Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:24:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo Roberto Dulnik.pdf: 5194305 bytes, checksum: 354a67d6b39920693b0d770fe0b5dd6d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-13 / This paper objective was to develop a pluviograph with an optical sensor. The chosen modal to be developed was the bascule type for being versatile for the automatization process. To build the bascule, galvanized material was used. Te bascule, for precipitation measurement, has a sensibility of 0.3mm of liquid, that is, for every 0.3mm of rain precipitation there is collected water rejection and optical sensors, made of emission-receptor sets, send out pulses that are registered by an electronic counter and by a Personal Computer (PC). To build the receptor surface a 200 cm2-collecting ring was used and it is one of the most important parts of the instrument. This 200 cm2-receptor area is one of the most employed among pluviographs used in the country. The bascule system components were structured with bolted, removable parts without the use of soldering so it wouldn t cause deformity and to facilitate adjustments during building and testing. The electronic counter totals precipitation amount through the number of operations of the bascule system that are shown in a display. Through its parallel port, the computer uses a routine program and registers the amount of rain precipitation with the help of a transductional circuit. The computer software was developed in Visual Basic platform and named Monitor. On the computer screen, a table with the record of the 12 last operations performed by the bascule system is shown, and next to it, a three-indicator bar chart shows precipitation that occurred in the last minute, the last hour and in the last 24 hours (day). To validate the workability of the instrument, for comparative measurements, other two instruments were used: a Ville-de-Paris Conventional Pluviometer and a R. Fuess Siphon Pluviograph with readings taken at 9 AM. With these references, a considerable good performance was obtained, showing the record of the precipitation phenomenon with good regularity, which falls within this research expectation. Error relative to precipitation quantity pattern during measurements fell between 0mm and 1.9mm intervals. Error relative to the R. Fuess Siphon Pluviograph fell between 0mm and 2.1mm intervals. The least intense precipitation registered during this period(03/03/2006 04/14/2006) was 0.3mm, whereas the most intensive was 57mm. / Este trabalho estabeleceu como objetivo desenvolver um pluviógrafo com sensor ótico. O modelo escolhido para desenvolver foi o de caçambas (báscula), por ser bastante versátil para o processo de automatização. O material utilizado para construção da báscula foi chapa galvanizada. A báscula para medição da precipitação tem uma sensibilidade de 0,3 mm, isto é, a cada 0,3 mm de chuva acontece um descarte da água coletada e sensores óticos, formados por conjuntos emissor-receptor, emitem pulsos, contabilizados por um contador eletrônico e um microcomputador pessoal (PC). Para a construção da superfície receptora utilizou-se um anel de captação com área de 200 cm2, sendo uma das partes mais importantes do instrumento. Essa área de captação é uma das mais difundidas entre os pluviógrafos utilizados no Brasil. Os componentes do sistema basculante foram estruturados com peças totalmente desmontáveis, parafusadas e sem utilização de solda para não haver deformações e facilitar o ajuste durante a construção e testes. O contador eletrônico totaliza a quantidade precipitada pelo número de operações do sistema basculante, mostrado em um display. O computador, por meio de sua porta paralela, utiliza uma rotina de programa e registra no tempo a quantidade de chuva precipitada, com o auxílio de um circuito transdutor. O software foi desenvolvido em linguagem Visual Basic e denominado Monitor. Na tela do Monitor são mostrados uma tabela com o registro das últimas 12 operações realizadas pelo sistema basculante e, ao seu lado, um gráfico de barras com três indicações: a precipitação ocorrida no último minuto, na última hora e nas últimas 24 horas (dia). Para validar o funcionamento do instrumento foram utilizados, para medidas comparativas, outros dois instrumentos: como referência (padrão) um pluviômetro convencional tipo ville de Paris, além de um pluviógrafo de sifão (R. Fuess). Foram realizadas leituras a cada dia sempre às 9 horas. Com essas referências obteve-se um desempenho considerado bom, apresentando o registro do fenômeno da precipitação com boa regularidade, ficando dentro das expectativas deste trabalho de pesquisa. O erro relativamente ao padrão da quantidade de precipitação, durante as medições efetuadas, ficou compreendido entre o intervalo de 0 mm e 1,9 mm. O erro relativamente ao pluviógrafo de sifão (R. Fuess) ficou compreendido entre o intervalo de 0 mm e 2,1 mm. A precipitação menos intensa registrada nesse período( 03/03/2006 14/04/2006) foi de 0,3 mm e a mais intensa foi de 57 mm.