Engineering Commons^™

The Evaluation Of An Activated Sludge Process At Elevated Temperatures, Peter J. Dawson

Masters Theses

"The feasibility of utilizing the thermal energy from an electric power plant to operate an activated sludge process at elevated temperatures (above 40°C) was assessed.

The practicality of using this heat was determined from a heat transfer analysis and the operation of the activated sludge process was evaluated from laboratory studies of a batch process treating domestic and synthetic sewage.

The tank size for a thermophilic activated sludge chamber could be reduced by 40 to 50% as compared to ambient temperatures. For thermophilic processes a temperature of 55°C is recommended because the transition phase between mesophiles and thermophiles is around …

The Effect Of Explosive Charge Length Of Cratering, John M. Mason

Masters Theses

"In an attempt to determine the influence of charge length upon cratering, a series of small scale model blasting experiments were conducted in Plexiglas, Hydrostone, mortar and dolomite, using mild detonating fuse as the explosive charge. Single hole blasts were simulated, with the blasthole being drilled normal to one free face and parallel to a second. The resultant craters were photographed and closely studied. Particular attention was paid to effects of variation of charge length and burden upon cratering.

The investigation showed the importance of radial fracturing and the dominance of gas pressure in explosive crater formation from elongated cylindrical …

Design Of A High Pressure Fluid Intensifier, James Andrew Kwiatkowski

Masters Theses

"In this thesis the design of the major components of a high pressure intensifier is presented. The machine is a high pressure fluid intensifier which can develop an intermittent water jet of .01112 inches in diameter at a pressure of 100,000 psi and a flow rate of .9508 gpm. This machine can be used to study the capabilities of high pressure water jets to cut high compressive strength rocks.

The primary machine elements of the intensifier system are the source, charging system, valve system, nozzle, and the intensifier. The source will be a Kobe Triplex Pump having a variable output …

An Experiment To Determine The Coupled Unidirectional Effect Of Wind And Waves On Surface Drift, Rameshchandra C. Shah

Masters Theses

"An experiment was conducted to study the coupled parallel and unidirectional effect of wind and waves on surface drift velocity of oil lenses and flexible plastic floats. The experiment was also conducted to study the effect of float width, wave length and air turbulence on the drift velocity of the surface floats. Experiments were also conducted to determine the air flow characteristics of the wind tunnel test section.

Experimental results are presented for a free stream wind velocity from zero to 700 cm/sec; the wave steepness ranged from zero to 0. 069, which is near the maximum steepness for stable …

The Static Nonequilibrium Characteristics Of Planar Germanium Probes In A Slightly Ionized Hydrogen Plasma For Low Injections, Alfred Gene Williams

Masters Theses

"The theory for a planar semiconductor probe in a slightly ionized gas with small dc current densities is developed for a germanium probe immersed in a hydrogen plasma. First, the equilibrium characteristics due to the probe in the plasma are developed from Poisson's equation and current density equations. Then, the static nonequilibrium characteristics due to the probe are found by perturbing the equilibrium characteristics and substituting the perturbation terms into Poisson's equation and current density equations. The total current, I, is found to vary linearly with the applied voltages, V, and the ratios I/V are essentially the same for both …

A Study Of The Measurement Of Noise Power, Larry Smith Heflin

Masters Theses

"In order to compute a power signal-to-noise ratio in the numerical simulation of a communication system, it is necessary to measure the power of the noise present. The required integration can be approximated by many numerical techniques. Five numerical integration methods are available in the user-oriented System/360 Continuous System Modeling Program. Measurements of the power of an additive Gaussian noise waveform are performed, and an analysis of the accuracy of the measurement compared to theoretical values is presented"--Abstract, page ii.

Chemical And Ultrasonic Conditioning Of Water Treatment Plant Coagulant Sludges, Stanley Louis Klemetson

Masters Theses

"The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the use of ultrasonic energy, pH adjustment, and addition of polyelectrolytes in dewatering coagulant sludges. Emphasis was placed on the effects of the ultrasonic power output level and period of conditioning, the chemical conditioning of the sludge, and the type and origin of the sludge. Dewatering is thought to be the most practical approach for reducing the volume of coagulant sludges and efforts are being made to improve their dewatering characteristics.

An experimental system consisting of a magnetically stirred sludge reservoir, sonifier and reaction chamber, polymer feeder, and collection cylinder was developed …

Investigation Of An Energy Absorbing Device For Passenger Safety, Prakash Krishnaswamy

Masters Theses

"Energy absorption by driving an oversized plunger through a longitudinally slit shell has been studied. The characteristics obtained by conducting several runs indicate that such a system could be used for energy absorption and for limiting the force required to drive the plunger through the shell. The characteristics can be readily altered by changing the dimensions of the tube. Details of the experimental set-up have been given.

