Engineering Commons^™

Modular, Scalable Battery Systems With Integrated Cell Balancing And Dc Bus Power Processing, Muhammad Muneeb Ur Rehman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Traditional electric vehicle and stationary battery systems use series-connected battery packs that employ centralized battery management and power processing architecture. Though, these systems meet the basic safety and power requirements with a simple hard- ware structure, the approach results in a battery pack that is energy and power limited by weak cells throughout life and most importantly at end-of-life. The applications of battery systems can benefit significantly from modular, scalable battery systems capable of advanced cell balancing, efficient power processing, and cost gains via reuse beyond first-use application. The design of modular battery systems has unique requirements for the power …

Silane Modulation Of Protein Conformation And Self-Assembly, Abul Bashar Mohammad Giasuddin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research focused on development of nanoparticle- based therapeutics against amyloid fibrils. Amyloid fibrils are associated with various diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, mad cow disease, Alzheimer’s, and cataracts. Amyloid fibrils develop when proteins change their shape from a native form to a pathogenic “misfolded” form. The misfolded proteins have the ability to recruit more native proteins into the pathogenic forms, which self-assemble into amyloid fibrils that are hallmarks of the various protein-misfolding diseases listed above. Amyloid fibrils are highly resistant to degradation, which may contribute to the symptoms of amyloid diseases. Synthetic drugs, natural compounds, and antibodies are widely …

Assessing The Effects Of Local Turbulence And Velocity Profiles On Electromagnetic Flow Meter Accuracy, Kade J. Beck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of local turbulence and velocity profiles on electromagnetic (magnetic) flow meters. According to the American Water Works Association, “No tool available to water utilities has played a greater part in the conservation of water than the water meter (AWWA 2002).” Consequently, it is imperative to understand what variables may influence magnetic flow meter accuracy.

Even though other researchers have explored the effects of turbulence profile development on orifice plates, the literature is not clear how magnetic flow meters respond to the effect of local turbulence. Accordingly, this study investigated the …

Accuracy Of Residential Water Meters In Response To Short, Intermittent Flows, John R. Chadwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study, water meter accuracy in response to short, intermittent flows was tested. Burst flows have short durations (a few seconds or less), and occur at a variety of flow rates. For some types of meters, it is difficult to accurately measure short, intermittent flow rates. Depending on the meter type, an intermittent flow can result in either under-registering or over-registering of the actual throughput.

During the testing for this research, water was passed through meters for various time combinations, test setups, and flows. It should be understood that realistically, a household setting will not see burst flows occurring …

Ph Effects On The Sorption Of Fluoxetine And Sulfamethoxazole By Three Powdered Activated Carbons, James D. Schneider

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are widely used throughout the world. PPCPs are emerging as pollutants of concern and may pose a risk in the future to drinking water supplies. Two such compounds are sulfamethoxazole (SMXL) and fluoxetine (FLX). These ionizable compounds are not readily removed from water by conventional water treatment technologies. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) is a useful material for removing contaminants from water and is currently used in many water treatment applications. PACs may carry either a net positive or negative surface charge depending on the pH of solution. This study examined the hypothesis that the …

Radio-Frequency Transmitter Geolocation Using Non-Ideal Received Signal Strength Indicators, Samuel Whiting

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Locating a radio transmitter is important in a number of problems such as finding radio tags, people with radios, and devices that are collecting information in an unauthorized manner. Locating a radio transmitter is inherently difficult because the radio waves of concern are not in the visible spectrum, they reflect and distort easily, and they propagate at the speed of light.

A number of methods for locating transmitters are currently used, the majority of which require expensive hardware and extensive processing. This thesis presents a method of using simpler measurements to produce similar location estimates in order to augment or …

Desorption Of Trace Inorganic Contaminants From Solids In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Tiana W. Hammer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to maintain high quality safe drinking water, we need to understand what happens after the water has been cleaned at the drinking water plant and before it gets to the consumer’s house. Even if low concentrations of toxic contaminants enter the drinking water distribution system (DWDS) there is potential for contaminants to accumulate and be released by changes in flow or water conditions in high concentrations at the tap. For this study, we collected solid material from Park City, Utah that accumulated within the DWDS, along with a year of monthly monitoring of the DWDS. These solids were …

The Effects Of Surge Flows On Residential Water Meters, Ryan P. Weller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

All residential water meters have published flow rates for which they will operate as designed. These specifications include a maximum operating flow rate, which is recommended not to exceed. However, there are situations which may cause a meter to flow above the maximum flow rate. This thesis explores what effect these surge flows have on residential water meters.