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:48:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo Roberto Dulnik.pdf: 5194305 bytes, checksum: 354a67d6b39920693b0d770fe0b5dd6d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-13 / This paper objective was to develop a pluviograph with an optical sensor. The chosen modal to be developed was the bascule type for being versatile for the automatization process. To build the bascule, galvanized material was used. Te bascule, for precipitation measurement, has a sensibility of 0.3mm of liquid, that is, for every 0.3mm of rain precipitation there is collected water rejection and optical sensors, made of emission-receptor sets, send out pulses that are registered by an electronic counter and by a Personal Computer (PC). To build the receptor surface a 200 cm2-collecting ring was used and it is one of the most important parts of the instrument. This 200 cm2-receptor area is one of the most employed among pluviographs used in the country. The bascule system components were structured with bolted, removable parts without the use of soldering so it wouldn t cause deformity and to facilitate adjustments during building and testing. The electronic counter totals precipitation amount through the number of operations of the bascule system that are shown in a display. Through its parallel port, the computer uses a routine program and registers the amount of rain precipitation with the help of a transductional circuit. The computer software was developed in Visual Basic platform and named Monitor. On the computer screen, a table with the record of the 12 last operations performed by the bascule system is shown, and next to it, a three-indicator bar chart shows precipitation that occurred in the last minute, the last hour and in the last 24 hours (day). To validate the workability of the instrument, for comparative measurements, other two instruments were used: a Ville-de-Paris Conventional Pluviometer and a R. Fuess Siphon Pluviograph with readings taken at 9 AM. With these references, a considerable good performance was obtained, showing the record of the precipitation phenomenon with good regularity, which falls within this research expectation. Error relative to precipitation quantity pattern during measurements fell between 0mm and 1.9mm intervals. Error relative to the R. Fuess Siphon Pluviograph fell between 0mm and 2.1mm intervals. The least intense precipitation registered during this period(03/03/2006 04/14/2006) was 0.3mm, whereas the most intensive was 57mm. / Este trabalho estabeleceu como objetivo desenvolver um pluviógrafo com sensor ótico. O modelo escolhido para desenvolver foi o de caçambas (báscula), por ser bastante versátil para o processo de automatização. O material utilizado para construção da báscula foi chapa galvanizada. A báscula para medição da precipitação tem uma sensibilidade de 0,3 mm, isto é, a cada 0,3 mm de chuva acontece um descarte da água coletada e sensores óticos, formados por conjuntos emissor-receptor, emitem pulsos, contabilizados por um contador eletrônico e um microcomputador pessoal (PC). Para a construção da superfície receptora utilizou-se um anel de captação com área de 200 cm2, sendo uma das partes mais importantes do instrumento. Essa área de captação é uma das mais difundidas entre os pluviógrafos utilizados no Brasil. Os componentes do sistema basculante foram estruturados com peças totalmente desmontáveis, parafusadas e sem utilização de solda para não haver deformações e facilitar o ajuste durante a construção e testes. O contador eletrônico totaliza a quantidade precipitada pelo número de operações do sistema basculante, mostrado em um display. O computador, por meio de sua porta paralela, utiliza uma rotina de programa e registra no tempo a quantidade de chuva precipitada, com o auxílio de um circuito transdutor. O software foi desenvolvido em linguagem Visual Basic e denominado Monitor. Na tela do Monitor são mostrados uma tabela com o registro das últimas 12 operações realizadas pelo sistema basculante e, ao seu lado, um gráfico de barras com três indicações: a precipitação ocorrida no último minuto, na última hora e nas últimas 24 horas (dia). Para validar o funcionamento do instrumento foram utilizados, para medidas comparativas, outros dois instrumentos: como referência (padrão) um pluviômetro convencional tipo ville de Paris, além de um pluviógrafo de sifão (R. Fuess). Foram realizadas leituras a cada dia sempre às 9 horas. Com essas referências obteve-se um desempenho considerado bom, apresentando o registro do fenômeno da precipitação com boa regularidade, ficando dentro das expectativas deste trabalho de pesquisa. O erro relativamente ao padrão da quantidade de precipitação, durante as medições efetuadas, ficou compreendido entre o intervalo de 0 mm e 1,9 mm. O erro relativamente ao pluviógrafo de sifão (R. Fuess) ficou compreendido entre o intervalo de 0 mm e 2,1 mm. A precipitação menos intensa registrada nesse período( 03/03/2006 14/04/2006) foi de 0,3 mm e a mais intensa foi de 57 mm.

