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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
21

Modélisation du cycle thermique des moules de fonderie sous pression / Modeling the thermal cycle of the dies in high pressure die casting process

Tavakoli, Shahab 12 September 2014 (has links)
La réduction de la masse des véhicules, notamment des Groupes Motopropulseurs contribue à la réduction des émissions polluantes. Aujourd’hui afin d’aboutir à cet objectif, la conception de pièces automobiles (Carter Mécanisme, Carter Cylindre) en matériau allégé tel que l’aluminium et ses alliages est en plein essor. Pour la production de grande série, ces alliages sont mis en œuvre par le procédé de fonderie ‘’Aluminium sous pression’’.Ce procédé utilise des moules métalliques. La maîtrise du comportement thermique du moule : chauffage, refroidissement interne (par circuit) et externe, est un point clef pour la qualité et la cadence de production.Dans ce mémoire, le processus industriel est détaillé depuis la fermeture du moule et l’injection du métal liquide jusqu’à l’ouverture du moule et l’extraction de la pièce (carter mécanisme RENAULT). Ensuite, le design détaillé du moule, les différentes générations de circuit de refroidissement et les paramètres de chaque étape de la fabrication utilisés compte tenu du système de refroidissement actuel sont présentés. Le circuit de refroidissement du moule est aujourd’hui positionné dans le moule de façon empirique. Le but ultime de cette thèse est de donner les éléments clés de la conception du circuit de refroidissement d’un point vue thermique. Pour cela, une modélisation complète du phénomène a été réalisée et validée par 8 thermocouples et la position du system de refroidissement a été définie a partir des équations thermiques. Le cycle thermique du moule a été donc optimisé et nous a permis d’abaisser et d’homogénéiser les champs de température à la surface du moule pendant la production en vue d’une augmentation de la productivité, la santé des pièces et la durée de vie du moule. / Reducing the weight of vehicles, specially the powertrain Group, contributes to the reduction of the emissions. Today, in order to achieve this objective, the automobile parts conception (Housing gear box, Cylinder block) in lightweight materials such as aluminum and its alloys is increasing. For the mass production, aluminum alloys are formed by a foundry process called ‘’High Pressure Die Casting’’.This process uses the metal molds. Control the thermal behavior of the mold : Heating, intern cooling (by circuit) and extern cooling, is a key point to ensure castings quality and rate of production.In this thesis, the industrial process has been detailed since the mold closing and aluminum melting injection in the die, to the mold opening time and the part (Gearbox RENAULT) ejection. Then, the mold design details, different generation of the cooling systems and the parameters of each step of the manufacturing process taking into account the actual cooling system are presented. The actual cooling systems in the dies are positioned today in empirical way. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to provide the key elements for the cooling system conception from the thermal behavior point of view. For this one, a complete modeling of the phenomena has been realized and validated by 8 thermocouples and the cooling system position has been defined from the thermal equations. The thermal cycle of the die has been optimized and allowed us to reduce and homogenize the temperature fields on the die surface during the production. The rate of production, the castings quality and the lifetime of the die have been consequently increased.
22

Evaluation du risque d'inflammation de gaz imbrûlés au cours d'un incendie en milieu sous-ventilé. / Evaluation of Unburnt Gases' Ignition Hazard During an Under-Ventilated Fire

