Engineering Commons^™

A Biofuel Supply Chain Equilibrium Analysis With Subsidy Consideration, Amirsaman Hamzeh Bajgiran

Theses and Dissertations

Growing environmental concerns in the last few decades along with the energy security issues have led governments to take actions to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and enhance renewable energy usage, including biofuels. Enforcement of federal or state mandates and regulations that obligate a certain amount of biofuel production are one of the main levers that governments use to achieve their goals. In the U.S. as an example, Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022, 21 billion gallons of which should be advanced biofuels derived from biostocks other than corn starch. …

A Microscopic Simulation Laboratory For Evaluation Of Off-Street Parking Systems, Yun Yuan

Theses and Dissertations

The parking industry produces an enormous amount of data every day that, properly analyzed, will change the way the industry operates. The collected data form patterns that, in most cases, would allow parking operators and property owners to better understand how to maximize revenue and decrease operating expenses and support the decisions such as how to set specific parking policies (e.g. electrical charging only parking space) to achieve the sustainable and eco-friendly parking.

However, there lacks an intelligent tool to assess the layout design and operational performance of parking lots to reduce the externalities and increase the revenue. To address …

Applications Of Dynamic Mode Decomposition And Sparse Reconstruction In The Data-Driven Dynamic Analysis Of Physical Systems, Mojtaba F. Fathi

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in data collection methods and equipment have resulted in a huge increase in the amount of data collected by observing various types of physical phenomena. Regardless of the amount of data collected, it is well known for many physical systems, the so-called information rank of the collected data is much lower than the rank of the data itself. This usually means the data may be represented sparsely in terms of a properly-chosen basis. This realization has led to methods for storing large amounts of data through compression by sacrificing negligible data quality. More importantly, with the advent of …

Fabrication Of Silver-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Through Optimized Sol-Gel Deposition And Nanoparticle Wetting Process, Reed T. Heintzkill

Theses and Dissertations

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) has been of significant interest as a Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) given its sizable direct band-gap, and as a potential substitute for Indium-Tin Oxide for use in opto-electronic and piezo-electric devices, due to its comparatively abundant and nontoxic precursor materials. Sol-gel processing is an easy, low-energy method for fabricating ZnO thin films, and there has been increasing interest in doping the compound such to give it p-type semiconductive character.

This thesis thoroughly investigates sol-gel processing of ZnO thin solid films, with focus on wet-chemistry (sol-gel) methods of doping the material with silver (both as elemental ions and …

Synthesis And Performance Analysis Of Polyethersulfone (Pes) Nanocomposite Membrane Grafted With Functionalized Iron (Ii, Iii) Oxide Nanoparticles For Arsenate Removal, Jiyoung Rowley

Theses and Dissertations

Arsenic (As) is one of the detrimental elements in nature, which has negative effect on human health as well as the environment. High levels of arsenic concentration in the drinking water can cause skin, bladder, lung liver, and prostate, as well as cardiovascular, pulmonary, immunological, neurological and endocrine diseases. Arsenic pollution in the water has been reported in many countries as a worldwide problem, including the United States.

To develop a separation method for removing Arsenic, various treatment technologies including precipitation, coagulation with ferric chloride or aluminum sulfate coagulants, ion exchange and adsorption with modified nanocomposite material have been extensively …

Transient Analysis Of A Coolant-To-Refrigerant Heat Exchanger To Provide Temporary High Performance In An Automotive Vehicle, Abhinav Ravi

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to provide a numerical and experimental design tool to understand the heat transfer analysis of a coolant reservoir being chilled at a sub-ambient temperature with a goal of eventually providing a transient burst in performance. A high performance vehicle usually has a liquid charge air cooler that cools air before entering the engine. This liquid charge air cooler cools the air by using a specific coolant coming from the low temperature radiator. This study involves a coolant reservoir independent of the low-temperature radiator to provide coolant at a sub-ambient temperature to the liquid charge …

Improvement Of Speech Perception For Hearing-Impaired Listeners, Fang Du

Theses and Dissertations

Hearing impairment is becoming a prevalent health problem affecting 5% of world adult populations. Hearing aids and cochlear implant already play an essential role in helping patients over decades, but there are still several open problems that prevent them from providing the maximum benefits. Financial and discomfort reasons lead to only one of four patients choose to use hearing aids; Cochlear implant users always have trouble in understanding speech in a noisy environment.

In this dissertation, we addressed the hearing aids limitations by proposing a new hearing aid signal processing system named Open-source Self-fitting Hearing Aids System (OS SF hearing …

Graphene-Based Materials Coated On Zeolite For The Removal Of Persistent Organic Pollutants From Water, Yan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Adsorption is a fast, low-cost and the most commonly implemented water treatment technology for the removal of multiple contaminations from ground water, drinking water or wastewater. Difficulties in removing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to improve quality and safety of treated water sources require the exploration of novel and multifunctional materials. Graphene-based materials having unique structures, high specific surface areas and tailorable functional groups are promising candidates as adsorbents.

