Engineering Commons^™

Reactor Design By Integrating Absorption And Photocatalytic Oxidation Processes For Volatile Organic Compound (Voc) Removal From Polluted Gas Stream Of Storage Facilities In Petrochemical Industry, Phaly Ham

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Even petrochemical industry plays an important role in meeting the global energy demand, it is also responsible for emitting significant amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which pose serious environmental and health hazards. In this thesis, we propose an innovative approach to address this issue by designing a multifunctional reactor that integrates absorption and photocatalytic oxidation processes for the removal of VOC from polluted gas streams of storage facilities, during loading, discharging, and cleaning process. This research encompasses four scopes (i) Comparative study of gas-liquid contactors: Bubble Column Reactor (BCR) and internal-loop Airlift Reactor (IL-ALR). The relative effect of reactor’s …

ผลตอบสนองเชิงโครงสร้างของอุโมงค์รถไฟฟ้าใต้ดินที่มีพื้นผิวสัมผัสเพลิงไหม้แตกต่างกัน, วศิน จันทร์ทอง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การออกแบบอุโมงค์ในภาวะเพลิงไหม้โดยส่วนใหญ่พิจารณาให้พื้นผิวด้านในของอุโมงค์สัมผัสเพลิงไหม้ตลอดแนวเส้นรอบรูป อย่างไรก็ตาม ในการเกิดเพลิงไหม้จริง พื้นผิวของอุโมงค์อาจได้รับผลกระทบจากความร้อนเพียงบางส่วน เนื่องจากลักษณะของเพลิงไหม้ที่เกิดขึ้นหรือการติดตั้งอุปกรณ์อื่นๆ เพิ่มเติมภายในอุโมงค์ ส่งผลให้ผลตอบสนองเชิงโครงสร้างของอุโมงค์แตกต่างไป งานวิจัยนี้ศึกษาผลตอบสนองเชิงโครงสร้างของอุโมงค์รถไฟฟ้าใต้ดินที่มีรูปแบบของพื้นผิวสัมผัสเพลิงไหม้ที่แตกต่างกัน 4 กรณีศึกษา ได้แก่ กรณีที่ 1 พื้นผิวสัมผัสเพลิงไหม้ตลอดแนวเส้นรอบรูปด้านในของอุโมงค์ กรณีที่ 2 พื้นผิวสัมผัสเพลิงไหม้เหนือระดับรางรถไฟ กรณีที่ 3 พื้นผิวสัมผัสเพลิงไหม้เหนือระดับกึ่งกลางความสูงของอุโมงค์ และ กรณีที่ 4 พื้นผิวสัมผัสเพลิงไหม้เหนือระดับรางรถไฟเว้นทางเดินด้านข้างอุโมงค์ โดยประยุกต์ใช้ระเบียบวิธีไฟไนต์เอลิเมนต์ในการวิเคราะห์การถ่ายโอนความร้อนและการวิเคราะห์โครงสร้าง รวมทั้งนำเสนอตัวคูณลดค่าความต้านทานวิกฤติสำหรับแผนภาพปฏิสัมพันธ์ระหว่างความต้านทานโมเมนต์ดัดกับความต้านทานแรงตามแนวแกนเพื่อพิจารณากรณีเพลิงไหม้ที่เลวร้ายที่สุด ผลการศึกษาชี้ให้เห็นความแตกต่างของผลตอบสนองเชิงโครงสร้างอุโมงค์ภายใต้รูปแบบเพลิงไหม้ที่แตกต่างกัน โดยกรณีศึกษาที่ 3 เป็นรูปแบบเพลิงไหม้ที่เลวร้ายที่สุด ซึ่งยืนยันจากการวิเคราะห์รูปแบบเพลิงไหม้เพิ่มเติมอีก 6 กรณีศึกษาที่อ้างอิงจากรูปแบบเพลิงไหม้ในกรณีศึกษาที่ 3 ด้วยการเพิ่มและลดส่วนของพื้นผิวด้านในอุโมงค์ที่สัมผัสเพลิงไหม้อีก 15o 30o และ 45o จากแนวกึ่งกลางความสูงของอุโมงค์ทั้งฝั่งซ้ายและฝั่งขวา ผลจากการศึกษานี้สามารถใช้เป็นแนวทางเบื้องต้นสำหรับการพิจารณารูปแบบเพลิงไหม้สำหรับการออกแบบโครงสร้างอุโมงค์รถไฟฟ้าใต้ดินต่อไป

