Engineering Commons^™

Impact Of Lean Production On Workers' Exposure To Risk In Modular Home Building Manufacturing, Joel James

LSU Master's Theses

The construction industry records the highest number of work-related injuries and fatalities in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers’ exposure to risk may be affected by implementing Lean concepts. This study describes the effects on worker’s safety environment after a Kaizen event, a Lean tool, conducted in three workstations within a modular home manufacturer: base-framing, sheet-rock hanging, and painting. The effects of Lean on safety hazards at each of the three workstations were determined by conducting a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) before and after each Kaizen. Based on the JSAs a risk assessment tool (questionnaire) …

Low-Order Modeling Of Micro-Flier Impact With Thin Stationary Energetic Targets, Mark B. Fry

LSU Master's Theses

The impact of high-speed (500-1500 m/s), laser driven micro-fliers with thin energetic targets (10-100 &# 956;m) is being examined to characterize impact-induced heating and combustion of these materials. Aluminum fliers are propelled by a laser into a thin metallic target plate having a layer of energetic material deposited on its backside. Mass spectrometry is performed in vacuo on the energetic side to interrogate the shock-induced chemistry of the energetic material. It is important to ignite and possibly detonate the energetic material without perforation of the target plate avoiding contamination of the vacuum chamber. To guide development of these experiments, a …

Combinatorial Multi-Level Mold Inserts Using Micro Machining And X-Ray Lithography, Oblesh Jinka

LSU Master's Theses

The present technology advancement in biomedical, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) engineering, bio-MEMS, healthcare, etc. is driving the need to fabricate devices with multi-level, high aspect ratio and complex microstructures, which in turn requires high quality mold inserts with all these features. The present thesis is concentrated in fabricating a multi-level mold insert with complex quasi 3 dimensional micro structures with dimensions down to 10µm and aspect ratios greater than 30 using a process combination of micro milling with X-ray lithography. Therefore, in this study the main focus was to fabricate a high quality mold insert template, which can be electroplated to …

Biodiesel Production From Microalgae: Co-Location With Sugar Mills, Christian Lohrey

LSU Master's Theses

Co-location of algae production facilities with sugarcane mills in Louisiana was investigated as a way to address the bottlenecks for algal biodiesel production. Using the process modeling software Sugars™, an algal biodiesel production process was integrated with the operation of a typical-sized 10,000 metric tons/day (11,000 short tons/day) sugarcane mill to evaluate material and energy balances. A process is proposed wherein alga production is supplemented with energy, water, and CO2 available from a sugarcane mill. The Energy Return on Invested, EROI (a ratio of the energy produced/energy required) of the proposed algal biodiesel production process was 1.25; meaning 25% more …

Modulation Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Behavior By Nano And Micro-Sized Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate Particles In Suspension And Composite Structures, Lekeith Terrell

LSU Master's Theses

Nano and micro particles have steadily grown in interest for synthetic bone composite structures. Nano and micro sized calcium phosphates especially are of interest because of the osteoinductive behavior of calcium phosphate. Engineered composites incorporating polymers and ceramics, such as poly l-lactic acid (PLLA)/β-TCP, for bone tissue regeneration have been well investigated for their proliferative and osteoinductive abilities. Limited research has been done to thoroughly investigate the effects of various sized β-TCP particles on human mesenchymal stem cell behavior. Foreign bodies are known to elicit an inflammatory and cytotoxic response and several nano-particles are known to elicit cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory …

Evaluation Of Phosphorous And Nitrogen Removal In Alligator And Dairy Wastewater Via Lime And Bentonite Precipitation, Srikanth Bukkapatnam Tirumala

LSU Master's Theses

In many situations, the manure produced by confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) needs to be treated before being land applied in order to prevent negative impacts on the environment. Treatment methods are focused on reducing organics, recovering nitrogen and phosphorous. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of burnt-lime (Ca(OH)2) and bentonite clay precipitation system of recovering phosphorous from dairy wastewater and alligator wastewater and trapping any possible emissions of ammonia (NH3). Wastewater samples of flush dairy manure from a collection pit, dairy wastewater from an anaerobic lagoon and alligator wastewater from an anaerobic lagoon were investigated …

