Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Pressure-Driven Stabilization Of Capacitive Deionization, Landon S. Caudill

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The effects of system pressure on the performance stability of flow-through capacitive deionization (CDI) cells was investigated. Initial data showed that the highly porous carbon electrodes possessed air/oxygen in the micropores, and the increased system pressure boosts the gases solubility in saline solution and carries them out of the cell in the effluent. Upon applying a potential difference to the electrodes, capacitive-based ion adsorption occurs in competition with faradaic reactions that consume oxygen. Through the addition of backpressure, the rate of degradation decreases, allowing the cell to maintain its salt adsorption capacity (SAC) longer. The removal of oxygen from the …

Characterization Of Rotary Bell Atomizers Through Image Analysis Techniques, Jacob E. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Three methods were developed to better understand and characterize the near-field dynamic processes of rotary bell atomization. The methods were developed with the goal of possible integration into industry to identify equipment changes through changes in the primary atomization of the bell. The first technique utilized high-speed imaging to capture qualitative ligament breakup and, in combination with a developed image processing technique and PIV software, was able to gain statistical size and velocity information about both ligaments and droplets in the image data. A second technique, using an Nd:YAG laser with an optical filter, was used to capture size statistics …

Intermittency Effects On The Universality Of Local Dissipation Scales In Turbulent Boundary Layer Flows With And Without Free-Stream Turbulence, Sabah Falih Habeeb Alhamdi

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Measurements of the small-scale dissipation statistics of turbulent boundary layer flows with and without free-stream turbulence are reported for Re_τ ≈ 1000 (Re_θ ≈ 2000). The scaling of the dissipation scale distribution is examined in these two boundary conditions of external wall-bounded flow.

Results demonstrated that the local large-scale Reynolds number based on the measured longitudinal integral length-scale fails to properly normalize the dissipation scale distribution near the wall in these two free-stream conditions, due to the imperfect characterization of the upper bound of the inertial cascade by the integral length-scale. When a length-scale based on Townsend's …

NoX Formation In Light-Hydrocarbon, Premixed Flames, Robert T. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This study explores the reactions and related species of NO_x pollutants in methane flames in order to understand their production and consumption during the combustion process. To do this, several analytical simulations were run to explore the behavior of nitrogen species in the pre-flame, post- flame, and reaction layer regions. The results were then analyzed in order to identify all "steady-state" species in the flame as well as the determine all the unnecessary reactions and species that are not required to meet a defined accuracy. The reductions were then applied and proven to be viable.

Investigation Of Combustion Characteristics Of A Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine Retrofitted To Natural Gas Spark Ignition Operation, Jinlong Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The conversion of existing diesel engines to natural-gas spark ignition operation by adding a gas injector in the intake manifold for fuel delivery and replacing the diesel fuel injector with a spark plug to initiate and control the combustion process can reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum imports and curtail engine-out emissions. As the conventional diesel combustion chamber (i.e., flat head and bowl-in-piston) creates high turbulence, the engine can operate leaner, which would increase its efficiency and reduce emissions. However, natural gas combustion in such retrofitted engines presents differences compared to that in conventional spark ignited engines. Subsequently, the main goal …

Investigation On The Potential Of A Co2 Capture System, Downstream Of The Aftertreatment System For A Heavy-Duty Engine Application, Murchana Pathak

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The transportation sector accounts for the second largest source of CO₂ emissions after power generation. New Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations are focusing on improving energy through reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This work investigates the potential of a CO₂ capture system downstream of an aftertreatment system for a heavy-duty engine application. Amine absorption has been described as one of the most effective ways to capture CO₂ from the exhaust for point sources. Therefore, using thermal-swing absorption process with potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) as the absorbent liquid, a process was analyzed …

Galvanic And Pitting Corrosion Of A Fastener Assembly, Julie Shallman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research focuses on coupled galvanic/pitting corrosion of AA7075 when combined with stainless steel in a fastener assembly. A one-dimensional mathematical model of a well-mixed thin film electrolyte is developed to predict the damage profile of the AA7075 surface when its protective coating is damaged. The damage exposes the galvanic couple. A time dependent system of partial differential equations for potential, chloride concentration, aluminum ion concentration, and damage is developed and solved numerically. Two approaches to calculate the current density within aluminum pits are discussed. The first is a current balance between the cathodic, anodic and passive portions of the …

