Engineering Commons^™

Review Of The Methods For Determination Of Reactive Oxygen Species And Suggestion For Their Application In Advanced Oxidation Induced By Dielectric Barrier Discharges, Emile S. Massima Mouele, Olanrewaju Ojo Fatoba, Omotola Babajide, Kassim O. Badmus, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) particularly non-thermal plasmas based on electrical discharges have been widely investigated for water and wastewater treatment. Dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) generate large amounts of selective and non-selective reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, atomic oxygen, superoxide molecular anions and hydroxyl radicals, having been proved to be efficient for water decontamination among various forms of electrical discharge systems. The detection and quantification methods of these oxygen species in non-thermal plasmas have been reviewed. However, their application in dielectric barrier discharge has not been well studied. It is therefore imperative to summarize the various detection …

Deep Learning Nuclei Detection In Digitized Histology Images By Superpixels, Sudhir Sornapudi, R. Joe Stanley, William V. Stoecker, Haidar Almubarak, Rodney Long, Sameer Antani, George Thoma, Rosemary Zuna, Shelliane R. Frazier

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Advances in image analysis and computational techniques have facilitated automatic detection of critical features in histopathology images. Detection of nuclei is critical for squamous epithelium cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) classification into normal, CIN1, CIN2, and CIN3 grades.

Methods: In this study, a deep learning (DL)-based nuclei segmentation approach is investigated based on gathering localized information through the generation of superpixels using a simple linear iterative clustering algorithm and training with a convolutional neural network.

Results: The proposed approach was evaluated on a dataset of 133 digitized histology images and achieved an overall nuclei detection (object-based) accuracy of 95.97%, with …

The Bridge Newsletter Spring 2018, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Steel Bridge Design Team takes first at ASCE student conference
-Sneed helps lead study abroad course
-ACML gifts
-Schonberg named Fulbright Chair

Cellulose And Sulfate Degradation In A Biochemical Reactor During Treatment Of Mine Drainage, Sweta Ojha

Masters Theses

"Seventy-two biochemical reactors were set up, and operated using a mixture of chip-bark, horse manure, and gravel as the biochemical treatment substrate. The simulated mine water containing sulfate (1000 mg/l) was pumped into each reactor at a flow rate of 0.5 ml/minute (approximate), giving an empty bed contact time of 8 days. The main idea is that the microorganisms present in horse manure would convert the cellulose in chip-bark into volatile fatty acids. The produced volatile fatty acid would enhance the metabolism of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) initially present in horse manure, which would degrade (and eventually remove) the sulfate from …

An Integrated Method For Forecasting Well Deliverability In Gas Condensate Reservoirs With Bottom Aquifer Drive, Abdulaziz Ellafi, Ralph E. Flori, Shari Dunn-Norman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gas condensate reservoirs constitute a significant portion of global hydrocarbon reserves. In these reservoirs, liquids develop in the pore space once bottomhole pressure falls below dew point. This results in the formation of a liquid bank near the wellbore region which decreases gas mobility, which then reduces gas inflow. In such complex reservoirs, it is important to correctly describe PVT impacts, adjustments to well test analysis and inflow performance, and then combine all effects in the reservoir analysis. The literature contains many references to individual adjustments of PVT analysis, well testing, or inflow performance for gas condensate reservoirs, but few …

Data Analysis Of Low-Salinity Waterflooding To Enhance The Oil Recovery In Sandstone Reservoirs, Nadia Ariani

Masters Theses

"The lack of a single reasonable general mechanism to describe how low-salinity waterflooding can improve oil recovery in both laboratory and field pilot projects has increased the interests of many researchers and stakeholders. There has not been observed the relationship of formation brine salinity and injected brine salinity to see how much salinity is reduced to produce the maximum enhanced oil recovery by LSWF. There is no guidance in what EOR stage the LSWF is best implemented. This work collects data from various published literature to develop a comprehensive data set regarding low-salinity waterflooding in sandstone reservoirs. The LSWF mechanisms …

Management Of Coal Dust Explosions In United States' Coal Mines Using Bag Type Passive Explosion Barriers, Jay Robert Schafler

Masters Theses

"The most significant and powerful hazard that exists in an underground coal mine is a coal dust explosion. A coal dust explosion has the potential to propagate throughout a mine resulting in massive damage to the mine and equipment, as well as tragic loss of life. An assessment of current global regulations and practices uncovered four main control methods utilized to prevent coal dust explosions in coal mines world-wide. The United States is one of the few countries that does not regulate or employ all four of these safety practices. Additionally, a review of past research into coal dust explosions …

