Engineering Commons^™

Modeling Of Multi-Terminal Vsc-Based Hvdc Systems, Mohammed Mabrook Alharbi

Masters Theses

"Improving the efficiency and operation of power transmission is important due to the continual increase in demand for electric power. In addition, many remote areas throughout the world lack sufficient access to electricity. Unfortunately, utilities cannot satisfy the high demand of power by building new power stations because of economic and environmental reasons. However, utilities can increase generation and transmission line efficiencies by controlling the power flow through their systems. One new attractive technology that enables the control of power flow in the system is Voltage-Source-Converter High Voltage Direct Current (VSC-HVDC) transmission.

Multi-terminal-HVDC (M-HVDC) can be built using VSC technology. …

Data Mining And Statistical Analysis Of Completions In The Canadian Montney Formation, Mustafa Adil Al-Alwani

Masters Theses

"This thesis documents a data-mining study and statistical analysis of well completion methods and their impact on production for more than 3300 horizontal wells in the Canadian Montney resource play.

The statistical software JMP is used to analyze well and production data for both horizontal Montney gas and oil wells, examining production trends with changes in completion parameters, such as the type of completion, fluid volume pumped, proppant load, number of fracture stages and completion costs. The analysis also provides a general understanding of average treatment characteristics, and how completions have changed with time for the Montney play.

Among the …

The Effects Of Advanced Structural Materials To Mitigate Explosive And Impact Threats, Caleb Michael Baumgart

Masters Theses

"In a world of ever newer and modified improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that are very common in certain parts of the world, it is always more important to improve the devices used for protection. This research endeavors to design and analyze a blast barrier using three different media types to mitigate the high pressures from an IED or a car bomb. The three media types used in this research are pumice, steel grit, and foam. Six barriers were built to test the three media types and account for the changes from a standard solid concrete barrier to a barrier with …

Characterization Of 304l Stainless Steel By Means Of Minimum Input Energy On The Selective Laser Melting Platform, Ben Brown

Masters Theses

"Developing parameter sets for new materials on the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) platform has traditionally been done through the use of single line processing windows and a basic design of experiments (DOE) which would include varying machine parameters to maximize density. This study expands the traditional method by determining the main effects statistically for density, allowing for a more in depth analysis wherein the experimental results are statistically correlated to the variable machine parameters used. With this analysis, parameter optimization with respect to achieving near full density, while also considering build rates, can be performed. New parameters for 304L stainless …

Data Analysis And Summary For Surfactant-Polymer Flooding Based On Oil Field Projects And Laboratory Data, Pratap D. Chauhan

Masters Theses

"Enhanced oil recovery screening is considered as an important first step towards evaluating a potential EOR technique for a candidate reservoir. A vast amount of research is continuously been conducted in EOR. Therefore, it is imperative to update the screening criteria regularly.

This study involves updating the screening criteria for surfactant polymer flooding for field projects dataset and laboratory dataset. Many of the screening criteria for surfactant-polymer flooding in the literature were achieved on the basis of data collected from the EOR surveys published biennially in Oil & Gas Journals. However, these datasets contain problems like missing data and inconsistent …

Development And Characterization Of Spiral Additions In A Ceramic Matrix, Andrea Lynn Els

Masters Theses

"A novel spiral architecture was formed using titanium diboride and silicon carbide ceramics as either the spiral or matrix phase. Particulate composites with the same compositions were fabricated to compare to the materials in this study. Spiral additions were formed using powder loaded polymers followed by a single and/or multi-filament co-extrusion. For 25 vol% SiC spiral additions to TiB₂, boron nitride was added to the SiC spiral to alter the bonding at the interface and reduce thermal residual stresses. All samples were hot-pressed to near full density at 1980 ⁰C. Hot pressed multi-filament co-extrusion of 2.4 mm / …

Effects Of Grain Properties And Compaction On Single-Tool Normal Indentation Of Granular Materials, Dennis Chieze Duru

Masters Theses

"The behavior of three granular materials; filter sand, crushed garnet, and shale cutting, were investigated in an effort to evaluate the effect of grain size and shape, and material compaction under single tool load-indentation test. Force-penetration data was collected continuously through the end of each test and specific energy and specific penetration was calculated from the data.

