Engineering Commons^™

Multifunctional Oxidation Electrocatalysts For Direct Alkaline Fuel Cells, Ulises Martinez

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The need for the development of new technologies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels requires the combination of different energy sources such as wind, solar, nuclear as well as new energy storage and powering devices. Amongst these new technologies fuel cells are a promising technology capable of transforming chemical energy stored in fuels into electric power at higher efficiencies than combustion processes. However, the commercialization of fuel cells has been limited due to the high costs associated with electrocatalysts needed for the corrosive environments in which proton-exchange membrane fuel cells operate. Electrocatalysts for such fuel cells are based on …

Impact Of Carbon Support Chemistry, Morphology, And Structure On Platinum Catalyst Durability For Pemfc Applications, Anant Patel

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are a promising alternative energy source, capable of being deployed as successful replacements in many stationary and mobile applications. These devices, however, lack durability, and this has become one of the limiting factors for commercialization. Many projects have focused on finding ways to improve their lifetimes, but few have tried to examine the underlying causes behind their corrosion. The goal of this project was to identify which parameters have a significant impact, both positive and negative, on PEMFC durability. To do this, three series of samples were analyzed using microscopic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical methods. Electron …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Dewatering Routes For Algae-Derived Biodiesel Processes, Daniel O'Connell

Theses and Dissertations

Biodiesel derived from algae is considered a sustainable fuel, but proper downstream processing is necessary to minimize the environmental footprint of this process. Algae is grown in dilute liquid cultures, and achieving the low water contents required for extraction represents one of the greatest challenges for the production of algae derived biodiesel. An analysis of the life cycle emissions associated with harvesting, dewatering, extraction, reaction, and product purification stages for algae biodiesel was performed. This "base case" found 10,500 kg of total emissions per t BD with 96% of those attributed to the spray dryer used for dewatering. Alternative cases …

Biological And Biomimetic Oxygen Electro-Reduction By Enzymes, Shayna Brocato

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Enzyme catalysts are a viable alternative to the traditional platinum based catalysts for the complete oxidation of complex fuels. Efficient oxidation of multi-carbon compounds, selective catalytic activity eliminating the need for fuel purification, and high performance under mild temperature and pH conditions make enzyme catalysts appealing for applications in vivo, implantable, and in vitro, portable energy sources. The full catalytic potential of enzymes can only be obtained if the full energy potential of a biofuel, complete oxidation to CO2, is obtained; this requires multiple reactions, i.e. multiple enzymes or an enzyme cascade. The efficiency of enzyme cascades improves with quaternary …

Flow In Thin Regions Bounded By Structured And Porous Surfaces : Applications To Load Bearings, Abishek Venkatakrishnan

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The effect of surface roughness on the load capacity and friction force of hydrodynamic bearings has received considerable interest from scientists and engineers. Surfaces of most engineered materials are textured at some level either deliberately to achieve some desired effect or produced by wear and friction of surfaces. This thesis analyses the effect of surface roughness and porosity on the load capacity of hydrodynamic bearings. The surface roughness is characterized by a single sinusoidal wave function. The implementation of sinusoidal roughness model is verified using a verification problem. Reynolds lubrication theory, derived from thin-region approximations of the Navier-Stokes equations, is …

An Investigation Of The Potential For And Application Of Life Cycle Analysis In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Michael Raymond

Theses and Dissertations

Life cycle assessment offers a unique opportunity to analyze emission reductions across all manufacturing sectors. However, few efforts have been made to apply this method to the pharmaceutical industry. The Toxic Release Inventory is a powerful tool to determine areas of high potential for emissions reductions in industry. When applied to the pharmaceutical industry and coupled with a life cycle assessment, areas for significant environmental improvement become apparent. By examining these trends and exploring a variety of emissions reductions techniques, life cycle emissions in these problem areas may be significantly reduced. These trends demonstrate that manufacture of virgin solvent and …

Organic Resin Laminate, Mary Gilliam, Koichi Higuchi, Masaaki Yamaya

Chemical Engineering Patents

An organic resin laminate comprising an organic resin substrate and a multilayer coating system thereon has UV-shielding property and high mar resistance. The multilayer coating system includes an outermost layer (I) resulting from plasma polymerization of an organosilicon compound, a lower layer (II) of a silicone coating composition comprising composite oxide nanoparticle dispersion, silicone resin, curing catalyst, and solvent, and optionally a bottom layer (III) of acrylic resin.