Carbon Black Production, Analyzing And Characterization, Shadha Khalid Jebur

Masters Theses

"Carbon black (CB) plays a significant function in the development of the electrical and mechanical properties of high performance for a tough elastic polymeric substance such as rubber materials. Thus, CB is widely used to manufacture a massive number of products such as reinforcing and pigment phase in automobile tires due to its high ability to increase tire life by reducing the thermal damage. This material is also used in belts, hoses, and other non-tire rubber goods. Before use in valuable materials. CB should first be analyzed and characterized by different instruments to obtain its mechanical properties. A new thermal …

Computational Dynamics And Virtual Dragline Simulation For Extended Rope Service Life, Muhammad Wardeh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dragline machinery is one of the largest equipment for stripping overburden materials in surface mining operations. Its effectiveness requires rigorous kinematic and dynamic analyses. Current dragline research studies are limited in computational dynamic modeling because they eliminate important structural components from the front-end assembly. Thus, the derived kinematic, dynamic and stress intensity models fail to capture the true response of the dragline under full operating cycle conditions. This research study advances a new and robust computational dynamic model of the dragline front-end assembly using Kane's method. The model is a 3-DOF dynamic model that describes the spatial kinematics and …

Assessment Of The Physical And Chemical Qualities Of Brine And The Application Of Nano Zerovalent Iron For The Treatment Of Brine Effluent, M. J. Alegbe, O. S. Ayanda, P. Ndungu, O. O. Fatoba, A. Nechaev, L. F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The arbitrary discharge of brine effluent from reverse osmosis treatment plants impacts negatively to the environment due to its high salinity. In the present study, brine effluent obtained from eMalahleni treatment plant, South Africa, was analyzed by pH, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids measurements. The ion chromatography and the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy were also used to examine the anion and cation content of the brine effluent. The analysis of major cations and anions indicated that the brine water quality was above the target water quality range for potable water. Geochemical modelling of the brine effluent classified …

Hydraulic Fracture Design Optimization For Nubian Sandstone Formation In Libya, Housameddin Mohamed Sherif

Masters Theses

There is growing interest in developing unconventional oil and gas reserves in Libya, such as the tight portions of the Nubian sandstone.

Well-X7 is a development well drilled to a TD of 13,005' penetrating the Upper Nubain Sandstone (UNSS) at 12,122'-12,207' and the Lower Nubain Sandstone (LNSS) at 12,524'-12,880' KB. Based on open hole logs, the UNSS has 71 ft of net pay and the LNSS was found to have 295 ft of net pay. Openhole logs also showed low permeabilities of 2.5 and 3 md for the UNSS and LNSS, respectively. The well was initially perforated in both zones …

Mitigation Of Environmental Hazards Of Sulfide Mineral Flotation With An Insight Into Froth Stability And Flotation Performance, Muhammad Badar Hayat

Doctoral Dissertations

"Today's major challenges facing the flotation of sulfide minerals involve constant variability in the ore composition; environmental concerns; water scarcity and inefficient plant performance. The present work addresses these challenges faced by the flotation process of complex sulfide ore of Mississippi Valley type with an insight into the froth stability and the flotation performance. The first project in this study was aimed at finding the optimum conditions for the bulk flotation of galena (PbS) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) through Response Surface Methodology (RSM). In the second project, an attempt was made to replace toxic sodium cyanide (NaCN) with the biodegradable chitosan …

Investigation Of The Hydrodynamics And Scale-Up Of Advanced Triso Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Using Sophisticated Measurement Techniques, Thaar M. Aljuwaya

Doctoral Dissertations

"The successful performance and safety of the Very-High-Temperature Nuclear Reactors (VHTR) extremely depend on the quality of the TRISO nuclear fuel coated particles. However, the coating of the TRISO particles is delicate process and impacted by the hydrodynamics of spouted beds. Therefore, in this work, we applied advanced non-invasive measurement techniques which are gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) and radioactive particle tracking (RPT), to investigate foremost the local parameters to advance the fundamental understanding of the hydrodynamics and scale-up of gas-solid spouted beds. The CT technique has been applied to study the effects of particle density, particle size, bed size, and …

Guayule Plant Extracts As Binder Modifiers In Flexible (Asphalt) Pavement Mixtures, Steven Michael Lusher

Doctoral Dissertations

"The guayule (pronounced, 'why-YOO-lee') plant is a woody perennial shrub that is native to areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and is a well-documented source of high-quality natural rubber. The U.S. needs a domestic source of natural rubber to allay concerns about its future availability. Cultivation of guayule in North America has been attempted many times since the late 19th century, and companies, including major tire manufacturers, are again investing in guayule research. However, full-scale commercialization of guayule rubber needs established markets for the two basic by-products of guayule rubber extraction: the plant resins (primarily non-rubber compounds) …

