Engineering Commons^™

Oxidative Dehydrogenation Of Light Alkanes With Carbon Dioxide, Marktus A. Atanga

Masters Theses

”Most experts studying the global ecosystem and climate suggest that rising anthropogenic CO₂ emissions have contributed to significant global climate change in the last half-century. The development of effective strategies that convert CO₂ into energy, fuels, and chemicals are greatly preferable to oceanic or geologic sequestration options because they offer the potential to create new commercially-viable products from renewable carbon feedstock. On the other hand, the selective oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkanes (C₂-C₄) to corresponding olefins, methane reforming, and methane coupling are the major challenges for producing valuable and versatile feedstocks. The oxidative dehydrogenation …

Artificial Neural Network Approach To Predict Blast-Induced Ground Vibration, Airblast And Rock Fragmentation, Raymond Ninnang Tiile

Masters Theses

"Blasting has been widely used as an economical and cheap way of rock breakage in mining and civil engineering applications. An optimal blast yields the best fragmentation in a safe, economic and environmentally friendly manner. The degree of fragmentation is vital as it determines to a large extent the utilization of equipment, productivity and mill throughput. Explosive energy, besides rock fragmentation, creates health and safety issues such as ground vibration, air blast, fly rock, and back breaks among others. As a result, the explosive energy impacts structures and buildings located in the vicinity of the blasting operation, and causes human …

Analysis Of The Developing States In The Mena Region Seeking Civilian Nuclear Energy, With A Primary Focus On The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia (Ksa) And The United Arab Emirates (Uae), Thaqal Alhuzaymi, Ayodeji Babatunde Alajo

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The comprehensive analysis presented here attempts to ana­lyze “newcomer” states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), primarily the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Unit­ed Arab Emirates (UAE), seeking to implement civilian nuclear energy according to their political and economic situations. By investigating their motivations and funding resources for fu­ture nuclear projects, this analysis provides guidance for these states in terms of their nuclear infrastructure and nonprolifera­tion. The overall approach of this analysis relies on the factors for the success of civilian nuclear energy programs identified in experiential studies conducted since the Atoms for Peace speech in 1953.This …

Evaluating Of Scale-Up Methodologies Of Gas-Solid Spouted Beds For Coating Triso Nuclear Fuel Particles Using Advanced Measurement Techniques, Neven Y. Ali

Doctoral Dissertations

"The work focuses on implementing for the first time advanced non-invasive measurement techniques to evaluate the scale-up methodology of gas-solid spouted beds for hydrodynamics similarity that has been reported in the literature based on matching dimensionless groups and the new mechanistic scale up methodology that has been developed in our laboratory based on matching the radial profile of gas holdup since the gas dynamics dictate the hydrodynamics of the gas-solid spouted beds. These techniques are gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) to measure the cross-sectional distribution of the phases' holdups and their radial profiles along the bed height and radioactive particle tracking …

Subterranean Photobioreactors For Commercial-Industrial Scale Algal Culture, Daniel James Vidt

Doctoral Dissertations

"There are many potential benefits to the mining industry accruing from the application of algal biotechnology. The main benefits are in the production of biodiesel and in the remediation of mining brownfields. The research in this study was centered in the original idea that these brownfields represent a tremendous opportunity for use as a hybrid model for redevelopment into sustainable "mines" of biomass. The ability of these underground spaces serving as bioreactors to control all aspects of the growing environment, from lighting, to temperature, to biosecurity, are key advantages that have been identified in the literature. The many benefits inherent …

Quantification Of Radicals Generated In A Sonicator, K. O. Badmus, J. O. Tijani, C. P. Eze, O. O. Fatoba, L. F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The hydroxyl radical (OH•) is a powerful oxidant produced as a consequence of cavitation in water. It can react nonspecifically in breaking down persistent organic pollutants in water into their mineral form. It can also recombine to form hydrogen peroxide which is very useful in water treatment. In this study, terephthalic acid (TA) and potassium iodide dosimetry were used to quantify and investigate the behavior of the generated OH radical in a laboratory scale sonicator. The 2-hydroxyl terephthalic acid (HTA) formed during terephthalic acid dosimetry was determined by optical fiber spectrometer. The production rate of HTA served as a means …

Degradation Of Organic Pollutants And Microorganisms From Wastewater Using Different Dielectric Barrier Discharge Configurations—A Critical Review, Emile S.Massima Mouele, Jimoh O. Tijani, Ojo O. Fatoba, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The growing global drinking water crisis requires the development of novel advanced, sustainable, and cost-effective water treatment technologies to supplement the existing conventional methods. One such technology is advanced oxidation based on dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). DBD such as single and double planar and single and double cylindrical dielectric barrier configurations have been utilized for efficient degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants. The overall performance of the different DBD system varies and depends on several factors. Therefore, this review was compiled to give an overview of different DBD configurations vis-a-viz their applications and the in-situ mechanism of generation of free reactive …

Empirical Study Utilizing Qfd To Develop An International Marketing Strategy, Cassandra C. Elrod, Sarah M. Stanley, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Caroline Fisher

