Engineering Commons^™

Prioritizing Rehabilitation Of Sanitary Sewers In Pinellas County, Fl, Jesse T. Hillman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Following large rain events, extraneous freshwater contributions known as inflow and infiltration (I/I) bypass the storm sewer and enter the sanitary sewer system. In areas with a high water table, like Pinellas County and the surrounding Tampa Bay area, a majority of the wastewater infrastructure is submerged year round exacerbating the rate of groundwater infiltration. This excess flow overloads the existing wastewater infrastructure leading to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). These SSOs result in serious problems for municipalities and utilities across the country.

This study was performed in order to assist Pinellas County Utilities in rehabilitating their southern sewer system. To …

Design And Testing Of Experimental Langmuir Turbulence Facilities, Zongze Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Langmuir Circulation is a common phenomenon driven by wind in oceans and lakes and was first studied by Langmuir in 1927. According to various ocean observations, this kind of phenomenon plays an important role in many phenomena such as the aggregation of bubbles, the distribution of plankton as well as the mixing of spilled oil and sediment in the ocean. To study this, an experimental facility has been developed in the lab which creates a small scale version of Langmuir Circulation.

This thesis is about the design and testing of this tank and surrounding aluminum frame, as well as the …

Information Technology News, Georgia Southern University

Information Technology: News & Publications (2012-2023)

• US Secret Service Internship for Atlanta and Savannah

Characterization Of Hydroprocessed Fast Pyrolysis Oil Fractions, Mariefel V. Olarte, Asanga B. Padmaperuma

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Production of renewable fuel from biomass has both environmental and national security implications. Considering that liquid transportation fuels massively affects the way we live, technology to produce fuels need to be both technologically-appropriate and economical. Fast pyrolysis remains as one of the most promising thermochemical processing technologies for converting solid biomass into a liquid that can be further upgraded into hydrocarbon fuels. The presence of various types of oxygen-containing functional groups confer pyrolysis oils with unwanted fuel properties such as acidity and low heating value. In order to remove these oxygen functionalities, catalytic hydrodeoxygenation or hydroprocessed is needed. This process …

Ternary System Of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed Solvent, And Water: Phase Diagram And Implications, Mingyang Li, Mingming Zhang, Yun Yu, Mingyang Li

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Bio-oil from biomass fast pyrolysis is considered to be an important feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and green chemicals. Fast pyrolysis bio-oil generally contains a water-soluble fraction (excluding water), a water-insoluble fraction (i.e., pyrolytic lignin, PL), and water in a single phase. However, phase separation can occur during bio-oil transport, storage, and processing. In this study, a mixed solvent (MS) is developed based on the compositions of various fast pyrolysis bio-oils produced from a wide range of feedstocks and reactor systems. Experiments are then carried out to investigate the phase behavior of the PL/MS/water ternary system. Several ternary …

Depolymerization Of Fractionated Wood By Hydrothermal Liquefaction, Felipe Buendia-Kandia, Nicolas Brosse, Guillain Mauviel, Anthony Dufour

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Direct thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass produces a mixture of compounds that have to be separated to produce purified building blocks. Moreover, lignin derived products have a detrimental effect on further biological conversion processes, such as fermentation. For all these reasons, it is important to develop an integrated approach for a better fractionation and valorisation of macromolecules (carbohydrates and lignin) in bio-refineries.

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract.

Influence Of Reactor Type On Production Cost Of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil, Nicolaus Dahmen, Axel Funke, Jörg Sauer

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

The design of a fast pyrolysis reactor to convert biomass has a decisive influence on quality and yield of fast pyrolysis bio-oil (FPBO). Quality requirements are comparably low for the application of FPBO as gasifier fuel for subsequent conversion to synthesis gas, e.g. in the case of the bioliq® concept to convert (ash-rich) agricultural residues to drop-in, 2^nd generation biofuels. Within this concept, one optimization parameter of fast pyrolysis is to maximize carbon yield in the liquid product while keeping product requirements that allow feeding into a high-pressurized entrained flow gasifier. This optimization space allows for a more flexible …

Catalytic Pyrolysis, Sasha R.A. Kersten

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

No Abstracts.

