The universal adoption of biomass materials as an alternate fuel source to fossil fuels for transportation and electricity has been hindered by the high transportation costs involved in fuel production. Optimization of these initial costs will make the eco-friendly fuels more economically viable. Biomass is a promising feedstock for biofuels primarily because it is a renewable and sustainable resource. Among the most studied grassland crops, switchgrass is a perennial warm-season grass and has been identified as a potential energy crop. This research focuses on evaluating various physical parameters which affect the economic feasibility of packaging and transporting switchgrass from the field to the biorefinery. The switchgrass was harvested using a mower conditioner followed by field chopping after varying drying periods. The first harvesting period spanned from early November to mid December 2007 and the second was August to October 2008. Densification properties of chopped switchgrass were studied under compression. The effects of compressive stresses (41 to 101 kPa), number of strokes (1 to 10), moisture content (9 to 62 percent) and chopping length (63 and 95 mm) on the densification of chopped switchgrass were studied. The final dry matter density (DMD) increased with the compressive stresses and the number of strokes, small chop length and low moisture content. The maximum free-standing DMD obtained was 245 kg/m^3.

Predicting correct pore-pressure is important for drilling applications. Wellbore stability problems, kicks, or even blow-outs can be avoided with a good estimate of porepressure. Conventional pore-pressure estimation methods are based on one-dimensional compaction theory and depend on a relationship between porosity and vertical effective stress. Strike-slip or reverse faulting environments especially require a different way to determine pore-pressure, since the overburden is not the maximum stress. This study proposes a method which better accounts for the three-dimensional nature of the stress field and provides improved estimates of pore-pressure. We apply the mean total stress estimate to estimate pore-pressure. Pore pressure is then obtained by modifying Eaton’s pore-pressure equations, which require either resistivity or sonic log data. The method was tested in the Snorre Field in the Norwegian North Sea, where the field changes from strike-slip to reverse stress state. Eaton’s resistivity and sonic equations were used to predict pore-pressure in this region by replacing the vertical stress by the mean total stress estimate. Results suggest that the modified Eaton method with resistivity log data gives better results for the area than the conventional method. The ratio of maximum horizontal stress to minimum horizontal stress throughout each well should be known for best results.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2005. / Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 1997. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-191).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 57 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-57).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-136).

Theses (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains 184 pages. Bibliography: p. 177-182.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed May 22, 2007). PDF text: ix, 175 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 1.39Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3237056. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thèses (M.Sc.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 1999. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 20 juin 2006). Publié aussi en version papier.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Bandwidth is a precious commodity. In order to make the best use of what is available, better modulation schemes need to be developed, or less data needs to be sent. This paper will investigate the option of sending less data via data compression. The structure and the entropy of the data determine how much lossless compression can be obtained for a given set of data. This paper shows the data structure and entropy for several actual telemetry data sets and the resulting lossless compression obtainable using data compression techniques.