ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 49
Description
Production from a high pressure gas well at a high production-rate encounters the risk of operating near the choking condition for a compressible flow in porous media. The unbounded gas pressure gradient near the point of choking, which is located near the wellbore, generates an effective tensile stress on the porous rock frame. This tensile stress almost always exceeds the tensile strength of the rock and it causes a tensile failure of the rock, leading to wellbore instability. In a porous rock, not all pores are choked at the same flow rate, and when just one pore is choked, the flow through the entire porous medium should be considered choked as the gas pressure gradient at the point of choking becomes singular. This thesis investigates the choking condition for compressible gas flow in a single microscopic pore. Quasi-one-dimensional analysis and axisymmetric numerical simulations of compressible gas flow in a pore scale varicose tube with a number of bumps are carried out, and the local Mach number and pressure along the tube are computed for the flow near choking condition. The effects of tube length, inlet-to-outlet pressure ratio, the number of bumps and the amplitude of the bumps on the choking condition are obtained. These critical values provide guidance for avoiding the choking condition in practice.
ContributorsYuan, Jing (Author) / Chen, Kangping (Thesis advisor) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Tesla turbo-machinery offers a robust, easily manufactured, extremely versatile prime mover with inherent capabilities making it perhaps the best, if not the only, solution for certain niche applications. The goal of this thesis is not to optimize the performance of the Tesla turbine, but to compare its performance with various working fluids. Theoretical and experimental analyses of a turbine-generator assembly utilizing compressed air, saturated steam and water as the working fluids were performed and are presented in this work. A brief background and explanation of the technology is provided along with potential applications. A theoretical thermodynamic analysis is outlined, resulting in turbine and rotor efficiencies, power outputs and Reynolds numbers calculated for the turbine for various combinations of working fluids and inlet nozzles. The results indicate the turbine is capable of achieving a turbine efficiency of 31.17 ± 3.61% and an estimated rotor efficiency 95 ± 9.32%. These efficiencies are promising considering the numerous losses still present in the current design. Calculation of the Reynolds number provided some capability to determine the flow behavior and how that behavior impacts the performance and efficiency of the Tesla turbine. It was determined that turbulence in the flow is essential to achieving high power outputs and high efficiency. Although the efficiency, after peaking, begins to slightly taper off as the flow becomes increasingly turbulent, the power output maintains a steady linear increase.
ContributorsPeshlakai, Aaron (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis advisor) / Trimble, Steve (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Biogas’s potential as a renewable fuel source has been an area of increased research in recent years. One issue preventing wide-spread use of biogas as a fuel is the trace amounts of impurities that damage fuel-burning equipment by depositing silicon, sulfur, calcium and other elements on their surface. This study aims to analyze the effects of a high concentration of L4 linear siloxane on solid oxide fuel cell performance until failure occurs. L4 siloxane has not been extensively researched previously, and this investigation aims to provide new data to support similar, though slower, degradation compared to D4, D5 and other siloxanes in solid oxide fuel cells. The experiments were conducted inside a furnace heated to 800℃ with an Ni-YSZ-supported (Nickel-yttria-stabilized zirconia) fuel cell. A fuel source with a flow rate of 20 mL/min of hydrogen gas, 10 mL/min of nitrogen gas and 0.15 mL/min of L4 siloxane was used. Air was supplied to the cathode. The effects of siloxane deposition on cell voltage and power density degradation and resistance increase were studied by using techniques like the current-voltage method, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and gas chromatography. The results of the experiment after reduction show roughly constant degradation of 8.35 mV/hr, followed after approximately 8 hours by an increasing degradation until cell failure of 130.45 mV/hr. The initial degradation and stagnation match previous research in siloxane deposition on SOFCs, but the sharp decline to failure does not. A mechanism for solid oxide fuel cell failure is proposed based on the data.
