Engineering Commons^™

Tracking The Heavy Metal Contaminants Entrained With The Flow Into A Trickle Bed Hydrotreating Reactor Packed With Different Catalyst Shapes Using Newly Developed Noninvasive Dynamic Radioactive Particle Tracking, Binbin Qi, Omar Farid, Alexandre França Velo, Jihane Mendil, Sebastián Uribe, Yasunobu Kaneko, Kei Sakakura, Yasuhito Kagota, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A newly developed modified Dynamic Radioactive Particle Tracking system (DRPT) was used to investigate the heavy metal contaminants deposition locations in different catalyst beds, sphere, cylinder, trilobe, and quadrilobed in Trickle Bed Reactors. In the present paper, Kernel Density Estimator (KDE) was used to estimate the probability density distributions of heavy metal contaminants depositions in terms of bed radius height. The result shows that the four cases have similar probability density distribution in terms of radius, while the spherical catalyst has the larger distribution range in terms of bed height. The heavy metal deposition is directly related to the pressure …

Asphaltene Thermodynamic Precipitation During Miscible Nitrogen Gas Injection, Mukhtar Elturki, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For many years, miscible gas injection has been the most beneficial enhanced oil recovery method in the oil and gas industry. However, injecting a miscible gas to displace oil often causes the flocculation and deposition of asphaltenes, which subsequently leads to a number of production problems. Nitrogen gas (N2) injection has been used to enhance oil recovery in some oil fields, seeking to improve oil recovery. However, few works have implemented N2 injection and investigated its effect on asphaltene precipitation and deposition. This research investigated the N2 miscible flow mechanism in nanopores and its impact on asphaltene precipitations, which can …

Proppant Transport Using High-Viscosity Friction Reducer Fracture Fluids At High-Temperature Environment, Ghith Biheri, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The stimulation of unconventional reservoirs to improve oil productivity in tight formations of shale basins is a key objective in hydraulic fracturing treatments. Such stimulation can be made by reliable fracture fluids that have a high viscosity and elasticity to suspend the proppant in the fracture networks. Recently, due to several operational and economic reasons, the oil industry began using highviscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) as direct replacements for linear and crosslinked gels. However, some issues can limit the capability of HVFRs to provide effective sand transport, including the high fluid temperature during fracture treatment inside the formations. This may lead …

Impact Of Clay Stabilizer On The Methane Desorption Kinetics And Isotherms Of Longmaxi Shale, China, Zhong Hua Liu, Jia Chun Wang, Baojun Bai, Yan Ling Wang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Knowing methane desorption characteristics is essential to define the contribution of adsorbed gas to gas well production. To evaluate the synthetic effect of a clay stabilizer solution on methane desorption kinetics and isotherms pertaining to Longmaxi shale, an experimental setup was designed based on the volumetric method. The objective was to conduct experiments on methane adsorption and desorption kinetics and isotherms before and after clay stabilizer treatments. The experimental data were a good fit for both the intraparticle diffusion model and the Freundlich isotherm model. We analyzed the effect of the clay stabilizer on desorption kinetics and isotherms. Results show …

Developing Mix Proportions For Class C Fly Ash-Based Alkali-Activated 3d-Printed Concrete Mixtures, Fareh Abudawaba, Eslam Gomaa, Ahmed Gheni, Mohamed Elgawady

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigated the use of class C fly ash (FA) as a precursor for alkali-activated mortar (AAM) for 3D-printed concrete (3DPC). AAMs with different water-to-FA (W/FA), alkaline activator-to-FA (Alk/FA), and sodium silicate-to-sodium hydroxide (SS/SH) ratios were examined to develop mixtures that can be tailored for different structural applications of 3DPC. The fresh properties, including extrudability and buildability, were evaluated through the open time (OT) and immediate deformation tests, respectively. Different cycle times (CTs) were applied to achieve a strain limit state necessary to maintain the printed shape. The strength of AAMs in different directions at different CTs was examined. …

Viscosity Modifying Agents: Key Components Of Advanced Cement-Based Materials With Adapted Rheology, Hela Bessaies-Bey, Kamal Khayat, Marta Palacios, Wolfram Schmidt, Nicolas Roussel

