OU - Theseshttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/235282024-03-19T06:40:37Z2024-03-19T06:40:37ZA User-Friendly Wrapper for DSIDES (Decision Support in the Design of Engineering Systems)Hajihashemi, Sarahttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/3401062024-01-30T20:35:43Z2023-11-15T00:00:00ZA User-Friendly Wrapper for DSIDES (Decision Support in the Design of Engineering Systems)
Hajihashemi, Sara
When dealing with complex systems, we need to consider that these systems have behaviors that are hard to predict or control, and uncertainties are always present since computational models are abstracts of reality. It is recognized that in many situations, it may not be possible to simultaneously optimize all objectives due to inherent conflicts, resource limitations, or uncertainty. As George E.P. Box said: "All models are wrong, but some are useful." The consequences of these observations are significant. We need to accept that our models might not capture everything and that uncertainties are a part of the picture. Hence, we must accept and deal with uncertainty instead of ignoring it and find solutions that are relatively insensitive to the uncertainties.
When choosing a method to work with, we need to consider the quality of our data. To make this all work, we need a method to find solutions that achieve a reasonable compromise or balance among the objectives and identify a set of solutions that are relatively insensitive to uncertainties. Also, be able to facilitate the exploration of solution space to support human decision-making. This ties into the problems we face in supporting decisions for complex systems. These problems involve choosing between options and making compromises.
The compromise Decision Support Problem (cDSP) construct and the Adaptive Linear Programming algorithm has been developed as a result, which was first introduced by Mistree and co-authors (1993). It is a domain-independent, multiobjective decision model based on mathematical and goal programming. They effectively deal with multiobjective problems involving bounds, linear and nonlinear constraints, goals, and consisting of Boolean and continuous variables. The requirements for this construct are:
1) Identify a set of solutions that are relatively insensitive to uncertainties
2) Facilitate the exploration of solution space to support human decision-making
Mistree and co-authors also designed a computer program to implement cDSP construct. It has been written in FORTRAN to identify robust satisficing solutions to design problems when the models are abstractions of reality. It is called DSIDES (Decision Support in the Design of Engineering Systems).
DSIDES is a software tool developed to help engineers and designers make better decisions in the design of complex engineering systems and provides decision support for the design of complex engineering systems.
In this thesis, our primary objective is to enhance the accessibility and user-friendliness of DSIDES by designing a user-friendly wrapper. Three key areas of focus are included in this thesis:
1) Exploration of cDSP Construct: In this part, the examination of the cDSP (Compromise Decision Support Problem) construct, including its structural components and the formulation of problem statements within the cDSP framework, has been discussed.
2) Comprehensive Analysis of the DSIDES Wrapper: A detailed exploration of the DSIDES wrapper and a step-by-step walkthrough of the wrapper's functionalities are covered.
3) DSIDES Software Program Manuals: Program manuals for the DSIDES software has been created. These manuals are helpful resources for individuals seeking to enhance, expand, or modify the software.
Based on these key areas of focus, there are three different parts to this thesis:
1) Part One: DSIDES Software and cDSP Construct: An Introduction.
2) Part Two: Designing the User-Friendly Wrapper for DSIDES.
3) Part Three: Program Manuals and Improvement of DSIDES.
In the following sections, all three parts and their related details are discussed, respectively.
2023-11-15T00:00:00ZSystems approach to the remote operation of a hydraulic fracturing missilePeshehonoff, Josephhttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/3401052024-01-30T20:29:44Z2023-12-15T00:00:00ZSystems approach to the remote operation of a hydraulic fracturing missile
Peshehonoff, Joseph
Hydraulic fracturing missiles are a critical piece of equipment in the hydraulic fracturing process. If there is a failure, people have to enter a high-risk area to shut off pressurized lines. Entering the high-pressure zone exposes the field personnel to unnecessary risk. Eliminating the need to have a person in the line of fire through the remotely operated system in these high-risk zones is the motivation for this Thesis.
A complete system for actuating the valves on a hydraulic fracturing missile was created by applying system engineering. The system was designed by following the System Engineering Vee Model. The system was decomposed and iterated throughout the system definition and realization phases of the System Engineering Vee Model.
The system was realized up to a prototype stage. A combination of inspection, analysis, testing, and demonstrations was conducted on the prototype to verify the requirements of the system that were established in the requirements list. The interface requirements were validated, and a plan of what needs to be validated and how was also defined. The validation of the system will primarily need to occur during field testing.
