Engineering Commons^™

Determination Of Trace Quantities Of Selenium And Arsenic In Canned Tuna Fish Using Electroanalytical Techniques, Ann Marie Higham

Theses

Toxic metals are present in the environment and are known to be present in food. Selenium, which is considered an essential micronutrient, is recognized as a toxic metal at slightly higher concentrations. Arsenic is also recognized as a toxic metal. Selenium and Arsenic tend to accumulate in food, specifically fish and seafood.

Fifteen brands and types of tuna fish were analyzed for selenium using differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry. The cans with the high and low concentrations of selenium were analyzed for arsenic using differential pulse polarography. Three samples with three percent recoveries and a blank were analyzed for each …

Microencapsulation As An Alternative To Emulsification For Preparing As A For Use In Papermaking, William J. Corriveau

Masters Theses

The sizing chemical ASA is emulsified to make i t compatible with the papermaking process. Unfortunately, emulsified ASA is chemically reactive with water at the elevated temperatures found in papermaking systems. As an alternative, encapsulated ASA was made and investigated for its stability towards water at elevated temperatures.

A handsheet procedure was developed to analyze emulsified and encapsulated ASA. It was concluded that the procedure gave statistically reproducible results. Investigations with the procedure revealed important variables concerning the laboratory and m ill application of ASA. Evidence indicated that retention of ASA was critical to sizing development.

Encapsulated ASA made for …

An Assessment Of The Possible Use Of Air Cushion Systems To Assist The Development Of Egyptian Deserts, Baha Elsayed Attia Abulnaga

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Computerised Selection Of Materials And Reliability, Nabil Ibrahim Mikhail

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Industrial Ethanol Azeotropic Distillation Process : Modeling, Analysis, And Simulation, Harpreet Singh Chawla

Dissertations

A steady state process simulator with extensive capabilities was developed for the simulation of process plants involving non-ideal multicomponent systems. A comprehensive stand alone program was developed to represent process systems encountering three phases. A computer program was also developed to handle simultaneous regression of vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid equilibria data to estimate the liquid phase activity coefficients via a global set of parameters for the ethanol azeotropic distillation process, using benzene as the entrainer.

An industrial ethanol azeotropic distillation process has been simulated using the developed process simulator (PROSIM). A study of the azeotropic column's aqueous ethanol feed composition reveals …

A Study Of Parameters Indicating Microbial Activity In Mixed Aerobic Cultures, William Smith

Theses

Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and general dehydrogenase activity, as expressed by the reduction of the electron-acceptor Dye 3-(4',5'-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 4-diphenyltetra-zolium bromide (MTT), were compared for their ability to measure microbial activity in mixed aerobic cultures. A fourth parameter, specific enzyme activity, was dropped from consideration because of the difficulty of developing a satisfactory experimental technique. Measurement of the parameters was applied to the biodegradation of phenol and o-chlorophenol by activated sludge from a municipal sewage treatment plant, and by two commercially available bacterial preparations.

MLSS, although the most commonly used of the three parameters tested, is …

Enhancement Of The Thermophysical Capability Of The Chemical Engineering Simulation System, Joydeep Banerjee

Theses

The CHESS (Chemical Engineering Emulation System) is a generalized steady-state, sequential-modular chemical process simulation program. In this thesis, the thermophysical data prediction capability of CHESS has been expanded by: incorporating more accurate thermodynamic phase-behavior models, by utilizing these models in generating a wider range of thermophysical properties, and providing an updated and expanded database for pure-component physical properties.

The overall performance of the simulation system's thermophysical package has been evaluated using the study of a subprocess consisting of various rotational equipment modules.

In this work, the Chao-Seader liquid phase activity coefficient model has been reinstalled in conjunction with the original …

Ternary Ion Exchange In Fixed Beds : Equilibrium And Dynamics, David W. H. Roth

Dissertations

A model was developed to simulate ion exchange within fixed beds for ternary systems. Models of the fluid phase material balance, phase equilibria, and diffusion of ions through the film and within the resin phase incorporated the latest advances in ion exchange theory. The separate model elements were combined after testing into an overall general model. Non-linear regression support programs were developed to estimate equilibrium parameters and resin phase diffusion coefficients.

