2014 Undergraduate Research Poster

Forum

Tuesday, April 22, 2014 5:30 – 7:30pm

Engineering Atrium

Sponsored by: Office of Engineering Research

& Graduate Programs

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Table of Contents

Author Index……………………………………………………………2 Department Index…………………………………………………….....3 Poster Titles & Presenters………………………………………………5 Map of Presenters……………………………………………………….7 Poster Abstracts…………………………………………………………8

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Author Index

1. Alshetaiwi, Muhannad Electrical & Computer Engineering 2. Cesena, Michael Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

3. Chiroy, Caleb Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 4. Collard, Diane Chemical Engineering 5. Crownover, Alexander Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 6. Ehlmann, Thomas Electrical & Computer Engineering 7. Gakhar, Ankush Electrical & Computer Engineering 8. Goodale, Christopher Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 9. Laffey, Larissa Chemical Engineering 10. Martin, Geoff Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 11. Martinez, Andres Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 12. Ochs, Taylor Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 13. Powell, Robert Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 14. Ross, Eric Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 15. Sheshukova, Kseniya Biological & Agricultural Engineering 16. Sperry, Levi Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 17. Vincent, Phillip Electrical & Computer Engineering 18. Wagner, William Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 19. Wayant, Clay Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 20. Wearing, Christopher Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 21. Wells, Ethan Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering 22. Wonderlich, Sean Architectural Engineering & Construction Science 23. Xu, Jiayi Chemical Engineering 24. Zhang, Yichao Chemical Engineering

Research Strength Areas RS#1 – Advanced Manufacturing and Materials RS#2 – Energy RS#3 – Environment RS#4 – Nuclear Engineering and Sensors RS#5 – Systems and Networks RS#6 – Transportation RS#7 – Other – Biomedical

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Department Index

Architectural Engineering & Construction Science Michael Cesena Page 8 Segregation of Self-Consolidating Concrete in Slanted, Reinforced Walls RS#1 Alexander Crownover Page 12 Bio-Luminescence: From Algae and Fireflies to International Lighting Conglomerate RS#2 Christopher Goodale Page 9 The Feasibility of Using Integrated Project Delivery for State Construction Contracts in Kansas RS#1 Geoff Martin Page 10 Investigation of the Slip Modulus between Cold-Formed Steel and Plywood Sheathing RS#1 Eric Ross Page 9 The Feasibility of Using Integrated Project Delivery for State Construction Contracts in Kansas RS#1 Levi Sperry Page 16 Electrical Rough-In Lab/Demonstration Models RS#5 Christopher Wearing Page 14 Building a Better Tomorrow RS#2 Sean Wonderlich Page 10 Strength of Concrete Masonry Units with Plastic Bottle Cores RS#1 Biological & Agricultural Engineering Kseniya Sheshukova Page 18 Analysis of Recombinant Human Serum Albumin Degradation in Transgenic Rice Extracts RS#7 Chemical Engineering Diane Collard Page 8 Frost Nucleation and Growth on Hydrophilic, Hydrophobic, and Biphillic Surfaces RS#1 Larissa Laffey Page 9 Formulation and Characterization of a Novel Vaccine Adjuvant System Containing Aluminum Hydroxide in Oil-in-Water Emulsions RS#1 Jiayi Xu Page 15 Dehydration of Butanediol Using Thoria as Catalyst RS#2 Yichao Zhang Page 11 Crystal Transfer and Characterization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Grown by Metal Flux RS#1

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Electrical & Computer Engineering Muhannad Alshetaiwi Page 11 Using Energy Harvesting to Power Bio Medical Sensors inside Spacesuits RS#2 Thomas Ehlmann Page 13 Noise Analysis of Solar Networks RS#2 Ankush Gakhar Page 17 Characterization of Dual-Purpose RF Coils for MR Imaging and Non-Invasive Hyperthermia of Pancreatic Cancer in a Small Animal Model RS#7 Phillip Vincent Page 18 Modular Patient Controlled Analgesia Tester RS#7 Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Caleb Chiroy Page 12 Effects of Micro-Structured Surface Geometries on Condensation Heat Transfer RS#2 Andres Martinez Page 12 Effects of Micro-Structured Surface Geometries on Condensation Heat Transfer RS#2 Taylor Ochs Page 15 Fabrication of Current-Generation Microstructured Semiconductor Neutron Detectors RS#4 Robert Powell Page 13 Evaluation of Distributed Building Thermal Energy Storage in Conjunction with Wind and Solar Electric Power Generation RS#2 William Wagner Page 17 Control System Design for a Reduced Gravity Simulation Hoist RS#5 Clay Wayant Page 16 A Simulation of Neutron Response of a High Efficiency Layers 6^LI Foil Multi-Wire Proportional Counter RS#4 Ethan Wells Page 14 Enhancing Heat Transfer of a Micro-Channel Heat Sink Using Segmented Flow RS#2

