bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integration of a Real-Time Remote Experiment Into a Multi-Player Game Laboratory Environment
Authors: Tumkor Serdar , Zhang Mingshao , Zhang Zhou , Chang Yizhe , Esche Sven K. , Chassapis Constantin 
Published: October 2013

While real-time remote experiments have been used in engineering and science education for over a decade, more recently virtual learning environments based on game systems have been explored for their potential usage in educational laboratories. However, combining the advantages of both these approaches and integrating them into an effective learning environment has not been reported yet. One of the challenges in creating such a combination is to overcome the barriers between real and virtual systems, i.e. to select compatible platforms, to achieve an efficient mapping between the real world and the virtual environment and to arrange for efficient communications between the different system components.
This paper will present a pilot implementation of a multi-player game-based virtual laboratory environment that is linked to the remote experimental setup of an air flow rig. This system is designed for a junior-level mechanical engineering laboratory on fluid mechanics. In order to integrate this remote laboratory setup into the virtual laboratory environment, an existing remote laboratory architecture had to be redesigned. The integrated virtual laboratory platform consists of two main parts, namely an actual physical experimental device controlled by a remote controller and a virtual laboratory environment that was implemented using the ‘Source’ game engine, which forms the basis of the commercially available computer game ‘Half-Life 2’ in conjunction with ‘Garry’s Mod’ (GM). The system implemented involves a local device controller that exchanges data in the form of shared variables and Dynamical Link Library (DLL) files with the virtual laboratory environment, thus establishing the control of real physical experiments from inside the virtual laboratory environment. The application of a combination of C++ code, Lua scripts [1] and LabVIEW Virtual Instruments makes the platform very flexible and expandable. This paper will present the architecture of this platform and discuss the general benefits of virtual environments that are linked with real physical devices.
Unusual Fast Evaporation From Nanoholes
Authors: Huang Zhi , Hu Yuanchen , Liu Kang , Hu Xuejiao 
Published: October 2013

Water evaporation is an important physical phenomenon that occurs in nature and several industrial applications such as food drying processes, cooling in air-conditioning systems and desalination. In all these systems, it is necessary to have a good prediction and control of evaporation rate as a function of various system parameters. Attempts to understand the affecting factors have mostly focus on the flow rates of gas or water streams, relative humidity of the air, presence of dissolved or suspended material in the water, temperatures of the air and water streams. However, as water surface partially covered (less surface area) is generally thought to have lower evaporation rate, little notice has ever put on it.
Here we consider the evaporation case of water surface covered with nano-through-hole lid (NHL) of which the radius size is nearly equal to the average free path of the vapor. Using a gravimetric method, we experimentally measured the evaporation rate of water at the orifice of the nano-holes. The results indicate that the evaporation rate is 1–6 times faster than the non-sheltered water surface with the same liquid area. Moreover, with the porosity of the lid decreasing, the evaporation rate per unit area increases. A theoretical model is developed for this novel phenomenon from the view of molecular dynamics during evaporation and vapor diffusion. We envision that this finding may have new inspirations on phase change phenomenon in nano-confined space and put forward one new way for promoting evaporation of liquid.
Value of Reservoir Storage for Resilient Power Plant Cooling and Basin-Wide Water Availability
Authors: Stillwell Ashlynn S. , Webber Michael E. 
Published: October 2013

Since many thermoelectric power plants use water for cooling, the power sector is vulnerable to droughts, heat waves, and other water constraints. At the same time, large water demands for power generation can strain water availability for other users in a river basin. Opportunities exist for power plants to decrease freshwater demands, increasing both drought resiliency of power plants and water availability for other users in the basin. One particular method of decreasing freshwater demands for power plants is by incorporating reservoir storage into cooling operations. Using reservoir storage allows water to be recirculated and reused for power plant cooling, thereby decreasing water withdrawal requirements. Water storage also has the added benefit of making water available during times of shortage.
While storage is known to be beneficial, no tools exist to explicitly quantify the basin-wide water availability impacts and increased power generation resiliency possible via constructing water storage at thermoelectric power plants without existing reservoirs. Here we present the results of modeling efforts regarding the value (both in terms of resiliency and water availability) of reservoir storage for power plant cooling and basin-wide water availability in the Brazos and Colorado River basins, using a customized river basin based-model along with existing Texas Water Availability Models. Results vary between river basins and different water availability models, with construction of new reservoirs generally increasing basin-wide water availability in the Brazos River basin and generally decreasing basin-wide water availability in the Colorado River basin. We conclude that the value of reservoir storage for power plant resiliency and basin-wide water availability is highly site-specific.
Finite Element Analysis of Functionally Graded Thick-Cylinders Subjected to Mechanical and Thermal Loads
Authors: Ahmed Jasem A. , Wahab M. A. 
Published: October 2013