Mathis, Etienne 04 July 2016 (has links)
Lors du déclenchement d’un incendie en milieu clos, la quantité d’oxygène du local décroît, entrainant une combustion incomplète. Des gaz chauds imbrûlés peuvent alors s’accumuler dans le local ou dans les gaines de ventilation et un accident thermique peut survenir suite à un apport d’air frais. Ce travail, réalisé pour AREVA, vise à quantifier et d’analyser ce risque, afin de pouvoir le prédire et le prévenir. Tout d’abord, une étude bibliographique a été réalisée afin de définir les paramètres d’auto-inflammation à partir du modèle de Frank-Kamenetskii. Celui-ci permet, après un bilan d’énergie, l’établissement d’un paramètre critique, δC, d’auto-inflammation du mélange. δC réunit la géométrie, la température (et la température ambiante) et la composition du mélange à l’auto-inflammation.Puis, la dégradation thermique du Polyéthylène Haute Densité en fonction de la densité surfacique de flux incident à la surface du matériau et de la sous-ventilation a été caractérisée (cinétique de dégradation, productions gazeuses). Le Cône Calorimètre à Atmosphère Contrôlée a été employé.Ce travail expérimental a permis d’obtenir plusieurs mélanges gazeux suivant les conditions. La dernière partie de l’étude a permis, à partir de δC, de poser le volume de mélange via le rayon comme critère d’auto-inflammabilité des mélanges. En imposant une température, en faisant varier la fraction volumique de chaque gaz combustible entre sa LII et LSI le risque d’accident thermique a été défini. / After the beginning of a fire in a closed room, the oxygen rate in the atmosphere decreases. This implies an incomplete combustion and unburnt gases production. These ones may accumulate in the room or in ventilation pipes, and, after mixing with fresh air, auto-ignite. This could trigger a thermal accident such as backdraft. This present work, conducted for AREVA, aims to analyse this hazard and provide some methods to predict and prevent it. First, a bibliographical research, was carried on to define a mixture’s auto-ignition parameters. This study was based on Frank-Kamenetskii’s model: after establishing the energetics balance between the heat produced by combustion, and the one consumed by conduction, an auto-ignition critical parameter, δC, was defined. It reunites the system’s geometry, temperature (or the room temperature) and composition.Then, the High Density Polythene degradation in a Controlled Atmosphere Cone Calorimeter was studied. The effect on the material’s degradation of under-ventilation and of the energy brought has been tested through the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere and the incident heat flux.During this work many different gas mixtures were analyzed. On the ground of δC formula, the final step was to set the volume, through the radius (characteristic size of the system), as an auto-ignition parameter. Making the concentration of each combustible varying between the LFL and UFL and imposing the temperature allowed to predict this hazard.
23

Beräkningsmetod för påverkan av driftstörningar i produktionssystem med serie-parallella flöden / Calculation method for the impact of downtime in series-parallel production systems

Simonsson, Anton, Åberg, Viktor January 2020 (has links)
I det här arbetet eftersökte Scania IM en metod för att beräkna maskiners påverkan på output för en produktionslina vid driftstörningar. Metoden skulle kunna appliceras på en produktionslina med ett serie-parallellt flöde och arbetet utgick från en utvald lina där man bearbetar cylinderhuvuden. Vid framtagandet av beräkningsmetoden skapades det som i arbetet kallas för påverkansfaktor som tar fram vilken påverkan ett bortfall av en maskin i flödet har på flaskhalsutrustningen, som i sin tur står för den yttersta begränsningen för systemet. På seriella stationer erhålls en påverkansfaktor på 100 % men på stationer med parallell utrustning så finns det en kvarvarande kapacitet vid driftstopp av enstaka maskiner vilket är beroende av hur många maskiner samt vilken utnyttjandegrad de hade i ursprungsläget. Vid framtagandet av beräkningsmetoden togs inspiration från tidigare arbeten inom detta område men anpassades eller förenklades för att möta behoven från underhållsavdelningen. En utveckling av metoden gjordes även för att kunna analysera historiska data där information omproducerad variant saknas och då används ett viktat genomsnitt för påverkansfaktorn. Påverkansfaktorn bortser från buffertars påverkan på systemet men hur de ska inkorporeras undersöktes och därav togs ett förslag fram där kritisk driftstoppstid (critical downtime) används tillsammans med påverkansfaktorn för att ta hänsyn till såväl buffertar som parallell utrustning. Ett verktyg skapades för Scania IM för att underlätta användandet av framtagna beräkningsmetoder. Det som kvarstår efter avslutat arbete är att över tid testa de framtagna metoderna för att undersöka hur väl de överensstämmer med verkligt produktionsutfall. Detta kunde ej genomföras under gällande situation då produktionen ej var i drift enligt normalläge under tidsperioden för arbetet. / For this thesis, Scania IM sought a method for calculating the impact of machine downtime on the output of a production line. The method was created to be applied on a production line with a seriesparallel flow and was constructed based on a selected line where cylinder heads are machined. To achieve this a variable called impact factor was created that produces the effect an individual machines downtime has on the bottleneck equipment for the production line, which in turn accounts for the utmost limitation of the system. At serial stations, an impact factor of 100% is obtained, but at stations with parallel equipment, there is a remaining capacity if at least one machine is functioning. The amount on remaining capacity is dependent on how many of the parallel machines that are malfunctioning and the degree of utilization they had in the original state. In developing the calculation method, inspiration was taken from previous work regarding similar subjects, but it was either adapted or simplified to meet the needs of the maintenance department for the production line. A further development of the method was also made to be able to analyze historical data where information on the produced variant of cylinder heads is missing which led to the use of a weighted average for the impact factor. The impact factor ignores the effects of buffers on the system output, but how they are to be incorporated was investigated and a proposal was therefore made where critical downtime is used together with the impact factor to take into account both buffers and parallel equipment. A tool was created for Scania IM where they can perform these calculations. What remains after completion of the thesis is to test the developed methods over time to examine how well they correspond to actual production data. This could not be done during the time of this thesis due to the current situation when production was not operating according to normal conditions.
24