Electrochemical Upgrading Of Bio-Oil: A Proof-Of-Principle Investigation, Mehmet Pala, Kun Guo, Wolter Prins, Frederik Ronsse, Korneel Rabaey, Antonin Prévoteau

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Fast pyrolysis is an advanced thermochemical conversion technology developed to produce bio-oil from biomass. With lignocellulosic biomass, high product yields (65-75 wt.%) can be attained. Yet, certain unfavorable characteristics of bio-oil impede its utilization prospects. High water content, high oxygen content, together with instability and acidity are the recognized adverse features of bio-oil. Tackling these issues is possible by reducing the oxygen content and/or steering the oxygen functionality of bio-oils.

Electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) is a recently proposed approach targeting the reduction of the reactive compounds in bio-oil (aldehydes, ketones etc.) to their corresponding alcohols, diols [1]. In this attractive approach, …

Environmental Assessment Of Pyrolysis In Biorefineries Based On Palm Oil Wastes, Electo Eduardo Silva Lora, York Castillo Santiago, Eric Alberto Ocampo Battle, José Carlos Escobar Palacio, Osvaldo José Venturini, Diego Mauricio Yepes Maya, Alberto Albis Arrieta

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

The oil palm industry is one of the largest producers of residual biomass, leading to environmental and economic concerns. For this reason, the concept of biorefinery is emerging as a means to create new ways of converting biomass into new types of renewable products bioenergetics that can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. In this context, this document presents a study that consisting of a biorefinery configuration in a Palm Oil Mill (POM), considering the fast pyrolysis process to produce bio-oil and biochar, and an extraction / trans-esterification stage to produce biodiesel and glycerin in the POM. The environmental …

Challenges And Opportunities For The Synthesis Of Novel Pyrolysis Oil Refineries, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Anamaria Pp Pires

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Bio-oil derived from fast pyrolysis of lingo-cellulosic materials is among the most complex and inexpensive raw oils that can be produced today. Although commercial or demonstration scale fast pyrolysis units can readily produce this oil, this industry has not grown to significant commercial impact due to the lack of bio-oil market pull. In this presentation we will review the challenges and opportunities for bio-oil upgrading and refining. Pyrolysis oil consists of six major fractions. (water 15-30 wt.%, light oxygenates, 8-26 wt. %, mono-phenols, 2-7 wt.%, water insoluble oligomers derived from lignin 15-25wt.%, and water soluble heavy molecules 10-30 wt.%). The …

Upgrading Of Wheat/Barley And Miscanthus Bio-Oil Over A Sulphided Catalyst, Bogdan Shumeiko, Miloš Auersvald, David Kubička, Petr Straka, Pavel Šimáček, Dan Vrtiška

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

In recent years, the production of biofuels from non-food crops wastes and harvesting residues plays an important role in the improvement of the global environment and in the replacement of declining oil reserves¹. Hydrogenation of lignocellulosic bio-oil is attracting much attention as a suitable way to produce petroleum-refinery compatible feedstock. Primarily, hydrogenation of bio-oil is carried out under severe reaction conditions in two-stage fixed-bed reactors, filled with a noble metal catalyst in the first zone and with a sulphided catalyst in the second zone². This setup allows producing low-oxygen upgraded bio-oil, however, it is economically unviable …

Pyrolysis Of Aerobic Sewage Sludge, Green Wastes And Refuse Derived Fuels At High Temperatures In Bubbling Fluidized Bed Reactor, Sid Ahmed Kessas, Mehrdji Hémati, Thomas Esteves

