No / Accidental spills of hydrocarbons, such as Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPLs), are one of the most common sources of subsurface contamination. Migration of LNAPL in a porous medium is influenced by various factors such as the number of fluids present in the unsaturated/saturated zones and the proportion of pores occupied by each fluid. The results for relationship between matric suction and degree of saturation are presented in this paper for water¿air, water¿LNAPL and LNAPL¿air systems in a sand. A simple and reliable setup using Buchner funnel was designed to obtain these relations. It was found that the relationship between matric suction head and degree of saturation is hysteretic for all the fluid systems (water¿air, water¿LNAPL and LNAPL¿air). Furthermore, the amount of hysteresis depended upon the fluid system, with the maximum hysteresis occurring for water¿air system. The results suggest that the amount of trapped air depends upon the reversal degree of saturation from drying to wetting.

Gas turbine engines for propulsion operate under harsh conditions including gas temperatures that exceed the melting point of the metal, high mechanical stresses, and particulate ingestion such as sand. To maintain a low and uniform metal temperature to extend the life of a turbine component, a complex scheme of internal convective cooling and external film-cooling is required. Gas turbine engines operated in sandy or dusty environments can ingest a large quantity of sand into the mainstream and, more importantly, into the cooling system. Sand ingested into the coolant system has the potential to reduce or block off the flow intended to cool the turbine blades or vanes. If the source of coolant air to a critical region of a turbine blade were partially blocked, it would result in a substantial reduction in component life. This study includes establishing a methodology for testing sand ingestion characteristics on a simulated turbine component with film-cooling holes at room temperature and engine temperatures. The study evaluates a simple array of laser drilled film-cooling holes, similar to a showerhead on the leading edge of an airfoil. The blocking characteristics of this design indicate that increasing the airflow or decreasing the sand amount results in a decreased blockage. It was also determined that as the metal temperature increases, the blockage from a given amount of sand increases. The methodology used in the primary portion of this thesis was modified to test sand ingestion characteristics on actual turbine blades with film-cooling holes at room temperature and engine temperatures. The study evaluated the blockage performance of several different turbine blades including the F-100-229-full, F-100-229-TE, and the F-119 with a new trailing edge cooling methodology know as a microcircuit. It was shown that increasing the airflow or pressure ratio, or decreasing the sand amount would result in decreased blockage. It was also shown that over a certain metal and coolant temperature, the blockage is significantly worsened. However, it was also shown on the F-119 turbine blade that below a given metal temperature, there is no impact of metal or coolant temperature on sand blockage. / Master of Science

Modern gas turbine engines operate in environments where particle ingestion, especially sand ingestion, can affect the cooling of various turbine parts. The most critical areas are in the combustor and the first stage components of the turbine. Gas temperatures in these areas are the highest compared to other areas and exceed the melting points of the constituent metals. To extend the life of hot section components, internal convective cooling and external film-cooling are required. This study examined the effects of sand ingestion on various cooling geometries. The first part investigated impingement and film-cooling implemented in a double-walled cooling geometry for the purpose of reducing sand size and thereby reducing blockage due to sand ingestion. The second part analyzed the cooling performance of actual turbine blade outer air seals injected with sand. Results from these studies showed areas of impingement that promote particle fragmentation are advantageous in reducing particle size and reducing blockage due to particle ingestion. Blockage was significantly increased based on the percentage of large particles present in the sand samples. Increasing the pressure ratio and decreasing the sand amount were also shown to reduce blockage. / Master of Science

