Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Investigations Of Carbon Dioxide Storage In Low-Temperature Reservoirs For Non-Leaking Storage, Md Nahin Mahmood

Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection into subsea or low-temperature water zones has emerged as a promising strategy for long-term, non-leaking CO₂ storage through the formation of solid hydrates. This research investigates CO₂ injection into Berea sandstone cores saturated with water under simulated subsea conditions, focusing on hydrate formation behavior across varying temperatures, pressures, and injection flow rates. Experimental results demonstrate that CO₂ hydrate formation under dynamic (flowing) conditions occurs at significantly higher pressure compared to static conditions reported previously. At temperatures ranging from 0 °C to 5 °C, dynamic hydrate formation pressures were observed to be approximately double. This can be …

Investigation Of Electrochemical Corrosion Fatigue Mitigation Strategies For Mild Carbon Steel, Joel Andrew Hudson

Doctoral Dissertations

Corrosion fatigue remains a critical durability challenge for steels used in boiler tubes and other safety-critical components, where the interaction of cyclic stresses and corrosive environments accelerates material degradation. This dissertation comprises three experimental studies aimed at advancing mitigation strategies and test methodologies: (1) enhancing corrosion resistance through electrodeposited Fe-Ni anodic coatings, (2) inducing synthetic crack closure to suppress fatigue crack growth, and (3) developing an accessible, low-cost, automated testing system to investigate environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) under controlled laboratory conditions. The first study examined the corrosion behavior of Fe and Fe-Ni electrodeposits synthesized from sulfate-based baths and applied to …

Solid-State Crystallization Of Zeolites And Their Use In Plastic Upcycling Applications, Yixin Liao

Doctoral Dissertations

Plastics have been an irreplaceable component of modern technology as well as everyday life. They have brought much convenience to us with their characteristics of great malleability, durability, and stability. The versatile and low-cost nature of plastics also enables their wide engagement in many modern industries including automobile, medical, communication as well as aerospace. Polyethylene (“PE”), made from polymerization of ethylene, is one of the most widely used plastics in the world. Being cheap, flexible, and long-lasting, they are extensively used in the packaging industry, especially for plastic bags and other sorts of containers. However, the durability of plastics, on …

Novel Nano-Formulations Based On Flash Nanoprecipitation For Ocular Drug Delivery, Lin Qi

Doctoral Dissertations

Effective ocular drug delivery has always been a challenge for clinical and research. Although many nanotechnology-based formulations have been developed and showed great potential in ocular drug delivery, this is far from enough to meet clinical requirements. These studies aimed at the design and synthesis of novel nanoparticles using multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM) to improve ocular drug delivery efficiency. The first project involves packaging two different anti-glaucoma drugs, brimonidine (BM) and betaxolol (BX), into solid drug nanoparticles (SDNs) by MIVM, which can achieve both functions, reducing aqueous humor production and promoting aqueous humor efflux. The studies demonstrate that the SDNs …

Synthesis Of Graphene Using Carbonaceous Materials In An Ultrasonic Reactor, Paul Chukwuma Ani

Doctoral Dissertations

The synthesis of high-quality graphene from sustainable carbonaceous feedstocks offers an avenue to reduce the environmental and economic costs associated with conventional graphite-based production. This research investigates the co-utilization of biochar and graphite as precursors for graphene fabrication in an ultrasonic reactor. Biochar was produced from biomass via downdraft gasification at 850 °C, yielding a high fixed-carbon, partially graphitized material with favorable surface area and porosity. Graphite, selected for its crystalline structure, was investigated with biochar to assess the influence of precursor composition on exfoliation efficiency, layer thickness distribution, and defect density. Ultrasonic-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation was employed, with process parameters …

Transport And Plugging Behavior Of Co2-Resistant Preformed Particle Gels In High Conductive Channels For Conformance Control, Adel Alotibi

Doctoral Dissertations

"Improving oil recovery is essential with rising global oil demand and declining production in mature fields. CO₂ flooding has been widely applied as a major Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) method due to its effectiveness in boosting oil recovery while enabling safe carbon storage in the subsurface. However, in fractured and highly heterogeneous reservoirs, CO₂ often flows through paths of least resistance, leading to early breakthrough or quick excessive CO₂ production and leaving substantial oil in unswept zones or areas. Traditional in-situ polymer gels have been applied to control CO₂ flooding conformance, their performance has been varied, …

