Engineering Commons^™

Effect Of Silicon Content On The Corrosion Resistance And Radiation- Induced Embrittlement Of Materials For Advanced Heavy Liquid Metal Nuclear Systems, Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

This task is focused on the evaluation of the effects of silicon content on both the corrosion behavior and radiation-induced embrittlement of martensitic stainless steels having compositions similar to that of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, also known as T91 grade steel. T91 grade steel was selected to be a candidate structural material to contain molten lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE), which can act both as a target material and a coolant during the spallation process. The operating temperature during this process may range from 420-550 °C. Thus, moderate tensile strength of the containment material (T91) is a major requirement.

The beneficial effects of …

Theoretical Modeling Of Protective Oxide Layer Growth In Non-Isothermal Lead Alloy Coolant Systems, Yitung Chen, Jinsuo Zhang, Jichun Li

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The goal of the proposed research project is to provide basic understanding of the protective oxide layer behaviors and to develop oxide layer growth models of steels in non-isothermal lead-alloys (lead or lead-bismuth eutectic) coolant systems. Precise studies and simulations of all hydrodynamics with thermal conditions encountered in practical coolant loop systems by use of different flowing conditions in the laboratory are difficult and expensive, if not impossible. Therefore it is important and necessary to develop theoretical models to predict the protective oxide layer behaviors at the design stage of a practical lead-alloy coolant system, to properly interpret and apply …

Development Of Nanostructure Based Corrosion-Barrier Coatings On Steel For Transmutation Applications, Biswajit Das

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Advanced transmutation systems require structural materials that are able to withstand high neutron fluxes, high thermal cycling, and high resistance to chemical corrosion. The current candidate materials for such structures are ferritic and ferritic-martensitic steels due to their strong resistance to swelling, good microstructural stability under irradiation, and the retention of adequate ductility at typical reactor operating temperatures.

In parallel, lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) has emerged as a potential spallation target material for efficient production of neutrons, as well as a coolant in the accelerator system. While LBE has excellent properties as a nuclear coolant, it is also highly corrosive to …

Development Of Integrated Process Simulation System Model For Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (Sftf) Design, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The major objectives will lead to a creation of framework that combines all the strengths of AMUSE’s complicated calculations, well-established commercial system process package and ISOPro’s flexible parameter optimization modules. Development of the process simulation code can be done using the solvent extraction process at Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the research team from Mechanical Engineering Department at UNLV.

Research accomplishments:

• Integrated the ASPEN-Plus process model with the ISOPro system engineering modeling package, developed by the UNLV team.
• Tested the simplified system process integration using the ISOPro package.
• Generated complete version of the ISOPro package user manual and tutorial. …

Separation Of Technetium From Uranium And Waste Form Synthesis, Kenneth Czerwinski

Waste Forms Campaign (TRP)

In this project, systematic investigations on the Tc-Zr binary metal system will be evaluated for the first time. The synthesis of metallic Tc as well as its alloys with Zr will be evaluated. In order to provide valuable data to AFC R&D, the thermodynamic equilibrium phases, as well as their performance under repository conditions, will be examined.

Evaluation Of Cs/Sr Waste Form For Long Term Storage And Disposal, Gary Cerefice, Longzhou Ma

Waste Forms Campaign (TRP)

The goal of this project is to examine two potential concerns regarding the long-term performance of a proposed cesium/ strontium waste form. To facilitate long-term storage, up to 300 years, the disposal containers will need to be able to survive for the entire storage interval. The first aspect of the project will explore the potential interaction of the aluminosilicate waste form with the storage canister materials to determine if there is any corrosion or chemical interaction concerns for the storage of the materials.

At the end of the storage interval, most of the 137Cs in the waste form will have …

Improved Parameterization To Invert Rayleigh-Wave Data For Shallow Profiles Containing Stiff Inclusions, Carlos Calderon-Macias, Barbara Luke

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Inversion of shear-wave velocity profiles from phase-velocity measurements of Rayleigh-wave energy for sites containing stiff layers can be erroneous if such layers are not characterized in the starting or reference model. Incorporation of a priori knowledge then is key for converging upon a realistic or meaningful solution. Resolving soil profiles in desert regions where stiff layers cemented with calcium carbonate are intermixed with softer, uncemented media is an application for which locating shallow stiff inclusions has important implications. Identification of the stiff layers is critical for foundation design and cost estimating of excavations. A parameterization that seems adequate for this …

