Hydrologic design aid for urban grass filter strips

A set of generalised charts are presented in this article as a design aid for hydrologic sizing of grass filter strips. The charts express the volume of runoff and the peak flow rate from a grass strip and the residence time in terms of the size and surface and subsurface characteristics of the grass strip as well as the size and surface characteristics of the area draining to the filter strip. These charts are developed by using a mathematical model based on a kinematic‐wave formulation of overland flow and Green‐and‐Ampt formulation for infiltration. The results are obtained in terms of dimensionless parameters and generalised through the principle of hydrologic similarity. An example is included to demonstrate the use of the charts in a practical design problem.     

Third‐ and fifth‐order finite volume schemes for advection–diffusion equation with variable coefficients in semi‐infinite domain

In the present paper, a novel numerical model based on the finite volume method is established to predict a time‐dependent, one‐dimensional, advection‐diffusion equation with variable coefficients in a semi‐infinite domain. The third‐and fifth‐order schemes are employed to solve the above‐mentioned equation. Totally, two dispersion problems are used to simulate various conditions as follows: (i) solute dispersion along steady flow through inhomogeneous domain and (ii) solute dispersion along temporally dependent unsteady flow through inhomogeneous domain. The inhomogeneity of the domain is provided by spatially dependent flow. The uniform node distribution is considered to divide the problem domain into a collection of smaller parts. Analytical solutions proposed in the literature are employed to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the suggested model. Meanwhile, the results of the aforementioned approaches are compared with the performance of the quadratic upstream interpolation for convective kinetics scheme. Lastly, the accuracy of the implemented schemes in developed model are discussed and evaluated.     

Green and Ampt infiltration model extended beyond rain duration

A simple method requiring only hand calculations is presented in this study that enables the use of the Green and Ampt infiltration model beyond the rain duration. The method takes into account that the runoff and infiltration processes continue for some period of time after the rain stops. Both the ground surface and subsurface characteristics are considered. A conjunctive overland flow‐infiltration mathematical model is employed for this purpose. A kinematic‐wave approach is used to model the overland flow, and the Green and Ampt equations are employed to calculate the infiltration rates. The governing equations are expressed and solved in terms of dimensionless parameters to enable the generalization of the results based on the principle of hydrologic similarity. A four‐point finite difference scheme is used to solve the governing equations. The results are presented in chart form. An example application of the proposed method is included.     

Residence time distribution in submerged biofilters

A mathematical model is presented for the residence time distribution in a submerged denitrification filter, in which pronounced tailing is experienced due to hold-up in the biofilm. Experiments with a dye tracer, Eosine-Y, and with Tritium show that adsorption of the dye makes it impossible to determine biofilm characteristics. The same is true for any tracer if nitrogen bubbles are present in the filter. An experiment with Tritium in the filter without bubbles indicates that the surface of the media is only partly covered with biofilm. Biofilm characteristics can be determined only with great uncertainty, due to uneven distribution.     

Investigation of oxygen transfer to slime as a surface reaction

Trickling filters are essentially contacting devices which facilitate the adsorption of oxygen and organic material in waste water by a slime layer consisting of a gelatinous matrix interspersed with microorganisms. From a mechanistic viewpoint, therefore, the trickling filter is analogous to a fixed bed catalytic reactor. The characteristics of the catalytic surface, namely, the slime layer, are the major differences.Most of the previous studies on trickling filter analysis based on the above viewpoint have utilized a simple vertical wall or an inclined plane as the physical model. In this study, a circular tube containing flowing liquid forms the basis of the mathematical model permitting the determination, by use of experimental macroscopic data, of the reaction rate between dissolved oxygen and a thin layer of microorganisms attached to the wall within the system. The mathematical analysis assumes that both mass transfer and chemical reaction are important in the overall oxygen consumption process.The experimental data, based on the mathematical model, show that in a continuous flow, steady state system the reaction kinetics between dissolved oxygen and the attached thin layer of microorganisms does not depend on the dissolved oxygen concentration, and thus is kinetically zero order. This has been experimentally shown previously only for suspended cultures of bacteria and for the first time has been verified for slime beds.     

Computational study of flow characteristics of acid mine drainage on the structure of oxidation pond

A computational flow analysis using the concept of the inflow age was conducted to evaluate the flow characteristics and retention time depending on the shape and number of inlets and outlets in an oxidation pond. The oxidation pond was rectangular in shape with a width‐to‐length ratio of 3, a depth of 3 m, an area of 500 m², and square‐shaped inlet and outlet. The flow rate of the mine drainage was set to 5 L/s. The computational flow analysis showed that the homogeneity and inflow exchange efficiency were the highest when the width‐to‐height ratio of the inlet and outlet was 0.5, while they were the lowest when it was 1.0. The number of inlets in the oxidation pond had a significant effect on the flow characteristics in the pond, whereas the number of outlets had no significant effect. The homogeneity and inflow exchange efficiency appeared to be the highest when the number of inlets was two.     

