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Title: PROBING THE PAN-GENOME OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES
Creator: Deng, Xiangyu
Date: 2011-04-26, 2011-05
Description: Bacterial pathogens often show significant intra-species variations in ecological fitness, host preference and pathogenic potential to cause...
Show moreBacterial pathogens often show significant intra-species variations in ecological fitness, host preference and pathogenic potential to cause infectious disease. The species of Listeria monocytogenes, a facultative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of human listeriosis, consists of at least three distinct genetic lineages. Two of these lineages predominantly cause human sporadic and epidemic infections, whereas the third lineage has never been implicated in human disease outbreaks despite its overall conservation of many known virulence factors. The genomes of 26 L. monocytogenes strains representing the three lineages are compared based on both in silico comparative genomic analysis and high-density, pan-genomic DNA microarray hybridizations. We uncover 86 genes and 8 small regulatory RNAs that likely make L. monocytogenes lineages differ in carbohydrate utilization and stress resistance during their residence in natural habitats and passage through the host gastrointestinal tract. We also identify 2,330 to 2,456 core genes that define this species along with an open pan-genome pool that contains more than 4,052 genes. Phylogenomic reconstructions based on 3,560 homologous groups allowed robust estimation of phylogenetic relatedness among L. monocytogenes strains. The pan-genome approach enables accurate co-analysis of DNA sequence and hybridization array data for both core gene estimation and phylogenomic reconstruction. Application of our method to the pan-genome of L. monocytogenes sheds new insights into the intra-species genomic diversification, niche expansion and evolution of this important foodborne pathogen.
Ph.D. in Biology, May 2011
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Title: Sustainable New City - Johor, Malaysia
Creator: Meah, Nasser Meah Bin Mahmud
Date: 2011-12-06, 2011-12
Description: The purpose of this thesis is to develop an effective design approach necessary in building a new city. The challenge is to assemble a...
Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to develop an effective design approach necessary in building a new city. The challenge is to assemble a background observations and research that will provide an understanding of the concepts required for developing new sustainable cities. It is hopeful that the ideas and design process can also be a framework to be applied on other undeveloped land that has the potential for new cities particularly in Malaysia. The main idea is to develop a thorough understanding of how the built environment plays an important role in shaping a community as well as identifying the technology involved. It specifically addresses the central issues involved with the art of place making, which determines the success of any particular urbanity. Environment then becomes the most important factor responsible for the physical, mental, and psychological development of an urban society.
M.S. in Architecture, December 2011
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Title: ISOGEOMETRIC ANALYSIS VIA TRIANGULATION
Creator: Jaxon, Noah
Date: 2013-05-15, 2013-05
Description: We present a method for isogeometric analysis on a triangulation of a domain bounded by NURBS curves. In this method, both the geometry and...
Show moreWe present a method for isogeometric analysis on a triangulation of a domain bounded by NURBS curves. In this method, both the geometry and the physical eld are represented by bivariate splines in Bernstein B ezier form over the triangulation. We describe a set of procedures to construct a parametric domain and its triangulation from a given physical domain, construct Cr-smooth basis functions over the domain, and establish a rational Triangular B ezier Spline (rTBS) -based geometric mapping that Cr smoothly maps the parametric domain onto the physical domain and exactly recovers NURBS boundaries. As a result, this approach can achieve automated meshing of objects with complex topologies and allows highly localized re nement. Isogeometric analysis of problems from linear elasticity and advectiondi usion analysis are demonstrated.
M.S. in in Mechanical Engineering, May 2013
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Title: STRUCTURAL SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION WITH CONSIDERATION OF ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY
Creator: Romero, Daniela Zuloaga
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Performance evaluation of structures has until now been based on evaluation of maximum displacements, interstory drifts, deformation patterns,...
Show morePerformance evaluation of structures has until now been based on evaluation of maximum displacements, interstory drifts, deformation patterns, ductility and other similar parameters; a relative economic loss estimation as a performance measure for the structure is the next step that follows, and is what has been investigated in this work. For this study a steel mid-rise structure was designed according to code provisions using modal spectral analysis, after which it was subjected to an Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) procedure to evaluate the capacity curve of the building. The capacity analysis was then used to determine damage states and compute fragility curves. Finally, economic relative loss values were assigned to represent each designated damage state, for which the mean damage ratio was computed (in terms of economic loss relative to total replacement cost) as a function of spectral displacement.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, May 2014
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Title: COORDINATE-EXCHANGE ALGORITHM CONSTRUCTION OF UNIFORM SPACE FILLING DESIGN
Creator: Han, Shipeng
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Many scientific phenomena are now investigated by complex computer models. A computer experiment is a sequence of runs with various inputs....