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Poster Titles & Presenters

Research Strength #1 – Advanced Manufacturing and Materials

1. SEGREGATION OF SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE IN SLANT ED, REINFORCED WALLS Michael A. Cesena, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#1

2. FROST NUCLEATION AND GROWTH ON HYDROPHILIC, HYDROPH OBIC, AND BIPHILLIC SURFACES Diane N. Collard, Chemical Engineering, RS#1

3. THE FEASIBILITY OF USING INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVER Y FOR STATE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS IN KANSAS Christopher B. Goodale, Eric J. Ross, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#1

4. FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL VACCINE ADJUVANT SYSTEM CONTAINING ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE IN OI L-IN-WATER EMULSIONS Larissa M. Laffey, Chemical Engineering, RS#1

5. INVESTIGATION OF THE SLIP MODULUS BETWEEN COLD-FORM ED STEEL AND PLYWOOD SHEATHING Geoff Martin, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#1

6. STRENGTH OF CONCRETE MASONRY UNITS WITH PLASTIC BOT TLE CORES Sean M. Wonderlich, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#1

7. CRYSTAL TRANSFER AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HEXAGONAL BORON NITRIDE GROWN BY METAL FLUX Yichao Zhang, Chemical Engineering, RS#1 Research Strength #2 – Energy

8. USING ENERGY HARVESTING TO POWER BIO MEDICAL SENSOR S INSIDE SPACESUITS Muhannad Alshetaiwi, Electrical & Computer Engineering, RS#2

9. EFFECTS OF MICRO-STRUCTURED SURFACE GEOMETRIES ON CONDENSATION HEAT TRANSFER Caleb J. Chiroy, Andres Martinez, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, RS#2

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10. BIO-LUMINESCENCE: FROM ALGAE AND FIREFLIES TO INTER NATIONAL LIGHTING CONGLOMERATE Alexander K. Crownover, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#2

11. NOISE ANALYSIS OF SOLAR NETWORKS Thomas Ehlmann, Electrical & Computer Engineering, RS#2

12. EVALUATION OF DISTRIBUTED BUILDING THERMAL ENERGY S TORAGE IN CONJUNCTION WITH WIND AND SOLAR ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION Robert W. Powell, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, RS#2

13. BUILDING A BETTER TOMORROW Christopher P. Wearing, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#2

14. ENHANCING HEAT TRANSFER OF A MICRO-CHANNEL HEAT SIN K USING SEGMENTED FLOW Ethan J. Wells, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, RS#2

15. DEHYDRATION OF BUTANEDIOL USING THORIA AS CATALYST Jiayi Xu, Chemical Engineering, RS#2

Research Strength #4 – Nuclear Engineering and Sensors

16. FABRICATION OF CURRENT-GENERATION MICROSTRUCTURED SEMICONDUCTOR NEUTRON DETECTORS Taylor R. Ochs, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, RS#4

17. A SIMULATION OF NEUTRON RESPONSE OF A HIGH EFFICIEN CY LAYERS 6^LI FOIL MULTI-WIRE PROPORTIONAL COUNTER Clay D. Wayant, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, RS#4 Research Strength #5 – Systems and Networks

18. ELECTRICAL ROUGH-IN LAB/DEMONSTRATION MODELS Levi M. Sperry, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science, RS#5

19. CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN FOR A REDUCED GRAVITY SIMULAT ION HOIST William J. Wagner, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, RS#5

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Research Strength #7 – Other - Biomedical

