James E. Atwater

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James E. Atwater (born September 22, 1946) is a retired North American multidisciplinary physical scientist with training in geophysics, chemistry, and biological science. Atwater holds courtesy faculty appointments with the University of Oregon Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, [1] and the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University [2] On ResearchGate [3] he has accumulated a score for Research Interest of 385.8 with a total of 674 citations of his peer-reviewed publications, as of June 8, 2022. He was awarded the Wright Brothers Medal [4] for his work on microwave-powered methods for microbial stabilization and water recovery from solid waste. Atwater served in the United States Marine Corps (1963–1967) prior to attending the University of Utah (1968–1975) and University at Albany (1975).

In his early career (1977–1980), Atwater concentrated on methods and instrumentation for identification and quantification of radionuclides associated with uranium exploration and recovery by gamma-ray and alpha particle energy spectrometry. Subsequently, (1980–1987) he applied radiometric geophysical well logging techniques to the characterization of sandstone, limestone, dolomite and shale core samples. [5] At this time he also refined methods for the determination of porosity and permeability of unconsolidated bitumen and heavy oil bearing sands. Later Atwater's attention turned to problems of long-term human presence in space, working on regenerable systems for water and air purification, [6] and means for decomposition and stabilization of solid waste materials and recovery of useful resources therefrom. [7]

During these years Atwater and colleagues also developed novel sensors and analytical instrumentation for monitoring and control of life support systems. [8] In addition to instrumentation and methods, much of this work entailed the development of novel materials [9] and the characterization of material properties, particularly with respect to magnetic [10] and broadband microwave dielectric phenomena. [11] Other research includes the study of multiphase immiscible fluid flow in porous media, and the recovery of hydrogen from methane (natural gas) using magnetically stabilized fluidized bed and microwave plasma reactors. [12] Though in retirement, Atwater continues his association with former colleagues, providing theoretical analysis of experimental data and preparation of materials for publication.

Family

Atwater is the son of the noted avalanche control pioneer and author Montgomery Atwater; the grandson of Maxwell Atwater, the first mining engineer to employ flotation hydrometallurgy in North America; and the grandson of Mary Meigs Atwater, the "Dean of American Hand Weaving". Other notable family members include his great aunt Cornelia Meigs, a noted teacher historian and novelist; his great grandfather Montgomery C. Meigs Jr., an accomplished civil engineer; and his great-great grandfather Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, a military and civil engineer, Quartermaster General of the Army during the American Civil War, and one of those present at the death bed of President Abraham Lincoln

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dielectric</span> Electrically insulating substance able to be polarised by an applied electric field

In electromagnetism, a dielectric is an electrical insulator that can be polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the material as they do in an electrical conductor, because they have no loosely bound, or free, electrons that may drift through the material, but instead they shift, only slightly, from their average equilibrium positions, causing dielectric polarisation. Because of dielectric polarisation, positive charges are displaced in the direction of the field and negative charges shift in the direction opposite to the field. This creates an internal electric field that reduces the overall field within the dielectric itself. If a dielectric is composed of weakly bonded molecules, those molecules not only become polarised, but also reorient so that their symmetry axes align to the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gasification</span> Form of energy conversion

Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2). This is achieved by reacting the feedstock material at high temperatures (typically >700 °C), without combustion, via controlling the amount of oxygen and/or steam present in the reaction. The resulting gas mixture is called syngas (from synthesis gas) or producer gas and is itself a fuel due to the flammability of the H2 and CO of which the gas is largely composed. Power can be derived from the subsequent combustion of the resultant gas, and is considered to be a source of renewable energy if the gasified compounds were obtained from biomass feedstock.

A supercritical fluid (SCF) is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical point, where distinct liquid and gas phases do not exist, but below the pressure required to compress it into a solid. It can effuse through porous solids like a gas, overcoming the mass transfer limitations that slow liquid transport through such materials. SCF are superior to gases in their ability to dissolve materials like liquids or solids. Also, near the critical point, small changes in pressure or temperature result in large changes in density, allowing many properties of a supercritical fluid to be "fine-tuned".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metamaterial</span> Materials engineered to have properties that have not yet been found in nature

A metamaterial is any material engineered to have a property that is rarely observed in naturally occurring materials. They are made from assemblies of multiple elements fashioned from composite materials such as metals and plastics. These materials are usually arranged in repeating patterns, at scales that are smaller than the wavelengths of the phenomena they influence. Metamaterials derive their properties not from the properties of the base materials, but from their newly designed structures. Their precise shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement gives them their smart properties capable of manipulating electromagnetic waves: by blocking, absorbing, enhancing, or bending waves, to achieve benefits that go beyond what is possible with conventional materials.