Show moreMany scientific phenomena are now investigated by complex computer models. A computer experiment is a sequence of runs with various inputs. The uniform experimental design seeks its design points to be uniformly scattered on the experimental domain and is one kind of a space-filling design that can be used for computer experiments and OK for industrial experiments. The coordinate-exchange method we use is one-dimensional constrained optimization, searching for the optimal coordinate to make the points filling the space uniformly. This method saves large amounts of calculation compared to the multivariate optimization problems. In this thesis we provide the coordinate-exchange algorithm and demonstrate our methodology with numerical examples. Key words: Coordinate-exchange, Uniform design, Computer experiment, Space-filling design, optimal design.
M.S. in Applied Mathematics, May 2014
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Title: Track Elevation
Creator: Badger, Le Roy, Walbridge, John T.
Date: 2009, 1907
Publisher: Armour Institute of Technology
Description: http://www.archive.org/details/trackelevation00badg
Thesis (B.S.)--Armour Institute of Technology; Bibliography: leaves 34-36

Title: Zinc nitride, its formation, properties and alloys
Creator: Savoye, W. J., Edwards, A. R.
Date: 2009, 1921
Publisher: Armour Institute of Technology
Description: http://www.archive.org/details/zincnitrideitsfo00savo
Thesis (B.S.)--Armour Institute of Technology; Bibliography: leaves 25-28

Title: Informal Learning with Twitter
Creator: Wilhelm, Eva C.
Date: 2011-04-25, 2011-05
Description: Twitter use has evolved from status updates to a broad range of uses from personal broadcasting to information sharing and conversations. A...
Show moreTwitter use has evolved from status updates to a broad range of uses from personal broadcasting to information sharing and conversations. A study was conducted to determine how Twitter is used for informal learning purposes. It was examined what kind of questions with a learning objective are asked, and under which circumstances these questions are answered. Questions were categorized according to question topic, type, structure and audience. According to the analysis, users most frequently asked for definitions and procedural information about technology, web, software and Twitter use. The questions with the highest answer rate were questions directed at individual users via @replies, and asked about definitions and other factual information.
M.S. in Technical Communication and Informational Design, May 2011
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Title: DETECTION OF SUPEROXIDE ANION RADICALS IN ANION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS USING IN-SITU FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
Creator: Zhang, Yunzhu
Date: 2016, 2016-07
Description: Anion exchange membrane (AEM) stability is a long-standing challenge that has limited the widespread development and adoption of AEM fuel...
Show moreAnion exchange membrane (AEM) stability is a long-standing challenge that has limited the widespread development and adoption of AEM fuel cells. It is essential to understand the mechanism of AEM degradation during fuel cell operation. There are multiple modes of AEM degradation, broadly classified as chemical, mechanical and thermal degradation. Chemical degradation is among the most destructive modes, and can be further sub-divided into nucleophilic degradation (induced by the hydroxide ion), and oxidative degradation (induced by reactive oxygen species). While the former has been extensively studied, there is minimal work on oxidative AEM degradation. The reactive oxygen chemical species produced during the operation of an AEM fuel cell have hitherto not been detected during operation. Given the high pH, it is postulated that superoxide anion radicals (𝑂2∙−), as opposed to hydroxyl radicals, are primarily involved in the degradation progress. The objective of this study was to confirm the 𝑂2∙− formation during AEM fuel cell operation and to monitor in real-time the rate of 𝑂2∙− generation in an operating fuel cell using in-situ fluorescence spectroscopy. 1,3-diphenlisobenzofuran (DPBF) was chosen as the fluorescence probe, the sensitivity of which towards 𝑂2∙− was evaluated by performing ex-situ experiments in a semi-batch reactor. We demonstrate that the fluorescence intensity of this dye selectively decreased upon exposing 𝑂2∙−. DPBF was then incorporated into an AEM (membrane was solution cast after mixing the dye with the casting solution), which was assembled into a fuel cell. 𝑂2∙− generation in an operating AEM fuel cell was then monitored via in-situ fluorescence spectroscopy using a bifurcated optical probe, when the cell was operated in H2/O2 mode. To confirm the impact of 𝑂2∙− on AEM degradation, independent experiments (without dye) were performed under identical conditions, under both H2/O2 and N2/N2 modes, and the ionic conductivity and ion exchange capacity were monitored to estimate degradation extent. From our in-situ fluorescence studies, we were able to estimate the rate constants and activation energy for oxidative AEM degradation in an operating AEM fuel cell.
