Successive Alkalinity-Producing Systems (SAPS) have proven to be a viable alternative to chemical treatment for renovating acidic mine drainage (AMD). The lack of water quality based design guidelines, however, is believed to be a cause of the variability of SAPS performance in the field. This study monitored eight SAPS systems for the purpose of determining the effect of influent water quality and system design on system performance. Monthly water quality data were obtained for each system over periods ranging from 3 to 5 years. All systems demonstrated an ability to generate alkalinity and/or neutralize acidity. These systems revealed significant correlations between net alkalinity production and log residence time (r = 0.7414), influent total iron (r = 0.7357), and influent non-manganese acidity (r = 0.6919). From these relationships, a calibrated model was developed for predicting SAPS net alkalinity generation. As a compliment to the field study, a series of laboratory-scale SAPS columns were studied for a period of 12 months to examine the effect of residence time on system performance and to monitor the internal changes in water quality. The columns were operated at residence times of 17, 30, 60 hours with three replicates each and were subject to ambient temperature fluctuations. Data revealed that systems with residence times below 25 hours in the organic layer were unable to adequately reduce dissolved oxygen concentrations in the organic layer to prevent limestone armoring. The results of this study suggest water quality based guidelines for designing SAPS systems. / Master of Science

This thesis documents a PhD research program undertaken at Swinburne University of Technology between the years 2000 and 2004. The research was funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Cast Metals Manufacturing and was undertaken in collaboration with Nissan Casting Plant Australia Pty Ltd and the Ford Motor Company Australia Limited. This thesis reports on the investigation of the possibility of using an ultrasonic sensing-based, non-destructive testing system to detect gas porosity defects in aluminium die casting parts with rough surfaces. The initial intention was to develop a procedure to obtain ultrasonic signals with the maximum possible amplitude from defects within the rough surface areas of the castings. A further intention was to identify defects with the application of a suitable signal processing technique to the raw ultrasonic signal. The literature review has indicated that ultrasonic techniques have the potential to be used to detect subsurface defects in castings. The possibility of classifying very weak ultrasonic signals obtained from rough surface sections of castings through a neural network approach was also mentioned in the literature. An extensive search of the literature has indicated that ultrasonic sensing techniques have not been successfully used to detect sub-surface defects in aluminium die castings with rough surfaces. Ultrasonic inspection of castings is difficult due to the influence of microstructural variations, surface roughness and the complex shape of castings. The design of the experimental set-up used is also critical in developing a proper inspection procedure. The experimental set-up of an A-scan ultrasonic inspection rig used in the research is described in this thesis. Calibration of the apparatus used in the inspection rig was carried out to ensure the reliability and repeatability of the results. This thesis describes the procedure used to determine a suitable frequency range for the inspection of CA313 aluminium alloy castings and detecting porosity defects while accommodating material variations within the part. The results obtained from ultrasonic immersion testing indicated that focused probes operating at frequencies between 5 MHz and 10 MHz are best suited for the inspection of castings with surface roughness Ra values varying between 50 [micro milli] and 100 [micro milli]. For the purpose of validating the proposed inspection methodology, gas porosity defects were simulated through side-drilled holes in the in-gate section of selected sample castings. Castings with actual porosity defects were also used in this research. One of the conclusions of this research was that it was extremely difficult to detect defects in castings with surface roughness above 125 [micro milli]. Once the ultrasonic signal data was obtained from the sample aluminium die castings with different surface roughness values ranging from 5 [micro milli] to 150 [micro milli] signal analysis was carried out. Signal feature extraction was achieved using Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Wavelet Transforms (WT) prior to passing the ultrasonic signals into a neural network for defect classification. MATLAB tools were used for neural network and signal pre-processing analysis. The results indicated that poor classification (less than 75%) was achieved with the WT, PCA and combination of FFT/PCA and WT/PCA pre-processing techniques for rough surface signals. However, the classification of the signals pre-processed with the combination of WT/FFT, FFT/WT and FFT/WT/PCA classifiers provided much better classification of more than 90% for smooth surface signals and 78% to 84% for rough surface signals. The results obtained from ultrasonic testing of castings with both real and simulated defects were validated with X-ray analysis of the sample castings. The results obtained from this research encourage deeper investigation of the detection and characterisation of sub-surface defects in castings at the as-cast stage. Implications for the industrial application of these findings are discussed and directions for further research presented in this thesis.

