A miniature Marine Aerosol Reference Tank (miniMART) as a compact breaking wave analogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stokes, M. Dale; Deane, Grant; Collins, Douglas B.; Cappa, Christopher; Bertram, Timothy; Dommer, Abigail; Schill, Steven; Forestieri, Sara; Survilo, Mathew

2016-09-01

In order to understand the processes governing the production of marine aerosols, repeatable, controlled methods for their generation are required. A new system, the miniature Marine Aerosol Reference Tank (miniMART), has been designed after the success of the original MART system, to approximate a small oceanic spilling breaker by producing an evolving bubble plume and surface foam patch. The smaller tank utilizes an intermittently plunging jet of water produced by a rotating water wheel, into an approximately 6 L reservoir to simulate bubble plume and foam formation and generate aerosols. This system produces bubble plumes characteristic of small whitecaps without the large external pump inherent in the original MART design. Without the pump it is possible to easily culture delicate planktonic and microbial communities in the bulk water during experiments while continuously producing aerosols for study. However, due to the reduced volume and smaller plunging jet, the absolute numbers of particles generated are approximately an order of magnitude less than in the original MART design.

Electrochemical formation of hydroxide for enhancing carbon dioxide and acid gas uptake by a solution

DOEpatents

Rau, Gregory Hudson [Castro Valley, CA

2012-05-15

A system is described for forming metal hydroxide from a metal carbonate utilizing a water electrolysis cell having an acid-producing anode and a hydroxyl-producing cathode immersed in a water solution of sufficient ionic content to allow an electric current to pass between the hydroxyl-producing cathode and the acid-producing anode. A metal carbonate, in particular water-insoluble calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate, is placed in close proximity to the acid-producing anode. A direct current electrical voltage is provided across the acid-producing anode and the hydroxyl-producing cathode sufficient to generate acid at the acid-producing anode and hydroxyl ions at the hydroxyl-producing cathode. The acid dissolves at least part of the metal carbonate into metal and carbonate ions allowing the metal ions to travel toward the hydroxyl-producing cathode and to combine with the hydroxyl ions to form the metal hydroxide. The carbonate ions travel toward the acid-producing anode and form carbonic acid and/or water and carbon dioxide. Among other uses, the metal hydroxide formed can be employed to absorb acid gases such as carbon dioxide from a gas mixture. The invention can also generate hydrogen and oxidative gases such as oxygen or chlorine.

The Water Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking): Key Issues from the New California Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleick, P. H.

2015-12-01

A key component of the Water-Energy Nexus is the effort over the past decade or so to quantify the volumes and form of water required for the energy fuel cycle from extraction to generation to waste disposal. The vast majority of the effort in this area has focused on the water needs of electricity generation, but other fuel-cycle components also entail significant water demands and threats to water quality. Recent work for the State of California (managed by the California Council on Science and Technology - CCST) has produced a new state-of-the-art assessment of a range of potential water risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and related oil and gas extraction, including volumetric water demands, methods of disposal of produced water, and aquifer contamination. For example, this assessment produced new information on the disposal of produced water in surface percolation pits and the potential for contamination of local groundwater (see Figure). Understanding these risks raises questions about current production and future plans to expand production, as well as tools used by state and federal agencies to manage these risks. This talk will summarize the science behind the CCST assessment and related policy recommendations for both water and energy managers.

Modeling the Impacts of Solar Distributed Generation on U.S. Water Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amanda, Smith; Omitaomu, Olufemi A; Jaron, Peck

2015-01-01

Distributed electric power generation technologies typically use little or no water per unit of electrical energy produced; in particular, renewable energy sources such as solar PV systems do not require cooling systems and present an opportunity to reduce water usage for power generation. Within the US, the fuel mix used for power generation varies regionally, and certain areas use more water for power generation than others. The need to reduce water usage for power generation is even more urgent in view of climate change uncertainties. In this paper, we present an example case within the state of Tennessee, one ofmore » the top four states in water consumption for power generation and one of the states with little or no potential for developing centralized renewable energy generations. The potential for developing PV generation within Knox County, Tennessee, is studied, along with the potential for reducing water withdrawal and consumption within the Tennessee Valley stream region. Electric power generation plants in the region are quantified for their electricity production and expected water withdrawal and consumption over one year, where electrical generation data is provided over one year and water usage is modeled based on the cooling system(s) in use. Potential solar PV electrical production is modeled based on LiDAR data and weather data for the same year. Our proposed methodology can be summarized as follows: First, the potential solar generation is compared against the local grid demand. Next, electrical generation reductions are specified that would result in a given reduction in water withdrawal and a given reduction in water consumption, and compared with the current water withdrawal and consumption rates for the existing fuel mix. The increase in solar PV development that would produce an equivalent amount of power, is determined. In this way, we consider how targeted local actions may affect the larger stream region through thoughtful energy development. This model can be applied to other regions, other types of distributed generation, and used as a framework for modeling alternative growth scenarios in power production capacity in addition to modeling adjustments to existing capacity.« less

Method and apparatus for enhanced heat recovery from steam generators and water heaters

DOEpatents

Knight, Richard A.; Rabovitser, Iosif K.; Wang, Dexin

2006-06-27

A heating system having a steam generator or water heater, at least one economizer, at least one condenser and at least one oxidant heater arranged in a manner so as to reduce the temperature and humidity of the exhaust gas (flue gas) stream and recover a major portion of the associated sensible and latent heat. The recovered heat is returned to the steam generator or water heater so as to increase the quantity of steam generated or water heated per quantity of fuel consumed. In addition, a portion of the water vapor produced by combustion of fuel is reclaimed for use as feed water, thereby reducing the make-up water requirement for the system.

Development of a Small Thermoelectric Generators Prototype for Energy Harvesting from Low Temperature Waste Heat at Industrial Plant.

PubMed

Chiarotti, Ugo; Moroli, Valerio; Menchetti, Fernando; Piancaldini, Roberto; Bianco, Loris; Viotto, Alberto; Baracchini, Giulia; Gaspardo, Daniele; Nazzi, Fabio; Curti, Maurizio; Gabriele, Massimiliano

2017-03-01

A 39-W thermoelectric generator prototype has been realized and then installed in industrial plant for on-line trials. The prototype was developed as an energy harvesting demonstrator using low temperature cooling water waste heat as energy source. The objective of the research program is to measure the actual performances of this kind of device working with industrial water below 90 °C, as hot source, and fresh water at a temperature of about 15 °C, as cold sink. The article shows the first results of the research program. It was verified, under the tested operative conditions, that the produced electric power exceeds the energy required to pump the water from the hot source and cold sink to the thermoelectric generator unit if they are located at a distance not exceeding 50 m and the electric energy conversion efficiency is 0.33%. It was calculated that increasing the distance of the hot source and cold sink to the thermoelectric generator unit to 100 m the produced electric energy equals the energy required for water pumping, while reducing the distance of the hot source and cold sink to zero meters the developed unit produces an electric energy conversion efficiency of 0.61%.

Cover crop biomass production and water use in the central great plains under varying water availability

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The water-limited environment of the semi-arid central Great Plains may not have potential to produce enough cover crop biomass to generate benefits associated with cover crop use in more humid regions. There have been reports that cover crops grown in mixtures produce more biomass with greater wate...

Molecular imprinted hydrogel polymer (MIHP) as microbial immobilization media in artificial produced water treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardena, E.; Ridhati, S. L.; Helmy, Q.

2018-01-01

Produced water generated during oil and gas exploration and drilling, consists of many chemicals which used in drilling process. The production of produced water is over three fold of the oil production. The water-cut has increased over time and continues to do so because the fraction of oil in the reservoir decreases and it is more difficult to get the oil out from an old oil-field. It therefore requires more sea water to be injected in order to force the oil out; hence more produced water is generated. Produced water can pollute the environment if it is not treated properly. In this research, produced water will be treated biologically using bacterial consortium which is isolated from petroleum processing facility with Molecular Imprinted Hydrogel Polymer (MIHP) for microbial immobilization media. Microbial growth rate is determined by measuring the MLVSS and hydrogel mass, also by SEM-EDS analysis. SEM-EDS analysis is an analysis to evidence the presence of microbe trapped in hydrogel, and also to determine the types and weight of the molecules of hydrogel. From this research, suspended microbial growth rate was found at 0.1532/days and attached microbial growth rate was 0.3322/days. Furthermore, based on SEM analysis, microbe is entrapped inside the hydrogel. Effectiveness of microbial degradation activity was determined by measuring organic materials as COD. Based on COD measurement, degradation rate of organic materials in wastewater is 0.3089/days, with maximum COD removal efficiency of 76.67%.

Managing produced water from coal seam gas projects: implications for an emerging industry in Australia.

PubMed

Davies, Peter J; Gore, Damian B; Khan, Stuart J

2015-07-01

This paper reviews the environmental problems, impacts and risks associated with the generation and disposal of produced water by the emerging coal seam gas (CSG) industry and how it may be relevant to Australia and similar physical settings. With only limited independent research on the potential environmental impacts of produced water, is it necessary for industry and government policy makers and regulators to draw upon the experiences of related endeavours such as mining and groundwater extraction accepting that the conclusions may not always be directly transferrable. CSG is widely touted in Australia as having the potential to provide significant economic and energy security benefits, yet the environmental and health policies and the planning and regulatory setting are yet to mature and are continuing to evolve amidst ongoing social and environmental concerns and political indecision. In this review, produced water has been defined as water that is brought to the land surface during the process of recovering methane gas from coal seams and includes water sourced from CSG wells as well as flowback water associated with drilling, hydraulic fracturing and gas extraction. A brief overview of produced water generation, its characteristics and environmental issues is provided. A review of past lessons and identification of potential risks, including disposal options, is included to assist in planning and management of this industry.

A Review on overboard CEOR discharged produced water treatment and remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawindran, H.; Krishnan, S.; Sinnathambi, C. M.

2017-06-01

Produced water is a waste by-product generated during oil and gas recovery operations. It contains the mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. Produced water management is a challenge faced by the petroleum practitioners worldwide. Build-up of chemical wastes from produced water causes huge footprint, which results in high CapEx and OpEx. Different technologies are practiced by various practitioners to treat the produced waste water. However, the constituents removed by each technology and the degree of organic compound removal has to be considered to identify the potential and effective treatment technologies for offshore industrial applications. Current produced water technologies and their successful applications have advantages and disadvantages and can be ranked on the basis of several factors, such as their discharge limit into water bodies, reinjection in producing well, or for any miscellaneous beneficial use. This paper attempts to provide a review of existing physical and chemical treatment technologies used for management of produced water. Based on our analysis, suitable methods will be recommended for offshore waste water treatment technologies.

Process for control of pollutants generated during coal gasification

DOEpatents

Frumerman, Robert; Hooper, Harold M.

1979-01-01

The present invention is directed to an improvement in the coal gasification process that effectively eliminates substantially all of the environmental pollutants contained in the producer gas. The raw producer gas is passed through a two-stage water scrubbing arrangement with the tars being condensed essentially water-free in the first stage and lower boiling condensables, including pollutant laden water, being removed in the second stage. The pollutant-laden water is introduced into an evaporator in which about 95 percent of the water is vaporized and introduced as steam into the gas producer. The condensed tars are combusted and the resulting products of combustion are admixed with the pollutant-containing water residue from the evaporator and introduced into the gas producer.

Debris-flow generation from recently burned watersheds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cannon, S.H.

2001-01-01

Evaluation of the erosional response of 95 recently burned drainage basins in Colorado, New Mexico and southern California to storm rainfall provides information on the conditions that result in fire-related debris flows. Debris flows were produced from only 37 of 95 (~40 percent) basins examined; the remaining basins produced either sediment-laden streamflow or no discernable response. Debris flows were thus not the prevalent response of the burned basins. The debris flows that did occur were most frequently the initial response to significant rainfall events. Although some hillslopes continued to erode and supply material to channels in response to subsequent rainfall events, debris flows were produced from only one burned basin following the initial erosive event. Within individual basins, debris flows initiated through both runoff and infiltration-triggered processes. The fact that not all burned basins produced debris flows suggests that specific geologic and geomorphic conditions may control the generation of fire-related debris flows. The factors that best distinguish between debris-flow producing drainages and those that produced sediment-laden streamflow are drainage-basin morphology and lithology, and the presence or absence of water-repellent soils. Basins underlain by sedimentary rocks were most likely to produce debris flows that contain large material, and sand- and gravel-dominated flows were generated primarily from terrain underlain by decomposed granite. Basin-area and relief thresholds define the morphologic conditions under which both types of debris flows occur. Debris flows containing large material are more likely to be produced from basins without water-repellent soils than from basins with water repellency. The occurrence of sand-and gravel-dominated debris flows depends on the presence of water-repellent soils.

Photogeneration of active formate decomposition catalysts to produce hydrogen from formate and water

DOEpatents

King, Jr., Allen D.; King, Robert B.; Sailers, III, Earl L.

1983-02-08

A process for producing hydrogen from formate and water by photogenerating an active formate decomposition catalyst from transition metal carbonyl precursor catalysts at relatively low temperatures and otherwise mild conditions is disclosed. Additionally, this process may be expanded to include the generation of formate from carbon monoxide and hydroxide such that the result is the water gas shift reaction.

Generation and delivery device for ozone gas and ozone dissolved in water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Craig C. (Inventor); Murphy, Oliver J. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

The present invention provides an ozone generation and delivery system that lends itself to small scale applications and requires very low maintenance. The system preferably includes an anode reservoir and a cathode phase separator each having a hydrophobic membrane to allow phase separation of produced gases from water. The hydrogen gas, ozone gas and water containing ozone may be delivered under pressure.

Cover crop biomass production and water use in the Central Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The water-limited environment of the semi-arid central Great Plains may not have potential to produce enough cover crop biomass to generate benefits associated with cover crop use in more humid regions. There have been reports that cover crops grown in mixtures produce more biomass with greater wate...

Rare Earth Element Concentration of Wyoming Thermal Waters Update

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quillinan, Scott; Nye, Charles; Neupane, Hari

Updated version of data generated from rare earth element investigation of produced waters. These data represent major, minor, trace, isotopes, and rare earth element concentrations in geologic formations and water associated with oil and gas production.

Electrical current nanogeneration driven by spontaneous nanofluidic oscillations.

PubMed

Gimenez, R; Mercuri, M; Berli, C L A; Bellino, M G

2018-02-15

Exploiting natural phenomena is a central route for providing electricity to sustainably drive wearable electronics. Here we report a nano-scale water-driven energy generator that produces tiny electrical currents from spontaneous wetting-drying oscillations in mesoporous thin films. The system was fabricated with a wormlike mesoporous silica film, which was packed in between Cu and silicon contacts. The nanogenerator runs autonomously when a water droplet is laid over the film close to the Cu electrode, as water infiltration into the film under the electrode produces a direct-current. Wetting-drying cycles, which are spontaneously triggered by water evaporation, are perfectly correlated to the generated electrical current. The autonomous water displacement through the film yields a sustained energy conversion until the droplet reservoir vanishes. This novel water-driven nanogenerator opens new alternatives for versatile, mobile and cost-effective self-powering of nanosystems and nanodevices.

The Next Generation of Drinking Water Disinfection By-Products

EPA Science Inventory

The disinfection of drinking water has been rightly hailed as a public health triumph of the 20th century. Millions of people worldwide receive quality drinking water every day from their public water systems. However, chemical disinfection has also produced an unintended healt...

Carbon footprint assessment of Western Australian Groundwater Recycling Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simms, Andrew; Hamilton, Stacey; Biswas, Wahidul K.

2017-04-01

This research has determined the carbon footprint or the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq) of potable water production from a groundwater recycling scheme, consisting of the Beenyup wastewater treatment plant, the Beenyup groundwater replenishment trial plant and the Wanneroo groundwater treatment plant in Western Australia, using a life cycle assessment approach. It was found that the scheme produces 1300 tonnes of CO2 eq per gigalitre (GL) of water produced, which is 933 tonnes of CO2 eq higher than the desalination plant at Binningup in Western Australia powered by 100% renewable energy generated electricity. A Monte Carlo Simulation uncertainty analysis calculated a Coefficient of Variation value of 5.4%, thus confirming the accuracy of the simulation. Electricity input accounts for 83% of the carbon dioxide equivalent produced during the production of potable water. The chosen mitigation strategy was to consider the use of renewable energy to generate electricity for carbon intensive groundwater replenishment trial plant. Depending on the local situation, a maximum of 93% and a minimum of 21% greenhouse gas saving from electricity use can be attained at groundwater replenishment trial plant by replacing grid electricity with renewable electricity. In addition, the consideration of vibrational separation (V-Sep) that helps reduce wastes generation and chemical use resulted in a 4.03 tonne of CO2 eq saving per GL of water produced by the plant.

Carbon footprint assessment of Western Australian Groundwater Recycling Scheme.

PubMed

Simms, Andrew; Hamilton, Stacey; Biswas, Wahidul K

2017-04-01

This research has determined the carbon footprint or the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 eq) of potable water production from a groundwater recycling scheme, consisting of the Beenyup wastewater treatment plant, the Beenyup groundwater replenishment trial plant and the Wanneroo groundwater treatment plant in Western Australia, using a life cycle assessment approach. It was found that the scheme produces 1300 tonnes of CO 2 eq per gigalitre (GL) of water produced, which is 933 tonnes of CO 2 eq higher than the desalination plant at Binningup in Western Australia powered by 100% renewable energy generated electricity. A Monte Carlo Simulation uncertainty analysis calculated a Coefficient of Variation value of 5.4%, thus confirming the accuracy of the simulation. Electricity input accounts for 83% of the carbon dioxide equivalent produced during the production of potable water. The chosen mitigation strategy was to consider the use of renewable energy to generate electricity for carbon intensive groundwater replenishment trial plant. Depending on the local situation, a maximum of 93% and a minimum of 21% greenhouse gas saving from electricity use can be attained at groundwater replenishment trial plant by replacing grid electricity with renewable electricity. In addition, the consideration of vibrational separation (V-Sep) that helps reduce wastes generation and chemical use resulted in a 4.03 tonne of CO 2 eq saving per GL of water produced by the plant.

Water withdrawal and consumption reduction analysis for electrical energy generation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nouri, Narjes

There is an increasing concern over shrinking water resources. Water use in the energy sector primarily occurs in electricity generation. Anticipating scarcer supplies, the value of water is undoubtedly on the rise and design, implementation, and utilization of water saving mechanisms in energy generation systems are becoming inevitable. Most power plants generate power by boiling water to produce steam to spin electricity-generating turbines. Large quantities of water are often used to cool the steam in these plants. As a consequence, most fossil-based power plants in addition to consuming water, impact the water resources by raising the temperature of water withdrawn for cooling. A comprehensive study is conducted in this thesis to analyze and quantify water withdrawals and consumption of various electricity generation sources such as coal, natural gas, renewable sources, etc. Electricity generation for the state of California is studied and presented as California is facing a serious drought problem affecting more than 30 million people. Integrated planning for the interleaved energy and water sectors is essential for both water and energy savings. A linear model is developed to minimize the water consumption while considering several limitations and restrictions. California has planned to shut down some of its hydro and nuclear plants due to environmental concerns. Studies have been performed for various electricity generation and water saving scenarios including no-hydro and no-nuclear plant and the results are presented. Modifications to proposed different scenarios have been applied and discussed to meet the practical and reliability constraints.

Integrity of high-velocity water slug generated by an impacting technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehkhoda, Sevda; Bourne, Neil

2013-06-01

A pulsed water jet is a series of discrete water slugs travelling at high velocity. Immediately after striking a target, these slugs apply high-intensity, short-duration transient stress known as the water hammer pressure, followed by low-intensity, long-duration stationary stress at the stagnation pressure. The magnitude and duration of the water hammer and stagnation pressures are controlled by the size and quality of the water slugs. The use of water jets for rock cutting in mining operations is a centuries-old technology; however, practical methods for producing high-energy water slugs repeatedly have proven difficult. This can be partly due to the fact that the geometrical properties of a jet and so its effectiveness in creating damage is controlled and influenced by the method that is employed to generate the water slugs. This paper investigates the integrity of a single water slug produced using an impacting technique where a hammer strikes a piston, resting on top of a water-filled chamber. The coherence of the generated water pulse was of concern in this study. If repeated shock reflections within the chamber were transmitted or were carried into the internal geometry of nozzle, the emerging jet could pulsate. The impact impulse of the formed water jet was measured in a Kel-F target material using an embedded PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) shock gauge. The recorded stress waveform was then used to study the quality and endurance of the water pulse stream as it travelled through air.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER HANDBOOK: MANAGEMENT OF WATER TREATMENT PLANT RESIDUALS

EPA Science Inventory

Potable water treatment processes produce safe drinking water and generate a wide variety of waste products known as residuals, including organic and inorganic compounds in liquid, solid, and gaseous forms. In the current regulatory climate, a complete management program for a w...

The Next Generation of Disinfection By-Products

EPA Science Inventory

The disinfection of drinking water has been rightly hailed as a public health triumph of the 20th century. Millions of people worldwide receive quality drinking water every day from their public water systems. However, chemical disinfection has also produced an unintended health ...

Solar-Power System Produces High-Pressure Steam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lansing, F. L.

1985-01-01

Combination of three multistaged solar collectors produces highpressure steam for large-scale continuously operating turbines for generating mechanical or electrical energy. Superheated water vapor drives turbines, attaining an overall system efficiency about 22 percent.

Small Modular Reactors: The Army’s Secure Source of Energy?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-21

significant advantages of SMRs is the minimal amount of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gases) that is released in conjunction with the lifecycle operations...moderator in these reactors as well as the cooling agent and the means by which heat is removed to produce steam for turning the turbines of the...separate water system to generate steam to turn a turbine which then produces electricity. In the second type of light water reactors, the boiling water

Generation and delivery device for ozone gas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Craig C. (Inventor); Murphy, Oliver J. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

The present invention provides an ozone generation and delivery system that lends itself to small scale applications and requires very low maintenance. The system preferably includes an anode reservoir and a cathode phase separator each having a hydrophobic membrane to allow phase separation of produced gases from water. The hydrogen gas, ozone gas and water containing ozone may be delivered under pressure.

Sedimentological effects of tsunamis, with particular reference to impact-generated and volcanogenic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bourgeois, Joanne; Wiberg, Patricia L.

1988-01-01

Impulse-generated waves (tsunamis) may be produced, at varying scales and global recurrence intervals (RI), by several processes. Meteorite-water impacts will produce tsunamis, and asteroid-scale impacts with associated mega-tsunamis may occur. A bolide-water impact would undoubtedly produce a major tsunami, whose sedimentological effects should be recognizable. Even a bolide-land impact might trigger major submarine landslides and thus tsunamis. In all posulated scenarios for the K/T boundary event, then, tsunamis are expected, and where to look for them must be determined, and how to distinguish deposits from different tsunamis. Also, because tsunamis decrease in height as they move away from their source, the proximal effects will differ by perhaps orders of magnitude from distal effects. Data on the characteristics of tsunamis at their origin are scarce. Some observations exist for tsunamis generated by thermonuclear explosions and for seismogenic tsunamis, and experimental work was conducted on impact-generated tsunamis. All tsunamis of interest have wave-lengths of 0(100) km and thus behave as shallow-water waves in all ocean depths. Typical wave periods are 0(10 to 100) minutes. The effect of these tsunamis can be estimated in the marine and coastal realm by calculating boundary shear stresses (expressed as U*, the shear velocity). An event layer at the K/T boundary in Texas occurs in mid-shelf muds. Only a large, long-period wave with a wave height of 0(50) m, is deemed sufficient to have produced this layer. Such wave heights imply a nearby volcanic explosion on the scale of Krakatau or larger, or a nearby submarine landslide also of great size, or a bolide-water impact in the ocean.

ARSENIC DETERMINATION IN SALINE WATERS BY HYDRIDE GENERATION - INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY.

EPA Science Inventory

The determination of arsenic in estuarine waters usually involves a matrix removal and/or pre-concentration prior to analysis because of the high salt content in these waters. The salinity also produces analytical challenges in terms of interferences and instrument stability. A...

Treatment of Produced Water Using a Surfactant Modified Zeolite/Vapor Phase Bioreactor System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lynn E. Katz; Kerry A. Kinney; Robert S. Bowman

2006-01-31

Co-produced water from the oil and gas industry accounts for a significant waste stream in the United States. Produced waters typically contain a high total dissolved solids content, dissolved organic constituents such as benzene and toluene, an oil and grease component as well as chemicals added during the oil-production process. It has been estimated that a total of 14 billion barrels of produced water were generated in 2002 from onshore operations (Veil, 2004). Although much of this produced water is disposed via reinjection, environmental and cost considerations can make surface discharge of this water a more practical means of disposal.more » In addition, reinjection is not always a feasible option because of geographic, economic, or regulatory considerations. In these situations, it may be desirable, and often necessary from a regulatory viewpoint, to treat produced water before discharge. It may also be feasible to treat waters that slightly exceed regulatory limits for re-use in arid or drought-prone areas, rather than losing them to reinjection. A previous project conducted under DOE Contract DE-AC26-99BC15221 demonstrated that surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) represents a potential treatment technology for produced water containing BTEX. Laboratory and field experiments suggest that: (1) sorption of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) to SMZ follows linear isotherms in which sorption increases with increasing solute hydrophobicity; (2) the presence of high salt concentrations substantially increases the capacity of the SMZ for BTEX; (3) competitive sorption among the BTEX compounds is negligible; and, (4) complete recovery of the SMZ sorption capacity for BTEX can be achieved by air sparging the SMZ. This report summarizes research for a follow on project to optimize the regeneration process for multiple sorption/regeneration cycles, and to develop and incorporate a vapor phase bioreactor (VPB) system for treatment of the off-gas generated during air sparging. To this end, we conducted batch and column laboratory SMZ and VPB experiments with synthetic and actual produced waters. Based on the results of the laboratory testing, a pilot scale study was designed and conducted to evaluate the combined SMZ/VPB process. An economic and regulatory feasibility analysis was also completed as part of the current study to assess the viability of the process for various water re-use options.« less

Managing flowback and produced water from hydraulic fracturing under stochastic environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Sun, A. Y.; Duncan, I. J.; Vesselinov, V. V.

2017-12-01

A large volume of wastewater is being generated from hydraulic fracturing in shale gas plays, including flowback and produced water. The produced wastewater in terms of its quantity and quality has become one of the main environmental problems facing shale gas industries worldwide. Cost-effective planning and management of flowback and produced water is highly desirable. Careful choice of treatment, disposal, and reuse options can lower costs and reduce potential environmental impacts. To handle the recourse issue in decision-making, a two-stage stochastic management model is developed to provide optimal alternatives for fracturing wastewater management. The proposed model is capable of prompting corrective actions to allow decision makers to adjust the pre-defined management strategies. By using this two-stage model, potential penalties arising from decision infeasibility can be minimized. The applicability of the proposed model is demonstrated using a representative synthetic example, in which tradeoffs between economic and environmental goals are quantified. This approach can generate informed defensible decisions for shale gas wastewater management. In addition, probabilistic and non-probabilistic uncertainties are effectively addressed.

High-voltage nano-oxidation in deionized water and atmospheric environments by atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Huang, Jen-Ching; Chen, Chung-Ming

2012-01-01

This study used atomic force microscopy (AFM), metallic probes with a nanoscale tip, and high-voltage generators to investigate the feasibility of high-voltage nano-oxidation processing in deionized water (DI water) and atmospheric environments. Researchers used a combination of wire-cutting and electrochemical etching to transform a 20-μm-thick stainless steel sheet into a conductive metallic AFM probe with a tip radius of 60 nm, capable of withstanding high voltages. The combination of AFM, high-voltage generators, and nanoscale metallic probes enabled nano-oxidation processing at 200 V in DI water environments, producing oxides up to 66.6 nm in height and 467.03 nm in width. Oxides produced through high-voltage nano-oxidation in atmospheric environments were 117.29 nm in height and 551.28 nm in width, considerably exceeding the dimensions of those produced in DI water. An increase in the applied bias voltage led to an apparent logarithmic increase in the height of the oxide dots in the range of 200-400 V. The performance of the proposed high-voltage nano-oxidation technique was relatively high with seamless integration between the AFM machine and the metallic probe fabricated in this study. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electrochemical formation of hydroxide for enhancing carbon dioxide and acid gas uptake by a solution

DOEpatents

Rau, Gregory Hudson

2014-07-01

A system for forming metal hydroxide from a metal carbonate utilizes a water electrolysis cell having an acid-producing anode and a hydroxyl-producing cathode immersed in a water solution of sufficient ionic content to allow an electric current to pass between the hydroxyl-producing cathode and the acid-producing anode. A metal carbonate is placed in close proximity to the acid-producing anode. A direct current electrical voltage is provided across the acid-producing anode and the hydroxyl-producing cathode sufficient to generate acid at the acid-producing anode and hydroxyl ions at the hydroxyl-producing cathode. The acid dissolves at least part of the metal carbonate into metal and carbonate ions allowing the metal ions to travel toward the hydroxyl-producing cathode and to combine with the hydroxyl ions to form the metal hydroxide. The carbonate ions travel toward the acid-producing anode and form carbonic acid and/or water and carbon dioxide.

Generation of various radicals in nitrogen plasma and their behavior in media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Uhm, Han S., E-mail: hsuhm@kw.ac.kr

2015-12-15

Research on the generation of radicals in nitrogen plasma shows that the most dominant radicals are excited nitrogen molecules in the metastable state of N{sub 2}(A{sub 3}∑{sub u}{sup +}). Hydroxyl molecules are generated from the dissociation of water molecules upon contact with excited nitrogen molecules. The estimated densities of various radicals in nitrogen plasma with an electron temperature of 1 eV are presented in this study. The behavior of these radicals in media is also investigated. Excited nitrogen molecules in the N{sub 2}(A{sub 3}∑{sub u}{sup +}) state from a plasma jet are injected into water, after which the molecules disappear instantaneouslymore » within a few tens of nm, producing hydroxyl molecules. Hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen dioxide, and nitrogen monoxide molecules can diffuse much deeper into water, implying the possibility that a chemical reaction between hydrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide molecules produces hydroxyl molecules in deep water, even though density in this case may not be very high.« less

Study of a two-stage photobase generator for photolithography in microelectronics.

PubMed

Turro, Nicholas J; Li, Yongjun; Jockusch, Steffen; Hagiwara, Yuji; Okazaki, Masahiro; Mesch, Ryan A; Schuster, David I; Willson, C Grant

2013-03-01

The investigation of the photochemistry of a two-stage photobase generator (PBG) is described. Absorption of a photon by a latent PBG (1) (first step) produces a PBG (2). Irradiation of 2 in the presence of water produces a base (second step). This two-photon sequence (1 + hν → 2 + hν → base) is an important component in the design of photoresists for pitch division technology, a method that doubles the resolution of projection photolithography for the production of microelectronic chips. In the present system, the excitation of 1 results in a Norrish type II intramolecular hydrogen abstraction to generate a 1,4-biradiacal that undergoes cleavage to form 2 and acetophenone (Φ ∼ 0.04). In the second step, excitation of 2 causes cleavage of the oxime ester (Φ = 0.56) followed by base generation after reaction with water.

Melting icebergs to produce fresh water and mechanical energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Camirand, W.M.; Hautala, E.; Randall, J.M.

1981-10-20

Fresh water and mechanical energy are obtained from melting of icebergs. Warm surface seawater is contacted with a fluid, which is vaporized. The resulting vapor is used to generate mechanical energy and then is condensed by contacting it with cold melt water from the iceberg. The fluid is regenerated with a concomitant elevation in the temperature of the melt water. The warmer melt water is cycled to the body of the iceberg to facilitate its melting and produce additional cold melt water, which is apportioned as fresh water and water cycled to condense the aforesaid vapor. In an alternate embodimentmore » of the invention warm seawater is evaporated at reduced pressure. Mechanical energy is generated from the vapor, which is then condensed by direct and intimate contact with cold melt water from the iceberg. The resultant fresh water is a mixture of condensed vapor and melt water from the iceberg and has a temperature greater than the cold melt water. This fresh water mixture is contacted with the body of the iceberg to further melt it; part of the cold melt water is separated as fresh water and the remainder is cycled for use in condensing the vapor from the warm surface seawater.« less

POLICY ANALYSIS OF PRODUCED WATER ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH IN-SITU THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robert Keiter; John Ruple; Heather Tanana

2011-02-01

Commercial scale oil shale and oil sands development will require water, the amount of which will depend on the technologies adopted and the scale of development that occurs. Water in oil shale and oil sands country is already in scarce supply, and because of the arid nature of the region and limitations on water consumption imposed by interstate compacts and the Endangered Species Act, the State of Utah normally does not issue new water rights in oil shale or oil sands rich areas. Prospective oil shale and oil sands developers that do not already hold adequate water rights can acquiremore » water rights from willing sellers, but large and secure water supplies may be difficult and expensive to acquire, driving oil shale and oil sands developers to seek alternative sources of supply. Produced water is one such potential source of supply. When oil and gas are developed, operators often encounter ground water that must be removed and disposed of to facilitate hydrocarbon extraction. Water produced through mineral extraction was traditionally poor in quality and treated as a waste product rather than a valuable resource. However, the increase in produced water volume and the often-higher quality water associated with coalbed methane development have drawn attention to potential uses of produced water and its treatment under appropriations law. This growing interest in produced water has led to litigation and statutory changes that must be understood and evaluated if produced water is to be harnessed in the oil shale and oil sands development process. Conversely, if water is generated as a byproduct of oil shale and oil sands production, consideration must be given to how this water will be disposed of or utilized in the shale oil production process. This report explores the role produced water could play in commercial oil shale and oil sands production, explaining the evolving regulatory framework associated with produced water, Utah water law and produced water regulation, and the obstacles that must be overcome in order for produced water to support the nascent oil shale and oil sands industries.« less

Water contamination from oil extraction activities in Northern Peruvian Amazonian rivers.

PubMed

Yusta-García, Raúl; Orta-Martínez, Martí; Mayor, Pedro; González-Crespo, Carlos; Rosell-Melé, Antoni

2017-06-01

Oil extraction activities in the Northern Peruvian Amazon have generated a long-standing socio-environmental conflict between oil companies, governmental authorities and indigenous communities, partly derived from the discharge of produced waters containing high amounts of heavy metals and hydrocarbons. To assess the impact of produced waters discharges we conducted a meta-analysis of 2951 river water and 652 produced water chemical analyses from governmental institutions and oil companies reports, collected in four Amazonian river basins (Marañon, Tigre, Corrientes and Pastaza) and their tributaries. Produced water discharges had much higher concentrations of chloride, barium, cadmium and lead than are typically found in fresh waters, resulting in the widespread contamination of the natural water courses. A significant number of water samples had levels of cadmium, barium, hexavalent chromium and lead that did not meet Peruvian and international water standards. Our study shows that spillage of produced water in Peruvian Amazon rivers placed at risk indigenous population and wildlife during several decades. Furthermore, the impact of such activities in the headwaters of the Amazon extended well beyond the boundaries of oil concessions and national borders, which should be taken into consideration when evaluating large scale anthropogenic impacts in the Amazon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Algal treatment of wastewater generated during oil and gas production using hydraulic fracturing technology.

PubMed

Lutzu, Giovanni Antonio; Dunford, Nurhan Turgut

2017-12-19

Hydraulic fracturing technology is widely used for recovering natural gas and oil from tight oil and gas reserves. Large volumes of wastewater, flowback water, are produced during the fracturing process. This study examines algal treatment of flowback water. Thirteen microalgae strains consisting of cyanobacteria and green algae were examined. Wastewater quality before and after algae treatment, as well as volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash contents of the biomass grown in flowback water were examined. The experimental results demonstrated that microalgae can grow in flowback water. The chemical composition of the algal biomass produced in flowback water was strain specific. Over 65% total dissolved solids, 100% nitrate and over 95% boron reduction in flowback water could be achieved. Hence, algal treatment of flowback water can significantly reduce the adverse environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing technology and produce biomass that can be converted to bioproducts.

Press fluid pre-treatment optimisation of the integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass (IFBB) process approach.

PubMed

Corton, John; Toop, Trisha; Walker, Jonathan; Donnison, Iain S; Fraser, Mariecia D

2014-10-01

The integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass (IFBB) system is an innovative approach to maximising energy conversion from low input high diversity (LIHD) biomass. In this system water pre-treated and ensiled LIHD biomass is pressed. The press fluid is anaerobically digested to produce methane that is used to power the process. The fibrous fraction is densified and then sold as a combustion fuel. Two process options designed to concentrate the press fluid were assessed to ascertain their influence on productivity in an IFBB like system: sedimentation and the omission of pre-treatment water. By concentrating press fluid and not adding water during processing, energy production from methane was increased by 75% per unit time and solid fuel productivity increased by 80% per unit of fluid produced. The additional energy requirements for pressing more biomass in order to generate equal volumes of feedstock were accounted for in these calculations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of 40 conventional and emerging disinfection by-products in fresh-cut produce wash water by modified EPA methods.

PubMed

Lee, Wan-Ning; Huang, Ching-Hua; Zhu, Guangxuan

2018-08-01

Chlorine sanitizers used in washing fresh and fresh-cut produce can lead to generation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) that are harmful to human health. Monitoring of DBPs is necessary to protect food safety but comprehensive analytical methods have been lacking. This study has optimized three U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methods for drinking water DBPs to improve their performance for produce wash water. The method development encompasses 40 conventional and emerging DBPs. Good recoveries (60-130%) were achieved for most DBPs in deionized water and in lettuce, strawberry and cabbage wash water. The method detection limits are in the range of 0.06-0.58 μg/L for most DBPs and 10-24 ng/L for nitrosamines in produce wash water. Preliminary results revealed the formation of many DBPs when produce is washed with chlorine. The optimized analytical methods by this study effectively reduce matrix interference and can serve as useful tools for future research on food DBPs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced Water Purification System for In Situ Resource Utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anthony, Stephen M.; Jolley, Scott T.; Captain, James G.

2013-01-01

A main goal in the field of In Situ Resource Utilization is to develop technologies that produce oxygen from regolith to provide consumables to an extraterrestrial outpost. The processes developed reduce metal oxides in the regolith to produce water, which is then electrolyzed to produce oxygen. Hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids are byproducts of the reduction processes, which must be removed to meet electrolysis purity standards. We previously characterized Nation, a highly water selective polymeric proton-exchange membrane, as a filtration material to recover pure water from the contaminated solution. While the membranes successfully removed both acid contaminants, the removal efficiency of and water flow rate through the membranes were not sufficient to produce large volumes of electrolysis-grade water. In the present study, we investigated electrodialysis as a potential acid removal technique. Our studies have shown a rapid and significant reduction in chloride and fluoride concentrations in the feed solution, while generating a relatively small volume of concentrated waste water. Electrodialysis has shown significant promise as the primary separation technique in ISRU water purification processes.

Advanced Water Purification System for In Situ Resource Utilization Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anthony, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

A main goal in the field of In Situ Resource Utilization is to develop technologies that produce oxygen from regolith to provide consumables to an extratrrestrial outpost. The processes developed reduce metal oxides in the regolith to produce water, which is then electrolyzed to produce oxygen. Hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids are byproducts of the reduction processes, which must be removed to meet electrolysis purity standards. We previously characterized Nation, a highly water selective polymeric proton-exchange membrane, as a filtrtion material to recover pure water from the contaminated solution. While the membranes successfully removed both acid contaminants, the removal efficiency of and water flow rate through the membranes were not sufficient to produce large volumes of electrolysis-grade water. In the present study, we investigated electrodialysis as a potential acid removable technique. Our studies have show a rapid and significant reduction in chloride and fluoride concentrations in the feed solution, while generating a relatively small volume of concentrated waste water. Electrodialysis has shown significant promise as the primary separation technique in ISRU water purification processes.

Development of Techniques to Investigate Sonoluminescence as a Source of Energy Harvesting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wrbanek, John D.; Fralick, Gustave C.; Wrbanek, Susan Y.

2007-01-01

Instrumentation techniques are being developed at NASA Glenn Research Center to measure optical, radiation, and thermal properties of the phenomena of sonoluminescence, the light generated using acoustic cavitation. Initial efforts have been directed to the generation of the effect and the imaging of the glow in water and solvents. Several images have been produced of the effect showing the location within containers, without the additions of light enhancers to the liquid. Evidence of high energy generation in the modification of thin films from sonoluminescence in heavy water was seen that was not seen in light water. Bright, localized sonoluminescence was generated using glycerin for possible applications to energy harvesting. Issues to be resolved for an energy harvesting concept will be addressed.

Modeling Power Plant Cooling Water Requirements: A Regional Analysis of the Energy-Water Nexus Considering Renewable Sources within the Power Generation Mix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peck, Jaron Joshua

Water is used in power generation for cooling processes in thermoelectric power. plants and currently withdraws more water than any other sector in the U.S. Reducing water. use from power generation will help to alleviate water stress in at risk areas, where droughts. have the potential to strain water resources. The amount of water used for power varies. depending on many climatic aspects as well as plant operation factors. This work presents. a model that quantifies the water use for power generation for two regions representing. different generation fuel portfolios, California and Utah. The analysis of the California Independent System Operator introduces the methods. of water energy modeling by creating an overall water use factor in volume of water per. unit of energy produced based on the fuel generation mix of the area. The idea of water. monitoring based on energy used by a building or region is explored based on live fuel mix. data. This is for the purposes of increasing public awareness of the water associated with. personal energy use and helping to promote greater energy efficiency. The Utah case study explores the effects more renewable, and less water-intensive, forms of energy will have on the overall water use from power generation for the state. Using a similar model to that of the California case study, total water savings are quantified. based on power reduction scenarios involving increased use of renewable energy. The. plausibility of implementing more renewable energy into Utah’s power grid is also. discussed. Data resolution, as well as dispatch methods, economics, and solar variability, introduces some uncertainty into the analysis.

Reproducibility of Carbon and Water Cycle by an Ecosystem Process Based Model Using a Weather Generator and Effect of Temporal Concentration of Precipitation on Model Outputs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyauchi, T.; Machimura, T.

2014-12-01

GCM is generally used to produce input weather data for the simulation of carbon and water cycle by ecosystem process based models under climate change however its temporal resolution is sometimes incompatible to requirement. A weather generator (WG) is used for temporal downscaling of input weather data for models, where the effect of WG algorithms on reproducibility of ecosystem model outputs must be assessed. In this study simulated carbon and water cycle by Biome-BGC model using weather data measured and generated by CLIMGEN weather generator were compared. The measured weather data (daily precipitation, maximum, minimum air temperature) at a few sites for 30 years was collected from NNDC Online weather data. The generated weather data was produced by CLIMGEN parameterized using the measured weather data. NPP, heterotrophic respiration (HR), NEE and water outflow were simulated by Biome-BGC using measured and generated weather data. In the case of deciduous broad leaf forest in Lushi, Henan Province, China, 30 years average monthly NPP by WG was 10% larger than that by measured weather in the growing season. HR by WG was larger than that by measured weather in all months by 15% in average. NEE by WG was more negative in winter and was close to that by measured weather in summer. These differences in carbon cycle were because the soil water content by WG was larger than that by measured weather. The difference between monthly water outflow by WG and by measured weather was large and variable, and annual outflow by WG was 50% of that by measured weather. The inconsistency in carbon and water cycle by WG and measured weather was suggested be affected by the difference in temporal concentration of precipitation, which was assessed.

Control of microbially generated hydrogen sulfide in produced waters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burger, E.D.; Vance, I.; Gammack, G.F.

1995-12-31

Production of hydrogen sulfide in produced waters due to the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is a potentially serious problem. The hydrogen sulfide is not only a safety and environmental concern, it also contributes to corrosion, solids formation, a reduction in produced oil and gas values, and limitations on water discharge. Waters produced from seawater-flooded reservoirs typically contain all of the nutrients required to support SRB metabolism. Surface processing facilities provide a favorable environment in which SRB flourish, converting water-borne nutrients into biomass and H{sub 2}S. This paper will present results from a field trial in which a new technologymore » for the biochemical control of SRB metabolism was successfully applied. A slip stream of water downstream of separators on a produced water handling facility was routed through a bioreactor in a side-steam device where microbial growth was allowed to develop fully. This slip stream was then treated with slug doses of two forms of a proprietary, nonbiocidal metabolic modifier. Results indicated that H{sub 2}S production was halted almost immediately and that the residual effect of the treatment lasted for well over one week.« less

Decontamination of produced water containing petroleum hydrocarbons by electrochemical methods: a minireview.

PubMed

dos Santos, Elisama Vieira; Bezerra Rocha, Jessica Horacina; de Araújo, Danyelle Medeiros; de Moura, Dayanne Chianca; Martínez-Huitle, Carlos Alberto

2014-01-01

Produced water (PW) is the largest waste stream generated in oil and gas industries. The drilling and extraction operations that are aimed to maximize the production of oil may be counterbalanced by the huge production of contaminated water (called PW) with pollutants, such as heavy metals, dissolved/suspended solids, and organic compounds. PW is conventionally treated through different physical, chemical, and biological methods. In offshore platforms, because of space constraints, compact physical and chemical systems are used. However, major research efforts are being developed with innovative technologies for treating PW in order to comply with reuse and discharge limits. Among them, electrochemical technologies have been proposed as a promising alternative for the treatment of this kind of wastewaters. Then, this paper presents a minireview of efficient electrochemical technologies used until now for treating PW generated by petrochemical industry.

Thermal chemical recuperation method and system for use with gas turbine systems

DOEpatents

Yang, W.C.; Newby, R.A.; Bannister, R.L.

