Ein kontinuierlich ansteigender Wasserbedarf, verursacht durch verstärktes Bevölkerungswachstum, zunehmende Urbanisierung und Industrialisierung, einhergehend mit einer Übernutzung der verfügbaren Wasserressourcen, führt weltweit zu einem dauerhaften Absinken der Grundwasserstände. Um das zeitliche Ungleichgewicht zwischen lokalem Wasserbedarf und Verfügbarkeit zu überwinden und die daraus resultierenden negativen Auswirkungen abzumildern, erfolgt im Rahmen einer künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherung die gezielte Anreicherung oder Wiederaufladung eines Aquifers. Dazu wird überschüssiges Oberflächenwasser unter kontrollierten Bedingungen versickert oder infiltriert, um es in Zeiten von Wassermangel zur Verfügung zu stellen oder die ökologischen Randbedingungen zu verbessern. Beim Betrieb der dafür häufig eingesetzten Infiltrationsbecken kommt es in Abhängigkeit von den Standort- (Boden/Klima/Wasserqualität) und den Betriebsparametern (Hydraulische Beladungsrate, Hydraulischer Beladungszyklus) allerdings durch verschiedene Prozesse (Kolmation, Sauerstoff- und Nährstofftransport) häufig zur negativen Beeinflussung der quantitativen und qualitativen Effizienz solcher Anlagen. Bisher durchgeführte Untersuchungen im Labor- und Feldmaßstab sowie die im Zuge des Betriebes bestehender Infiltrationsbecken gewonnenen Daten liefern hauptsächlich Informationen zum Einfluss einzelner Randbedingungen auf die Veränderung der Infiltrationskapazität bzw. die quantitative Effizienz. Allerdings können auf Basis dieser Daten nicht alle offenen Fragen hinsichtlich des Einflusses der Standort- und Betriebsparameter auf die quantitative und qualitative Effizienz von Infiltrationsbecken vollumfänglich und abschließend beantwortet werden. Aufgrund nicht untersuchter Aspekte sowie widersprüchlicher Daten existieren Unsicherheiten bezüglich der Bewertung hinsichtlich des Einflusses der einzelnen Standort- und Betriebsparameter auf die Effizienz solcher Anlagen. Zur Generierung von weiterem Wissen über den Einfluss von Standort- und Betriebsparametern auf die Effizienz von Infiltrationsbecken und zur anschließenden Formulierung von Empfehlungen für eine optimierte Standortauswahl sowie Betriebsweise von Infiltrationsbecken erfolgt die Durchführung von Laborversuchen mittels kleinskaliger und großskaliger, physikalischer Modelle. Es werden verschiedene Infiltrationsszenarien bei wechselnden Randbedingungen (Bodenart, Temperatur, Wasserqualität, Hydraulische Beladungsrate, Hydraulischer Beladungszyklus) durchgeführt. Anhand der gewonnenen Daten kann die Beeinflussung der quantitativen und qualitativen Effizienz durch die verschiedenen Standort- und Betriebsparameter sowie die dadurch beeinflussten Prozesse sehr gut aufgezeigt werden. Das bisher existierende Wissen kann dabei zum Teil bestätigt und um zusätzliche Erkenntnisse erweitert werden. Es zeigt sich, dass eine höhere hydraulische Durchlässigkeit des anstehenden Bodens eine geringere Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität durch Kolmationsprozesse verursacht und zudem für eine bessere Sauerstoffverfügbarkeit sorgt. Darüber hinaus wird ersichtlich, dass Bodentexturen mit einem mittleren Porendurchmesser von 230 µm optimale Bedingungen für eine hohe biologische Aktivität einhergehend mit einem Abbau infiltrierter Substanzen bieten. Der Nachweis einer verstärkten Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität durch Kolmationsprozesse bei erhöhten Temperaturen, aber nicht vorhandener Sonneneinstrahlung, kann nicht erbracht werden, da das Fließen des infiltrierten Wassers signifikant durch die erhöhte Viskosität beeinflusst wird. Eine schlechtere Wasserqualität, gleichbedeutend mit erhöhten Konzentrationen an abfiltrierbaren Stoffen sowie gelöstem organischen Kohlenstoff, verursacht in den simulierten Infiltrationsszenarien eine stärkere Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität. Die physikalischen Kolmationsprozesse tragen dabei den Hauptanteil an der Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität. Des Weiteren wird nachgewiesen, dass eine erhöhte HBR zu einer verstärkten Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität und zu einer verschlechterten Sauerstoffverfügbarkeit führt. Die Länge der Infiltrations- und Trockenphasen während des simulierten Betriebes von Infiltrationsbecken beeinflusst entscheidend die Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität sowie die Sauerstoffverfügbarkeit. Dabei kann gezeigt werden, dass unabhängig von der Länge der Infiltrations- und Trockenphasen eine vollständige Wiederherstellung der Sauerstoffverfügbarkeit innerhalb von 24 h im Anschluss an eine Infiltrationsphase gewährleistet wird. Das Verhältnis von Infiltrations- und Trockenphasen, auch als Hydraulischer Beladungszyklus bezeichnet, hat hingegen nahezu keinen Einfluss auf die quantitative Effizienz. Bei der Betrachtung aller simulierten Infiltrationsszenarien inklusive der Wechselwirkungen zwischen den verschiedenen Standort- und Betriebsparametern können die optimalen Bedingungen für eine hohe quantitative und qualitative Effizienz von Infiltrationsbecken identifiziert werden. Diese sind gegeben beim Vorhandensein eines gut durchlässigen Bodens (hydraulische Leitfähigkeit > 10-4 m s-1), idealerweise mit einem mittleren Porendurchmesser von 230 µm, gepaart mit