A computer program was developed to estimate axial dispersion coefficients from experimental data. General correlations derived from literature sources were tested, and axial dispersion terms were included in the …

The Effect Of Single Electrolytes On The Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium Of Mixed Solvents, Peggy Tomasula

Dissertations

A group-contribution model for the prediction of salt-effects on the vapor-liquid equilibria of multicomponent electrolytic solutions containing a single electrolyte is presented. Coulombic interactions are represented through a Pitzer term. Solvation effects and short-range interactions are represented through a UNIQUAC-type expression. An ion-size, a solvation and three ion-solvent interaction parameters per salt-solvent binary are required for multicomponent predictions.

All parameters are obtained only through the correlation of binary salt-solvent osmotic coefficient and vapor-pressure depression data at 25°C, in most cases, and binary solvent VLE data. The salt-solvent binary data were correlated with an average percent error in CD of 2.5 …

An Application Of A Heuristic Search Algorithm In Biomedical Images On The Magiscan Ii Image Analysis System, Patricia S. Humes

Masters Theses

The goal of this project was to successfully apply a heuristic search algorithm in the image analysis environment of the Magiscan II Image Analysis System. The purpose of this particular application was to enable the specific segmentation of a white blood cell image by outlining the boundary of the cell nucleus, a process not currently possible with the existing system software.

The method used involved tracing boundaries by choosing points based on a calculated cost factor. The cost factor has several input parameters that will enable it to be applied in a wide variety of applications. Several different cells' nuclei …

Shear Induced Anisotropy In The Rheology Of Solids Dispersions, Nicholas G. Triantafillopoulos

Masters Theses

Under strong hydrodynamic forces, solids dispersions could no longer be considered isotropic fluid s but rather two-phase systems. The continuous (dispersing) phase was only sheared in side an effective gap determined in a Couette flow device by the presence of solid (dispersed) phase in to suspension. Three parameters, the effective gap, percent gap reduction and the relative shear volume, were incorporated to account for the influence of solids in the rheology of their suspension.

The objectives of this study were: (1) to investigate the role of solids volumetric concentration, particle size, nominal gap and continuous phase viscosity on Hercules Hi-Shear …

A Structural Study Of Some (H6-Arene)Ml2, First Row, Group Viii, Transition Metal Complexes And Their Derivatives, Stuart Kevin Janikowski

Theses and Dissertations

The structures of five organonickel compounds were determined using x-ray diffraction techniques. This study was conducted to ascertain the relationships between the compound's structures, bonding, and chemical properties. The first structural evidence for discrete complexes containing Ni-SiX3 bonds is (h6-mesitylene)Ni(SiCl3)2 and presented. The compounds (h6-toluene)Ni(SiF3)2, crystallize in space group P21/c with Z = 2. The lattice constants at 23° C are: a = 9.056(2), b = 14.426(1), c = 13. 3 0 3 ( 2) ~, {J = 10 0. 6 9 ( 1 )0 , and a = 11. 3 5 5 ( 3) , b = 11.268(4), c …

A Study Of Adaptive Kalman Filtering For Transfer Alignment, Peter Hansen

Masters Theses

Prior to launching an inertially navigated weapon from the wing of an aircraft, the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) of the weapon must be in agreement with the master IMU of the aircraft. In order to correct the IMU of the weapon, it is required that the angles of alignment error between the two units be known. A model for the alignment error can be developed. A Kalman filter can then be used to estimate the angles of alignment error. The modeling of alignment error is complicated by the flexible nature of the aircraft. Since the environment of the aircraft can …

Electronic Absorption Spectra Of Ni (Ii) In Sodium Phosphate And Sodium Fluorophosphate Glasses, Tarek Mostafa Sami Genena

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Analyses Of Quasi-Isotropic Composite Plates Under Quasi-Static Point Loads Simulating Low-Velocity Impact Phenomena, Ajit Dhundiraj Kelkar

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Composite laminates have high strength to density ratios that make them attractive for use in aircraft structures. However, the damage tolerance of these materials is limited because they have very low ultimate strains, no plastic deformation range, and no usable strength in the thickness direction. These limitations are very obvious when laminates are subjected to impact loads. Due to these impact loads, laminates suffer visible and invisible damage. To improve the material performance in impact requires a better understanding of the deformation and damage mechanics under impact type loads.

