Ce travail de thèse est une étude multi-échelles de temps de la morphodynamique d'une île barrière soumise à des conditions de forçages paroxysmaux de mousson, de tempêtes tropicales et de typhons. Cette étude se concentre dans un premier temps, sur un large travail de terrain effectué dans le cadre du projet KUN-SHEN. Sept mois de mesures (de novembre 2011 à janvier 2012 et de mai à septembre 2012) ont permis l'acquisition d'un jeu de données inédit dans la littérature, exhaustif et de haute résolution temporelle et spatiale. Des mesures hydrodynamiques du large jusqu’à la zone de jet de rive ont été acquises en parallèle d'un suivi topographique de la plage émergée. Les mesures de vagues ont été acquises à partir d'une bouée au large, de deux houlographes-courantomètres en avant-côte (mesures en continu à 2 Hz) ainsi que de pressiomètres enfouis dans la plage sub-aérienne (mesures en continu à 5 Hz). Les levés topo-bathymétriques ont été réalisés au D-GPS (résolution centimétrique) une fois par semaine pendant la saison de mousson et juste après et avant chaque événements de tempêtes extrêmes pendant la saison des typhons. Le travail d'analyse cible ensuite la morphodynamique de la zone de jet de rive et de la plage émergée sur un panel d’échelles spatio-temporelles allant de l'instantanée à annuelle. A l’échelle instantanée, ce sont les variations d’élévation de la surface libre de l'eau et du lit sableux (quelques secondes) qui sont observées au cours de chacune des phases (montant, apex, tombant) de la tempête tropicale Talim (juin 2012, Hs = 10.34 m et Ts = 14.6 s). Pour le même événement de tempête, la réponse morphologique de toute la plage émergée est ensuite décrite et quantifiée dans le détail à l’échelle événementielle (quelques jours). Les bilans sédimentaires de chacune des saisons sont ensuite quantifiés dans le but de caractériser la dynamique saisonnière (quelques mois) à annuelle d'une barrière sableuse soumise à deux types de forçages extrêmes différents (mousson/typhons). L'impact sur le front de plage, des groupes de tempêtes faibles à modérées pendant l'hiver est ainsi comparé à l'impact des tempêtes extrêmes pendant l'été. On souligne finalement 1) l'importance d'un jeu de mesures in-situ de bonne qualité dans un travail d'analyse morphodynamique, 2) l'essentialité de l’emboîtement des échelles spatio-temporelle ainsi que 3) le rôle du profil morphologique héritée dans la réponse morphologique d'une plage émergée lorsqu'elle est soumise à des conditions de forçages de vent et de vague extrêmes. / This work focuses on a multi-scale analysis of a sand barrier morphodynamics exposed to paroxysmal forcings of monsoon, tropical storms, and typhoons. The study provided a large dataset of in-situ measures acquired in the framework of the KUNSHEN project. Seven months of field work (from November 2011 to January 2012 and from May to September 2012) provided a new, exhaustive and hight resolution measures. Measures of hydrodynamic conditions from offshore to the swash zone are acquired as well as high frequency topographic surveys of the emerged beach. Waves monitoring are from an offshore buoy, two current profilers in the shoreface (continuous measures at 2 Hz) and pressure sensors buried in the sub-aerial beach (continuous measures at 5 Hz). The topo-bathymetric surveys were acquired using D-GPS (centimetric resolution) one time a week during winter season of monsoon and just before and after each extreme storm during summer season of typhoons.Then, analysis focus in the morphodynamics of the swash zone and the emerged beach on a range of scales from instantaneous to one year. At the instantaneous scale, we analyze variations of the water surface fluctuation and sand bed elevation (seconds) during each phases (rising, apex and falling) of the Talim tropical storm (June 2012, Hs = 10.34 m and Ts = 14.6 s). Concerning the same storm, we characterize the morphologic changes of the whole emerged beach at the evenemential scale (days). Sand balances of each seasons are quantified in order to characterize the dynamics from seasonal scale (months) to annual scale of a sand barrier driven by two types of extreme forcings (monsoon/typhoons). On the beach-front, impact of groups of winter weak storms is compared to the impact of extremes tropical storms and typhoons. To conclude, we highlight 1) importance of in-situ measures in morphodynamic studies, 2) the major role of scales stacking and 3) the role of herited beach profile in the morphologic responses of the emerged beach driven by extremes forcings of wind and wave.