<p>Treatment wetlands been showed efficient for reducing pollutant in waste water. In Lajeado – RS, Brazil the landfill has poor leachate water treatment. It is necessary to supplement the treatment plant because they need to reduce BOD, COD and nitrate of the water going to recipient. A subsurface flow wetland (SSF) can be a good choice.  In order to be able to design an efficient SSF it is important to understand how the grain sizes of a substrate affect the reducing of pollutants in waste water. This study focus on two substrate, sand with grain size of 0 - 3 mm and gravel with the grain size of 10 - 20 mm. To see the grain size reduces BOD, COD and nitrate best, the experiment used eight pilot scales SSF for leachate water treatment, four filled with sand and four filled with gravel. Two different flows, four with batch and four used continuous flow; two of each was planted with <em>Thypa angustifolia</em> <em>L</em>. Samples were taken from each wetland every week during a four week period. The results showed that the wetlands with the fine- grained substrate; sand gave the better reduction of BOD, COD and TKN (total kjeldahl kväve). It also showed great reduction in color. Important to notice in this study is the lack of time; more samples are required to be able to establish a pattern.</p>

<p>The interplay between hydraulic and chemical processes in streams and adjacent storage zones, e.g. streambed sediments, is of crucial importance for the large-scale transport of released contaminants. This thesis presents a methodology for tracer experiments and the development of mechanistic transport models. </p><p>We conducted four field tracer experiments with the reactive tracer chromium, ⁵¹Cr(III) and/or the conservative tracers potassium iodide (KI) and tritium (³H₂O), along 11 km of the Lanna Stream in Skara County, Sweden, and along a 30 km reach of the Säva Stream in Uppland County, Sweden. The field monitoring included sampling of tracer in the surface water as well as in the streambed sediments. A simultaneous injection of tritium and chromium facilitated an independent evaluation of the hydraulic transport into and out of the sub-surface storage zones. The difference in transport behaviour between the two tracers, were attributed to chemical reactivity.</p><p>In terms of idealised transport models we found that the reactivity of chromium could be characterised by simple chemical concepts. The local equilibrium assumption (LEA), the irreversible kinetics assumption (IKA) and the reversible kinetics assumption (RKA) were applied in the experimental evaluations. An independent evaluation of the streambed transport revealed that the impact of reaction kinetics was substantial. Model calculations and results from a chemical extraction procedure indicated that the chemical reactions affecting the chromium transport were to some extent irreversible.</p><p>This thesis presents a number of exact analytical solutions to the governing partial differential equations. The main theoretical contribution is the incorporation of variable coefficients for stream discharge and sediment porosity, which were measured in field.</p>

The interplay between hydraulic and chemical processes in streams and adjacent storage zones, e.g. streambed sediments, is of crucial importance for the large-scale transport of released contaminants. This thesis presents a methodology for tracer experiments and the development of mechanistic transport models. We conducted four field tracer experiments with the reactive tracer chromium, 51Cr(III) and/or the conservative tracers potassium iodide (KI) and tritium (3H2O), along 11 km of the Lanna Stream in Skara County, Sweden, and along a 30 km reach of the Säva Stream in Uppland County, Sweden. The field monitoring included sampling of tracer in the surface water as well as in the streambed sediments. A simultaneous injection of tritium and chromium facilitated an independent evaluation of the hydraulic transport into and out of the sub-surface storage zones. The difference in transport behaviour between the two tracers, were attributed to chemical reactivity. In terms of idealised transport models we found that the reactivity of chromium could be characterised by simple chemical concepts. The local equilibrium assumption (LEA), the irreversible kinetics assumption (IKA) and the reversible kinetics assumption (RKA) were applied in the experimental evaluations. An independent evaluation of the streambed transport revealed that the impact of reaction kinetics was substantial. Model calculations and results from a chemical extraction procedure indicated that the chemical reactions affecting the chromium transport were to some extent irreversible. This thesis presents a number of exact analytical solutions to the governing partial differential equations. The main theoretical contribution is the incorporation of variable coefficients for stream discharge and sediment porosity, which were measured in field.

This work develops a methodology for the FEM simulation of a multi-piece crankshaft. Various simulation models that include press-fit joint contact conditions and complex meshing schemes are examined in order to accurately capture details of the stress fields present at the stress concentration area (labeled as the SCA) on the edge of the press-fit. The maximum stress components are demonstrated to be of limited values (non-singular) and Hertzian in nature. To obtain the stress convergence sufficiently small elements, which can be determined using a 2-D axisymmetric model, are required at the vicinity of the SCA. The same level of mesh refinement is then used for large 3-D FEM models of the crankshaft geometry, to study the resulting behavior of the press-fit joint for the dynamic operating loads. However, it may not always be possible or practical, as some limits on the mesh refinement have to be imposed to obtain a reasonable computational time to run such models. Less complex 'equivalent' symmetrical FEM models are investigated to determine if these models can provide a sufficient level of accuracy at an acceptable computational effort. Such models may be useful as practical design tools, producing data to speed up the decision making process. The simulation results are compared to some test data for the stress state monitored in real crankshafts under operating conditions. 'Intuitive' design sensitivities to various crankshaft parameters are examined as well. The numerical tools and engineering rules developed in the thesis may be applied to systematically improve the design by extending the joint's life and/or load carrying capability.

