A brief review of three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer mean velocity profile models was presented, with emphasis on the applicability of these to predict cross flow profiles when skewing existed in any single profile. A recurving or s-shaped rectangular channel was used to experimentally investigate the possible existence of such a turbulent boundary layer flow. The time average velocity profiles along the centerline of this channel were obtained with a hot film anemometer. The resultant profiles indicated that a turbulent boundary layer can exist with cross flow in two lateral directions simultaneously in the same profile and this phenomenon can occur over a relatively long flow distance. Several attempts were made to fit the models of Eichelbrenner and Shanebrook to the measured cross flow profiles, but with only limited success. A test of the three-dimensional wall-wake formulation proposed by Coles was made for each profile. A shear velocity was inferred by a modification of the two-dimensional Ludwieg and Tillman skin friction equation, and by a modified form of the two-dimensional Clauser skin friction chart. A linear semi-logarithmic region was judged distinguishable for profiles with skewing in one lateral direction and with the limiting wall streamline angle less than approximately 30 degrees. Additionally in some instances a linear semi-logarithmic region was judged to exist when when simultaneous lateral skewing occurred in two directions. Generally, the constructed wake profiles did not resemble the universal form tentatively proposed by Coles, but rather resembled the characteristic preasymptotic form as discussed by Pierce. / Master of Science

No description available.

The transesterification of lipids extracted from algae makes up the third generation of biodiesel production. The city of Logan, Utah, proposes that the algae used from the 460-acre wastewater pond could potentially be used for the production of biofuel that could serve as transportation fuel for the City solid waste vehicles. Separating the algae from the Logan Lagoon wastewater is the most expensive portion of the biodiesel process and the application of chemical flocculation can significantly increase costs and potentially interfere with biodiesel production. Cross flow filtration has been identified for algae harvesting, and experiments were conducted to evaluate materials and operating conditions for separating and harvesting algae from the Logan Lagoon system. Two cross flow filtrations units were used to conduct experiments. A pilot-scale cross flow filtration unit provided by WesTech, Inc., Engineering (Salt Lake City) with a 0.2-micron nylon membrane mesh was used for mixed-culture algae harvesting. In addition, a bench scale cross flow filtration unit was provided, and tests were conducted to further examine the effectiveness of cross flow filtration on pure-culture algae harvesting. A 1-micron nylon, 5-micron nylon and 5-micron polyester mesh were used with this system. The WesTech, Inc., Pilot Scale System demonstrated that the type of membrane used was critical for effective algae harvesting. Test results showed that the algal cake that developed on the membrane and that the amount of algae harvested decreased with flux. The bench scale unit demonstrated that more algal cells were collected when a membrane of a larger pore size was used. The 1-micron nylon mesh proved to be the most effective at concentration algae. The 5-micron polyester mesh was shown to be more effective than the 5-micron nylon mesh. The results in this thesis show that cross flow filtration is a feasible option for the City of Logan Environmental Department and is a technical option for algal harvesting for biofuel production.

