Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics

Recent innovations in hydraulic fracturing methods and micro-seismic technology along with rising oil and gas prices have led to oil and gas booms in various U.S. shale plays. While this appears to be a positive step forward, it is still unclear whether directly impacted local communities benefit from unconventional gas development. The three essays in this dissertation model and analyze the relatively unexplored short- and long-term externalities associated with energy-related economic booms on local labor market outcomes, human capital migration, and occupations, providing valuable insights on how local communities are impacted by oil and gas development. The first chapter analyzes the short- and long-run economic impacts of oil and gas boom on local labor market outcomes. I use a unique dataset with annual employment at 4-digit North American Industry Classification System codes to estimate the direct demand effects of shale gas development in the 2000s. For the long-run, I exploit the multiple booms and busts from the 1970s to 1990s to address the existence of resource curse in resource-intensive economies. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, this paper accounts for the heterogeneity in energy experience over time and across regions. It also explores whether pre-boom level of locally available human capital and history of energy extraction influence how a region responds to the energy boom. The results suggest that oil and gas developments have positive multiplier effects on the short- and long-run job and income growth. The modest positive multiplier effect in the long run implies that the benefits of oil and gas production might decline in the long run, suggesting that increased reliance on natural resources over time could make communities more vulnerable. The second chapter uses individual-level data from the American Community Survey to estimate the impact of shale booms on U.S. interregional migration, while considering both origin and d (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mark Partridge (Advisor); Alessandra Faggian (Advisor); Ani Katchova (Committee Member) Subjects: Economics; Energy; Labor Economics; Regional Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Chemical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

Internal corrosion of transmission tubulars is a huge concern in the oil and gas industry. Corrosion inhibitors (CIs) are often considered the first step in mitigating internal corrosion due to their high efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Yet, predicting the efficiency of corrosion inhibitors, developed and tested in a laboratory environment, in operating field conditions is very challenging. In addition, the presence of corrosion residues or corrosion products on the internal surface of tubular steels can significantly affect the inhibition performance of organic corrosion inhibitors. This aspect is only rarely considered when characterizing the performance of corrosion inhibitors. Therefore, understanding their effects on corrosion inhibition is of great benefit in applying corrosion inhibitors to tackle internal corrosion issues, particularly in aging pipelines. This work mainly focuses on evaluating the corrosion inhibition and revealing the inhibition mechanisms in the absence and presence of various corrosion residues or products, commonly found in oil and gas production. The first half of this work (Chapter 5 and 6) presents a methodology for the characterization of corrosion inhibitors and proposes several innovations to an inhibition prediction model, originally based on the work of Dominguez, et al.. An inhibitor model compound, i.e., tetradecyl phosphate ester (PE-C14), was synthesized in-house and characterized to obtain necessary parameter values required as inputs for the inhibition model. The updated inhibition model could predict steady state and transient corrosion inhibition behaviors with good accuracy. The second half of the presented work (Chapter 7, 8, and 9) focuses on the effects of corrosion residue (Fe3C) and products (FeCO3 and FeS) on corrosion inhibition and advances the understanding of the associated inhibition mechanisms. The galvanic effect caused by residual Fe3C on corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency was quantitatively (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marc Singer (Advisor); Srdjan Nesic (Committee Member); David Young (Committee Member); Sumit Sharma (Committee Member); Katherine Cimatu (Committee Member); Katherine Fornash (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Engineering; Materials Science