20. CHARACTERIZATION OF DUAL-PURPOSE RF COILS FOR MR IM AGING AND NON-INVASIVE HYPERTHERMIA OF PANCREATIC CANCER IN A SMALL ANIMAL MODEL Ankush Gakhar, Electrical & Computer Engineering, RS#7

21. ANALYSIS OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN SERUM ALBUMIN DEGRADA TION IN TRANSGENIC RICE EXTRACTS Kseniya A. Sheshukova, Biological & Agricultural Engineering, RS#7

22. MODULAR PATIENT CONTROLLED ANALGESIA TESTER Phillip Vincent, Electrical & Computer Engineering, RS#7

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Poster Abstracts 1

SEGREGATION OF SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE IN SLANT ED, REINFORCED WALLS

Michael A. Cesena, Don Phillippi, Katie Loughmiller Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is a highly fluid, yet strong form of concrete that can be used to fill tight or congested spaces that normal concrete could not fill. Unlike normal concrete, which requires vibration to compact it, self-consolidating concrete can spread into its form under its own weight. However, because SCC is still a developing form of technology, all of its flaws have not been fixed, the most important being its unpredictable segregation tendency, or tendency of the mixture to separate. In 2009, two identical bridge bents were constructed that included the placement of self-consolidating concrete to form slanted walls filled with steel reinforcement. The concrete was expected to perform without fault, however after the forms were removed, segregation had occurred. The authors will be performing an experiment similar to that performed in 2009 to determine if the problem still exists, and if so, the cause of the segregation. It is possible that the angle of the walls and/or the amount of steel reinforcement had an effect on the segregation and to determine if this is the case, a parametric experiment will be conducted that will construct walls set at an angle similar to the 2009 experiment, with control walls added that will be constructed vertically upright. Both types of walls will be constructed with three levels of steel reinforcement: full reinforcement, some reinforcement and without reinforcement. The authors have received funding for the project and are in the process of setting up the experiment.

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FROST NUCLEATION AND GROWTH ON HYDROPHILIC, HYDROPH OBIC, AND BIPHILLIC SURFACES

Diane N. Collard, Amy Betz Department of Chemical Engineering

The purpose of this research is to test biphilic (separate hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas) surfaces to see if they mitigate frost formation. Frost forms when humid air contacts a surface that is below the dew point and freezing temperature of water. Many engineering systems are hindered by frost. Past research on frost formation investigated superhydrophobic materials to lower the freezing point and delay frost formation. Our hypothesis is that a biphilic surface will slow the frost formation process and lower the density of frost. The water in the air will preferentially condense on the hydrophilic areas, thus controlling where the nucleation will occur and the size of nucleation embryos. To fabricate biphilic surfaces, a hydrophobic material is coated on a silicon wafer, and then selectively removed using photolithography, to reveal the hydrophilic silicon underneath. Circles were patterned at different pitches, diameters, and orientations. The slides were tested on a fabricated freezing stage at constant temperature, 22°C ambient temperature, and 20%, 40%, and 60% relative humidities. Results show a trend that biphilic surfaces effectively delay frost formation. Pinning was observed on the 25 micrometer in-line pattern.

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3 THE FEASIBILITY OF USING INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVER Y FOR STATE

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS IN KANSAS Christopher B. Goodale, Eric J. Ross, Rod Elder

Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

This paper will explore how Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), a new alternative project delivery method, could be implemented in publicly owned projects in the State of Kansas. This new delivery system promises to increase the value of a project by decreasing costs and increasing the quality of the constructed product. These goals are achieved by the integration of new building information modeling (BIM) software and multi-party contracts based on trust and cooperation. While there have been several successful private projects completed with fantastic results, implementing IPD in the public arena has been blocked in most regions by local statutes. This is the primary obstacle inhibiting contractors from delivering a construction project for the State of Kansas using IPD. While executing IPD in its purest form on State projects is not allowed at this time, we will explore both the advantages of using IPD and ways to integrate the philosophies of IPD with current project delivery systems.