einer intermittierenden Infiltration von Wasser höherer Qualität ((AFS ≤ 10 mg L-1, BDOC ≤ 10 mg L-1) und der Vermeidung von Infiltrationsphasen länger als 24 h. Eine Widerspiegelung der experimentellen Ergebnisse sowie eine Vorhersage der Reduzierung der Infiltrationskapazität ist mit dem ausgewählten, analytischen Modell nach Pedretti et al., 2012 aufgrund der unzureichend implementierten Berücksichtigung veränderlicher Eingangsparameter nur bedingt möglich. Auf Basis der gewonnenen Daten und dem damit einhergehenden erweiterten Wissen über den Einfluss von Standort- und Betriebsparametern auf die Effizienz von Infiltrationsbecken können schlussendlich Empfehlungen für die Standortauswahl und die optimale Betriebsweise ausgesprochen werden.:1 Einleitung...1 2 Grundlagen der künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherung...7 3 Vorliegende Erkenntnisse zur Beeinflussung der quantitativen und qualitativen Effizienz durch Standort- und Betriebsparameter...38 4 Methoden...49 5 Gewonnene Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der Beeinflussung der quantitativen und qualitativen Effizienz durch Standort- und Betriebsparameter...87 6 Empfehlungen zur Optimierung von Standort- und Betriebsbedingungen von Infiltrationsbecken zur künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherung...128 7 Schlussfolgerung und Ausblick...136 / A continuously rising demand for water, caused by increased population growth, growing urbanization and industrialization, accompanied by overuse of available water resources, is leading to a permanent drop in groundwater levels worldwide. In order to overcome the temporal imbalance between local water demand and availability and to mitigate the resulting negative effects, artificial groundwater recharge involves the managed enrichment or recharging of an aquifer. For this purpose, excess surface water is percolated or infiltrated under controlled conditions in order to make it available in times of water shortage or to improve the ecological boundary conditions. However, the quantitative and qualitative efficiency of frequently used infiltration basins during the operation is often negatively influenced by a wide variety of processes (clogging, oxygen and nutrient transport), depending on the location (soil/climate/water quality) and the operating parameters (loading rate, loading cycle). Investigations conducted to date on laboratory and field scale as well as data obtained during the operation of existing infiltration basins provide information on the influence of individual boundary conditions on the change in infiltration capacity or quantitative efficiency. However, not all open questions regarding the influence of site specific and operating parameters on the quantitative and qualitative efficiency of infiltration tanks can be answered completely and conclusively on the basis of these data. Due to aspects that have not been investigated and contradictory data, there are uncertainties in the evaluation regarding the influence of the individual site and operating parameters on the efficiency of the plants. Laboratory tests using small-scale and large-scale physical models were carried out, in order to generate further knowledge about the influence of site specific and operating parameters on the efficiency of infiltration basins and to formulate subsequently recommendations for an optimised site selection and operation of these plants. Various infiltration scenarios were carried out under changing boundary conditions (soil type, temperature, water quality, hydraulic loading rate, hydraulic loading cycle). Based on the data obtained, the influence on the quantitative and qualitative efficiency by the various site specific and operating parameters and the processes influenced by them can be demonstrated very well. The existing knowledge can be partially confirmed and extended by additional findings. It shows that a higher hydraulic permeability of the existing soil causes a lower reduction of the infiltration capacity by clogging processes and provides also a better oxygen availability. Furthermore, it can be observed that soil textures with an average pore diameter of 230 µm offer optimal conditions for high biological activity combined with a strong degradation of infiltrated substances. In case of higher temperatures but without solar radiation, an increased reduction of the infiltration capacity by clogging processes cannot be observed, since the flow of the infiltrated water is significantly influenced by the increased viscosity. In the simulated infiltration scenarios, poorer water quality, synonymous with increased concentrations of filterable substances as well as dissolved organic carbon, cause a stronger reduction of the infiltration capacity. Physical clogging processes are contributing the major part to the reduction of the infiltration capacity. Furthermore, it can be shown that an increased hydraulic loading rate leads to an increased reduction of the infiltration capacity and to a decreased oxygen availability. The length of the infiltration and drying phases during the simulated operation of infiltration basins has a decisive influence on the reduction of the infiltration capacity and the oxygen availability. It is demonstrated that regardless of the length of the infiltration and drying phases, a complete