Engineering Commons^™

Effective Plant Discrimination Based On The Combination Of Local Binary Pattern Operators And Multiclass Support Vector Machine Methods, Vi N T Le, Beniamin Apopei, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Accurate crop and weed discrimination plays a critical role in addressing the challenges of weed management in agriculture. The use of herbicides is currently the most common approach to weed control. However, herbicide resistant plants have long been recognised as a major concern due to the excessive use of herbicides. Effective weed detection techniques can reduce the cost of weed management and improve crop quality and yield. A computationally efficient and robust plant classification algorithm is developed and applied to the classification of three crops: Brassica napus (canola), Zea mays (maize/corn), and radish. The developed algorithm is based on the …

Taylor's Slope Stability Chart For Combined Effects Of Horizontal And Vertical Seismic Coefficients, Pragyan Sahoo, Sanjay Kumar Shukla

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Design standards and codes of practice on earth slope stability often recommend the pseudo-static method of analysis for determining the factor of safety of a slope subjected to seismic forces. In most pseudo-static methods of analysis, the horizontal seismic force is considered without due weightage to vertical seismic force. In the past, Taylor's stability chart for a homogeneous cohesive-frictional soil slope has been extended to consider the effect of horizontal seismic force only. In this paper, an attempt is made to develop an analytical formulation considering both horizontal and vertical seismic forces in order to estimate the factor of safety …

Deformation And Strength Characteristics Of Laves Phases In Titanium Alloys, Chirag D. Rabadia, Y. J. Liu, Liang-Yu Chen, Syed F. Jawed, L. Q. Wang, Hongqi Sun, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The superior reinforcement nature of Laves phases make them suitable for high-strength applications. Therefore, investigations on the deformation and strength characteristics of Laves phases are useful in development of an improved Laves phase-reinforced alloy. In this work, the Vickers micro-indentation method is used to evaluate and compare the deformation and strength characteristics of a hexagonal close-packed Laves phase (C14-type) in Ti-35Zr-5Fe-6Mn (wt%) and a face-centered cubic Laves phase (C15-type) in Ti-33Zr-7Fe-4Cr (wt%), considering the same volume fraction of Laves phase (~7.0%) in these alloys. Moreover, the effects of higher volume fraction of Laves phase (19.4%) on indentation-based deformation features are …

Real-Time Classification Of Multivariate Olfaction Data Using Spiking Neural Networks, Arnup Vanarse, Adam Osseiran, Alexander Rassau, Therese O'Sullivan, Jonny Lo, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent studies in bioinspired artificial olfaction, especially those detailing the application of spike-based neuromorphic methods, have led to promising developments towards overcoming the limitations of traditional approaches, such as complexity in handling multivariate data, computational and power requirements, poor accuracy, and substantial delay for processing and classification of odors. Rank-order-based olfactory systems provide an interesting approach for detection of target gases by encoding multi-variate data generated by artificial olfactory systems into temporal signatures. However, the utilization of traditional pattern-matching methods and unpredictable shuffling of spikes in the rank-order impedes the performance of the system. In this paper, we present an …

Noninvasive Diagnosis Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Via Bowel Sound Features: Proof Of Concept, Xuhao Du, Gary Allwood, K. Mary Webberley, Andrisha-Jade Inderjeeth, Adam Osseiran, Barry James Marshall

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

INTRODUCTION: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and debilitating disorder estimated to affect approximately 11% of the world's population. Typically, IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion after patients undergo a costly and invasive colonoscopy to exclude organic disease. Clinician's and researchers have identified a need for a new cost-effective, accurate, and noninvasive diagnostic test for IBS.

METHODS: Using a diagnostic case-control study, we explored the use of bowel sounds to characterize IBS with a view to diagnostic use. We recruited participants with an existing clinical diagnosis of IBS or healthy (asymptomatic) digestive systems. We recorded bowel sounds for 2 …

Assesment Of Electricity Excess In An Isolated Hybrid Energy System: A Case Study Of A Dangiwada Village In Rural Nepal, Ashish Shrestha, Lalit Bickram Rana, Ajay Singh, Sudip Phuyal, Anil Ghimire, Roshan Giri, Roshan Kattel, Kedar Karki, Shailendra Kumar Jha

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The increasing demand of power can be fulfilled through different architectures and electricity supply models by utilizing the available local resources. But most of the isolated energy system suffers from high energy cost and unreliable energy supply. This study identifies different electricity supply models to fulfill the dynamic demand of power in a remote area, which is analyzed in terms of cost of energy and causes for the high cost of energy. Among different factors, the presence of unusable energy (Electricity Excess) produced by the energy system during fulfillment of the demand is found to be major one cause for …