Assessing reservoir performance and modeling risk using real options

Singh, Harpreet 02 August 2012 (has links)
Reservoir economic performance is based upon future cash flows which can be generated from a reservoir. Future cash flows are a function of hydrocarbon volumetric flow rates which a reservoir can produce, and the market conditions. Both of these functions of future cash flows are associated with uncertainties. There is uncertainty associated in estimates of future hydrocarbon flow rates due to uncertainty in geological model, limited availability and type of data, and the complexities involved in the reservoir modeling process. The second source of uncertainty associated with future cash flows come from changing oil prices, rate of return etc., which are all functions of market dynamics. Robust integration of these two sources of uncertainty, i.e. future hydrocarbon flow rates and market dynamics, in a model to predict cash flows from a reservoir is an essential part of risk assessment, but a difficult task. Current practices to assess a reservoir’s economic performance by using Deterministic Cash Flow (DCF) methods have been unsuccessful in their predictions because of lack in parametric capability to robustly and completely incorporate these both types of uncertainties. This thesis presents a procedure which accounts for uncertainty in hydrocarbon production forecasts due to incomplete geologic information, and a novel real options methodology to assess the project economics for upstream petroleum industry. The modeling approach entails determining future hydrocarbon production rates due to incomplete geologic information with and without secondary information. The price of hydrocarbons is modeled separately, and the costs to produce them are determined based on market dynamics. A real options methodology is used to assess the effective cash flows from the reservoir, and hence, to determine the project economics. This methodology associates realistic probabilities, which are quantified using the method’s parameters, with benefits and costs. The results from this methodology are compared against the results from DCF methodology to examine if the real options methodology can identify some hidden potential of a reservoir’s performance which DCF might not be able to uncover. This methodology is then applied to various case studies and strategies for planning and decision making. / text
25