Study of liquid film dynamics is of significant importance to the understanding and control of various industrial processes that involve spray cooling (condensation), heating (boiling), coating, cleaning and lubrication. For instance, the critical heat flux (CHF) of boiling heat transfer is one of the key parameters ensuring the efficiency and safety of nuclear power plants under both operational and accident conditions, which occurs as the liquid layers (microlayer and macrolayer) near the heater wall lose their integrity. However, an experimental quantification of thin liquid film dynamics is not straightforward, since the measurement at micro-scale is a challenge, and further complicated by the chaotic nature of boiling process. The object of present study is to develop experimental methods for the diagnosis of liquid film dynamics, and to obtain data for the film instability under various conditions. A dedicated test facility was designed and constructed where micro conductive probes and confocal optical sensors were used to measure the thickness and dynamic characteristics of a thin liquid film on various heater surfaces, while a high speed camera was used to get visual observation. Extensive tests were performed to calibrate and verify the two thickness measuring systems. The micro conductive measuring system was proven to have a high reliability and repeatability with maximum system error less than 5µm, while the optical measuring system is capable of recording the film dynamics with spatial resolution of less than 1 mm. The simultaneous measurement on the same liquid film shows that the two techniques are in a good agreement with respect to accuracy, but the optical sensors have a much higher acquisition rate up to 30 kHz, which are more suitable for rapid process. The confocal optical sensors were therefore employed to measure the dynamic thickness of liquid films (ethanol, hexane and water) evaporating on various horizontal heater surfaces (aluminum, copper, silicon, stainless steel and titanium) to investigate the influences of heat flux, the surface and liquid properties on the film instability and the critical thickness. The critical thickness of water film evaporating on various surfaces was measured in the range of 60-150 mm, increasing with the increased contact angle or increased heat flux (evaporating rate) and also with the decreased thermal conductivity of the heater material. The data suggest the conjugate heat transfer nature of the evaporating liquid film dynamics at higher heat fluxes of interest to boiling and burnout. In the case of hexane on the aged titanium surface with contact angle of ~3o, the liquid film is found resilient to rupture, with film oscillations at relatively large amplitude ensuing as the averaged film thickness decreases below 15 µm. To interpret our experimental findings on liquid film evolution and its critical thickness at rupture, a theoretical analysis is also performed to analyze the dynamics of liquid films evaporating on heater surfaces. While the influences of liquid properties, heat flux, and thermal conductivity of heater surface are captured by the simulation of the lubrication theory, influence of the wettability is considered via a minimum free energy criterion. The thinning processes of the liquid films are generally captured by the simulation of the lubrication theory. For the case with ideally uniform heat flux over the heater surface, the instability of the liquid film occurs at the thickness level of tens micro meters, while for the case of non-uniform heating, the critical thicknesses for the film rupture are closer to  the experimental data but still underestimated by the lubrication theory simulation. By introducing the minimum free energy criterion to considering the influence of surface wettability, the obtained critical thicknesses have a good agreement with the experimental ones for both titanium and copper surfaces, with a maximum deviation less than ±10%. The simulations also explain why the critical thickness on a copper surface is thinner than that on a titanium surface. It is because the good thermal conductivity of copper surface leads to uniform temperature distribution on the heat surface, which is responsible for the resilience of the liquid film to rupture. A silicon wafer with an artificial cavity fabricated by Micro Electronic Mechanical System (MEMS) technology was used as a heater to investigate the dynamics of a single bubble in both a thick and thin liquid layer under low heat flux (<60 kW/m2). The maximum departure diameter of an isolated bubble in a thick liquid film was measured to be 3.2 mm which is well predicted by the Fritz equation. However, in a thin liquid layer with its thickness less than the bubble departure diameter, the bubble was stuck on the heater surface with a dry spot beneath. A threshold thickness of the liquid film which enables the dry spot rewettable was obtained, and its value linearly increases with increasing heat flux. In addition, another test section was designed to achieve a constant liquid film flow on a titanium nano-heater surface which helps to successfully carry boiling in the liquid film from low heat flux until CHF. Again, the confocal optical sensor was employed to measure the dynamics of the liquid film on the heater surface under varied heat flux conditions.  