Due to the remote and dispersed nature of Alberta’s oil wells, it is not economical for the energy industry to capture all of the solution gas produced and as a result, the gas is being flared and vented in significant amounts. The objective of this research is to aid in the conversion of solution gas into dimethyl ether (DME) in a remote location by designing a distillation column that purifies DME and its reaction by-products, carbon dioxide, methanol and water. In order to develop an implementable solution, the distillation equipment must fit inside of a 40-foot shipping container to be transported to remote locations. Given the size constraint of the system, process intensification is the best strategy to efficiently separate the mixture. Several process intensification distillation techniques are explored, including semicontinuous distillation, the dividing wall column (DWC) and a novel semicontinuous dividing wall column (S-DWC). The traditional semicontinuous distillation column purifies DME to fuel grade purity, however the other components are not separated to a high enough grade given the height constrain of the system. The DWC and S-DWC both purify DME to its desired purity along with producing high purity waste streams. The S-DWC purifies the reaction intermediate methanol to a grade slightly higher than the DWC and is pure enough to recycle back to the reactor. An economic comparison is made between the three systems. While the DWC is a cheaper method of producing DME, the trade-off is the purity of the methanol produced. Overall, this research shows that it is possible to purify DME and its reaction by-products in a 40-foot distillation column at a cost that is competitive with Diesel. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

As dissatisfaction with the single member district has grown in recent years, new electoral systems have gained popularity. In particular, the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system, enacted in 2020 and used in Alaska for the first time in 2022, has received considerable attention. Besides reducing partisanship, the system claims to increase voter turnout and encourage third-party candidates and candidates of color to run on election day. Given its novelty, however, a comprehensive overview of the system and the implementation process is currently lacking. As a result, the purpose of this study is to assess the history, passage, challenges, and current debate around the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system. Using popular opinion data, candidate campaign techniques, archives, and ballot data, I find that voter and candidate reactions to the system varied, that incumbent advantage was not evident in the 2022 election cycle, and that voting patterns were associated with campaign strategies. States considering the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system can use this thesis as a guide to understanding the system's successes and drawbacks better. The study could also serve as a starting point for researchers looking into how the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system can enhance democracy.

The introduction of plus-size models in high fashion has been a highly discussed topic in recent years. Plus-size female models are slowly breaking their way through the boundaries of fashion’s standard for thinness and this can be observed through their visibility within major runway shows. However, this change does not seem as prevalent within high fashion menswear shows since plus-size men are barely being included. Nevertheless, plus-size men exist and fashion can no longer choose to ignore them as they deserve to be acknowledged and represented. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to include the plus-size male body within the scope of fashion. A multimethodological approach, combining critical visual analysis, semi-structured interviews and critical theory by Susan Bordo, Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu are used as a way to examine to what extent plus-size men are being included in high fashion, and how this influences the field of fashion. The outcome of the visual analysis reveals that there is still a large lack of inclusion of plus-size men. Furthermore, the field analysis reveals that there is an imbalance within the current field of fashion, and this is one of the main reasons why there is a lack of inclusion of plus-size men within (high) fashion.

The project aims to propose MAPE based hybrid elasticity management framework on the basis of valuable insights accrued during systematic analysis of relevant literature. Each stage of MAPE process acts independently as a black box in proposed framework, while dealing with neighbouring stages. Thus, being modular in nature; underlying algorithms in any of the stage can be replaced with more suitable ones, without affecting any other stage. The hybrid framework enables proactive and reactive autoscaling approaches to be implemented simultaneously within same system. Proactive approach is incorporated as a core decision making logic on the basis of forecast data, while reactive approach being based upon actual data would act as a damage control measure; activated only in case of any problem with proactive approach. Thus, benefits of both the worlds; pre-emption as well as reliability can be achieved through proposed framework. It uses time series analysis (moving average method / exponential smoothing) and threshold based static rules (with multiple monitoring intervals and dual threshold settings) during analysis and planning phases of MAPE loop, respectively. Mathematical illustration of the framework incorporates multiple parameters namely VM initiation delay / release criterion, network latency, system oscillations, threshold values, smart kill etc. The research concludes that recommended parameter settings primarily depend upon certain autoscaling objective and are often conflicting in nature. Thus, no single autoscaling system with similar values can possibly meet all objectives simultaneously, irrespective of reliability of an underlying framework. The project successfully implements complete cloud infrastructure and autoscaling environment over experimental platforms i-e OpenStack and CloudSim Plus. In nutshell, the research provides solid understanding of autoscaling phenomenon, devises MAPE based hybrid elasticity management framework and explores its implementation potential over OpenStack and CloudSim Plus.

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A computerized flow process charting application program of dBase III+ has been developed to aid in resource requirements planning and operations analysis. Traditional flow process charting has used as the following data elements: assembly number, assembly sequence number, distance travelled, time required for the activity and an activity symbol. The computerized system adds several variables to these in order to customize the application at Martin Marietta Electronic Systems. These additional variables include work center identification, machine number identification, lot sizes, set up and run times and manufacturing specifications. Additionally, the circle or operations symbol has been expanded to differentiate between manual, process and test activities. Resources requirements planning and analysis is accomplished by a series of reports where a user defines search requirements and enters three independent equation variables for the calculations. The three variables are realization factor or safety factor, resource availability in hours per month and monthly production demand. The resource requirements can be used in methods engineering, make-buy decisions and resource planning. Sensitivity analyses can be easily accomplished by changing the input variables and/or data.