The need for alternative sources of energy with low to zero emissions has led to the development of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. PEM fuel cells are electro-chemical devices that convert chemical energy to electricity by using hydrogen as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidant with water as the byproduct of this reaction. One of the major barriers to the commercialization of these cells is the losses that occur at the cathode due to the slow oxygen diffusion and sluggish electrochemical reaction, which are further amplified by the presence of liquid water. Numerous numerical and mathematical models are found in the literature, which investigate the transport phenomena in the cathode and their effects on the cell performance. In this thesis, the discussion of a two-dimensional, steady state, half cell model is put forward. The conservation equations for mass, momentum, species charge and energy are solved using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The conservation equations are applied to the cathode bipolar plate, gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer. The flow of gaseous species are assumed to be uniform in the channel. The catalyst layer is assumed to be composed of a uniform distribution of catalyst, liquid water, electrolyte, and void space. The Stefan-Maxwell equation is used to model the multi-species diffusion in the gas diffusion and catalyst layers. Due to the low relative species' velocity, the Darcy law is used to describe the transport of gas and liquid phases in the gas diffusion and catalyst layers. A serpentine flow field is used to distribute the oxidant over the active cathode electrode surface, with pressure loss in the flow direction along the channel. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the effects of pressure drop in the channel, permeability, inlet relative humidity and shoulder/channel ratio on the performance of the cell. Electron transport is shown to play an important role in determining the overall performance of the cathode. With a serpentine flow field, the oxygen consumption occurs more aggressively at the areas under the land since electrons are readily available at these areas. In addition, the reaction increases along the catalyst layer thickness and occurs more rapidly at the catalyst layer/membrane interface. The losses due to electron transport are much higher than those due to the proton transport. The sensitivity analysis put forward illustrated that with the increase of pressure drop along the channel flow field, the performance of the cell and liquid water removal are enhanced. Similarly, an increase in permeability of the porous material results in an increase in liquid water removal and cell performance. Further, the investigation of the inlet relative humidity effects revealed that the electrolyte conductivity has a significant effect on the performance up to a point. On a similar fashion, a decrease in shoulder/channel width ratio leads to an increase in performance and an increase in the leakage between neighboring channels. Finally, the addition of heat is shown to have a negative effect on the cell performance. Some recommendations can be drawn from the results of this thesis. It is recommended to develop a model to study the flow in the channel flow field in order to investigate the effects of the channel flow on the transport of species in the cell. Further, the geometry of the channel should be studied. Finally, the production of water should be analyzed. The analysis should be extended to investigate its production in vapor form only and its production as a mixture of vapor and liquid.

The need for alternative sources of energy with low to zero emissions has led to the development of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. PEM fuel cells are electro-chemical devices that convert chemical energy to electricity by using hydrogen as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidant with water as the byproduct of this reaction. One of the major barriers to the commercialization of these cells is the losses that occur at the cathode due to the slow oxygen diffusion and sluggish electrochemical reaction, which are further amplified by the presence of liquid water. Numerous numerical and mathematical models are found in the literature, which investigate the transport phenomena in the cathode and their effects on the cell performance. In this thesis, the discussion of a two-dimensional, steady state, half cell model is put forward. The conservation equations for mass, momentum, species charge and energy are solved using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The conservation equations are applied to the cathode bipolar plate, gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer. The flow of gaseous species are assumed to be uniform in the channel. The catalyst layer is assumed to be composed of a uniform distribution of catalyst, liquid water, electrolyte, and void space. The Stefan-Maxwell equation is used to model the multi-species diffusion in the gas diffusion and catalyst layers. Due to the low relative species' velocity, the Darcy law is used to describe the transport of gas and liquid phases in the gas diffusion and catalyst layers. A serpentine flow field is used to distribute the oxidant over the active cathode electrode surface, with pressure loss in the flow direction along the channel. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the effects of pressure drop in the channel, permeability, inlet relative humidity and shoulder/channel ratio on the performance of the cell. Electron transport is shown to play an important role in determining the overall performance of the cathode. With a serpentine flow field, the oxygen consumption occurs more aggressively at the areas under the land since electrons are readily available at these areas. In addition, the reaction increases along the catalyst layer thickness and occurs more rapidly at the catalyst layer/membrane interface. The losses due to electron transport are much higher than those due to the proton transport. The sensitivity analysis put forward illustrated that with the increase of pressure drop along the channel flow field, the performance of the cell and liquid water removal are enhanced. Similarly, an increase in permeability of the porous material results in an increase in liquid water removal and cell performance. Further, the investigation of the inlet relative humidity effects revealed that the electrolyte conductivity has a significant effect on the performance up to a point. On a similar fashion, a decrease in shoulder/channel width ratio leads to an increase in performance and an increase in the leakage between neighboring channels. Finally, the addition of heat is shown to have a negative effect on the cell performance. Some recommendations can be drawn from the results of this thesis. It is recommended to develop a model to study the flow in the channel flow field in order to investigate the effects of the channel flow on the transport of species in the cell. Further, the geometry of the channel should be studied. Finally, the production of water should be analyzed. The analysis should be extended to investigate its production in vapor form only and its production as a mixture of vapor and liquid.