In physics and engineering, a constitutive equation or constitutive relation is a relation between two or more physical quantities that is specific to a material or substance or field, and approximates its response to external stimuli, usually as applied fields or forces. They are combined with other equations governing physical laws to solve physical problems; for example in fluid mechanics the flow of a fluid in a pipe, in solid state physics the response of a crystal to an electric field, or in structural analysis, the connection between applied stresses or loads to strains or deformations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluidization</span> Conversion of a granular material from a solid-like to liquid-like state

Fluidization is a process similar to liquefaction whereby a granular material is converted from a static solid-like state to a dynamic fluid-like state. This process occurs when a fluid is passed up through the granular material.

The Fischer–Tropsch process (FT) is a collection of chemical reactions that converts a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, known as syngas, into liquid hydrocarbons. These reactions occur in the presence of metal catalysts, typically at temperatures of 150–300 °C (302–572 °F) and pressures of one to several tens of atmospheres. The Fischer–Tropsch process is an important reaction in both coal liquefaction and gas to liquids technology for producing liquid hydrocarbons.

In physics, energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. It is sometimes confused with energy per unit mass which is properly called specific energy or gravimetric energy density.

Microwave spectroscopy is the spectroscopy method that employs microwaves, i.e. electromagnetic radiation at GHz frequencies, for the study of matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dielectric heating</span> Heating using radio waves

Dielectric heating, also known as electronic heating, radio frequency heating, and high-frequency heating, is the process in which a radio frequency (RF) alternating electric field, or radio wave or microwave electromagnetic radiation heats a dielectric material. At higher frequencies, this heating is caused by molecular dipole rotation within the dielectric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluid catalytic cracking</span> Petroleum conversion process

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is the conversion process used in petroleum refineries to convert the high-boiling point, high-molecular weight hydrocarbon fractions of petroleum into gasoline, alkene gases, and other petroleum products. The cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons was originally done by thermal cracking, now virtually replaced by catalytic cracking, which yields greater volumes of high octane rating gasoline; and produces by-product gases, with more carbon-carbon double bonds, that are of greater economic value than the gases produced by thermal cracking.

Level sensors detect the level of liquids and other fluids and fluidized solids, including slurries, granular materials, and powders that exhibit an upper free surface. Substances that flow become essentially horizontal in their containers because of gravity whereas most bulk solids pile at an angle of repose to a peak. The substance to be measured can be inside a container or can be in its natural form. The level measurement can be either continuous or point values. Continuous level sensors measure level within a specified range and determine the exact amount of substance in a certain place, while point-level sensors only indicate whether the substance is above or below the sensing point. Generally the latter detect levels that are excessively high or low.

A nonthermal plasma, cold plasma or non-equilibrium plasma is a plasma which is not in thermodynamic equilibrium, because the electron temperature is much hotter than the temperature of heavy species. As only electrons are thermalized, their Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution is very different from the ion velocity distribution. When one of the velocities of a species does not follow a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, the plasma is said to be non-Maxwellian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Brothers Medal</span> Award

The Wright Brothers Medal was conceived of in 1924 by the Dayton Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the SAE established it in 1927 to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions in the engineering, design, development, or operation of air and space vehicles. The award is based on contributed research papers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ISS ECLSS</span> Life support system for the International Space Station

The International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is a life support system that provides or controls atmospheric pressure, fire detection and suppression, oxygen levels, waste management and water supply. The highest priority for the ECLSS is the ISS atmosphere, but the system also collects, processes, and stores both waste and water produced and used by the crew—a process that recycles fluid from the sink, shower, toilet, and condensation from the air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of metamaterials</span>

The history of metamaterials begins with artificial dielectrics in microwave engineering as it developed just after World War II. Yet, there are seminal explorations of artificial materials for manipulating electromagnetic waves at the end of the 19th century. Hence, the history of metamaterials is essentially a history of developing certain types of manufactured materials, which interact at radio frequency, microwave, and later optical frequencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobalt extraction</span>

Cobalt extraction refers to the techniques used to extract cobalt from its ores and other compound ores. Several methods exist for the separation of cobalt from copper and nickel. They depend on the concentration of cobalt and the exact composition of the ore used.