Analyzing Residential Curbside Collection For Food Waste In Humboldt County, Yvette Lindler

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The most prevalent material in the California landfill-destined solid waste stream is food. Food waste is not only an economic and social concern, but a significant environmental challenge as well. Most food waste is disposed of in landfills, where it anaerobically decomposes and releases methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas and driver of climate change. Policies passed in California, including AB 1826 and SB 1383, aim to implement organic waste recycling programs and reduce methane emissions by diverting organic waste from landfills. The technology to process this food waste exists, but these facilities are limited or nonexistent in rural areas …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Microplastic Removal And The Relationship Between Microplastics, Bacterial Communities, And Nitrogen Cycling In The Natural Treatment Systems At The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility, Fiona Connor

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis addressed two challenging aspects of microplastic research, including the quantification of microplastics in organic-rich water, and the investigation of how microplastics impact microorganisms and related nutrient-cycling. Two projects were designed and executed to address specific research objectives relating to these broad topics. The first objective was to develop and implement methods to determine the effectiveness of microplastic removal across the natural treatment systems at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWTF). The second objective was to observe how microplastics found in domestic wastewater impact the bacterial communities and nitrogen cycling in freshwater treatment wetland sediment through a bench-scale experiment, …

Response Of Bed Shear Stress In Open-Channel Flow To A Sudden Change In Bed Roughness, Muhammad Farrukh Jamil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The estimation of bed shear stress plays a pivotal role in understanding the complexities of flow dynamics in both natural and engineered channels. The commonly employed log law formula offers a mechanism to compute the bed shear stress in open channel flows. However, its applicability in flow transition remains relatively unexplored. In this thesis, an in-depth investigation into the behavior of the velocity profiles and bed shear stress during the transition from Rough to Smooth (RTS) and Smooth to Rough (STR) beds is undertaken. Experiments were conducted on smooth-to-rough (STR) and rough-to-smooth (RTS) transitions in an open channel flume under …

Numerical Study Of Sediment Suspension Affected By Rigid Cylinders Under Unidirectional And Combined Wave-Current Flows, Sha Lou, Xiaolan Chen, Shengyu Zhou, Gangfeng Ma, Shuguang Liu, Larisa Dorzhievna Radnaeva, Elena Nikitina, Irina Viktorovna Fedorova

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Sediment transport modeling for flows with cylinders is very challenging owing to the complicated flow–cylinder–sediment interactions, especially under the combined wave-current flows. In this paper, an improved formulation for incipient sediment suspension considering the effect of cylinder density (i.e., solid volume fraction) is employed to simulate the bottom sediment flux in the flow with cylinders. The proposed model is calibrated and validated using laboratory measurements under unidirectional and combined wave-current flows in previous studies. It is proved that the effects of cylinders on sediment suspension can be accounted for through a modified critical Shields number, and the proposed model is …

Higher-Order Effects In Biaxial Flexure Of Gfrp I-Section Beams, Zia Razzaq, Faridoon Z. Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A theoretical study of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams subjected to biaxial bending moments is presented with a focus on the influence of higher-order effects on maximum normal stresses. It is shown that the biaxial bending type of loading causes a dramatic increase in the maximum normal stress for a GFRP beam when induced torsional effects are included. The study demonstrates that the traditional first-order theory can grossly underestimate the maximum normal stress in a GFRP beam. Based on the numerical results presented using a higher-order theory which also accounts for induced warping normal stresses, the maximum normal stress …

Elastoplastic Quasi-Static And Impact Load Response Of Steel Structure Sub-Assemblage With Cfrp Strips, Ali Al Aloosi, Zia Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Presented in this paper is the outcome of an experimental investigation of the elastoplastic quasi-static and impact load response of a steel sub-assemblage constructed using a pair of hollow square section members with or without Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips. The sub-assemblage consists of a long structural member welded to a short member, thus representing a typical combination of a column and a beam on the face of a multi-story steel building frame. The column is subjected to a lateral quasi-static or impact load. Tests are conducted on four separate steel sub-assemblages. The first two tests are conducted with …

Automating Intersection Marking Data Collection And Condition Assessment At Scale With An Artificial Intelligence-Powered System, Kun Xie, Huiming Sun, Xiaomeng Dong, Hong Yang, Hongkai Yu