Twenty-one 5/8”x3/4” meters were tested in this study: three oscillating pistons, six nutating disks, nine ultrasonic, and three electromagnetic. Testing was done at the Utah Water Research Laboratory using a gravimetric test bench specifically designed for residential water meter testing.

The results …

Importance Of Exposure Time On Digital Image Correlation (Dic) At Extreme Temperatures, Thinh Quang Thai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Extreme temperatures have increasingly played an important role in engineering applications, including leading edges during hypersonic flight, spacecraft re-entry, and propulsion systems. In order to design for such thermo-mechanical conditions, materials must be characterized using suitable measurement methods. DIC is a popular and versatile method in full-field measurement. In brief, DIC compares images of a sample between its undeformed and deformed state in order to get displacement and strain field maps. Since the images are acquired from digital cameras, it is important to have high contrast images for meaningful correlation. Exposure time is a pivotal camera setting relating to camera …

Usu Aerospace Engineering Researcher Lands Prestigious Navy Grant, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University’s Doug Hunsaker, a rising star in aerodynamics research, received the coveted Young Investigator Program (YIP) award from the Office of Naval Research.

Usu Mechanical Engineering Team Takes First At Soapbox Derby | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Nine teams competed in Saturday’s 2nd annual ASME Soapbox Derby.

Microfluidic Chip For Non-Invasive Analysis Of Tumor Cells Interaction With Anti-Cancer Drug Doxorubicin By Afm And Raman Spectroscopy, Han Zhang, Lifu Xiao, Qifei Li, Xiaojun Qi, Anhong Zhou

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Raman spectroscopy has been playing an increasingly significant role for cell classification. Here, we introduce a novel microfluidic chip for non-invasive Raman cell natural fingerprint collection. Traditional Raman spectroscopy measurement of the cells grown in a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based microfluidic device suffers from the background noise from the substrate materials of PDMS when intended to apply as an in vitro cell assay. To overcome this disadvantage, the current device is designed with a middle layer of PDMS layer sandwiched by two MgF2slides which minimize the PDMS background signal in Raman measurement. Three cancer cell lines, including a human lung cancer …

The Matryoshka Effect: Usu Researchers Describe Underwater Phenomenon | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Researchers at Utah State University are sending cascades of water into a tank to uncover a mystery of fluid dynamics.

Career: Nanoscale Thermal Transport In Hydrogen-Bonded Materials, Ling Liu

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Usu Engineering Researcher Gets Prestigious Nsf Career Award | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University professor and researcher Ling Liu will receive a major research grant for his work in developing more thermally efficient materials.

Christian Morrill Awarded Scholar Of The Year, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Christian Morrill, an engineering ambassador and biological engineering student, was named Scholar of the Year at the 60th annual Robins Awards.

Weau Usu Chapter Qualified For The National Student Design Competition | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The Water Environment Association of Utah (WEAU) USU student chapter has qualified for the national student design competition hosted by the Water Environment Federation (WEF).

The Water Entry Of Multi-Droplet Streams And Jets, Nathan B. Spiers, Zhao Pan, Jesse Belden, Tadd T. Truscott

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Water entry has been studied for over a century, but few studies have focused on multiple droplets impacting on a liquid bath sequentially. We connect multi-droplet streams, jets and solid objects with physical-based scaling arguments that emphasize the intrinsically similar cavities. In particular, the cavities created by the initial impact of both droplet streams and jets on an initially quiescent liquid pool exhibit the same types of cavity seal as hydrophobic spheres at low Bond number, some of which were previously unseen for jets and droplet streams. Low-frequency droplet streams exhibit an additional three new cavity seal types unseen for …

College Recognizes Outstanding Engineering Researchers | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The College of Engineering on Thursday recognized outstanding student and faculty researchers as part of USU’s 2018 Research Week.