O interesse na remoção de material orgânico no tratamento de águas de abastecimento surgiu em decorrência do aumento na poluição dos mananciais, da descoberta de novas doenças de veiculação hídrica e do melhor conhecimento das propriedades mutagênicas e carcinogênicas de poluentes orgânicos, entre eles os agroquímicos. Na presente pesquisa foi estudada a seqüência de processos de tratamento: pré-filtração; pré-oxidação com ozônio e ozônio associado ao peróxido de hidrogênio e filtração lenta com leito de areia e leito de carvão ativado granular. Para concentração de atrazina no afluente entre 2,2 e 110,3 µg/L o filtro lento de areia com camada intermediária de carvão ativado granular apresentou para a condição de não utilização de pré-oxidação valores para atrazina no efluente inferiores a 2,0 µg/L e para dose de ozônio entre 0,9 e 3,7 mg/L e para relação de peróxido de hidrogênio entre 0,1 e 1,1 valores para atrazina inferiores a 0,1 µg/L. O sistema de tratamento com pré-filtração, pré-oxidação com ozônio e ozônio associado ao peróxido de hidrogênio seguido da filtração lenta com camada intermediária de carvão ativado granular, mostrou-se eficiente na remoção de atrazina para concentrações inferiores a 0,1 µg/L. / The interest in removing organic matter in supplying waters treatment processes emerged from the increasing levels of water pollution worldwide, the discovery of new water-born diseases and of a better knowledge of mutating (mutagenic) and carcinogenic features of organic pollutants, including the pesticides. The two sequential arrangements for the water treatment process considered in this research were: 1) pre-filtration, slow sand filtration and granular activated carbon filtration; and 2) pre-filtration, pre-oxidation with ozone and ozone associated to hydrogen peroxide, slow sand filtration and granular activated carbon filtration. For concentrations of atrazine between 2.2 and 110.3 µg/L in the affluent, its concentration in the effluent was lower than 2.0 µg/L for the first arrangement, and lower than 01 µg/L for the second one, in this case for consumed doses of ozone between 0.9 and 3.7 mg/L and ratio H2O2/O3 between 0.1 and 1.1. The treatment system used composed of pre-filtration, pre-oxidation with ozone and ozone associated to hydrogen peroxide followed by the slow filtration, with an intermediate layer of granular activated carbon, was found efficient in reducing atrazine to levels inferior to 0.1 µg/L.

Cette étude s’intéresse au rapport des Anciens Égyptiens au sable, élément naturel omniprésent dans le paysage et le quotidien. Le problème est abordé d’un point de vue textuel et plus particulièrement lexicographique. Pour cela, les mentions de six termes appartenant au vocabulaire du sable sont examinées dans des textes mythologiques et rituels, sur une période comprise entre l’Ancien Empire et l’époque romaine. L’enjeu est de déterminer la perception du sable en contexte et de mettre en évidence les croyances élaborées autour de l’élément. Il s’agit de saisir les principes d’introduction du sable au discours religieux afin de mettre en lumière un mécanisme de pensée spécifique à la religion égyptienne : l’observation naturaliste. / This study focuses on the relations between Ancient Egyptians and sand, a natural element, ever-present in landscape and daily life. It is seen from a textual and especially lexicographical point of view. Therefore, quotes of six words related to the vocabulary of sand are studied in mythological and ritual texts from Old Kingdom to Roman Period. The aim is to establish the perception of sand depending on the context and to reveal the beliefs associated to sand. The introduction of sand in the religious speech is taken into account in order to highlight a way of thinking specific to the Egyptian religion : naturalistic observation.