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2022, Chemical Engineering

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a common problem that affects various industries. Monitoring and detecting MIC inside of pipelines has been challenging mainly because there is little to no research work being conducted accounting for all variables together such as flow, microorganism, and corrosion. Above all, MIC is hard to detect and the mechanisms by which MIC occurs are not completely understood. In this work, MIC is studied under a variety of conditions to begin to develop novel ways to validate mechanisms by which MIC occurs which can lead to new detection methods. First MIC is studied with a newly designed flow chamber to study MIC accounting for three variables: fluid dynamics, microorganisms, and corrosion. Second, the highly debated mechanism of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is studied using the split-cell zero resistance ammetry (SC-ZRA) technique. Flow chamber is developed as a quick tool in the lab to determine how MIC is affected inside of pipelines in the presence of microorganisms under hydrodynamic conditions in oxygen-limited and oxygen non-limited conditions. Mass transfer properties (i.e., shear stress, velocity, and mass transfer coefficient) of the system were evaluated using rotating cylinder electrode experiments. The flow system was then used to study the impact of mass transport on MIC in oxygen-non-limited and oxygen-limited microbial incubations using Shewanella oneidensis as a model organism. SC-ZRA work shows that during the initial stage of the SRB biofilm attachment (14 days), the area under the biofilm acts as an anode and the uncovered region acts as a cathode. During the first 14 days of inoculation, chemical microbially influenced corrosion (CMIC) is the dominant mechanism for SRB metabolism. When the corrosion products accumulate on the biofilm after 14 days, the area under the biofilm acts as a cathode and the uncovered region acts as an anode. When the metal surface is completely covered by corrosion product (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Hongbo Cong (Advisor); John Senko (Committee Member); Gopal Nadkarni (Committee Member); Qixin Zhou (Committee Member); David Bastidas (Committee Member) Subjects: Biochemistry; Chemical Engineering; Microbiology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

The changing landscape of energy extraction in the United States has important implications for demographic outcomes, such as family formation behaviors and human capital accumulation. As the shale oil and gas (O&G) industry has grown over the last two decades, it has exposed new communities to the boom-bust cycles inherent within energy extraction areas. During the economically prosperous boom times, individuals may be drawn to an area as employment and income increases, which could influence the human capital levels within a community. Similarly, increased economic resources brought through O&G development may encourage marital behavior and influence other family formation outcomes, such as divorce and cohabitation. Conversely, an O&G bust could drive away human capital and destabilize marriages and families as employment and income decrease. This dissertation study enhances scholarship on family formation behaviors in extraction communities during the initial O&G boom and bust, which occurred from 2007-2018. Further, this study also examines migration of human capital during these economic cycles to see if the industry is drawing or decreasing individuals with more educational attainment. I utilize Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) data to measure O&G employment, which allows me to separate shale extraction employment from other sources of mining employment to understand how this industry is influencing the aforementioned behaviors. I also utilize restricted American Community Survey (ACS) data for many family formation, migration, and educational attainment outcomes. The restricted ACS sample provides access to data for individuals in nonmetropolitan counties, which is severely limited in the publicly available datasets. As shale O&G development disproportionately occurs and influences nonmetropolitan counties, these data will be key to answering several research questions. In Chapter 1, I introduce the shale O&G industry, as well as trends (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anastasia Snyder (Advisor); Michael Betz (Advisor); Arya Ansari (Committee Member) Subjects: Demographics; Demography; Social Research; Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2021, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Amplitude anomalies in pre-stack seismic data have widely been used in the oil and gas industry as a risk analysis tool when exploring for hydrocarbons. AVO analysis is most often applied to poorly consolidated Tertiary rocks due to the compressibility of these strata when natural gas and porosity are present. In contrast, well-lithified carbonate rocks are less prone to producing a pre-stack amplitude response due to the rigidity of their frame. Pre-stack seismic data of a 2-D seismic profile were conditioned and interpreted to identify amplitude variation with offset (AVO) attributes corresponding to the presence of hydrocarbons within the North Vernon Limestone (NVL) interval in the Illinois Basin. The seismic data were acquired over the Glen Ayr oil field in Vigo County, Indiana, and in the Old Hill oil field in Clay County, Indiana prior to wells being drilled. Production in both fields is from porous dolomites draped by tight limestone or dolomites over a Silurian reef complex We show that with appropriate pre-stack data conditioning subtle AVO responses in Illinois Basin carbonates may indicate the presence of hydrocarbons. Seismic line CM-46-12 (Clay) and CM-27-14 (Vigo) were both analyzed using AVO attributes to identify anomalous zones that may relate to the presence of hydrocarbons. Seismic Line CM-27-14 was further interpreted using pre-stack inversion to provide additional information pertaining to the reservoir rock properties. The results on both seismic lines show strong, negative AVO gradients along the NVL interval, whereas nonproductive intervals exhibit either positive or no amplitude gradient. Pre-stack inversion of lime CM-27-14 shows high impedance zones which are consistent with the presence of tight dolomite atop the reef structure. Low-impedance, low VP/VS ratio zones correlate to the hydrocarbon bearing porosity zones of the NVL interval.

