Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Peer-To-Peer Energy Trading For Networked Microgrids, Jonathan David Warner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Considering the limitations of the existing centralized power infrastructure, research interests have been directed to decentralized smart power systems constructed as networks of interconnected microgrids. Therefore, it has become critical to develop secure and efficient energy trading mechanisms among networked microgrids for reliability and economic mutual benefits. Furthermore, integrating blockchain technologies into the energy sector has gained significant interest among researchers and industry professionals. Considering these trends, the work in this thesis focuses on developing Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy trading models to facilitate transactions among microgrids in a multiagent network. Price negotiation mechanisms are proposed for both islanded and grid-connected microgrid …

Determination Of Pollutant Load Reductions To Three Mile Creek As A Result Of The Implementation Of Storm Water Bio-Infiltration Basins On The Usa Campus, Jordan E. Blackmon

Honors Theses

Three Mile Creek has been identified as an impaired urban stream and is now a priority for cleanup for both the City of Mobile and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Methods to better manage storm water runoff on the USA campus have begun, with a goal to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek. Both sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek disrupt habitat and lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, which are detrimental to overall stream health. Low Impact Development strategies are an innovative way to use nature-like, green-infrastructures to minimize storm water runoff quantity and improve …

Nonlinear Wave Evolution In Interaction With Currents And Viscoleastic Muds, Elham Sharifineyestani, Navid Tahvildari

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A numerical model is extended to investigate the nonlinear dynamics of surface wave propagation over mud in the presence of currents. A phase-resolving frequency-domain model for wave-current interaction is improved to account for wave modulations due to viscoelastic mud of arbitrary thickness. The model compares well with published laboratory data and performs slightly better than the model with viscous mud-induced wave damping mechanism. Monochromatic and random wave simulations are conducted to examine the combined effect of currents, mud-induced wave dissipation and modulation, and nonlinear wave-wave interactions on surface wave spectra. Results indicate that current effects on wave damping over viscoelastic …

Assessment Of Cu(In, Ga)Se₂ Solar Cells Degradation Due To Water Ingress Effect On The Cds Buffer Layer, Deewakar Poudel, Benjamin Belfore, Shankar Karki, Grace Rajan, Sina Soltanmohammad, Angus Rockett, Sylvain Marsillac

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The effect of water ingress on the surface of the buffer layer of a Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cell was studied. Such degradation can occur either during the fabrication process, if it involves a chemical bath as is often the case for CdS, or while the modules are in the field and encapsulants degrade. To simulate the impact of this moisture ingress, devices with a structure sodalime glass/Mo/CIGS/CdS were immersed in deionized water. The thin films were then analyzed both pre and post water soaking. Dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was performed on completed devices to analyze impurity diffusion …

Prioritization Framework For Advanced Systems Of Urban Roads In The Context Of Smart Cities, Jinwoong Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The concept of a smart city has emerged as a solution to resolve various urban challenges by applying advanced systems for the functions of the city (e.g., environment, economy, infrastructure, governance, and people). Urban infrastructure with the use of modern technologies, such as Information Communication Technology and the Internet of Things, plays an essential role in enhancing the capability of the city to resolve the challenges. Particularly, urban roads supported by advanced systems with modern technologies serve as a principal bedrock to establish a smart city. Witnessing the benefits from intelligent urban roads has promoted city stakeholders to make investment …

Identification Of Crash Contributing Factors In Av Involved Crashes, Md Tanvir Ashraf

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) can dramatically reduce the number of traffic crashes and associated fatalities by eliminating the avoidable human-errors related crash contributing factors. Many companies have been conducting pilot tests on public roads in several states in the United States and other countries to accelerate AV mass deployment. AV pilot operations on California public roads saw 251 AV-involved crashes (as of February 2020). These AV-involved crashes provide a unique opportunity to investigate AV crash risks in a mixed traffic environment. This study collected the AV crash reports from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and applied the Decision Tree (DT), …

Drastic Enhancement Of Co2 Adsorption Capacity By Negatively Charged Sub-Bituminous Coal, Hussein R. Abid, Stefan Iglauer, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate change is a key problem of the 21st century. Climate change is mainly caused by anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, and one solution to this problem is to capture and store CO₂ in deep coal seams, where it is immobilized by adsorption to the coal surface. Here we propose to modify the coal with methyl orange (MO), a typical dye that is also a major pollutant of the hydrosphere and removed thereby. Thus, raw and MO-modified coals were characterized to investigate their thermal stabilities, textural properties, carbon contents, surface characteristics, and CO₂ adsorption on the coal samples was …

