This thesis presents the design of a platform for testing DC motors over the Internet. The system allows customers to test multiple DC motors under the specific loading conditions of the real world application for which the motor is required. This provides more information than the motor performance charts alone, therefore allowing the user to make a more-informed decision. The architecture is divided into three subsystems: the Motor Test Platform, the Target Software Application and the Server Software Application. A proof-of-concept prototype was built using this architecture. This implementation was evaluated against benchmark tests to determine its capabilities as a simulation and evaluation tool. The positioning system performed well and was able to connect to different Test Motors with any proximal human operation. The positioning system did introduce some error compared to emulation done with manual coupling.

Shear and extensional flows of dilute polymer solutions were studied experimentally in an attempt to understand the mechanism of polymer-induced drag reduction. A flowcell capable of simulating the dynamics of a turbulent boundary layer, involving the motion of counter-rotating vortices, was designed and fabricated. The pressure drop across the flowcell was measured for different flow arrangements, first with a Newtonian fluid and then with drag reducing, dilute polymer solutions. The pressure drop in excess of the Newtonian baseline, after accounting for viscous effects, was used as a measure of elastic effects. With the dilute polymer solutions, elastic effects were observed both in shear, extensional, as well as presheared extensional flows. These effects can be attributed to additional normal stresses generated by shearing. For extensional flows, the observed effects were independent of elongation rates, indicating that a conclusion regarding the mechanism of drag reduction cannot be made from the flowfield investigated.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical Engineering / Bruce Babin / Recent world events are motivating the United States Government to invest in the development of Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). One defense contractor developing the technology, Raytheon Missile Systems Company, is addressing the cooling requirements. To this end, Raytheon has proposed some two-phase (liquid and vapor) heat transfer devices capable of dispersing the high energy densities associated with DEW. The Kansas State University Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department has been contracted to characterize the performance of the devices using ammonia as the working fluid. To this end, an Ammonia Test Chamber was reconfigured to perform the experiments. The chamber is now configured to deliver liquid ammonia at saturation pressures ranging from 45 to 115 psia, a sub-cooled liquid temperature of -25oC, and mass flow rates ranging from 0.01 to 0.03 kg/s. The Ammonia Test Chamber can absorb heat loads of up to 5000 W. Measurements of the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of the device ranged from 173 W/cm2 to 488 W/cm2. This data agrees characteristically with published correlations of CHF values, however the correlations predict lower magnitudes.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Bruce R. Babin / A Surface Tension Element (STE), device was successfully constructed and tested as the primary moisture removal device in a condensing dryer. The STE was tested via the SAE ARP901 bubble-point test method and resulted in an average micron rating of 46.8 microns. The operation of the STE was compared to that of the typical air-to-air heat exchanger/condenser used in condensing dryers. The total power consumption and IEC efficiency of each case were averaged and compared. The results indicated that the STE used an average of 0.616 kilowatt-hours per kilogram dry laundry while the air-to-air heat exchanger/condenser used an average of 0.643 kWh/kg. This resulted in an improvement of the European efficiency label from class C to Class B. An analytical model was also constructed that well predicted the operation of the STE under steady state conditions.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Dale E. Schinstock / The goal of this research is to develop methods and tools for generating flight plans for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A method of generating flight plans is needed to describe data collection missions, such as taking aerial photographs. The flight plans are two-dimensional and exist in a plane a fixed distance above the Earth. Since the flight areas are typically small, the Earth's curvature is not accounted for in flight plan generation. Designed to completely cover a specified field area, the plans consist of a series of line and arc segments and are described in a format that is recognized by the Piccolo autopilot used by the Kansas State University Autonomous Vehicle Systems (AVS) Lab. Grids are designed to cover the field area, and turn maneuvers are designed to ensure efficient flight plans. The flight plan generation process is broken into several parts. Once a field area is defined, path lines covering this area are calculated. Optimal turn maneuvers are calculated to smoothly connect the path lines in a continuous flight plan. Two methods of determining path line order are discussed. One method flies the lines in the order that they are arranged spatially; the other method decides line order by calculating the shortest turn maneuver to another path line. After the flight plan is generated, a text file is created in a format that is readable for the autopilot. In order to easily generate flight plans, a graphical user interface (GUI) has been created. This GUI allows a user to easily generate a flight plan without modifying any code. The flight plan generation software is used to build example flight plans for this thesis. These flight plans were flown with an UAV and test results are presented.