Engineering Commons^™

Two-Phase Flow Pressure Drop Across Thick Restrictions Of Annular Geometries, Saeed Ghandeharioun

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents the methods of predicting the steady-state two-phase flow (steam and water) pressure drop across the restrictions of annular geometries formed when tubes extend through circular holes in tube support plates. Two approaches are discussed and a detailed sample calculation of the one selected is presented. The major areas of discussion are the orientation of tubes-to-tube support plate holes, and the thickness of tube support plate. Finally, the conclusion gives a comparison of methods and recommendations for future investigations.

Microsoftware For Facility Layout, James D. Anderson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study presents five supporting programs in the area of facility layout design. Programs are "stand alone" adapted type which cover data analysis and analytical techniques. Programs are From/To (From/To Chart generator), CRAFT* (Computerized Relative Allocation of Facilities Technique), RELVAL (Relationship Chart generator), CORELAP* (Computerized Relationship Layout Planning), and EVAL (Layout Evaluation program). Theory, complete program documentation, and case example for each program are presented. Programs are written in an interactive basic mode and have been tested on the Apple II Plus system.

Hospital Short Term Planning Through Patient Census Forecast, Wenhao Chiu

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

An adequate health care resource allocation in a hospital is directly dependent upon the ability to estimate the hospital's patient census accurately. Efforts to estimate hospital's patient census are classified into two general methods: estimating from historical data, and demographic analysis. This paper takes the position that the estimate from the historical data is more economic and convenient for understanding than the estimate from the demographic analysis. Seven models that predict hospital's patient census by using the hospital's historical data are evaluated to fit the characteristics of each pattern shown in historical information. Where a microcomputer is available, this forecasting …

On-Site Excreta Treatment And Disposal In West Africa, Godfrey E. Igbokwe

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

In operation, liquid from the test facility is circulated through the RHS core. The liquid is heated by passing over the resistance heaters. If the test facility's calibrations are under investigation, the RHS input power and temperatures are compared with those recorded by the test facility. If a collector is under test, the RHS is placed in series with the collector. The power input to the RHS is placed in series with the collector. The power input to the RHS core heaters is adjusted to give a temperature rise through the RHS equal to some fraction (usually one-half to one) …

Concrete: Its History In Florida To World War Ii, John M. Weavil

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Real Time Microprocessor Based Digital Lead-Lag Compensation, Vicente C. Garcia

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The dynamic performance of control systems can be improved by incorporating carefully designed compensators. Historically, these compensators have been implemented with analog hardware. However, digitally based compensator designs offer far superior advantages; such as no aging, repeatability, etc. The major reason for rejecting the digital approach to compensator design has been cost. With the introduction of the INTEL 2920 4-input, 8-output, real-time signal processing chip (with AD and DA on-board), cost is no longer a barrier. In this research paper, the complete software-hardware 2920 design cycle required to implement a lead-lag control system compensator is illustrated.

Interaction Of A Two-Dimensional Transverse Jet With A Supersonic Mainstream, Gilbert Otto Kraemer

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A experimental investigation of the interaction of a twodimensional sonic jet injected transversely into a confined main flow has been conducted. The main flow consisted of air at a Mach number of 2.9. The effects of varying the jet parameters on the flow field were examined using surface pressure and composition data. Also, the downstream flow field was examined using static pressure, pitot pressure, and composition profile data. The jet parameters varied were gapwidth, jet static pressure, and injectant species of either helium or nitrogen. The values of the jet parameters used were 0.039, 0.056,and 0.109 cm for the gapwidth …

Development Of An On-Line Computer System For Enzyme Kinetics Studies, Jacqueline R. Thweatt

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The PDP-11/10 minicomputer was interfaced to the Beckman 25 ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometer and this on-line computer system was applied to enzyme kinetics studies. This interface involved hardware equipment to locate, amplify, and transmit the analog signal to an analog-to-digital converter, and software to acquire and store the digital data. Data processing programs were used to calculate kinetic parameters and statistical information from the acquired data.

