Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Estimation Of Thermodynamic Properties Of Petroleum Fractions To Supplement The Aspen Simulator, Steven E. Sund

Theses

The objective of this study was to develop a method of estimating hydrocarbon pseudocomponent data in a format that is consistent with the ASPEN simulator. Although algorithms exist to estimate the pseudocomponent properties, no comprehensive program exists for the public version of ASPEN. A computer program was developed which will take a minimum of input data and can generate the necessary pure component properties for an ASPEN simulation. The program is meant to complement the ASPEN simulator, so the input is similar to ASPEN's input. The output can be incorporated directly into an ASPEN input or can be of the …

Multiphase Solid-Liquid And Solid-Liquid-Gas Mixing In Stirred Tanks, Jessyca Susanto

Theses

A number of investigations can be found in the literature on the effect of mixing parameters on solid-liquid dispersions in agitated systems. However, the determination of the effect of impeller clearance on minimum suspension speed has received little attention. This work is mainly focused on the determination of the effect of the impeller clearance on N_js (the minimum agitation speed required for complete solid-liquid dispersion) and its corresponding power consumption, using both radial and axial impellers in stirred tanks. In addition, the effect of other significant parameters on N_js was also investigated.

The importance of the impeller clearance …

Application Of Microwave Energy To Remediation Of Soils Contaminated With Chromium, Chih-Ju Jou

Theses

A process based upon microwave treatment has been developed to render soil non-hazardous after that soil had been classified as hazardous due to heavy metal contamination. It has been applied to chromium-contaminated soil. The object of the present regulations is to prevent damage to water supplies as a result of the leaching of heavy metal ions from the soils. This object is expressed in the standard test for leaching, namely, the EPA EP Leachate test. This process can be used to immobilize metal ions sufficiently to meet the aforementioned standard. The present standard is based upon acid leaching, and not …

A Computer Program On The Economics Of Collection And Sortation Of Recyclable Materials In Municipal Solid Wastes, Ara Nigogos Kahyaoglu

Theses

The first version of the economic of recyclable materials in municipal solid waste analysis program was developed in interpretive BASIC by Rutgers the State University of New Jersey. Since BASIC is a line interpretative language several restrictions were encountered, the major one being the language size restriction.

The first objective was to obtain a truly portable program that would not be dependent on specific compilers and operating systems. The second objective was to generate a program that had the capability for expansion.

The C language was used over other high level languages such as PASCAL and FORTRAN because it had …

A Study Of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions In The Ambient Air Of A Sanitary Landfill In Richard W. Dekorte State Park, New Jersey, Minsen Gao

Theses

A study was made of 15 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air emissions of a sanitary landfill located at Richard W. DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst, New Jersey. The samples were collected from July 1986 to September 1987 at 10 designated landfill sites over the selected time period from 4 to 24 hours by drawing the air to be analyzed through a Tenax trap. An average 10 to 15 liters of air sample was collected each time. Sample analysis is done on a Varian Gas Chromatograph (GC) combined with a Tekmar Thermal Desorber. A standard gas mixture of the 15 …

Reactor Design For Hazardous Waste Treatment Using Immobilized Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Ikram Ul Haq

Theses

The degradation of 2-Chlorophenol by Phanerochaete chrysosporium, a white rot fungus, was studied in three different reactor configurations, namely a batch reactor, a chemostatic reactor with the fungus immobilized on a silica based porous biocatalyst, and a packed bed reactor utilizing balsa wood chips as packing.

Preliminary experiments indicated that the use of porous solid support improved the degradation rate in batch reactor and chemostatic reactor. However, the packed bed configuration was found to be superior, and was studied in greater detail. The apparent Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants were obtained for the packed bed reactor.

Thermal Decomposition Of 1,1,1-Thrichloroethane-Methane-Oxygen Mixture In Tubular Flow Reactor, Yo-Ping Wu

Theses

The thermal decomposition of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in methane/oxygen mixtures and argon bath gas was carried out at 1 atmosphere total pressure in a tubular flow reactors. The thermal degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane and methane were analyzed systematically over temperature ranges from 500 to 800°C, with average residence times in the range of 0.05 to 2.5 seconds. Five reactants ratio sets in three different size flow reactors were studied.