restoration of oxygen availability can be guaranteed within 24 h following an infiltration phase. In contrast, the ratio of infiltration and dry phases, also known as the hydraulic loading cycle, has almost no influence on the quantitative efficiency. Optimal conditions for a high quantitative and qualitative efficiency of infiltration basins can be identified, when considering all simulated infiltration scenarios including the interactions between the different site specific and operating parameters. These are given in the presence of a well-permeable soil (hydraulic conductivity > 10-4 m s-1), ideally with an average pore diameter of 230 µm, coupled with an intermittent infiltration of water of higher quality ((AFS ≤ 10 mg L-1, BDOC ≤ 10 mg L-1) and the prevention of infiltration phases longer than 24 h. A reflection of the experimental results as well as a prediction of the reduction of the infiltration capacity with the selected analytical model according to Pedretti et al., 2012 is only conditionally possible due to the insufficiently implemented consideration of variable input parameters. Recommendations for site selection and optimal operation were finally made on the basis of the data obtained and the resulting extended knowledge about the influence of site specific and operating parameters on the efficiency of infiltration basins.:1 Einleitung...1 2 Grundlagen der künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherung...7 3 Vorliegende Erkenntnisse zur Beeinflussung der quantitativen und qualitativen Effizienz durch Standort- und Betriebsparameter...38 4 Methoden...49 5 Gewonnene Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der Beeinflussung der quantitativen und qualitativen Effizienz durch Standort- und Betriebsparameter...87 6 Empfehlungen zur Optimierung von Standort- und Betriebsbedingungen von Infiltrationsbecken zur künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherung...128 7 Schlussfolgerung und Ausblick...136

Ces travaux ont pour objectif de modéliser les mécanismes de dispersion dans les aquifères. L’hétérogénéité du champ de vitesse et le transfert de masse entre zones immobiles et mobiles sont deux origines possibles du comportement non-Fickéen, jusqu’alors étudiées de façon séparée. Notre hypothèse de départ est que ces deux mécanismes coexistent. Nos travaux comprennent : 1) des expériences de traçage sur colonnes de billes de verre et carottes de grès de Berea, en mode flow-through et push-pull, et 2) des simulations numériques réalisées à partir d’images en microtomographie RX segmentées en trois phases : solide, vide et microporosité. L’analyse du champ de vitesse (Stokes) montre l’importance de la discrétisation spatiale et de la prise en compte de la microporosité. Les résultats des simulations de transport (en utilisant la méthode time domain random walk) permettent de quantifier l’effet combiné de l’hétérogénéité du champ de vitesse et des transferts diffusifs dans la fraction micro-poreuse de la roche sur la dispersion non-Fickéenne, caractérisée à partir des courbes de restitution (BTC). Ces résultats sont cohérents avec les observations expérimentales. Nous concluons que ces deux effets doivent être pris en compte même si leur identification à partir de la forme des BTCs issues des traçages des milieux naturels (souvent caractérisés par de faible valeurs du nombre de Peclet ) reste difficile. Enfin, un modèle moyen macroscopique 1D est proposé dans le cadre d’une approche de type continuous time random walk dans laquelle des distributions spécifiques du temps de transfert des particules sont construites pour chacun des deux mécanismes de transport. / His work aims at modeling hydrodynamic dispersion mechanisms in aquifers. So far both flow field heterogeneity and mobile-immobile mass transfer have been studied separately for explaining the ubiquitously observed non-Fickian behaviors, but we postulate that both mechanisms contribute simultaneously. Our investigations combine laboratory experiments and pore scale numerical modeling. The experimental rig was designed to enable push-pull and flow through tracer tests on glass bead columns and Berea sandstone cores. Modeling consists in solving Stokes flow and solute transport on 3D X-ray microtomography images segmented into three phases: solid, void and microporosity. Transport is modeled using time domain random walk. Statistical analysis of the flow field emphasizes the importance of the mesh resolution and the inclusion of the microporosity. Results from the simulations show that both the flow field heterogeneity and the diffusive transport in the microporous fraction of the rock contribute to the overall non-Fickian transport behavior observed, for instance, on the breakthrough curves (BTC). These results are supported by our experiments. We conclude that, in general, this dual control must be taken into account, even if these different influences can hardly be distinguished from a qualitative appraisal of the BTC shape, specifically for the low values of the Peclet number that occurs in natural conditions. Finally, a 1D up-scaled model is developed in the framework of the continuous time random walk, where the influences of the flow field heterogeneity and mobile-immobile mass transfer are both taken into account using distinct transition time distributions.