Exploring The Mechanisms Of Dna Hybridization On A Surface, Terry J. Schmitt, J Brandon Rogers, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

DNA microarrays are a potentially disruptive technology in the medical field, but their use in such settings is limited by poor reliability. Microarrays work on the principle of hybridization and can only be as reliable as this process is robust, yet little is known at the molecular level about how the surface affects the hybridization process. This work uses advanced molecular simulation techniques and an experimentally parameterized coarse-grain model to determine the mechanism by which hybridization occurs on surfaces. The results show that hybridization proceeds through a mechanism where the untethered (target) strand often flips orientation. For evenly lengthed strands, …

Hydrodynamics Of Pilot-Scale Bubble Columns: Effect Of Internals, Ahmed A. Youssef, Mohamed E. Hamed, Joshua T. Grimes, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan, Milorad P. Duduković

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Gas Holdup and Bubble Characteristics Are Key Parameters that Affect the Performance of Bubble Columns. an Experimental Study of the Effect of Heat Exchanging Internals on the Gas Holdup, Bubble Dynamics, and their Radial Profiles is Performed. an Air-Water System is Used in a Plexiglas Column 45 Cm (18 In.) in Diameter. Internals Configurations Mimicking Those Typical for the Liquid-Phase Methanol Synthesis and Fischer-Tropsch Process and Covering 5% and 25%, Respectively, of the Total Cross-Sectional Area of the Column, Are Investigated. High Superficial Gas Velocities that Fall within the Churn Turbulent Flow Regime, Which Are of Interest for Most …

Advanced Optimization Techniques For Monte Carlo Simulation On Graphics Processing Units, Eyad Hailat

Wayne State University Dissertations

The objective of this work is to design and implement a self-adaptive parallel GPU optimized Monte Carlo algorithm for the simulation of adsorption in porous materials. We focus on Nvidia's GPUs and CUDA's Fermi architecture specifically. The resulting package supports the different ensemble methods for the Monte Carlo simulation, which will allow for the simulation of multi-component adsorption in porous solids. Such an algorithm will have broad applications to the development of novel porous materials for the sequestration of CO2 and the filtration of toxic industrial chemicals.

The primary objective of this work is the release of a massively parallel …

Simulation Of A High-Density Circulating Fluidized Bed Riser With Emms-Based Two-Fluid Model, Quan Zhou, Junwu Wang, Jinghai Li

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Conference Program, J.A.M. Kuipers, R.F. Mudde, J.R. Van Ommen, N.G. Deen

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Operation Of A Coupled Fluidized Bed System For Chemical Looping Combustion Of Solid Fuels With A Synthetic Cu-Based Oxygen Carrier, Andreas Thon, Marvin Kramp, Ernst-Ulrich Hartge, Stefan Heinrich, Joachim Werther

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Two-Zone Fluidized Bed Reactor (Tzfbr) As A Potential Tool For Process Intensification In Catalytic Reactions, Miguel Menéndez, Javier Herguido, Ignacio Julian

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Fluidization Of Fine Powders: Cohesive Versus Dynamic Aggregation, Jose Manuel Valverde

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

A Dem Study Of The Reduction Of Volumetric Flow In Bubbling Fluidized Bed Methanation Reactors, Yuli Zhang, Yinfeng Zhao, Mao Ye, Rui Xiao, Zhongmin Liu

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Clustering Instabilities In Gas-Solid Systems: Role Of Dissipative Collisions Vs. Viscous Losses, Xiaolong Yin, John Zenk, Peter P. Mitrano, C. M. Hrenya

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Integrating Plasma Physics & Chemistry With Multiphase Flows In Fluidization Engineering, Yi Cheng, Binhang Yan

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Fluidisation Of Amorphous Granules, Stefan Palzer, Stefan Heinrich

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Novel Concept Of Solar Receiver/Thermal Energy Storage System Based On Compartmented Dense Gas Fluidized Beds, R. Chirone, P. Salatino, P. Ammendola, R. Solimene, M. Magaldi, R. Sorrenti, G. De Michele, F. Donatini

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Liquid Injection Into Fluidized Beds, Ray Cocco, Jennifer Mcmillan, Roy Hays, S.B. Reddy Karri

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Pressure Signals In A Gas-Solid Fluidized Bed With Thermally Induced Inter-Particle Forces, Jaber Shabanian, Jamal Chaouki

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Studies On Drying Of Sorghum Seeds In A Fluidized Bed Dryer, K. Sandeepa, V.V. Basava Rao, S. Ram Mohan Rao

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Theoretical And Numerical Issues Concerning Dqmom When Simulating Polydisperse Fluidized Powders, Luca Mazzei

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Particle Mixing And Segregation In Gas-Solid Fluidized Beds Containing Binary Mixtures, Olasaju O. Olaofe, K.A. Buist, N. G. Deen, M.A. Van Der Hoef, J.A.M. Kuipers

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Estimating The Size Of Polar And Apolar Nanoparticle Agglomerates In A Fluidized Bed, Lilian De Martín, Ruud Van Ommen

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Modelling The Transition To The Fluidized State Of Two-Solid Beds: Mixtures Of Particles Of Irregular Shape, Brunello Formisani, Rossella Girimonte, Vincenzino Vivacqua

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Three Dimensional Computational Modeling Of Particulate Solids Segregation And Elutriation In A Commercial Scale Fluidized Bed Classifier, Alexandre Kokourine, Kamal Adham

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

Gas Bypass And Solids Circulation Rate Of An I-Cfb Reactor With Coarse Particles, Xingxing Cheng, Xiaotao T. Bi

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.

A Novel Technology To Segregate Binary Mixtures Of Different Density In A Conical Spouted Bed, María J. San José, Sonia Alvarez, Iris García, F. Javier Peñas

The 14th International Conference on Fluidization – From Fundamentals to Products

No abstract provided.