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Intersection markings play a vital role in providing road users with guidance and information. The conditions of intersection markings will be gradually degrading due to vehicular traffic, rain, and/or snowplowing. Degraded markings can confuse drivers, leading to increased risk of traffic crashes. Timely obtaining high-quality information of intersection markings lays a foundation for making informed decisions in safety management and maintenance prioritization. However, current labor-intensive and high-cost data collection practices make it very challenging to gather intersection data on a large scale. This paper develops an automated system to intelligently detect intersection markings and to assess their degradation conditions with …

Modeling The Production Of Microalgal Biomass In Large Water Resource Recovery Facilities And Its Processing Into Various Commodity Bioproducts, James Pierson, Gopi Raju Makkena, Sandeep Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Vivekanand Vivekanand, Hasan Husain, Muhammad Ayser, Venkatesh Balan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Algae are capable of sequestering nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates from wastewater in the presence of sunlight and carbon dioxide (CO₂) to build up their body mass and help combat climate change. In the current study, we carried out different case studies to estimate the volume of algal biomass that could be produced annually using the rotating algal biofilm (RAB) method in three large-scale water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) in Texas: Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston. We calculated the total amount of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins that could be fractionated from the algal biomass while using the …

Effects Of Salix Psammophila On Groundwater Recharge In A Semiarid Area Of North China, Lizhu Hou, Jingdong Gao, Bill X. Hu, Xixi Wang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Study region: The semiarid Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL) was selected for this study. It is in the farming-pastoral ecotone of north China and functions as an eco-environmental barrier.

Study focus: Afforestation can mitigate desertification and soil erosion by improving hydrologic condition, which is particularly true for semiarid and arid regions. However, little is known about the quantitative response of hydrologic improvement to afforestation level that can be measured by leaf area index (LAI). The objective was to setup and use a physically-based model to quantitatively assess the dynamics of water fluxes from Salix psammophila afforestation in the MUSL.

New …

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

Isogeometric Boundary-Conforming Body-In-White Crash Model Construction, Analysis, And Comparison With Fem Model, Kendrick M. Shepherd

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we discuss model generation to rebuild the body-in-white of a 1996 Dodge Neon finite element model into a isogeometric conforming analysis-suitable crash model. We then perform the first known boundary-fit isogeometric body-in-white crash analysis of the vehicle and compare results achieved by traditional finite element methods. Results indicate the value and potential of high-order meshes in analysis.

Optimizing Technical And Economic Aspects Of Off-Grid Hybrid Renewable Systems: A Case Study Of Manoka Island, Cameroon, Reagan J. J. Molu, Serge R. D. Naoussi, Patrice Wira, Wulfran F. Mbasso, Saatong T. Kenfack, Barun K. Das, Enas Ali, Muhannad J. Alshareef, Sherif S. M. Ghoneim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The lack of accessible and reliable electrical energy in Cameroon has become a pervasive obstacle to the nation's progress, with energy availability, quality, and cost identified as key hindrances to development over the past 15 years. Conventional solutions that rely on combustion engines and electrochemical storage systems have proven to be cost-prohibitive, limited in power output, and constrained in capacity. The dependence on traditional diesel generators has perpetuated maintenance challenges and a continuous demand for fuel supply, while the accompanying noise and pollution have restricted their use in residential areas. Recognizing the imperative of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and …

Nucleotide Detection Mechanism And Comparison Based On Low-Dimensional Materials: A Review, M. Mustafa Azeem, Muhammad Shafa, Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Zubair, Basma Souayeh, Mir Waqas Alam

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The recent pandemic has led to the fabrication of new nucleic acid sensors that can detect infinitesimal limits immediately and effectively. Therefore, various techniques have been demonstrated using low-dimensional materials that exhibit ultrahigh detection and accuracy. Numerous detection approaches have been reported, and new methods for impulse sensing are being explored. All ongoing research converges at one unique point, that is, an impetus: the enhanced limit of detection of sensors. There are several reviews on the detection of viruses and other proteins related to disease control point of care; however, to the best of our knowledge, none summarizes the various …

An Insight Into The Effect Of Sharp And Round Edges On The Flow Field-A Cfd Simulation, Abid Hussain, Gao Puzhen, M. Mustafa Azeem, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Irfan Khaleed

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a numerical investigation of pressure drop and distribution in a channel around a sharp edge and a disc that is connected to the base of a circular rod. We have employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-Fluent for the validation of our models. It was found that the edge sharpness of the disc influences the pressure drop., i.e. sharp edge has higher turbulence and pressure drop. We also observed that pressure drops in the case of the circular disc are less than that of the sharp edge. However, pressure drop has essentially the same values for both shapes after …

