Engineering Commons^™

Novel Coupling Smart Water-Co₂ Flooding For Sandstone Reservoirs; Smart Seawater-Alternating-Co₂ Flooding (Smsw-Agf), Hasan N. Al-Saedi, Ralph E. Flori

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

CO₂ flooding is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective EOR technique that can be used to unlock residual oil from oil reservoirs. Smart water is any water that is engineered by manipulating the ionic composition, regardless of the resulting salinity of the water. One CO₂ flooding mechanism is wettability alteration, which meets with the main smart water flooding function. Injecting CO₂ alone raise an early breakthrough and gravity override problems, which have already been solved using water alternating gas (WAG) using regular water. WAG is an emerging enhanced oil recovery process designed to enhance sweep efficiency during gas …

Method Of Development And Use Of Catalyst-Functionalized Catalytic Particles To Increase The Mass Transfer Rate Of Solvents Used In Acid Gas Cleanup, Leland R. Widger, Cameron A. Lippert, Kunlei Liu

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

The present invention relates to methods for improving carbon capture using entrained catalytic-particles within an amine solvent. The particles are functionalized and appended with a CO₂ hydration catalyst to enhance the kinetics of CO₂ hydration and improve overall mass transfer of CO₂ from an acid gas.

Achieving Tiered Model Quality In 3d Structure From Motion Models Using A Multi-Scale View-Planning Algorithm For Automated Targeted Inspection, Trent Okeson, Benjamin Barrett, Samuel Arce, Cory Vernon, Kevin W. Franke, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

This study presents a novel multi-scale view-planning algorithm for automated targeted inspection using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). In industrial inspection, it is important to collect the most relevant data to keep processing demands, both human and computational, to a minimum. This study investigates the viability of automated targeted multi-scale image acquisition for Structure from Motion (SfM)-based infrastructure modeling. A traditional view-planning approach for SfM is extended to a multi-scale approach, planning for targeted regions of high, medium, and low priority. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can traverse the entire aerial space and facilitates collection of an optimized set of views, …

Sequential Earthquake Damage Assessment Incorporating Optimized Suav Remote Sensing At Pescara Del Tronto, Michael Freeman, Cory Vernon, Benjamin Barrett, Nicole Hastings, Jeff Derricott, Janessa Pace, Benjamin Horne, Joshua Hammond, Joseph Janson, Filiberto Chiabrando, John Hedengren, Kevin W. Franke

Faculty Publications

A sequence of large earthquakes in central Italy ranging in moment magnitudes (Mw) from 4.2 to 6.5 caused significant damage to many small towns in the area. After each earthquake in 2016 (24 August and 26 October), automated small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) acquired valuable imagery data for post-hazard reconnaissance in the mountain village of Pescara del Tronto, and were applied to 3D reconstruction using Structure-from-Motion (SfM). In July 2018, the site was again monitored to obtain additional imagery data capturing changes since the last visit following the 30 October 2016 Earthquake. A genetic-based mission-planning algorithm that delivers optimal viewpoints …

Non-Einstein Viscosity Phenomenon Of Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene Composites Containing Lignin–Polycaprolactone Particulates Highly Dispersed By High-Shear Stress, Sing-Hoon Kim, Kisuk Choi, Kyouk Ryeol Choi, Taesung Kim, Jonghwan Suhr, Kwang Jin Kim, Hyoung Jin Choi, Jae-Do Nam

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Lignin powder was modified via ring-opening polymerization of caprolactone to form a lignin–polycaprolactone (LPCL) particulate. The LPCL particulates were mixed with an acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) matrix at an extremely high rotational speed of up to 3000 rpm, which was achieved by a closed-loop screw mixer and in-line melt extruder. Using this high-shear extruding mixer, the LPCL particulate size was controlled in the range of 3395 nm (conventional twin-screw extrusion) down to 638 nm (high-shear mixer of 3000 rpm) by altering the mixing speed and time. The resulting LPCL/ABS composites clearly showed non-Einstein viscosity phenomena, exhibiting reduced viscosity (2130 Pa·s) compared to …

Follow-Up And Kinetic Model Selection Of Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine (Dpt), Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

The Synthetic route of Cyclotetramethylene Tetramine is implemented through the reaction of hexamine and nitrating mixture that is formed as a result of a reaction between ammonium nitrate and fuming nitric acid. The reaction medium includes acetic acid, acetic anhydride and p-formaldehyde. This synthetic pathway is relatively long and both of hexamine dinitrate and Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine (DPT) are considered as the two main intermediate compounds. The former compound (hexamine dinitrate) was prepared, purified, and then characterized. Conversion of hexamine dinitrate into DPT has been followed up experimentally at different temperatures. Various factors including temperature and time has been investigated. …