M.S. in Chemical Engineering, July 2016
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Title: EFFECT OF HIGH PRESSURE PROCESSING ON MIGRATION CHARACTERISTICS IN POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE FILM
Creator: Zhou, Yue
Date: 2015, 2015-12
Description: High pressure processing (HPP) is gaining prominence worldwide as an alternative method of food preservation due to its benefits of improved...
Show moreHigh pressure processing (HPP) is gaining prominence worldwide as an alternative method of food preservation due to its benefits of improved quality, freshness and nutrient retention. The use of polymer-based flexible packaging materials has allowed application of HPP to prepackaged food products, without significant loss of physical and mechanical properties. However, there is limited data existing on migration properties in the materials before and/or after HPP. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate potential migration issues in pre-packed foods during HPP (Song 2014). This research was conducted to determine the migration properties in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films during and after HPP (121°C and 700MPa) and a comparable thermal processing (TP, 121°C and 0.1MPa), using gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometer (MS) technique to quantify four model surrogates in FDA-suggested food simulants (Miglyol). This research will help the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and food industries to identify whether any safety issue related to chemical migration should be addressed concerning the use of HPP in production of pre-packaged foods.
M.S. in Food Safety and Technology, December 2015
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Title: OPTIMIZATION AND MARKET CLEARING IN THE POWER SYSTEMS WITH HIGH-LEVEL RENEWABLES
Creator: Ye, Hongxing
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: The increasing penetration of renewable energy source (RES), such as wind and solar power generation, in recent years to meet various...
Show moreThe increasing penetration of renewable energy source (RES), such as wind and solar power generation, in recent years to meet various renewable portfolio standards (RPS) has led to more uncertainties in power systems. The RES penetration level is expected to further increase in order to reduce emission and fight climate change. The growing uncertainties caused by RES pose new challenges in power and energy systems. Advanced models and technologies are urgent to provide secure, affordable and clean energy to customers. Security-Constrained Unit Commitment (SCUC) problem is one of the most important tools in the modern power system. It determines the optimal short-term generating planning. The electricity is priced and settled based on its solution. In order to manage the uncertainties caused by renewables, it is urgent to develop new SCUC models and solution approaches. SCUCs considering the uncertainties have become a focus of research in recent years. The proposed optimistic robust SCUC combines the idea of robust optimization and reserve concept in the electricity. The merit of the robust optimization is that its solution can be immunized against any uncertainties. It exactly meets the first priority, reliability, in power system operation. The robust optimization is attractive in theory. However, a solution is robust if and only if the system can survive in the worst case scenario. Hence, the key task is to identify the worst case scenario. Unfortunately, finding the worst case scenario in general is a non-deterministic polynomial-time hard (NP-hard) problem. This will create issue in satisfying the timeliness requirement that the optimal scheduling must be obtained quickly (e.g., within several hours) in the day-ahead electricity markets. This dissertation proposes a fast solution approach to finding the worst case scenario by exploring the special structure in the SCUC problem. This dissertation proposes a new market mechanism for managing uncertain ties caused by high-level RES based on the robust optimization. A new concept, Uncertainty Marginal Price (UMP), is proposed to charge uncertainty sources and to credit flexible sources. For the first time, explicit price signals are provided and utilized to manage any level uncertainties within a robust optimization framework. The proposed mechanism manages uncertainties from both the source side (uncertainty reduction) and resource side (uncertainty accommodation). In short term, it provides incentives for RES operators to improve forecasting accuracy (i.e. to reduce uncertainties) and existing flexible resources (e.g. storage) to participate the uncertainty accommodation. In long term, the proposed mechanism provides price signals for siting new flexible resources (e.g. energy storage) to accommodate uncertainties from increasing RES penetration.