A statistical analysis of the measured thickness signals that emerge in a certain period indicates three distinct liquid film thickness ranges: 0~50 µm as microlayer, 50~500 µm as macrolayer, 500~2500 µm as bulk layer. With increasing heat flux, the bulk layer disappears, and then the macrolayer gradually decreases to ~105 µm, beyond which instability of the liquid film may lose its integrity and CHF occurs. In addition, the high-speed camera was applied to directly visualize and record the bubbles dynamics and liquid film evolution. Dry spots were observed under some bubbles occasionally from 313 kW/m2 until CHF with the maximum occupation fraction within 5%.  A dry spot was rewetted either by liquid receding after the rupture of a bubble or by the liquid spreading from bubbles’ growth in the vicinity. This implies that the bubbles’ behavior (growth and rupture) and their interactions in particular are of paramount importance to the integrity of liquid film under nucleate boiling regime. / QC 20111205 / VR-2005-5729, MSWI

The process of laser cladding consists of depositing successive layers of molten metallic powder to create a near-net shape. A high-power laser is used to melt incoming metallic powder, which forms a melt pool on the surface. As the latter moves beneath the laser, this newly created melt pool solidifies. By properly controlling the trajectory of deposition tracks, one can create a diverse range of shapes with varying complexities. However, the process is very sensitive to parameters, requiring constant attention from technicians. This lends itself perfectly to the addition of automatic controllers whereby supervision is minimal. <br /><br /> In this thesis, an optical sensor is developed to monitor the process zone. The sensor will output a measurement of the height of solidified clad, which in turn can be used by a controller to adjust this geometrical feature. The thesis is divided into three main parts, each contributing to the final algorithm. <br /><br /> First, in Chapter 3 an analysis is performed on the light irradiating from the interaction zone (or melt pool). It is stated that the dominating source of light is governed by blackbody radiation from this molten metal. This is confirmed by analyzing a series of images captured through a digital camera, where various narrow bandpass filters were utilized to selectively view a portion of the CCD-sensor's spectrum. This investigation also leads to the selection of bandpass filter such that a stable, relatively intense melt pool is captured through the digital camera's CCD-sensor. <br /><br /> Second, in Chapter 4 the captured images are taken through a pair of image processing techniques, outputting a series of coordinates representating the melt pool's boundary. The image is first analyzed to calculate an optimal threshold level based on the minimization of fuzzy entropy. With this threshold selected, the grayscale image is converted into black-and-white, where the white pixels represent the melt pool. After this step, the melt pool's boundary is extracted through an 8-connectivity border tracing algorithm. This technique outputs a series of coordinates (in pixels) as though one were traveling along the melt pool in a clockwise rotation. <br /><br /> Last, Chapter 5 analyzes these pixel coordinates to extract the melt pool's height. The coordinates are first transformed into real-world coordinates, by use of a perspective transformation. This transformation essentially yields the melt pool's shadow, as created by a light-source coincident with the camera. As a result, the melt pool's height is estimated based upon a right-angle triangle, where the camera's angle is known, and the projected coordinates represent the shadow length (triangle's base). <br /><br /> The result of applying this series of steps to the estimation of clad heights is found at the end of Chapter 5. Results varied dramatically, from 4% error to 393%. Although the errors are large at times, they are mainly caused by a bias in the estimate. That is, the dynamics of the true clad formation are very well predicted by the algorithm, however, shifting by a certain amount. This amount varies both with substrate velocity, and the clad's direction of travel, relative to the camera. A partial explanation is given such that the clad's height is offset from the laser center-point, which is a function of both these parameters. However, the specific relationship requires further experimentation.

