In this work, a multicomponent lattice Boltzmann model is developed for the simulation of multiphase mixing, reactions, and separations processes. This model is unique in that diffusive mass transfer of a component in the model is driven by gradients of chemical potential. This fundamentally correct description of diffusion accurately captures...
High specificity to certain class of chemical and biological agents makes
biosensors unreliable for the detection of unknown agents. Also, the analytical
techniques are subject to systematic errors based on the mechanism of detection
leading to false negative and false positive results. Therefore, the results of these
analyses must be...
The effect of a non-uniform magnetic field on the coupled transport of momentum and heat is studied for the case of laminar pipe flow of a magnetically susceptible ferrofluid. The momentum and heat transport equations are complemented with the necessary electromagnetic terms and used to develop a computer simulation of...
Disposal of chlorinated hydrocarbons is a major environmental concern due to the lack of a satisfactory means of safe remediation at all contaminated locations. Current technologies rely primarily on incineration, a process that can lead to dangerous byproducts such as dioxin. If the chlorine substituent can be removed prior to...
Sulfur content of fuels and desulfurization of fuels is becoming an
important environmental restriction and regulatory issue. In this study new
technology for the desulfurization of fuels is considered. Micro scale reactors are
introduced for desulfurization of thiophene and dibenzothiophene.
Thiophene and dibenzothiophene are mixed with hexane at concentration, C₀...
Traditional modeling of fluidized bed operations has focused on the development of models and correlations for specific systems or narrow areas of application. With recent advances in computing power, new methods of modeling fluidization are possible. One such approach is the Computational Fluid Dynamic Discrete Particle Method (CFD-DPM), which treats...
Magnetically Assisted Fluidized Bed (MAFB) is a novel technology where an external magnetic field with constant gradient interacts with magnetically susceptible particles. The linear magnetic field creates two type of forces: external and interparticle magnetic forces. A theoretical mathematical model based on the interaction of ideal dipoles is proposed to...
In a fluidized bed of magnetically susceptible particles, the presence of
a magnetic field induce the formation of particle chains due to interparticle
magnetic forces. The resulting effect is a change in the overall spatial
distribution of the particles, transitioning from a random, isotropic distribution
to an ordered, anisotropic distribution....
Development of efficient methods for the destruction of solid wastes and recovery of valuable resources is needed to support long-duration manned missions in space. In particular, these technologies are required for deployment in hypogravity and microgravity environments, such as at the lunar or Martian surfaces. Gradient Magnetically Assisted Fluidized Bed...
Micro energy and chemical systems (MECS) are microfluidic systems where energy and chemical processes can be intensified by decreasing the characteristic length. This project focused on bulk fluid processing using MECS technology to intensify the mass transport of a dialyzer. The objective of this project was to
design a model...
The profile of the inner-tubing gas pressure for a tubular membrane aeration system was quantified. The correlations among the overall volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k[subscript L]a), the inner-tubing pressure, the tubing tightness, and the gas throughput are experimentally analyzed. A mathematical model was developed to describe the underlying phenomena. The...
The effect of unsteady thermocapillary convection on the mass transfer rate of a solute between two immiscible liquids within a rectangular microscale channel with differentially heated sidewalls was numerically investigated. A computational fluid dynamic code in Fortran77 was developed using the finite volume method with Marker and Cell (MAC) technique...
Sulfur content in fuels is an increasingly critical environmental issue. Hydrodesulfurization removes sulfur from hydrocarbons; however, further desulfurization is necessary in fuels. New methods are required. In this study, micro-scaled single phase oxidative desulfurization is explored. An ultraviolet light-assisted micro-reactor is introduced for desulfurization of dibenzothiophene.
Dibenzothiophene is mixed with...
The parallel implementation of a large number of functional units is necessary for
any industrial scale microfluidic process. The concept of a 'numbering up'
strategy where a single highly optimized functional unit that has a low individual
production is replicated a large number of times to create a device that...
Biodiesel has become a more attractive fuel in recent years because of
its environmental benefits and the fact that it is made from renewable
resources. More importantly, biodiesel is becoming economically attractive
with the current oil prices which are expected to stay high in the future.
Currently, biodiesel is produced...
Previous studies in Magnetically Stabilized Fluidized Bed (MSFB) are well known for conventional two-phase, gas-solid or liquid-solid fluidization. Many researchers have investigated the fluid dynamic behavior of the MSFB, however, all of these studies are based on a uniform magnetic field that is constant throughout the bed column. Currently, there...