When a gas turbine operates in a particle laden environment, such as a desert, small solid particles are ingested into the engine. The ingested sand particles can cause damage to engine components and reduce the service life of the engine. Particle ingestion causes the erosion of metal blades and vanes, and, if the firing temperature is hot enough, deposition of molten particles in the hot sections of the engine. Both deposition and erosion phenomena can severely reduce overall engine performance. The Coefficient of Restitution (COR) is a measure of the particle-wall interaction, and has been widely used to quantify particle rebound characteristics in past particle impact studies. This work investigates the effects of temperature on sand particle impact characteristics by measuring the COR and other deposition related impact parameters. The first study presented as part of the dissertation contains a description of a novel method used to measure COR using a Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) method. This is combined with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow field to allow for an accurate determination of the particle impact velocity. The methodology described in this paper allows for measurement of the COR in a wide range of test conditions in a relatively simple manner. The COR data for two different sizes of Arizona Road Dust (ARD) and one size of glass beads are presented in this paper. Target material was stainless steel 304 and the impact angle was varied from 25 to 85 degrees. The second study details the first quantification of the COR of san particles at elevated temperatures. Temperatures used in this study were 533 K, 866 K, and 1073 K. In this study the mass flow rate through the experimental setup was fixed. This meant that velocity and temperature were coupled. Target material for this study was stainless steel 304 and the impact angle was varied from 30° to 80°. The COR was found to decrease substantially at the temperatures and velocity increased. It was determined that the decrease in COR was almost certainly caused by the increase in velocity, and not the decrease in temperature. The third study contains COR results at elevated temperatures. Significant improvements from the method used to calculate COR in the first paper are described. The particle used for these tests was an ARD sand of 20-40 μm size. Target materials used were stainless steel 304 and Hastelloy X. The particles impinged on the target coupon at a velocity of 28m/s. Tests were performed at three different temperatures, 300 K (ambient), 873 K, and 1073 K to simulate temperatures seen in gas turbine cooling flows. The angle of impingement of the bulk flow sand on the coupon was varied between 30° and 80°. A substantial decrease in COR was discovered at the elevated temperatures of this experiment. Hastelloy X exhibited a much larger decrease in COR than does stainless steel 304. The results were compared to previously published literature. The final study also used the ARD size of 20-40 μm. The target material was a nickel alloy Hastelloy X. Experiments for this study were performed at a constant velocity of 70m/s. Various temperatures ranging from 1073 K up to and including 1323 K were studied. Particle angle of impact was varied between 30° and 80°. Significant deposition was observed and quantified at the highest two temperatures. The COR of the ARD sand at the highest temperatures was found not to change despite the occurrence of deposition. At elevated temperatures, many of the particles are not molten due to sand's non-homogenous and crystalline nature. These particles rebound from the target with little if any change in COR. / Ph. D.

It is the purpose of this paper to give the results of the study and investigation of the sand deposits in various parts of the State of Virginia. The chief stress is laid on those sands coming from points west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The reasons for stressing the western and southwestern Virginia sands, as they will be called throughout this paper, will be brought out in the pages that follow. The study and investigation of these sands was started in the spring of 1928 and has been carried on continually up to the present time, May 1929. At the present time practically all of the building sand used in the State of Virginia comes from a sand deposit at Petersburg, Virginia. (By building sand it is to be understood that we mean sand used in concrete building construction). During this investigation of different sands, it has been found hard to produce a sand that will absolutely satisfy A. S. T. M. (American Society for Testing Materials) specifications. Results of this work point to the possibility that these specifications might have certain limitations put on them which would allow the use of sand other than that from Petersburg. The chief aim in finding a sand to replace that coming from Petersburg is due to the high freight rates which make the cost of this sand laid down on the job in this part of the State (southwest Virginia) practically four times the cost at the pits in Petersburg. / M.S.