Reliability of the calculated maximal lactate steady state in amateur cyclists

Adam, Jennifer, Oehmichen, Matthias, Oehmichen, Eva, Rother, Janine, Müller, Ulrike Maria, Hauser, Thomas, Schulz, Henry 13 July 2015 (has links)
Abstract provided by Publisher Complex performance diagnostics in sports medicine should contain maximal aerobic and maximal anaerobic performance. The requirements on appropriate stress protocols are high. To validate a test protocol quality criteria like objectivity and reliability are necessary. Therefore, the present study was performed in intention to analyze the reliability of maximal lactate production rate (VLamax) by using a sprint test, maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) by using a ramp test and, based on these data, resulting power in calculated maximum lactate-steady-state (PMLSS) especially for amateur cyclists. All subjects (n=23, age 26 ± 4 years) were leisure cyclists. At three different days they completed first a sprint test to approximate VLamax. After 60 min of recreation time a ramp test to assess VO2max was performed. The results of VLamax-test and VO2max-test and the body weight were used to calculate PMLSS for all subjects. The intra class correlation (ICC) for VLamax and VO2max was 0.904 and 0.987, respectively, coefficient of variation (CV) was 6.3 % and 2.1 %, respectively. Between the measurements the reliable change index of 0.11 mmol∙l-1∙s-1 for VLamax and 3.3 ml∙kg-1∙min-1 for VO2max achieved significance. The mean of the calculated PMLSS was 237 ± 72 W with an RCI of 9 W and reached with ICC = 0.985 a very high reliability. Both metabolic performance tests and the calculated PMLSS are reliable for leisure cyclists.
26

Maintenance impact on company´s profitability and competitiveness : Underhålls påverkan i företags lönsamhet och konkurrens

Al-Najjar, Hamid January 2007 (has links)
<p>Abstract</p><p>The aim of this thesis is to show the company the importance and the necessity of the maintenance, trough highlighting its role and impact on company’s profitability and competitiveness, and that’s happened within the analysing of the plant to figure out the failures and short stoppages, find out the causes behind them, convert them into money and the last step is to find out the most suitable and cost effective maintenance strategy based on some important factors such as economy, and quality to probably eliminate or reduce the number of failures and short stoppages. According to the analysis, capacity verifying data collection which the company has done during a random working daily shift and a technical faults list about the possibly failures and short stoppages which occur during the operation, it shows that there are some downtime due to management, operation and logistic, but the main focus was on the technical faults which has correlation with maintenance. In the result it shows which technical and mechanical problems the machines usually faces, the causes behind them, how much it cost the company when they breaks down and finally some suggestions and recommendations about how these problems can probably be solved based on economy and quality.</p> / <p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Syftet med denna rapport är att visa hur viktigt och nödvändigt det är med att underhålla företagens maskiner och utrustningar, därför att det har stor påverkan på företagens lönsamhet och konkurrens och det skedde genom att analysera företagens produktions process, lista ut haverier och avbrott, hitta orsakerna som ligger bakom det, konvertera det till pengar och försöka lösa problemen genom att hitta den mesta lämpligaste underhåll strategi baserande på ekonomi och kvalitet. Enligt analysen som utfördes genom studiet, kapacitet verifiering data insamlingen som företaget gjorde under en slumpmässig arbetsdag skift och ett tekniskt fel lisat på eventuella avbrott och haverier. Det visade sig att det finns vissa stopp tider som har samband med management, operation, och logistik, men uppgiften är mer fokuserad på de tekniska problemen som har samband med underhåll. I resultatet ser man vilka tekniska och mekaniska problem som brukar angripa maskinerna, orsakerna som ligger bakom de, hur mycket det kostar företaget för varje maskin när den är ur funktionen, samt några förslag på eventuella lösningar och rekommendationer baserande på ekonomi och kvalitet.</p>
27

Comparison of calculated and experimental power in maximal lactate-steady state during cycling