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Effect of temperature during Flash Pyrolysis of solid wastes (Green wastes -GW-, sewage sludge -SS- and refuse-derived fuels -RDF-) in inert atmosphere was investigated in the present study. Pyrolysis was carried out in a dense fluidized bed reactor of laboratory scale (2.5 m height, 0.214 m inner diameter) where wastes are fed continuously. Experiments were conducted at temperatures between 700 and 900°C with different types of fluidized media to highlight the effect of these parameters as well as the influence of the waste nature on gas production rate and carbon distribution into pyrolysis products. For instance, the syngas produced during …

Statistical Anomaly Detection And Mitigation Of Cyber Attacks For Intelligent Transportation Systems, Ammar Haydari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Secure vehicular communication is a critical factor for secure traffic management. Perfect security in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) has solid and efficient intrusion detection systems (IDS). In this paper, we consider false data injection attacks and distributed denial-ofservice attacks (DDoS), especially the stealth low-rate DDoS attacks, targeting the integrity and availability, respectively, in vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANET). Novel statistical intrusion detection and mitigation techniques are proposed for the considered attacks. The performance of the proposed methods are evaluated using a traffic simulator and a real traffic dataset. Comparisons with the state-of-the-art solutions clearly demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed …

Neural Network-Based Diagnostic Tool For Detecting Stator Inter-Turn Faults In Line Start Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, Luqman S. Maraaba, Zakariya M. Al-Hamouz, Abdulaziz S. Milhem, M. A. Abido

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Three-phase line-start permanent magnet synchronous motors are considered among the most promising types of motors in industrial applications. However, these motors experience several faults, which may cause significant financial losses. This paper proposed a feed-forward neural network-based diagnostic tool for accurate and fast detection of the location and severity of stator inter-turn faults. The input to the neural network is a group of representative statistical and frequency-based features extracted from the steady-state three-phase stator current signals. The current signals with different numbers of shorted turns and loading conditions are captured using the developed finite element JMAG ™ model for interior …

Novel Coupling Smart Water-Co₂ Flooding For Sandstone Reservoirs; Smart Seawater-Alternating-Co₂ Flooding (Smsw-Agf), Hasan N. Al-Saedi, Ralph E. Flori

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

CO₂ flooding is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective EOR technique that can be used to unlock residual oil from oil reservoirs. Smart water is any water that is engineered by manipulating the ionic composition, regardless of the resulting salinity of the water. One CO₂ flooding mechanism is wettability alteration, which meets with the main smart water flooding function. Injecting CO₂ alone raise an early breakthrough and gravity override problems, which have already been solved using water alternating gas (WAG) using regular water. WAG is an emerging enhanced oil recovery process designed to enhance sweep efficiency during gas …

Effect Of Overburden Height On Hydraulic Fracturing Of Concrete-Lined Pressure Tunnels Excavated In Intact Rock: A Numerical Study, Moses Karakouzian, Mohammad Nazari-Sharabian, Mehrdad Karami

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

: This study investigated the impact of overburden height on the hydraulic fracturing of a concrete-lined pressure tunnel, excavated in intact rock, under steady-state and transient-state conditions. Moreover, the Norwegian design criterion that only suggests increasing the overburden height as a countermeasure against hydraulic fracturing was evaluated. The Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion was implemented to investigate failure in the rock elements adjacent to the lining. A pressure tunnel with an inner diameter of 3.6 m was modeled in Abaqus Finite Element Analysis (FEA), using the finite element method (FEM). It was assumed that transient pressures occur inside the tunnel due to …

Building And Improving A Low Cost Holographic Video Monitor, Parker Awerkamp, Daniel Smalley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Since the development of the television, the world has been seeking to improve the realistic qualities of video. However, the biggest shortcoming of video is yet to be fully resolved: how to recreate a three-dimensional (3-D) image electronically. While some techniques have been developed in an attempt to resolve this problem, they fail to fully represent a 3-D image and often require glasses or other visual aids. Holographic monitors are capable of reproducing fully 3-D images to the naked eye at standard video framerates and are the solution to the demand for advanced 3-D technologies. Working with Dr. Smalley, I …