Such an absorber has been adapted for mitigating injury sustained by the occupants in the interior of a colliding vehicle. Full advantage has been taken of the "Ride down" potential available to the …

An Investigation Into The Degree Of Correlation Between Air Flow Rates, Bacteria In The Air And Post-Operative Infections In Hospitals, Carl Eugene Intag

Masters Theses

"Post-operative infections are a recognized problem in the medical and hospital professions. Annual costs and deaths due to infections in the U.S.A. have been estimated at $8-$9 billion and 10,000 lives respectively. The air lS one potential path in transporting contaminants that may cause an infection. Yet, the degree of influence airborne contaminants have in causing infections is a topic of much debate. As a result of the need for more information in this area, this investigation was undertaken to determine the degree of correlation between post-operative infection rates, bacteria in the air, and air flow rates.

Data for the …

Release Of Pollutants From Aquatic Sediments, Lloyd Aldon Hinkle Jr.

Masters Theses

"This study was undertaken to investigate factors governing the release of pollutants from sediments and subsequent effects on water quality. Studies were carried out to: 1) determine the characteristics of selected sediments; 2) determine the level of release of pollutants under batch and fill and draw conditions; 3) determine the effect of temperature and pH on release mechanisms; 4) determine the importance of microbial (uninhibited) release and physio-chemical (inhibited) release processes.

The sediment utilized was from the Missouri River at Jefferson City, Missouri, and the Burgher Branch near Rolla, Missouri. Five environmental conditions to evaluate the effects of pH and …

Treatment Of A Pharmaceutical Waste With The Anaerobic Filter, Norman Dale Dennis Jr.

Masters Theses

"The anaerobic filter is essentially a plug-flow, packed-bed, column type reactor in which the anaerobic bacteria responsible for the waste stabilization are attached to the filter media. This process is a relatively new concept in waste treatment which has been used only in laboratory studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate anaerobic filter performance when used to treat an actual industrial waste under controlled conditions of flow rate, organic strength and temperature.

Four 0.5 cu ft (14.25 l) laboratory filters were operated for 180 days at 35° C using a pharmaceutical waste as the substrate. By varying influent …

An Optical Detector Of Water Droplets Within A Thermal Diffusion Chamber, Duane Burton Bush

Masters Theses

"A technique is investigated for counting water droplets formed in a vertical plate steady flow thermal diffusion chamber designed to count cloud condensation nuclei. The counting technique utilizes light scattering. The light source is a He-Ne laser. The detector is a photomultiplier tube. The technique differs from that used in instruments manufactured by Bausch and Lomb, Royco, Climet, etc., in that the aerosol is not passed through a capillary tube. Instead, the viewed volume is optically defined.

It was found that in the configuration tested, the viewed volume is not well enough defined for use with polydisperse aerosols, although the …

Quantitative Overdesign By Stochastic Simulation, Raymond A. Freeman

Masters Theses

"The determination of overdesign, or safety, factors for industrial processes is an art acquired by the engineer through experience. In general, safety factors are increased as the uncertainty of the process variable increases; a procedure that can be expensive if safety factors are specified too small or too large. A single release of harmful substances from pollution control installations may cause irreparable damage. Likewise, the production of an off specification product by a chemical process costs money and resources. These facilities must often be designed for widely fluctuating flow rates, compositions, temperatures, and etc. Consequently, the selection of the proper …

Disposal Of Cattle Feedlot Wastes By Anaerobic Digestion, Eric Bayard Rapp

Masters Theses

"Disposal of animal waste represents a severe environmental problem, particularly in areas such as cattle feedlots where livestock are concentrated. Animal waste can be converted to carbon dioxide and methane by the autocatalytic process of anaerobic fermentation. A scheme, based upon this process, for the disposal of the waste from two different size feedlots is presented. The design of this process is based on kinetic data from the literature which are fitted to a kinetic model including diffusional resistances. Economic calculations based upon available cost data are made to determine the profitability of the process. Economic evaluations indicate that this …

Precipitation Of Carbon From Martensite In Ductile Iron, Devendra Ratilal Majmundar

Masters Theses

"Since metallographic studies of quenched and tempered cast iron have indicated that the carbon might precipitate directly as graphite rather than as carbides which are found in steels, this investigation used the Debye-Scherrer x-ray diffraction technique to examine electrolytically extracted residues from quenched and tempered ductile cast iron samples to determine if cementite was present. The precipitation of carbon in quenched samples of this ductile cast iron was found to be similar to the precipitation process in steels. Cementite was identified during the early stages of the tempering process when the tempering temperature was 800 degrees F, 900 degrees F, …

Transmission Measurements Through Liquids In A White Cell, David Earl Hurley

Masters Theses

"The suitability of using the White cell for determining the extinction coefficient of liquids was examined by measuring the attenuation of electromagnetic radiation, in the visible part of the spectrum, through distilled water. The analysis of the transmittance measurements through liquids in a White cell does not provide a sufficient number of independent equations to solve directly for the extinction coefficient. Reasonable estimates however can be made by employing a correction which accounts for changes in the mirror reflectance due to a liquid-mirror interface.