1999-04-27

A system and method are disclosed for efficiently generating power using a gas turbine, a steam generating system and a reformer. The gas turbine receives a reformed fuel stream and an air stream and produces shaft power and exhaust. Some of the thermal energy from the turbine exhaust is received by the reformer. The turbine exhaust is then directed to the steam generator system that recovers thermal energy from it and also produces a steam flow from a water stream. The steam flow and a fuel stream are directed to the reformer that reforms the fuel stream and produces the reformed fuel stream used in the gas turbine. 2 figs.

Thermal chemical recuperation method and system for use with gas turbine systems

DOEpatents

Yang, Wen-Ching; Newby, Richard A.; Bannister, Ronald L.

1999-01-01

A system and method for efficiently generating power using a gas turbine, a steam generating system (20, 22, 78) and a reformer. The gas turbine receives a reformed fuel stream (74) and an air stream and produces shaft power and exhaust. Some of the thermal energy from the turbine exhaust is received by the reformer (18). The turbine exhaust is then directed to the steam generator system that recovers thermal energy from it and also produces a steam flow from a water stream. The steam flow and a fuel stream are directed to the reformer that reforms the fuel stream and produces the reformed fuel stream used in the gas turbine.

Estimated use of water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin during 1990, with state summaries from 1970 to 1990

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marella, R.L.; Fanning, J.L.; Mooty, W.S.

1993-01-01

The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin covers approximately 19,800 square miles in parts of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Most of the basin lies within Georgia as does most of the population. Most of the water withdrawn in the basin in 1990 was withdrawn in Georgia (82 percent). Withdrawals in Florida and Alabama each accounted for 9 percent of the total withdrawal in the basin. Water with- drawn in the basin for 1990 totaled 2,098 million gallons per day, of which approximately 17 percent (351 million gallons per day) was consumed. Of the total water used, nearly 86 percent was withdrawn from surface-water sources, and the remaining 14 percent was withdrawn from ground-water sources. Nearly 63 percent of the surface water used in the basin during 1990 was for thermoelectric power generation; other surface water uses included public supply (24 percent), self-supplied commercial- industrial use (12 percent), and agricultural use (4 percent). Nearly 58 percent of the ground water used in the basin for 1990 was used for agricultural irrigation; other ground-water uses included public supply (21 percent), self-supplied domestic use (11 percent), self-supplied commercial-industrial use (9 percent), and thermoelectric power generation (less than 1 percent). The Chattahoochee River supplied most of the surface water used in the basin (64 percent) and the Floridan aquifer system supplied most of the ground water used (44 percent) in 1990. During 1990, 39,815 Mgal/d of water was used to produce 35,843 gigawatthours of electricity. Of that total, 1.076 Mgal/d was used to produced 33,460 gigawwatthours of electricity at 8 fossil fuel facilities and 38,740 Mgal/d was used to produce 2,384 gigawatthours of electricity at 14 hydroelectric facilities.

Method of recycling lithium borate to lithium borohydride through diborane

DOEpatents

Filby, Evan E.

1976-01-01

This invention provides a method for the recycling of lithium borate to lithium borohydride which can be reacted with water to generate hydrogen for utilization as a fuel. The lithium borate by-product of the hydrogen generation reaction is reacted with hydrogen chloride and water to produce boric acid and lithium chloride. The boric acid and lithium chloride are converted to lithium borohydride through a diborane intermediate to complete the recycle scheme.

Absorption cooling sources atmospheric emissions decrease by implementation of simple algorithm for limiting temperature of cooling water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojdyga, Krzysztof; Malicki, Marcin

2017-11-01

Constant strive to improve the energy efficiency forces carrying out activities aimed at reduction of energy consumption hence decreasing amount of contamination emissions to atmosphere. Cooling demand, both for air-conditioning and process cooling, plays an increasingly important role in the balance of Polish electricity generation and distribution system in summer. During recent years' demand for electricity during summer months has been steadily and significantly increasing leading to deficits of energy availability during particularly hot periods. This causes growing importance and interest in trigeneration power generation sources and heat recovery systems producing chilled water. Key component of such system is thermally driven chiller, mostly absorption, based on lithium-bromide and water mixture. Absorption cooling systems also exist in Poland as stand-alone systems, supplied with heating from various sources, generated solely for them or recovered as waste or useless energy. The publication presents a simple algorithm, designed to reduce the amount of heat for the supply of absorption chillers producing chilled water for the purposes of air conditioning by reducing the temperature of the cooling water, and its impact on decreasing emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Scale of environmental advantages has been rated for specific sources what enabled evaluation and estimation of simple algorithm implementation to sources existing nationally.

Flow rate and trajectory of water spray produced by an aircraft tire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daugherty, Robert H.; Stubbs, Sandy M.

1986-01-01

One of the risks associated with wet runway aircraft operation is the ingestion of water spray produced by an aircraft's tires into its engines. This problem can be especially dangerous at or near rotation speed on the takeoff roll. An experimental investigation was conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center Hydrodynamics Research Facility to measure the flow rate and trajectory of water spray produced by an aircraft nose tire operating on a flooded runway. The effects of various parameters on the spray patterns including distance aft of nosewheel, speed, load, and water depth were evaluated. Variations in the spray pattern caused by the airflow about primary structure such as the fuselage and wing are discussed. A discussion of events in and near the tire footprint concerning spray generation is included.

Water tank installed at A-3 Test Stand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

A water tank is lifted into place at the A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. Fourteen water, liquid oxygen (LOX) and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) tanks are being installed to support the chemical steam generators to be used on the A-3 Test Stand. The IPA and LOX tanks will provide fuel for the generators. The water will allow the generators to produce steam that will be used to reduce pressure inside the stand's test cell diffuser, enabling operators to simulate altitudes up to 100,000 feet. In that way, operators can perform the tests needed on rocket engines being built to carry humans back to the moon and possibly beyond. The A-3 Test Stand is set for completion and activation in 2011.

Water tank installed at A-3 Test Stand

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-13

A water tank is lifted into place at the A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. Fourteen water, liquid oxygen (LOX) and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) tanks are being installed to support the chemical steam generators to be used on the A-3 Test Stand. The IPA and LOX tanks will provide fuel for the generators. The water will allow the generators to produce steam that will be used to reduce pressure inside the stand's test cell diffuser, enabling operators to simulate altitudes up to 100,000 feet. In that way, operators can perform the tests needed on rocket engines being built to carry humans back to the moon and possibly beyond. The A-3 Test Stand is set for completion and activation in 2011.

Characterization of Electrochemically Generated Silver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adam, Niklas; Martinez, James; Carrier, Chris

2014-01-01

Silver biocide offers a potential advantage over iodine, the current state of the art in US spacecraft disinfection technology, in that silver can be safely consumed by the crew. Low concentrations of silver (<500 ppb) have been shown to kill bacteria in water systems and keep it safe for potability. Silver does not require hardware to remove it from a water system, and therefore can provide a simpler means for disinfecting water. The Russian segment of the International Space Station has utilized an electrochemically generated silver solution, which is colloidal in nature. To be able to reliably provide a silver biocide to drinking water by electrochemical means would reduce mass required for removing another biocide such as iodine from the water. This would also aid in crew time required to replace iodine removal cartridges. Future long term missions would benefit from electrochemically produced silver as the biocide could be produced on demand and requires only a small concentration to be effective. Since it can also be consumed safely, there is less mass in removal hardware and little consumables required for production. The goal of this project initially is to understand the nature of the electrochemically produced silver, the particle sizes produced by the electrochemical cell and the effect that voltage adjustment has on the particle size. In literature, it has been documented that dissolved oxygen and pH have an effect on the ionization of the electrochemical silver so those parameters would be measured and possibly adjusted to understand their effect on the silver.

Hydrogen Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A unit for producing hydrogen on site is used by a New Jersey Electric Company. The hydrogen is used as a coolant for the station's large generator; on-site production eliminates the need for weekly hydrogen deliveries. High purity hydrogen is generated by water electrolysis. The electrolyte is solid plastic and the control system is electronic. The technology was originally developed for the Gemini spacecraft.

Commercially Available Activated Carbon Fiber Felt Enables Efficient Solar Steam Generation.

PubMed

Li, Haoran; He, Yurong; Hu, Yanwei; Wang, Xinzhi

2018-03-21

Sun-driven steam generation is now possible and has the potential to help meet future energy needs. Current technologies often use solar condensers to increase solar irradiance. More recently, a technology for solar steam generation that uses heated surface water and low optical concentration is reported. In this work, a commercially available activated carbon fiber felt is used to generate steam efficiently under one sun illumination. The evaporation rate and solar conversion efficiency reach 1.22 kg m -2 h -1 and 79.4%, respectively. The local temperature of the evaporator with a floating activated carbon fiber felt reaches 48 °C. Apart from the high absorptivity (about 94%) of the material, the evaporation performance is enhanced thanks to the well-developed pores for improved water supply and steam escape and the low thermal conductivity, which enables reduced bulk water temperature increase. This study helps to find a promising material for solar steam generation using a water evaporator that can be produced economically (∼6 $/m 2 ) with long-term stability.

REMOTE SENSING FOR DETECTING SWINE ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Surface runoff from animal feeding operations (AFO's) and its infiltration into ground water can
pose a number of risks to water quality mainly because of the amount of animal manure and wastewater they produce. Excess nutrients generated by livestock facilities can lead to a...

Coupling Power Generation, Geologic CO2 Storage and Saline Groundwater Desalination to Address Growing Energy Needs in Water Constrained Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, C. L.; Wurstner, S. K.; Fortson, L. A.

2010-12-01

As humanity works to both minimize climate change and adapt to its early impacts, co-management of energy and water resources will become increasingly important. In some parts of the US, power plants have been denied permits, in part because of the significant burden placed on local water supplies by assigning new water rights for the facility’s entire design life. Water resources may be allocated 30 to 50 years into a future where water availability and quality are uncertain due to supply impacts associated with climate change and increased demand from growing populations, agriculture and industry. In many areas, particularly those with access to seawater, desalination is being employed with increasing frequency to augment conventional sources of fresh water. At the same time, many of the world’s developed nations are moving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One key technological option for addressing emissions from the power generation sector is CO2 capture and geologic storage (CCS). This process is both water and energy intensive for many power and industrial facilities, compounding the impact of declining water availability for plants faced with deploying CCS in a CO2-constrained future. However, a unique opportunity may exist to couple power generation and CCS by extracting and desalinating brine from the CO2 storage formation to produce fresh water. While this coupled approach is unlikely to be attractive for most CCS projects, it may represent a viable option in areas where there is demand for additional electricity but conventional water supplies are unable to meet the needs of the power generation and CO2 capture systems, or in areas where brine produced from CCS projects can be desalinated to supplement strained municipal supplies. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the factors impacting the feasibility of coupled CCS-desalination projects. Several injection / extraction scenarios have been examined via the STOMP geochemical flow model resulting in key outputs including extraction wellhead conditions, in situ CO2 plume behavior and reservoir pressure. Economic modeling for the water extraction and desalination portion of these coupled CCS / desalination scenarios suggests that -- while some scenarios yield costs far in excess of most existing desalination projects -- depending on the specific storage formation characteristics and desalination technology employed, fresh water could be produced at costs competitive with seawater desalination facilities, bolstering local water supplies and enabling deployment of industrial projects that might otherwise have been infeasible.

Review of technologies for oil and gas produced water treatment.

PubMed

Fakhru'l-Razi, Ahmadun; Pendashteh, Alireza; Abdullah, Luqman Chuah; Biak, Dayang Radiah Awang; Madaeni, Sayed Siavash; Abidin, Zurina Zainal

2009-10-30

Produced water is the largest waste stream generated in oil and gas industries. It is a mixture of different organic and inorganic compounds. Due to the increasing volume of waste all over the world in the current decade, the outcome and effect of discharging produced water on the environment has lately become a significant issue of environmental concern. Produced water is conventionally treated through different physical, chemical, and biological methods. In offshore platforms because of space constraints, compact physical and chemical systems are used. However, current technologies cannot remove small-suspended oil particles and dissolved elements. Besides, many chemical treatments, whose initial and/or running cost are high and produce hazardous sludge. In onshore facilities, biological pretreatment of oily wastewater can be a cost-effective and environmental friendly method. As high salt concentration and variations of influent characteristics have direct influence on the turbidity of the effluent, it is appropriate to incorporate a physical treatment, e.g., membrane to refine the final effluent. For these reasons, major research efforts in the future could focus on the optimization of current technologies and use of combined physico-chemical and/or biological treatment of produced water in order to comply with reuse and discharge limits.

Combined energy production and waste management in manned spacecraft utilizing on-demand hydrogen production and fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elitzur, Shani; Rosenband, Valery; Gany, Alon

2016-11-01

Energy supply and waste management are among the most significant challenges in human spacecraft. Great efforts are invested in managing solid waste, recycling grey water and urine, cleaning the atmosphere, removing CO2, generating and saving energy, and making further use of components and products. This paper describes and investigates a concept for managing waste water and urine to simultaneously produce electric and heat energies as well as fresh water. It utilizes an original technique for aluminum activation to react spontaneously with water at room temperature to produce hydrogen on-site and on-demand. This reaction has further been proven to be effective also when using waste water and urine. Applying the hydrogen produced in a fuel cell, one obtains electric energy as well as fresh (drinking) water. The method was compared to the traditional energy production technology of the Space Shuttle, which is based on storing the fuel cell reactants, hydrogen and oxygen, in cryogenic tanks. It is shown that the alternative concept presented here may provide improved safety, compactness (reduction of more than one half of the volume of the hydrogen storage system), and management of waste liquids for energy generation and drinking water production. Nevertheless, it adds mass compared to the cryogenic hydrogen technology. It is concluded that the proposed method may be used as an emergency and backup power system as well as an additional hydrogen source for extended missions in human spacecraft.

Method of recycling lithium borate to lithium borohydride through methyl borate

DOEpatents

Filby, Evan E.

1977-01-01

This invention provides a method for the recycling of lithium borate to lithium borohydride which can be reacted with water to generate hydrogen for utilization as a fuel. The lithium borate by-product of the hydrogen generation reaction is reacted with hydrogen chloride and water to produce boric acid and lithium chloride. The boric acid and lithium chloride are converted to lithium borohydride through a methyl borate intermediate to complete the recycle scheme.

Comparison of Chemical Composition of Complex Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Mixtures Produced by Different Treatment Methods - slides

EPA Science Inventory

Analyses of the chemical composition of complex DBP mixtures, produced by different drinking water treatment processes, are essential to generate toxicity data required for assessing their risks to humans. For mixture risk assessments, whole mixture toxicology studies generally a...

Comparison of Chemical Composition of Complex Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Mixtures Produced by Different Treatment Methods

EPA Science Inventory

Analyses of the chemical composition of complex DBP mixtures, produced by different drinking water treatment processes, are essential to generate toxicity data required for assessing their risks to humans. For mixture risk assessments, whole mixture toxicology studies generally a...

Final Scientific/Technical Report for Program Title: Solar Powered Dewvaporation Desalination System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ranganathan, Shashidhar

Desalination technologies have been used increasingly throughout the world to produce the drinking water from the brackish ground and sea water for the past few decades. Among the commercially available desalination technologies, reverse osmosis (RO) and multi-stage flash distillation are the most widely used technologies globally. However, these technologies are difficult to be directly integrated with green energies without converting them to electricity. Dewvaporation, a desalination process, uses saturated steam as a carrier-gas to evaporate water from saline feeds and form pure condensate. It has the major technical benefit of reusing energy, released from vapor condensation, multiple times. The currentmore » proposal has been planned to address this issue. In Phase I, we have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a new plasmonic nanoparticle based approach through fabrication and evaluation of a solar powered water vapor generation module. The water vapor generation module allows generation of high temperature plasmon on a fiber bundle end, where strong water and plasmon interaction occurs generating water vapor. Plasmon enhanced water evaporation has been realized on plasmonic nanoparticle immobilized substrate with an energy conversion efficiency of over 50%.« less

Computer-Generated Phase Diagrams for Binary Mixtures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jolls, Kenneth R.; And Others

1983-01-01

Computer programs that generate projections of thermodynamic phase surfaces through computer graphics were used to produce diagrams representing properties of water and steam and the pressure-volume-temperature behavior of most of the common equations of state. The program, program options emphasizing thermodynamic features of interest, and…

Analysis of dynamic hydrogen (H2) generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buford, Marcelle C.

2003-03-01

The focus of this research is on-demand hydrogen generation for applications such as electric vehicles and electric appliances. Hydrogen can be generated by steam reformation of alcohols, hydrocarbons and other hydrogen containing complexes. Steam reformation can be represented as a simple chemical reaction between an alcohol, commonly methanol, and water vapor to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. A fuel cell can then be employed to produce electrical power from hydrogen and air. Numerical and experimental techniques are employed to analyze the most appropriate reforming fuel to maximize H2 yield and minimize by-products of which carbon monoxide is the most harmful

An overview on exploration and environmental impact of unconventional gas sources and treatment options for produced water.

PubMed

Silva, Tânia L S; Morales-Torres, Sergio; Castro-Silva, Sérgio; Figueiredo, José L; Silva, Adrián M T

2017-09-15

Rising global energy demands associated to unbalanced allocation of water resources highlight the importance of water management solutions for the gas industry. Advanced drilling, completion and stimulation techniques for gas extraction, allow more economical access to unconventional gas reserves. This stimulated a shale gas revolution, besides tight gas and coalbed methane, also causing escalating water handling challenges in order to avoid a major impact on the environment. Hydraulic fracturing allied to horizontal drilling is gaining higher relevance in the exploration of unconventional gas reserves, but a large amount of wastewater (known as "produced water") is generated. Its variable chemical composition and flow rates, together with more severe regulations and public concern, have promoted the development of solutions for the treatment and reuse of such produced water. This work intends to provide an overview on the exploration and subsequent environmental implications of unconventional gas sources, as well as the technologies for treatment of produced water, describing the main results and drawbacks, together with some cost estimates. In particular, the growing volumes of produced water from shale gas plays are creating an interesting market opportunity for water technology and service providers. Membrane-based technologies (membrane distillation, forward osmosis, membrane bioreactors and pervaporation) and advanced oxidation processes (ozonation, Fenton, photocatalysis) are claimed to be adequate treatment solutions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationships between water and gas chemistry in mature coalbed methane reservoirs of the Black Warrior Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pashin, Jack C.; McIntyre-Redden, Marcella R.; Mann, Steven D.; Kopaska-Merkel, David C.; Varonka, Matthew S.; Orem, William H.

2014-01-01

Water and gas chemistry in coalbed methane reservoirs of the Black Warrior Basin reflects a complex interplay among burial processes, basin hydrodynamics, thermogenesis, and late-stage microbial methanogenesis. These factors are all important considerations for developing production and water management strategies. Produced water ranges from nearly potable sodium-bicarbonate water to hypersaline sodium-chloride brine. The hydrodynamic framework of the basin is dominated by structurally controlled fresh-water plumes that formed by meteoric recharge along the southeastern margin of the basin. The produced water contains significant quantities of hydrocarbons and nitrogen compounds, and the produced gas appears to be of mixed thermogenic-biogenic origin.Late-stage microbial methanogenesis began following unroofing of the basin, and stable isotopes in the produced gas and in mineral cements indicate that late-stage methanogenesis occurred along a CO2-reduction metabolic pathway. Hydrocarbons, as well as small amounts of nitrate in the formation water, probably helped nourish the microbial consortia, which were apparently active in fresh to hypersaline water. The produced water contains NH4+ and NH3, which correlate strongly with brine concentration and are interpreted to be derived from silicate minerals. Denitrification reactions may have generated some N2, which is the only major impurity in the coalbed gas. Carbon dioxide is a minor component of the produced gas, but significant quantities are dissolved in the formation water. Degradation of organic compounds, augmented by deionization of NH4+, may have been the principal sources of hydrogen facilitating late-stage CO2 reduction.

Generation and delivery device for ozone gas and ozone dissolved in water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Craig C. (Inventor); Murphy, Oliver J. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The present invention provides an ozone generation and delivery system that lends itself to small scale applications and requires very low maintenance. The system includes an anode reservoir and a cathode phase separator each having a hydrophobic membrane to allow phase separation of produced gases from water. The system may be configured to operate passively with no moving parts or in a self-pressurizing manner with the inclusion of a pressure controlling device or valve in the gas outlet of the anode reservoir. The hydrogen gas, ozone gas and water containing ozone may be delivered under pressure.

Thermally driven electrokinetic energy conversion with liquid water microjets

DOE PAGES

Lam, Royce K.; Gamlieli, Zach; Harris, Stephen J.; ...

2015-11-01

One goal of current energy research is to design systems and devices that can efficiently exploit waste heat and utilize solar or geothermal heat energy for electrical power generation. We demonstrate a novel technique exploiting water's large coefficient of thermal expansion, wherein modest thermal gradients produce the requisite high pressure for driving fast-flowing liquid water microjets, which can effect the direct conversion of the kinetic energy into electricity and gaseous hydrogen. Waste heat in thermoelectric generating plants and combustion engines, as well as solar and geothermal energy could be used to drive these systems.

Generation and delivery device for ozone gas and ozone dissolved in water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Craig C. (Inventor); Rogers, Thomas D. (Inventor); Murphy, Oliver J. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

The present invention provides an ozone generation and delivery system that lends itself to small scale applications and requires very low maintenance. The system includes an anode reservoir and a cathode phase separator each having a hydrophobic membrane to allow phase separation of produced gases from water. The system may be configured to operate passively with no moving parts or in a self-pressurizing manner with the inclusion of a pressure controlling device or valve in the gas outlet of the anode reservoir. The hydrogen gas, ozone gas and water containing ozone may be delivered under pressure.

Thermally driven electrokinetic energy conversion with liquid water microjets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Royce K.; Gamlieli, Zach; Harris, Stephen J.; Saykally, Richard J.

2015-11-01

A goal of current energy research is to design systems and devices that can efficiently exploit waste heat and utilize solar or geothermal heat energy for electrical power generation. We demonstrate a novel technique exploiting water's large coefficient of thermal expansion, wherein modest thermal gradients produce the requisite high pressure for driving fast-flowing liquid water microjets, which can effect the direct conversion of the kinetic energy into electricity and gaseous hydrogen. Waste heat in thermoelectric generating plants and combustion engines, as well as solar and geothermal energy could be used to drive these systems.

Process for the production of hydrogen from water

DOEpatents

Miller, William E [Naperville, IL; Maroni, Victor A [Naperville, IL; Willit, James L [Batavia, IL

2010-05-25

A method and device for the production of hydrogen from water and electricity using an active metal alloy. The active metal alloy reacts with water producing hydrogen and a metal hydroxide. The metal hydroxide is consumed, restoring the active metal alloy, by applying a voltage between the active metal alloy and the metal hydroxide. As the process is sustainable, only water and electricity is required to sustain the reaction generating hydrogen.

Dye-sensitized photocatalyst for effective water splitting catalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Motonori

2017-12-01

Renewable hydrogen production is a sustainable method for the development of next-generation energy technologies. Utilising solar energy and photocatalysts to split water is an ideal method to produce hydrogen. In this review, the fundamental principles and recent progress of hydrogen production by artificial photosynthesis are reviewed, focusing on hydrogen production from photocatalytic water splitting using organic-inorganic composite-based photocatalysts.

Advanced Oxygen Recovery via Series-Bosch Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abney, Morgan B.; Mansell, J. Matthew; Atkins, Bobby; Evans, Chris; Nur, Mononita; Beassie, Rockford D.

2015-01-01

Oxygen recovery from metabolically-produced carbon dioxide (CO2) is of critical importance for long-duration manned space missions beyond low Earth orbit. On the International Space Station (ISS), oxygen is provided to the crew through electrolysis of water in the Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA). Prior to 2011, this water was entirely resupplied from Earth. A CO2 Reduction Assembly based on the Sabatier reaction (1) was developed by Hamilton Sundstrand and delivered to ISS in 2010. The unit recovers oxygen by reducing metabolic CO2 with diatomic hydrogen (H2) to produce methane and product water. The water is cleaned by the Water Purification Assembly and recycled to the OGA for continued oxygen production. The methane product is vented overboard.

A molecular molybdenum-oxo catalyst for generating hydrogen from water.

PubMed

Karunadasa, Hemamala I; Chang, Christopher J; Long, Jeffrey R

2010-04-29

A growing awareness of issues related to anthropogenic climate change and an increase in global energy demand have made the search for viable carbon-neutral sources of renewable energy one of the most important challenges in science today. The chemical community is therefore seeking efficient and inexpensive catalysts that can produce large quantities of hydrogen gas from water. Here we identify a molybdenum-oxo complex that can catalytically generate gaseous hydrogen either from water at neutral pH or from sea water. This work shows that high-valency metal-oxo species can be used to create reduction catalysts that are robust and functional in water, a concept that has broad implications for the design of 'green' and sustainable chemistry cycles.

Application of ICP-OES for Evaluating Energy Extraction and Production Wastewater Discharge Impacts on Surface Waters in Western Pennsylvania

EPA Science Inventory

Oil and gas extraction and coal-fired electrical power generating stations produce wastewaters that are treated and discharged to rivers in Western Pennsylvania with public drinking water system (PDWS) intakes. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) w...

Generation of Submicron Bubbles using Venturi Tube Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiraputra, I. G. P. A. E.; Edikresnha, D.; Munir, M. M.; Khairurrijal

2016-08-01

In this experiment, submicron bubbles that have diameters less than 1 millimeter were generated by mixing water and gas by hydrodynamic cavitation method. The water was forced to pass through a venturi tube in which the speed of the water will increase in the narrow section, the throat, of the venturi. When the speed of water increased, the pressure would drop at the throat of the venturi causing the outside air to be absorbed via the gas inlet. The gas was then trapped inside the water producing bubbles. The effects of several physical parameters on the characteristics of the bubbles will be discussed thoroughly in this paper. It was found that larger amount of gas pressure during compression will increase the production rate of bubbles and increase the density of bubble within water.

Making equipment to process paddy water for providing drinking water by using Ozone-UVC& Ultrafiltration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Styani, E.; Dja'var, N.; Irawan, C.; Hanafi

2018-01-01

This study focuses on making equipment which is useful to process paddy water to be consumable as drinking water by using ozone-UVC and ultrafiltration. The equipment which is made by the process of ozone-UVC and ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis is driven by electric power generated from solar panels. In the experiment, reverse osmosis system with ozone-UVC reactor proves to be good enough in producing high quality drinking water.

Electron-driven and thermal chemistry during water-assisted purification of platinum nanomaterials generated by electron beam induced deposition

PubMed Central

Warneke, Jonas; Kopyra, Janina

2018-01-01

Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a versatile tool for the direct-write fabrication of nanostructures on surfaces. However, FEBID nanostructures are usually highly contaminated by carbon originating from the precursor used in the process. Recently, it was shown that platinum nanostructures produced by FEBID can be efficiently purified by electron irradiation in the presence of water. If such processes can be transferred to FEBID deposits produced from other carbon-containing precursors, a new general approach to the generation of pure metallic nanostructures could be implemented. Therefore this study aims to understand the chemical reactions that are fundamental to the water-assisted purification of platinum FEBID deposits generated from trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum(IV) (MeCpPtMe3). The experiments performed under ultrahigh vacuum conditions apply a combination of different desorption experiments coupled with mass spectrometry to analyse reaction products. Electron-stimulated desorption monitors species that leave the surface during electron exposure while post-irradiation thermal desorption spectrometry reveals products that evolve during subsequent thermal treatment. In addition, desorption of volatile products was also observed when a deposit produced by electron exposure was subsequently brought into contact with water. The results distinguish between contributions of thermal chemistry, direct chemistry between water and the deposit, and electron-induced reactions that all contribute to the purification process. We discuss reaction kinetics for the main volatile products CO and CH4 to obtain mechanistic information. The results provide novel insights into the chemistry that occurs during purification of FEBID nanostructures with implications also for the stability of the carbonaceous matrix of nanogranular FEBID materials under humid conditions. PMID:29441253

Ships' Ballast Water Treatment by Chlorination Can Generate Toxic Trihalomethanes.

PubMed

Hernandez, Marco R; Ismail, Nargis; Drouillard, Ken G; MacIsaac, Hugh J

2017-08-01

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will enforce a new abundance-based performance standard for ballast water in September, 2017. Strong oxidants, like chlorine, have been proposed as a method for achieving this standard. However chlorine treatment of ballast water can produce hazardous trihalomethanes. We assessed maximum trihalomethane production from one chlorine dose for three types of ballast water (fresh, brackish and marine) and three levels of total organic carbon (TOC) concentration (natural, filtered, enhanced). While the current standard test considers a 5 day voyage, there is a high possibility of shorter trips and sudden change of plans that will release treated waters in the environment. Water source and TOC significantly affected trihalomethane production, with the highest amounts generated in brackish waters and enhanced TOC concentration. The concentration of brominated trihalomethanes increased from background levels and was highest in brackish water, followed by marine and fresh water.

Benefit transfer and spatial heterogeneity of preferences for water quality improvements.

PubMed

Martin-Ortega, J; Brouwer, R; Ojea, E; Berbel, J

2012-09-15

The improvement in the water quality resulting from the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive is expected to generate substantial non-market benefits. A wide spread estimation of these benefits across Europe will require the application of benefit transfer. We use a spatially explicit valuation design to account for the spatial heterogeneity of preferences to help generate lower transfer errors. A map-based choice experiment is applied in the Guadalquivir River Basin (Spain), accounting simultaneously for the spatial distribution of water quality improvements and beneficiaries. Our results show that accounting for the spatial heterogeneity of preferences generally produces lower transfer errors. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Techniques for Producing Coastal Land Water Masks from Landsat and Other Multispectral Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spruce, Joseph P.; Hall, Callie

2005-01-01

Coastal erosion and land loss continue to threaten many areas in the United States. Landsat data has been used to monitor regional coastal change since the 1970s. Many techniques can be used to produce coastal land water masks, including image classification and density slicing of individual bands or of band ratios. Band ratios used in land water detection include several variations of the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). This poster discusses a study that compares land water masks computed from unsupervised Landsat image classification with masks from density-sliced band ratios and from the Landsat TM band 5. The greater New Orleans area is employed in this study, due to its abundance of coastal habitats and its vulnerability to coastal land loss. Image classification produced the best results based on visual comparison to higher resolution satellite and aerial image displays. However, density sliced NDWI imagery from either near infrared (NIR) and blue bands or from NIR and green bands also produced more effective land water masks than imagery from the density-sliced Landsat TM band 5. NDWI based on NIR and green bands is noteworthy because it allows land water masks to be generated from multispectral satellite sensors without a blue band (e.g., ASTER and Landsat MSS). NDWI techniques also have potential for producing land water masks from coarser scaled satellite data, such as MODIS.

Techniques for Producing Coastal Land Water Masks from Landsat and Other Multispectral Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spruce, Joe; Hall, Callie

2005-01-01

Coastal erosion and land loss continue to threaten many areas in the United States. Landsat data has been used to monitor regional coastal change since the 1970's. Many techniques can be used to produce coastal land water masks, including image classification and density slicing of individual bands or of band ratios. Band ratios used in land water detection include several variations of the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). This poster discusses a study that compares land water masks computed from unsupervised Landsat image classification with masks from density-sliced band ratios and from the Landsat TM band 5. The greater New Orleans area is imployed in this study, due to its abundance of coastal habitats and ist vulnerability to coastal land loss. Image classification produced the best results based on visual comparison to higher resolution satellite and aerial image displays. However, density-sliced NDWI imagery from either near infrared (NIR) and blue bands or from NIR and green bands also produced more effective land water masks than imagery from the density-sliced Landsat TM band 5. NDWI based on NIR and green bands is noteworthy because it allows land water masks to be generated form multispectral satellite sensors without a blue band (e.g., ASTER and Landsat MSS). NDWI techniques also have potential for producing land water masks from coarser scaled satellite data, such as MODIS.

Insights into the subsurface transport of As(V) and Se(VI) in produced water from hydraulic fracturing using soil samples from Qingshankou Formation, Songliao Basin, China.

PubMed

Chen, Season S; Sun, Yuqing; Tsang, Daniel C W; Graham, Nigel J D; Ok, Yong Sik; Feng, Yujie; Li, Xiang-Dong

2017-04-01

Produced water is a type of wastewater generated from hydraulic fracturing, which may pose a risk to the environment and humans due to its high ionic strength and the presence of elevated concentrations of metals/metalloids that exceed maximum contamination levels. The mobilization of As(V) and Se(VI) in produced water and selected soils from Qingshankou Formation in the Songliao Basin in China were investigated using column experiments and synthetic produced water whose quality was representative of waters arising at different times after well creation. Temporal effects of produced water on metal/metalloid transport and sorption/desorption were investigated by using HYDRUS-1D transport modelling. Rapid breakthrough and long tailings of As(V) and Se(VI) transport were observed in Day 1 and Day 14 solutions, but were reduced in Day 90 solution probably due to the elevated ionic strength. The influence of produced water on the hydrogeological conditions (i.e., change between equilibrium and non-equilibrium transport) was evidenced by the change of tracer breakthrough curves before and after the leaching of produced water. This possibly resulted from the sorption of polyacrylamide (PAM (-CH 2 CHCONH 2 -) n ) onto soil surfaces, through its use as a friction reducer in fracturing solutions. The sorption was found to be reversible in this study. Minimal amounts of sorbed As(V) were desorbed whereas the majority of sorbed Se(VI) was readily leached out, to an extent which varied with the composition of the produced water. These results showed that the mobilization of As(V) and Se(VI) in soil largely depended on the solution pH and ionic strength. Understanding the differences in metal/metalloid transport in produced water is important for proper risk management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A GIS and statistical approach to identify variables that control water quality in hydrothermally altered and mineralized watersheds, Silverton, Colorado, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Douglas B.; Johnson, Raymond H.; Rockwell, Barnaby W.; Caine, Jonathan S.; Smith, Kathleen S.

2013-01-01

Hydrothermally altered bedrock in the Silverton mining area, southwest Colorado, USA, contains sulfide minerals that weather to produce acidic and metal-rich leachate that is toxic to aquatic life. This study utilized a geographic information system (GIS) and statistical approach to identify watershed-scale geologic variables in the Silverton area that influence water quality. GIS analysis of mineral maps produced using remote sensing datasets including Landsat Thematic Mapper, advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer, and a hybrid airborne visible infrared imaging spectrometer and field-based product enabled areas of alteration to be quantified. Correlations between water quality signatures determined at watershed outlets, and alteration types intersecting both total watershed areas and GIS-buffered areas along streams were tested using linear regression analysis. Despite remote sensing datasets having varying watershed area coverage due to vegetation cover and differing mineral mapping capabilities, each dataset was useful for delineating acid-generating bedrock. Areas of quartz–sericite–pyrite mapped by AVIRIS have the highest correlations with acidic surface water and elevated iron and aluminum concentrations. Alkalinity was only correlated with area of acid neutralizing, propylitically altered bedrock containing calcite and chlorite mapped by AVIRIS. Total watershed area of acid-generating bedrock is more significantly correlated with acidic and metal-rich surface water when compared with acid-generating bedrock intersected by GIS-buffered areas along streams. This methodology could be useful in assessing the possible effects that alteration type area has in either generating or neutralizing acidity in unmined watersheds and in areas where new mining is planned.

Final Report for Intravenous Fluid Generation (IVGEN) Spaceflight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McQuillen, John B.; McKay, Terri L.; Griffin, DeVon W.; Brown, Dan F.; Zoldak, John T.

2011-01-01

NASA designed and operated the Intravenous Fluid Generation (IVGEN) experiment onboard the International Space Station (ISS), Increment 23/24, during May 2010. This hardware was a demonstration experiment to generate intravenous (IV) fluid from ISS Water Processing Assembly (WPA) potable water using a water purification technique and pharmaceutical mixing system. The IVGEN experiment utilizes a deionizing resin bed to remove contaminants from feedstock water to a purity level that meets the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the governing body for pharmaceuticals in the United States. The water was then introduced into an IV bag where the fluid was mixed with USP-grade crystalline salt to produce USP normal saline (NS). Inline conductivity sensors quantified the feedstock water quality, output water purity, and NS mixing uniformity. Six 1.5-L bags of purified water were produced. Two of these bags were mixed with sodium chloride to make 0.9 percent NS solution. These two bags were returned to Earth to test for compliance with USP requirements. On-orbit results indicated that all of the experimental success criteria were met with the exception of the salt concentration. Problems with a large air bubble in the first bag of purified water resulted in a slightly concentrated saline solution of 117 percent of the target value of 0.9 g/L. The second bag had an inadequate amount of salt premeasured into the mixing bag resulting in a slightly deficient salt concentration of 93.8 percent of the target value. The USP permits a range from 95 to 105 percent of the target value. The testing plans for improvements for an operational system are also presented.

BAROMETRIC AND WATER-SURFACE WAVES PRODUCED BY MIKE SHOT

DTIC Science & Technology

Barometric and water -surface waves generated by Mike shot were studied by means of 25 instruments in 19 locations in the Pacific Basin ranging from...on the tops of two mounts. The first water waves arriving at Eniwetok Island apparently traveled along paths outside the lagoon. At several of the...stations there were two distinct arrivals of water waves, the first apparently being driven by the propagated rise in atmospheric pressure caused by the

Volumetric modeling of two sludge piles from water treatment plants in a Brazilian reservoir.

PubMed

Almeida, Aline Mansur; Wada, Eduardo Yukio Basílio; Wasserman, Julio Cesar

2018-01-01

Water treatment plants are designed to continuously produce drinkable water, meeting defined criteria of potability. However, besides potable water, these plants produce sludges that are disposed of in the environment. The present work aimed to evaluate the sludges generated in two water treatment plants and disposed of in the margin of the Juturnaíba dam. Since alum has been used as a flocculating agent in these two plants, the concentrations of aluminum were measured in the sludges and in surface sediments. The generated piles are extremely soft to walk on and difficult to measure, so indirect modeling procedures had to be applied. The calculated mass of the sludge piles at each plant are similar and respectively 60,370 and 61,479 tons. The aluminum content of the residues, calculated according to its dosage, was 33.2 and 32.6 g kg -1 in the piles from the two plants. The amount of alum dosed to the water corresponds almost to the excess of aluminum in the sludge, compared to the sediments. It was concluded that regardless of the fact that residues are disposed of in very restricted areas, they are directly in contact with the water and may constitute a threat for the environment and humans' health.

Stabilized aqueous foam systems and concentrate and method for making them

DOEpatents

Rand, Peter B.

1984-01-01

This invention comprises a combination of a water soluble polymer of the polyacrylic acid type, a foam stabilizer of dodecyl alcohol, a surfactant, a solvent and water as a concentrate for use in producing stabilized aqueous foams. In another aspect, the invention comprises a solution of the concentrate with water. In still another aspect the invention includes a method of generating stabilized aqueous foams.

Development of a two-stage membrane-based wash-water reclamation subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccray, S. B.

1988-01-01

A two-stage membrane-based subsystem was designed and constructed to enable the recycle of wash waters generated in space. The first stage is a fouling-resistant tube-side-feed hollow-fiber ultrafiltration module, and the second stage is a spiral-wound reverse-osmosis module. Throughout long-term tests, the subsystem consistently produced high-quality permeate, processing actual wash water to 95 percent recovery.

Rain-on-snow Events in Southwestern British Columbia: A Long-term Analysis of Meteorological Conditions and Snowpack Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trubilowicz, J. W.; Moore, D.

2015-12-01

Snowpack dynamics and runoff generation in coastal mountain regions are complicated by rain-on-snow (ROS) events. During major ROS events associated with warm, moist air and strong winds, turbulent heat fluxes can produce substantial melt to supplement rainfall, but previous studies suggest this may not be true for smaller, more frequent events. The internal temperature and water content of the snowpack are also expected to influence runoff generation during ROS events: a cold snowpack with no liquid water content will have the ability to store significant amounts of rainfall, whereas a 'ripe' snowpack may begin to melt and generate outflow with little rain input. However, it is not well understood how antecedent snowpack conditions and energy fluxes differ between ROS events that cause large runoff events and those that do not, in large part because major flood-producing ROS events occur infrequently, and thus are often not sampled during short-term research projects. To generate greater understanding of runoff generation over the spectrum of ROS magnitudes and frequencies, we analyzed data from Automated Snow Pillow (ASP) sites, which record hourly air temperature, precipitation and snowpack water equivalent and offer up to several decades of data at each site. We supplemented the ASP data with output from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) product to support point scale snow modeling for 335 ROS event records from six ASP sites in southwestern BC from 2003 to 2013. Our analysis reconstructed the weather conditions, surface energy exchanges, internal mass and energy states of the snowpack, and generation of snow melt and water available for runoff (WAR) for each ROS event. Results indicate that WAR generation during large events is largely independent of the snowpack conditions, but for smaller events, the antecedent snow conditions play a significant role in either damping or enhancing WAR generation.

Rapid Generation of Superheated Steam Using a Water-containing Porous Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Shoji; Okuyama, Kunito

Heat treatment by superheated steam has been utilized in several industrial fields including sterilization, desiccation, and cooking. In particular, cooking by superheated steam is receiving increased attention because it has advantages of reducing the salt and fat contents in foods as well as suppressing the oxidation of vitamin C and fat. In this application, quick startup and cut-off responses are required. Most electrically energized steam generators require a relatively long time to generate superheated steam due to the large heat capacities of the water in container and of the heater. Zhao and Liao (2002) introduced a novel process for rapid vaporization of subcooled liquid, in which a low-thermal-conductivity porous wick containing water is heated by a downward-facing grooved heating block in contact with the upper surface of the wick structure. They showed that saturated steam is generated within approximately 30 seconds from room-temperature water at a heat flux 41.2 kW⁄m2. In order to quickly generate superheated steam of approximately 300°C, which is required for cooking, the heat capacity of the heater should be as small as possible and the imposed heat flux should be so high enough that the porous wick is able to dry out in the vicinity of the contact with the heater and that the resulting heater temperature becomes much higher than the saturation temperature. The present paper proposes a simple structured generator to quickly produce superheated steam. Only a fine wire heater is contacted spirally on the inside wall in a hollow porous material. The start-up, cut-off responses and the rate of energy conversion for input power are investigated experimentally. Superheated steam of 300°C is produced in approximately 19 seconds from room-temperature water for an input power of 300 W. The maximum rate of energy conversion in the steady state is approximately 0.9.

Martian rampart crater ejecta - Experiments and analysis of melt-water interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohletz, K. H.; Sheridan, M. F.

1983-10-01

Viking images of Martian craters with rampart-bordered ejecta deposits reveal distinct impact ejecta morphology when compared to that associated with similar-sized craters on the Moon and Mercury. It is suggested that target water explosively vaporized during impact alters initial ballistic trajectories of ejecta and produces surging flow emplacement. The dispersal of particulates during a series of controlled steam explosions generated by interaction of a thermite melt with water has been experimentally modeled. Study of terrestrial, lobate, volcanic ejecta produced by steam-blast explosions reveals that particle size and vapor to clast volume ratio are primary parameters characterizing the emplacement mechanism and deposit morphology.

Spatiotemporal Variability in Hydraulic Fracturing Water Use and Water Produced with Shale Gas in the U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicot, J. P.; Scanlon, B. R.; Reedy, R. C.

2016-12-01

Longer time series and increasing data availability allows more comprehensive assessment of spatiotemporal variability in hydraulic fracturing (HF) water use and flowback/produced (FP) water generation in shale plays in the U.S. In this analysis we quantified HF and FP water volumes for seven major shale gas plays in the U.S. using detailed well by well analyses through 2015. Well count ranges from 1,500 (Utica) to 20,200 (Barnett) with total cumulative? HF water use ranging from 12 billion gallons (bgal) (Utica) to 65 bgal (Barnett). HF water use/well has been increasing over time in many plays and currently ranges from 4.5 mgal/well (Fayetteville) to 10 mgal/well (Utica) (2015). Normalizing by lateral length results in a range of 900 gal/ft (Fayetteville) to 15,600 gal/ft (Marcellus) (2015). FP water volumes are also highly variable, lowest in the Utica and highest in the Barnett. Management of FP water is mostly through disposal into Class II salt water injection wells, with the exception of the Marcellus where >90% of the FP water is reused/recycled. Along the dramatic domestic gas production increase, electricity generation from natural gas has almost doubled since 2000. It is important to consider the water use for HF in terms of the lifecycle of natural gas with HF water consumption. It is equivalent to <10% of the water consumed in natural gas-fired power plants that usually require less water than coal-fired power plants, resulting in net water savings.

Binary vapor cycle method of electrical power generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Humiston, G.F.

1982-04-13

A binary vapor cycle method of electrical power generation is disclosed wherein two refrigerant fluids can be used to operate an apparatus for the generation of mechanical power as well as electrical power generation. This method, which is essentially a dual heat pump system, offers an approach to utilizing the advantages of two different refrigerants within a single apparatus. This advantage is particularly advantageous in the ulitization of low specific energy sources, such as two water sources which exist in close proximity to each other, but at different temperatures. Thus, water, which itself is a heat pump fluid, can bemore » used as a means of transmitting heat energy to a second heat pump fluid, or refrigerant, without incurring the disadvantages of water, or water vapors, as a means to produce power, because of its high specific volume and low saturation pressures at low temperatures. Additionally, since the warm water source of energy most commonly available is in the form of reservoirs, such as the ocean waters, and the utilization of barometric legs to bring the warm water into contact with the process, eliminates the use of expensive heat exchangers, which is the case of ocean water, are subject to fouling and loss of efficiency due to clinging microorganisms.« less

THE WATER-WATER CYCLE IN CHLOROPLASTS: Scavenging of Active Oxygens and Dissipation of Excess Photons.