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Viscosity modifying agents (VMAs) are essential ingredients for the production of flowable cement-based materials. This paper presents an overview of commonly used VMAs and attempts to shed some light on the underlying physics at the origin of their mechanisms of action. The main molecular parameters of VMA controlling the rheological properties of the cement pore solution are highlighted. As the mechanisms of action of VMAs in cement-based materials are closely related to their affinity with the surface of cement particles, the adsorption of the main VMA types is discussed. The effect of VMAs on flow properties and stability of cement-based …

Management Of Change Orders In Infrastructure Transportation Projects, Rayan H. Assaad, Muaz O. Ahmed, Islam H. El-Adaway, Pramen P. Shrestha

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will handle many upcoming projects due to the recent statewide infrastructure strategic plan and the fast-track efforts affecting many infrastructure projects amid COVID-19. Nevertheless, many change orders are anticipated to occur on IDOT's projects. Thus, this paper examines the proper contractual management of changes within IDOT infrastructure transportation projects by following a research method based on the integration between a desktop analysis and a focus group analysis. The desktop analysis involved collecting information and data from existing resources, case studies, and documents related to change orders. The focus group analysis involved consulting with change …

Nodule Formation On Copper Electrodeposits In The Rotating Cylinder Hull Cell, Joseph Bauer, Michael S. Moats

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nodulation formation during the electrolytic production of high-purity copper can lead to impurity entrapment and/or increased energy consumption. The rotating cylinder Hull cell (RCHC) was used to study copper nodule formation under mass transport conditions similar to industrial electrolytic copper production. The main advantage of the RCHC is that a wide range of current densities can be produced in a single experiment with well-defined mass transfer conditions. Visible nodule formation was observed at current densities greater than 250 A/m2, which is an iavg/iL ratio of 0.30 for a simulated conventional electrowinning cell. Statistical analysis was also performed using the Weibull …

Joint Bidding Decision Of Wind Farms And Energy Storage Based On Newsvendor Model, Xinyue Sun, Jian Liu, Meng Ou, Yanyan Liu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Currently, renewable energy generation has received more and more attention. This article focuses on wind energy generation, one of the renewable energy sources. Aiming at the intermittent and unpredictable wind power problems, according to the day ahead bidding mechanism in the power market, this paper introduces the energy storage system to maximize wind power merchants profit based on the newsvendor model. First, this paper focuses on the wind farms combined with storage system to put forward the optimal bidding decision of selling or buying electricity to the market one day in advance and the optimal bidding amount. Then, we analyze …

Study Of Synaptic Properties Of Honey Thin Film For Neuromorphic Systems, Brandon Sueoka, Kuan Yew Cheong, Feng Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Besides conventional electrical properties, materials for emerging artificial synaptic devices in brain-inspired neuromorphic systems need to have properties analogous to those of biological synapses, such as synaptic plasticity. In this work, we investigated, for the first time, the synaptic properties of a natural bio-organic material – honey. The honey film was sandwiched between Ag and ITO to form a structure resembling biological synapse. Neural facilitation, an essential synaptic plasticity, was demonstrated by honey thin film with a larger facilitation index, wider interval time range and higher dynamic filtering gain than other natural bio-organic materials. The results indicate that honey is …

Data On The Validation To Determine The Material Thermal Properties Estimation Via A One-Dimensional Transient Convection Model, Lauren B. Tomanek, Daniel S. Stutts

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

These data were acquired to estimate the parameters of a closed form solution of a one-dimensional transient convection heat diffusion PDE. The purpose was to demonstrate that the model could be used to determine the thermal conductivity. The system was tested for a wide range of thermal conductivity, 15-400 W/mK, in order to verify that the method was applicable for various materials. The data reported here refer to the study in the research articles, “Material Thermal Properties Estimation Via a One-Dimensional Transient Convection Model” and “Influence of porosity on the thermal, electrical, and mechanical performance of selective laser melted stainless …

Alf3-Al2o3 Ald Thin-Film-Coated Li1.2mn0.54co0.13ni0.13o2 Particles For Lithium-Ion Batteries: Long-Term Protection, Han Yu, Xiaoqing He, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Improving the performance of existing cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) through surface modification has been proven to be an effective way to improve the performance of LIBs. However, it is a challenge to use a traditional method to prepare an effective coating film, which meets the requirements of uniformity, continuity, electrochemical stability, and strong mechanical properties. In this study, an ultrathin AlF₃-Al₂O₃ film was coated on the surface of Li_1.2Mn_0.54Co_0.13Ni_0.13O₂ (LRNMC) particles by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in a fluidized bed reactor. A cathode electrolyte …