A New Signal Processing Method For Acoustic Emission/Microseismic Data Analysis, Charles Mborah

Doctoral Dissertations

"The acoustic emission/microseismic technique (AE/MS) has emerged as one of the most important techniques in recent decades and has found wide applications in different fields. Extraction of seismic event with precise timing is the first step and also the foundation for processing AE/MS signals. However, this process remains a challenging task for most AE/MS applications. The process has generally been performed by human analysts. However, manual processing is time consuming and subjective. These challenges continue to provide motivation for the search for new and innovative ways to improve the signal processing needs of the AE/MS technique. This research has developed …

Crustal Thickness Beneath Libya And The Origin Of Partial Melt Beneath As Sawda Volcanic Province From Receiver Function Constraints, Awad A. Lemnifi, Abdelsalam Elshaafi, John Browning, Nassib Aouad, Saad K. El Ebaidi, Kelly K. Liu, Agust Gudmundsson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates crustal thickness and properties within the Libyan region. Results obtained from 15 seismic stations belonging to the Libyan Center for Remote Sensing and Space Science are reported, in addition to 3 seismic stations publically available, using receiver functions. The results show crustal thicknesses ranging from 24 km to 36 km (with uncertainties ranging between ±0.10 km and ±0.90 km). More specifically, crustal thickness ranges from 32 km to 36 km in the southern portion of the Libyan territory then becomes thinner, between 24 km and 30 km, in the coastal areas of Libya and thinnest, between 24 …

Amplification Of Earthquake Ground Motions In Washington, Dc, And Implications For Hazard Assessments In Central And Eastern North America, Thomas L. Pratt, J. Wright Horton Jr., Jessica Munoz, Susan E. Hough, Martin C. Chapman, C. Guney Olgun

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The extent of damage in Washington, DC, from the 2011 M_W 5.8 Mineral, VA, earthquake was surprising for an epicenter 130 km away; U.S. Geological Survey “Did-You-Feel-It” reports suggest that Atlantic Coastal Plain and other unconsolidated sediments amplified ground motions in the city. We measure this amplification relative to bedrock sites using earthquake signals recorded on a temporary seismometer array. The spectral ratios show strong amplification in the 0.7 to 4 Hz frequency range for sites on sediments. This range overlaps with resonant frequencies of buildings in the city as inferred from their heights, suggesting amplification at frequencies to …

Rethinking The Design Of Low-Cost Point-Of-Care Diagnostic Devices, Faith W. Kimani, Samuel M. Mwangi, Benjamin J. Kwasa, Abdi M. Kusow, Benjamin K. Ngugi, Jiahao Chen, Xinyu Liu, Rebecca Cademartiri, Martin M. Thuo

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reducing the global diseases burden requires effective diagnosis and treatment. In the developing world, accurate diagnosis can be the most expensive and time-consuming aspect of health care. Healthcare cost can, however, be reduced by use of affordable rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). In the developed world, low-cost RDTs are being developed in many research laboratories; however, they are not being equally adopted in the developing countries. This disconnect points to a gap in the design philosophy, where parameterization of design variables ignores the most critical component of the system, the point-of-use stakeholders (e.g., doctors, nurses and patients). Herein, we demonstrated that …

Degradation Of Bisphenol-A By Dielectric Barrier Discharge System: Influence Of Polyethylene Glycol Stabilized Nano Zero Valent Iron Particles, Jimoh O. Tijani, Massima E.S. Mouele, Ojo O. Fatoba, Omotola O. Babajide, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study we report the synthesis and catalytic properties of polyethylene glycol stabilized nano zero valent iron particles (PEG-nZVI) added to the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system to induce photo-Fenton process in the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution. The influence of operating parameters such as solution pH, initial concentration of the modelled pollutant and PEG-nZVI dosage on the extent of BPA degradation was investigated. The residual concentration of BPA and its intermediates were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). The high-resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller …

Imaging A Fly Ash Landfill Using Non-Invasive Technologies (Ert And Masw), Atiat Shaban Qasim Alsaaideh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data were acquired across a segment of an existing fly ash landfill in southwestern Missouri. The objective was to map potential karst features and identify probable groundwater seepage through and beneath the landfill.

