Combustion emissions produced from burning real transportation fuels have many environmental impacts. However, detailed chemistry across multiple phases, time scales, and thermodynamic conditions make predicting combustion emissions challenging. Detailed modeling of the gas phase alone is prohibitively expensive, due to the large size and stiffness of the kinetic models. The...
The cost of long-duration energy storage poses one of the most significant limitations on the penetration of renewables into power grids. Thermochemical energy storage has great potential to reduce this cost through the use of a reversible redox reaction pair that has a high enthalpy of reaction. The chemical nature...
This work investigates the acoustic velocity of gas-liquid mixtures in vertical, co-current flow in a concentric annulus. Acoustic velocity shows promise as a detection parameter for the presence and amount of gas in a liquid flow because of its high sensitivity to gas void fraction in a gas-liquid mixture. However,...
In this paper, I present the design of Mira 2, a small-scale, liquid bipropellant rocket engine, with a specific focus on its oxidizer-centered pintle injector. Building upon the valuable lessons and insights gained from the empirical testing of its predecessor, Mira 1, the Mira 2 engine incorporates several improvements and...
A model of the Oregon State TRIGA reactor was developed in Serpent 2 by translating a previously accepted MCNP model. Both models were verified and validated via comparison of each model and data gathered from the core start-up. Reactivity bias in each code was determined. Using the rod drop method,...
Smoldering combustion in wildland fires is a critical phenomenon that needs in-depth study because it can initiate with weaker ignition sources, can persist for long periods, is difficult to suppress, and can transit to flaming combustion. Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are the major organic constituents within biomass, in varying proportions...
Desalination stands for removing salt from saline water, and produce freshwater. Desalination technologies have been envisioned as a potential solution for freshwater production from oceans as an immense source of water acquiring 97% earth’s water, and 75% of earth’s surface. However, one third of world’s population face water scarcity every...
The High Altitude Liquid Engine (HALE) team is developing of a 2000 lbf thrust liquid propellant engine for a flight vehicle capable of breaching the Karman Line (100 km in altitude). As part the development of this flight vehicle, this research focuses on the design and characterization of a novel...
In this work, I developed a six degree of freedom flight simulator specific to liquid engine launch vehicles. This flight simulator improves upon available software by accounting for liquid engine specific phenomena such as tank pressurization, liquid engine performance, and center of gravity modeling. Additionally, I implemented methods for optimization...
Wicking action refers to the movement of a liquid through a porous or a structured surface via capillary action. This phenomenon is affected by surface geometry, such as the wick thickness and pore size of the wick, as well as fluid properties, such as viscosity and surface tension of the...