Composite Membranes Derived From Cellulose And Lignin Sulfonate For Selective Separations And Antifouling Aspects, Andrew Steven Colburn, Ronald J. Vogler, Aum Patel, Mariah Bezold, John D. Craven, Chunqing Liu, Dibakar Bhattacharyya

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Cellulose-based membrane materials allow for separations in both aqueous solutions and organic solvents. The addition of nanocomposites into cellulose structure is facilitated through steric interaction and strong hydrogen bonding with the hydroxy groups present within cellulose. An ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, was used as a solvent for microcrystalline cellulose to incorporate graphene oxide quantum dots into cellulose membranes. In this work, other composite materials such as, iron oxide nanoparticles, polyacrylic acid, and lignin sulfonate have all been uniformly incorporated into cellulose membranes utilizing ionic liquid cosolvents. Integration of iron into cellulose membranes resulted in high selectivity (> 99%) of neutral …

Biomethane Production From Distillery Wastewater, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Distillery wastewater treatment is a great ecological problem, for example, India produces 2.7 billion liters of alcohol that results in 40 billion liters of wastewater. However, this material can be seen as a resource since 11 million cubic meters of biogas at 60% methane could be produced in addition to cleaning the water. The distillery has two options of what to do with the biogas. The first is to use the biogas to fuel the distillery making the production plant more energy efficient and removing some of the need to buy natural gas. The other is to upgrade the biogas …

Group Iv Environmentally Benign, Inexpensive Semiconductor Nanomaterials For Solar Cells, Lisa Je

ENGS 86 Independent Projects (AB Students)

Modern solar cells are composed of silicon, cadmium tellurium, and copper indium gallium diselenide. While these materials are efficient, elements such as cadmium and indium are rare and expensive. To make this renewable energy source more inexpensive and sustainable, the Liu Optics lab is substituting expensive rare earth metals for more commonly found transition state metals. Work has been done to replace the solar cell layers composed of cadmium and gallium to replace them with glass, silicon, and/or thin films. Common metals such as germanium and tin are investigated and characterized to provide a platform for solar cell components.

Optimization Of Induction Quenching Processes For Hss Roll Based On Mmpt Model, Ligang Liu, Hui Yu, Zhiqiang Yang, Chunmei Zhao, Tongguang Zhai

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

To improve the comprehensive performance of high speed steel (HSS) cold rolls, the induction hardening processes were analyzed by numerical simulation and experimental research. Firstly, a modified martensitic phase transformation (MMPT) model of the tested steel under stress constraints was established. Then, the MMPT model was fed into DEFORM to simulate the induction quenching processes of working rolls based on an orthogonal test design and the optimal dual frequency of the induction quenching process was obtained. The results indicate that the depth of the roll’s hardened layer increases by 32.5% and the axial residual tensile stress also becomes acceptable under …

Application Of Pressure And Rate Transient Analyses To Stress-Sensitive Multi-Fractured Composite Systems And Compartmentalized Reservoirs, Oscar Mauricio Molina

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pressure transient analysis (PTA) is one of the most robust and commonly interpretation tools available for reservoir characterization. Common applications of PTA include estimation of near-wellbore and reservoir properties, detection of reservoir limits and identification of depletion mechanisms. In addition, PTA allows the identification of sealing and leaky faults and the characterization of its properties, such as permeability and transmissibility hence direction of leakage within the fault.

The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce the analytical solution for pressure-transient behavior for three novel reservoir models. First, we develop the analytical model of a multi-fracture horizontal well (MFHW) with pressure-dependent …

Field Drilling Data Cleaning And Preparation For Data Analytics Applications, Daniel Cardoso Braga

LSU Master's Theses

Throughout the history of oil well drilling, service providers have been continuously striving to improve performance and reduce total drilling costs to operating companies. Despite constant improvement in tools, products, and processes, data science has not played a large part in oil well drilling. With the implementation of data science in the energy sector, companies have come to see significant value in efficiently processing the massive amounts of data produced by the multitude of internet of thing (IOT) sensors at the rig. The scope of this project is to combine academia and industry experience to analyze data from 13 different …

Maximizing And Modeling Malonyl-Coa Production In Escherichia Coli, Tatiana Thompson Silveira Mello

