Engineering Commons^™

Biodesulphurization Within Natural Gas In Oil And Gas Field, Sri Astuti Rahayu, M. Fierdaus, Syafrizal Syafrizal, M. Udiharto

Makara Journal of Technology

The presence of sulphur compounds in natural gas can interfere to the quality of natural gas. The decline of combustion gas capacity, metal instrument corrosion in gas piping, and the environmental pollution from gas emission can affect by their presence. Bio-filter is one of the methods that selected to reduce sulphur content in natural gas. A lab scale study of hydrogen sulphide reduction in natural gas had conducted in oil and gas field using bio-filter method. The bio-filter system (±1 L volume) contains an active carbon and thiosulphide medium as a substrate, Thiobacillus thioparus as a single culture of sulphur …

An Upper Extremity Biomechanical Model: Application To The Bicep Curl, Adam Miller

Masters Theses

An upper extremity biomechanical model was developed based on recommendations provided by the International Society of Biomechanics. The model was used to investigate biomechanical differences between two variations of the bicep curl exercise: the standing and incline dumbbell curls. An 8-camera Vicon motion capture system was used to collect data on five subjects that executed 10 repetitions of each type of curl.

Four key biomechanical indicator variables were investigated: range of motion, maximum elbow flexion moment, mean elbow flexion moment, and the flexion angle at which the maximum flexion moment occurs. On average, the range of motion at the elbow …

Intelligent Painting Process Planner For Robotic Bridge Painting, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Due to increased government regulations on environment, health, and safety, the cost of on-site bridge painting has quadrupled over the past several years. The construction industry faces a great challenge in how to control the increased costs of bridge painting and meet the regulations at the same time. A possible solution to address this challenge is to develop a robotic bridge painting system. The development of the robotic system can be justified by the potential improvements in safety and productivity. This paper presents the development and testing of an Intelligent Painting Process Planner. The Planner, built based on bridge feature …

A Framework For The Detection Of Crosstalk Noise In Fpgas, Sindhu Kakarla, Waleed K. Al-Assadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In recent years, crosstalk noise has emerged a serious problem because more and more devices and wires have been packed on electronic chips. As integrated circuits are migrated to more advanced technologies, it has become clear that crosstalk noise is the important phenomenon that must be taken into account. Despite of being more immune to crosstalk noise than their ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) counterparts, the dense interconnected structures of FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) invite more vulnerabilities with crosstalk noise. Due to the lack of electrical detail concerning FPGA devices it is quite difficult to test the faults affected …

A Fuzzy-Pso Based Controller For A Grid Independent Photovoltaic System, Richard L. Welch, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a particle swarm optimization (PSO) method for optimizing a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for a photovoltaic (PV) grid independent system consisting of a PV collector array, a storage battery, and loads (critical and non-critical loads). PSO is used to optimize both the membership functions and the rule set in the design of the FLC. Optimizing the PV system controller yields improved performance, allowing the system to meet more of the loads and keep a higher average state of battery charge. Potential benefits of an optimized controller include lower costs through smaller system sizing and a longer battery …

Microwave And Millimeter Wave Nondestructive Testing And Evaluation -- Overview And Recent Advances, Sergey Kharkovsky, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article focuses on three recent applications of microwave and millimeter wave NDT&E techniques that involve novel instrumentation development and measurements, including: 1) disbond detection in strengthened concrete bridge members retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates; 2) corrosion and precursor pitting detection in painted aluminum and steel substrates; and 3) detection of flaws in spray-on foam insulation and the acreage heat tiles of the Space Shuttle through focused and synthetic imaging techniques. These applications have been performed at the Applied Microwave Nondestructive Testing Laboratory (amntl) at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Ncl Implementation Of Dual-Rail 2S Complement 8x8 Booth2 Multiplier Using Static And Semi-Static Primitives, Mandar V. Joshi, Sagar R. Gosavi, V. Jegadeesan, A. Basu, S. Jaiswal, Waleed K. Al-Assadi, Scott C. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work, we use static and semi-static versions of NULL Convention Logic (NCL) primitives (i.e., threshold gates) to implement a dual-rail 8times8 2s complement multiplier using the Modified Booth2 algorithm for partial product generation and a Wallace tree for partial product summation. We establish the multiplier's functionality utilizing VHDL-based simulations of the gate-level structural design. The design is then implemented at the transistor-level and layout-level using both static and semi-static threshold gates, for a 1.8V 0.18mum TSMC CMOS process; and these two implementations are compared in terms of area, power, and speed.