The Effect Of Elevated Water Content On Ethanol Combustion, Baine Bernard Breaux

LSU Master's Theses

Ethanol is currently being considered as a potential alternative to traditional fuels. However, the fuel offers a low return in terms of energy output per dollar invested when compared to fossil fuels. More than 1/3 of the cost associated with bio-ethanol production is devoted to distillation and water removal. This study seeks to validate the use of hydrous ethanol as a practical fuel to be used in lieu of fossil fuels or anhydrous ethanol. Success would reduce the production cost associated with ethanol fuel. Hydrous ethanol was burned in a swirl-stabilized combustor, air is introduced at a constant flow rate …

A Method To Improve Interest Point Detection And Its Gpu Implementation, Prabakar Karuppannan Gunashekhar

LSU Master's Theses

Interest point detection is an important low-level image processing technique with a wide range of applications. The point detectors have to be robust under affine, scale and photometric changes. There are many scale and affine invariant point detectors but they are not robust to high illumination changes. Many affine invariant interest point detectors and region descriptors, work on the points detected using scale invariant operators. Since the performance of those detectors depends on the performance of the scale invariant detectors, it is important that the scale invariant initial stage detectors should have good robustness. It is therefore important to design …

Double-Bond Isomerization Of Long Chain Olefins, James Edward Bruno

LSU Master's Theses

Bruno, James Edward, B.S., Western Michigan University, 2010 Master of Science, Fall Commencement, 2012 Major: Chemical Engineering Double-Bond Isomerization of Long Chain Olefins Thesis directed by Professor Kerry Dooley Pages in thesis, 54. Words in Abstract, 349. ABSTRACT Alkenyl Succinic Anhydride (ASA) is commonly used in the paper industry as a sizing agent. ASA is produced by reacting maleic anhydride with long-chain internal olefins. Such olefins are only available with the double bond in the terminal position, so an isomerization step is necessary. The isomerization can be catalyzed using solid strong acid catalysts, such as those containing sulfonic acid groups. …

Boron Composite Nanoparticles For Enhancement Of Bio-Fuel Combustion, Neng Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Bio-fuels such as ethanol are good candidates to replace fossil fuels, which are being depleted, and whose combustion is associated with net production of greenhouse gases and other environmental issues. However, bio-fuels have low energy densities and can be subject to incomplete combustion. Boron is a promising additive for bio-fuels in combustion applications. It can increase their overall heat release and reduce ignition temperature, because boron itself is among the highest energy density materials. In this study, different B/rare earth oxide and B/Fe composite nanoparticles were produced by simple mechanical milling. Also, a new low temperature milling method was developed …

Factors Controlling Macondo Oil Biodegraqdation On A Rapidly Eroding Coastal Headlands Beach, Marilany G. Urbano

LSU Master's Theses

Fourchon Beach, located along the southeast Louisiana coast, was affected by the oil leaking from the British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon Oil rig explosion in 2010. The oil, labeled MC252 oil, came ashore in a stable emulsion form, contaminating the sand, salt pan, marsh and mangroves along the beach. A unique oil form, labeled SSRB (small surface residue ball) was formed from the MC252 oil and a combination of environmental factors. The SSRB is an aggregate of sand and emulsified oil, and forms a large portion of the oil still present on the supratidal zone of Fourchon Beach. SSRBs have not …

A Novel Rna Extraction Method For Cyanobacteria, Zenghui Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Research on production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) by microorganisms has captured attention over the last two decades, since PHA have similar properties as petroleum-based thermoplastics, yet are close to carbon neutral and made from renewable sources. Cyanobacteria are considered to be good PHA producers because of their simple nutrient requirements (mainly water, sunlight and CO2) and fast cell growth. However, knowledge of metabolisms behind PHA production by cyanobacteria is limited. Therefore, gene expression analysis of cyanobacteria is required to get a thorough understanding at the molecular level, and gene expression analysis requires the extraction of high quality RNA. Extracting high quality …

