Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:37:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Cesar Ribeiro Miraglia.pdf: 2147088 bytes, checksum: 67087392fe4b03bb24d9a164fd92ceed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-20 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / Sensors based on optical fibers are being increasingly used in hostile environments for measuring pressure, temperature, stress, chemical and biological parameters, etc. These sensors have the advantage of having reduced size and weight, immunity to electromagnetic interference, of being chemically inert, and also allowing the distributed measurement of the respective parameter along the fiber. Microstructured optical fibers have characteristics that are relevant to sensing applications, such as freedom of design of their internal structure obtained by varying the diameter of the holes and the distances between them, among other parameters, which is not applicable in conventional optical fibers. The present work aims to use a microstructured optical fiber as a distributed sensor for hydrostatic pressure, using the POTDR (Polarization Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry) and the OFDR (Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry) measurement techniques. The application of hydrostatic pressure on the fiber changes its birefringence and, consequently, the evolution of the states of polarization, which is the parameter monitored by the techniques. By monitoring the changes of these states, it is possible to infer the changes in applied pressure. The study is undertaken via simulations and analysis, both performed in the software MatLab. / Sensores baseados em fibras ópticas vêm sendo cada vez mais utilizados em ambientes hostis para medição de pressão, temperatura, stress, análise química e biológica, etc. Esses sensores têm a vantagem de possuírem tamanho e peso reduzidos, imunidade à interferência eletromagnética, de serem quimicamente inertes, e também permitirem a medição distribuída do parâmetro a ser analisado ao longo da fibra. As fibras ópticas microestruturadas possuem características relevantes na aplicação de sensoriamento, tal como a liberdade de construção de sua estrutura interna variando o diâmetro dos buracos e a distância entre eles, entre outros parâmetros, que não são aplicáveis em fibras ópticas convencionais. Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar uma fibra óptica microestruturada como sensor distribuído de pressão hidrostática, utilizando as técnicas de medição POTDR (Polarization Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry) e OFDR (Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry). A aplicação de pressão hidrostática sobre a fibra altera sua birrefringência e, consequentemente, a evolução do seu estado de polarização, sendo este último o parâmetro monitorado pelas técnicas. Analisando-se a mudança deste estado, pode-se inferir a mudança de pressão aplicada. O estudo é realizado através de simulações e análises efetuadas no software MatLab.

Here the nature of gas phase processes and their implications for flow and transport were examined using a pilot-scale, 2-dimensional, laboratory tank instrumented for direct, in situ trapped gas measurements. Experimental conditions mimicked an unconfined, homogeneous sand aquifer with horizontal flow. Key areas of investigation included i) trapped gas dissolution following a water table fluctuation; and ii) gas phase dynamics within a hydrocarbon plume experiencing dissolved gas production via biodegradation. In the first experiment, dissolution occurred as a diffuse, wedge-shaped front propagating down-gradient in the tank over time, with enhanced dissolution at depth. Front advancement at the deepest monitoring point was 4.1 - 5.7x faster. This dynamic, depth-dependent pattern was mainly attributed to increased dissolved gas solubility. An estimated 12% increase in quasi-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kqs) also contributed to greater dissolution at depth. Overall, the dissolution front near the water table advanced 1 m down-gradient in 344 days, suggesting that gas trapped shallowly will likely persist for significant periods of time. The utility of total dissolved gas pressure sensors for simple in-well measurements to detect trapped gas and monitor its dissolution were also demonstrated. During the second experiment, biodegradation occurred under variable redox conditions, ranging from denitrification to methanogenesis. Significant in situ increases in trapped gas were observed within the tank over 330 days. Maximum gas saturations never exceeded 27% of pore volume even during continued dissolved gas production, indicating ebullition upon reaching a gas phase mobilization threshold. Consequently, associated reductions in Kqs were restricted to a factor of 2 or less, but still appeared to alter the groundwater flow field. While trapped gas increases within the biodegradation plume were expected, declines in gas saturations were also observed. Thus, the overall pattern of trapped gas growth exhibited high spatial and temporal variability. Influencing factors included changes in hydrocarbon inputs and microbial controls on redox zonation, in addition to ebullition and changes in groundwater flow; emphasizing that gas phase growth in contaminant plumes will be highly complex and dynamic in the natural systems. Given the impacts on hydraulic conductivity, and the fate and transport of volatile compounds, an improved understanding of quasi-saturated conditions will be beneficial for various groundwater applications, from recharge and paleoclimate studies to site characterizations and remediation strategies. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Dielectric constant is a physical property of soil that is often measured using non-invasive geophysical techniques in subsurface characterization studies. A proper understanding of dielectric responses allows investigators to make measurements that might otherwise require more invasive and/or destructive methods. Previous studies have suggested that dielectric models could be refined by accounting for the contributions of different types of mineral constituents that affect the ratio and properties of bound and bulk water. This study tested the hypothesis that the dielectric responses of porous materials are mineral-specific through differences in surface area and chemistry. An experimental design was developed to test the dielectric behavior of pure quartz sand (Control), quartz sand/kaolin clay mixtures and ferric oxyhydroxide coated quartz sand. Results from the experiments show that the dielectric responses of quartz-clay and iron oxyhydroxide modified samples are not significantly different from the pure quartz Control. Increasing clay content in quartz sands leads to a vertical displacement between fitted polynomials. The results suggest that the classic interpretation for the curvature of dielectric responses appears to be incorrect. The curvature of dielectric responses at low water contents appears to be controlled by unknown parameters other than bound water. A re-examination of the experimental procedure proposed in this study and past studies shows that a properly designed study of bound water effects on dielectric responses has not yet been conduct / Master of Science

The achievable accuracy of hygrothermal building component simulation is significantly dependent on the applied material functions. These functions are determined by the material modelling marking the connection between the basic storage and transport parameters which are obtained from basic measurements, and the storage and transport coefficients which are defined within the balance and flow equations. It is the aim of the present study to develop a flexible and widely applicable material model which is not restricted to the current level of the transport theory. Furthermore, limits and options of this model are to be validated by means of four building materials on the basis of special transient moisture profile measurements. The study’s starting point is a comprehensive investigation of both, the different existing modelling approaches and the available experimental methods to determine basic hygrothermal material parameters. On this basis, the material modelling is set into the context of the heat and moisture transport theory derived from thermodynamics. The involved limits and restrictions are highlighted and options as well as requirements for further developments are pointed out. The developments this study focuses on comprise three fields: experiments for basic property determination, material modelling, and experiments for material model validation. The set of basic material investigation methods has been extended by the drying experiment under defined conditions. The different influences on the drying as well as its application to hygrothermal material model calibration are pointed out and appraised. On this basis, a drying apparatus is designed, built and applied. Ultimately, standardisation criteria and the derivation of a single-value drying coefficient are evaluated. Appropriate extensions are indicated. Based on the bundle of tubes approach, an own material model is developed. It is coupled with a mechanistical approach accounting for serial and parallel structured moisture transport phenomena. The derived liquid water conductivity is adjusted by the help of measured conductivity data close to saturation as well as within the hygroscopic moisture range. Subsequently, two internal modelling parameters are calibrated which is done by numerical simulation of the water uptake and the drying experiment under consideration of the hysteresis of moisture storage. Facilitating its application to the obtained laboratory data, the material model has been implemented into a computer program. It is applied to the four building materials brick, lime-sand brick, aerated concrete and calcium silicate. The adjusted material functions are shown and discussed. In all four cases, the calibration provides an excellent agreement between measured and calculated material behaviour. As experimental basis of the material model validation, the instantaneous profile measurement technique (IPM) has been extended to be applied in Building Physics. Special equipment is developed and measurement procedures are designed. Different models to derive the water content from dielectric data obtained by Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) measurements are evaluated and implemented. Ultimately, an extensive program of transient moisture profile measurements within the hygroscopic and the overhygroscopic moisture content range is conducted and evaluated. Within the frame of validation, the developments on the experimental as well as on the modelling fields are combined. The IPM experiments are recalculated on the basis of the measured initial and boundary conditions applying the adjusted and calibrated material functions. The comparison of measured and calculated data reveals the power of the developed material modelling just as the consequences of the simplifications made on the transport theory level. The distinct influences