The process of laser cladding consists of depositing successive layers of molten metallic powder to create a near-net shape. A high-power laser is used to melt incoming metallic powder, which forms a melt pool on the surface. As the latter moves beneath the laser, this newly created melt pool solidifies. By properly controlling the trajectory of deposition tracks, one can create a diverse range of shapes with varying complexities. However, the process is very sensitive to parameters, requiring constant attention from technicians. This lends itself perfectly to the addition of automatic controllers whereby supervision is minimal. <br /><br /> In this thesis, an optical sensor is developed to monitor the process zone. The sensor will output a measurement of the height of solidified clad, which in turn can be used by a controller to adjust this geometrical feature. The thesis is divided into three main parts, each contributing to the final algorithm. <br /><br /> First, in Chapter 3 an analysis is performed on the light irradiating from the interaction zone (or melt pool). It is stated that the dominating source of light is governed by blackbody radiation from this molten metal. This is confirmed by analyzing a series of images captured through a digital camera, where various narrow bandpass filters were utilized to selectively view a portion of the CCD-sensor's spectrum. This investigation also leads to the selection of bandpass filter such that a stable, relatively intense melt pool is captured through the digital camera's CCD-sensor. <br /><br /> Second, in Chapter 4 the captured images are taken through a pair of image processing techniques, outputting a series of coordinates representating the melt pool's boundary. The image is first analyzed to calculate an optimal threshold level based on the minimization of fuzzy entropy. With this threshold selected, the grayscale image is converted into black-and-white, where the white pixels represent the melt pool. After this step, the melt pool's boundary is extracted through an 8-connectivity border tracing algorithm. This technique outputs a series of coordinates (in pixels) as though one were traveling along the melt pool in a clockwise rotation. <br /><br /> Last, Chapter 5 analyzes these pixel coordinates to extract the melt pool's height. The coordinates are first transformed into real-world coordinates, by use of a perspective transformation. This transformation essentially yields the melt pool's shadow, as created by a light-source coincident with the camera. As a result, the melt pool's height is estimated based upon a right-angle triangle, where the camera's angle is known, and the projected coordinates represent the shadow length (triangle's base). <br /><br /> The result of applying this series of steps to the estimation of clad heights is found at the end of Chapter 5. Results varied dramatically, from 4% error to 393%. Although the errors are large at times, they are mainly caused by a bias in the estimate. That is, the dynamics of the true clad formation are very well predicted by the algorithm, however, shifting by a certain amount. This amount varies both with substrate velocity, and the clad's direction of travel, relative to the camera. A partial explanation is given such that the clad's height is offset from the laser center-point, which is a function of both these parameters. However, the specific relationship requires further experimentation.

Simultaneous blood perfusion and oxygenation monitoring is crucial for patients undergoing a transplant procedure. This becomes of great importance during the surgical recovery period of a transplant procedure when uncorrected loss of perfusion or reduction in oxygen saturation can result in patient death. Pulse oximeters are standard monitoring devices which are used to obtain the perfusion level and oxygen saturation using the optical absorption properties of hemoglobin. However, in cases of varying perfusion due to hemorrhage, blood clot or acute blockage, the oxygenation results obtained from traditional pulse oximeters are erroneous due to a sudden drop in signal strength. The long term goal of the project is to devise an implantable optical sensor which is able to perform better than the traditional pulse oximeters with changing perfusion and function as a local warning for sudden blood perfusion and oxygenation loss. In this work, an optical sensor based on a pulse oximeter with an additional source at 810nm wavelength has been developed for in situ monitoring of transplant organs. An algorithm has been designed to separate perfusion and oxygenation signals from the composite signal obtained from the three source pulse oximetry-based sensor. The algorithm uses 810nm reference signals and an adaptive filtering routine to separate the two signals which occur at the same frequency. The algorithm is initially applied to model data and its effectiveness is further tested using in vitro and in vivo data sets to quantify its ability to separate the signals of interest. The entire process is done in real time in conjunction with the autocorrelation-based time domain technique. This time domain technique uses digital filtering and autocorrelation to extract peak height information and generate an amplitude measurement and has shown to perform better than the traditional fast Fourier transform (FFT) for semi-periodic signals, such as those derived from heart monitoring. In particular, in this paper it is shown that the two approaches produce comparable results for periodic in vitro perfusion signals. However, when used on semi periodic, simulated, perfusion signals and in vivo data generated from an optical perfusion sensor the autocorrelation approach clearly (Standard Error, SE = 0.03) outperforms the FFT-based analysis (Standard Error, SE = 0.62).