LSU Master's Theses

In E. coli, fatty acid synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which converts acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA. Malonyl-CoA is a major building block for numerous of bioproducts. Multiple parameters regulate the homeostatic cellular concentration of malonyl-CoA, keeping it at a very low level. Understanding how these parameters affect the bacterial production of malonyl-CoA is fundamental to maximizing it and its bioproducts. To this end, competing pathways consuming malonyl-CoA can be eliminated, and optimal nutritional and environmental conditions can be provided to the fermentation broth. Most previous studies utilized genetic modifications, expensive consumables, and high-cost quantification methods, making …

Nano-Enhanced Composite Membranes For Water Desalination, Benjamin Fredrik Victor Sundling Von Fürstenrecht

Materials Engineering

In theory single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) will aid in ion rejection due hydrophobicity and smoothness of the SWCNT. An efficient means of water desalination utilizing SWCNT in a membrane seems plausible. A lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) solution was made with a synthesized polymerizable surfactant methacryloxy ethyl hexadecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (C16MA) to help with vertical alignment of SWCNT. Due to SWCNT lack of solubility and tendency to agglomerate in water, a dispersion performed using an inert surfactant centrimonium bromide (CTAB) to make sure that the SWCNT were homogeneously dispersed in the solution without altering the hexagonal packing factor of …

Production Optimization Of Ring-Banded Spherulitic Crystals Of Poly (3-Butylthiophene-2,5-Diyl) Using Controlled Solution Evaporation, Frederick Paul Henderson Iii

Materials Engineering

Conductive polymers can carry a charge due to the presence of excess electrons along the carbon backbone. By growing these polymers into crystals, the usual insulative isotropic matrix that polymers form will be replaced with anisotropic regions where conduction is possible parallel to the crystal lattice growth direction. In previous research, while growing sphere shaped crystals it was observed that a few would exhibit rings that formed parallel to the circumference of the sphere. In this project, the conditions to produce this ring structure were examined by looking at two polymer solutions (with carbon disulfide or dichlorobenzene as solvent) and …

Influence Of Frictional Or Rotational Kinetic Energy On Wellbore-Fluid/Temperature Profiles During Drilling Operations, Ahmed Q. Al Saedi, Ralph E. Flori, C. Shah Kabir

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Temperature-profile distributions in a wellbore during drilling operations might take different forms when applying the energy balance in the overall system. For steady-state conditions, wherein the wellbore is considered a closed system, adding any source of additional energy to this system can influence the predicted temperature profiles. This study presents a new analytical model to investigate the influence of rotational energy arising from the drillstring operation on the wellbore-temperature behavior.

A significant part of the drilling operation is rotation of the drillstring. Depending on the drilling rig, various equipment provides this kind of energy, such as the rotary table or …

Transient Analysis Of Diffusion-Induced Deformation In A Viscoelastic Electrode, Yaohong Suo, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, we analyze the transient diffuse-induced-deformation of an electrode consisting of the conducting polymer polypyrrole (PPY) by using the theories of linear viscoelasticity and diffusion-induced stress. We consider two constitutive relationships with dependence of viscosity on strain rate: Kelvin-Voigt model and three-parameter solid model. A numerical method is used to solve the problem of one-dimensional, transient diffusion-induced-deformation under potentiostatic operation. The numerical results reveal that the maximum displacement occurs at the free surface and the maximum stress occurs at the fixed end. The inertia term causes the stress to increase at the onset of lithiation. The stress decreases …

The Development Of A Multi-Objective Optimization And Preference Tool To Improve The Design Process Of Nuclear Power Plant Systems, Paul Richard Wilding

Theses and Dissertations

The complete design process for a new nuclear power plant concept is costly, long, complicated, and the work is generally split between several specialized groups. These design groups separately do their best to design the portion of the reactor that falls in their expertise according to the design criteria before passing the design to the subsequent design group. Ultimately, the work of each design group is combined, with significant iteration between groups striving to facilitate the integration of each of the heavily interdependent systems. Such complex interaction between experts leads to three significant problems: (1) the issues associated with knowledge …

Replacement Rates Of Initially Hydrocarbon-Filled Microscopic Cavities With Water, Hans Christian Larson

Theses and Dissertations

Wetting behaviors influence many aspects of life and industry from consumer product goods to oil recovery to cosmetics. While the traditional solid-liquid-vapor (SLV) system has been studied for many years now, wetting transitions in the solid-liquid-liquid (SLL) system has remained relatively unexplored. The purpose of this work is to bring light to the wetting transition of the solid-liquid-liquid system and to understand the replacement rates of initially hydrocarbon-filled microscopic cavities with water and the factors affecting these rates. Factors studied were viscosity, density, diffusion related properties, and surface related properties in both hydrocarbon-saturated and hydrocarbon-non-saturated conditions. Cylindrical microscopic cavities were …