It was found that the complete decay (99%) of the 1,1,1-trichloroethane at 1 second residence time occurs at about 600°C for all the reactants ratio sets. The major product for 1,1,1-trichloroethane decomposition are 1,1-dichloroethylene …

Prediction And Correlation Of Liquid-Liquid Equilibria, Jose Simonetty Jr.

Theses

The NRTL, LEMF, and UNIQUAC models are used in the prediction and correlation of liquid-liquid equilibrium data for ten type I systems. The results indicate that best predictions are obtained with the LEMF equation, with an overall average absolute percentage error in distribution coefficients of 19.5 as compared to 23.0 and 24.7 with the NRTL and UNIQUAC equations, respectively. Good correlation of liquid-liquid equilibrium data alone is obtained with all three models; the LEMF equation is slightly better with an overall average absolute percentage error in distribution coefficients of 5.5 as compared to 6.7 and 5.9 for the NRTL and …

The Kinetics Of Degradation Of 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane And 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane In A Photoreactor Using Ozone, Hydrogen-Peroxide And Ultraviolet Radiation, Yuan-Shen Li

Theses

The experiments to oxidize the refractory chemicals, 1,2- Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichlotoethane and 1,1,2,2- Tetrachloroethane using Ozone, Hydrogen Peroxide and Ultraviolet Radiation have been conducted in a ss-304 photoreactor. The reaction kinetic models have been proposed and through the experiments we demonstrate that these models for these compounds perfectly. Analysis is done by gas chromatograph for the substrate concentration and the gas/liquid mass transfer coefficients are calculated. The reaction late constants are determined by use of the Rosenbrock Hillclimb Optimization Algorithm in conjunction with the Fourth-Order Runge- Kutta method on a digital computer. By comparing the effects of O₃,O_{3 …}

The Influence Of Aggregate Grading With Two Different Binders On Mechanical Strength Of Polymer Concrete, Pei-Yuan Gao

Theses

The scope of this research is to study the influence of grading of the aggregate on the mixing design and the strength of polymer concrete .

Also, the curing conditions, the modification of polymer and the application of coupling agent were investigated.

Based on the experimental results, two numerical methods were developed to be used in combining the aggregates to obtain the desired specific surface area and the grading of the aggregate.

A computer program was developed for one of the methods to give all the possible compositions of the aggregate.

Theoretical explanation is offered and a numerical example is …

Thermodynamic And Leaching Studies Of Various Systems, Satya D. Rami

Theses

The group contribution approach is a reliable and fast method for the prediction of liquid phase activity coefficients in none lectrolyte, nonpolymeric mixtures at low to moderate pressures and temperatures between 300 and 425 K. It has become widely used in practical chemical engineering applications in cases where little or no relevant experimental information is available.

The two group contribution methods examined in the course of this work, are the Knox and & UNIFAC models. Group interaction parameters are evaluated for each of these models and results compared. Although the results for both models are similar when sufficient data are …

A Dynamic Model Of Fill-And-Draw Reactor Utilizing An Inhibitory Substrate, Yun-Fei Ko

Theses

A dynamic model of a fill-and-draw reactor has been developed, which includes a number of operational parameters, the fraction of total cycle time devoted to fill, reaction and draw, and the concentration of the toxic substance in the feed to the reactor.

Operating diagrams have been generated, from which one can choose suitable operating parameters.

The model has been solved numerically for Andrews kinetics ( substrate inhibition ), and tested experimentally, using a 5-liter fill-and-draw reactor with phenol as sole carbon source and a pure culture of Pseudomonas putida. Results compared very well to the model predictions.

