University, Diss., 2002--Saarbrücken.

Biokol, dvs pyrolyserat organiskt material som tillförs marken, är erkänt för sina jordförbättrande egenskaper. Ny forskning uppmärksammar nu andra användningsområden för biokol såsom adsorption av oönskade föreningar samt som effektiv kolsänka inom klimatarbetet. Näringsläckande åkrar bidrar årligen med stora kvantiteter växttillgänglig näring och relaterad eutrofiering av sjöar, vattendrag och i förlängningen till Östersjön. Eutrofieringen ska enligt EUs ramdirektiv för vatten liksom Sveriges 16 miljömål minskas. Det här examensarbetet syftade till att utreda om ett biokolsfilter kan utformas och installeras i anslutning till åkermarkers dräneringsdiken för att minska läckaget av näringsämnen från jordbruket. Genom att sedan sprida det näringsmättade filtermaterialet på närliggande åkermark önskades filterlösningen lokalt bidra till ett mer slutet kretslopp med avseende på kväve och fosfor samtidigt som biokolets jordförbättrande egenskaper utnyttjas. För att erhålla önskad reningseffekt i ett filter bör tre fysikaliska egenskaper kombineras, dess hydrauliska konduktivitet K (m/s), sammanlagd materialyta tillgänglig för kemisk reaktion (specifik yta (m2/g TS)) samt ytans reaktivitet. Alla dessa egenskaper är till viss del beroende av filtermaterialets partikelstorlek. Biokolets hydrauliska konduktivitet bestämdes experimentellt med hjälp av Darcys lag vilket gav en konduktivitet på 10-2 – 10-1 m/s. Partikelstorleksfördelningen bestämdes genom mekanisk siktning till ett intervall på mellan 0-8 mm, varav 80 viktprocent återfanns i intervallet 1,7 – 5 mm. Utifrån resultaten beräknades att biokol (2 – 6 mm) kunde ge en flödeskapacitet på ca 1 – 7 l/s.  Biokolets ytreaktivitet har inte kunnat bestämmas i denna studie. Det i studien utformade filtret placerades i ett dräneringsdike i Eskilstunaregionen inuti en befintlig vägtrumma med diameter 80 cm. Vattenföringen i diket uppmättes initialt till att variera mellan 1,5 – 7 l/s. Filterdesignen utgjordes av en halvcylinder i geotextil innehållandes 0,11 m3 biokol. Längden var 1,2 m med en tvärsnittsarea på 0,09 m2 och beräknad flödeskapacitet genom filtret vid mättad strömning var 1,2 l/s. Filterfunktionen utvärderades genom totalt tio vattenprovtagningar av vattnet vid in- och utlopp under perioden 15 maj - 1 juli 2014. Vattenproverna analyserades med avseende på näringsämnen kopplade till övergödning (PO4-P, NH4-N och NO3-N). Filtermaterialet, biokol, utvärderades med skakextraktion samt utifrån dess innehåll av metaller relaterade till fosforbindningar (Al, Fe, Mg, Mn och Ca). Resultaten visade generellt på högre halter av fosfor och kväve i utloppet än i inloppet. Även resultatet från skakextraktionen pekade på högre halter av PO4-P och NO3-N i extraktionsvattnet efter skakning. Utifrån denna studie ger biokolsfiltret ingen reduktion av näringsämnestransporten i dräneringsvatten från åkermark. Snarare indikeras en utlakning av PO4-P, NH4-N och NO3-N med det använda biokolet vilket troligen delvis berodde på att biokolet hade en negativ nettoytladdning. Den framtagna filterlösningen i den här studien antogs därför inte kunna bidra till ett mer slutet kretslopp av näringsämnen vid åkermark. / Biochar, i. e. pyrolyzed organic material applied to soil, is traditionally recognized for its soil-improving properties. New research has revealed other areas for biochar such as adsorption of unwanted compounds as well as in climate change initiatives as an effective carbon sink. Cropland leaks nitrogen and phosphorus and annually contributes with large quantities of plant-available nutrients increasing eutrophication of lakes, rivers, and finally the Baltic Sea. Both the EU WFD and the SGFTE state that active measures must be taken to reduce the eutrophication. The purpose of this master thesis was to investigate whether a biochar filter could be designed and installed in drainage ditches from farmland to reduce nutrient losses from agriculture. When nutrient-saturated, the content of the filter could then be spread on nearby farmland. The filter solution could in that case locally contribute to a more closed-loop with respect to nitrogen and phosphorus while the soil-enhancing properties of biochar were utilized. In order for a filter solution to obtain desired purification rate, three physical and chemical properties of the filter content were to be considered, its hydraulic conductivity K (m/s), total mineral surface available for chemical reaction (specific surface area (m2/g DS)) and the surface reactivity. All these properties are to some extent dependent on the filter material distribution of particle sizes. Hydraulic conductivity within the biochar was experimentally determined using Darcy's law which gave a hydraulic conductivity in the order of 10-2 – 10-1 m/s. The particle size distribution was determined by mechanical sieving to a range between 0 – 8 mm, of which 80 percent by weight was recovered in the range from 1.7 to 5 mm. It was calculated that the biochar (2 – 6 mm) filter could provide a flow capacity of about 1 – 7 l/s. The filter, designed in this thesis, was placed in a drainage ditch in Eskilstuna inside an existing culvert with a diameter of 80 cm. The water discharge in the ditch was initially measured to vary between 1.5 to 7 l/s. The filter design consisted of 0.11 m3 of biochar wrapped in a half cylinder made of geotextile. The length was 1.2 m with a cross-sectional area of 0.09 m2. The calculated flow rate through the filter, at saturated flow, was 1.2 l/s. The filter function was evaluated by a total of ten sets of water samples from both inlet and outlet taken during the period May 15 to July 1, 2014. The water samples were analyzed for nutrients linked to eutrophication (PO4-P, NH4-N and NO3-N). The biochar used as filter material was evaluated by extraction through shaking and also by its content of metals related to phosphorus bindings (Al, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Ca). A majority of the results indicated higher levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the outlet than the inlet. Also the results from extraction showed higher levels of PO4-P and NO3-N in the extraction solution after shaking. Based on this study, this filter of biochar gave no reduction of nutrient transport in drainage water from the agricultural land. Instead, leaching of PO4-P, NH4-N and NO3-N were indicated with the used biochar. This may in part be caused by the fact that most biochar has a negative net surface charge. The designed filter solution in this study is therefore assumed not to contribute to a better closed nutrient cycle in agricultural land.

