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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Digital Fm-Demodulation Using Digital Signal Processing Techniques, Peter Wagner

Theses

This thesis presents the results of research in the area of digital demodulation of FM signals. The first part of the thesis describes the performance of digital Hilbert-transformers and Differentiators that are optimized in a determined bandwidth. These digital filters are used to build a digital Klapper-Kratt detector. According to this procedure, the coefficients of the digital Klapper-Kratt detectors up to the filter length N=25 are calculated and the resulting discriminator ripple computed and evaluated. One suggested algorithm gives the opportunity to balance the detector at a certain center-frequency. The major part of this thesis describes a new approach towards …

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.

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 …

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 …

Automated Eeg Spectrum Analysis System, Marinela C. Laguna

Theses

A computer system has been designed to acquire EEG data from monkeys and to perform the spectral and statistical analysis. The system is capable of processing two channels simultaneously, acquire 64 Kbytes of EEG data for each channel on floppy disk, do the spectrums and averages of the spectrums, and calculate the histogram amplitudes of 13 frequency bands in a range of 0-71.1 Hz.

The software gives the user a lot of choices with respect to data acquisition and processing. The relative spectral power differences between "no-drug" and "drug" experiments give information about the drug effects on the central nervous …

Scheduling Effects Of 5-(3,3-Dimethyl-1-Triazeno)Imidazole-4-Carboxamide (Dtic) And 1,3-Bis-Chloroethyl-1-Nitrosourea (Bcnu) On Mouse Melanoma Cells B16cl5, Gracie V. Coffey

Theses

DTIC and BCNU have been demonstrated to have enhanced chemotherapeutic effects in mice bearing Bl6 mouse melanoma cells. The order of administration seems to be important in maintaining optimum effects. This was shown is a study by Hill et al. (unpublished).

In the present study, mouse melanoma cells, Bl6CL4, were treated with either DTIC or BCNU. The drug was allowed to remain on the cells for 2, 3, or 4 days. The drug-containing media were then removed, the cells were washed and fresh medium was added. The cells were incubated in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air at …

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. …

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 …

Vapor Pressures Of Some Coal Oil Fractions, David G. Gaydos

Theses

New data on coal tar oils and data from the literature on pure compounds and oils derived from coal were used for testing the predictions by the correlation of Maxwell—Bonnell. Based on the observation that the discrepancies between the predicted values and the data are systematic, recommendations were deduced on needed modifications to the correlation. A proposal for modification to the Maxwell and Bonnell correlation to improve prediction of vapor pressures of highly aromatic fuel fractions with characterization factors of8 UOPK 10.5 was made.

Experimental data were taken on vapor pressures of fractions of coke oven coal tar oils and …

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 …

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 …

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 Quantitative Analysis Of Airborne Particulates By X-Ray Flourescence, George C. Asteriou

Theses

Airborne particulate matter from the New Jersey State area collected on Quartz Microfiber filters was analyzed by X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy. The quantitative analysis of the samples against N. B. S. standards produced results which were compared with Atomic Absorption analysis

The results from the two methods were correlated by the introduction of empirical factors for each element.

However, a larger number of analyzed standards of varied composition, along with the creation of a spectral library, can minimize the need for empirical factors and yield accu¬rate results.

The Catabolism Of Arginine By Lactobacillus Brevis In A Chemostat, Jeanette Carque

Theses

A total of thirty chemostat runs were evaluated for steady state biomass concentration of L. brevis and arginine deiminase activity at dilution rates ranging from 0.022 to 0.1.07 h^-1 for a substrate feed consisting of 1.0% glucose and 0.5% arginine (w/v). Biomass concentration and enzyme activity responses were also evaluated for variations in glucose concentration from 0.05% to 1.5% and variations in arginine concentrations from 0.25% to 1.0% at a constant dilution rate (0.06 h^-1).

The system exhibited multiple steady states for the range of dilution rates from 0.022 to 0.107 h^-1. A steady state …

An Analysis Of The Heating And Densification Process During Rotational Molding Of A Thermoplastic Powder In A Uniaxially Rotating Cylindrical Cavity, Floyd Steven Ribe

Dissertations

This dissertation presents the results of an experimental and theoretical investigation of the heating and densification portion of the rotational molding process in a uniaxial, cylindrical mold.

A thorough literature survey is included which reviewed past analysis of the rotational molding process and other areas that assisted in understanding of the process.

The results presented in this dissertation included an analysis of the densification process by use of Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) photography producing intermediate correlations between the physical properties of the densifying material and neck radius of adjacent coalescing spheres. In addition, a hybrid experimental procedure coupled with a …

A Comparison Of The Biodegradation Of Phenol And O-Chlorophenol Using A Municipal Mixed Liquor And Three Commercial Microbial Preparations, Nigel P. Mcmullen

Theses

The biodegradation of phenol and O-chlorophenol was studied in six-liter batch reactors, using a municipal mixed liquor (from the Livingston, NJ treatment plant) that had not previously been exposed to either of the substrates. In addition, three commercial microbial preparations: BI-CHEM (Sybron), Hydrobac (Polybac), and LLMO (General Environmental Science), were tested alone and in combination with the municipal mixed liquor.

It was found that the municipal mixed liquor performed significantly better than any of the commercial preparations by themselves. When the commercial preparations were mixed with the municipal mixed liquor in a ratio of 1:10 it was found that the …

Conversion And Kinetics In The Reaction Of Chloroform With Water Vapor At High Temperatures, Chii-Guang Hwang

Theses

This is an experimental study on thermolytic reactions of chloroform with excess water vapor where kinetic parameters are determined and complete product analysis made at atmospheric pressure over a temperature range from 550to 1050°C. In this study, water vapor was introduced as a reactant to convert chlorine in chlorocarbons to stable HCl which is an easily neutralized end-product and thereby completely destroy chloroform. Substantial amounts of thermodynamically stable species: HCl, CO, CO₂, C(s) etc. were observed as products.

The reaction was studied in a 46cm tubular flow reactor mounted in a furnace that had three independently temperature-controlled heating …

Reactions Of Hydrogen With Chloroform And Trichloroethylene At High Temperatures, Burhan Mahmood

Theses

The reactions of chloroform and trichloroethylene with hydrogen in the temperature range 550 to 1000°C were studied using tubular flow reactors of varying diameters. The residence time range was from 0.05 to 3.0 seconds.Two different concentrations of the chlorinated species were used, each with hydrogen in large excess. Flat temperature profiles (+/- 5°C) were achieved over 80 to 85 per cent of the 45 cm long reaction zone, with inlet gases preheated to about 400°C.

No chlorinated hydrocarbons, products or reactants were observed at /above 850°C. The major products at these temperatures were C₂H₂, C_{2 …}