On The Importance Of Novel Adsorption Processes And Structured Adsorbents For Biogas Upgrading And Storage, Kyle Newport

Doctoral Dissertations

The current adsorption processes investigated for biogas upgrading encounter severe challenges with regards to both adsorbents and processes, which necessitate the design and development of novel approaches to effectively separate carbon dioxide from methane and, hence, produce pipeline-grade renewable natural gas (RNG) as a fuel. These key challenges include (i) moderate CO2/CH4 selectivity, (ii) relatively long cycle times, (iii) high regeneration energy requirements, (iv) high-pressure drop, and (v) short adsorbent lifetime. The current biogas upgrading processes typically rely on pressure swing adsorption (PSA) or temperature swing adsorption (TSA). While PSA cycles are fast, the system requires large amounts of energy …

Thermal Hydraulics Investigation Of A Horizontal Dual Channel Setup Representing Micro Nuclear Reactors Using Integrated Advanced Measurement Techniques, Zeyad Zeitoun

Doctoral Dissertations

The urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has spotlighted nuclear energy as a carbon-free solution. Despite its promise, nuclear safety concerns, highlighted by the 2011 Fukushima disaster, necessitate advancements in reactor technology. The United States has prioritized the development of safer, prismatic micronuclear reactors for the coming decade, focusing on the safe operation of these facilities. These reactors' design addresses potential hazards, particularly in loss of flow accident scenarios, making the understanding of natural circulation gas flow dynamics critical. Experiments on a horizontal dual-channel plenum-to-plenum facility (P2PF) were conducted to closely mimic the conditions within prismatic micronuclear reactors. This study …

Investigation Of The Transport And Plugging Behavior Of Preformed Particle Gels (Ppgs) In Fractures For Conformance Control In Carbonate Reservoirs, Abdulaziz A. Almakimi

Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims to systematically evaluate the performance of preformed particle gels (PPGs) in fractured carbonates mainly through a series of core flooding experiments. Carbonate reservoirs exhibit unique features of heterogeneity and pore geometry, while (PPGs) are known for their plugging efficiency, deformability, and dehydratable nature. The main goal of gel injection in fractured reservoirs is to place a gel pack appropriately into the fracture, diverting injected fluid to the oil-bearing matrix and reducing excessive water production. However, considerable dehydration of (PPGs) is possible at the adjacent matrix and within the fracture, which could lead to a filter-cake formation and/or …

Design And Development Of Biocompatible Mofs And Silica-Based Nanocarriers With Controlled Pharmacokinetics For Drug Delivery Applications, Neila Pederneira

Doctoral Dissertations

"In the past decade, a big interest has drawn into nanoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and silica-based materials as nanocarriers for drug delivery applications, owing to their exceptionally high surface area and highly structured porous network. The overall goal of this research was to optimize the pharmacokinetic behavior of several highly porous biocompatible drug carriers that have the potential to carry Ibuprofen, 5-Fluorouracil, and Curcumin to the desired tissue without creating a burst effect and minimizing the amount of dosage and size that conventional capsules require. The specific objectives of this study are to (i) assess the effect of drug solubility …

Lithospheric Drip And Mantle Thermal Upwelling Beneath Central Asia And The Southern Great Plains Of North America: Evidence From Receiver Function Imaging, Yangyang Liao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Investigating the depth of mantle transition zone (MTZ) discontinuities provides insights into mantle dynamics, including regional-scale downwelling of mantle lithosphere (i.e., lithospheric drip) and upwelling of thermal materials (i.e., mantle plume). In our study, we employ receiver functions to image the 410 km (d410) and 660 km (d660) mantle discontinuities and to ascertain thickness of the MTZ beneath Central Asia and the Great Plains in United States. The findings unveil a significantly thickened transition zone, exhibiting an average thickness of 284 km beneath East Sayan. When considered alongside geochemical observations, our results indicate that the descent of the lithosphere is …

High Viscosity Friction Reducer Evaluation At High Temperature And High Tds Environments, Ghith Ali Ahmed Biheri