Ablative Fast Pyrolysis Of Biomass: A New Demonstration Project In California, Usa, Dietrich Meier, Christoph Eusterbrock, Brian Gannon

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

California is the fifth largest economy in the world and has about 40 million inhabitants. The California federal government has decided to stick to the Paris climate change agreement by 2030. For many years, California has been feeling the effects of global warming caused by the largest tree extinction in modern history, a five-year dry spell and resulting bark beetle plague, and severe forest fires coupled with heavy winds, heavy rains, and rising sea levels. California is therefore promoting the use of biogenic fuels in the transport sector. In spring 2017, there was a grant funding opportunity from the California …

Pyrolysis Of Polyethylene-Lined Waste Paper Cups, Franco Berruti, Connie Wen, Lars Rehmann, Cesar Miguel Moreira Valenzuela

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Fractional condensation of biomass pyrolysis vapors allows the segregation of different pyrolysis fractions and a separation of an aqueous pyrolysis condensate from an organic rich dry bio-oil fraction. Aqueous pyrolysis condensate is often referred at as “wood vinegar” or “pyroligneous acid” since it contains 70-80% water together with 10-20% acetic acid, and smaller quantities of acetone and methanol mixed with hundreds of other chemicals in small concentrations. Such aqueous pyrolysis condensate cannot be easily disposed of, and it may represent a valuable resource. For example, the significant percentage of acetic acid offers the opportunity to attempt its conversion into methane …

Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil Production In An Entrained Flow Reactor Pilot, Marine Peyrot, P. Castellia, C. Perret, S. Ravel, G. Vaitilingom, B. Piriou

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Bio-oil produced from biomass fast pyrolysis could constitute an alternative to fossil liquid fuels, especially to be combusted for local district heating. So far, only few studies have dealt with bio-oil production by biomass fast pyrolysis in an entrained flow reactor [1], yet it could constitute an alternative to the better-known fluidised bed pyrolysis process.

In the context of the BOIL project with the CCIAG Company (Grenoble district heating), a new pilot based on an entrained flow reactor concept has been designed [2]. The pilot design has been carried out on the basis of woody biomass fast pyrolysis experiments and …

Parametric Study Of Lab-Scale And Pilot-Scale Biomass Torrefaction For The Production Of Woodstove Briquettes, Anna Trubetskaya, J.J. Leahy, Marzena Kwapinska, Robert Johnson, Rory F.D. Monaghan

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Conversion of torrefied olive residues to high-density briquettes is a potential solution to solid waste problems as well as to the lack of locally available fuel wood in Ireland. In this study, olive stones were torrefied at various temperatures and holding times in a fixed-bed reactor. Effects of process parameters such as heat treatment temperature from 200 to 300℃, residence time from 30 to 60 min, and particle size from 0.18 to 3 mm on the yield and composition of products were investigated and the results were compared with the mass balances from industrial-scale torrefaction plant at the Arigna Fuels …

Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of Organic Waste Streams On A Continuous Pilot Scale Reactor, Patrick Biller, Konstantinos Anastasakis, Aidan Smith, Juliano Souza Dos Passos, Ib Johannsen

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technology for biofuel production and treatment of organic wastes and biomass. Due to the wet nature of the process where biomass is heated in an aqueous slurry at 350°C and 200 bar, wet biomass and wet wastes are particularly suited for the process. The current study investigates the utilization of wastewater treatment sludges and other organic wastes for the production of sustainable petroleum replacement products. The work has been carried out on a pilot scale continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactor with a novel oscillating flow system and heat exchanger. The influence of these are discussed …

Thermolysis Of Plastic Waste: Reactor Comparison, Muhammad Saad Qureshi, Anja Oasmaa, Christian Lindfors