Influence Of Diagenetic Features On Petrophysical Properties Of Fine-Grained Rocks Of Oligocene Strata In The Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, Abdul Majeed Shar, Aftab Ahmed Mahesar, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Asad Ali Narejo, Asghar Ali Alias Daahar Hakro

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Nari Formation is considered as one of the most important oil and gas exploration targets. These fine-grained tight sandstone reservoirs face enormous challenges due to their extremely low matrix porosity and permeability. Hence, in this regard, the study was carried out to collect the high-quality data on petrophysical properties along with mineralogy and microstructural characteristics and diagenesis. The experiments performed includes the petrographic study and scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses. Besides, the measurement of petrophysical properties was carried out to assess the likely influence of the reservoir quality. The petrographic analysis shows predominantly fine- to medium-grained grey samples …

Evaluating Factors Influencing Transportation-Related Energy Consumption, Amrit Williams

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis contributes to the literature assessing the relationships between travel patterns, transportation-related energy consumption, and urban form. Although the literature has explored several area-related and other factors, the focus has mainly been on urban areas. This research aims to (1) quantify the relationship of transportation-related energy consumption with urban form, (2) explore how individual attitudes might affect consumption, and (3) explore differences in consumption among different socioeconomic and demographic population groups.

Data collected from an online survey targeting adults in the contiguous U.S. supplemented with secondary spatial data were used to address the research goals. The collected sample was …

Nondestructive Condition Assessment Of Civil Infrastructure Using Ultrasonic Technique, Tyler Keith Ashbrook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Civil Infrastructure controls the way people live by providing safe passage and shelter across the entire globe. Since safety leads the concern in infrastructure, it is essential to ensure that these structures have been adequately tested and analyzed periodically. Testing these structures can be extremely expensive when parts are required to be removed to capture the flaw, which is why nondestructive testing (NDT) continues to grow in demand since it can evaluate the structural component in-situ without causing any damage. Ultrasonic testing (UT) helps to adequately sustain and advance the safety in existing and future infrastructure across the globe. Continual …

Individual-Based Modelling Of Cyanobacteria Blooms: Physical And Physiological Processes, Mohammad H. Ranjbar, David P. Hamilton, Amir Etemad-Shahidi, Fernanda Helfer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Lakes and reservoirs throughout the world are increasingly adversely affected by cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs). The development and spatiotemporal distributions of blooms are governed by complex physical mixing and transport processes that interact with physiological processes affecting the growth and loss of bloom-forming species. Individual-based models (IBMs) can provide a valuable tool for exploring and integrating some of these processes. Here we contend that the advantages of IBMs have not been fully exploited. The main reasons for the lack of progress in mainstreaming IBMs in numerical modelling are their complexity and high computational demand. In this review, we identify …

Influence Of Rock Wettability On Thf Hydrate Saturation And Distribution In Sandstones, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Abubakar Isah, Alireza Keshavarz, Sefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Natural gas trapped in hydrate deposits is a potentially enormous source of energy which can in principle be extracted from the underground reservoir structures. These reserves can potentially also catastrophically release very large quantities of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. One key parameter which is well known to strongly influence fluid distribution, saturation, and production is rock wettability. However, the effect of wettability on gas hydrate in sediments has not been investigated yet. We thus used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry to measure relaxation times (T₂ and T₁) and the corresponding surface relaxivity of tetrahydrofuran hydrate …

Co2 – Brine – Sandstone Wettability Evaluation At Reservoir Conditions Via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Measurements, Auby Baban, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Alireza Keshavarz, R. Amin, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

CO₂-rock wettability is a key parameter which governs CO₂ trapping capacities and containment security in the context of CO₂ geo-sequestration schemes. However, significant uncertainties still exist in terms of predicting CO₂ rock wettability at true reservoir conditions. This study thus reports on wettability measurements via independent Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments on sandstone (CO₂–brine systems) to quantify Wettability Indices (WI) using the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) scale. The results show that CO₂ (either molecularly dissolved or as a separate supercritical phase) significantly reduced the hydrophilicity of the sandstone from strongly …

