Engineering Commons^™

Genetic Algorithm-Based Model For Determination Of Efficient Management Strategies For Irrigation Canal Networks, Talaat Taher El Gamel

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An optimization model for the determination of efficient management strategies for an irrigation canal network is developed. The objective is to minimize the total water consumed while satisfying various system constraints. An unsteady flow model is used to simulate the flow in the network. A genetic algorithm- (GA-) based framework is used to solve the model. The suitable GA parameters that should be used within the model, as well as the performance of various constraint-handling techniques, are studied. Uncertainties in crop pattern and water consumption rates are incorporated into the search procedure to identify more reliable solutions. A graphical interface …

Determining Pesticide Persistence On Plastic Mulches Used As Row Covers In Tennessee, William Tod Pinson

Masters Theses

During the past decade, the use of plasticulture production systems has become an increasingly common practice for vegetable production in the United States. The plasticulture system is the use of plastic mulch to serve as a row cover in the field. The semi-permeable material can be made of varying densities of polyethylene, and serves as a barrier that helps maintain soil moisture and reduce weed growth. Increased use of these plastics has created a waste management problem, as producers have difficulties trying to find the best and cheapest disposal method. A few companies had begun collecting the materials for reprocessing …

Evaluation Of The Performance Of A Waste Stabilization Pond System In An Arid Region, Nadine Aly El-Aassar

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Measuring The Adhesive Bond Quality Of Vinyl Ester-Glass Composites On Novolak Hmr Treated Wood, Leopold Eisenheld

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to 1) reduce the drying time of novolak-based HMR coupling agent, 2) reinforce wood samples with E-glasslvinyl ester resin composite using the SCRIMPThq process, 3) evaluate the durability and strength properties of the FRP-wood composites, and 4) evaluate the bonding strength of wood-to-wood bonding using vinyl ester resin. To reduce the drying time of HMR-treated wood laminates, a randomized complete three factorial experiment was used to evaluate five HMR drying times, two HMR spread rates, and two HMR solids contents. The experiment evaluated the sensitivity of the HMR treatment process to accelerated drying. The …

Effects Of Strand Geometry On Selected Properties Of Long-Stand Structural Composite Lumber Made From Northeastern Hardwoods, Russell Edgar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Structural composite lumber (SCL) products often possess significantly higher design values than the top grades of solid lumber, making it a popular choice for both residential and commercial applications. The enhanced mechanical properties of SCL are mainly due to defect randomization and densification of the wood fiber, both largely functions of the size, shape and composition (species) of the wood element. Traditionally, SCL manufacturers have used thin, rectangular elements produced from either moderate density softwoods or low density hardwoods. Higher density hardwood species have been avoided, as they require higher pressures to adequately densify and consolidate the wood furnish. These …

Modeling Sugarbeet Quality Variables From Satellite Images And Canopy Spectral Indices, Subodh Kulkarni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Remote sensing was used to model crop quality from measurements of canopy spectra. Three indices of canopy characteristics, derived from satellite image data, were tested for relationship to whole-field sugarbeet quality. Quality was quantified as recoverable sucrose per ton of harvested sugarbeets. Quality data were extracted from the year 2002 Field Database of the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Co-operative, (SMBSC), Renville, Minnesota. Linear regression models utilizing canopy indices and changes in canopy indices over time were tested for relationship to sugarbeet quality for four classes of sugarbeets. Classes of sugarbeet tested represented fields planted to a mix of varieties resistant …

Localization Of Expansin Expression During Adventitious And Lateral Rooting In Response To Auxin In Loblolly Pine, Fuyu Xu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Loblolly Pine is the most important and widely cultivated timber species in the southern United States. Due to its fast growth, it is extensively planted for lumber and pulpwood. Vegetative propagation will enhance gains from genetic improvement of tree species. Rooted-cutting is at present the most reliable non-somatic embryogenesis method for cloning specific genotypes. However, an abrupt decline of adventitious rooting capacity has hindered the application of vegetative propagation in loblolly pine. Unraveling the rooting mechanism may facilitate a way to overcome this barrier. Regulation of lateral and adventitious root formation by auxin has been demonstrated through the application of …