of the hysteresis of moisture storage consisting of effects depending on the process history and effects depending on the process dynamics, are proven. By the presented study, the material modelling has been decisively further developed, the set of basic measurement methods has been extended by a substantial experiment and the instantaneous profile measurement technique has been made applicable to Building Physics. Moreover, the influences of the process history and the process dynamics on the moisture transport and the resulting moisture profiles could be shown and proven. By that, not only a material model is now available which perfectly applies to the requirements of flexibility, applicability and extendability. The obtained data provides also a powerful basis for further research and development. / Die Genauigkeit hygrothermischer Bauteilsimulation hängt maßgeblich von den verwendeten Materialfunktionen ab. Sie werden durch die Materialmodellierung bestimmt, welche die Verbindung zwischen den aus Basisexperimenten gewonnenen Speicher- und Transportparametern sowie den innerhalb der Bilanz- und Flussgleichungen definierten Speicher- und Transportkoeffizienten herstellt. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist zum einen die Entwicklung eines flexiblen, breit anwendbaren und gleichzeitig nicht auf den gegenwärtigen Stand der Transporttheorie beschränkten Materialmodells. Dessen Grenzen und Möglichkeiten sollen zum anderen auf der Grundlage spezieller instationärer Feuchteprofilmessungen anhand von vier Baustoffen untersucht und aufgezeigt werden. Ausgangspunkt der Arbeit ist eine ausführliche Beleuchtung sowohl der vorhandenen Modellansätze als auch der zur Verfügung stehenden experimentellen Methoden zur Bestimmung hygrothermischer Basisparameter. Auf dieser Grundlage wird die Materialmodellierung in den Kontext der aus der Thermodynamik abgeleiteten Wärmeund Feuchtetransporttheorie eingeordnet. Die damit verbundenen Grenzen und Einschränkungen werden hervorgehoben und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten sowie weiterer Entwicklungsbedarf aufgezeigt. Dieser umfasst drei Bereiche: die Experimente zur Bestimmung von Basisparametern, die Materialmodellierung, sowie Experimente zur Modellvalidierung. Die Reihe der Basisexperimente wird um den Trocknungsversuch unter definierten Bedingungen erweitert. Die verschiedenen Einflüsse auf die Trocknung und deren Anwendung in der Kalibrierung hygrothermischer Materialmodellierung werden herausgestellt und bewertet. Darauf aufbauend wird eine Apparatur entworfen, gebaut und angewendet. Schließlich werden Kriterien zur Standardisierung und Ableitung eines Einzahlenkennwertes evaluiert. Sinnvolle Erweiterungen werden aufgezeigt. Es wird ein eigenes Materialmodell auf der Grundlage eines Porenbündelansatzes hergeleitet, welches mit einem mechanistischen Ansatz gekoppelt wird, der den Feuchtetransport in seriell und parallel strukturierte Bereiche untergliedert. Die abgeleitete Flüssigwasserleitfähigkeit wird anhand von Leitfähigkeitsmessdaten im nahe gesättigten sowie im hygroskopischen Feuchtebereich justiert. Zwei interne Modellparameter werden anschließend unter Berücksichtigung der Hysterese der Feuchtespeicherung anhand des Aufsaug- und des Trocknungsversuches kalibriert. Das Materialmodell ist zur Erleichterung der Anwendung in ein Computerprogramm zur Anpassung an die Labordaten implementiert worden. Das Programm wird auf die vier Baustoffe Ziegel, Kalksandstein, Porenbeton und Calciumsilikat angewendet. Die entsprechend angepassten Materialfunktionen werden gezeigt und diskutiert. Im Rahmen der Kalibrierung wird eine hervorragende Übereinstimmung zwischen gemessenem und berechnetem Materialverhalten erreicht. Zur Modellvalidierung wird die Augenblicksprofilmethode (IPM) für die bauphysikalische Anwendung erweitert. Spezielle Apparaturen werden entwickelt und Versuchsabläufe entworfen. Modelle zur Ableitung des Wassergehaltes aus mit Hilfe der Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) gewonnenen Dielektrizitätsmessdaten werden evaluiert und implementiert. Schließlich wird ein umfangreiches Programm an Feuchteprofilmessungen im hygroskopischen und überhygroskopischen Feuchtebereich umgesetzt und ausgewertet. Im Rahmen der Validierung werden die Entwicklungen auf experimenteller sowie auf Modellierungsebene zusammengeführt. Die IPM Experimente werden anhand der gemessenen Anfangs- und Randbedingungen und auf der Grundlage der angepassten und kalibrierten Materialfunktionen nachgerechnet. Der Vergleich zwischen Messung und Rechnung offenbart die Stärke der entwickelten Materialmodellierung ebenso, wie den Einfluss der auf Ebene der Transporttheorie getroffenen Vereinfachungen. Ein deutlicher Einfluss der sich aus der Prozessgeschichte sowie der Prozessdynamik zusammensetzenden Hysterese der Feuchtespeicherung kann nachgewiesen werden. Mit der vorliegenden Arbeit ist somit nicht nur die Materialmodellierung entscheidend weiterentwickelt, die Reihe der einfachen Basisexperimente um einen wesentlichen Versuch erweitert und die Augenblicksprofilmethode für bauphysikalische Belange anwendbar gemacht worden, es wurden auch die Einflüsse der Prozessgeschichte, und erstmals auch der Prozessdynamik, auf den Feuchtetransport sowie die sich einstellenden Feuchteprofile deutlich aufgezeigt und nachgewiesen. Es ist demnach nicht nur ein Materialmodell, welches den gestellten Anforderungen an Flexibilität, breite Anwendbarkeit und Erweiterbarkeit genügt, entwickelt worden, es wird mit den gewonnenen Messdaten auch die Grundlage weiterer Forschung zur Verfügung gestellt.

