Abstract: A method for treating a well in a hydrocarbon-producing subterranean production zone. The method for treating well-producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean production zone includes dry mixing a granite waste powder (GWP) in a form of rock aggregates and a cement to form a mixture. Then the mixture is added to the cement composition containing water, pre-hydrated sodium bentonite, calcium chloride, a dispersant, and an alcohol-based defoamer to form a cement slurry. The cement slurry is prepared at a density of from 13.5 pounds per gallon (ppg) to 14.5 ppg and contains the GWP in a range of from 5 wt. % to 20 wt. % of the cement slurry. 10 wt. % to 15 wt. % perlite is added into the cement slurry to form a ternary blend which is cured and then the cured product is injected into the well to seal the well at the subterranean production zone.

Abstract: An drilling mud composition is described, which includes an aqueous base fluid, a viscosifier, and a weighting material The drilling mud composition also includes an anti-sagging agent that comprises a dimethylamino methyl ester, such as methyl 5-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-5-oxopentanoate. The anti-sagging agent may be used to prevent barite sagging, where barite is used as a weighting material. Small amounts of the anti-sagging agent may be used to maintain a low sag factor while drilling, and without causing unwanted increases in viscosity. The anti-sagging agent is effective for both vertical and inclined wellbores.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of making a zeolite. The method includes mixing an aluminum nitrate with an aqueous solution of NaOH to form a first mixture followed by mixing silica gel with the first mixture to form a second mixture. The second mixture is heated with microwave irradiation to form a first sample. The method further includes washing, drying, and ion exchanging the first sample with ammonium nitrate to form a second sample. The method includes calcining the second sample to form the zeolite, wherein the method does not use a seed or a structural directing agent.

Abstract: A segmented patch antenna is described. The segmented patch antenna comprises two rectangular parasitic elements. Each parasitic element comprises an integrated diode. The segmented patch antenna further comprises a main rectangular patch segment. The main rectangular patch segment comprises 3 slots, 2 slits and 3 diodes, respectively. The segmented patch antenna is suitable for use in multiple frequencies between 4.1 GHz and 5.7 GHz inclusive and configurable to operate in 12 independent modes.

Abstract: An electrocatalyst and a method of preparing the electrocatalyst are described. The electrocatalyst includes a porous foam substrate; and a catalytically active layer comprising NiVOx nanostructures, the catalytically active layer being disposed on an exterior surface and an interior pore surface of the porous metal foam substrate; where “x” is in the range of 1 to 3. A method of using the electrocatalyst for water oxidation is also described.

Abstract: The system has a non-rebound substrate and a first frame disposed around a peripheral edge thereof. The system further has an array of sensors, a digital sensor interface, and a control unit. The array of sensors is disposed in a center portion of the first frame. The array of sensors has at least 9 accelerometers configured in rows in a rectangular array in the central portion of the first frame. The control unit has a processor electrically connected to the digital sensor interface to receive data from the array of sensors, and has instructions to calculate a force, an impact point, and a distance from a user to the system based on the data received from the array of sensors.

Abstract: The invention is directed to use of polystyrene wastes, such as Styrofoam® wastes, and carbon nanofibers to produce a highly hydrophobic composition or composite that can separate oil and water.

Abstract: Catalytic materials useful, e.g., in water oxidation performing at low overpotential and/or stable for applications such as solar-to-fuel conversion systems may include nanoscale, nanoporous Pd-containing materials. Thin-film Pd electrocatalysts may be obtained via Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (AACVD) on conducting surfaces. XRD and XPS analyses show a phase pure crystalline metallic Pd deposit. Surface morphology study reveals a nanoparticulate highly porous nanostructure. Under electrochemical conditions, such Pd electrocatalysts may conduct water oxidation at onset potentials starting around 1.43 V against a reversible hydrogen electrode (? of 200 mV, Tafel slope of 40 mV/dec), and/or may achieve around 100 mA/cm2 current density at 1.63 V against a reversible hydrogen electrode, and may exhibits long-term stability in oxygen evolution. Method of making such electrocatalysts and their uses are also provided.

Abstract: A microgrid system is described. The microgrid system includes a Hodrick-Prescott filter configured to generate a filtered power based on an electrical power that is generated from an renewable energy. The microgrid system further includes a battery configured to output a battery power based on the electrical power and the filtered power. Also, the microgrid system includes a state of charge (SoC) control module configured to control charging and discharging of the battery by applying a feedback control on the output battery power.

Abstract: A method for enhancing the conductivity of MOF-5 by the development of an MOF-5 polymer composite material. The composite material incorporates a conductive polymer, preferably polyaniline, in the solvo-thermal synthesis pathway of MOF-5. The electrically conductive MOF-5 composite exhibits electric conductivity three orders of magnitude higher than that of MOF-5 while maintaining the crystallinity, robustness, and thermal stability of MOF-5.

Abstract: Stiction analysis of a conventional or legacy valve operation in a fluid process plant is described. The method includes receiving a series of setpoint signals, SP, generating, by the controller, a series of controller output signals, OP, driving the valve operation by applying the OP, to the valve, measuring a series of process variable signals, PV, downstream of the valve, receiving the series of process variable signals at the controller, performing inverse modelling on the PV, to estimate a manipulated variable, , receiving and analyzing by a system processor, the SP, the OP, and the , and outputting the estimated stick values, S, the estimated jump values, J, an average of the estimated stick values, an average of the estimated jump values, a confidence interval for the average of the stick values, and a confidence interval for the average of the jump values.