A Review Of Offshore Blowouts And Spills To Determine Desirable Capabilities Of A Subsea Capping Stack, Louise Matilde Smith

LSU Master's Theses

The events surrounding the Deepwater Horizon disaster have changed the face of deepwater operations. In order to continue drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the regulatory body, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), has required that applications to conduct work in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) include a plan to stop, capture, or contain any uncontrolled release of fluids. The capping and containment systems built and implemented by BP during the event are an excellent starting point for minimizing pollution from deepwater subsea blowouts, but the system has limitations. The industry recognizes these limits but is currently focused …

Consensusability Of Discrete-Time Multi-Agent Systems, Abhishek Pandey

LSU Master's Theses

The study of multi-agent systems (MAS) focuses on systems in which many intelligent agents interact within an environment. The agents are considered to be autonomous entities. MAS can be used to solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent to solve. The main feature which is achieved when developing MAS, if they work, is flexibility, since MAS can be added to, modified and reconstructed, without the need for detailed rewriting of the application. MAS can manifest self-organization as well as self-steering related complex behaviors even when the individual strategies of all their agents are simple. The goal …

Evaluation Of Methods To Operate Gate Valves Using Elapsed Time, Rating Of Perceived Exertion, And Electromyography, Francis Williams Hutchinson

LSU Master's Theses

Hutchinson, Francis Williams, B.G.S., Louisiana State University, 1989 Master of Science in Industrial Engineering, Summer Commencement, 2012 Major: Industrial Engineering Evaluation Of Methods To Operate Gate Valves Using Elapsed Time, Rating Of Perceived Exertion, And Electromyography Thesis directed by Professor Fereydoun Aghazadeh, Ph.D., PE Pages in thesis, 86. Words in abstract, 253. ABSTRACT Industrial valve handwheels are in common use in many industries to block, allow, or regulate the flow of materials within a system. Significant numbers of musculoskeletal disorders have been attributed to turning valve handwheels. The torques encountered to “break” and/or turn these handwheels often exceeds 100 Nm …

Effect Of Electrical Vehicles On Residential Distribution Systems, Paul Haley

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the present state of electrical vehicles (EVs) in the market and the effects that these vehicles could have on residential distribution systems. The current EVs available on the market and the current level of market penetration were investigated. Advantages and disadvantages of EVs from a consumer and governmental perspective were identified. The efficiencies of the whole energy delivery process of electrical vehicles and gasoline vehicles were estimated. Efficiency estimation was used to estimate the impact of EVs on the consumption of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gases. Measurement of an EV battery charging cycle and …

Shear Strength Evaluation Of An Erosional Soil System At Fourchon Beach, Jacques Pierre Boudreaux

LSU Master's Theses

South Louisiana is vanishing. Subsidence due to relative sea level rise with erosion of weak wetland soils together produce devastating rates of land loss for this area. It is believed that high rates of erosion are due to weak strength properties of fine-grained sediments in the beaches, marshes, and other wetlands in coastal Louisiana. Wave action is known to initiate the movement of weak coastal soils in a manner that is related to the difference between the shear stresses applied by waves and the critical shear strength of erosional sediments. Direct shear tests were performed on samples obtained from the …

Catalytic Oxidative Desulfurization: A Comparison Of Reactors, Andrew Marshall Madrid

LSU Master's Theses

A novel technology, a pulsed oscillating monolith reactor (POMR), was compared to a standard autoclave reactor for oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of a model diesel fuel. Two classes of catalysts, mesoporous Ti-MCM-41 and Pd on carbon, were used for ODS. The oxidants used were O2 and peroxide. The model diesel compound was 75 wt% alkanes, 24 wt% alkylaromatic, 0.95 wt% sulfur heterocycles and 0.05% nitrogen heterocycles. ODS reactions were conducted from 343-423 K and pressures from 1.0-1.3 MPa O2. The only component that was not oxidized was the alkane. The POMR showed promise; there was up to a factor of 20 …

Flow Distribution And Heat Transfer Coefficients Inside Gas Holes Discharging, Amirhossein Eshtiaghi