The fluid flow and tracer transport in a single rock fracture during shear processes has been an important issue in rock mechanics and is investigated in this thesis using Finite Element Method (FEM) and streamline particle tracking method, considering evolutions of aperture and transmissivity with shear displacement histories under different normal stresses, based on laboratory tests. The distributions of fracture aperture and its evolution during shear were calculated from the initial aperture fields, based on the laser-scanned surface roughness features of replicas of rock fracture specimens, and shear dilations measured during the coupled shear-flow-tracer tests in laboratory performed using a newly developed testing apparatus in Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan. Three rock fractures of granite with different roughness characteristics were used as parent samples from which nine plaster replicas were made and coupled shear-flow tests was performed under three normal loading conditions (two levels of constant normal loading (CNL) and one constant normal stiffness (CNS) conditions). In order to visualize the tracer transport, transparent acrylic upper parts and plaster lower parts of the fracture specimens were manufactured from an artificially created tensile fracture of sandstone and the coupled shear-flow tests with fluid visualization was performed using a dye tracer injected from upstream and a CCD camera to record the dye movement. A special algorithm for treating the contact areas as zero-aperture elements was used to produce more accurate flow field simulations by using FEM, which is important for continued simulations of particle transport, but was often not properly treated in literature. The simulation results agreed well with the flow rate data obtained from the laboratory tests, showing that complex histories of fracture aperture and tortuous flow channels with changing normal stresses and increasing shear displacements, which were also captured by the coupled shear-flow tests of fracture specimens with visualization of the fluid flow. From the obtained flow velocity fields, the particle transport was predicted by the streamline particle tracking method with calculated flow velocity fields (vectors) from the flow simulations, obtaining results such as flow velocity profiles, total flow rates, particle travel time, breakthrough curves and the Péclet number, Pe, respectively. The fluid flow in the vertical 2-D cross-sections of a rock fracture was also simulated by solving both Navier-Stokes (NS) and Reynolds equations, and the particle transport was predicted by streamline particle tracking method. The results obtained using NS and Reynolds equations were compared to illustrate the degree of the validity of the Reynolds equation for general applications in practice since the later is mush more computationally efficient for large scale problems. The flow simulation results show that the total flow rate and the flow velocity predicted by NS equations are quite different from that as predicted by the Reynolds equation. The results show that a roughly 5-10 % overestimation on the flow rate is produced when the Reynolds equation is used, and the ideal parabolic velocity profiles defined by the local cubic law, when Reynolds equation is used, is no longer valid, especially when the roughness feature of the fracture surfaces changes with shear. These deviations of flow rate and flow velocity profiles across the fracture aperture have a significant impact on the particle transport behavior and the associated properties, such as the travel time and Péclet number. The deviations increase with increasing flow velocity and become more significant when fracture aperture geometry changes with shear. The scientific findings from these studies provided new insights to the physical behavior of fluid flow and mass transport in rock fractures which is the scientific basis for many rock mechanics problems at the fundamental level, and with special importance to rock engineering problems such as geothermal energy extraction (where flow rate in fractures dominates the productivity of a geothermal energy reservoir) and nuclear waste repositories (where radioactive nuclides transport through fractures dominates the final safety evaluations) in fractured rocks. / Vätskeflödet och spårämnestransporten i en enskild