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Item Open Access Electrothermal performance of heaters based on laser-induced graphene on aramid fabric(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Naseri, Iman, author; Ziaee, Morteza, author; Nilsson, Zach N., author; Lustig, Danielle R., author; Yourdkhani, Mostafa, author; American Chemical Society, publisherNanostructured heaters based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) are promising for heat generation and temperature control in a variety of applications due to their high efficiency as well as a fast, facile, and highly scalable fabrication process. While recent studies have shown that LIG can be written on a wide range of precursors, the reports on LIG-based heaters are mainly limited to polyimide film substrates. Here, we develop and characterize nanostructured heaters by direct writing of laser-induced graphene on nonuniform and structurally porous aramid woven fabric. The synthesis and writing of graphene on aramid fabric is conducted using a 10.6 μm CO2 laser. The quality of laser-induced graphene and electrical properties of the heater fabric is tuned by controlling the lasing process parameters. Produced heaters exhibit good electrothermal efficiency with steady-state temperatures up to 170 °C when subjected to an input power density of 1.5 W cm–2. In addition, the permeable texture of LIG–aramid fabric heaters allows for easy impregnation with thermosetting resins. We demonstrate the encapsulation of fabric heaters with two different types of thermosetting resins to develop both flexible and stiff composites. A flexible heater is produced by the impregnation of LIG–aramid fabric by silicone rubber. While the flexible composite heater exhibits inferior electrothermal performance compared to neat LIG–aramid fabric, it shows consistent electrothermal performance under various electrical and mechanical loading conditions. A multifunctional fiber-reinforced composite panel with integrated de-icing functionality is also manufactured using one ply of LIG–aramid fabric heater as part of the composite layup. The results of de-icing experiments show excellent de-icing capability, where a 5 mm thick piece of ice is completely melted away within 2 min using an input power of 12.8 W.Item Open Access Quantifying proximity, confinement, and interventions in disease outbreaks: a decision support framework for air-transported pathogens(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021-02-19) Bond, Tami C, author; Bosco-Lauth, Angela, author; Farmer, Delphine K., author; Francisco, Paul W., author; Pierce, Jeffrey R., author; Fedak, Kristen M., author; Ham, Jay M., author; Jathar, Shantanu H., author; VandeWoude, Sue, author; Environmental Science & Technology, publisherThe inability to communicate how infectious diseases are transmitted in human environments has triggered avoidance of interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We define a metric, Effective ReBreathed Volume (ERBV), that encapsulates how infectious pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, transport in air. ERBV separates environmental transport from other factors in the chain of infection, allowing quantitative comparisons among situations. Particle size affects transport, removal onto surfaces, and elimination by mitigation measures, so ERBV is presented for a range of exhaled particle diameters: 1, 10, and 100 μm. Pathogen transport depends on both proximity and confinement. If interpersonal distancing of 2 m is maintained, then confinement, not proximity, dominates rebreathing after 10–15 min in enclosed spaces for all but 100 μm particles. We analyze strategies to reduce this confinement effect. Ventilation and filtration reduce person-to-person transport of 1 μm particles (ERBV1) by 13–85% in residential and office situations. Deposition to surfaces competes with intentional removal for 10 and 100 μm particles, so the same interventions reduce ERBV10 by only 3–50%, and ERBV100 is unaffected. Prior knowledge of size-dependent ERBV would help identify transmission modes and effective interventions. This framework supports mitigation decisions in emerging situations, even before other infectious parameters are known.Item Open Access Health impact assessment of coal-fired boiler retirement at the Martin Drake and Comanche power plants(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018-09-07) Martenies, Sheena, author; Gan, Ryan, author; Magzamen, Sheryl, author; Akherati, Ali, author; Jathar, Shantanu, authorHealth impact assessment (HIA) is a suite of tools used to characterize potential health effects of policies, projects, or regulations. The objective of this HIA was to understand the impact of decommissioning