Recent Developments In Solar Energy-Harvesting Technologies For Building Integration And Distributed Energy Generation, Mikhail Vasiliev, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

We present a review of the current state of the field for a rapidly evolving group of technologies related to solar energy harvesting in built environments. In particular, we focus on recent achievements in enabling the widespread distributed generation of electric energy assisted by energy capture in semi-transparent or even optically clear glazing systems and building wall areas. Whilst concentrating on recent cutting-edge results achieved in the integration of traditional photovoltaic device types into novel concentrator-type windows and glazings, we compare the main performance characteristics reported with these using more conventional (opaque or semi-transparent) solar cell technologies. A critical overview …

Optimal Allocation Of Distributed Energy Storage Systems To Improve Performance And Power Quality Of Distribution Networks, Choton K. Das, Octavian Bass, Thair S. Mahmoud, Ganesh Kothapalli, Navid Mousavi, Daryoush Habibi, Mohammad A.S. Masoum

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The placement of grid-scale energy storage systems (ESSs) can have a significant impact on the level of performance improvements of distribution networks. This paper proposes a strategy for optimal allocation of distributed ESSs in distribution networks to simultaneously minimize voltage deviation, flickers, power losses, and line loading. The optimal ESS allocation is investigated through the PQ injection (considering a variable power factor on the dispatch of ESSs) and the results are compared in terms of performance and power quality improvements. An IEEE-33 bus distribution system (medium voltage), having a high influence of renewable (wind and solar) distributed generation, is used …

Editorial: Environmental Catalysis And The Corresponding Catalytic Mechanism, Zhimin Ao, Hongqi Sun, Andres Fullana

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ever growing environmental pollution has stimulated the rapid development of environmental catalysis in recent years. Environmental catalysis is a multidisciplinary research field for which more and more chemists, materials scientists, as well as environmentalists have devoted their efforts working in this field because of the bright potentials in improving human health and life quality...

Calculation Of Oxygen Diffusion Coefficients In Oxide Films Formed On Low-Temperature Annealed Zr Alloys And Their Related Corrosion Behavior, Lina Zhang, Liang-Yu Chen, Cuihua Zhao, Yujing Liu, Lai-Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The growth of oxide film, which results from the inward oxygen diffusion from a corrosive environment, is a critical consideration for the corrosion resistance of zirconium alloys. This work calculates the oxygen diffusion coefficients in the oxide films formed on zirconium alloys annealed at 400~500 °C and investigates the related corrosion behavior. The annealed samples have a close size for the second-phase particles but a distinctive hardness, indicating the difference in substrate conditions. The weight gain of all samples highly follows parabolic laws. The weight gain of the sample annealed at 400 °C has the fastest increase rate at the …

A Novel Solar-Driven Direct Contact Membrane-Based Water Desalination System, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study proposes a novel integrated solar membrane-based desalination system. The system includes vacuum glass tubes to increase absorbed solar energy and to decrease heat loss, heat pipes to transfer the absorbed energy efficiently, and a tubular direct contact membrane distillation module to use the absorbed energy more effectively. To improve the freshwater production rate and overall efficiency of the proposed system, a cooling unit was also added to the permeate loop of the desalination unit. The performance of the system was experimentally investigated without (Case I) and with (Case II) the cooling unit in summer and without the cooling …

Effect Of Al Alloying On Cavitation Erosion Behavior Of Tasi2 Nanocrystalline Coatings, Jiang Xu, Shuai Kang Zhang, Xiao Lin Lu, Shuyun Jiang, Paul Munroe, Zong-Han Xie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

To broaden the scope of non-aerospace applications for titanium-based alloys, both hexagonal C40 binary TaSi₂ and ternary Al alloyed TaSi₂ nanocrystalline coatings were exploited to enhance the cavitation erosion resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in acidic environments. To begin with, the roles of Al addition in influencing the structural stability and mechanical properties of hexagonal C40 Ta(Si_1-xAl_x)₂ compounds were modelled using first-principles calculations. The calculated key parameters, such as Pugh's index (B/G ratio), Poisson's ratio, and Cauchy pressures, indicated that there was a threshold value for Al addition, below which the increase of Al …