Doctoral Dissertations

"In unconventional reservoirs, proppant transport during hydraulic fracturing treatments could be successful when the proppant is placed further within the reservoir's fracture networks. This could increase the reservoir formation conductivities and improve the productivity of the wells. This job of improving the reservoir conductivity by distributing and transporting proppant can be conducted by reliable fracture fluids with excellent fluid rheology (e.g., viscosity and elasticity). However, several challenges, including the high temperatures and the presence of high TDS in produced water, may limit the capability of fracture fluids to transport proppant. Additionally, the use of fracture fluid has raised fears regarding …

Sustainable Cementitious Materials For Building And Sorption Applications, Sukanta Kumar Mondal

Doctoral Dissertations

"Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the most widely used cement material, but it contributes over 8% of the global CO₂ emission and the process is energy intensive. Moreover, OPC faces durability challenges, particularly in aggressive environments. Hence, there is rapidly increasing interest in sustainable alternative cements with lower carbon footprint, lower energy consumption, and those that offer superior properties that are beneficial for specific applications. Two sustainable cementitious materials that are frequently researched as an alternative to OPC are calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement and alkali-activated materials (AAMs). CSA cement lowers CO₂ emission by over 40% compared to OPC, …

Novel Supercritical Biodiesel Plant Design & Process Scale-Up, Ghana Shyam Paudel

Doctoral Dissertations

"Current energy prices, national energy security, and global climate change fuel our momentum to find efficient advanced fuels choices. In this study, biodiesel processing, and a novel design for next generation biodiesel plants are explored. During a National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps project we identified three creative and profitable improvements to the process: 1. Incorporating Energy intensive separations and reactions 2. Utilizing Low commodity glycerol and 3. Applying process intensification principles.

Current biodiesel processes are catalyzed processes using continuous stir reactors with distillation systems to separate material constituents. We tested a lab-scale nocatalyst supercritical biodiesel process using waste cooking oil …

Investigation Of Asphaltene Instability Under Gas Injection In Unconventional Reservoirs And Its Impact On Oil Recovery Performance, Mukhtar Elturki

Doctoral Dissertations

"Unconventional reservoirs, such as shale gas and tight oil formations, have become an important source of energy in recent years. However, these reservoirs often contain high levels of asphaltenes, which can lead to deposition and blockages in production wells and reduce the flow of hydrocarbons during gas enhanced oil recovery (GEOR) techniques. This study aims to experimentally evaluate the impact of miscible and immiscible carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen (N₂) on asphaltene deposition and its impact on oil recovery performance in unconventional shale reservoirs.

This research began with a comprehensive literature review and data analysis of GEOR methods in unconventional …

The Comprehensive Study Of High Viscosity Friction Reducers In High-Tds And High-Temperature Environments, Xiaojing Ge

Doctoral Dissertations

"High viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) have been recently gaining more attention and increasing in use, not only as friction-reducing agents but also as proppant carriers. Reusing of produced water has also been driven by both environmental and economic benefits. Currently, most friction reducers on the market are anionic friction reducers, which are fully compatible with most produced water with low to medium level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) but show a significant drop at high TDS conditions in term of their friction reduction performance in most cases. On the contrary, cationic friction reducers are believed to have better TDS tolerance …

Exploring Seismic Anisotropy In The Crust And Mantle Of The Tibetan Plateau And Analyzing Seismic Velocity Variations In Yellowstone, Cong Shen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Seismology is a scientific discipline that utilizes seismic waves to investigate the deep structures within the Earth's interior, which are otherwise inaccessible to direct observation by humans. These seismic waves can be categorized into two types: body waves and surface waves, each with distinct propagation modes and behaviors, carrying valuable information about their travel paths. The first paper concentrates on the analysis and inversion of body waves produced by large seismic events. It employs shear wave splitting and receiver function methods to explore the geodynamic structure of the south-central Tibetan Plateau, near the plate boundary. The investigation covers the depth …

Investigation Wettability Contact Angle Using 2d Imaging Technology, Saleh Alsayegh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Investigation wetting preference of tight carbonate reservoir rocks and several other unconventional reservoir rocks, and their relation to oil production, is becoming noticeably important for field development in Kuwait, as in many future unconventional tight carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East. The overall objective of this investigating and modeling study is to discover many fundamental relationships from totality wettability preference as a tool for reservoir recovery predictions and management. The investigation includes advancing position of water wet preference into smaller capillaries of the matrix voids and incrementally more oil-wet into larger capillaries of natural fractures (NF). Also, investigating water/ oil …