Hauser, Thomas, Adam, Jennifer, Schulz, Henry 11 July 2014 (has links)
Background: The purpose of this study was the comparison of the calculated (MLSSC) and experimental power (MLSSE) in maximal lactate steady-state (MLSS) during cycling. Methods: 13 male subjects (24.2 ± 4.76 years, 72.9 ± 6.9 kg, 178.5 ± 5.9 cm, V_O2max: 60.4 ± 8.6 ml min−1 kg−1, V_ Lamax: 0.9 ± 0.19 mmol l-1 s-1) performed a ramp-test for determining the V_O2max and a 15 s sprint-test for measuring the maximal glycolytic rate (V_ Lamax). All tests were performed on a Lode-Cycle-Ergometer. V_O2max and V_ Lamax were used to calculate MLSSC. For the determination of MLSSE several 30 min constant load tests were performed. MLSSE was defined as the highest workload that can be maintained without an increase of blood-lactate-concentration (BLC) of more than 0.05 mmol l−1 min−1 during the last 20 min. Power in following constant-load test was set higher or lower depending on BLC. Results: MLSSE and MLSSC were measured respectively at 217 ± 51 W and 229 ± 47 W, while mean difference was −12 ± 20 W. Orthogonal regression was calculated with r = 0.92 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The difference of 12 W can be explained by the biological variability of V_O2max and V_ Lamax. The knowledge of both parameters, as well as their individual influence on MLSS, could be important for establishing training recommendations, which could lead to either an improvement in V_O2max or V_ Lamax by performing high intensity or low intensity exercise training, respectively. Furthermore the validity of V_ Lamax -test should be focused in further studies.
28

Maintenance impact on company´s profitability and competitiveness : Underhålls påverkan i företags lönsamhet och konkurrens

Al-Najjar, Hamid January 2007 (has links)
The aim of this thesis is to show the company the importance and the necessity of the maintenance, trough highlighting its role and impact on company’s profitability and competitiveness, and that’s happened within the analysing of the plant to figure out the failures and short stoppages, find out the causes behind them, convert them into money and the last step is to find out the most suitable and cost effective maintenance strategy based on some important factors such as economy, and quality to probably eliminate or reduce the number of failures and short stoppages. According to the analysis, capacity verifying data collection which the company has done during a random working daily shift and a technical faults list about the possibly failures and short stoppages which occur during the operation, it shows that there are some downtime due to management, operation and logistic, but the main focus was on the technical faults which has correlation with maintenance. In the result it shows which technical and mechanical problems the machines usually faces, the causes behind them, how much it cost the company when they breaks down and finally some suggestions and recommendations about how these problems can probably be solved based on economy and quality. / Syftet med denna rapport är att visa hur viktigt och nödvändigt det är med att underhålla företagens maskiner och utrustningar, därför att det har stor påverkan på företagens lönsamhet och konkurrens och det skedde genom att analysera företagens produktions process, lista ut haverier och avbrott, hitta orsakerna som ligger bakom det, konvertera det till pengar och försöka lösa problemen genom att hitta den mesta lämpligaste underhåll strategi baserande på ekonomi och kvalitet. Enligt analysen som utfördes genom studiet, kapacitet verifiering data insamlingen som företaget gjorde under en slumpmässig arbetsdag skift och ett tekniskt fel lisat på eventuella avbrott och haverier. Det visade sig att det finns vissa stopp tider som har samband med management, operation, och logistik, men uppgiften är mer fokuserad på de tekniska problemen som har samband med underhåll. I resultatet ser man vilka tekniska och mekaniska problem som brukar angripa maskinerna, orsakerna som ligger bakom de, hur mycket det kostar företaget för varje maskin när den är ur funktionen, samt några förslag på eventuella lösningar och rekommendationer baserande på ekonomi och kvalitet.
29

Improving photofermentative hydrogen production through metabolic engineering and DOE (Design of Experiments)