Editorial: Integrated Water Management For Enhanced Water Quality And Reuse To Create A Sustainable Future, Eldon R. Rene, Veeriah Jegatheesan, Li Shu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Safe drinking water and sanitation are very important for the survival of human life. With the rapid proliferation of industries, growth in population and different forms of pollution, i.e. in water, air, soil and sediments, the living environment and the ecosystem is constantly polluted. In this context, integrating different water resources for enhanced water quality and reuse is important to solve the persisting problems and challenges in developing and the developed nations. Integrated water management offers environmental, economic and social benefits because it aims at maximizing the existing resources and prevents further depletion of the ecosystem.

Neutron Scattering: A Subsurface Application Review, Mirhasan Hosseini, Muhammad Arif, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Geomaterials and filling fluids properties that are pertinent to a geologic porous media can be characterized using a range of methods, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, X-rays, infrared spectroscopy, and neutron scattering (NS). In this context, NS features as an important tool elucidate key properties of a porous medium, which has recently gained significant attention. Key rock properties that can be measured by NS include: rock texture (i.e. crystallographic preferred orientation), mechanical properties (i.e. stress and strain) as well as porous medium properties (pore porosity, pore size and connectivity). In addition, NS imaging can help elucidate the phase behaviour of …

Prediction Of Mean Wave Overtopping At Simple Sloped Breakwaters Using Kernel-Based Methods, Shabnam Hosseinzadeh, Amir Etemad-Shahidi, Ali Koosheh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The accurate prediction of the mean wave overtopping rate at breakwaters is vital for a safe design. Hence, providing a robust tool as a preliminary estimator can be useful for practitioners. Recently, soft computing tools such as artificial neural networks (ANN) have been developed as alternatives to traditional overtopping formulae. The goal of this paper is to assess the capabilities of two kernel-based methods, namely Gaussian process regression (GPR) and support vector regression for the prediction of mean wave overtopping rate at sloped breakwaters. An extensive dataset taken from the EurOtop database, including rubble mound structures with permeable core, straight …

Improving Basalt Wettability To De-Risk Co2 Geo-Storage In Basaltic Formations, Stefan Iglauer, Ahmed Al-Yaseri

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

CO₂ geo-storage in basaltic formations has recently been identified as a viable option to rapidly dispose large quantities of CO₂, hence mitigating anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. However, it has been shown that basalt is weakly water-wet or intermediate-wet at typical storage conditions, which reduces capillary trapping capacities and increases lateral and vertical spreading of the CO₂ plume; and these effects increase project risk. We thus propose here to prime basalt surfaces with anionic surfactant (here we used sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate), and demonstrate that such priming is highly efficient, and renders the basalt completely water-wet even …

New Longitudinal Error Balancing Approaches For Closed Traverses, Jose L. Manzano

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study presents two novel approaches to balance the horizontal longitudinal error of closure, E_C, in closed polygonal traverses. The standard procedure to balance E_C is the Compass Rule. This technique reduces E_C to zero by applying corrections in the lengths of all traverse sides. Those corrections are proportional to the corresponding side lengths. That is, this approach is not an error-correcting approach, but an error-balancing procedure.

The proposed new techniques are based on sensitivity analysis of E_C with respect to small variations, Δ_i, in the lengths of all sides i = 1, …

Impact Of Blended Salt Anti-Icers/Deicers On Properties Of Asphalt Binders, Nurudeen A. Abidoye

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Anyone who has ever attempted to remove a layer of ice from a roadway or sidewalk by plowing or shoveling knows it is no easy task when the ice is firmly bonded to the asphalt/concrete surface. Winter anti-icing/deicing operations are moral choices that mankind has made to combat winter storms. This research is aimed at evaluating the macro and nano structural impacts of (anti-icing/de-icing) salt on aged and unaged asphalt binders. The macro structural impacts focused on the rheological and creep properties, and the nano structural impacts focused on the surface topography, adhesion force, and modulus of asphalt binders. Rheological …

Impacts Of Using Tubular Sections In Open Web Steel Joists, Hollis (Cas) L. Caswell V

Honors Theses

Open web steel joists are lightweight structural trusses used in place of I-beams to support long-span floors and roofs of open space buildings. Their slender geometry makes them highly efficient in resisting flexure, but susceptible to out-of-plane buckling in a failure mode known as lateral-torsional buckling. This failure can be avoided by running lateral bracing between joists called bridging or potentially by using tubular sections to build up the joists rather than angle sections.