Treatment wetlands been showed efficient for reducing pollutant in waste water. In Lajeado – RS, Brazil the landfill has poor leachate water treatment. It is necessary to supplement the treatment plant because they need to reduce BOD, COD and nitrate of the water going to recipient. A subsurface flow wetland (SSF) can be a good choice.  In order to be able to design an efficient SSF it is important to understand how the grain sizes of a substrate affect the reducing of pollutants in waste water. This study focus on two substrate, sand with grain size of 0 - 3 mm and gravel with the grain size of 10 - 20 mm. To see the grain size reduces BOD, COD and nitrate best, the experiment used eight pilot scales SSF for leachate water treatment, four filled with sand and four filled with gravel. Two different flows, four with batch and four used continuous flow; two of each was planted with Thypa angustifolia L. Samples were taken from each wetland every week during a four week period. The results showed that the wetlands with the fine- grained substrate; sand gave the better reduction of BOD, COD and TKN (total kjeldahl kväve). It also showed great reduction in color. Important to notice in this study is the lack of time; more samples are required to be able to establish a pattern.

This work develops a methodology for the FEM simulation of a multi-piece crankshaft. Various simulation models that include press-fit joint contact conditions and complex meshing schemes are examined in order to accurately capture details of the stress fields present at the stress concentration area (labeled as the SCA) on the edge of the press-fit. The maximum stress components are demonstrated to be of limited values (non-singular) and Hertzian in nature. To obtain the stress convergence sufficiently small elements, which can be determined using a 2-D axisymmetric model, are required at the vicinity of the SCA. The same level of mesh refinement is then used for large 3-D FEM models of the crankshaft geometry, to study the resulting behavior of the press-fit joint for the dynamic operating loads. However, it may not always be possible or practical, as some limits on the mesh refinement have to be imposed to obtain a reasonable computational time to run such models. Less complex 'equivalent' symmetrical FEM models are investigated to determine if these models can provide a sufficient level of accuracy at an acceptable computational effort. Such models may be useful as practical design tools, producing data to speed up the decision making process. The simulation results are compared to some test data for the stress state monitored in real crankshafts under operating conditions. 'Intuitive' design sensitivities to various crankshaft parameters are examined as well. The numerical tools and engineering rules developed in the thesis may be applied to systematically improve the design by extending the joint's life and/or load carrying capability.

abstract: The objective of this research was to predict the persistence of potential future contaminants in indirect potable reuse systems. In order to accurately estimate the fates of future contaminants in indirect potable reuse systems, results describing persistence from EPI Suite were modified to include sorption and oxidation. The target future contaminants studied were the approximately 2000 pharmaceuticals currently undergoing testing by United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). Specific organic substances such as analgesics, antibiotics, and pesticides were used to verify the predicted half-lives by comparing with reported values in the literature. During sub-surface transport, an important component of indirect potable reuse systems, the effects of sorption and oxidation are important mechanisms. These mechanisms are not considered by the quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model predictions for half-lives from EPI Suite. Modifying the predictions from EPI Suite to include the effects of sorption and oxidation greatly improved the accuracy of predictions in the sub-surface environment. During validation, the error was reduced by over 50% when the predictions were modified to include sorption and oxidation. Molecular weight (MW) is an important criteria for estimating the persistence of chemicals in the sub-surface environment. EPI Suite predicts that high MW compounds are persistent since the QSAR model assumes steric hindrances will prevent transformations. Therefore, results from EPI Suite can be very misleading for high MW compounds. Persistence was affected by the total number of halogen atoms in chemicals more than the sum of N-heterocyclic aromatics in chemicals. Most contaminants (over 90%) were non-persistent in the sub-surface environment suggesting that the target future drugs do not pose a significant risk to potable reuse systems. Another important finding is that the percentage of compounds produced from the biotechnology industry is increasing rapidly and should dominate the future production of pharmaceuticals. In turn, pharmaceuticals should become less persistent in the future. An evaluation of indirect potable reuse systems that use reverse osmosis (RO) for potential rejection of the target contaminants was performed by statistical analysis. Most target compounds (over 95%) can be removed by RO based on size rejection and other removal mechanisms. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering 2011

Corn production in the United States has become increasingly efficient over the years. The use of nitrogen fertilizers has played a substantial role in this efficiency. Nitrogen drives biomass production which leads to increased yields. Unlike other nutrients, nitrogen is more mobile making it easier to lose through leaching and volatilization. The first part of this analysis uses an econometric model to examine the relationship between nitrogen usage and weather data. This relationship leads to farm management decisions to reduce nitrogen fertilization expenses. In addition to the use of nitrogen fertilizers, farmers in Kentucky take advantage of an abundance of poultry litter as a fertilizer source. Traditional poultry litter fertilization methods are being challenged by new technology, sub-surface injection, which has the potential to increase corn yields as compared to other methods. The second part of this analysis uses a resource allocation linear programming model to determine the economic viability of the sub-surface injection method for both spring and fall fertilizer applications. This model also reveals both farm management implications and provides valuable information for the development and commercialization of the sub-surface injector.