Committee: Ernest C. Hauser Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Paul McColgan Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Doyle R. Watts Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology; Geophysics

MS, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences

The Marcellus Formation is a Devonian age shale play in the Appalachian Basin and is an economical energy resource in the Eastern United States. This formation is known to contain high amounts of total organic carbon (TOC), which is one method used to estimate the possible productivity, and therefore economic feasibility, of drilling a well. More recently, degree of pyritization has been another method utilized in answering this same question. This method has even been referenced as the standard to compare geochemical paleo-redox proxies and is based on the idea that the preservation of organic matter is affected by the degree of bottom-water oxygenation. Oxic environments are less favorable for organic matter preservation, whereas anoxic-euxinic conditions are more conducive of organic matter preservation. However, the degree of pyritization method does not distinguish between anoxic and euxinic conditions and it is based upon the assumption that the sulfur values measured in the lab had exclusively a pyritic source. This leads to the following questions: “Are there environments in which degree of pyritization should not be held as the standard method for comparing geochemical paleo-redox conditions?” and “What method(s) can be used to confirm that the degree of pyritization method should be used for a specific set of samples?” The focus of this research was to compare 34 samples from a Marcellus Shale core taken from a producing well in West Virginia to 50 samples from the modern Sluice Pond in Lynn, Massachusetts. The Marcellus Shale core represents an oil and gas play that has proven to be economical. In this study it acts as the industry standard to which the Sluice Pond is being compared. The primary methods used for this comparison were (1) degree of pyritization and (2) framboidal pyrite size and abundance. These two methods allowed for relationships to be drawn between pyritic iron (Fepyr), acid soluble iron, (Fesol) pyritic sulfur (Spy (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeremy Williams (Advisor); Joseph Ortiz (Committee Member); David Singer (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Chemical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

A systematic investigation of pitting failure of mild steel in marginally sour environments was performed with the objective of understanding and predicting the occurrence of localized corrosion. While localized corrosion can happen due to a variety of reasons, recent work has shown that mild steel was particularly susceptible to pitting in environments containing traces of H2S (ppm level in the gas phase, which equates to ppb level of dissolved O2 in the liquid phase) of H2S. Relevant research works related to localized corrosion of mild steel exposed to O2, CO2 and H2S containing aqueous environments were carefully reviewed and a critical comparison was performed, identifying experimental methodologies, common mechanisms and gaps in understanding. A comprehensive parametric study was conducted to identify the operating parameters controlling the occurrence of localized corrosion in marginally sour environments. As a result, pitting was found to occur under the following conditions: 0 mbar < pH2S < 0.15 mbar, pCO2 > 0 bar, temperature < 60C, bulk pH < 6, on X65 mild steel (not on pure iron), in NaCl concentrations of 0, 1, and 10 wt.%, with 3 ppb(w) < [O2]aq < 40 ppb(w). Surface analysis (FIB-TEM-SAED-PED) identified a typically 200 nm thick, porous, detached, and partially oxidized amorphous mackinawite layer precipitated within a Fe3C network. The role of O2 was further investigated to explain the unexpected presence of oxides in the corrosion product layer. Initially, FeS was thought to have been oxidized during the post processing analysis. However, in situ Raman microscopy later showed that oxygen ingress during the experiment was the origin of iron oxide formation. In addition, when [O2]aq < 3 ppb(w), neither corrosion product precipitation nor pitting was observed on the steel surface in any conditions tested, while the uniform corrosion rate remained low. In this case, the protectiveness was due to the presence of a very thin FeS chemisorbed layer. In the p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marc Singer (Advisor) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Materials Science

Master of Science in Engineering, Youngstown State University, 2020, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The effectiveness of The Six Sigma Breakthrough Management strategy was evaluated in the oil and gas industry, specifically at Vallourec Star. Statistical and process analysis were utilized to investigate the cause and effect relationship of input and output variables during the seamless rolling process. Implementation of the Six Sigma Breakthrough Management strategy has yielded significant results in various industries but there are not many examples of successful deployments in the oil and gas industry, more specifically in a seamless tube mill. Six Sigma was studied, adapted and deployed to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry and Vallourec Star. The adaptations included piloting on a high impact, high visibility opportunity within the seamless rolling mill. The chosen approach prioritized a hybrid bottom up and top down strategy rather than the traditional top down only approach adopted by more mature industries. Six Sigma has proven as an effective problem-solving methodology for the oil and gas industry and was successfully implemented. Vallourec Star was able to reduce pipe related defects by 70% while following the Six Sigma methodology.