It is possible that a joist design using tubular cross-sections could require less bridging and prevent the need to use erection bridging for initial joist construction. …

The Effect Of Blast Loading On Concrete Blast Walls With Different Materials And Geometries, Mohamed Hazem Awad, Aya Elhozayen

Civil Engineering

Blast loading tests have been developed in air by using ANSYS-AUTODYN program for simulation. The fourteen simulated models mainly conducted in four phases as first phase is discussing four models grouped in Group 1 consists of four concrete blast walls with double layer that subjected to four different masses of TNT (10, 50, 100, 500) kg. The main purpose for this group results to choose the proper TNT mass to use in the next phases of the research to make the comparison between models, involving pressure and damage, more obvious. The most appropriate mass is 100kg TNT to differentiate the …

Incorporation Of Perlite And Recycled Aggregates For Internal Concrete Curing, Yosra El Maghraby, Mohamed Nagib Abou-Zeid Prof., Mohamed Abdel-Raouf Dr.

Civil Engineering

No abstract provided.

Potential Advantages Of Basalt Frp Bars Compared To Carbon Frp Bars & Conventional Steel, Yosra El Maghraby, Mohamed Nagib Abou-Zeid Prof., Ezzeldeen Yazeed El Sayed Ahmed Prof

Civil Engineering

No abstract provided.

Quantification Of Nitric Oxide Concentration Using Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Sensors, Jakob Meier, Joseph Stapleton, Eric M. Hofferber, Abigail Haworth, Stephen D. Kachman, Nicole M. Iverson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical present in biological systems, can have many detrimental effects on the body, from inflammation to cancer. Due to NO’s short half-life, detection and quan- tification is difficult. The inability to quantify NO has hindered researchers’ understanding of its impact in healthy and diseased conditions. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), when wrapped in a specific single-stranded DNA chain, becomes selective to NO, creating a fluorescence sensor. Unfortunately, the correlation between NO concentration and the SWNT’s fluorescence intensity has been difficult to determine due to an inability to immobilize the sensor without altering its properties. Through the …

Index-Based Approach With Remote Sensing For The Assessment Of Extreme Weather Impact On Watershed Vegetation Dynamics, Kushan Bellanthudawage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Spatial technologies such as satellite remote sensing can be used to identify vegetation dynamics over space and time, which play a critical role in earth observations. Biophysical and biochemical features associated with vegetation cover can then be used to elucidate climate change impact such as floods and droughts on ecosystem that may in turn affect watershed-scale water resources management. Unlike single flood or drought event, intermittent extreme weather events may exert more physiological and biological pressures on the canopy vegetation. This study aims to investigate the climate change impacts on canopy vegetation, which occurred from March 2017 to October 2017 …

Identifying The Links Between Mental Frameworks, Context Features, And Driver Attention In Complete Streets Environments, Patricia Tice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Complete street systems integrate a wide range of users in the same space, with unequal risks and responsibilities. This makes driver attention a critical factor in assuring the safety of vulnerable users. The Conditioned Anticipation of People psychological model of driver attention proposes that drivers reflexively reengage their metacognitive processes when they anticipate visually interacting with the human face or form due to the neurological priority that the brain places on human recognition. To test this model, an eye-tracking tabulation was generated from the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study that measured midsegment percent of time on-task and multitasking behavior for 200 …