The Varian Cary 219 ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometer can be readily interfaced to the Apple II Plus microcomputer by hardware equipment which can be purchased from the manufacturer. Various software may also be purchased for use in enzyme …

An Approach For Including Reliability In Control System Designs, Ime Isaac Akpan

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An approach is developed for non-catastrophic control component failure accommodation for large space structures. Reliability is considered for both the control configuration (i.e., selecting actuator locations over an admissible set) and the ultimate operation of the system. The approach presented is to construct a measure of performance that indicates the absolute goal of the system, and for a given structural design, to determine the lowest achievable cost conditional upon the failure states of the system (i.e., which actuators are operational). These costs are then weighted and summed to provide an overall system performance measure. This expected performance measure is then …

Application Of Least-Squares Method To The Determination Of Orthotropic Elastic And Photoelastic Constants, R. G. Chermahini

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A least-squares technique is developed in matrix form to determine orthotropic elastic and photoelastic constants. Orthotropic elastic constants are determined by mounting strain gages on a half-plane specimen which is subjected to a compressive concentrated force. Strain values corresponding to a 1000 lb load and coordinates of the points where the gages are located are used as input data to the governing equation of orthotropic elasticity for the model under consideration. Orthotropic photoelastic constants are determined using a transparent composite half-plane model which is subjected to a concentrated load. Photoelastic constants are determined using the coordinates of selected point on …

Calculation Of Potential Flow Past Non-Lifting Bodies At Angle Of Attack Using Axial And Surface Singularity Methods, Jin-Yea Shu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Two different singularity methods have been utilized to calculate the potential flow past a three dimensional non-lifting body. Two separate FORTRAN computer programs have been developed to implement these theoretical models, which will in the future allow inclusion of the fuselage effect in a pair of existing subcritical wing design computer programs.

The first method uses higher order axial singularity distributions to model axisymmetric bodies of revolution in an either axial or inclined uniform potential flow. Use of inset of the singularity line away from the body for blunt noses, and cosine-type element distributions have been applied to obtain the …

An Investigation To Model Radar Backscatter From Ridged First Year Sea Ice, Betty Lou W. Jackson

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the response of a radar type sensor, the microwave scatterometer, to meter scale roughness of first-year sea ice. The scatterometer measures the absolute backscattered power from a target, and use of the radar equation permits calculation of the surface reflectivity expressed as the radar scattering coefficient, σ⁰ also called the normalized radar cross section. This thesis develops an empirical, one dimensional model to predict the backscattered power from ridged first-year sea ice of known surface topography, by interpreting the surface as a series of angular facets and summing the proportional power from each facet. The model …

The Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of A Thermosiphon Solar Water Heater, James R. Coughlin, Mark R. Bender

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this senior project was to design, construct and evaluate a thermosiphon solar water heater. The project was to be used as a department demonstration of a passive solar water heating system. Overall maximum dimensions of the system needed to be maintained to insure the system's transportability through doors and corridors.

Accelerated Curing Test Of Cement, Amr Ali Ibrahim

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Remote Attitude Measurement Techniques, Frank John Elmer

Dissertations

A method has been developed for solving practical problems which can be expressed in terms of physical geometry. These problems often involve combining directional information observed by remotely located sensors reported in their own respective local coordinate systems. To transform this information into a common coordinate system, the attitude of the sensors must be measured with respect to this common coordinate system.

Physical geometry is a generalization of mathematical -geometry where objects define the endpoints of figures composed of ensembles of lines. A probabilistic approach has been taken which is based on the fundamental assumption that the objects can be …

Crimp-Type Electrical Connectors, Ted Lai-Che Kuo

Dissertations

Three types of surface conditions (plain surface, plain surface with oxidation inhibitor, and toothed surface) and four types of environmental gases (air, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen) were used to study the performance of electrical connectors installed on aluminum conductors. All of the connectors were placed insealed vessels which allowed the desired type of gas to flow at a steady rate. The connectors were then current cycled.

For the connections prepared with plain surfaces, the connectors deteriorated equally fast in air, nitrogen and hydrogen. Only the connectorsexposed to oxygen showed a higher deterioration rate than the others.

Connections prepared withhaving plain …

An Experimental Study Of Multiple Steady States In A Photopolymerization Reactor, Chih-Ning Kuan

Dissertations

An experimental study of photosensitized free radical polymerization of styrene in both batch and continuous stirred tank reactors is presented. Each reactor was run under both adiabatic and isothermal conditions. Multiple steady states were investigated. Exact multiplicity and uniqueness criteria for the above systems were derived and a mathematical model developed to correlate the results.