Functionally graded materials (FGM) are used to design structures used in high temperature environment. Hybrid pressure vessels can be designed from FGMs to incorporate improved strength, weight reduction, thermal properties, impact resistance etc. Progressive research in this area will lead to the determination of optimum design parameters and provide insight in developing manufacturing techniques of full-scale hybrid pressure vessels and experimental validation. In future, an accurate damage model will help in planning component examinations in a selective manner in order to provide useful information about material condition and predict the remaining life of the structure.
A functionally graded thick-walled cylindrical vessel with varying material properties in the radial direction is considered. The cylinder is assumed to be made of one phase spatially dispersed in a matrix of another. Volume fractions of the phases are assumed to vary along the radial direction according to power laws. The gradation is represented by dividing the radial domain into finite sub-domains. The effective material properties such as modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio, thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion are estimated using Mori-Tanaka [1], Hashin–Shtrikman [2], Hatta-Taya [3] and Rosen-Hashin [4] relations. The hollow cylinder is subjected to axisymmetric mechanical and thermal loadings. Finite Element Analysis is performed using a commercial package, ANSYS, to obtain temperature and stress component distribution along the thickness of the cylinder. Results are presented graphically to show the effect of internal pressure, temperature change, and gradient variation of material properties on stress components throughout the thickness.
Exergetic Assessment of a Syngas-Redox (SGR)-Based IGCC Plant for Generating Electricity
Authors: Sorgenfrei M. , Tsatsaronis G. 
Published: October 2013

Carbon capture from advanced Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle (IGCC) processes should outperform conventional coal combustion with subsequent CO2 separation in terms of efficiency and CO2 capture rates. This paper provides a thermodynamic assessment, using exergy analysis, of a novel Syngas Redox (SGR) process for generating electricity. The power island of the proposed process uses syngas produced by coal gasification and then cleaned through high-temperature gas desulfurization (HGD). Hematite (Fe2O3) is used as an oxygen carrier to oxidize the syngas. To achieve a closed-cycle operation, the reduced iron particles are first partially re-oxidized with steam and then fully re-oxidized with pressurized air.
One advantage of this design is that the resulting hydrogen (using steam in the re-oxidation section) can be utilized within the same plant or be on sold as a secondary product. In the proposed process, diluted hydrogen is combusted in a gas turbine. Heat integration is central to the design. The different requirements of syngas cooling, particle-regeneration, and coal drying necessitated the use of a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) supplying steam at three pressure levels.
To establish a benchmark, the rate of exergy destruction within the SGR process was compared to a coal-fed Shell gasification IGCC design with Selexol-based pre-combustion capture. Process simulation was undertaken using Aspen Plus and EES (Engineering Equation Solver).
An Example of Thermo-Economic Optimization of a CCGT by Means of the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Method
Authors: Melli Roberto , Sciubba Enrico , Toro Claudia , Zoli-Porroni Alessandro 
Published: October 2013

This paper presents an application of the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) technique (also called Karhunen-Loève Decomposition, Principal Component Analysis, or Singular Value Decomposition) to the thermo-economic optimization of a realistic Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) process. The novel inverse-design approach proposed here employs the thermo-economic cost of the two products as objective function.
The proposed procedure does not require the generation of a complete simulated set of results at each iteration step of the optimization, because POD constructs a very accurate approximation to the function described by a certain number of initial simulations, and thus “new” points in design space can be extrapolated without recurring to repeated process simulations. Thus, the often taxing computational effort needed to iteratively generate numerical process simulations of incrementally different configurations is substantially reduced by replacing much of it by easy-to-perform matrix operations: a non-negligible but quite small number N of initial process simulations is used to calculate the basis of the POD interpolation and to validate (i.e., extend) the results.
Since the accuracy of a POD expansion depends of course on the number N of initial simulations (the “snapshots”), the computational intensity of the method is certainly not negligible: but, as successfully demonstrated in the paper for a realistic CCGT inverse process design problem, the idea that additional full simulations are performed only in the “right direction” indicated by the gradient of the objective function in the solution space leads to a successful strategy at a substantially reduced computational intensity. This “economy” with respect to other classical “optimization” methods is basically due to the capability of the POD procedure to identify the most important “modes” in the functional expansion of the vector basis consisting of a subset of the design parameters used in the evaluation of the objective function.
Simulation and Optimization of a Semi Spherical Air Bearing
Authors: Saidimanesh Mahdi , Shahiri Azin , Nikparto Ali 
Published: October 2013