Degradation Of Dichloromethane, Trichloromethane & Carbon Tetrachloride In A Photoreactor, Sanjay Wadhwa

Theses

A SS 304 photoreactor has been designed to study the degradation of EPA priority pollutants. This newly designed system was used to study the kinetics of degradation of dichloromethane, trichloromethane and carbon tetrachloride under O₂/UV, O₃/O₂/UV and H₂O₂/UV schemes. These compounds have been found to exhibit similar kinetics. The experimental data obtained was. analyzed for pollutant concentration using gas chromatography. The rate constants and mass transfer coefficients were found using a mathematical model to fit the experimental data. A computer program based on the Rosenbrock Hillclimb method in conjunction with …

Formation Of Light Hydrocarbons And Soot In The Pyrolysis Reactions Of Chloro, Dichlorobenzene, Acetylene And Benzene In An Atmosphere Of Hydrogen, Larry Jiyuan Zhu

Theses

The kinetics of thermal decomposition of chlorobenzene and dichlorobenzene in a hydrogen and helium atmosphere were further studied to investigate formation of soot and light hydrocarbons. The experiments were performed at atmosphere pressure with residence times rangeing from 0.2 to 1.2 seconds, and the temperature ranges of 850°C to 925°C for chlorobenzene and 870°C to 910°C for dichlorobenzene. Flame ionization detectors, which were connected to GC columns, were utilized for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the reaction products. A methyl silicone capillary column was used analyzing of heavy aromatics and a Carbosive G was used to analyze light hydrocarbons. …

High-Energy, Curable Polycyclopentadiene Binder For Solid Rocket Propellants, Jian Guo Ning

Theses

Diels Alder polymerization of cyclopentadiene ( CPD ) has been carried out at 170°C under inert atmosphere. The resulted polymer has a low bulk viscosity, 7.4 cps, and a number average molecular weight M_n up to 3000. This liquid Prepolymer is curable with maleic anhydride. With ammonium perchlorate, aluminum, and maleic anhydride, a high energy solid propellant has been formulated with this polymer. Via bomb calorimeter, Instron, and density measurement, it was found that this propellant has a better heat of combustion, tensile strength, and solid loading than that of the commercial rocket propellant based on hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene.

A Study On The Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)/Flouropolymer Blends, Chyan-Nin Chiu

Theses

The rate of crystallization of Polyethylene terephthalate) (PET) can be improved by blending it with polyethylene co chlorotrifluoroethylene) (ECTFE; tradename Halar) so that it can be suitable for injection molding. The special advantage of this method is that molecular weight of the blend will not decrease so much as by adding nucleating agents. That is to say, the mechanical strength of the blend will not decrease very much compared with that of virgin PET.

Oxidation Of Toluene, Benzene And P-Xylene In A Photoreactor, Shiey-Shiun Horng

Theses

A new photoreactor was designed with stainless steel to oxidize refractory chemicals found on the EPA priority list. This new system was investigated by conducting experiments with three three model compounds, namely, toluene benzene and p-xylene. While toluene and benzene reactions are similar, they are faster with UV/ozone than UV/H₂O₂ and p-xylene reacts even faster with UV/ozone than UV/H₂O₂. The experimental data obtained were analyzed by GC and used to interpret the reaction kinetics from proposed models. The rate constants and mass transfer coefficients were found by using the Rosenbsrock Hillclimb optimization algorithm. …

Bead Design For Biodegradation Of 2-Chlorophenol Using Microorganisms Entrapped In Alginate Gel, Fayaz Lakhwala

Theses

The performance of immobilized cell reactors varies with a number of parameters, one of which is proper bead design. A mixed microbial population from a waste water treatment plant was immobilized in calcium alginate gel. The viability of these organisms was studied in a microassay reactor by varying parameters such as concentration of calcium chloride, concentration of sodium alginate, temperature of operation, biomass concentration within the beads and concentration of a model compound (2-chlorophenol). The effect of storage on viability over a period of three months was also investigated. It was found possible to have access to active biomass by …

Wastewater Treatment : Phenol Extraction By Liquid Membrane, Jan-Ming Hou

Theses

Two models for the extraction of phenol by means of liquid surfactant membranes is presented in which external mass transfer around w/o emulsion drop, phase and chemical equilibria are taken into account.

