abstracts, research partnership showcase

21 May 2012, Qatar National Convention Center

•

Welcome to the first Texas A&M University at Qatar research partnership showcase. This event’s theme

is Research and Industry: Fostering Synergy, and it is my sincere hope that we will foster synergy today

and in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Texas A&M at Qatar’s research program supports Qatar industry by pursuing knowledge that addresses

practical problems. Our work is to support yours — through education, research and outreach that discusses complex

challenges and their most practical solutions.

Over the past several years, we have worked with industry partners countless times. We value those relationships,

and we thrive on the questions you pose. Today, we seek to highlight some of our research achievements

and to hear from you about how Texas A&M at Qatar’s research endeavors can better support Qatar’s industrial sector.

Thank you for joining us today, and thank you for your support of Texas A&M at Qatar.

Sincerely,

Mark H. Weichold, Ph.D.Dean and CEO

Industry Partners

•

Dr. Kenneth HallAssociate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

Dr. Eyad MasadAssistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

Dr. Mohamed AggourProfessor Petroleum Engineering

(Chair)

Dr. Shehab AhmedAssistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

(Co-Chair)

Dr. Ahmed Abdel-WahabAssociate Professor, Chemical Engineering

Dr. Michael BeauchampVisiting Assistant Professor, Liberal Arts

Dr. Ashfaq BengaliProfessor, Science

Dr. Othmane BouhaliDirector of Research Computing

Dr. Srinath IyengarAssistant Research Scientist and Manager

of Research Instrumentation

Dr. Nesrin OzalpAssistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

[email protected] tel. 44230013 fax 44230011 www.qatar.tamu.edu/research

Organizing Committee

Energy, Water and Environment

*Ahmed Abdel-WahabAssociate ProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Ahmed KhodaryPost doctoral research associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Johannes LawenResearch associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Environmental Impact Assessment of Cooling Water Discharge

into Seawater

The use of seawater in industrial cool-ing is a common practice in many parts of the world that have limited fresh-water resources. In Qatar, huge volumes of sea-water are used for cooling every day and discharged back into the Gulf. A holistic approach to developing optimal strate-gies for addressing the environmental, technical, and economic issues of seawa-ter cooling systems was developed. The technical approach includes: 1) develop-ment of quantitative techniques for pre-dicting the reaction mechanisms, kinet-

ics, and characteristics of biocides and their reaction products in seawater, and 2) development of computational tools to predict the fate of biocides and their reaction products after release into the environment. A scientific framework for sustainable strategies that addresses the environmental issues of seawater cooling and aid in developing sound regulatory policies was developed. A case study to assess the environmental impact of cool-ing water discharge at Messaied Indus-trial area was conducted.

keywordscooling water, biocide, residual chlorine, halogenated byproducts, seawater

acknowledgementsThis presentation covers the work of two projects: the first project was made pos-

sible by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund under its national Priority Research Program (NPRP); and the second project was made possible by a grant jointly from Qatar Fertilizers Company (QAFCO), Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), and Qatar Petroleum (QP).

abstract


*Shameem Usman, Research associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Nesrin Ozalp, Assistant professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Weather-adaptable Solar Reactor for Solar Thermochemical

Industrial Processes

Radiation from the sun that reaches the earth’s surface has low flux density. However, once concentrated, it can be used to provide high-temperature pro-cess heat necessary for production of many important commodities with sig-nificantly reduced emissions. Such high-temperature processes require main-taining a semi-constant temperature for stable efficiency. However, the incoming solar energy is inherently transient, due to the changing position of the sun as well as weather conditions, thus lead-ing to fluctuations in available flux den-sity. Therefore, it is important to design a system that can solve this problem, by maintaining semi-constant temperatures for these processes, so that the produc-

tion rate is kept high irrespective of fluc-tuations in solar energy. There have been many remarkable solar reactor designs for various thermochemical processes. However, all of these solar reactor con-cepts employ a fixed aperture size, which does not compensate for fluctuations in incoming solar energy. We have devel-oped a novel concept, a variable-size ap-erture inspired by the human eye, where pupils enlarge in the dark and shrink when exposed to light. The objective of this presentation is to show the efficacy of variable-size apertures in maintaining a semi-constant temperature in the reac-tor, irrespective of fluctuations in incom-ing solar flux.

abstract

keywordssolar reactor, aperture control, process, heat transfer

This research was made possible by NPRP grant 09-670-2-254 from the Qatar Na-tional Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

acknowledgements


* John A. Bryant

Dennis O'NealAssociate Dean for Research Texas A&M University

Michael A. DavisDirector of LaboratoriesNew York University at Abu Dhabi

Jake EdmonsonConsulting Engineer, Energy ConsultantsSan Antonio, Texas

Modeling the Performance of ECM and SCR Parallel Fan

Powered Terminal Units in Single-Duct VAV Systems

Single duct variable air volume sys-tems often use series and parallel fan powered terminal units to control the air flow in conditioned spaces. A labora-tory verified model of single duct vari-able air volume systems was developed that used series and parallel fan terminal units where the fan speeds were con-trolled by either silicon controlled recti-fiers or electronically commutated mo-tors. The single duct variable air volume

simulation results showed that there was no significant difference between the an-nual energy used by parallel systems with silicon controlled rectifier controlled mo-tors when they were compared to paral-lel systems that used electronically com-mutated motors. The study included the simulation of the operation of the same facility at five weather locations around the United States.

