Engineering Commons^™

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 …

Numerical Study Of Laterally Loaded Batter Pile Groups With The Application Of Anisotropic Modified Cam-Clay Model, Yida Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

This study presents a series of numerical studies of laterally loaded batter pile groups based on data of the full-scale lateral load test on M19 eastbound pier foundation of the new I-10 Twin Span Bridge, Louisiana. The numerical studies include several continuum-based 3D finite element analyses on batter/vertical pile/pile groups and a FB-MultiPier analysis of the pile foundation. The Anisotropic Modified Cam Clay Model, has been implemented into UMAT and applied for describing clay behavior in all FE models. The explicit substepping scheme with modified Euler algorithm is selected to implement the model in ABAQUS software. The resultant UMAT shows …

An Experimental And Theoretical Critique Of Flow Model Accuracy, Shannon Ray Chollett

LSU Master's Theses

In today’s exploration and production environment it is required that engineers must collect and use vast amounts of data for flow model construction and calibra- tion, as well as reservoir estimation and optimization. With modern technology, the data volume can be overwhelming. It is necessary that data monitoring and calibration are highly efficient. It is also essential that physical and mathematical models can be tested in repeatable, inexpensive experiments. The experiments described in this thesis will develop and perform verification of algorithms and can generate prior geomodels, collect and process seismic refraction data, collect and process production data, and calibrate …

Towards The Development Of Biotin Carboxylase Driven Robotic Nanoswimmers, Rachel Yates

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this research is to take the first step towards demonstrating the use of the enzyme biotin carboxylase (BC) as a biomolecular motor. BC is a homodimeric protein involved in fatty biosynthesis in all organisms. The conjecture is that BC can convert chemical energy into useful mechanical work via its conformation change, which acts as a fin or flexible oar producing nonreciprocal motion. To this end, we fabricate a proof-of-concept biomolecular machine driven by BC molecules, viz., a robotic nanoswimmer. This machine consists of a Janus-type nanosize silica particle, where one hemisphere is coated with an intermediate layer …

Surface-Modified Plga Nanoparticles For Targeted Drug Delivery To Neurons, Jingyan Li

LSU Master's Theses

The blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the central nervous system (CNS) from unnecessary substances, is a challenging obstacle in the treatment of CNS disease such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Many therapeutic agents such as hydrophilic and macromolecular drugs cannot overcome the BBB. One promising solution is the employment of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) such as poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs as drug carrier. Over the past few years, significant breakthroughs have been made in developing suitable poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly (lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles for drug delivery across the BBB. Recent advances on PLGA/PLA NPs enhanced neural delivery of …

Morphology Controlled Coating Of Catalytically Active Gold Structures Within Flow-Focused Millifluidic Reactor, Chelliah V. Navin

LSU Master's Theses

Synthesis of micro/nanomaterials within confined flow-based systems such as microfluidics has always been a promising research. However, the inability to scale up reagent volumes due to geometric constraints and pressure development within the channels at higher flow rates has limited their usage. In recent times, millifluidics has emerged as a useful technique where, apart from the synthesis, the in situ characterization of materials becomes easier. In this study, formation of morphology-controlled gold structures at different time intervals (viz. 1, 5, and 9 h) within a millifluidic chip reactor was investigated using gold chloride and dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) as precursor reagents …

Programming And Healing Temperature Effects On The Efficiency Of Confined Self-Healing Polymers, Yves Quentin Yougoubare

LSU Master's Theses

Shape memory polymers are smart materials capable of fixing a temporary shape and returning to their initial shape in response to an external stimulus. Since the discovery and acknowledgment of their importance in 1960s, shape memory polymers have been the subject of tremendous and continuous attention. In a previous study conducted on a biomimetic shape memory polymer (SMP), the ability of a self-healing composite to heal, and to repair and restore structural-length scale damage using a close-then-heal (CTH) self-healing mechanism was examined and validated. The present study is purposed with investigation of the effects on healing efficiencies of the variation …

Simulations Of The Primary Cement Placement In Annular Geometries During Well Completion Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd), Muhammad Zulqarnain

LSU Master's Theses

Effective zonal isolation during primary cementing is only possible when drilling mud in the annulus is completely displaced with cement, while the spacers aid in this process. During the displacement process the rheological properties of fluids used and the operating conditions control the motion of different fluids interfaces; desired stable interfacial displacement leads to piston like motion. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool with the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) has been validated against experimental and used to conduct numerical experiments in a virtual well model consisting of 50 ft vertical section of 8.765" x 12.5" annulus having initially mud and this mud is …

An Intelligent Computational Approach To The Optimization Of Inventory Policies For Single Company, Qinglin Duan

LSU Master's Theses

This study develops and tests a computational approach for determining optimal inventory policies for single company. The computational approach generally comprises of two major components: a meta-heuristic optimizer and an event-driven inventory evaluation module. Meta-heuristic is a powerful search technique, under the intelligent computational paradigm. The approach is capable of determining optimal inventory policy under various demand patterns regardless their distribution for a variety of inventory items. Two prototypes of perishability are considered: (1) sudden deaths due to disasters and (2) outdating due to expirations. Since every theoretical model is specially designed for a certain type of inventory problem while …

Optimal Production And Delivery Scheduling Models For A Supply Chain System Of Deteriorating Items, Bingqing Wu