Dendrochemical Forensics As Material Evidence In Courts: How Could Trees Lie?, Chris Balouet, Joel Gerard Burken, Jacques Martelain, Jonathan Lageard, Frank Karg, David Megson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The legal admissibility of scientific tools, such as dendrochemistry providing forensic evidence for criminal or civil cases, critically relies on the quality of fundamental and applied scientific research. the "Daubert" and "Frye" criteria that federal courts in the U.S.A use for determining legal admissibility requires publication of the scientific basis for the tool, and general acceptance by the scientific community. the field of dendroforensics is rapidly evolving, with new methods constantly being developed. in this manuscript we investigate how this dendrochemical evidence has been used successfully in the courtroom. the study of tree rings using physical anatomical and dendrochronological methods …

Editorial: Nanoscale Insight Into The Hydration Products Of Cementitious Materials: From Theory To Engineering, Huiwen Sun, Muhan Wang, Hongyan Ma, Xiao Wang, Bo Pang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Incremental Development Model Using Vacant Buildings For Affordable Housing, Seogjae Choi, Boyoung Michelle Huh

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vacant properties have increased and become a problem in cities in the US. Few studies addressed how to utilize vacant properties for affordable housing despite they can be a great resource for affordable housing. To improve affordable housing sustainability, researchers recommended incremental development because it can satisfy residents' dynamic demands over time and engage them in house design. This can be implemented by utilizing vacant buildings to maximize their potential for affordable housing. Through the literature review, critical sustainability criteria for affordable housing are yielded. This paper demonstrates how the incremental development of vacant buildings satisfies the critical sustainability criteria. …

Analytical And Numerical Behavior Of Double Composite Steel Bridges, Emad M. Hassan, Hussam Mahmoud

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Steel plate girders are considered a viable solution for the construction of medium- to long-span bridges. Despite their many advantages, various concerns have been raised regarding their maintenance due to the potential of fatigue crack initiation at welded details, accelerated corrosion in thin webs, and trapped debris around stiffeners. The use of rolled beams, on the other hand, can be very beneficial because they require much less maintenance. However, they are limited in size, which imposes constraints on their use to relatively short-span bridges due to deflection requirements. In this study, the behavior of the double composite superstructure system was …

Assessing The Predictive Capability Of The Nno Ballistic Limit Equation For Low-Density Projectile Impact, William P. Schonberg

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The design of nearly all Earth-orbiting spacecraft includes some sort of added shielding that protects the spacecraft against impacts by meteoroids and orbital debris. The effectiveness of the shielding is typically assessed using ballistic limit equations (BLEs) that are developed using data from high-speed impact tests on key spacecraft components and elements. These equations predict whether or not a particular system or structural element will sustain a critical failure following a specific impact event. As such, they are essential components of spacecraft system design as well as any quantitative spacecraft risk assessments that may need to be performed as part …

Densifying Hydration Products Of Alite By A Bio-Inspired Admixture, Yi Fang, Jialai Wang, Liang Wang, Xin Qian, Xiaodong Wang, Wenyu Liao, Peiyuan Chen, Hongyan Ma

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A bio-inspired, plant-derived polyphenol, tannic acid (TA) was identified as a renewable admixture to improve the compressive strength of concretes. Aiming to understand the underlying mechanism responsible for this strength improvement, this study examines how TA mediates the hydration of tricalcium silicate (alite). Experimental study shows that TA can form complex with calcium ions through chelating, retarding the hydration of the alite and changing of the hydration products. Particularly, X-ray diffraction analysis shows that TA makes calcium hydroxide preferentially grow on the [0 0 1] face. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and 29Si MAS NMR results reveal that the mean chain length …

Internal Structure And Breakage Behavior Of Biogenic Carbonate Sand Grains, Elieh Mohtashami, C. Guney Olgun, Chenglin Wu, Tara Selly

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Investigates the Mechanical Behavior of Biogenic Carbonate Sands from Puerto Rico at Grain-Scale Level. Micro-Computed Tomography Has Also Been Used to Get Insights on the Internal Structure of These Particles Before and after Loading. the Crushing Strength of These Particles Are Smaller Comparing to the Values Reported for Silica Sands. It Has Also Been Shown that These Particles Have Complex Internal Structure Including a Network of Pores Connected with Channels. This Study Also Demonstrates the Effect of Intragrain Structure of Biogenic Carbonate Sands and Shows How Internal Grain Structure Plays a Role on Particle Fracture.