Developing A 3d In Vitro Model By Microfluidics, Hung-Ta Chien

Dissertations and Theses

In vitro tissue models play an important role in providing a platform that mimics the realistic tissue microenvironment for stimulating and characterizing the cellular behavior. In particular, the hydrogel-based 3D in vitro models allow the cells to grow and interact with their surroundings in all directions, thus better mimicking in vivo than their 2D counterparts. The objective of this thesis is to establish a 3D in vitro model that mimics the anatomical and functional complexity of the realistic cancer microenvironment for conveniently studying the transport coupling in porous tissue structures. We pack uniform-sized PEGDA-GelMA microgels in a microfluidic chip to …

Analysis Of Aluminum-Air Battery By Physics-Based Mathematical Model, Chong Zhou

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The demand of electrical energy system is increasing rapidly these days for diverse applications from portable electronics and electrical vehicles to grid-scale energy storage. Lithium-ion battery has been utilized for most of those applications, but due to high cost (about $600/ kWh) and lower energy density (0.37 kWh/kg), the advent of low cost and high performing battery system is required. In this study, we will revisit aluminum-air battery as a promising system which has excellent features such as high energy density of 2.8 kWh/kg, low cost, and safe in nature, but it was abandoned due to challenging issues. One of …

Reduced Exhaust Emissions Through Blending N-Butanol With Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel And Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene In Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion, Remi Gaubert

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Increasing restrictions on the emitted exhaust emissions in diesel engines are becoming a more challenging task than in previous years. An electronic common rail fuel injection system and a port fuel injection (PFI) system were developed for an experimental engine to research dual fuel combustion. The experimental research was conducted at 1500 rpm and 4, 5, and 6 bar indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP). n-Butanol was port fuel injected at a 60% by mass fraction coupled with direct injection (DI) of three fuels, including ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD RCCI), a 50-50 wt-% blend of ULSD and butanol (ULSD-Bu RCCI), and …

Multiphase Flow Modeling For Design And Optimization Of A Novel Down-Flow Bubble Column, Mutharasu Lalitha Chockalingam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The application of the Euler-Euler framework based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models for simulating the two-phase gas-liquid bubbly flow in down-flow bubble columns is discussed in detail. Emphasis is given towards the modelling and design optimization of a novel down-flow bubble column. The design features of this novel down-flow bubble column and its advantages over a conventional Plunging Jet down-flow bubble column are discussed briefly. Then, some of the present challenges in simulating a conventional Plunging Jet down-flow bubble column in the Euler-Euler framework is highlighted, and a sigmoid function based drag modification function is implemented to overcome those challenges. …

Energy Potentials Of Briquette Produced From Tannery Solid Waste, Olatunde Ajani Oyelaran, Faralu Muhammed Sani, Olawale Monsur Sanusi, Olusegun Balogun, Adeyinka Okeowo Fagbemigun

Makara Journal of Technology

The vast quantity of waste generated from industries is one of the serious outcomes of unplanned development, resulting into quantum of hazardous organic and inorganic waste generating daily. Proper waste management is a challenging issue that must be addressed adequately. This is, therefore, carried out with a view of assessing the energy and combustion quality of tannery solid waste with a view of converting them into briquettes for cooking, heating and small home industries and reducing the menace caused by tannery waste disposal. The results of the experiments showed that the combustion rate ranged between 0.171 and 0.217 g/min, the …

Adsorption Of Cu(Ii) Ions In Aqueous Solution Onto Limonia Acidissima Shellbased Activated Carbon: Kinetic And Isotherm Studies, Abrar Muslim, Syahiddin Dahlan Said, Gita Suci Hariati, Siti Fajar Karina, Fauzi Muhammad Djuned, Rizka Mulyawan

Makara Journal of Technology

Adsorption of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution using activated carbon prepared from Limonia acidissima fruit shell (LAFS-AC) was conducted in batch mode experiments at pH 5 (±0.15), 100 rpm and 1 atm. The effects of contact time, initial Cu(II) ions concentration, KOH concentration, and adsorption temperature on Cu(II) ions adsorption capacity were investigated. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses were performed to investigate the active site and surface morphology of the LAFS-AC, respectively. The Cu(II) ions adsorption was fitted very well (R2 = 0.94 on average) to the pseudo second-order adsorption kinetic with the adsorption capacity and …