units at two large coal-fired power plants on mortality and morbidity in the Southern Front Range region of Colorado. Based on Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) chemical transport models of fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and ozone (O3), we modeled five potential emissions reductions scenarios and estimated the potential health benefits of reduced exposures to PM2.5 and ozone for premature deaths, cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalizations, and other health outcomes for ZIP codes in the Southern Front Range region, including the cities of Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. Health Benefits Scenarios 1 and 2 estimated the health benefits of shutting down most units at the Comanche plant in Pueblo, CO (one newer unit remained operational) relative to a baseline scenario using emissions from 2011 (Scenario 1) or a counterfactual baseline scenario that accounted for sulfur dioxide emissions controls (scrubbers) installed at the Martin Drake plant in Colorado Springs in 2016 (Scenario 2). Health Benefits Scenario 3 estimated the benefits of shutting down the Martin Drake plant relative to the 2011 baseline. Health Benefits Scenario 4 estimated the health benefits of shutting down the Martin Drake power plant and shutting down all but one boiler at the Comanche power plant relative to a 2011 emissions baseline. Health Benefits Scenario 5 estimated the marginal health benefits of decommissioning these plants (with one remaining coal-fired boiler at Comanche) relative to a counterfactual baseline year that considered emissions controls installed at the Martin Drake facility in 2016. In addition to estimating the number of deaths, hospitalizations, and other health outcomes that would potentially be avoided by reducing emissions at these facilities, we also estimated the monetary impact using outcome valuations typically used in US EPA health benefits analyses and examined the environmental justice implications of reduced emissions and exposures across the Southern Front Range. • For Health Benefits Scenario 1 (Comanche Units 3 and 4 were “zeroed out” and compared to a baseline where all other emissions were at 2011 levels), we estimated that reducing population exposures to PM2.5 would result in 1 (95% CI: 0 - 1) fewer premature death each year. Reductions in PM2.5 and O3 exposures would also result in fewer restricted activity days among adults [5 (95% CI: -3 – 95)] and fewer missed school days for children [27 (95% CI: -19- 582)]. Benefits of retiring the Comanche units were similar when emissions controls at Martin Drake are taken into account (Health Benefits Scenario 2). • For Health Benefits Scenario 3 (emissions at Martin Drake were “zeroed out”), we estimated that reducing population exposures to PM2.5 and O3 would result in 4 (95% CI: 2 - 5) and < 1 (95% CI: 0 - 1) fewer premature deaths each year, respectively. Reductions in PM2.5 and O3 exposures would also result in fewer restricted activity days among adults [10 (95% CI: 0 – 74)] and fewer missed school days for children [4 (95% CI: 2- 5)]. • For Health Benefits Scenario 4, we estimated that reducing population exposures to PM2.5 and O3 would result in 4 (95% CI: 2 - 6) and < 1 (95% CI: 0 - 1) fewer premature deaths each year, respectively. Among the largest annual health benefits are avoided asthma symptom days among children [16 (95% CI: -1 – 141) due to PM2.5 and 13 (95% CI: -348 - 972) due to O3] and minor restricted activity days among adults [69 (95% CI: 0 - 488) due to PM2.5 and 71 (95% CI: -31 - 750) due to O3]. We also estimated that, for Health Benefits Scenario 1, children in the study area would miss 77 (95% CI: -77 - 1180) fewer days of school each year due to lower O3 exposures. • Annual health benefits were lower for Health Benefits Scenario 5 compared to Scenario 4 due to the smaller change in exposure concentration after accounting for the control technologies installed at Martin Drake in 2016. For Health Benefits Scenario 5, we estimated that reducing population exposures to PM2.5 and O3 would result in 2 (95% CI: 1 - 3) and < 1 (95% CI: 0 - 1) fewer premature deaths each year, respectively. Other annual benefits under Health Benefits Scenario 2 included 2 (95% CI: -17 – 44) and 9 (-242 – 678) avoided asthma symptom days due to PM2.5 and O3 exposures, respectively; 28 (95%CI: -2 – 188) and 48 (95%CI: -16 – 513) minor restricted activity days due to PM2.5 and O3 exposures; and 53 (95% CI: -48 – 833) avoided school absences among children due to O3 exposures. • Monetized health benefits when both plants were “zeroed out” ranged from $4.2 million (95% CI: $2.1 million - $7.2 million) for Health Benefits Scenario 4 to $1.7 million (95% CI: $0.8 million – 3.2 million) for Health Benefits Scenario 5. Benefits tended to be smaller when only one plant was considered. In all of the analyses, the monetized impacts were driven by the value of avoided premature mortality. In addition, we found that ZIP codes with lower median incomes tended to receive a greater share of the health benefits of decreasing exposures to PM2.5 and O3 resulting from power plant shutdowns. This finding suggests that reducing emissions at the power plants could potentially alleviate some environmental justice concerns in the area.Item Open Access Willis Shaner: my international career(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Shaner, Willis, author; Vanity Press, publisherA memoir about Vicky and Willis Shaner's overseas experiences and Willis Shaner's career. Dr. Shaner is an emeritus professor in Mechanical Engineering.Item Open Access A road damage and life-cycle greenhouse gas comparison of trucking and pipeline water delivery systems for hydraulically fractured oil and gas field development in Colorado(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Duthu, Ray C., author; Bradley, Thomas H., author; PLOS ONE, publisherThe process of hydraulic fracturing for recovery of oil and natural gas uses large amounts of fresh water and produces a comparable amount of wastewater, much of which is typically transported by truck. Truck transport of water is an expensive and energy-intensive process with significant external costs including roads damages, and pollution. The integrated development plan (IDP) is the industry nomenclature for an integrated oil and gas infrastructure system incorporating pipeline-based transport of water and wastewater, centralized water treatment, and high rates of wastewater recycling. These IDP have been proposed as an alternative to truck transport systems so as to mitigate many of the economic and environmental problems associated with natural gas production, but the economic and environmental performance of these systems have not been analyzed to date. This study presents a quantification of lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and road damages of a generic oil and gas field, and of an oil and gas development sited in the Denver-Julesburg basin in the northern Colorado region of the US. Results demonstrate that a reduction in economic and environmental externalities can be derived from the development of these IDP-based pipeline water transportation systems. IDPs have marginal utility in reducing GHG emissions and road damage when they are used to replace in-field water transport, but can reduce GHG emissions and road damage by factors of as much as 6 and 7 respectively, when used to replace fresh water transport and waste-disposal routes for exemplar Northern Colorado oil and gas fields.Item Open Access Biomass for thermochemical conversion: targets and challenges(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013-07) Tanger, Paul, author; Field, John L., author; Jahn, Courtney E., author; DeFoort, Morgan W., author; Leach, Jan E., author; Frontiers Research Foundation, publisherBioenergy will be one component of a suite of alternatives to fossil fuels. Effective conversion of biomass to energy will require the careful pairing of advanced conversion technologies with biomass feedstocks optimized for the purpose. Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted to useful energy products via two distinct pathways: enzymatic or thermochemical conversion. The thermochemical pathways are reviewed and potential biotechnology or breeding targets to improve feedstocks for pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion are identified. Biomass traits influencing the effectiveness of the thermochemical process (cell wall composition, mineral and moisture content) differ from those important for enzymatic conversion and so properties are discussed in the language of biologists (biochemical analysis) as well as that of engineers (proximate and ultimate analysis). We discuss the genetic control, potential environmental influence, and consequences of modification of these traits. Improving feedstocks for thermochemical conversion can be accomplished by the optimization of lignin levels, and the reduction of ash and moisture content. We suggest that ultimate analysis and associated properties such as H:C, O:C, and heating value might be more amenable than traditional biochemical analysis to the high-throughput necessary for the phenotyping of large plant populations. Expanding our knowledge of these biomass traits will play a critical role in the utilization of biomass for energy production globally, and add to our understanding of how plants tailor their composition with their environment.