Liu, Yuan 03 1900 (has links)
A l’heure actuelle, les biocarburants renouvelables et qui ne nuit pas à l'environnement sont à l'étude intensive en raison de l'augmentation des problèmes de santé et de la diminution des combustibles fossiles. H2 est l'un des candidats les plus prometteurs en raison de ses caractéristiques uniques, telles que la densité d'énergie élevée et la génération faible ou inexistante de polluants. Une façon attrayante pour produire la H2 est par les bactéries photosynthétiques qui peuvent capter l'énergie lumineuse pour actionner la production H2 avec leur système de nitrogénase. L'objectif principal de cette étude était d'améliorer le rendement de H2 des bactéries photosynthétiques pourpres non sulfureuses utilisant une combinaison de génie métabolique et le plan des expériences. Une hypothèse est que le rendement en H2 pourrait être améliorée par la redirection de flux de cycle du Calvin-Benson-Bassham envers du système de nitrogénase qui catalyse la réduction des protons en H2. Ainsi, un PRK, phosphoribulose kinase, mutant « knock-out » de Rhodobacter capsulatus JP91 a été créé. L’analyse de la croissance sur des différentes sources de carbone a montré que ce mutant ne peut croître qu’avec l’acétate, sans toutefois produire d' H2. Un mutant spontané, YL1, a été récupéré qui a retenu l'cbbP (codant pour PRK) mutation d'origine, mais qui avait acquis la capacité de se développer sur le glucose et produire H2. Une étude de la production H2 sous différents niveaux d'éclairage a montré que le rendement d’YL1 était de 20-40% supérieure à la souche type sauvage JP91. Cependant, il n'y avait pas d'amélioration notable du taux de production de H2. Une étude cinétique a montré que la croissance et la production d'hydrogène sont fortement liées avec des électrons à partir du glucose principalement dirigés vers la production de H2 et la formation de la biomasse. Sous des intensités lumineuses faibles à intermédiaires, la production d'acides organiques est importante, ce qui suggère une nouvelle amélioration additionnel du rendement H2 pourrait être possible grâce à l'optimisation des processus. Dans une série d'expériences associées, un autre mutant spontané, YL2, qui a un phénotype similaire à YL1, a été testé pour la croissance dans un milieu contenant de l'ammonium. Les résultats ont montré que YL2 ne peut croître que avec de l'acétate comme source de carbone, encore une fois, sans produire de H2. Une incubation prolongée dans les milieux qui ne supportent pas la croissance de YL2 a permis l'isolement de deux mutants spontanés secondaires intéressants, YL3 et YL4. L'analyse par empreint du pied Western a montré que les deux souches ont, dans une gamme de concentrations d'ammonium, l'expression constitutive de la nitrogénase. Les génomes d’YL2, YL3 et YL4 ont été séquencés afin de trouver les mutations responsables de ce phénomène. Fait intéressant, les mutations de nifA1 et nifA2 ont été trouvés dans les deux YL3 et YL4. Il est probable qu'un changement conformationnel de NifA modifie l'interaction protéine-protéine entre NifA et PII protéines (telles que GlnB ou GlnK), lui permettant d'échapper à la régulation par l'ammonium, et donc d'être capable d'activer la transcription de la nitrogénase en présence d'ammonium. On ignore comment le nitrogénase synthétisé est capable de maintenir son activité parce qu’en théorie, il devrait également être soumis à une régulation post-traductionnelle par ammonium. Une autre preuve pourrait être obtenue par l'étude du transcriptome d’YL3 et YL4. Une première étude sur la production d’ H2 par YL3 et YL4 ont montré qu'ils sont capables d’une beaucoup plus grande production d'hydrogène que JP91 en milieu d'ammonium, qui ouvre la porte pour les études futures avec ces souches en utilisant des déchets contenant de l'ammonium en tant que substrats. Enfin, le reformage biologique de l'éthanol à H2 avec la bactérie photosynthétique, Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 a été examiné. La production d'éthanol avec fermentation utilisant des ressources renouvelables microbiennes a été traitée comme une technique mature. Cependant, la plupart des études du reformage de l'éthanol à H2 se sont concentrés sur le reformage chimique à la vapeur, ce qui nécessite généralement une haute charge énergetique et résultats dans les émissions de gaz toxiques. Ainsi le reformage biologique de l'éthanol à H2 avec des bactéries photosynthétiques, qui peuvent capturer la lumière pour répondre aux besoins énergétiques de cette réaction, semble d’être plus prometteuse. Une étude précédente a démontré la production d'hydrogène à partir d'éthanol, toutefois, le rendement ou la durée de cette réaction n'a pas été examiné. Une analyse