Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Oxygen Absorption And Diffusion In Tissue, Bo Henrik Arve

Masters Theses

"A mathematical model which describes the diffusion of oxygen in absorbing tissue is presented. The model accounts for the presence of a moving boundary which marks the deepest penetration of oxygen into the absorbing medium and predicts the steady state and unsteady state distribution of oxygen through the absorbing tissue.

Results are shown for zeroth, half, first, one and a half, and second order rates of absorption as well as when the rate of absorption is described by the Michaelis - Menten equation.

The model predictions show that the total time for the moving boundary to recede to the surface …

Unifac Parameters For Maleic Anhydride And 2-Methyl Furan In P-Dioxane System, Kow-Jen Daumn

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this work was to develop a method for calculating equilibrium concentrations for reversible liquid phase reactions from a minimum of experimental data. The example reaction studied was the Diels Alder reaction between 2-methyl furan and maleic anhydride. Specifically, interaction parameters of the UNIFAC model for groups in the compounds 2-methyl furan, maleic anhydride and the solvent, p-dioxane, were determined. The activity coefficient of each substance was then predicted by the UNIFAC method. Equilibrium constants at 45°C for the Diels Alder reaction between 2-methyl furan and maleic anhydride were then calculated from these activity coefficients and two previously …

An Applied Approach To Automatic Pressure Transient Analysis., Jeffrey Allan Joseph

Masters Theses

"A generalized digital approach to pressure transient (well-test) analysis is developed. The model is rigorously applicable to flow tests (pressure drawdown or injectivity of Newtonian liquids), and to pressure buildup or falloff tests provided the f low time prior to shut-in is large compared to the total shut-in time. However, buildup or falloff data may s till be analyzed if the above conditions are not satisfied, using the principles of superposition/desuperposition.

When plotted on logarithmic coordinates, pressure transient data generally assume a characteristic shape, indicative of flow behavior. Accurate computer analysis of this data requires its representation in concise mathematical …

A Determination Of The Energy Storage Capacity Of The Diels-Alder Reaction Between Methylfuran And Maleic Anhydride As Applied To Storing Solar Energy, Brent Gregory Sparks

Masters Theses

“The heat storage capacity of the Diels-Alder reaction between 2-methylfuran and maleic anhydride is calculated using reaction parameters obtained from solution calorimetry. An equilibrium constant of .614 1/mol and a heat of reaction of 14.33 Kcal/mole were obtained from experiments at 45°C. A reaction ΔC_p of -21.8 cal/mole was calculated from heat capacity information at 25°C. From these parameters, a solution initially seven molar in methylfuran and maleic anhydride was found to have a maximum apparent volumetric heat capacity of about 1.85 times that of water. This maximum occurs at about 335 K. Typical active solar energy schemes operate …

A Study Of The Models Describing Fines And Filler Retention By Utilizing Cationic Starch As The Retention Aid, Nen-Sen Chen

Masters Theses

Fines and filler retention under dynamic conditions was studied in this thesis work. Zeta potential of samples are also measured. Dynamic Retention/Drainage Jar and Lazer-Zee Meter were used to accomplish this work. The results have been analyzed by statistical methods. When cationic starch was utilized as a retention aid the pH affected its efficiency, probably because the charge of cationic starch was dependent on pH. This effect was detected by utilizing two-way analysis of variance to find the sources of its interactions with molecular weight and agitation rate. The mechanism was thus determined. At pH 3 and 4, charge neutralization …

The Evaluation Of Corrosion Inhibitors For Controlling Corrosion In Closed Paper Mill White Water Systems, Ifeanyi E. C. Okeke

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Application Of Infrared Spectroscopy To The Study Of Binder Migration In Paper Coatings, Fred E. Huang

Masters Theses

Multiple internal reflectance (MIR) was used to study binder migration of paper coatings. Casein and an acrylic latex were selected as binders because of their characteristic infrared absorption bands. The coatings analyzed were prepared on the Western Michigan University Pilot Coater using the airknife coating method at different coating speeds. A surface grinder was used to obtain several layers of coating for surface studies.

