Engineering Commons^™

Comparison Of One-Dimensional Turbulence And Direct Numerical Simulations Of Soot Formation And Transport In A Nonpremixed Ethylene Jet Flame, David O. Lignell, Garrison C. Fredline, Adam D. Lewis

Faculty Publications

Accurate models of soot formation in turbulent flames are important for correctly predicting and simulating flames and fires. Modeling soot formation and transport is challenging due to the complex chemical formation processes, and differential diffusion of soot relative to a flame. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) have highlighted the importance of such transport on soot concentrations, however DNS is computationally expensive. The one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) model is able resolve a full range of length and timescales and solves the evolution of diffusive and reactive scalars in the natural physical coordinate. We present results of soot formation in ODT and compare the …

Simulation And Analysis Of Inhomogeneous Degradation In Large Format Limn2O4/ Carbon Cells, Yiling Dai, Long Cai, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

Degradation phenomena are not distributed uniformly in a large-format cell. To better understand the inhomogeneous degradation in large-format cells, a two-dimensional model was developed for a LiMn₂O₄ (LMO)/Carbon cell. The model includes both the non-uniform porous electrode properties and the electrode mismatch. The simulation results show that when the anode edge is extended over the cathode edge, the LMO particles near the edge suffer larger potential difference, larger charge/discharge depth, and higher insertion-induced stress. Therefore, the predicted loss of LMO is more pronounced near the edge as has been seen experimentally. The influence of different design adjustable …

Developent Of A Phospholipid Encapsulation Process For Quantum Dots To Be Used In Biologic Applications, Logan Grimes

Master's Theses

The American Cancer Society predicts that 1,665,540 people will be diagnosed with cancer, and 585,720 people will die from cancer in 2014. One of the most common types of cancer in the United States is skin cancer. Melanoma alone is predicted to account for 10,000 of the cancer related deaths in 2014. As a highly mobile and aggressive form of cancer, melanoma is difficult to fight once it has metastasized through the body. Early detection in such varieties of cancer is critical in improving survival rates in afflicted patients. Present methods of detection rely on visual examination of suspicious regions …

An Integrated Approach To Developing Technical Communication Skills In Engineering Students, Ronald S. Harichandran, David J. Adams, Michael Collura, Nadiye O. Erdil, David Harding, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Amy Thompson

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

The Project to Integrate Technical Communication Habits (PITCH) is being implemented across seven engineering and computer science undergraduate programs. The overarching goal of PITCH is to develop written, oral and visual communication skills and professional habits in engineering students. PITCH activities begin in the very first semester and are reinforced and extended through all four years of each program. Senior design becomes the culminating experience in which students demonstrate the skills and habits acquired through PITCH courses. Student outcomes for the project were established based on an extensive survey of employers, alumni and faculty. Communication instruments include technical memoranda, poster …

A Novel Silica-Based Nano Pigment As A Titanium Dioxide Replacement, Ryan Stoneburner

Masters Theses

This research focused on the evaluation of a new Silica-based pigment for the replacement of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in paperboard coatings. The silica-based pigment has shown the ability to be a replacement in terms of functionality and runnability. TiO₂ is currently the highest opacifying pigment used in paper coatings, but it is also the most costly. Finding a less expensive pigment that doesn't reduce effectiveness is critical to reducing the cost of TiO₂ formulations. To evaluate the new pigment, coatings will be applied using a Cylindrical Laboratory Coater (CLC) with varying amounts of TiO₂ and …

Influence Of Nanofiller Morphology On The Viscoelastic Properties Of Cnf/Epoxy Resins, Liberata Guadagno, Marialuigia Raimondo, Khalid Lafdi, Annalisa Fierro, Salvatore Rosolia, Maria Rossella Nobile

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper we discuss the viscoelastic properties of CNF/Epoxy-Amine Resins for structural applications. The use of reactive diluent inside the unfilled and nanofilled epoxy mixture as proven to be of benefit to strongly decrease the viscosity.