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, May 2016
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Title: Relationship of Executive Fuction Patterns and Academic Achievement Across DSM-IV Subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Creator: Young, Crystal
Date: 2012-07-18, 2012-07
Description: The aim of this study was to expand our understanding of the impact of executive function skills on academic achievement in children with ADHD...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to expand our understanding of the impact of executive function skills on academic achievement in children with ADHD, as well as investigate trends in executive functioning and academic achievement between ADHD subtypes in an adolescent sample. Each participant completed neuropsychological assessments including a measure of intelligence and academic functioning as well as several measures of executive functioning. Results suggested that children with ADHD – Combined Type do not significantly differ from children with ADHD – Inattentive Type on tasks of academic or executive functioning. Issues regarding outcomes associated with ADHD as well as diagnostic procedures are discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2012
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Title: SUPERSONIC JET MIXING ENHANCEMENT USING IMPINGEMENT TONES FROM OBSTACLES OF VARIOUS GEOMETRIES
Creator: Raman, G, Rice, Ej
Date: 1995-03
Publisher: AMER INST AERONAUT ASTRONAUT
Description: This paper reports the results of an experiment that investigated the effect of impingement tones, generated by obstacles of various...
Show moreThis paper reports the results of an experiment that investigated the effect of impingement tones, generated by obstacles of various geometries, on the spreading of a supersonic jet flow. A rectangular supersonic jet was produced using a convergent-divergent nozzle that was operated near its design point (with shocks minimized). Immersing obstacles in the flow produced an intense impingement tone that then propagated upstream (as feedback) to the jet lip and excited the antisymmetric hydrodynamic mode in the jet, thus setting up a resonant self-sustaining loop. The violent flapping motion of the jet due to excitation of the antisymmetric mode, combined with the unsteady wakes of the obstacles, produced large changes in jet mixing. The experiment controlled the frequency and amplitude of the impingement tone excitation by varying the nozzle-to-obstacle distance and the obstacle immersion. Proper shaping of the obstacles made it possible to reduce the thrust penalty significantly.
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Title: SPATIO-TEMPORAL RECONSTRUCTION FOR GATED CARDIAC SPECT
Creator: Niu, Xiaofeng
Date: 2011-07, 2011-07
Description: In myocardial perfusion imaging using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), gated acquisition is often used in order to deal...
Show moreIn myocardial perfusion imaging using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), gated acquisition is often used in order to deal with blur caused by cardiac motion in the resulting images. While this can provide useful information about the myocardial function, it also inevitably leads to reduced signal-to-noise ratio in the acquired data due to gating. In this work, we aim to investigate and evaluate image reconstruction methods for improving the quality of the reconstructed images in cardiac gated SPECT imaging. First, we propose a spatio-temporal (aka 4D) reconstruction procedure for gated images based on use of discrete Fourier transform (DFT) basis functions, wherein the image activity at each spatial location is regulated by a Fourier representation along the gate dimension. The gated images are then reconstructed through determination of the coefficients of the Fourier representation. We explore two different reconstruction algorithms, one is a penalized least-square approach and the other is a maximum a posteriori approach. Our simulation results demonstrate that use of DFT-basis functions in gated imaging can improve the accuracy of the reconstruction. While in gated imaging the tracer distribution is traditionally treated as constant, a recent development is gated dynamic imaging where the goal is to obtain an image sequence from a single acquisition which shows simultaneously both cardiac motion and tracer distribution change over the course of imaging. In this work, we further develop and demonstrate a fully 5D (3D space plus time plus gate) reconstruction procedure for cardiac gated, dynamic SPECT imaging, where the challenge is even greater without the use of multiple fast camera rotations. We develop and compare two iterative reconstruction algorithms: one is based on the modified block sequential regularized EM (BSREM-II) algorithm, and the other is based on the Bsplines algorithm. Our simulation results demonstrate that the 5D reconstruction xiii procedure can yield gated dynamic images which show quantitative information for both perfusion defect detection and cardiac motion. Based upon the success of 5D reconstruction, we also study the saliency of 5D images for detection of perfusion defects. We explore efficient ways for characterization and visualization of information pertinent to perfusion defects in a 5D image sequence. We apply various metrics to quantify the degree to which perfusion deficits can be detected. We show that these metrics can be used to produce new types of visualizations, showing wall motion and perfusion information, that may potentially be useful for clinical evaluation. Finally, with the ultimate goal of effective detection of lesion defect for clinical use, we also investigate a direct reconstruction approach to determine a sequence of gated, kinetic parameter images from a single acquisition, which can provide information simultaneously for both tracer kinetics and wall motion. To combat the greatly under-determined nature of the problem, we apply smoothness constraints to exploit the similarity both among the different gates and among the local spatial neighborhood. The parameter images of the different gates are then determined jointly using maximum a posteriori estimation from all the available image data.