The nonlinear coupled P.D.E.'s is solved under assumptions to get a close-formed analytical approximate solution. The experimental results on the batch extraction of phenol are found to be satisfactory simulated by one of the proposed models provided that phenol concentration is higher than 0.01N. The model requires no adjustable parameter thus it can predict the extraction behavior without doing experiments.

Determination Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons From Incineration Emission Samples, Robert Cebula

Theses

Stack emissions from five sources (one pulverized coal combustion operation, three sewage sludge incineration operations and one gray tin refractory operation) were sampled by use of U.S. EPA Modified Method 5 isokinetic sampling unit for vapor and particulate effluent. The sampling unit provided XAD-2 resin samples, polytetrafluoroethylene and glass fiber filters and impinger washings of dichloromethane. The resins were soxhlet extracted using dichloromethane (DCM) and the filters were soxhlet extracted using DCM followed by acetone. Fractionation of extracts was accomplished by thin layer chromatography. The resulting fractions were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), nitro-PAH and quinone-PAH by high-performance liquid …

Recycled Plastics As Fillers In Polymer Cement Concrete Composites, Shian-Jong Liu

Theses

How to handle the plastic waste is a big task for the modern society in environmental protection. People already focus on it, especially in PET soft drink bottles. Although PET bottle can be reclaimed, its usages are restricted due to the limitation in color and difficulty in purification.

On the other side, concrete is the most common material for human beings to used [sic] in construction. Concrete has good compressive strength, but poor [sic] in flexural and tensile strengths, which limits its applications. So, scientists try to improve its properties by adding the polymer into the conventional concrete, to enhance …

Biosynthesis Of Amine Oxides Using Calcium-Alginate Immobilized Hog Liver Microsomes : An Evaluation Of Process And Reactor Design, Ioannis I. Valvis

Theses

An evaluation of the biocatalytic ability and the potential utilization of Calcium-alginate immobilized hepatic microsomes (beads) for the biosynthesis of amine oxides has been performed, To accomplish this task, the following three areas Were investigated: immobilization, catalytic biooxidation ability, and reactor configurations.

Immobilization was found to result in higher yields over free microsomes at the expense of higher cofactor requirements. Refrigerated drying of immobilized micro-somes appears to be a better storage technique than wet storage in buffer. Smaller beads resulted in higher rates than larger beads, but size did not affect the overall yield.

Chlorpromazine (CPZ), diphenylamine (DPA) and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine …

Use Of Recirculation Reactor To Study Biodegradation Of 2-Chlorophenol, Kai-Chung Yang

Theses

The performance of immobilized cells in the treatment of hazardous waste was investigated using a recirculation flow reactor run in a batch mode. A mixed microbial population from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was immobilized in calcium alginate gel. The bio-oxidation ability of these microbes towards a model toxin (2-chlorophenol) was studied. The process parameters studied were as follows:

1. Flow rate of the recycle stream;
2. Biomass loading;
3. Spiking concentration of 2-chlorophenol;
4. Use of buffered vs. non-buffered defined medium.

Dissolved oxygen concentration was monitored using a flow Clark-type dissolved oxygen probe. Oxygen consumption was correlated with the biodegradation of 2-chlorophenol. Physical …

A Dynamic Model Of A Fill-And-Draw Reactor And Its Implications For Hazardous Waste Treatment, Shing-Hwa Chang

Theses

A dynamic model of a fill-and-draw reactor has been developed, which includes a number of operational parameters such as the draw-down volume, the fraction of total cycle time devoted to fill, reaction, and draw, and the concentration of the toxic substance in the feed to the reactor. The model has been solved numerically for two cases, one assuming Monod kinetics, and one considering substrate inhibition (Andrews kinetics).

The conversions achieved with this type of reactor have been compared to that of a conventional activated sludge (CSTR) design. These results indicate that for most practical settings of the operating parameters, the …

Synergistic Fillers In Polymer Concrete : New Composites, Syed Hassan Javed

Theses

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of synergistic fillers on underwater construction, burning and mechanical properties of polymer portland cement concrete(PPCC).