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Daniel V. Swenson / This thesis provides a description of Visual EMU, a graphical user interface for the peridynamic EMU code. The peridynamic model is a fundamental method for computational mechanical analysis that makes no assumption of continuous or small deformation behavior and has no requirement for the concepts of stress and strain. The model does not require spatial derivatives and instead uses integral equations. A force density function, called the pairwise force function, is postulated to act between each pair of infinitesimally small particles if the particles are closer together than some finite distance. A spatial integration process is employed to determine the total force acting upon each particle and a time integration process is employed to track the positions of the particles due to the applied body forces and applied displacements. EMU is a computer code developed by Sandia National Laboratories that implements the peridynamic model. Visual EMU is a pre-processor for the EMU code that allows any user to enter all parameters and visualize the resulting material regions, peridynamic grid, and a preview of resulting nodes. Visual EMU can be used before starting a lengthy solution with potential errors. The language, visual layout, and code design of Visual EMU are described along with two examples and their results.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Kirby S. Chapman / The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to tighten pollutant emission regulations throughout the United States. As a result, the need to reduce air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NO[subscript]x) and carbon monoxide (CO) remains a challenge for pipeline operators. NO[subscript]x formation is primarily a function of in-cylinder combustion temperatures. A challenge for engine researchers is to identify methods to lower combustion temperatures while maintaining complete combustion. Blending hydrogen into an engine's fuel can lower in-cylinder combustion temperatures and reduce pollutant emissions. Hydrogen has a wider flammability range in comparison to natural gas, which allows for leaner engine operation and lower combustion temperatures. Specifically, the very high molecular diffusivity of hydrogen creates a more uniform mixture of fuel and air. Hydrogen also has very low ignition energy, which translates into easier combustion. This paper presents test results of using hydrogen as a fuel additive for a large bore, two stroke cycle, single cylinder, natural gas fueled Ajax engine in a test laboratory. The engine was first operated at the test point on pure natural gas and allowed to stabilize. Then a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas at various molar percentages was introduced. The engine was operated entirely on the blended fuel without a pre-combustion chamber first. Next, a pre-combustion chamber was installed and the blended fuel was supplied to it while the main combustion chamber operated on pure natural gas. Engine and emissions data were recorded and physical observations were also noted, such as engine misfires. Results showed that the addition of hydrogen into the fuel gas without the use of a pre-combustion chamber reduced emissions. The addition of the pre-combustion chamber reduced NO[subscript]x emissions without the use of hydrogen. For both configurations, the engine ran smoother with no noticeable increase in misfires or detonation. The pollutant emission reduction and engine combustion stability suggest that hydrogen as a fuel additive would be a good method to meet emissions requirements.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Kirby S. Chapman / In the natural gas production industry, recent legislation has mandated new emission regulations for low horsepower reciprocating internal combustion engines. One method to achieve compliance of the new regulations is the use of non-selective catalytic reduction. Nonselective catalytic reduction utilizes a three-way catalyst and an air-to-fuel ratio controller to oxidize carbon monoxide and unburned fuel while reducing oxides of nitrogen. Testing of a non-selective catalytic reduction system was preformed on a typical exploration and production engine, a Compressco GasJack. To fully test the unit, exhaust gas samples were taken with an ECOM gas analyzer both before and after the catalyst over typical engine speeds and powers. By sampling the exhaust gas concentration before and after the catalyst, the catalyst efficiency or percent reduction in exhaust gas specific concentrations were calculated. Additionally by testing throughout the engine's typical operation range, conditions under which the non-selective catalyst reduction system fails were determined. After testing, it was found that the three-way