In soils and sediments there is a strong coupling between local biogeochemical processes and the distribution of water, electron acceptors, acids and nutrients. Both sides are closely related and affect each other from small scale to larger scales. Soil structures such as aggregates, roots, layers or macropores enhance the patchiness of these distributions. At the same time it is difficult to access the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of these parameter. Noninvasive imaging techniques with high spatial and temporal resolution overcome these limitations. And new non-invasive techniques are needed to study the dynamic interaction of plant roots with the surrounding soil, but also the complex physical and chemical processes in structured soils. In this study we developed an efficient non-destructive in-situ method to determine biogeochemical parameters relevant to plant roots growing in soil. This is a quantitative fluorescence imaging method suitable for visualizing the spatial and temporal pH changes around roots. We adapted the fluorescence imaging set-up and coupled it with neutron radiography to study simultaneously root growth, oxygen depletion by respiration activity and root water uptake. The combined set up was subsequently applied to a structured soil system to map the patchy structure of oxic and anoxic zones induced by a chemical oxygen consumption reaction for spatially varying water contents. Moreover, results from a similar fluorescence imaging technique for nitrate detection were complemented by a numerical modeling study where we used imaging data, aiming to simulate biodegradation under anaerobic, nitrate reducing conditions. / In Böden und Sedimenten sind biogeochemische Prozesse und die Verteilung von Größen wie Wasser, Elektronenakzeptoren, Säuregehalte und Nährstoffe in enger Weise miteinander gekoppelt. Diese wechselseitige Beeinflussung ist skalenübergreifend und reicht von sehr kleinen bis zu größeren Skalen. Die in realen Böden vorhandene Struktur z. Bsp. Aggregate, Pflanzenwurzeln, Schichten und Makroporen bedingen eine starke räumlich Heterogenität und zeitliche Dynamik dieser Größen. Gleichzeitig sind Verteilung und Dynamik sehr schwer zu beobachten, zumindest ohne ihre gleichzeitige Störung. Bildgebende Verfahren bieten eine sehr gute räumliche und zeitliche Auflösung und ermöglichen die Darstellung dieser Größen. Um die dynamische Wechselwirkung zwischen Pflanzenwurzeln und Boden, aber auch die komplexen physikalisch – chemischen Prozesse in Böden zu verstehen, sind neue bildgebende Verfahren notwendig. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, eine neue nicht-invasive Methode zu entwickeln, die es ermöglicht biogeochemische Parameter in der Wurzelzone zu visualisieren. Innerhalb dieser Studie wurde ein quantitatives bildgebendes Verfahren entwickelt, dass die räumlichen und zeitlichen Dynamiken des pH Wertes in der Rhizosphäre erfasst. Diese auf Fluoreszenzemissionen basierende Methode wurde ebenso für Sauerstoffdetektion entwickelt und mit Neutronen Radiographie kombiniert um gleichzeitig Aussagen über Wurzelwachstum, Sauerstoffzehrung durch Wurzelatmung und Wurzelwasseraufnahme treffen zu können. Die kombinierte bildgebende Methode wurde dann in einem künstlichen Boden genutzt um Nischen und Übergangsbereiche von Sauerstoff bei variierenden Wassergehalten zu charakterisieren. Das große Potential von bildgebenden Verfahren zeigt sich bei Modellierungsstudien. In dieser Studie wurden Bilddaten als Eingabeparameter für die Simulierung von denitrifizierendem biologischem Schadstoffabbau genutzt.

Surface plasmon waves are TM polarized charge density waves that propagate at the interface of two media with real dielectric constants of opposite sign (i.e. liquid dielectric and certain metals). Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors use these waves to detect refractive index changes adjacent to the metal layer. Refractive index changes arise from the binding of an analyte (e.g. a target molecule, protein, or bacterium) to the functionalized metal layer or from interfering effects such as changes in solution index. Standard, single channel SPR sensors cannot differentiate these two effects as their design allows only one mode to be coupled. This novel self-referencing technique employs two surface plasmon modes to simultaneously measure surface binding and solution refractive index. Dual surface plasmon modes are achieved by matching the refractive indices on either side of the metal film. The two modes generated - symmetric, long-range surface plasmon (LRSP) and anti-symmetric, short-range surface plasmon (SRSP) - have different field profiles and hence assist in differentiating solution refractive index changes from surface layer formation. Amorphous Teflon, with a refractive index close to water, is chosen as the buffer layer and gold is chosen as the metal layer. Magnesium fluoride, with a higher index than Teflon, is used as the buffer layer when using ethanol as the base solution. The sensor operation was optimized through simulations to yield higher sensitivity, lower reflectivity and resonances within the spectrometers range. Optimization results showed good performance over a wide range for Teflon, MgF2 and gold thicknesses which helped in the fabrication of the sensor. Demonstration of self-referencing operation was done through two different sets of experiments: (1) formation of an alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer on gold in the presence of ethanol and methanol solutions having different refractive indices and (2) streptavidin-biotin binding with solutions of different NaCl concentration and thus different refractive indices. In both these experiments, the resonance wavelengths were accurately predicted, reflectivity varied by 10-15% and sensitivity by 25% from that of the simulated values.