Fine grains of hydrous calcium sulfate, Trihydrated alumina, Calcium carbonate and fibrous unhydrous calcium sulfate were examined in PPCC. It has been observed that these synergistic filler improves the mechanical property (stress) and reduce the average time of burning of PPCC. With fixed quantity of polymer, the deterioration of PPCC in water increases by replacing the sand with above stated fillers.

Hydrodechlorination Reactions Of Trichloroethylene And 1,1 1, Trichloroethane Over Alumina Supported Palladium Catalysts, And, Trichloroethylene Over Nickel Catalyst, Atul R. Shah

Theses

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the viability for conversion of chlorocarbon wastes solvents into useful hydrocarbons and HCl by catalytic reduction. The second objective was to investigate the pathways for these hydrodechlorination reactions over the chosen alumina supported Palladium and nickel catalysts as well as determine selectivities, product distribution, and deactivation mechanism.

Reactions of trichloroethylene with hydrogen over alumina supported palladium catalyst was studied in temperature range 40°C to 57°C at one atmosphere total pressure. The major products observed were ethane and (cis) 1,2 dichloroethylene with trace products chloroethylene, chloroethane and (trans) 1,2 dichloroethylene. At the …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Novel Blocked Isocyanate Dental Adhesive Based On Diphenylmethane - 4, 4' - Diisocyanate, Yangming Lin

Theses

The dental adhesive monomers based on diphenylmethane - 4,4 - diisocyanate (MDI) were prepared and studied in this research. The diisocyanate, MDI, was first reacted with hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) to form an intermediate adduct. This adduct had an active isocyanate end group. It was then bonded with o-chlorophenol (OCP), a blocking agent, to produce a blocked isocyanate monomer.

The new blocked isocyanate (HEMA-MDI-OCP) was found to have an average value of more than 1200 psi in tensile tests measuring its adhesion to dentin slices.

Programming For The Prediction Of Thermodynamic Phenomena, One Kwon Rim

Theses

A Thermodynamic Calculation Program was developed. The program contains the calculation procedure for VAPOR/LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM(Isothermal P-X data and T-X data), HEAT-OF-MIXING(liquid mixture data) and LIQUID/LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM SEPARATION data. The program may optionally use the Knox Molecular(GAM), UNIQUAC, NRTL, Wilson and Redlich-Kister equations, and is prepared to accept any kind of model which will be developed in the future. This program also performs parameter file creation, parameter input, updating of parameters, and is structured to allow implementation of data regression when program is updated. Comparison and analysis of each function were executed using this program. It was revealed that VLE(Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium) …

Reactions Of Atomic Hydrogen With Dichloromethane In A Flow System, Shun-Hsien Huang

Theses

The reaction kinetics of atomic hydrogen with dichloromethane were studied in a tubular flow reactor with 2.6 cm I.D. Pyrex tube at pressure of 2.1 to 2.7 torr absolute and room temperature . Hydrogen atoms were generated by a microwave discharge plasma. Atomic hydrogen concentration were measured by chemiluminescence titration with nitrogen dioxide. The concentrations of hydrogen atom ranged from 2.0 * 10¹⁴ to 5.0 * 10¹⁵ atoms per cm³. Chlorocarbon reagent and products were monitored by online gas chromatography (FID).

Major products observed were hydrogen chloride and methane. The conversion of dichloromethane increases first to …

A Theoretical Investigation Of The Possibility Of Coexistence Of Three Microbial Populations Competing Purely And Simply In Configurations Of Three Interconnected Chemostats, Shiuan-Wu Chang

Theses

It is known from the literature that out of any number of microbial populations competing purely and simply in an environment which is homogeneous and has time invariant inputs (e.g. in an ideal chemostat) only one population can survive in a steady state under any conditions. However it has been proven possible for two competitors to coexist in two interconnected chemostats, which indicates that spatial heterogeneities may lead to coexistence of pure and simple competitors. The present study investigates whether the spatial heterogeneities created by three interconnected bioreactors may lead to a mixed culture (i.e. coexistence) of three pure and …