PubMed

Asada, Kozi

1999-06-01

Photoreduction of dioxygen in photosystem I (PSI) of chloroplasts generates superoxide radicals as the primary product. In intact chloroplasts, the superoxide and the hydrogen peroxide produced via the disproportionation of superoxide are so rapidly scavenged at the site of their generation that the active oxygens do not inactivate the PSI complex, the stromal enzymes, or the scavenging system itself. The overall reaction for scavenging of active oxygens is the photoreduction of dioxygen to water via superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in PSI by the electrons derived from water in PSII, and the water-water cycle is proposed for these sequences. An overview is given of the molecular mechanism of the water-water cycle and microcompartmentalization of the enzymes participating in it. Whenever the water-water cycle operates properly for scavenging of active oxygens in chloroplasts, it also effectively dissipates excess excitation energy under environmental stress. The dual functions of the water-water cycle for protection from photoinihibition are discussed.

Influence of water depth on the sound generated by air-bubble vibration in the water musical instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohuchi, Yoshito; Nakazono, Yoichi

2014-06-01

We have developed a water musical instrument that generates sound by the falling of water drops within resonance tubes. The instrument can give people who hear it the healing effect inherent in the sound of water. The sound produced by falling water drops arises from air- bubble vibrations. To investigate the impact of water depth on the air-bubble vibrations, we conducted experiments at varying values of water pressure and nozzle shape. We found that air-bubble vibration frequency does not change at a water depth of 50 mm or greater. Between 35 and 40 mm, however, the frequency decreases. At water depths of 30 mm or below, the air-bubble vibration frequency increases. In our tests, we varied the nozzle diameter from 2 to 4 mm. In addition, we discovered that the time taken for air-bubble vibration to start after the water drops start falling is constant at water depths of 40 mm or greater, but slower at depths below 40 mm.

A SEMI-AUTOMATED APPROACH FOR DETECTING AND LOCATING SWINE ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS OVER REGIONAL AREAS

EPA Science Inventory

Surface runoff from animal feeding operations (AFO's) and its infiltration into ground water can
pose a number of risks to water quality mainly because of the amount of animal manure and wastewater they produce. Excess nutrients generated by livestock facilities can lead to a...

Generation of ultra-fast cumulative water jets by sub-microsecond underwater electrical explosion of conical wire arrays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shafer, D.; Gurovich, V. Tz.; Gleizer, S.

The results of experiments with underwater electrical explosion of modified conical arrays of copper and aluminum wires are presented. A pulsed generator producing a 550 kA-amplitude current with a 400 ns rise time was used in the explosion of the arrays. The array explosion generates water flows converging at the axis of the cone. This flow generates a fast-moving water jet with a velocity exceeding 1.8 × 10{sup 5 }cm/s, which was observed being ejected from the surface of the water covering the array. The positions of the water jet were measured by multiple-exposure fast framing imaging. In experiments, the apex angle of the array,more » the thickness of the water layer above the arrays, or the material of the wires was altered, which changed the resulting velocities and shapes of the emitted jets. A model that considers the converging stationary flow of a slightly compressible fluid is suggested. The velocities and shapes of the jets obtained by this model agree well with the experimentally measured jet velocities.« less

Reuse of Produced Water from CO 2 Enhanced Oil Recovery, Coal-Bed Methane, and Mine Pool Water by Coal-Based Power Plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knutson, Chad; Dastgheib, Seyed A.; Yang, Yaning

2012-07-01

Power generation in the Illinois Basin is expected to increase by as much as 30% by the year 2030, and this would increase the cooling water consumption in the region by approximately 40%. This project investigated the potential use of produced water from CO 2 enhanced oil recovery (CO 2-EOR) operations; coal-bed methane (CBM) recovery; and active and abandoned underground coal mines for power plant cooling in the Illinois Basin. Specific objectives of this project were: (1) to characterize the quantity, quality, and geographic distribution of produced water in the Illinois Basin; (2) to evaluate treatment options so that producedmore » water may be used beneficially at power plants; and (3) to perform a techno-economic analysis of the treatment and transportation of produced water to thermoelectric power plants in the Illinois Basin. Current produced water availability within the basin is not large, but potential flow rates up to 257 million liters per day (68 million gallons per day (MGD)) are possible if CO 2-enhanced oil recovery and coal bed methane recovery are implemented on a large scale. Produced water samples taken during the project tend to have dissolved solids concentrations between 10 and 100 g/L, and water from coal beds tends to have lower TDS values than water from oil fields. Current pretreatment and desalination technologies including filtration, adsorption, reverse osmosis (RO), and distillation can be used to treat produced water to a high quality level, with estimated costs ranging from $2.6 to $10.5 per cubic meter ($10 to $40 per 1000 gallons). Because of the distances between produced water sources and power plants, transportation costs tend to be greater than treatment costs. An optimization algorithm was developed to determine the lowest cost pipe network connecting sources and sinks. Total water costs increased with flow rate up to 26 million liters per day (7 MGD), and the range was from $4 to $16 per cubic meter ($15 to $60 per 1000 gallons), with treatment costs accounting for 13-23% of the overall cost. Results from this project suggest that produced water is a potential large source of cooling water, but treatment and transportation costs for this water are large.« less

Realized field tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordes, V.

1983-09-01

Three solar generator projects in developing countries are discussed. A brackish water desalination unit was developed and built. A 2.4 kW solar generator supplies the desalination unit which produces 1.5 cum drinking water per day, and the pump installed for a hoisting depth of 20 m. The unit switches on if the solar energy is sufficiently high; a 160 Ahr battery guarantees constant operation. A photovoltaically supplied UHF transmitter was installed. A 3.6 kW solar generator and a battery make transmitter and air traffic warning illumination self-sufficient. A small diesel generator is installed for emergency cases. Experience shows that solar generator (4 kW) and battery have to be enlarged. An emergency solar energy generator was installed in a hospital. The solar generator has a maximum power of 150 W; together with a battery it can deliver the energy for a minimum 5 hr of emergency illumination.

Underground thermal generation of hydrocarbons from dry, southwestern coals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vanderborgh, N.E.; Elliott, G.R.B.

1978-01-01

The LASL underground coal conversion concept produces intermediate-BTU fuel gas for nearby industries such as ''minemouth'' electric power plants, plus major byproducts in the form of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons for feedstocks to chemical plants e.g., substitute natural gas (SNG) producers. The concept involves controlling the water influx and drying the coal, generating hydrocarbons, by pyrolysis and finally gasifying the residual char with O/sub 2//CO/sub 2/ or air/CO/sub 2/ mixtures to produce industrial fuel gases. Underground conversion can be frustrated by uncontrolled water in the coal bed. Moisture can (a) prevent combustion, (b) preclude fuel gas formation by lowering reactionmore » zone temperatures and creating kinetic problems, (c) ruin product gas quality by dropping temperatures into a thermodynamically unsatisfactory regime, (d) degrade an initially satisfactory fuel gas by consuming carbon monoxide, (e) waste large amounts of heat, and (f) isolate reaction zones so that the processing will bypass blocks of coal.« less

Design and the parametric testing of the space station prototype integrated vapor compression distillation water recovery module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reveley, W. F.; Nuccio, P. P.

1975-01-01

Potable water for the Space Station Prototype life support system is generated by the vapor compression technique of vacuum distillation. A description of a complete three-man modular vapor compression water renovation loop that was built and tested is presented; included are all of the pumps, tankage, chemical post-treatment, instrumentation, and controls necessary to make the loop representative of an automatic, self-monitoring, null gravity system. The design rationale is given and the evolved configuration is described. Presented next are the results of an extensive parametric test during which distilled water was generated from urine and urinal flush water with concentration of solids in the evaporating liquid increasing progressively to 60 percent. Water quality, quantity and production rate are shown together with measured energy consumption rate in terms of watt-hours per kilogram of distilled water produced.

Beyond annual streamflow reconstructions for the Upper Colorado River Basin: a paleo-water-balance approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; McCabe, Gregory J.; Woodhouse, Connie A.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a methodology to use annual tree-ring chronologies and a monthly water balance model to generate annual reconstructions of water balance variables (e.g., potential evapotrans- piration (PET), actual evapotranspiration (AET), snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture storage (SMS), and runoff (R)). The method involves resampling monthly temperature and precipitation from the instrumental record directed by variability indicated by the paleoclimate record. The generated time series of monthly temperature and precipitation are subsequently used as inputs to a monthly water balance model. The methodology is applied to the Upper Colorado River Basin, and results indicate that the methodology reliably simulates water-year runoff, maximum snow water equivalent, and seasonal soil moisture storage for the instrumental period. As a final application, the methodology is used to produce time series of PET, AET, SWE, SMS, and R for the 1404–1905 period for the Upper Colorado River Basin.

The influence of emulsion structure on the Maillard reaction of ghee.

PubMed

Newton, Angela E; Fairbanks, Antony J; Golding, Matt; Andrewes, Paul; Gerrard, Juliet A

2015-04-15

Food systems, such as cream and butter, have an emulsion or emulsion-like structure. When these food emulsions are heated to high temperatures to make products such as ghee, the Maillard reaction forms a range of volatile flavour compounds. The objective of this paper was to unravel the specific influence of emulsion structure on the Maillard reaction pathways that occur during the cooking of ghee using model systems. Switching the dispersed phase from oil to water provided a means of altering the ratios of volatile compounds produced in the cooked samples. The oil-in-water emulsion generated a volatile compound profile similar to that of the fat containing two phase model matrix, whereas the water-in-oil emulsion produced a different ratio of these compounds. The ability to generate different volatile compound profiles through the use of inverted emulsion structures could point to a new avenue for control of the Maillard reaction in high temperature food systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of produced water discharged to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxiczone.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veil, J. A.; Kimmell, T. A.; Rechner, A. C.

2005-08-24

Each summer, an area of low dissolved oxygen (the hypoxic zone) forms in the shallow nearshore Gulf of Mexico waters from the Mississippi River Delta westward to near the Texas/Louisiana border. Most scientists believe that the leading contributor to the hypoxic zone is input of nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. The nutrients stimulate growth of phytoplankton. As the phytoplankton subsequently die, they fall to the bottom waters where they are decomposed by microorganisms. The decomposition process consumes oxygen in the bottom waters to create hypoxic conditions. Sources other than the two rivers mentionedmore » above may also contribute significant quantities of oxygen-demanding pollutants. One very visible potential source is the hundreds of offshore oil and gas platforms located within or near the hypoxic zone. Many of these platforms discharge varying volumes of produced water. However, only limited data characterizing oxygen demand and nutrient concentration and loading from offshore produced water discharges have been collected. No comprehensive and coordinated oxygen demand data exist for produced water discharges in the Gulf of Mexico. This report describes the results of a program to sample 50 offshore oil and gas platforms located within the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. The program was conducted in response to a requirement in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) general National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for offshore oil and gas discharges. EPA requested information on the amount of oxygen-demanding substances contained in the produced water discharges. This information is needed as inputs to several water quality models that EPA intends to run to estimate the relative contributions of the produced water discharges to the occurrence of the hypoxic zone. Sixteen platforms were sampled 3 times each at approximately one-month intervals to give an estimate of temporal variability. An additional 34 platforms were sampled one time. The 50 sampled platforms were scattered throughout the hypoxic zone to give an estimate of spatial variability. Each platform was sampled for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen [TKN]), and phosphorus (total phosphorus and orthophosphate). In addition to these parameters, each sample was monitored for pH, conductivity, salinity, and temperature. The sampling provided average platform concentrations for each parameter. Table ES-1 shows the mean, median, maximum, and minimum for the sampled parameters. For some of the parameters, the mean is considerably larger than the median, suggesting that one or a few data points are much higher than the rest of the points (outliers). Chapter 4 contains an extensive discussion of outliers and shows how the sample results change if outliers are deleted from consideration. A primary goal of this study is to estimate the mass loading (lb/day) of each of the oxygen-demanding pollutants from the 50 platforms sampled in the study. Loading is calculated by multiplying concentrations by the discharge volume and then by a conversion factor to allow units to match. The loadings calculated in this study of 50 platforms represent a produced water discharge volume of about 176,000 bbl/day. The total amount of produced water generated in the hypoxic zone during the year 2003 was estimated as 508,000 bbl/day. This volume is based on reports by operators to the Minerals Management Service each year. It reflects the volume of produced water that is generated from each lease, not the volume that is discharged from each platform. The mass loadings from offshore oil and gas discharges to the entire hypoxic zone were estimated by multiplying the 50-platform loadings by the ratio of total water generated to 50-platform discharge volume. The loadings estimated for the 50 platforms and for the entire hypoxic zone are shown in Table ES-2. These estimates and the sampling data from 50 platforms represent the most complete and comprehensive effort ever undertaken to characterize the amount and potential sources of the oxygen demand in offshore oil and gas produced water discharges.« less

Chemical heat pump and chemical energy storage system

DOEpatents

Clark, Edward C.; Huxtable, Douglas D.

1985-08-06

A chemical heat pump and storage system employs sulfuric acid and water. In one form, the system includes a generator and condenser, an evaporator and absorber, aqueous acid solution storage and water storage. During a charging cycle, heat is provided to the generator from a heat source to concentrate the acid solution while heat is removed from the condenser to condense the water vapor produced in the generator. Water is then stored in the storage tank. Heat is thus stored in the form of chemical energy in the concentrated acid. The heat removed from the water vapor can be supplied to a heat load of proper temperature or can be rejected. During a discharge cycle, water in the evaporator is supplied with heat to generate water vapor, which is transmitted to the absorber where it is condensed and absorbed into the concentrated acid. Both heats of dilution and condensation of water are removed from the thus diluted acid. During the discharge cycle the system functions as a heat pump in which heat is added to the system at a low temperature and removed from the system at a high temperature. The diluted acid is stored in an acid storage tank or is routed directly to the generator for reconcentration. The generator, condenser, evaporator, and absorber all are operated under pressure conditions specified by the desired temperature levels for a given application. The storage tanks, however, can be maintained at or near ambient pressure conditions. In another form, the heat pump system is employed to provide usable heat from waste process heat by upgrading the temperature of the waste heat.

A sustainable biorefinery to convert agricultural residues into value-added chemicals.

PubMed

Liu, Zhiguo; Liao, Wei; Liu, Yan

2016-01-01

Animal wastes are of particular environmental concern due to greenhouse gases emissions, odor problem, and potential water contamination. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an effective and widely used technology to treat them for bioenergy production. However, the sustainability of AD is compromised by two by-products of the nutrient-rich liquid digestate and the fiber-rich solid digestate. To overcome these limitations, this paper demonstrates a biorefinery concept to fully utilize animal wastes and create a new value-added route for animal waste management. The studied biorefinery includes an AD, electrocoagulation (EC) treatment of the liquid digestate, and fungal conversion of the solid fiber into a fine chemical-chitin. Animal wastes were first treated by an AD to produce methane gas for energy generation to power the entire biorefinery. The resulting liquid digestate was treated by EC to reclaim water. Enzymatic hydrolysis and fungal fermentation were then applied on the cellulose-rich solid digestate to produce chitin. EC water was used as the processing water for the fungal fermentation. The results indicate that the studied biorefinery converts 1 kg dry animal wastes into 17 g fungal biomass containing 12 % of chitin (10 % of glucosamine), and generates 1.7 MJ renewable energy and 8.5 kg irrigation water. This study demonstrates an energy positive and freshwater-free biorefinery to simultaneously treat animal wastes and produce a fine chemical-chitin. The sustainable biorefinery concept provides a win-win solution for agricultural waste management and value-added chemical production.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Electricity Research and Development

Science.gov Websites

blades of a turbine connected to an electric generator. The turbine generator set converts mechanical and solar thermal, the heat that is produced is used to create steam, which moves the blades of the turbine. In the cases of hydropower and wind power, turbine blades are moved directly by flowing water and

Geologic and climatic controls on streamflow generation processes in a complex eogenetic karst basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vibhava, F.; Graham, W. D.; Maxwell, R. M.

2012-12-01

Streamflow at any given location and time is representative of surface and subsurface contributions from various sources. The ability to fully identify the factors controlling these contributions is key to successfully understanding the transport of contaminants through the system. In this study we developed a fully integrated 3D surface water-groundwater-land surface model, PARFLOW, to evaluate geologic and climatic controls on streamflow generation processes in a complex eogenetic karst basin in North Central Florida. In addition to traditional model evaluation criterion, such as comparing field observations to model simulated streamflow and groundwater elevations, we quantitatively evaluated the model's predictions of surface-groundwater interactions over space and time using a suite of binary end-member mixing models that were developed using observed specific conductivity differences among surface and groundwater sources throughout the domain. Analysis of model predictions showed that geologic heterogeneity exerts a strong control on both streamflow generation processes and land atmospheric fluxes in this watershed. In the upper basin, where the karst aquifer is overlain by a thick confining layer, approximately 92% of streamflow is "young" event flow, produced by near stream rainfall. Throughout the upper basin the confining layer produces a persistent high surficial water table which results in high evapotranspiration, low groundwater recharge and thus negligible "inter-event" streamflow. In the lower basin, where the karst aquifer is unconfined, deeper water tables result in less evapotranspiration. Thus, over 80% of the streamflow is "old" subsurface flow produced by diffuse infiltration through the epikarst throughout the lower basin, and all surface contributions to streamflow originate in the upper confined basin. Climatic variability provides a secondary control on surface-subsurface and land-atmosphere fluxes, producing significant seasonal and interannual variability in these processes. Spatial and temporal patterns of evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge and streamflow generation processes reveal potential hot spots and hot moments for surface and groundwater contamination in this basin.

Nonthermal Biological Treatments Using Discharge Plasma Produced by Pulsed Power 4. Cleaning of Lakes and Marshes by Pulsed Power Produced Streamer Discharges in Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyama, Hidenori; Katsuki, Sunao; Namihira, Takao; Ishibashi, Kazuo; Kiyosaki, Noriaki

Pulsed power has been used to produce non-thermal plasmas in atmospheric pressure gases that generate a high electric field at the tips of streamer discharges, where high energy electrons, free radicals, ultraviolet rays, and ozone are produced. These manifestations of streamer discharges have been used in the treatment of exhaust gases, removal of volatile and toxic compounds such as dioxin, and the sterilization of microorganisms. Here, large volume streamer discharges in water are described. These streamer discharges in liquids are able to produce a high electric field, high energy electrons, ozone, chemically active species, ultraviolet rays, and shock waves, which readily sterilize microorganisms and decompose molecules and materials. An application of this phenomenon to the cleaning of lakes and marshes is also described.

Effects of Humic Acid and Sunlight on the Generation and Aggregation State of Aqu/C60 Nanoparticles

EPA Science Inventory

Aqueous suspensions of nanoscale C60 aggregates (aqu/C60) were produced by stirring in water with Suwanee River Humic Acid (humic acid) and water from Call’s Creek, a small stream near Athens, GA. Time course experiments were conducted to determine the effects of sunlight and sol...

A New Resonance Tube

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Alan

2017-01-01

The measurement of the speed of sound in air with the resonance tube is a popular experiment that often yields accurate results. One approach is to hold a vibrating tuning fork over an air column that is partially immersed in water. The column is raised and lowered in the water until the generated standing wave produces resonance: this occurs at…

A reactive transport modelling approach to assess the leaching potential of hydraulic fracturing fluids associated with coal seam gas extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallants, Dirk; Simunek, Jirka; Gerke, Kirill

2015-04-01

Coal Seam Gas production generates large volumes of "produced" water that may contain compounds originating from the use of hydraulic fracturing fluids. Such produced water also contains elevated concentrations of naturally occurring inorganic and organic compounds, and usually has a high salinity. Leaching of produced water from storage ponds may occur as a result of flooding or containment failure. Some produced water is used for irrigation of specific crops tolerant to elevated salt levels. These chemicals may potentially contaminate soil, shallow groundwater, and groundwater, as well as receiving surface waters. This paper presents an application of scenario modelling using the reactive transport model for variably-saturated media HP1 (coupled HYDRUS-1D and PHREEQC). We evaluate the fate of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and naturally occurring chemicals in soil as a result of unintentional release from storage ponds or when produced water from Coal Seam Gas operations is used in irrigation practices. We present a review of exposure pathways and relevant hydro-bio-geo-chemical processes, a collation of physico-chemical properties of organic/inorganic contaminants as input to a set of generic simulations of transport and attenuation in variably saturated soil profiles. We demonstrate the ability to model the coupled processes of flow and transport in soil of contaminants associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids and naturally occurring contaminants.

Recovery of Fresh Water Resources from Desalination of Brine Produced During Oil and Gas Production Operations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David B. Burnett; Mustafa Siddiqui

2006-12-29

Management and disposal of produced water is one of the most important problems associated with oil and gas (O&G) production. O&G production operations generate large volumes of brine water along with the petroleum resource. Currently, produced water is treated as a waste and is not available for any beneficial purposes for the communities where oil and gas is produced. Produced water contains different contaminants that must be removed before it can be used for any beneficial surface applications. Arid areas like west Texas produce large amount of oil, but, at the same time, have a shortage of potable water. Amore » multidisciplinary team headed by researchers from Texas A&M University has spent more than six years is developing advanced membrane filtration processes for treating oil field produced brines The government-industry cooperative joint venture has been managed by the Global Petroleum Research Institute (GPRI). The goal of the project has been to demonstrate that treatment of oil field waste water for re-use will reduce water handling costs by 50% or greater. Our work has included (1) integrating advanced materials into existing prototype units and (2) operating short and long-term field testing with full size process trains. Testing at A&M has allowed us to upgrade our existing units with improved pre-treatment oil removal techniques and new oil tolerant RO membranes. We have also been able to perform extended testing in 'field laboratories' to gather much needed extended run time data on filter salt rejection efficiency and plugging characteristics of the process train. The Program Report describes work to evaluate the technical and economical feasibility of treating produced water with a combination of different separation processes to obtain water of agricultural water quality standards. Experiments were done for the pretreatment of produced water using a new liquid-liquid centrifuge, organoclay and microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes for the removal of hydrocarbons from produced water. The results of these experiments show that hydrocarbons from produced water can be reduced from 200 ppm to below 29 ppm level. Experiments were also done to remove the dissolved solids (salts) from the pretreated produced water using desalination membranes. Produced water with up to 45,000 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS) can be treated to agricultural water quality water standards having less than 500 ppm TDS. The Report also discusses the results of field testing of various process trains to measure performance of the desalination process. Economic analysis based on field testing, including capital and operational costs, was done to predict the water treatment costs. Cost of treating produced water containing 15,000 ppm total dissolved solids and 200 ppm hydrocarbons to obtain agricultural water quality with less than 200 ppm TDS and 2 ppm hydrocarbons range between $0.5-1.5 /bbl. The contribution of fresh water resource from produced water will contribute enormously to the sustainable development of the communities where oil and gas is produced and fresh water is a scarce resource. This water can be used for many beneficial purposes such as agriculture, horticulture, rangeland and ecological restorations, and other environmental and industrial application.« less

Rainwater harvesting potentials for drought mitigation in Iran.

PubMed

Tabatabaee, J; Han, M Y

2010-01-01

In order to evaluate the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) for mitigating water scarcity in a semi-arid zone of the country (Mashhad-Iran), three typical RWH systems were installed and monitored. The first system consists of 5,000 m² natural ground catchment which was leveled and covered with plastic sheets allowing for maximum possible runoff generation. Surface runoff was conducted into a 500 m³ ground reservoir via a series of draining ditches and an end collection channel. The water collected from a plastic covered catchment was used for irrigation of dryland wheat cultivation. According to the result of two years measurements, grain yield was almost doubled in irrigated plots when compared to conventional rainfed cultivation. In the second RWH system, runoff generated from about 2 ha asphaltic road and parking was diverted into a 1,200 m³ ground reservoir. The results of 2 years measurement for reservoir inflow and outflow indicated that runoff generated during rainy season was sufficient to produce necessary water for irrigating 900 planted fruit trees during successive dry seasons. The last experiment reported here is about a 40 m² roof area which was connected to a plastic tank for runoff measurement. The conclusion was that the proposed RWH system can produce enough water for building's toilets' flashes and other sanitary purposes so that the potable water could be saved considerably. In general, the results of three rainwater harvesting experiments showed the importance of using rainwater for compensating the effect of water shortages which is repeatedly occurring due to the effect of current climate change and ever increasing water utilization for drinking and food production.

Relative Importance of Various Sources of Defect-Producing Hydrogen Introduced into Steel During Application of Vitreous Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Dwight G; Mason, Mary A; Harrison, William N

1953-01-01

When porcelain enamels or vitreous-type ceramic coatings are applied to ferrous metals, there is believed to be an evolution of hydrogen gas both during and after the firing operation. At elevated temperatures rapid evolution may result in blistering while if hydrogen becomes trapped in the steel during the rapid cooling following the firing operation gas pressures may be generated at the coating-metal interface and flakes of the coating literally blown off the metal. To determine experimentally the relative importance of the principal sources of the hydrogen causing the defects, a procedure was devised in which heavy hydrogen (deuterium) was substituted in turn for regular hydrogen in each of five possible hydrogen-producing operations in the coating process. The findings of the study were as follows: (1) the principal source of the defect-producing hydrogen was the dissolved water present in the enamel frit that was incorporated into the coating. (2) the acid pickling, the milling water, the chemically combined water in the clay, and the quenching water were all minor sources of defect-producing hydrogen under the test conditions used. Confirming experiments showed that fishscaling could be eliminated by using a water-free coating.

Ocean foam generation and modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, R. A.; Bechis, K. P.

1976-01-01

A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine the physical and microwave properties of ocean foam. Special foam generators were designed and fabricated, using porous glass sheets, known as glass frits, as the principal element. The glass frit was sealed into a water-tight vertical box, a few centimeters from the bottom. Compressed air, applied to the lower chamber, created ocean foam from sea water lying on the frit. Foam heights of 30 cm were readily achieved, with relatively low air pressures. Special photographic techniques and analytical procedures were employed to determine foam bubble size distributions. In addition, the percentage water content of ocean foam was determined with the aid of a particulate sampling procedure. A glass frit foam generator, with pore diameters in the range 70 - 100 micrometers, produced foam with bubble distributions very similar to those found on the surface of natural ocean foam patches.

Water, ice and mud: Lahars and lahar hazards at ice- and snow-clad volcanoes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waythomas, Christopher F.

2014-01-01

Large-volume lahars are significant hazards at ice and snow covered volcanoes. Hot eruptive products produced during explosive eruptions can generate a substantial volume of melt water that quickly evolves into highly mobile flows of ice, sediment and water. At present it is difficult to predict the size of lahars that can form at ice and snow covered volcanoes due to their complex flow character and behaviour. However, advances in experiments and numerical approaches are producing new conceptual models and new methods for hazard assessment. Eruption triggered lahars that are ice-dominated leave behind thin, almost unrecognizable sedimentary deposits, making them likely to be under-represented in the geological record.

Post-treatment of reclaimed waste water based on an electrochemical advanced oxidation process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verostko, Charles E.; Murphy, Oliver J.; Hitchens, G. D.; Salinas, Carlos E.; Rogers, Tom D.

1992-01-01

The purification of reclaimed water is essential to water reclamation technology life-support systems in lunar/Mars habitats. An electrochemical UV reactor is being developed which generates oxidants, operates at low temperatures, and requires no chemical expendables. The reactor is the basis for an advanced oxidation process in which electrochemically generated ozone and hydrogen peroxide are used in combination with ultraviolet light irradiation to produce hydroxyl radicals. Results from this process are presented which demonstrate concept feasibility for removal of organic impurities and disinfection of water for potable and hygiene reuse. Power, size requirements, Faradaic efficiency, and process reaction kinetics are discussed. At the completion of this development effort the reactor system will be installed in JSC's regenerative water recovery test facility for evaluation to compare this technique with other candidate processes.

Investigation of the Makeup, Source, and Removal Strategies for Total Organic Carbon in the Oxygen Generation System Recirculation Loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowman, Elizabeth M.; Carpenter, Joyce; Roy, Robert J.; Van Keuren, Steve; Wilson, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Since 2007, the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) on board the International Space Station (ISS) has been producing oxygen for crew respiration via water electrolysis. As water is consumed in the OGS recirculating water loop, make-up water is furnished by the ISS potable water bus. A rise in Total Organic Carbon (TOC) was observed beginning in February, 2011, which continues through the present date. Increasing TOC is of concern because the organic constituents responsible for the TOC were unknown and had not been identified; hence their impacts on the operation of the electrolytic cell stack components and on microorganism growth rates and types are unknown. Identification of the compounds responsible for the TOC increase, their sources, and estimates of their loadings in the OGA as well as possible mitigation strategies are presented.

Nuclear driven water decomposition plant for hydrogen production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, G. H.; Brecher, L. E.; Farbman, G. H.

1976-01-01

The conceptual design of a hydrogen production plant using a very-high-temperature nuclear reactor (VHTR) to energize a hybrid electrolytic-thermochemical system for water decomposition has been prepared. A graphite-moderated helium-cooled VHTR is used to produce 1850 F gas for electric power generation and 1600 F process heat for the water-decomposition process which uses sulfur compounds and promises performance superior to normal water electrolysis or other published thermochemical processes. The combined cycle operates at an overall thermal efficiency in excess of 45%, and the overall economics of hydrogen production by this plant have been evaluated predicated on a consistent set of economic ground rules. The conceptual design and evaluation efforts have indicated that development of this type of nuclear-driven water-decomposition plant will permit large-scale economic generation of hydrogen in the 1990s.

Hydrogen Purification and Recycling for an Integrated Oxygen Recovery System Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abney, Morgan B.; Greenwood, Zachary; Wall, Terry; Miller, Lee; Wheeler, Ray

2016-01-01

The United States Atmosphere Revitalization life support system on the International Space Station (ISS) performs several services for the crew including oxygen generation, trace contaminant control, carbon dioxide (CO2) removal, and oxygen recovery. Oxygen recovery is performed using a Sabatier reactor developed by Hamilton Sundstrand, wherein CO2 is reduced with hydrogen in a catalytic reactor to produce methane and water. The water product is purified in the Water Purification Assembly and recycled to the Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) to provide O2 to the crew. This architecture results in a theoretical maximum oxygen recovery from CO2 of approximately 54% due to the loss of reactant hydrogen in Sabatier-produced methane that is currently vented outside of ISS. Plasma Methane Pyrolysis technology (PPA), developed by Umpqua Research Company, provides the capability to further close the Atmosphere Revitalization oxygen loop by recovering hydrogen from Sabatier-produced methane. A key aspect of this technology approach is to purify the hydrogen from the PPA product stream which includes acetylene, unreacted methane and byproduct water and carbon monoxide. In 2015, four sub-scale hydrogen separation systems were delivered to NASA for evaluation. These included two electrolysis single-cell hydrogen purification cell stacks developed by Sustainable Innovations, LLC, a sorbent-based hydrogen purification unit using microwave power for sorbent regeneration developed by Umpqua Research Company, and a LaNi4.6Sn0.4 metal hydride produced by Hydrogen Consultants, Inc. Here we report the results of these evaluations, discuss potential architecture options, and propose future work.

Hydrogen Purification and Recycling for an Integrated Oxygen Recovery System Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abney, Morgan B.; Greenwood, Zachary; Wall, Terry; Nur, Mononita; Wheeler, Richard R., Jr.; Preston, Joshua; Molter, Trent

2016-01-01

The United States Atmosphere Revitalization life support system on the International Space Station (ISS) performs several services for the crew including oxygen generation, trace contaminant control, carbon dioxide (CO2) removal, and oxygen recovery. Oxygen recovery is performed using a Sabatier reactor developed by Hamilton Sundstrand, wherein CO2 is reduced with hydrogen in a catalytic reactor to produce methane and water. The water product is purified in the Water Purification Assembly and recycled to the Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) to provide O2 to the crew. This architecture results in a theoretical maximum oxygen recovery from CO2 of approx.54% due to the loss of reactant hydrogen in Sabatier-produced methane that is currently vented outside of ISS. Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) technology, developed by Umpqua Research Company, provides the capability to further close the Atmosphere Revitalization oxygen loop by recovering hydrogen from Sabatier-produced methane. A key aspect of this technology approach is the need to purify the hydrogen from the PPA product stream which includes acetylene, unreacted methane and byproduct water and carbon monoxide. In 2015, four sub-scale hydrogen separation systems were delivered to NASA for evaluation. These included two electrolysis single-cell hydrogen purification cell stacks developed by Sustainable Innovations, LLC, a sorbent-based hydrogen purification unit using microwave power for sorbent regeneration developed by Umpqua Research Company, and a LaNi4.6Sn0.4 metal hydride produced by Hydrogen Consultants, Inc. Here we report the results of these evaluations to-date, discuss potential architecture options, and propose future work.

Wintertime Emissions from Produced Water Ponds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, J.; Lyman, S.; Mansfield, M. L.

2013-12-01

Every year oil and gas drilling in the U.S. generates billions of barrels of produced water (water brought to the surface during oil or gas production). Efficiently disposing of produced water presents a constant financial challenge for producers. The most noticeable disposal method in eastern Utah's Uintah Basin is the use of evaporation ponds. There are 427 acres of produced water ponds in the Uintah Basin, and these were used to evaporate more than 5 million barrels of produced water in 2012, 6% of all produced water in the Basin. Ozone concentrations exceeding EPA standards have been observed in the Uintah Basin during winter inversion conditions, with daily maximum 8 hour average concentrations at some research sites exceeding 150 parts per billion. Produced water contains ozone-forming volatile organic compounds (VOC) which escape into the atmosphere as the water is evaporated, potentially contributing to air quality problems. No peer-reviewed study of VOC emissions from produced water ponds has been reported, and filling this gap is essential for the development of accurate emissions inventories for the Uintah Basin and other air sheds with oil and gas production. Methane, carbon dioxide, and VOC emissions were measured at three separate pond facilities in the Uintah Basin in February and March of 2013 using a dynamic flux chamber. Pond emissions vary with meteorological conditions, so measurements of VOC emissions were collected during winter to obtain data relevant to periods of high ozone production. Much of the pond area at evaporation facilities was frozen during the study period, but areas that actively received water from trucks remained unfrozen. These areas accounted for 99.2% of total emissions but only 9.5% of the total pond area on average. Ice and snow on frozen ponds served as a cap, prohibiting VOC from being emitted into the atmosphere. Emissions of benzene, toluene, and other aromatic VOCs averaged over 150 mg m-2 h-1 from unfrozen pond surfaces. These compounds are highly reactive and, because of their relatively high water solubility, tend to concentrate in produced water. The average methanol emission rate from unfrozen pond surfaces was more than 100 mg m-2 h-1. Methanol, used as an antifreeze and anti-scaler in the oil and gas industry, is abundant during winter inversions in the Uintah Basin and may also be a significant precursor to ozone production. Total VOC and methanol emissions from produced water ponds during winter were estimated to be 178 and 83 tons month-1, respectively, for the entire Uintah Basin.

Cold weather hydrogen generation system and method of operation

DOEpatents

Dreier, Ken Wayne; Kowalski, Michael Thomas; Porter, Stephen Charles; Chow, Oscar Ken; Borland, Nicholas Paul; Goyette, Stephen Arthur

2010-12-14

A system for providing hydrogen gas is provided. The system includes a hydrogen generator that produces gas from water. One or more heat generation devices are arranged to provide heating of the enclosure during different modes of operation to prevent freezing of components. A plurality of temperature sensors are arranged and coupled to a controller to selectively activate a heat source if the temperature of the component is less than a predetermined temperature.

Improvement of the efficiency of a space oxygen-hydrogen electrochemical generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glukhikh, I. N.; Shcherbakov, A. N.; Chelyaev, V. F.

2014-12-01

This paper describes the method used for cooling of an on-board oxygen-hydrogen electrochemical generator (ECG). Apart from electric power, such a unit produces water of reaction and heat; the latter is an additional load on the thermal control system of a space vehicle. This load is undesirable in long-duration space flights, when specific energy characteristics of on-board systems are the determining factors. It is suggested to partially compensate the energy consumption by the thermal control system of a space vehicle required for cooling of the electrochemical generator through evaporation of water of reaction from the generator into a vacuum (or through ice sublimation if the pressure in the ambient space is lower than that in the triple point of water.) Such method of cooling of an electrochemical generator improves specific energy parameters of an on-board electric power supply system, and, due to the presence of the negative feedback, it makes the operation of this system more stable. Estimates suggest that it is possible to compensate approximately one half of heat released from the generator through evaporation of its water of reaction at the electrical efficiency of the electrochemical generator equal to 60%. In this case, even minor increase in the efficiency of the generator would result in a considerable increase in the efficiency of the evaporative system intended for its cooling.

Attosecond light sources in the water window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Xiaoming; Li, Jie; Yin, Yanchun; Zhao, Kun; Chew, Andrew; Wang, Yang; Hu, Shuyuan; Cheng, Yan; Cunningham, Eric; Wu, Yi; Chini, Michael; Chang, Zenghu

2018-02-01

As a compact and burgeoning alternative to synchrotron radiation and free-electron lasers, high harmonic generation (HHG) has proven its superiority in static and time-resolved extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy for the past two decades and has recently gained many interests and successes in generating soft x-ray emissions covering the biologically important water window spectral region. Unlike synchrotron and free-electron sources, which suffer from relatively long pulse width or large time jitter, soft x-ray sources from HHG could offer attosecond time resolution and be synchronized with their driving field to investigate time-resolved near edge absorption spectroscopy, which could reveal rich structural and dynamical information of the interrogated samples. In this paper, we review recent progresses on generating and characterizing attosecond light sources in the water window region. We show our development of an energetic, two-cycle, carrier-envelope phase stable laser source at 1.7 μm and our achievement in producing a 53 as soft x-ray pulse covering the carbon K-edge in the water window. Such source paves the ways for the next generation x-ray spectroscopy with unprecedented temporal resolution.

Generation of volcanic ash: a textural study of ash produced in various laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavallée, Yan; Kueppers, Ulrich; Dingwell, Donald B.

2010-05-01

In volcanology, ash is commonly understood as a fragment of a bubble wall that gets disrupted during explosive eruptions. Most volcanic ashes are indeed the product of explosive eruptions, but the true definition is however that of a particle size being inferior to 2 mm. The term does not hold any information about its genesis. During fragmentation, particles of all sizes in various amounts are generated. In nature, fragmentation is a brittle response of the material (whether a rock or magma) caused by changes in 1) strain rate and 2) temperature, and/or 3) chemical composition. Here we used different experimental techniques to produce ash and study their physical characteristics. The effects of strain rate were investigated by deforming volcanic rocks and magma (pure silicate melt and crystal-bearing magma) at different temperatures and stresses in a uniaxial compression apparatus. Failure of pure silicate melts is spontaneous and generates more ash particles than fragmentation of crystal-bearing melts. In the latter, the abundance of generated ash correlates positively with the strain rate. We complemented this investigation with a study of particles generated during rapid decompression of porous rocks, using a fragmentation apparatus. Products of decompression experiments at different initial applied pore pressure show that the amount of ash generated by bubble burst increase with the initial applied pressure and the open porosity. The effects of temperature were investigated by dropping pure silicate melts and crystal-bearing magma at 900 and 1100°C in water at room temperature. Quenching of the material is accompanied by rapid contraction and near instantaneous fragmentation. Pure silicate melts respond more violently to the interaction with water and completely fragmented into small particles, including a variety of ash morphologies and surface textures. Crystal-bearing magmas however fragmented only very partially when in contact with water and produced a few ash particles (< 0.05 g). The morphology and surface textures of the experimentally generated ash particles were imaged through scanning electron microscopy, and the observations will be discussed in terms of fragmentation processes.

Geochemical Variability and the Potential for Beneficial Use of Waste Water Coproduced with Oil from Permian Basin of the Southwest USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, N. A.; Holguin, F. O.; Xu, P.; Engle, M.; Dungan, B.; Hunter, B.; Carroll, K. C.

2014-12-01

The U.S. generates 21 billion barrels/year of coproduced water from oil and gas exploration, which is generally considered waste water. Growth in unconventional oil and gas production has spurred interest in beneficial uses of produced water, especially in arid regions such as the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, the largest U.S. tight oil producer. Produced waters have variable chemistries, but generally contain high levels of organics and salts. In order to evaluate the environmental impact, treatment, and reuse potential, there is a need to characterize the compositional variability of produced water. In the present study, produced water samples were collected from 12 wells across the Permian Basin. Compositional analyses including coupled gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy were conducted. The samples show elevated benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, alkyl benzenes, propyl-benzene, and naphthalene compared to other heteroaromatics; they also contain complex hydrocarbon compounds containing oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Van Krevelen diagrams show an increase in the concentration of heteroaromatic hydrocarbons with increasing well depth. The salinity, dominated by sodium-chloride, also increases with depth, ranging from 37-150 g/L TDS. Depth of wells (or producing formation) is a primary control on predicting water quality for treatment and beneficial use. Our results suggest that partial treatment by removing suspended solids and organic contaminants would support some beneficial uses such as onsite reuse, bioenergy production, and other industrial uses. Due to the high salinity, conventional desalination processes are not applicable or very costly, making beneficial uses requiring low salinity not feasible.

Renewable Natural Gas Clean-up Challenges and Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-13

produced from digesters ─ Animal manure (dairy cows, swine) ─ Waste water treatment facilities > Methane from Landfills > RNG produced from...AGR used in process • Two stage + trim methanation reactor • Dehydration to achieve gas pipeline specifications ~ 70% conversion efficiency 21... digestion of agricultural waste for on-site electricity generation ─Altamont Landfill—Landfill gas (LFG) cleanup for production of liquefied natural gas

Comparison of Water Turbine Characteristics using Different Blades in Darrieus Water Turbines used for Tidal Current Generations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiono, Mitsuhiro; Suzuki, Katsuyuki; Kiho, Seiji

The use of renewable energies has been focused on for preserving environments and coping with the shortage of future energy supplies. In oceans, a tide reverses its current direction every six hours, and the current velocity changes into a sine wave after a period of time. Tidal current generation uses a generator to produce energy, changing the kinetic energy of current into a turning force by setting a water turbine in the tidal current. Therefore, it is considered to be very advantageous to use a water turbine that can always revolve in a fixed direction without any influence from tidal current directions. Water turbines with these characteristics are known as Darrieus water turbines. The Darrieus water turbines were modified for water from turbines originally developed for windmills. Darrieus water turbines have a difficulty in starting, but these days Darrieus water turbines have been developed with spiral blades, which make it easy to get the turbines started. However, there are very few reports regarding Darrieus water turbines with spiral blades, and therefore their characteristics are unknown. From the above points of view, this study devises and investigates spiral blade-Darrieus water turbines to clarify their characteristics through hydrographic experiments, and at the same time, it compares the characteristics of spiral-blade Darrieus water turbines with those of straight-blade ones.

Long-period effects of the Denali earthquake on water bodies in the Puget Lowland: Observations and modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barberopoulou, A.; Qamar, A.; Pratt, T.L.; Steele, W.P.

2006-01-01

Analysis of strong-motion instrument recordings in Seattle, Washington, resulting from the 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake reveals that amplification in the 0.2-to 1.0-Hz frequency band is largely governed by the shallow sediments both inside and outside the sedimentary basins beneath the Puget Lowland. Sites above the deep sedimentary strata show additional seismic-wave amplification in the 0.04- to 0.2-Hz frequency range. Surface waves generated by the Mw 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake of 3 November 2002 produced pronounced water waves across Washington state. The largest water waves coincided with the area of largest seismic-wave amplification underlain by the Seattle basin. In the current work, we present reports that show Lakes Union and Washington, both located on the Seattle basin, are susceptible to large water waves generated by large local earthquakes and teleseisms. A simple model of a water body is adopted to explain the generation of waves in water basins. This model provides reasonable estimates for the water-wave amplitudes in swimming pools during the Denali earthquake but appears to underestimate the waves observed in Lake Union.

Thermodynamic Analysis of the Use a Chemical Heat Pump to Link a Supercritical Water-Cooled Nuclear Reactor and a Thermochemical Water-Splitting Cycle for Hydrogen Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granovskii, Mikhail; Dincer, Ibrahim; Rosen, Marc A.; Pioro, Igor

Increases in the power generation efficiency of nuclear power plants (NPPs) are mainly limited by the permissible temperatures in nuclear reactors and the corresponding temperatures and pressures of the coolants in reactors. Coolant parameters are limited by the corrosion rates of materials and nuclear-reactor safety constraints. The advanced construction materials for the next generation of CANDU reactors, which employ supercritical water (SCW) as a coolant and heat carrier, permit improved “steam” parameters (outlet temperatures up to 625°C and pressures of about 25 MPa). An increase in the temperature of steam allows it to be utilized in thermochemical water splitting cycles to produce hydrogen. These methods are considered by many to be among the most efficient ways to produce hydrogen from water and to have advantages over traditional low-temperature water electrolysis. However, even lower temperature water splitting cycles (Cu-Cl, UT-3, etc.) require an intensive heat supply at temperatures higher than 550-600°C. A sufficient increase in the heat transfer from the nuclear reactor to a thermochemical water splitting cycle, without jeopardizing nuclear reactor safety, might be effectively achieved by application of a heat pump, which increases the temperature of the heat supplied by virtue of a cyclic process driven by mechanical or electrical work. Here, a high-temperature chemical heat pump, which employs the reversible catalytic methane conversion reaction, is proposed. The reaction shift from exothermic to endothermic and back is achieved by a change of the steam concentration in the reaction mixture. This heat pump, coupled with the second steam cycle of a SCW nuclear power generation plant on one side and a thermochemical water splitting cycle on the other, increases the temperature of the “nuclear” heat and, consequently, the intensity of heat transfer into the water splitting cycle. A comparative preliminary thermodynamic analysis is conducted of the combined system comprising a SCW nuclear power generation plant and a chemical heat pump, which provides high-temperature heat to a thermochemical water splitting cycle for hydrogen production. It is concluded that the proposed chemical heat pump permits the utilization efficiency of nuclear energy to be improved by at least 2% without jeopardizing nuclear reactor safety. Based on this analysis, further research appears to be merited on the proposed advanced design of a nuclear power generation plant combined with a chemical heat pump, and implementation in appropriate applications seems worthwhile.