ContributorsRiley, Derall M. (Author) / Milcarek, Ryan J (Thesis advisor) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Phelan, Patrick E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The thermal conductivity of cadmium sulfide (CdS) colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) and magic-sized clusters (MSCs) have been investigated in this work. It is well documented in the literature that the thermal conductivity of colloidal nanocrystal assemblies decreases as diameter decreases. However, the extrapolation of this size dependence does not apply to magic-sized clusters. Magic-sized clusters have an anomalously high thermal conductivity relative to the extrapolated size-dependence trend line for the colloidal nanocrystals. This anomalously high thermal conductivity could probably result from the monodispersity of magic-sized clusters. To support this conjecture, a method of deliberately eliminating the monodispersity of MSCs by mixing them with colloidal nanocrystals was performed. Experiment results showed that mixtures of nanocrystals and MSCs have a lower thermal conductivity that falls approximately on the extrapolated trendline for colloidal nanocrystal thermal conductivity as a function of size.
ContributorsSun, Ming-Hsien (Author) / Wang, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Rykaczewski, Konrad (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Energy storage technologies are essential to overcome the temporal variability in renewable energy. The primary aim of this thesis is to develop reactor solutions to better analyze the potential of thermochemical energy storage (TCES) using non-stoichiometric metal oxides, for the multi-day energy storage application. A TCES system consists of a reduction reactor and an insulated MOx storage bin. The reduction reactor heats (to ~ 1100 °C) and partially reduces the MOx, thereby adding sensible and chemical energy (i.e., charging it) under reduced pO2 environments (~10 Pa). Inert gas removes the oxygen generated during reduction. The storage bin holds the hot and partially reduced MOx (typically particles) until it is used in an energy recovery device (i.e., discharge). Irrespective of the reactor heat source (here electrical), or the particle-inert gas flows (here countercurrent), the thermal reduction temperature and inert gas (here N2) flow minimize when the process approaches reversibility, i.e., operates near equilibrium. This study specifically focuses on developing a reduction reactor based on the theoretical considerations for approaching reversibility along the reaction path. The proposed Zigzag flow reactor (ZFR) is capable of thermally reducing CAM28 particles at temperatures ~ 1000 °C under an O2 partial pressure ~ 10 Pa. The associated analytical and numerical models analyze the reaction equilibrium under a real (discrete) reaction path and the mass transfer kinetic conditions necessary to approach equilibrium. The discrete equilibrium model minimizes the exergy destroyed in a practical reactor and identifies methods of maximizing the energy storage density () and the exergetic efficiency. The mass transfer model analyzes the O2 N2 concentration boundary layers to recommend sizing considerations to maximize the reactor power density. Two functional ZFR prototypes, the -ZFR and the -ZFR, establish the proof of concept and achieved a reduction extent, Δδ = 0.071 with CAM28 at T~950 °C and pO2 = 10 Pa, 7x higher than a previous attempt in the literature. The -ZFR consistently achieved > 100 Wh/kg during >10 h. runtime and the -ZFR displayed an improved = 130 Wh/kg during >5 h. operation with CAM28. A techno-economic model of a grid-scale ZFR with an associated storage bin analyzes the cost of scaling the ZFR for grid energy storage requirements. The scaled ZFR capital costs contribute < 1% to the levelized cost of thermochemical energy storage, which ranges from 5-20 ¢/kWh depending on the storage temperature and storage duration.