Fibrous filter materials are commonly adopted in a variety of industrial and domestic processes to remove fine particles. Filter performance may be assessed by two parameters: the proportion of particles passing through the media (penetration), and the resistance to gas flow through the filter (pressure drop). Another parameter, the filter lifetime, may be important where economical factors are key.

This thesis is concerned with the issues of design and optimisation of digital filters and multirate filter banks. The main focus and contribution of this thesis is to apply the genetic algorithm (GA) technique and to draw some comparison with the standard gradient and non-gradient based optimisation methods. The finite word length (FWL) constraint affects the accuracy of a real-time digital filter requency response. For the case of digital filters, this study is concerned with the optimisation of FWL coefficients using genetic algorithms. Some comparative study with the simple hill climber algorithms is also included. The outcome of this part of the study demonstrates a substantial improvement of the new results when compared with the simply rounded FWL coefficient frequency response. The FWL coefficient optimisation process developed in the earlier Chapters is extended to the field of multirate filter banks. All multirate filter banks suffer from the problems of amplitude, phase and aliasing errors and, therefore, constraints for perfect reconstruction (PR) of the input signal can be extensive. The problem, in general, is reduced to relaxing constraints at the expense of errors and finding methods for minimising the errors. Optimisation techniques are thus commonly used for the design and implementation of multirate filter banks. In this part of the study, GAs have been used in two distinct stages. Firstly, for the design optimisation so that the overall errors are minimised and secondly for FWL coefficient optimisation of digital filters that form the sub-band filters of the filter bank. This process leads to an optimal realisation of the filter bank that can be applied to specific applications such as telephony speech signal coding and compression. One example of the optimised QMF bank was tested on a real-time DSP target system and the results are reported. The multiple M-channel uniform and non-uniform filter banks have also been considered in this study for design optimisation. For a comparative study of the GA optimised results of the design stage of the filter bank, other standard methods such as the gradient based quasi-Newton and the non-gradient based downhill Simplex methods were also used. In general, the outcome of this part of study demonstrates that a hybrid approach of GA and standard method was the most efficient and effective process in generating the best results.