Committee: Martin Cala PhD (Committee Chair); Darrell Wallace PhD (Committee Member); Nazanin Naderi PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Industrial Engineering; Statistics

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Chemical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The treatment of produced water (hereafter referred to as brine) from oil/gas reservoirs will prove a significant cost burden for producers; the U.S. produced 21 billion barrels of this waste in 2019 alone. Reinjection is the traditional management method; however, the availability of injection disposal is dependent on the location of the well, and is potentially unavailable when the well is remote. Average disposal costs can reach up to $8.00·bbl-1, with costs increasing with brine salinity. A portion of this study discusses a novel technique employed to treat high salinity brines, called supercritical water desalination (SCWD). This technique utilized favorable characteristics of water near the pseudocritical point to separate dissolved solids. Two scenarios were considered in a techno-economic analysis; one which removed all dissolved solids from the brine (termed “zero liquid discharge” (ZLD), the other concentrated brine to reduce liquid waste volume. For high salinities, this technique was shown to be economically feasible with costs ranging from $3.49 to $17.28·bbl-1 in an expanded sensitivity analysis. Additionally, this study considered the thermodynamic characteristics of a binary system of CaCl2-H2O to assist in brine modeling efforts for future studies. A series of correlations were presented to describe the critical line, vapor-liquid equilibria, specific volume and enthalpy for CaCl¬2-H2O. The correlations were augmented by additional specific heat data obtained at pseudocritical condition, allowing for further tuning of the specific enthalpy correlation.

Committee: Jason Trembly (Advisor); Natalie Kruse-Daniels (Committee Member); Sumit Sharma (Committee Member); Guy Riefler (Committee Member); Marc Singer (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2019, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

Due to recent innovations with horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, the oil and gas industry has witnessed significant growth in the State of Ohio. This growth has resulted in large trucks using county roads that were originally not designed to support such volumes or loads. This study focuses on damages caused to local roads in Ohio as a result of the unplanned increase in truck traffic. Ohio Senate Bill 315 requires that energy development companies enter a Road User Maintenance Agreement (RUMA) prior to obtaining a drilling permit. However, no clear guidance is available on this topic-how to implement? What constitutes a RUMA? etc. To explore this topic, a survey was developed to understand the usage of RUMAs in Ohio. Using the survey results, further in-depth interviews were carried out with select local officials with the hope of generating a RUMA best practice matrix which can be used as a guidance tool by local officials. Additionally, this study also developed a Finite Element model using ABAQUS CAE with the purpose of finding the Equivalent Axle Load Factor (EALF) for a typical county road in Ohio using data from previously done studies. Here, amount of possible repetitive passes to cause fatigue cracking and permanent deformation was studied. Using the results obtained, along with pavement repair and maintenance costs for local roads that were provided by ODOT District 10 pavement engineers, the study predicts the number of trucks that can pass on a typical road section until pavement failure occurs as part of a life cycle cost analysis.

Committee: Issam Khoury Ph.D. (Advisor); Naik Bhaven Ph.D. (Committee Member); Daniel Che Ph.D. (Committee Member); Luke Pittaway Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2019, Civil Engineering

Radon (Rn) is an inert radioactive gas, which is tasteless, colorless, and odorless and is the densest gas ever known that naturally occurs from the decay of uranium. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Radon-222 is proved to be carcinogenic to humans. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) observes that roughly 21,000 lung cancer death cases in the United States every year are pertinent to Radon. The more significant part of Ohio's counties is recorded as either Zone 1 or Zone 2 (Highest and Moderate potential, individually). Researchers assume that Radon might have a relationship with Both Oil and Gas wells and Uranium Ores individually. The Ohio Oil and Gas Wells underlies the eastern portion of Ohio and the northwest corner of the state. Wherever the shale outcrops at the surface, it represents a potential wellbeing risk. As a result of the short half-life of radon-222 (3.82 days), it is required that the source rock is near the surface (likely under 10 m) all together for noteworthy measures of the gas to survive the upward trek. This project aims to determine the effect of Uranium deposits and Oil wells on the Radon concentration values measured by various Radon testing companies in the state of Ohio. This study is done in a way that, only the closest Uranium Ore deposits and Oils wells are considered for each Radon concentration value. However, the relationship for the wells should be further examined using geology. Different methodologies were implied to find the correlation, such as co-location quotient (CLQ), Ordinary Least Square regression (OLS), Spatial Lag, and Spatial Error methods. By using these methods, this thesis report shows the efforts in defining radon concentration and its spread is very much dependent on the Oil and Gas wells drilled in its vicinity and also to prove that the presence of Uranium ore significantly increases the radon concentration measured in the households in its reg (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ashok Kumar (Committee Chair); Yanqing Xu (Committee Co-Chair); Liangbo Hu (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Geography