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Customer expectations can be extremely nebulous. This research identifies the demographic segmentations and their respective expectations for the spa market. Interviews were conducted and a subsequent questionnaire was employed to gather the voice of the customer and assess the expectations of spa clientele. All of the data was collected from luxury spas in Hawaii, and consisted of respondents from all over the world. Results of the survey suggest that while men want more tangible benefits of a spa, women prefer the experiential qualities of peace and rejuvenation. Additionally, those of lower to middle income focus on the atmosphere more than …

The 2014 François Naftali Frenkiel Award For Fluid Mechanics, Benjamin D. Mater, Simon M. Schaad, Subhas Karan Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Computational Intelligence Based Complex Adaptive System-Of-Systems Architecture Evolution Strategy, Siddharth Agarwal

Doctoral Dissertations

The dynamic planning for a system-of-systems (SoS) is a challenging endeavor. Large scale organizations and operations constantly face challenges to incorporate new systems and upgrade existing systems over a period of time under threats, constrained budget and uncertainty. It is therefore necessary for the program managers to be able to look at the future scenarios and critically assess the impact of technology and stakeholder changes. Managers and engineers are always looking for options that signify affordable acquisition selections and lessen the cycle time for early acquisition and new technology addition. This research helps in analyzing sequential decisions in an evolving …

Impact Of Thorium Based Molten Salt Reactor On The Closure Of The Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Safwan Qasim Mohammad Jaradat

Doctoral Dissertations

"Molten salt reactor (MSR) is one of six reactors selected by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) is a MSR concept based on thorium fuel cycle. LFTR uses liquid fluoride salts as a nuclear fuel. It uses ²³²Th and ²³³U as the fertile and fissile materials, respectively. Fluoride salt of these nuclides is dissolved in a mixed carrier salt of lithium and beryllium (FLiBe). The objective of this research was to complete feasibility studies of a small commercial thermal LFTR. The focus was on neutronic calculations in order to prescribe core design …

System Integration Of Hydrogen Energy Technologies Using Renewable Energy Resources, Tarek A Mohammed Hamad

Doctoral Dissertations

"The objective of this work has two major tasks that investigation the use of CHHP system at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) campus and studying solid waste as renewable source of energy: current and future possibility in Libya. Task one has three major topics. In Topic I, Design of Combined Hydrogen, Heat and Power (CHHP) system for the campus using local resources and treated biogas can be used to generate CHHP using a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC). In Topic II, hydrogen recovery and cleaning system, Heat recovery and electric power usage, hydrogen compression, storage, and …

Dynamic Behavior Of Operational Wind Turbines Considering Aerodynamic And Seismic Load Interaction, Mohammad-Amin Asareh

Doctoral Dissertations

"With the advancements in the wind energy production industry, the demand for a cost effective and safe design of wind turbine structures is growing rapidly. The wide deployment of wind turbines in locations with high seismic hazard has lead engineers to take into account a more comprehensive seismic design of such structures. In response to the need for a computational tool that can perform coupled simulations of wind and seismic loads, a seismic module has been developed for the publicly available National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) code, FAST, at the first step of this research. This achievement allows engineers working …

Local Alternative Sources For Cogeneration Combined Heat And Power System, Abdulhakim Amer Agll

Doctoral Dissertations

"Global demand for energy continues to grow while countries around the globe race to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions by implementing policy measures and advancing technology. Sustainability has become an important issue in transportation and infrastructure development projects. While several agencies are trying to incorporate a range of sustainability measures in their goals and missions, only a few planning agencies have been able to implement these policies and they are far from perfect. The low rate of success in implementing sustainable policies is primarily due to incomplete understanding of the system and the interaction between …

A Review Of Combined Advanced Oxidation Technologies For The Removal Of Organic Pollutants From Water, Jimoh O. Tijani, Ojo O. Fatoba, Godfrey Madzivire, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Water pollution through natural and anthropogenic activities has become a global problem causing short-and long-term impact on human and ecosystems. Substantial quantity of individual or mixtures of organic pollutants enter the surface water via point and nonpoint sources and thus affect the quality of freshwater. These pollutants are known to be toxic and difficult to remove by mere biological treatment. To date, most research on the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater were based on the exploitation of individual treatment process. This single-treatment technology has inherent challenges and shortcomings with respect to efficiency and economics. Thus, application of two advanced …

The Bridge Newsletter Winter 2014, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Smart living
-Bodapati earns lifetime award
-TMS honors Myers
-Mays receives award for research

In Vitro Assessment Of Laser Sintered Bioactive Glass Scaffolds With Different Pore Geometries, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Albin Thomas, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The pore geometry of bioactive glass scaffolds intended for use in bone repair or replacement is one of the most important parameters that could determine the rate of bone regeneration. The pore geometry would also affect the mechanical properties of the scaffolds and their rate of degradation. Scaffolds with five different architectures, having ~50% porosity, were fabricated with silicate (13–93) and borate (13–93B3) based bioactive glasses using a laser sintering process. An established, late-osteoblasts/early-osteocytes cell line was used to perform cell proliferation tests on the scaffolds. The results indicated that the cells proliferate significantly more on the scaffolds which mimic …