4 FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL VACCINE ADJUVANT SYSTEM CONTAINING ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE IN OIL-IN-WATE R EMULSIONS

Larissa M. Laffey, John Schlup, Jishu Shi, Amy Beckley Department of Chemical Engineering

Infectious disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Current research focuses on the discovery of new vaccines as well as increasing the efficacy of current vaccines. Methods of enhancing vaccine efficacy include decreased frequency of administration and increasing host immune response. Adjuvant addition to vaccines acts to stimulate a stronger immune response. Aluminum hydroxide is a well established adjuvant used in commercial vaccines. We have developed a novel oil-in-water emulsion, OW-14b, which also acts to stimulate a strong immune response. Although both adjuvants show adjuvanticity separately, both act via different mechanisms. Therefore, we hypothesize that when used together they will act synergistically to increase the efficacy of the vaccine. In this study we formulated a stable adjuvant, Al-OW-14b, and characterized its physical properties. Preliminary results show that a stable formulation was created that remained stable upon the addition of proteins/antigen. These results suggest that the Al-OW-14b adjuvant may increase immunogenicity by increased activation of the immune system thereby enhancing vaccine efficacy.

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5 INVESTIGATION OF THE SLIP MODULUS BETWEEN COLD-FORM ED STEEL

AND PLYWOOD SHEATHING Geoff Martin, Kimberly Kramer, Bill Zhang

Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

Cold-formed steel members are becoming a popular construction material around the world. Their high strength to weight ratio makes them a viable alternative to timber framing. In most cases cold-formed steel is used as a repetitive member in floor, wall, or roof assemblies. Structural sheathing is connected to the cold-formed steel by using screws spaced from 6 to 12 inches on center. When such assemblies are constructed, load is transferred from the sheathing through the connectors into the steel, forming a composite assembly in which load is transferred and shared between two materials, providing a higher strength and stiffness over individual members. The amount of load that can be transferred is dependent on the amount of slip that occurs when the assembly is loaded, which shows the amount of composite action that exists in the assembly, quantified by a value called the slip modulus. In current design of cold-formed steel assemblies composite action is not being taken into account. Taking composite action into account can lead to decreased member sizes or increased spacing of members, thereby economizing design. This thesis tests cold-formed steel plywood composite members in an effort to establish slip modulus values.

6 STRENGTH OF CONCRETE MASONRY UNITS WITH PLASTIC BOT TLE CORES

Sean M. Wonderlich, Kimberly Kramer, Bill Zhang Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

Concrete masonry units are a common material of construction in the world due to their relative low cost and easy manufacturing. The use of plastic bottles in construction materials has been around for the past couple decades but with little focus on using full plastic bottles in the materials. The Engineers Without Borders student group of Kansas State University have found a way to utilize the full plastic bottle in the construction of concrete walls. The bottles are laid horizontal and therefore create large voids in the wall which will decrease the compressive strength of the wall. This poster presents a study that was conducted to determine the compressive strength of concrete masonry units with plastic bottle cores. The plastic bottles were placed upright as the cores of the masonry units with concrete poured around the bottles to encase them in the masonry units. The study utilized plastic bottles from five different water companies and analyzed the resultant compressive strength. The compressive strength was determined by following the ASTM C140 standard. The results from this study were deemed reasonable comparing to the testing of concrete cylinders as a control compressive strength.

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7 CRYSTAL TRANSFER AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HEXAGONAL BORON

NITRIDE GROWN BY METAL FLUX Yichao Zhang, James Edgar, Timothy Hoffman

Department of Chemical Engineering

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a potential new neutron-detecting material due to strong thermal neutron interaction with 10B isotope. In this study, hBN crystals are grown using a high temperature Ni-Cr flux method. These crystals form a bulk layer on the top of the Ni-Cr surface and can be mechanically extracted. The goal of this research project is to transfer crystals to handle substrate. Two methods were investigated: removal by thermal release tape and mechanical exfoliation. The largest crystal transferred was 2 mm by 1.5 mm. Since both methods leave tape residue on sample surface, which is detrimental to device fabrication and material characterization, two methods were developed: thermal degradation by heating crystal in forming gas at temperature varying from 500⁰C to 650⁰C, and solvent cleaning by TCE for 24 hours. Microscopy techniques, such as SEM, AFM and optical microscopy were used in determining the effectiveness of these cleaning techniques, and characterizing the extracted crystals. Heating the crystals in forming gas at 650⁰C for 5 minutes proved to be the most effective method for quickly removing all tape residue.