VAV, Parallel VAV, ECM, SCR, VAV Single duct

This publication was made possible by the Qatar National Research Fund (a mem-ber of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. VAV Industry Consortium – Texas.

abstract

keywords

acknowledgements

keywords

*Donald J. DarensbourgDistinguished professorTexas A&M University

Ashfaq BengaliProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

abstractCarbon dioxide capture and storage

technologies have experienced signifi-cant advancements over the last decade. Some of this large surplus of sequestered anthropogenic CO2 provides opportuni-ties for its utilization as an inexpensive source of chemical carbon. Indeed, in or-der to maintain a sustainable chemical in-dustry, alternative feedstocks are needed to replace decreasing petroleum supplies and CO2 can contribute to meeting these needs. Among the processes exhibiting commercial viability are the incorpora-tion of CO2 into cyclic organic carbon-ates or polymeric materials. Important

among the latter processes is the com-pletely alternating copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides or oxetanes to afford polycarbonates. A major challenge in this area is to find active, selective catalysts for activating the very stable CO2 molecule. This presentation will address the devel-opment of transition metal catalysts de-signed to effectively perform these tasks. In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, which emphasizes the importance of re-ducing Qatar’s carbon footprint, this re-search project is of significance to local industry, as they develop technologies to mitigate the effect of CO2 emissions.

acknowledgementsThis research was made possible by NPRP 09-157-1-024 grant from the Qatar Na-

tional Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author.

Making Chemicalsfrom Carbon Dioxide

carbon dioxide, polymers, catalysts



New Horizons in Energy Sources and Energy Efficient Systems

*Dr. Reza SadrAssistant professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Kumaran KannaiyanPost doctoral fellowTexas A&M University at Qatar

Kanjirakat AnoopPost doctoral fellowTexas A&M at University Qatar

Katsuyoshi TanimizuPost doctoral fellowTexas A&M at University Qatar

Energy consumption is an unavoid-able fact of modern life. Powering our fu-ture will require replacing many current technologies by tapping a vast array of al-ternative energy sources to increase ener-gy efficiencies. The current presentation outlines some of the work in the micro scale thermo-fluids (MSTF) laboratory of Texas A&M University at Qatar in the areas of alternative energy and advanced energy-efficient systems (AEES). In the area of alternative energy, the presenta-tion will discuss MSTF research activity

on gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel for jet en-gines. A comparison between GTL and jet A1 fuel will be provided. Heat trans-fer fluids are a ubiquitous component of industrial applications where advanced energy-efficient systems are gaining im-portance. The presentation will discuss the potentials for application of super-critical fluids as well as nanotechnology (nanofluids) to increase the efficiency of thermo-fluids systems, such as heat ex-changers, chemical extraction processes, and refineries.

abstract

acknowledgementsThe research is funded by Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) and Nation-

al Priorities Research Program (NPRP), which are members of Qatar Foundation. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

keywords gas-to-liquid fuel, advanced energy-efficient systems, supercritical fluids,

nanofluids


keywords GTL, Fischer-Tropsch fuel characterization, blend formulation reactor design

Approach to Advance Gas-to-Liquid Technology: Reactor Design and Synthetic Fuel Formulation

*Elfatih ElmalikResearch associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Jan Hendrik BlankResearch associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Samah WarragResearch assistantTexas A&M University at Qatar

Salima MamikovaTexas A&M University at Qatar

Asawir Al-SamryeTexas A&M University at Qatar

Buping BaoTexas A&M University

Layal Bani NassrTexas A&M University at Qatar

Ibrahim Al-NaimiTexas A&M University at Qatar

Mohamed NoureldinTexas A&M University at Qatar

Nimir ElbashirAssistant ProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

acknowledgementsThis publication was made possible by NPRP grant 08-261-2-082 and grant 04-

1484-2-590 from the Qatar National Research Fund and Qatar Science and Technolo-gy Park (both members of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. Also, the authors would like to acknowledge both the financial and technical support provided by Qatar Shell Research & Technology Center.