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) is undergoing stunning changes and upgrades which will enhance the Civil and Military users. This modernization included new satellite signals for Civil and Military purposes which benefits the fundamental signal acquisition and tracking of the GPS receiver. These new signals enable a new family of alternatives for mitigating the ionospheric errors that currently limit the GPS accuracy [16]. A new Civil signal L2 Civil (L2C) was commissioned on the L2 frequency which could have ionospheric error elimination capability, with better cross correlation, Data recovery performance, and threshold tracking. The complex structure of the signal calls for new Acquisition approaches which are implementable with limited computational burden. This thesis proposes an Acquisition methodology to acquire the Code phase offset and Carrier frequency offset of the L2C signal which can be implemented in real time. The algorithm employs a serial code search for Code Phase by retaining the original sampling frequency `fs' and implements a FFT search for carrier frequency offset with a reduced sampling frequency of `fs/M' where `M' is the decimation rate. Multirate Filters are employed for reducing the sampling frequency. After the Acquisition is performed, the values are passed onto the Phase Lock Loop (PLL) and Delay Lock Loop (DLL) to further synchronize the Code Phase and Carrier frequency. The algorithm was tested on a real data set for the performance evaluation of Acquisition and Tracking, and the navigation bits were extracted and the results discussed.

abstract: Granular activated carbon (GAC) filters are final polishing step in the drinking water treatment systems for removal of dissolved organic carbon fractions. Generally filters are colonized by bacterial communities and their activity reduces biodegradable solutes allowing partial regeneration of GAC's adsorptive capacity. When the bacteria pass into the filtrate due to increased growth, microbiological quality of drinking water is compromised and regrowth in the distribution system occurs. Bacteria attached to carbon particles as biofilms or in conjugation with other bacteria were observed to be highly resistant to post filtration microbial mitigation techniques. Some of these bacteria were identified as pathogenic. This study focuses on one such pathogen Legionella pneumophila which is resistant to environmental stressors and treatment conditions. It is also responsible for Legionnaires' disease outbreak through drinking water thus attracting attention of regulatory agencies. The work assessed the attachment and colonization of Legionella and heterotrophic bacteria in lab scale GAC media column filters. Quantification of Legionella and HPC in the influent, effluent, column's biofilms and on the GAC particles was performed over time using fluorescent microscopy and culture based techniques. The results indicated gradual increase in the colonization of the GAC particles with HPC bacteria. Initially high number of Legionella cells were detected in the column effluent and were not detected on GAC suggesting low attachment of the cells to the particles potentially due to lack of any previous biofilms. With the initial colonization of the filter media by other bacteria the number of Legionella cells on the GAC particles and biofilms also increased. Presence of Legionella was confirmed in all the samples collected from the columns spiked with Legionella. Significant increase in the Legionella was observed in column's inner surface biofilm (0.25 logs up to 0.52 logs) and on GAC particles (0.42 logs up to 0.63 logs) after 2 months. Legionella and HPC attached to column's biofilm were higher than that on GAC particles indicating the strong association with biofilms. The bacterial concentration slowly increased in the effluent. This may be due to column's wall effect decreasing filter efficiency, possible exhaustion of GAC capacity over time and potential bacterial growth. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil and Environmental Engineering 2014

Video super-resolution (VSR) aims to give a satisfying estimation of a high-resolution (HR) image from multiple similar low-resolution (LR) images by exploiting their hidden redundancy. The rapid development of convolutional neural network (CNN) techniques provide numerous new possibilities to solve the VSR problem. Recent VSR methods combine CNN with motion compensation to cancel the inconsistencies among the LR images and merge them to an HR images. To compensate the motion, pixels in input frames are warped according to optical-flow-like information. In this procedure, trade-off has to be made between the distraction caused by spatio-temporal inconsistencies and the pixel-wise detail damage caused by the compensation. We proposed a novel VSR method with the name, Video Super-Resolution via Dynamic Local Filter Network, and its upgraded edition, Video Super-Resolution with Compensation in Feature Extraction. Both methods perform motion compensation via a dynamic local filter network, which processes the input images with dynamically generated filter kernels. These kernels are sample-specific and position-specific. Therefore, our proposed methods can eliminate the inter-frame differences during feature extractions without explicitly manipulating pixels. The experimental results demonstrate that our methods outperform the state-of-the-art VSR algorithms in terms of PSNR and SSIM and recover more details with superior visual quality.