New Advances In Post-Installed Subsea Monitoring Systems For Structural And Flow Assurance Evaluation, Reza Asgharzadeh Shishavan, David Brower, John Hedengren, Alexis Brower

Faculty Publications

An overview of fiber optic sensors for temperature, pressure, strain, and fatigue of subsea structures is provided. Current progress details efforts to ensure proper installation and bonding to existing risers, flow-lines, mooring lines, trees, and other structures in actual subsea environments. Developments include clamp prototypes, bonding techniques, long-term fatigue analysis, sensor calibration, and temperature compensation. Fiber optic technology in subsea monitoring began over 20 years ago by migrating expertise from decommissioning of rocket motors. The first installations were on new installations of subsea pipelines, production risers, and drilling risers to measure strain and vibration for fatigue life monitoring. Of particular …

Kinetic Analysis Of Thiol Oxidation To Study The Effects Of Fluorinated Groups On Metal Phthalocyanine Catalysts, Nellone Eze Reid

Dissertations

The oxidation of thiol (RSH) to disulfide (RSSR) is important biologically and industrially. Corrosive and malodorous thiols exist as contaminants in wastewater discharge from mining facilities, pulp and paper mills, tanneries, and oil refineries. The elimination of thiols from petroleum products is necessary for even cleaner fuels. Thiols in gas products can also inhibit catalyst activity for some downstream processes.

Experiments and mechanistic kinetic studies were conducted for the aerobic oxidation of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) and 4-fluorobenzenethiol (4-FBT) catalyzed by cobalt phthalocyanines: H₁₆PcCo, F₁₆PcCo, and F₆₄PcCo, each exhibiting a metal center subject to increasing Lewis …

Hydrodynamic Cfd Modeling Of A Pharmaceutical Reactor Vessel Provided With A Retreat-Blade Impeller Under Different Baffling Conditions, Christopher G. Foehner

Theses

In the pharmaceutical industry, glass-lined reactors and vessels are often utilized to carry out a variety of different unit operations. Within these systems, both the vessel and impellers are typically glass-lined in order to provide superior corrosion resistance, prevent product contamination, and enhance cleanability. This approach, in turn, often requires the use of different, and sometimes sub-optimal, baffling conditions, which affect the hydrodynamics of the vessels and the reactor performance.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a computational tool that employs numerical methods and algorithms to discretize and numerically solve partial differential equations (PDEs) representing mass, energy, and momentum conservation equations …

Combustion Of Fine Magnesium Particles, Song Wang

Theses

Recent interest in developing Al-Mg alloys as reactive materials prompted studies of combustion mechanisms for particles of such alloys with different Al/Mg ratios. Reference experiments with pure Al and Mg powders are also desired to better understand and model combustion of the respective alloys. While combustion of pure Al powders has been addressed in many recent studies, combustion of magnesium explored mostly coarse, 50 μm, and larger particles. This effort is focused to characterize and understand combustion dynamics for fine Mg powders. Spherical, micron-sized magnesium particles were introduced in an air-acetylene flame using a custom-made screw feeder. Particles were observed …

Assessment Of A Marine Polysaccharide For Use As Excipient In Pharmaceutical Hot-Melt Extrusion, Qing Ye

Theses

Pharmaceutical Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) is currently investigated by both industry and academia as a method for manufacturing solid oral dosages with improved bioavailability of poorly-water soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and control drug release of water-soluble APIs. Although HME is traditionally utilizing synthetic polymers to produce such dosages, biopolymers constantly gain ground by virtue of renewability, biocompatibility and in some cases biodegradability. In this work, the possibility of using Keltone, a marine polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, as a polymeric excipient for pharmaceutical HME is explored. Keltone is insoluble in acidic pH and soluble in basic pH, therefore making …

Dispersion And Dissolution Kinetics Of Api Particles In Pharmaceutical Hot Melt Extrusion, Wang Zhan