The main goal of this work is to fabricate a novel adsorbent made of GO/rGO attached on natural zeolite substrates for the removal of variably charged organic model compounds and POPs in …

Heuristic Algorithm To Minimize Total Weighted Tardiness On The Unrelated Parallel Machine With Sequence Dependent Setup And Future Ready Time, Tzu Yi Li

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a heuristic algorithm to minimize total weighted tardiness on unrelated parallel machines with sequence-dependent setup time and future ready time. We propose a new rule based on Apparent Tardiness Cost (ATC). The performance of the rule is evaluated on unrelated parallel machines. In order to solve a problem, we use a look-ahead method and a job-swap method. When a machine becomes idle, the heuristic compares the jobs on the machine and selects the one with the smallest total tardiness value to carry out a process.

The propose heuristic is divided into three stages: The first stage employs …

In Silico Analysis Of Advanced Processing Methods For Light-Weight Alloys Powders, Marjan Nezafati

Theses and Dissertations

Light-weight Al and Mg-based metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) are lauded as one of the most promising structural materials for vehicle, military, and construction applications. These MMNCs are often synthesized using the powder metallurgy (PM) process under liquid nitrogen cryogenic environments to control the grain sizes. It is believed that proper incorporation of the nitrogen species into the bulk lattice during processing could strongly enhance the mechanical properties of MMNCs by forming N-rich dispersoids. In this work, using the density-functional theory (DFT), the adsorption, absorption and diffusion behavior of nitrogen molecule/atoms have been studied and related to t Al and Mg MMNC …

A Novel Numerical Method To Analyze Laminar Flow In Serrated Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Designs, Nabila Rubaiya

Theses and Dissertations

In the present research work, a simple numerical method has been explored to calculate the performance of serrated plate-fins. The numerical data of heat transfer and pressure drop performances have been compared with the available literature [6, 21], by means of calculating Chilton-Colburn j Factor and Fanning Friction Factor f, respectively. The numerical findings show good agreement with the experimental results from literature. Hence, the numerical analysis procedure proposed in this paper can be used to predict the performance of new designs of plate fins including different types of notched serrated fins. A detailed calculation and analysis of results have …

Coordination And Control For A Team Of Mobile Robots In An Unknown Dynamic Environment, Sucheta Roy

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a dual-level control structure for controlling a mobile robot or a group of robots to navigate through a dynamic environment (such as an object is moving in the workspace of a robot). The higher-level controller operates in cooperation with robot’s state estimation and mapping algorithm, Extended Kalman Filter – Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (EKFSLAM), and the lower-level controller (PID) controls the motion of the robot when it, encounters an obstacle, i.e., it reorients the robot to a predefined rebound angle and move it straight to maneuver around the obstacle until the robot is out of the obstacle …

Probabilistic Reliability Analysis Of The Water-Energy Nexus Using Monte Carlo Simulation, Yunfan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, with the development of science and technologies, our modern society is more and more dependent on the reliable performance of the critical infrastructures. Both water systems and power systems are national critical infrastructure supporting our daily life and the development of economic growth. These two types of systems are highly interconnected and complex networks, which consist of various system elements. Similarly, the core function of water and power system is to deliver satisfactory quality water and power to consumers, and at the same time it should satisfy all the demands at all load points. The reliable performance of these …

Equivalent Circuit Model Generation For Batteries Using Non-Ideal Test Data, Logan Crain

Theses and Dissertations

Modeling is a key component in the development of battery products. While there are multiple levels of complexity which may be achieved in model development, equivalent circuit modeling is able to quickly produce reliable and accurate predictions for battery behavior. While the use of equivalent circuit models has been described in great detail for lithium ion batteries, it is also desirable to use this methodology regardless of chemistry, specifically with respect to lead-acid technology. When developing battery models for predicting battery behavior in a vehicle, the testing methods meant to mimic vehicle applications often cause non-ideal data for model generation. …

Novel Engineered Porous Materials For The Removal Of Lead From Water, Mohsen Hajipour Hajipour Manjili

Theses and Dissertations

The estimated average blood lead level for the population younger than 5 years in the United States is approximately 100 times higher than ancient background levels, indicating that substantial sources of lead exposure exist in the environment. This research is focused on the removal of lead from water with a functionalized zeolite. Functionalization improves adsorption behavior to achieve adsorbent materials with high capacity and stability with potential multiple re-uses.