A Statistical Approach To Provide Explainable Convolutional Neural Network Parameter Optimization, Saman Akbarzadeh, Selam Ahderom, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Algorithms based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been great attention in image processing due to their ability to find patterns and recognize objects in a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. Finding the best network and optimizing its hyperparameters for a specific application are central challenges for CNNs. Most state-of-the-art CNNs are manually designed, while techniques for automatically finding the best architecture and hyperparameters are computationally intensive, and hence, there is a need to severely limit their search space. This paper proposes a fast statistical method for CNN parameter optimization, which can be applied in many CNN applications …

Enhancing Heat Pipe Solar Water Heating Systems Performance Using A Novel Variable Mass Flow Rate Technique And Different Solar Working Fluids, Abdellah Shafieian, Junaid Jaffer Osman, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper aims to improve the overall efficiency of heat pipe solar water heating (HPSWH) systems by implementing a novel variable mass flow rate technique which regulates the solar working fluid mass flow rate of the system with the solar radiation intensity. To analyse the system under real operational conditions, the residential hot water consumption pattern of Perth residents in Western Australia was used in the experiments. In addition, a nanofluid (Al₂O₃/DI) was fabricated and its performance as the solar working fluid was investigated to find the optimum concentration and to confirm its stability and thermo-physical …

Performance Analysis Of A Thermal-Driven Tubular Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines the performance of a thermal-driven tubular direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system theoretically and experimentally. A multi-step mathematical model was developed to predict the freshwater productivity of the tubular DCMD module applicable for both small and large-scale applications by considering the changes in the operational variables along the membrane’s length. The proposed model was verified by building an experimental rig which was tested under different operational conditions. The results showed that keeping the mass flow rates in the hot and cold channels either near the end or beyond the transition range of the flows results in higher …

Phase Separation And Enhanced Wear Resistance Of Cu88fe12 Immiscible Coating Prepared By Laser Cladding, Shuzhen Zhao, Shengfeng Zhou, Min Xie, Xiaoqin Dai, Dongchu Chen, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In order to eliminate the microstructure segregation of Cu–Fe immiscible alloys which characterized with a liquid miscible gap, the Cu88Fe12 (wt.%) immiscible coating was prepared by laser cladding. The phase separation characteristic and wear resistance of the Cu88Fe12 (wt.%) immiscible coating were also investigated. The results show that the size of the milled Cu88Fe12 composite powder is reduced comparing to that of the un-milled powder due to fracturing during mechanical milling. Moreover, the demixing or delamination disappears in the Cu88Fe12 immiscible coating and a large amount of face-centered-cubic (fcc) γ-Fe and body-centered-cubic (bcc) α-Fe particles are dispersed in the face-centered-cubic …

Effect Of Pretreatment Process On Scale Formation In The Re-Boiler Section Of Monoethylene Glycol Regeneration Plant, Ammar Al Helal, Adam Soames, Stefan Iglauer, Ahmed Barifcani, Rolf Gubner

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Monoethylene glycol (MEG) regeneration plants often use pretreatment vessels to precipitate divalent cations, such as Fe²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺, in order to avoid or reduce fouling in downstream reboilers and heat exchangers. This pretreatment process operates under alkaline conditions and moderate temperatures (~ 80 °C) to accelerate the formation of low-solubility divalent salts. The objective of the present research was to determine whether the pretreatment process could be minimized, without negatively impacts on the MEG regeneration process from to the formation of scale on the heater bundle in the presence of low concentrations of …

Fire Performance Of Heavyweight Self-Compacting Concrete And Heavyweight High Strength Concrete, Farhad Aslani, Fatemeh Hamidi, Qilong Ma

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this study, the fresh and hardened state properties of heavyweight self-compacting concrete (HWSCC) and heavyweight high strength concrete (HWHSC) containing heavyweight magnetite aggregate with 50, 75, and 100% replacement ratio, and their performance at elevated temperatures were explored experimentally. For fresh-state properties, the flowability and passing ability of HWSCCs were assessed by using slump flow, T500 mm, and J-ring tests. Hardened-state properties including hardened density, compressive strength, and modulus of elasticity were evaluated after 28 days of mixing. High-temperature tests were also performed to study the mass loss, spalling of HWSCC and HWHSC, and residual mechanical properties at 100, …