2023-12-15T00:00:00ZWater use conflicts in the Lower Pecos, Permian Basin: A spatio-temporal analysis of unconventional oil and gas development and agriculture under drought conditionsRosellini-Labombarde, Angelahttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/3401042024-01-30T20:24:51Z2023-12-15T00:00:00ZWater use conflicts in the Lower Pecos, Permian Basin: A spatio-temporal analysis of unconventional oil and gas development and agriculture under drought conditions
Rosellini-Labombarde, Angela
Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) production is increasing rapidly within the U.S., especially the practice of hydraulic fracturing (HF). HF requires large quantities of water, which raises concerns about water scarcity, particularly in arid or semi-arid regions where freshwater is scarce. One of the most productive UOG formations is the Permian Basin, which extends from West Texas into East New Mexico. In this region, the energy sector and the agricultural sector compete for the limited hydrological resources as farmers rely heavily on irrigation using dwindling groundwater supplies or water from the over-allocated Rio Grande River. To make this worse, this area is prone to drought and experienced a megadrought from 2006 to 2015.
This study examines the relationship between UOG production, agriculture, and drought within the Lower Pecos region of the Permian Basin from 2008 to 2021. Previous studies suggest the presence of UOG wells corresponds with an increase in fallow agricultural land, but no such studies have been conducted in a semi-arid region of the U.S. This study uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cropland Data Layer to identify agricultural areas and their frequency of fallowing agricultural land during the 14-year period. I use point data created from FracFocus data identifying the locations of UOG wells in Texas and New Mexico to examine whether the land immediately surrounding the wells are fallow more often than the land not located near UOG wells. I also use data from the U.S. Drought Monitor to determine if drought impacts this relationship. I hypothesized that agricultural areas immediately surrounding UOG wells will have higher rates of fallowing since water that would normally be used for agriculture is transferred to HF. When under drought conditions, I expected there to be widespread fallowing throughout the study area. The results of this study do not support this hypothesis, and instead found that the fallowing trends throughout the basin do not seem to correspond to either drought conditions or UOG intensity. Overall fallowing trends indicate that until 2018, there were more fallow cells than cropland cells throughout the basin, but the number of fallow cells dropped dramatically in 2017 and after 2018 through 2021, there were more active cropland cells than fallow/idle cropland. UOG intensity increases throughout the basin during the study period, both in the number of wells constructed and the amount of water used per well. This study concludes that while the hypothesis is not supported, there are possibly other factors that impact agricultural and UOG water use. For example, it is possible that farmers switched to less water-intensive crops during drought periods or when new wells were being fractured. It is also possible that HF wells import their water from other sources and are therefore not reliant on available surface or groundwater in the basin. The lack of transparency in UOG wells reporting was the main study limitation. Operators are not required to disclose from the source of the water used. Future research should prioritize verifying UOG wells data by using a combination of sources. This would allow a better understanding of water used across sectors in the Permian Basin.
2023-12-15T00:00:00ZEffects of Hydraulic Design and Retention Time on Removal of Constituents of Emerging Concern from Secondarily Treated Wastewater Effluent in Treatment Wetland MesocosmsOverton, Oliviahttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/3400952024-01-05T06:13:48Z2023-12-15T00:00:00ZEffects of Hydraulic Design and Retention Time on Removal of Constituents of Emerging Concern from Secondarily Treated Wastewater Effluent in Treatment Wetland Mesocosms
Overton, Olivia
Treatment wetlands (TWs) are an ecologically engineered, natural infrastructure approach designed specifically for water quality improvement via natural biogeochemical, physiochemical, and microbiological processes. The natural processes in TWs attenuate nutrients, total suspended solids, metals, and other chemical constituents. Along with more traditional water quality parameters, TWs have been shown to remove many types of constituents of emerging concern (CECs), a wide range of pharmaceutical, industrial, and agricultural compounds that are poorly removed in traditional wastewater treatment. The City of Norman, Oklahoma is considering the implementation of Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) to augment water supply, and TWs are a possible treatment step for the removal of CECs from treated wastewater before discharge to a water supply. Hydraulic scheme (free-water surface (FWS), subsurface flow (SSF), and an open water control (OWC)), vegetation presence (planted and unplanted), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) (10-days, 5-days, and 3-days) were designed and manipulated in a 25-mesocosm TW compound to determine the impact of these design factors on the removal of the anti-seizure medication, carbamazepine, from secondarily treated wastewater. Traditional wastewater constituents like biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) and common physiochemical parameters were also monitored throughout the experiment. Carbamazepine concentrations were analyzed in the influent and effluent from the batch-reactor TW systems using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits. Longer HRTs were associated with increases in carbamazepine removal efficiency. TW mesocosm hydraulic design (FWS or SSF) was most significant to effluent carbamazepine concentration during the shortest HRT, 3-days (p = 0.005). The presence of vegetation did not significantly affect removal efficiency during this experiment (p = 0.975). Greater carbamazepine removal efficiencies were seen in this experiment than in previous studies, which could be due to the longer HRTs in the mesocosm-scale system or the availability of sorption sites on the fresh substrate. The results of this experiment provided promise for the effectiveness of TWs for the removal of carbamazepine and established a long-term experimental site for future TWs experiments.
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