The overall purpose of this study was to define the water balance of feedlot pens in a Saskatchewan cattle feeding operation for a one year period. Although the initial intention of the study was focused upon an active feedlot, cattle were removed from the pens in July 2003. Therefore, the year of analysis was conducted on the manured surface of an inactive feedlot. The water balance was also performed on a scraped soil surface, since manure is removed from the pens and spread on agricultural land, leaving the pen surfaces bare for a short period of time each year. <p>During the monitoring period (Sept. 2003 to Aug. 2004), 313 mm of precipitation was received at the feedlot, but only 84 mm of that total was received before June 2004. Winter precipitation was very low (33 mm) and there was no observed runoff from it. Runoff collection weirs in operation for only part of the summer recorded no runoff. The Green-Ampt and USDA SCS runoff models, as well as a snowmelt runoff equation, were used to predict runoff from both the manure pack, as well as the scraped soil surface. Using manure and soil hydraulic parameters determined in the laboratory (from falling head permeameter measurements) and the field (from rainfall simulations), as well as incorporating the greatest 24 hour rainfall amounts and 30 minute intensities experienced at the feedlot, the USDA model found that 29 mm of runoff would occur from the scraped soil surface. Additionally, snowmelt runoff was estimated to be 19 mm for the winter precipitation received. Drainage beneath the 0.6 m soil depth was negligible and the top 0.6 m of soil experienced an increase in moisture of 54 mm. Finally, 211 mm was lost as evaporation. For the manure pack, no runoff was predicted using the Green-Ampt and USDA SCS models and snowmelt runoff equation, which corresponded well to the lack of runoff measured both from the weir and rainfall simulations. Drainage beneath 0.6 m soil depth was negligible. Of the 313 mm of precipitation that fell during the study year, 42 mm was stored within the manure pack and the rest was lost as evaporation (271 mm).

The overall purpose of this study was to define the water balance of feedlot pens in a Saskatchewan cattle feeding operation for a one year period. Although the initial intention of the study was focused upon an active feedlot, cattle were removed from the pens in July 2003. Therefore, the year of analysis was conducted on the manured surface of an inactive feedlot. The water balance was also performed on a scraped soil surface, since manure is removed from the pens and spread on agricultural land, leaving the pen surfaces bare for a short period of time each year. <p>During the monitoring period (Sept. 2003 to Aug. 2004), 313 mm of precipitation was received at the feedlot, but only 84 mm of that total was received before June 2004. Winter precipitation was very low (33 mm) and there was no observed runoff from it. Runoff collection weirs in operation for only part of the summer recorded no runoff. The Green-Ampt and USDA SCS runoff models, as well as a snowmelt runoff equation, were used to predict runoff from both the manure pack, as well as the scraped soil surface. Using manure and soil hydraulic parameters determined in the laboratory (from falling head permeameter measurements) and the field (from rainfall simulations), as well as incorporating the greatest 24 hour rainfall amounts and 30 minute intensities experienced at the feedlot, the USDA model found that 29 mm of runoff would occur from the scraped soil surface. Additionally, snowmelt runoff was estimated to be 19 mm for the winter precipitation received. Drainage beneath the 0.6 m soil depth was negligible and the top 0.6 m of soil experienced an increase in moisture of 54 mm. Finally, 211 mm was lost as evaporation. For the manure pack, no runoff was predicted using the Green-Ampt and USDA SCS models and snowmelt runoff equation, which corresponded well to the lack of runoff measured both from the weir and rainfall simulations. Drainage beneath 0.6 m soil depth was negligible. Of the 313 mm of precipitation that fell during the study year, 42 mm was stored within the manure pack and the rest was lost as evaporation (271 mm).

