Engineering Commons^™

Development Strategies For A Fractured, Heavy Oil Reservoir - Results From Numerical Simulations, German Albertovich Abzaletdinov

LSU Master's Theses

This research is focused on studying reservoir “N” in the Yarega heavy oilfield (YHOF) for development strategies and production optimization. YHOF is a naturally fractured heavy oil field where only very recently SAGD technology has been introduced. The motivation for this research is derived from the fact that SAGD employed in this field has so far resulted in early steam breakthrough leading to producer abandonment and new drilling, thus increasing costs. This study explores numerically different static and dynamic reservoir characterization models (single porosity versus dual porosity systems), and subsequent pressure-production history matched reservoir simulation for understanding heat and mass …

A Psychopathological Approach To Safety Engineering In Ai And Agi, Vahid Behzadan, Arslan Munir, Roman V. Yampolskiy

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The complexity of dynamics in AI techniques is already approaching that of complex adaptive systems, thus curtailing the feasibility of formal controllability and reachability analysis in the context of AI safety. It follows that the envisioned instances of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will also suffer from challenges of complexity. To tackle such issues, we propose the modeling of deleterious behaviors in AI and AGI as psychological disorders, thereby enabling the employment of psychopathological approaches to analysis and control of misbehaviors. Accordingly, we present a discussion on the feasibility of the psychopathological approaches to AI safety, and propose general directions for …

From E-911 To Ng-911: Overview And Challenges In Ecuador, Danilo Corral-De-Witt, Enrique V. Carrera, Jose A. Matamoros-Vargas, Sergio Munoz-Romero, Jose Luis Rojo-Alvarez, Kemal Tepe

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

For years, emergency attendance institutions in Ecuador worked separately and not all of them had a 24/7 service, resulting in duplicated efforts, a waste of the scarce resources, and an absence of generalized technology. In 2012, Ecuador created an Integrated Security Service, called ECU 911, to address the need of an emergency service articulating all the first response institutions. The ECU 911 relies on the Enhanced 911 technology, having a countrywide presence. Since then, Ecuador has implemented 16 public-safety answering points and 11 decentralized operative rooms, covering all Ecuadorian territory and serving to a population of about 17 million people. …

Quantitative Jeopardy Feud, Jonathan M. Gallimore

MSF 600 PR - Gallimore - Fall 2018

This activity - Quantitative Jeopardy Feud - is a method for using a game as a final exam.

Combined Effect Of Oxidative Treatment And Residual Alcohol On The Mechanics Of A Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Laden Interface, William Ivancic, Christopher L. Wirth

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Single and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT & MWCNT) have been investigated over the past three decades because of their excellent properties, including their mechanical strength and large electrical and thermal conductivities. Incorporating CNTs into consumer and industrial products is challenging because of strong attractive interactions, heterogeneity, and lack of separation techniques for these nanomaterials. Further challenges include those associated with CNT interaction and adsorption to interfaces. In the present work, the properties of an air/water interface laden with industrial grade MWCNTs with systematically varied oxidative treatment in nitric acid were measured. The duration of treatment was varied and the surface …

Electrical & Computer Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

Electrical & Computer Engineering: News & Publications (2014-2023)

• NSF Funded Research: “Fully Integrated Power and Energy Systems with Multi- Infeed AC/DC Architecture”, By Dr. Masoud Davari

Electrical Characteristics Of Polypropylene Mixed With Natural Nanoclay, Huseyin R. Hiziroglu, Iosif E. Shkolnik

Electrical & Computer Engineering Publications

Polypropylene has been used in radio-frequency capacitors and has also started to be employed in cables as insulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the electrical properties of polypropylene filled with natural clay as a nano-material. Polypropylene samples having 0%, 2% and 6% natural clay by weight were exposed to 60-Hz sinusoidal voltages at two different rates of rise. The breakdown voltage of each sample was recorded at these different ramp rates. Also, the Root-mean-squared (rms) current was measured as the voltage was increased across the test samples. The important findings of this study were (a) the breakdown …

College Of Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

College of Engineering & Computing: News & Publications (2010-2023)

• Masoud Davari receives $300K grant from NSF

Automating Variation And Repeater Analysis In Physical Design Of Integrated Circuits, Subrat Mahalik

Dissertations and Theses

Rapid advancement and innovation in semiconductor research have continuously helped in designing efficient and complex integrated circuits in miniature size. As the device technology, is aggressively scaling to improve the device performance, the issues related to device interconnects, power, and reliability have become a major concern for the designers. These challenges make the design and validation of ASIC extremely complicated.