Experimental Study On Automatic Control For Collision Avoidance Of Ships, Daeng Paroka, Muhammad Fahmi Kamil, Andi Haris Muhammad

Makara Journal of Technology

Automatic control system is widely applied to control the ship direction or heading angle in accordance with the decided trajectory. Several methods for improving performance of control system have been developed such as Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control and fuzzy logic based control. Within the last decade, application of automatic control system is not only for ship navigation but also for avoiding collision risk of ships in seaways. This paper discusses the application of automatic control system for avoiding ship collision by free running experiment. Fuzzy logic based control was developed using Mamdani Centroid method to estimate the necessary rudder angle in …

Indonesia’S Municipal Solid Waste 3r And Waste To Energy Programs, Farizal Farizal, Radityo Aji, Amar Rachman, Nasruddin Nasruddin, Teuku Meurah Indra Mahlia

Makara Journal of Technology

Like most cities in the world, population in Indonesia continues to grow every year. Problems that can arise from this are the increasing amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) production and the growing demand for electricity. To deal with the problems, Indonesian government runs 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and WTE (Waste to Energy) Programs simultaneously. 3R program aims to reduce the number of waste, while WTE program aims to generate electricity as an alternative energy source. This study aims to find out the optimal proportion of MSW treated through the 3R and WTE programs. For the purpose, a goal …

Study On Semiconductor Properties Of Acetylide-Thiourea Fabricated Onto Interdigitated Electrodes (Ides) Platform Towards Application In Gas Sensing Technology, Adibah Izzati Daud, Wan M. Khairul, M. I. N. Isa, Khairul Anuar Abdul Wahid

Makara Journal of Technology

In the past few decades, the unique properties of acetylide and thiourea moieties individually have attracted great attention from researchers in various fields to be developed in numerous applications in advanced materials technology, especially as an active layer in gas sensing devices. The molecular systems of acetylide and thiourea provide a wide range of electronic properties as they possess rigid π-systems in their designated structures. In this study, a derivative of acetylide-thiourea featuring N-(4[4-aminophenyl] ethynyl benzonitrile)-N’-(4-ethyl benzoyl) thiourea (TCN) has been synthesised with the general formula of ArC(O)NHC(S)NHC≡C)Ar adopted the system of D-π-A for the significant development of conductive materials. …

Experimental Study Of The Chimney Height Variation Against Double Pots Biomass Stove Performance, Faisal Faisal, Adi Setiawan, Wusnah Wusnah, Khairil Khairil, Luthfi Luthfi, Mona Fajriana

Makara Journal of Technology

This research aims to get optimal chimneys height of double pots biomass stove. Optimal chimneys height needs to provide best performance of the stove. Experimental study was done by varied the chimney heights. Water boiling test as the standard method was used to obtained stove performance for each chimney height variation. The results showed that best performance stove was the one with 1.65 cm chimney height, with thermal efficiency at 37.66%.

Assessment On Heck-Immine Derivatives As Organic Semiconductor Materials, Rafizah Rahamathullah, Lim Keemi, Wan M. Khairul

Makara Journal of Technology

This paper reports the synthetic, characterization and theoretical evaluation of new class of hybrid Heck-immine system involving mixed moieties of vinylene (C=C) and azomethines (CH=N) which has been successfully integrated into an addition of organic semiconducting materials. The assessment of 4-[(hexyloxyphenyl)methylene]amino)-4’-chloro-stilbene (HEXCS) based on Donor (D)-π-Acceptor (A) was evaluated as active semiconductor material candidates via several spectroscopic and analytical techniques. In turn, the investigation of its potential as dopant system in conductive film was successfully deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated substrate via spin coating method. The relationship between electronic and optical properties, chemical modelling at molecular interactions and …

Innovation Of Hydrocarbon Investigation Using Audio-Magnetotelluric In Cepu Field, Indonesia, Iqbal Fauzi Aditama, Widodo Widodo