In our research, we focus on two as-pects of Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) technol-ogy. On the one hand, we focus on op-timizing the reaction conditions for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction by using su-percritical solvents. We model and later measure the phase behavior and mass-transport properties for optimization of the SCF-FT process conditions. Integra-tion of the reaction conditions helps us when making an economic feasibility as-sessment. In our other efforts to advance GTL technology, we lead the develop-ment of a global academic collaboration

with top institutions. This collaboration has helped us to build a world-class ex-perimental facility, the Texas A&M Uni-versity Fuel Characterization Lab (FCL) at Qatar, for the purpose of improving GTL-based fuels properties and for-mulation methodology. Currently, we are working with industry (Shell, Rolls-Royce) and world-leading academic institutions (University of Cambridge, DLR, University of Sheffield, Auburn University and Texas A&M University) to advance the GTL technology.

abstract

Power Electronics for Renewable Energy Conversion

and Industrial Electronics


* Haitham Abu-RubAssociate professor

Texas A&M University at Qatar

abstractThe proposed seminar will discuss the

challenges and new ways to facilitate the energy production and, more important-ly, the efficient energy use of the existing resources. The presentation will discuss and review the existing technologies and new ones for future development in the area of electric energy conversion, by using high-efficientcy power electron-ics converters. The presentation focuses on novel energy conversion systems, including renewable energy and electro-mechanical systems. A quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI)-based cascade, multilevel

PV power generation system with energy storage will be discussed. Also, a hybrid PV/wind energy conversion system will be presented. Different converter topolo-gies will be presented, particularly for PV power generation systems. Electrome-chanical energy conversion and control schemes will also be presented and dis-cussed. Systems with induction motors as well as with permanent-magnet synchro-nous motors will be used particularly for sensorless drives. Low-speed operation and high-speed running of the drives will be discussed.

power electronics, renewable energy, energy conversion, electric drives, sensorless drives

keywords

acknowledgementsThis research was made possible by NPRP (08-369-2-140, NPRP 09-233-2-096,

NPRP 04-077-2-028, NPRP 04-080-2-030, and NPRP 04-152-2-053) grants from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The state-ments made herein are solely the responsibility of the author.

A Parameter-varying Method for the Control of Air-Fuel Ratio

in Spark Ignition Engines


* Reza TafreshiAssistant professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Behrouz EbrahimiPostdoctoral associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

A Novel robust controller based on a parameter-varying, filtered PID and parameter-varying dynamic sliding mani-fold are presented. The method main-tains the stoichiometric value for spark-ignition engines in the presence of a wide range of engine operating conditions, the inherent nonlinearities, and parameter variations. It overcomes the major chal-lenge of the time-varying delay due to the four strokes of the engine within the combustion process. The proposed con-troller to be constructed compensates for the delay effect while withstanding

the fuel purge perturbation and noise problem of the sensors aging in practice. Implementation of the proposed control-ler on the state-of-the-art engine setup, which includes an engine equipped with control system, dynamometer, sensors and an emission bench, will result both in fuel saving and environmental protec-tion. The presented results, which have been demonstrated for spark ignition engines, can be easily implemented on various systems, such as generators and compressors that utilize similar engines.

Internal combustion engines, control, air-fuel ratio, spark ignition enginekeywords

acknowledgementsThe statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstract

Petroleum Technologies

*Shehab Ahmed Assistant ProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Alan PalazzoloProfessorTexas A&M University

Ahmed MassoudAssociate Professor, QU

Ahmed TahounCEO, MIT Technologies

Mohamed-El GammalResearch AssociateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Omar AbdelzaherPhd studentTexas A&M University at Qatar

Ahmed SaeedPhd candidateTexas A&M University

Mohamed DaoudResearch Assistant, QU

Ayman AbdelkhalikResearch FellowTexas A&M University at Qatar

Enabling Subsurface Technologies and their Development Challenges

abstractDevelopment of today's subsurface

technologies entails collaborative mul-tidisciplinary teams in addition to com-mitted industry support. This presenta-tion highlights a sample of Texas A&M University at Qatar's ongoing upstream

technology research and development effort. Development challenges and test-ing needs that enable the success of such projects are highlighted.

keywordsDownhole, drilling, logging, testing

acknowledgementsThis publication was made possible by NPRP grant # 08 - 504 - 2 - 197, and # 09

- 1001 - 2 - 391, from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foun-dation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The team would also like to acknowledge the technical support of MIT-Technologies.


* Michael FraimAssociate professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

David HunickeChief executive officerAdvanced Sonics

Sonic Stimulation of Natural Water Drive oil

fields in Qatar

acknowledgementsDavid Hunicke works for Advanced Sonics, and builds sonic and ultrasonic reac-

tors for material processing. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstract

keywords

The purpose of this research is to pro-totype a large sonic source for sonic stim-ulation of offshore reservoirs that have a large natural water drive source. Sonic stimulation will cause oil wet rock to temporarily become water wet and, when the sonic energy stops, it will return to original oil wet rock. Most high water cut

oil fields already use electrical submers-ible pumps. We would like to stimulate the drainage area of the well with a 150 KW sonic source that vibrates at near-resonate frequency of the oil formation. A side benefit is that the source continu-ously removes scale buildup in the well bore.

sonic stimulation, ultrasonic, water wet


Optical Ultra-trace Gas Detection: Looking for a Needle in a Million

Hay Stacks* Ashfaq Bengali

ProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Mashhad FahesAssistant professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Hadi NasrabadiAssistant professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Tarek MohamedPostdoctoral AssociateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Milivoj BelicProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Hans SchuesslerProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