The primary idea of this work is to develop automation tools, to be used in the physical design flows to improve the efficiency of the design flow. The first tool named as variation analysis tool automates the on-chip variation modeling …

Chaos Firefly Algorithm With Self-Adaptation Mutation Mechanism For Solving Large-Scale Economic Dispatch With Valve-Point Effects And Multiple Fuel Options, Yude Yang, Bori Wei, Hui Liu, Yiyi Zhang, Junhui Zhao, Emad Manla

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper presents a new metaheuristic optimization algorithm, the firefly algorithm (FA), and an enhanced version of it, called chaos mutation FA (CMFA), for solving power economic dispatch problems while considering various power constraints, such as valve-point effects, ramp rate limits, prohibited operating zones, and multiple generator fuel options. The algorithm is enhanced by adding a new mutation strategy using self-adaptation parameter selection while replacing the parameters with fixed values. The proposed algorithm is also enhanced by a self-adaptation mechanism that avoids challenges associated with tuning the algorithm parameters directed against characteristics of the optimization problem to be solved. The …

The Effect Of Rest Period On Fatigue Using Electromyography During Manual Lifting, Nandakumar Prabhakar

LSU Master's Theses

Manual materials handing (MMH) is the main cause and concern for injuries in the working population which lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs significantly contribute to the cost of workers’ compensation and loss of productivity, thus impacting economy of the United States. MSDs are mainly caused due to over exertion and fatigue experienced by workers involved in manual materials handling. In addition to over-exertion and fatigue, lack of short and frequent rest intervals between tasks contributes to the risk of MSDs. The objective of this research was to study the effect of rest period on muscle fatigue using electromyography (EMG) …

Obtaining Chemical Selectivity From A Single, Nonselective Sensing Film: Two-Stage Adaptive Estimation Scheme With Multiparameter Measurement To Quantify Mixture Components And Interferents, Karthick Sothivelr, Florian Bender, Fabien Josse, Edwin E. Yaz, Antonio J. Ricco

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A new approach is reported to detect and quantify the members of a group of small-aromatic-molecule target analytes: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), dissolved in water, in the presence of interferents, using only the data collected from a single polymer-coated SH-SAW (shear horizontal surface acoustic wave) device and a two-stage adaptive estimation scheme. This technique is composed of exponentially weighted recursive least-squares estimation (EW-RLSE) and a bank of Kalman filters (BKFs) and does not require any prior knowledge of the initial concentration range of the target analytes. The proposed approach utilizes the transient sensor response to sorption and/or desorption …

Coupled State-Dependent Riccati Equation Control For Continuous Time Nonlinear Mechatronics Systems, Xin Wang, Edwin E. Yaz, Susan C. Schneider

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This manuscript considers the coupled state-dependent Riccati equation approach for systematically designing nonlinear quadratic regulator and H _∞ control of mechatronics systems. The state-dependent feedback control solutions can be obtained by solving a pair of coupled state-dependent Riccati equations, guaranteeing nonlinear quadratic optimality with inherent stability property in combination with robust ℓ ₂ type of disturbance reduction. The derivation of this control strategy is based on Nash's game theory. Both of finite and infinite horizon control problems are discussed. An underactuated robotic system, Furuta rotary pendulum, is used to examine the effectiveness and robustness of this novel nonlinear control approach.

Stator Resistance Estimation Using Adaptive Estimation Via A Bank Of Kalman Filters, Alia R. Strandt, Andrew Strandt, Susan C. Schneider, Edwin E. Yaz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Accurate and efficient control of electric motors is dependent on knowledge of motor parameters such as the resistance and the inductance of the winding. However, these parameters are often unavailable to the control designer because they are dependent on the motor design and may change due to environmental effects such as temperature. An accurate real-time method to determine the values of these unknown parameters can improve motor performance over the entire operating range. In this work, a parameter estimation technique based on a bank of Kalman filters is used to adaptively estimate the motor winding resistance. Simulation results for a …

Dissipative Resilient Observer, M. Sami Fadali, Edwin E. Yaz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Cybersecurity is a major concern for designers of control systems that can be directed against any of their components. Observers are an integral part of control systems that require state feedback. This paper considers an observer subject to errors in implementation or subject to cyberattacks. The errors and cyberattacks result in perturbations in the gain and in a finite-energy but unknown disturbance input. We obtain conditions for Q-S-R dissipativity and stability of the observer in the presence of the gain errors and disturbances in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Three examples are presented to show how the LMIs …

Aviation Cybersecurity: An Overview, Gary C. Kessler, J. Philip Craiger

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Information security—aka cybersecurity—is the most rapidly growing threat to critical infrastructures, including the aviation industry. Due to the plethora of digital devices, ubiquity of the Internet and other networks, and the rapid growth in the adoption of technology, everyone is an information system security manager. Every professional in the aviation and aeronautics industry use computers, mobile devices, tablets, GPS devices, and/or other hardware on a daily basis, as well as go online for a variety of reasons.