Adaptive Critic-based Neurofuzzy Controller for the Steam Generator Water Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fakhrazari, Amin; Boroushaki, Mehrdad

2008-06-01

In this paper, an adaptive critic-based neurofuzzy controller is presented for water level regulation of nuclear steam generators. The problem has been of great concern for many years as the steam generator is a highly nonlinear system showing inverse response dynamics especially at low operating power levels. Fuzzy critic-based learning is a reinforcement learning method based on dynamic programming. The only information available for the critic agent is the system feedback which is interpreted as the last action the controller has performed in the previous state. The signal produced by the critic agent is used alongside the backpropagation of error algorithm to tune online conclusion parts of the fuzzy inference rules. The critic agent here has a proportional-derivative structure and the fuzzy rule base has nine rules. The proposed controller shows satisfactory transient responses, disturbance rejection and robustness to model uncertainty. Its simple design procedure and structure, nominates it as one of the suitable controller designs for the steam generator water level control in nuclear power plant industry.

Mycotoxin production by indoor molds.

PubMed

Fog Nielsen, Kristian

2003-07-01

Fungal growth in buildings starts at a water activity (a(w)) near 0.8, but significant quantities of mycotoxins are not produced unless a(w) reaches 0.95. Stachybotrys generates particularly high quantities of many chemically distinct metabolites in water-damaged buildings. These metabolites are carried by spores, and can be detected in air samples at high spore concentrations. Very little attention has been paid to major metabolites of Stachybotrys called spirocyclic drimanes, and the precise structures of the most abundant of these compounds are unknown. Species of Aspergillus and Penicillium prevalent in the indoor environment produce relatively low concentrations of mycotoxins, with the exception of sterigmatocystins that can represent up to 1% of the biomass of A. versicolor at a(w)'s close to 1. The worst-case scenario for homeowners is produced by consecutive episodes of water damage that promote fungal growth and mycotoxin synthesis, followed by drier conditions that facilitate the liberation of spores and hyphal fragments.

Predominance and Metabolic Potential of Halanaerobium spp. in Produced Water from Hydraulically Fractured Marcellus Shale Wells.

PubMed

Lipus, Daniel; Vikram, Amit; Ross, Daniel; Bain, Daniel; Gulliver, Djuna; Hammack, Richard; Bibby, Kyle

2017-04-15

Microbial activity in the produced water from hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells may potentially interfere with hydrocarbon production and cause damage to the well and surface infrastructure via corrosion, sulfide release, and fouling. In this study, we surveyed the microbial abundance and community structure of produced water sampled from 42 Marcellus Shale wells in southwestern Pennsylvania (well age ranged from 150 to 1,846 days) to better understand the microbial diversity of produced water. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to assess taxonomy and utilized quantitative PCR (qPCR) to evaluate the microbial abundance across all 42 produced water samples. Bacteria of the order Halanaerobiales were found to be the most abundant organisms in the majority of the produced water samples, emphasizing their previously suggested role in hydraulic fracturing-related microbial activity. Statistical analyses identified correlations between well age and biocide formulation and the microbial community, in particular, the relative abundance of Halanaerobiales We further investigated the role of members of the order Halanaerobiales in produced water by reconstructing and annotating a Halanaerobium draft genome (named MDAL1), using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and metagenomic binning. The recovered draft genome was found to be closely related to the species H. congolense , an oil field isolate, and Halanaerobium sp. strain T82-1, also recovered from hydraulic fracturing produced water. Reconstruction of metabolic pathways revealed Halanaerobium sp. strain MDAL1 to have the potential for acid production, thiosulfate reduction, and biofilm formation, suggesting it to have the ability to contribute to corrosion, souring, and biofouling events in the hydraulic fracturing infrastructure. IMPORTANCE There are an estimated 15,000 unconventional gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region, each generating up to 8,000 liters of hypersaline produced water per day throughout its lifetime (K. Gregory, R. Vidic, and D. Dzombak, Elements 7:181-186, 2011, https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.7.3.181; J. Arthur, B. Bohm, and M. Layne, Gulf Coast Assoc Geol Soc Trans 59:49-59, 2009; https://www.marcellusgas.org/index.php). Microbial activity in produced waters could lead to issues with corrosion, fouling, and souring, potentially interfering with hydraulic fracturing operations. Previous studies have found microorganisms contributing to corrosion, fouling, and souring to be abundant across produced water samples from hydraulically fractured wells; however, these findings were based on a limited number of samples and well sites. In this study, we investigated the microbial community structure in produced water samples from 42 unconventional Marcellus Shale wells, confirming the dominance of the genus Halanaerobium in produced water and its metabolic potential for acid and sulfide production and biofilm formation. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Predominance and Metabolic Potential of Halanaerobium spp. in Produced Water from Hydraulically Fractured Marcellus Shale Wells

PubMed Central

Lipus, Daniel; Vikram, Amit; Ross, Daniel; Bain, Daniel; Gulliver, Djuna; Hammack, Richard

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Microbial activity in the produced water from hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells may potentially interfere with hydrocarbon production and cause damage to the well and surface infrastructure via corrosion, sulfide release, and fouling. In this study, we surveyed the microbial abundance and community structure of produced water sampled from 42 Marcellus Shale wells in southwestern Pennsylvania (well age ranged from 150 to 1,846 days) to better understand the microbial diversity of produced water. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to assess taxonomy and utilized quantitative PCR (qPCR) to evaluate the microbial abundance across all 42 produced water samples. Bacteria of the order Halanaerobiales were found to be the most abundant organisms in the majority of the produced water samples, emphasizing their previously suggested role in hydraulic fracturing-related microbial activity. Statistical analyses identified correlations between well age and biocide formulation and the microbial community, in particular, the relative abundance of Halanaerobiales. We further investigated the role of members of the order Halanaerobiales in produced water by reconstructing and annotating a Halanaerobium draft genome (named MDAL1), using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and metagenomic binning. The recovered draft genome was found to be closely related to the species H. congolense, an oil field isolate, and Halanaerobium sp. strain T82-1, also recovered from hydraulic fracturing produced water. Reconstruction of metabolic pathways revealed Halanaerobium sp. strain MDAL1 to have the potential for acid production, thiosulfate reduction, and biofilm formation, suggesting it to have the ability to contribute to corrosion, souring, and biofouling events in the hydraulic fracturing infrastructure. IMPORTANCE There are an estimated 15,000 unconventional gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region, each generating up to 8,000 liters of hypersaline produced water per day throughout its lifetime (K. Gregory, R. Vidic, and D. Dzombak, Elements 7:181–186, 2011, https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.7.3.181; J. Arthur, B. Bohm, and M. Layne, Gulf Coast Assoc Geol Soc Trans 59:49–59, 2009; https://www.marcellusgas.org/index.php). Microbial activity in produced waters could lead to issues with corrosion, fouling, and souring, potentially interfering with hydraulic fracturing operations. Previous studies have found microorganisms contributing to corrosion, fouling, and souring to be abundant across produced water samples from hydraulically fractured wells; however, these findings were based on a limited number of samples and well sites. In this study, we investigated the microbial community structure in produced water samples from 42 unconventional Marcellus Shale wells, confirming the dominance of the genus Halanaerobium in produced water and its metabolic potential for acid and sulfide production and biofilm formation. PMID:28159795

Algae Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Algae are highly efficient at producing biomass, and they can be found all over the planet. Many use sunlight and nutrients to create biomass, which contain key components—including lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates— that can be converted and upgraded to a variety of biofuels and products. A functional algal biofuels production system requires resources such as suitable land and climate, sustainable management of water resources, a supplemental carbon dioxide (CO2) supply, and other nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus). Algae can be an attractive feedstock for many locations in the United States because their diversity allows for highpotential biomass yields in amore » variety of climates and environments. Depending on the strain, algae can grow by using fresh, saline, or brackish water from surface water sources, groundwater, or seawater. Additionally, they can grow in water from second-use sources such as treated industrial wastewater; municipal, agricultural, or aquaculture wastewater; or produced water generated from oil and gas drilling operations.« less

Domestic wastewater treatment as a net energy producer--can this be achieved?

PubMed

McCarty, Perry L; Bae, Jaeho; Kim, Jeonghwan

2011-09-01

In seeking greater sustainability in water resources management, wastewater is now being considered more as a resource than as a waste-a resource for water, for plant nutrients, and for energy. Energy, the primary focus of this article, can be obtained from wastewater's organic as well as from its thermal content. Also, using wastewater's nitrogen and P nutrients for plant fertilization, rather than wasting them, helps offset the high energy cost of producing synthetic fertilizers. Microbial fuel cells offer potential for direct biological conversion of wastewater's organic materials into electricity, although significant improvements are needed for this process to be competitive with anaerobic biological conversion of wastewater organics into biogas, a renewable fuel used in electricity generation. Newer membrane processes coupled with complete anaerobic treatment of wastewater offer the potential for wastewater treatment to become a net generator of energy, rather than the large energy consumer that it is today.

Automatic mapping of strip mine operations from spacecraft data. [Ohio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, R. H. (Principal Investigator); Reed, L. E.; Pettyjohn, W. A.

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Computer techniques were applied to process ERTS tapes acquired over coal mining operations in southeastern Ohio on 21 August 1972 and 3 September 1973. ERTS products obtained included geometrically-correct map overlays, at scales from 1:24,000 to 1:250,000, showing stripped earth, partially reclaimed earth, water, and natural vegetation. Computer-generated tables listing the area covered by each land-water category in square kilometers were also produced. By comparing these mapping products, the study demonstrates the capability of ERTS to monitor changes in the extent of stripping and reclamation. NASA C-130 photography acquired on 7 September 1973 when compared with the ERTS products generated from the 3 September 1973 tape established the categorization accuracy to be better than 90%. It is estimated that the stripping and reclamation maps and data were produced from the ERTS CCTs at a tenth of the cost of conventional techniques.

Novel Thermal Powered Technology for UUV Persistent Surveillance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jack A.; Chao, Yi

2006-01-01

Buoyancy Generation: Various technology attempts include melting a wax, which pushes directly against a piston (U.S. Patent 5,291,847) or against a bladder (Webb Research), using ammonia or Freon 21 (U.S. Patent 5,303,552), and using solar heat to expand an oil (www.space.com, April, 10, 2002). All these heat-activated buoyancy control designs have thus far proved impractical and have ultimately failed during repeated cycling in ocean testing. JPL has demonstrated fully reversible 10 C encapsulated wax phase change, which can be used to change buoyancy without electrical hydraulic pumps. This technique has greatly improved heat transfer and much better reversibility than previous designs. Power Generation: Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) systems have been designed that transfer deep, cold sea water to the surface to generate electricity using turbine cycles with ammonia or water as the working fluid. JPL has designed several UUV systems: 1) Using a propeller water turbine to generate power on a gliding submersible; 2) Employing a compact CO2 turbine cycle powered by moving through thermoclines; and 3) Using melted wax to directly produce power through a piston-geared generator.

Method of generating electricity using an endothermic coal gasifier and MHD generator

DOEpatents

Marchant, David D.; Lytle, John M.

1982-01-01

A system and method of generating electrical power wherein a mixture of carbonaceous material and water is heated to initiate and sustain the endothermic reaction of carbon and water thereby providing a gasified stream containing carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen and waste streams of hydrogen sulfide and ash. The gasified stream and an ionizing seed material and pressurized air from a preheater go to a burner for producing ionized combustion gases having a temperature of about 5000.degree. to about 6000.degree. F. which are accelerated to a velocity of about 1000 meters per second and passed through an MHD generator to generate DC power and thereafter through a diffuser to reduce the velocity. The gases from the diffuser go to an afterburner and from there in heat exchange relationship with the gasifier to provide heat to sustain the endothermic reaction of carbon and water and with the preheater to preheat the air prior to combustion with the gasified stream. Energy from the afterburner can also be used to energize other parts of the system.

Interfacing a small thermophotovoltaic generator to the grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durisch, W.; Grob, B.; Mayor, J.-C.; Panitz, J.-C.; Rosselet, A.

1999-03-01

A prototype thermophotovoltaic generator and grid-interfacing device have been developed to demonstrate the feasibility of grid-connected operation. For this purpose a conventional butane burner (rated power 1.35 kWth) was equipped with a ceramic composite emitter made of rare earth oxides. A water layer between emitter and photocells was used to protect the photocells against overheating. It absorbs the nonconvertible emitter radiation and is heated up thereby. The hot water so produced in larger units of this type could be used in a primary recirculation loop to transfer heat to a secondary domestic hot water system. For the photovoltaic generator, commercial grade silicon solar cells with 16% efficiency (under standard test conditions) were used. With the radiation of the emitter, a current of 4.6 A at a maximum power point voltage of 3.3 V was produced, corresponding to a DC output of 15 W and a thermal to DC power conversion efficiency of 1.1%. A specially developed high efficiency DC/DC converter and a modified, commercially available inverter were used to feed the generated power to the local grid. Under the experimental conditions in question the DC/DC-converter and the grid-inverter had efficiencies of 98 and 91%, respectively resulting in an overall interface efficiency of 89%. From modeling of the measured electrical characteristics of the photo cell generator under solar and emitter radiation, it is concluded that the photo current was about three times higher under the filtered emitter radiation. Under these conditions the electrical losses of the photocells were significantly higher than under sunlight.

SLB-STO-D ANALYSIS REPORT: MODELING AND SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF FUEL, WATER, AND WASTE REDUCTIONS IN BASE CAMPS: 50, 300, AND 1000 PERSONS

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-21

panels only produce power when the sun is out, turbines only produce power when there xiii is wind , etc. For these sources to be fully utilized...hybrid energy system mounted on a towable trailer consisting of an onboard diesel generator, solar panels, wind turbines , and an energy storage...limited to certain times of day—solar panels only produce power when the sun is out, turbines only produce power when there is wind , etc. For these

Development of Portable Flow-Through Electrochemical Sanitizing Unit to Generate Near Neutral Electrolyzed Water.

PubMed

Zhang, Jufang; Yang, Hongshun; Chan, Joel Zhi Yang

2018-03-01

We developed a portable flow-through, electrochemical sanitizing unit to produce near neutral pH electrolyzed water (producing NEW). Two methods of redirecting cathode yields back to the anode chamber and redirecting anode yields the cathode chamber were used. The NEW yields were evaluated, including: free available chlorine (FAC), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and pH. The performances of 2 electrodes (RuO 2 -IrO 2 /TiO 2 and IrO 2 -Ta 2 O 5 /TiO 2 ) were investigated. The unit produced NEW at pH 6.46 to 7.17, an ORP of 805.5 to 895.8 mV, and FAC of 3.7 to 82.0 mg/L. The NEW produced by redirecting cathode yields had stronger bactericidal effects than the NEW produced by redirecting anode yields or NEW produced by mixing the commercial unit's anode and cathode product (P < 0.05). Electron spin resonance results showed hydroxyl free radicals and superoxide anion free radicals were present in the NEW produced by developed unit. The NEW generator is a promising sanitizing unit for consumers and the food industry to control foodborne pathogens. Current commercial NEW-producing units are quite large and are not convenient for family using. The developed portable flow-through, NEW-producing unit has great potential in a wide range of applications, such as organic farm, households, and small food industries. The examined sanitizing treatments showed effective control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Vertically Aligned Graphene Sheets Membrane for Highly Efficient Solar Thermal Generation of Clean Water.

PubMed

Zhang, Panpan; Li, Jing; Lv, Lingxiao; Zhao, Yang; Qu, Liangti

2017-05-23

Efficient utilization of solar energy for clean water is an attractive, renewable, and environment friendly way to solve the long-standing water crisis. For this task, we prepared the long-range vertically aligned graphene sheets membrane (VA-GSM) as the highly efficient solar thermal converter for generation of clean water. The VA-GSM was prepared by the antifreeze-assisted freezing technique we developed, which possessed the run-through channels facilitating the water transport, high light absorption capacity for excellent photothermal transduction, and the extraordinary stability in rigorous conditions. As a result, VA-GSM has achieved average water evaporation rates of 1.62 and 6.25 kg m -2 h -1 under 1 and 4 sun illumination with a superb solar thermal conversion efficiency of up to 86.5% and 94.2%, respectively, better than that of most carbon materials reported previously, which can efficiently produce the clean water from seawater, common wastewater, and even concentrated acid and/or alkali solutions.

Puerto Rico water resources planning model program description

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moody, D.W.; Maddock, Thomas; Karlinger, M.R.; Lloyd, J.J.

1973-01-01

Because the use of the Mathematical Programming System -Extended (MPSX) to solve large linear and mixed integer programs requires the preparation of many input data cards, a matrix generator program to produce the MPSX input data from a much more limited set of data may expedite the use of the mixed integer programming optimization technique. The Model Definition and Control Program (MODCQP) is intended to assist a planner in preparing MPSX input data for the Puerto Rico Water Resources Planning Model. The model utilizes a mixed-integer mathematical program to identify a minimum present cost set of water resources projects (diversions, reservoirs, ground-water fields, desalinization plants, water treatment plants, and inter-basin transfers of water) which will meet a set of future water demands and to determine their sequence of construction. While MODCOP was specifically written to generate MPSX input data for the planning model described in this report, the program can be easily modified to reflect changes in the model's mathematical structure.

Characterization of N-Acylhomoserine Lactones Produced by Bacteria Isolated from Industrial Cooling Water Systems.

PubMed

Okutsu, Noriya; Morohoshi, Tomohiro; Xie, Xiaonan; Kato, Norihiro; Ikeda, Tsukasa

2015-12-30

The cooling water systems are used to remove heat generated in the various industries. Biofouling of the cooling water systems causes blocking of condenser pipes and the heat exchanger tubes. In many Gram-negative bacteria, N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) are used as quorum-sensing signal molecule and associated with biofilm formation. To investigate the relationship between quorum sensing and biofouling in the cooling water system, we isolated a total of 192 bacterial strains from the five cooling water systems, and screened for AHL production. Seven isolates stimulated AHL-mediated purple pigment production in AHL reporter strain Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 or VIR07. Based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences, AHL-producing isolates were assigned to Aeromonas hydrophila, Lysobacter sp., Methylobacterium oryzae, and Bosea massiliensis. To the best of our knowledge, B. massiliensis and Lysobacter sp. have not been reported as AHL-producing species in the previous researches. AHLs extracted from the culture supernatants of B. massiliensis and Lysobacter sp. were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. AHLs produced by B. massiliensis were assigned as N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL), N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C6-HSL), and N-(3-oxooctanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C8-HSL). AHLs produced by Lysobacter sp. were assigned as N-decanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C10-HSL) and N-(3-oxodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C10-HSL). This is the first report of identification of AHLs produced by B. massiliensis and Lysobacter sp. isolated from the cooling water system.

Method for generating hydrogen for fuel cells

DOEpatents

Ahmed, Shabbir; Lee, Sheldon H. D.; Carter, John David; Krumpelt, Michael

2004-03-30

A method of producing a H.sub.2 rich gas stream includes supplying an O.sub.2 rich gas, steam, and fuel to an inner reforming zone of a fuel processor that includes a partial oxidation catalyst and a steam reforming catalyst or a combined partial oxidation and stream reforming catalyst. The method also includes contacting the O.sub.2 rich gas, steam, and fuel with the partial oxidation catalyst and the steam reforming catalyst or the combined partial oxidation and stream reforming catalyst in the inner reforming zone to generate a hot reformate stream. The method still further includes cooling the hot reformate stream in a cooling zone to produce a cooled reformate stream. Additionally, the method includes removing sulfur-containing compounds from the cooled reformate stream by contacting the cooled reformate stream with a sulfur removal agent. The method still further includes contacting the cooled reformate stream with a catalyst that converts water and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and H.sub.2 in a water-gas-shift zone to produce a final reformate stream in the fuel processor.

Fuel processor and method for generating hydrogen for fuel cells

DOEpatents

Ahmed, Shabbir [Naperville, IL; Lee, Sheldon H. D. [Willowbrook, IL; Carter, John David [Bolingbrook, IL; Krumpelt, Michael [Naperville, IL; Myers, Deborah J [Lisle, IL

2009-07-21

A method of producing a H.sub.2 rich gas stream includes supplying an O.sub.2 rich gas, steam, and fuel to an inner reforming zone of a fuel processor that includes a partial oxidation catalyst and a steam reforming catalyst or a combined partial oxidation and stream reforming catalyst. The method also includes contacting the O.sub.2 rich gas, steam, and fuel with the partial oxidation catalyst and the steam reforming catalyst or the combined partial oxidation and stream reforming catalyst in the inner reforming zone to generate a hot reformate stream. The method still further includes cooling the hot reformate stream in a cooling zone to produce a cooled reformate stream. Additionally, the method includes removing sulfur-containing compounds from the cooled reformate stream by contacting the cooled reformate stream with a sulfur removal agent. The method still further includes contacting the cooled reformate stream with a catalyst that converts water and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and H.sub.2 in a water-gas-shift zone to produce a final reformate stream in the fuel processor.

Characterisation of culture-independent and -dependent microbial communities in a high-temperature offshore chalk petroleum reservoir.

PubMed

Kaster, Krista M; Bonaunet, Kristin; Berland, Harald; Kjeilen-Eilertsen, Grethe; Brakstad, Odd Gunnar

2009-11-01

Recent studies have indicated that oil reservoirs harbour diverse microbial communities. Culture-dependent and culture-independent methods were used to evaluate the microbial diversity in produced water samples of the Ekofisk oil field, a high temperature, and fractured chalk reservoir in the North Sea. DGGE analyses of 16S rRNA gene fragments were used to assess the microbial diversity of both archaeal and bacterial communities in produced water samples and enrichment cultures from 4 different wells (B-08, X-08, X-18 and X-25). Low diversity communities were found when 16S rDNA libraries of bacterial and archaeal assemblages were generated from total community DNA obtained from produced water samples and enrichment cultures. Sequence analysis of the clones indicated close matches to microbes associated with high-temperature oil reservoirs or other similar environments. Sequences were found to be similar to members of the genera Thermotoga, Caminicella, Thermoanaerobacter, Archaeoglobus, Thermococcus, and Methanobulbus. Enrichment cultures obtained from the produced water samples were dominated by sheathed rods. Sequence analyses of the cultures indicated predominance of the genera Petrotoga, Arcobacter, Archaeoglobus and Thermococcus. The communities of both produced water and enrichment cultures appeared to be dominated by thermophilic fermenters capable of reducing sulphur compounds. These results suggest that the biochemical processes in the Ekofisk chalk reservoir are similar to those observed in high-temperature sandstone reservoirs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gisler, Galen R.; Weaver, R. P.; Mader, Charles L.

Kick-em Jenny, in the Eastern Caribbean, is a submerged volcanic cone that has erupted a dozen or more times since its discovery in 1939. The most likely hazard posed by this volcano is to shipping in the immediate vicinity (through volcanic missiles or loss-of-buoyancy), but it is of interest to estimate upper limits on tsunamis that might be produced by a catastrophic explosive eruption. To this end, we have performed two-dimensional simulations of such an event in a geometry resembling that of Kick-em Jenny with our SAGE adaptive mesh Eulerian multifluid compressible hydrocode. We use realistic equations of state formore » air, water, and basalt, and follow the event from the initial explosive eruption, through the generation of a transient water cavity and the propagation of waves away from the site. We find that even for extremely catastrophic explosive eruptions, tsunamis from Kick-em Jenny are unlikely to pose significant danger to nearby islands. For comparison, we have also performed simulations of explosive eruptions at the much larger shield volcano Vailuluu in the Samoan chain, where the greater energy available can produce a more impressive wave. In general, however, we conclude that explosive eruptions do not couple well to water waves. The waves that are produced from such events are turbulent and highly dissipative, and don't propagate well. This is consistent with what we have found previously in simulations of asteroid-impact generated tsunamis. Non-explosive events, however, such as landslides or gas hydrate releases, do couple well to waves, and our simulations of tsunamis generated by subaerial and sub-aqueous landslides demonstrate this.« less

A 5000km2 data set along western Great Bahama Bank illustrates the dynamics of carbonate slope deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnyder, Jara S. D.; Jo, Andrew; Eberli, Gregor P.; Betzler, Christian; Lindhorst, Sebastian; Schiebel, Linda; Hebbeln, Dierk; Wintersteller, Paul; Mulder, Thierry; Principaud, Melanie

2014-05-01

An approximately 5000km2 hydroacoustic and seismic data set provides the high-resolution bathymetry map of along the western slope of Great Bahama Bank, the world's largest isolated carbonate platform. This large data set in combination with core and sediment samples, provides and unprecedented insight into the variability of carbonate slope morphology and the processes affecting the platform margin and the slope. This complete dataset documents how the interplay of platform derived sedimentation, distribution by ocean currents, and local slope and margin failure produce a slope-parallel facies distribution that is not governed by downslope gradients. Platform-derived sediments produce a basinward thinning sediment wedge that is modified by currents that change directions and strength depending on water depth and location. As a result, winnowing and deposition change with water depth and distance from the margin. Morphological features like the plunge pool and migrating antidunes are the result of currents flowing from the banktop, while the ocean currents produce contourites and drifts. These continuous processes are punctuated by submarine slope failures of various sizes. The largest of these slope failures produce several hundred of km2 of mass transport complexes and could generate tsunamis. Closer to the Cuban fold and thrust belt, large margin collapses pose an equal threat for tsunami generation. However, the debris from margin and slope failure is the foundation for a teeming community of cold-water corals.

Production of long-term global water vapor and liquid water data set using ultra-fast methods to assimilate multi-satellite and radiosonde observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vonderhaar, T. H.; Reinke, Donald L.; Randel, David L.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Combs, Cynthia L.; Greenwald, Thomas J.; Ringerud, Mark A.; Wittmeyer, Ian L.

1993-01-01

During the next decade, many programs and experiments under the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) will utilize present day and future data sets to improve our understanding of the role of moisture in climate, and its interaction with other variables such as clouds and radiation. An important element of GEWEX will be the GEWEX Water Vapor Project (GVaP), which will eventually initiate a routine, real-time assimilation of the highest quality, global water vapor data sets including information gained from future data collection systems, both ground and space based. The comprehensive global water vapor data set being produced by METSAT Inc. uses a combination of ground-based radiosonde data, and infrared and microwave satellite retrievals. This data is needed to provide the desired foundation from which future GEWEX-related research, such as GVaP, can build. The first year of this project was designed to use a combination of the best available atmospheric moisture data including: radiosonde (balloon/acft/rocket), HIRS/MSU (TOVS) retrievals, and SSM/I retrievals, to produce a one-year, global, high resolution data set of integrated column water vapor (precipitable water) with a horizontal resolution of 1 degree, and a temporal resolution of one day. The time period of this pilot product was to be det3ermined by the availability of all the input data sets. January 1988 through December 1988 were selected. In addition, a sample of vertically integrated liquid water content (LWC) was to be produced with the same temporal and spatial parameters. This sample was to be produced over ocean areas only. Three main steps are followed to produce a merged water vapor and liquid water product. Input data from Radiosondes, TOVS, and SSMI/I is quality checked in steps one and two. Processing is done in step two to generate individual total column water vapor and liquid water data sets. The third step, and final processing task, involves merging the individual output products to produce the integrated water vapor product. A final quality control is applied to the merged data sets.

Effect of aerosol particles generated by ultrasonic humidifiers on the lung in mouse.

PubMed

Umezawa, Masakazu; Sekita, Keisuke; Suzuki, Ken-Ichiro; Kubo-Irie, Miyoko; Niki, Rikio; Ihara, Tomomi; Sugamata, Masao; Takeda, Ken

2013-12-21

Ultrasonic humidifiers silently generate water droplets as a cool fog and produce most of the dissolved minerals in the fog in the form of an aerosolized "white dust." However, the health effect of these airborne particles is largely unknown. This study aimed to characterize the aerosol particles generated by ultrasonic humidifiers and to investigate their effect on the lung tissue of mice. An ultrasonic humidifier was operated with tap water, high-silica water, ultrapure water, or other water types. In a chamber (0.765 m3, ventilation ratio 11.5 m3/hr), male ICR mice (10-week-old) were exposed by inhalation to an aerosol-containing vapor generated by the humidifier. After exposure for 7 or 14 days, lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected from each mouse and examined by microarray, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and light and electron microscopy. Particles generated from the humidifier operated with tap water had a mass concentration of 0.46 ± 0.03 mg/m3, number concentration of (5.0 ± 1.1) × 10(4)/cm3, and peak size distribution of 183 nm. The particles were phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages in the lung of mice. Inhalation of particles caused dysregulation of genes related to mitosis, cell adhesion molecules, MHC molecules and endocytosis, but did not induce any signs of inflammation or tissue injury in the lung. These results indicate that aerosol particles released from ultrasonic humidifiers operated with tap water initiated a cellular response but did not cause severe acute inflammation in pulmonary tissue. Additionally, high mineral content tap water is not recommended and de-mineralized water should be recommended in order to exclude any adverse effects.

Potential ability of zeolite to generate high-temperature vapor using waste heat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukai, Jun; Wijayanta, Agung Tri

2018-02-01

In various material product industries, a large amount of high temperature steam as heat sources are produced from fossil fuel, then thermal energy retained by condensed water at lower than 100°C are wasted. Thermal energies retained by exhaust gases at lower than 200°C are also wasted. Effective utilization of waste heat is believed to be one of important issues to solve global problems of energy and environment. Zeolite/water adsorption systems are introduced to recover such low-temperature waste heats in this study. Firstly, an adsorption steam recovery system was developed to generate high temperature steam from unused hot waste heat. The system used a new principle that adsorption heat of zeolite/water contact was efficiently extracted. A bench-scaled system was constructed, demonstrating contentious generation of saturated steam nearly 150°C from hot water at 80°C. Energy conservation is expected by returning the generated steam to steam lines in the product processes. Secondly, it was demonstrated that superheated steam/vapor at higher than 200°C could be generated from those at nearly 120°C using a laboratory-scaled setup. The maximum temperature and the time variation of output temperature were successfully estimated using macroscopic heat balances. Lastly, the maximum temperatures were estimated whose saturate air at the relative humidity 20-80% were heated by the present system. Theoretically, air at higher than 200°C was generated from saturate air at higher than 70°C. Consequently, zeolite/water adsorption systems have potential ability to regenerate thermal energy of waste water and exhaust gases.

Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This assessment provides a review and synthesis of available scientific literature and data to assess the potential for hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas to impact the quality or quantity of drinking water resources, and identifies factors affecting the frequency or severity of any potential impacts. The scope of this assessment is defined by the hydraulic fracturing water cycle which includes five main activities: Water acquisition – the withdrawal of ground or surface water needed for hydraulic fracturing fluids;Chemical mixing – the mixing of water, chemicals, and proppant on the well pad to create the hydraulic fracturing fluid;Well injection – the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the well to fracture the geologic formation; Flowback and Produced water – the return of injected fluid and water produced from the formation to the surface, and subsequent transport for reuse, treatment, or disposal; andWastewater treatment and waste disposal – the reuse, treatment and release, or disposal of wastewater generated at the well pad, including produced water. This report can be used by federal, tribal, state, and local officials; industry; and the public to better understand and address vulnerabilities of drinking water resources to hydraulic fracturing activities. To assess the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, if any, and to identify the driving factors that may affect the severity and frequency of s

Iodine generator for reclaimed water purification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wynveen, R. A.; Powell, J. D.; Schubert, F. H. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

The system disclosed is for controlling the iodine level in a water supply in a spacecraft. It includes an iodine accumulator which stores crystalline iodine, an electrochemical valve to control the input of iodine to the drinking water and an iodine dispenser. A pump dispenses fluid through the iodine dispenser and an iodine sensor to a potable water tank storage. The iodine sensor electronically detects the iodine level in the water, and through electronic means, produces a correction current control. The correction current control operates the electro-chemical iodine valve to release iodine from the iodine accumulator into the iodine dispenser.

Improved evaluation of the blue water footprint from hydropower in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, G.; Gao, H.

2017-12-01

As the world's largest source of renewable energy, hydropower contributes 16.6% of the electricity production in the world. Even though it produces no waste, hydropower exhausts a considerable amount of water mostly through evaporation from the extended surface areas of the manmade lakes. The water footprint of hydropower becomes even larger with rising temperatures. To assist with the precise management of both water resources and energy production in the Contiguous United States (CONUS), 82 major dams—all with a primary purpose of producing hydroelectric power—were evaluated in terms of their blue water footprints. These dams account for 21% of the entire hydropower generation in the CONUS. Reservoir evaporation is calculated using state-of-the-art reservoir surface area and evaporation rate information. Instead of using fixed surface areas for the reservoirs—a practice which is adopted by virtually all other studies (and generally leads to over-or-under estimations)—time-variant surface areas were generated from Landsat imageries archived on Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Additionally, evaporation rates were calculated using an equilibrium method that incorporates the heat storage effects of the reservoirs. Results show that water consumption from hydropower is large and non-negligible. Furthermore, the differences of the blue water footprints among the dams studied are also significant. The results of this study can benefit the evaluation of existing dams (e.g. recommendation for dam removal) and the planning of future hydroelectric dams.

Oxygen Generation Assembly Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bagdigian, Robert; Cloud, Dale

1999-01-01

Hamilton Standard Space Systems International (HSSI) is under contract to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to develop an Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) for the International Space Station (ISS). The International Space Station Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) electrolyzes potable water from the Water Recovery System (WRS) to provide gaseous oxygen to the Space Station module atmosphere. The OGA produces oxygen for metabolic consumption by crew and biological specimens. The OGA also replenishes oxygen lost by experiment ingestion, airlock depressurization, CO2 venting, and leakage. As a byproduct, gaseous hydrogen is generated. The hydrogen will be supplied at a specified pressure range above ambient to support future utilization. Initially, the hydrogen will be vented overboard to space vacuum. This paper describes the OGA integration into the ISS Node 3. It details the development history supporting the design and describes the OGA System characteristics and its physical layout.

40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods...: atmospheric or pressurized fluidized bed combustion, integrated gasification combined cycle...

Calderas produced by hydromagmatic eruptions through permafrost in northwest Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beget, J. E.

1993-01-01

Most hydromagmatic eruptions on Earth are generated by interactions of lava and ground or surface water. This eruptive process typically produces craters 0.1-1 km in diameter, although a few as large as 1-2 km were described. In contrast, a series of Pleistocene hydromagmatic eruptions through 80-100-m-thick permafrost on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska produced four craters 3-8 km in diameter. These craters, called the Espenberg maars, are the four largest maars known on Earth. The thermodynamic properties of ground ice influence the rate and amount of water melted during the course of the eruption. Large quantities of water are present, but only small amounts can be melted at any time to interact with magma. This would tend to produce sustained and highly explosive low water/magma (fuel-coolant) ratios during the eruptions. An area of 400 km(sub 2) around the Alaskan maars shows strong reductions in the density of thaw lakes, ground ice, and other surface manifestations of permafrost because of deep burial by coeval tephra falls. The unusually large Espenberg maars are the first examples of calderas produced by hydromagmatic eruptions. These distinctive landforms can apparently be used as an indicator of the presence of permafrost at the time of eruption.

Foam property tests to evaluate the potential for longwall shield dust control.

PubMed

Reed, W R; Beck, T W; Zheng, Y; Klima, S; Driscoll, J

2018-01-01

Tests were conducted to determine properties of four foam agents for their potential use in longwall mining dust control. Foam has been tried in underground mining in the past for dust control and is currently being reconsidered for use in underground coal longwall operations in order to help those operations comply with the Mine Safety and Health Administration's lower coal mine respirable dust standard of 1.5 mg/m 3 . Foams were generated using two different methods. One method used compressed air and water pressure to generate foam, while the other method used low-pressure air generated by a blower and water pressure using a foam generator developed by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Foam property tests, consisting of a foam expansion ratio test and a water drainage test, were conducted to classify foams. Compressed-air-generated foams tended to have low expansion ratios, from 10 to 19, with high water drainage. Blower-air-generated foams had higher foam expansion ratios, from 30 to 60, with lower water drainage. Foams produced within these ranges of expansion ratios are stable and potentially suitable for dust control. The test results eliminated two foam agents for future testing because they had poor expansion ratios. The remaining two foam agents seem to have properties adequate for dust control. These material property tests can be used to classify foams for their potential use in longwall mining dust control.

Foam property tests to evaluate the potential for longwall shield dust control

PubMed Central

Reed, W.R.; Beck, T.W.; Zheng, Y.; Klima, S.; Driscoll, J.

2018-01-01

Tests were conducted to determine properties of four foam agents for their potential use in longwall mining dust control. Foam has been tried in underground mining in the past for dust control and is currently being reconsidered for use in underground coal longwall operations in order to help those operations comply with the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s lower coal mine respirable dust standard of 1.5 mg/m3. Foams were generated using two different methods. One method used compressed air and water pressure to generate foam, while the other method used low-pressure air generated by a blower and water pressure using a foam generator developed by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Foam property tests, consisting of a foam expansion ratio test and a water drainage test, were conducted to classify foams. Compressed-air-generated foams tended to have low expansion ratios, from 10 to 19, with high water drainage. Blower-air-generated foams had higher foam expansion ratios, from 30 to 60, with lower water drainage. Foams produced within these ranges of expansion ratios are stable and potentially suitable for dust control. The test results eliminated two foam agents for future testing because they had poor expansion ratios. The remaining two foam agents seem to have properties adequate for dust control. These material property tests can be used to classify foams for their potential use in longwall mining dust control. PMID:29416179

Hydraulic design of a re-circulating water cooling system of a combined cycle power plant in Thailand

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sarkar, C.K.; Pandit, D.R.; Kwon, S.G.

The paper describes the hydraulic design and hydraulic transient analysis of the re-circulating water cooling system of the combined cyclo Sipco power cogeneration plant in Thailand. The power plant of 450 MW total capacity is proposed to be built in two stages. Stage one will produce 300 MW of power and will consist of two gas turbine generators (GTG) and one steam turbine generator (STG). Stage two will produce 150 MW of power and will consist of one GTG and one STG. The cooling system will consist of one GTG and one STG. The cooling system will consist of coolingmore » towers, a combined collecting basin and pump intake sump, pumps and motors, and separate conveyance systems and condensers for the generator units in the two stages. In a re-circulating water cooling system, cold water is pumped from the pump intake sump to the condensers through the conveyance system and hot water from the condensers is carried through the returning pipeline system to the cooling towers, whence the water after cooling is drained into the sump at the base of the towers. Total cooling water requirement for the system in stage one is estimated to be 112,000 gallons per minute (GPM), and that in stage two, 56,000 GPM. The sump is designed using the computer program HEC-2, developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and the pump intake basin, following the recommendations of the Hydraulic Institute. The pumps were sized by computing the head loss in the system, and, the steady state and transient performances (during pump start-up and shut-down procedures and due to possible power or mechanical failure of one or all pumps) of the system were analyzed by mathematically modeling the system using the computer program WHAMO (Water Hammer nd Mass Oscillations), also developed by the COE.« less

Sustainable Management of Flowback Water during Hydraulic Fracturing of Marcellus Shale for Natural Gas Production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vidic, Radisav

2015-01-24

This study evaluated the feasibility of using abandoned mine drainage (AMD) as make- up water for the reuse of produced water for hydraulic fracturing. There is an abundance of AMD sources near permitted gas wells as documented in this study that can not only serve as makeup water and reduce the demand on high quality water resources but can also as a source of chemicals to treat produced water prior to reuse. The assessment of AMD availability for this purpose based on proximity and relevant regulations was accompanied by bench- and pilot-scale studies to determine optimal treatment to achieve desiredmore » water quality for use in hydraulic fracturing. Sulfate ions that are often present in AMD at elevated levels will react with Ba²⁺ and Sr²⁺ in produced water to form insoluble sulfate compounds. Both membrane microfiltration and gravity separation were evaluated for the removal of solids formed as a result of mixing these two impaired waters. Laboratory studies revealed that neither AMD nor barite formed in solution had significant impact on membrane filtration but that some produced waters contained submicron particles that can cause severe fouling of microfiltration membrane. Coagulation/flocculation was found to be an effective process for the removal of suspended solids and both bench- and pilot-scale studies revealed that optimal process conditions can consistently achieve the turbidity of the finished water below 5 NTU. Adjusting the blending ratio of AMD and produced water can achieve the desired effluent sulfate concentration that can be accurately predicted by chemical thermodynamics. Co-treatment of produced water and AMD will result in elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the solid waste generated in this process due to radium co-precipitation with barium sulfate. Laboratory studies revealed that the mobility of barite that may form in the subsurface due to the presence of sulfate in the fracturing fluid can be controlled by the addition of appropriate antiscalants.« less

Algorithm Estimates Microwave Water-Vapor Delay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Steven E.

1989-01-01

Accuracy equals or exceeds conventional linear algorithms. "Profile" algorithm improved algorithm using water-vapor-radiometer data to produce estimates of microwave delays caused by water vapor in troposphere. Does not require site-specific and weather-dependent empirical parameters other than standard meteorological data, latitude, and altitude for use in conjunction with published standard atmospheric data. Basic premise of profile algorithm, wet-path delay approximated closely by solution to simplified version of nonlinear delay problem and generated numerically from each radiometer observation and simultaneous meteorological data.

Constraining the Energetics of Explosive Lava-Water Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitch, E. P.; Fagents, S. A.

2017-12-01

During volcanic eruptions, water, such as groundwater or melted ice or snow, may interact with magma within the conduit during eruption, generating explosions when the heat of the magma causes the water to rapidly turn to steam and expand, resulting in what we call a "phreatomagmatic" eruption. In 2010, the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland produced a plume of fine ash, through the interaction between magma and glacial melt water, which resulted in the closure of substantial airspace, ultimately costing a total of almost 5 billion dollars. Although an important area of study, it is difficult to quantify the effect of eternal water on eruption intensity when the gas inside of magma is also expanding and fragmenting the magma. In an attempt to understand the energetics of magma-water interactions, small-scale laboratory experiments have been performed. Explosion energy is found to depend mostly on kinetic energy, which is proportional to dispersal distance, and fragmentation energy, which is proportional to the mean grain size of the ejecta, and the mass percent of ash-sized grains. It is thought that in order to generate heat transfer rates sufficiently rapid to cause explosive detonation, the source melt must be finely fragmented, producing ash-sized grains. Those grains undergo brittle fragmentation due to rapid cooling and weak shock waves generated by the vaporization of superheated water. We take the novel approach of studying explosive interactions between lava and water to obtain additional explosion energy constraints. We identified and analyzed numerous beds of lava-water explosion ejecta of varying explosion energy, and we analyzed the ash-sized grains of these beds in detail. We verified that the mass of ash-sized grains increases with increasing explosion energy, and can form at the interface between lava and water. We found that brittle fragmentation occurs to a greater degree as grain size decreases and that the ash of highly-energetic explosions undergoes the most brittle fragmentation. Therefore, our next steps will be to use these results to constrain the fragmentation and kinetic energy, in order to calculate the total energy and heat-transfer rate of lava-water explosions as important analogs for phreatomagmatic eruptions.

Trade-offs of water use for hydropower generation and biofuel production in the Zambezi basin in Mozambique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanzel, Philipp; Kling, Harald; Nicholson, Kit

2014-05-01

Hydropower is the most important energy source in Mozambique, as in many other southern African countries. In the Zambezi basin, it is one of the major economic resources, and substantial hydropower development is envisaged for the next decades. In Mozambique, the extension of the large Cahora Bassa hydropower plant and the construction of several new facilities downstream are planned. Irrigated agriculture currently plays a minor role, but has a large potential due to available land and water resources. Irrigation development, especially for the production of biofuels, is an important government policy goal in Mozambique. This contribution assesses interrelations and trade-offs between these two development options with high dependence on water availability. Potential water demand for large-scale irrigated agriculture is estimated for a mix of possible biofuel crops in three scenarios with different irrigated area sizes. Impacts on river discharge and hydropower production in the Lower Zambezi and its tributaries under two projected future climates are simulated with a hydrological model and a reservoir operation and hydropower model. Trade-offs of increasing biofuel production with decreasing hydropower generation due to diminished discharge in the Zambezi River are investigated based on potential energy production, from hydropower and biofuels, and resulting gross revenues and net benefits. Results show that the impact of irrigation withdrawal on hydropower production is rather low due to the generally high water availability in the Zambezi River. In simulations with substantial irrigated areas, hydropower generation decreases by -2% as compared to a scenario with only small irrigated areas. The economic analyses suggest that the use of water for cultivation of biofuel crops in the Zambezi basin can generate higher economic benefits than the use of water for hydroelectric power production. If world oil prices stay at more than about 80 USD/barrel, then the production of biofuels for oil import substitution will yield strong benefits except for the least efficient producers. Producing biofuels for export is more challenging and requires highly efficient production. Generally, investment in irrigated agriculture is expected to have more impact on local economy and therefore poverty reduction than investment in hydropower development.