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USING ENERGY HARVESTING TO POWER BIO MEDICAL SENSOR S INSIDE SPACESUITS

Muhannad Alshetaiwi, Bill Kuhn Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

This work was part of NASA EPSCoR Project NNX11AM05A. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses wired bio medical sensors to monitor astronauts’ health during missions. These wired sensors might cause a flexibility problem or limit the places where they could be placed. They also use the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU)’s battery. Thus, using wireless bio-medical sensors may improve astronauts’ flexibility and provides an alternative to batteries powering. Hence, a wireless body area network (WBAN) could be beneficial. One problem, however when those sensors are used is that they need power and batteries that are too dangerous to place in a spacesuit's oxygen-rich environment. Another method of producing power is energy harvesting, which can be done in many ways. One possible way is to use astronaut’s body heat to power the sensors using a thermal energy generator concept that provides electrical energy when one side has a hot temperature and the other has a cold temperature. The hot side would be the skin surface and the cold side can be obtained from the Cooling Garment in spacesuits. This method will produce a small voltage not enough to power the bio medical sensors so a step-up converter is implemented.

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9 EFFECTS OF MICRO-STRUCTURED SURFACE GEOMETRIES ON

CONDENSATION HEAT TRANSFER Caleb J. Chiroy, Andres Martinez, Amy Betz

Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

The purpose of this research is to experimentally study how micro-structured geometries affect the heat transfer coefficient on a surface under filmwise condensation conditions. Filmwise condensation is a major concern when designing steam condensers for thermoelectric power plants. These plants currently account for 40% of freshwater withdrawal and 3% of freshwater usage in the United States. Filmwise condensation averages five times lower heat transfer coefficients than those present in dropwise condensation. Currently, filmwise condensation is the dominant condensation regime in thermoelectric power plants due to their prolonged usage. The film thickness is directly proportional to the condenser’s overall thermal resistance. This investigation focuses on optimizing surface geometries to reduce the creation of a water film, and to reduce its overall thickness. Our aim is to maximize steam condensation's overall heat transfer coefficient; it is determined by measuring the temperature gradient across our test section. By comparing the heat transfer coefficients, we can find the optimal surface geometries by varying geometry shapes.

10 BIO-LUMINESCENCE: FROM ALGAE AND FIREFLIES TO INTER NATIONAL

LIGHTING CONGLOMERATE Alexander K. Crownover, Russell Murdock

Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science Lighting is a fundamental aspect of a successfully designed space. With a persistent pushes for sustainable and innovative designs, opportunities for new technology and developments are constantly available. The natural world provides many inspiring solutions and adaptations from which engineers can learn. One such process is bioluminescence. Using both the anatomy of, and chemical processes found within, the lightning bug (family classification: Lampyridae) many groups are exploring how to utilize the advantages from Mother Nature. Projects from Syracuse University, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, and even Philips Lighting are searching for ways to harness the power of the natural world in ways that have both a commercial and ecological benefit to world of artificial lighting. Problems and struggles still remain for many of these strategies and the feasibility of current solutions is still underdeveloped. Even so, the lighting industry has seen the advancements of sources like fluorescents and LED's. The possibilities of what the future could hold for bioluminescent sources are expansive and only limited by our imagination and creativity. / are expansive and only limited by our imagination and creativity.

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11 NOISE ANALYSIS OF SOLAR NETWORKS

Thomas Ehlmann, Anil Pahwa Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Given the variable nature of solar energy production, controllers are necessary for monitoring the system in which this generation occurs. This project examined the fluctuations in solar generation using second by second data from November of 2010 in order to determine if controlling should be performed on a second to second basis or if controlling on a less frequent interval would be sufficient. The Fourier transform of each day was performed in order to determine which frequencies present in the generation data had the largest impact on the need for controlling actions. It was determined that frequencies close to the sampling rate of the data (1 Hz) had very little to do with the true behavior of the generation curve. The next frequency that had a small effect on the behavior of the curve was around 0.25 Hz. It was concluded that a control system would not need to control every second, but a system utilizing a moving average or similar method would be effective in eliminating noise.

