The Impact of Thermal Coupling on Catalyst Behavior in Wall-Coated Heat-Exchanger Microreactors

This thesis presents a numerical study of reaction and diffusion phenomena in wall-coated heat-exchanger microreactors. Specifically, the interactions between an endothermic and exothermic catalyst layer separated by an impermeable wall is studied to understand the inherent behavior of the system. Two modeling approaches are presented, the first under the assumption of a constant thermal gradient and neglecting heat of reaction and the second considering both catalyst layers and reaction heat. Both studies found that thicker, more thermally insulating catalyst layers increase the effectiveness of the exothermic reaction by allowing for accumulation of reaction heat while thinner catalyst layers for the endothermic catalyst allow for direct access of the reactant to higher wall temperatures.

The Framework of Trade in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

This paper establishes an overview of the variables and constraints that affected trade in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. It explores the origins of COMECON, the demographic and resource distribution of the member nations, and the role of trade in a centrally planned economy. The paper’s primary focus is on the emergence of a bilateral trade structure, the faulty price mechanism, and the nonconvertibility of currencies. The paper documents the origins and relationships between the constraints of trade within COMECON, and argues that ultimately, these constraints prevented COMECON from fully achieving its economic objectives.

Private Property, Public Use, and Just Compensation: The Economics of Eminent Domain

The eminent domain clause of the U.S. Constitution concerns the limits of the government's right to take private property for public use. The economic literature on this issue has examined (1) the proper scope of this power as embodied by the 'public use' requirement, (2) the appropriate definition, and implications, of 'just compensation,' and (3) the impact of eminent domain on land use incentives of owners whose land is subject to a taking risk. This essay reviews this literature and draws implications for our understanding of eminent domain law.