Master of Science

A formulation was developed for the rheological characterization of highly concentrated suspensions, accounting for the physical effects of particle size distribution. A number of dimensionless parameters were developed signifying the physical characteristics of the solids and the vehicle fluid, and functionally related to the yield-stress and a flow parameter. Each of these expressions of the formulation contains an empirical dimensionless coefficient accounting for the interparticle and fluid/solid interactions that are not explained by the physical parameters involved. A formulation and a methodology were also developed for predicting the shear viscosity behavior of highly concentrated suspensions at low and high shear-rates through the use of three parameters signifying effects of particle size distribution. A number of applications were made using various non-coal and limited coal-liquid mixture data reported in the literature to demonstrate the general validity of the formulations. A methodology was proposed for the analysis of the particle size distribution effects on the overall optimum energy efficiency during hydraulic transportation and particle size reduction. The computer model developed for this purpose was employed to evaluate the transportation energy consumption and the energy consumed in the grinding process to prepare the slurry, in pipes of various sizes and lengths for a coal slurry of various specified particle size distributions and concentrations. Correlations obtained indicated the sensitivity of transportation energy efficiency to various parameters including the maximum packing concentration, relative concentration, specific surface area of particles, surface area mean size, pipe size and length, and annual mixture throughput. The results of combined energy calculations have shown that the particle size distribution and related physical parameters can significantly affect the energy efficiency due to both grinding and transportation, and the delivered cost of slurry fuels. / Ph. D.

The lift and drag forces exerting on a sphere immersed in a shear flow above a flat channel bed are evaluated by solving the steady three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. The numerical technique which combines the Newton iteration method and the finite element method is used to solve the non-linear Navier-Stokes equations. The technique first linearizes the non-linear terms in the partial differential equations, then solves the linearized equations by the finite element method. The Newton iteration method is used to linearize the non-linear equations. Since the iteration method requires a good initial guess, the linear solution of the partial differential equations is used for the initial guess, where the linear solution is the obtained by solving the differential equations without non-linear terms. The computer model developed can evaluate the lift coefficients of a sphere stationed at various distance from the channel bed. The computational results agree very well with the experimental measurements cited in the literature. The lift coefficient of the sphere changes with the undisturbed approaching velocity profile as well as the gap ratio which is the ratio of the distance between the sphere and the channel bed and the diameter of sphere. For fixed gap ratios, higher Reynolds number gives smaller lift coefficient than that of the lower Reynolds number. On the other hand, the lift coefficient also changes with the diameter of sphere for each fixed gap ratio. For small gap ratios, the lift coefficient increases as the diameter of sphere increases. For large gap ratios, the lift coefficient increases in the negative (downward) direction as the diameter of sphere increases. / Ph. D.

Oxygen transfer between flowing surface waters and the atmosphere can be mathematically described as a first-order reaction and is known as stream reaeration. The first-order rate coefficient or stream reaeration coefficient is a necessary input parameter to stream water-quality models and is partially controlled by the hydraulic conditions of the stream. These coefficients may vary for a given stream reach because of varying hydraulic characteristics brought about by streamflow changes. Hydraulic measurements and reaeration coefficient determinations were made on four pool-and-riffle reaches of Middle Fork Beargrass Creek near Louisville, Kentucky using the hydrocarbon gas tracer technique. Measurements were made on each reach for up to seven streamflow conditions ranging from extremely low to medium. Contrary to published findings applicable to reaches not characterized by a series of pools and riffles, the reaeration coefficient was shown to increase with increasing streamflow for all four reaches studied. Therefore, stream water-quality models developed for these, or similar, stream reaches using reaeration coefficients determined at normal streamflow conditions may over estimate the influence of atmospheric reaeration under a much lower flow condition, such as extreme low flow--the selected critical condition for which water-quality models are commonly developed. Twenty-five published equations used for estimating stream reaeration coefficients were evaluated using the measured hydraulic and reaeration data and were shown to generate highly variable and generally inaccurate predictions. Over half of the equations generated mean prediction errors of more than 50 percent. The best equation overall generated a mean prediction error of 15 percent. The equations were also shown to be highly sensitive to the methods used for determining the input parameter values. Four equations were statistically developed from the data collected in this research. Two of the equations provided more accurate estimates for the four studied reaches than any of the 25 published equations. Mean prediction errors for the two were 1.2 and 9.2 percent. For verification, the developed equations were also evaluated against the 25 published equations using published reaeration and hydraulic data from 39 hydrocarbon gas tracer measurements on other streams. The two developed equations which were most accurate for the four study reaches were also determined to be superior to all of the 25 published equations using the verification data. Mean prediction errors for the two equations using the verification data were 2.3 and 5.5 percent. / Ph. D.