Studies of phase speciation of trace metals were conducted in Kao-ping river estuary in September 2001 and May 2002. Influence of seasonal variation, salinity and organic carbon content on the trace metal¡¦s phase speciation were of special interest. Water samples collected from four different sampling stations were analyzed for their contents which include salinity, pH value, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, total organic carbon and trace metals. Subsamples observed by cross-flow filtration treatment were further analyzed for the contents of total organic carbon and trace metals. The results showed that manganese has the highest concentration( 8.23 ~ 291.24 £gg/L ), followed by zinc( 2.83 ~ 5.89 £gg/L), nickel( 1.69 ~ 5.82 £gg/L ), copper( 1.75 ~ 4.71 £gg/L ), lead( 0.27 ~ 0.89 £gg/L ) and cadmium( 0.01 ~ 0.27 £gg/L ). Cadmium existed in particulate phase predominately. Copper existed in truly dissolved phase predominately. Particle and truly dissolved phase were the major species of zinc, nickel, manganese and lead. Percentage of all metals in colloidal fraction of the filter-passing pool were low( 9 ~ 16 % for Cu, 5 ~ 21 % for Zn, 4 ~ 30 % for Ni, 2 ~ 38 % for Mn, 5 ~ 30 % for Pb and 8 ~ 34 % for Cd ), they were found predominately in truly dissolved fraction. Effect of seasonal variation was not significant on the distribution of trace metals. Percentage of all truly dissolved metals increased with increasing salinity, however, percentage of particulate metals decreased with increasing salinity ( except for Zn ). Values of partition coefficients between colloids and true solution( Kc ) were considerably higher than those between particles and true solution( Kp ) for all trace metals indicate a high complexation capacity and binding intensity of colloidal organic matter.

The study of single-plume sprays into cross-flowing air is found extensively in literature, however, with the continued development of the Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) engine, the behaviour of multi-plume sprays in cross-flowing conditions is of interest. In the present work, the injection of a multi-plume spray into a high-velocity cross-flow is investigated; an experimental apparatus capable of providing a cross-flow with core velocities higher than 200 m/s is developed; analysis techniques are developed to characterize the cross-flow and multi-plume spray independently; the multi-plume spray is characterized as it issues into the cross-flowing air. The round air jet used for the cross-flow was designed using the concepts put forth for the design of wind tunnel contractions. The axial and radial velocities were measured using a Particle Image Velocimetry system from LaVision Inc. and the potential core length determined for the core velocities corresponding to Mach numbers of 0.35 and 0.58. It was determined that the potential core length increases with increasing Mach number and that increased compressibility, leads to reduced mixing within the core. Furthermore, velocity profiles of the air jet show that self-similarity is preserved within the shear layer of the initial region. The multi-plume spray was also characterized in quiescent conditions for 10 and 15 MPa injection pressures. It was found that the penetration depth and spray width increased with increasing injection pressure, but that the spray angle decreased with increasing pressure. The increase in penetration depth is consistent with the findings presented in literature, while the decrease in spray angle with increasing pressure is contrary to literature. Next, the multi-plume spray, injected at 10 and 15 MPa, is characterized as it issues into the cross-flowing air stream at Mach numbers equal to 0.35 and 0.58. The tail length and penetration are measured and it is found that for the first, the cross-flow velocity is the primary factor with higher cross-flow velocity resulting in a longer tail length, while for the latter, the injection pressure is the major factor, with higher injection pressures resulting in higher penetrations. That being said, the injection pressure does play a small role in the tail length, with the 15 MPa injection having a slightly longer tail length than the 10 MPa injection in the Mach number 0.58 cross-flow. This is attributed to the finer atomization, which is expected from the 15 MPa injection and which leads to quicker entrainment of fuel droplets into the cross-flow. The spray axis was predicted for each set of conditions from 0.1 ms to 1.0 ms after Start of Fuel (SOF). It was found that before 0.3 ms, the spray retains its multi-plume nature, while after 0.3 ms it behaves like a single-plume spray. Once the spray has crossed this transition point, the spray axis is temporally independent and can be predicted by the logarithmic models, similar to those used for single-plume sprays in cross-flow. The accuracy of this fit is improved upon, with the presentation of a modified correlation, which includes the momentum flux ratio inside of the logarithmic term. Finally, the multi-plume spray issuing into the cross-flow is characterized using PIV to measure droplet velocities. It is observed that the cross-flow momentum is imparted to the smaller droplets within the 15 MPa spray more easily than to those of the 10 MPa injection, but that the 15 MPa sprays also retain their momentum in the radial direction longer than the 10 MPa sprays. As such, the 10 MPa sprays align with the cross-flow axis faster.