The lead sorption from water onto an Australian zeolitic mineral (clinoptilolite) unmodified and modified with sulfide-based reagents is investigated with batch and fixed bed column experiments. The effect of solution pH, …

Evaluation And Influence Of Recycled Concrete Aggregate Base Layers On Hma Pavement Performance, Jessie Daniel Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the influence of the RCA base layers on the HMA pavement performance as compared with CA base layers using laboratory tests on collected base layer materials and field tests on corresponding pavement sections. Field and laboratory testing programs were conducted to investigate RCA and CA base layer materials in which identified test sections at the selected pavement sites were subjected to testing using FWD, walking profiler, and DCP. Visual distress surveys were also conducted at the selected pavement sections. RCA and CA base layer samples were collected from these pavement sites and were subjected to a laboratory …

Manufacturing Energy Consumption And Assessment For Us Small And Medium Sized Manufacturers, Yadan Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

U.S. Manufacturing sector consumes remarkable amount of energy while the energy efficiency is quite low. Energy consumption of CNC machines is significant and various empirical models have been developed to model the Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) of CNC machines. However, most of the models are developed for specific machines, hence have limited applications in manufacturing industry. In this research, a general empirical SEC model for milling machine at certain power level is developed based on actual cutting experimental data. In this model, stand-by power and spindle power are used in the SEC model for the first time. The Material Removal …

Design Of Optimized Pes-Alumina Polymer Matrix Nanocomposite Membranes For Heavy Metal Ions Removal From Water, Behnam Gohari

Theses and Dissertations

Membrane filtration has become the focus of separation processes in different industries including water and waste water treatment. Synthetic asymmetric polymeric membranes are the most widely used membrane type for filtration technologies such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis due to better control of the pore forming mechanism, higher flexibility, lower cost, and ease of operation compered to inorganic membranes. Among the available polymers, polyethersulfones polymers (PES) demonstrate strong chemical and thermal stability, making them popular as basic materials for filtration and support materials for composite membranes. They are hydrophobic intrinsically and the application of such membranes is still limited …

A Discrete-Event Simulation Approach For Modeling Human Body Glucose Metabolism, Buket Aydas

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes CarbMetSim (Carbohydrate Metabolism Simulator), a discrete-event simulator that tracks the blood glucose level of a person in response to a timed sequence of diet and exercise activities. CarbMetSim implements broader aspects of carbohydrate metabolism in human beings with the objective of capturing the average impact of various diet/exercise activities on the blood glucose level. Key organs (stomach, intestine, portal vein, liver, kidney, muscles, adipose tissue, brain and heart) are implemented to the extent necessary to capture their impact on the production and consumption of glucose. Key metabolic pathways (glucose oxidation, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis) are accounted for by …

Ac-Impedance Investigations Of Li-Ion Batteries With Wide Temperature Performance, Huainan Qu

Theses and Dissertations

Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of lithium-ion batteries in three electrode pouch cells was studied by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Two kinds of electrolytes were used for the comparison purpose. Electrochemical impedance of individual electrodes and the full cell was measured in various state of aging, charge and temperature conditions. The equivalent circuit was identified through distribution of relaxation times (DRT), and then used to fit the impedance data. The results show that majority of the full cell impedance at -20℃ arises from anode SEI.

Cultivating Ecosystems: Microbial Communities In Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Ryan Bartelme

Theses and Dissertations

Intensive cultivation of fish is necessary to meet future global market demands. Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) enable dense growth of fish, while occupying less space than traditional aquaculture farms. However, RAS often experience complications and high fish mortalities due to disease and improper waste management. In properly functioning systems, the microorganisms associated with fish (gut, scales) as well as those found in the system environment (water, component surfaces) remove waste and maintain fish health by discouraging growth of opportunistic pathogens. Previous RAS microbiome studies are small in scope, utilize coarse methods, and contain limited long-term spatial or temporal data. With …

Resistive Solid State Protective Device, Amin Khanlar

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: This thesis describes and explains different fault to characterize fault specifically for DC distribution systems and DC Microgrids fed by synchronous generators. This will result in a testbed for static and intermittent line-to-line faults, and in future work, various types of ground faults. Automaton allows for repeated testing at various voltage levels and precise control over intermittent fault generation. The fault generator is implemented with an IGBT H-bridge topology. Its physical implementation and benefits are described. Experimental results are shown for static line-to-line fault. This testbed will be used to help develop closed-form expressions. Once fault currents are characterized …

Effects Of Metal Sulfate Electrolyte Additives On Charge Acceptance In Agm Batteries, Alex Drake

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States the transportation sector is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, making up 27% of the total greenhouse gas emitted in 2015. Within the transportation sector passenger vehicles make up the largest percentage of emissions at 41.6% [1]. To help curb passenger vehicle CO2 emissions manufacturers are adopting increasing amounts of hybrid technology. Micro-hybrid technology utilizes a typical internal combustion engine and lead-acid battery partnered with Start-Stop technology and regenerative breaking to decrease emissions by 5-12%. To keep up with the electrical demands of this type of use, advanced lead acid batteries in the form …

