected HepG2.2.15 cells were cultured on polydimethylsiloxane gels coated by polyelectrolyte multilayer films of 2 kPa (soft) or 24 kPa (stiff) …


Mesenchymal Stromal Cells And Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Have A Strong Synergy In Modulating Inflammation And Its Resolution, Li Han, Xinran Wu, Ou Wang, Xiao Luan, William Velander, Michael Aynardi, E. Scott Halstead, Anthony S. Bonavia, Rong Jin, Guohong Li, Yulong Li, Yong Wang, Cheng Dong, Yuguo Lei Jan 2023

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells And Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Have A Strong Synergy In Modulating Inflammation And Its Resolution, Li Han, Xinran Wu, Ou Wang, Xiao Luan, William Velander, Michael Aynardi, E. Scott Halstead, Anthony S. Bonavia, Rong Jin, Guohong Li, Yulong Li, Yong Wang, Cheng Dong, Yuguo Lei

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Trauma, surgery, and infection can cause severe inflammation. Both dysregulated inflammation intensity and duration can lead to significant tissue injuries, organ dysfunction, mortality, and morbidity. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids and immunosuppressants can dampen inflammation intensity, but they derail inflammation resolution, compromise normal immunity, and have significant adverse effects. The natural inflammation regulator mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have high therapeutic potential because of their unique capabilities to mitigate inflammation intensity, enhance normal immunity, and accelerate inflammation resolution and tissue healing. Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that MSCs are safe and effective. However, they are not potent enough, alone, to …


Effects Of Sio2 Coating On Activity Of Ru/Tio2 Catalyst For Co2 Methanation, Fasai Chaisalee Jan 2023

Effects Of Sio2 Coating On Activity Of Ru/Tio2 Catalyst For Co2 Methanation, Fasai Chaisalee

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Hydrogenation of carbondioxide to methane has the potential to effectively decrease the release of excessive CO2 emissions. The Ru/TiO2-rutile catalyst has been previously reported as the best catalytic activity for methane generation under mild operating conditions. However, no catalyst has been developed that approaches the efficiency of this Ru/rutile. This study aims to develop a catalyst that can overcome the performance of the Ru/rutile catalyst. This work investigates Ru catalysts supported on TiO2 and core-shell TiO2@SiO2 catalysts with various phase structures and SiO2 thicknesses were prepared using incipient wetness impregnation of Ru precursor on TiO2 and core-shell TiO2@SiO2 supports. The …


Fugacity-Based Lattice Boltzmann Method For Multicomponent Multiphase Systems, Muzammil Soomro, Luis F. Ayala, Cheng Peng, Orlando M. Ayala Jan 2023

Fugacity-Based Lattice Boltzmann Method For Multicomponent Multiphase Systems, Muzammil Soomro, Luis F. Ayala, Cheng Peng, Orlando M. Ayala

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The free-energy model can extend the lattice Boltzmann method to multiphase systems. However, there is a lack of models capable of simulating multicomponent multiphase fluids with partial miscibility. In addition, existing models cannot be generalized to honor thermodynamic information provided by any multicomponent equation of state of choice. In this paper, we introduce a free-energy lattice Boltzmann model where the forcing term is determined by the fugacity of the species, the thermodynamic property that connects species partial pressure to chemical potential calculations. By doing so, we are able to carry out multicomponent multiphase simulations of partially miscible fluids and generalize …


Understanding Failure Mechanisms Using Multi-Scale Analyses To Improve The Performance Of Zinc Metal And Lithium-Ion Batteries, Brendan E. Hawkins Jan 2023

Understanding Failure Mechanisms Using Multi-Scale Analyses To Improve The Performance Of Zinc Metal And Lithium-Ion Batteries, Brendan E. Hawkins

Dissertations and Theses

We are beginning a global transition away from the use of fossil fuels for our energy needs toward using renewable energy sources in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. One of the biggest challenges to this transition is that, unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy systems have inherent intermittency and require supporting energy storage systems to enable reliable power distribution and electrified transportation. Rechargeable batteries are an attractive energy storage option because of their high energy efficiency, versatility, modularity, and ease of use. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the rechargeable battery market for portable electronics for the past two …