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, July 2011
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Title: INVOLVEMENT OF MIR-182 IN THE ACTION OF ATORVASTATIN IN PROSTATE CANCER CELLS
Creator: Li, Wenping
Date: 2013-04-10, 2013-05
Description: Atorvastatin (ATO), a widely used statin for lowering cholesterol was examined for its chemopreventive/therapeutic activities in prostate...
Show moreAtorvastatin (ATO), a widely used statin for lowering cholesterol was examined for its chemopreventive/therapeutic activities in prostate cancer cells. We found that ATO inhibited cell proliferation and induced autophagy in PC3 prostate cancer cells, as marked by significant induction of an autophagy marker LC3-II. Using Taqman RT-PCR technique, we also found that ATO treatment for 24h and 48h consistently up-regulated miR-182 in PC3 cells. However, adding geranylgeraniol (GGOH) to the culture media reversed the effect of ATO in regulating miR-182, suggesting that ATO up-regulates miR-182 through inhibition of geranylgeranyl biosynthesis. Overexpression of miR-182 in PC3 cells significantly decreased cell proliferation by about 36% (MTT assay), while knock-down of miR-182 stimulated cell proliferation by about 43% (MTT assay). In screening for miR-182 target genes, we found that Bcl2 and p21 are potential miR-182 target genes; Bcl2 was significantly down-regulated by ATO at both mRNA and protein levels and miR-182 knock-down up-regulated Bcl2 protein; p21 protein expression was positively correlated with alteration of miR-182 expression levels in PC3 cells. Through screening database of miR-182 target genes from TargetScanHuman 6.2 and PicTar, we found that p21 is not the direct target gene of miR-182, so it could be regulated by miR-182 indirectly. It has recently been established that miR-182 regulation is p53-dependent, since PC3 cells are p53 negative, it is clear that ATO regulates miR-182 in a p53-independent manner. These data demonstrate that miR-182 up-regulation and Bcl2 down-regulation by ATO could be two independent events and both could be involved in ATO mediated cell proliferation and autophagy.
M.S. in Biology, May 2013
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Title: Study of automatic electric fire pumps
Creator: Ross, L. R., Ballard, L. E., Swearingen, R.e.
Date: 2009, 1906
Publisher: Armour Institute of Technology
Description: http://www.archive.org/details/studyofautomatic00ross
Thesis (B.S.)--Armour Institute of Technology

Title: Physics implications of correlation data from the RHIC and LHC heavy-ion programs, Proceedings of the XLIII International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics
Creator: Ray, R. L.
Date: 2013-09-15, 2013-09-15
Publisher: IIT Press
Description: Two-dimensional angular correlation data from the STAR experiment at RHIC and from the LHC experiments provide critical information about...
Show moreTwo-dimensional angular correlation data from the STAR experiment at RHIC and from the LHC experiments provide critical information about dynamical processes in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The principal correlation structures of interest are a broad jet-related peak at small relative azimuth (φ) extending to large relative pseudorapidity (η), the dijet ridge at large relative azimuth, and an independent double ridge on φ represented by a quadrupole function. The broad peak at small relative azimuth has been attributed, in large part, to initial-state fluctuations and hydrodynamic flow which produce higher-order harmonics on φ. That conjecture is challenged in this paper. It is shown that the net effect of additional higher harmonic model elements is to describe small, non-Gaussian (NG) shapes in the broad jet-related peak. The quadrupole correlation, which is also conventionally attributed to hydrodynamic flow, is considered within the Balitsky - Fadin - Kuraev - Lipatov (BFKL) Pomeron framework. Preliminary results using this model for the quadrupole correlation for particle production from 200 GeV p + p collisions are shown to be consistent with recent data from STAR.