For decades, rare radioactive rypton noble gas has allowed for the structure of petroleum reservoirs to be mapped. After injection of the tracer in a central well, the inter-well propagation of the Kryp-ton radioactivity is measured by using nuclear decay counting of samples from production wells. In the petroleum tracer laboratory at Texas A&M University at Qatar, we developed an optical detection method for gas and oil exploration, with a selectivity of one tracer isotope atom out of a hundred million other atoms as

an interdepartmental effort. The optical detection is orders of magnitude more sensitive and faster than nuclear decay counting. Of equal importance, the laser method applies also to stable noble gas tracer atoms and makes its use safe and environmentally friendly. In addition, several different tracer atoms can be used simultaneously, by optimizing the results of reservoir diagnostics such as rock po-rosity and connectivity of separate petro-leum carrying layers.

abstract

keywordsnoble gas tracer, reservoir structure, optical trace detection, interwell connectivity,

gas and oil exploration

acknowledgementsThis research was made possible through the support of the Qatar National Re-

search Fund (grants NPRP30-6-7-35 and NPRP 09-585-1-087). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.


* Dr. Anuj GuptaAssociate professor


abstract

keywords:IOR, wettability, reservoir characterization, CO2 EGR

Accelerating and Enhancing Oil and Gas Recovery from Carbonate

Reservoirs

This presentation addresses research on rock-fluid interactions, oil/gas-well stimulation and characterization of mul-tiphase flow in oil and gas reservoirs,with the overall goal of accelerating and en-hancing oil/gas recovery from carbonate reservoirs. Optimization of interactions between various fluids and reservoir rock can lead to faster production and increased overall recovery from oil/gas reservoirs. A critical need for accom-plishing this is correct scaling of reservoir properties, from pore scale to core scale

and also from core-scale to the reservoir scale. Multi-scale reservoir characteriza-tion, modeling and visualization research will be discussed. An outcrop modeling, characterization and visualization project will be presented The research facilitates correlation of pore-scale measurements to field measurements of permeability distribution. Research is also ongoing to understand rock-fluid interactions at nano-scale and at micro-macro scale. Re-sults for IOR by wettability alteration and EGR by CO2 will be presented.


Spent Acid Recovery after Matrix Acidizing in

Carbonate Rocks* Bilal Zoghbi

Post Doctoral FellowTexas A&M University at Qatar

Nour El Cheikh AliResearch AssistantTexas A&M University at Qatar

Makram SarieddineResearch Assistant

Mashhad FahesAssistant ProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Mehrnoosh SaneifarResearch Assistant

Matrix acidizing is a common well stimulation technique in carbonate reser-voirs. Wormholes created as a result of a successful acidizing treatment result in a reduction in skin factor and aid in over-coming damage in the near-wellbore re-gion. After hydrochloric acid reacts with the rock, it forms spent acid which pene-trates deeper in the formation beyond the stimulated region resulting in a region of increased liquid saturation. The recovery of this spent acid in a timely manner is a critical part of the well cleanup process to restore and enhance well productivity. Our research team is working on enhanc-

ing the process of spent acid recovery by studying the factors that affect spent acid mobility in the invaded region. We target specifically the factors affecting capillary trapping and the effect of acid additives on this process. The results show that acid additives can diversely affect the surface tension and contact angle (wettability) of the system. Methanol and corrosion in-hibitors reduce both surface tension and contact angle. Iron control agents have no impact on surface tension, however, they decreased contact angle at the lower con-centration used.

abstract


An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Ultra-High Pressure and Temperature on the Rheological

Properties of Water-Based Drilling Fluids

* Mahmood AmaniAssociate professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Mohammed Al-JubouriStudentTexas A&M University at Qatar

Mustafa Al-Waily, studentTexas A&M University at Qatar

Yassine El WardanyStudentTexas A&M University at Qatar

abstractThe future of oil and gas exploration

and production lies primarily in reach-ing to hydrocarbon resources that are located in deeper formations. As we drill into deeper formations, we will experi-ence higher pressures and temperatures. Understanding the rheological character-istics of the drilling fluids under elevated pressures and temperatures is essential for the drilling engineers. Despite a con-siderable degree of experimental study over the years, there is relatively little systematic understanding of how the flow behavior changes with downhole

conditions. The rheology of the fluid is influenced by many factors, includ-ing temperature, pressure, shear history, composition and the electrochemical character of the components and of the continuous fluid phase. This research paper presents the results of our inves-tigation on the rheological behavior of water-based drilling fluids with different properties at HPHT conditions using a state-of-the-art viscometer capable of ac-curately measuring drilling fluids proper-ties up to 600*F and 40,000 psig.

keywordsdrilling, drilling fluids, rheology, HPHT, water-based mud

acknowledgementsThis research was made possible by a UREP award [UREP 08-059-2-017] from the

Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstract

LNG Safety Research - Study of Source Term

Associated with Accidental Spills of LNG on Land

* Luc VechotAssistant professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Tomasz OlewskiAssociate research scientistTexas A&M University at Qatar