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

Plastic waste offers an attractive business opportunity if treated intelligently. Presently, owing to the lack of economically viable recycling solutions and political interest, this valuable feedstock is bound for an ill-fated destiny i.e. landfills and inefficient incineration. Landfilling plastic waste is rather a storage mechanism than a prevention mechanism. Plastics can stay in ground and in oceans for hundreds of years without decomposing, posing serious environmental hazards. Given the complexity of the plastic waste mixture and heterogeneity of waste streams, a single recycling solution is improbable; however, the current environmental situation demands an urgent need to find ways to tackle …

Method Of Development And Use Of Catalyst-Functionalized Catalytic Particles To Increase The Mass Transfer Rate Of Solvents Used In Acid Gas Cleanup, Leland R. Widger, Cameron A. Lippert, Kunlei Liu

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

The present invention relates to methods for improving carbon capture using entrained catalytic-particles within an amine solvent. The particles are functionalized and appended with a CO₂ hydration catalyst to enhance the kinetics of CO₂ hydration and improve overall mass transfer of CO₂ from an acid gas.

Comparison Among Technical And Milled Wood Lignins Through Principal Component Analysis Of Ftir Spectra, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Erika Bartolomei, Yann Le Brech, Anthony Dufour, Evan Terrell

Pyroliq 2019: Pyrolysis and Liquefaction of Biomass and Wastes

With the growth of biomass processing in biorefineries, there is an increasing need to develop rapid and simple methods for biomass characterization. One important component of biomass that is of signification interest in pyrolysis and liquefaction research is lignin, which is the world’s predominant source of renewable aromatic carbon. Due to its complex, heterogeneous nature and distinct variations among different biomass feedstocks, the characterization of lignins presents a unique challenge. In this study, we will show that clear divisions and comparisons can be made among a variety of lignins based on their FTIR spectra quantitatively assessed through principal component analysis …

Turbine Passage Design Methodology To Minimize Entropy Production-A Two-Step Optimization Strategy, Paht Juangphanich, Cis De Maesschalck, Guillermo Paniagua

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Publications

Rapid aerodynamic design and optimization is essential for the development of future turbomachinery. The objective of this work is to demonstrate a methodology from 1D mean-line-design to a full 3D aerodynamic optimization of the turbine stage using a parameterization strategy that requires few parameters. The methodology is tested by designing a highly loaded and efficient turbine for the Purdue Experimental Turbine Aerothermal Laboratory. This manuscript describes the entire design process including the 2D/3D parameterization strategy in detail. The objective of the design is to maximize the entropy definition of efficiency while simultaneously maximizing the stage loading. Optimal design trends are …

Connecting With Deans And Chairs: Tools And Success Stories, Daniel Christie, Sally Fell, Kari Kozak, Anne E. Rauh

Librarian Publications

No abstract provided.

Failure Modes And Tensile Strength Of Screw Anchors In Non-Cracked Concrete, Alireza Mohyeddin, Emad F. Gad, Jessey Lee

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Screw anchors are widely used in applications such as fastening base plates in steel and metal construction, formwork and bracing, structural steel applications, railings and handrails. At present, researchers and design engineers rely on the Concrete Capacity Design (CCD) method to predict the strength of screw anchors under the tensile loading as the only method available in literature. In CCD method, the underlying assumption is that the concrete cone and combined concrete cone and pull-out failure modes are the main failure mode for anchors, whereas, previous studies have demonstrated that pull-out is also a very common failure mode of screw …

Iron Range Engineering - An Overview Of Design And Open-Ended Problem Solving Activities In An Interdisciplinary, Project-Based Learning Program, Elizabeth Pluskwik

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Project-based learning (PBL) in engineering education is growing at a rapid pace. The Iron Range Engineering (IRE) Program of Minnesota State University Mankato, is an upper division (3rd and 4th year) undergraduate engineering education program based on the Aalborg, Denmark PBL model. Students work in teams to solve industry-sourced projects each semester. The learning of engineering is accomplished in three domains - technical learning of engineering concepts, professionalism, and design, which we call the “three-legged stool” of engineering education. The program promotes entrepreneurial mindset and innovative open-ended problem-solving in context. Fifty students are enrolled in 3rd and 4th-year studies at …