การศึกษากลไกและเกณฑ์การจ่ายค่าตอบแทนและความเสี่ยงของผู้มีส่วนได้เสียหลักในสัญญา Ppp O&M ของโครงการทางหลวงระหว่างเมืองในประเทศไทย, นันทพัฒน์ ปิ่นตบแต่ง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ปัจจุบันรัฐได้เปิดโอกาสให้เอกชนเข้ามาร่วมลงทุนในโครงการของรัฐในรูปแบบของการจ้างดำเนินงานและบำรุงรักษาโครงการ (PPP O&M) สัญญารูปแบบดังกล่าว รายได้จากการเก็บค่าผ่านทางจะเป็นของรัฐทั้งหมด แล้วจ่ายผลตอบแทนให้กับเอกชนในลักษณะอัตราเหมาจ่าย โดยรัฐต้องแบกรับความเสี่ยงด้านการตลาด (Market risk) เช่น ความเสี่ยงด้านปริมาณจราจร เป็นต้น ส่วนเอกชนแบกรับความเสี่ยงด้านการลงทุนงานระบบ และค่ายใช้จ่ายในการดำเนินงานและบำรุงรักษา สัญญา PPP O&M ได้นำกลไกการจ่ายค่าตอบแทน (Payment mechanisms) ที่เรียกว่า “Availability Payment หรือ AP” โดยอาจจะมีการปรับลดค่าตอบแทน (Payment Adjustment) ถ้าเอกชนผู้ให้บริการไม่สามารถรักษาสภาพความพร้อมใช้และคุณภาพของการให้บริการได้ตามสัญญา งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษากลไกการจ่ายค่าตอบแทนตามความพร้อมใช้ และเกณฑ์การคำนวณการปรับค่าตอบแทนของสัญญา PPP O&M และเพื่อสร้างกรอบการคำนวณ (Computational framework) สำหรับวิเคราะห์ผลตอบแทนทางการเงิน ปัจจัยเสี่ยงและระดับความเสี่ยง (Risk variables and risk profile) ของผู้มีส่วนได้เสียหลัก ได้แก่ (1) รัฐเจ้าของโครงการ (2) เอกชนผู้ให้บริการ และ (3) สถาบันการเงินผู้ให้เงินกู้ยืม ทั้งนี้เพื่อใช้เป็นเครื่องมือประกอบการตัดสินใจของผู้มีส่วนได้เสียหลักในการพัฒนากลไกการจ่ายค่าตอบแทน โดยงานวิจัยนี้ใช้โครงการทางหลวงพิเศษระหว่างเมืองหมายเลข 6 บางปะอิน - นครราชสีมา เป็นโครงการกรณีศึกษา ผลการศึกษาพบว่ากรอบการคำนวณที่ได้พัฒนาสามารถนำมาใช้ในการประเมินผลตอบแทนทางการเงินและระดับของความเสี่ยงของแต่ละฝ่าย โดยแสดงผลการประเมินความเสี่ยงในรูปแบบ Risk profile เพื่อนำไปสู่การบริหารจัดการความเสี่ยงให้เป็นที่ยอมรับของทุกฝ่าย

Collaborative Planning In The Construction Industry: A Holistic Framework For Assessing Collaborative Planning Practices And Predicting Project Performance, Amr Elsayegh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The fragmentation of the construction industry prompted developing novel methods such as collaborative planning, lean construction, advancements in technology, integrated project delivery, and relational contracting. Current research focused on specific facets of collaborative planning without presenting a comprehensive analysis of its factors. As such, the goal of this research is to develop a holistic framework that studies and evaluates collaborative planning practices in construction projects. This research offers significant addition to the body of knowledge through various theoretical and practical contributions. In relation to that, this research developed a comprehensive framework by (1) identifying a comprehensive list of factors influencing …

Optimization Of Transit Smart Card Data Publishing Based On Differential Privacy, Chenxi Chen

Masters Theses

“Privacy budget allocation is a key step of the differential privacy (DP)-based privacy-preserving data publishing (PPDP) algorithm development, as it directly impacts the data utility of the released dataset. This research describes the development of an optimal privacy budget allocation algorithm for transit smart card data publishing, with the goal of publishing non-interactive sanitized trajectory data under a differential privacy definition. To this end, after storing the smart card trajectory data with a prefix tree structure, a query probability model is built to quantitatively measure the probability of a trajectory location pair being queried. Next, privacy budget is calculated for …

Early Wildfire Detection By Air Quality Sensors On Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Optimization And Feasibility, Doaa Rjoub

Masters Theses

“Millions of acres of forests are destroyed by wildfires every year, causing ecological, environmental, and economical losses. The recent wildfires in Australia and the Western U.S. smothered multiple states with more than fifty million acres charred by the blazes. The warmer and drier climate makes scientists expect increases in the severity and frequency of wildfires and the associated risks in the future. These inescapable crises highlight the urgent need for early detection and prevention of wildfires. This work proposed an energy management framework that integrated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with air quality sensors for early wildfire detection and forest monitoring. …