Surface plasmons are bound TM polarized electromagnetic waves that propagate along the interface of two materials with real dielectric constants of opposite signs. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors make use of the surface plasmon waves to detect refractive index changes occurring near this interface. For sensing purposes, this interface typically consists of a metal layer, usually gold or silver, and a liquid dielectric. SPR sensors usually measure the shift in resonance wavelength or resonance angle due to index changes adjacent to the metal layer. However this restricts the limit of detection (LOD), as the regions of low slope (intensity vs. wavelength or angle) in the SPR curve contain little information about the resonance. This work presents the technique of tunable laser interrogation of SPR sensors. A semiconductor laser with a typical lasing wavelength of 650nm was used. A 45nm gold layer sputtered on a BK7 glass substrate served as the sensor. The laser wavelength is tuned to always operate in the region of highest slope by using a custom-designed LabVIEW program. It is shown that the sensitivity is maximized and LOD is minimized by operating around the region of high slope on the SPR curve.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-12-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:09:47Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 domingues_el_me_bauru.pdf: 10744312 bytes, checksum: 7725f3300b6f6233a8bbfdc36c096755 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A busca por novas soluções que estimulem o crescimento da produção para atender o aumento do consumo mundial de produtos agrícolas, sem aumentar o impacto ambiental, desperta o interesse pelo desenvolvimento de novas técnicas de controle e aplicação de insumos nas plantações, visando uma melhor precisão no gerenciamento das quantidades de nutrientes necessárias nas áreas agrícolas. No Brasil a cultura da cana-de-açúcar esta se destacando no segmento agrícola e o aumento do interesse mundial no mercado de açúcar e álcool têm interessado o aumento de investimentos no setor de todo o país. A cultura de cana-de-açúcar tem grande necessidade de aplicação na aplicação de fertilizantes nitrogenados e esta necessidades estimula as pesquisas por novas soluções que permitam o monitoramento da quantidade de nitrogênio absorvida nas plantas, respeitando sua variabilidade espacial, para melhorar a eficiência no uso dos fertilizantes nitrogenados, aumentando a produtividade, reduzindo custos e os impactos ambientais. O uso dos sensores ópticos como ferramenta para medir a quantidade de nitrogênio absorvida pelas plantas através da refletância vem despertando o interesse dos pesquisadores e a utilização desta técnica em plantas de cana-de-açúcar no estagio inicial do crescimento precisa ser aprimorada. Esta dissertação pesquisou novas técnicas de processamento em tempo real utilizando sistemas inteligentes aplicados à ambientes agrícolas baseados em redes neurais artificiais, para melhorar a precisão das correlações das medições de refletâncias de um sensor óptico utilizado para estimular a quantidade de nitrogênio nas plantas de cana-de-açúcar no estágio inicial de crescimento. Os resultados obtidos pelas redes neurais artificiais apresentaram precisão melhor na correlação da... / The search for new solutions that stimulate the agricultural production growth in order to meet the worl food consumption increase, without further environmental impact, motivates the development of new crops inputs use and control techniques, aiming to improve the accuracy on amounts management of needed nutrients in agricultural areas. In Brazil, the sugar cane cultivation has been highlighted in the agricultural sector and increased global interest in the sugar and alcohol has spurred increased investment in the sector throughout the country. The cultivation of sugar cane is in great need to control the use of nitrogen fertilizers and this need stimulates researchers for new solutions allowing the monitoring of the among of absorbed nitrogen in plants, consistent with their spatial variability, to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers use, increasing productivity, reducing cost and environmental impacts. The use of optical sensors as a tool for measuring the amount of nitrogen absorbed by plants through reflectance has stimulated the interest of researchers and the use of said technique on sugar cane plant during the early stages of growing is still to be enhanced. This dissertation researched new real-time processing techniques using intelligent systems applied to agricultural based on artificial neural network in order to improve the accuracy of the correlations of the measurements of reflectance of an optical sensor in order to estimate the amount of nitrogen in sugar cane plants in the early stages of growing. The results presented by the artificial neural networks show the possibility of using embedded systems with better accuracy in the results of real time nitrogen estimation