Grain size and compaction affected the force penetration behavior. The higher the grain size, the more the fluctuation in the force of penetration. In addition, compaction reduces the force fluctuation in the fine aggregate grains, but increases the magnitude of the force fluctuations …

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

Masters Theses

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

The Use Of Statistics And Its Analysis In Resolving Transportation Related Problems, Venkat Sravan Kothapalli

Masters Theses

"Statistical methods are traditionally used to summarize or describe a collection of data. This can be termed as descriptive statistics. This research focuses on application of certain statistical approaches, tools to solve transportation related problems. This research focuses on usage of statistical analysis in determine some of the significant factors and assumptions which should be taken into consideration while developing safety and maintenance related measures by transportation agencies. This research mainly focuses on; testing null hypothesis and frequency analysis. The research therefore is presented in two different case studies: 1) Statistical analysis of the work zone crash historical raw data …

Adsorption And Desorption Capacity Of Methamphetamine In Gypsum Drywall, Hongwan Li

Masters Theses

"Drywall (gypsum boards) commonly used in buildings can adsorb indoor air pollutants and release them later exposing occupants over long periods of time. Methamphetamine is a drug of abuse that contaminates building materials in many homes, including painted drywall. The objective of this study is to quantify the meth-gypsum equilibrium partition coefficient, K_eq. This partition coefficient is defined as the mass of meth adsorbed per volume of gypsum per mass-concentration of gas-phase meth and has these units: (µg meth/m³ gypsum)/(µg meth/m³ air). The steady state equilibrium partition coefficient ranges from 1.1 to 3.0x10⁵ for one …

Influence Of Erosional Unloading On The State Of Stress For Low Amplitude Single-Layer Buckle Folds - Implications For Tensile Fracture Occurrence, Mengke Li

Masters Theses

"The existence of fractures associated to buckle folds is related to the strain distribution of the fold. The erosional unloading process can amplify the remnant strain in the folded layer. Two-dimensional plane strain Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to investigate the influence of the erosional unloading step on both the evolution of the state of stress and the associated failure patterns in low amplitude buckle folds. Sensitivity analyses on different input parameters, including viscosity, shortening ratio, and overburden pressure, are performed. Based on the simulation results, tensile stress can be initiated both in the crest and in the limb …

Gel Treatment Field Application Survey For Water Shut Off In Production Wells, Jingyi Liao

Masters Theses

"Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) screening criteria are considered as a guideline for candidate evaluation and determination. Not many screening criteria for gel treatment had been published. Some published gel treatment application surveys for water shut off only include limited number of oil fields and locations.

The current work aims to summarize the worldwide gel treatment applications for water shut off in production wells by creating and analyzing a dataset from a variety of sources. This study started from collecting and cleaning the gel treatment application data. All the data were from SPE field publications from 1990 to 2012 and from …

Polyurethane Foam Infill For Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Frp) Bridge Deck Panels: An Evaluation Of Core Alternatives Using Small Scale Experimental Testing, Matthew Scott Hopkins

Masters Theses

"Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) decking is a concept that has been explored in recent decades as one solution to the performance issues of conventional concrete bridge decking. Many sandwich panel designs made of glass reinforced polyester or vinyl ester resin have been well developed, and manufactured using filament winding, hand lay-up, and extrusion methods. The major benefits of these panels was their light weight, corrosion resistance, fatigue performance, and potential for rapid field assembly. However, high initial costs coupled with small state budgets have kept them from main stream adoption. A viable alternative, is a foam/reinforced foam core sandwich panel …

Small-Signal Modeling Of Grid-Supporting Inverters In Droop Controlled Microgrids, Jacob Andreas Mueller

Masters Theses

"An approach to modeling externally controlled inverters in droop controlled microgrids is presented. A generic three-phase grid-tied inverter and control system model is derived in synchronous reference frame. The structure of this inverter is intended to be similar in composition to other three-phase inverters whose models and dynamics are well understood. This model is used as a starting point in the development of a more comprehensive model, which is capable of representing the coupling between complex power, bus voltage, and frequency that occurs in a microgrid. This new model is a combination of the generic inverter and an autonomous, grid-forming …

A Modified Initiation And Cut Profile Study Of The 10500 Grain Per Foot Linear Shaped Charge, Matthew Ortel

Masters Theses

"A 10,500 grain per foot (gr/ft.) linear shaped charge (LSC) was developed to cut targets that were too thick for smaller LSC. The manufacturer observed shallower penetration from the 10,500 gr/ft. LSC than was expected. This prompted investigations to uncover the cause of the perceived reduced performance.

