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Design, Development and Mechanistic Study of Ruthenium-Based Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Imides and Amides
DownloadSpring 2014
Prior mechanistic studies demonstrate that trans-[RuH2((R)-BINAP)((R,R)-dpen)] is a remarkably active carbonyl reducing agent at low-temperatures in THF-d8. This dissertation describes the monohydrogenation of cyclic meso-imides using this catalyst and related complexes under mild conditions....
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Spring 2016
The tendency of asphaltenes to aggregate in crude oil is observed at SATP and is enhanced at elevated temperatures. At these conditions, asphaltenes aggregation is a problem as it will ultimately lead to mesophase formation, a precursor of coke, known for causing plugging and fouling of...
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Development of Solvent Selection Criteria Based on Diffusion Rate, Mixing Quality, and Solvent Retrieval for Optimal Heavy-Oil and Bitumen Recovery at Different Temperatures
DownloadFall 2015
Heavy-oil and bitumen recovery requires high recovery factors to offset the extreme high cost of the process. Attention has been given to solvent injection for this purpose and it has been observed that high recoveries are achievable when combined with steam injection. Heavier (“liquid”) solvents...
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Spring 2011
The Noyori-type catalyst trans-Ru((R)-BINAP)(H)2((R,R)-dpen) (6) and its analogues are among the most active and enantioselective ketone hydrogenation systems reported to date. Its applications towards other types of carbonyl compounds are, however, understudied. This dissertation describes the...
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Dynamic Demulsification Mechanism of Asphaltene-Stabilized Water-in-Oil Emulsions by Ethylcellulose
DownloadFall 2015
In previous studies, nontoxic and biodegradable ethylcellulose (EC) was shown to be capable of breaking water-in-diluted bitumen emulsions. Nevertheless, the demulsification mechanism of EC has not been correlated to its effect on the physical properties of stabilizing interfacial asphaltene...
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Electrocoalescence of Water Droplets in Oil Emulsions: Effect of Electric Fields, Surfactants, and Chemical Demulsifiers
DownloadSpring 2019
Stabilization of water-in-oil droplets during bitumen extraction and refining process poses a major challenge in the oil sands industry. These crude oil emulsions are stabilized by rigid films at water droplet-oil interfaces. The salty water remaining in oil causes equipment corrosion, catalyst...
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Empowering the Base Metals: Rational Design of Homogeneous Catalysts for Hydrotreatment, and Reduction of Organic Unsaturates
DownloadFall 2013
Hydrocarbon-soluble, low-coordinate, phosphoranimide-supported complexes of the base metals (iron, cobalt and nickel) were developed and evaluated for a range of stoichiometric and catalytic bond-forming and bond-breaking transformations. An unprecedented family of tetrametallic clusters of Co(I)...
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Fall 2015
Bimetallicity is known to provide synergistic effects and improve catalytic performance of monometallic counterparts in a variety of applications. Conventional impregnation methods for supported catalyst preparation do not allow for the control of bimetallic nanoparticle structure or size, which...
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Evaluation of Mechanical Performance of Asphalt Emulsion Stabilized Base Course Using Asphaltenes or Cement
DownloadFall 2021
Civilization has become highly reliant on the road industry in recent years for both commercial and personal purposes. A typical road's function is to promote traffic flow comfortably and safely. The pavement is a structure made up of natural ground with varying layers on top that can distribute...
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Extending Depletion Flocculation Phase Behavior Models to Partially Soluble and Aggregating Colloids—Asphaltenes
DownloadFall 2015
Mixtures of colloids + non-adsorbing polymers + good solvents are well known to exhibit multiphase behaviors that are driven by the depletion flocculation mechanism where one phase, designated a colloid gas, is largely comprised of polymer and solvent, while the other phase, designated a colloid...