L'assimilation de données pour les géosciences est une discipline cherchant à améliorer notre connaissance d'un système physique en se basant sur l'information issue de modèles numériques simulant ce système et sur l'information issue des mesures observant ce système. Les méthodes d'assimilation de données traditionnellement utilisées (e.g. le 4DVar ou les filtres de Kalman d'ensemble) reposent sur des hypothèses de Gaussianité des probabilités en jeu et de linéarité des modèles. Avec la complexification des modèles et des réseaux d'observations, ces hypothèses sont de plus en plus injustifiées et donc pénalisantes. Cette complexification est particulièrement forte en océanographie couplée à la biogéochimie marine.Les objectifs de cette thèse sont de mieux comprendre l'apparition des non-Gaussianités dans un problème d'estimation, d'envisager une méthode d'assimilation de données adaptée aux problèmes fortement non-Gaussiens et, dans le cadre du couplage de la dynamique océanique et de la biogéochimie marine, d'explorer la pertinence de l'utilisation de méthodes non-Gaussiennes.Dans un premier temps, une étude méthodologique est conduite. Cette étude, appuyé par des illustrations avec le modèle de Lorenz à trois variables, permet de mettre en évidence les limitations des méthodes traditionnellement utilisées, face à des problèmes non-Gaussiens. Cette étude aboutit sur le développement d'un filtre d'assimilation de données d'ensemble entièrement non-Gaussien : le Multivariate Rank Histogram Filter (MRHF).Il est montré que le MRHF est performant dans des régimes fortement non-Gaussiens (notamment dans un régime bimodal) pour un nombre de membres relativement faible.Dans un second temps, une étude numérique est conduite. Cette étude est réalisée aux travers d'expériences jumelles basées sur un modèle vertical 1D, ModECOGeL, couplant la dynamique et la biogéochimie en mer Ligure. Nous simulons différents réseaux d'observations combinant des profils in situ et des données satellites. Plusieurs méthodes d'assimilation sont alors comparées à l'aide de diagnostics d'évaluation d'ensemble avancés.Nos expériences montrent l'impact du réseau d'observations et des variables de contrôle, sur le degré de non-Gaussianité d'un problème d'estimation. Le contrôle de la partie dynamique du modèle par des observations de la dynamique à différentes fréquences est un problème quasi-Gaussien, qu'un filtre aux moindres carrés, tel l'Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter, résout bien. En revanche pour ces mêmes observations, le contrôle de la biogéochimie s'avère être un problème non-Gaussien et nécessite l'utilisation d'un filtre non-Gaussien.Enfin, il est montré que l'assimilation de la couleur de l'eau, pour le contrôle mixte de la dynamique et de la biogéochimie, est améliorée par des méthodes adaptées aux non-Gaussianités, tel l'Ensemble Kalman Filter anamorphosé. De plus, l'augmentation de la fréquence d'observation de la couleur de l'eau rend incontournable l'utilisation de filtres fondamentalement non-Gaussiens comme le MRHF. / Data assimilation for Geosciences is a discipline seeking to improve our knowledge of a physical system based on the information from numerical models simulating this system and the information from the measures observing this system. The data assimilation methods traditionally used (eg the 4DVAR or the ensemble Kalman filters) are based on assumptions of Gaussianity of the probabilities involved and linearity of the models. With the increasing complexity of models and observation networks, these assumptions are increasingly unjustified and therefore penalizing. This complexity is particularly strong in oceanography coupled with marine biogeochemistry.The objectives of this thesis are to understand the appearance of non Gaussianity in an estimation problem, to think out a data assimilation method adapted to highly non Gaussian problems and, in the coupling of ocean dynamics and marine biogeochemistry, to explore the relevance of the use of non Gaussian methods.At first, a methodological study is conducted. This study, supported by illustrations with the three variable Lorenz model, allows to highlight the limitations of traditional methods when facing non Gaussian problems. This study led to the development of a fully non Gaussian data assimilation filter : the Multivariate Rank Histogram Filter (MRHF).It is shown that the MRHF is efficient in highly non Gaussian regimes (including in a bimodal regime) for a relatively small number of members.Secondly, a numerical study is conducted. This study is conducted with twin experiments based on a 1D vertical model, ModECOGeL, coupling dynamics and biogeochemistry in the Ligurian Sea. We simulate different observation networks combining in situ profiles and satellite data. Several data assimilation methods are then compared using advanced ensemble evaluation diagnoses.Our experiments show the impact of observation networks and controled variables on the degree of non Gaussianity in an estimation problem. The control of the dynamic part of the model by observations of the dynamics at different frequencies is a quasi Gaussian problem, which a least squared filter such as the Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter solves well. In contrast, for the same observations, the control of biogeochemistry proves to be a non Gaussian problem and requires the use of a non Gaussian filter. Finally, it is shown that assimilation of ocean color data, for the joint control of the dynamic and the biogeochemistry, is improved by methods adapted for non Gaussianities such as the Anamorphosed Ensemble Kalman Filter. In addition, increasing the ocean color observation frequency makes unavoidable the use of fundamentally non Gaussian filters such as the MRHF.