For both adiabatic and isothermal continuous stirred tank reactors operating in the metastable state regions, the conversion and polymer molecular weight are greater than the corresponding lower steady state operations. At a given conversion level, the reaction time for both adiabatic and isothermal continuous stirred …

The Entrainer Effect On Azeotropic Distillation Column Design, Charles Ming-Hsiao Tsai

Dissertations

A rigorous multistage distillation model was developed for use with non-ideal multicomponent systems. A subsidiary computer program was also developed to handle the problem of two liquid phases after condensation of a vapor.

Using the program developed, entrainer entry location and rate effects have been investigated via computer simulation for azeotropic distillation columns. The specific example used to verify the procedure was an ethanol dehydration column using benzene as the entrainer. The results indicate that the entrainer should enter the column two to five theoretical stages above the feed. The optimum entrainer rate was also determined.

The overhead vapor product …

Investigation Of Mental Workload In A Visual Inspection Task, Michel Alfandari

Theses

This thesis consists of an investigation of the "mental workload" involved in a visual inspection task. A short-term laboratory experiment was conducted on twenty test subjects to study the effects of three typical job-related factors encountered in mental workload situations: load stress, time stress, and motivation. These effects were assessed through the subjects' performances as measured by speed and accuracy data. The analysis of the results revealed that an increase in load stress deteriorates both speed and accuracy, whereas time stress improves speed but only at the expense of accuracy. The expected positive influence of motivational factor (cash prizes) was …

Pattern Generation And Fault Detection In Digital Circuits Using A Microprocessor, Syed Riffat Ali

Theses

The main object of this Professional Project was to establish a microcomputer based system which could detect faults in digital circuits. Hardware and software for the Motorola 6800 microcomputer system was fully developed. Node level diagnostic programs were then used to pump known "Bit Patterns" into digital circuits and responses recorded via Pseudorandom binary sequence generator using CRC code. This method also known as "Signature Analysis" was then applied to detect faults successfully in Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter or UART Circuits.

Leachate Treatment Technique Utilizing Fly Ash As A Low Cost Sorbent, Turan A. Ramadan

Theses

This study was carried out to design a system for the inexpensive treatment of ash pond effluent or leachate. Twelve different coals were burned in three different types of coal fired boilers to determine the influence of coal composition, ash fusion temperatures, boiler additives, combustion conditions and co-firing of natural gas or oil with the coal, on the composition of the fly ash and bottom ash as well as the leaching and sorbate characteristics of the fly ash produced.

The trace elemental analysis consisting of Ti, Cd, Sn, Ni, Pb, Mo, Cu, Cr. Zn, Mn, Ba, and V in the …

Study Of Compositional Changes (Altered Layer) In (Hg,Cd)Te Targets Sputtered With Hg Vapor, Robert Granville Bourne

Theses

Six mercury cadmium telluride targets (5.74 cm diameter) with six polycrystalline (Hg_0.8 Cd_0.2 )Te ingots (1 x 3 x 0.7 cm ± 20%) epoxied on them, were r.f. sputtered in an MRC-8800 triode system for 1, 2, 3, and 5 minutes. The six sputtering runs were made with 3 different Hg pressures of 1.0, 1.25, and 1.6μm while the uniform target power density was kept constant at 7.7W/cm². After sputtering a target, Br₂ +CH₃OH was used to chemically etch the sputtered ingots to different depths. The surface composition of the etched ingots was …

Prediction Of Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium From Ternary Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium Data, David Kim Yee

Theses

Reasonable estimates of ternary vapor-liquid equilibrium can be obtained by using the corresponding liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) data with the NRTL, LEMF and UNIQUAC models. The overall average absolute deviation in vapor phase concentration for seven such systems is 0.028.: Use of the UNIFAC method gives erratic predictions suggesting caution when applied to such systems. Combination, however, of the LLE data and the UNIFAC method gives the best results with a deviation of 0.020 Prediction of binary VLE behavior from LLE data yields also reasonably good results.