Assessing Seasonal Flow Dynamics At A Lagoon Saltwater–Freshwater Interface Using A Dual Tracer Approach, S. Müller, S. Jessen, C. Duque, É. Sebök, Bethany T. Neilson, P. Engesgaard

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Study region: Eastern shore of Ringkøbing Fjord, a coastal lagoon at the west coast of Denmark

Study focus: A dual tracer approach based on salinity and δ¹⁸O is used to assess seasonal dynamics at the saltwater-freshwater interface of a coastal lagoon. At the site, salinity is prone to vary on a sub-seasonal or daily frequency due to riverine freshwater inputs to the lagoon. In contrast, δ¹⁸O compositions of end-members only vary seasonally.

New hydrological insights: The dual tracer approach shows to be valuable in coastal settings where end-member concentrations vary substantially over the seasons and hence, …

Faculty Promotions 2018 | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The College of Engineering at Utah State University extends its congratulations to four newly-promoted faculty members.

Usu Students Take Third Place At National Robotics Challenge | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Engineering students at Utah State University placed third at a recent national robotics challenge held in Southern California.

Aggie Engineers Receive Nsf Graduate Research Fellowships, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A Utah State University College of Engineering student will receive the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award.

Usu Team Takes 3rd Place For Steel Bridge, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Engineering students at Utah State University placed third at a recent regional bridge-building competition held in South Dakota.

Usu Electrical Engineer Receives Major Grant For 'Smart’ Antenna Design | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A professor of electrical engineering at Utah State University received a $750,000 grant to further develop an antenna technology that could revolutionize the mobile communications industry.

Usu Soapbox Derby Returns For A Second Year | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The 2nd Annual USU Soapbox Derby is coming back to Cache Valley on April 21.

Hanging By A Thread: Why Bent Fibers Hold More Water | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

On your next stroll through the woods, take a look at the dew droplets hanging from the leaves.

Clutter Suppression For Bistatic Gmti Using Along-Track Interferometry, Ross Deming, Chad Knight

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

An adaptation of along-track interferometry (ATI) clutter suppression signal processing is described for bistatic geometries in which the radar transmitter and receivers fly independently on separate platforms. Despite the more complicated geometry, this approach retains the simplicity and computational efficiency of standard monostatic ATI. Bistatic and multi-static (bistatic plus monostatic) geometries can yield significant performance advantages compared with monostatic in terms of detecting and geo-locating moving ground targets. We present results from simulated multi-static data that validate the ATI technique and illustrate the advantages. If time allows, we will also present results from an experimental flight test in the final …

Implications Of Data Sampling Resolution On Water Use Simulation, End-Use Disaggregation, And Demand Management, A. Cominola, M. Giuliani, A. Castelletti, David E. Rosenberg, Adel M. Abdallah

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding the tradeoff between the information of high-resolution water use data and the costs of smart meters to collect data with sub-minute resolution is crucial to inform smart meter networks. To explore this tradeoff, we first present STREaM, a STochastic Residential water End-use Model that generates synthetic water end-use time series with 10-s and progressively coarser sampling resolutions. Second, we apply a comparative framework to STREaM output and assess the impact of data sampling resolution on end-use disaggregation, post meter leak detection, peak demand estimation, data storage, and meter availability. Our findings show that increased sampling resolution allows more accurate …

Integrated Analysis Of Flow, Form, And Function For River Management And Design Testing, Belize A. Lane, Gregory B. Pasternack, Samuel Sandoval-Solis

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The extent and timing of many river ecosystem functions is controlled by the interplay of streamflow dynamics with the river corridor shape and structure. However, most river management studies evaluate the role of either flow or form without regard to their dynamic interactions. This study develops an integrated modelling approach to assess changes in ecosystem functions resulting from different river flow and form configurations. Moreover, it investigates the role of temporal variability in such flow–form–function trade‐offs. The use of synthetic, archetypal channel forms in lieu of high‐resolution topographic data reduces time and financial requirements, overcomes site‐specific topographic features, and allows …