Abstract: A system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium that assigns an electric vehicle to a charging station is described. The system includes a software-defined networking (SDN) controller application stored in a cloud-based computing platform, a computing device stored in the cloud platform, and a fog and cloud-based charging service application stored in the computing device. The SDN controller application is linked to a plurality of fog servers and is configured to manage network communications between the fog servers and the cloud-based computing platform, between the fog and a number S of charging stations CSs, where s=1, 2, . . . , S, and between the fog and a number I of electric vehicles EVi, where I=1, 2, . . . , I. The fog and cloud-based charging service application determines an optimal charging station CSopt for each electric vehicle and transmits a route to the optimal charging station to the EVi.

Abstract: A method of making a polyolefin nanocomposite including, mixing a zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxide (LDH), and a zirconocene complex in a non-polar solvent to form a first mixture. Prior to the mixing the zirconocene complex is not supported on the zinc-aluminum LDH. The method further includes sonicating the first mixture for at least one hour to form a homogeneous slurry. The method further includes degassing the homogenous slurry and adding at least one olefin gas to form a second mixture. The method further includes adding an aluminoxane catalyst to the second mixture and reacting for at least 10 minutes to form a reaction mixture including the polyolefin nanocomposite. The method further includes separating the polyolefin nanocomposite from the reaction mixture.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses are provided for permeability prediction. The method acquires data associated with one or more geological formations, calculates, using processing circuitry and a trained Hidden Markov model, log-likelihood values to group the data into a plurality of clusters, and trains an artificial neural network for each of the plurality of clusters when the mode of operation is training mode. Further, the method acquires one or more formation properties corresponding to a geological formation, determines using the trained Hidden Markov model, a log-likelihood score associated with the one or more formation properties, identifies a cluster associated with the one or more formation properties as a function of the log-likelihood score, and predicts a permeability based at least in part on the one or more formation properties and a trained artificial neural network associated with the identified cluster when the mode of operation is forecasting mode.

Abstract: An asymmetric nanocomposite supercapacitor and a method of making the asymmetric nanocomposite supercapacitor. The asymmetric nanocomposite supercapacitor includes a negative electrode with monoclinic tungsten oxide (m-WO3) nanoplates, and a binding compound coated on one face of a substrate, and a positive electrode with a carbonaceous material and a binding compound coated on one face of a substrate. Where the face of the positive electrode and the face of the negative electrode coated with the carbonaceous material and m-WO3 nanoplates, respectively, are separated by and in direct contact with a porous separator.

Abstract: An absorption chiller refrigerator system with an evaporator-absorber section and a generator-condenser section disposed together within a housing. The evaporator-absorber system has an evaporator section having an evaporator and an absorber disposed together within the evaporator section but separated by a perforated plate within the evaporator section. The generator condenser system has a generator section having a generator and a condenser disposed together within the generator section but separated by a perforated plate within the generator section. Perforations in the perforated plate of each of the evaporator section and the generator section are cone-shaped passages.

Abstract: A dynamic damper system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium for damping vibrations in a beam structure. The dynamic damper system includes a beam with a first and a second fixed end having a width and a thickness; a first and a second flexible support, each having a spring constant k1 connected to the beam beneath the first and the second end, respectively; a first and a second torsional spring, each having a spring constant k? connected to the first and the second end, respectively; a moving load configured to traverse the beam reciprocally between the ends and generate first vibrations in the beam; and a dynamic linear spring mass damper connected to the beam is configured to travel reciprocally between the ends and generate second vibrations in the beam which are 180 degrees out of phase with the first vibrations in the beam generated by the moving load.

Abstract: A circuit and methods describing a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) rectifier for use in radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting with body biasing by the RF input to control the threshold voltage of each transistor. The CMOS rectifier includes an energy harvesting antenna, and multiple rectifier stages. The antenna receives electromagnetic radiation from the environment and generates a DC current. The oscillating input current is an RF+ positive current during a first half cycle and is an RF? negative current during a second half cycle. A first rectifier stage includes a first capacitor connected to the RF+ positive current, a second capacitor connected to the RF? negative current and a cross coupled CMOS circuit connected to the antenna.

Abstract: The solar augmented chilled-water cooling system comprises a refrigeration cycle, a cooling tower, an air handling unit (AHU), a supplemental cycle and a solar energy harvesting unit. The supplemental cycle is in fluid communication with the refrigeration cycle, which is in fluid communication with the cooling tower, which in turn is in fluid communication with the supplemental cycle. The cooling tower cools a water stream by evaporation. The water stream from the cooling tower is passed to the supplemental cycle for further cooling using energy from the solar energy harvesting unit. The water stream is then passed to a condenser of the refrigeration cycle for its efficient operation at proper temperature. The water stream is then retuned back to the cooling tower to be re-cooled. In the refrigeration cycle, an evaporator uses operation of the associated condenser for providing cooling effect through the AHU.

Abstract: A wind turbine control apparatus, method and non-transitory computer-readable medium are disclosed. The wind turbine control apparatus comprises a generator connected to a wind turbine with a drive train. The drive train comprises a rotor, a low speed shaft, a gear box, a high speed shaft, and a controller module. The controller module is configured to obtain a maximum power within a large range of varying wind velocities by operating the rotor at a neural network determined optimal angular speed for the current wind velocity.