Treatment of refinery crude oil tank sludge : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Environmental Engineering at Massey University

Appendix A-5 held on floppy disk. Please consult print copy in Library.The treatment and disposal of oil refinery tank sludge is a critical issue among oil refineries. This is because of the hazardous nature of the sludge due to high levels of oil and heavy metals, which must be removed prior to disposal. This study was carried out to investigate the removal of crude oil and heavy metals to allow the design of an appropriate disposal treatment that could meet the environmental regulations for this type of waste. A typical emulsified crude oil tank sludge, produced from tank cleaning operations was characterised and was shown to contain approximately 41%, 16%, 25%, and 8% of solids (sand), oil, water and volatile materials, respectively. The sludge also contained high level of metals, of which more than 98% resided in the solids fraction. The heavy metals analysed were copper, nickel and zinc with average values of 3,955mg/kg, 443 mg/kg and 13,851 mg/kg of raw sludge, respectively. The crude oil fraction of the sludge was removed by solvent washing with kerosene which resulted in emulsion breakdown. A model which optimises the removal of crude oil was developed and validated against experimental data. The model predictions agreed well with experimental trials using kerosene as the solvent. A 2:1 solvent to sludge ratio is adequate to remove the oil (> 98%) in the sludge after two washing stages. This resulted in oil-free/metal-rich solids. Kerosene washing reduced the volume by 76% and mass by 59%, which allows easier handling and disposal. Heavy metals reduction was achieved by acid washing using 8N nitric acid and a 10:4 mixture of 2.4N hydrochloric and 8N nitric acids. Approximately 99% of the metals were removed using a 10:1 acid to solids ratio, at pH <1 and ambient conditions, making the sludge suitable for land application and meeting the appropriate disposal guidelines for oil and metal levels. The solvent washing process was shown to be industrially feasible for volume and mass reduction of the sludge. However, heavy metal reduction by acid washing requires further optimisation before it can be applied on an industrial scale

Atrocalopteryx melli orohainani ssp. nov. on the Island of Hainan, China (Zygoptera: Calopterygidae)

The new sp. is described from the mountain core of Hainan, southern China, where it usually occurs at altitudes not lower than 300 m asl. It lives on the same type of small, shaded rivers as the nominate ssp. on the continent, and is distinguished by its larger size, slightly less enfumed wings, and a 2.6% difference in the sequence of the barcoding portion of the mitochodrial DNA-cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI). Holotype male: Diaoluoshan mountain, 6-VIII-2011; deposited in the Inst. Hydrobiol., Jinan Univ., Guanghou. It is argued that this geographically defined ssp. evolved because of persistent poor gene flow with continental populations, caused by the lowland "panhandle" between Hainan and the continent. This barrier was probably functioning equally well during interglacials (like at present) as during pleniglacials (when Hainan was connected to the mainland), because lack of suitable environments (small sized running waters), and dry and cold conditions continued to limit the contact with A. melli of the mainland

Ning Guan, piano

Ludwig van BeethovenFranz LisztAlberto GinasteraFrederic Chopi

The effect of clustering on the precision of estimation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Marketing at Massey University

The effect of clustering interval on design effect may be important in selection of alternative sampling designs by evaluating the cost-efficiency in the context of face-to-face interview surveys. There has been little work in investigating this effect in New Zealand. This study attempts to investigate this effect by using data from a two-stage sampling face-to-face interview survey. Seventeen stimulated samples are generated. A simple method, design effect =msb /ms, is developed to estimate design effects for 81 variables for both the simulated samples and the original sample. These estimated design effects are used to investigate the effect of clustering interval. This study also investigates the effect of cluster size. The results indicate that clustering interval has little influence on design effect but cluster size substantial influence. The evaluation of the cost-efficiency in alternative clustering intervals is discussed. As an improvement in the efficiency of a sample design by an increase in clustering interval can not be justified by the increase in cost, it seems that the sample design with the smallest clustering interval is the best. An alternative method design effect ≈ mr2 is also discussed and tested in estimating design effects. The result indicates that the applicability of design effect ≈ mr2 is the same as that of design effect = msb /ms

Four problems related to the Pseudo-Smarandache-Squarefree function

The main purpose of this paper is using the elementary methods to study several problems in [2], and four of them are solved

Intelligent Product Brokering for E-Commerce: An Incremental Approach to Unaccounted Attribute Detection

This research concentrates on designing generic product-brokering agent to understand user preference towards a product category and recommends a list of products to the user according to the preference captured by the agent. The proposed solution is able to detect both quantifiable and non-quantifiable attributes through a user feedback system. Unlike previous approaches, this research allows the detection of unaccounted attributes that are not within the ontology of the system. No tedious change of the algorithm, database, or ontology is required when a new product attribute is introduced. This approach only requires the attribute to be within the description field of the product. The system analyzes the general product descriptions field and creates a list of candidate attributes affecting the user’s preference. A genetic algorithm verifies these candidate attributes and excess attributes are identified and filtered off. A prototype has been created and our results show positive results in the detection of unaccounted attributes affecting a user

Patterns of fecal progestagens, estrogens, and androgens associated with reproduction in blue-throated piping guans (Pipile cumanensis)

While fecal hormone analyses are routinely employed to monitor reproduction in mammals, few studies have used these techniques for monitoring reproductive events in birds. This study describes the endocrine patterns associated with reproduction in the blue-throated piping guan (Pipile cumanensis), a less threatened relative of the critically endangered Trinidad piping guan (P. pipile). Fecal samples were collected approximately once a week for 3 years from seven female guans and six male guans at the Saint Louis Zoo. Concentrations of fecal progestagens, estrogens, and androgens were quantified using commercially available enzyme immunoassays. Baseline progestagen concentrations for females ranged from 1.2–1,007.1 ng/g (average ± S.E. = 51.2 ± 3.3 ng/g) and baseline estrogen concentrations ranged from 1.9–3,041.3 ng/g (average ± S.E. = 121.2 ± 7.6 ng/g). Concentrations of both hormones consistently increased prior to egg-laying days, with peak concentrations ranging from 249.7–1,007.1 ng/g for progestagens and 230.2–3041.3 ng/g for estrogens. Fecal androgen levels in males were substantially higher than females and ranged from 10.1–13,326.2 ng/g (average ± S.E. = 709.5 ± 39.2 ng/g. This study is the first one that documents the reproductive physiology of the blue-throated piping guan, and it is one of the few to use non-invasive fecal hormone analyses for monitoring reproduction in birds. The methods outlined here may assist ex situ breeding programs for horned guans and other endangered Cracidae species in the future

The Design, Testing, and Manufacturing of a Pin Fin Extrusion Heat Sink

My senior project focuses on the design, testing, and manufacturing of pin fin extrusion heat sinks that are you used to cool simple electronic applications across a multitude of markets. Without the modern day heat sink, electronics that we have become familiar with throughout our everyday lives will cease to exist. I will design these heat sinks using Solid Works 3D CAD. I will then test the heat sinks using ICEPAK CFD software, where I will model the heat sink against a 5 watt application, inside of a cabinet that models the chassis of a computer. After receiving these results, the drawing files were sent off to a Chinese Manufacturer by the name of Paramount Technology, located in Dong Guan, Guan Dong China. The heat sinks were received, retested to prove the validity of the ICEPAK results, and then marketed through the company website, www.heatscape.com. All products are available for purchase