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2019, History

Oil was discovered in northwest Ohio in 1885. Men came from Pennsylvania and the oil boom was born. Towns appeared and disappeared overnight, and they were often known for a proliferation of saloons, houses of ill repute, and gambling. Derricks littered these towns and posed safety hazards. However, some oil towns were different. In 1890 Gibsonburg, in Sandusky County, Ohio, passed laws prohibiting the drilling of oil wells within 300 feet of a residence. Their efforts revealed environmentalist tendencies decades before it became a national concern. The reforming spirit found in Gibsonburg's residents continued and those early efforts set a precedent for further activism. In 1983 a local lime plant closed its doors and was slated for sale to the Gibsonburg Lime Company who would incinerate polychlorinated biphenyls, a known human carcinogen, as fuel. Many Gibsonburg residents quickly formed a group to oppose the plan. Their timely action resulted in the cancellation of the sale. In both instances, residents resisted the allure of money and jobs to keep themselves and their environment safe. This underscores the lengthy history of environmental activism in Gibsonburg, particularly related to petroleum and the petrochemical industries.

Committee: Michael Brooks Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Andrew Hershberger Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

The arctic is no longer out of reach of man kind. Through an analysis of the land, people, and future, the opportunity for prospective development in the arctic is evident. In recent years, all eyes have begun to shift northward, not only in aspects of environmental consciousness, but also in aspects of political dominance and resource attainment. As the sea ice is beginning to retreat closer to the north pole, the arctic waters are becoming more navigable, opening the door for the Northern Sea Route shipping lanes and dissolving the natural boundary that once prevented the extraction industry from tapping the wealth that laid dormant beneath. For the purpose of this thesis, the moral, political, and ecological questions of oil and gas extraction in the arctic will not be answered. Instead, this thesis will resolve the future problem of housing within small arctic towns, as the extraction industry will begin to draw thousands of people into the most remote reaches on earth. Hammerfest, Norway, was among the first arctic villages to give birth to the oil and gas industry, and saw a temporary population increase of 3,500 construction workers virtually overnight, as they arrived from all over the world to construct a liquid natural gas processing plant in 2005. Following the completion of the processing plant, the town then transitioned from 3,500 temporary workers to 2,000 new permanent residents which filled the employment opportunities provided by the processing plant. This increased growth was successfully absorbed by Hammerfest, which had a population of 8,000 before the emergence of the extraction industry. However, the same will not hold true for Upernavik, Greenland, a barren island with a population of only 1000, and who's western shoreline was just opened to the oil and gas extraction industry. This thesis will develop a system for Upernavik to withstand the same growth that Hammerfest experienced, by proposing a new housing typology which capitalizes on the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Aarati Kanekar Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Chemical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

Pipeline corrosion in upstream oil and gas production and transmission facilities is a major design and maintenance concern. Corrosion in such environments is, to the most part, the results of the presence of an aqueous phase containing weak acids such as carboxylic acids, carbonic acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The proper understanding of encountered corrosion processes and reliable predicted corrosion rates are essential for major design decisions relating to material selection, pipe wall thickness allowance and adoption of appropriate maintenance procedures, such as use of corrosion inhibitors and frequency of in-line inspections. The health, safety, and environmental impact of possible failures and the significant economic burden of maintenance has been the driving force for the better understanding of corrosion mechanisms and more accurate and reliable corrosion rate predictions. The present study is focused on improving the mechanistic understanding of the corrosion process in such environments and further use of the developed knowledge to improve the prediction of corrosion rate. In this regard, the fundamental mechanisms of corrosion in the presence of all the major corrosive species, specifically, carboxylic acids, carbonic acid, and hydrogen sulfide, are discussed. In contrast to the commonly accepted corrosion mechanisms involving these species, the findings in the present study suggest that they are not directly reduced during the corrosion process. The high corrosivity of such environments was therefore determined to be the result of their chemical dissociation at the vicinity of the metal surface that acts as an additional source for hydrogen ions. The findings of the present study showed that corrosion of mild steel in such environments is in fact a much simpler process than it was believed previously, and in electrochemical sense it is no different from steel corrosion in acidic solutions. That is of great significance, both in terms of the general (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Srdjan Nesic Dr. (Advisor); Marc Singer Dr. (Committee Member); John Staser Dr. (Committee Member); Dina Lopez Dr. (Committee Member); Howard Dewald Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Chemical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