Sam MMannanProfessorTexas A&M University

The production and export of LNG is an important part of the economic development of the State of Qatar. The sustainability of such activity is highly de-pendent on the management of the risks associated with LNG, which is a flam-mable and cryogenic liquid (-162°C). A loss of containment of LNG would result in the formation of a flammable vapor cloud that, if ignited, could create a fire and explosion hazard to the LNG facility and its surroundings. The prediction of the potential hazards associated to such an event has motivated a number of dif-ferent studies. Most of them focus on dispersion predictions; there is limited information regarding source term of it, i.e., the liquid pool spreading and vapor-

ization rate. There is a need for further improvements on the understanding of these phenomena on both experimental and modeling aspects. This is currently an active research area at Texas A&M University at Qatar through the LNG safety research project, funded over five years by BP Global SPU. Qatar Petro-leum also supports the project for the design and use of the fully instrumented LNG spills/fire-training prop at the Ras Laffan emergency and Safety College (RLESC) currently under construction. The presentation will highlight experi-mental and modeling work performed at laboratory scale at TAMUQ and at me-dium scale at Ras Laffan Industrial City on LNG source term prediction.

keywordsLNG safety, Process safety, source term modeling, risk assessment, RLESC

acknowledgementsThe authors thank BP Global Gas SPU for their financial support and guidance.

They also thank and acknowledge Qatar Petroleum for their support in the form of facilities used for experiments at Ras Laffan Industrial City, and the provision of staff to work with the Texas A&M University at Qatar LNG research team. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.


Computational Modeling of Nickel Dithiolene's Ability to Purify Ethylene

* Edward N. Brothers

Mohammed ShiblPost-doctoral ResearcherTexas A&M University at Qatar

Li DangPost-doctoral ResearcherTexas A&M University

Michael HallProfessorTexas A&M University

The purification of ethylene from pe-troleum feedstock is an energy intensive procedure, and thus developing more ef-ficient methods in this area is a critical technological problem. We have previ-ously studied a purification procedure based on the redox properties of nickel bis(dithiolene) complexes using theoret-

ical methods, in order to design a more convenient route to ethylene purifica-tion. This reaction is fairly complicated, and relies on the catalytic effect of the an-ion. This work shows the importance of theoretical work to developing advanced chemical technologies.

abstract

Nickel Complexes, Olefin Purification, DFTkeywords

acknowledgementsThis project was funded by QNRF grant NPRP 08 - 426 - 1 - 074, while computer

time was provided by the TAMUQ super computing facility.


Designing smart components

Materials: Processes and Applications

* Arun R. SrinivasaProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

J. N. ReddyProfessorTexas A&M University

Pritha GhoshGraduate StudentTexas A&M University

Jayavel ArumugamGraduate StudentTexas A&M University

Srikrishna DoraiswamyGraduate StudentTexas A&M University

Ashwin RaoGraduate StudentTexas A&M University

M.. S. SivakumarProfessorThe Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India

Smart materials, such as shape-mem-ory alloys and polymers and ionic gels, belong to a class of materials that are called distributed molecular actuators. They offer the possibility of new ways of providing reliable and efficient active components such as safety systems, and actuators. Designers face a challenge in using these materials due to the lack of simple but effective models and simula-tion tools to verify their designs. Our re-

search group works in this area, and I will highlight our novel modelling approach that is based on advances in the structural mechanics of rods and plates together with thermodynamical considerations and reliability experiments. We will dem-onstrate the application of these materi-als in a variety of fields including retrofit-ting structures, and in safety valves in the oil industry.

abstract

smart materials, structural design, memory alloys, thermomechanics, beam theorykeywords

The National Science Foundation, CMMI Grant, The National Science Founda-tion, CDI Grant, The U.S. Army Research Office

acknowledgements

High Interstitial Stainless Steel for Sour Gas Applications


* Bruce R. PalmerProgram ChairTexas A&M Univeristy at Qatar

Walid KhalfaouiPost doctoral researcher

Texas A&M University at QatarBrajendra MishraProfessorColorado School of Mines

Nasser AljassemPh.D. studentColorado School of Mines

abstract

acknowledgements

The proposed research program in-volves design and fabrication of high car-bon and nitrogen austenitic stainless steel for down-hole applications. This alloy will need to withstand higher production and transport capacities in combination

with aggressive corrosion environments. The forging quality steel will have high wear resistance and superior corrosion resistance in CO2 and H2S environ-ments for use as steel tubulars.

stainless steel, sour gas, corrosionkeywords

This research was made possible by funding from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author.

Deformation Behavior of Twin-Roll Cast Magnesium AZ31B Sheets: Experimental

Investigation and Physically Based Modeling

* Ghassan KridliAssociate professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Ana RodriguezResearch assistantTexas A&M University at Qatar

Georges AyoubPost-doctoral research fellowTexas A&M University at Qatar

Hussein ZbibProfessorWashington State University

The need to produce vehicles with improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions has led the automotive indus-try to consider use of “light-weighting” materials in the construction of automo-tive body and chassis systems. Therefore, interest has been increasingly focusing on the use of sheet magnesium in the manufacture of panels and structural components, because its density is about 40% lower than that of aluminum. In this work, the behavior of the twin-roll cast magnesium alloy AZ31B is investigated

and modeled within the framework of crystal plasticity. The developed numeri-cal model is able to predict the defoma-tion behavior of the material. Performed experiments indicate that the material deformation behavior is dependent on both strain rate and temperature. Micro-structural observations show that twin-ning plays an important role in dynamic recrystallization, which is a major con-trolling deformation mechanism that takes place at high temperatures.