abstract: This study focuses on state estimation of nonlinear discrete time systems with constraints. Physical processes have inherent in them, constraints on inputs, outputs, states and disturbances. These constraints can provide additional information to the estimator in estimating states from the measured output. Recursive filters such as Kalman Filters or Extended Kalman Filters are commonly used in state estimation; however, they do not allow inclusion of constraints in their formulation. On the other hand, computational complexity of full information estimation (using all measurements) grows with iteration and becomes intractable. One way of formulating the recursive state estimation problem with constraints is the Moving Horizon Estimation (MHE) approximation. Estimates of states are calculated from the solution of a constrained optimization problem of fixed size. Detailed formulation of this strategy is studied and properties of this estimation algorithm are discussed in this work. The problem with the MHE formulation is solving an optimization problem in each iteration which is computationally intensive. State estimation with constraints can be formulated as Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) with a projection applied to estimates. The states are estimated from the measurements using standard Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) algorithm and the estimated states are projected on to a constrained set. Detailed formulation of this estimation strategy is studied and the properties associated with this algorithm are discussed. Both these state estimation strategies (MHE and EKF with projection) are tested with examples from the literature. The average estimation time and the sum of square estimation error are used to compare performance of these estimators. Results of the case studies are analyzed and trade-offs are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Electrical Engineering 2013

Este trabalho trata da preparação de membranas suportadas em substratos com alta permeabilidade, alta porosidade e razoável resistência mecânica., pelo método da sedimentação gravitacional. Os substratos foram obtidos através da prensagem de composições contendo poli(metacrilato de metila) e ácido esteárico dissolvidos no dicloro metano e alumina APC-SG (d50 = 3 &#956m ) calcinada a 1600&#176C durante 1h. As partículas de alumina após calcinação são classificadas em peneiras da série Tyler e utilizadas aquelas cuja distribuição se encontravam na faixa granulométrica de 250 a 500 &#956m. Os substratos após a prensagem a 33 MPa são calcinados e sinterizados a 1600&#176C durante 3h e apresentam \"alta resistência mecânica\", taxa de fluxo de 404 m3/m2h , porosidade de 59 % e distribuição de poros nas faixas de 10 a 100 &#956m e de 0.4 a 2.0 &#956m. Devido a grande diferença entre os diâmetros dos poros do substrato e o tamanho das partículas de alumina AKP-50 (d50 = 0.3 &#956m), utilizada para a obtenção da membrana, foi necessário acrescentar uma camada intermediária de alumina APC-SG entre o substrato e a membrana para viabilizar o processo de sedimentação. A camada intermediária foi depositada por sedimentação gravitacional e sinterizada a 1500&#176C durante 1h. A porosidade do substrato/camada intermediária é igual a 56 %, taxa de fluxo de 10 m3/m2h e distribuição de poros estreita na faixa de 0.4 a 2 &#956m. As membranas foram sinterizadas a 100&#176C durante 0.5h e se caracterizam por possuir uma distribuição de poros estreita na faixa de 0.04 a 0.09 &#956m, espessura média de 57 &#956m e taxa de fluxo de 0.4 m3/m2h. / This work is concerned with ceramic membrane preparation supported on a ceramic substrate having high permeability, high porosity and reasonable mechanical strength. Membranes were prepared from AKP-50 alumina by the gravitational sedimentation method followed by sintering at 1000&#176C for 0.5 h. Membranes showed a unimodal narrow pore size distribution in the 0.04 to 0.09 range, thickness of 57 &#956m and 0.4 m3/m2h. flow rate. Substrates were prepared by uniaxial compression, at 33 MPa, of alumina PMMA stearic acid powder composites followed by organic burning and final sintering at 1600&#176C for 3h. In order to increase alumina APC-SG grain size distribution to 250- 500 &#956m range, alumina was previously calcined at 1600&#176C for 1h. Substrates show high mechanical strength, 4.0 to 2 m3/m2h flow rate, 60% porosity and pore size distribution in the range of 10-100 &#956m and from 0.4 to 2.0 &#956m. Due to the large difference between the substrate pore diameter and the AKP-50 alumina grain size distribution (d50 = 0.3 &#956m) used in the membrane preparation, it was necessary to add an intermediary APC-SG layer. This layer was prepared also by the gravitational sedimentation method and sintered at 1500&#176C for 1h. The intermediary layer/substrate showed 56% porosity, 10 m3/m2h flow rate and a narrow pore sue distribution in the 0.4-2.0 &#956m range.