bergsspricka under skjuvningsprocesser har varit ett viktigt ämne inom bergmekanik. I denna avhandling undersöks ämnet med hjälp av finita element metoden (FEM) och en strömlinjebaserad partikelspårningsmetod. Hänsyn tas till utveckling av öppningar och transmissivitet med skjuvningens förflyttningshistoria under olika normala belastningar baserat på laboratorietester. Fördelningen av spricköppningar och deras utveckling under skjuvning beräknades från de initiala öppningsfälten baserat på det laserscannade provets ytas grovhetskännetecken sam tskjuvningsöppningar uppmätta under de kopplade skjuvning-flöde-spårämneslaboratorietesterna som utförts med nyutvecklad testapparatur i Nagasaki Universitet i Nagasaki, Japan. Tre bergssprickor i granit med olika grovhetskarakteristika användes som utgångsprover från vilka nio gipskopior gjordes. Kopplade skjuvning-flödes tester utfördes sedan under tre normala belastningstillstånd (två nivåer med konstant normal last (KNL) och en konstant normal styvhetstillstånd (KNS). För att visualisera spårämnestransporten tillverkades en transparent övre del av sprickproverna av akryl och en nedre del av gipsbaserat på en kostgjord spänningsspricka i sandsten och de kopplade skjuvning-flödes testerna med vätskevisualisering utfördes med färgspårämne injekterat uppströms och en CCD kamera monterad ovanför för att registrera färgens rörelse. En särskild algoritm användes för att behandla kontaktytorna som nollöppningsämnen användes för att åstadkomma mer exakta flödesfältssimuleringar med FEM. Detta är viktigt för kontinuerliga simuleringar av partikelflöden men uppmärksammas oftast inte tillräckligt i litteraturen. Simuleringsresultaten överensstämde väl med de flödesnivådata som erhölls från laboratorietesterna vilket visade att komplexa historier av spricköppningar och invecklade flöden överensstämde med ändrade normala belastningar och ökande skjuvningsförflyttningar, vilket även fångades av de kopplade skjuvning-flödestesterna av sprickproverna genom visualisering av vätskeflödet. Från de erhållna flödesfälten förutsågs partikeltransporten genom en strömlinjebaserad partikelspårningsmetod med kalkylerade flödeshastighetsfält (vektorer) från flödessimuleringarna genom vilka resultat som flödeshastighetsprofiler, totala flödesnivåer,partikeltransporttid, genombrottskurvor samt Pécletnumret, Pe, erhölls. Vätskeflödet i det vertikala tvådimensionella tvärsnittet av en bergsspricka simulerades även genom att både Navier-Stokes (NS) och Reynoldsekvationerna löstes och partikeltransporten förutsågs genom den strömlinjebaserade partikelspårningsmetoden. Resultaten som erhöllsmed NS och Reynoldsekvationerna jämfördes för att illustrera graden av tillförlitlighet för Reynoldsekvationen för allmänna tillämpningar i praktiken då den senare är betydligt mer beräkningseffektiv för storskaliga problem. Resultaten från flödessimuleringarna visar att den totala flödesnivån och den totala flödeshastigheten förutsedda med NS ekvationer är helt annorlunda motsvarande värden som förutsågs med Reynoldsekvationen. Resultaten visar att en ca 5-10 % för hög uppskattning av flödesnivån erhålls då Reynoldsekvationen används och de ideala parabola hastighetsprofilerna, som definieras av den lokala kubiklagen när Reynoldsekvationen används, inte längre är giltiga särskilt när sprickytornas grovhetskarakteristika ändras med skjuvning. De här avvikelserna i flödesnivå och flödeshastighetsprofiler längs med spricköppningen har en betydande påverkan på partikeltransportuppträdande och de tillhörande egenskaperna såsom rörelsetid och Pécletnummer. Avvikelserna ökar med ökande flödeshastighet och blir mer signifikanta när spricköppningarnas geometri ändras med skjuvning. Forskningsresultaten från dessa studier gav nya insikter i de fysiska uppträdandet av vätskeflöde och masstransporter i bergssprickor vilket är den vetenskapliga basen för många bergmekanikproblem på grundläggande nivå och som har särskild vikt för bergstekniksproblem såsom geotermisk energiutvinning (där flödesnivå i sprickor dominerar produktiviteten för en geotermisk energikälla) och kärnavfallsförvaringsplatser (där transporten av radioaktiva nuklider genom sprickor dominerar den slutgiltigasäkerhetsutvärderingen) i sprickigt berg. / QC 20100803