The achievable accuracy of hygrothermal building component simulation is significantly dependent on the applied material functions. These functions are determined by the material modelling marking the connection between the basic storage and transport parameters which are obtained from basic measurements, and the storage and transport coefficients which are defined within the balance and flow equations. It is the aim of the present study to develop a flexible and widely applicable material model which is not restricted to the current level of the transport theory. Furthermore, limits and options of this model are to be validated by means of four building materials on the basis of special transient moisture profile measurements. The study’s starting point is a comprehensive investigation of both, the different existing modelling approaches and the available experimental methods to determine basic hygrothermal material parameters. On this basis, the material modelling is set into the context of the heat and moisture transport theory derived from thermodynamics. The involved limits and restrictions are highlighted and options as well as requirements for further developments are pointed out. The developments this study focuses on comprise three fields: experiments for basic property determination, material modelling, and experiments for material model validation. The set of basic material investigation methods has been extended by the drying experiment under defined conditions. The different influences on the drying as well as its application to hygrothermal material model calibration are pointed out and appraised. On this basis, a drying apparatus is designed, built and applied. Ultimately, standardisation criteria and the derivation of a single-value drying coefficient are evaluated. Appropriate extensions are indicated. Based on the bundle of tubes approach, an own material model is developed. It is coupled with a mechanistical approach accounting for serial and parallel structured moisture transport phenomena. The derived liquid water conductivity is adjusted by the help of measured conductivity data close to saturation as well as within the hygroscopic moisture range. Subsequently, two internal modelling parameters are calibrated which is done by numerical simulation of the water uptake and the drying experiment under consideration of the hysteresis of moisture storage. Facilitating its application to the obtained laboratory data, the material model has been implemented into a computer program. It is applied to the four building materials brick, lime-sand brick, aerated concrete and calcium silicate. The adjusted material functions are shown and discussed. In all four cases, the calibration provides an excellent agreement between measured and calculated material behaviour. As experimental basis of the material model validation, the instantaneous profile measurement technique (IPM) has been extended to be applied in Building Physics. Special equipment is developed and measurement procedures are designed. Different models to derive the water content from dielectric data obtained by Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) measurements are evaluated and implemented. Ultimately, an extensive program of transient moisture profile measurements within the hygroscopic and the overhygroscopic moisture content range is conducted and evaluated. Within the frame of validation, the developments on the experimental as well as on the modelling fields are combined. The IPM experiments are recalculated on the basis of the measured initial and boundary conditions applying the adjusted and calibrated material functions. The comparison of measured and calculated data reveals the power of the developed material modelling just as the consequences of the simplifications made on the transport theory level. The distinct influences of the hysteresis of moisture storage consisting of effects depending on the process history and effects depending on the process dynamics, are proven. By the presented study, the material modelling has been decisively further developed, the set of basic measurement methods has been extended by a substantial experiment and the instantaneous profile measurement technique has been made applicable to Building Physics. Moreover, the influences of the process history and the process dynamics on the moisture transport and the resulting moisture profiles could be shown and proven. By that, not only a material model is now available which perfectly applies to the requirements of flexibility, applicability and extendability. The obtained data provides also a powerful basis for further research and development. / Die Genauigkeit hygrothermischer Bauteilsimulation hängt maßgeblich von den verwendeten Materialfunktionen ab. Sie werden durch die Materialmodellierung bestimmt, welche die Verbindung zwischen den aus Basisexperimenten gewonnenen Speicher- und Transportparametern sowie den innerhalb der Bilanz- und Flussgleichungen definierten Speicher- und Transportkoeffizienten herstellt. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist zum einen die Entwicklung eines flexiblen, breit anwendbaren und gleichzeitig nicht auf den gegenwärtigen Stand der Transporttheorie beschränkten Materialmodells. Dessen Grenzen und Möglichkeiten sollen zum anderen auf der Grundlage spezieller instationärer Feuchteprofilmessungen anhand von vier Baustoffen untersucht und aufgezeigt werden. Ausgangspunkt der Arbeit ist eine ausführliche Beleuchtung sowohl der vorhandenen Modellansätze als auch der zur Verfügung stehenden experimentellen Methoden zur Bestimmung hygrothermischer Basisparameter. Auf dieser Grundlage wird die Materialmodellierung in den Kontext der aus der Thermodynamik abgeleiteten Wärmeund Feuchtetransporttheorie eingeordnet. Die damit verbundenen Grenzen und Einschränkungen werden hervorgehoben und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten sowie weiterer Entwicklungsbedarf aufgezeigt. Dieser umfasst drei Bereiche: die Experimente zur Bestimmung von Basisparametern, die Materialmodellierung, sowie Experimente zur Modellvalidierung. Die Reihe der Basisexperimente wird um den Trocknungsversuch unter definierten Bedingungen erweitert. Die verschiedenen Einflüsse auf die Trocknung und deren Anwendung in der Kalibrierung hygrothermischer Materialmodellierung werden herausgestellt und bewertet. Darauf aufbauend wird eine Apparatur entworfen, gebaut und angewendet. Schließlich werden Kriterien zur Standardisierung und Ableitung eines Einzahlenkennwertes evaluiert. Sinnvolle Erweiterungen werden aufgezeigt. Es wird ein eigenes Materialmodell auf der Grundlage eines Porenbündelansatzes hergeleitet, welches mit einem mechanistischen Ansatz gekoppelt wird, der den Feuchtetransport in seriell und parallel strukturierte Bereiche untergliedert. Die abgeleitete Flüssigwasserleitfähigkeit wird anhand von Leitfähigkeitsmessdaten im nahe gesättigten sowie im hygroskopischen Feuchtebereich justiert. Zwei interne Modellparameter werden anschließend unter Berücksichtigung der Hysterese der Feuchtespeicherung anhand des Aufsaug- und des Trocknungsversuches kalibriert. Das Materialmodell ist zur Erleichterung der Anwendung in ein Computerprogramm zur Anpassung an die Labordaten implementiert worden. Das Programm wird auf die vier Baustoffe Ziegel, Kalksandstein, Porenbeton und Calciumsilikat angewendet. Die entsprechend angepassten Materialfunktionen werden gezeigt und diskutiert. Im Rahmen der Kalibrierung wird eine hervorragende Übereinstimmung zwischen gemessenem und berechnetem Materialverhalten erreicht. Zur Modellvalidierung wird die Augenblicksprofilmethode (IPM) für die bauphysikalische Anwendung erweitert. Spezielle Apparaturen werden entwickelt und Versuchsabläufe entworfen. Modelle zur Ableitung des Wassergehaltes aus mit Hilfe der Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) gewonnenen Dielektrizitätsmessdaten werden evaluiert und implementiert. Schließlich wird ein umfangreiches Programm an Feuchteprofilmessungen im hygroskopischen und überhygroskopischen Feuchtebereich umgesetzt und ausgewertet. Im Rahmen der Validierung werden die Entwicklungen auf experimenteller sowie auf Modellierungsebene zusammengeführt. Die IPM Experimente werden anhand der gemessenen Anfangs- und Randbedingungen und auf der Grundlage der angepassten und kalibrierten Materialfunktionen nachgerechnet. Der Vergleich zwischen Messung und Rechnung offenbart die Stärke der entwickelten Materialmodellierung ebenso, wie den Einfluss der auf Ebene der Transporttheorie getroffenen Vereinfachungen. Ein deutlicher Einfluss der sich aus der Prozessgeschichte sowie der Prozessdynamik zusammensetzenden Hysterese der Feuchtespeicherung kann nachgewiesen werden. Mit der vorliegenden Arbeit ist somit nicht nur die Materialmodellierung entscheidend weiterentwickelt, die Reihe der einfachen Basisexperimente um einen wesentlichen Versuch erweitert und die Augenblicksprofilmethode für bauphysikalische Belange anwendbar gemacht worden, es wurden auch die Einflüsse der Prozessgeschichte, und erstmals auch der Prozessdynamik, auf den Feuchtetransport sowie die sich einstellenden Feuchteprofile deutlich aufgezeigt und nachgewiesen. Es ist demnach nicht nur ein Materialmodell, welches den gestellten Anforderungen an Flexibilität, breite Anwendbarkeit und Erweiterbarkeit genügt, entwickelt worden, es wird mit den gewonnenen Messdaten auch die Grundlage weiterer Forschung zur Verfügung gestellt.