A mathematical model used in conjunction with a finite element analysis to aid in the design of small axial-flow hydraulic turbine blades is presented. A computer program is used to create a finite element model of the blade based on performance and geometric data. Loads are calculated by using a two dimensional model of the flow by means of which the change of momentum of the fluid is determined. The load distribution is estimated using a potential flow solution. An analysis of blades with constant thickness and varying degrees of twist was performed. The analysis entailed the calculation of the first three natural frequencies, mode shapes, and relative vibratory stresses as well as deflections and stresses due to hydrodynamic and centrifugal loading. The results were found to be compatible with experimental work in similar turbine blades. / M.S.

Hydraulic energy absorbers may be described as high-loss centrifugal turbomachines arranged to operate as stalled torque converters. The device absorbs the kinetic energy of a vehicle in motion and dissipates the energy into water. A steady, single-phase, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation has been performed to investigate the flow field in a hydraulic energy absorber. It was determined that to better predict the performance of the energy absorber, more sophisticated modeling approaches may be needed. In this research, a steady, two-phase calculation with basic turbulence modeling was used as a first assessment. The two-phase model was used to investigate cavitation effects. Unsteady and advanced turbulence modeling techniques were then incorporated into single-phase calculations. The Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) Technique was used to model the interaction between the rotor and the stator. The calculations provided clearer details of the flow field without dramatically increasing the computational cost. It was found that unsteady modeling was necessary to correctly capture the close coupling between the rotor and the stator. The predicted torque in the unsteady calculations was 70% of the experimental value and twice of the result in the steady-state calculations. It was found that the inaccuracy of torque prediction was due to (1) high pressures in the regions with complicated geometrical boundaries and, (2) dynamic interactions between the rotor and the stator were not captured fully. It was also determined that the unrealistically low pressure values were not caused by the physical cavitation, but by the lack of proper boundary conditions for the model. Further integration of the modeling techniques studied would improve the CFD results for use in the design of the energy absorber. / Master of Science

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This thesis presents a novel, low cost, high precision , and efficient design for an electro-hydrostatic circuit for single rod hydraulic cylinders. The design is the main contribution of candidate to fulfill the regiments of PhD degree. The challenge of existing deigns of electro-hydrostatic circuits for single-rod cylinders is using one pump to control the cylinder under switching (resistive-assistive) loads. The proposed circuit utilizes off-the-shelf industrial elements. It uses two counterbalance valves to manage switching loads and one on/off solenoid valve to redirect the differential flow of the single rod cylinder to tank. A set of simulation studies is conducted using Simhydraulic tools of Matlab in order to study performances of the proposed circuit and compare it with existing designs. Pump-controlled hydraulic circuit for double rod cylinders was developed and is widely used by industry. It is used as the benchmark for simulation studies. As well, the proposed circuit and two major existing pump-controlled circuits for single rod cylinders are compared to the benchmark circuit. Evaluations are conducted by comparing chamber pressure responses as well as pressure vs position of the cylinder end-effector for each individual circuit. Results indicate that the proposed circuit performed as well as the benchmark circuit by controlling pressures to both sides of the cylinder at the same time. Moreover, the load in the proposed circuit is more controllable compared to the benchmark circuit. Experimental results, obtained from the developed test rig, validate accuracy of the simulation model. Maximum steady state position error of 0.06 mm applications is experimentally observed when the test rig is tested under different loading conditions with various amplitudes and frequencies. The circuit consumes up to 20% of the energy that is required by a valve controlled circuit given the same sinusoidal tracking signal. The relative efficiency of the proposed circuit over a valve xii controlled circuit depends on the pattern and frequency of the tracking signal. In all the experiments, a simple proportional controller, which uses readings of a linear position transducer, is employed. The use of the proportional controller makes the proposed circuit easy to implement and shows it is good candidate for industrial applications. The accuracy of the position response of the proposed circuit indicates, it is a good candidate for robotic applications too. / May 2016