Dans le but de vérifier l'efficacité des dispositifs de scellement ou des barrières ouvragées dans le stockage géologique des déchets radioactifs, l'Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) a mis en œuvre le projet expérimental SEALEX (SEALing performance EXperiments) auquel ce travail est étroitement lié. Dans le cadre de ce projet, des essais in-situ sont effectués à l'échelle représentative et dans des conditions naturelles sur un mélange compacté de bentonite et de sable. Ce matériau de mélange a été choisi pour sa faible perméabilité et surtout pour sa capacité de gonflement qui permet de colmater les vides existant dans le système, notamment le vide technologique correspondant au vide radial entre le noyau de scellement et la roche hôte et qui est inévitable au cours de l'installation du noyau dans le forage. Une fois les vides scellés, le gonflement à volume constant engendre une pression de gonflement aussi bien sur la roche hôte (radiale) que sur les structures de confinement en béton (axiale). Le comportement de ce matériau dans ces conditions de couplages hydromécaniques est alors étudié dans ce travail. La microstructure du matériau à son état initial a été premièrement examinée par micro-tomographie rayons-X. Ceci a permis de voir la distribution des grains de bentonite et de sable ainsi que le réseau de pores dans l'échantillon. Des macro-pores se sont retrouvés concentrés à la périphérie de l'échantillon ainsi qu'entre les grains de sable, ce qui pourra affecter à court terme la perméabilité. L'hydratation du même matériau en condition de gonflement limité a été ensuite observée par une photographie 2D et par la micro-tomographie aux rayons-X. Le mécanisme de gonflement par production de gel de bentonite, la cinétique de gonflement, la diminution de densité et l'homogénéisation du matériau final on été analysés. L'hydratation en conditions de gonflement empêché a été aussi étudiée par des essais où la pression de gonflement a été mesurée dans deux directions : radialement et axialement. La différence retrouvée entre les pressions de gonflement axiales et radiales a évoqué la présence d'une anisotropie de microstructure qui a été analysée en fonction de la masse volumique sèche de bentonite dans le mélange. Des essais en modèle réduit reproduisant à une échelle 1/10ème les essais in situ (SEALEX) ont été également effectués afin d'étudier le comportement du noyau compacté après la reprise des vides au cas d'un accident détruisant les éléments de confinement. Des mesures locales de pression de gonflement le long des échantillons ont permis de mettre en évidence l'évolution du gradient de densité durant le gonflement axial. Finalement une comparaison entre les résultats obtenus dans ce travail et ceux d'un essai in situ (SEALEX) a été faite. Une bonne correspondance entre les valeurs d'humidités relatives a été retrouvée pour les mêmes longueurs d'hydratation tout en prenant en compte la saturation par le vide technologique radial. Par contre, la comparaison des évolutions et des valeurs de pressions de gonflement était plus compliquée vu les différences de configurations des essais / In order to verify the effectiveness of the geological high-level radioactive waste disposal, the French Institution of Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has implemented the SEALEX project to control the long-term performance of swelling clay-based sealing systems, and to which this work is closely related. Within this project, In-situ tests are carried out on compacted bentonite-sand mixture in natural conditions and in a representative scale. This material is one of the most appropriate sealing materials because of its low permeability and good swelling capacity. Once installed, this material will be hydrated by water from the host-rock and start swelling to close all gaps in the system, in particular the internal pores, rock fractures and technological voids. Afterwards, swelling pressure will develop. In the present work, laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the sealing properties under this complex hydro-mechanical conditions taking into consideration the effect of technological voids. The microstructure of the material in its initial state was first examined by microfocus X-ray computed tomography (µCT). This allowed identification of the distribution of grains of sand and bentonite as well as the pores in the sample. Macro-pores are found concentrated at the periphery of the sample and between the grains of sand, which could affect in the short term the permeability. The hydration of the same material in limited swelling conditions was then observed by 2D photography and 3D µCT. The swelling mechanism with bentonite gel production, the swelling kinetics, the density decrease and the homogenisation of the material were analyzed. The hydration in the conditions of prevented swelling was