In dieser Arbeit wird eine einheitliche physikalische Beschreibung des Feuchtespeicherverhaltens poröser Materialien gegeben, und ein anwendungsorientiertes Modell daraus abgeleitet. Insbesondere wird die Hysteresis der Feuchtespeicherung berücksichtigt. Die thermodynamischen Grundlagen der Feuchtespeicherung werden vollständig abgeleitet. Die Energie des kondensierten Wassers wird durch die Energie der freien Flüssigphase zuzüglich einer Porenwechselwirkungsenergie dargestellt. Um das Kondensationsverhalten zu beschreiben, wird ein thermodynamisches Kondensationspotential eingeführt; dabei werden ein Ungleichgewicht zwischen Kondensatphase und Wasserdampf sowie mehrere unabhängige Wassergehalte im Porensystem zur Darstellung der Hysteresis berücksichtigt. Für verschiedene in der Literatur beschriebene Sorptionsprozesse wird mit einheitlichen Zustandsgrössen das Kondensationspotential berechnet. Die Hysteresis wird als verzögerte Bewegung des Systemzustandes in der Berg- und Tallandschaft des Kondensationspotentials interpretiert. Es wurden an 11 Materialien Sorptionsmessungen im hygroskopischen Luftfeuchtebereich (0-92% RH) durchgeführt: Eine Adsorptionskurve und mehrere Desorptionskurven, sowie eine Langzeitmessung der Feuchteaufnahme bei 92% RH. Aus dem Adsorptions-Desorptionsverhältnis entnimmt man, dass der Hysteresis-Effekt typischerweise etwa 20% ausmacht. Mit den Messungen werden für alle Materialien das Modell der unabhängigen Domänen, das hysteretische thermodynamische Kondensationspotential und das Sorptionskurvensystem parametrisiert. Die Feuchteaufnahme bei dem Langzeitexperiment lässt sich durch eine bimodale Exponentialfunktion beschreiben. Die Kurven von hygroskopischer Adsorption und Desorption werden durch analytische Funktionen angenähert. Die Steigungen der Zwischenkurven werden aus den Steigungen der Hauptkurven berechnet. In gleicher Weise wird auch der überhygroskopische Bereich dargestellt, unter Zuhilfenahme externer Messdaten. Schliesslich ergeben sich zwei getrennt parametrisierte, aneinander angrenzende Sorptionsschleifen für den hygroskopischen und den überhygroskopischen Bereich. Alle Parameter werden so angepasst, dass eine grösstmögliche Übereinstimmung mit dem Domänenmodell erzielt wird. / This work gives a unified physical description of moisture storage in very different porous materials and derives an application-oriented model, especially the hysteresis of moisture storage has been investigated extensively. A full derivation of the thermodynamics of moisture sorption is given. The energy of condensed water is described by the energy of the free liquid plus a pore interaction energy. To describe the condensation behaviour, a thermodynamic condensation potential is introduced. It takes into account a non-equilibrium between condensed water and water vapour as well as several independent moisture contents in the liquid phase to describe the hysteresis. For many different sorption processes described in literature the condensation potential is derived, using always the same state variables. Hysteresis is interpreted as a delayed movement of the system in the hill-and-valley-landscape of the condensation potential. Sorption measurements have been performed for 11 different materials in the hygroscopic region (0-92% RH). One adsorption curve and several desorption curves and also the time dependent moisture sorption at 92% RH in a long-time experiment have been measured. From the adsorption-desorption ratio it can be concluded that the influence of hygroscopic hysteresis is typically about 20%. From the measurement results, for all materials the model of independent domains, the hysteretic condensation potential and the sorption curve system are parameterised. The moisture uptake of the long-time experiment can be described by a bimodal exponential function. The curves of hygroscopic adsorption and desorption are approximated by analytical functions. The slopes of the intermediate curves are calculated from the slopes of the main curves. In the same way the overhygroscopic region is approximated, using external measurement results. Finally a model is presented with two neighbouring sorption loops, one for the hygroscopic, one for the overhygroscopic region. All parameters are fitted to the predictions of the domain model.