Makara Journal of Technology

An audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) survey has been performed at Cepu oil field located in Indonesia. The objective of this research is to detect resistivity structures of this important hydrocarbon rock. This research can be classified as an innovation in application of the AMT method for hydrocarbon exploration. The lack of seismic resolution has been provided by the AMT method, especially in the location of sub-basalt and sub-salt plays. In additional, the cost of AMT survey is quite low compared to seismic. The forward modelling is included in this research to understand the measurement data response from a mathematical model. In the …

Numerical Characterization Of The Flow Field And Heat Transfer Inside The Receiver Of A Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Carrying Supercritical Co2, Samad Gharehdaghimollahajloo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this research is to provide a detailed numerical analysis of flow field and heat transfer inside the heat collecting element of a parabolic trough collector. The parabolic trough collector is used as the boiler in a direct Super Critical Carbon Dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton cycle.

A single collector is modeled and analyzed with different inlet conditions. The working fluid is supercritical since its pressure is increased to above critical pressure in the compressor while its temperature reaches 300 °C after passing through the recuperators and before entering the solar field. For the first time, this research considers both …

Pollution Prevention In The Great Lakes Basin: Working With Pulp & Paper Manufacturers, Eugene Park

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

In response to growing concerns over persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes, new initiatives are in place to address and mitigate pollutant loadings to these large natural waterbodies. With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) worked with pulp & paper companies in the Great Lakes Basin in an effort to find solutions to reduce environmental impacts from this industry sector. Based on currently available EPA toolkits, NYSP2I developed and utilized an assessment tool called Lean, Energy, and Environment (LE2). Five different paper manufacturers …

Fundamental Studies Of Flame Structure Through Laser Plasma Diagnostics, Wendong Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Increasing concerns about air pollution and global climate change are drawing attention to the need for efficiency improvements and emission reductions for combustion processes, which account for more than 85% of energy production in United States. Combustion efficiency and emissions are affected by the mixing and reacting of fuel and oxidizer. Understanding such behavior plays a critical role in flame structure studies and combustion optimization. However, experimentally obtaining mixture fraction, which is a widely used quantity to describe the mixing behavior, has proven to be a challenge, especially for heavier hydrocarbon fuels or fuel rich flames. Moreover, measuring flame temperature …

Modal Phonon Transport Across Interfaces By Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Yang Zhong, Tianli Feng, Xiulin Ruan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Phonons represent the quantization of lattice vibration, responsible for heat transfer in semiconductors and dielectrics. Phonon heat conduction across interfaces is crucially important for the thermal management of real-life devices such as smartphones, electric vehicles, and satellites. Although recent studies have broadly investigated spectral phonon contribution to lattice thermal conductivity, the mechanism of phonon modal transport across interfaces is still not well-understood. Previous models, including the acoustic mismatch model (AMM) and diffuse mismatch model (DMM), only consider elastic process while neglecting inelastic phonon contributions. Herein, we employ spectral Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulation (NEMD) to probe the temperature and heat flux …

Spectroscopic Contrast Of Diarylethene Molecules On Octanethiol Monolayer, Arramel Arramel, Tibor Kudernac, Nathalie Katsonis, Bernard Lucas Feringa, Bart Jan Van Wees

Makara Journal of Technology

We present a systematic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of bias-dependent imaging of disulfur diarylethene (2S-DE) molecules on octanethiol (C8) monolayer at room temperature. In a rigid confinement of the C8 matrix, we did not observe any significant variation in the appearance of the 2S-DE. On the contrary, a reversal in the apparent height of the 2S-DE was present when the molecule was situated on a gold vacancy island. We attributed this finding to the presence of a new electronic state that became accessible for a tunneling event. In addition, the C8 surface structure underwent a reversible phase transformation from …

Residual Stress Measurements On The Tig Weld Joint Of 57fe15cr25ni Austenitic Steel For Structural Material Applications By Means X-Ray Diffraction Techniques, Parikin Parikin, Agus Hadi Ismoyo, Riza Iskandar, Arbi Dimyati

Makara Journal of Technology

Measurements of residual stress on the 57Fe25Cr15Ni steel plate with no-filler TIG-welding process were carried out. This work was conducted to determine the nature of weld ability in synthesized steel. The bulks were formed in a dimension of 30x20x7 mm3 to ease data retrieval. Results show that the largest residual stress occurred in the weld metal area, amounting to 82.40 MPa with lattice stretching of 0.18%. Conversely, the values decreased to 65.92 MPa and a stretch of 0.14% in the HAZ area. This residual stress is a tensile stress that can reduce the mechanical strength of the material since it …