RSM (méthode de surface de réponse) a été réalisée dans laquelle les concentrations de trois facteurs principaux, l'intensité lumineuse, de l'éthanol et du glutamate ont été variés. Nos résultats ont montré que près de 2 moles de H2 peuvent être obtenus à partir d'une mole d'éthanol, 33% de ce qui est théoriquement possible. / Currently, renewable and environmentally friendly biofuels are under intensive study due to increasing health concerns and diminishing fossil fuels. H2 is one of the most promising candidates due to its unique characteristics, such as a high energy density and low to non-existent generation of pollutants. One attractive way to produce H2 is through photosynthetic bacteria which can capture light energy to drive H2 production with their nitrogenase system. The major aim of this study was to improve H2 yield of the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria using a combination of metabolic engineering and design of experiments. One hypothesis was that H2 yield could be improved by redirection of Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle flux to the nitrogenase system which catalyzes the reduction of protons to H2. Thus, a PRK, phosphoribulose kinase, knock out mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus JP91 was created. Analysis of growth with different carbon sources showed that this mutant could only grow in acetate medium without, however, producing any H2. A spontaneous mutant, YL1, was recovered which retained the original cbbP (encoding PRK) mutation, but which had gained the ability to grow on glucose and produce H2. A study of H2 production under different illumination levels showed that the yield of YL1 was 20-40% greater than the wild type JP91 strain. However, there was no appreciable improvement of the H2 production rate. A kinetic study showed that growth and hydrogen production are strongly linked with electrons from glucose being mostly directed to H2 production and biomass formation. Under low to intermediate light intensities, the production of organic acids was significant, suggesting further improvement of H2 yield is possible by process optimization. In a related series of experiments, another spontaneous mutant, YL2, which has a similar phenotype to YL1, was tested for growth in ammonium-containing media. The results showed that YL2 could only grow with acetate as carbon source, again, without producing any H2. Prolonged incubation in media not supporting growth of YL2 enabled the isolation of two interesting secondary spontaneous mutants, YL3 and YL4. Western blot analysis showed that both strains had constitutive nitrogenase expression under a range of ammonium concentrations. The genomes of YL2, YL3 and YL4 were sequenced in order to find the mutations responsible for this phenomenon. Interestingly, mutations of nifA1 and nifA2 were found in both YL3 and YL4. It is likely that a conformational change of NifA alters the protein-protein interaction between NifA and PII proteins (such as GlnB or GlnK), enabling it to escape regulation by ammonium and thus to be capable of activating nitrogenase transcription in the presence of ammonium. It is not clear how the synthesized nitrogenase is able to maintain its activity since in theory it should also be subject to posttranslational regulation by ammonium. Further evidence could be obtained by studying the transcriptome of YL3 and YL4. An initial study of H2 production by YL3 and YL4 showed that they are capable of much greater hydrogen production than JP91 in ammonium medium, which opens the door for future studies with these strains using ammonium-containing wastes as substrates. Finally, the biological reformation of ethanol to H2 with the photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 was examined. Ethanol production with microbial fermentation using renewable resources has been treated as a mature technique. However, most studies of the reformation of ethanol to H2 have focused on chemical steam reforming, which usually requires a high energy input and results in toxic gas emission. Thus biological reformation of ethanol to H2 with photosynthetic bacteria, which can capture light to meet the energy requirement of this reaction, seems to be more promising. A previous study had demonstrated hydrogen production from ethanol, however, the yield or the duration of this reaction were not examined. A RSM (response surface methodology) analysis was carried out in which three key factors, light intensity, ethanol and glutamate concentrations were varied. Our results showed that nearly 2 moles of H2 could be obtained from one mole of ethanol, 33% of what is theoretically possible.

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