Online Hvac Temperature And Air Quality Control For Cost-Efficient Commercial Buildings Based On Lyapunov Optimization Technique, Atiye Maleksadati

Theses and Dissertations

Commercial buildings consume up to 35.5% of total electricity consumed in the United States. As a subsystem in the smart building management system, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are responsible for 45% of electricity consumption in commercial buildings. Therefore, energy management of HVAC systems is of interest. The HVAC system brings thermal and air quality comfort to the occupants of the building, designing a controller that maximizes this comfort is the first objective. Inevitably, ideal comfort tracking means more energy consumption and energy cost. Hence, the more advanced objective is balancing the comfort-cost tradeoff.

Since HVAC systems have …

Hydrophobic Self-Cleaning Coatings For Sustainable Infrastructure, Evgeniya Alexandrova

Theses and Dissertations

Durable two-layer hydrophobic coatings with photocatalytic properties demonstrated a good decomposition of NOx up to 23 %. The first layer of the coating is based on the application of durable titanium phosphate structures. The hydrophobic properties of the coating with a water contact angle of 114° were achieved by the application of water-based siloxane emulsion on the surface of the first layer. Conducted research has demonstrated that the use of hydrophobic coating in comparison with reference TiO2-phosphate can slightly reduce the efficiency for the decomposition of NOx by 8 %; however, this feature can be considered as an acceptable trade-off …

Novel Algorithms For Merging Computational Fluid Dynamics And 4d Flow Mri, Ali Bakhshinejad

Theses and Dissertations

Time-resolved three-dimensional spatial encoding combined with three-directional velocity-encoded phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (termed as 4D flow MRI), can provide valuable information for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of vascular diseases. The accuracy of this technique, however, is limited by errors in flow estimation due to acquisition noise as well as systematic errors. Furthermore, available spatial resolution is limited to 1.5mm - 3mm and temporal resolution is limited to 30-40ms. This is often grossly inadequate to resolve flow details in small arteries, such as those in cerebral circulation. Recently, there have been efforts to address the limitations of the spatial and …

Biogas Quality Improvement Using Water Wash And Phosphorus Recovery As Struvite In Jones Island Wwtp, Md Abul Bashar

Theses and Dissertations

Raw biogas from anaerobic digestion has a methane content of 50 to 60% and a carbon dioxide content of 40 to 50% on a molar basis (Bortoluzzi, Gatti, Sogni, & Consonni, 2014). Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)’s Jones Island Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) uses the biogas supplied from South Shore WWTP in drying Milorganite, a slow-release phosphate fertilizer. But with only 45% methane, the gas cannot be used for sophisticated purposes. To maximize its potential as energy source, the methane content must be upgraded to its market competitor natural gas. Based on simulation results from Aspen Plus software - …

Advanced Quantitative Methods For Imminent Detection Of Crash Prone Conditions And Safety Evaluation, Zhi Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Crashes can be accurately predicted through reliable data sources and rigorous statistical models; and prevented through data-driven, evidence-based traffic control strategies. Both predictive analysis and analysis to estimate the causal effect of traffic variables of real-time crashes are instrumental to crash prediction and a better understanding of the mechanism of crash occurrence. However, the research on the second analysis type is very limited for real-time crash prediction; and the conventional predictive analysis using inductive loop detector data has accuracy issues related to inconsistently and distantly spaced loop detectors. The effectiveness of traffic control strategies for improving safety performance cannot be …

Towards Better Understanding Of Failure Modes In Lithium-Ion Batteries: Design For Safety, Alex B. Francis

Theses and Dissertations

In this digital age, energy storage technologies become more sophisticated and more widely used as we shift from traditional fossil fuel energy sources to renewable solutions. Specifically, consumer electronics devices and hybrid/electric vehicles demand better energy storage. Lithium-ion batteries have become a popular choice for meeting increased energy storage and power density needs. Like any energy solution, take for example the flammability of gasoline for automobiles, there are safety concerns surrounding the implications of failure. Although lithium-ion battery technology has existed for some time, the public interest in safety has become of higher concern with media stories reporting catastrophic cellular …

Lead Corrosion Inhibitors In Drinking Water, Seyedsoheil Hosseinibalajadeh

Theses and Dissertations

Lead-containing materials that include lead pipes, fittings, solder, and fixtures are widely present in drinking water distribution systems in North America and Europe. Their internal corrosion provides the most significant source of lead in drinking water. Several mechanisms contribute to the corrosion of lead-containing materials, including material heterogeneity, galvanic interaction, and reaction with progressively water constituents and to protect consumers from lead exposure, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) set the lead action level to 15 μg/L for a 1-L first-draw sample of tap water. Today more than half of the water treatment utilities in the U.S. are using phosphates …