LSU Master's Theses

The market is varying from minute to minute nowadays. Increase cooperation and pursue the optimal interest of the integrated supply chain become a more effective way than act alone in the competition. In this research, an integrated inventory policy between singleproducer and multi-buyer is developed and two inventory models are built. The first model extends the research of Lin and Lin (2007) by changing the single-buyer system to the multibuyers one. Both backorder of buyers and deteriorating items of each party (producer’s level, buyers’ level, and during transport) are considered herein. The second model is based on the research of …

Measurement Of Interfacial Tension In Hydrocarbon/Water/Dispersant Systems At Deepwater Conditions, Mohamed Abdelrahim

LSU Master's Theses

The events of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico were associated with great water depths that made it difficult to understand the behavior of the spilled oil as it came in contact with the seawater. The remedial subsea application of chemical dispersants draws interest to evaluate the interfacial interactions between the oil and water at such great water depths. Most importantly, a quantification of the interfacial tension (IFT) between the spilled oil and seawater at deepwater conditions can provide insight into the effectiveness of the chemical dispersion of spilled oil. In this study, Macondo crude oil …

The Effects Of Lean Intervention (5s) On Perceived Musculoskeletal Workload And Perceived Hazardous Working Conditions In A Health Center Pharmacy, Jastinder Singh Dhindsa

LSU Master's Theses

The healthcare industry involves a significant level of health and safety risks in various work processes, and healthcare professionals are at risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders and other health problems. In recent years, Lean has been introduced in healthcare with the goal of eliminating waste and improving efficiency. Lean is also believed to affect the health and safety of workers. The present research studies the effects of Lean (5S) implementation in an acute care pharmacy of a health center. A version of the Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ) was used to record the perceived musculoskeletal workload and perceived hazardous working conditions. …

Risk Of Well Integrity Failure Due Sustained Casing Pressure, Koray Kinik

LSU Master's Theses

Sustained casing pressure (SCP) is considered a well integrity problem. The approach of this study is to look at SCP as environmental risk due hydrocarbon release. Currently, the risk is qualified by the value of surface pressure (Pcsg) that may cause failure of casing head. However, the resulting rate of gas emission to the atmosphere is not considered. Also not considered is a possibility of breaching the casing shoe due transmission of Pcsg downhole. The objective of this study is to develop methods for maximum possible air emission rates (MER) and risk of subsurface well integrity failure due SCP. Mathematical …

Frp Stiffener Efficiency Coefficient For Sbs Shear Strengthening Applications, Hamed Babaizadehroshanfekr

LSU Master's Theses

The use of composite materials such as Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to strengthen concrete structures has surged during the past two decades as an alternative for conventional methods of structural strengthening and repair. FRP materials are light and relatively easy to install. They are noncorrosive, durable and less vulnerable to environmental conditions in comparison to other construction and retrofitting materials. The knowledge and applications of composites for strengthening steel structures are relatively smaller when compared to concrete strengthening applications. Strengthening-By-Stiffening (SBS) is a new strengthening alternative that was developed at Louisiana State University. SBS has proven to be a practical …

Numerical And Experimental Evaluation Of Preheated Premixed Flames At Lean And Rich Conditions, Joseph Edward Gibson

LSU Master's Theses

Preheating a combustible mixture enhances the laminar burning flux characteristic m_ad with high reaction firing rates. As a result, the flammable zone as defined by inlet conditions of equivalence ratio and temperature is expanded beyond that available at standard ambient conditions; however, fundamental questions in these combustion regimes have not been addressed. In this thesis, preheated lean and rich combustion of methane/air mixtures is studied numerically and experimentally to catalog and confirm expected trends in these regimes. Numerical simulations were completed using both GRI-Mech 3.0 and San Diego mechanisms in the combustion code Cantera. An adiabatic simulation data set …

Determining The Performance Of Breakwaters During High Energy Events: A Case Study Of The Holly Beach Breakwater System, Andrew Keane Woodroof

LSU Master's Theses

Breakwaters have been constructed in many areas along Louisiana’s coastline to protect the shoreline from wave energy and erosion. During normal conditions, these breakwaters can typically be analyzed using traditional empirical methods for emergent breakwaters. However, Louisiana’s coastline is under constant threat from tropical storms and hurricanes, during which breakwaters can frequently become overtopped or submerged systems. Recent studies show that the type of shoreline response to a breakwater system may vary depending on the crest height of the breakwater in relation to the mean water level. Though emergent breakwaters typically induce sediment accretion along the shoreline, studies using laboratory …

Improving Discourse Structure Identification, Jamie Allison Guidry

LSU Master's Theses

Rhetorical Structure Theory (Mann et al. 1988), a popular approach for analyzing discourse coherence, suggests that coherent text can be placed into a hierarchical organization of clauses. Identification of a text’s rhetorical structure through automatic discourse analysis is a crucial element for many of today’s Natural Language Processing tasks, but no sufficient tool is available. The current state-of -the-art discourse parser, SPADE (Soricut et al. 2003), is limited to parsing discourse within a single sentence. HILDA (Hernault et al. 2010) extends the parsing abilities of SPADE to the document level, but with a decrease in performance. This study achieved document-level …

Modeling Of Dynamics Of Gyroscopic Systems, Siddharth Sharma

LSU Master's Theses

The amplitude of vibrations of a rotating system operating near or at its critical speed grows without bound. This poses a serious problem for the rotating machinery industry from the perspective of design, maintenance, vibration troubleshooting and stability of the rotating equipments.

In this thesis, we wish to develop an exact method of analysis for the system of a mass-less symmetrical shaft rotating in symmetrical bearings (SSSB) with finite displacement at bearing end. The method so developed is expected to be extended to the SSSB model of a shaft having mass. The stability analysis is performed for both the systems. …