Permeability changes in granite with crack growth during immersion in hot water

Permeability tests and observation of induced, as well as inherent, cracks have been carried out to quantitatively explain permeability changes in granite taking place during a weathering test in terms of micro-structure by cracks. To this end, permeability tensors were estimated from observations of crack systems using the Replica Method and of the crack apertures with a scanning electron microscope. The following conclusions were reached: the drastic increase in permeability around an immersion of 1000 d in 90°C water could not be explained by the existence of a percolation threshold because all the specimens were percolative in the sense that the traces of crack tensor were above the critical density for percolation. On the other hand, SEM observation revealed that, with immersion, crack apertures widened and their distribution spread. Permeability estimated using the third (not the first) moment of observed apertures showed the increase in measured permeability well. When evaluating the connectivity parameter λ to give a quantitative accordance between measured and estimated permeability, it had a constant value as low as 0.17, irrespective of the immersion period, in spite of the higher density of micro-cracks than the percolation threshold. It can be said that, in considering the natural three-dimensional crack system, the third moment of physical apertures plays a more important role in predicting the permeability and λ is greatly affected by the spread of crack apertures.     

Protocatechuic acid ozonation in aqueous solutions

The oxidation of protocatechuic acid with ozone in aqueous solution has been studied varying the temperature, pH, ozone partial pressure and initial acid concentration. A stoichiometric ratio of 2 mol of ozone consumed per mol of protocatechuic acid reacted is deduced from homogeneous experiments in a discontinuous tank reactor.In the ozonation experiments, the influence of the operating variables was established and the kinetic regime of ozone absorption was shown to be fast and pseudo m-order with respect to ozone, except at pH 2, when the reaction develops in the moderate kinetic regime. After applying a mass transfer with chemical reaction model, the reaction orders are deduced and the kinetic rate constants are determined as a function of pH and temperature. A modified Arrhenius expression is proposed to correlate them.     

Separation and determination of mineral, animal and vegetable oils in water with the use of molecular sieve 5A

Mineral, animal and vegetable oils in water were separated and determined by the infrared method with the use of molecular sieve 5A (MS 5A). After being extracted by carbon tetrachloride, the extract were treated with MS 5A. Mineral oil was not adsorbed on MS 5A, but animal and vegetable oils were. Oils extracted with carbon tetrachloride were measured by the peak at 2950 cm⁻¹ due to the vibration of the CH groups.     

Radiocesium in muscle tissue of reindeer and pike from northern Sweden before and after the Chernobyl accident. A retrospective study on tissue samples from the Swedish Environmental Specimen Bank.

After the Chernobyl accident in April 1986, considerable deposition of radionuclides occurred regionally in eastern, central and northwestern Sweden. Locally, the fallout of radiocesium exceeded the remainder from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests by several magnitudes. Since the end of the 1960s samples of organs from various plant and animal species, annually collected at different localities, have been preserved in the Swedish Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB). In this work samples from the ESB have been used for retrospective studies of radioactive pollution. The activities of Cs-134 and Cs-137 in muscle tissues from reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, and pike, Esox lucius, preserved in the ESB, were measured. The samples were collected annually; the reindeer at three localities in northern Sweden and the pike at one of them. In material collected prior to the Chernobyl accident, the levels of Cs-137 were 57-180 Bq/kg in reindeer and 14-24 Bq/kg in pike, fresh weight basis. These levels relate to earlier nuclear bomb tests. A significant decrease was found in pike during the pre-Chernobyl period (1971-86). In post-Chernobyl samples the burden of Cs-137 varied from amounts equal to the former levels in the northernmost locality and up to 80 times higher for the maximum values in the southernmost locality. The highest value recorded was 18,425 Bq/kg in reindeer. The geographic variations in reindeer from Chernobyl fallout were in accordance with the pattern of deposition estimated by aircraft surveys performed in May 1986. The ratio between 'new' and 'old' radiocesium burdens in pike, caught in 1987, approached the corresponding ratio for reindeer grazing in the precipitation area of the lake; 33 and 19, respectively.     