In thin composite laminates, the first level of visible damage occurs …

The Unification And Decomposition Of Processing Structures Using Lattice Theoretic Methods, David L. Livingston

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that lattice theoretic methods can be used to decompose and unify computational structures over a variety of processing systems. The unification arguments provide a better understanding of the intricacies of the development of processing system decomposition. Since abstract algebraic techniques are used, the decomposition process is systematized which makes it conducive to the use of computers as tools for decomposition. A general algorithm using the lattice theoretic method is developed to examine the structures and therefore decomposition properties of integer and polynomial rings. Two fundamental representations, the Sino-correspondence and the weighted radix …

Investigation Of Pre-Detection Signal Processing Of Pseudonoise Communication Signals In The Presence Of Additive White Gaussian Noise And Cw And Bursty Interference, Israel Mayk

Dissertations

By comparison to conventional communication systems, spread-spectrum systems are known to be less affected by interference because of their large dimensionality in signal space. Nevertheless, significant performance degradation is experienced when large interference exists in a few or even one signal coordinates. In this case, interference reduction techniques are also known to provide additional processing gain. A novel class of pseudonoise (PN) invariant algorithms is derived to reduce the impact of interference and restore much of the structure of PN signals received in the presence of interference and noise. A PN signal received by a pre-detection signal process (PDSP) implementing …

Deformation And Fracture Of Nodular And Grey Ferritic Cast Irons, Maha El Koshairi

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Kinetic Modeling Of A Laminar-Flow Reactor, Shih-Hsin Chang

Dissertations

The laminar-flow reactor considering radial dispersion for a species incurring first-order homogeneous (bulk) and heterogeneous (wall) chemical reactions was mathematically modeled. The equation was solved both analytically, and by the Crank-Nicolson finite-difference technique.

The response surface method was used to obtain the optimum values of the two rate constants. The optimum values interact because the wall and bulk reactions proceed in parallel. Varied reactor diameters serve to decouple the bulk and wall reactions to locate the true values of the rate constants.

Four dimensionless variables were defined and used to characterize the reacting system. In addition, their values were shown …

The Effect Of A Higher Order Pole On The Optimum Design Of Minimum Threshold Phase Locked Detectors, Bernard Zivotofsky

Dissertations

The phase lockedloop is widely used as an FM demodulator known as a phaselocked detector (PLD). It is particularly useful in the detection of weak signals because lower threshold is possible with a PLD than with a conventional limiter discriminator. An enhanced version PLD known as an extended range phaselocked detector (ERPLD) is capable of further threshold reduction. The most popular PLD is a second order type I system employing a loop filter having one real pole and one real zero.

One implementation of an ERPLD calls for the addition of a differentiator to the standard loop filter which replaces …

Computer Simulation Of A Batch Distillation Column With A Reflux Divider, Michael Gerard Clarke

Theses

The operation of a batch distillation column with a reflux divider has been mathematically simulated to reproduce operational equipment.

The operation of the column consists of one or more product recoveries. During each product recovery period the column alternates between total reflux and total product withdrawal, with the product withdrawal period being 2 — 5 seconds. Between product recoveries the column operating conditions can be reset.

The basic assumption of this batch distillation simulation is that the column completely equilibrates during the period of total reflux. The determination of the total reflux condition is obtained computationally using the iterative Newton—Raphson …

The Kinetics And Hepatotoxicity Of Benzyl Chloride Vapor In Rats, Hari V. Rao

Theses

Male Sprague Dawley rats (250g) were exposed to benzyl chloride vapor at a concentration of 220 ppm for 6 hours. During inhalation, the blood benzyl chloride concentration increased to reach a steady state level of 9-10 ug/ml between 4 and 6 hours of exposure. A small concentration of benzyl chloride (0.86 ug/ml) was present in the blood four hours after the termination of exposure. The absorption half life was 0.53 hours (0.39-0.81) and the elimination half life was l.12 hour (0.93-l.40).

The absorbed benzyl chloride was largely retained in the blood and some of it (0.22 ug/g) was sequestered into …

Transport Phenomena Of Copper Ions Through An Electromembrane, Ren-Fu Cheng

Theses

A separation process based on a new class of membrane ( the electromembrane ) was studied. Experiments were performed using three types of electromembrane to remove copper ions from aqueous solution. A Separation Cell Unit was designed and set up to investigate the transport of copper ions through the electromembranes under the influence of both an electric field and a concentration gradient. Fluxes achieved were much greater than those reported for other membrane processes, and the energy consumption was one half that of electrolytic deposition.