Electrochemical Fabrication Of Elastin-Containing Bi-Layered Scaffold For Vascular Tissue Engineering Applications, Thuy-Uyen Ky Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

Lack of a viable vascular graft for the replacement of diseased small diameter blood vessels (< 4 mm) has encouraged the development of a self-repairing tissue engineered vascular graft (TEVG) as a promising alternative source. Although many different fabrication approaches have been devised to generate TEVGs using both natural and synthetic biomaterials, a functional TEVG that can serve as an effective replacement of diseased small-diameter blood vessels (< 4 mm) is still elusive mainly due to concerns associated with thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia. One approach to improve the clinical outcome of vascular grafts is to develop a 3D biomimetic scaffold that provides the essential physicochemical cues (i.e., compositional, topographical) to modulate cellular response (i.e., cell phenotype, endothelialization, de novo elastic matrix production) and thereby aid in tissue repair and remodeling. This approach entails the development of a novel 3D scaffold that provides an aligned collagen platform to guide smooth muscle cell (SMC) orientation

and insoluble elastic matrix (i.e., native form of elastin) to promote SMC contractility and thereby prevent overproliferation and hence alleviate concerns with intimal hyperplasia. In addition, the scaffold must comprise of a smooth luminal side to support the formation of a continuous endothelium that is essential to prevent thrombosis. Most existing biofabrication methodologies to generate vascular scaffolds (e.g., extrusion, electrospinning) have limited scope because of the inability to incorporate insoluble elastic matrix within the aligned collagen framework due to the disparity in the size …

A Numerical Simulation Optimizing Droplet Motion Driven By Electrowetting, Jake M. Lesinski

Master's Theses

A numerical simulation of electrowetting on a dielectric was performed in COMSOL to grant insight on various parameters that play a critical role in system performance. The specific system being simulated was the Open Drop experiment and the parameters being investigated were the applied voltage, contact angle at the advancing triple point, and droplet overlap onto neighboring actuated electrodes. These parameters were investigated with respect to their effect on droplet locomotion performance. This performance was quantified by the droplets velocity and the dielectrophortic (DEP) force’s magnitude; the DEP force was calculated from integration of the Maxwell Stress Tensor, however, the …

Thermal Characterization Of Graphene/Polyethylene Nanocomposites, Ahmed Z. A. Abuibaid

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Theses

Practically, almost all polymers are solidified from the melts for product-forming purposes. Therefore, the evolution of solid structure (crystallization behavior) from their molten form has prime importance in manufacturing high performance materials. Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most commonly used semi crystalline polymers all over the world. In this thesis, nanocomposites of PE with thermal reduced graphene (TRG) (PE/TRG) were prepared via solvent blending and the crystallization of PE has been investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The nanocomposites were crystallized from the melts under both isothermal and dynamic conditions, and evolution of crystal formation is studied using …

Designing A Simulator For An Electrically-Pumped Organic Laser Diode, Robert Hulbert

Master's Theses

Organic semiconductors provide an alternative set of basis materials to fabricate electronic devices like PN Junctions, LEDs, and FETs. These materials have several benefits over traditional inorganic semiconductors including their mechanical flexibility, reliance on renewable resources, and inexpensive large-scale manufacturability. Despite the contemporary device implementations with organic semiconductors, a solid-state electrically-pumped organic laser diode does not exist. However, organically-based lasers do exist by utilizing the organic material strictly for optical gain. The challenge occurs when charge carriers appear in the organic material. The charge carriers must reach a concentration such that population inversion occurs producing optical gain. However, between the …

Follow-Up And Kinetic Model Selection Of Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine (Dpt), Hany A. Elazab, M. M. Seleet, Said M.A. Hassanein, M. A. Radwan, M. A. Sadek

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Synthetic route of Cyclotetramethylene Tetramine is implemented through the reaction of hexamine and nitrating mixture that is formed as a result of a reaction between ammonium nitrate and fuming nitric acid. The reaction medium includes acetic acid, acetic anhydride and p-formaldehyde. This synthetic pathway is relatively long and both of hexamine dinitrate and Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine (DPT) are considered as the two main intermediate compounds. The former compound (hexamine dinitrate) was prepared, purified, and then characterized. Conversion of hexamine dinitrate into DPT has been followed up experimentally at different temperatures. Various factors including temperature and time has been investigated. …