An Intelligent Distributed Ledger Construction Algorithm For Iot, Charles Rawlins, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Blockchain is the next generation of secure data management that creates near-immutable decentralized storage. Secure cryptography created a niche for blockchain to provide alternatives to well-known security compromises. However, design bottlenecks with traditional blockchain data structures scale poorly with increased network usage and are extremely computation-intensive. This made the technology difficult to combine with limited devices, like those in Internet of Things networks. In protocols like IOTA, replacement of blockchain's linked-list queue processing with a lightweight dynamic ledger showed remarkable throughput performance increase. However, current stochastic algorithms for ledger construction suffer distinct trade-offs between efficiency and security. This work proposed …

Examining The Effect Of A Chitosan Biopolymer On Alkali-Activated Inorganic Material For Aqueous Pb(Ii) And Zn(Ii) Sorption, Sukanta K. Mondal, Chenglin Wu, Felix C. Nwadire, Ali A. Rownaghi, Aditya Kumar, Yusuf Adewuyi, Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biopolymers and alkali-activated materials have attracted a great deal of attention as adsorbents for the removal of heavy metal contaminants from aqueous solutions. Both materials are sustainable and feature unique properties, but biopolymers are relatively more expensive or difficult to prepare and exhibit low mechanical and surface properties, a narrow pH range, and thermal stability. In this study, hybrid adsorbents were prepared from both types of material, by alkali activation of low-cost fly ash precursors accompanied by incorporation of 0-2%mass chitosan biopolymer. Two types of alkaline activating solutions, NaOH and Na2SiO3, were employed to generate two sets of hybrid adsorbents …

Stabilizing The Interface Of All-Solid-State Electrolytes Against Cathode Electrodes By Atomic Layer Deposition, Ye Jin, Han Yu, Xiaoqing He, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In recent years, with the severe safety problems of organic electrolytes, all-solid-state electrolytes (ASSEs) have been considered as an appealing choice to replace organic electrolytes due to their high reliability and safety. However, the uncontrolled interfacial chemical reactions between electrodes and ASSEs would lead to high interfacial resistance, which is detrimental for the battery performance. In this work, LiFePO₄ (LFP) particles were coated with ultra-thin ZrO₂ films by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and the effects of thin film coating on the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries using the NASICON-type Li_1.5Al_0.5Ge_1.5(PO₄) …

Molecular Insight Into The Fluidity Of Cement Pastes: Nano-Boundary Lubrication Of Cementitious Materials, Muhan Wang, Kaixuan Zhang, Xiang Ji, Pan Wang, Hongyan Ma, Jun Zhang, Dongshuai Hou

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The workability mechanism of fresh concrete at the molecular level remains essentially unexplored. To understand the molecular origin for cement fluidity, molecular dynamics and Density Function Theory (DFT) were utilized to construct a shear model of Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (C-S-H) layers. The structure, dynamics, and reactivity of ultra-confined pore solution between C-S-H gels are systematically investigated. Under shear loading, periodic oscillation of friction force is observed as the typically Couette flow and the interfacial friction force is reduced from 35.2 Kcal/mol·Å to 3.3 Kcal/mol·Å with water content increasing. All of the systems contain breakage of noncovalent bonds of water-Ca and water-water in …

Combined Ibuprofen And Curcumin Delivery Using Mg-Mof-74 As A Single Nanocarrier, Shane Lawson, Ali A. Rownaghi, Fateme Rezaei

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively used as drug delivery platforms because of their considerable textural properties and physiochemical tunability. However, most medicinal treatments often administer multiple therapeutic pharmaceuticals simultaneously and combined drug delivery over a single MOF carrier has not been extensively developed. As such, in this study we implemented Mg-MOF-74, which is known to have rapid pharmacokinetic properties, for the combined delivery of ibuprofen and curcumin to demonstrate the proof-of-concept for dual-drug delivery over this previously unexplored MOF. To this end, 30 wt % total drug loading of two drugs was impregnated at various ratios (25:5 ibuprofen-curcumin, 20:5 …