Compartment tests of polyurethane foam seating assemblies

Data from compartment tests of polyurethane foam seating assemblies are reported. Results show that the behavior of such assemblies during fires is strongly dependent on the type and position of interliners and upholstery fabrics. An incidental comparison of peak rate of heat release obtained in a compartment test with a predictive model equation is made and selected data from the tests are presented.     

Contribution à l'étude de la détermination des conditions de formation des haloformes

In recent years the presence of haloforms has been observed by some researchers in waters of various origins.The aim of this study is to determine the conditions in which chloroform is formed by chlorination of aqueous solutions of some organic compounds.The first part of this work was carried out by chlorination of synthetic basic solutions of acetone and thus enabled us to determine the reagent concentrations needed to obtain the maximum quantity of chloroform.We studied next the effect of chlorination on organic material solutions (humic acids and phenols), in the course of an oxidation treatment; the results obtained by chlorination of aqueous solutions of humic substances show that the quantity of chloroform produced passes through a maximum value which depends on the time of ozonisation. Similar results were obtained for the chlorination of phenol solutions during oxidation by the u.v. + H₂O₂ system. These results may be explained by the partial degradation of the molecules which leads in the formation of reactional intermediate precursors of the haloform reaction. We undertook at the same time the study of a rapid test allowing us to detect the presence of haloform reaction precursors in a certain sample of water.     

Oxygen transfer in a rotating disc treatment plant

In this paper experiments are described in a bio-disc pilot plant. A new method has been developed for a reproducible measurement of the thickness of the waterfilm on the rotating discs. The results were used to calculate the oxygen transfer coefficient into water (K_L). The values of K_L, calculated in this way, appeared to be considerably higher than experimental K_L-values, which is mainly due to the fact that the water layer on the rotating disc is outdistanced by the disc. This effect has not been taken into account in the literature so far.     

Settlements and deformations of industrial structure built on weak soils

Conclusions 1. In engineering-geologic explorations, it is necessary to investigate the engineering-geologic morphology to a depth of 15–18 m: lenses and interlayers of weak soils - unevenly compacted silty-sand fills, peat, slime, etc.2. Open unwatering of pits in the vicinity (10–15 m) of existing structures is impermissible, since it leads to removal of fine soil fractions because of piping, and to large and impermissible deformations of the load-bearing elements of the structures. In such cases, deep groundwater lowering by means of wellpoints should be used.In the case described in this article, the industrial structure underwent a mean settlement of about 20 cm, a tilt of 0.015, and a wall deflection of 0.002. By using deep groundwater lowering, such deformations could have been prevented.3. The development of settlements with time was due to the presence of weak soils - peat lenses and thin slime interlayers - in the foundation bed of the shop.4. An effective means for stopping the settlement of the industrial structure was the construction, under the walls, of two rows of cast-in-place piles with cantilever beams to which the wall loads were transmitted.Scientific-Research Institute of Foundations. GIPROLESKhIM. Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 1, pp. 5–7, January–February, 1975.     

Sorption of benzenesulfonates by weak base anion exchange resins

Weak base phenol formaldehyde anion exchange resins were found to have an excellent capacity for removing the anionic organic species benzenesulfonate (BS), p-toluenesulfonate (PTS) and dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS) from pH 2 and 4 solutions. The capacity for DBS was generally greater than that of activated carbon and significantly greater than that of a polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin with no ion exchange functional groups. The maximum capacity of the weak base resins appeared to be limited by the exchange capacity of the resin. The mechanism of removal was strongly indicated as being either ion exchange at the amine functional groups in the acid form, or uptake of a proton by the amine groups in the free base form with the organic anion as the associated counter ion. Increasing concentrations of Cl⁻ decreased the amount of organic anion that could be sorbed.The swelling of one of the resins, Duolite A-7, also had a marked effect on its sorption capacity. The pores of the acid chloride or acid organic anion form of the resin were apparently larger than those of the free base form; thus, as conversion of the resin to the acid form took place, a greater amount of uptake was observed. The effect of swelling on the capacity of Duolite S-37 was much less, apparently owing to its larger pore structure, but its capacity for DBS at low pH was lower than that for A-7 because of its lower nitrogen content. Also, BS and DBS were easily removed from the weak base resins by washing them with NaOH. Four bed volumes of 1 m NaOH gave essentially complete regeneration of BS saturated A-7.