Alternative Electrochemical Systems for Ozonation of Water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Craig C.; Murphy, Oliver J.

2003-01-01

Electrochemical systems that are especially well suited for the small-scale generation of ozone and ozonated water for local use have been invented. These systems can operate with very little maintenance, and the only inputs needed during operation are electric power and water. Ozonated water produced by these systems can be used in diverse industrial applications: A few examples include sterilization in the brewing industry, general disinfection, and treatment of sewage and recycled water. The basic principle of operation admits of several alternative system configurations. The heart of the system is a stack of electrolytic cells, each containing a proton-exchange membrane (which serves as a solid electrolyte) sandwiched between a catalytic anode and a catalytic cathode. Preferably, the proton-exchange membrane is made of a perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer. During electrolysis, a mixture of O2 and O3 gases is generated at the anode and H2 is generated at the cathode. Some of the O3 generated at the anode becomes dissolved in the water. The proportion of O3 in the O2/O3 mixture can be maximized by the selection of suitable electrode materials and the use of a high overpotential. Although the proton-exchange membrane conducts protons, it does not conduct electrons. It is also impermeable by gases; consequently, it maintains separation between the O2/O3 mixture evolved at the anode and the H2 evolved at the cathode.

DETECTION AND DISINFECTION OF PATHOGENS IN STORM- GENERATED FLOWS

EPA Science Inventory

The disease-producing potential of recreational waters is currently estimated through the use of certain bacterial indicators that are believed to be positively correlated with the presence of fecal contamination. In general, these indicators and their recommended limiting values...

Long Term Field Development of a Surfactant Modified Zeolite/Vapor Phase Bioreactor System for Treatment of Produced Waters for Power Generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lynn Katz; Kerry Kinney; Robert Bowman

The main goal of this research was to investigate the feasibility of using a combined physicochemical/biological treatment system to remove the organic constituents present in saline produced water. In order to meet this objective, a physical/chemical adsorption process was developed and two separate biological treatment techniques were investigated. Two previous research projects focused on the development of the surfactant modified zeolite adsorption process (DE-AC26-99BC15221) and development of a vapor phase biofilter (VPB) to treat the regeneration off-gas from the surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) adsorption system (DE-FC26-02NT15461). In this research, the SMZ/VPB was modified to more effectively attenuate peak loads andmore » to maintain stable biodegradation of the BTEX constituents from the produced water. Specifically, a load equalization system was incorporated into the regeneration flow stream. In addition, a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system was tested for its ability to simultaneously remove the aromatic hydrocarbon and carboxylate components from produced water. The specific objectives related to these efforts included the following: (1) Optimize the performance VPBs treating the transient loading expected during SMZ regeneration: (a) Evaluate the impact of biofilter operating parameters on process performance under stable operating conditions. (b) Investigate how transient loads affect biofilter performance, and identify an appropriate technology to improve biological treatment performance during the transient regeneration period of an SMZ adsorption system. (c) Examine the merits of a load equalization technology to attenuate peak VOC loads prior to a VPB system. (d) Evaluate the capability of an SMZ/VPB to remove BTEX from produced water in a field trial. (2) Investigate the feasibility of MBR treatment of produced water: (a) Evaluate the biodegradation of carboxylates and BTEX constituents from synthetic produced water in a laboratory-scale MBR. (b) Evaluate the capability of an SMZ/MBR system to remove carboxylates and BTEX from produced water in a field trial. Laboratory experiments were conducted to provide a better understanding of each component of the SMZ/VPB and SMZ/MBR process. Laboratory VPB studies were designed to address the issue of influent variability and periodic operation (see DE-FC26-02NT15461). These experiments examined multiple influent loading cycles and variable concentration loadings that simulate air sparging as the regeneration option for the SMZ system. Two pilot studies were conducted at a produced water processing facility near Farmington, New Mexico. The first field test evaluated SMZ adsorption, SMZ regeneration, VPB buffering, and VPB performance, and the second test focused on MBR and SMZ/MBR operation. The design of the field studies were based on the results from the previous field tests and laboratory studies. Both of the biological treatment systems were capable of removing the BTEX constituents in the laboratory and in the field over a range of operating conditions. For the VPB, separation of the BTEX constituents from the saline aqueous phase yielded high removal efficiencies. However, carboxylates remained in the aqueous phase and were not removed in the combined VPB/SMZ system. In contrast, the MBR was capable of directly treating the saline produced water and simultaneously removing the BTEX and carboxylate constituents. The major limitation of the MBR system is the potential for membrane fouling, particularly when the system is treating produced water under field conditions. The combined process was able to effectively pretreat water for reverse osmosis treatment and subsequent downstream reuse options including utilization in power generation facilities. The specific conclusions that can be drawn from this study are summarized.« less

Solar thermal power system

DOEpatents

Bennett, Charles L.

2010-06-15

A solar thermal power generator includes an inclined elongated boiler tube positioned in the focus of a solar concentrator for generating steam from water. The boiler tube is connected at one end to receive water from a pressure vessel as well as connected at an opposite end to return steam back to the vessel in a fluidic circuit arrangement that stores energy in the form of heated water in the pressure vessel. An expander, condenser, and reservoir are also connected in series to respectively produce work using the steam passed either directly (above a water line in the vessel) or indirectly (below a water line in the vessel) through the pressure vessel, condense the expanded steam, and collect the condensed water. The reservoir also supplies the collected water back to the pressure vessel at the end of a diurnal cycle when the vessel is sufficiently depressurized, so that the system is reset to repeat the cycle the following day. The circuital arrangement of the boiler tube and the pressure vessel operates to dampen flow instabilities in the boiler tube, damp out the effects of solar transients, and provide thermal energy storage which enables time shifting of power generation to better align with the higher demand for energy during peak energy usage periods.

Generation of aliphatic acid anions and carbon dioxide by hydrous pyrolysis of crude oils

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kharaka, Y.K.; Lundegard, P.D.; Ambats, G.; Evans, William C.; Bischoff, J.L.

1993-01-01

Two crude oils with relatively high (0.60 wt%) and low (0.18 wt%) oxygen contents were heated in the presence of water in gold-plated reactors at 300??C for 2348 h. The high-oxygen oil was also heated at 200??C for 5711 h. The compositions of aqueous organic acid anions of the oils and of the headspace gases were monitored inn order to investigate the distribution of organic acids that can be generated from liquid petroleum. The oil with higher oxygen content generated about five times as much organic anions as the other oil. The dominant organic anions produced were acetate, propionate and butyrate. Small amounts of formate, succinate, methyl succinate and oxalate were also produced. The dominant oxygen-containing product was CO2, as has been observed in similar studies on the hydrous pyrolysis of kerogen. These results indicate that a significant portion (10-30%) of organic acid anions reported i be generated by thermal alteration of oils in reservoir rocks. The bulk of organic acid anions present in formation waters, however, is most likely generated by thermal alteration of kerogen in source rocks. Kerogen is more abundant than oil in sedimentary basins and the relative yields of organic acid anions reported from the hydrous pyrolysis of kerogen are much higher than the yields obtained for the two oils. ?? 1993.

A proposed national wind power R and D program. [offshore wind power system for electric energy supplies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heronemus, W.

1973-01-01

An offshore wind power system is described that consists of wind driven electrical dc generators mounted on floating towers in offshore waters. The output from the generators supplies underwater electrolyzer stations in which water is converted into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is piped to shore for conversion to electricity in fuel cell stations. It is estimated that this system can produce 159 x 10 to the ninth power kilowatt-hours per year. It is concluded that solar energy - and that includes wind energy - is the only way out of the US energy dilemma in the not too distant future.

Improving proliferation resistance of high breeding gain generation 4 reactors using blankets composed of light water reactor waste

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hellesen, C.; Grape, S.; Haakanson, A.

2013-07-01

Fertile blankets can be used in fast reactors to enhance the breeding gain as well as the passive safety characteristics. However, such blankets typically result in the production of weapons grade plutonium. For this reason they are often excluded from Generation IV reactor designs. In this paper we demonstrate that using blankets manufactured directly from spent light water (LWR) reactor fuel it is possible to produce a plutonium product with non-proliferation characteristics on a par with spent LWR fuel of 30-50 MWd/kg burnup. The beneficial breeding and safety characteristics are retained. (authors)

Technical Feasible Study for Future Solar Thermal Steam Power Station in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohari, Z. H.; Atira, N. N.; Jali, M. H.; Sulaima, M. F.; Izzuddin, T. A.; Baharom, M. F.

2017-10-01

This paper proposed renewable energy which is potential to be used in Malaysia in generating electricity to innovate and improve current operating systems. Thermal and water act as the resources to replace limited fossil fuels such as coal which is still widely used in energy production nowadays. Thermal is also known as the heat energy while the water absorbs energy from the thermal to produce steam energy. By combining both of the sources, it is known as thermal steam renewable energy. The targeted area to build this power station has constant high temperature and low humidity which can maximize the efficiency of generating power.

NASA, Navy, and AES/York sea ice concentration comparison of SSM/I algorithms with SAR derived values

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jentz, R. R.; Wackerman, C. C.; Shuchman, R. A.; Onstott, R. G.; Gloersen, Per; Cavalieri, Don; Ramseier, Rene; Rubinstein, Irene; Comiso, Joey; Hollinger, James

1991-01-01

Previous research studies have focused on producing algorithms for extracting geophysical information from passive microwave data regarding ice floe size, sea ice concentration, open water lead locations, and sea ice extent. These studies have resulted in four separate algorithms for extracting these geophysical parameters. Sea ice concentration estimates generated from each of these algorithms (i.e., NASA/Team, NASA/Comiso, AES/York, and Navy) are compared to ice concentration estimates produced from coincident high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The SAR concentration estimates are produced from data collected in both the Beaufort Sea and the Greenland Sea in March 1988 and March 1989, respectively. The SAR data are coincident to the passive microwave data generated by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I).

Hydromagmatic and peperitic interactions: A new experimental approach.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downey, W. S.; Spieler, O.; Kunzmann, T.; Mastin, L.; Dingwell, D. B.; Shaw, C. J.

2007-12-01

Hydromagmatic interactions in general and the formation of peperites in particular, are poorly understood. We have designed and tested a new series of experiments to analyze the formation of fine hydromagmatic basaltic ash, and the processes occurring during magma/wet-sediment interaction. This study evaluates the mechanism of "turbulent shedding", (Mastin, 2007) where fine hydromagmatic ash is produced by the removal of quenched glassy rinds on clast surfaces that are rapidly deforming within turbulent transport. During magma/wet-sediment interactions the rapid heat transfer rate can lead to oscillations in the vapor film, and its possible collapse to generate a vapor explosion, between the two media producing either fluidal or brecciated textures of the silicate. In these experiment 0.5 kg of basaltic melt is generated in an internally heated autoclave at temperatures of up to 1300 (º)C and ejected via gas pressure into a low pressure tank. The autoclave can be pressurized to 50 MPa and is designed to eject the melt directly into water, wet sediments or water spray. The later technique is commonly used by powder metallurgists to produce micron-sized fragments of metallic glass, and is the desired technique to aid in the production of fine-ash via "turbulent shedding". Two molybdenum wound furnaces are used to produce the melt while a third Kanthal-wound furnace is used to control the temperature at the ejection orifice. Six thermocouples are used to control the furnaces and to record the thermal gradient throughout the setup. Pressure transducers in the high and low pressure section record the expansion volume due thermal interaction. The autoclave is separated from the low pressure tank with a diaphragm to prevent water from entering the high temperature zone. The goal of these experiments is to give insight into the role of hydrodynamic process during magma/water interaction and in the generation of peperites. The first experiments have resulted in the formation of Pelee's hairs and tears reflecting the high strain rates accompanying melt ejection. Post-experiment, grain size and surface area analysis of the hydromagmatic clasts is in progress to quantify the thermal interaction area, the influence of the turbulence and the heat transfer rate on magma-water mixing. The sediments will be impregnated with epoxy to yield textural insights for comparison with field descriptions of peperites.

Public Policy and the Next Generation of Farmers, Ranchers, Producers, and Agribusiness Leaders.

PubMed

Gasperini, Frank A

2017-01-01

The emerging, next generation of people engaged as managers in agriculture differs from the "baby boomer" farm generation that relishes certain traditions and an agrarian lifestyle. These futuristic producers and managers have been raised in a society that promulgates safety environment rules. They have witnessed lives saved by automobile seatbelts and lives improved from clean air and water. They know the basic cost of effective safety compliance is relatively fixed, regardless of the number of employees, and they are willing to invest resources that ensure a culture of safety, because it is economically beneficial, socially responsible, and probably required by the companies to whom they need to market their products. These same millennials understand that society and their customers will not continue to tolerate the high rate of agricultural injuries and deaths indefinitely. Public policy as a means to improve agricultural workers' safety and health is likely to be less resisted by the next generation of farmers, ranchers, producers, and agribusiness leaders who, regardless of legal or regulatory pressure, will implement internal business policies emphasizing safety, health, sustainability, and social justness as they understand it.

Open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion system structure

DOEpatents

Wittig, J. Michael

1980-01-01

A generally mushroom-shaped, open cycle OTEC system and distilled water producer which has a skirt-conduit structure extending from the enlarged portion of the mushroom to the ocean. The enlarged part of the mushroom houses a toroidal casing flash evaporator which produces steam which expands through a vertical rotor turbine, partially situated in the center of the blossom portion and partially situated in the mushroom's stem portion. Upon expansion through the turbine, the motive steam enters a shell and tube condenser annularly disposed about the rotor axis and axially situated beneath the turbine in the stem portion. Relatively warm ocean water is circulated up through the radially outer skirt-conduit structure entering the evaporator through a radially outer portion thereof, flashing a portion thereof into motive steam, and draining the unflashed portion from the evaporator through a radially inner skirt-conduit structure. Relatively cold cooling water enters the annular condenser through the radially inner edge and travels radially outwardly into a channel situated along the radially outer edge of the condenser. The channel is also included in the radially inner skirt-conduit structure. The cooling water is segregated from the potable, motive steam condensate which can be used for human consumption or other processes requiring high purity water. The expansion energy of the motive steam is partially converted into rotational mechanical energy of the turbine rotor when the steam is expanded through the shaft attached blades. Such mechanical energy drives a generator also included in the enlarged mushroom portion for producing electrical energy. Such power generation equipment arrangement provides a compact power system from which additional benefits may be obtained by fabricating the enclosing equipment, housings and component casings from low density materials, such as prestressed concrete, to permit those casings and housings to also function as a floating support vessel.

Exploring the Potential for Sustainable Future Bioenergy Production in the Arkansas-White-Red River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baskaran, L.; Jager, H.; Kreig, J.

2016-12-01

Bioenergy production in the US has been projected to increase in the next few years and this has raised concerns over environmentally sustainable production. Specifically, there are concerns that managing lands to produce bioenergy feedstocks in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) may have impacts over the water quality in the streams draining these lands and hamper with efforts to reduce the size of the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone" (hypoxic waters). However, with appropriate choice of feedstocks and good conservation practices, bioenergy production systems can be environmentally and economically sustainable. We evaluated opportunities for producing 2nd generation cellulosic feedstocks that are economically sustainable and improve water quality in the Arkansas-White-Red (AWR) river basin, which is major part of the MARB. We generated a future bioenergy landscape by downscaling county-scale projections of bioenergy crop production produced by an economic model, POLYSYS, at a market price of $60 per dry ton and a 1% annual yield increase. Our future bioenergy landscape includes perennial grasses (switchgrass and miscanthus), short-rotated woody crops (poplar and willow) and annual crops (high yield sorghum, sorghum stubble, corn stover and wheat straw). Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) we analyzed changes in water quality and quantity by simulating a baseline scenario with the current landscape (2014 land cover) and a future scenario with the bioenergy landscape. Our results over the AWR indicate decreases in median nutrient and sediment loadings from the baseline scenario. We also explored methods to evaluate if conservation practices (such as reducing fertilizer applications, incorporating filter strips, planting cover crops and moving to a no-till system) can improve water quality, while maintaining biomass yield. We created a series of SWAT simulations with varying levels of conservation practices by crop and present our methods towards identifying future scenarios that may minimize water quality and maximize biomass yields.

Track-average LET of secondary electrons generated in LiF:Mg,Ti and liquid water by 20-300 kV x-ray, 137Cs and 60Co beams.

PubMed

Cabrera-Santiago, A; Massillon-Jl, G

2016-11-21

Electrons generated in matter by photons could be a fundamental basis for an adequate analysis of radiation effects and damage. We have studied separately the 'primary electrons' generated directly by photons from the 'secondary electrons' (SE) produced by electron-electron interactions. In this work, track-average linear energy transfer, [Formula: see text], of SE in LiF:Mg,Ti and liquid water produced by twelve photon energy beams from 20 kV x-ray to 60 Co gamma rays have been investigated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo Code. The exposure of LiF:Mg,Ti in different phantom materials has been considered. Depending on the photon energy, SE represent 40%-90% of the total electron fluence (TEF) between 1 keV and 10 keV, being higher when the photon energy increases. Independent of the medium, [Formula: see text] versus mean photon energy displays a local minimum at around 40 keV, followed by a local maximum at ~80 keV-100 keV. The [Formula: see text] of SE generated by the x-ray beams are of order of 11 keV µm -1 to 19 keV µm -1 in LiF:Mg,Ti and 5 keV µm -1 to 9 keV µm -1 in liquid water which represent 3-5 times those produced by 60 Co gamma rays in both media. These values were considerably greater than those of TEF, by factors of 3-8. Furthermore, [Formula: see text] of SE generated in liquid water by 20 kV-200 kV x-rays are similar to those of 76 MeV-120 MeV 3 He ions. Contrary to the TEF, where [Formula: see text] were independent of the phantom material, at low photon energies [Formula: see text] of SE was found to be sensitive to the surrounding medium showing higher values within the phantom than in air. This result, which agrees with published experimental results, implies the importance of the SE ionization density for an understanding of dosimeter response induced by photon beams.

Method for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from solid materials

DOEpatents

Bala, Gregory A.; Thomas, Charles P.

1995-01-01

A system for removing hydrocarbons from solid materials. Contaminated solids are combined with a solvent (preferably terpene based) to produce a mixture. The mixture is washed with water to generate a purified solid product (which is removed from the system) and a drainage product. The drainage product is separated into a first fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a second fraction (containing solids and water). The first fraction is separated into a third fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a fourth fraction (containing residual solids and water). The fourth fraction is combined with the second fraction to produce a sludge which is separated into a fifth fraction (containing water which is ultimately reused) and a sixth fraction (containing solids). The third fraction is then separated into a seventh fraction (consisting of recovered solvent which is ultimately reused) and an eighth fraction (containing hydrocarbon waste).

Method for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from solid materials

DOEpatents

Bala, G.A.; Thomas, C.P.

1995-10-03

A system is described for removing hydrocarbons from solid materials. Contaminated solids are combined with a solvent (preferably terpene based) to produce a mixture. The mixture is washed with water to generate a purified solid product (which is removed from the system) and a drainage product. The drainage product is separated into a first fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a second fraction (containing solids and water). The first fraction is separated into a third fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a fourth fraction (containing residual solids and water). The fourth fraction is combined with the second fraction to produce a sludge which is separated into a fifth fraction (containing water which is ultimately reused) and a sixth fraction (containing solids). The third fraction is then separated into a seventh fraction (consisting of recovered solvent which is ultimately reused) and an eighth fraction (containing hydrocarbon waste). 4 figs.

Ocean thermal plant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, L. J. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A floating energy converter is described which uses large volumes of sea water to produce electrical power. In this plant, a fluid working medium is pumped to an evaporator where is is heated by a flow of warm surface sea water. The fluid in liquid form boils to a pressurized gas vapor which is routed to drive a turbine that, in turn, drives a generator for producing electricity. The gas vapor then enters a condenser immersed in cold sea water pumped from lower depths, condenses to its original liquid form, and then pumped to the evaporator to repeat the cycle. Modular components can be readily interchanged on the ocean thermal unit and inlet pipes for the sea water are provided with means for maintaining the pipes in alignment with the oncoming current. The modular construction allows for the testing of various components to provide a more rapid optimization of a standardized plant.

Apparatus for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from solid materials

DOEpatents

Bala, G.A.; Thomas, C.P.

1996-02-13

A system is described for removing hydrocarbons from solid materials. Contaminated solids are combined with a solvent (preferably terpene based) to produce a mixture. The mixture is washed with water to generate a purified solid product (which is removed from the system) and a drainage product. The drainage product is separated into a first fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a second fraction (containing solids and water). The first fraction is separated into a third fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a fourth fraction (containing residual solids and water). The fourth fraction is combined with the second fraction to produce a sludge which is separated into a fifth fraction (containing water which is ultimately reused) and a sixth fraction (containing solids). The third fraction is then separated into a seventh fraction (consisting of recovered solvent which is ultimately reused) and an eighth fraction (containing hydrocarbon waste). 4 figs.

Apparatus for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from solid materials

DOEpatents

Bala, Gregory A.; Thomas, Charles P.

1996-01-01

A system for removing hydrocarbons from solid materials. Contaminated solids are combined with a solvent (preferably terpene based) to produce a mixture. The mixture is washed with water to generate a purified solid product (which is removed from the system) and a drainage product. The drainage product is separated into a first fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a second fraction (containing solids and water). The first fraction is separated into a third fraction (consisting mostly of contaminated solvent) and a fourth fraction (containing residual solids and water). The fourth fraction is combined with the second fraction to produce a sludge which is separated into a fifth fraction (containing water which is ultimately reused) and a sixth fraction (containing solids). The third fraction is then separated into a seventh fraction (consisting of recovered solvent which is ultimately reused) and an eighth fraction (containing hydrocarbon waste).

Exploiting the biosynthetic machinery of Streptomyces pilosus to engineer a water-soluble zirconium(iv) chelator.

PubMed

Richardson-Sanchez, Tomas; Tieu, William; Gotsbacher, Michael P; Telfer, Thomas J; Codd, Rachel

2017-07-21

The water solubility of a natural product-inspired octadentate hydroxamic acid chelator designed to coordinate Zr(iv)-89 has been improved by using a combined microbiological-chemical approach to engineer four ether oxygen atoms into the main-chain region of a methylene-containing analogue. First, an analogue of the trimeric hydroxamic acid desferrioxamine B (DFOB) that contained three main-chain ether oxygen atoms (DFOB-O 3 ) was generated from cultures of the native DFOB-producer Streptomyces pilosus supplemented with oxybis(ethanamine) (OBEA), which competed against the native 1,5-diaminopentane (DP) substrate during DFOB assembly. This precursor-directed biosynthesis (PDB) approach generated a suite of DFOB analogues containing one (DFOB-O 1 ), two (DFOB-O 2 ) or three (DFOB-O 3 ) ether oxygen atoms, with the latter produced as the major species. Log P measurements showed DFOB-O 3 was about 45 times more water soluble than DFOB. Second, a peptide coupling chain-extension reaction between DFOB-O 3 and the synthetic ether-containing endo-hydroxamic acid monomer 4-((2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethyl)(hydroxy)amino)-4-oxobutanoic acid (PBH-O 1 ) gave the water soluble tetrameric hydroxamic acid DFOB-O 3 -PBH-O 1 as an isostere of sparingly water soluble DFOB-PBH. The complex between DFOB-O 3 -PBH-O 1 and nat Zr(iv), examined as a surrogate measure of the radiolabelling procedure, analysed by LC-MS as the protonated adduct ([M + H] + , m/z obs = 855.2; m/z calc = 855.3), with supporting HRMS data. The use of a microbiological system to generate a water-soluble analogue of a natural product for downstream semi-synthetic chemistry is an attractive pathway for developing new drugs and imaging agents. The improved water solubility of DFOB-O 3 -PBH-O 1 could facilitate the synthesis and purification of downstream products, as part of the ongoing development of ligands optimised for Zr(iv)-89 immunological PET imaging.

Three-dimensional simulation of a rock slide impact into water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, R.; Gisler, G.; Gittings, M.; Ranta, D.

2007-12-01

The steep-sided fjords of western Norway have experienced numerous rock slide events that sometimes produced devastating tsunamis. The 1934 slide in the Tafjord region, when some 3 million cubic meters of rock plunged into the water, resulted in waves tens of meters high that destroyed two villages and killed about 40 people. A similarly dangerous situation exists now in Sunnylvsfjord, where a major expanding crack in the fjord wall at Aknes threatens to release from 5 to 40 million cubic meters of rock into the water. Such an event would devastate a large region, including the Geiranger Fjord, a UN World Heritage Site that is extremely popular with tourists. The Norwegian Government's Aknes-Tafjord project is responsible for studying and monitoring the potential slide area and for providing adequate warning to protect lives and property. In order to better understand tsunami generation from such events, we have performed 3-dimensional fully compressible hydrodynamical simulations of the impact of a large number of boulders from a steep slope into a deep body of water. We use the Los Alamos/SAIC adaptive-mesh-refined SAGE code, previously used to model tsunamis from underwater explosions, asteroid impacts, and both subaqueous and subaerial landslide sources. We find the interaction of boulders and water to be extremely turbulent and dissipative. It differs markedly from simulations of large-block impacts in similar geometry. No more than about 15% of the potential energy of the boulders ends up in the water wave. The rest of the energy goes into heating the boulders (and presumably fragmenting them, though that physics is not included) into generating winds, heating air and water, and generating turbulence. In the near field, the waves produced by the impact can be quite high -- tens of meters -- and have the potential to devastate coastlines at substantial distances from the site along a narrow fjord system.

Underwater locomotion in a terrestrial beetle: combination of surface de-wetting and capillary forces

PubMed Central

Hosoda, Naoe; Gorb, Stanislav N.

2012-01-01

For the first time, we report the remarkable ability of the terrestrial leaf beetle Gastrophysa viridula to walk on solid substrates under water. These beetles have adhesive setae on their feet that produce a secretory fluid having a crucial role in adhesion on land. In air, adhesion is produced by capillary forces between the fluid-covered setae and the substrate. In general, capillary forces do not contribute to adhesion under water. However, our observations showed that these beetles may use air bubbles trapped between their adhesive setae to walk on flooded, inclined substrata or even under water. Beetle adhesion to hydrophilic surfaces under water was lower than that in air, whereas adhesion to hydrophobic surfaces under water was comparable to that in air. Oil-covered hairy pads had a pinning effect, retaining the air bubbles on their feet. Bubbles in contact with the hydrophobic substrate de-wetted the substrate and produced capillary adhesion. Additional capillary forces are generated by the pad's liquid bridges between the foot and the substrate. Inspired by this idea, we designed an artificial silicone polymer structure with underwater adhesive properties. PMID:22874756

Isopropyl alcohol tank installed at A-3 Test Stand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

An isopropyl alcohol (IPA) tank is lifted into place at the A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. Fourteen IPA, water and liquid oxygen (LOX) tanks are being installed to support the chemical steam generators to be used on the A-3 Test Stand. The IPA and LOX tanks will provide fuel for the generators. The water will allow the generators to produce steam that will be used to reduce pressure inside the stand's test cell diffuser, enabling operators to simulate altitudes up to 100,000 feet. In that way, operators can perform the tests needed on rocket engines being built to carry humans back to the moon and possibly beyond. The A-3 Test Stand is set for completion and activation in 2011.

Liquid oxygen tank installed at A-3 Test Stand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

A liquid oxygen (LOX) tank is lifted into place at the A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. Fourteen LOX, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water tanks are being installed to support the chemical steam generators to be used on the A-3 Test Stand. The IPA and LOX tanks will provide fuel for the generators. The water will allow the generators to produce steam that will be used to reduce pressure inside the stand's test cell diffuser, enabling operators to simulate altitudes up to 100,000 feet. In that way, operators can perform the tests needed on rocket engines being built to carry humans back to the moon and possibly beyond. The A-3 Test Stand is set for completion and activation in 2011.

Liquid oxygen tank installed at A-3 Test Stand

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-18

A liquid oxygen (LOX) tank is lifted into place at the A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. Fourteen LOX, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water tanks are being installed to support the chemical steam generators to be used on the A-3 Test Stand. The IPA and LOX tanks will provide fuel for the generators. The water will allow the generators to produce steam that will be used to reduce pressure inside the stand's test cell diffuser, enabling operators to simulate altitudes up to 100,000 feet. In that way, operators can perform the tests needed on rocket engines being built to carry humans back to the moon and possibly beyond. The A-3 Test Stand is set for completion and activation in 2011.

Isopropyl alcohol tank installed at A-3 Test Stand

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-18

An isopropyl alcohol (IPA) tank is lifted into place at the A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. Fourteen IPA, water and liquid oxygen (LOX) tanks are being installed to support the chemical steam generators to be used on the A-3 Test Stand. The IPA and LOX tanks will provide fuel for the generators. The water will allow the generators to produce steam that will be used to reduce pressure inside the stand's test cell diffuser, enabling operators to simulate altitudes up to 100,000 feet. In that way, operators can perform the tests needed on rocket engines being built to carry humans back to the moon and possibly beyond. The A-3 Test Stand is set for completion and activation in 2011.

40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods..., magnetohydrodynamics, direct and indirect coal-fired turbines, integrated gasification fuel cells, or as determined by...

40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods..., magnetohydrodynamics, direct and indirect coal-fired turbines, integrated gasification fuel cells, or as determined by...

40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods..., magnetohydrodynamics, direct and indirect coal-fired turbines, integrated gasification fuel cells, or as determined by...

Lorentz force on sodium and chlorine ions in a salt water solution flow under a transverse magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLuca, R.

2009-05-01

It is shown that, by applying elementary concepts in electromagnetism and electrochemistry to a system consisting of salt water flowing in a thin rectangular pipe at an average velocity vA under the influence of a transverse magnetic field B0, an electromotive force generator can be conceived. In fact, the Lorentz force acting on the sodium and chlorine ions in a water solution gives rise to a so-called Faraday voltage across the two metal electrodes, positioned at the sides of the pipe. The effect is carried along the following chemical reactions at the electrodes: at the cathode, water is reduced (instead of sodium ions) and hydrogen gas is generated; at the anode, chlorine gas is produced. In college physics teaching, this interdisciplinary subject can be adopted to stress analogies and differences between the Hall voltage in conductors and the Faraday voltage in electrolyte solutions.

Unique electric power and water desalination scheme underway in Libya. Student essay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eason, C.N.

1975-02-21

With continuing interest in the Mediterranean and the Middle East as a backdrop, focus is put on the basic necessities of water and power in Libya. An analysis is made, on a national basis, of the choice of means for meeting an urgent need for both power and potable water in an economy, exploding in development with limited skills, but with unlimited funds. This could be typical of situations in several Mid-East nations. A discussion includes factors of fuels, fuel costs, capital costs, efficiency, reliability, potential for local operation and timing. These several elements are weighed by the Libyans. Themore » resulting decisions are sound, however, they have adopted a highly sophisticated combination of gas turbine-generators (GT), and heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) to produce steam for water desalination plants at several locations. (GRA)« less

Ocean thermal gradient as a generator of electricity. OTEC power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enrique, Luna-Gomez Victor; Angel, Alatorre-Mendieta Miguel

2016-04-01

The OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) is a power plant that uses the thermal gradient of the sea water between the surface and a depth of about 700 meters. It works by supplying the heat to a steam machine, for evaporation, with sea water from the surface and cold, to condense the steam, with deep sea water. The energy generated by the power plant OTEC can be transferred to the electric power grid, another use is to desalinate seawater. During the twentieth century in some countries experimental power plants to produce electricity or obtaining drinking water they were installed. On the Mexico's coast itself this thermal gradient, as it is located in tropical seas it occurs, so it has possibilities of installing OTEC power plant type. In this paper one type OTEC power plant operation is represented in most of its components.

Surface disposal of produced waters in western and southwestern Pennsylvania: potential for accumulation of alkali-earth elements in sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Skalak, Katherine J.; Engle, Mark A.; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Jolly, Glenn D.; Conko, Kathryn M.; Benthem, Adam J.; Kraemer, Thomas F.

2014-01-01

Waters co-produced with hydrocarbons in the Appalachian Basin are of notably poor quality (concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and total radium up to and exceeding 300,000 mg/L and 10,000 pCi/L, respectively). Since 2008, a rapid increase in Marcellus Shale gas production has led to a commensurate rise in associated wastewater while generation of produced water from conventional oil and gas activities has continued. In this study, we assess whether disposal practices from treatment of produced waters from both shale gas and conventional operations in Pennsylvania could result in the accumulation of associated alkali earth elements. The results from our 5 study sites indicate that there was no increase in concentrations of total Ra (Ra-226) and extractable Ba, Ca, Na, or Sr in fluvial sediments downstream of the discharge outfalls (p > 0.05) of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and centralized waste treatment facilities (CWTs). However, the use of road spreading of brines from conventional oil and gas wells for deicing resulted in accumulation of Ra-226 (1.2 ×), and extractable Sr (3.0 ×), Ca (5.3 ×), and Na (6.2 ×) in soil and sediment proximal to roads (p < 0.05). Although this study is an important initial assessment of the impacts of these disposal practices, more work is needed to consider the environmental consequences of produced waters management.

Methane gas generation from waste water extraction process of crude palm oil in experimental digesters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dillon, A.; Penafiel, R.; Garzón, P. V.; Ochoa, V.

2015-12-01

Industrial processes to extract crude palm oil, generates large amounts of waste water. High concentrations of COD, ST, SV, NH4 + and low solubility of O2, make the treatment of these effluents starts with anaerobic processes. The anaerobic digestion process has several advantages over aerobic degradation: lower operating costs (not aeration), low sludge production, methane gas generation. The 4 stages of anaerobic digestion are: hydrolysis, acidogenic, acetogenesis and methanogenesis. Through the action of enzymes synthesized by microbial consortia are met. The products of each step to serve as reagents is conducted as follows. The organic load times and cell hydraulic retention, solids content, nutrient availability, pH and temperature are factors that influence directly in biodigesters. The objectives of this presentation is to; characterize the microbial inoculum and water (from palm oil wasted water) to be used in biodigestores, make specific methanogenic activity in bioassays, acclimatize the microorganisms to produce methane gas using basal mineral medium with acetate for the input power, and to determine the production of methane gas digesters high organic load.

Technology for Water Treatment (National Water Management)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The buildup of scale and corrosion is the most costly maintenance problem in cooling tower operation. Jet Propulsion Laboratory successfully developed a non-chemical system that not only curbed scale and corrosion, but also offered advantages in water conservation, cost savings and the elimination of toxic chemical discharge. In the system, ozone is produced by an on-site generator and introduced to the cooling tower water. Organic impurities are oxidized, and the dissolved ozone removes bacteria and scale. National Water Management, a NASA licensee, has installed its ozone advantage systems at some 200 cooling towers. Customers have saved money and eliminated chemical storage and discharge.

Electrochemical disinfection using boron-doped diamond electrode--the synergetic effects of in situ ozone and free chlorine generation.

PubMed

Rajab, Mohamad; Heim, Carolin; Letzel, Thomas; Drewes, Jörg E; Helmreich, Brigitte

2015-02-01

This work investigated the capability of using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for bacterial disinfection in different water matrices containing varying amounts of chloride. The feed water containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa was electrochemically treated while applying different electrode conditions. Depending on the applied current density and the exposure time, inactivation between 4- and 8-log of the targeted microorganisms could be achieved. The disinfection efficiency was driven by the generation of free chlorine as a function of chloride concentration in the water. A synergetic effect of generating both free chlorine and ozone in situ during the disinfection process resulted in an effective bactericidal impact. The formation of the undesired by-products chlorate and perchlorate depended on the water matrix, the applied current density and the desired target disinfection level. In case of synthetic water with a low chloride concentration (20 mg L(-1)) and an applied current density of 167 mA cm(-2), a 6-log inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be achieved after 5 min of exposure. The overall energy consumption ranged between 0.3 and 0.6 kW h m(-3) depending on the applied current density and water chemistry. Electrochemical water disinfection represents a suitable and efficient process for producing pathogen-free water without the use of any chemicals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conceptual design of the CZMIL data processing system (DPS): algorithms and software for fusing lidar, hyperspectral data, and digital images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Joong Yong; Tuell, Grady

2010-04-01

The Data Processing System (DPS) of the Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) has been designed to automatically produce a number of novel environmental products through the fusion of Lidar, spectrometer, and camera data in a single software package. These new products significantly transcend use of the system as a bathymeter, and support use of CZMIL as a complete coastal and benthic mapping tool. The DPS provides a spinning globe capability for accessing data files; automated generation of combined topographic and bathymetric point clouds; a fully-integrated manual editor and data analysis tool; automated generation of orthophoto mosaics; automated generation of reflectance data cubes from the imaging spectrometer; a coupled air-ocean spectral optimization model producing images of chlorophyll and CDOM concentrations; and a fusion based capability to produce images and classifications of the shallow water seafloor. Adopting a multitasking approach, we expect to achieve computation of the point clouds, DEMs, and reflectance images at a 1:1 processing to acquisition ratio.

An Advanced In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Production Plant Design for Robotic and Human Mars Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, T.; Baird, R. S.; Trevathan, J.; Clark, L.

2002-01-01

The ability to produce the necessary consumables, rather than relying solely on what is brought from Earth decreases the launch mass, cost, and risk associated with a Mars mission while providing capabilities that enable the commercial development of space. The idea of using natural resources, or "living off the land", is termed In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Trade studies have shown that producing and utilizing consumables such as water, breathing oxygen, and propellant can reduce the launch mass for a human or robotic mission to Mars by 20-45%. The Johnson Space Center and Lockheed Martin Astronautics are currently designing and planning assembly of a complete collection-to-storage production plant design for producing methane (fuel), oxygen, and water from carbon dioxide (Martian atmosphere) and hydrogen (electrolyzed Martian water or Earth-originated), based on lessons learned and design enhancements from a 1st generation testbed. The design and testing of the major subsystems incorporated in the 2nd generation system, including a carbon dioxide freezer, Sabatier reactor, water electrolysis unit, and vacuum-jacketed, cryogenic, common-bulkhead storage tank, will be presented in detail with the goal of increasing the awareness of the readiness level of these technologies. These technologies are mass and power efficient as well as fundamentally simple and reliable. These technologies also have potential uses in Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) applications for removing and recycling crew-exhaled carbon dioxide. Each subsystem is sized for an ISRU-assisted sample return mission, producing in an 8-hour period 0.56 kg water and 0.26 kg methane from the Sabatier reactor and 0.50 kg oxygen from electrolyzed water. The testing of these technologies to date will be discussed as well as plans for integrating the subsystems for a complete end-to-end demonstration at Mars conditions. This paper will also address the history of these subsystem technologies, the issues involved with the interfaces between these subsystems, the storage of the products, and the benefits for the contined study of ISRU related technologies.

Water treatment by the AC gliding arc air plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gharagozalian, Mehrnaz; Dorranian, Davoud; Ghoranneviss, Mahmood

2017-09-01

In this study, the effects of gliding arc (G Arc) plasma system on the treatment of water have been investigated experimentally. An AC power supply of 15 kV potential difference at 50 Hz frequency was employed to generate plasma. Plasma density and temperature were measured using spectroscopic method. The water was contaminated with staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and salmonella bacteria (Gram-negative), and Penicillium (mold fungus) individually. pH, hydrogen peroxide, and nitride contents of treated water were measured after plasma treatment. Decontamination of treated water was determined using colony counting method. Results indicate that G Arc plasma is a powerful and green tool to decontaminate water without producing any byproducts.

Pulsed-Plasma Disinfection of Water Containing Escherichia coli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satoh, Kohki; MacGregor, Scott J.; Anderson, John G.; Woolsey, Gerry A.; Fouracre, R. Anthony

2007-03-01

The disinfection of water containing the microorganism, Escherichia coli (E. coli) by exposure to a pulsed-discharge plasma generated above the water using a multineedle electrode (plasma-exposure treatment), and by sparging the off-gas of the pulsed plasma into the water (off-gas-sparging treatment), is performed in the ambient gases of air, oxygen, and nitrogen. For the off-gas-sparging treatment, bactericidal action is observed only when oxygen is used as the ambient gas, and ozone is found to generate the bactericidal action. For the plasma-exposure treatment, the density of E. coli bacteria decreases exponentially with plasma-exposure time for all the ambient gases. It may be concluded that the main contributors to E. coli inactivation are particle species produced by the pulsed plasma. For the ambient gases of air and nitrogen, the influence of acidification of the water in the system, as a result of pulsed-plasma exposure, may also contribute to the decay of E. coli density.

Harnessing Alternative Energy Sources to Enhance the Design of a Wave Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bravo, A.

2017-12-01

Wave energy has the power to replace a non-renewable source of electricity for a home near the ocean. I built a small-scale wave generator capable of producing approximately 5 volts of electricity. The generator is an array of 16 small generators, each consisting of 200 feet of copper wire, 12 magnets, and a buoy. I tested my design in the Pacific Ocean and was able to power a string of lights I had attached to the generator. While the waves in the ocean moved my buoys, my design was powered by the vertical motion of the waves. My generator was hit with significant horizontal wave motion, and I realized I wasn't taking advantage of that direction of motion. To make my generator produce more electricity, I experimented with capturing the energy of the horizontal motion of water and incorporated that into my generator design. My generator, installed in the ocean, is also exposed to sun and wind, and I am exploring the potential of solar and wind energy collection in my design to increase the electricity output. Once I have maximized my electricity output, I would like to explore scaling up my design.

Comprehensive assessment of a chlorinated drinking water concentrate in a rat multigenerational reproductive toxicity study.

PubMed

Narotsky, Michael G; Klinefelter, Gary R; Goldman, Jerome M; Best, Deborah S; McDonald, Anthony; Strader, Lillian F; Suarez, Juan D; Murr, Ashley S; Thillainadarajah, Inthirany; Hunter, E Sidney; Richardson, Susan D; Speth, Thomas F; Miltner, Richard J; Pressman, Jonathan G; Teuschler, Linda K; Rice, Glenn E; Moser, Virginia C; Luebke, Robert W; Simmons, Jane Ellen

2013-09-17

Some epidemiological studies report associations between drinking water disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and adverse reproductive/developmental effects, e.g., low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and birth defects. Using a multigenerational rat bioassay, we evaluated an environmentally relevant "whole" mixture of DBPs representative of chlorinated drinking water, including unidentified DBPs as well as realistic proportions of known DBPs at low-toxicity concentrations. Source water from a water utility was concentrated 136-fold, chlorinated, and provided as drinking water to Sprague-Dawley rats. Timed-pregnant females (P0 generation) were exposed during gestation and lactation. Weanlings (F1 generation) continued exposures and were bred to produce an F2 generation. Large sample sizes enhanced statistical power, particularly for pup weight and prenatal loss. No adverse effects were observed for pup weight, prenatal loss, pregnancy rate, gestation length, puberty onset in males, growth, estrous cycles, hormone levels, immunological end points, and most neurobehavioral end points. Significant, albeit slight, effects included delayed puberty for F1 females, reduced caput epidydimal sperm counts in F1 adult males, and increased incidences of thyroid follicular cell hypertrophy in adult females. These results highlight areas for future research, while the largely negative findings, particularly for pup weight and prenatal loss, are notable.

Bactericidal Efficacy of Sanitizers Produced by Commercial Water Treatment Generators

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

means to produce an effective sanitizing solution in the field without re-supply. They would also eliminate the logistical problems and hazards entailed...mobile kitchens to maintain sanitation without re- supply. It would also eliminate the logistical problems and hazards entailed with the purchase and... hazardous and too corrosive for sanitation. Chlorine dioxide at 100 ppm was more effective than AEW and also achieved greater than a 7 log reduction of

High-brightness line generators and fiber-coupled sources based on low-smile laser diode arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, J.; Schleuning, D.; Lavikko, P.; Alander, T.; Lee, D.; Lovato, P.; Winhold, H.; Griffin, M.; Tolman, S.; Liang, P.; Hasenberg, T.; Reed, M.

2008-02-01

We describe the performance of diode laser bars mounted on conductive and water cooled platforms using low smile processes. Total smile of <1μm is readily achieved on both In and AuSn based platforms. Combined with environmentally robust lensing, these mounts form the basis of multiple, high-brightness products. Free-space-coupled devices utilizing conductively-cooled bars delivering 100W from a 200μm, 0.22NA fiber at 976nm have been developed for pumping fiber lasers, as well as for materials processing. Additionally, line generators for graphics and materials processing applications have been produced. Starting from single bars mounted on water-cooled packages that do not require de-ionized or pH-controlled water, these line generators deliver over 80W of power into a line with an aspect ratio of 600:1, and have a BPP of <2mm-mrad in the direction orthogonal to the line.

Island wake produced by Antipodes Islands south of New Zealand

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-12-16

SL4-137-3655 (16 Dec. 1973) --- An island wake produced by the Antipodes Islands in the ocean current south of New Zealand is seen in this photograph taken from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. A Skylab 4 crewmen took the picture with a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad camera. The bow wave pattern is quite evident and can be used to determine the current speed from the angle of the bow wave if the propagation speed of the surface wave is known. Also, evident is the darker band extending downstream from the island tens of miles. This is the actual wake of the island. The existence of water color differences from within to outside a turbulent island wake may indicate a temperature difference, with cooler water being stirred to the surface in the wake. This temperature difference could be used to drive a thermo-electric type generator to reduce small islands' dependence on imported oil for power generation. Photo credit: NASA

Exhaust heated hydrogen and oxygen producing catalytic converter for combustion engine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schreiber, E.T.