Optical Interferometric Force Sensor Based On A Buckled Beam, Yan Tang, Jing Guo, Yizheng Chen, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper reports a novel extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI)-based fiber optic sensor for force measurement. The prototype force sensor consists of two EFPIs mounted on a stainless-steel rectangular frame. The primary sensing element, i.e., the first EFPI, is formed between the endface of a horizontally placed optical fiber and a stainless-steel buckled beam. The second EFPI, fashioned between a longitudinally placed optical fiber and a silver-coated glass beam, is arranged to demonstrate the amplification mechanism of the buckled beam structure. When the sensor is subjected to a tension force, the pre-buckled beam will deflect backward, resulting in a longitudinal/axial displacement …

Quasi-Static Multifunctional Characterization Of 3d-Printed Carbon Fiber Composites For Compressive-Electrical Properties, Ritesh Ghimire, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multifunctional carbon fiber composites provide promising results such as high strength-to-weight ratio, thermal and electrical conductivity, high-intensity radiated field, etc. for aerospace applications. Tailoring the electrical and structural properties of 3D-printed composites is the critical step for multifunctional performance. This paper presents a novel method for evaluating the effects of the coating material system on the continuous carbon fiber strand on the multifunctional properties of 3D-printed composites and the material's microstructure. A new method was proposed for the quasi-static characterization of the Compressive-Electrical properties on the additively manufactured continuous carbon fiber solid laminate composites. In this paper, compressive and electrical …

Uncertainties Induced By Processing Parameter Variation In Selective Laser Melting Of Ti6al4v Revealed By In-Situ X-Ray Imaging, Zachary A. Young, Meelap M. Coday, Qilin Guo, Minglei Qu, S. Mohammad H. Hojjatzadeh, Luis I. Escano, Kamel Fezzaa, Tao Sun, Lianyi Chen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM) exhibits uncertainties, where variations in build quality are present despite utilizing the same optimized processing parameters. In this work, we identify the sources of uncertainty in SLM process by in-situ characterization of SLM dynamics induced by small variations in processing parameters. We show that variations in the laser beam size, laser power, laser scan speed, and powder layer thickness result in significant variations in the depression zone, melt pool, and spatter behavior. On average, a small deviation of only ~5% from the optimized/reference laser processing parameter resulted in a ~10% or greater change …

Characteristic Mode Analysis Prediction And Guidance Of Electromagnetic Coupling Measurements To A Uav Model, Mohamed Z. M. Hamdalla, Benjamin Bissen, James D. Hunter, Yuanzhuo Liu, Victor Khilkevich, Daryl G. Beetner, Anthony N. Caruso, Ahmed M. Hassan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work, we study the current coupled to a simplified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) model using a dual computational and experimental approach. The simplified surrogate structure reduced the computational burden and facilitated the experimental measurement of the coupled currents. For a practical system, a wide range of simulations and measurements must be performed to analyze the induced current variations with respect to properties of the incident excitation waveform, such as the frequency, angle of incidence, and polarization. To simplify this analysis, Characteristic Mode Analysis (CMA) was used to compute the eigen-currents of the UAV model and predict where and …

A Deep Learning Approach To Design And Discover Sustainable Cementitious Binders: Strategies To Learn From Small Databases And Develop Closed-Form Analytical Models, Taihao Han, Sai Akshay Ponduru, Rachel Cook, Jie Huang, Gaurav Sant, Aditya Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To reduce the energy-intensity and carbon footprint of Portland cement (PC), the prevailing practice embraced by concrete technologists is to partially replace the PC in concrete with supplementary cementitious materials [SCMs: geological materials (e.g., limestone); industrial by-products (e.g., fly ash); and processed materials (e.g., calcined clay)]. Chemistry and content of the SCM profoundly affect PC hydration kinetics; which, in turn, dictates the evolutions of microstructure and properties of the [PC + SCM] binder. Owing to the substantial diversity in SCMs' compositions-plus the massive combinatorial spaces, and the highly nonlinear and mutually-interacting processes that arise from SCM-PC interactions-state-of-the-art computational models are …

An Interleaved High Step-Up Dc-Dc Converter Based On Integration Of Coupled Inductor And Built-In-Transformer With Switched-Capacitor Cells For Renewable Energy Applications, Ramin Rahimi, Saeed Habibi, Mehdi Ferdowsi, Pourya Shamsi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes an interleaved high step-up DC-DC converter with the coupled inductor (CI) and built-in transformer (BIT) for renewable energy applications. Two double-winding (2W) CIs and one triple-winding (3W) BIT are integrated with the switched-capacitor (SC) voltage multiplier cells (VMCs) to achieve high-voltage gains without extreme duty cycles. The CIs and BIT turns-ratios provide two other degrees of freedom -- in addition to the duty cycle -- to adjust the voltage gain that leads to increased design flexibility. The diodes turn off naturally under the zero-current switching (ZCS) conditions because their current falling rates are controlled by the leakage …