It was concluded that the MIR technique could satisfactorily be used in the binder migration studies. Its success mainly depends on the precision of surface grinding, caliper measurement and infrared characteristics of the binders. The results …

Theoretical Thermodynamic Functions For Argon, Peter Yi-Ren Sheh

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Inhibitors And Retarders For The Free Radical Polymerization Of Alpha-Methylstyrene, Alexander Accetta

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Study Of Mass Transfer To Droplets In Aqueous Polymer Solutions., Richard Gerard Schafermeyer

Masters Theses

"Instantaneous and time-average mass transfer coefficients for 1 the free-fall period was obtained for transfer of iodine from nonNewtonian continuous phases to carbon tetrachloride drops. The nonNewtonian continuous phases were aqueous solutions of carboxymethyl cellulose and carboxy polymethylene. Although a few exceptions were found, the continuous phase mass transfer coefficients were, in general, found to decrease with increasing time of drop contact. Comparisons of the experimental data to theoretical relations showed that changes in drop internal circulation probably occurred for that data which showed a time effect for the mass transfer coefficient. Several explanations for the time effect were offered, …

A Study Of Product Inhibition In The Reaction Of P-Nitrophenyl- Α - D - Glucoside Catalyzed By The Enzyme Glucoamylase I., Mark L. Dickhaus

Masters Theses

"The entire time course of the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-a-D-glucoside by the enzyme glucoamylase I was followed spectrophotometrically. Using time versus absorbance data the constants in the Michaelis-Menten equation were determined. The effect of the addition of product to the initial reaction mixture and the effect of solvent and temperature were determined. It was found that product produced during the reaction did not have the same effect upon the rate as did product added initially to the reaction mixture. The presence of substrate caused the enzyme to acquire protection against inhibition by the product"-- Abstract, p. ii

An Examination Of The Adaptive Random Search Technique., Mark William Heuckroth

Masters Theses

"Random search procedures have recently been successfully applied to the optimization o f a variety of chemical engineering problems, including optimization of chemical processes by flow sheet simulation. These procedures represent the independent variables as random variables described by probability distributions. The adaptive random search procedure centers the distribution for each variable about the best search point found and examines this region for a better point. Thus, this technique has the ability of continuously moving the search region toward the optimum, which is particularly advantageous in following constraints.

This study examines the efficiency of the adaptive random search technique as …

Vapor Pressures For The Ternary System 1-Butene, Isobutane, And 1, 3-Butadiene., Kevin Steele

Masters Theses

"An innovative apparatus suitable for the rapid but accurate measurement of vapor pressures of liquid solutions is described. Liquid solutions of known composition are prepared in a test cell by volumetric metering of degassed liquids. The operation of the apparatus is feasible over a wide range of temperature and pressure, producing data with an estimated probable error of ± 0.05 percent. Experimental P-X data for a system of C₄ hydrocarbons (1-Butene, Isobutane, and 1,3- Butadiene) are reported from 40-160 degrees Fahrenheit. The data are in agreement with the literature, and vapor pressures are expressed as a function of temperature …

Studies On The Yield And Rate Of Lysine Production Using Brevibacterium Lactofermentum., Ho Bao Nhan

Masters Theses

"The production of lysine by a microbial method was studied. Brevibacterium lactofermentum (ATCC 21086) was used to accumulate lysine. T1\ese experiments were done in shake flasks and a 7.5-liter fermentor.

Lysine and residual glucose were determined at fixed intervals of time during each run. Cell counts were also made for some experiments. Temperature and pH were kept constant during the runs and dissolved oxygen was recorded continuously.