also studied by swelling pressure tests with radial and axial measurements of swelling pressure. The difference found between the axial and radial swelling pressures suggested the presence of an anisotropic microstructure. Mock-up tests at a 1/10 scale of the in situ SEALEX tests were carried out for the study of the recovery capacity of the mixture in case of an accident causing the failure of the confining structures. Local measurements of swelling pressures along the sample allowed analysis of the density gradient evolution during axial swelling. Finally, a comparison between the laboratory results and those from an in-situ test was done, showing a good fitting in the relative humidity curves for the same infiltration length while considering the saturation effect from the technological void. The swelling pressure comparison was more complex because of the different configurations of the tests (existence of technological void in-situ that could affect the kinetics)

Submitted by Cássia Santos (cassia.bcufg@gmail.com) on 2017-07-17T10:48:59Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Luciana Gonçalves Tibiriçá - 2017.pdf: 6686915 bytes, checksum: c0dc9c3a9ceb807167d37d609bd0cd3f (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-07-17T11:22:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Luciana Gonçalves Tibiriçá - 2017.pdf: 6686915 bytes, checksum: c0dc9c3a9ceb807167d37d609bd0cd3f (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-17T11:22:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Luciana Gonçalves Tibiriçá - 2017.pdf: 6686915 bytes, checksum: c0dc9c3a9ceb807167d37d609bd0cd3f (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-17 / The State of Goiás (Brazil) has in the mining activity a relevant source of gathering funds and which is part of its history of occupation and formation of urban networks. The mining activity is administrated by technical criteria defined by the Brazilian Department of Mining Production (as known as DNPM), being environmental licensing a part that integrates them. With the pointed requirements on the environmental legislation, the formal mining exploration has adapted itself in front of the need of conserve/preserve the environment considering the geological and geographical conditions. Present in several industries, the use of mineral resources allows the development of varied goods, moving finance market and creating jobs. From the principles that mining is an activity of wide economic impact, involves environmental problems and that the mining activity of the State of Goiás needs deep researches of characterization, we developed this thesis. The assessment of the several mineral was made by the employment of a methodology in municipal scale, from those with major revenue arising from the mineral compensation due to the extraction of metallic minerals or non metallic more profitable currently for Goiás, beyond the sand considering the period between 2010 and 2014. The results show that in the social aspect, the difference between the main mining municipalities of Goiás is not relevant, even with the contribution from the mineral compensation. For the municipalities producers of sand, the economic impact is minimum and there are difficulties in following the recuperation of degraded areas, because the resource is not enough to enable the manager the actions of local development. / O Estado de Goiás tem na mineração uma fonte de arrecadação relevante e que faz parte de sua história de ocupação e formação das redes urbanas. A atividade mineral é administrada por critérios técnicos definidos pelo Departamento Nacional da Produção Mineral (DNPM), sendo que o licenciamento ambiental é parte integrante dos mesmos. Com as exigências apontadas nas legislações ambientais, a exploração mineral formal tem se adaptado frente à necessidade de conservar/preservar o ambiente considerando as condições geológicas e geográficas. Presente em diversas indústrias, o uso dos recursos minerais permite o desenvolvimento de produtos variados, movimentando o mercado financeiro e gerando emprego. A partir dos princípios de que a mineração é uma atividade de amplo impacto econômico, envolve problemas ambientais e que a mineração goiana necessita de pesquisas de caracterização mais aprofundadas, desenvolveu-se esta tese. Para avaliação dos diversos minérios empregou-se uma metodologia em escala municipal, a partir daqueles com maior receita oriunda da compensação mineral decorrente da extração de minérios metálicos ou não metálicos mais rentáveis atualmente para Goiás, além da areia considerando o período entre 2010 e 2014. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que no aspecto social, a diferença entre os principais municípios mineradores de Goiás não é relevante, apesar do aporte advindo da compensação mineral. Para os municípios produtores de areia, o impacto econômico é mínimo e há dificuldades em acompanhar a recuperação das áreas degradadas, pois o recurso não é suficiente para possibilitar ao gestor as ações de desenvolvimento local.