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Throughout the process industry, the conservation and allocation of mass and energy resources plays a pivotal role in the site wide optimization of a plant. Typically, raw materials are transformed into products, byproducts and wastes through pathways involving heating/cooling, pressure changes, mixing, reactions and separations. These pathways often require the addition or removal of energy from the system. The optimal management of such a system therefore requires conserving resources through the appropriate allocation of materials and energy. In a typical plant, there are both mass and energy objectives that require optimization. This dissertation will focus on optimizing the mass and energy resources present in a utility system. This will entail developing a novel framework of techniques to: target and design steam cogeneration networks while minimizing fuel requirements, identifying and utilizing sources of waste heat and incorporating heat pipes to enhance heat exchange networks. Additionally, a specific case of waste recovery will be examined when properties are the primary concern.

The analysis of security defense processes is of utmost importance in the management of various cyber-security attacks, which are increasing in scope and rapidity. Organizations need to optimize their resources based on a sound understanding of the level of their security defense processes' efficiency and the impact of their investment. Modeling and characterization of the dynamics of cyber security management are essential to risk prediction, damage assessment, and resource allocations. This dissertation addresses the interactions between human factors and information systems. On the basis of the spiral life cycle model of software development processes, we develop a realistic, holistic security attack-defense model - Man-Machine Model (M3), which combines human factors and information systems' (i.e., machine) states under an integrated analytical framework. M3 incorporates man and machine components. The man component is comprised of several variables such as Skill & Knowledge (SKKN) and Teamwork Quality (TWQ). The machine component is composed of variables such as traffic volume and the amount of downtime. M3 enables the analysis of intrusion detection and incident response process efficiency, i.e., security defense team performance. With data analysis, we formulate and test four major research hypotheses based on the data collected during security experiments. Through hypothesis testing, we evaluate regression models to estimate the security defense team performance (i.e. efficiency) at different levels of human intelligence (e.g., skill and knowledge) and teamwork (e.g., teamwork quality). We assess the fitness and significance of the regression models, and verify their assumptions. Based on these results, organizations can hire those who have an appropriate level of skill and knowledge when it concerns investments to increase the level of skill and knowledge of security personnel. They also can attempt to increase the level of skill and knowledge of security personnel.

The overall purpose of this work is to develop systematic methodology for the simultaneous design and selection of processes and molecules (materials). A propertybased approach is used to develop an interface between process and molecular design/selection. In particular, we focus on the problem of designing/selecting materials that are used in the context of a recycle/reuse system of process streams and for energy applications. Fresh and recycled resources (e.g., process streams, biomass, solvents, etc.) are integrated with the process to satisfy property-based constraints for the process units and to optimize the usage of the resources and the design of the process. For molecular design, property operators for mixing streams and group contribution methods (GCM) are used to consistently represent process sources, sinks, and different functional groups on the same property-base. For material selection, property based criteria (e.g., heat rate, high heating value, etc.) are used to bridge the process with material. This consistent representation enables the definition of the optimization problem formulation for product design while taking into consideration the recycle/reuse of process streams. In particular, this dissertation addresses four integrated topics. First, a new graphical approach for material targeting and substitution is presented. This graphical approach offers initial solutions and valuable insights that can be effectively used for conceptual design and for initializing mathematical programming techniques. Second, a mathematical optimization approach is developed along with a decomposition-based global solution procedure for material targeting and substitution using property integration. Third, an implementation approach is developed to synthesize the details of a recycle/reuse process network design based on the targets identified through the graphical and/or the mathematical approaches. Finally, property integration techniques are extended to a broader scope which deals with the lifecycle analysis of biomass utilization for energy generation. A generic model is developed to optimize the types and quantities of the feedstocks used to optimize power generation with biomass-fossil fuel co-fed system. Important issues of biomass growth, harvesting, transportation, processing, and disposal are included. Property-based tracking and constraints are included in the analysis. Also, the issues associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are incorporated in the analysis. Case studies are solved throughout the dissertation to demonstrate the applicability of the developed procedures.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-174).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-136). Also available in electronic version. Access restricted to campus users.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-134). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-134). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Dec. 10, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.