1977-07-26

A steam generator is provided in operative association with a source of water and the exhaust system of a combustion engine including an air induction system provided with primary fuel inlet structure and supplemental fuel inlet structure. The steam generator derives its heat for converting water into steam from the exhaust system of the combustion engine and the steam generator includes a steam outlet communicated with and opening into one end of an elongated tubular housing disposed in good heat transfer relation with the exhaust system of the combustion engine and having a gas outlet at its other end communicatedmore » with the supplemental fuel inlet of the induction system. The tubular housing has iron filings disposed therein and is in such heat transfer relation with the exhaust system of the combustion engine so as to elevate the temperature of steam passing therethrough and to heat the iron filings to the extent that passage of the heated steam over the heated filings will result in hydrogen and oxygen gas being produced in the tubular housing for subsequent passage to the supplemental fuel inlet of the combustion engine induction system.« less

Method and apparatus for electrokinetic co-generation of hydrogen and electric power from liquid water microjets

DOEpatents

Saykally, Richard J; Duffin, Andrew M; Wilson, Kevin R; Rude, Bruce S

2013-02-12

A method and apparatus for producing both a gas and electrical power from a flowing liquid, the method comprising: a) providing a source liquid containing ions that when neutralized form a gas; b) providing a velocity to the source liquid relative to a solid material to form a charged liquid microjet, which subsequently breaks up into a droplet spay, the solid material forming a liquid-solid interface; and c) supplying electrons to the charged liquid by contacting a spray stream of the charged liquid with an electron source. In one embodiment, where the liquid is water, hydrogen gas is formed and a streaming current is generated. The apparatus comprises a source of pressurized liquid, a microjet nozzle, a conduit for delivering said liquid to said microjet nozzle, and a conductive metal target sufficiently spaced from said nozzle such that the jet stream produced by said microjet is discontinuous at said target. In one arrangement, with the metal nozzle and target electrically connected to ground, both hydrogen gas and a streaming current are generated at the target as it is impinged by the streaming, liquid spray microjet.

State of the art of produced water treatment.

PubMed

Jiménez, S; Micó, M M; Arnaldos, M; Medina, F; Contreras, S

2018-02-01

Produced water (PW) is the wastewater generated when water from underground reservoirs is brought to the surface during oil or gas extraction. PW is generated in large amounts and has a complex composition, containing various toxic organic and inorganic compounds. PW is currently treated in conventional trains that include phase separators, decanters, cyclones and coarse filters in order to comply with existing regulation for discharge. These treatment trains do not achieve more restrictive limitations related to the reuse of the effluent (reinjection into extraction wells) or other beneficial uses (e.g., irrigation). Therefore, and to prevent environmental pollution, further polishing processes need to be carried out. Characterization of the PW to determine major constituents is the first step to select the optimum treatment for PW, coupled with environmental factors, economic considerations, and local regulatory framework. This review tries to provide an overview of different treatments that are being applied to polish this type of effluents. These technologies include membranes, physical, biological, thermal or chemical treatments, where special emphasis has been made on advanced oxidation processes due to the advantages offered by these processes. Commercial treatments, based on the combination, modification and improvement of simpler treatments, were also discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Glass shell manufacturing in space. [residual gases in spherical shells made from metal-organic gels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nolen, R. J.; Ebner, M. A.; Downs, R. L.

1980-01-01

Residual gases always found in glass shells are CO2, O2 and N2. In those cases where high water vapor pressure is maintained in the furnace, water is also found in the shells. Other evidence for the existence of water in shells is the presence of water-induced surface weathering of the interior shell surface. Water and CO2 are the predominant volatiles generated by the pyrolysis of both inorganic and hydrolyzed metal-organic gels. The pyrolysates of unhydrolyzed metal-organic gels also contain, in addition to water and CO2, significant levels of organic volatiles, such as ethanol and some hydrocarbons; on complete oxidation, these produce CO2 and water as well. Water is most likely the initial blowing agent, it is produced copiously during the initial stages of heating. In the later stages, CO2 becomes the dominant gas as H2O is lost at increasing rates. Water in the shell arises mainly from gel dehydration, CO2 by sodium bicarbonate/carbonate decomposition and carbon oxidation, and O2 and N2 by permeation of the ambient furnace air through the molten shell wall.

Generation of Mie size microdroplet aerosols with applications in laser-driven fusion experiments.

PubMed

Higginbotham, A P; Semonin, O; Bruce, S; Chan, C; Maindi, M; Donnelly, T D; Maurer, M; Bang, W; Churina, I; Osterholz, J; Kim, I; Bernstein, A C; Ditmire, T

2009-06-01

We have developed a tunable source of Mie scale microdroplet aerosols that can be used for the generation of energetic ions. To demonstrate this potential, a terawatt Ti:Al2O3 laser focused to 2 x 10(19) W/cm2 was used to irradiate heavy water (D2O) aerosols composed of micron-scale droplets. Energetic deuterium ions, which were generated in the laser-droplet interaction, produced deuterium-deuterium fusion with approximately 2 x 10(3) fusion neutrons measured per joule of incident laser energy.

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - ON-SITE SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE GENERATION AND INACTIVATION OF PSEUDOMONAS IN RAW DRINKING WATER, CLORTEC T-12 EXCELTEC INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, A SUBSIDIARY OF SEVERN TRENT SERVICES, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

Verification testing of ExcelTec's on-site hypochlorite generation system ClorTec T-12 system was conducted for 30 days between 3/6-5/4/2000. The system is capable of producing at least one pound of chlorine in the form of sodium hypochlorite solution containing 0.8% +/- 0.1%) ch...

Non-Contact Ultrasonic Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-31

difficult to measure because of the amount of sound at the difference frequency still produced in the air. Nonlinear Reflection off of a Curved Surface...separate sound generated in air from sound generated in liquid. Two incoming rays incident upon a curved surface may reflect collinearly. At a different... sound reflecting off of the air-water interface from the air, the energy density of the incident and reflected waves are around 1000x that of the

Direct anodic hydrochloric acid and cathodic caustic production during water electrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Hui-Wen; Cejudo-Marín, Rocío; Jeremiasse, Adriaan W.; Rabaey, Korneel; Yuan, Zhiguo; Pikaar, Ilje

2016-02-01

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and caustic (NaOH) are among the most widely used chemicals by the water industry. Direct anodic electrochemical HCl production by water electrolysis has not been successful as current commercially available electrodes are prone to chlorine formation. This study presents an innovative technology simultaneously generating HCl and NaOH from NaCl using a Mn0.84Mo0.16O2.23 oxygen evolution electrode during water electrolysis. The results showed that protons could be anodically generated at a high Coulombic efficiency (i.e. ≥ 95%) with chlorine formation accounting for 3 ~ 5% of the charge supplied. HCl was anodically produced at moderate strengths at a CE of 65 ± 4% together with a CE of 89 ± 1% for cathodic caustic production. The reduction in CE for HCl generation was caused by proton cross-over from the anode to the middle compartment. Overall, this study showed the potential of simultaneous HCl and NaOH generation from NaCl and represents a major step forward for the water industry towards on-site production of HCl and NaOH. In this study, artificial brine was used as a source of sodium and chloride ions. In theory, artificial brine could be replaced by saline waste streams such as Reverse Osmosis Concentrate (ROC), turning ROC into a valuable resource.

Drinking water purification by electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide in a power-producing PEM fuel cell.

PubMed

Li, Winton; Bonakdarpour, Arman; Gyenge, Előd; Wilkinson, David P

2013-11-01

The industrial anthraquinone auto-oxidation process produces most of the world's supply of hydrogen peroxide. For applications that require small amounts of H2 O2 or have economically difficult transportation means, an alternate, on-site H2 O2 production method is needed. Advanced drinking water purification technologies use neutral-pH H2 O2 in combination with UV treatment to reach the desired water purity targets. To produce neutral H2 O2 on-site and on-demand for drinking water purification, the electroreduction of oxygen at the cathode of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell operated in either electrolysis (power consuming) or fuel cell (power generating) mode could be a possible solution. The work presented here focuses on the H2 /O2 fuel cell mode to produce H2 O2 . The fuel cell reactor is operated with a continuous flow of carrier water through the cathode to remove the product H2 O2 . The impact of the cobalt-carbon composite cathode catalyst loading, Teflon content in the cathode gas diffusion layer, and cathode carrier water flowrate on the production of H2 O2 are examined. H2 O2 production rates of up to 200 μmol h(-1)  cmgeometric (-2) are achieved using a continuous flow of carrier water operating at 30 % current efficiency. Operation times of more than 24 h have shown consistent H2 O2 and power production, with no degradation of the cobalt catalyst. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Application of Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis to the Ioland Water Treatment Plant in Lusaka, Zambia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucharski, John; Tkach, Mark; Olszewski, Jennifer; Chaudhry, Rabia; Mendoza, Guillermo

2016-04-01

This presentation demonstrates the application of Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) at Zambia's principal water treatment facility, The Iolanda Water Treatment Plant. The water treatment plant is prone to unacceptable failures during periods of low hydropower production at the Kafue Gorge Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant. The case study explores approaches of increasing the water treatment plant's ability to deliver acceptable levels of service under the range of current and potential future climate states. The objective of the study is to investigate alternative investments to build system resilience that might have been informed by the CRIDA process, and to evaluate the extra resource requirements by a bilateral donor agency to implement the CRIDA process. The case study begins with an assessment of the water treatment plant's vulnerability to climate change. It does so by following general principals described in "Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resource Planning and Project Design: the Decision Tree Framework". By utilizing relatively simple bootstrapping methods a range of possible future climate states is generated while avoiding the use of more complex and costly downscaling methodologies; that are beyond the budget and technical capacity of many teams. The resulting climate vulnerabilities and uncertainty in the climate states that produce them are analyzed as part of a "Level of Concern" analysis. CRIDA principals are then applied to this Level of Concern analysis in order to arrive at a set of actionable water management decisions. The principal goals of water resource management is to transform variable, uncertain hydrology into dependable services (e.g. water supply, flood risk reduction, ecosystem benefits, hydropower production, etc…). Traditional approaches to climate adaptation require the generation of predicted future climate states but do little guide decision makers how this information should impact decision making. In this context it is not surprising that the increased hydrologic variability and uncertainty produced by many climate risk analyses bedevil water resource decision making. The Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) approach builds on work found in "Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resource Planning and Project Design: the Decision Tree Framework" which provide guidance of vulnerability assessments. It guides practitioners through a "Level of Concern" analysis where climate vulnerabilities are analyzed to produce actionable alternatives and decisions.

Determination of methane concentrations in shallow ground water and soil gas near Price, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naftz, David L.; Hadley, Heidi K.; Hunt, Gilbert L.

1998-01-01

Methane gas, commonly referred to as "natural gas," is being produced from coal beds in central Utah (fig. 1) at an increasing rate since the early 1990s. The methane was generated over millions of years during the formation of coal in the area. Coal originates as plant matter that has been deposited in a swamp-like environment and then decays as it is buried and compressed over geologic time. Giant fossilized footprints in the coal provide evidence that dinosaurs roamed and fed among the plentiful plants in these swamps (Hintze, 1979). Methane and carbon dioxide gas and water are produced in the coal as byproducts of coal formation (Sommer and Gloyn, 1993).

Classification and area estimation of land covers in Kansas using ground-gathered and LANDSAT digital data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, G. A.; Holko, M. L.; Anderson, J. E.

1983-01-01

Ground-gathered data and LANDSAT multispectral scanner (MSS) digital data from 1981 were analyzed to produce a classification of Kansas land areas into specific types called land covers. The land covers included rangeland, forest, residential, commercial/industrial, and various types of water. The analysis produced two outputs: acreage estimates with measures of precision, and map-type or photo products of the classification which can be overlaid on maps at specific scales. State-level acreage estimates were obtained and substate-level land cover classification overlays and estimates were generated for selected geographical areas. These products were found to be of potential use in managing land and water resources.

Sludge quantification at water treatment plant and its management scenario.

PubMed

Ahmad, Tarique; Ahmad, Kafeel; Alam, Mehtab

2017-08-15

Large volume of sludge is generated at the water treatment plants during the purification of surface water for potable supplies. Handling and disposal of sludge require careful attention from civic bodies, plant operators, and environmentalists. Quantification of the sludge produced at the treatment plants is important to develop suitable management strategies for its economical and environment friendly disposal. Present study deals with the quantification of sludge using empirical relation between turbidity, suspended solids, and coagulant dosing. Seasonal variation has significant effect on the raw water quality received at the water treatment plants so forth sludge generation also varies. Yearly production of the sludge in a water treatment plant at Ghaziabad, India, is estimated to be 29,700 ton. Sustainable disposal of such a quantity of sludge is a challenging task under stringent environmental legislation. Several beneficial reuses of sludge in civil engineering and constructional work have been identified globally such as raw material in manufacturing cement, bricks, and artificial aggregates, as cementitious material, and sand substitute in preparing concrete and mortar. About 54 to 60% sand, 24 to 28% silt, and 16% clay constitute the sludge generated at the water treatment plant under investigation. Characteristics of the sludge are found suitable for its potential utilization as locally available construction material for safe disposal. An overview of the sustainable management scenario involving beneficial reuses of the sludge has also been presented.

THE COMBUSTION OF ORIMULSION AND ITS GENERATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS

EPA Science Inventory

Orimulsion, a bitumen-in-water emulsified fuel produced in Venezuela, has shown increased use throughout the world as a replacement for heavy fuel oil and, more frequently during the past several years, coal. Orimulsion has relatively high levels of sulfur, nickel, and vanad...

Using advanced oxidation treatment for biofilm inactivation by varying water vapor content in air plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryota, Suganuma; Koichi, Yasuoka

2015-09-01

Biofilms are caused by environmental degradation in food factories and medical facilities. The inactivation of biofilms involves making them react with chemicals including chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone, although inactivation using chemicals has a potential problem because of the hazardous properties of the residual substance and hydrogen peroxide, which have slow reaction velocity. We successfully performed an advanced oxidation process (AOP) using air plasma. Hydrogen peroxide and ozone, which were used for the formation of OH radicals in our experiment, were generated by varying the amount of water vapor supplied to the plasma. By varying the content of the water included in the air, the main product was changed from air plasma. When we increased the water content in the air, hydrogen peroxide was produced, while ozone peroxide was produced when we decreased the water content in the air. By varying the amount of water vapor, we realized a 99.9% reduction in the amount of bacteria in the biofilm when we discharged humidified air only. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 25630104.

Toxicity evaluation of process water from hydrothermal carbonization of sugarcane industry by-products.

PubMed

Fregolente, Laís Gomes; Miguel, Thaiz Batista Azevedo Rangel; de Castro Miguel, Emilio; de Almeida Melo, Camila; Moreira, Altair Benedito; Ferreira, Odair Pastor; Bisinoti, Márcia Cristina

2018-03-29

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermochemical process carried out in an aqueous medium. It is capable of converting biomass into a solid, carbon-rich material (hydrochar), and producing a liquid phase (process water) which contains the unreactive feedstock and/or chemical intermediates from the carbonization reaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of process water generated by HTC from vinasse and sugarcane bagasse produced by sugarcane industry and to evaluate its toxicity to both marine (using Artemia salina as a model organism) and the terrestrial environment (through seed germination studies of maize, lettuce, and tomato). The experiments showed that concentrated process water completely inhibited germination of maize, lettuce, and tomato seeds. On the other hand, diluted process water was able to stimulate seedlings of maize and tomato and enhance root and shoot growth. For Artemia, the LC 50 indicated that the process water is practically non-toxic; however, morphological changes, especially damages to the digestive tube and antennas of Artemia, were observed for the concentration of 1000 mg C L -1 .

Generation of Hot Water from Hot-Dry for Heavy-Oil Recovery in Northern Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, V.; Babadagli, T.; Majorowicz, J. A.; Unsworth, M. J.

2011-12-01

The focus of prior applications of hot-dry-rock (HDR) technology was mostly aimed at generating electricity. In northern Alberta, the thermal gradient is low and, therefore, this technology is not suitable for electricity generation. On the other hand, the cost of steam and hot water, and environmental impacts, are becoming critical issues in heavy-oil and bitumen recovery in Alberta. Surface generation of steam or hot-water accounts for six percent of Canada's natural gas consumption and about 50 million tons of CO2 emission. Lowered cost and environmental impacts are critical in the widespread use of steam (for in-situ recovery) and hot-water (for surface extraction of bitumen) in this region. This paper provides an extensive analysis of hot-water generation to be used in heavy-oil/bitumen recovery. We tested different modeling approaches used to determine the amount of energy produced during HDR by history matching to example field data. The most suitable numerical and analytical models were used to apply the data obtained from different regions containing heavy-oil/bitumen deposits in northern Alberta. The heat generation capacity of different regions was determined and the use of this energy (in the form of hot-water) for surface extraction processes was evaluated. Original temperature gradients were applied as well as realistic basement formation characteristics through an extensive hydro thermal analysis in the region including an experimental well drilled to the depth of 2,500m. Existing natural fractures and possible hydraulic fracturing scenarios were evaluated from the heat generation capacity and the economics points of view. The main problem was modeling difficulties, especially determination and representation of fracture network characteristics. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the selected high temperature gradient regions in Alberta. In this practice, the characteristics of hydraulic fractures, injection rate, depth, the distance between injection and production wells and formation thickness were used as variables and an optimization study was carried out based on these variables. The results showed that the hot water (50 C at surface) needed in Fort McMurray for extraction could be obtained at lower costs than the generation of it using natural gas.

Transgenerational Transmission of the Effect of Gestational Ethanol Exposure on Ethanol Use-Related Behavior

PubMed Central

Nizhnikov, Michael E.; Popoola, Daniel O.; Cameron, Nicole M.

2018-01-01

Background Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) enhances the risk for alcoholism by increasing the propensity to consume alcohol and altering neurophysiological response to alcohol challenge. Transgenerationally transmittable genetic alterations have been implicated in these behavioral changes. To date, transgenerational transmission of PAE-induced behavioral responses to alcohol has never been experimentally investigated. Therefore, we explored the transgenerational transmission of PAE-induced behavioral effects across 3 generations. Methods Pregnant Sprague Dawley dams received 1 g/kg ethanol (EtOH) or water daily on gestational days 17 through 20 via gavage, or remained untreated in their home cages. To produce second filial (F2) or F3 generations, similarly treated adult F1 or F2 offspring were mated and left undisturbed through gestation. On postnatal day (PND) 14, male and female F1, F2, and F3 offspring were tested for consumption of 5% (w/v) EtOH (in water), or water. Using the loss of righting reflex (LORR) paradigm on PND 42, F1 and F2 adolescent male offspring were tested for sensitivity to acute EtOH-induced sedation–hypnosis at 3.5 or 4.5 g/kg dose. F3 male adolescents were similarly tested at 3.5 g/kg dose. Blood EtOH concentration (BEC) was measured at waking. Results EtOH exposure increased EtOH consumption compared to both water and untreated control groups in all generations. EtOH-treated group F1 and F2 adolescents displayed attenuated LORR duration compared to the water group. No attenuated LORR was observed in the F3 generation. BEC at waking corroborated with the significant LORR duration differences while also revealing differences between untreated control and water groups in F1 and F2 generations. Conclusions Our results provide novel behavioral evidence attesting that late gestational moderate EtOH exposure increases EtOH intake across 3 generations and may alter sensitivity to EtOH-induced sedation–hypnosis across 2 generations. PMID:26876534

In situ generation of steam and alkaline surfactant for enhanced oil recovery using an exothermic water reactant (EWR)

DOEpatents

Robertson, Eric P

2011-05-24

A method for oil recovery whereby an exothermic water reactant (EWR) encapsulated in a water soluble coating is placed in water and pumped into one or more oil wells in contact with an oil bearing formation. After the water carries the EWR to the bottom of the injection well, the water soluble coating dissolves and the EWR reacts with the water to produce heat, an alkali solution, and hydrogen. The heat from the EWR reaction generates steam, which is forced into the oil bearing formation where it condenses and transfers heat to the oil, elevating its temperature and decreasing the viscosity of the oil. The aqueous alkali solution mixes with the oil in the oil bearing formation and forms a surfactant that reduces the interfacial tension between the oil and water. The hydrogen may be used to react with the oil at these elevated temperatures to form lighter molecules, thus upgrading to a certain extent the oil in situ. As a result, the oil can flow more efficiently and easily through the oil bearing formation towards and into one or more production wells.

The precise and accurate production of millimetric water droplets using a superhydrophobic generating apparatus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Michael J.; Aristizabal, Felipe; Coady, Matthew; Nielson, Kent; Ragogna, Paul J.; Kietzig, Anne-Marie

2018-02-01

The production of millimetric liquid droplets has importance in a wide range of applications both in the laboratory and industrially. As such, much effort has been put forth to devise methods to generate these droplets on command in a manner which results in high diameter accuracy and precision, well-defined trajectories followed by successive droplets and low oscillations in droplet shape throughout their descents. None of the currently employed methods of millimetric droplet generation described in the literature adequately addresses all of these desired droplet characteristics. The reported methods invariably involve the cohesive separation of the desired volume of liquid from the bulk supply in the same step that separates the single droplet from the solid generator. We have devised a droplet generation device which separates the desired volume of liquid within a tee-apparatus in a step prior to the generation of the droplet which has yielded both high accuracy and precision of the diameters of the final droplets produced. Further, we have engineered a generating tip with extreme antiwetting properties which has resulted in reduced adhesion forces between the liquid droplet and the solid tip. This has yielded the ability to produce droplets of low mass without necessitating different diameter generating tips or the addition of surfactants to the liquid, well-defined droplet trajectories, and low oscillations in droplet volume. The trajectories and oscillations of the droplets produced have been assessed and presented quantitatively in a manner that has been lacking in the current literature.

Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tennakoon, Charles L. K.; Singh, Waheguru; Anderson, Kelvin C.

2010-01-01

Two-electron reduction of oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide is a much researched topic. Most of the work has been done in the production of hydrogen peroxide in basic media, in order to address the needs of the pulp and paper industry. However, peroxides under alkaline conditions show poor stabilities and are not useful in disinfection applications. There is a need to design electrocatalysts that are stable and provide good current and energy efficiencies to produce hydrogen peroxide under acidic conditions. The innovation focuses on the in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide using an electrochemical cell having a gas diffusion electrode as the cathode (electrode connected to the negative pole of the power supply) and a platinized titanium anode. The cathode and anode compartments are separated by a readily available cation-exchange membrane (Nafion 117). The anode compartment is fed with deionized water. Generation of oxygen is the anode reaction. Protons from the anode compartment are transferred across the cation-exchange membrane to the cathode compartment by electrostatic attraction towards the negatively charged electrode. The cathode compartment is fed with oxygen. Here, hydrogen peroxide is generated by the reduction of oxygen. Water may also be generated in the cathode. A small amount of water is also transported across the membrane along with hydrated protons transported across the membrane. Generally, each proton is hydrated with 3-5 molecules. The process is unique because hydrogen peroxide is formed as a high-purity aqueous solution. Since there are no hazardous chemicals or liquids used in the process, the disinfection product can be applied directly to water, before entering a water filtration unit to disinfect the incoming water and to prevent the build up of heterotrophic bacteria, for example, in carbon based filters. The competitive advantages of this process are: 1. No consumable chemicals are needed in the process. The only raw materials needed are water and oxygen or air. 2. The product is pure and can therefore be used in disinfection applications directly or after proper dilution with water. 3. Oxygen generated in the anode compartment is used in the electrochemical reduction process; in addition, external oxygen is used to establish a high flow rate in the cathode compartment to remove the desired product efficiently. Exiting oxygen can be recycled after separation of liquid hydrogen peroxide product, if so desired. 4. The process can be designed for peroxide generation under microgravity conditions. 5. High concentrations of the order of 6-7 wt% can be generated by this method. This method at the time of this reporting is superior to what other researchers have reported. 6. The cell design allows for stacking of cells to increase the hydrogen peroxide production. 7. The catalyst mix containing a diquaternary ammonium compound enabled not only higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide but also higher current efficiency, improved energy efficiency, and catalyst stability. 8. The activity of the catalyst is maintained even after repeated periods of system shutdown. 9. The catalyst system can be extended for fuel-cell cathodes with suitable modifications.

Performance Qualification Test of the ISS Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Expendables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Layne; Tabb, David; Tatara, James D.; Mason, Richard K.

2005-01-01

The Water Processor Assembly (WPA) for use on the International Space Station (ISS) includes various technologies for the treatment of waste water. These technologies include filtration, ion exchange, adsorption, catalytic oxidation, and iodination. The WPA hardware implementing portions of these technologies, including the Particulate Filter, Multifiltration Bed, Ion Exchange Bed, and Microbial Check Valve, was recently qualified for chemical performance at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Waste water representing the quality of that produced on the ISS was generated by test subjects and processed by the WPA. Water quality analysis and instrumentation data was acquired throughout the test to monitor hardware performance. This paper documents operation of the test and the assessment of the hardware performance.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Product Generation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haines, S. L.; Suggs, R. J.; Jedlovec, G. J.

2004-01-01

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Product Generation System (GPGS) is introduced and described. GPGS is a set of computer programs developed and maintained at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center and is designed to generate meteorological data products using visible and infrared measurements from the GOES-East Imager and Sounder instruments. The products that are produced by GPGS are skin temperature, total precipitable water, cloud top pressure, cloud albedo, surface albedo, and surface insolation. A robust cloud mask is also generated. The retrieval methodology for each product is described to include algorithm descriptions and required inputs and outputs for the programs. Validation is supplied where applicable.

An Analysis of Effect of Water Resources Constraint on Energy Production in Turkey

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

wind turbines usually have two or three blades and, because winds above the ground tend to be faster and less turbulent than those near the surface... turbines are mounted on tall towers to capture the most energy. As the blades turn, the central shaft spins a generator to make electricity. Wind ... turbines a placed at sites with strong and steady winds (about 20 km/hour) can economically generate electricity without producing pollutants. Wind

Accumulation and subsequent utilization of waste heat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koloničný, Jan; Richter, Aleš; Pavloková, Petra

2016-06-01

This article aims to introduce a special way of heat accumulation and primary operating characteristics. It is the unique way in which the waste heat from flue gas of biogas cogeneration station is stored in the system of storage tanks, into the heat transfer oil. Heat is subsequently transformed into water, from which is generated the low-pressure steam. Steam, at the time of peak electricity needs, spins the special designed turbine generator and produces electrical energy.

Production of food grade (culinary) steam with geothermal (geo-heat) for industrial use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wehlage, E.F.

1980-09-01

It may be assumed that geothermal steam (dry or flashed) will be sterile but not necessarily clean enough for direct incorporation into foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. The use of a purification by unfired geo-heat steam generators can produce a food grade or culinary steam supply for critical use even when combined with fossil fuel used as a booster. Low conductivity, i.e., pure food grade steam requires careful water conditioning outside the generator.

Novel Budesonide Particles for Dry Powder Inhalation Prepared Using a Microfluidic Reactor Coupled With Ultrasonic Spray Freeze Drying.

PubMed

Saboti, Denis; Maver, Uroš; Chan, Hak-Kim; Planinšek, Odon

2017-07-01

Budesonide (BDS) is a potent active pharmaceutical ingredient, often administered using respiratory devices such as metered dose inhalers, nebulizers, and dry powder inhalers. Inhalable drug particles are conventionally produced by crystallization followed by milling. This approach tends to generate partially amorphous materials that require post-processing to improve the formulations' stability. Other methods involve homogenization or precipitation and often require the use of stabilizers, mostly surfactants. The purpose of this study was therefore to develop a novel method for preparation of fine BDS particles using a microfluidic reactor coupled with ultrasonic spray freeze drying, and hence avoiding the need of additional homogenization or stabilizer use. A T-junction microfluidic reactor was employed to produce particle suspension (using an ethanol-water, methanol-water, and an acetone-water system), which was directly fed into an ultrasonic atomization probe, followed by direct feeding to liquid nitrogen. Freeze drying was the final preparation step. The result was fine crystalline BDS powders which, when blended with lactose and dispersed in an Aerolizer at 100 L/min, generated fine particle fraction in the range 47.6% ± 2.8% to 54.9% ± 1.8%, thus exhibiting a good aerosol performance. Subsequent sample analysis confirmed the suitability of the developed method to produce inhalable drug particles without additional homogenization or stabilizers. The developed method provides a viable solution for particle isolation in microfluidics in general. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. All rights reserved.

REACTOR-FLASH BOILER-FLYWHEEL POWER PLANT

DOEpatents

Loeb, E.

1961-01-17

A power generator in the form of a flywheel with four reactors positioned about its rim is described. The reactors are so positioned that steam, produced in the reactor, exists tangentially to the flywheel, giving it a rotation. The reactors are incompletely moderated without water. The water enters the flywheel at its axis, under sufficient pressure to force it through the reactors, where it is converted to steam. The fuel consists of parallel twisted ribbons assembled to approximate a cylinder.

Cavitation Enhancing Nanodroplets Mediate Efficient DNA Fragmentation in a Bench Top Ultrasonic Water Bath

PubMed Central

Malc, Ewa P.; Jayakody, Chatura N.; Tsuruta, James K.; Mieczkowski, Piotr A.; Janzen, William P.; Dayton, Paul A.

2015-01-01

A perfluorocarbon nanodroplet formulation is shown to be an effective cavitation enhancement agent, enabling rapid and consistent fragmentation of genomic DNA in a standard ultrasonic water bath. This nanodroplet-enhanced method produces genomic DNA libraries and next-generation sequencing results indistinguishable from DNA samples fragmented in dedicated commercial acoustic sonication equipment, and with higher throughput. This technique thus enables widespread access to fast bench-top genomic DNA fragmentation. PMID:26186461

The multigenerational effects of water contamination and endocrine disrupting chemicals on the fitness of Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Quesada-Calderón, Suany; Bacigalupe, Leonardo Daniel; Toro-Vélez, Andrés Fernando; Madera-Parra, Carlos Arturo; Peña-Varón, Miguel Ricardo; Cárdenas-Henao, Heiber

2017-08-01

Water pollution due to human activities produces sedimentation, excessive nutrients, and toxic chemicals, and this, in turn, has an effect on the normal endocrine functioning of living beings. Overall, water pollution may affect some components of the fitness of organisms (e.g., developmental time and fertility). Some toxic compounds found in polluted waters are known as endocrine disruptors (ED), and among these are nonhalogenated phenolic chemicals such as bisphenol A and nonylphenol. To evaluate the effect of nonhalogenated phenolic chemicals on the endocrine system, we subjected two generations (F0 and F1) of Drosophila melanogaster to different concentrations of ED. Specifically, treatments involved wastewater, which had the highest level of ED (bisphenol A and nonylphenol) and treated wastewater from a constructed Heliconia psittacorum wetland with horizontal subsurface water flow (He); the treated wastewater was the treatment with the lowest level of ED. We evaluated the development time from egg to pupa and from pupa to adult as well as fertility. The results show that for individuals exposed to treated wastewater, the developmental time from egg to pupae was shorter in individuals of the F1 generation than in the F0 generation. Additionally, the time from pupae to adult was longer for flies growing in the H. psittacorum treated wastewater. Furthermore, fertility was lower in the F1 generation than in the F0 generation. Although different concentrations of bisphenol A and nonylphenol had no significant effect on the components of fitness of D. melanogaster (developmental time and fertility), there was a trend across generations, likely as a result of selection imposed on the flies. It is possible that the flies developed different strategies to avoid the effects of the various environmental stressors.

Free radical generation by non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma in alcohol-water mixtures: an EPR-spin trapping study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchiyama, Hidefumi; Ishikawa, Kenji; Zhao, Qing-Li; Andocs, Gabor; Nojima, Nobuyuki; Takeda, Keigo; Krishna, Murali C.; Ishijima, Tatsuo; Matsuya, Yuji; Hori, Masaru; Noguchi, Kyo; Kondo, Takashi

2018-03-01

Free radical species in aqueous solution—various alcohol-water reaction mixtures—by exposure to non-equilibrium cold atmospheric pressure Ar plasma (CAP), were monitored using electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping techniques with 3, 5-dibromo-4-nitrosobenzene sulfonate as a water soluble nitroso spin trap. The major radical species were formed by H-abstraction from alcohol molecules due to ·OH radicals. In the ethanol-water mixture ·CH2CH2OH produced by H abstraction from CH3 group of the ethanol and ·CH3 radicals were detected. The latter was due to the decomposition of unstable CH3·CHOH to form the ·CH3 radicals and the stable formaldehyde by C-C bond fission. These intermediates are similar to those observed by reaction with ·OH radicals generation in the H2O2-UV photolysis of the reaction mixtures. The evidence of ·CH3 radical formation in the pyrolytic decomposition of the reaction mixtures by exposure to ultrasound or in methane irradiated with microwave plasma have been reported previously. However, the pyrolytic ·CH3 radicals were not found in both plasma and H2O2-UV photolysis condition. These results suggests that free radicals produced by Ar-CAP are most likely due to the reaction between abundant ·OH radicals and alcohol molecules.

Sources of water vapor to economically relevant regions in Amazonia and the effect of deforestation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pires, G. F.; Fontes, V. C.

2017-12-01

The Amazon rain forest helps regulate the regional humid climate. Understanding the effects of Amazon deforestation is important to preserve not only the climate, but also economic activities that depend on it, in particular, agricultural productivity and hydropower generation. This study calculates the source of water vapor contributing to the precipitation on economically relevant regions in Amazonia according to different scenarios of deforestation. These regions include the state of Mato Grosso, which produces about 9% of the global soybean production, and the basins of the Xingu and Madeira, with infrastructure under construction that will be capable to generate 20% of the electrical energy produced in Brazil. The results show that changes in rainfall after deforestation are stronger in regions nearest to the ocean and indicate the importance of the continental water vapor source to the precipitation over southern Amazonia. In the two more continental regions (Madeira and Mato Grosso), decreases in the source of water vapor in one region were offset by increases in contributions from other continental regions, whereas in the Xingu basin, which is closer to the ocean, this mechanism did not occur. As a conclusion, the geographic location of the region is an important determinant of the resiliency of the regional climate to deforestation-induced regional climate change. The more continental the geographic location, the less climate changes after deforestation.

Catalytic dehydrogenation of amine borane complexes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohajeri, Nahid (Inventor); Tabatabaie-Raissi, Ali (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A method of generating hydrogen includes the steps of providing an amine borane (AB) complex, at least one hydrogen generation catalyst, and a solvent, and mixing these components. Hydrogen is generated. The hydrogen produced is high purity hydrogen suitable for PEM fuel cells. A hydrolytic in-situ hydrogen generator includes a first compartment that contains an amine borane (AB) complex, a second container including at least one hydrogen generation catalyst, wherein the first or second compartment includes water or other hydroxyl group containing solvent. A connecting network permits mixing contents in the first compartment with contents in the second compartment, wherein high purity hydrogen is generated upon mixing. At least one flow controller is provided for controlling a flow rate of the catalyst or AB complex.

Catalytic dehydrogenation of amine borane complexes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tabatabaie-Raissi, Ali (Inventor); Mohajeri, Nahid (Inventor); Bokerman, Gary (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A method of generating hydrogen includes the steps of providing an amine borane (AB) complex, at least one hydrogen generation catalyst, and a solvent, and mixing these components Hydrogen is generated. The hydrogen produced is high purity hydrogen suitable for PEM fuel cells. A hydrolytic in-situ hydrogen generator includes a first compartment that contains an amine borane (AB) complex, a second container including at least one hydrogen generation catalyst, wherein the first or second compartment includes water or other hydroxyl group containing solvent. A connecting network permits mixing contents in the first compartment with contents in the second compartment, wherein high purity hydrogen is generated upon mixing. At least one flow controller is provided for controlling a flow rate of the catalyst or AB complex.

Ethanol production from sugars obtained during enzymatic hydrolysis of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum, Schum.) pretreated by steam explosion.

PubMed

Scholl, Angélica Luisi; Menegol, Daiane; Pitarelo, Ana Paula; Fontana, Roselei Claudete; Zandoná Filho, Arion; Ramos, Luiz Pereira; Dillon, Aldo José Pinheiro; Camassola, Marli

2015-09-01

In this work, steam explosion was used a pretreatment method to improve the conversion of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) to cellulosic ethanol. This way, enzymatic hydrolysis of vaccum-drained and water-washed steam-treated substrates was carried out with Penicillium echinulatum enzymes while Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1 was used for fermentation. After 48 h of hydrolysis, the highest yield of reducing sugars was obtained from vaccum-drained steam-treated substrates that were produced after 10 min at 200 °C (863.42 ± 62.52 mg/g). However, the highest glucose yield was derived from water-washed steam-treated substrates that were produced after 10 min at 190 °C (248.34 ± 6.27 mg/g) and 200 °C (246.00 ± 9.60 mg/g). Nevertheless, the highest ethanol production was obtained from water-washed steam-treated substrates that were produced after 6 min at 200 °C. These data revealed that water washing is a critical step for ethanol production from steam-treated elephant grass and that pretreatment generates a great deal of water soluble inhibitory compounds for hydrolysis and fermentation, which were partly characterized as part of this study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Centrifugation as a pre-treatment in olive mill wastewater processing (abstract)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW), generated during production of olive oil, is an untapped source of nutritious compounds. Thus, processors want to separate OMWW into a high-value, concentrated product stream and near-pure water. However, the amount and characteristics of the produced OMWW depend on t...

Methane generation from waste materials

DOEpatents

Samani, Zohrab A.; Hanson, Adrian T.; Macias-Corral, Maritza

2010-03-23

An organic solid waste digester for producing methane from solid waste, the digester comprising a reactor vessel for holding solid waste, a sprinkler system for distributing water, bacteria, and nutrients over and through the solid waste, and a drainage system for capturing leachate that is then recirculated through the sprinkler system.

Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies

EPA Science Inventory

In 2011, EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) signed an MOU with the U.S. Army to support the Army’s Net Zero initiative. The 17 Net Zero pilot installations aim to produce as much energy as used; limit freshwater use and increase water reuse; and reduce the generation ...

LOW COST, EFFICIENT MICROCHANNEL PLASMA OZONE GENERATOR FOR POINT OF USE WATER TREATMENT - PHASE I

EPA Science Inventory

A team of EP Purification and the University of Illinois engineers and chemists is pursuing the commercialization of low-cost microchannel plasma modules capable of efficiently producing ozone for...

40 CFR 147.950 - State-administered program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., 1985 and January 20, 1986; (3)(i) Statewide Order Governing the Drilling for and Producing of Oil and... of Drilling Mud and Salt Water Generated from Drilling and Production of Oil and Gas Wells... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State-administered program. 147.950...

40 CFR 147.950 - State-administered program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., 1985 and January 20, 1986; (3)(i) Statewide Order Governing the Drilling for and Producing of Oil and... of Drilling Mud and Salt Water Generated from Drilling and Production of Oil and Gas Wells... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State-administered program. 147.950...

40 CFR 147.950 - State-administered program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., 1985 and January 20, 1986; (3)(i) Statewide Order Governing the Drilling for and Producing of Oil and... of Drilling Mud and Salt Water Generated from Drilling and Production of Oil and Gas Wells... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State-administered program. 147.950...

40 CFR 147.950 - State-administered program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., 1985 and January 20, 1986; (3)(i) Statewide Order Governing the Drilling for and Producing of Oil and... of Drilling Mud and Salt Water Generated from Drilling and Production of Oil and Gas Wells... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State-administered program. 147.950...

40 CFR 147.950 - State-administered program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., 1985 and January 20, 1986; (3)(i) Statewide Order Governing the Drilling for and Producing of Oil and... of Drilling Mud and Salt Water Generated from Drilling and Production of Oil and Gas Wells... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State-administered program. 147.950...

Demonstration-Based Education Generates Behavior Change Related to Conservation Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smart, Alexander J.; Bauman, Peter J.; Boltz, Stan; Hemenway, Jeff

2017-01-01

Getting agricultural producers to make changes to their operations is difficult, especially related to complex systems such as the water cycle on managed agricultural lands. We surveyed participants who had watched a rainfall simulator demonstration during the summer of 2015. Results indicate that the demonstration was effective in providing…

Seismically induced landslides: current research by the US Geological Survey.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harp, E.L.; Wilson, R.C.; Keefer, D.K.; Wieczorek, G.F.

1986-01-01

We have produced a regional seismic slope-stability map and a probabilistic prediction of landslide distribution from a postulated earthquake. For liquefaction-induced landslides, in situ measurements of seismically induced pore-water pressures have been used to establish an elastic model of pore pressure generation. -from Authors

Evaluation of spray droplet spectrum of sprayers used for vector control

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Droplet spectra data were collected from spray equipment intended for use in vector control by the US Department of Defense pest management programs to determine if they produce droplets in the ultra-low volume (ULV) spectrum. Droplets generated by 26 sprayers utilizing water + non-ionic surfactant...

SWANN: The Snow Water Artificial Neural Network Modelling System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broxton, P. D.; van Leeuwen, W.; Biederman, J. A.

2017-12-01

Snowmelt from mountain forests is important for water supply and ecosystem health. Along Arizona's Mogollon Rim, snowmelt contributes to rivers and streams that provide a significant water supply for hydro-electric power generation, agriculture, and human consumption in central Arizona. In this project, we are building a snow monitoring system for the Salt River Project (SRP), which supplies water and power to millions of customers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. We are using process-based hydrological models and artificial neural networks (ANNs) to generate information about both snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow cover. The snow-cover data is generated with ANNs that are applied to Landsat and MODIS satellite reflectance data. The SWE data is generated using a combination of gridded SWE estimates generated by process-based snow models and ANNs that account for variations in topography, forest cover, and solar radiation. The models are trained and evaluated with snow data from SNOTEL stations as well as from aerial LiDAR and field data that we collected this past winter in northern Arizona, as well as with similar data from other sites in the Southwest US. These snow data are produced in near-real time, and we have built a prototype decision support tool to deliver them to SRP. This tool is designed to provide daily-to annual operational monitoring of spatial and temporal changes in SWE and snow cover conditions over the entire Salt River Watershed (covering 17,000 km2), and features advanced web mapping capabilities and watershed analytics displayed as graphical data.

Harvesting water wave energy by asymmetric screening of electrostatic charges on a nanostructured hydrophobic thin-film surface.

PubMed

Zhu, Guang; Su, Yuanjie; Bai, Peng; Chen, Jun; Jing, Qingshen; Yang, Weiqing; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-06-24

Energy harvesting from ambient water motions is a desirable but underexplored solution to on-site energy demand for self-powered electronics. Here we report a liquid-solid electrification-enabled generator based on a fluorinated ethylene propylene thin film, below which an array of electrodes are fabricated. The surface of the thin film is charged first due to the water-solid contact electrification. Aligned nanowires created on the thin film make it hydrophobic and also increase the surface area. Then the asymmetric screening to the surface charges by the waving water during emerging and submerging processes causes the free electrons on the electrodes to flow through an external load, resulting in power generation. The generator produces sufficient output power for driving an array of small electronics during direct interaction with water bodies, including surface waves and falling drops. Polymer-nanowire-based surface modification increases the contact area at the liquid-solid interface, leading to enhanced surface charging density and thus electric output at an efficiency of 7.7%. Our planar-structured generator features an all-in-one design without separate and movable components for capturing and transmitting mechanical energy. It has extremely lightweight and small volume, making it a portable, flexible, and convenient power solution that can be applied on the ocean/river surface, at coastal/offshore areas, and even in rainy places. Considering the demonstrated scalability, it can also be possibly used in large-scale energy generation if layers of planar sheets are connected into a network.

Development and performance evaluation of air fine bubbles on water quality of thai catfish rearing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subhan, Ujang; Muthukannan, Vanitha; Azhary, Sundoro Yoga; Mulhadi, Muhammad Fakhri; Rochima, Emma; Panatarani, Camellia; Joni, I. Made

2018-02-01

The efficiency and productivity of aquaculture strongly depends on the development of advanced technology for water quality management system. The most important factor for the success of intensive aquaculture system is controlling the water quality of fish rearing media. This paper reports the design of fine bubbles (FBs) generator and performance evaluation of the system to improve water quality in thai catfish media (10 g/ind) with density (16.66 ind./L). The FBs generator was designed to control the size distribution of bubble by controlling its air flow rate entry to the mixing chamber of the generator. The performance of the system was evaluated based on the produced debit, dissolved oxygen rate and ammonia content in the catfish medium. The size distribution was observed by using a high speed camera image followed by processing using ImageJ. freeware application. The results show that air flow rate 0.05 L/min and 0.1 L/min received average bubble size of 29 µm and 31 µm respectively. The generator produced bubbles with capacity of 6 L/min and dissolved oxygen rate 0.2 ppm/min/L. The obtained DO growth was 0.455 ppm/second/L while the average decay rate was 0.20 ppm/second/L. (0.011/0.005 fold). In contrast, the recieved DO growth rate is faster compared to the DO consumption rate of the Thai catfish. This results indicated that the potential application of FBs enhanced the density of thai catfish seed rearing. In addition, ammonia can be reduced at 0.0358 ppm/hour/L and it is also observed that the inhibition of bacterial growth of air FBs is postive to Aeromonas hydrophila bacteria compared to the negative control. It is concluded that as-developed FBs system can be potentially applied for intensive thai catfish culture and expected to improve the feeding efficiency rate.

Consumptive water use to feed humanity - curing a blind spot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkenmark, M.; Lannerstad, M.