It is important to test the attitude control systems on satellites before they are launched in space. Traditionally this has been done by dropping the satellite, and firing the thrusters before the satellite makes a soft landing in a net. This method only allows a few seconds of testing and does not lend itself to the measurement of pointing accuracy. A better method is to mount the satellite on a spherical air bearing.
In this paper behavior of a semi spherical air bearing is studied and analyzed in various conditions. These bearings are used in different applications such as simulation of approximately frictionless condition which is the satellite’s situation in space. In this analysis FLUENT 6.3.26 is used to simulate the air bearing’s behavior. Simulation process is divided into 5 sections. These sections are accordingly 2dimensional with static boundary condition, 3dimensional and static, 2dimensional and dynamic and 3dimensional and dynamic boundary conditions. At last bearing’s function was optimized by changing some adjustable parameters which are important in controlling the bearings behavior such as air entering nozzles diameter and their number and location. Importance of this study is to simulate the behavior of the bearing in dynamic boundary condition using dynamic mesh. Eventually results of the simulation are compared to the actual test results and bearing behavior is analyzed. Finally best arrangement for achieving maximum normal load is studied.
System Reliability Estimation With Input Data From Deterministic Simulations
Authors: Pavasson Jonas , Karlberg Magnus 
Published: October 2013

The possibility of estimating reliability of hardware, both for components and systems, is important in engineering design, since many failures result in substantial impact on safety or functional requirements. Existing reliability estimation methods require measured or estimated input data which can be difficult to retrieve. The objective of this paper is therefore to derive a simulation-driven method, including variation management, for combining deterministic simulations with Fault Tree Analysis, to estimate system reliability when measured data is not available.
The research work started with a literature survey followed by description of a typical as-is situation and definition of a to-be scenario. Then, a simulation-driven method was derived and verified by a case study. In particular, the system used for the case study was modeled and simulated as a transient dynamical system to derive information about loads on components. It was found that deterministic simulations can be used to produce relevant input data for fault tree analysis. The derived simulation-driven system reliability estimation method includes variation management and can be used for evaluation of concepts in the early stages of product development when limited measurement data is available.
Global Occupational Hazard: Silica Dust
Authors: Cooper Jennifer 
Published: October 2013

One of the oldest industrial diseases, silicosis, results from exposures to respirable crystalline silica, also known as silica dust. Workers worldwide exposed to silica dust span a variety of industries from construction, mining, sandblasting, to masonry, and machinery. In the United States alone 1.7 million workers are exposed to crystalline silica, which can also lead to lung cancer, tuberculosis, and other chronic airway diseases [1].
This paper will examine the health effects of silica dust on the worker, discussing exposure paths, work groups affected, occupational safety measures, worker health policies, and compare these among the developed and developing world. Implementing worker safety programs, which include wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and health monitoring and developing exposure limits, can help mitigate the adverse health risks of working with silica dust. A comparison of the successes and limitations of several programs from around the world will show that strong national occupational safety programs can reduce the mortality and illness rates of silicosis due to occupational silica dust exposure.
Without a strong national occupational safety program history shows that workers will remain unprotected until they rally together under tragedy to fight for safety. Before more workers suffer and die tragically and unnecessarily, global safety policy makers can take a lesson from history, examine and compare current programs, and implement strong national occupational safety programs that save lives.
Multiple Grid and Multiple Time-Scale (MGMT) Simulations in Continuum Mechanics
Authors: Ruparel Tejas , Eskandarian Azim , Lee James 
Published: October 2013