This thesis is a collection of three essays on inflation expectations, forecasting uncertainty, and the role of uncertainty in sequential auctions, all using experimental approach. Chapter 1 studies how individuals forecast inflation in fictitious macroeconomic setup and analyzes the effect of monetary policy rules on their decisions. Results display heterogeneity in inflation forecasting rules and demonstrate the importance of adaptive learning forecasting if model switching is assumed. Chapter 2 extends the analysis from Chapter 1 by analyzing individual inflation forecasting uncertainty. Results show that confidence intervals depend on inflation variance and business cycle phase, have a strong inertia, and are often asymmetric. Finally, Chapter 3 analyzes the role of uncertainty about the number of bidders for the behavior of subjects in a sequential auction experiment. Uncertainty does not aggravate price decline, but it changes individual bidding strategies and auction efficiency. / Esta tesis consta de tres ensayos sobre las expectativas de inflación, la incertidumbre de la predicción, y la importancia de la incertidumbre en subastas secuenciales. Todos ellos utilizan un método experimental. El capítulo 1 estudia cómo los individuos predicen la inflación en la economía ficticia y analiza el efecto de las reglas de política monetaria en sus decisiones. Los resultados revelan la heterogeneidad en las reglas de predicción de la inflación y demuestran la importancia del mecanismo de aprendizaje adaptivo si el cambio entre los modelos se supone. Capítulo 2 continúa el análisis del capítulo 1, analiza la incertidumbre individual de las expectativas de inflación. Los resultados muestran que los intervalos de confianza dependen de varianza de la inflación y la fase del ciclo económico, tienen una fuerte inercia, y son frecuentemente asimétricos. Por último, el capítulo 3 analiza la influencia de la incertidumbre sobre el número de oferentes en el comportamiento de los individuos en un experimento de la subasta secuencial. La incertidumbre no agrava la caída de los precios, pero cambia las estrategias de los oferentes y la eficiencia de la subasta.

Dans le cadre de cette thèse, un ouvrage de type séparateur hydrodynamique est étudié pour répondre aux problématiques environnementales liées aux déversements de macro-déchets en mer. La première partie est destinée à l’analyse du fonctionnement hydraulique de l’ouvrage et son aptitude face au colmatage sur un pilote en laboratoire. Les données collectées vont ensuite permettre la validation d’une approche numérique capable de simuler l’écoulement. Cette technique est par la suite utilisée pour optimiser l’écoulement et la forme de la grille. Nous avons démontré, à partir de simulations numériques, l’intérêt d’une grille de type métal déployé pour obtenir des phénomènes d’agitations turbulentes et de gradient de pression important à l’amont de la grille. Ces phénomènes favoriseraient ainsi la dispersion des polluants et limiteraient les phénomènes de colmatage. La dernière partie de ce travail a été d’étudier le fonctionnement d’un ouvrage grandeur nature et d’observer son efficacité. / The installation of hydraulic structures to separate particles is a key element to improve the quality of water bodies. This PhD work focus on the study of a hydrodynamic separator used to capture large wastes before their discharge into the see. Tangential separation mechanism along a screen is used in this device. The first part of the work consists in studying the hydraulic behavior and the clogging effectiveness of the device with laboratory experiments. A CFD multiscale approach was developed in this work to optimize the shape of the screen in order to avoid clogging. This method, validated against experimental data, allows us to predict that expanded metal stripes are useful to develop turbulence and pressure gradients upstream the screen. This hydrodynamic phenomenon favor particles and pollutants ejection near the apertures. The last part of the work was to study the hydrodynamic behavior and the real efficiency with in situ experiments.

This diploma thesis deals with determination of geotechnical properties of soils with using method of electrical impedance spectrometry (EIS). For measurement was used device Z-meter of 3rd generation, which was developed with projects of international program of applied research EUREKA. Experiment was realized in Laboratory of soil mechanics in GEOtest a.s. in Brno.