LSU Master's Theses

Fluid flow and heat transfer coefficient associated with flow inside short holes (L/D=1) discharging orthogonally into a crossflow was investigated experimentally and numerically for (Re) ̅ ranging from 0.5×105 to 2×105, and blowing ratio ranging from 1.3 to 3.2. The basic configuration studied consists of a feed tube with five orthogonally located gas holes. Four different hole configurations were studied. The transient heat transfer study employs an IR-camera to determine the local heat transfer coefficient inside each hole. Velocity measurements and numerical flow simulation were used to better understand the measured heat transfer distribution inside the hole. The Nusselt number …

Experimental Study Of The Effect Of Drilling Fluid Contamination On The Integrity Of Cement-Formation Interface, Nnamdi Charles Agbasimalo

LSU Master's Theses

Well cementing is one of the key processes performed during drilling and completion of wells. The main objective of primary cementing is to provide zonal isolation. Failure of cement to provide zonal isolation can lead to contamination of fresh water aquifers, sustained casing pressure, or blowout. For effective cementing, the cement slurry should completely displace the drilling fluid. In practice, this is hard to achieve and some mud is left in the wellbore where it contaminates the cement after cement placement.

This study investigates the effect of mud contamination of cement on the integrity of cement-formation interface. Flow-through experiments were …

Effects Of Recycled Asphalt Shingle On The Rheological And Molecular Composition Properties Of Asphalt Cement, Saman Salari

LSU Master's Theses

Recycling of asphalt shingles in flexible pavements has received interests in recent years due to economic, environmental, and social reasons. The objective of this study is to introduce a new approach to recycle asphalt shingles in asphalt paving construction in which RAS is ground to ultra-fine sizes and blended with asphalt binder through a wet process. In this method, the ground recycled material is blended with the binder at high temperature prior to mixing with the aggregates. Two unmodified binders that are classified as PG64-22 and PG52-28 were blended with two contrasting sources of RAS, originating from tear-off and manufacturer …

Experimental Investigations In Co2 Sequestration And Shale Caprock Integrity, Abiola Olukola Olabode

LSU Master's Theses

More than sixty percent (60%) of conventional hydrocarbon reservoirs which are potential CO2 repositories are sealed by tight shale caprock. The geochemical reactivity of shale caprock during CO2 diffusive transport needs to be included in the reservoir characterization of potential CO2 sequestration sites as slow reactive transport processes can either strengthen or degrade seal integrity over the long term. Several simulation results had predicted that influx-induced mineral dissolution/precipitation reactions within shale caprocks can continuously reduce micro-fracture networks, while pressure and effective-stress transformation first rapidly increase then progressively constrict them. This experimental work applied specific analytical techniques in investigating changes in …

Electric Elevator Drive With Position Control, Peter James Ford

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is a study on the implementation of an elevator’s position-controlled electric drive. The information contained within this paper serves as a framework to expand the usefulness of electric drives through the addition of digital control systems and switching power supplies. The tangible example of an elevator driven by a permanent-magnet DC motor is used for this paper so that students may relate to the work and apply it to their future projects. The tasks to be accomplished in order to achieve an electric elevator drive with position control are: determining the parameters of the permanent-magnet DC motor, designing …

Impact Of Plug-In Electrical Cars On Energy Demand, On Power System And On Environment, Sital Tiwari

LSU Master's Theses

The use of an electric vehicle (EV) over a gasoline vehicle (GV) is often portrayed as environment friendly or green movement ignoring how the electricity is produced. EVs get credit for preserving green environment and preventing global warming by minimizing the dependency on oil. Most of the time, these assumptions that favor EV are not well justified. Therefore, proper studies on the impact of electric vehicles on energy demand, on environment and on power system are necessary before reaching to any conclusion. This thesis explores the possibility of energy consumption pattern shift within the different sectors of energy use due …

Growth Rate And Productivity Of A Louisiana Native Microalgae/Cyanobacteria Co-Culture: Feasibility For Use In Industrial Biotechnology Applications, Athens Gomes Silaban