Prediction Of Heats Of Mixing By Group Contribution Methods, William Walter Rupp

Theses

Three group contribution methods used to predict heats of mixing were tested: AGSM, UNIFAC with temperature dependent parameters and the modified UNIFAC of Skjold-Jor-gensen et al. The modified UNIFAC provided the best results and was adopted in this study. Primary parameters were obtained for ten groups with alkanes. The simultaneous correlation of cyclic and straight-chain alkanes gave poor results. Attempts to improve the error by changing the group area parameter for cyclic CH₂ failed.

A major problem in correlating the experimental data was the multiplicity of roots. The best set of parameters was obtained by using a grid approach …

Thermal Rearrangement Studies Of Deuterium Labeled Dibenzo [A,E] Cyclooctatetraenes, Charles W. Wenger

Theses

In an attempt to further substantiate the findings of Stiles and Salisbury on the rearrangement of aryl disubstiuted dibenzo [a, e] cyclooctatetraenes a new pair of derivatives were synthesized. The 5,6 and 5,11 dideuteriodibenzo-[a,e] cyclcoctetetraenes were prepared. The 5,6 derivative was prepared starting with dibenzo [a,e] cyclooctene-5,6-dione. The 5,11 derivative was prepared starting with o-tolualdehyde. In the case of the 5,6 derivative the deuterium was introduced by a LiAlD₄ reduction of the dibenzo [a,e]-cyclooctene-5,6-dione. The 5,11 derivative had been labeled with deuterium in the final step during the Wittig reaction. The use of methanol-d₁ as the solvent in …

Investigation Of Blood Pressure Measurement Using A Hydraulic Occlusive Cuff, Kusha R. Bhattarai

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents an improved oscillotonometric system for the measurement of human blood pressure. The study included:

1. The design of a hydraulic occlusive cuff,

2. The investigation of the wave forms taken from the blood pressure measurements, and

3. The design of a mechanism for the simulation of human blood pressure pulse.

In this study, an experimental system consisting of a rigid shell occlusive cuff, a constant volume displacement pump, a transducer, and a chart recorder was designed and used for data collection.

A Comparative Study Of In-Core And Out-Of-Core Equation Solvers For Microcomputer Applications, Salahuddin A. Siddiqui

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates the applicability to microcomputers of various methods for determining the solution of large systems of simultaneous linear algebraic equations. Such systems of equations characterize physical systems often encountered in Civil Engineering and other engineering disciplines. Many methods of solution involving either in-core or out-of-core storage of data have been developed for use with large digital computers. These methods are reviewed and their applicability to microcomputers is evaluated. A comparison of several schemes is made regarding core size required, time of execution, and precision of results. The out-of-core solution schemes for banded matrices are found to be most …

Development Of A Graphics Display Controller, David R. Hudnall

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to define and develop a computer graphics display controller that will provide a high performance to cost ratio by employing state-of-the-art components and techniques. This report briefly defines the phrase "computer graphics display system" and the related technologies. The system requirements for a target display controller are developed and their hardware implications are presented. An architectural overview precedes a detailed explanation of all functional areas of the target system. This includes an overview of the VLSI graphic figure generator, which is the heart of the target system. Finally, the concept of hardware independent graphic …

Optimizing Growth Options For The Wewahootee Pump And Transport System, Joseph O. Lung

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Techniques for performance optimization and energy reduction were reviewed for application to water supply plants. Simple techniques were developed which permit intelligent management decisions for plant operation growth. The techniques were applied to the Wewahootee Water Supply Plant, Cocoa, Florida. Optimum performance for the existing plant was determined together with a growth plan for reducing energy consumption and increasing the maximum flow capacity to meet demand through the year 2000. The following recommendations were made: 1. Plant operators should incorporate the optimized pump operation schedule presented herein. 2. Four existing pumps should be modified for dual speed operation, and a …

A Dynamic Analysis Of An Explosion Driven Hydrodynamic Conical Distributed Breach Shock Tube, Lee E. Griesemer

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

In order to better simulate an explosive underwater environment, a new design of the existing explosion driven hydrodynamic conical shock tube has been proposed. This new concept calls for the removal of part of the old tube to accommodate a distributed breach plug. The distributed breach should enhance shock wave characteristics by minimizing the energy losses associated with plastic deformations which occur at detonation. This report makes use of a finite element program, SAP IV, to investigate the modal characteristics of the new distributed breach design. A dynamic response history analysis has also been performed in order to predict the …