煤层瓦斯运移机制的关键参数表征

 煤层的瓦斯扩散系数、浓度流动系数、初始运移强度系数和衰减系数,是煤体孔隙结构和煤质特性的力学表征。为研究煤层瓦斯运移机制,量化煤层瓦斯运移能力,依据Fick扩散理论和质量守恒方程,建立了描述煤体瓦斯浓度与扩散速率的计算模型,采用变量分离法进行数学求解,并通过数据迭代方法获取煤体内瓦斯的扩散系数和表面浓度流动系数;通过室内4种煤样瓦斯运移实验数据比较发现,煤体瓦斯质量增量与运移时间成负指数关系,且随煤阶升高而增大;瓦斯运移速度和衰减系数取决于煤的吸附能力和煤质组分,且煤种之间差异明显;渗透率与扩散系数成线性关系,与流动系数成二次函数关系,且随煤阶升高整体呈增加趋势。     

Spatial variations in denitrification activity in wetland sediments explained by hydrology and denitrifying community structure

We determined spatial variations in potential denitrification activity and the controlling hydrological as well as biochemical processes in the sediments of a Swedish treatment wetland. Hydrological processes, including water residence times, were analyzed using a 2D depth-averaged flow model and the denitrifier community structure was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoreses (DGGE) of nosZ genes, encoding nitrous oxide reductase. In addition, we provide a theoretical basis for evaluation of denitrification rates useful in nitrate-limited conditions. The results demonstrate that potential denitrification rates differed significantly between the sampling locations (CV=0.34). The variations were best described by concentration of nitrogen in sediments and water residence time. DGGE analyses indicated that a few key populations dominated and that the community diversity increased with decreasing nutrient levels and increasing water residence times. Moreover, we found that denitrification rates in terms of Menten and first-order kinetics can be evaluated by fitting a mathematical expression, comparing denitrification and other nitrogen-transforming processes to measured product formation in nitrate-limited experiments.     

Modeling and efficiency of ultraviolet disinfection systems

Modeling can play a particularly useful role in ultraviolet (u.v.) disinfection because of difficulties in measuring u.v. dose and the immediate results of disinfection. This model predicts bacterial survival in flow-through systems. The calculation takes into account the complex intensity patterns, non-ideal flow patterns, and non-linear curves of log survival vs u.v. dose. Based on the organismal dose-response, the number of survivors in each fraction of the residence time distribution is calculated separately and summed to calculate the average survival. The model uses as input data: the average u.v. intensity within the system, the residence time distribution, and an experimentally determined dose-survival curve in a simplified system where dose can be directly measured. The predictions of the model corresponded well with measured survival in a u.v. pilot plant study. The model was used to show the effects of flow dispersion on average survival by varying residence time distribution. Measures of capacity and efficiency of u.v. systems were derived and illustrated experimentally in simple cylindrical batch units and in two multiple lamp units.     

Numerical and experimental hydrodynamic studies of a lagoon pilot

The determination of residence time is of major interest in terms of the characterisation, design and modelling of most environmental engineering processes, where a proper and homogeneous fluid distribution is often essential, and especially in the domain of wastewater or waste material treatment. In this paper, two different numerical methods for obtaining theoretical predictions of residence time distributions using the finite volume method are used. The first one consists of solving a transport equation of the local mean age of the fluid, which is the average time that a fluid particle takes to reach any point of the domain from a supply inlet. The result obtained is a spatial distribution of the local mean age of the fluid, which may be displayed as isocontours in the space domain considered. The second one consists of injecting a virtual particle stream (i.e. a fluid particle having the same density as the surrounding fluid, and treated numerically as a tracer) and measuring the time elapsed between the injection and the termination of the trajectory using a Lagrangian reference frame. The result obtained is expressed as an exit time distribution and may be displayed as a histogram. Finally, a comparison with measurements of mean residence times of tracers in a lagoon is made in order to establish the relevance of this method in concrete form. The prediction enables the instantaneous determination of the geometrical characteristics of the flow that contribute actually to the residence time dispersion. Its appropriate use prior to the design of water treatment and waste material treatment installations should contribute to prevent undesirable flow patterns such as short-circuiting and dead spaces.     