12 EVALUATION OF DISTRIBUTED BUILDING THERMAL ENERGY S TORAGE IN CONJUNCTION WITH WIND AND SOLAR ELECTRIC POWER GENE RATION

Robert W. Powell, Byron Jones Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

Energy storage is generally seen as necessary for electric utilities with high levels of non-schedulable wind/solar power generation to compensate for the inability to schedule these facilities to match power demand. This study looks at the potential to use distributed building thermal energy storage (TES) as a load shifting technology rather than traditional electric energy storage. Analyses are conducted using hourly utility and environmental data for a central U.S. region in conjunction with simplified computer simulations and economic models to evaluate the economic benefit of TES. It is found that the value of TES to the utilities is comparable to batteries; this result is significant considering TES can only impact building thermal loads, whereas batteries can impact any electrical load. However, with high levels of solar penetration, TES storage significantly decreased in value. Surprisingly, the general value of energy storage did not increase substantially with increased wind/solar generation. This result differs from other research, where the value increases, and is likely because this study addresses load shifting on daily time scales, whereas other research focuses on hourly variations.

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13 BUILDING A BETTER TOMORROW

Christopher P. Wearing, Christopher Ahern, Julia Keen Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

At a time when the whole world is talking about ways we can have a greener tomorrow, energy efficiency has to be at the top of this list. One of the largest areas of energy consumption in developed countries is in the construction and maintenance of buildings. Smarter construction and more efficient design save money. With the development and growing awareness of such programs as LEED, EPA, Energy Star, etc., it is obvious this topic is a top concern. “The News” is a magazine that primarily covers the day-to-day issues of such topics as air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration. Oxford: Elsevier Science and Technology also has published research about energy conservation in building construction and maintenance. Wiley publishing, which is known for its journals and encyclopedias, has published works on energy efficiency. Some of the first steps toward consuming less energy are rather simple: installing time-sensitive thermostats, cleaning lights and heaters, and increasing insulation in. Another way to increase efficiency is to more quickly disperse new technology, which means saving more energy sooner. As energy efficiency continues to grow in importance and awareness, it will be a top priority in building and construction.

14 ENHANCING HEAT TRANSFER OF A MICRO-CHANNEL HEAT SIN K USING

SEGMENTED FLOW Ethan J. Wells, Amy Betz

Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

This research aims to investigate segmented flow to enhance heat transfer in a micro channel heat sink. Segmented flow is the streaming of two immiscible fluids across a channel to create a dispersed phase within a continuous phase. It has been shown that segmented flow increases the Nusselt number thus increasing heat transfer. We hypothesize segmented flow has the potential to enhance heat transfer an order of magnitude over single phase flow. The application of small yet efficient heat sinks is in great demand as electronics continue to become smaller yet more powerful, thus creating a larger heat load. In our setup, water and oil are stored in a cylinder; a float in the cylinder that is buoyant in water but sinks in oil allows the mixture to gravitationally separate. Water is pumped through a flow damper and flow meter with a peristaltic pump before entering the heat sink through a plenum. Oil also passes through a flow meter before entering the channels through a T-junction. The pressure drop is measured at the entry and exit of the channels using a pressure transducer. An array of thermocouples is used to extrapolate the surface temperature. Embedded cartridge heaters are used to supply a heat flux of 84 W/cm2.

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15 DEHYDRATION OF BUTANEDIOL USING THORIA AS CATALYST

Jiayi Xu, Larry Glasgow, Liu Bin Department of Chemical Engineering

Because of the limited nature of fossil-based energy resources, renewable biobased feedstocks are increasing being used for production of fuels and chemicals. C4 diols, such as 2,3-butanediol, offer great potential as platform chemicals to obtain butadiene and butene via catalytic dehydrations. In principle, butanediol can be converted to either methylethylketone or hydroxylbutene during the first step of dehydration. Most solid acid catalysts show too low selectivity for hydroxylbutene, the main intermediate leading to butadiene, a desired product. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed by modeling the dehydration reactions and confirmed the above conclusion. DFT calculations were also performed on a basic catalyst, thoria (ThO2), which shows that the reaction energies of producing methylethylketone and hydroxylbutene are quite different from acid catalysts. This different catalytic trend observed from computation suggests that thoria may potentially be used as a new catalyst to improve the reaction selectivity.