Investigating The Potential Of Blended Feedstocks For Biofuel Production Via Pyrolysis Process: Experimental And Aspen Simulation Approach, Hasan Jawad Hammood Al-Abedi

Doctoral Dissertations

"The development of renewable energy sources has become increasingly urgent considering the climate crisis and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Pyrolysis, which is decomposition of an organic feedstock without oxygen, is a thermo-chemical process that has garnered significant attention as a promising technology for sustainable energy production, capable of converting biomass and waste materials into biofuels.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis behaviors of corn stover (CS), refuse-derived fuel (RDF), and oil shale (OS) in equal mass ratios. Utilizing a thermogravimetric analyzer and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the co-pyrolysis process is …

Improving Syngas Quality In A Downdraft Biomass Gasifier With Blended Feedstocks, Rania Almusafir

Doctoral Dissertations

"Biomass gasification is the greatest potential renewable energy source and will play an important role in the energy mix of the future. To achieve a high quality of produced synthesis gas (syngas) in the gasification system, the syngas cleaning and cooling processes pose challenges. The main objectives of the present work are advancing the knowledge of the gasification process and producing syngas in the studied pilot-scale downdraft biomass gasifier.

A Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been developed and utilized to experimentally investigate the impact of biomass feedstock diversity on the performance of the gasification process of hardwood (HW), softwood (SW) pellets, …

Paleoecological And Paleoclimatic Reconstructions Based On Holocene Sediment Cores, Lake Izabal, Eastern Guatemala, Erdoo Mongol

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Maya Region in Central America is characterized by pronounced discrepancies in precipitation, resulting in high precipitation gradients that support large-scale differences in vegetation across the region. Several lake deposits and other paleoclimate archives in the region have been studied to reconstruct past climates and palaeoecological conditions. However, actual data from proxy records have not been qualitatively and quantitatively utilized to interpret the behavior of the vegetation in moister areas within the Maya Region, such as the Lake Izabal Basin (LIB). The palynomorphs from two sediment cores in the LIB provided a good opportunity to infer the patterns of past …

Topography Of The 410 And 660 Km Discontinuities Beneath The Tibetan Plateau And Adjacent Areas, Zexin Miao

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Tibetan Plateau represents the ongoing geotectonic aftermath of a continental collision initiated approximately 65 million years ago. Despite numerous seismological studies, controversies remain regarding the structure, evolution, and dynamics of the crust and mantle beneath Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we used teleseismic broadband data to investigate the topography of the mantle transition zone (MTZ) discontinuities. A total of ~655,000 receiver functions from 735 stations was utilized to image the 410 and 660 km discontinuities bordering the MTZ. Combining the observed and velocity corrected results, several areas in the central Tibet exhibit a typical d410 and an anomalously deep …

Investigation Of Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gels For Natural Gas Conformance Control, Ali Abdulmohsen Al Brahim

Doctoral Dissertations

"Recross linkable Preformed Particle Gel (RPPG) is a novel type of preformed particle gel in which particles can bond together to form a strong bulk gel system after being placed in the target formation. In this research, I systematically evaluated the feasibility of using this product to improve gas flooding conformance for mature reservoirs with conduits or fractures. Two RPPG systems were used for the experiment: a CO₂- resistant RPPG (CR-RPPG) synthesized using acrylamide (AM) and 2-acrylamide-2- methylpropane sulfonate acid (AMPS), designed for CO2 flooding; and an acrylamide-co-acrylic acid-based RPPG (LT-RPPG), designed for water flooding. Different experimental apparatuses …

Co2-Assisted Ethylene Production And Subsequent Purification: A Materials Development, Kinetic Assessment, And Process Performance Investigation, Khaled Baamran

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research focuses on the In-Situ CO₂ capture and utilization in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODHE) for ethylene production, and a subsequent ethylene purification through adsorptive separation process. In particular, several dual-function materials (DFMs) were developed, formulated into 3D-structure, and investigated for ODHE reaction to ethylene under various process conditions using CO₂ as a mild oxidant. The DFMs materials were consisted of CaO and metal oxides (e.g., Cr₂O₃ and V₂O₅) supporting H-ZSM-5. The results indicated that higher cell densities lead to better performance due to kinetic enhancement, and the optimum …

Data Analytics Of Wettability Alteration With Surfactants In Carbonate Reservoirs, Ya Yao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Wettability alteration with surfactants has been widely applied to improve oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs. An effective surfactant huff-puff application design requires comprehensive guidelines about where, how, and when this method could be applied. Besides, traditional methods to design an effective application and optimize surfactant performance are dependent on extensive experiments and are time-consuming. This study is to assist in the design of surfactant huff-puff via statistical methods and machine learning techniques.