Theses

Pharmaceutical Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) is essentially a special case of polymer compounding. The elementary steps involved in traditional plastics melt processing are handling of particulates, melting, dispersive and distributive mixing, devolatilization and stripping, and finally pressurization and pumping. However, for pharmaceutical HME, the dissolution of the API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) is an additional and very important elementary step, along with the melting of the polymeric excipient that precedes it, and mixing which accelerates the dissolution process. A major concern in pharmaceutical HME is the thermal degradation of the API. To avoid overexposure of API to heat while ensuring complete …

Experimental Determination Of The Mixing Requirements For Solid Suspension In Pharmaceutical Stirred Tank Reactors, Anqi Zhou

Theses

Glass and glass-lined, stirred-tank reactors are of significant importance in the pharmaceutical and related industries. Because of fabrication issues, a retreat blade impeller (RBI) with a low impeller clearance off the tank bottom is commonly used in glass-lined reactors, typically combined with a single baffle (providing only partial baffling conditions) mounted from the top of the reactor. In addition, these reactors are often provided with a torispherical bottom. Other configurations are also used, including full baffling or no baffles at all, hemispherical bottoms, and different impeller types. Despite their common use, some of the most important mixing characteristics of this …

Graphene-Supported Metal Nanoparticles And Its Potential Civilian And Military Applications, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

It is now well established that nanoparticles (1-100 nm) exhibit unique chemical and physical properties that differ from those of the corresponding bulk materials. The dependence of the properties of nanoscale materials on the size, shape and composition of the nanocrystal is a phenomenon of both fundamental scientific interest and many practical and technological applications. These properties are often different, and sometimes superior, to those of the corresponding bulk materials. Due to its unique properties and high surface area, Graphene has become a good candidate as an effective solid support for metal catalysts. The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2010 …

The Odijk Regime In Slits, Douglas R. Tree, Wesley F. Reinhart, Kevin D. Dorfman

Faculty Publications

De Gennes’ blob theory has been remarkably successful at describing weakly confined polymers in both slits and channels, and comparable results surround Odijk’s theory of deflection segments for strongly confined wormlike polymers in nanochannels. However, given the success of Odijk’s theory in channels, it is remarkable that there is no comprehensive theory for the simple case of a wormlike polymer strongly confined between two parallel plates. We propose such a theory by drawing inspiration from the existing literature on ideal wormlike chains in slits and Daoud and de Gennes’ idea of mapping a slit-confined chain to a two-dimensional chain. We …

Mechanism Of Insulin Aggregation: Applied To Alzheimer's Disease, Milos Atz

Honors Scholar Theses

Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating neurodegenerative illness, is caused by the irreversible aggregation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain. In Alzheimer’s brains, the protein can become disfigured, causing it to aggregate into long, insoluble fibers that deposit on brain tissue. Studying the aggregation mechanisms of amyloid proteins can lead to a deeper understanding of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and possibly point towards a potential cure or treatment for the disease. Heat induced aggregation of insulin provides a model system to study the aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins. This study investigates the early stages of heat induced insulin aggregation using dynamic light …

Preparation And Characterization Of Pc And San Composites And Pc/San Blends With Graphene Nanofiller, Marc Olivier-Blais

Senior Theses

For my thesis defense I plan to focus on both the scientific merit of my research and a reflection of what I personally gained from my experience in Germany. The central goal of this scientific study was to prepare a polymer blend with fine co-continuous blend morphology which contains well dispersed graphene nanofiller. Graphene is currently of great interest as a filler within the polymer nanocomposite community due to its excellent electrical conductivity, favorable mechanical properties, and high surface area. The polycarbonate (PC)/ Poly (styrene acrylonitrile) (SAN) blend system is of interest due to their ubiquitous use in both industrial …

Greenscreen: Software To Improve Campus Water And Energy Use, Andrew T. Silva

University Scholar Projects

Water and energy are intrinsically linked together. Energy is required to produce clean water and water is used heavily to generate energy. These two resources are constantly held in check, as they are vital to the sustained operation of towns, cities, and campuses. At the University of Connecticut (UConn), the consumption of water and energy is reduced by an efficient power plant and a brand new water reclamation facility. To reach beyond these accolades, it is essential that a deeper understanding of campus water usage is developed. Linking this knowledge with information about the energy consumption of UConn facilities will …