16 FABRICATION OF CURRENT-GENERATION MICROSTRUCTURED

SEMICONDUCTOR NEUTRON DETECTORS Taylor R. Ochs, Douglas McGregor, Ryan Fronk Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

Micostructured Semiconductor Neutron Detectors (MSNDs) with large aspect-ratio, straight trenches backfilled with neutron sensitive material exhibit superior detection efficiencies over traditional thin-film-coated diodes for solid-state thermal neutron detection. The MSNDs operate as 4-cm2 partial-conformal diffused pn¬-junction diodes with very low leakage current and capacitance. The solid-state silicon substrate detectors operate on a zero to 2.7 V bias and are coupled with signal amplifying and counting electronic components. The highest intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency for a single-sided MSND delivered thus far is 30.1±0.5% and 37.6±0.7% for a neutron beam with normal and 45⁰ incidence to the detector surface, respectively. The thermal neutron detection efficiency can be further increased with diode stacking and dual-sided trench etching techniques. The diode stacking method has produced a 1-cm2 MSND, which had intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency over 42%. The intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiencies for 0.0253 eV neutrons were determined by calibrating against a calibrated helium-3 gas-filled proportional detector at the Kansas State University TRIGA Mk II diffraction beam port.

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17 A SIMULATION OF NEUTRON RESPONSE OF A HIGH EFFICIEN CY LAYERS 6^LI

FOIL MULTI-WIRE PROPORTIONAL COUNTER Clay D. Wayant, Douglas McGregor

Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

Large-area neutron detectors containing sheets of 6Li foil have been previously shown to have the capability of achieving neutron detection efficiencies comparable to 3He tubes. A detector was set up in MCNP6 containing five sheets of 6Li foil approximately 25 cm x 25 cm and 75 microns thick, spaced 1.6 cm apart, and enclosed in a thin aluminum casing. The detector was filled with P-10 gas and the thermal neutron response pulse-height spectra were obtained at P-10 pressures of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.8 atm, and compared to Monte-Carlo results obtained through MatLab for the same detector dimensions. The simulation was also used to optimize neutron moderator thicknesses, represented by high density polyethylene (HDPE). The detector intrinsic neutron detection efficiency was obtained from the simulations by using 252Cf positioned 2.0 m from the front of the detector. The simulated neutron response pulse-height spectra were compared for validity of the MCNP6 model. Once the MCNP6 code and MatLab code agreed with experimental results, optimization of the HDPE thickness was performed by repeating the same simulation but with different ratios of front and back moderator. The overall thickness of HDPE for a single detector module was 15 cm.

18 ELECTRICAL ROUGH-IN LAB/DEMONSTRATION MODELS

Levi M. Sperry, Raphael Yunk, Russell Murdock Department of Architectural Engineering & Construction Science

Electricity, a critical component of any building system, is required for more and more applications in buildings every day. With this increased need for power comes an increased need for proper understanding of how to safely distribute and control that power, while keeping the power densities within a building as low as possible. The goal for the electrical models is to help students understand fundamental electrical circuiting for buildings in a manner that allows them to be confident in design and construction of similar circuiting applications. The labs being built will familiarize the students with the National Electrical Code (NEC) which governs minimum safety requirements for the installation of electrical equipment throughout the United States as well as the energy code from the American Society of Heating Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Engineers and the Illuminating Engineering Society (ASHRAE/IES 90.1). With the ability to see the circuits inside of enclosures and conduit versus on a one-line or riser diagram, the labs will increase the retention of basic concepts for safe and energy efficient design of building electrical systems.