Artificial Recharge Of Groundwater As A Water Management Option For Eastern Maine, Robert J. Saunders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The declining population of Atlantic salmon in eastern Maine has brought the wild blueberry industry's irrigation practice of pumping water directly from ponds and streams under scrutiny. Restrictions on pumping from streams has prompted the industry to seek new water resources. One resource with potential to assist the industry to meet its irrigation needs is groundwater. However, preliminary research has shown that groundwater is not capable of completely satisfying irrigation needs. To evaluate the potential that artificially recharging the groundwater during spring run-off to retain the water for later use as irrigation, the groundwater software Visual MODFLOW was applied. Inputs …

Evaluating The Durability Of Wood/Frp Bonds Through Chemical Kinetics Using A Range Of Mechanical Test Methods, Jonathan Philip Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hybrid composites of wood and fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) exhibit a flexibility of design properties through choices in fiber type, amount, orientation and resin type. With this flexibility comes the need to measure the durability of the composite material system, especially the bond between these two materials due to their markedly different responses to moisture. This study is two-fold; the first section examines methods for the mechanical testing and durability of wood/FRP laminations. Six mechanical tests were evaluated and a modified block shear method was identified as the most suitable due to its ability to provide representative results independent of …

Modified Strategy For Compliance To National Environmental Standards, Aliaa Samaha

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Loss Detection In The Dairy Industry., Michael Quealy

Theses

In any waste management program, the primary objective must be minimizing product loss without having an affect on product quality. Good waste management is recognized as good manufacturing practice and optimizes the processes to gain the highest possible yield from the available raw materials. A good waste management program must involve the daily monitoring of effluent from the plant for volume and strength. This data needs to be analyzed sufficiently to obtain clear pictures of what problems are present and where they are originating. If this is achieved then the task of reducing the product loss is made much easier. …

The Design And Implementation Of A Field-Scale Monitoring System To Evaluate Spatial Variability Within Production Cotton Fields, Michael Spencer Palmer

Masters Theses

Much interest has been focused on site-specific crop production since the introduction of grain yield monitoring systems. Considerable research has been conducted in the area of site-specific grain production. Lack of a cotton yield monitor has slowed implementation of site-specific practices in cotton production. However, due to the intense level of management corrunonly associated with in cotton production. it may prove to be an ideal crop for site-specific practices.

Preliminary testing was conducted in the fall of 1995 to verify that a batch weighing system used in conjunction with Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment was a satisfactory method of monitoring …

Study Of The Time Efficiency And Volume Of Wood Used For Three Types Of Stove In The Salitrón Community Of San Juan Ermita, Department Of Chiquimula, Fredy Samuel Coronado López

Theses and Dissertations

In developing countries such as Guatemala, firewood is increasingly being used for cooking in most rural areas. Consequently, there is a shortage of firewood in these areas beca use trees do not grow at the same rate as they are consumed. Some authors report that 90% of the heat from firewood is lost during combustion. Several alternatives to open pit fires exist to reduce the amount of firewood used. However, these alternatives need to be evaluated to determine their efficiency. This project compared the time efficiency and volume of firewood used in the Finlandia style improved stoves, Josefina stoves, and …

Modeling Of Algal Productivity And Diel Oxygen Profiles In The Partitioned Aquaculture System, Caye M. Drapcho

All Dissertations

Fish production in pond culture systems is often limited by the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. Algal biomass and productivity, which greatly impact the DO concentration, are difficult to control in traditional pond systems. The Partitioned Aquaculture System (PAS) was designed to increase fish production by managing algal productivity and DO through control of algal cell retention time, water depth, and mixing. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine impact of culture conditions on algal productivity, 2) develop a model of algal productivity and diel DO levels, and 3) to predict the maximum fish production attainable with the PAS. …

Estimation Of Crop Evapotranspiration By Means Of The Penman-Monteith Equation, Paul J. Vanderkimpen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the potential of using simple, semi-empirical resistance models for the direct estimation of crop evapotranspiration as an alternative to the traditional approach involving a reference equation and a crop coefficient. It consisted of three major parts.