Enhancement Of Anaerobic Digestion Of Actual Industrial Wastewaters : Reactor Stability And Kinetic Modeling., Mahyar Ghorbanian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industrial plants pay disposal costs for discharging their wastewater that can contain pollutants, toxic organics and inorganics, to the sewer based on the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) or Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the streams. It has become increasingly expensive for industry to meet stringent regulatory standards. One solution to reduce this cost is to anaerobically degrade the COD content, which in turn generates useful methane gas that can be used to generate useful energy or heat. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is one of the most suitable renewable resources of conversion of industrial wastewaters to bioenergy, but it is not widely …

Classification And Quantification Of Phenotypic Characteristics Of Normal And Dysplastic Oral Cells, Jackson W. Boice

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction Oral cancer accounts for 2.5% of all cancer cases in the United States. The 5 year survival rate or stage 1 or localized oral cancer is 82%, and the survival rate of unstaged oral cancer is only 50%; therefore, early diagnosis is key. Current clinical practices for determining malignancy of tissue include physical examination and surgical biopsy, which can be plagued by high variability between observers and are invasive for the patient. Proflavine intercalates between base pairs of nucleic acids and has excitation and emission peaks at 455 (+/- 20) nm and 515 nm respectively; therefore, it can be …

Optimizing In Vitro Extracellular Matrix Production Using Polymer Scaffolds With Targeted Pore Size, Addison M. Walker

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Extracellular matrix (ECM) has been shown to provide the framework needed for healthy tissue to grow after experiencing an injury. The optimization of growing ECM is a pressing concern in the tissue regeneration field. From prior research, an in vitro approach for harvesting ECM has been created using polyurethane (PU) foams seeded with cells. Our approach aimed at discovering if the pore size of the foams increased the amount of recovered ECM. Scaffolds of targeted pore size were created by separating sugar granules using a sieve, packing the sugar into a cylindrical mold, then pouring PU over the sugar. Three …

How Imbalanced Excitation And Inhibition May Cause Low Entropy Brain Dynamics, Qusay Redwan Alfaori

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

To study the effect of the imbalance of excitation and inhibition neurons on brain entropy using a computer model of a brain. The brain model will be composed of a neural network and entropy of the neural network will be measured quantitatively. Entropy in this context quantifies how many different patterns of activated neurons the brain can create. Imbalance between excitation and inhibition neurons causes the brain to malfunction, which can be an underlying cause of autism.

5ht And The 5ht Receptors- Relevance To Cardiac Valve Disease, Christopher Ryan Martindale

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Recent studies have revealed that elevated levels of serotonin or 5HT lead to valve dysfunction. A mouse model was successfully established to investigate the effects on the aortic valve in subjects with elevated 5HT levels along with cardiovascular hypertension. For each two-week trial, eight C57BL/6J mice were divided into the following expermental groups: control, 5HT, angiotensin II, and 5HT+angiotensin II. The drug was delivered to the mice via osmotic pumps (Ang II: 0.4ng/g/min, 5HT:0.0025ng/g/min) or direct injections(Ang II: 0.1 mg, 5HT: 2.12 mg, every other day) and the blood pressure of the mice was continually monitored via the CODA tail …

Evaluation Of An Inclined Gravity Settler For Microalgae Harvesting, Zhaowei Wang, Jing Hou, Dustin Bowden, Joanne M. Belovich

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Given the small size of microalgae, and the low biomass concentrations obtained in light-limited cultures, the cost of algae harvesting is a significant barrier to commercial-scale production of biofuel from algae. A downward- flow inclined gravity settler was evaluated for its effectiveness in dewatering the microalgae Scenedesmus dimorphus and Chlorella vulgaris. RESULTS Experimental results showed that S. dimorphus can be concentrated up to 8-fold using a single settler stage, with a biomass recovery of 80%. Separation efficiency was independent of biomass concentration between 1 and 5 gdw L-1, suggesting that a two-stage sequential system of settlers may maximize biomass …

Reduction Of Ketoximes To Amines By Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation Using Raney Nickel And 2-Propanol As Hydrogen Donor, Katherynne E. Taylor

Honors Theses

Ketoximes successfully underwent hydrogenolysis and hydrogenation under catalytic transfer conditions with Raney Nickel and 2-propanol as a hydrogen donor. Ketoximes were reduced to primary amines when 2% KOH was included in the reaction. In the absence of KOH N-isopropyl-secondary-amines were obtained in good yields.