Molecular Elucidation Of Reaction Mechanisms In Aluminum & Lithium Metal Batteries By Solid-State Nmr Spectroscopy And Electrochemical Methods, Leo W. Gordon Jan 2023

Molecular Elucidation Of Reaction Mechanisms In Aluminum & Lithium Metal Batteries By Solid-State Nmr Spectroscopy And Electrochemical Methods, Leo W. Gordon

Dissertations and Theses

As society wrestles with the ever-growing climate consequences of burning fossil fuels, the increased demand for electric vehicles and renewable power generation mandates safe, sustainable, earth-abundant, low cost, and energy dense batteries. Different use cases will necessitate different types of batteries; for example, stationary storage systems prioritize minimal expense, whereas mobile applications like electric vehicles emphasize high energy densities. Aluminum and lithium metal batteries hold great promise for next-generation energy storage due to their large specific capacities (2980 mA h g-1, and 3860 mA h g-1, respectively). In particular, aluminum metal is low cost, has high …


Understanding The Kinetics And Mechanisms Of The Desired And Undesired Reactions During Electrochemical Hydrogenation And Hydrogenolysis Of Furfural On Copper In Acidic Media, Andrew S. May Jan 2023

Understanding The Kinetics And Mechanisms Of The Desired And Undesired Reactions During Electrochemical Hydrogenation And Hydrogenolysis Of Furfural On Copper In Acidic Media, Andrew S. May

Dissertations and Theses

The decarbonization of the chemical industry would have an immense impact on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and assisting in mitigating global warming. To achieve this there is a growing interest in implementing renewable feedstocks like biomass and coupling of chemical processes with renewable energy. Furfural is a biomass derived species that has been identified as a platform molecule. Electrochemical processes are more easily coupled with renewable electricity and can be used to valorize biomass derived species such as furfural. The installation of electrochemical processes is hindered by a smaller knowledge base compared to thermochemical processes. This dissertation investigates the electrochemical …


Shale Wettability Characteristics Via Air/Brines And Air/Oil Contact Angles And Influence Of Controlling Factors: A Case Study Of Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, Darya Khan Bhutto, Abdul Majeed Shar, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Ubedullah Ansari Jan 2023

Shale Wettability Characteristics Via Air/Brines And Air/Oil Contact Angles And Influence Of Controlling Factors: A Case Study Of Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, Darya Khan Bhutto, Abdul Majeed Shar, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Ubedullah Ansari

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Wettability is the fundamental parameter that influences the productivity of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The knowledge of this regarding shale formation is yet inadequate; thus, detailed analysis is essential for successful development of such reservoirs. The Early Cretaceous Sembar formations in the Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, is considered as the key target for energy exploration; however, it exhibits large uncertainties due to the lack of data availability. Sembar shales hold significant hydrocarbon volumes rich in organic content; however, prior to this, no comprehensive research has been conducted to quantify the wetting behavior of these shales. Thus, precise information about the wetting behavior …


Partially Oxidative Torrefaction Of Woody Biomass Pellets: Burning Behaviour And Emission Analysis, Sajid Riaz, Yasir M. Al-Abdeli, Ibukun Oluwoye Jan 2023

Partially Oxidative Torrefaction Of Woody Biomass Pellets: Burning Behaviour And Emission Analysis, Sajid Riaz, Yasir M. Al-Abdeli, Ibukun Oluwoye

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Non-conventional torrefaction under partially oxidative conditions is an emerging cost-effective thermochemical pre-treatment method to improve the quality of biomass for energy applications. The literature lacks data on the combustion of biomass torrefied under oxygen-deficient atmosphere with actual reactor conditions (inevitable non-uniformities in the thermal environment). In this work, a dual mode fixed-bed biomass (torrefaction) reactor and combustor was operated on Australian biomass pellets, to torrefy the fuels at 275 °C for 30 min using partially oxidative atmosphere (O2: 5 vol %, balance N2) and then to combust them. Combustion behaviour with a particular focus on gaseous …