2005-06-01

Since in large parts of the world it is getting difficult to meet growing water demands by mobilising more water, the discourse has turned its focus to demand management, governance and the necessary concern for aquatic ecosystems by reserving an "environmental flow" in the river. The latter calls for attention to river depletion which may be expected in response to changes in consumptive water use by both natural and anthropogenic systems. Basically, consumptive use has three faces: runoff generation influenced by land cover changes; consumptive use of water withdrawn; and evaporation from water systems (reservoirs, canals, river based cooling). After demonstrating the vulnerability to changes in consumptive use under savanna region conditions - representative of many poverty and hunger prone developing countries subject to attention in the Millennium Development Goal activities - the paper exemplifies; 1) changes in runoff generation in response to regional scale land cover changes; 2) consumptive use in large scale irrigation systems. It goes on to analyse the implications of seeing food as a human right by estimating the additional consumptive use requirements to produce food for the next two generations. Attention is paid to remaining degrees of freedom in terms of uncommitted water beyond an environmental flow reserve and to potential food trade consequences (so-called virtual water). The paper concludes that a human-right-to-food principle will have major consequences in terms of altered consumptive water use. It will therefore be essential for humanity to address river depletion to avoid loss of resilience of the life support system. This will demand a deep-going cooperation between hydrology, ecology and water governance.

Consumptive water use to feed humanity - curing a blind spot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkenmark, M.; Lannerstad, M.

2004-11-01

Since in large parts of the world it is getting difficult to meet growing water demands by mobilising more water, the discourse has turned its focus to demand management, governance and the necessary concern for aquatic ecosystems by reserving an "environmental flow" in the river. The latter calls for attention to river depletion which may be expected in response to changes in consumptive water use by both natural and anthropogenic systems. Basically, consumptive use has three faces: runoff generation influenced by land cover changes; consumptive use of water withdrawn; and evaporation from water systems (reservoirs, canals, river based cooling). After demonstrating the vulnerability to changes in consumptive use under savanna region conditions - representative of many poverty and hunger prone developing countries subject to attention in the Millennium Development Goal activities - the paper exemplifies 1) changes in runoff generation in response to regional scale land cover changes; 2) consumptive use in large scale irrigation systems. It goes on to analyse the implications of seeing food as a human right by estimating the additional consumptive use requirements to produce food for the next two generations. Attention is paid to remaining degrees of freedom in terms of uncommitted water beyond an environmental flow reserve and to potential food trade consequences (so-called virtual water). The paper concludes that a human-right-to-food principle will have major consequences in terms of altered consumptive water use. It will therefore be essential for humanity to address river depletion to avoid loss of resilience of the life support system. This will demand a deep-going cooperation between hydrology, ecology and water governance.

Naphthenic acids removal from high TDS produced water by persulfate mediated iron oxide functionalized catalytic membrane, and by nanofiltration.

PubMed

Aher, Ashish; Papp, Joseph; Colburn, Andrew; Wan, Hongyi; Hatakeyama, Evan; Prakash, Prakhar; Weaver, Ben; Bhattacharyya, Dibakar

2017-11-01

Oil industries generate large amounts of produced water containing organic contaminants, such as naphthenic acids (NA) and very high concentrations of inorganic salts. Recovery of potable water from produced water can be highly energy intensive is some cases due to its high salt concentration, and safe discharge is more suitable. Here, we explored catalytic properties of iron oxide (Fe x O y nanoparticles) functionalized membranes in oxidizing NA from water containing high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) using persulfate as an oxidizing agent. Catalytic decomposition of persulfate by Fe x O y functionalized membranes followed pseudo-first order kinetics with an apparent activation energy of 18 Kcal/mol. Fe x O y functionalized membranes were capable of lowering the NA concentrations to less than discharge limits of 10 ppm at 40 °C. Oxidation state of iron during reaction was quantified. Membrane performance was investigated for extended period of time. A coupled process of advanced oxidation catalyzed by membrane and nanofiltration was also evaluated. Commercially available nanofiltration membranes were found capable of retaining NA from water containing high concentrations of dissolved salts. Commercial NF membranes, Dow NF270 (Dow), and NF8 (Nanostone) had NA rejection of 79% and 82%, respectively. Retentate for the nanofiltration was further treated with advanced oxidation catalyzed by Fe x O y functionalized membrane for removal of NA.

Power generation by high head water in a building using micro hydro turbine-a greener approach.

PubMed

M M S R S, Bhargav; V, Ratna Kishore; S P, Anbuudayasankar; K, Balaji

2016-05-01

Demand for green energy production is arising all over the world. A lot of emphasis is laid in making the buildings green. Even a small amount of energy savings made contribute to saving the environment. In this study, an idea is proposed and studied to extract power from the high head water in the pipelines of a building. A building of height 15 m is considered for this study. Water flowing in the pipe has sufficient energy to run a micro hydro turbine. The feasibility of producing electrical energy from the energy of pipe water is found. The motivation is to find the feasibility of generating power using a low-cost turbine. The experimental setup consists of micro turbine of 135 mm diameter coupled to a 12-V DC generator; LEDs and resistors are employed to validate the results. The theoretical calculations were presented using the fundamental equations of fluid mechanics. The theoretical results are validated using experimental and numerical results using CFD simulation. In addition, exergy analysis has been carried out to quantify the irreversibilities during the process in the system.

Rapid sequential determination of arsenic and selenium in waters and plant digests by hydride generation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menegário, Amauri A.; Giné, Maria Fernanda

2000-04-01

A synchronised flow system with hydride generation coupled to ICP-MS is proposed for the sequential determination of As and Se in natural waters and plant digests. The alternated mixing of the sample solution with thiourea or HCl for the determination of As or Se under optimized conditions was achieved using a flow commutator before the reaction with NaBH 4. The on-line addition of thiourea promoted the quantitative reduction of As(V) to As(III), thus enhancing sensitivity and precision. The selenium pre-reduction from Se(VI) to Se(IV) was produced by heating the sample with HCl, and the hydride generation was performed in 4 mol l -1 HCl, thus avoiding interference from thiourea. The system allowed the analysis of 20 samples h -1 with LOD values of 0.02 μg l -1 As and 0.03 μg l -1 Se. Results were in agreement with the certified values at the 95% confidence level for reference waters from the Canadian National Water Research Institute and plant samples from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Water: The conveyor belt for sustainable livelihoods and economic development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mapani, Benjamin; Meck, Maideyi; Makurira, Hodson; Magole, Lapologang; Mashauri, Damas; mazvimavi, Dominic; Mul, Marloes

2016-04-01

The theme for the 2014 symposium focused on the contribution of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to socio-economic development. A number of papers presented various methods that could be used to enable society to access clean water; sanitation and provision of water for rainfed and irrigation based agriculture and aquaculture. Water is the engine of development, that drives both money generating ventures as well as activities which cannot be assigned exact monetary value, but are essential for the social and economic well being of communities. It is now accepted that in order to produce most products, the contribution of water has to be factored in; from manufacturing to mining. The role that water plays in the has a much higher economic value than most people realize.

Production of a high-velocity water slug using an impacting technique.

PubMed

Dehkhoda, S; Bourne, N K

2014-02-01

A pulsed water jet consists of a series of discrete water slugs travelling at high velocity. Immediately after striking a target, these slugs apply high-intensity, short-duration transient stress pulses reaching an amplitude known as the water hammer pressure, followed by low-intensity, long-duration stationary stress at a lower stagnation pressure. The magnitude and duration of the water hammer and stagnation pressures are controlled by the size and quality of the water slugs. The use of water jets for rock cutting in mining operations is a centuries-old technology; however, practical methods for producing high-energy water slugs repeatedly have proven difficult. This can be partly due to the fact that the geometrical properties of a jet and so its effectiveness in creating damage is controlled and influenced by the method that is employed to generate the water slugs. This paper investigates the quality of a single water slug produced using an impacting technique where a hammer strikes a piston, resting on top of a water-filled chamber. The coherence and integrity of the jet core was of concern in this study. The impact impulse of the formed water jet was measured in a Kel-F target material using an embedded PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) shock gauge. The recorded stress waveform was then used to determine the unity and endurance of the water slug stream once travelled through air.

Production of a high-velocity water slug using an impacting technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehkhoda, S.; Bourne, N. K.

2014-02-01

A pulsed water jet consists of a series of discrete water slugs travelling at high velocity. Immediately after striking a target, these slugs apply high-intensity, short-duration transient stress pulses reaching an amplitude known as the water hammer pressure, followed by low-intensity, long-duration stationary stress at a lower stagnation pressure. The magnitude and duration of the water hammer and stagnation pressures are controlled by the size and quality of the water slugs. The use of water jets for rock cutting in mining operations is a centuries-old technology; however, practical methods for producing high-energy water slugs repeatedly have proven difficult. This can be partly due to the fact that the geometrical properties of a jet and so its effectiveness in creating damage is controlled and influenced by the method that is employed to generate the water slugs. This paper investigates the quality of a single water slug produced using an impacting technique where a hammer strikes a piston, resting on top of a water-filled chamber. The coherence and integrity of the jet core was of concern in this study. The impact impulse of the formed water jet was measured in a Kel-F target material using an embedded PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) shock gauge. The recorded stress waveform was then used to determine the unity and endurance of the water slug stream once travelled through air.

Process and apparatus for separating fine particles by microbubble flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, R.H.; Adel, G.T.; Luttrell, G.H.

1991-01-01

A method and apparatus are disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine particles, especially coal, so as to produce a high purity and large recovery efficiently. This is accomplished through the use of a high aspect ratio flotation column, microbubbles, and a countercurrent use of wash water to gently wash the froth. Also, disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a high efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or an in-line static generator. 23 figures.

Apparatus and process for the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles using microbubble column flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, Roe-Hoan; Adel, Gregory T.; Luttrell, Gerald H.

1992-01-01

A method and apparatus are disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine and coarse particles, especially coal and minerals, so as to produce high purity and high recovery efficiency. This is accomplished through the use of a flotation column, microbubbles, recycling of the flotation pulp, and countercurrent wash water to gently wash the froth. Also disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a highly efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or in-line static generators.

Apparatus for the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles using microbubble column flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, Roe-Hoan; Adel, Gregory T.; Luttrell, Gerald H.

1995-01-01

An apparatus is disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine and coarse particles, especially coal, and minerals so as to produce high purity and high recovery efficiency. This is accomplished through the use of a flotation column, microbubbles, recycling of the flotation pulp, and countercurrent wash water to gently wash the froth. Also disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a highly efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or in-line static generators.

Apparatus for the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles using microbubble column flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, R.H.; Adel, G.T.; Luttrell, G.H.

1995-03-14

An apparatus is disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine and coarse particles, especially coal, and minerals so as to produce high purity and high recovery efficiency. This is accomplished through the use of a flotation column, microbubbles, recycling of the flotation pulp, and countercurrent wash water to gently wash the froth. Also disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a highly efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or in-line static generators. 14 figs.

Apparatus and process for the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles using microbubble column flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, Roe-Hoan; Adel, Gregory T.; Luttrell, Gerald H.

1998-01-01

A method and apparatus are disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine and coarse particles, especially coal and minerals, so as to produce high purity and high recovery efficiency. This is accomplished through the use of a flotation column, microbubbles, recycling of the flotation pulp, and countercurrent wash water to gently wash the froth. Also disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a highly efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or in-line static generators.

Bioelectrochemical systems-driven directional ion transport enables low-energy water desalination, pollutant removal, and resource recovery.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Liang, Peng; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; Huang, Xia

2016-09-01

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are integrated water treatment technologies that generate electricity using organic matter in wastewater. In situ use of bioelectricity can direct the migration of ionic substances in a BES, thereby enabling water desalination, resource recovery, and valuable substance production. Recently, much attention has been placed on the microbial desalination cells in BESs to drive water desalination, and various configurations have optimized electricity generation and desalination performance and also coupled hydrogen production, heavy metal reduction, and other reactions. In addition, directional transport of other types of charged ions can remediate polluted groundwater, recover nutrient, and produce valuable substances. To better promote the practical application, the use of BESs as directional drivers of ionic substances requires further optimization to improve energy use efficiency and treatment efficacy. This article reviews existing researches on BES-driven directional ion transport to treat wastewater and identifies a few key factors involved in efficiency optimization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The development and evaluation of a non-pressurised, chemical oxygen reaction generation vessel and breathing system providing emergency oxygen for an extended duration.

PubMed

Dingley, J; Williams, D; Douglas, P; Douglas, M; Douglas, J O

2016-12-01

The objective was to develop a sodium percarbonate/water/catalyst chemical oxygen generator that did not require compressed gas. Existing devices utilising this reaction have a very short duration of action. Preliminary experiments with a glass reaction vessel, water bath and electronic flowmeter indicated that many factors affected oxygen production rate including reagent formulation, temperature, water volume and agitation frequency. Having undertaken full-scale experiments using a stainless steel vessel, an optimum combination of reagents was found to be 1 litre water, 0.75 g manganese dioxide catalyst, 60 g sodium percarbonate granules and 800 g of custom pressed 7.21 (0.28) g sodium percarbonate tablets. This combination of granules and slower dissolution tablets produced a rapid initial oxygen flow to 'purge' an attached low-flow breathing system allowing immediate use, followed by a constant flow meeting metabolic requirements for a minimum of 1 h duration. © 2016 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

Dedicated nuclear facilities for electrolytic hydrogen production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foh, S. E.; Escher, W. J. D.; Donakowski, T. D.

1979-01-01

An advanced technology, fully dedicated nuclear-electrolytic hydrogen production facility is presented. This plant will produce hydrogen and oxygen only and no electrical power will be generated for off-plant use. The conceptual design was based on hydrogen production to fill a pipeline at 1000 psi and a 3000 MW nuclear base, and the base-line facility nuclear-to-shaftpower and shaftpower-to-electricity subsystems, the water treatment subsystem, electricity-to-hydrogen subsystem, hydrogen compression, efficiency, and hydrogen production cost are discussed. The final conceptual design integrates a 3000 MWth high-temperature gas-cooled reactor operating at 980 C helium reactor-out temperature, direct dc electricity generation via acyclic generators, and high-current density, high-pressure electrolyzers based on the solid polymer electrolyte approach. All subsystems are close-coupled and optimally interfaced and pipeline hydrogen is produced at 1000 psi. Hydrogen costs were about half of the conventional nuclear electrolysis process.

Onboard hydrogen generation for automobiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houseman, J.; Cerini, D. J.

1976-01-01

Problems concerning the use of hydrogen as a fuel for motor vehicles are related to the storage of the hydrogen onboard a vehicle. The feasibility is investigated to use an approach based on onboard hydrogen generation as a means to avoid these storage difficulties. Two major chemical processes can be used to produce hydrogen from liquid hydrocarbons and methanol. In steam reforming, the fuel reacts with water on a catalytic surface to produce a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In partial oxidation, the fuel reacts with air, either on a catalytic surface or in a flame front, to yield a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. There are many trade-offs in onboard hydrogen generation, both in the choice of fuels as well as in the choice of a chemical process. Attention is given to these alternatives, the results of some experimental work in this area, and the combustion of various hydrogen-rich gases in an internal combustion engine.

Method and apparatus for hydrogen production from water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muradov, Nazim Z. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A method, apparatuses and chemical compositions are provided for producing high purity hydrogen from water. Metals or alloys capable of reacting with water and producing hydrogen in aqueous solutions at ambient conditions are reacted with one or more inorganic hydrides capable of releasing hydrogen in aqueous solutions at ambient conditions, one or more transition metal compounds are used to catalyze the reaction and, optionally, one or more alkali metal-based compounds. The metal or alloy is preferably aluminum. The inorganic hydride is from a family of complex inorganic hydrides; most preferably, NaBH.sub.4. The transition metal catalyst is from the groups VIII and IB; preferably, Cu and Fe. The alkali metal-based compounds are preferably NaOH, KOH, and the like. Hydrogen generated has a purity of at least 99.99 vol. % (dry basis), and is used without further purification in all types of fuel cells, including the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell.

Status of the DOE /STOR/-sponsored national program on hydrogen production from water via thermochemical cycles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, C. E.

1977-01-01

A pure thermochemical cycle is a system of linked regenerative chemical reactions which accepts only water and heat and produces hydrogen. Thermochemical cycles are potentially a more efficient and cheaper means of producing hydrogen from water than is the generation of electricity followed by electrolysis. The Energy Storage Systems Division of the Department of Energy is currently funding a national program on thermochemical hydrogen production. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is responsible for the technical management of this program. The goal is to develop a cycle which can potentially operate with an efficiency greater than 40% using a heat source providing a maximum available temperature of 1150 K. A closed bench-scale demonstration of such a cycle would follow. This cycle would be labeled a 'reference cycle' and would serve as a baseline against which future cycles would be compared.

Development of life cycle water footprints for the production of fuels and chemicals from algae biomass.

PubMed

Nogueira Junior, Edson; Kumar, Mayank; Pankratz, Stan; Oyedun, Adetoyese Olajire; Kumar, Amit

2018-09-01

This study develops life cycle water footprints for the production of fuels and chemicals via thermochemical conversion of algae biomass. This study is based on two methods of feedstock production - ponds and photobioreactors (PBRs) - and four conversion pathways - fast pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), conventional gasification, and hydrothermal gasification (HTG). The results show the high fresh water requirement for algae production and the necessity to recycle harvested water or use alternative water sources. To produce 1 kg of algae through ponds, 1564 L of water are required. When PBRs are used, only 372 L water are required; however, the energy requirements for PBRs are about 30 times higher than for ponds. From a final product perspective, the pathway based on the gasification of algae biomass was the thermochemical conversion method that required the highest amount of water per MJ produced (mainly due to its low hydrogen yield), followed by fast pyrolysis and HTL. On the other hand, HTG has the lowest water footprint, mainly because the large amount of electricity generated as part of the process compensates for the electricity used by the system. Performance in all pathways can be improved through recycling channels. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A chemical and thermodynamic model of oil generation in hydrocarbon source rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helgeson, Harold C.; Richard, Laurent; McKenzie, William F.; Norton, Denis L.; Schmitt, Alexandra

2009-02-01

Thermodynamic calculations and Gibbs free energy minimization computer experiments strongly support the hypothesis that kerogen maturation and oil generation are inevitable consequences of oxidation/reduction disproportionation reactions caused by prograde metamorphism of hydrocarbon source rocks with increasing depth of burial.These experiments indicate that oxygen and hydrogen are conserved in the process.Accordingly, if water is stable and present in the source rock at temperatures ≳25 but ≲100 °C along a typical US Gulf Coast geotherm, immature (reduced) kerogen with a given atomic hydrogen to carbon ratio (H/C) melts incongruently with increasing temperature and depth of burial to produce a metastable equilibrium phase assemblage consisting of naphthenic/biomarker-rich crude oil, a type-II/III kerogen with an atomic hydrogen/carbon ratio (H/C) of ˜1, and water. Hence, this incongruent melting process promotes diagenetic reaction of detritus in the source rock to form authigenic mineral assemblages.However, in the water-absent region of the system CHO (which is extensive), any water initially present or subsequently entering the source rock is consumed by reaction with the most mature kerogen with the lowest H/C it encounters to form CO 2 gas and a new kerogen with higher H/C and O/C, both of which are in metastable equilibrium with one another.This hydrolytic disproportionation process progressively increases both the concentration of the solute in the aqueous phase, and the oil generation potential of the source rock; i.e., the new kerogen can then produce more crude oil.Petroleum is generated with increasing temperature and depth of burial of hydrocarbon source rocks in which water is not stable in the system CHO by a series of irreversible disproportionation reactions in which kerogens with higher (H/C)s melt incongruently to produce metastable equilibrium assemblages consisting of crude oil, CO 2 gas, and a more mature (oxidized) kerogen with a lower H/C which in turn melts incongruently with further burial to produce more crude oil, CO 2 gas, and a kerogen with a lower H/C and so forth.The petroleum generated in the process progresses from heavy naphthenic crude oils at low temperatures to mature petroleum at ˜150 °C. For example, the results of Computer Experiment 27 (see below) indicate that the overall incongruent melting reaction in the water-absent region of the system C-H-O at 150 °C and a depth of ˜4.3 km of an immature type-II/III kerogen with a bulk composition represented by C 292H 288O 12(c) to produce a mature (oxidized) kerogen represented by C 128H 68O 7(c), together with a typical crude oil with an average metastable equilibrium composition corresponding to C 8.8H 16.9 (C 8.8H 16.9(l)) and CO 2 gas (CO 2(g)) can be described by writing CHO (kerogen,H/C=0.99O/C=0.041) →1.527CHO(kerogen,H/C=0.53O/C=0.055) +10.896CH(crude oil,H/C=1.92)+0.656CO which corresponds to a disproportionation reaction in the source rock representing the sum of a series of oxidation/reduction conservation reactions. Consideration of the stoichiometries of incongruent melting reactions analogous to Reaction (A) for reactant kerogens with different (H/C)s and/or atomic oxygen to carbon ratios (O/C)s, together with crude oil compositions corresponding to Gibbs free energy minima at specified temperatures and pressures permits calculation of the volume of oil (mole of reactant organic carbon (ROC)) -1 that can be generated in, as well as the volume of oil (mol ROC) -1 which exceeds the volume of kerogen pore space produced that must be expelled from hydrocarbon source rocks as a function of temperature, pressure, and the H/C and O/C of the reactant kerogen. These volumes and the reaction coefficients (mol ROC) -1 of the product kerogen, crude oil, and CO 2 gas in the incongruent melting reaction are linear functions of the H/C and O/C of the reactant kerogen at a given temperature and pressure. The slopes of the isopleths can be computed from power functions of temperature along a typical US Gulf Coast geotherm. All of these reactions and relations are consistent with the well-known observations that (1) the relative abundance of mature kerogen increases, and that of immature kerogen decreases with increasing burial of hydrocarbon source rocks and (2) that the volume of oil generated in a given source rock increases with increasing weight percent total organic carbon (TOC) and the H/C and (to a lesser extent) the O/C of the immature kerogen. They are also compatible with preservation of biomarkers and other polymerized hydrocarbons during the incongruent melting process. It can be deduced from Reaction (A) that nearly 11 mol of crude oil are produced from one mole of the reactant kerogen (rk), which increases to ˜39.5 mol (mol rk) -1 as the carbon content and H/C of the reactant kerogen increase to that in the hydrogen-rich type-I kerogen represented by C 415H 698O 22(c). The secondary porosities created in source rocks by Reaction (A) and others like it are of the order of 75-80 vol % of the oil generated, which requires expulsion of the remainder, together with the CO 2 gas produced by the reaction. The expulsion of the CO 2 gas and excess crude oil from the hydrocarbon source rock is facilitated by their buoyancy and the fact that the pressure in the source rocks is ⩾ the fluid pressure in the adjoining formations during progressive generation of the volume of crude oil that exceeds the kerogen pore volume produced by the incongruent melting process. The expelled CO 2 gas lowers the pH of the surrounding formation waters, which promotes the development of secondary porosity and diagenetic reaction of detrital silicates to form authigenic mineral assemblages. Hence, the expulsion process facilitates initial upward migration of the oil, which is further enhanced by expansion of the oil and its reaction with H 2O at the oil-water interface to generate methane gas. Mass transfer calculations indicate that the minimal volume of crude oil expelled into these formations is comparable to, or exceeds the volume of oil produced and in proven reserves in major oil fields such as the North Sea, the Paris and Los Angeles Basins, and those in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Middle East. For example, taking account of the average weight percent ( W%) organic carbon in the immature kerogen (3.4 wt%) with an average H/C of ˜1.04 in the hydrocarbon source rocks in Saudi Arabia, which have an average thickness of ˜43 m, it can be shown (see below) that all of the oil (and oil equivalent of natural gas) produced and in proven reserves in Saudi Arabia (374 billion barrels of oil or ˜1.9 million barrels of oil km -2) can be accounted for by minimal expulsion from the source rocks of oil generated at ˜125 °C solely by the incongruent melting process. Computer experiments indicate that this process can also account for all the petroleum that can be, and has been generated in the world's hydrocarbon source rocks. Of the latter, as much as 75-80% may still remain in these rocks.

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water under visible light using core/shell nano-catalysts.

PubMed

Wang, X; Shih, K; Li, X Y

2010-01-01

A microemulsion technique was employed to synthesize nano-sized photocatalysts with a core (CdS)/shell (ZnS) structure. The primary particles of the photocatalysts were around 10 nm, and the mean size of the catalyst clusters in water was about 100 nm. The band gaps of the catalysts ranged from 2.25 to 2.46 eV. The experiments of photocatalytic H(2) generation showed that the catalysts (CdS)(x)/(ZnS)(1-x) with x ranging from 0.1 to 1 were able to produce hydrogen from water photolysis under visible light. The catalyst with x=0.9 had the highest rate of hydrogen production. The catalyst loading density also influenced the photo-hydrogen production rate, and the best catalyst concentration in water was 1 g L(-1). The stability of the nano-catalysts in terms of size, morphology and activity was satisfactory during an extended test period for a specific hydrogen production rate of 2.38 mmol g(-1) L(-1) h(-1) and a quantum yield of 16.1% under visible light (165 W Xe lamp, lambda>420 nm). The results demonstrate that the (CdS)/(ZnS) core/shell nano-particles are a novel photo-catalyst for renewable hydrogen generation from water under visible light. This is attributable to the large band-gap ZnS shell that separates the electron/hole pairs generated by the CdS core and hence reduces their recombinations.

A novel ultrasonic aerosol generator.

PubMed

Davies, A; Hudson, N; Pirie, L

1995-07-01

An ultrasonic aerosol generator constructed from a domestic humidifier is described which has been used to produce liquid aerosols for physiological investigations. The instrument was constructed from a Pifco domestic humidifier modified to include an energy guide to direct the oscillations of the transducer through the coupling water, which would normally be aerosolized, onto a small membrane based sample chamber containing the liquid to be aerosolized. The size distribution of the aerosol produced was found to be between 2 and 6 mm, optimum for diffuse intrapulmonary deposition. Up to 4 ml/min of aqueous liquid was used; however the sample chamber could be made small enough to contain economic amounts of expensive material to administer by inhalation. The instrument has proved to be reliable over a period of three years.

Mechanisms of polymer degradation using an oxygen plasma generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colony, Joe A.; Sanford, Edward L.

1987-01-01

An RF oxygen plasma generator was used to produce polymer degradation which appears to be similar to that which has been observed in low Earth orbit. Mechanisms of this type of degradation were studied by collecting the reaction products in a cryogenic trap and identifying the molecular species using infrared, mass spectral, and X-ray diffraction techniques. No structurally dependent species were found from Kapton, Teflon, or Saran polymers. However, very reactive free radical entities are produced during the polymer degradation, as well as carbon dioxide and water. Reactions of the free radicals with the glass reaction vessel, with copper metal in the cold trap, and with a triphenyl phosphate scavenger in the cold trap, demonstrated the reactivity of the primary products.

OH Production Enhancement in Bubbling Pulsed Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lungu, Cristian P.; Porosnicu, Corneliu; Jepu, Ionut; Chiru, Petrica; Zaroschi, Valentin; Lungu, Ana M.; Saito, Nagahiro; Bratescu, Maria; Takai, Osamu; Velea, Theodor; Predica, Vasile

2010-10-01

The generation of active species, such as H2O2, O*, OH*, HO2*, O3, N2*, etc, produced in aqueous solutions by HV pulsed discharges was studied in order to find the most efficient way in waste water treatment taking into account that these species are almost stronger oxidizers than ozone. Plasma was generated inside gas bubbles formed by the argon, air and oxygen gas flow between the special designed electrodes. The pulse width and pulse frequency influence was studied in order to increase the efficiency of the OH active species formation. The produced active species were investigated by optical emission spectroscopy and correlated with electrical parameters of the discharges (frequency, pulse width, amplitude, and rise and decay time).

Process for preparing organoclays for aqueous and polar-organic systems

DOEpatents

Chaiko, David J.

2001-01-01

A process for preparing organoclays as thixotropic agents to control the rheology of water-based paints and other aqueous and polar-organic systems. The process relates to treating low-grade clay ores to achieve highly purified organoclays and/or to incorporate surface modifying agents onto the clay by adsorption and/or to produce highly dispersed organoclays without excessive grinding or high shear dispersion. The process involves the treatment of impure, or run-of-mine, clay using an aqueous biphasic extraction system to produce a highly dispersed clay, free of mineral impurities and with modified surface properties brought about by adsorption of the water-soluble polymers used in generating the aqueous biphasic extraction system. This invention purifies the clay to greater than 95%.

A hybrid fuzzy logic and extreme learning machine for improving efficiency of circulating water systems in power generation plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aziz, Nur Liyana Afiqah Abdul; Siah Yap, Keem; Afif Bunyamin, Muhammad

2013-06-01

This paper presents a new approach of the fault detection for improving efficiency of circulating water system (CWS) in a power generation plant using a hybrid Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) neural network. The FLS is a mathematical tool for calculating the uncertainties where precision and significance are applied in the real world. It is based on natural language which has the ability of "computing the word". The ELM is an extremely fast learning algorithm for neural network that can completed the training cycle in a very short time. By combining the FLS and ELM, new hybrid model, i.e., FLS-ELM is developed. The applicability of this proposed hybrid model is validated in fault detection in CWS which may help to improve overall efficiency of power generation plant, hence, consuming less natural recourses and producing less pollutions.

The potential impacts of biomass feedstock production on water resource availability.

PubMed

Stone, K C; Hunt, P G; Cantrell, K B; Ro, K S

2010-03-01

Biofuels are a major topic of global interest and technology development. Whereas bioenergy crop production is highly dependent on water, bioenergy development requires effective allocation and management of water. The objectives of this investigation were to assess the bioenergy production relative to the impacts on water resource related factors: (1) climate and weather impact on water supplies for biomass production; (2) water use for major bioenergy crop production; and (3) potential alternatives to improve water supplies for bioenergy. Shifts to alternative bioenergy crops with greater water demand may produce unintended consequences for both water resources and energy feedstocks. Sugarcane and corn require 458 and 2036 m(3) water/m(3) ethanol produced, respectively. The water requirements for corn grain production to meet the US-DOE Billion-Ton Vision may increase approximately 6-fold from 8.6 to 50.1 km(3). Furthermore, climate change is impacting water resources throughout the world. In the western US, runoff from snowmelt is occurring earlier altering the timing of water availability. Weather extremes, both drought and flooding, have occurred more frequently over the last 30 years than the previous 100 years. All of these weather events impact bioenergy crop production. These events may be partially mitigated by alternative water management systems that offer potential for more effective water use and conservation. A few potential alternatives include controlled drainage and new next-generation livestock waste treatment systems. Controlled drainage can increase water available to plants and simultaneously improve water quality. New livestock waste treatments systems offer the potential to utilize treated wastewater to produce bioenergy crops. New technologies for cellulosic biomass conversion via thermochemical conversion offer the potential for using more diverse feedstocks with dramatically reduced water requirements. The development of bioenergy feedstocks in the US and throughout the world should carefully consider water resource limitations and their critical connections to ecosystem integrity and sustainability of human food. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Formation and Stability of Bulk Nanobubbles Generated by Ethanol-Water Exchange.

PubMed

Qiu, Jie; Zou, Zhenglei; Wang, Shuo; Wang, Xingya; Wang, Lei; Dong, Yaming; Zhao, Hongwei; Zhang, Lijuan; Hu, Jun

2017-05-19

Bulk nanobubbles have unique properties and find potential applications in many important processes. However, their stability or long lifetime still needs to be understood and has attracted much attention from researchers. Bulk nanobubbles are generated based on ethanol-water exchange, a method that is generally used in the study of surface nanobubbles. Their formation and stability is further studied by using a new type of dynamic light scattering known as NanoSight. The results show that the concentration of the bulk nanobubbles produced by this method is about five times greater than that in the degassed group, which indicates the existence of bulk gas nanobubbles. The effects of ethanol/water ratios and temperature on the stability of the bulk nanobubbles have also been studied and their numbers reach a maximum at a ratio of about 1:10 (v/v). © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development of a solar powered residential air conditioner (General optimization)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowen, D. J.

1976-01-01

A commercially available 3-ton residential Lithium Bromide (LiBr) absorption air conditioner was modified for use with lower temperature solar heated water. The modification included removal of components such as the generator, concentration control chamber, liquid trap, and separator; and the addition of a Chrysler designed generator, an off-the-shelf LiBr-solution pump. The design goal of the modified unit was to operate with water as the heat-transfer fluid at a target temperature of 85 C (185 F), 29.4 C (85 F) cooling water inlet, producing 10.5 kW (3 tons) of cooling. Tests were performed on the system before and after modification to provide comparative data. At elevated temperatures (96 C, 205 F), the test results show that Lithium Bromide was carried into the condenser due to the extremely violent boiling and degraded the evaporator performance.

Parametric distribution approach for flow availability in small hydro potential analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Samizee; Basri, Mohd Juhari Mat; Jamaluddin, Zahrul Zamri; Azrulhisham, Engku Ahmad; Othman, Jamel

2016-10-01

Small hydro system is one of the important sources of renewable energy and it has been recognized worldwide as clean energy sources. Small hydropower generation system uses the potential energy in flowing water to produce electricity is often questionable due to inconsistent and intermittent of power generated. Potential analysis of small hydro system which is mainly dependent on the availability of water requires the knowledge of water flow or stream flow distribution. This paper presented the possibility of applying Pearson system for stream flow availability distribution approximation in the small hydro system. By considering the stochastic nature of stream flow, the Pearson parametric distribution approximation was computed based on the significant characteristic of Pearson system applying direct correlation between the first four statistical moments of the distribution. The advantage of applying various statistical moments in small hydro potential analysis will have the ability to analyze the variation shapes of stream flow distribution.

Benthic exchange and biogeochemical cycling in permeable sediments.

PubMed

Huettel, Markus; Berg, Peter; Kostka, Joel E

2014-01-01

The sandy sediments that blanket the inner shelf are situated in a zone where nutrient input from land and strong mixing produce maximum primary production and tight coupling between water column and sedimentary processes. The high permeability of the shelf sands renders them susceptible to pressure gradients generated by hydrodynamic and biological forces that modulate spatial and temporal patterns of water circulation through these sediments. The resulting dynamic three-dimensional patterns of particle and solute distribution generate a broad spectrum of biogeochemical reaction zones that facilitate effective decomposition of the pelagic and benthic primary production products. The intricate coupling between the water column and sediment makes it challenging to quantify the production and decomposition processes and the resultant fluxes in permeable shelf sands. Recent technical developments have led to insights into the high biogeochemical and biological activity of these permeable sediments and their role in the global cycles of matter.

Self-Biased Hybrid Piezoelectric-Photoelectrochemical Cell with Photocatalytic Functionalities.

PubMed

Tan, Chuan Fu; Ong, Wei Li; Ho, Ghim Wei

2015-07-28

Utilizing solar energy for environmental and energy remediations based on photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) generation and water cleaning poses great challenges due to inadequate visible-light power conversion, high recombination rate, and intermittent availability of solar energy. Here, we report an energy-harvesting technology that utilizes multiple energy sources for development of sustainable operation of dual photocatalytic reactions. The fabricated hybrid cell combines energy harvesting from light and vibration to run a power-free photocatalytic process that exploits novel metal-semiconductor branched heterostructure (BHS) of its visible light absorption, high charge-separation efficiency, and piezoelectric properties to overcome the aforementioned challenges. The desirable characteristics of conductive flexible piezoelectrode in conjunction with pronounced light scattering of hierarchical structure originate intrinsically from the elaborate design yet facile synthesis of BHS. This self-powered photocatalysis system could potentially be used as H2 generator and water treatment system to produce clean energy and water resources.

Selective oxidation of bromide in wastewater brines from hydraulic fracturing.

PubMed

Sun, Mei; Lowry, Gregory V; Gregory, Kelvin B

2013-07-01

Brines generated from oil and natural gas production, including flowback water and produced water from hydraulic fracturing of shale gas, may contain elevated concentrations of bromide (~1 g/L). Bromide is a broad concern due to the potential for forming brominated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during drinking water treatment. Conventional treatment processes for bromide removal is costly and not specific. Selective bromide removal is technically challenging due to the presence of other ions in the brine, especially chloride as high as 30-200 g/L. This study evaluates the ability of solid graphite electrodes to selectively oxidize bromide to bromine in flowback water and produced water from a shale gas operation in Southwestern PA. The bromine can then be outgassed from the solution and recovered, as a process well understood in the bromine industry. This study revealed that bromide may be selectively and rapidly removed from oil and gas brines (~10 h(-1) m(-2) for produced water and ~60 h(-1) m(-2) for flowback water). The electrolysis occurs with a current efficiency between 60 and 90%, and the estimated energy cost is ~6 kJ/g Br. These data are similar to those for the chlor-alkali process that is commonly used for chlorine gas and sodium hydroxide production. The results demonstrate that bromide may be selectively removed from oil and gas brines to create an opportunity for environmental protection and resource recovery. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shock wave interaction with laser-generated single bubbles.

PubMed

Sankin, G N; Simmons, W N; Zhu, S L; Zhong, P

2005-07-15

The interaction of a lithotripter shock wave (LSW) with laser-generated single vapor bubbles in water is investigated using high-speed photography and pressure measurement via a fiber-optic probe hydrophone. The interaction leads to nonspherical collapse of the bubble with secondary shock wave emission and microjet formation along the LSW propagation direction. The maximum pressure amplification is produced during the collapse phase of the bubble oscillation when the compressive pulse duration of the LSW matches with the forced collapse time of the bubble.

Purification process for .sup.153Gd produced in natural europium targets

DOEpatents

Johnsen, Amanda M; Soderquist, Chuck Z; McNamara, Bruce K; Risher, Darrell R

2013-04-23

An alteration of the traditional zinc/zinc-amalgam reduction procedure which eliminates both the hazardous mercury and dangerous hydrogen gas generation. In order to avoid the presence of water and hydrated protons in the working solution, which can oxidize Eu.sup.2+ and cause hydrogen gas production, a process utilizing methanol as the process solvent is described. While methanol presents some flammability hazard in a radiological hot cell, it can be better managed and is less of a flammability hazard than hydrogen gas generation.

A Cu-Zn nanoparticle promoter for selective carbon dioxide reduction and its application in visible-light-active Z-scheme systems using water as an electron donor.

PubMed

Yin, Ge; Sako, Hiroshi; Gubbala, Ramesh V; Ueda, Shigenori; Yamaguchi, Akira; Abe, Hideki; Miyauchi, Masahiro

2018-04-17

Selective carbon dioxide photoreduction to produce formic acid was achieved under visible light irradiation using water molecules as electron donors, similar to natural plants, based on the construction of a Z-scheme light harvesting system modified with a Cu-Zn alloy nanoparticle co-catalyst. The faradaic efficiency of our Z-scheme system for HCOOH generation was over 50% under visible light irradiation.

Effect of Shock Waves Generated by Pulsed Electric Discharges in Water on Yeast Cells and Virus Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girdyuk, A. E.; Gorshkov, A. N.; Egorov, V. V.; Kolikov, V. A.; Snetov, V. N.; Shneerson, G. A.

2018-02-01

The aim of this study is to determine the optimal parameters of the electric pulses and shock waves generated by them for the soft destruction of the virus and yeast envelopes with no changes in the structure of antigenic surface albumin and in the cell morphology in order to use them to produce antivirus vaccines and in biotechnology. The pulse electric discharges in water have been studied for different values of amplitude, pulse duration and the rate of the rise in the current. A mathematical model has been developed to estimate the optimal parameters of pulsed electric charges and shock waves for the complete destruction of the yeast cell envelopes and virus particles at a minimum of pulses.

Energy, Electron Transfer and Photocatalytic Reactions of Visible Light Absorbing Transition Metal Complexes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmehl, Russell H.

2016-03-02

This is the final technical report for a project carried out at Tulane University of New Orleans that describes the development of light induced (solar) reactions geared toward decomposing water into its component elements : hydrogen and oxygen. Much of the work involved optimizing systems for absorbing visible light and undergoing light promoted reactions to generate very strong reducing agents that are capable of reacting with water to produce hydrogen. Additional portions of the research were collaborative efforts to put the strong reducing agents to work in reaction with hydrogen generation catalysts prepared elsewhere. Time resolved laser spectroscopic methods weremore » used to evaluate the light induced reactions and characterize very reactive intermediate substances formed during the reactions.« less

Dual-frequency focused ultrasound using optoacoustic and piezoelectric transmitters for single-pulsed free-field cavitation in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baac, Hyoung Won; Lee, Taehwa; Ok, Jong G.; Hall, Timothy; Jay Guo, L.

2013-12-01

Pulsed ultrasonic cavitation is a promising modality for non-contact targeted therapy, enabling mechanical ablation of the tissue. We demonstrate a spatio-temporal superposition approach of two ultrasound pulses (high and low frequencies) producing a tight cavitation zone of 100 μm in water, which is an-order-of-magnitudes smaller than those obtained by the existing high-amplitude transducers. Particularly, laser-generated focused ultrasound (LGFU) was employed for the high-frequency operation (15 MHz). As demonstrated, LGFU plays a primary role to define the cavitation zone. The generation rate of cavitation bubbles could be dramatically increased up to 4.1% (cf. 0.06% without the superposition) with moderated threshold requirement.

A prototype data assimilation framework for generating spatiotemporally continuous SWOT data products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreadis, K.; Margulis, S. A.; Li, D.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2017-12-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will provide critical surface water observations for the hydrologic community. However, production of key SWOT variables, such as river discharge and surface inundation, as well as lake, reservoir, and wetland storage change will be complicated by the discontinuity of the observations in space and time. A methodology that generates products with spatially and temporally continuous fields based on SWOT observables would be highly desirable. Data assimilation provides a mechanism for merging observations from SWOT with model predictions in order to produce estimates of quantities such as river discharge, storage change, and water heights for locations and times when there is no satellite overpass or other constraints (such as layover) render the measurement unusable. We describe here a prototype assimilation system with application to the Upper Mississippi basin, implemented using synthetic SWOT observations. We use a hydrologic model (VIC) coupled with a hydrodynamic model (LISFLOOD-FP) which generates "true" fields of surface water variables. The true fields are then used to generate synthetic SWOT observations using the SWOT Instrument Simulator. We also perform a "first-guess" (or open-loop) simulation with the coupled model using a configuration that contains errors representative of the imperfect knowledge of parameters and input data, including channel topography, bankfull widths and depths, and inflows, to create an ensemble of 20 model trajectories. Subsequently we assimilate the synthetic SWOT observations into the open-loop model results to estimate water surface elevation, discharge, and storage change. Our preliminary results using three data assimilation strategies show that all improve the water surface elevation estimate accuracy by 25% - 35% for a river reach of the upper Mississippi River. Ongoing work is examining whether the improved water surface elevation estimates propagate to improvements in river discharge.

Acoustic wave propagation in high-pressure system.

PubMed

Foldyna, Josef; Sitek, Libor; Habán, Vladimír

2006-12-22

Recently, substantial attention is paid to the development of methods of generation of pulsations in high-pressure systems to produce pulsating high-speed water jets. The reason is that the introduction of pulsations into the water jets enables to increase their cutting efficiency due to the fact that the impact pressure (so-called water-hammer pressure) generated by an impact of slug of water on the target material is considerably higher than the stagnation pressure generated by corresponding continuous jet. Special method of pulsating jet generation was developed and tested extensively under the laboratory conditions at the Institute of Geonics in Ostrava. The method is based on the action of acoustic transducer on the pressure liquid and transmission of generated acoustic waves via pressure system to the nozzle. The purpose of the paper is to present results obtained during the research oriented at the determination of acoustic wave propagation in high-pressure system. The final objective of the research is to solve the problem of transmission of acoustic waves through high-pressure water to generate pulsating jet effectively even at larger distances from the acoustic source. In order to be able to simulate numerically acoustic wave propagation in the system, it is necessary among others to determine dependence of the sound speed and second kinematical viscosity on operating pressure. Method of determination of the second kinematical viscosity and speed of sound in liquid using modal analysis of response of the tube filled with liquid to the impact was developed. The response was measured by pressure sensors placed at both ends of the tube. Results obtained and presented in the paper indicate good agreement between experimental data and values of speed of sound calculated from so-called "UNESCO equation". They also show that the value of the second kinematical viscosity of water depends on the pressure.

Ginzburg-Landau equation as a heuristic model for generating rogue waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lechuga, Antonio

2016-04-01

Envelope equations have many applications in the study of physical systems. Particularly interesting is the case 0f surface water waves. In steady conditions, laboratory experiments are carried out for multiple purposes either for researches or for practical problems. In both cases envelope equations are useful for understanding qualitative and quantitative results. The Ginzburg-Landau equation provides an excellent model for systems of that kind with remarkable patterns. Taking into account the above paragraph the main aim of our work is to generate waves in a water tank with almost a symmetric spectrum according to Akhmediev (2011) and thus, to produce a succession of rogue waves. The envelope of these waves gives us some patterns whose model is a type of Ginzburg-Landau equation, Danilov et al (1988). From a heuristic point of view the link between the experiment and the model is achieved. Further, the next step consists of changing generating parameters on the water tank and also the coefficients of the Ginzburg-Landau equation, Lechuga (2013) in order to reach a sufficient good approach.

Deglobalization and Its Discontents in Interconnected Regional Food, Energy, and Water Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bielicki, J. M.; Irwin, E.; Bakshi, B.; Cai, Y.; Jackson-Smith, D.; Martin, J.; Randall, A.; Sheldon, I.; Wilson, R. S.; Fiksel, J.