3-hole pressure probes are capable of accurately measuring flow angles in the yaw plane. These probes can be utilized inside a jet engine hot section for diagnostics and flow characterization. Sand and other particulate pose a significant risk to hot section components and measurement devices in gas turbine engines. The objective of this experiment was to develop a better understanding of the sensitivity of experimental 3-hole pressure probe designs to engine realistic sand fouling. In this study, Wedge, Cylindrical, and Trapezoidal probes were exposed to realistic hot section turbine environments of 1050 C at 65-70 m/s. 0-5 micron Arizona Road Dust(ARD) is heated under these conditions and used to foul the yaw probes. The sand deposited on the probe was observed to peel off the probe in thin sheets during ambient cool down. Sand fouling was assessed using a stereoscope and digital camera. Probe calibrations were performed in an ambient temperature, open air, calibration jet to mimic engine cold start conditions at Mach numbers of 0.3 and 0.5. Yaw coefficients were calculated for each probe using probe pressure and jet dynamic pressure readings. These coefficients were used to develop calibration curves for each probe initially, and again for every fouling test. Each probe performed differently, but the trends showed that the sand fouling had little impact on the probe error at Mach 0.3, and a slightly increased effect on the probe error at Mach 0.5. The experiment showed that when flow direction was determined using a true dynamic pressure reading from the jet, the probes were able to accurately measure flow direction even after being significantly sanded, some probes holes being over 50% blocked by sand accumulation. Accelerated erosion testing showed that the trapezoidal yaw probe was by far the most sensitive to sand accumulation, followed by the cylindrical probes, and the least sensitive was the wedge probe. A yaw angle range of interest was chosen to ±10 deg of yaw. The least errors from the Yaw Coefficient, as defined in this report, were found to be in the Trapezoidal and Perpendicular probe configurations. The least error found in the wedge probe. / MS / 3-hole pressure probes are used to measure the speed and direction of air and other fluid flows. These probes can be used inside an active jet engine to measure aspects of the airflow inside the engine during flight. One risk to aircraft engines is sand being ingested into the engine. This can cause significant damage to the engine as well as the hardware inside the engine. The objective of this experiment will be to determine how sand accumulation affects the performance of these probes. The experiment involved sanding the probes in a hot jet, then placing them in front of a room temperature air jet to take measurements. A microscope was used to determine how much sand was on the holes of the probe. Sand was observed to peel off naturally, as the probe cooled from the hot jet. Sand was also noticed to break off during the room temperature jet. The experiment showed that when the Jet pressures was measured from inside the jet, the probes were able to accurately measure flow direction even after being significantly sanded, <50% of the holes being blocked by sand. Of all the probes tested, the Wedge probe performed the best, though a close second was the Trapezoidal probe.

Many gas turbine engines operate in harsh environments where the engine can ingest solid particles. Particles can accelerate the deterioration of an engine and reduce the engine’s service life. Understanding particle interactions with the materials used in gas turbines, at representative engine conditions, can improve the design and development of turbomachinery operating in particle laden environments. Coefficient of Restitution (COR) is a measure of the particle/wall interactions and is used to study erosion and deposition. This study presents data taken using the Virginia Tech Aerothermal Rig. Arizona Road Dust (ARD) of 20-40 μm is injected into a flow field to measure the effects of temperature and velocity on particle rebound from a polished high temperature material coupon. The high temperature coupon was tested at different temperatures of ambient (300K), 873K, 1073K, 1173 K, 1223 K, 1273 K, and 1323 K while the velocity of the flow field was held constant at 28 m/s or 70 m/s. The impingement angle of the coupon was varied from 30° to 80° for each temperature tested. The results show an increase in deposition as the temperature approaches the melting temperature of sand. The results have also been compared to previously published literature. / Master of Science