A Deep Learning Approach To Design And Discover Sustainable Cementitious Binders: Strategies To Learn From Small Databases And Develop Closed-Form Analytical Models, Taihao Han, Sai Akshay Ponduru, Rachel Cook, Jie Huang, Gaurav Sant, Aditya Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To reduce the energy-intensity and carbon footprint of Portland cement (PC), the prevailing practice embraced by concrete technologists is to partially replace the PC in concrete with supplementary cementitious materials [SCMs: geological materials (e.g., limestone); industrial by-products (e.g., fly ash); and processed materials (e.g., calcined clay)]. Chemistry and content of the SCM profoundly affect PC hydration kinetics; which, in turn, dictates the evolutions of microstructure and properties of the [PC + SCM] binder. Owing to the substantial diversity in SCMs' compositions–plus the massive combinatorial spaces, and the highly nonlinear and mutually-interacting processes that arise from SCM-PC interactions–state-of-the-art computational models are …

Effect Of Type And Content Of Expansive Agent On Performance Of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete With Adapted Rheology, Ahmed Abdelrazik, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A performance-based mixture design approach was utilized to optimize the binder content and composition for fiber-reinforced super workable concrete (FR-SWC) and fiber-reinforced self-consolidating concrete (FR-SCC). The test parameters included the replacement ratio of the cement by a Class C fly ash (FA), type and content of expansive agent (EA), and total binder content. Hooked-end steel fibers measuring 30 mm in length were used at 0.5% by volume. The investigated concrete was tested for slump flow, modified J-ring, sieve stability, bleeding, visual stability index, air content, unit weight, as well as compressive and splitting tensile strengths. The elastic modulus, autogenous, drying …

Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative, Year 5, Final Report *Addendum*, American Iron And Steel Institute

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

Preface

The Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative (SDII) is a multi-year industry-academic-government partnership to advance the seismic performance of steel floor and roof diaphragms utilized in steel buildings. This addendum to the final report covers work conducted on Task 5.6 which was completed during a no-cost extension conducted in 2021. Please refer to AISI RP21-04, the Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative, Year 5, Final Report for all other details.

Modeling Isothermal Reduction Of Iron Ore Pellet Using Finite Element Analysis Method: Experiments & Validation, Amogh Meshram, Joe Govro, Ronald J. O'Malley, Seetharaman Sridhar, Yuri Korobeinikov

PSMRC Faculty Research

Iron ore pellet reduction experiments were performed with pure hydrogen (H₂) and mixtures with carbon monoxide (CO) at different ratios. For direct reduction processes that switch dynamically between reformed natural gas and hydrogen as the reductant, it is important to understand the effects of the transition on the oxide reduction kinetics to optimize the residence time of iron ore pellets in a shaft reactor. Hence, the reduction rates were studied by varying experimental parameters such as the temperature (800, 850 & 900 degrees C), reactant gas flow rate (100, 150 & 200 cm³/min), pellet size and …

Inspire Newsletter Spring 2022, Missouri University Of Science And Technology. Inspire - University Transportation Center

INSPIRE Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Inspire Newsletter Fall 2022, Missouri University Of Science And Technology. Inspire - University Transportation Center

INSPIRE Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Deicers On Low-Temperature Performance Of Missouri Pavements, Jun Liu, Yizhuang David Wang, Farshad Kerahroudi Saberi, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of deicer chemicals for highway winter maintenance operations is an essential strategy for ensuring a reasonably high level of service. It's critical to quantify their effectiveness and potentially detrimental effects on transportation infrastructure (i.e., asphalt and concrete pavements). In this study, nine deicer chemicals used in the state of Missouri were collected. The ice-melting test was conducted to quantify the performance characteristics of deicer chemicals. Freeze-thaw (F-T) test of concrete in the presence of deicer was conducted to quantify the negative effects of deicers to concrete. Low-temperature behavior of asphalt mixture affected by deicers was quantified by asphalt …