The work presented in this paper describes a general formulation for implementation of Multiple Grid and Multiple Time-scale (MGMT) simulations in continuum mechanics. Using this method one can solve problems in structural dynamics in which the domain under consideration can be selectively discretized (spatially and temporally) in critical and remote regions, hence allowing the user to obtain a desired level of accuracy and save computational time. The formulation is based upon the fundamental principles of Domain Decomposition Methods (DDM) used to obtain the semi-discrete equation of motion for coupled sub-domains augmented with interface energy. Lagrange Multipliers, based on Schur’s dual formulation, are used to enforce interface conditions since they not only ensure energy balance but also enforce continuity of kinematic quantities across the interface. The Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting (FETI) based Multi Time-step (MTS) coupling algorithm proposed by Prakash and Hjelmstad [1] is then used to obtain the evolution of unknown quantities in respective sub-domains using different time-steps and/or different variants of the Newmark Implicit Method. Our work is in the direction of coupling this MTS algorithm with multiple grid discretizations in respective subdomains. We propose using coarse grid discretization to define the mortar space between non-conforming sub-domains and show that this particular choice when combined with the implicit integration scheme yields a stable algorithm for MGMT simulations.
The formulation is implemented, comprehensively, using Finite Element Methods and programming in FORTRAN 90. Several scenarios with different mesh densities and time-steps are evaluated to analyze the efficiency of MGMT simulations. The purpose of this paper is to study and evaluate its accuracy and stability by looking at evolution and distribution of quantities across the connecting interface. Results show that the interface coupling for non-conforming sub-domains with distinct integration time-steps can be efficiently modeled using this approach.
Operational Characteristic of Planar Steam Reformer Thermally Coupled With Catalytic Burner
Authors: Lee Kanghun , Yu Sangseok , Kang Sang gyu , Ahn Kook Young , Lee Sang Min 
Published: October 2013

High efficiency reforming is a key parameter of high temperature stationary fuel cell system. In this study, a planar heat exchanger steam reformer (PHESR) was integrated with catalytic combustor in order that the unused energy of anode off-gas is delivered for heat of reforming. The PHESR was designed to use the anode-off gas of externally reformed SOFC system because it has an efficiency problem. In the PHESR reactor, the heat is transferred from catalytic burner to reformer that has weak gradient of temperature difference between two reactors.
The thermal behaviors of exothermic and endothermic reactions between reactors were investigated experimentally. The parameters of investigation were fuel utilization, inlet temperature, and air excess ratio. Comparison parameter was volume fraction of hydrogen at the exit of reforming side. The temperature gradients in longitudinal direction of two reactors were measured. As expected, temperature differences between two reactors were crucial factors that required optimization. Furthermore, the geometric aspects between the finned and un-finned reactors were also investigated. The results demonstrate that the volume fraction of hydrogen at the exit is closely coupled with the geometric constraints and the operating parameters.
The Effect of Cell-Phone User on Driver Attention
Authors: Yang Cheng-Ken , Langari Reza 
Published: October 2013

Driving safety is increasingly a major issue in transportation systems. One of major culprits in this respect is driver distraction or inattention. Driving inattention, which can be caused by drowsiness as well as the use of devices such as cell-phones while driving increases crash/near-crash risk [1]. In fact among all causes of distraction, cell phone driving continues to be a major issue that impacts transportation safety since this is a matter that can be regulated through policy decisions. The empirical evidence in this regard continues to underline the gravity of the situation. In 2009, there were 5474 people (or approximately 12% of all traffic fatalities) killed by distracted drivers, and 995 of them were considered to have been killed by those drivers who were using cell phone during driving [2].
This paper considers the relation between driving safety and cell-phone using. We propose a way to estimate drivers’ attention by measuring their electroencepholography (EEG) signal to estimate the inattention index.
Comparing Mentor and Mentee Perspectives in a Research-Based Undergraduate Mentoring Program
Authors: Tsai Janet Y. , Kotys-Schwartz Daria , Louie Beverly , Ferguson Virginia , Berg Alyssa 
Published: October 2013

At the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), a research-based undergraduate mentoring program is now in its second year of implementation. The program, Your Own Undergraduate Research Experience (YOU’RE@CU) has three main goals: improve the retention rate of diverse groups in undergraduate engineering, build undergraduate interest in engineering research, and prepare graduate students to take on leadership roles in either academia or industry-based research careers. In YOU’RE@CU, undergraduate students are paired with a graduate mentor and work in the graduate student’s lab several hours a week. Undergraduate mentees enroll in a one-credit seminar course focusing on research and graduate school opportunities, and are assessed via pre- and post-surveys to gauge their excitement and interest in engineering. The undergraduates also respond to biweekly qualitative reflective questions while participating in the program. Graduate mentors complete several reflective questions about their experiences and are required to complete pre- and post-assessments.
Adopting a person-centered, case study approach, this paper focuses on two telling examples of research-based mentoring relationships in the YOU’RE@CU program. Given identical mentor training through YOU’RE@CU, two graduate students start the Spring 2012 semester by meeting with their mentees to launch a research project. By examining application, pre-survey, reflective questions, and post-survey responses from these four participants, the differences in the trajectory of the two paired mentoring relationships can be clearly seen over the course of one semester. This close examination of two disparate mentoring relationships is instructive in understanding the subtle details that create either a positive learning environment or an uncomfortable lab situation for young engineers, and assists program administrators in making improvements in subsequent years.