An Efficient Palladium-Thiourea Catalysed Heck Cross-Coupling Reaction For Molecular Electronic Interest, Wan M. Khairul, Mohd Shahrul Shahmi Md Shariff, Rafizah Rahamathullah, Adibah Izzati Daud, Mustaffa Shamsuddin, Siti Kamilah Che Soh

Makara Journal of Technology

The synthesis and utilization of C-C bonds formation are concerned about the key steps for the building of several conducting molecular electronics involving many asymmetric catalysts approached, which is an essential task that most researchers would ignore in preparing these materials to enhance the production yield of cross-coupling materials. Despite the enormous progress, there still remains a great demand for economic and practicable cross-coupling processes involving ultra-low catalyst loadings with high turnover numbers due to the employment of conventional metal catalyst. Thus, there has been an excessive interest to cultivate non-phosphine palladium catalysts for excellent achievement of activity, stability, and …

A Study On Dielectric Properties Of The Cellulose Derivative-Nh4br-Glycerol- Based The Solid Polymer Electrolyte System, Nur Muhitul Jalilah Rasali, Saifful Kamaluddin Muzakir, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin

Makara Journal of Technology

The characterization of biopolymer-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) has been carried out in this present work. Cellulose derivative was chosen due to its superior physical attributes. In this work, NH4Br-doped glycerol plasticized carboxyl methylcellulose-based SPEs were successfully prepared via the solution casting method. The conductivity and dielectric properties of the prepared films were investigated using the impedance analysis which presented ~1.91×10-3 Scm-1 (with addition of 6 wt% of glycerol). In addition, the studied SPE system shows a non-Debye behaviour without a single relaxation time. The findings of the research indicate that the complexes of NH4Br and glycerol in the cellulose …

Urban Drainage Management And Flood Control Improvement Using The Duflow Case Study: Aur Sub Catchment, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Charlotte De Fraiture, Robiyanto Hendro Susanto, F.X. Suryadi, Harrini Mutiara Hapsari Wahyu

Makara Journal of Technology

Urban flooding often times staggers the livelihood in an urban area, which most likely happens in the lowland urban area. Therefore, the existing urban drainage system should be improved in order to tackle the upcoming urban flooding events, which are more than likely to be more devastating than those in the previous years. The research location is in Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia, where 30% of its urban part is a lowland area. The selected Aur Sub Catchment is located in Silaberanti. The main objective of this research is to improve the current drainage system in order to achieve the optimal design …

Ethanol Purification Using Activated Natural Zeolite, Chandra Wahyu Purnomo, Nelliza Putri, Indra Perdana, Hirofumi Hinode

Makara Journal of Technology

Bio ethanol is one of the potential fuels in the future. However, ethanol in water mixture has an azeotropic concentration of 95.6 wt. %, which makes it difficult to purify further. The common method of purification is by using an azeotropic distillation column, which requires an intensive energy and an addition of specific solvent. In this study, ethanol purification is done using an adsorption column packed with zeolite Raschig rings. The natural zeolite ring was modified beforehand using the NaOH solution to enhance the material’s water adsorption performance. The ethanol purity can reach more than 99% with the modified zeolite …

Physical And Mechanical Properties Of Palm Kernel Oil-Based Polyester Polyurethane/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites, Khairul Anuar Mat Amin, Muhammad Alif Zailani, Nurul Nabilah Zulkifli, Khairiah Haji Badri

Makara Journal of Technology

In this study, polyurethane (PU) films from palm kernel oil-based polyester (PKO-p) incorporated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are prepared via a evaporative casting method. Nanoparticle fluid dispersions containing 0.02%, 0.03%, and 0.05% wt. of MWNTs are added into PKO-p based resin and mixed by digital probe sonicator for 30 min followed by mixing with isocyanate to produce PU-MWNTs composite films. The mechanical properties, swelling, water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) and conductivity of the PU-MWNTs composite films are examined. Results show that the toughness (T) or flexibility, the tensile strength (TS), and Young’s modulus (YM) values of PU-MWNTs composite films increase …