The thesis deals with the issue of increasing the whiteness index of kaolin raw material. The research was focused on floating the kaolin suspension and the subsequent processes related to increasing the whiteness index. Increasing the whiteness of the kaolin raw material took place on the basis of acid leaching. The eluents were based on sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, oxalic acid and sodium bisulfite. The leaching process was influenced by the temperature and concentration of the leaching agent. Floated and leached kaolin samples were characterized by several methods. The XRD method investigated the mineralogical composition and the kaolinite structure order. The distribution of chromogenic components was monitored by SEM-EDS. Residues of organic matter was determined by COD test and the concentration of chromogenic components in the extract was monitored by the ICP-OES method. Last but not least, the index of whiteness was measured, the increase of which is the aim of the diploma thesis, using a UV-VIS spectrometer with reflective extension.

Blockchain's use in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) research demonstrates that the technology provides useful attributes to allow for the safe and secure operation of VANET applications. The growth of blockchain applications pose a threat to the efficient operation of the MANET-like environment found within VANETs. Floating Genesis Blocks (FGB) can be used to preserve the state of the blockchain up to a certain point, and allows for the safe pruning of the chain without information loss. The early work presented here demonstrates two pruning techniques and compares the effects of each blockchain through simulation measurement of the chain's space requirements. A discussion on the results and recommendations for future work conclude the author's work.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1979. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 120-121. / by Pierre Haren. / M.S.

To secure the growing energy demand due to the rise in population and technological advancements, countries worldwide are looking for alternatives or complementary generation sources to support the existing grid infrastructure and power generating system. The increase in global temperature and climate change forces each country to switch to clean energy production.  Among the renewable energy sources, the Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) market is flourishing in various countries. It is a good source of power generation avoiding land constraint issues and adding extra benefits like cooling of panels and reducing evaporation and algal bloom problems of water sources where it is installed. In fact, as a part of a complementary generation, the idea of using unused reservoir water surface of reservoir for the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) is a considerable solution for meeting energy demand.  As hydropower and PV are dispatchable and non-dispatchable sources of energy, they can complement each other well. The floating PV and hydropower basics and factors that complement their mutual operation are discussed in this research work with a literature review. Case studies of tropical and mediterranean climatic countries like Myanmar and Albania are analyzed using HOMER Pro. The various challenges associated with this hybrid hydro-floating PV project are evaluated using risk analysis, and the highest risk elements are identified.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to investigate possible reasons, based on economic and city characteristics, for the different usage of free-floating carsharing between a car-dependent city (Calgary) and one non-car-dependent city (Berlin). This paper identifies factors that help a free-floating carsharing system to be successful in a city that scores poorly on com-monly known success factors of carsharing. Methods: Various factors were evaluated, namely, geographic and demographic market char-acteristics, the available transport systems and the costs and household spending of both cities. A dataset which describes the usage of free-floating carsharing in Berlin and Calgary from Au-gust 2016 to November 2016 was analyzed in this study. Results: Calgary’s car2go system has fewer rentals and fewer members than Berlin. Possible reasons lie in the different city characteristics and different cost structures. Both 85th percentile of the travel distance is approximately as long as the radius of the respective home area in both cities. Thus, the median travel distance and the median reservation/rental duration is shorter in Calgary than in Berlin. The fact that more than 70 % of rentals in Calgary arrive in, depart from or travel within areas with active parking management could be due to the fact that free-floating carsharing users do not need to pay extra for parking fees. The carsharing bookings in Calgary peak at midnight when the public transportation service shuts down. The peak could also be the result of the high number of 3-minute long rentals at this time. Neither the high number of 3-minute bookings, the midnight peak, nor the public transport service close down during night, can be observed in Berlin. Given that employees in downtown Calgary may prefer to use free-floating carsharing to run errands during lunchbreak, the carsharing bookings do not plummet during midday, in contrast to Berlin, which only has a limited number of short distance rentals and where the free-floating carsharing bookings follow a similar pattern to the two-humped car traffic volume graph. Conclusion: Given the focus of the departures and arrivals in Calgary in areas where parking fees are charged, active parking management could be a success factor for free-floating car-sharing in car-dependent cities. However, it is not advisable to solely enforce parking fees within select parts of the home area as individuals generally prefer to use the less expensive mode of transport; which is free-floating carsharing to travel from and to areas with active parking man-agement and their own car for any other trip. As a result, the city would not gain the benefits free-floating carsharing could provide. Recommendations: Based on the results of this study, it is advisable to investigate whether home area wide or city wide parking management and surcharges for trips to downtown could encourage Calgary’s members in to use the car2go in a way that it provides the most benefits from a city perspective.

In order to develop a better understanding of the role of the froth phase in coal flotation, froth stability measurements have been conducted using a continuous flotation cell. The results indicate that the mass flow rate of coal or mineral matter reporting to the product is linearly related to the flow rate of water reporting to the product. This relationship has been used to distinguish the relative contributions of hydrophobic attachment or hydraulic entrainment to the total product recovery. Simple mathematical expressions have also been developed to characterize the cleanability of various coals. A mathematical model based on first principles has been developed to provide additional insight into the complex relationship between the various operating parameters of a flotation cell and the froth behavior. The predicted results compare favorably to actual flotation test data for most conditions. In addition, a simple method was developed to study the fundamental interactions of various frothing agents with coal particles. The results of these studies indicate that the adsorption behavior of frothers in the presence of coal depends on both the physical properties of the frothing agent and the coal. / Master of Science

The hydrodynamic pressures acting on a floating guardwall can be considered to be a fluid-structure interaction problem. In this research, the fluid-structure system is decoupled assuming that the effects of the structural response on the fluid load pattern are negligible. Therefore, initially, the effects of the flow and pressure distribution, due to the presence of the structure, were computed and then used as boundary conditions for the structural analysis of the guardwall. The deformation of the guardwall was then used to recompute the fluid loads. Because the fluid loading did not change significantly, the decoupling is considered to be valid. In order to obtain the hydrodynamic pressures, an existing 2-D finite element model ? HIVEL2D ? was used with the lock wall being represented by a pressure field on the water surface. The structural system was modeled using the ANSYS finite element program.

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