Design Concepts And Process Analysis For Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The safe and effective manufacturing of actinide-bearing fuels for any transmutation strategy requires that the entire manufacturing process be contained within a shielded hot cell environment. To ensure that the fabrication process is feasible, the entire process must be designed for remote operation. The equipment must be reliable enough to perform over several decades, and also easy to maintain or repair remotely. The facility must also be designed to facilitate its own decontamination and decommissioning. In addition to these design factors, the potential viability of any fuel fabrication process will also be impacted by a number of variables, such as …

Impact Of The Synthesis Process On Structure Properties For Afci Fuel Candidates, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

Synthesis of actinium mononitrides using carbothermic reduction of the corresponding oxides has a few outstanding issues, including the formation of secondary phases such as oxides and carbides and low densities of the final product. Furthermore the requirement of a high process temperature at 1700°C, for more than 12 hours is also a drawback particularly for Americium-bearing samples. Therefore, it is important to explore the use of other possible routes to synthesize actinide mononitrides.

A low temperature process is used in this research to produce actinide mononitrides using a fluoride route in which the first step is to mix the actinide …

Solution-Based Synthesis Of Nitride Fuels, Tyler A. Sullens, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The preliminary studies into the synthesis of actinide nitride fuels through a low temperature, liquid ammonia based synthesis route have been conducted on the uranium containing system, and there is good indication for the success of synthesizing uranium (III) nitride. The dissolution of iodine in ammonia is a rapid process, resulting in a pale green solution, which does not result in any observable oxidation of iodine. The cannula transfer of dissolved iodine into the reaction vessel containing U metal has been conducted with little to no residual iodine remaining in the original flask. The metal being used for these reactions …

A Simple Sol-Gel Processing For The Development Of High-Temperature Stable Photoactive Anatase Titania, Suresh Pillai, Declan Mccormack, John Colreavy

Articles

No abstract provided.

Improving Factory Layout Under A Mixed Floor And Overhead Material Handling Condition, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Purpose –In spite of having a number of general-purpose algorithms for solving plant layout problems, facility planners may still face a challenging task to adjust these algorithms to handle special, but not uncommon, layout problems. The purpose of this study is to propose a new method for addressing the impact of overhead space utilization on a plant layout solution.

Design/methodology/approach –A new method for adjusting material flow under a mixed floor and overhead material handling condition is incorporated in an existing plant layout procedure. A case study involving the layout improvement in a lawn mower engine assembly facility …

Byzantine Fault Tolerant Coordination For Web Services Atomic Transactions, Wenbing Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present the mechanisms needed for Byzantine fault tolerant coordination of Web services atomic transactions. The mechanisms have been incorporated into an open-source framework implementing the standard Web services atomic transactions specification. The core services of the framework, namely, the activation service, the registration service, the completion service, and the distributed commit service, are replicated and protected with our Byzantine fault tolerance mechanisms. Such a framework can be useful for many transactional Web services that require high degree of security and dependability.

Load Distribution And Channel Assignment In Ieee 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks, Mohamad Haidar

Theses and Dissertations

Recent growth in Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) deployment has generated considerable interest in load management and channel assignment among network designers. WLAN has become a major component of the modern telecommunication infrastructure. Load management and Channel assignment are among the critical aspects that face WLAN deployments. Well planned WLAN service environments require a network designed to provide not only radio coverage but also better load distribution and less interference across the service area, which in turn improves the Quality of Service (QoS). In this dissertation, a novel approach to the WLAN load distribution and channel assignment is proposed that …

Short-Term Reliability Of A Thin Film Resistance Temperature Detector (Rtd), Julian W. Post, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this dissertation was on the short term reliability of a thin film resistance temperature detector (RTD). As a first step, the transient and steady state temperature response of an encapsulated, thin-film RTD, which was used as a micro heater, have been characterized for a range of pressures and applied voltages, while placed on thermally insulating and conductive platforms. A user-friendly model was used to capture the three major mechanisms of heat transfer from the device (i.e. conduction, convection, and radiation). The calibration parameters of the model allowed the different modes of heat transfer to be quantified. …

Two-Dimensional Guided Mode Resonant Structures For Spectral Filtering Applications, Sakoolkan Boonruang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Guided mode resonant (GMR) structures are optical devices that consist of a planar waveguide with a periodic structure either imbedded in or on the surface of the structure. The resonance anomaly in GMR structures has many applications as dielectric mirrors, tunable devices, sensors,and narrow spectral band reflection filters. A desirable response from a resonant grating filter normally includes a nearly 100% narrowband resonant spectral reflection (transmission), and a broad angular acceptance at either normal incidence or an oblique angle of incidence. This dissertation is a detailed study of the unique nature of the resonance anomaly in GMR structures with two-dimensional …