A study performed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology changed the initiation method of the 10,500 gr/ft. charge to increase the cut performance of the charge. A modified two point, single end initiation method was devised and tested. This initiation method was termed "dual initiation" and focused on creating a planar …

Quantifying Economic Benefits For Rail Infrastructure Projects, Akhilesh Ojha

Masters Theses

"Investment in rail infrastructure is necessary to maintain existing service and to cater for future growth in freight and passenger services. Many communities have realized the importance of investment in rail infrastructure projects and set up goals and visions to achieve economic development through investing in such projects. Due to limited funds available, communities have to select a single or very few projects from a variety of projects. It is very critical that right projects must be selected at the right time for a community to realize economic development. The limited methods for quantifying the economic benefits to the stakeholders …

Evaluation Of Prosper For Modeling Long Lateral Gas Well Productivity In Toe Up, Toe Down, Horizontal Well Geometry, Abdussalam Mahmoud Mohamed

Masters Theses

"Most horizontal wells are not truly horizontal and may be drilled 'toe-up' or 'toe-down' to follow geological formations or in an attempt to keep the well from loading up. Challenges in directional drilling may also lead to horizontal gas wells with undulating wellbore profiles. This wellbore profile creates natural traps for heavy fluids in the lows and light fluid in the highs, which may result in chocked production. Hence, there is an interest in determining the best wellbore trajectory - toe-up, horizontal, or toe-down - for well unloading.

This study evaluates the capability of the well productivity software PROSPER to …

Computer Vision Libraries For Trailer Truck Testbed Using Open Source Computer Vision Libraries, Krishnan Raghavan

Masters Theses

"Computer Vision is a field that aims at understanding and analyzing images from the real world to produce numerical and symbolical data. It is a first step at duplicating the capabilities of human vision by electronically understanding the image and perceiving its features. This work aims at providing some of the features of a human eye to a trailer truck. These features include getting a 3D wireframe from continuous images and prediction of the next position of the objects in view, while the truck is moving.

The thesis has been divided into 3 sections. First section is acquiring images in …

Use On Multinomial Logistic Regression In Work Zone Crash Analysis For Missouri Work Zones, Paul Robin

Masters Theses

"This study focuses on the use of statistical data analysis procedures in identifying factors which affect the severity of crashes in work zones. Work zones are unsafe for the traffic passing through as well as the workers. Multinomial Logistic Regression has been used to analyse Missouri work zone crash data to identify significant factors which affect the severity of crashes. This particular type of regression analysis was used due to the mixed nature of data. Multinomial regression was used to compare crashes with severity Property Damage Only against crashes with Minor Injuries and Disabling Injuries/ Fatal. The factors considered were …

Hedge Fund Replication Using A Strategy Specific Modeling Approach, Sujit Subhash

Masters Theses

"Institutional investors and wealthy individuals have in the past allocated a significant portion of their portfolios to hedge funds with the expectation of unconditional and uncorrelated returns to the market. However, the financial crisis of 2008 has heightened investor sensitivity to the high fees, illiquidity, and lockup periods typically associated with hedge funds. Hedge fund indexes showing excellent returns and low volatility contain funds that are closed to new investments, while the performance of investable funds have been shown to be inferior to their non-investable counterparts. The lack of transparency and extreme variation in the performance of hedge funds make …

"Green" On-Chip Inductors In Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuits, Umamaheswara Rao Tida

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on the technique for the improvement of quality factor and inductance of the TSV inductors and then on the utilization of TSV inductors in various on-chip applications such as DC-DC converter and resonant clocking. Through-silicon-vias (TSVs) are the enabling technique for three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs). However, their large area significantly reduces the benefits that can be obtained by 3D ICs. On the other hand, a major limiting factor for the implementation of many on-chip circuits such as DC-DC converters and resonant clocking is the large area overhead induced by spiral inductors. Several works have been proposed …

Measurements And Transient Multistep Outflow Simulation Of Soil-Water Characteristic Curve For Soils Modified With Biopolymers, Xiaoyi Zhao

Masters Theses

"In recent decades, biopolymers have shown promising applications in soil modification due to its environmental friendly nature. Most of the studies, however, focused on mechanical properties at saturated or unsaturated conditions. The study on unsaturated soil behaviors under controlled pore air and pore water pressures were limited. Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC), relating water content with matric suction is a key property to evaluate unsaturated soils. With SWCC, other soil properties, such as hydraulic conductivity and shear strength can be estimated. In this study, SWCC of sands modified with different biopolymers were measured with both Tempe cell and Fredlund SWCC device. …

Computation Of Cross-Talk Alignment By Mixed Integer Linear Programming, Qifeng Chen

Masters Theses

"Noise analysis has been an important and difficult part of design flow of very large-scale integrated (VLSI) systems in many years. In this thesis, the problem of signal alignment resulting in possible maximum peak interconnect coupling noise and propose a variation aware technique for computing combined noise pulse taking into account timing constraints on signal transitions has been discussed. This work shows that the worst noise alignment algorithm can be formulated as mixed integer programming (MLIP) problem both in deterministic window cases and variational window cases. For deterministic window cases, it is assumed that timing windows are given for each …

Test Development To Determine The Feasibility Of Rubber Tractor Treads For Use As Blasting Mats, Matthew Kurtis Coy

Masters Theses

"The objective of this thesis was to determine if rubber tractor treads could be used as an alternative material for blasting mats. These treads are made from steel cable and vulcanized rubber and are very tough. However, once they reach the end of their life on mobile equipment, they are destined for a landfill, or dump site because they are too tough to recycle. A potential alternative use for them is as blasting mats.