The effects of casamino acid, soy peptone, certain amino acids, glucose and agitation on the rate of production and the yield were studied. It appears that reducing any one of the variables will …

Propane-Carbon Dioxide And Propylene-Carbon Dioxide Mixture Adsorption In 5a Molecular Sieves., Bui Van Hong

Masters Theses

"Measurements of the adsorption on SA molecular sieves have established that at 1 atmosphere and 24.0°c, both systems, propane-carbon dioxide and propylene-carbon dioxide, form ideal solution adsorbed phases. Total mass adsorbed ranges from 112 to 207 milligrams/gram sorbent for propane-carbon dioxide and from 130 to 207 milligrams/gram sorbent for propylene-carbon dioxide"-- Abstract, p. ii

A Study Of Pollution Abatement From The F-15 Jet Engine Test Stand, Gary Joseph Fennewald

Masters Theses

"The pollutants emitted from jet engine test stands are carbon particles, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and the oxides of nitrogen. This work is a study of various ways of removing these pollutants from the test stand exhaust. The methods investigated include absorption, adsorption, electrostatic precipitation, filtration, catalytic reduction and oxidation, and thermal oxidation.

For abatement of nitrogen oxides, none of the present methods is considered to provide adequate technical reliability to proceed with an installation at this time. Each of the methods for removal of nitrogen oxides has high capital and operating cost; and, in many cases, secondary pollution problems …

Study Of The Return-On-Investment Surface Of A Small Chemical Plant, Jose Antonio Casas Martinez-Ortiz

Masters Theses

"A study of the return-on-investment (ROI) surfaces for a single reactor chemical plant (Westbrook (8)) with a discontinuous investment function confirms its unimodality in the valid region. In both cases studied, the return-on-investment surfaces rise smoothly to the adiabatic boundary from a singular flow rate below which two of the component flow are not physically realizable. The optimum is located on the adiabatic boundary.

Comparison with these surfaces shows that using linear regression to obtain the parameters for an algebraic simulation of investment does not yield ROI values acceptably near the optimal. However, an heuristic approach, which assumes that minimizing …

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 …

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.

Mass Transfer Coefficients Determined By Simplex Optimization Techniques, Charles Ferris Callihan

Masters Theses

"The objective of this thesis is to develop a method for obtaining individual mass transfer coefficients in absorption columns. There are two assumptions which apply throughout the thesis. The first assumption is "plug flow." The second assumption is that the axial concentrations can be measured accurately enough.

The problem is approached by simulating data generated from a mathematical model of an absorption column. A response surface is defined which is a function of the individual mass transfer coefficients. The lowest point on the surface locates the individual mass transfer coefficients for the system in question.

The mathematical model of the …

Liquid-Liquid Extraction With First Order Reaction : A Mathematical Simulation, Alan Wayne Smith

Masters Theses

"Models for mass transfer to droplets based on film theory with first order chemical reaction are proposed and compared with experimental data. The experimental extraction data is available from the work by Andoe (1968). The physical system used was benzene as a continuous phase and water as a dispersed phase with 2-chloro-2- methyl propane the solute diffusing into and reacting in the droplet. This system had a high interfacial tension (31.0 dynes/cm) and droplet Reynolds numbers ranging from 600 to 1345.

The predicted results of this work are in the form of the dimensionless total mass transferred to the droplet …

Heat Transfer Of A High Prandtl Number Oil In Laminar Flow, John Robert Lee Iii

Masters Theses

"A numerical model was developed for the purpose of studying the flow and heat transfer of a hypothetical oil in laminar flow within a horizontal pipeline. Free convection, work of compression, and axial conduction were neglected, but the fluid properties - i.e., density, specific heat, viscosity, and thermal conductivity - were allowed to vary and the effect of viscous dissipation was included in the analysis of the system.