Nuclear gas-core-reactor rockets can provide much higher specific impulse than solid core nuclear rockets because their temperature limitations are in the nozzle and core wall structural temperatures, which are distanced from the hottest regions of the gas core. Consequently, nuclear gas core reactors can provide much higher temperatures to the propellant. Solid core nuclear thermal rockets can develop higher specific impulse than conventional chemical rockets due to the low molecular weight of a hydrogen propellant, but their operating temperatures are limited by the maximum temperature of the solid core because the reactor's temperatures cannot rise above its components' lowest melting temperature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planar transmission line</span> Transmission lines with flat ribbon-like conducting or dielectric lines

Planar transmission lines are transmission lines with conductors, or in some cases dielectric (insulating) strips, that are flat, ribbon-shaped lines. They are used to interconnect components on printed circuits and integrated circuits working at microwave frequencies because the planar type fits in well with the manufacturing methods for these components. Transmission lines are more than simply interconnections. With simple interconnections, the propagation of the electromagnetic wave along the wire is fast enough to be considered instantaneous, and the voltages at each end of the wire can be considered identical. If the wire is longer than a large fraction of a wavelength, these assumptions are no longer true and transmission line theory must be used instead. With transmission lines, the geometry of the line is precisely controlled so that its electrical behaviour is highly predictable. At lower frequencies, these considerations are only necessary for the cables connecting different pieces of equipment, but at microwave frequencies the distance at which transmission line theory becomes necessary is measured in millimetres. Hence, transmission lines are needed within circuits.

Three-dimensional electrical capacitance tomography also known as electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT) is a non-invasive 3D imaging technology applied primarily to multiphase flows. Was introduced in the early 2000s as an extension of the conventional two-dimensional ECT. In conventional electrical capacitance tomography, sensor plates are distributed around a surface of interest. Measured capacitance between plate combinations is used to reconstruct 2D images (tomograms) of material distribution. Because the ECT sensor plates are required to have lengths on the order of the domain cross-section, 2D ECT does not provide the required resolution in the axial dimension. In ECT, the fringing field from the edges of the plates is viewed as a source of distortion to the final reconstructed image and is thus mitigated by guard electrodes. 3D ECT exploits this fringing field and expands it through 3D sensor designs that deliberately establish an electric field variation in all three dimensions. In 3D tomography, the data are acquired in 3D geometry, and the reconstruction algorithm produces the three-dimensional image directly, in contrast to 2D tomography, where 3D information might be obtained by stacking 2D slices reconstructed individually.