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:06:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erica Melonio.pdf: 1197526 bytes, checksum: 0b83e53619c884611a16cfed117d696f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-24 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The leishmaniasis are zoonotic disease that present two forms of involvement: the cutaneous and visceral forms. Both transmitted by the bite of sandfly (Diptera; Psychodidae). The disease is caused by infection with Leishmania (Kinetoplastid; Trypanossomatidae), a protozoan that has particular characteristics as single flagellum, sub cytoskeleton of microtubules and a relatively small kinetoplast DNA condensed be able to infect vertebrates and invertebrates. This study aimed to identify by PCR protozoa of the genus Leishmania present in samples of intestinal contents of sandflies captured in Santarém and Serra dos Carajás, Pará State. The sandflies captures with CDC light traps and Shannon were made by IEC in four areas of the Serra dos Carajás and one in Santarém, total of ten samples for PCR analysis, five samples from Santarém and five samples from Serra dos Carajás. After DNA extraction and PCR technique, the PCR product was loaded in 1,5% agarose gel in TBE buffer and bands were observed in UV transluminator. Four samples isolated from sandflies captured from Santarém, Psychodopygus hirsutus hirsutus, Psychodopygus welcomei/complexus, Psychodopygus davisi and Psychodopygus whitmani were characterized as Leishmania subgenus Viannia. One sample of Santarém isolated from sandfly Psychodopygus gomezi and five samples of Serra dos Carajás isolated from sandflies Psychodopygus hirsutus hirsutus, Lutzomyia brachypyga, Lutzomyia richardwardi, Lutzomyia umbratilis have not been characterized. The results of the Santarém region showed that sandflies which were infected by protozoa Leishmania subgenus Viannia had already been recorded in infection by this flagellate in previous studies. The Serra dos Carajás results evidenced that it was not possible to identify the parasites contained in the intestinal tube of the phlebotomine it was only possible to affirm that they are not parasites of the genus Leishmania. These data reinforce the importance of maintaining a program of entomological surveillance in sandflies in Santarém and Serra dos Carajás. Further studies will be needed for greater knowledge of the unidentified samples. / As leishmanioses são doenças zoonóticas que apresentam duas formas de acometimento: a tegumentar e a visceral. São transmitidas pela picada de flebotomíneo (Diptera; Psychodidae). O parasita causador da doença é a Leishmania (Kinetoplastida; Trypanossomatidae), um protozoário que apresenta características peculiares como único flagelo, um subcitoesqueleto de microtúbulos e um cinetoplasto relativamente pequeno com DNA condensado, capaz de infectar animais vertebrados e invertebrados. Esse estudo teve como objetivo a identificação por PCR dos protozoários do gênero Leishmania presentes em amostras de conteúdo intestinal de flebotomíneos capturados em Serra dos Carajás e Santarém, Pará. As capturas de flebotomíneos com armadilhas tipo CDC luminosas e Shannon foram feitas pelo IEC em quatro áreas de Serra dos Carajás e uma em Santarém totalizando dez amostras para análise por PCR, cinco amostras de Santarém e cinco amostras de Serra dos Carajás. Após extração do DNA e realização da técnica da PCR, o produto da PCR foi aplicado em gel de agarose a 1,5 % em tampão TBE e as bandas foram visualizadas em transluminador UV. Quatro amostras isoladas de flebotomíneos de Santarém, Psychodopygus hirsutus hirsutus, Psychodopygus welcomei/ complexus, Psychodopygus davisi e Psychodopygus whitmani foram caracterizados como Leishmania do subgênero Viannia.Uma amostra de Santarém isolada do flebotomíneo Psychodopygus gomezi e cinco amostras de Serra dos Carajás isoladas dos flebotomíneos Psychodopygus hirsutus hirsutus, Lutzomyia brachypyga, Lutzomyia richardwardi, Lutzomyia umbratilis não foram caracterizadas. Os resultados da região de Santarém demonstraram que os flebotomíneos que se encontravam infectados por protozoários do gênero Leishmania do subgênero Viannia já apresentavam registros de infecção por este flagelado em estudos anteriores. Já em Serra dos Carajás os resultados evidenciaram que não foi possível identificar os parasitos contidos no tubo intestinal do flebotomíneo, somente foi possível afirmar que não são parasitos do gênero Leishmania. Esses dados reforçam a relevância de se manter um programa de vigilância entomológica nos flebotomíneos em Santarém e Serra de Carajás. Serão necessários novos estudos complementares para maior conhecimento das amostras não identificadas.