Beta-Type Ti-Nb-Zr-Cr Alloys With Large Plasticity And Significant Strain Hardening, Syed F. Jawed, Chirag D. Rabadia, Y. J. Liu, L. Q. Wang, Y. H. Li, X. H. Zang, Laichang C. Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A series of Ti-25Nb-8Zr-xCr (x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 wt%) alloys were designed based on DV-Xα cluster method and e=a-Δr diagram with an anticipation to obtain high plasticity and significant strain hardening. The designed alloys were produced through cold crucible levitation melting technique in order to effectively investigate their micro-structures and mechanical properties. The addition of Cr significantly enhances the β stability in the microstructures of the Ti-25Nb-8Zr-xCr alloys. Both yield strength and hardness of the studied alloys increase due to the effect of solid-solution strengthening. By contrast, the plasticity, maximum strength and strain hardening rate are influenced …

Thermal Performance Of An Evacuated Tube Heat Pipe Solar Water Heating System In Cold Season, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study evaluates the performance of a heat pipe solar water heating system to meet a real residential hot water consumption pattern theoretically and experimentally under non-ideal climatic conditions during a cold day in Perth, Western Australia. A mathematical model was developed and used to calculate the optimum number of glass tubes of the heat pipe solar collector. Based on the obtained data, an experimental rig with 25 glass tubes was designed, built, and tested as the temperature changes after 25 tubes reached the insignificant value of 0.6%. The results showed that hot water extraction had significant impact on the …

Phase Interaction Induced Texture In A Plasma Sprayed-Remelted Nicrbsi Coating During Solidification: An Electron Backscatter Diffraction Study, Liang-Yu Chen, Tianxiang Xu, Haiyang Wang, Peng Sang, Sheng Lu, Ze-Xin Wang, Shujin Chen, Lai-Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Although considerable endeavors have been dedicated to investigate the microstructures of the remelting-enhanced NiCrBSi coatings, the textures in the remelted coatings, which may result in property anisotropy, are rarely studied. In this work, the recrystallized fractions, grain orientations and interphase boundaries for Ni, Ni₃B and CrB in a plasma sprayed-remelted NiCrBSi coating were investigated by electron backscatter diffraction. The results demonstrate that the texture is induced by phase interaction during solidification. Cooling from the liquid, the firstly formed Ni grains possess a cube fiber texture of {001}〈001〉. The successively formed Ni₃B colonies are randomly oriented and …

Degradation And Hydrate Phase Equilibria Measurement Methods Of Monoethylene Glycol, Khalid Alef, Stefan Iglauer, Ahmed Barifcani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Monoethylene glycol (MEG), a common chemical used for the inhibition of gas hydrate formation may undergo degradation in the regeneration/reclamation process. Limited research exists on the effect of degradation of MEG on hydrate formation, production facilities and equipment especially in the presence of other chemical additives. The proposed method allows for streamlining the process of preparing, degrading and analysis of MEG solutions for hydrate testing and degradation products.

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Procedure to prepare accurate MEG solutions avoiding oxidative degradation of MEG (i.e., controlling oxygen ingress).

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Two methods are suggested to mimic field-like degradation of MEG solutions (i.e., degradation by reclamation …

Effect Of Direct Current Electric Field Intensity And Electrolyte Layer Thickness On Oxygen Reduction In Simulated Atmospheric Environment, Xin Zhang, Junxi Zhang, Qimeng Chen, Nianwei Dai, Qingzhao Ni, Lai-Chang Zhang, Fahe Cao, Jianqing Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The effect of direct current (DC) electric field and electrolyte layer thickness on oxygen reduction in simulated atmospheric environment were investigated using electrochemical measurements. The results show that the limiting diffusion current density (i_lim) decreases with increasing the thin electrolyte layers (TELs) thickness but it increases with increasing the DC electric field intensity. The potential shifts negatively with the DC electric field. It is found that the DC electric field enables OH⁻ ions to quickly migrate from the solution/electrode interface to the electrolyte layer. All these features promote the cathodic reduction process thereby enhancing the metal …

Chemically Dealloyed Fe-Based Metallic Glass With Void Channels-Like Architecture For Highly Enhanced Peroxymonosulfate Activation In Catalysis, J.C. Wang, S.X. Liang, Z. Jia, W.C. Zhang, W.M. Wang, Y.J. Lui, J. Lu, L.C Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Metallic glasses (MGs) with their intrinsic disordered atomic structure and widely controllable atomic components have recently emerged as fascinating functional materials in wastewater treatment. Compared to crystalline alloys, the less-noble atomic components in monolithic metallic glass are more efficient to be selectively dissolved during dealloying process. This work reported a facile chemical dealloying approach to fabricate a void channels-like structured MG with the elemental components of Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 for methylene blue (MB) degradation. Results indicated that the dealloyed Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 MGs with the void channels-like morphology presented a significant improvement of catalytic efficiency and reusability. The dye degradation reaction rate (kobs) of …