Two Dimensional Diffusional Model For Leakage Of Macromolecules In The Interstitial Space, Suthiluk Dumrongsiri

Theses

Two dimensional diffusion of macromolecules through the interstitial in the hamster cheek pouch was studied with intravital fluorescence microscopy. After topical application of Bradykinin, the movement of Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextrans of average molecular weight 150,000 daltons (Dextran 150) was recorded on videotape which latter was played back frame-by-frame for analysis by digital image processing. Leakage of macromolecules in response to topical application of Bradykinin occurs at discrete leakage site in post caplillary venules of 15-25 um diameter, rather than in the capillary themselves. A mathematical model of two dimensional convection plus diffusion was used to simulate the macromolecule transport. …

Preparation And Properties Of Novel Dental Adhesives Based Upon Pentaerythritol, Yuan-Yuan Su

Theses

Urethane methacrylates were synthesized from Pentaerythritol, TDI, HEMA and four phenolic blocking agents or from hydroxypropyl methacrylatel TDI and two phenolic blocking agents. All the products were characterized by melting pointy infrared spectroscopy, NMR spectra, and elemental analysis. The bonding of these materials to dentin slices was also investigated. Such materials are supposed to not only react with the organic constituent of dentin but also polymerized with restorative resin. It was found that bond strength was enhanced by the use of the urethane methacrylates, resulting in best mean bonding strengths of 2400 psi.

Preparation And Testing Of Blocked Isocyanate Dental Adhesives, George W. Sweitzer

Theses

Three monomers were used in this study. Two were prepared from 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI),2 hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and either o-methoxyphenol, or o-chlorophenol. The third monomer was prepared from pentaerythritol, TDI, HEMA, and p-cresol.

These monomers were bonded to dentin slices, and then combined with an adhesive copolymer consisting of methyl methacrylate and poly(methyl methacrylate). This mixture was polymerized at room temperature by addition of N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine, and benzoyl peroxide. This adhesive copolymer was applied to monomer coated slices of dentin, and to aluminum coupons already fixed in a jig. The monomer-coated dentin slices (treated with the adhesive copolymer) were then placed …

Protective Laboratory Measures For The Flexible Wall Permeameter And The Atterberg Limits Tests Using Hazardous And Toxic Chemicals, Robert A. Tetla

Theses

Safety procedures for performing geotechnical testing with hazardous and toxic materials, excluding radioactive wastes, are developed for the Flexible Wall Permeameter and the Atterberg Limits Tests. The tests were evaluated in detail to determine the critical points at which the technician would be exposed to the hazardous and/or toxic permeant. It was found that the following safety measures should always be taken; 1) the apparatus and all testing should be undertaken in a sliding sash hood using the proper face velocity, 2) air monitoring using a personal dosimeter and/or a detector tube is required to assure that the concentration of …

Improving The Capabilities Of The Chemical Engineering Simulation System (Chess) Computer Program, Thomas Zvolensky

Theses

Chemical process simulation programs have become an indispensable tool to chemical engineers in the preparation of heat and material balances, and energy conservation studies. Since the 1960's several dozen process simulators have been developed which are in use today within companies and through computer service bureaus. Due to advances in the areas of unit operation analysis and thermodynamic relations, these programs require periodic modification. This thesis describes the programming modifications made to the Chemical Engineering Simulation System (CHESS) version 2.0, computer program. This undertaking was considered warranted since no improvements have been made to CHESS since its release in 1971. …

The Biodegradation Of Phenolics Using Mixed Liquor From Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners Plant, Newark, New Jersey, Daewon Pak

Theses

The biological degradation of phenol, O-chlorophenol, and 2,6-dichlorophenol was studied at room temperature in aerated 5 liter batch reactors using mixed liquor from Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners Plant (Newark, New Jersey). From the concentration versus time data, kinetic rate constants were determined for phenol (at 100 ppm), 2'-chlorophenol (at 20 ppm), and 2,6-dichlorophenol (at 10 ppm). Air stripping and adsorption were determined to be insignificant removal mechanisms for the three compounds studied.

It was noted that the biodegradation rates increased after the organisms were acclimated to 100 ppm phenol. In addition, on substrate exposure, the degradation rate increased from the …

Digitally Implemented Klapper-Kratt Fm Detector Using The Intel-292o Digital Signal Processor, Chang-Hwan Park

Theses

This thesis describes and analyses a digitally implemented FM detector, which is a new member of the family of FM detectors introduced by Drs. Klapper and Kratt.

The properties of the new detector are low delay, excellent sensitivity, extreme linearity, and compatibility of components with integrated circuit technology.

A working model is implemented by adapting FIR digital s signal processing methods, and is realized using the Single-Chip Digital Signal Processor Intel-2920 which is comprised of micro-processor, scratch-pad data RAMs, program store EPROMs, A/D and D/A conversion circuitry, and I/O circuitry.

The performance of the working model shows very good linearity …