Slightly Fluorination Of Al₂O₃ Ald Coating On Li₁.₂Mn₀.₅₄Coo.₁₃Ni₀.₁₃O₂ Electrodes: Interface Reaction To Create Stable Solid Permeable Interphase Layer, Han Yu, Yan Gao, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Improving the performance of cathodes by using surface coatings has proven to be an effective method for improving the stability of Li-ion batteries (LIBs), while a high-quality film satisfying all requirements of electrochemical inertia, chemical stability, and lithium ion conductivity has not been found. In this study, a composite film composed of Al₂O₃ and AlF₃ layers was coated on the surface of Li_1.2Mn_0.54Co_0.13Ni_0.13O₂ (Li-rich NMC) based electrodes by atomic layer deposition (ALD). By varying the ratio of Al₂O₃ and AlF₃, an optimal …

Mud Loss Estimation Using Machine Learning Approach, Abo Taleb T. Al-Hameedi, Husam H. Alkinani, Shari Dunn-Norman, Ralph E. Flori, Steven Austin Hilgedick, Ahmed S. Amer, Mortadha Alsaba

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lost circulation costs are a significant expense in drilling oil and gas wells. Drilling anywhere in the Rumaila field, one the world's largest oilfields, requires penetrating the Dammam formation, which is notorious for lost circulation issues and thus a great source of information on lost circulation events. This paper presents a new, more precise model to predict lost circulation volumes, equivalent circulation density (ECD), and rate of penetration (ROP) in the Dammam formation. A larger data set, more systematic statistical approach, and a machine-learning algorithm have produced statistical models that give a better prediction of the lost circulation volumes, ECD, …

The Effect Of Testing Conditions On The Performance Of Lost Circulation Materials: Understandable Sealing Mechanism, Montri Jeennakorn, Mortadha Alsaba, Runar Nygaard, Arild Saasen, Olav Magnar Nes

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lost circulation materials (LCMs) are added to drilling fluids to mitigate lost circulation (LOC) problems. Designing the fluid requires a good understanding of sealing mechanisms and all the parameters affecting the sealing performance. Laboratory testing apparatus is the key concept for LCM evaluation ensuring successful treatment. The high-pressure test cell containing fracture discs is an effective tool among the broadly designed apparatus. A variety of formulations has been developed from the LCM physical properties. Recently, the testing conditions such as the slot wall angles, and the fracture disc thickness were found to have significant effects on the evaluation results. However, …

Electrochemically Reactive Membranes For Efficient Biomass Recovery, Pollutant Degradation And Commercialization, Likun Hua

Dissertations

Micropollution in natural waters such as rivers and groundwater aquifers is a widespread problem that prevents these potentially potable sources from being used as drinking water. In the United States, approximately two-thirds of the over 1,200 most serious hazardous waste sites in the nation are contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a potentially carcinogenic compound. Other emerging and environmentally persistent organic micropollutants include polyromantic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organophosphate flame retardants, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Membrane filtration is one of the most efficient separation processes widely used for water treatment and pollutant removal. However, traditional membrane …

Speciation Of Gaseous Oxidized Mercury Molecules Relevant To Atmospheric And Combustion Environments, Francisco J. Guzman

Dissertations

Mercury is a pervasive and highly toxic environmental pollutant. Major anthropogenic sources of mercury emissions include artisanal gold mining, cement production, and combustion of coal. These sources release mostly gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), which upon entering the atmosphere can travel long distances before depositing to environmental waters and landforms. The deposition of GEM is relatively slow, but becomes greatly accelerated when GEM is converted to gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) because the latter has significantly higher water solubility and lower volatility. Modeling GOM deposition requires the knowledge of its molecular identities, which are poorly known because ultra-trace (tens to hundreds part …

N8- Polynitrogen Stabilized On Carbon-Based Supports As Metal-Free Electrocatalyst For Oxygen Reduction Reaction In Fuel Cells, Zhenhua Yao

Dissertations

The sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode is one of the key factors limiting the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Platinum-based materials are the most widely studied catalysts for this ORR reaction while their large-scale practical application in fuel cells is hindered due to their scarcity and low stability. Therefore, highly active, low cost and robust non-Pt catalysts are being developed to overcome the drawbacks. Recently, a novel polynitrogen N8- (PN) stabilized on multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) was synthesized under ambient condition for the first time by our group and demonstrated high ORR activities. …