Strategies To Improve The Thermal Performance Of Heat Pipe Solar Collectors In Solar Systems: A Review, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Invention of evacuated tube heat pipe solar collectors (HPSCs) was a huge step forward towards resolving the challenges of conventional solar systems due to their unique features and advantages. This has led to their utilization in a wide range of solar applications surpassing other conventional collectors. However, relatively low thermal efficiency of heat pipe solar (HPS) systems is still the major challenge of solar industry evidenced by numerous studies conducted mainly during the last decade to improve their efficiency. To date, several review papers have been published summarizing studies relevant to utilization of HPSCs in various thermal applications. However, to …

Properties Of Ambient-Cured Normal And Heavyweight Geopolymer Concrete Exposed To High Temperatures, Farhad Aslani, Zohaib Asif

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Ambient-cured heavyweight geopolymer concrete (HWGC) is a new type of concrete that combines the benefits of both heavyweight concrete (HWC) and geopolymer concrete (GC). HWGC provides proper protection from the sources that emit harmful radiations in medical and nuclear industries. Furthermore, HWGC may also be used in offshore structures for pipeline ballasting and similar underwater structures. In this study, heavyweight aggregates (magnetite) have been used and replaced by normal-weight coarse aggregates in GC at volume ratios of 50, 75, and 100% to attain heavyweight classification according to British standards. This study investigates the impacts of high temperatures on standard ambient-cured …

Modelling Of The Radiant Heat Flux And Rate Of Spread Of Wildfire Within The Urban Environment, Greg Penney, Steven Richardson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

One approach to increase community resilience to wildfire impacts is the enhancement of residential construction standards in an effort to provide protective shelters for families within their own homes. Current wildfire models reviewed in this study assume fire growth is unrestricted by vegetation fuel bed geometry; the head fire has attained a quasi-steady rate of spread; and the shielding effects of urban development are ignored. As a result, radiant heat flux may be significantly overestimated for small vegetation fires in road reserves, urban parklands, and similar scenarios. This paper proposes two new models to address this issue, and utilises two …

Local Instabilities During Capillary-Dominated Immiscible Displacement In Porous Media, Yang Liu, Stefan Iglauer, Jianchao Cai, Mohammad A. Amooie, Chaozhong Qin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Fully understanding the mechanism of pore-scale immiscible displacement dominated by capillary forces, especially local instabilities and their influence on flow patterns, is essential for various industrial and environmental applications such as enhanced oil recovery, CO2 geo-sequestration and remediation of contaminated aquifers. It is well known that such immiscible displacement is extremely sensitive to the fluid properties and pore structure, especially the wetting properties of the porous medium which affect not only local interfacial instabilities at the micro-scale, but also displacement patterns at the macro-scale. In this review, local interfacial instabilities under three typical wetting conditions, namely Haines jump events during …

Initial Field Testing Results From Building-Integrated Solar Energy Harvesting Windows Installation In Perth, Australia, Mikhail Vasiliev, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

We report on the field testing datasets and performance evaluation results obtained from a commercial property-based visually-clear solar window installation site in Perth-Australia. This installation was fitted into a refurbished shopping center entrance porch and showcases the potential of glass curtain wall-based solar energy harvesting in built environments. In particular, we focus on photovoltaic (PV) performance characteristics such as the electric power output, specific yield, day-to-day consistency of peak output power, and the amounts of energy generated and stored daily. The dependencies of the generated electric power and stored energy on multiple environmental and geometric parameters are also studied. An …

Investigating The Effect Of [C8py][Cl] And [C18py][Cl] Ionic Liquids On The Water/Oil Interfacial Tension By Considering Taguchi Method, Siamak Najimi, Iman Nowrouzi, Abbas Khaksar Manshad, Mehdi Hojjat Farsangi, Ali Zeinolabedini Hezave, Jagar A. Ali, Alireza Keshavarz, Amir H. Mohammadi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Capillary and interfacial forces are of great influences of trapping hydrocarbon in porous media after primary and secondary recovery processes. The trapped crude oil in the reservoir can be mobilized and produced by reducing these forces. Thus, surfactant flooding, as a main enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method, is usually applied to reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) of crude oil–water system in porous medium and improves the oil recovery. This study focused on the effect of [C8Py][Cl] and [C18Py][Cl] ionic liquids (ILs), as a new family of surfactant, in combination with various salts including sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate and …