Traditionally, flexible pavement design relies on past experience and semi-empirical methods developed through a combination of element testing and modelling. Element testing in this area especially, has centred on the performance of clean sands. This is in conflict with actual practice where a wide range of fines and soil gradations could be present in a real-world project. This research investigates the characteristics of natural sands and examines the influence of these marginal materials in pavement design using element testing and controlled modelling of an actual flexible pavement system. The element tests concentrated on separate, natural soils sourced from Kazakhstan which had similar mineralogy, but varying amounts of fines. One of the key parameters examined was equivalent void ratio and its efficiency to account for the behaviour change in granular materials which comes from increased fines content. Starting with monotonic triaxial results combined with strength-dilatancy methods it was shown that prediction of shear strength in a silty-sand could be improved by 13%. Incorporating this finding into repeat load triaxial tests, the transitions between elastic, plastic, and ratcheting failure behaviours (i.e. shakedown boundaries), commonly used to help predict the lifespan of a flexible pavement, were examined. It was seen that cycling a silty-sand, the stress path and yield surface could change depending on the fines content. The Cambridge Airfield Pavement Tester (APT) was designed and constructed to measure permanent subgrade deformation resulting from various surface loads. The number of input variables required to design flexible pavements is one of the most frequently stated problems in the field; variation of aircraft types, environmental conditions, and materials makes mechanistic design of the soil foundation problematic. Accordingly physical pavement modelling continues to be the only experimental method that allows input parameters and material characteristics to be examined simultaneously. Digital image correlation (DIC) was incorporated into the system; the first time this technology has been used in flexible pavement research. A Null Pressure System was also installed to measure soil stress distributions. It was observed that the critical failure mechanisms for thin and thick surficial layers are different, resulting in changes in the rates of surface rutting. Finally, by combining element and APT results, knowledge of the causal relationships between subsurface deformation and failure mechanisms in flexible pavement were advanced. In-situ soils, which are frequently incorporated into subgrade designs, were found to have a substantial role in the serviceability of the pavement. Correlations between element tests and APT results highlighted the complicated loading and boundary conditions present in a pavement.

abstract: Use of off-highway vehicles (OHV) in natural landscapes is a popular outdoor activity around the world. Rapid-growing OHV activity causes impacts on vegetation and land cover within these landscapes and can be an important factor in land degradation and ecosystem change. The Algodones Dunes in southeastern California is one of the largest inland sand dune complexes in the United States and hosts many endangered species. This study examines changes in land cover and OHV activity within two OHV active sites in comparison to an adjoined protected area. The study also investigates potential associations between land cover changes, climate trends, and OHV activity over recent decades. Time-series analysis was used to investigate the spatial-temporal changes and trends in the land cover in the Algodones Dunes from 2001 to 2016. In addition, high-resolution aerial photographs were analyzed to determine spatial patterns of OHV usage in comparison to visitor estimation collected by the Bureau of Land Management and observed changes in land cover composition between the control site and OHVs areas. A decreasing trend in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over time indicates a decline in the amount of vegetation cover, which corresponds with an increasing trend in albedo and land surface temperature. Results also show a substantial difference in land cover between the control site and OHVs areas, which typically have a lower amount of vegetation cover, higher exposed sand surface, and increased anthropogenic features. Both climatic variations and OHV activity are statistically associated with land cover change in the dune field, although distinct causal mechanisms for the observed declines in vegetation cover could not be separated. The persistence of drought could inhibit vegetation growth and germination that, in turn, would hinder vegetation recovery in OHV areas. Meanwhile, repeated OHV driving has direct physical impacts on vegetation and landscape morphology, such as canopy destruction, root exposure, and increased aeolian sand transport. Active ecosystem protection and restoration is recommended to mitigate the response of declining vegetation cover and habitat loss to the impacts of OHV activity and climatic variability and allow natural recovery of re-establishement of nebkha dune ecosystems in the Algodones Dunes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geography 2018