Systems Architecting Heuristics For Systems Engineering Management And Embedded Systems Engineering, Mark S. Anderson, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Software development for United States Air Force (USAF) weapon systems is a "right here, right now" prize captured by those who can rapidly develop requirements and deliver a quality product. The Air Logistics Centers (ALCs) located at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma, Warner-Robins AFB, Georgia, and Hill AFB, Utah develop requirements utilizing 3400 funding to capture this prize. The ALCs identify these requirements as corrective maintenance or perfective and adaptive maintenance. Colleen A. Calimer and John L. BeVier introduce the concept of the "Embedded Systems Engineer" in their 2004 INCOSE paper "Embedded Systems Engineering: Managing Systems Complexity, Change, and …

A Structured Systemic Framework For Software Development, Kevin Macgregor Adams

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a systems-based framework for the analysis of software development project performance. Software development project performance is measured at the project level; that is, cost, schedule, and product quality that affect the overall project. To date, most performance improvement efforts have been focused on individual processes within the overall software development system. Making improvements to sub-elements, processes, or sub-systems without regard for the overall project is a classic misbehavior entered into by practitioners who fail to use a holistic, systemic approach. Attempts to improve sub-system behavior are at odds with The …

Determining Underlying Characteristics Of Supplier Evaluation Model: A Quantitative Empirical Research, Zeynep Ozlem Ozgun

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Rapid changes in the business environment, driven by competitive pressures and business complexity, present challenges that organizations cannot address without the support of their suppliers. In the past decades, performance evaluation factors such as quality, delivery, and price have been widely used by organizations to measure their suppliers' performance. Traditional supplier performance dimensions now considered to be only single dimensional, and not guarantee long term success of an organization. Use of internationally recognized standards and guidelines such as ISO 9000, MBNQA are recommended to be feasible for supplier Quality Management System evaluation in the literature. However, their effectiveness as a …

Aerodynamic And Acoustic Investigations Of An Advanced Over-The-Wing Nacelle Transport Aircraft Configuration, Geoffrey A. Hill

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The transonic aerodynamic and low-speed acoustic characteristics of an advanced, Over-the-Wing Nacelle (OWN), subsonic transport configuration are assessed. The cruise aerodynamics of the OWN were analyzed using both inviscid Euler and viscous Navier-Stokes CFD. Results of the assessments are compared to a similar configuration with a more traditional Under-the-Wing Nacelle (UWN) installation and a similar reference Wing-Body Qualitative observations and quantitative drag computations are made for the three configurations at a cruise Mach number of0.78, an approximate altitude of35,000-ft, and a C_L, of 0.44. It was found that the OWN's novel inboard wing channel design is effective in …

Automatic Speech Recognition Using A Predictive Echo State Network Classifier, Mark D. Skowronski, John G. Harris

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have combined an echo state network (ESN) with a competitive state machine framework to create a classification engine called the predictive ESN classifier. We derive the expressions for training the predictive ESN classifier and show that the model was significantly more noise robust compared to a hidden Markov model in noisy speech classification experiments by 8±1 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The simple training algorithm and noise robustness of the predictive ESN classifier make it an attractive classification engine for automatic speech recognition. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance Analysis Of Ieee 802.11b Devices In The Presence Of Interference Aware Scheduling-Adaptive Frequency Hopping Enabled Bluetooth Devices, Deepthi Gopalpet

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wireless Local Area networks (WLAN) and Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) provide complimentary services using the same unlicensed radio frequency band of operation. The 802.11b WLAN operates in the 2.4 GHz band and uses a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technique. It is designed to cover large areas ranging up to 100 meters in diameter, which may connect hundreds of computers. Bluetooth (BT) WPAN also operates in the same frequency band as the IEEE 802.lib and it uses a Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum technique. BT is primarily used for communications between notebooks, palm units and other personal computing devices within relatively …

What Should Be In A Human Behavior Representation Federation Object Model For High Level Architecture, Gurkan Haznedaroglu

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Modeling and Simulation (M&S) can assist in evaluating scenarios and enhancing the performance of operational systems. Fully integrated use of MBS can enable the evaluation of the effectiveness of proposed equipment or software in realistic simulated environments and can provide an assessment of the impacts of specific equipment or capabilities on battle outcomes. Every level, from strategic planners, technology experts, operations research analysts, weapons systems designers and users, testers, maintainers, and cost analysts, has to be interactively involved to maximize the benefits of this approach. Human behavior is a very important part of the M&S process. Especially in constructive simulations, …

Efficient Sampling For Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos Applications With Multiple Uncertain Input Variables, Serhat Hosder, Robert W. Walters, Michael Balch