LSU Master's Theses

Interest in biofuels research has increased in the era of uncertainty of the current fossil fuel sustainability and global climate concerns. Microalgae offer advantages over terrestrial plants as a potential source of biomass-based fuel. In this study, a Louisiana native microalgae/cyanobacteria (Chlorella vulgaris/Leptolyngbya sp.) co-culture was examined to provide foundational information of its growth conditions. Batch studies were conducted to determine optimum nitrogen and irradiance level that yields maximum co-culture biomass growth and productivity under aerated and non-aerated conditions. The optimum nitrogen level was 2.94 mM N and the optimum initial scalar irradiance range was between 400 – 800 µmol …

Characterizing Impact Induced Hot-Spot Morphology In Granular Solid Explosive, John Gilbert

LSU Master's Theses

Deformation induced ignition of heterogeneous solid explosives is believed to originate at hot-spots within the material which are local regions of elevated temperature resulting from dissipative mechanisms such as plastic deformation and inter-particle friction. Inert meso-scale modeling of these materials can principally account for hot-spot formation enabling the characterization of hot-spot size and temperature distributions which are important for ignition but are di_x000E_cult to experimentally resolve. The focus of this study is to characterize hot-spot morphology, as well as the distribution of hot-spots, behind quasi-steady compaction waves computed from predicted temperature fields resulting from numerical simulations of rigid planar piston …

Biodegradation And Distribution Of Crude Oil Sampled At Fourchon Beach, Kendall Ray Lemelle

LSU Master's Theses

This study was developed to determine the distribution and fate of crude oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig starting on April 24, 2010. Crude oil from this spill contaminated portions of Fourchon Beach, Louisiana which was the study site for this thesis. Understanding the fate processes that affect crude oil once it’s released is important because the compounds that comprise oil can be hazardous to humans and wildlife. Composite and small surface residual ball (SSRB) samples were collected from the supratidal zone of Fourchon Beach and analyzed for PAHs and alkanes. Alkane concentrations decreased significantly over time, while …

Design Of An Automated Sensor Platform For The Calibration Of Aerial Liquid Dispersal Systems, Yin-Lin Chiu

LSU Master's Theses

Operation S.A.F.E workshops, commonly known as “fly-ins” help agricultural pilots “fine tune” their aircraft for aerial application work. During the fly-in several ancillary measurements are recorded; aircraft speed, aircraft spray release height, air temperature and relative humidity, wind speed and direction. These measurements are recorded by personnel operating the flight line with manually operated sensors. Some of the difficulties arise when the lack of personnel and or experience level hinders the ancillary measurement, or when equipment becomes difficult to repair and/or replace. The objectives of this project are to design two automated sensor platforms to aid data collection and analysis …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Geosynthetics To Stabilize/Reinforce The Subgrade/Base In Unpaved Roadways, Imran Akond

LSU Master's Theses

This research study evaluates the performance of geosynthetic material for subgrade stabilization and base reinforcement of unpaved test sections. For this purpose, extensive large-scale in-box static plate load tests were conducted on several unreinforced and geosynthetic reinforced, unpaved test sections. This research was conducted in Geotechnical Engineering Research Laboratory (GERL) at Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC). The in-box static plate load tests (ASTM D1196-93) were conducted to evaluate the performance and benefits of geosynthetic material for subgrade stabilization/base reinforcement. A total of forty-seven tests were performed in this regard. The quality control of the section was maintained using non-destructive in-situ …

Reactive Power Considerations In Reliability Analysis Of Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Dattatray N. Gaikwad

LSU Master's Theses

Reliability is one of the key aspects of power system operation and therefore reliability analysis techniques are well developed. However reliability analysis conventionally takes into account active power and limited attention has been given to reactive power. Reactive power is very essential in maintaining voltage stability of power systems. The voltage constraint at network can restricts active power delivery to the loads and could result in forced load curtailment. This research investigates the effect of reactive power shortage on reliability of power systems with significant penetration of PV cells. The reactive power issues become more significant in distributed generation using …