Improved Oxidative Stability In Biodiesel Via Commercially-Viable Processing Strategies, Gregory Lepak

All Theses

Biodiesel made from waste cooking oil (WCO) frequently requires antioxidants to meet oxidation stability specifications set forth in ASTM D6751 or EN 14214. In contrast, unrefined cottonseed oil (CSO), containing tocopherols and high concentrations of gossypol, a toxic polyphenolic antioxidant, is unique for biodiesel processing because it produces biodiesel resulting in higher oxidation stability. During biodiesel production, however, only a portion of these endogenous natural antioxidants are suspected to be retained. Because the economics of biodiesel manufacturing rely upon inexpensive sources of triglycerides, emphasis was placed upon developing improved alternative commercially-viable processing strategies where WCO is the main source of …

Outlining The Biocidal Mechanisms Of Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics, Tyler D. Brown

Honors Theses

Each day, antibiotic resistance affects the livelihood of individuals worldwide, especially in relation to hospital-acquired diseases. In an effort to combat this resistance, antimicrobial peptides, small biopolymers produced naturally by multicellular organisms, can be used to selectively eliminate bacteria and have demonstrated great potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Many naturally-occurring antimicrobial peptides possess high concentrations of lysine and arginine amino acid residues, which are protonated and positively-charged at physiological pH. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of antimicrobial peptide mimics, using amino acid mimics. N-3-aminopropyl methacrylamide (APMA) and 3-guanidinopropyl methacrylamide (GPMA) monomers mimic the amino acid residues lysine …

Study Of The Structure-Property Relationships That Determine The Effects Of Latexes And Starch Containing Latex Emulsions On The Performance Of The Barrier Coatings (Sub-Coat) For Paper, Joanna Marie Monfils

Master's Theses

The history of carbonless paper dates back to the 1940s. Before this, a carbon copy sheet was needed between sheets of paper to be able to produce one or more copies simultaneously during writing. The pressure from a pen or typewriter would help deposit the ink of the carbon paper onto the blank sheet of paper under the original written sheet to create a “carbon copy.” This method did however, have its disadvantages. Not only did it produce a limited number of copies, but it was also a messy process. So came the creative process of using microencapsulated dyes to …

Identifying, Monitoring, Quantifying And Converting Algae To Bio-Fuels In Bio-Reactors, Alice C. Jernigan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing algae as a source for bio-fuels has become an area of interest due to concerns about global warming and the reliability and ecology of the production of fossil fuels. Dried algae harvested from a pilot water quality improvement technology at the Rockaway Wastewater Treatment Facility in New York were examined as a source of carbohydrates and lipids for the production of bio-fuels in bio-reactors. The length of storage time, storage conditions, sugar and lipid extraction processes, and fuel production were studied. The results show that if the algae is stored dry (0.015 g/g algae even after a year in …

Membrane Compatibility With Switchable Polarity Draw Solutions For Use In Forward Osmosis Applications, Benjamin Joseph Coscia

Honors Scholar Theses

Water scarcity is problem being faced worldwide and present in every continent. Close to one-fifth of the world’s population has difficulty acquiring safe water, and the problem is worsening as populations continue to grow in poorer countries. As the availability of unimpaired freshwater sources dwindle, water sources, such as the oceans and saline ground waters, must be tapped. However, desalination technologies are very expensive due to a high energy requirement. Forward osmosis (FO) is a process which may be able to replace or become integrated with existing desalination technologies like reverse osmosis. FO relies on an osmotic agent, or draw …