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The accuracy and the computational efficiency of a Point-Collocation Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos (NIPC) method applied to stochastic problems with multiple uncertain input variables has been investigated. Two stochastic model problems with multiple uniform random variables were studied to determine the effect of different sampling methods (Random, Latin Hypercube, and Hammersley) for the selection of the collocation points. The effect of the number of collocation points on the accuracy of polynomial chaos expansions were also investigated. The results of the stochastic model problems show that all three sampling methods exhibit a similar performance in terms of the the accuracy and the …

Adaptive Power System Stabilizers Using Artificial Immune System, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Mani Hunjan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Power system stabilizers (PSSs) are used to damp intra-area and inter-area oscillations in a power network. They provide effective supplementary control by supplying auxiliary control signals to the excitation system of the generators. The proper tuning of PSSs has a significant influence on its effectiveness in providing the required damping under different operating conditions and disturbances. Various algorithms have been successfully implemented to simultaneously design multiple optimal PSSs in power systems. As the power network's operating conditions change, the performance of PSSs degrade. Optimal PSS parameters obtained using bacteria foraging algorithm (BFA) have shown to successfully damp out system oscillations …

Statistical Analysis Of Joint Short-Term And Long-Term Survival In Resuscitation Research, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop statistical tools that utilize combined initial survival data and post-resuscitation survival data to test the null hypothesis that true, population-wide outcomes following experimental CPR interventions are not different from control. Method: A new test statistic, d2, for evaluating Type 1 error is derived from a bivariate, two-dimensional analysis of categorical initial resuscitation and post-resuscitation survival data, which are statistically independent because they are obtained during non-overlapping periods of time. The d2 test statistic, which is distributed as a chi-squared distribution, is derived from first principles and validated using Monte Carlo methods of computer simulation for thousands of …

Warpage Behavior Of 7075 Aluminum Alloy Extrusions, Omar S. Es-Said, T. M. Ruperto, S. L. Vasquez, A. Y. Yue, D. J. Manriquez, J. C. Quilla, S. H. Harris, S. Hannan, J. Foyos, E. W. Lee, B. Pregger, N. Abourialy, J. Ogren

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Works

Extruded I sections of 7075-T6 aluminum were machined into four different sections shapes: L, short depth L, T, and short depth 7. The furnace was preheated to 416 degrees C (780 degrees F) and the samples were placed inside. The temperature was raised to 471 degrees C (880 degrees F) and then the samples were quenched in either a 30% polyalkylene Glycol solution or water, both at 15 degrees C (59 degrees F). Points on the distorted samples were recorded before and after the solution treatment; the difference between the measurements indicated the extent of warpage.

Producing Biodiesel From Jatropha In Egypt: The Research Of Emmanuel Pitia, Tammy Wolf

Inquiry Journal 2007

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Mechanical Study On Using Of Accr Thermal Conductor At 500 Kv Sutet, Suprihadi Prasetyono

Makara Journal of Technology

Mechanical Study on using of ACCR Thermal Conductor at 500 kV SUTET. At the height of electricity demand increasing recently, circumstance of environment more limited and also expense of high investment, making thermal conductor (conductor thermal resistance) considered to be one of alternative in the electricity transmission bottlenecks. These days it has been developed thermal conductor ACCR (Aluminium Conductor Composite Reinforced) which can operate with temperature up to 240oC, so that making the current carrying capacity being higher than conventional conductor. This research aimed to study load current leading to mechanical characteristic ACCR conductor included tension, length of elongation and …

Time-Frequency Transform Techniques For Seabed And Buried Target Classification, Madalina Barbu, Edit J. Kaminsky, Russell E. Trahan

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

An approach for processing sonar signals with the ultimate goal of ocean bottom sediment classification and underwater buried target classification is presented in this paper. Work reported for sediment classification is based on sonar data collected by one of the AN/AQS-20’s sonars. Synthetic data, simulating data acquired by parametric sonar, is employed for target classification. The technique is based on the Fractional Fourier Transform (FrFT), which is better suited for sonar applications because FrFT uses linear chirps as basis functions. In the first stage of the algorithm, FrFT requires finding the optimum order of the transform that can be estimated …

Performance Of Chirp-Slope Keying With Joint Time-Frequency Detectors, Inigo X. Incer, Edit J. Kaminsky

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper discusses recent studies on Chirp Slope Keying (CSK) as a scheme suitable for underwater communications and presents a new study on the performance of a time-frequency receiver in a Rayleigh fading environment. As expected, CSK proves to be a digital modulation scheme inferior in the AWGN channel as compared to traditional schemes but very promising in more detrimental channels present in underwater communications. In effect, while most schemes’ performances decay abruptly with the addition of new disturbances, a time-frequency CSK receiver’s performance deteriorates slowly with increasing Rayleigh fading. Intuition dictates that CSK will overpower other schemes as channel …

2007 Survey Of Summer Sessions Students At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

During Summer 2007, UNL Summer Sessions (FlexEd) surveyed summer students to learn about their experience in taking a summer course(s). The survey results will offer confirmation of what we are doing well and will provide guidance on areas of improvement and better strategies for marketing UNL summer opportunities. A total of 227 students completed the survey. Fifteen summer classes were selected to complete a paper-based or electronic version of the survey. The classes were from three different summer sessions and used different delivery mechanisms (on-campus, studio, distance education).