abstract

keywordsMagnesium, modeling, sheet-forming

This study was made possible by NPRP grant 09-611-2-236 from the Qatar Na-tional Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

acknowledgements


Advancing the Design and Construction of Road Infrastructure

in the State of Qatar

abstract

* Eyad MasadAssistant dean and professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Srinath IyengarAssistant research scientistTexas A&M University at Qatar

Hassan BazziAssociate professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Howard HanleyResearch scientistTexas A&M University at Qatar

Dallas Little ProfessorTexas A&M University

Rashid Abu Al-RubAssistant professorTexas A&M University

The presentation will give an over-view of recent advances that have been achieved at Texas A&M Univversity at Qatar in the design of long-lasting roads in the State of Qatar. These advances in-volve a novel method for polymer-stabi-lization of subgrade soils. In addition, the presentation will discuss recent work on the development of a new design method

for asphalt pavements. This method relies on mechanistic design concepts and fun-damental characterization of materials properties. The presentation will high-light results that show the advantage of this new method in the construction of sustainable pavements that are needed to support economic growth in the country.

keywordsRoads, infrastructure, materials, performance

The research on the design of asphalt pavements was made possible by NPRP grant 08-310-2-110 from the Qatar National Research Fund. The work on soil stabilization by using polymers, was supported by Qatar Science and Technology Park. The state-ments made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

acknowledgements


Buckling and post buckling of a high strength material ring

* Khurram Kamran

Mohamed B. ElgindiProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Dongming WeiProfessorUniversity of New Orleans

The development of high-strength material made significant contributions in oil and gas industries, as well as auto-mobile, aircraft, ships and submarine in-dustries. The development focuses on the strength properties without reducing the toughness properties of the materials and requires that we understand the strength capability of the material for the small (buckling) as well as for the large (post-buckling) deformations under small and high pressure, respectively. We use Hollomonâ€™s equation to develop the mathematical equations governing the deformations of a high-strength material ring under uniform external pressure. We examine the buckling and post buckling

phenomenon, which has a great impact on the stability or collapse of the ring under high pressure. We present a per-turbation analysis valid for small defor-mation, and determine the buckling load of a Hollomonâ€™s ring as it compares to that of a ring made of linear material. We present numerical approximations to the solutions of the equilibrium equations for small deformation and compare them with the solutions obtained from the per-turbation analysis. We show that the pre-vious studies on the buckling and post buckling of an elastic ring/cylinder are obtained as a special case of our results with the material elastic domain.

abstract

keywordsHigh strength materials, Buckling load, Work hardening material

Hollomon’s power law


Theoretical Modeling of Insulating Ferromagnetic and Ferrimagnetic Nanojunctions and of their Spin

Wave Transport Properties

nanomagnetism, magnonics, quantum transport, nanojunction interfaces

* Michel Abou GhantousProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Vinod Ashokan, PostdocTexas A&M University at Qatar

Antoine KhaterProfessorInstitute for Molecules and Materials du Mans

Doried GhaderPhD studentInstitute for Molecules and Materials du Mans

The growing interest in the fields of spintronics and magnonics, of great importance to communication and in-formation technology, has generated a demand for nanojunctions comprising multifunctional materials that combine ferrimagnetism with additional desirable properties. An area where a novel and promising approach is being addressed concerns the class of nanojunctions based on magnetic-yet-insulating mate-rials. In our recently approved research project, we seek to establish sound theo-retical models in this domain, to support

experimental and industrial research. The research plan is basically in two parts. The first concerns the theoretical model-ing of the structural and magnetic state of the nanojunction material, be it ideally crystalline or presenting topological and chemical disorder. The second part deals with the theory of the magnon quantum transport via the nanojunction. The Fe/Gd/Fe prototype model nanojunction is under study with initial results, analyzing the structural and magnetic properties of its interfaces

abstract

keywords

acknowledgements This research was made possible by NPRP (04-184-1-035) grant from the Qatar

National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author.


Phase Equilibrium Problems Motivated by Process Safety

* Marcelo CastierProfessor


Modern industries comply with rigor-ous safety codes, but accidents that cause fluid leaks from high-pressure tanks and pipelines may still occur, thus posing risks to people, environment, and prop-erty. Understanding what happens at the point of origin — the so-called “source term” — is important to predict the con-sequences of such leaks. Recent research by our group has focused on using rig-orous thermodynamics to address sev-eral problems relevant to process safety, namely: 1) the dynamic, multiphase be-

havior of fluids in high-pressure vessels; 2) the vapor-liquid equilibrium condi-tion after isentropic decompressions, which is important information for pipe-line design; 3) thermodynamic sound speed calculations in multiphase systems, needed to identify whether a leak from a high-pressure vessel is choked or not; and 4) the flow rate and composition of fluids evaporating from a pool of spilled liquid. The presentation will review these results and highlight areas for developments.