abstract: While much effort in Stirling engine development is placed on making the high-temperature region of the Stirling engine warmer, this research explores methods to lower the temperature of the cold region by improving heat transfer in the cooler. This paper presents heat transfer coefficients obtained for a Stirling engine heat exchanger with oscillatory flow. The effects of oscillating frequency and input heat rate on the heat transfer coefficients are evaluated and details on the design and development of the heat exchanger test apparatus are also explained. Featured results include the relationship between overall heat transfer coefficients and oscillation frequency which increase from 21.5 to 46.1 Wm-2K-1 as the oscillation frequency increases from 6.0 to 19.3 Hz. A correlation for the Nusselt number on the inside of the heat exchange tubes in oscillatory flow is presented in a concise, dimensionless form in terms of the kinetic Reynolds number as a result of a statistical analysis. The test apparatus design is proven to be successful throughout its implementation due to the usefulness of data and clear trends observed. The author is not aware of any other publicly-available research on a Stirling engine cooler to the extent presented in this paper. Therefore, the present results are analyzed on a part-by-part basis and compared to segments of other research; however, strong correlations with data from other studies are not expected. The data presented in this paper are part of a continuing effort to better understand heat transfer properties in Stirling engines as well as other oscillating flow applications. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Mechanical Engineering 2011

Continual development of internal combustion engines requires greater performance from liquid coolants and heat exchangers to maintain optimal temperature. For the purpose of experimental testing of traditional, compact, and microchannel heat exchangers, a test facility has been designed, constructed, and utilized. The facility includes equipment and instrumentation necessary to create operating conditions and record data primarily for testing plate-fin brazed aluminum heat exchanger where heat is being transferred from liquid to air. Other arrangements of heat exchangers could be tested as well with some modifications. Initial tests were performed at several specified operating conditions for three liquids: water, a traditional glycol based Extended Life Coolant (ELC), and a new Glycol Free Coolant (GFC) in an attempt to characterize their heat transfer ability. Results of the tests found that the product of overall heat transfer coefficient and heat exchanger area (UA) was very similar for GFC and water, and it was less for ELC by a narrow margin of 1.3% difference on average. Uncertainty due to instrumentation accuracy was calculated to be 1.8% on average making the results overall UA unverifiable. Measured pressure drop across the heat exchanger which is proportional to required pumping power was found to be 13.5% higher for GFC than ELC at nominal conditions. The GFC offers similar heat transfer performance and marginally increased pumping power requirements compared to the traditional ELC. Due to similar heat transfer performance and the small effect of pressure drop, GFC would be good alternative to ELC due to its less toxic composition.

Thesis on Evaluation cross-flow filtration modules in winemaking technology, describes a comparison of two different producers tangential filtration equipment. Comparison based on sensory evaluation of wine before and after filtration. Part of the comparison is also microbial stability of filtered wine. The microbial stability was carried out in the laboratory using a sample overflow nutrient medium (agar). Filtered samples did not show any positive results. The efficacy of the two filtration devices which have been compared in this work, is above the level of 99%. In the literary part of the work deals with the filtration of wine and devices that carry filtration. The work is supplemented by a tabular overview of the cost of filtered wine in volume to 1 liter. The conclusion made recommendations for the purchase of cross-flow filters.