High Birefringence Liquid Crystals For Optical Communications, Amanda Jane Parish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High birefringence (Δn > 0.4) nematic liquid crystals are particularly attractive for infrared applications because they enable a thinner cell gap to be used for achieving fast response time and improved diffraction efficiency. In this thesis, the mesomorphic and electro‐optic properties of several new fluorinated isothiocyanate (NCS) terphenyl and phenyl tolane single compounds and mixtures are reported. The single compounds demonstrated Δn~0.35‐0.52 in the visible spectral region at room temperature and exhibit relatively low viscosity. It was found that lateral fluorine substitutions and short alkyl chains eliminate smectic phase and lower the melting temperature of the single compounds. However, the consequence …

Discrete Surface Solitons, Sergiy Suntsov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surface waves exist along the interfaces between two different media and are known to display properties that have no analogue in continuous systems. In years past, they have been the subject of many studies in a diverse collection of scientific disciplines. In optics, one of the mechanisms through which optical surface waves can exist is material nonlinearity. Until recently, most of the activity in this area was focused on interfaces between continuous media but no successful experiments have been reported. However, the growing interest that nonlinear discrete optics has attracted in the last two decades has raised the question of …

Design And Demonstration Of Meanderline Retarders At Infrared Frequencies, Jeffrey Scott Tharp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Meanderline structures are widely used as engineered birefringent materials for waveplates and retarders at radiofrequencies, and have been previously demonstrated at frequencies up to 90 GHz in the millimeter-wave band. In this dissertation, we present results related to the modeling, fabrication, and experimental characterization of meanderlines across the range from 30 to 100 THz, in the long-wave and mid-wave infrared bands. Specific issues addressed in these new designs include spectral dispersion and angular dependence of the retardance, as well as axial ratio and throughput. The impact resulting from the infrared properties of the metals and dielectrics is explicitly included throughout. …

Localized Annealing Of Polysilicon Microstructures By Inductively Heated Ferromagnetic Films, Melissa L. Trombley

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The monolithic integration of dissimilar microsystems is often limited by conflicts in thermal budget. One of the most prevalent examples is the fabrication of active micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), as structural films utilized for surface micromachining such as polysilicon typically require processing at temperatures unsuitable for microelectronic circuitry. A localized annealing process could provide for the post-deposition heat treatment of integrated structures without compromising active devices. This dissertation presents a new microfabrication technology based on the inductive heating of ferromagnetic films patterned to define regions for heat treatment. Support is provided through theory, finite-element modeling, and experimentation, concluding with the demonstration …

Regulation Issues And Prediction Of Natural Estrogen Loads For Wastewater Treatment Plants, Michelle E. Jarvie

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Pyrene Mineralization By Mycobacterium Sp. Strain Kms In A Barley Rhizosphere, R. Child, C. Miller, Y. Liang, Ronald C. Sims, A. J. Anderson

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

To determine whether the soil Mycobacterium isolate KMS would mineralize pyrene under rhizosphere conditions, a microcosm system was established to collect radioactive carbon dioxide released from the labeled polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Microcosms were designed as sealed, flow-through systems that allowed the growth of plants. Experiments were conducted to evaluate mineralization of ¹⁴C-labeled pyrene in a sand amended with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degrading Mycobacterium isolate KMS, barley plants, or barley plants with roots colonized by isolate KMS. Mineralization was quantified by collecting the ¹⁴CO₂ produced from ¹⁴C-labeled pyrene at intervals during the 10-d incubation period. Roots …

Temperature Effect On Tert-Butyl Alcohol (Tba) Biodegradation Kinetics In Hyporheic Zone Soils, M. H. Greenwood, Ronald C. Sims, J. E. Mclean, W. J. Doucette

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Remediation of tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in subsurface waters should be taken into consideration at reformulated gasoline contaminated sites since it is a biodegradation intermediate of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), and tert-butyl formate (TBF). The effect of temperature on TBA biodegradation has not been not been published in the literature.

Methods

Biodegradation of [U ¹⁴C] TBA was determined using hyporheic zone soil microcosms.