abstract

phase equilibrium, thermodynamics, safety, leaks, high pressure

acknowledgements The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

keywords


Polymer-supported Catalysis: A Green Approach

* Hassan S. BazziAssociate professor


Polyisobutylene-supported, second-generation, Hoveyda-Grubbs metathesis catalyst is shown to be an effective non-polar phase tag for ring-opening metathe-sis polymerization (ROMP). The catalyt-ic activities of the supported Ru-carbene complex in ROMP are comparable to those of their homogeneous counter-parts. The separability of these catalysts leads to lower Ru contamination (0.5 ppm levels) in the polymer products, in comparison to the non-supported Hov-eyda-Grubbs catalyst (10 ppm). We will also discuss the preparation of polyeth-

ylene-oligomer (PEolig)-supported N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHCs) and their Ru complexes. These complex-es are structurally analogous to their low molecular weight counterparts and can serve as thermomorphic, recoverable/re-cyclable ring-closing metathesis (RCM) catalysts. Such complexes can perform homogeneous RCM reactions at 65 Â°C and, upon cooling, precipitate as solids, because of the insolubility of PEolig-sup-ported species at 25 Â°C., which allows for their quantitative separation from so-lutions of products.

catalysis, synthesis, polymer supports, metathesis

acknowledgements This publication was made possible by Qatar National Research Fund (a member

of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author.

abstract

keywords


Research Excellence through Advanced Computing

and Visualization

* Othmane BouhaliDirector of research computingTexas A&M University at Qatar

Faisal ChaudhrySenior lead systems engineerTexas A&M University at Qatar

The mission of the research comput-ing group at Texas A&M University at Qatar is to foster scientific research by providing researchers with advanced re-sources in terms of computational power, storage capability, visualization tools, and scientific software. This is made pos-sible thanks to its solid infrastructure and highly qualified team members. The team is also involved with faculty, researchers

and other institutions and companies in joint research activities on computa-tional science, advanced modeling and visualization. We will report on those activities, and present the group’s future perspectives on collaborating with local industry and institutions to make them benefit from resources and skills in this field at Texas A&M University at Qatar

keywordsComputation, modeling, visualization, training

acknowledgementsThe statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstract

Information and Communication Technology

Michael MahlmannSenior systems administratorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Ali SheharyarSenior lead software applications developerTexas A&M University at Qatar

A Distributed, Reconfigurable Active Solid State Drive Platform for Data-intensive Applications

* Mazen A. R. SaghirAssociate professorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Hassan Artail, ProfessorAmerican University of Beirut

Haitham AkkaryAssociate professorAmerican University of Beirut

Hazem Hajj, Assistant professorAmerican University of Beirut

Mariette Awad, Assistant professorAmerican University of Beirut

Ali Ali, Graduate studentAmerican University of Beirut

Bashar Romanous, Graduate studentAmerican University of Beirut

Mohammed JomaaGraduate studentAmerican University of Beirut

Noor AbaniGraduate studentAmerican University of Beirut

Abdulrahman KaitouaGraduate studentAmerican University of Beirut

keywordsreconfigurable computing • cloud computing • distributed processing • hadoop •

data-intensive applications

acknowledgementsThis project was made possible by NPRP grant # 09-155-2-066 from the Qatar Na-

tional Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstractTraditional computing models are in-

adequate at extracting useful information from large data sets. Newer approaches such as cloud computing achieve bet-ter results by distributing large data sets across computer clusters, and mi-grating data-processing functions close to data storage sites. While this reduces data communication times and increases computational throughput, the overhead of accessing and processing data by using slow disk drives and Von-Neumann-style instruction-set architectures, respec-tively, remains a significant barrier to performance. In this project we explore the coupling of solid-state storage and

programmable logic devices (FPGAs) to provide fast data access and data stream processing capability by using customiz-able hardware accelerators. We are also developing middleware software to sup-port programmable logic devices, and to provide an abstract layer for distributed applications. Our results demonstrate the viability of our proposed platform and its potential for enhancing the performance of distributed data-intensive applications that are of strategic importance to Qatar and the region.


Enhancing the Throughput of Spectrum-Sharing Networks via Distributed Beam-forming.

We use joint distributed beam-form-ing and cooperative relaying in cogni-tive radio-delay networks, in an effort to enhance the spectrum efficiency and improve the performance of the cogni-tive (secondary) system. In particular, we consider a spectrum-sharing system where a set of potential relays are em-ployed to help a pair of secondary users in the presence of a licensed (primary) user. Both selection decode-and-forward (SDF) and amplify-and-forward (SAF) schemes in conjunction with Zero Forc-ing Beam-forming (ZFB) are investigat-ed. In this context, For the SDF scheme, we derive expressions for the probability density function (PDF) of the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the re-lays as well as at the secondary destina-

tion. As for the SAF scheme, we obtain the exact expression for the cumulative distribution function (CDF) and the moment-generating function (MGF) of the equivalent end-to-end SNR at the secondary destination. For both schemes, we derive closed-form expressions for the outage probability and bit error rate (BER) over independent and identically distributed (IID) Rayleigh fading chan-nels. Numerical results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed scheme in improving the outage and BER perfor-mance of the secondary system, while limiting the interference to the primary system. The results also show that our scheme is superior to existing schemes for the strict values of interference tem-perature.