In dieser Arbeit wird eine einheitliche physikalische Beschreibung des Feuchtespeicherverhaltens poröser Materialien gegeben, und ein anwendungsorientiertes Modell daraus abgeleitet. Insbesondere wird die Hysteresis der Feuchtespeicherung berücksichtigt. Die thermodynamischen Grundlagen der Feuchtespeicherung werden vollständig abgeleitet. Die Energie des kondensierten Wassers wird durch die Energie der freien Flüssigphase zuzüglich einer Porenwechselwirkungsenergie dargestellt. Um das Kondensationsverhalten zu beschreiben, wird ein thermodynamisches Kondensationspotential eingeführt; dabei werden ein Ungleichgewicht zwischen Kondensatphase und Wasserdampf sowie mehrere unabhängige Wassergehalte im Porensystem zur Darstellung der Hysteresis berücksichtigt. Für verschiedene in der Literatur beschriebene Sorptionsprozesse wird mit einheitlichen Zustandsgrössen das Kondensationspotential berechnet. Die Hysteresis wird als verzögerte Bewegung des Systemzustandes in der Berg- und Tallandschaft des Kondensationspotentials interpretiert. Es wurden an 11 Materialien Sorptionsmessungen im hygroskopischen Luftfeuchtebereich (0-92% RH) durchgeführt: Eine Adsorptionskurve und mehrere Desorptionskurven, sowie eine Langzeitmessung der Feuchteaufnahme bei 92% RH. Aus dem Adsorptions-Desorptionsverhältnis entnimmt man, dass der Hysteresis-Effekt typischerweise etwa 20% ausmacht. Mit den Messungen werden für alle Materialien das Modell der unabhängigen Domänen, das hysteretische thermodynamische Kondensationspotential und das Sorptionskurvensystem parametrisiert. Die Feuchteaufnahme bei dem Langzeitexperiment lässt sich durch eine bimodale Exponentialfunktion beschreiben. Die Kurven von hygroskopischer Adsorption und Desorption werden durch analytische Funktionen angenähert. Die Steigungen der Zwischenkurven werden aus den Steigungen der Hauptkurven berechnet. In gleicher Weise wird auch der überhygroskopische Bereich dargestellt, unter Zuhilfenahme externer Messdaten. Schliesslich ergeben sich zwei getrennt parametrisierte, aneinander angrenzende Sorptionsschleifen für den hygroskopischen und den überhygroskopischen Bereich. Alle Parameter werden so angepasst, dass eine grösstmögliche Übereinstimmung mit dem Domänenmodell erzielt wird.:1. Einleitung 2. Allgemeine Thermodynamik der Feuchtesorption 3. Sorptionsmodelle in einheitlicher Beschreibung 4. Experimentell untersuchte Materialien 5. Parametrisierung von Modell und Sorptionskurven 6. Zusammenfassung A.1. Details zur Theorie A.2. Details zum Experiment A.3. Details zur Parametrisierung / This work gives a unified physical description of moisture storage in very different porous materials and derives an application-oriented model, especially the hysteresis of moisture storage has been investigated extensively. A full derivation of the thermodynamics of moisture sorption is given. The energy of condensed water is described by the energy of the free liquid plus a pore interaction energy. To describe the condensation behaviour, a thermodynamic condensation potential is introduced. It takes into account a non-equilibrium between condensed water and water vapour as well as several independent moisture contents in the liquid phase to describe the hysteresis. For many different sorption processes described in literature the condensation potential is derived, using always the same state variables. Hysteresis is interpreted as a delayed movement of the system in the hill-and-valley-landscape of the condensation potential. Sorption measurements have been performed for 11 different materials in the hygroscopic region (0-92% RH). One adsorption curve and several desorption curves and also the time dependent moisture sorption at 92% RH in a long-time experiment have been measured. From the adsorption-desorption ratio it can be concluded that the influence of hygroscopic hysteresis is typically about 20%. From the measurement results, for all materials the model of independent domains, the hysteretic condensation potential and the sorption curve system are parameterised. The moisture uptake of the long-time experiment can be described by a bimodal exponential function. The curves of hygroscopic adsorption and desorption are approximated by analytical functions. The slopes of the intermediate curves are calculated from the slopes of the main curves. In the same way the overhygroscopic region is approximated, using external measurement results. Finally a model is presented with two neighbouring sorption loops, one for the hygroscopic, one for the overhygroscopic region. All parameters are fitted to the predictions of the domain model.:1. Einleitung 2. Allgemeine Thermodynamik der Feuchtesorption 3. Sorptionsmodelle in einheitlicher Beschreibung 4. Experimentell untersuchte Materialien 5. Parametrisierung von Modell und Sorptionskurven 6. Zusammenfassung A.1. Details zur Theorie A.2. Details zum Experiment A.3. Details zur Parametrisierung