The mathematical forms of the momentum, continuity, and energy equations require that numerical solutions be obtained with a digital computer. These numerical approximations of the partial differential equations are presented and the …

A Quantitative Analysis By Emission Spectroscopy Of The Metallic Constituents Of Biological Samples After Treatment By A Carcinogenic Agent, Charles R. Frydrych

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Drag Reduction On Non-Ionic Surfactants In Aqueous Systems, Jen-Lin Chang

Masters Theses

"The use of polyoxyethylene alcohol non-ionic surfactants as drag reducing additives in aqueous systems was investigated. Significant drag reduction was obtained with suitable combinations of one percent Alfonic 1214 and salts at 30°C such that the surfactant was near or above its upper critical solubility temperature. Maximum drag reduction was observed at the cloud point. Relative viscosity values also peaked at this point. No upper critical shear stress was attained up to wall shear stresses of 2,000 dynes/cm² with one percent Alfonic 1214 solutions at their cloud points.

At a fixed temperature, the salt concentration required to reach the …

A Study Of Three Methods Which Solve A Suboptimum Control Problem On An Iterative Analog Computer, Joseph Camp Finney

Masters Theses

"Three methods for optimizing a proportional and a proportional-integral controller parameter problem were investigated on an iterative analog computer. The three methods were the parameter-perturbation correlation method, the absolute biasing method, and the variable step size method. The process controlled was third order linear. The performance function used to judge the quality of the controller was the time integral of the absolute value of error. All three methods required a trial and error adjustment of the parameters used in these methods. The optimum solution was obtained by all methods. The absolute biasing method, for both the proportional and the proportional-integral …

Preliminary Studies With A Variable Transfer Composite Polymer Membrane., Samuel Walter Dortch

Masters Theses

"A preliminary study was done to determine the feasibility of using a compressed fibrous teflon (PTFE) silicone polymer membrane in extracorporeal oxygenation devices. A series of composite membranes were fabricated, using different concentrations of a dimethyl silicone polymer dissolved in petroleum ether, to give membranes having variable oxygen transfer properties. A gas-gas system was chosen to obtain the necessary transfer data. Data were obtained by transferring pure oxygen through the membranes into a mixture of 47 mole percent oxygen and 53 mole percent carbon dioxide. All analyses were obtained by chromatographic techniques. The results of these experiments show that membranes …

High Pressure Water Jet Cutting Of Rock, Richard Lee Henry

Masters Theses

"Three experiments are described that investigate the impingement of high pressure water jets on rock. The effect of jet pressure, stand-off distance, and time of impact on penetration and specific energy of rock removal are determined on Berea sandstone, Georgia marble, and Missouri granite. Pressures range from 5,000 psi to 25,000 psi, stand-off distances from 2.0 inches to 4.0 inches and time from 0.1 seconds to 5.0 seconds. The nozzle diameter used was 0.023 inches. The effect of nozzle speed and number of passes over the same area on depth of cut and specific energy are investigated on the above …

A Comparative Study Of Experimental And Computed Compressibility Factors Of Methane - Nitrogen - Helium System, Promod Kumar Taneja

Masters Theses

"The volumetric data for methane, nitrogen, and helium mixtures have been determined experimentally at low temperatures (60ºF to -30ºF) over a pressure range of 1000 to 5000 psig. An attempt has been made to show that the extension of standard techniques viz, "The Law of Corresponding States" for predicting the compressibility factors of pure hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon mixtures is not adequate for mixtures containing even very small amounts of helium. The deviation from the computed compressibility factors is found to be maximum at low temperatures and high pressures (up to 22%) for the mixtures studied"--Abstract, page ii.

The Effect Of Solvents On The Desorption Of Phenol From Carbon In A Water Free System, William W. Knickmeyer

Masters Theses

"The desorption of phenol from active carbon was studied using a continuous flow desorber. The system used was nearly water free to reduce water-phenol interactions. The ten solvents used in this study exhibited a wide difference in their desorption capabilities. An attempt to correlate the desorption data with the physical properties of phenol and solvents, in addition to regular solution theory, proved unsuccessful. A thermodynamic approach using the linear free energy-enthalpy relationship produced a general trend by using the heat of solution for phenol in solution and a reasonable correlation using the heat of formation of the phenol-solvent hydrogen bond …