As geologic environments associated with oil and gas production have become increasingly aggressive, aqueous corrosion at high temperatures in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is more frequently encountered. The understanding of sour corrosion mechanisms is an important but still largely elusive target, especially at high temperatures. The purpose of this project is to explore the thermodynamics and kinetics of H2S corrosion at high temperature, and to develop a thermodynamic model to predict the corrosion product layer formation, as well as a mechanistic kinetic model to predict the corrosion rate of mild steel at high temperature in the presence of H2S. The first part of the project focused on the development of experimental and safety procedures to investigate layer formation and corrosion mechanisms in high temperature environments. This included the development and validation of a water chemistry model for a closed system especially designed to properly control the experimental parameters. In the second part of this project, the effects of temperature (80~200°C), exposure time (1~21 days), and partial pressure of H2S (0.1~2.0 bar) were thoroughly investigated. Significant and somehow unexpected findings were obtained: A Fe3O4 layer was always identified on the steel surface although this type of corrosion products was thermodynamically less stable than FeS. Fe3O4 formed very fast at the initial stage of corrosion and was responsible for the quick decrease of the corrosion rate. The Fe3O4 layer experienced a continuous process of formation (due to corrosion at the steel/Fe3O4 interface) and conversion to iron sulfide (at the Fe3O4/FeS interface). The transformation of the outer iron sulfide layer was also observed at high temperature and thoroughly documented for the first time. The general transformation sequence was identified as mackinawite, troilite, pyrrhotite, pyrite. With the increase of temperature, time, and partial pressure of H2S, iron sul (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marc Singer (Advisor); Srdjan Nesic (Committee Member); Dina Lopez (Committee Member); Jason Trembly (Committee Member); Rebecca Barlag (Committee Member); David Young (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

Master of Science, Miami University, 2018, Geology and Environmental Earth Science

Evaluation of the Upper Devonian (Famennian Stage) lower Huron Member in the north-central Appalachian Basin has revealed 4th-order cyclicity that can be correlated in subsurface geophysical well logs across Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. Correlations consist of 21 parasequence-set cycles bounded by sequence boundaries, identified by low gamma ray log values. Trends in lithofacies, color, and total organic carbon identified from a core support sequence stratigraphic interpretation from geophysical well logs. Sequence trends show that the lower Huron Member can be divided into three separate sequence sets corresponding to different stages of basin development throughout the Late Devonian. Sequence sets include an initial transgressive stage exhibiting increases in stratigraphically condensed intervals to an overall regressive stage with increased erosional truncation of older sequences. Further, geochemical analysis using total organic carbon, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, vitrinite reflectance, and gas chromatography data from the lower Huron Member show that hydrocarbon generation likely occurred in eastern Ohio, northeastern Kentucky, and western West Virginia. Study results increase the area of lower Huron Member hydrocarbon generative potential relative to previous studies.