Sponsorship: IIT College of Science, High Energy Physics Division of Argonne National Laboratory
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Title: EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE, MOISTURE CONTENT AND SOIL SURFACE AREA ON THE BIOLOGICAL DEGRADATION OF BIOSOLIDS ADDED TO SOIL
Creator: Wen, Dongqi
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: The objective is to develop and apply an organic matter degradation model (OMDM) that predicts changes in the biological degradation of...
Show moreThe objective is to develop and apply an organic matter degradation model (OMDM) that predicts changes in the biological degradation of organic matter added to soils as a function of soil temperature, moisture content and mineral surface area using data from field and laboratory measurements. A one year long laboratory study was conducted to determine biosolids microbial degradation rates (21 ˚C and 20% moisture content) for soils from eight different fields Biosolids microbial degradation rates were also determined for the eight soils under field condition (10 ˚C and 10% moisture content) by applying a degradation rate model (DRM). The total mineral surface areas for 27 soil samples were also determined. Regression analysis revealed that the degradation rate was positively associated with mineral soil surface area (R2=0.85) and that the biosolids application rate is not significantly associated with the biosolids degradation rate (p value =0.35>0.01). The OMDM determines a decomposition rate of 1.04 yr-1 at 30 ˚C, 20% moisture content, and 10 m2/g soil and provides correction factors for changes in soil temperature, moisture, and mineral surface area. The model predicted in changes of the biological degradation rate of biosolids added to soils with mineral surface areas that vary from 1 to 10 m2/g soil under laboratory and field conditions. A comparison of the measured and simulated degradation rates for eight different soils produced R2 = 0.87 for field data. The model was also able to predict the degradation rate of biosolids for 19 additional soils under field conditions (R2=0.89). The model was also applied to agricultural plant litter. The estimated degradation rates are 0.45 yr-1 corn stover, 0.35 yr-1 oats, 0.26 yr-1 wheat, and 0.13 yr-1 millet at 30 ˚C, 20% moisture content and 10 m2/g. This study demonstrates that the effects of environmental conditions and soil mineral surface area have a significant impact on degradation rates of organic matter and must be considered when assessing degradation rates for organic matter added to soil. Higher temperatures and moisture content and finer soils are related to larger degradation rates.
Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, May 2016
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Title: A test of a commutating rectifier
Creator: Watt, William T., Stryker, Clinton E.
Date: 2009, 1917
Publisher: Armour Institute of Technology
Description: http://www.archive.org/details/testofcommutatin00watt
Thesis (B.S.)--Armour Institute of Technology; Bibliography: leaf 75

Title: AN ASSESSMENT OF HEAT PUMP APPLICATION AT WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES-THAT USE SURFACE WATER
Creator: Yan, Wenpeng
Date: 2012-07-17, 2012-07
Description: Energy-efficient heat pumps have been applied in the United States and other regions of the world for decades. Geothermal heat pumps have been...
Show moreEnergy-efficient heat pumps have been applied in the United States and other regions of the world for decades. Geothermal heat pumps have been used, but their application is not wide spread due to the high cost of drilling and installing a ground loop. An alternative choice for space conditioning at municipal water utilities is a surface water source heat pump. Because treated surface water is readily available and it exists in a relatively narrow temperature range it could be useful heat transfer fluid. In this project the economic benefits and greenhouse gas emissions of a heat pump system for a building in NE Illinois are analyzed. Heating and cooling requirements for a hypothetical a 1000 m2 space at a drinking water treatment plant are considered. The analysis includes initial, operating and maintenance costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions, between a heat pump system and a conventional natural gas furnace and air-conditioner. The cost savings in this project for the heat pump system were from $39900 to $41511 over the life cycle of the system depending on the different efficiency level of the heat pump system. Surprisingly the initial cost of the standard efficiency heat pump system is lower than the conventional NGAC system. There is no need to take time to make up the additional initial cost. Surface water heat pumps operating at different efficiency level produce less greenhouse gas than the conventional NGAC system. The CO2 emission reduction could be as high as 73%.
M.S. in Environmental Engineering, July 2012
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