Survey Of The Golden-Cheeked Warbler On Fort Hood In Support Of Nepa Requirements, Bruce Macallister, Tim Hayden, Michael Baranski, Rebecca Peak

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

This research on the golden-cheeked warbler (GCW) was con-ducted on Fort Hood, Texas, during April and June 2006. Subject matter experts on Fort Hood were consulted and helped determine which areas of the installation contained suitable GCW habitat but were not already included in The Nature Conservancy’s intensive study program. Researchers then surveyed one of these areas, documenting the presence of GCW. This research was conducted to determine if data collected in the intensive study area has been successfully extrapolated to other areas of habitat on the installation.

The collected data showed that the territory density was lower than those …

Potential Of Agricultural Residues And Hay For Bioethanol Production, Ye Chen, Ratna R. Sharma-Shivappa, Deepak R. Keshwani, Chengci Chen

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Production of bioethanol from agricultural residues and hays (wheat, barley, and triticale straws, and barley, triticale, pearl millet, and sweet sorghum hays) through a series of chemical pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation processes was investigated in this study. Composition analysis suggested that the agricultural straws and hays studied contained approximately 28.62–38.58% glucan, 11.19–20.78% xylan, and 22.01–27.57% lignin, making them good candidates for bioethanol production. Chemical pretreatment with sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% indicated that concentration and treatment agent play a significant role during pretreatment. After 2.0% sulfuric acid pretreatment at 121°C/15 psi for …

Plot Scale Factor Models For Standard Orthographic Views, Edward E. Osakue

Faculty Publications

Geometric modeling provides graphic representations of real or abstract objects. Realistic representation requires three dimensional (3D) attributes since natural objects have three principal dimensions. CAD software gives the user the ability to construct realistic 3D models of objects, but often prints of these models must be generated on two dimensional (2D) standard sized sheets. The transformation of 3D objects into 2D representations on standard-sized sheets requires one to use a proportional relationship called a scale, which is defined by a scale factor (SF). Two mathematical models for a scale factor, one for reduction scaling and the other for …

System Evaluation And Description Using Abstract Relation Types (Art), Joseph J. Simpson, Ann K. Miller, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two abstract relation types (ART) are developed to represent, describe and establish a computational framework for a system. An abstract relation type is closely related to and builds upon two fundamental ideas. The first idea is the binary relation and structural modeling techniques developed by John N. Warfield. The second idea is the concept of abstract data types. These two ideas are combined to create an abstract relation type that provides a structured representation and computational method for systems and system components. The complete system description approach is based on six abstract relation types: context, concept, functions, requirements, architecture, and …

Behaviour Of Reinforced Self-Consolidating Concrete Frames, Aly Said, Moncef Nehdi

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Multi-storey reinforced concrete (RC) structural frames represent some of the most congested structural elements. Placing and consolidating concrete in such structural frames imposes substantial challenges. This offers a unique area of application for self-consolidating concrete (SCC) because of its inherent ability to flow under its own weight and fill congested sections, complicated formwork and hard-to-reach areas. Research is, however, needed to demonstrate the ability of SCC structural frames adequately to resist vertical and lateral loads. In the present study, full-scale 3 m high beam-column joints reinforced as per the Canadian Standards CSA A23·3-94 and ACI-352R-02 were made with normal concrete …

Production Of Medium Chain Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates From Oleic Acid Using Pseudomonas Putida Pga1 By Fed Batch Culture, Sidik Marsudi, Irene K.P. Tan, Seng Neon Gan, K. B. Ramachandran

Makara Journal of Technology

Bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polymers currently receiving much attention because of their potential as renewable and biodegradable plastics. A wide variety of bacteria has been reported to produce PHAs including Pseudomonas strains. These strains are known as versatile medium chain length PHAs (PHAs-mcl) producers using fatty acids as carbon source. Oleic acid was used to produce PHAs-mcl using Pseudomonas putida PGA 1 by continuous feeding of both nitrogen and carbon source, in a fed batch culture. During cell growth, PHAs also accumulated, indicating that PHA production in this organism is growth associated. Residual cell increased until the …