An examination of existing mat designs was conducted to better understand the matting methods used by the blasting industry today, to learn from those designs allow …

Fabrication Of Out-Of-Autoclave Bismaleimide Based Composite Laminates With Embedded Fiber Optic Sensors, Sudharshan Anandan

Masters Theses

"Composites are becoming the material of choice in applications where weight savings are critical, like aerospace structures. The common composites used are- Carbon/Epoxy and Carbon/Bismaleimide (BMI). BMI based systems are preferred in applications which involve operating temperatures higher than conventional epoxies. Carbon/BMI laminates are traditionally fabricated in an autoclave, which is associated with high operating costs. In this work, a low cost out of autoclave (OOA) process is evaluated. It is desirable to have BMI OOA prepreg systems cure at reasonably low temperatures with sufficient degree of cure and green strength to maintain rigidity for subsequent freestanding post cure Carbon/BMI …

Thermodynamics And Crystallography Of The Γ→Ε→Α' Transformation In Femnalsic Steels, Scott Thomas Pisarik

Masters Theses

"FeMnAlSiC steels which exhibit two-stage transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) behavior characterized by the γ→ε→α' dual stage martensitic transformation promise to take a leading role in the development of 3rd generation advanced high strength steels. The crystallographic orientation relationship of the γ→α' and γ→ε athermal martensitic transformations in these steels has been determined as the Kurdjumov-Sachs and the Shoji-Nishiyama, respectively. Six crystallographic variants of α-martensite consisting of three twin-related variant pairs were observed in ε- bands. A planar parallelism of {0001}ε || {110}α' and a directional relation of α' lying within 1⁰ of ε existed for these variants. Two regular solution …

Feasibility Study Of A Two-Fluid Small Modular Molten Salt Reactor With In Core Heat Removal Capability, Brandon James Lahmann

Masters Theses

"A feasibility study of a two-fluid small modular molten salt reactor (MSR) with in core heat removal was performed. The initial fuel block dimension for the configuration was based on the Fuji MSR. The fuel was a mixed fluoride salt of density 3.25 g/cc, composed of 71 LiF - 16 BeF₂ - 12 ThF₄- 1 ²³³UF₄ molar percentages. The coolant salt was Li₄(FLiBe) of density 1.94 g/cc. The work set out to establish whether or not such a reactor is thermodynamically feasible when optimized for various neutronics parameters. A Java based API was …

Performance Analysis Of Cutting Graphite-Epoxy Composite Using A 90,000 Psi Abrasive Waterjet, Aiswarya Choppali

Masters Theses

"Graphite-epoxy composites are being widely used in many aerospace and structural applications because of their properties: which include lighter weight, higher strength to weight ratio and a greater flexibility in design. However, the inherent anisotropy of these composites makes it difficult to machine them using conventional methods. To overcome the major issues that develop with conventional machining such as fiber pull out, delamination, heat generation and high tooling costs, an effort is herein made to study abrasive waterjet machining of composites. An abrasive waterjet is used to cut 1" thick graphite epoxy composites based on baseline data obtained from the …

A Driving Simulator Study To Evaluate The Impact Of Portable Changeable Message Signs (Pcms) On Driver Speed Characteristics, Bharath Kolar Venkat

Masters Theses

"This research project examined the effects of sequential Portable Changeable Message Signs (PCMS) on driver behavior in work zones. PCMS are temporary traffic control (TTC) devices, part of Intelligent Transportation Systems, which supplement static signs to provide advance warning and real-time information to drivers. Text and number based messages are displayed on the PCMS for which detailed evaluation has not been carried out before. This research fills this gap using a driving simulator (DS) supplemented by objective and subjective surveys. A work zone on I-44 in rural Missouri was replicated in the DS using video recordings and GIS (Geographical Information …

Interleaved Coupled-Inductor Boost Converter With Multiplier Cell And Passive Lossless Clamp, Stephen C. Moerer

Masters Theses

"As photovoltaic panels become a more dominant technology used to produce electrical power, more efficient and efficacious solutions are needed to convert this electrical power to a useable form. Solar microconverters, which are used to convert a single panel's power, effectively overcome issues such as shading and panel-specific maximum power point tracking associated with traditional solar converters which use several panels in series. This thesis discusses a high gain DC-DC converter for incorporating single low-voltage solar panels to a distribution level voltage present in a DC microgrid. To do this, a converter was developed using coupled inductors and a capacitor-diode …