Introduction: The movement of moisture and the simultaneous transfer of water and solutes in unsaturated porous media are problems of practical interest in ground water hydrology and soil physics. A large fraction of the water falling as rain on the land surfaces of the earth moves through unsaturated zone of soil during the subsequent processes of infiltration, drainage, evaporation, and absorption of soil -water by plant roots. A soil profile is characteristically nonuniform in its properties, nonisothermal, and may be nonrigid. Microorganisms and the roots of higher plants are a part of the system. This region is characterized by cylic fluctuation of water content as water is removed from the soil profile by evaportranspiration and replenished by recharge, irrigation, or rainfall. In unsaturated porous media the problem of movement and retention of water may be approached from (1) the molecular, (2) the microscopic, or (3) the macroscopic standpoint. In the molecular viewpoint theories of the mechanisms of flow and retention in terms of the behavior of water molecules are devised. At microscopic level a theory of flow treating the fluid in pores as a continuum and applying the principles of continuum mechanics to understand the detailed behavior of fluid within the pores is developed. The complicated pore geometry and consequent impossibility of specifying the boundary conditions on flow, preclude any practical progress by this appraoch. Since the behavior of individual molecules and the distributions of fluid velocity and pressure cannot be observed in porous media, a macroscopic theory of flow is needed. In the macroscopic approach, all variables are treated continuous functions of time and space. Velocity, pressure, and other variables are assumed as point functions. Thus, any theory of water transport to be useful must be developed to the point of describing the transfer of water on the macroscopic level. The coefficients of transport such as permeability and diffusivity can be defined microscopically. In many investigations which involve the transport of pesticides and fertilizes along with water , the simultaneous movement of water and solutes is of primary concern. These pollutants when mixed with water move in the unsaturated soil and finally join the region of saturated soil or water table, resulting in the contamination of fresh water existing below the water table. The scope of this report is to review the available literature, that may be categorized into two parts; one, the movement of water in unsaturated soil, and the other, the simultaneous movement of water and solutes in unsaturated soil. The papers, reviewed in this report, pertain to the theoretical study, laboratory study and field study on the two problems. At the end, an appendix appears which lists the references, categorizing the kind of study by various investigators.

This dissertation aims to explain the conditions under which expertise can undermine democratic decision making. I argue that the root of the conflict between expertise and democracy lies in what I call insufficiently “representative” expertise – that is forms of scientific research that are not relevant to the policy questions at hand and that fail to make visible their hidden values dimensions. I claim that the scholarly literature on the problem of expertise fails to recognize and address the issue correctly, because it does not open the black box of scientific methodologies. I maintain that only by making sense of the methodological choices of experts in the context of policy making can we determine the relevance of research and reveal the hidden socio-political values and consequences. Using the case of natural gas fracking, I demonstrate how expert contributions – even though epistemically sound – can muddle democratic policy processes. I present four case studies from controversies about fracking to show how to contextualize scientific methodologies in the pertinent political process. I argue that the common problem across all case studies is the failure of expertise to sufficiently represent stakeholders’ problems and concerns. In this context, “representation” has three criteria: (1) the operational research questions on which the qualified experts work are relevant to stakeholders’ problems and concerns; (2) the non-epistemic values and consequences of epistemic choices of experts are compatible with social and political values and priorities; and (3) hidden values attached to facts are fully transparent and openly debated. In the conclusion, I propose a normative version of this representation theory that can be used to evaluate the appropriateness of expertise for democratic policy making. Instead of the value-free science ideal, I propose a new ideal to legitimately allow non-epistemic values in scientific reasoning without compromising the soundness of research.