Behavior In Air Leakage And Recirculation Under The Influence Of Booster Fans, Koziba Feledi

Masters Theses

"A booster fan is an underground mechanical ventilation equipment installed in series with a main surface fan that is used to boost the air pressure provided by the surface main fan passing through it. As mining continues to expand and go deeper, the need for improved and efficient ventilation increases. This has led to the use of booster fans and other auxiliary ventilation devices in underground mines. Research defining how system leakage and recirculation are affected by booster fans; describing how system leakage and recirculation are affected by the location, placement, and amount of air pressure from the booster fans; …

Studies Of Influencing Factors For Shale Gas Reservoir Performance, Jiaqi Wang

Masters Theses

"Shale gas resource plays a significant role in energy supply worldwide. For economic production of shale gas, technologies of horizontal well and hydraulic fracturing are used for shale gas reservoirs. Therefore, the productivity of the shale gas reservoirs will be influenced by both reservoir condition, and hydraulic fracture properties.

In this thesis, parameters that will influence shale gas production were classified into two categories: reservoir properties and hydraulic fracture properties. Published shale gas simulation studies were surveyed for determining the typical ranges of those properties. CMG-GEM was employed to finish the reservoir simulation work, and CMG-CMOST was used to complete …

Distributional Fate Of Elements During The Synthesis Of Zeolites From South African Coal Fly Ash, Pieter W. Du Plessis, Tunde V. Ojumu, Ojo O. Fatoba, Richard O. Akinyeye, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The synthesis of zeolites from South African coal fly ash has been deemed a viable solution to the growing economical strain caused by the disposal of ash in the country. Two synthesis routes have been studied thus far namely the 2-step method and the fusion assisted process. Fly ash contains several elements originating from coal which is incorporated in the ash during combustion. It is vital to determine the final destination of these elements in order to unveil optimization opportunities for scale-up purposes. The aim of this study was to perform a material balance study on both synthesis routes to …

Laboratory Study On The Mobility Of Major Species In Fly Ash-Brine Co-Disposal Systems: Up-Flow Percolation Test, O. O. Fatoba, L. F. Petrik, R. O. Akinyeye, W. M. Gitari, E. I. Iwuoha

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Apart from the generation of fly ash, brine (hyper-saline wastewater) is also a waste material generated in South African power stations as a result of water re-use. These waste materials contain major species such as Al, Si, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl and SO4. The co-disposal of fly ash and brine has been practiced by some power stations in South Africa with the aim of utilizing the fly ash to capture the salts in brine. The effect of the chemical interaction of the species contained in both fly ash and brine, when co-disposed, on the mobility of species in the …

Geotechnical Aspects Of Recent Extreme Floods In Pakistan; A Case History, Sarfraz Ali, Fawad Akram, Abdul Qudoos Khan, Misba-Hafsa

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Topographically, Pakistan comprises three major areas; Northern Highland Area, Indus Basin and Baluchistan Plateau. Its elevation varies from Mean sea Level (0 meter) at south to 8619 meters in the North at K-2 Peak. Northern Highland Area, generally sloping southwards includes Himalayan, Karakorum and Hindu-Kush ranges covering approximately an area of 155,831 square kilometers. Indus Basin stretches from foothills of Northern Highland Area to Arabian Sea in south covering approximately an area of 346,259 square kilometers. Baluchistan Plateau in the West and South comprises mountain ranges of Koh-i-Suleman, Kirther, blow-outs of coralline and lacustrine deposits along coastal belt and covers …

Table Of Contents, Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Spl-1: Sarfaz Ali, Sarfaz Ali

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Cnb-1: Tony A. Kiefer, P.E., Tony A. Kiefer

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Failure Probability Of Slopes In Residual Soil From The Aburrá Valley, Medellín Colombia, Juan Pablo Villada Rodas, Manuel Roberto Villarraga

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

In recent years the evaluation of failure probability on slope stability analyses has become important because it has been presented as a representative method helping to complement the factor of safety. As part of this paper, it is proposed the evaluation of the failure probability in cut slopes on residual soils from the Aburrá valley. Statistical analyses were performed on the most important variables, considering continuous statistical distributions. Sensitivity analyses were performed to quantify their influence in the stability. As a result, some abacuses are developed in which the height and the slope angle are related to the failure probability …

Conference Schedule, Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Preface, Shamsher Prakash

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Rbp-1: Shamsher Prakash, Shamsher Prakash

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Historical Application Of Screw-Piles And Screw-Cylinder Foundations For 19th Century Ocean Piers, Alan J. Lutenegger

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Iron Screw-Pile foundations were first introduced by Alexander Mitchell in the middle of the 19th Century for support of offshore lighthouses in shallow water ocean environments. Large diameter Screw-Piles with helical blades ranging from 2.5 ft. to 4 ft. in diameter were routinely used during this period and were constructed with either a solid iron central shaft (Screw-Pile) or a large diameter hollow cylindrical pipe shaft (Screw-Cylinder). Soon after their introduction, Screw-Piles and Screw-Cylinders were being used in pier construction, to allow ocean front piers to be constructed quickly and economically in many parts of the world, while at the …