The first part originally aimed at the development of simple expressions for the aerodynamic and surface resistance terms in the Penman-Monteith equation. This goal could not be achieved because of two reasons: First, the determination of aerodynamic resistance was rendered impossible because of problems with the measurements, and, secondly, the values of surface resistance, back-calculated from the Penman-Monteith equation, turned out …

Highway Drain Depth And Soil Stability, Mizher Al-Himdani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The presence of moisture in the soil reduces its shear strength. After the rain or snowmelt, the high percentage of moisture in the subgrade of highway, causes the instability resulting into failure of the highway due to high water table. Therefore, it is essential to install a drainage system to remove the excess moisture from the subgrade of highways to avoid its failure.

In the present study, six different soil samples have been studied to observe its failure by triaxial shear strength and corresponding moisture content was noted. The tension applied to remove moisture was converted to equivalent drain depth. …

The Vertical Distribution Of Salts In A Soil Profile During The Drainage Process, Adel Taha Yassin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict water extraction patterns and therefore salt distribution patterns in a one dimensional homogeneous soil profile for a specified root distribution.

Water extraction was simulated as a function of the total potential and the root density at any level of the profile.

Salt redistribution caused by irrigation was simulated by assuming a partial and proportional displacement of the water in each soil layer.

A computer program was written for the model in Fortran language and implemented on the Vax. To evaluate the performance of the model, test studies were …

Performance And Evaluation Of A Variable-Speed Darrieus Wind Turbine, Kasey W. Abbott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developing wind energy suitable for agriculture applications is a critical step towards providing a reliable, affordable energy supply for United States agriculture. United States agriculture, due to its energy intensive nature-, is dependent on petroleum fuels. Because agriculture is extremely sensitive, to supply interruptions, steps must be taken to reduce this dependence on oil, including developing wind energy systems. It appears that the potential is there since winds over the United States contain more than 30 times the total energy consumed in this nation (Soderholm, 1979).
Agricultural applications (e.g. irrigation pumping, product processing and building heating) are uniquely suited to …

Design And Performance Of A Solar Energy Intensifier System For Drying Shelled Corn, Kenneth J. Hellevang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since utilizing solar energy as an alternate energy source for agricultural applications is dependent on improvement in the design of solar systems and on documentation of the performance characteristics, reliability and economic feasibility of solar systems, research was conducted with the following objectives: 1. Design a multi-purpose solar energy system with a diurnally tracking solar energy intensifier and a thermal energy storage unit to warm the ventilation air for a swine confinement building and to dry corn. 2. Test the solar energy intensifier-collector system for corn drying under actual conditions. 3. Evaluate the performance and economic feasibility of a diurnally …

Design Of A Vertical Axis And Turbine-Variable Speed Heat Pump Alternate Energy System, John V. Karnitis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective if the project is to design an unguyed wind energy conversion system consisting of a Savonius rotor assisted non-articulating 5m (15 ft) diameter Darrius vertical axis wind turbine, which is self-starting, and is mechanically coupled by a V-belt drive to an automotive air conditioning variable speed compressor. The variable speed-compressor is utilized as a mover for a variable speed heat pump system. The basic objective is further subdivided into the following objectives:
1. To develop a preliminary design of the wind energy conversion system, which later cane be modified to the existing energy needs.
2. To predict …

Performance And Evaluation Of Swine House Heating With A Solar Energy Intensifier-Thermal Energy Storage System, Albert J. Heber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The urgency for energy independence in the United States is unprecedented in its history. The demand for energy is reflected in rising fuel costs which affects every segment of the economy. Among the most severely affected sectors is the agriculture industry, whose fossil fuel consumption is crucial to its efficient production of food and fiber. Solar, one of several alternative energy sources being developed nationwide has unique possibilities in the U.S. agriculture system. Large areas are available for locating collector units, and the energy requirements in the farm are low compared with the available radiation falling on the area. Drying …