Temperature as an alternative tracer for the determination of the mixing characteristics in wastewater treatment plants

The hydraulic characteristics, i.e. the residence time distributions, of wastewater treatment plant reactors are usually determined using conventional tracers. This paper aims to present an alternative approach based on wastewater temperature. The step in temperature change, e.g. from stormwater events with cold rainwater, is used as a tracer signal. The method was verified using lab- and pilot-scale tests that showed very good agreement of the time series estimated both with conventional and temperature tracer methods. Results from lab-scale tests exhibit a zone with a minor water exchange of about 10% of the volume of all reactors, while the respective zone in the pilot-scale tests was estimated at about 30% of the total volume. The short-circuit flow was more than 50% of the inflow resulting from gaps between the walls inside the reactor cascade. An application example shows the importance of reliable residence time distribution underlying activated sludge modelling and the uncertainty associated with neglecting the determination of appropriate flow-through characteristics.     

On the propagation of uncertainty in inflow turbulence to wind turbine loads

When stochastic simulation of inflow turbulence random fields is employed in the analysis or design of wind turbines in normal operating states, it is common to use well-established standard spectral models represented in terms of parameters that are usually treated as fixed or deterministic values. Studies have suggested, though, that many of these spectral parameters can exhibit some degree of variability. It is not unreasonable to expect, then, that derived flow fields based on simulation with such spectral models can be in turn highly variable for different realizations. Turbine load and performance variability would also be expected to result if response simulations are carried out with these variable flow fields. The aim here is to assess the extent of variability in derived inflow turbulence fields that arises from the noted variability in spectral model parameters. Simulation of these parameters as random variables forms the basis of this study. A commercial-sized 1.5 MW concept wind turbine is considered in the numerical studies. Variability in turbulence power spectra at field points on the rotor plane and in turbulence coherence functions for separations on the order of a rotor diameter and smaller is studied. Using time domain simulations, variability in various wind turbine response measures is also studied where the focus is on statistics such as response root-mean-square and 10-min extreme estimates. It is seen that while variability in inflow turbulence spectra can be great, the variability in turbine loads is generally considerably lower. One exception is for turbine yaw loads whose larger variability arises due to sensitivity to a coherence decay parameter that is itself highly variable. Finally, because reduced-order representations of turbulence random fields using empirical orthogonal decomposition techniques allow useful physical insights into spatial patterns of flow, variability in the energy distribution and the shapes of such empirical eigenmodes is studied and a simplified model is proposed that retains key variability sources in a limited number of modes and that accurately preserves overall inflow turbulence field uncertainty.     

多孔介质流-固-热三场全耦合数学模型及数值模拟

给出多孔岩体介质的流–固–热三场全耦合数学模型。假定流体为单相流,固体介质为非沸腾的饱和、热弹性多孔介质,该模型由流体物质守恒方程、力学平衡方程和能量守恒方程这3个相互耦合的方程组成,其中包含了众多耦合项,并定义一系列的本构关系及耦合变量。以FEMLAB工具为基础,将该数学模型转化成为一个统一的偏微分方程组,在人机交互的环境下,实现流–固–热三场全耦合数值求解,一次解出渗流场、位移场和温度场,给出更接近真实物理过程的数值解答,避免松散耦合法求解多场耦合问题带来的误差。利用一个已知解析解和数值解的算例来证明了耦合模型及求解方法的正确性。最后模拟通过井孔向岩体中注入冷水时流–固–热全耦合过程,详细地分析全耦合作用对井壁围岩应力的影响,计算结果表明:流–固–热三场耦合作用对井壁的稳定分析有非常重要的影响。     

煤体双重孔隙瓦斯双渗流模型及无因次解算

 考虑瓦斯在煤层中的解吸、放散与渗流,利用达西定律分别描述煤基质与裂隙内的瓦斯运移,以煤基质与裂隙之间的传质通量为桥梁,发展煤体双重孔隙瓦斯双渗流模型,推导无因次模型,并运用有限差分法进行编程解算。结果表明：瓦斯压力、含量在裂隙内的下降速度要远大于煤基质;基质空间内瓦斯压力及含量的分布具有非均匀性及非稳态性;增大裂隙渗透性或煤层瓦斯压力,或减小煤壁表面瓦斯压力,均能导致瓦斯涌出速度的增大;煤体游离瓦斯含量对瓦斯涌出速度影响较小。结合潘一矿煤层瓦斯参数,对比模拟结果和实测数据,验证了煤体双重孔隙瓦斯双渗流模型的正确性。     

The impact of air filter pressure drop on the performance of typical air-conditioning systems