catalyst was effective at reducing oxides of nitrogen by 98% at all speeds and power conditions. Carbon monoxide was reduced by 90% under all conditions except for maximum speed and power. At maximum speed and power, the conversion efficiency for carbon monoxide was recorded as low as 32%. One reason for the low conversion efficiency at maximum speed and power was that the oxygen concentration entering the catalyst was not sufficient to oxidize the carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. These results indicate the three-way catalyst was effective at reducing emissions when the controller correctly maintained the pre-catalyst oxygen concentration. However, the controller was unable to maintain engine operation at the ideal airto- fuel ratio at all test conditions. The controller failed to keep the pre-catalyst oxygen concentration in the correct range because the oxygen sensor was not accurate and consistent in its output. Future work on the development of a more robust oxygen sensor is recommended.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Kirby S. Chapman / This thesis outlines the development of a centrifugal compressor model for the Turbocharger Component Matching System (TuCMS) software package that can be used to inexpensively analyze turbocharger performance. The TuCMS can also be used to match turbocharger components to integrate and optimize turbocharger-engine performance. The software system is being developed with the intent to reduce the time taken to experimentally match a turbocharger with an engine, a task that is key to engine emission reductions. The TuCMS uses one-dimensional thermo-fluid equations to analyze the compressor side of a turbocharger. For each compressor component, the program calculates the velocities, pressures, temperatures, pressure losses, work consumption, and efficiencies for a specified set of turbocharger geometry, atmospheric conditions, rotational speed, and fluid mass flow rate. The compressor includes established loss models found in the open literature. The TuCMS utilizes a component-based architecture to simplify model enhancements. The TuCMS can be used as a cost effective engineering tool for preliminary turbocharger testing during engine upgrades and modifications. In this thesis, the TuCMS compressor model was used as an analysis tool to further understand the Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT) experimental results. The VGT is a unique turbocharger that can change the diffuser vane angle over a wide range of positions. The change in diffuser vane angle results in optimal turbocharger performance at various operating conditions, and potentially increases the operating range. The purpose for the use of the TuCMS compressor model analysis is to identify the change in performance as the diffuser vane angles are adjusted. The TuCMS can ideally be used as a control program for the VGT to adjust the diffuser vane angles as the compressor load changes and insure the compressor is operating at the highest efficiency.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Donald L. Fenton / Emergency cooling systems are applied to any application where the loss of cooling results in damage to the product, loss of data, or equipment failure. Facilities using chilled water for cooling that experience an electrical power outage, even a small one, would cause the chiller to shut down for 20 minutes or more. If emergency cooling is not available, temperatures would continue to increase to dangerous levels, potentially damaging the facility. Examples of facilities that could be protected by having emergency cooling systems are data centers, hospitals, banks, control rooms, laboratories, clean rooms, and emergency shelters among others. This project addresses the current lack of information and methods needed to correctly design emergency cooling systems. Three application uses were investigated for the possible benefits of having emergency cooling systems. The software TRNSYS was used to simulate five typical emergency cooling systems for each of the three applications. The characteristics and differences of the systems developed from the simulations were then analyzed and documented. The five systems simulated include a pressurized chilled water tank (parallel), atmospheric chilled water tank (parallel and series), low temperature chilled water tank (parallel), and ice storage tank (series). Simulations showed that low temperature chilled water tanks were less stratified than regular chilled water tanks by approximately 10%. Simulations also showed that the differences between atmospheric and pressurized tanks were negligible. Each tank discharged energy in the same manner and managed to replenish itself in the same amount of time. Examination of the different system configurations showed that tanks in series with the thermal load have issues with recharging due to its inability to isolate itself from the thermal load. It was also observed that while low temperature chilled water and ice storage tanks had the potential of reducing the storage tank volume, the amount of time ragged cooling will last is decreased by at least a factor of two. The examination of the five systems produced the desired design methodologies needed to address the lack of information on emergency cooling systems. With the reported information designers can effectively engineer systems to meet their needs.