Two novel regenerated solvent extraction processes are examined. The first process has the potential to reduce the energy costs inherent in the recovery of low-volatility carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solutions. The second process has the potential for reducing the energy costs required for separate recovery of ammonia and acid gases (e.g. CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}S) from industrial sour waters. The recovery of carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solution can be achieved by extraction with tertiary amines. An approach for regeneration and product recovery from such extracts is to back-extract the carboxylic acid with a water-soluble, volatile tertiary amine, such as trimethylamine. The resulting trimethylammonium carboxylate solution can be concentrated and thermally decomposed, yielding the product acid and the volatile amine for recycle. Experimental work was performed with lactic acid, SUCCiOlC acid, and fumaric acid. Equilibrium data show near-stoichiometric recovery of the carboxylic acids from an organic solution of Alamine 336 into aqueous solutions of trimethylamine. For fumaric and succinic acids, partial evaporation of the aqueous back extract decomposes the carboxylate and yields the acid product in crystalline form. The decomposition of aqueous solutions of trimethylammonium lactates was not carried out to completion, due to the high water solubility …

Two novel regenerated solvent extraction processes are examined. The first process has the potential to reduce the energy costs inherent in the recovery of low-volatility carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solutions. The second process has the potential for reducing the energy costs required for separate recovery of ammonia and acid gases (e.g. CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}S) from industrial sour waters. The recovery of carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solution can be achieved by extraction with tertiary amines. An approach for regeneration and product recovery from such extracts is to back-extract the carboxylic acid with a water-soluble, volatile tertiary amine, such as trimethylamine. The resulting trimethylammonium carboxylate solution can be concentrated and thermally decomposed, yielding the product acid and the volatile amine for recycle. Experimental work was performed with lactic acid, succinic acid, and fumaric acid. Equilibrium data show near-stoichiometric recovery of the carboxylic acids from an organic solution of Alamine 336 into aqueous solutions of trimethylamine. For fumaric and succinic acids, partial evaporation of the aqueous back extract decomposes the carboxylate and yields the acid product in crystalline form. The decomposition of aqueous solutions of trimethylammonium lactates was not carried out to completion, due to the high water solubility …

The data engineers and scientists use to determine if the groundwater supply is contaminated are derived from analysis of samples taken largely from monitoring wells. For these data to be reliable several factors must be considered. One factor is the integrity of the monitoring well. In this project, emphasis has been placed on the potential impact on water quality caused by diffusion across the threaded joints of PVC pipe. In this study, the diffusion of trichloroethylene across several common types of threaded joints (i.e., square flush, modified ACME, modified ACME stub, and ACME) has been measured. Samples were obtained from the water inside the pipe sections and analyzed for trichloroethylene by gas chromatography. Breakthrough occurs within days of the samples being placed in the baths. The softened PVC joints of the pipes in the pure trichloroethylene split before the first sample interval of 1.5 weeks. The data show great variability in casting joints from the same manufacturer, and indicate a need for increased precision in the manufacturing of the PVC pipe joints. A one-dimensional diffusion model is used to determine an equivalent gap size through which the diffusion occurs. Flow rates through the threaded joints are calculated by using the …

The effect of incubation temperature on the post-hatching growth and performance capacities of the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina was investigated in the laboratory. Turtle eggs were collected from four sites in New York State and randomly assigned to four incubation temperature treatments to produce males (constant 26{degree}C and downshifted 30-26-30{degree}C) and females (constant 30{degree}C and upshifted 26-30-26{degree}C) under constant and altered temperature regimes. The incubation conditions resulted in 92% males from the constant 26{degree}C group and 93% males from the downshifted group. 100% females resulted from both the constant 30{degree}C group and the upshifted group. Turtles hatching from eggs incubated constantly at 26{degree}C were significantly larger than hatchlings from eggs incubated at a constant 30{degree}C or downshifted. Hatchlings were raised in individual aquaria at 25{degree}C and fed earthworms and fish. After a 9-month growth period, turtles which had been incubated at a constant 30{degree}C gained significantly more mass than did turtles from eggs which had been downshifted or upshifted. There was no extended effect of incubation condition on Post-hatching performance and learning ability as measured by righting and feeding responses. Thus, the mass gain differences seen in this study suggest that physiological differences do result as the consequence of …

A comprehensive theoretical study has been carried out on the flow behavior of both single and multiple phase non-Newtonian fluids in porous media. This work is divided into three parts: development of numerical and analytical solutions; theoretical studies of transient flow of non-Newtonian fluids in porous media; and applications of well test analysis and displacement efficiency evaluation to field problems. A fully implicit, integral finite difference model has been developed for simulation of non-Newtonian and Newtonian fluid flow through porous media. Several commonly-used rheological models of power-law and Bingham plastic non-Newtonian fluids have been incorporated in the simulator. A Buckley-Leverett type analytical solution for one-dimensional, immiscible displacement involving non-Newtonian fluids in porous media has been developed. An integral method is also presented for the study of transient flow of Bingham fluids in porous media. In addition, two well test analysis methods have been developed for analyzing pressure transient tests of power-law and Bingham fluids, respectively. Applications are included to demonstrate this new technology. The physical mechanisms involved in immiscible displacement with non-Newtonian fluids in porous media have been studied using the Buckley-Leverett type analytical solution. In another study, an idealized fracture model has been used to obtain some insights into …