Measurement Of Volumetric Deformation, Strain Localization, And Shear Band Characterization During Triaxial Testing Using A Photogrammetry-Based Method, Sara Fayek, Xiong Zhang, Xiaolong Xia, Qingqing Fu, Jeffrey D. Cawlfield

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Triaxial Testing Has Been Routinely Used as a Standard Laboratory Test that Allows Correct Determination of Soil Characteristics. Previously the Volumetric Strain of the Triaxial Specimen Was Considered to Be Uniformly Distributed Along with the Specimen during the Isotropic and Deviatoric Loading. Although This Assumption Might Hold True under Isotropic Loading, the Effects of Restrained Ends and Disturbance during the Procedures of Specimen Installation and Testing Can Cause Nonuniform Strains throughout the Whole Specimen. This Paper Investigates the Effects of Specimen Preparation and Misalignment on the Strain Uniformity Along with the Soil Specimen during Triaxial Testing. a Series of Consolidated …

Editorial: Ultra-High Performance Concrete: Computation And Simulation Methods, Xinpeng Wang, Yitong Ma, Dongshuai Hou, Hongyan Ma, Yue Zhang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Ground Motion Records With Cvi Fuzzy Art, Dustin Tanksley, Xinzhe Yuan, Genda Chen, Donald C. Wunsch

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper explores using Cluster Validity Indices Fuzzy Adaptative Resonance Theory (CVI Fuzzy ART) to cluster ground motion records (GMRs). Clustering the features extracted from a supervised network trained for predicting the structure damage results in less overfitting from the trained network. Using Cluster Validity Indices (CVIs) to evaluate the clustering gives feedback to how well the data is being classified, allowing further separation of the data. By using CVI Fuzzy ART in combination with features extracted from a trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), we were able to form additional clusters in the data. Within the primary clusters, accuracy was …

Nondestructive Evaluation Of Structural Defects In Concrete Slabs, Ehsanul Kabir

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Nondestructive testing (NDT) is a reliable method for determining the structural integrity of new and old construction and understanding the condition of structural defects. It is widely acknowledged that the interpretation of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) has a significant impact on the reliability and consistency of this technology. However, NDT data acquisition remains subjective and heavily dependent on the operator’s knowledge and expertise. As a result, there are still issues to be resolved regarding the imaging and diagnostic procedures for NDT-based concrete inspection. NDT methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR), and impact-echo (IE), have been extensively used to inspect concrete …

Accessing The Relative Sustainability Of Point-Of-Use Water Disinfection Technologies Through Costs And Environmental Impacts, Bright C. Elijah

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

According to the World Health Organization, 785 million people lack access to basic drinking water facilities, and 144 million people rely on surface water which is prone to microbial contamination. Point-of-use (POU) water disinfection technologies can be adopted to help address these issues by treating water at the household level; however, navigating various POU disinfection technologies for a given water source or location can be difficult. While numerous conventional POU technologies exist (e.g., boiling water, POU chlorination), new emerging POU technologies (e.g., using novel materials or advanced processes) have been coined by developers to be lower cost with higher treatment …

Predictions Of The Dynamic Complex Modulus Of Non-Conventional Asphalt Concrete Using Machine Learning Techniques, Annie Benson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The complex dynamic modulus (|E*|) is a characterization property that defines the stiffness of an asphalt mixture. The dynamic modulus can be found through lab testing or predictions. Since lab testing can be time-consuming and expensive, the prediction method can be used as an alternative method. While a statistical method has been traditionally used for the |E*| prediction such as the Witczak’s predictive equations, machine learning (ML) is recently emerging as an alternative way that |E*| predictions can be made. This research attempted to predict the |E*| using several ML techniques including linear regression, support vector machines (SVM), decision trees, …

Performance Evaluation Of Single Stand And Hybrid Solar Water Heaters: A Comprehensive Review, Zohreh Rahimi-Ahar, Mehdi Khiadani, Leile Rahimi Ahar, Abdellah Shafieian

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this review, flat plate and concentrate-type solar collectors, integrated collector–storage systems, and solar water heaters combined with photovoltaic–thermal modules, solar-assisted heat pump solar water heaters, and solar water heaters using phase change materials are studied based on their thermal performance, cost, energy, and exergy efficiencies. The maximum water temperature and thermal efficiencies are enlisted to evaluate the thermal performance of the different solar water heaters. It is found that the solar water heaters’ performance is considerably improved by boosting water flow rate and tilt angle, modification of the shape and number of collectors, using wavy diffuse and electrodepositioned reflector …