keywordscognitive radio • cooperative relaying • performance analysis • spectrum sharing •

zero-forcing beam-forming

acknowledgementsThis work was made possible by NPRP grant 09-126-2-054 from the Qatar Na-

tional Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstract

* Ali AfanaPhD candidate

Vahid AsghariPhD candidateQuebec University

Ali GhrayebProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Sofine AffesProfessorQuebec University


Multi-Spectrum and Transmit Antenna Switched: Diversity Techniques for Cognitive Heterogeneous Networks

* Mohamed AbdallahPost-doctoral research associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Khalid QaraqeProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar

Mohamed-Slim Alouini, ProfessorKing Abduallah University of Science and Technology

Mostafa SayedEngineerVarkon Semiconductors

abstractHeterogeneous Networks (HetNets)

consists of a hierarchical deployment of low power, smaller foot print underlaid network such as Femto/Pico stations within a large size overlaid networks such as Macro- cell coverage area. Due to the expected high deployment of these networks and limited available licensed spectrum, there is a crucial need for de-veloping transmission techniques that allow efficient spectrum sharing among the HetNets. In achieving that goal, the HetNets can be equivalently viewed as an overlap between two networks (for instance, Macro and Femto) utilizing the same spectrum; hence they can be mod-eled as a cognitive system. This equivalent cognitive system model has been adopt-

ed in the research community whereby the Macro station and the Femto stations can represent the primary system and the secondary system respectively.

In these spectrum sharing systems, a secondary user (SU) is allowed to share the spectrum with a primary (licensed) network under the condition that inter-ference at the receivers of the primary us-ers (PU-Rxs) is below a predetermined value. In this talk, we present transmit antenna diversity schemes at the SU-Tx that exploit the multiple-spectrum diver-sity provided by the multiple PUs so as to optimize the signal-to-interference-and- noise ratio at the SU-Rx.

keywordscognitive networks • multiple antenna systems • spectrum sharing

acknowledgementsThis work is supported by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) grant through

National Priority Research Program (NPRP). QNRF is an initiative of Qatar Founda-tion. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Mental Stress Monitoring and Evaluation with Wearable Wireless Sensors

keywordsstress • wearable sensors • electrodermal activity • heart rate variability • SVM

acknowledgementsThe research is supported by NPRP Grant 08-125-2-03 from the Qatar National

Research Fund, which is a member of Qatar Foundation. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

abstract


* Hira Mujeeb KhanResearch associateTexas A&M University at Qatar

Beena AhmedLecturerTexas A&M University at Qatar

Khalid MasoodPostdoctoral research associate Texas A&M University at Qatar

Mental stress arises from the reaction of the body to outside challenges, either physical or psychological. It is the builtin automatic survival response that is acti-vated when faced with a perceived threat, also known as the flight or fight response. Chronic or long-term stress may cause or trigger diseases such as hypertension, in-somnia, diabetes, asthma and depression, as well as have a psychological impact. In this study, we aim to determine, with the help of user studies, the severity or level of stress induced in an individual who participates in various exercises to expe-rience stressful and relaxed situations. In the first stage, a wearable sensor platform is developed that employs minimally in-

vasive sensors, hardware miniaturization, and wireless technologies, and that can record physiological variables influenced by stress uninterruptedly for periods of up to 13 hours. These physiological markers include heart rate, respiratory rate and skin conductance. In the sec-ond stage, physiological modeling is per-formed to transform raw physiological data into compact autonomic state and machine-learning algorithms are then used to map physiological variables onto stress. Our results indicate that the sensor system models the mental stress of users into three target classes of relaxed, low stress,and high stress, with reasonable classification accuracy.

Relaying: A Key Capability for Emerging 4G Wireless

Standards and Beyond

abstract

* Dr. Mohammad Shaqfeh

Hussein M. AlnuweiriProfessorTexas A&M University at Qatar


Relaying technologies are actively re-searched in the International standard-ization process, such as 3GPP LTE-Ad-vanced, as enabling technologies for next generation mobile broadband commu-nication systems. The relays act as inter-mediate nodes between the source and destination nodes to enhance the quality of the communication links. One major objective in 3GPP evolution is to utilize the scarce wireless system resources effi-

ciently because achieving the high Qual-ity-of-Service (QoS) targets through over-provisioning is uneconomical due to the relatively high cost for transmis-sion capacity in cellular access networks. Our goal is to investigate optimal re-source allocation schemes and efficient relaying protocols for relay-assisted wire-less networks taking into considerations the system constraints that are relevant to the LTE-Advanced standard.

keywordsWireless Communications • Relaying • Long Term Evolution • LTE-Advanced •

Resource Allocation

acknowledgementsThis work is supported by Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP No: 08-577-2-

241 and YSREP No: 2-011-2-002).

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