This thesis details the application of a medium frequency (MF) Doppler radar to observations of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. MF radars make possible a greater height coverage of the meteor region (70 to 160 km) than conventional meteor radars. However this type of radar has generally been under-utilised for meteor observations, primarily due to the less than ideal radio environment associated with MF systems. This situation demanded selection of the most appropriate radar meteor techniques and in this respect a variety of techniques are evaluated for application at this frequency. The 2 MHz radar system used in this study is located at the Buckland Park research facility (35.6 deg. S, 138.5 deg. E), near Adelaide, South Australia and is operated by the Department of Physics of the University of Adelaide. This radar has the largest antenna of any MF radar with 89 crossed dipoles distributed over an area of about 1 km in diameter. Beam forming is achieved by varying the phase to groups of elements of the array. The array was constructed in the 1960's, and while having several upgrades, a preliminary examination of the array and associated systems indicated that a significant amount of maintenance work would be required to enable the system to be used for meteor observations. It was also apparent that the software used with the radar hardware for atmospheric studies was not suitable for processing meteor data. Thus a major refurbishment of the radar hardware, as well as the development of appropriate software, was initiated. The complete radar system was divided into its constituent components of antenna array, transmitter, receiver and computer systems. The transmitter and receiver systems were examined and various improvements made including increasing total output power and enhancing beam steering capability. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) techniques were extensively used on the antenna array, as many feed cables showed the presence of moisture. New hardware in the form of a portable power combining system was designed, constructed and tested to further increase radar experimental capabilities. Techniques were developed that verified system performance was to specification. Extensive night time observations of sporadic and shower meteor events were made over a two and a half year period. A particular study was made of the Orionids shower as well as other meteor activity on the night of 22 October 2000. Using the upgraded beam swinging features of the array, a narrow radar beam was used to track the shower radiant in an orthogonal sense so as to maximise the number of shower meteors detected. From each echo, various intrinsic meteoroid parameters were determined, including meteor reflection point angle-of-arrival using a five-element interferometer, echo duration and height; meteoroid speeds were determined using the Fresnel phase time technique. Meteor echoes belonging to the Orionids radiant were selected using a coordinate transform technique. The speed was then used as an additional discriminant to confirm the Orionid shower members. A second radiant, observed at a slightly higher declination is classified as also part of the Orionid stream. The sporadic meteor component in the data set was examined and found to exhibit speeds much higher than expected for sporadic meteors at the time of the observations. However, these results are consistent with a selection bias based on meteoroid speed, that is inherent in radar observations. The Orionid observations indicate that the refurbishment of the radar system and the introduction of new software for meteor analysis has been successfully achieved and that radar meteor studies can now be carried out routinely with the Buckland Park 2 MHz radar. Moreover it has been shown for the first time that meteoroid speeds can be determined with a MF radar operating on a PRF as low as 60 Hz. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Chemistry and Physics, 2003.

Frequency response analysis (FRA) is a frequency-domain method which is used to detect mechanical faults in transformers. The frequency response of a transformer is determined by its geometry and material properties, and it can be considered as the transformer’s fingerprint. If there are any mechanical changes in the transformer, for example if the windings are moved or distorted, its fingerprint will also be changed so, theoretically, mechanical changes in the transformer can be detected with FRA. A problem with FRA is the fact that there is no general agreement about how to interpret the measurement results for detection of winding damages. For instance, the interpretation of measurement results has still not been standardized.The overall goal of this thesis is to try to enhance the understanding of the information contained in FRA measurements. This has been done in two ways: (1) by examining the FRA method for (much) higher frequencies than what is usual, and (2) by developing a new method in which FRA is combined with the ideas of Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR). As tools for carrying out the above mentioned steps, models for the magnetic core and the winding have been developed and verified by comparison to measurements.The usual upper frequency limit for FRA is around 2 MHz, which in this thesis has been extended by an order of magnitude in order to detect and interpret new phenomena that emerge at high frequencies and to investigate the potential of this high-frequency region for detection of winding deteriorations.Further, in the above-mentioned new method developed in this thesis, FRA and TDR are combined as a step towards an easier and more intuitive detection and localization of faults in transformer windings, where frequency response measurements are visualized in the time domain in order to facilitate their interpretation. / QC 20111122