Results

First order mineralization rate constants of TBA at 5°C, 15°C and 25°C were 7.84 ± 0.14 × 10^-3, 9.07 ± 0.09 × 10^-3, and 15.3 ± 0.3 …

Theory And Application Of Landfarming To Remediate Pahs And Mineral Oil Contaminated Sediments: Beneficial Reuse, J. Harmsen, W. Rulkens, Ronald C. Sims, P. Ritjema, A. Zweers

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

When applying landfarming for the remediation of contaminated soil and sediment, a fraction of the soil-bound contaminant is rapidly degraded; however, a residual concentration may remain, which slowly degrades. Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mineral oil can be described using a multi-compartment model and first-order kinetics, in which three degradable fractions are distinguished; (1) rapid, (2) slowly, and (3) very slowly degradable. Using this model populated with data from long-term experiments (initiated in 1990), it is shown that time frames from years to decades can be necessary to clean the soil or sediment to obtain a target below …

Functionalized Polymeric Membranes For Bioseparation And Biocatalysis, Saurav Datta

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Functionalized polymeric membrane based techniques are becoming increasingly popular in biotechnology, food and pharmaceutical industries due to their versatility and hydrodynamic benefits over traditional materials and methods. This research work has been directed towards the development of functionalized polymeric membranes, extensive experimental and theoretical analyses of some of the fundamental aspects of accessibility, membrane fouling and enzyme catalysis, and applications in affinity based bioseparation and biocatalysis. In this research work, the impact of different types of functionalization techniques, such as functionalization of different membrane materials, covalent and electrostatic immobilization, on interaction of various biomolecules and active sites in membrane has …

Multiscale Fiber Reinforced Composites Using A Carbon Nanofiber/Epoxy Nanophased Matrix: Processing, Properties, And Thermomechanical Behavior, Keith Jamahl Green

All ETDs from UAB

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRCs) have shown great promise as high strength structural materials due to their high stiffness to weight ratio and their ease in processing. They have found extensive use in aerospace, automotive, construction, and recreational equipment material applications. Research in polymer-based nanocomposites (PNCs) has shown explosive growth in the past decade with much emphasis focused on PNC using thermosetting polymer matrices. Modifying conventional FRCs with a PNC matrix result in the emergence of a hybrid composite material termed multiscale fiber-reinforced composites (M-FRCs). The current research addresses carbon nanofiber (CNF) surface modification, carbon nanofiber/epoxy polymer nanocomposite (CNF/PNC) development and …

Models Of Disparity Gradient Estimation In The Visual Cortex, Alexander Zotov

All ETDs from UAB

The binocular disparity of an object slanted in depth from the frontoparallel plane is not constant and changes with coordinate. Objects oriented in such way have non-zero disparity gradient. The processes that take place in the brain to recover disparity gradient and to create the correct perception of slant in depth are not well understood. Changes in local disparity are an obvious disparity gradient cue. Here, we consider an alternative means of disparity gradient detection exploiting the differential projection of oriented edges to each eye. Two retinal images of an object slanted in depth differ by the amount of horizontal …

Pi-Calculus In Logical Form, Marcello M. Bonsangue, Alexander Kurz

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Abramsky’s logical formulation of domain theory is extended to encompass the domain theoretic model for picalculus processes of Stark and of Fiore, Moggi and Sangiorgi. This is done by defining a logical counterpart of categorical constructions including dynamic name allocation and name exponentiation, and showing that they are dual to standard constructs in functor categories. We show that initial algebras of functors defined in terms of these constructs give rise to a logic that is sound, complete, and characterises bisimilarity. The approach is modular, and we apply it to derive a logical formulation of pi-calculus. The resulting logic is a …

Licenses, Leases And Other Contractual Arrangements For The Exploration And Production Of Petroleum A Comparative Study Between Nigeria And The United States, Omolara Elumelu

LLM Theses and Essays

Much has been written about Oil and Gas leases. This paper focuses on the various Oil and Gas leases and other contractual arrangements for oil and gas exploration and production in Nigeria and the United States. The paper examines the origin, structure, development and mode of operations in both jurisdictions and concludes with a comparative analysis of both jurisdictions.

Social Network Enhanced Digital City Management And Innovation Success: A Prototype Design, Bih-Ru Lea, Wen-Bin Yu, Prashanth Kannan

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Innovation is the process by which knowledge is transformed into products and services which in turn fuels economic development to create wealth and generates improvements in the standard of living. With the advance of technology, social networks that play a fundamental role as a medium for the spread of information, ideas, and influence among its members have taken a form of digital city to offer a range of online services, including access to social environments, community services, and e-commerce to its infohabitants. This study investigates how social network theories can be used to design and manage a web-based digital city …