Committee: Brian Currie PhD. (Advisor); Michael Brudzinski PhD. (Committee Member); Mark Krekeler PhD. (Committee Member) Subjects: Energy; Geology; Sedimentary Geology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Since 2006 electricity generation from coal-fired power plants has been on the decline, while in the same time-frame electricity generation from natural gas and renewables has been steadily increasing. In fact, in 2016 natural gas surpassed coal as the leading fuel for electricity generation at the utility scale, per the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This shift in the energy sector has had significant implications for Central Appalachian counties which have been dependent on the coal industry as a staple of their local economies. This shift represents the bust in a typical boom-and-bust cycle that accompanies natural resource extraction industries, albeit more likely to be lasting. Given these trends in US energy markets, there is a need to understand foundational elements that may support coal-impacted counties to transition their local economies to ones that are more resilient to such volatility and sustainable in the long-run. The researcher tested the following supposition: from 2006 to 2016 the following may have been positively associated with change in economic performance over time: higher levels of economic diversification, higher levels of educational attainment, higher levels of social capital (measured by community engagement), and the use of public policy approaches that support post-coal economic development. Using ordinal logistic regression, the researcher examined the effects of these county-level variables on the net change in Appalachian Regional Commission-reported economic status levels during the coal industry's most recent downturn from 2006 to 2016. Additionally, the researcher collected survey responses from county commissioners in coal-impacted counties of Central and North Central Appalachia to examine policy processes used to address economic redevelopment given recent energy market trends. This study found that both economic diversification and the concentration of non-profit organizations (a measure of social capital) were st (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Derek Kauneckis (Committee Chair); Daniel Karney (Committee Member); Jason Jolley (Committee Member) Subjects: Alternative Energy; Area Planning and Development; Climate Change; Economic Theory; Economics; Energy; Environmental Studies; Natural Resource Management; Public Administration; Sustainability

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2018, Welding Engineering

Throughout the oil and gas industry, dissimilar metal welds (DMW) between high strength low alloy steels and nickel base alloys are used to join pipes particularly for service in subsea environment. Using a DMW combines the high strength of carbon steel at a low price while the nickel base alloy provides corrosion resistance to the subsea environment and internal fluids being produced. Corrosive protection is provided using cathodic protection (CP) in which sacrificial anodes corrode preferentially. Failure of DMWs under these conditions have been reported in a variety of welds. Failure occurs at the dissimilar metal interface costing the operating company millions of dollars in repair and downtime. The cracking mechanism for these failures is hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC). Hydrogen generated on the pipe surface as a result of the cathodic reaction penetrates the metal lattice and makes its way to the weld interface. Failures has been experienced in a variety of welds which has led to the investigation in determining which welds are most/least susceptible to hydrogen assisted cracking. Several variables determine weld characteristics such as material combination, welding process, post weld heat treatment (PWHT), and joint geometry/interface. These factors will influence the microstructure found at the fusion boundary, which can be detrimental to HAC susceptibility. The susceptibility to HAC of four welds produced with characteristically different variables were evaluated in this study. To achieve this goal, the project was broken into two parts: 1) metallurgical characterization of the welds, which included hardness mapping, microstructural quantifications and identifying chemical compositions along the fusion boundary; 2) ranking the susceptibility to HAC based on the time to failure criterion using the delayed hydrogen cracking test (DHCT) developed at The Ohio State University. The DHCT will identify which welds/interfaces are most susceptible, while the char (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Boian Alexandrov (Advisor); Carolin Fink (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Materials Science; Metallurgy

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2018, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

Shale oil and gas extraction technology has caused a large shift in the United States energy landscape over the last decade. While many studies have focused on the economic and environmental impact of shale development, few have examined social changes brought by resource extraction. I examine the influence of shale oil and gas employment as a share of overall county employment on county marriage, divorce, and cohabitation rates. I find evidence of decreased marriage rates and increased divorced rates from 2009-2014, driven largely by nonmetro counties. Implications are discussed.

Committee: Michael Betz (Advisor); Anastasia Snyder (Advisor) Subjects: Demographics; Demography; Energy; Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Mining; Social Research

Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, 2017, Mechanical Engineering

The primary objective of this research is to visualize and investigate characteristics of fluid flow around Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bit. Drill bits are crucial for proper drilling applications, and they should have efficient hydraulic properties to avoid bit balling (accumulation of cuttings near bit nozzles), improper hole cleaning and low impact velocity. Three different design features have been compared and discussed regarding higher velocity and smaller vorticity magnitude at specific depths. Because of the expensiveness of experimental studies, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been used for simulation of different drill bit design parameters. Momentum, continuity, and transport equations have been solved numerically in case of turbulent flow. Numerical solution of the model by finite-volume method ANSYS FLUENT commercial code has been used. Newtonian flow condition is preferred with k-w turbulence model for modeling of PDC drill bit flow field. Firstly, different blade depths of PDC drill bit, secondly different nozzle diameters of PDC drill bit and lastly different number of nozzles have been compared for one drill bit regarding velocity and vorticity at specific depths L1=10mm, L2=20mm.

Committee: Guo-Xiang Wang Dr. (Advisor); Scott Sawyer Dr. (Committee Member); Chang Ye Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mechanical Engineering