Attacks on information have been ongoing since the inception of the industry a hundred years ago, in such forms as intellectual property theft …

A Study Of Human-Machine Interface (Hmi) Learnability For Unmanned Aircraft Systems Command And Control, Tom Haritos Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The operation of sophisticated unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) involves complex interactions between human and machine. Unlike other areas of aviation where technological advancement has flourished to accommodate the modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS), the scientific paradigm of UAS user interface design has received little research attention. This study examined system learnability of an industry standard UAS HMI as minimal usability data exists to support the state-of-the art for innovative command and control user interface designs. Data collected pertained to the three classes of objective usability measures as prescribed by the ISO 9241-11. The three classes included: (1) effectiveness, …

An Alternative Method Of Identification Of A Failed Engine In Twin-Engine Propeller Aircraft, Andrey Babin, Andrew R. Dattel Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Previous research revealed that wrong identification of a failed engine during flight is not an uncommon event in twin-engine propeller aircraft. Most accidents of this type have happened on takeoff when pilot workload was at its highest level. This study was based on the assumption that the “dead leg – dead engine” method was not efficient enough. An alternative method of identification of a failed engine, which involved a visual indicator inside a cockpit, was introduced and tested. Method: Student pilots from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who had not obtained multi-engine (MEL) rating were sampled and assigned to two groups – …

Gender Difference In Situation Awareness When Receiving Wayfinding Direction By Landmarks And Headings, Ziyi Dong

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This paper explores how gender differences affect wayfinding strategies and how gender differences and wayfinding preferences can explain variances with situation awareness (SA) in dynamic environments. Four hypotheses were tested: H1: women navigate better from landmarks cues. H2: men navigate better from cardinal directions (i.e., south and northeast). H3: women have better SA than men when given landmarks directions. H4: men show better SA when given cardinal directions. In this study, 38 participants drove a driving simulator twice — once with landmarks and once with headings instructions. These two types of instructions were presented in a random counterbalanced order. Participants …

A Method Of Identification Of A Failed Engine In Twin-Engine Turboprop Aircraft: A Survey, Andrey Babin, Andrew R. Dattel Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Previous research identified that wrong identification of a failed engine during a flight is not an uncommon event in an aircraft cockpit. A number of fatal accidents in the past, including the recent TransAsia Flight 235 accident, resulted from failed engine mis-identification. Most accidents of this type happened on takeoff when pilot workload was at its highest level. A short survey was created and distributed among airline pilots who operate twin-engine turboprop aircraft to gather their opinions regarding the issue. Forty-nine pilots responded to the survey. The average flight experience was more than 6,000 flight hours and almost nine years. …

Electropolishing Valve Metals With A Sulfuric Acid-Methanol Electrolyte At Low Temperature, Pete Barnes, Andreas Savva, Kiev Dixon, Hailey Bull, Laura Rill, Devan Karsann, Sterling Croft, Jesse Schimpf, Hui Xiong

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study reports the electropolishing Ti and Nb metals using a fluoride-free electrolyte of sulfuric acid and methanol at low temperature (-70°C) without prior treatment. A fluoride-free electrolyte provides a less hazardous and more environmentally friendly option for electropolishing procedure. Experimental studies are presented on electropolishing with sulfuric acid electrolyte, which provides high quality macro- and micro-smoothing of the metal surfaces. Optimal conditions yielded leveling and brightening of the surface of Ti and Nb metals beyond that of the currently utilized electropolishing procedures with fluoride-containing electrolytes. The root mean squared roughness (R_q) from atomic force microscopy (AFM) …

The Influence Of Build Parameters On The Compressive Properties Of Selective Laser Melted 304l Stainless Steel, Okanmisope Fashanu, Mario F. Buchely, R. Hussein, S. Anandan, Myranda Spratt, Joseph William Newkirk, K. Chandrashekhara, H. Misak, M. A. Walker

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Process parameters used during Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process have significant effects on the mechanical properties of the manufactured parts. In this study, the influence of two build parameters (build orientation and hatch angle) on the compressive properties of 304L stainless steel was evaluated. SLM 304L samples were manufactured using three hatch angles, 0°, 67°,105° and two orientations, z-direction and x-direction, and tested using a compression frame according to ASTM E9-09. Bulk density was measured according to ASTM C373-17 before compression. Properties evaluated were the bulk density, yield strength, strength at 15% plastic-strain and strength at 30% plastic-strain. Results showed …

A Framework For Integrated Ship Structure Lifecycle Management, Kai Li, Zheng-Yao Yi, Yan-Yun Yu, Ming Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

As the concept of ship structure lifecycle management has emerged, lots of endeavors have been made to apply computeraided (CAX) technologies to various business activities in the whole lifecycle of ship structure. However, information integration or data exchange were barely considered in most of CAX systems development. Hence the systems produce masses of data in their own formats, generate many information islands, and reduce the overall efficiency. It often needs much work of data preparation when downstream systems start working. Information integration can reduce data redundancy, form unified data platform and provide data resource for marine structure lifecycle management. This …