ContributorsGhotkar, Rhushikesh (Author) / Milcarek, Ryan (Thesis advisor) / Ermanoski, Ivan (Committee member) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Wang, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
A well-insulated dark conventional rooftop can be hotter than any other urban surface, including pavements. Since rooftops cover around 20 – 25% of most urban areas, their role in the urban heat island effect is significant. In general, buildings exchange heat with the surroundings in three ways: heat release from the cooling/heating system, air exchange associated with exfiltration and relief air, and heat transfer between the building envelope and surroundings. Several recent studies show that the building envelope generates more heat release into the environment than any other building component.Current advancements in material science have enabled the development of materials and coatings with very high solar reflectance and thermal emissivity, and that can alter their radiative properties based on surface temperature. This dissertation is an effort to quantify the impact of recent developments in such technologies on urban air. The current study addresses three specific unresolved topics: 1) the relative importance of rooftop solar reflectance and thermal emissivity, 2) the role of rooftop radiative properties in different climates, and 3) the impact of temperature-adaptive exterior materials/coatings on building energy savings and urban cooling. The findings from this study show that the use of rooftop materials with solar reflectance above 0.9 maintain the surface temperature below ambient air temperature most of the time, even when the materials have conventional thermal emissivity (0.9). This research has demonstrated that for hot cities, rooftops with high solar reflectance and thermal emittance maximize building energy savings and always cool the surrounding air. For moderate climate regions, high solar reflectance and low thermal emittance result in the greatest building energy cost savings. This combination of radiative properties cools the air during the daytime and warms it at night. Finally, this research found that temperature-adaptive materials could play a significant role in reducing utility costs for poorly insulated buildings, but that they heat the surrounding air in the winter, irrespective of the rooftop insulation.
Through the detailed analysis of building façade radiative properties, this dissertation offers climate-specific design guidance that can be used to simultaneously optimize energy costs while minimizing adverse warming of the surrounding environment.
ContributorsPrem Anand Jayaprabha, Jyothis Anand (Author) / Sailor, David (Thesis advisor) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis advisor) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Yeom, Dongwoo Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Siloxane, a common contaminant present in biogas, is known for adverse effects on cogeneration prime movers. In this work, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) anode degradation due to poisoning by siloxane was investigated. For this purpose, experiments with different fuels, different deposition substrate materials, different structure of contamination siloxane (cyclic and linear) and entire failure process are conducted in this study. The electrochemical and material characterization methods, such as Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Scanning Electron Microscope- Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometers (SEM-WDS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy, were applied to investigate the anode degradation behavior. The electrochemical characterization results show that the SOFCs performance degradation caused by siloxane contamination is irreversible under bio-syngas condition. An equivalent circuit model (ECM) is developed based on electrochemical characterization results. Based on the Distribution of Relaxation Time (DRT) method, the detailed microstructure parameter changes are evaluated corresponding to the ECM results. The results contradict the previously proposed siloxane degradation mechanism as the experimental results show that water can inhibit anode deactivation. For anode materials, Ni is considered a major factor in siloxane deposition reactions in Ni-YSZ anode. Based on the results of XPS, XRD and WDS analysis, an initial layer of carbon deposition develops and is considered a critical process for the siloxane deposition reaction. Based on the experimental results in this study and previous studies about siloxane deposition on metal oxides, the proposed siloxane deposition process occurs in stages consisting of the siloxane adsorption, initial carbon deposition, siloxane polymerization and amorphous silicon dioxide deposition.
ContributorsTian, Jiashen (Author) / Milcarek, Ryan J. (Thesis advisor) / Muhich, Christopher (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Nian, Qiong (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The space industry is rapidly expanding, and components are getting increasinglysmaller leading to the prominence of cubesats. Cubesats are satellites from about coffee
mug size to cereal box size. The challenges of shortened timeline and smaller budgets for
smaller spacecraft are also their biggest advantages. This benefits educational missions
and industry missions a like but can burden teams to be smaller or have less experience.
Thermal analysis of cubesats is no exception to these burdens which is why this thesis
has been written to provide a guide for conducting the thermal analysis of a cubesat using
the Deployable Optical Receiver Aperture (DORA) mission as an example. Background
on cubesats and their role in the space industry will be examined. The theoretical side of
heat transfer necessary for conducting a thermal analysis will be explored. The DORA
thermal analysis will then be conducted by constructing a thermal model in Thermal
Desktop software from the ground up. Insight to assumptions for model construction to
move accurately yet quickly will be detailed. Lastly, this fast and quick method will be
compared to a standard finite element mesh model to show quality results can be
achieved in significantly less time.