Les méthodes numériques sont largement utilisées en exploration sismique pour simuler la propagation des ondes et pour le post-traitement des données sismiques avant l'interprétation géologique/géophysique. Les algorithmes sont basés sur différentes hypothèses pour réduire le coût de calcul au détriment de la simplification des modèles et/ou des phénomènes physiques. En raison de leur rôle essentiel en exploration géophysique, la précision des simulations numériques présente un fort intérêt, notamment dans le cas de configurations géologiques réalistes. La comparaison directe des résultats numériques entre eux dans des configurations synthétiques peut avoir des limites, car il peut être difficile de déterminer celui qui donne la meilleure approximation de la solution physique inconnue. Comme dans la réalité le sous-sol n'est jamais connu avec précision, il est également difficile de comparer les résultats synthétiques aux données sismiques réelles acquises in situ. Par conséquent, il y a un grand intérêt à utiliser des mesures de laboratoire sur des modèles physiques aux propriétés connues pour valider la précision des outils numériques. Avant de pouvoir comparer avec précision les mesures et les simulations, nous devons tout d’abord établir un cadre comparatif avec une approche conjointe adaptée aux expériences de laboratoire et à la modélisation numérique. C’est précisément l'objectif de cette thèse. Ainsi, le cadre reproduit d'abord les mesures sismiques marines dans des conditions de laboratoire en utilisant de modèles à échelle réduite, puis les outils numériques sont adaptés à la reconstruction précise des expériences. / Numerical methods are widely used in seismic exploration to simulate wave propagation and to post-process the recorded seismic data before the geologic/geophysical interpretation. The algorithms are based on various assumptions to reduce the computational cost at the expense of simplifying the models and/or the physical phenomena. Because of their essential role in exploration geophysics, the accuracy of the numerical simulations is of particular interest, especially in the case of realistic geologic setups. The direct comparison of the numerical results with each other in synthetic configurations can have limitations, as it can be difficult to determine the one that gives the best approximation of a physically unknown solution. Because in real life the subsurface is never accurately known, it is also difficult to compare the synthetic results to any seismic data set from field measurements. Therefore there is a strong interest in using laboratory measurements on physical models of known geometries to benchmark the numerical tools. Before comparing measurements and simulations with confidence at high accuracy, we first need to establish a comparative framework with a jointly-adapted approach to both the laboratory experiments and the numerical modeling. This challenging task is the goal of this thesis. Thus, the framework first reproduces offshore seismic measurements in laboratory conditions with the help of small-scale models, and then the numerical tools are adapted to the accurate synthetic reconstruction of the experiments.

Heathlands typically experience regimes consisting of frequent and intense fires. These fire regimes play important roles in the lifecycles and population dynamics of all species in these communities. Prescribed fire is commonly applied to heathlands to minimise the risk of wildfires as well as to promote biodiversity. Ignitions in heathlands tend to either be unsustainable, or quickly develop into rapidly spreading intense fires. This presents a major problem for the application of prescribed fire and is the primary focus of this thesis. Heathland ignition has been investigated in three sections; litter ignition; vertical development of fire into the shrub layer; and horizontal spread through the shrub layer. These were studied in laboratory experiments using miniature versions of field fuels. Ignition success in litter layers was related to the dead fuel moisture content. Litter type, ignition source, and presence of wind were found to affect the range of ignitable fuel moisture contents of a litter bed. The effect of litter type was best explained by density. Dense litter beds required drier conditions for ignition than low density litter beds. The vertical development of fire into shrubs was mostly dependent on live fuel moisture content, but crown base height, presence of wind, ignition source, shrub height and the percentage of dead elevated fuel were also important. Horizontal spread of fires through shrub layers was most affected by the presence of a litter layer, with nearly all ignitions successful when there was an underlying litter fire. Fire spread would only occur in shrubs without a litter layer when the shrub layer was dense and dry, or had a substantial dead fuel component. Spread was more likely to be sustained when there was wind. Models predicting the moisture content of dead fuels were tested in heathlands, and as would be expected those that can be calibrated for different fuel types were found to have the best performance. Fuel moisture content and fuel load models were reviewed for heathlands, and a number of recommendations for future research were made.

Heavy oil production depends on the understanding of mechanical and flow properties of unconsolidated or weakly consolidated sands under different loading paths and boundary conditions. Reconstituted bitumen-free Athabasca oil-sands samples were used to investigate the geomechanics of a steam injection process such as the Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD). Four stress paths have been studied in this work: triaxial compression, radial extension, pore pressure increase and isotropic compression. Absolute permeability, end-point relative permeability to oil & water (kro and krw), initial water saturation and residual oil saturation were measured while the samples deformed. Triaxial compression is a stress path of increasing mean stress while radial extension and pore pressure increase lead to decreasing mean stress. Pore pressure increase experiments were carried out for three initial states: equal axial and confining stresses, axial stress