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19 CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN FOR A REDUCED GRAVITY SIMULAT ION HOIST

William J. Wagner, Dale Schinstock Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

Kansas State University researchers are working to identify physiological parameters that predict an astronaut’s readiness for activities in reduced gravity environments. To identify these parameters it is valuable to determine the physical difficulty of certain activities in low gravity. Therefore, we have developed a hoist capable of offloading a percentage of an individual's weight, allowing for physiological testing in simulated reduced gravity. The focus of this research is the design of a force control system that rejects disturbances occurring when subjects accelerate, such as during walking or climbing. A dynamic model of the hoist is first identified by performing step response tests. To verify this model and to reveal discrepancies between the physical system and the model, open-loop frequency response tests are performed. Observed un-modeled high-frequency dynamics increase the phase shift from the model to an unstable value. Complex zeroes are used in the controller to reduce resonance and to bring the phase shift within a stable range. This control system allows the hoist to be responsive and results in natural offloading of human subjects.

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CHARACTERIZATION OF DUAL-PURPOSE RF COILS FOR MR IM AGING AND NON-INVASIVE HYPERTHERMIA OF PANCREATIC CANCER IN A SMALL

ANIMAL MODEL Ankush Gakhar, Punit Prakash

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Hyperthermia is a cancer therapy that involves moderate heating of tumors, to improve the efficacy of radiation and/or chemotherapy. Several clinical trials have demonstrated the benefit of hyperthermia (mild elevation of tumor temperatures) as an adjuvant to radiation and chemotherapy of select tumors. Hyperthermia may be delivered non-invasively, using electromagnetic or ultrasound devices, or minimally invasively, with electromagnetic antennas. During hyperthermia treatments, it is important to monitor temperature in the tumor to ensure it remains within the therapeutic range, but does not exceed safety limits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a method of spatially monitoring tissue temperatures. The goal of this project is to develop custom radiofrequency (RF) applicators for delivering hyperthermia within a small-animal magnetic resonance imaging system (Bruker Avance III, 600 MHz). Candidate applicators have been fabricated, and are under experimental evaluation to characterize their efficiency and radiation pattern. Ultimately, we strive to design applicators capable of depositing RF energy with a suitable radiation pattern for heating experimental tumor targets in small-animals, under-real time magnetic resonance imaging guidance. We gratefully acknowledge support through a Cancer Research Award from the Johnson Cancer Research Center.

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21 ANALYSIS OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN SERUM ALBUMIN DEGRADA TION IN

TRANSGENIC RICE EXTRACTS Kseniya A. Sheshukova, Lisa Wilken

Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering

Transgenic plant systems have successfully been used to express a variety of recombinant proteins, including rice seed-expressed recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA). HSA is an acidic protein that has numerous medical applications. Perceived advantages for using rice for production of HSA over other production systems include the production infrastructure, high protein content and expression level, low risk of contamination by human pathogens, and the presence of endogenous protease inhibitors that prevents degradation of proteins through processing. However, extraction experiments conducted recently with high-expressing rHSA rice flour indicated that significant degradation of rHSA occurs in crude and clarified extracts for particular extraction conditions. For example, the concentration of rHSA in pH 3.5 extract decreased as much as 60% within an hour. Additional studies showed that rHSA was stable, however, at pH 3.5 if extracted at pH 6 and then pH adjusted. These studies suggested that rHSA degradation was not caused by pH instability alone and indicated that proteases may be present in pH 3.5 extracts, but not pH 6 extracts. Spiking of additional rHSA or BSA into pH 3.5 rHSA extracts also resulted in protein degradation.

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MODULAR PATIENT CONTROLLED ANALGESIA TESTER Phillip Vincent, Kim Fowler

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

The Modular Patient Controlled Analgesia Tester (MPCAT) is a test bench designed to test functionality of PCA pumps coming off the assembly line. A PCA pump is a device that administers a liquid pain killer at a basal rate, and also allows for the patient to self-administer a bolus dose upon request. PCA pumps have a variety of important safety measures that are essential to patient health. The goal of the MPCAT is to test the most critical pump functions such as flow rate, upstream and downstream occlusion, and push button limitations. The MPCAT was designed to do away with lengthy test procedures that contribute to increased cost to manufacturers. The system is easy to use, only requiring a staff member to connect the sensors to the PCA pump. The MPCAT displays sensor data on a computer screen and automatically saves all test data for future analysis. The modularity of the system allows the customer to customize their test bench to meet their individual testing requirements.

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