Control Salmonella Contamination on Egg Shell Surfaces Using Lytic Bacteriophages

Life time Reproductive Success in Nicrophorus Orbicollis

Mentor(s): Curtis Creighton

Graduate

Peg-board Presentation

Natural selection and other evolutionary forces subject organisms to optimize their fitness (i.e survival and reproduction) under environmental challenges. Since resources are finite and selection cannot maximize fitness beyond certain evolutionary constraints, trade-offs between life history traits such as age, growth, reproduction and lifespan must be made in response to ecological stresses posed by a dynamic environment. In this experiment, life history trade-offs in response to a microbial challenge were examined by focusing on regulation of social immune activity in burying beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis, in response to manipulation in food quality and microbial activity in their surrounding environment. Female burying beetles were exposed to a microbial environment different than one they were raised on to raise their offspring, their longevity, size, mass and fecundity were measured to determine their life time reproductive success. N. orbicollis is a model organism for such a study because it provides biparental care to their offspring and is known to elicit an immune response to protect their offspring which can be quantified to measure fitness. Understanding regulation of expression of immune molecules can allow us to understand gene regulation in terms of inheritability and tradeoffs in N. orbicollis and which can be utilized to learn such regulatory mechanisms in higher organisms.

Visualization of Ternary Phase Diagram Using Mobile Applications and 3D Printed Models

Mentor(s): Harvey Abramowitz

Graduate

Peg-board Presentation

Visualization of ternary phase diagrams is an ongoing endeavor at Purdue University Calumet. In this work, the visualization efforts were extended to include mobile applications and physical models made by 3D printing. Visualizations focused on the liquidus surfaces of ternary alloy phase diagrams. To generate these surfaces an interpolation method, based on Ternplot code, was used. These surfaces can then be visualized in a number of ways on mobile devices. The mobile device can view the surfaces through a web application which allows them to be rotatable. An augmented reality app allows another type of 3D visualization. In addition to the mobile applications, 3D printing produced physical models which are easy to manipulate. To demonstrate these methods of visualization, six ternary alloys were selected: Cu-Sn-Pb, Cu-Sn-Ag, Ag-Sn-Sb, Sb-Sn-Pb, Pb-Sn-Bi, and Bi-Sn-Sb. These alloys form a hexagonal carousel with Sn being the central connecting element.

Modeling and Numerical Optimization of a Reheating Furnace

Mentor(s): Chen Zhou and Guangwu Tang

Graduate

Peg-board Presentation

Reheating furnaces are commonly used in steel rolling process, which are the critical components in steel slab production. These furnaces have an important impact on both steel quality and total cost. With the purpose of obtaining a better understanding of the furnace operation, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model has been developed to examine furnace operation. The CFD model has been validated with the industry experiment. The model can be further used to analysis the through-thickness temperature gradient with a slab, the proper residence time, the curved skid riders’ influence on the skid marks, etc. Also, a series of simulations have been conducted to optimize the furnace performance. The comparison of the results helps for understanding the effective factors which are significant to the improvement of the furnace’s production ability, thus providing insight into furnace optimization.

CFD Modeling of a Ladle with Top Stirring Lance

Xiaoxiao Zhang and Xia Chen

Mentor(s): Chenn Zhou, Bin Wu, and Guangwu Tang

Graduate

Stirring ladles have been widely used in steelmaking industry. Steel cleanliness is very important for the quality of final products. Proper stirring is crucial for obtaining the clean steel. In this study, a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been developed to simulate the stirring process in a ladle. A stirring lance is immersed into the hot metal to conduct a consistent stir. The computational model provides an insight view of the hot metal, slag and gas phase interactions. The simulation results have been validated by the industrial experiment. A mixing study has been conducted to monitor the mixing process. Parametric studies have been accomplished to numerically investigate the mixing time with different operating conditions to optimize this process and improve the efficiency of the stirring process. / Keywords: stirring ladle, hot metal, CFD, multiphase flow, mixing process /