Heavy oil production has drawn more and more attention in petroleum industry. The amount of heavy oil in the world is twice more than the conventional oil (low viscosity), which has been consumed rapidly from the past. The understanding of flow patterns and pressure losses in multiphase flow with high viscosity oil are vital to assist the design of transportation pipeline. This thesis involves experimental investigation of two phase and three phase flows under high oil viscosity conditions (up to 17000cP) in horizontal pipelines. The multiphase (oil/water/solid/gas) facility was designed and constructed at Cranfield University and consists of 6m long horizontal pipeline of 0.026m diameter along with instrumentations. The principal objectives of the work were to study the effect of viscosity, water cut, temperature variance, and flow conditions on flow patterns and pressure drops for (oil/gas and oil/water) two phase flows; to compare the measured flow parameters and phase distribution with those predicted from models found in the literature for two phase flows; and to conduct an experimental study of gas injection effect on pressure gradient in (oil/water/gas) three phase flow. Due to the nature of heavy oil reservoirs, sand is associated with oil/water mixture when extracted; therefore sand concentration effect on pressure drop in (oil/water/sand) three phase flow is also examined. For oil-air flow, a smooth oil coating was observed in the film region of slug flow, while a ripple structure of oil coating film was found at higher superficial air velocity for slug flow regime and annular flow regime. The ripple structure was believed to increase the effective roughness of the pipe wall, which resulted in higher pressure gradients. The pressure drop correlations from Beggs and Brill (1973) and Dukler et al. (1964) were used to compare with experimental pressure gradients for oil/air flow. It was found that these correlations failed to predict the pressure gradients for heavy oil/air flows in this work. Several new heavy oil/water flow patterns were named and categorized based on observations. Though the heavy oil viscosity is an essential parameter for oil continuous phase flow on pressure drop, it had no significant effect beyond Water Assist Flow (WAF) condition, as a threshold was found for water cut with fixed superficial oil velocity. The transition criterion by McKibben et al. (2000b) for WAF was found to be able to predict this threshold reasonably well. Core Annular Flow (CAF) models were found to greatly under predict the pressure gradients mainly due to the coating (oil fouling) effect associated with this study. A new coating coefficient was introduced to models presented by Bannwart (2001) and Rodriguez et al (2009). The addition of solid in the mixed flow led to minor increase in the pressure gradient when the particles were moving with the flow. However, higher sand concentration in the system led to higher pressure gradient values. The addition of gaseous phase to the oil/water flow was more complex. The gaseous injection was beneficial toward reducing the pressure gradient when introduced in oil continuous phase only at very low water cuts.

Florida's estuaries support a wide range of species yet little is known about tracemetal cycling among members of this important ecosystem. To examine the flow of trace metals through the Tampa Bay estuary, four fish species representing different trophic levels were analyzed for copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and stable isotopes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Species selected were the striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), tidewater mojarra (Eucinostomus harengulus), bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), and sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius). Juvenile fish were collected from the Alafia, Hillsborough, Palm, and Little Manatee Rivers. Adults were collected from Tampa Bay. Combinations of trace metal and stable isotope analyses were used to evaluate geographic variability in trace metal concentrations among locations in Tampa Bay and to shed light on trophic pathways that lead to trace metal accumulation. In juvenile mullet, significant trends were found between Zn concentrations, stable isotope ratios, and standard length. Animals of the smallest size classes carry greater concentrations of zinc in their tissues and have distinct stable isotope ratios that reflect their recent life history as offshore planktivorous larvae. Interestingly, the ratio of Zn:Cu concentrations was highly conserved. While species-specific differences were observed, relatively small Zn:Cu variations suggest a possible bioregulatory mechanism that maintains an optimal Zn:Cu ratio even in the presence of elevated absolute metal concentrations. Stable isotope ratios proved to be an effective tracer of ontogenetic changes in fish diet and habitat. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses revealed that trophic relations between species are established very early in an organism's life history. The bay anchovy, a major prey item of the sand seatrout, has δ15N values very similar to this predator. Although trophic linkages between trace metals and stable isotopes proved difficult to interpret, the relation between zinc concentrations and δ¹³C values suggested that trace metal concentrations are highest in animals that utilize food webs based on terrestrial carbon.