The reduction in the transmittance of distilled water due to an oil film was studied for …

Attitude Scaling As A Public Involvement Tool In The Lower Mississippi River Region Comprehensive Study, William A. Lee

Masters Theses

"The planner is under considerable pressure to involve the public in water resource planning. The public, however, often lacks sufficient knowledge to offer useful comments or suggestions. The use of a Likert Type Attitude Scale in the public involvement effort of the Lower Mississippi Region Comprehensive Study demonstrates the usefulness of attitude scaling techniques in obtaining public input to the planning process. The measurement of an individual's attitude, or his thoughts, feelings and disposition to act toward some aspect of his environment with some degree of consistency, gives an indication of the goals and objectives toward which a plan acceptable …

On The Complex Index Of Refraction Of Bulk Materials, Carol Jeanne Warren

Masters Theses

"As a part of the investigation of classical reflectance, it is determined that the hemispherical reflectance for a material with a particular pair of optical constants can be approximated by computing the angular reflectance at sixty degrees, using Fresnel's generalized reflectance formulas.

Reflection methods for the purpose of determining the optical constants of a variety of materials are discussed. The unpolarized reflectance versus angle of incidence technique is used for determination of the optical constants of bulk solids. Restrictions on the simultaneous solution of the Fresnel equations are determined and a computer program is developed to compute values necessary to …

Relative Volatility In The System 1-Butene - N-Butane, Steven Lewis Walker

Masters Theses

"An apparatus suitable for the rapid collection of P-x data at constant T is described. Isothermal P-x data at 40, 70, 100, 130, and 160 degrees Fahrenheit at the extremes of the composition range for the 1-butene - n-butane system are presented as a demonstration of the suitability of the device for its intended purpose. Limiting values of the relative volatility for the binary are presented. The relative volatilities were calculated using limiting forms of the general coexistence equation which are given in the literature. Several recommendations are given for improvements of the equipment and experimental technique"--Abstract, page ii.

The Linear New City -- A Pattern For New Cities Based On Efficiency Of Transportation, Public Services, And Land Use, Elbridge Wesley Bartley Iii

Masters Theses

"The linear new city is defined as a city consisting of some arrangement of relatively narrow, high-density strips, served by various mass transportation systems. Such a new city would be ideally suited to the implementation of the latest technology. The concentration of development along the transportation route would allow certain economies in the supply of utilities and services, as well as insuring that open space would be readily available around and throughout the city. The provisions for transportation, housing, and governmental control should combine to produce a better quality of life for the inhabitants of the linear new city"--Abstract, page …

Managerial Performance Appraisal, Benildus Wai-Young Lau

Masters Theses

"Questionnaire surveys were sent out to two hundred medium-sized companies in industry. The study is an attempt to find the main cause for the unsatisfactory results in most appraisal programs and to make recommendations concerning the implementation of an effective performance appraisal program. Human factors play an utmost important role in the success of the entire appraisal program. An atmosphere of mutual understanding and trust should be established between the well trained supervisor and his subordinate so that the rapport between them can be brought to the highest possible level. Performance appraisal should be considered as an integral part of …

Compacted Cohesive Test Embankment: Design, Installation And Operation Of Field Instrumentation : Interim Report, Wiiliam L. Degroff

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Statewide Survey Of Blowups In Resurfaced Concrete Pavements : Interim Report, Paul Thomas Foxworthy

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Determination Of Consistency Limits Of Soils By Moisture-Tension Method, Ahmed Atef Gadallah

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Variations In Coarse Aggregate Gradation On Properties Of Portland Cement Concrete : Technical Paper, Charles F. Scholer, Stephen Daugherty Baker

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Land Use Development At Interstate Interchanges In Indiana, Lawrence Peter Fabbroni

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Nitrogen Fixation By Woody Plant Species As Measured By Acetylene Reduction Assay : Technical Paper, Robert E. Mcniel, Philip L. Carpenter

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Design And Performance Of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements : Technical Paper, Eldon J. Yoder, Asif Faiz

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Mechanical Behavior And Reinforcement Of Mineral Filler-Asphalt Mixtures : Technical Paper, David Albert Anderson, William Harner Goetz

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Kinetics Of Calcite Dissolution, Larry Chester Muszynski

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.