ContributorsAdkins, Matthew Thomas (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis advisor) / Jacobs, Danny (Thesis advisor) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Bowman, Judd (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Polarization detection and control techniques play essential roles in various applications, including optical communication, polarization imaging, chemical analysis, target detection, and biomedical diagnosis. Conventional methods for polarization detection and polarization control require bulky optical systems. Flat optics opens a new way for ultra-compact, lower-cost devices and systems for polarization detection and control. However, polarization measurement and manipulating devices with high efficiency and accuracy in the mid-infrared (MIR) range remain elusive. This dissertation presented design concepts and experimental demonstrations of full-Stokes parameters detection and polarization generation devices based on chip-integrated plasmonic metasurfaces with high performance and record efficiency. One of the significant challenges for full-Stokes polarization detection is to achieve high-performance circular polarization (CP) filters. The first design presented in this dissertation is based on the direct integration of plasmonic quarter-wave plate (QWP) onto gold nanowire gratings. It is featured with the subwavelength thickness (~500nm) and extinction ratio around 16. The second design is based on the anisotropic thin-film interference between two vertically integrated anisotropic plasmonic metasurfaces. It provides record high efficiency (around 90%) and extinction ratio (>180). These plasmonic CP filters can be used for circular, elliptical, and linear polarization generation at different wavelengths. The maximum degree of circular polarization (DOCP) measured from the sample achieves 0.99998.
The proposed CP filters were integrated with nanograting-based linear polarization (LP) filters on the same chip for single-shot polarization detection. Full-Stokes measurements were experimentally demonstrated with high accuracy at the single wavelength using the direct subtraction method and over a broad wavelength range from 3.5 to 4.5mm using the Mueller matrix method. This design concept was later expanded to a pixelized array of polarization filters. A full-Stokes imaging system was experimentally demonstrated based on integrating a metasurface with pixelized polarization filters arrays and an MIR camera.
ContributorsBai, Jing (Author) / Yao, Yu (Thesis advisor) / Balanis, Constantine A. (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Zhang, Yong-Hang (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
In this dissertation, two types of passive air freshener products from Henkel, the wick-based air freshener and gel-based air freshener, are studied for their wicking mechanisms and evaporation performances.The fibrous pad of the wick-based air freshener is a porous medium that absorbs fragrance by capillary force and releases the fragrance into the ambient air. To investigate the wicking process, a two-dimensional multiphase flow numerical model using COMSOL Multiphysics is built. Saturation and liquid pressure inside the pad are solved. Comparison between the simulation results and experiments shows that evaporation occurs simultaneously with the wicking process. The evaporation performance on the surface of the wicking pad is analyzed based on the kinetic theory, from which the mass flow rate of molecules passing the interface of each pore of the porous medium is obtained. A 3D model coupling the evaporation model and dynamic wicking on the evaporation pad is built to simulate the entire performance of the air freshener to the environment for a long period of time. Diffusion and natural convection effects are included in the simulation. The simulation results match well with the experiments for both the air fresheners placed in a chamber and in the absent of a chamber, the latter of which is subject to indoor airflow.
The gel-based air freshener can be constructed as a porous medium in which the solid network of particles spans the volume of the fragrance liquid. To predict the evaporation performance of the gel, two approaches are tested for gel samples in hemispheric shape. The first approach is the sessile drop model commonly used for the drying process of a pure liquid droplet. It can be used to estimate the weight loss rate and time duration of the evaporation. Another approach is to simulate the concentration profile outside the gel and estimate the evaporation rate from the surface of the gel using the kinetic theory. The evaporation area is updated based on the change of pore size. A 3D simulation using the same analysis is further applied to the cylindrical gel sample. The simulation results match the experimental data well.
ContributorsYuan, Jing (Author) / Chen, Kangping (Thesis advisor) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Wang, Liping (Committee member) / Jiao, Yang (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021