Aquaculture, the cultured production of fish, is growing at a rapid pace worldwide. The industry is generating approximately 140,000 cubic meter wastewater per year. For this industry to flourish, viable methods for treating the resulting waste stream must be identified. The various methods were tried by many researchers like sand filtration method, recirculating aquaculture system, intermittent filtration methods. The most of the industries use sand filtration methods for treating aquaculture wastewater and the problems associated: the reduction in hydraulic conductivity, accumulation of solid due to which anaerobic conditions developed. This study investigated possible treatment technologies for wastewater and sludge produced from Blue Ridge Aquaculture (BRA), an indoor, recirculating aquaculture facility where tilapias (Oreochromis) are raised. Research focused on the use of vermicomposting in conjunction with sand bed filtration to filter aquaculture waste and treat the resulting solids. Two experiments were conducted: a feedstock acceptability test and a filter bed test. The feedstock acceptability test evaluated the suitability of the fish sludge (mixed with cardboard) as a feedstock for the worms involved in the vermicomposting process. The results showed that as the percentage of fish sludge in the feed increased from 0 to 50%, there was a corresponding increase in the growth rate of E.fetida biomass. The filter bed test appraised the feasibility and effectiveness of incorporating vermicomposting in sand filter beds to directly treat aquaculture wastewater. Popular in early wastewater treatment systems, sand filtration has seen a resurgence in recent years. To test the potential for even more effective filtration, sixteen sand filter beds were established--twelve that included worms and four that did not. Wastewater (1.5 % total solids) from BRA was applied to the sand beds at loading rates of 400 to 1000 grams of volatile solids/m2/week. Filter beds containing worms exhibited no ponding over the 70-day experimental period. However, all units without worms failed (exhibited ponding) by the 24th day of operation. Removal efficiencies obtained from the filter bed study for total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), sulfate, chlorides, and ammonia-N were greater in filter beds with worms than beds without worms. The worms were crucial to maintaining porosity in the filter beds, hence keeping the filters functioning over time. Worm filter beds removed approximately 100% of the TS, VS, TSS and Ammonia-N, 90% of the TP, 50% of the chlorides, 80% of the sulfate and 70% of the COD. Maximum hydraulic conductivity of 35 cm/day was achieved at the maximum application rate. All the worm filter beds therefore had greater hydraulic conductivity than filter beds without worms. The potential impact is to treat the wastewater effectively, to increase the flow of water, and may be to maintain the aerobic conditions on the worm filterbeds. / Master of Science

In many arid regions, particle ingestion can occur within propulsive gas turbines. The ingested particles can severely impact performance and may damage many primary gas path components through erosion or deposition. Characterizing crystalline deposits on metallic substrates can allow for the prediction of deposition to improve component resilience and develop health monitoring algorithms. This work investigates the effect of temperature and angle on sand deposits and attempts to quantitatively characterize the deposition of Arizona Test Dust (ATD) onto Hastelloy X. The first study presented in this thesis describes a preliminary investigation of sand deposition at temperatures and velocities similar to those found in the turbine section of propulsive gas turbine engines and presents an equation for predicting deposition as a function of gas path temperature and impact angle. The sand and air mixture maintained a constant flow velocity of approximately 70 m/s, impact angle was varied from 30° to 90°, and the gas path temperature was varied from 1000 °C to 1100 °C. The number of deposits was found to linearly increase with temperature for all coupon angles tested. The model was able to explain approximately 67% of the deposition that occurs, with the remaining percentage due to other factors such as injection rates and surface temperature. The second study describes an improved investigation of sand deposition and presents an equation for predicting deposition as a function of surface temperature and impact angle. This study characterizes deposition using percent coverage in addition to deposits per square millimeter. Deposition is a quadratic function of both near surface coupon temperature and coupon angle. The model using deposits per mm2 was able to explain 96.3% of the deposition that occurred and the model using percent coverage was able to explain 98.9% of the deposition that occurred. / Master of Science / In desert regions, sand particles can be sucked into helicopter and airplane jet engines which can severely impact performance and may damage many engine components through erosion or hot deposits. By measuring the sticking properties of sand on materials used in jet engines, equations to predict sticking can be created and combined with previous erosion research to develop computational simulations of sand behavior in jet engines. This work investigates the effect of temperature and angle on sand deposits and numerically characterizes the deposition of sand particles onto jet engine materials. The first study presented in this thesis describes an initial investigation of sand deposition at temperatures and speeds similar to those found in the turbine section of jet engines and presents an equation for predicting deposition as a function of flow temperature and impact angle. The model was able to explain approximately 67% of the deposition that occurs, with the remaining percentage due to other factors such as injection rates and test coupon surface temperature. The second study describes an improved investigation of sand deposition and presents an equation for predicting deposition as a function of metal surface temperature and impact angle. The model is able to explain 98.9% of the deposition that occurred. The improved sand sticking model will allow designers to improve engine resilience and develop health monitoring algorithms. Improved resilience and health monitoring will increase airplane safety as well as reducing maintenance and operating costs when flying in sandy or arid regions.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.