References

  1. "Find People | University of Oregon". Uoregon.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  2. "Online Directory, Oregon State University". Directory.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  3. "James E. Atwater". ResearchGate .
  4. "List of Wright Brothers Medal recipients", Society of Automotive Engineers. Retrieved June 2, 2008. Award citation: "Development and Testing of a Microwave Powered Solid Waste Stabilization and Water Recovery System"
  5. Atwater, J.E., Spectrometric Gamma Ray Logging of Core, Canadian Well Logging Society Journal 13(1), 29–39, 1984.
    - Matiisen, A., and Atwater, J.E., "An Overview of Computer-Enhanced Analyses of Core Data", Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology23(3), 57–62, 1984.
    - Atwater, J.E., "Correlation of Cation Exchange Capacity with Core Spectral Gamma Ray Logs", SPWLA 27th Annual Logging Symposium, Paper QQ, pp 1–16, 1986.
    - Codding, E.G., and Atwater, J.E., "Application of Core Hydrocarbon Logging", Proceedings of the 37th Annual Technical Meeting of the Petroleum Society of CIM, Paper No. 86–37–20, pp 273–284, 1986.
  6. Atwater, J.E., and Holtsnider, J.T., "Airborne Trace Organic Contaminant Removal Using Thermally Regenerable Multi-Media Layered Sorbents", SAE Transactions, Journal of Aerospace 100, 1726–1733, 1991.
    - Atwater, J.E., Wheeler, R.R.,Jr., Olivadoti, J.T., Flanagan, D.T. and Sauer, R.L., "Regenerable Microbial Check Valve: Life Cycle Tests Results", SAE Transactions, Journal of Aerospace 101, 1098–1107, 1992.
    - Atwater, J.E., "Thermodynamics of the Oxidation of Dissolved Organic Contaminants in Shuttle Orbiter Humidity Condensates", Journal of Environmental Science & HealthA30 (4), 817–830, 1995.
    - Schussel, L.J., and Atwater, J.E., "A Continuous Alcohol Oxidase Bioreactor for Regenerative Life Support", Enzyme and Microbial Technology18 (3), 229–235, 1996.
    - Atwater, J.E., Holtsnider, J.T., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., and Luna, B., "Microwave-Powered Thermal Regeneration of Sorbents for CO2, Water Vapor and Trace Organic Contaminants", SAE Technical Paper Series No. 972430, presented at 27th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, July 14–17, 1997.
    - Wheeler, R.R., Jr., Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., Holtsnider, J.T., and Luna, B., "Development and Testing of a Microwave Powered Regenerable Air Purification Technology Demonstrator", SAE Technical Paper 2002-01-2403, presented at 32nd International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Antonio, Texas, July 15–18, 2002.
  7. Sornchamni, T., Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., and Jovanovic, G.N., "Magnetically Assisted Filtration for Solid Waste Separation and Concentration in Microgravity and Hypogravity", Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research44(24), 9199–9207, 2005.
    - Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., Dahl, R.W., Hadley, N.M., Jovanovic, G.N., and Fisher, J.W., "Magnetically Assisted Gasification of Solid Wastes: Comparison of Reaction Strategies", SAE Paper No. 2005-01-3081, presented 35th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Rome, July 11–14, 2005.
  8. Atwater, J.E., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., Sauer, R.L., and Schultz, J.R., "A Multiplexed Four Channel On-Line Iodine Monitor", Instrumentation Science and Technology22 (3), 217–229, 1994.
    - Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., DeHart, J., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "'Reagentless' Flow Analysis Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide by Electrocatalyzed Luminol Chemiluminescence", Analytical Letters30(1), 21–31, 1997.
    - Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., DeHart, J., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "Enzymatic Determination of Ethanol using 'Reagentless' Electrocatalyzed Luminol Chemiluminescence", Analytical Letters30 (8), 1445–1453, 1997.
  9. Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., Wang, T.-C., Kimura, S., and Johnson, D.C., "Preparation of Silicon Carbide Coated Activated Carbon Using a High Temperature Fluidized Bed Reactor", Chemical Engineering Science56(8), 2685–2693, 2001.
  10. Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., Jovanovic, G.N., and Sornchamni, T., "Preparation of Metallic Cobalt and Cobalt-Barium Titanate Spheres as High Temperature Media for Magnetically Stabilized Fluidized Bed Reactors", Journal of Materials Science Letters20(6), 487–488, 2001.
    - Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., Jovanovic, G.N., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., and Sornchamni, T., "Porous Cobalt Spheres for High Temperature Gradient Magnetically Assisted Fluidized Beds", Materials Research Bulletin 38, 395–407, 2003.
    - Sornchamni, T., Jovanovic, G.N., Reed, B.P., Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "Operation of Magnetically Assisted Fluidized Beds in Microgravity and Variable Gravity: Experiment and Theory", Advances in Space Research 34, 1494–1498, 2004.
    - Jovanovic, G.N., Sornchamni, T., Atwater, J.E., Akse, J.R., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "Magnetically Assisted Liquid-Solid Fluidization in Normal and Microgravity Conditions: Experiment and Theory", Powder Technology148, 80–91, 2004.
    - Atwater, J.E., and Akse, J.R., "Cobalt – Poly(amido amine) Superparamagnetic Nanocomposites", Materials Letters 62, 3131–3134, 2008.
  11. Atwater, J.E., "Complex Dielectric Permittivities of the Ag2O – Ag2CO3 System at Microwave Frequencies and Temperatures between 22*C and 189*C", Applied Physics A 75, 555–558, 2002.
    - Atwater, J.E., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "Complex Permittivities and Dielectric Relaxation of Granular Activated Carbons at Microwave Frequencies between 0.2 and 26 GHz", Carbon41(9), 1801–1807, 2003.
    - Atwater, J.E., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "Temperature Dependent Complex Permittivities of Graphitized Carbon Blacks at Microwave Frequencies Between 0.2 and 26 GHz", Journal of Materials Science39(1), 151–157, 2004.
    - Atwater, J.E., and Wheeler, R.R., Jr., "Microwave Permittivity and Dielectric Relaxation of a High Surface Area Activated Carbon", Applied Physics A 79, 125–129, 2004.
  12. Atwater, J.E., Wheeler, R.R., Jr., Hadley, N.M., Dahl, R.W., and Carrasquillo, R.L., "Hydrogen Recovery by Methane Decomposition in a Microwave Plasma Reactor", SAE International Journal of Aerospace 1, 337–346, 2009.