Filters are used in heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems for both commercial and residential buildings to protect the equipment and improve indoor air quality in conditioned spaces. Although there are many benefits of using the air filter in an air-conditioning system, the resistance associated with it can increase fan energy use and may adversely affect air-conditioning system performance and efficiency. The paper explores the impact of air filtration on energy consumption for a typical air-conditioning (AC) system with constant- or variable-speed fan. A whole building simulation model is used to simulate the annual energy consumption for various air-conditioning system capacities, different levels of filter cleanliness, and various filter minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV). The results indicate that with a constant-speed fan, the cooling energy use increases as the filter gets dirty over time and the energy use in the fan may increase but this depends heavily on the investigated fan performance curve. With a variable-speed fan, the fan energy use increases with a dirty filter but the cooling and heating energy uses are slightly affected. The fan energy use rise due to the dirty filter depends mainly on air system capacities, filter MERV ratings, and the degree of the filter cleanliness.     

Effect of ventilation duct as a particle filter

This paper discusses the effect of ventilation duct as a particle filter by modeling particle deposition in ventilation ducts, which is the reason that ventilation ducts could “filter” particles. An Eulerian model is employed to predict the particle deposition velocity onto the wall and floor from fully developed turbulent flow in ventilation ducts [Zhao B, Wu J. Modeling particle deposition from fully developed turbulent flow in ventilation duct. Atmospheric Environment 2006;40:457–66], while an empirical equation is proposed to predict the particle deposition velocity onto the ceiling combined with experimental data and, another empirical equation by McFarland et al. [Aerosol deposition in bends with turbulent flow. Environmental Science and Technology 1997;31:3371–7] is used for predicting the particle penetration through the bends, which are hard to analyze by theoretical method.     

Measurement and three-dimensional simulation of flow in a rectangular detention tank

There are two main ways to obtain better knowledge of the hydraulics of ponds, namely measurements and simulations. In this study, the applicability of using three-dimensional simulations as an engineering tool in stormwater pond design was investigated. To do this, three-dimensional simulations were compared with measurements of flow pattern and residence time in a large physical model of a detention tank (13 × 9 × 1 m). The agreement between measurements and simulations concerning both flow pattern and residence time distribution curves was found to be good for high flow rates.     

基于Barton剪胀模型的粗糙节理渗流分析

 为研究粗糙节理在剪切过程中的渗流规律,首先,采用Barton剪胀模型分析节理在剪切过程中的剪胀效应,计算节理在不同剪切位移下的剪胀位移,采用Brown-Scholz(B-S)理论模型分析法向应力作用下的节理闭合变形;通过初始隙宽、法向闭合变形和剪胀位移建立剪切过程中的节理隙宽与法向应力和剪切位移之间的关系,在此基础上得到剪切过程中的节理渗流计算公式;然后,在对节理试件进行渗流试验的基础上,分别采用基于Barton剪胀模型的节理渗流计算公式和Barton经验公式计算通过节理试件的理论渗流流量,并将预测结果与实测值进行比较,比较结果表明,基于Barton剪胀模型的节理渗流计算公式的预测结果与实测值较为一致,而Barton经验公式预测值与实测值偏差较大,从而验证了该公式在计算节理剪切过程中的渗流情况的正确性。     

多维反滤回灌井室内稳定流试验研究

反滤回灌井是山东胶东半岛地下水回灌中常用的回灌设施,它由普通回灌井和回灌池组成。在分析现有反滤回灌井存在问题的基础上,设计了一组回灌量大,又能防淤积、防低水位污水回灌、抗水流冲刷的多维反滤回灌井,给出了单井回灌量的理论计算公式和计算参数;同时,研制了室内稳定流回灌试验装置,进行了普通回灌井、现有反滤回灌井和多维反滤回灌井的室内稳定流试验研究,得出结论:1同现有反滤回灌井相比,多维反滤回灌井的单井回灌量增加了370%~420%;2多维回灌井口的形状影响单井回灌量,在过水断面面积相同的情况下,圆形多维回灌井口的单井回灌量最大;3初次回灌试验中,单井回灌量最大,随回灌试验次数增加,单井回灌量逐渐减小,并趋向于稳定;4单井回灌量与多维回灌井口过水断面开孔率是一个非线性的关系,20%的过水断面开孔率是适宜的。研究成果对于提高反滤回灌井的回灌能力和定量计算单井回灌量具有重要的现实意义。     

通风混合系数对过滤器效率的影响分析

为了满足空调系统室内PM10质量浓度和送风口PM10质量浓度要求,通过质量平衡方程建立一次回风空调系统过滤器选型模型。由于室内颗粒物混合是不均匀的,对空调模型进行修正,结合工程实例分析混合系数对过滤器效率的影响。计算结果表明：当混合系数由0.5增加至1.0时,主过滤器效率由88.2%降低至28.3%,降低了70%。