In this study, a dataset including 402 effective surfactant imbibition tests is established by collecting information from nearly 50 publications. The dataset provides a foundation for further data …

Studies Of Multiphase Distribution And Flow In Bubble/ Slurry Bubble Columns With /Without Internals And Advanced Sustainable Construction Materials Using Sophisticated Measurement Techniques, Omar Farid

Doctoral Dissertations

"Bubble/slurry bubble columns have been widely studied and employed as multiphase flow reactors with and without vertical heat-exchanging tubes. In order to understand more deeply the effect of the dense internals on the hydrodynamics of bubble/slurry bubble column, systematic experiments were performed to visualize and quantify using the radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique. A new methodology for implementing the radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique has been developed to investigate the effect of the dense internals on the hydrodynamics of the bubble/slurry column reactor. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulation has been implemented to simulate the system to generate a large number …

Engineering Ni/Al2o3 Catalysts By Atomic Layer Deposition For Methane Reforming, Baitang Jin

Doctoral Dissertations

"Dry reforming of methane (DRM) could be a promising choice to utilize natural gas (mainly methane or CH₄), recycle captured CO₂, and produce valuable syngas. Promoters (e.g., CeO₂ and MgO) on Ni/Al₂O₃ prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and ALD-prepared ultrathin overcoating (e.g., ZrO₂ and CeO_x) on Ni/Al₂O₃ prepared by incipient wetness method were investigated for methane reforming.

MgO and CeO₂ prepared by traditional incipient wetness method were used to promote the performance of ALD-prepared Ni nanoparticles (NPs) supported on four-channel α-Al₂O_{3 …}

Evaluation Of Novel Preformed Particle Gels For Conformance Control And Acid Stimulation Through Core Flooding Tests, Shuda Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Acid stimulation and conformance control are two major methods to improve oil production. This study systematically evaluates two newly developed gels: Degradable Preformed Particle Gel (DPPG) and Re-crosslinkable Preformed Polymer Gel (RPPG). DPPG is designed to be a temporary plugging agent for acid stimulation and can self-degrade into a water-like fluid. RPPG is designed for reservoir sweep efficiency improvement and can re-crosslink to each other and form an immobile bulk gel after being placed in fractures or fracture-like conduits.

For DPPG, this study evaluates the effect of monomer, crosslinker, and initiator concentration on the swelling and degradation performance. Results show …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Techniques For Multiphase Flow Systems, Jose Sebastian Uribe Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

"Mathematical modelling of multiphase flow systems has been a major and persistent challenge over the last decades. Vast attempts to obtain predictive models can be found reported in literature, where major advances can be recognized in recent years, paired to enhancements in computer science and engineering. Notwithstanding, universally valid models with a mechanistic development are far from being achieved. The current status of modelling any multiphase flow system relies on the model order reduction of purely theoretical models. Such reductions and simplifications become the source of deviations in the predictions of the experimentally measured parameters and will constrain the applicability …

The Utilization And Loss Of Available Energy In Aerospace Systems, Mohammad Abbas

Doctoral Dissertations

“Theoretical principles and analytical methodology for the control volume-based energy availability methodology for aerospace vehicles are developed; applications are made to jet-propelled and rocket-propelled vehicles as well as to stand-alone engine systems. Energy availability utilization characteristics of a modeled turbojet engine are studied across a wide range of operating conditions of throttle setting, flight altitude, and flight Mach number. The method is also extended to consider jet-powered vehicles. Fundamental principles regarding entropy generation and energy availability are developed, including directly linking entropy generation and maximum range and endurance of a powered aircraft. Theory and application of the energy utilization methodology …