A comprehensive theoretical study has been carried out on the flow behavior of both single and multiple phase non-Newtonian fluids in porous media. This work is divided into three parts: (1) development of numerical and analytical solutions; (2) theoretical studies of transient flow of non-Newtonian fluids in porous media; and (3) applications of well test analysis and displacement efficiency evaluation to field problems. A fully implicit, integral finite difference model has been developed for simulation of non-Newtonian and Newtonian fluid flow through porous media. Several commonly-used rheological models of power-law and Bingham plastic non-Newtonian fluids have been incorporated in the simulator. A Buckley-Leverett type analytical solution for one-dimensional, immiscible displacement involving non-Newtonian fluids in porous media has been developed. Based on this solution, a graphic approach for evaluating non-Newtonian displacement efficiency has been developed. The Buckley-Leverett-Welge theory is extended to flow problems with non-Newtonian fluids. An integral method is also presented for the study of transient flow of Bingham fluids in porous media. In addition, two well test analysis methods have been developed for analyzing pressure transient tests of power-law and Bingham fluids, respectively. Applications are included to demonstrate this new technology. The physical mechanisms involved in immiscible displacement with …

No present light water reactor accident analysis code employs both high state of the art neutronics and thermal-hydraulics computational algorithms. Adding a modern three-dimensional neutron kinetics model to the present TRAC-PFI/MOD2 code would create a fully up to date pressurized water reactor accident evaluation code. After reviewing several options, it was decided that the Nodal Expansion Method would best provide the basis for this multidimensional transient neutronic analysis capability. Steady-state and transient versions of the Nodal Expansion Method were coded in both three-dimensional Cartesian and cylindrical geometries. In stand-alone form this method of solving the few group neutron diffusion equations was shown to yield efficient and accurate results for a variety of steady-state and transient benchmark problems. The Nodal Expansion Method was then incorporated into TRAC-PFl/MOD2. The combined NEM/TRAC code results agreed well with the EPRI-ARROTTA core-only transient analysis code when modelling a severe PWR control rod ejection accident.

This thesis describes a number of diverse experiments whose common theme is to elaborate some aspect of DNA supercoiling. The torsion elastic constant of DNA is measure as a function of superhelix density using the technique of picosecond Time Resolved Fluorescence Polarization Anisotropy (FPA) of intercalated ethidium bromide. The results agree with theories which predict that the anisotropy decay should vary with the square root of the relative viscosity. This experiment furthermore demonstrates a sensitivity of FPA to a change in torsion elastic constant of less than 10%. A number of covalently closed DNA samples, ranging in superhelix density from = {minus}0.123 to {plus}0.042, are then examined. A novel method for measuring changes in local supercoiling on a large PNA molecule which is sensitive to changes in supercoiling of regions of chromosomal DNA as short as 1 kilobase in length is presented. Study of chromosomal supercoiling regulating anaerobic gene expression in the facultative photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter capsulatus showed that no stable change in chromosomal supercoiling upon a shift from aerobic respiratory growth to anaerobic photosynthetic conditions. Studies to detect transient changes in DNA supercoiling indicate that DNA downstream from heavily transcribed genes for the photosynthetic reaction center are relaxed or …

Properties of small lithium clusters with sizes ranging from n = 1 to 5 atoms were investigated using quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods. Cluster geometries were found from complete active space self consistent field (CASSCF) calculations. A detailed development of the QMC method leading to the variational QMC (V-QMC) and diffusion QMC (D-QMC) methods is shown. The many-body aspect of electron correlation is introduced into the QMC importance sampling electron-electron correlation functions by using density dependent parameters, and are shown to increase the amount of correlation energy obtained in V-QMC calculations. A detailed analysis of D-QMC time-step bias is made and is found to be at least linear with respect to the time-step. The D-QMC calculations determined the lithium cluster ionization potentials to be 0.1982(14) [0.1981], 0.1895(9) [0.1874(4)], 0.1530(34) [0.1599(73)], 0.1664(37) [0.1724(110)], 0.1613(43) [0.1675(110)] Hartrees for lithium clusters n = 1 through 5, respectively; in good agreement with experimental results shown in the brackets. Also, the binding energies per atom was computed to be 0.0177(8) [0.0203(12)], 0.0188(10) [0.0220(21)], 0.0247(8) [0.0310(12)], 0.0253(8) [0.0351(8)] Hartrees for lithium clusters n = 2 through 5, respectively. The lithium cluster one-electron density is shown to have charge concentrations corresponding to nonnuclear attractors. The overall shape …

Leaky faults provide a flow path for fluids to move underground. It is very important to characterize such faults in various engineering projects. The purpose of this work is to develop mathematical solutions for this characterization. The flow of water in an aquifer system and the flow of air in the unsaturated fault-rock system were studied. If the leaky fault cuts through two aquifers, characterization of the fault can be achieved by pumping water from one of the aquifers, which are assumed to be horizontal and of uniform thickness. Analytical solutions have been developed for two cases of either a negligibly small or a significantly large drawdown in the unpumped aquifer. Some practical methods for using these solutions are presented. 45 refs., 72 figs., 11 tabs.