greater than confining stress and confining stress greater than axial stress. Pore pressure was increased under four boundary conditions: 1) constant axial and confining stress; 2) constant axial stress and zero radial strain; 3) zero axial strain and constant confining stress; and 4) zero axial and radial strain. These experiments were designed to mimic geologic conditions where vertical stress was either S1 or S3, the lateral boundary conditions were either zero strain or constant stress, and the vertical boundary conditions were either zero strain or constant stress. Triaxial compression caused a decrease in permeability as the sample compacted, followed by appreciable permeability enhancement during sample dilation. Radial extension led to sample dilation, shear failure and permeability increase from the beginning. The krw and kro increased by 40% and 15% post-compaction respectively for the samples corresponding to lower depths during triaxial compression. For these samples, residual oil saturation decreased by as much as 40%. For radial extension, the permeability enhancement decreased with depth and ranged from 20% to 50% while the residual oil saturation decreased by up to 55%. For both stress paths, more shear-enhanced permeability was observed for samples tested at lower pressures, implying that permeability enhancement is higher for shallower sands. The pore pressure increase experiments showed an increase of only 0-10% in absolute permeability except when the effective stress became close to zero. This could possibly have occurred due to steady state flow not being reached during absolute permeability measurement. The krw curves generally increased as the pore pressure was increased from 0 psi. The increase ranged from 5% to 44% for the different boundary conditions and differential stresses. The kro curves also showed an increasing trend for most of the cases. The residual oil saturation decreased by 40-60% for samples corresponding to shallow depths while it increased by 0-10% for samples corresponding to greater depths. The reservoirs with high differential stress are more conducive to favorable changes in permeability and residual oil saturation. These results suggested that a decreasing mean stress path is more beneficial for production increase than an increasing mean stress path. The unconsolidated sands are over-consolidated because of previous ice loading which makes the sand matrix stiffer. In this work, it was found that over-consolidation, as expected, decreased the porosity and permeability (40-50%) and increased the Young’s and bulk moduli of the sand. The result is sand which failed at higher than expected stress during triaxial compression. Overall, results show that lab experiments support increased permeability due to steam injection operations in heavy oil, and more importantly, the observed reduction in residual oil saturation implies SAGD induced deformation should improve recovery factors. / text

Present organic carbon fluxes from an upland peat catchment were quantified through measurement of in-situ direct and indirect greenhouse gas fluxes. To predict future greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, peat from eroded (E) and uneroded (U) site of an upland peat catchment was characterized.Composition of peat from E and U sites at the Crowden Great Brook catchment, Peak District Nation Park, UK that was characterized by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) at 700 oC. Pyrolysis products of the peat were then classified using the Vancampenhout classification into 6 compound classes - viz. aromatic and polyaromatic (Ar), phenols (Ph), lignin compounds (Lg), soil lipids (Lp), polysaccharide compounds (Ps) and N-compounds (N). There was no significant difference in the composition between the eroded and uneroded sites within the study area or between peats from different depths within each site. Nevertheless, there was a significant difference between sites in the proportions of Sphagnum that had contributed to the peat. Pyrolysis products of the peat were also classified into pedogenic (Pd) and aquagenic (Aq) OC – the mean percentage of Pd in both eroded and uneroded peats was 43.93 ± 4.30 % with the balance of the OC classified as Aq.Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes were quantified directly by in-situ continuous measurement of GHG was carried out at the E and U sites of the catchment using a GasClam: mean in-situ gas concentrations of CH4 (1.30 ± 0.04 % v/v (E), 0.59 ± 0.05 % v/v (U) and CO2 (8.83 ± 0.22 % v/v (E), 1.77 ± 0.03 % v/v (U)) were observed, with both the CH4 and CO2 concentrations apparently unrelated to atmospheric pressure and temperature changes. Laboratory measurements of ex-situ gas production - for both CH4 and CO2 this was higher for U site soils than for E site soils. At the U site, maximum production rates of both CH4 (46.11±1.47 mMol t-1 day-1) and CO2 (45.56 ± 10.19 mMol t-1 day-1) were observed for 0-50 cm depth in soils. Increased temperature did not affect gas production, whilst increased oxygen increased gas production. The CH4/CO2 ratios observed in-situ are not similar to those observed in the ex-situ laboratory experiments; suggest that some caution is advised in interpreting the latter. However, the maximum OC loss of 2.3 wt. % observed after 20 weeks of ex-situ incubation is nevertheless consistent with the long-term degradation noted by Bellamy et al (1985) from organic-rich UK soils. Indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes were quantified through the mass flux of suspended organic carbon (SsOC) drained from studied catchments. The SsOC was quantified by interpolating and rating methods. Unfiltered (UF) organic carbon (OC) fluxes in 2010 were calculated to be 8.86 t/km2/yr for the eroded sub-catchment and 6.74 t/km2/yr for the uneroded sub-catchment. All the rating relationships have a large amount of scatter. Both UF OC and <0.2 µm fraction OC are positively correlated with discharge at the eroded site, whilst there is no discernable relationship with discharge at the uneroded site. SsOC is dominated by Pd type OC (95.23 ± 10.20 % from E; 92.84 ± 5.38 % from U) far more so than in sources of the peats, suggesting slower oxidation of Pd (cf. Aq) OC.