Synthesis Of Crumpled Graphene And Titanium Dioxide Based–Nanomaterials And The Application To Carbon Dioxide Photoreduction, Yao Nie

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

With the rapid development of the economy, increasing combustion of fossils fuels has caused an increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level, and has led to global climate change. As a mitigation approach, CO2 capture and conversion (CCC) can not only capture CO2, but also convert it to useable products, such as hydrocarbon fuels. Photocatalytic reduction is an attractive CCC option that directly harnesses inexpensive and abundant solar energy. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used semiconductor for photocatalysis, and graphene nanosheets are a promising material for use in fabricating graphene-TiO2 hybridized photocatalysts. To realize the application of these …

Development And Application Of Rotation And Curvature Correction To Wray-Agarwal Turbulence Model, Xiao Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly playing a significant role in the analysis and design of aircrafts, turbomachines, automobiles, and in many other industrial applications. In majority of the applications, the fluid flow is generally turbulent. The accurate prediction of turbulent flows to date remains a challenging problem in CFD. In almost all industrial applications, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations in conjunction with a turbulence model are employed for simulation and prediction of turbulent flows. Currently the one-equation (namely the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) and Wray-Agarwal (WA) and two-equation (namely the k-ε and Shear Stress Transport k-ω) turbulence models remain the most widely …

Mathematical Models Of Innate Immune Cell Signaling Networks Using Protein Phosphorylation Patterns, Allison Anne Throm

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Immune dysregulation has been implicated in pediatric autoimmune disease

pathogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms still remain poorly understood. We explored

immune cell signaling dysregulation in two different pediatric autoimmune diseases:

polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a disease characterized by pain, swelling, and

limited range of motion in five or more joints and juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a disease

characterized by pathognomonic skin rashes and proximal muscle weakness. Both polyarticular

JIA and JDM can be controlled with newer biologic medications, but a substantial fraction of

patients still experiences refractory disease courses. To explore potential immune cell signaling

dysregulation, mass cytometry was performed …

Exploring Fatty Acid Metabolism For The Biosynthesis Of Non-Natural Chemicals, Wen Jiang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The global energy crisis and increasing environmental concerns have spurred the sustainable production of biofuels and other fossil-fuel-derived chemicals. One approach is to engineer microbial metabolic pathways to convert renewable feedstocks (e.g. lignocellulosic biomass) to compounds that have structures similar to those of petroleum-derived fuels and chemicals. The microbial fatty acid (FA) biosynthetic pathway is attractive because FAs are common precursors that can be converted to several types of chemicals, including alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, and esters. These chemicals have numerous applications as fuels, fragrances, emollients, plasticizers, thickeners, and detergents. Most work has used Escherichia coli as the microbial host due …

Development And Evaluation Of Biocompatible Engineered Nanoparticles For Use In Ophthalmology, Bedia Begum Karakocak

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The synthesis and design of biocompatible nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and bioimaging requires knowledge of both their potential toxicity and their transport. For both practical and ethical reasons, evaluating exposure via cell studies is a logical precursor to in vivo tests. As a step towards clinical trials, this work extensively investigated the toxicity of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and carbon dot (CD) nanoparticles as a prelude to their in vivo application, focusing specifically on ocular cells. As a further step, it also evaluated their whole-body transport in mice. The research pursued two approaches in assessing the toxicity of engineered …

Finding Balance In Generative Product Design, Alex Lobos

Presentations and other scholarship

Generative design develops complex forms and structures similar to those found in nature, taking advantage of automated tasks and high-scale computing power. This approach benefits designers in the creation systems that are efficient, resilient and visually engaging. These systems follow specific rules for form generation and meet clear design goals in terms of shape, strength, mass, and other physical attributes.

There is a large number of methods for creating generative systems, based on establishing desired outcomes and behaviors for how components relate to each other. Examples of methods include L-Systems, Shape Grammars, Swarm Intelligence, Form Optimization, Lattice Design, and many …

Underwater Image De-Scattering And Enhancing Using Dehazenet And Hwd, Pan-Wang Pan, Fei Yuan, En Cheng

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

De-scattering and edge enhancing are critical procedures for underwater images which suffer from serious contrast attenuation, color deviation, and edge blurring. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to enhance underwater images. Firstly, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is trained end-to-end to estimate the transmission map. Simultaneously, the adaptive bilateral filter is used to refine the transmission map. Secondly, a strategy based on the white balance is proposed to remove the color deviation. Laplace pyramid fusion is utilized to obtain the fusion result of the haze-free and color-corrected image. Finally, the output image is transformed into the Hybrid Wavelets …