Variations in the moisture content were mapped below and above the two liners (clay and synthetic) systems, the soil and bedrock. Seepage pathways were mapped through the fly ash and the underlying soil and rock. No visual evidence was found on any of the 3D ERT profiles of the presence of either pre-existing air-filled voids or pre-existing or newly infilled clay-filled voids. There …

Underground Structures, Rock Structures And Rock Mechanics From Ancient Era To The Modern Age, Ebru Akiş, Özgür Satici

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Usage of underground space is an old habit for human beings since ancient era. Our ancestors have used caves as a shelter for protection from the wildlife and nature, and they excavated caves to extract valuable minerals. They also used them as sanctuaries, tombs or for storage of goods. In addition, they built tunnels to be used as assault systems or to underpass fortifications during ancient warfare. Later on, tunnels were driven to supply water to the towns or to protect the towns from floods. They also built them for communication purposes. Though not knowing the exact time when they …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Carbon Doped Tio2 Photocatalysts Supported On Stainless Steel Mesh By Sol-Gel Method, J. O. Tijani, O. O. Fatoba, T. C. Totito, W. D. Roos, L. F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study synthesized pure anatase carbon doped TiO₂ photocatalysts supported on a stainless-steel mesh using a sol-gel solution of 8% polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/dimethylformamide (DMF)/TiCl4. The influence of the pyrolysis temperature and holding time on the morphological characteristics, particle sizes and surface area of the prepared catalyst was investigated. The prepared catalysts were characterized by several analytical methods: high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD patterns showed that the supported TiO2 nanocrystals are typically anatase, polycrystalline and body-centered tetragonal in structure. The EDS and XPS results …

2-D And 3-D Mapping Of Soil And Rock Structure In Karst Terrain Of Southwestern Missouri Using The Non-Invasive Electrical Resistivity Tomography Method (Ert), Diya Ali Ahmad Alfuqara

Masters Theses

"Electrical resistivity tomography data were acquired in an extensively karstic area of southwestern Missouri. The interpretation of the electrical resistivity tomography data was constrained by multichannel analysis of surface wave data and limited boring control. The objective of the study was to determine if variations in the moisture content of the soil and shallow rock are related to ground surface topography. Analysis of the acquired electrical resistivity tomography data showed that resistivity values of soil and shallow rock beneath and in proximity to identified natural and man-made surface run-off pathways are typically low compared to the resistivity values of soil …

Modeling Dynamic Community Acceptance Of Mining Using Agent-Based Modeling, Mark Kofi Boateng

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research attempts to provide fundamental understanding into the relationship between perceived sustainability of mineral projects and community acceptance. The main objective is to apply agent-based modeling (ABM) and discrete choice modeling to understand changes in community acceptance over time due to changes in community demographics and perceptions. This objective focuses on: 1) formulating agent utility functions for ABM, based on discrete choice theory; 2) applying ABM to account for the effect of information diffusion on community acceptance; and 3) explaining the relationship between initial conditions, topology, and rate of interactions, on one hand, and community acceptance on the other …

Experimental Investigations Of Natural Circulation In A Separate-And-Mixed Effects Test Facility Mimicking Prismatic Modular Reactor (Pmr) Core, Mahmoud M. Taha

Doctoral Dissertations

"After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011, significant attention was directed to investigate natural circulation thermal-hydraulics in Prismatic Modular Reactors (PMRs). Natural circulation is employed as a passive safety feature that passively removes the decay heat released after the loss of flow accidents (LOFA). Several computational studies have addressed such phenomena, however, validation of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is needed by providing high-quality data obtained from separate test facilities designed with reference to the corresponding reference PMRs. To address this need, a separate effects Plenum-to-Plenum Facility (P2PF) was designed and developed with dual channels and plena for …

Industrial Cold-Formed Steel Rack Column Base Fixity And Strength, Francesc Roure, Teoman Peköz, M. Rosa Somalo, Jordi Bonada, M. Magdalena Pastor, Miquel Casafont, James Crews

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This paper summarizes the testing done at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain and the possible use of the results in design for column base stiffness and strength. The test setup and procedure are adopted in the European rack design standards.

Experiments On Column Base Stiffness Of Long-Span Cold-Formed Steel Portal Frames Composed Of Double Channels, H. B. Blum, K. J. R. Rasmussen

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Cold-formed steel haunched portal frames are popular structures in industrial and housing applications. They are mostly used as sheds, garages, and shelters, and are common in rural areas. Cold-formed steel portal frames with spans of up to 30m (100 ft) are now being constructed in Australia. As these large structures are fairly new to the market, there is limited data on their feasibility and design recommendations. An experimental program was carried out on a series of portal frame systems composed of back-to-back channels for the columns, rafters, and knee braces. The system consisted of three frames connected in parallel with …

The Bridge Newsletter Spring 2016, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Steel Bridge Team qualifies for nationals
-Concrete, reimagined
-Going with the flow
-Remembering Vernon T. Jones

2016 Scholarly Productivity Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Scholarly Productivity Reports

No abstract provided.

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 …