2017-12-01

Increased trade has generated substantial wealth in the United States over the past 50 years, but these gains have also been accompanied by losses in manufacturing jobs, growing inequality, environmental impacts abroad, and growing support to limit U.S. integration with global markets. A policy shift towards deglobalization would alter global flows of resources and goods and impact food, energy, and water (FEW) resources and the well-being of U.S. FEW producers and consumers. This project examines the potential effects of deglobalization on the sustainability of regional FEW systems and well-being of FEW producers and consumers in the United States under various physical and policy situations. We develop a Dynamic Regional Food, Energy, and Water Systems (DR-FEWS) modeling framework that considers how uncertain changes in environmental, economic, or policy conditions at a national or global scale may influence how farmers produce food and energy, and the implications for regional land, energy, and water resources, food and energy markets, and water quality. We apply DR-FEWS to five states in the Great Lakes region (GLR) of the United States (IL, IN, MI, OH, and WI) and account for local heterogeneities using individual farmer behavioral and spatially explicit land data from the Maumee River basin. DR-FEWS is applied to a set of baseline and alternative deglobalization scenarios to evaluate the influence of various environmental, economic, and policy conditions and uncertainties on the sustainability of the GLR. We will also engage local and regional stakeholders to improve the models, develop deglobalization scenarios, and advance sustainability metrics by comparing different valued-based and physical-based sustainability criteria. In so doing, this research will generate important innovations in how scientific knowledge is created, disseminated, and applied to the management of regional FEWS in the United States with specific application to the GLR.

SI-traceable and dynamic reference gas mixtures for water vapour at polar and high troposphere atmospheric levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillevic, Myriam; Pascale, Céline; Mutter, Daniel; Wettstein, Sascha; Niederhauser, Bernhard

2017-04-01

In the framework of METAS' AtmoChem-ECV project, new facilities are currently being developed to generate reference gas mixtures for water vapour at concentrations measured in the high troposphere and polar regions, in the range 1-20 µmol/mol (ppm). The generation method is dynamic (the mixture is produced continuously over time) and SI-traceable (i.e. the amount of substance fraction in mole per mole is traceable to the definition of SI-units). The generation process is composed of three successive steps. The first step is to purify the matrix gas, nitrogen or synthetic air. Second, this matrix gas is spiked with the pure substance using a permeation technique: a permeation device contains a few grams of pure water in liquid form and loses it linearly over time by permeation through a membrane. In a third step, to reach the desired concentration, the first, high concentration mixture exiting the permeation chamber is then diluted with a chosen flow of matrix gas with one or two subsequent dilution steps. All flows are piloted by mass flow controllers. All parts in contact with the gas mixture are passivated using coated surfaces, to reduce adsorption/desorption processes as much as possible. The mixture can eventually be directly used to calibrate an analyser. The standard mixture produced by METAS' dynamic setup was injected into a chilled mirror from MBW Calibration AG, the designated institute for absolute humidity calibration in Switzerland. The used chilled mirror, model 373LX, is able to measure frost point and sample pressure and therefore calculate the water vapour concentration. This intercomparison of the two systems was performed in the range 4-18 ppm water vapour in synthetic air, at two different pressure levels, 1013.25 hPa and 2000 hPa. We present here METAS' dynamic setup, its uncertainty budget and the first results of the intercomparison with MBW's chilled mirror.

Wide-Area Soil Moisture Estimation Using the Propagation of Lightning Generated Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Signals 1977

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Land surface moisture measurements are central to our understanding of the earth’s water system, and are needed to produce accurate model-based weather/climate predictions. Currently, there exists no in-situ network capable of estimating wide-area soil moisture. In this paper, we explore an alterna...

Importance of Wetlands to Streamflow Generation

Treesearch

E. S. Verry; R. K. Kolka

2003-01-01

Hewlett (1961) proposed the variable-source-area concept of streamflow origin in the mountains of North Carolina suggesting streamflow was produced from water leaving saturated areas near the channel. Dunne and Black confirmed this concept on the Sleepers River watershed in Vermont (1970). Areas near the river were saturated by subsurface or interflow from adjacent...

Application of membrane processes to alcohol-water separation: Improving the energy efficiency of biofuel production(Singapore)

EPA Science Inventory

The prospect of dwindling oil supplies, concern over the carbon balance of the planet, and the availability of waste and non-waste biomass materials has generated renewed interest in the use of fermentation processes to produce commodity chemicals and fuels. The economics of fer...

Focused tandem shock waves in water and their potential application in cancer treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukes, P.; Sunka, P.; Hoffer, P.; Stelmashuk, V.; Pouckova, P.; Zadinova, M.; Zeman, J.; Dibdiak, L.; Kolarova, H.; Tomankova, K.; Binder, S.; Benes, J.

2014-01-01

The generator of two focused successive (tandem) shock waves (FTSW) in water produced by underwater multichannel electrical discharges at two composite electrodes, with a time delay between the first and second shock waves of 10 s, was developed. It produces, at the focus, a strong shock wave with a peak positive pressure of up to 80 MPa, followed by a tensile wave with a peak negative pressure of up to MPa, thus generating at the focus a large amount of cavitation. Biological effects of FTSW were demonstrated in vitro on hemolysis of erythrocytes and cell viability of human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells as well as on tumor growth delay ex vivo and in vivo experiments performed with B16 melanoma, T-lymphoma, and R5-28 sarcoma cell lines. It was demonstrated in vivo that FTSW can enhance antitumor effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, such as cisplatin, most likely due to increased permeability of the membrane of cancer cells induced by FTSW. Synergetic cytotoxicity of FTSW with sonosensitive porphyrin-based drug Photosan on tumor growth was observed, possibly due to the cavitation-induced sonodynamic effect of FTSW.

Industrial symbiosis: corn ethanol fermentation, hydrothermal carbonization, and anaerobic digestion.

PubMed

Wood, Brandon M; Jader, Lindsey R; Schendel, Frederick J; Hahn, Nicholas J; Valentas, Kenneth J; McNamara, Patrick J; Novak, Paige M; Heilmann, Steven M

2013-10-01

The production of dry-grind corn ethanol results in the generation of intermediate products, thin and whole stillage, which require energy-intensive downstream processing for conversion into commercial animal feed products. Hydrothermal carbonization of thin and whole stillage coupled with anaerobic digestion was investigated as alternative processing methods that could benefit the industry. By substantially eliminating evaporation of water, reductions in downstream energy consumption from 65% to 73% were achieved while generating hydrochar, fatty acids, treated process water, and biogas co-products providing new opportunities for the industry. Processing whole stillage in this manner produced the four co-products, eliminated centrifugation and evaporation, and substantially reduced drying. With thin stillage, all four co-products were again produced, as well as a high quality animal feed. Anaerobic digestion of the aqueous product stream from the hydrothermal carbonization of thin stillage reduced chemical oxygen demand (COD) by more than 90% and converted 83% of the initial COD to methane. Internal use of this biogas could entirely fuel the HTC process and reduce overall natural gas usage. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Green River Formation using Fischer Assay, Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Ronald C.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.

2014-01-01

The spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin of northwestern Colorado was studied in detail using some 321,000 Fischer assay analyses in the U.S. Geological Survey oil-shale database. The oil-shale section was subdivided into 17 roughly time-stratigraphic intervals, and the distribution of water in each interval was assessed separately. This study was conducted in part to determine whether water produced during retorting of oil shale could provide a significant amount of the water needed for an oil-shale industry. Recent estimates of water requirements vary from 1 to 10 barrels of water per barrel of oil produced, depending on the type of retort process used. Sources of water in Green River oil shale include (1) free water within clay minerals; (2) water from the hydrated minerals nahcolite (NaHCO3), dawsonite (NaAl(OH)2CO3), and analcime (NaAlSi2O6.H20); and (3) minor water produced from the breakdown of organic matter in oil shale during retorting. The amounts represented by each of these sources vary both stratigraphically and areally within the basin. Clay is the most important source of water in the lower part of the oil-shale interval and in many basin-margin areas. Nahcolite and dawsonite are the dominant sources of water in the oil-shale and saline-mineral depocenter, and analcime is important in the upper part of the formation. Organic matter does not appear to be a major source of water. The ratio of water to oil generated with retorting is significantly less than 1:1 for most areas of the basin and for most stratigraphic intervals; thus water within oil shale can provide only a fraction of the water needed for an oil-shale industry.

Spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Green River Formation using Fischer assay, Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Ronald C.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.

2014-01-01

The spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin of northwestern Colorado was studied in detail using some 321,000 Fischer assay analyses in the U.S. Geological Survey oil-shale database. The oil-shale section was subdivided into 17 roughly time-stratigraphic intervals, and the distribution of water in each interval was assessed separately. This study was conducted in part to determine whether water produced during retorting of oil shale could provide a significant amount of the water needed for an oil-shale industry. Recent estimates of water requirements vary from 1 to 10 barrels of water per barrel of oil produced, depending on the type of retort process used. Sources of water in Green River oil shale include (1) free water within clay minerals; (2) water from the hydrated minerals nahcolite (NaHCO3), dawsonite (NaAl(OH)2CO3), and analcime (NaAlSi2O6.H20); and (3) minor water produced from the breakdown of organic matter in oil shale during retorting. The amounts represented by each of these sources vary both stratigraphically and areally within the basin. Clay is the most important source of water in the lower part of the oil-shale interval and in many basin-margin areas. Nahcolite and dawsonite are the dominant sources of water in the oil-shale and saline-mineral depocenter, and analcime is important in the upper part of the formation. Organic matter does not appear to be a major source of water. The ratio of water to oil generated with retorting is significantly less than 1:1 for most areas of the basin and for most stratigraphic intervals; thus water within oil shale can provide only a fraction of the water needed for an oil-shale industry.

Hydrogen Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Another spinoff from spacecraft fuel cell technology is the portable hydrogen generator shown. Developed by General Electric Company, it is an aid to safer operation of systems that use hydrogen-for example, gas chromatographs, used in laboratory analysis of gases. or flame ionization detectors used as $ollution monitors. The generator eliminates the need for high-pressure hydrogen storage bottles, which can be a safety hazard, in laboratories, hospitals and industrial plants. The unit supplies high-purity hydrogen by means of an electrochemical process which separates the hydrogen and oxygen in distilled water. The oxygen is vented away and the hydrogen gas is stored within the unit for use as needed. GE's Aircraft Equipment Division is producing about 1,000 of the generators annually.

Oxygen transport membrane reactor based method and system for generating electric power

DOEpatents

Kelly, Sean M.; Chakravarti, Shrikar; Li, Juan

2017-02-07

A carbon capture enabled system and method for generating electric power and/or fuel from methane containing sources using oxygen transport membranes by first converting the methane containing feed gas into a high pressure synthesis gas. Then, in one configuration the synthesis gas is combusted in oxy-combustion mode in oxygen transport membranes based boiler reactor operating at a pressure at least twice that of ambient pressure and the heat generated heats steam in thermally coupled steam generation tubes within the boiler reactor; the steam is expanded in steam turbine to generate power; and the carbon dioxide rich effluent leaving the boiler reactor is processed to isolate carbon. In another configuration the synthesis gas is further treated in a gas conditioning system configured for carbon capture in a pre-combustion mode using water gas shift reactors and acid gas removal units to produce hydrogen or hydrogen-rich fuel gas that fuels an integrated gas turbine and steam turbine system to generate power. The disclosed method and system can also be adapted to integrate with coal gasification systems to produce power from both coal and methane containing sources with greater than 90% carbon isolation.

Modelling heterogeneous interfaces for solar water splitting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pham, Tuan Anh; Ping, Yuan; Galli, Giulia

2017-01-09

The generation of hydrogen from water and sunlight others a promising approach for producing scalable and sustainable carbon-free energy. The key of a successful solar-to-fuel technology is the design of efficient, long-lasting and low-cost photoelectrochemical cells, which are responsible for absorbing sunlight and driving water splitting reactions. To this end, a detailed understanding and control of heterogeneous interfaces between photoabsorbers, electrolytes and catalysts present in photoelectrochemical cells is essential. Here we review recent progress and open challenges in predicting physicochemical properties of heterogeneous interfaces for solar water splitting applications using first-principles-based approaches, and highlights the key role of these calculationsmore » in interpreting increasingly complex experiments.« less

Exploring results of the possibility on detecting cosmic ray particles by acoustic way

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jiang, Y.; Yuan, Y.; Li, Y.; Chen, D.; Zheng, R.; Song, J.

1985-01-01

It has been demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that high energy particles produce detectable sounds in water. However, no one has been able to detect an acoustic signal generated by a high energy cosmic ray particle in water. Results show that transient ultrasonic signals in a large lake or reservoir are fairly complex and that the transient signals under water may arise mainly from sound radiation from microbubbles. This field is not explored in detail. Perhaps, the sounds created by cosmic ray particles hide in these ultrasonic signals. In order to develop the technique of acoustic detection, it is most important to make a thorough investigation of these ultrasonic signals in water.

Graphene oxide-based efficient and scalable solar desalination under one sun with a confined 2D water path

PubMed Central

Li, Xiuqiang; Xu, Weichao; Tang, Mingyao; Zhou, Lin; Zhu, Bin; Zhu, Shining; Zhu, Jia

2016-01-01

Because it is able to produce desalinated water directly using solar energy with minimum carbon footprint, solar steam generation and desalination is considered one of the most important technologies to address the increasingly pressing global water scarcity. Despite tremendous progress in the past few years, efficient solar steam generation and desalination can only be achieved for rather limited water quantity with the assistance of concentrators and thermal insulation, not feasible for large-scale applications. The fundamental paradox is that the conventional design of direct absorber−bulk water contact ensures efficient energy transfer and water supply but also has intrinsic thermal loss through bulk water. Here, enabled by a confined 2D water path, we report an efficient (80% under one-sun illumination) and effective (four orders salinity decrement) solar desalination device. More strikingly, because of minimized heat loss, high efficiency of solar desalination is independent of the water quantity and can be maintained without thermal insulation of the container. A foldable graphene oxide film, fabricated by a scalable process, serves as efficient solar absorbers (>94%), vapor channels, and thermal insulators. With unique structure designs fabricated by scalable processes and high and stable efficiency achieved under normal solar illumination independent of water quantity without any supporting systems, our device represents a concrete step for solar desalination to emerge as a complementary portable and personalized clean water solution. PMID:27872280

Graphene oxide-based efficient and scalable solar desalination under one sun with a confined 2D water path.

PubMed

Li, Xiuqiang; Xu, Weichao; Tang, Mingyao; Zhou, Lin; Zhu, Bin; Zhu, Shining; Zhu, Jia

2016-12-06

Because it is able to produce desalinated water directly using solar energy with minimum carbon footprint, solar steam generation and desalination is considered one of the most important technologies to address the increasingly pressing global water scarcity. Despite tremendous progress in the past few years, efficient solar steam generation and desalination can only be achieved for rather limited water quantity with the assistance of concentrators and thermal insulation, not feasible for large-scale applications. The fundamental paradox is that the conventional design of direct absorber-bulk water contact ensures efficient energy transfer and water supply but also has intrinsic thermal loss through bulk water. Here, enabled by a confined 2D water path, we report an efficient (80% under one-sun illumination) and effective (four orders salinity decrement) solar desalination device. More strikingly, because of minimized heat loss, high efficiency of solar desalination is independent of the water quantity and can be maintained without thermal insulation of the container. A foldable graphene oxide film, fabricated by a scalable process, serves as efficient solar absorbers (>94%), vapor channels, and thermal insulators. With unique structure designs fabricated by scalable processes and high and stable efficiency achieved under normal solar illumination independent of water quantity without any supporting systems, our device represents a concrete step for solar desalination to emerge as a complementary portable and personalized clean water solution.

Climate change impact on operation of dams and hydroelectricity generation in the Northeastern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehsani, N.; Vorosmarty, C. J.; Fekete, B. M.

2016-12-01

We are using a large-scale, high-resolution, fully integrated hydrological/reservoir/hydroelectricity model to investigate the impact of climate change on the operation of 11037 dams and generation of electricity from 375 hydroelectric power plants in the Northeastern United States. Moreover, we estimate the hydropower potential of the region by energizing the existing non-powered dams and then studying the impact of climate change on the hydropower potential. We show that climate change increases the impact of dams on the hydrology of the region. Warmer temperatures produce shorter frozen periods, earlier snowmelt and elevated evapotranspiration rates, which when combined with changes in precipitation, are projected to increase water availability in winter but reduce it during summer. As a result, the water that is stored by dams will be more than ever a necessary part of the routine water systems operations to compensate for these seasonal imbalances. The function of dams as emergency water storage for creating drought resiliency will mostly diminish in the future. Building more dams to cope with the local impacts of climate change on water resources and to offset the increased drought vulnerability may thus be inevitable. Annual hydroelectricity generation in the region is 41 Twh. Our estimate of the annual hydropower potential of non-powered dams adds up to 350 Twh. Climate change may reduce hydropower potential from non-powered dams by up to 13% and reduce current hydroelectricity generation by up to 8% annually. Hydroelectricity generation and hydropower potential may increase in winter months and decline in months of summer and fall. These changes call for recalibration of dam operations and may raise conflict of interests in multipurpose dams.

Evaluating financial risk management strategies under climate change for hydropower producers on the Great Lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Eliot S.; Characklis, Gregory W.; Brown, Casey

2017-03-01

Hydropower on the Great Lakes makes up a substantial fraction of regional electricity generation capacity. Hydropower producers on the Niagara River (flowing between lakes Erie and Ontario) operate as run-of-river, and changing lake levels alter interlake flows reducing both generation and revenues. Index-based insurance contracts, wherein contract payouts are linked to lake levels, offer a tool for mitigating this risk. As a potentially useful tool, pricing of financial insurance is typically based on historical behavior of the index. However, uncertainty with respect to the impacts of climate change on lake level behavior and how this might translate to increased (or decreased) risk for those selling or buying the insurance remains unexplored. Portfolios of binary index-insurance contracts are developed for hydropower producers on the Niagara River, and their performance is evaluated under a range of climate scenarios. Climate Informed Decision Analysis is used to inform the sensitivity of these portfolios to potential shifts in long-term, climatological variations in water level behavior. Under historical conditions, hydropower producers can use portfolios costing 0.5% of mean revenues to increase their minimum revenue threshold by approximately 18%. However, a one standard deviation decrease in the 50 year mean water level potentially doubles the frequency with which these portfolios would underperform from the perspective of a potential insurer. Trade-offs between portfolio cost and the frequency of underperformance are investigated over a range of climate futures.

Investigation of Controlling Factors Impacting Water Quality in Shale Gas Produced Brine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, W.; Hayes, K. F.; Ellis, B. R.

2014-12-01

The recent boom in production of natural gas from unconventional reservoirs has generated a substantial increase in the volume of produced brine that must be properly managed to prevent contamination of fresh water resources. Produced brine, which includes both flowback and formation water, is often highly saline and may contain elevated concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive material and other toxic elements. These characteristics present many challenges with regard to designing effective treatment and disposal strategies for shale gas produced brine. We will present results from a series of batch experiments where crushed samples from two shale formations in the Michigan Basin, the Antrim and Utica-Collingwood shales, were brought into contact with synthetic hydraulic fracturing fluids under in situ temperature and pressure conditions. The Antrim has been an active shale gas play for over three decades, while the Utica-Collingwood formation (a grouped reservoir consisting of the Utica shale and Collingwood limestone) is an emerging shale gas play. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of water-rock interactions in controlling produced water quality. We evaluate toxic element leaching from shale samples in contact with model hydraulic fracturing fluids under system conditions corresponding to reservoir depths up to 1.5 km. Experimental results have begun to elucidate the relative importance of shale mineralogy, system conditions, and chemical additives in driving changes in produced water quality. Initial results indicate that hydraulic fracturing chemical additives have a strong influence on the extent of leaching of toxic elements from the shale. In particular, pH was a key factor in the release of uranium (U) and divalent metals, highlighting the importance of the mineral buffering capacity of the shale. Low pH values persisted in the Antrim and Utica shale experiments and resulted in higher U extraction efficiencies than that observed in the presence of the carbonate-rich Collingwood limestone. In addition to assessing U leaching, we also measured the activity of 226Ra and 228Ra via high-resolution gamma ray spectroscopy. Laboratory results will be compared to observations from a complimentary field sampling campaign of Antrim produced brine.

Dataset on the spent filter backwash water treatment by sedimentation, coagulation and ultra filtration.

PubMed

Mahdavi, Mokhtar; Ebrahimi, Afshin; Azarpira, Hossein; Tashauoei, Hamid Reza; Mahvi, Amir Hossein

2017-12-01

During operation of most water treatment plants, spent filter backwash water (SFBW) is generated, which accounts about 2-10% of the total plant production. By increasing world population and water shortage in many countries, SFBW can be used as a permanent water source until the water treatment plant is working. This data article reports the practical method being used for water reuse from SFBW through different method including pre-sedimentation, coagulation and flocculation, second clarification, ultra filtration (UF) and returned settled SFBW to the beginning of water treatment plant (WTP). Also, two coagulants of polyaluminum ferric chloride (PAFCl) and ferric chloride (FeCl 3 ) were investigated with respect to their performance on treated SFBW quality. Samples were collected from Isfahan's WTP in Iran during spring and summer season. The acquired data indicated that drinkable water can be produced form SFBW by applying hybrid coagulation-UF process (especially when PAFCl used as coagulant).

Water purification by electrical discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arif Malik, Muhammad; Ghaffar, Abdul; Akbar Malik, Salman

2001-02-01

There is a continuing need for the development of effective, cheap and environmentally friendly processes for the disinfection and degradation of organic pollutants from water. Ozonation processes are now replacing conventional chlorination processes because ozone is a stronger oxidizing agent and a more effective disinfectant without any side effects. However, the fact that the cost of ozonation processes is higher than chlorination processes is their main disadvantage. In this paper recent developments targeted to make ozonation processes cheaper by improving the efficiency of ozone generation, for example, by incorporation of catalytic packing in the ozone generator, better dispersion of ozone in water and faster conversion of dissolved ozone to free radicals are described. The synthesis of ozone in electrical discharges is discussed. Furthermore, the generation and plasma chemical reactions of several chemically active species, such as H2O2, Obullet, OHbullet, HO2bullet, O3*, N2*, e-, O2-, O-, O2+, etc, which are produced in the electrical discharges are described. Most of these species are stronger oxidizers than ozone. Therefore, water treatment by direct electrical discharges may provide a means to utilize these species in addition to ozone. Much research and development activity has been devoted to achieve these targets in the recent past. An overview of these techniques and important developments that have taken place in this area are discussed. In particular, pulsed corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge and contact glow discharge electrolysis techniques are being studied for the purpose of cleaning water. The units based on electrical discharges in water or close to the water level are being tested at industrial-scale water treatment plants.}

Conditions to generate Steam Fog Occurred around the Chungju Lake in the South Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byungwoo, J.

2017-12-01

We have collected the field observation data of the steam fog occurred around the Chungju Lake in the South Korea for 3 years(2014 2016) and analyzed conditions in which the steam fog occurred. The Chungju Lake is an artificial lake made by the Chungju Dam with a water storage of 2.7 billion tons, which is the second largest in South Korea. The Chungju Dam have discharged water of the average 2.2 million tons downstream to produce electricity per day. The drainage water heats downstream of the Chungju dam and the air above water surface of downstream of that. When the warm, humid air above the downstream water mixed with cold air mass, it caused "steam fog" around the downstream of Chungju lake regardless of amount of the discharged water. The condition that promote the generation of steam fog in autumn and winter is as follows: (1) cloudless night with light winds below 1.5 m/s. (2) The differences between the temperature of discharged water from the Chungju Dam and the air temperature above the discharged water varied from 3° to 15° in autumn, from 15° to 20° in winter respectively. (3) When stream fog was generated, sensible heat flux ranged in autumn from 5 to 15 W/m2, in winter from 15 to 20 W/m2 respectively. Latent heat flux ranged in autumn from 15 to 20 W/m2, in winter from 10 to 15 W/m2 respectively.

Surface engineered nanoparticles for improved surface enhanced Raman scattering applications and method for preparing same

DOEpatents

Simmons, Blake A [San Francisco, CA; Talin, Albert Alec [Livermore, CA

2009-11-27

A method for producing metal nanoparticles that when associated with an analyte material will generate an amplified SERS spectrum when the analyte material is illuminated by a light source and a spectrum is recorded. The method for preparing the metal nanoparticles comprises the steps of (i) forming a water-in-oil microemulsion comprising a bulk oil phase, a dilute water phase, and one or more surfactants, wherein the water phase comprises a transition metal ion; (ii) adding an aqueous solution comprising a mild reducing agent to the water-in-oil microemulsion; (iii) stirring the water-in-oil microemulsion and aqueous solution to initiate a reduction reaction resulting in the formation of a fine precipitate dispersed in the water-in-oil microemulsion; and (iv) separating the precipitate from the water-in-oil microemulsion.

Household Pasteurization of Drinking-water: The Chulli Water-treatment System

PubMed Central

Islam, Mohammad Fakhrul

2006-01-01

A simple flow-through system has been developed which makes use of wasted heat generated in traditional clay ovens (chullis) to pasteurize surface water. A hollow aluminium coil is built into the clay chulli, and water is passed through the coil during normal cooking events. By adjusting the flow rate, effluent temperature can be maintained at approximately 70 °C. Laboratory testing, along with over 400 field tests on chulli systems deployed in six pilot villages, showed that the treatment completely inactivated thermotolerant coliforms. The chulli system produces up to 90 litres per day of treated water at the household level, without any additional time or fuel requirement. The technology has been developed to provide a safe alternative source of drinking-water in arsenic-contaminated areas, but can also have wide application wherever people consume microbiologically-contaminated water. PMID:17366777

Household pasteurization of drinking-water: the chulli water-treatment system.

PubMed

Islam, Mohammad Fakhrul; Johnston, Richard B

2006-09-01

A simple flow-through system has been developed which makes use of wasted heat generated in traditional clay ovens (chullis) to pasteurize surface water. A hollow aluminium coil is built into the clay chulli, and water is passed through the coil during normal cooking events. By adjusting the flow rate, effluent temperature can be maintained at approximately 70 degrees C. Laboratory testing, along with over 400 field tests on chulli systems deployed in six pilot villages, showed that the treatment completely inactivated thermotolerant coliforms. The chulli system produces up to 90 litres per day of treated water at the household level, without any additional time or fuel requirement. The technology has been developed to provide a safe alternative source of drinking-water in arsenic-contaminated areas, but can also have wide application wherever people consume microbiologically-contaminated water.

Acoustic Signaling by Singing Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): What Role Does Reverberation Play?

PubMed

Mercado, Eduardo

2016-01-01

When humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) sing in coastal waters, the units they produce can generate reverberation. Traditionally, such reverberant acoustic energy has been viewed as an incidental side-effect of high-amplitude, long-distance, sound transmission in the ocean. An alternative possibility, however, is that reverberation actually contributes to the structure and function of songs. In the current study, this possibility was assessed by analyzing reverberation generated by humpback whale song units, as well as the spectral structure of unit sequences, produced by singers from different regions. Acoustical analyses revealed that: (1) a subset of units within songs generated narrowband reverberant energy that in some cases persisted for periods longer than the interval between units; (2) these highly reverberant units were regularly repeated throughout the production of songs; and (3) units occurring before and after these units often contained spectral energy peaks at non-overlapping, adjacent frequencies that were systematically related to the bands of reverberant energy generated by the units. These findings strongly suggest that some singing humpback whales not only produce sounds conducive to long-duration reverberation, but also may sequentially structure songs to avoid spectral overlap between units and ongoing reverberation. Singer-generated reverberant energy that is received simultaneously with directly transmitted song units can potentially provide listening whales with spatial cues that may enable them to more accurately determine a singer's position.

Acoustic Signaling by Singing Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): What Role Does Reverberation Play?

PubMed Central

Mercado, Eduardo

2016-01-01

When humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) sing in coastal waters, the units they produce can generate reverberation. Traditionally, such reverberant acoustic energy has been viewed as an incidental side-effect of high-amplitude, long-distance, sound transmission in the ocean. An alternative possibility, however, is that reverberation actually contributes to the structure and function of songs. In the current study, this possibility was assessed by analyzing reverberation generated by humpback whale song units, as well as the spectral structure of unit sequences, produced by singers from different regions. Acoustical analyses revealed that: (1) a subset of units within songs generated narrowband reverberant energy that in some cases persisted for periods longer than the interval between units; (2) these highly reverberant units were regularly repeated throughout the production of songs; and (3) units occurring before and after these units often contained spectral energy peaks at non-overlapping, adjacent frequencies that were systematically related to the bands of reverberant energy generated by the units. These findings strongly suggest that some singing humpback whales not only produce sounds conducive to long-duration reverberation, but also may sequentially structure songs to avoid spectral overlap between units and ongoing reverberation. Singer-generated reverberant energy that is received simultaneously with directly transmitted song units can potentially provide listening whales with spatial cues that may enable them to more accurately determine a singer’s position. PMID:27907182

Geothermal Produced Fluids: Characteristics, Treatment Technologies, and Management Options

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finster, Molly; Clark, Corrie; Schroeder, Jenna

2015-10-01

Geothermal power plants use geothermal fluids as a resource and create waste residuals as part of the power generation process. Both the geofluid resource and the waste stream are considered produced fluids. The chemical and physical nature of produced fluids can have a major impact on the geothermal power industry and can influence the feasibility of geothermal power development, exploration approaches, power plant design, operating practices, and the reuse or disposal of residuals. In general, produced fluids include anything that comes out of a geothermal field and that subsequently must be managed on the surface. These fluids vary greatly dependingmore » on the geothermal reservoir being harnessed, power plant design, and the life cycle stage in which the fluid exists, but generally include water and fluids used to drill geothermal wells, fluids used to stimulate wells in enhanced geothermal systems, and makeup and/or cooling water used during operation of a geothermal power plant. Additional geothermal-related produced fluids include many substances that are similar to waste streams from the oil and gas industry, such as scale, flash tank solids, precipitated solids from brine treatment, hydrogen sulfide, and cooling-tower-related waste. This review paper aims to provide baseline knowledge on specific technologies and technology areas associated with geothermal power production. Specifically, this research focused on the management techniques related to fluids produced and used during the operational stage of a geothermal power plant; the vast majority of which are employed in the generation of electricity. The general characteristics of produced fluids are discussed. Constituents of interest that tend to drive the selection of treatment technologies are described, including total dissolved solids, noncondensable gases, scale and corrosion, silicon dioxide, metal sulfides, calcium carbonate, corrosion, metals, and naturally occurring radioactive material. Management options for produced fluids that require additional treatment for these constituents are also discussed, including surface disposal, reuse and recycle, agricultural industrial and domestic uses, mineral extraction and recovery, and solid waste handling.« less

Linkage between canopy water storage and drop size distributions of leaf drips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanko, Kazuki; Watanabe, Ai; Hotta, Norifumi; Suzuki, Masakazu

2013-04-01

Differences in drop size distribution (DSD) of leaf drips among tree species have been estimated and physically interpreted to clarify the leaf drip generation process. Leaf drip generation experiments for nine species were conducted in an indoor location without foliage vibration using an automatic mist spray. Broad-leaved species produced a similar DSD among species whose leaves had a matte surface and a second similar DSD among species whose leaves had a coated surface. The matte broad leaves produced a larger and wider range of DSDs than the coated broad leaves. Coated coniferous needles had a wider range of DSDs than the coated broad leaves and different DSDs were observed for different species. The species with shorter dense needles generated a larger DSD. The leaf drip diameter was calculated through the estimation of a state of equilibrium of a hanging drop on the leaves based on physical theory. The calculations indicated that the maximum diameter of leaf drips was determined by the contact angle, and the range of DSDs was determined by the variation in contact length and the contact diameter at the hanging points. The results revealed that leaf drip DSD changed due to variations in leaf hydrophobicity, leaf roughness, leaf geometry and leaf inclination among the different tree species. This study allows the modelization of throughfall DSD. Furthermore, it indicates the possibility of interpreting canopy water processes from canopy water storage to drainage through the contact angle and leaf drip DSD. The part of this study is published in Nanko et al. (2013, Agric. Forest. Meteorol. 169, 74-84).

Solid-State Compressor for Space Station Oxygen Recovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finn, John E.

2002-01-01

At present, the life support system on the International Space Station Alpha vents overboard the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the crew members. Recovering the oxygen contained in the CO2 has the potential to reduce resupply mass by 2000 pounds per year or more, a significant weight that could be used for experimental payloads and other valuable items. The technologies used to remove CO2 from the air and to recover O2 from CO2 are flight-ready; however, the interface between the devices is a problem for the Space Station system. Ames Research Center has developed a new technology that solves the interface issue, possibly allowing closure of the oxygen loop in a spacecraft for the first time. CO2 produced by the crew is removed in the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). This device effectively produces a pure CO2 stream, but at a very low pressure. Elsewhere, the oxygen generation system which makes O2 by electrolyzing water produces a hydrogen stream. In principle the CO2 and H2 can react to form methane and water over a suitable catalyst. Water produced in this methane-formation reactor can be returned to the water electrolyzer, where the O2 can be returned to the cabin; however, the methane-formation reactor requires CO2 at a much higher pressure than that produced by the CDRA. Furthermore, the CO2 and H2 are often not available at the same time, due to power management and scheduling on the space station. In order to get the CO2 to the reactor at the right pressure and at the right time, a device or assembly that functions as a vacuum pump, compressor, and storage tank is required.

Recovery Act: Brea California Combined Cycle Electric Generating Plant Fueled by Waste Landfill Gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galowitz, Stephen

The primary objective of the Project was to maximize the productive use of the substantial quantities of waste landfill gas generated and collected at the Olinda Landfill near Brea, California. An extensive analysis was conducted and it was determined that utilization of the waste gas for power generation in a combustion turbine combined cycle facility was the highest and best use. The resulting Project reflected a cost effective balance of the following specific sub-objectives: • Meeting the environmental and regulatory requirements, particularly the compliance obligations imposed on the landfill to collect, process and destroy landfill gas • Utilizing proven andmore » reliable technology and equipment • Maximizing electrical efficiency • Maximizing electric generating capacity, consistent with the anticipated quantities of landfill gas generated and collected at the Olinda Landfill • Maximizing equipment uptime • Minimizing water consumption • Minimizing post-combustion emissions • The Project produced and will produce a myriad of beneficial impacts. o The Project created 360 FTE construction and manufacturing jobs and 15 FTE permanent jobs associated with the operation and maintenance of the plant and equipment. o By combining state-of-the-art gas clean up systems with post combustion emissions control systems, the Project established new national standards for best available control technology (BACT). o The Project will annually produce 280,320 MWh’s of clean energy o By destroying the methane in the landfill gas, the Project will generate CO2 equivalent reductions of 164,938 tons annually. The completed facility produces 27.4 MWnet and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.« less

Organoleptic properties and perception of maize, African yam bean, and defatted coconut flour-based breakfast cereals served in conventional forms.

PubMed

Usman, Grace Ojali; Okafor, Gabriel Ifeanyi

2016-09-01

Breakfast cereals were produced by roasting (t = 280°C) - a dry heat treatment process to gelatinize and semidextrinize the starch - in order to generate dry ready-to-eat products from blends of African yam bean (AYB), maize (M), and defatted coconut (DC) flour. Six samples were generated by mixing AYB and maize composite flour with graded levels of DC flour (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%) to obtain the following ratios; 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50 that were added equal quantities of sugar, salt, sorghum malt extract, and water. The obtained products were served dry (without added fluid), with water, milk, and warm milk to 15 panelists along with Weetabix Original (commercial control) to evaluate color, consistency, flavor, taste, aftertaste, mouth feel, and overall acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale (1 = dislike extremely, 9 = like extremely). The results revealed that the samples were acceptable to the panelists. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences, between the control (Weetabix) and the formulated samples in terms of overall acceptability, when served with water, whereas significant differences (P < 0.05) existed when served dry, with milk or warm milk. This new roasting process for producing breakfast cereals offers huge potentials for production of acceptable breakfast cereals enriched with protein and fiber-rich sources that could be consumed dry, with water, milk, or warm milk.

Using multiobjective tradeoff sets and Multivariate Regression Trees to identify critical and robust decisions for long term water utility planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, R.; Kasprzyk, J. R.; Balaji, R.

2017-12-01

In light of deeply uncertain factors like future climate change and population shifts, responsible resource management will require new types of information and strategies. For water utilities, this entails potential expansion and efficient management of water supply infrastructure systems for changes in overall supply; changes in frequency and severity of climate extremes such as droughts and floods; and variable demands, all while accounting for conflicting long and short term performance objectives. Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) are emerging decision support tools that have been used by researchers and, more recently, water utilities to efficiently generate and evaluate thousands of planning portfolios. The tradeoffs between conflicting objectives are explored in an automated way to produce (often large) suites of portfolios that strike different balances of performance. Once generated, the sets of optimized portfolios are used to support relatively subjective assertions of priorities and human reasoning, leading to adoption of a plan. These large tradeoff sets contain information about complex relationships between decisions and between groups of decisions and performance that, until now, has not been quantitatively described. We present a novel use of Multivariate Regression Trees (MRTs) to analyze tradeoff sets to reveal these relationships and critical decisions. Additionally, when MRTs are applied to tradeoff sets developed for different realizations of an uncertain future, they can identify decisions that are robust across a wide range of conditions and produce fundamental insights about the system being optimized.

Spray System Trials in the Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Image and Video Library

1949-09-21

The spray bar system introduces water droplets into the Icing Research Tunnel’s air stream at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The icing tunnel was designed in the early 1940s to study ice accretion on airfoils and models. The Carrier Corporation designed a refrigeration system that reduced temperatures to -45° F. The tunnel’s drive fan generated speeds up to 400 miles per hour. The uniform injection of water droplets to the air was a key element of the facility’s operation. The system had to generate small droplets, distribute them uniformly throughout the airstream, and resist freezing and blockage. The Icing Research Tunnel’s designers struggled to develop a realistic spray system because they did not have access to data on the size of naturally occurring water droplets. For five years a variety of different designs were painstakingly developed and tested before the system was perfected. This photograph shows one of the trials using eight air-atomizing nozzles placed 48 feet upstream from the test section. A multi-cylinder device measured the size, liquid content, and distribution of the water droplets. The final system that was put into operation in 1950 included six horizontal spray bars with 80 nozzles that produced a 4- by 4-foot cloud in the test section. The Icing Research Tunnel produced excellent data throughout the 1950s and provided the basis for a hot air anti-icing system used on many transport aircraft.

Sterilization of Long Tube Inner Surface Using Oxygen and Water Vapor Plasmas Produced by AC HV Discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitazaki, Satoshi; Hayashi, Nobuya

2009-10-01

Oxygen and water vapor plasmas inside a narrow long tube were produced using an AC HV glow discharge at low pressure in order to sterilize the inner surface of a tube. In order to produce plasma inside a narrow tube, an AC high voltage was adopted. The material of the tube used in this experiment was silicon rubber. The length and diameter of the tubes ranged from 300 to 1,000 mm and from 1 to 4 mm, respectively. The tube was placed in a stainless steel vacuum chamber and was evacuated to 10 Pa using a rotary pump. The material gas for plasma and radical productions was pure oxygen or water vapor, which was introduced to the chamber from a gas cylinder or water reservoir. Light emission spectral lines of oxygen and OH radicals were observed at 777 nm and 306 nm, respectively. The chemical indicator was inserted into the tube and turned to a yellowish color (from the original red) after a treatment, which indicates the generation of sufficient oxygen on OH radicals for sterilization. A tube with the length of 500 mm and diameter of 4 mm is sterilized using oxygen plasma by 10 minutes treatment. Also a tube with the length of 300 mm and diameter of 2 mm is sterilized using water vapor plasma by 5 minutes treatment.

Creating wealth from groundwater for dollar-a-day farmers: Where the silent revolution and the four revolutions to end rural poverty meet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polak, Paul; Yoder, Robert

2006-03-01

More than 550 million of the current 1.1 billion people earning less than 1-a-day earn a living from agriculture in developing countries. A revolution in water control is needed to develop and mass-disseminate new, affordable, small-plot irrigation technologies. A revolution in agriculture is required to enable smallholders to produce high-value, marketable, labor-intensive cash crops. A revolution in markets is needed to open access to markets for the crops they produce and the inputs they need to produce them. Finally, a revolution in design, based on the ruthless pursuit of affordability, is needed to harness shallow groundwater. The experiences of suppliers of treadle pumps, low-cost drip irrigation and water storage systems were examined. The wealth these technologies generated, coupled with falling prices for small diesel pumps in countries like India and China, created a suitable environment for the rapid adoption of affordable diesel pump tubewells, which in turn created vigorous water markets and expanded access to affordable irrigation water for smallholders. The combination of smallholder-centered revolutions, along with the ‘silent revolution in groundwater’ described by Llamas and Martinez-Santos (Water Sci Technol 51(8):167-174, 2005) provide new practical options for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals on poverty and hunger by 2015.

An ignored and potential source of taste and odor (T&O) issues-biofilms in drinking water distribution system (DWDS).

PubMed

Zhou, Xinyan; Zhang, Kejia; Zhang, Tuqiao; Li, Cong; Mao, Xinwei

2017-05-01

It is important for water utilities to provide esthetically acceptable drinking water to the public, because our consumers always initially judge the quality of the tap water by its color, taste, and odor (T&O). Microorganisms in drinking water contribute largely to T&O production and drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are known to harbor biofilms and microorganisms in bulk water, even in the presence of a disinfectant. These microbes include T&O-causing bacteria, fungi, and algae, which may lead to unwanted effects on the organoleptic quality of distributed water. Importantly, the understanding of types of these microbes and their T&O compound-producing mechanisms is needed to prevent T&O formation during drinking water distribution. Additionally, new disinfection strategies and operation methods of DWDS are also needed for better control of T&O problems in drinking water. This review covers: (1) the microbial species which can produce T&O compounds in DWDS; (2) typical T&O compounds in DWDS and their formation mechanisms by microorganisms; (3) several common factors in DWDS which can influence the growth and T&O generation of microbes; and (4) several strategies to control biofilm and T&O compound formation in DWDS. At the end of this review, recommendations were given based on the conclusion of this review.

MELCOR Model of the Spent Fuel Pool of Fukushima Dai-ichi Unit 4

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carbajo, Juan J

2012-01-01

Unit 4 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered a hydrogen explosion at 6:00 am on March 15, 2011, exactly 3.64 days after the earthquake hit the plant and the off-site power was lost. The earthquake occurred on March 11 at 2:47 pm. Since the reactor of this Unit 4 was defueled on November 29, 2010, and all its fuel was stored in the spent fuel pool (SFP4), it was first believed that the explosion was caused by hydrogen generated by the spent fuel, in particular, by the recently discharged core. The hypothetical scenario was: power was lost, coolingmore » to the SFP4 water was lost, pool water heated/boiled, water level decreased, fuel was uncovered, hot Zircaloy reacted with steam, hydrogen was generated and accumulated above the pool, and the explosion occurred. Recent analyses of the radioisotopes present in the water of the SFP4 and underwater video indicated that this scenario did not occur - the fuel in this pool was not damaged and was never uncovered the hydrogen of the explosion was apparently generated in Unit 3 and transported through exhaust ducts that shared the same chimney with Unit 4. This paper will try to answer the following questions: Could that hypothetical scenario in the SFP4 had occurred? Could the spent fuel in the SPF4 generate enough hydrogen to produce the explosion that occurred 3.64 days after the earthquake? Given the magnitude of the explosion, it was estimated that at least 150 kg of hydrogen had to be generated. As part of the investigations of this accident, MELCOR models of the SFP4 were prepared and a series of calculations were completed. The latest version of MELCOR, version 2.1 (Ref. 1), was employed in these calculations. The spent fuel pool option for BWR fuel was selected in MELCOR. The MELCOR model of the SFP4 consists of a total of 1535 fuel assemblies out of which 548 assemblies are from the core defueled on Nov. 29, 2010, 783 assemblies are older assemblies, and 204 are new/fresh assemblies. The total decay heat of the fuel in the pool was, at the time of the accident, 2.284 MWt, of which 1.872 MWt were from the 548 assemblies of the last core discharged and 0.412 MWt were from the older 783 assemblies. These decay heat values were calculated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using the ORIGEN2.2 code (Ref. 2) - they agree with values reported elsewhere (Ref. 3). The pool dimensions are 9.9 m x 12.2 m x 11.8 m (height), and with the water level at 11.5 m, the pool volume is 1389 m3, of which only 1240 m3 is water, as some volume is taken by the fuel and by the fuel racks. The initial water temperature of the SFP4 was assumed to be 301 K. The fuel racks are made of an aluminum alloy but are modeled in MELCOR with stainless steel and B4C. MELCOR calculations were completed for different initial water levels: 11.5 m (pool almost full, water is only 0.3 m below the top rim), 4.4577 m (top of the racks), 4.2 m, and 4.026 m (top of the active fuel). A calculation was also completed for a rapid loss of water due to a leak at the bottom of the pool, with the fuel rapidly uncovered and oxidized in air. Results of these calculations are shown in the enclosed Table I. The calculation with the initial water level at 11.5 m (full pool) takes 11 days for the water to boil down to the top of the fuel racks, 11.5 days for the fuel to be uncovered, 14.65 days to generate 150 kg of hydrogen and 19 days for the pool to be completely dry. The calculation with the initial water level at 4.4577 m, takes 1.1 days to uncover the fuel and 4.17 days to generate 150 kg of hydrogen. The calculation with the initial water level at 4.02 m takes 3.63 days to generate 150 kg of hydrogen this is exactly the time when the actual explosion occurred in Unit 4. Finally, fuel oxidation in air after the pool drained the water in 20 minutes, generates only 10 kg of hydrogen this is because very little steam is available and Zircaloy (Zr) oxidation with the oxygen of the air does not generate hydrogen. MELCOR calculated water levels and hydrogen generated in the SFP4 as a function of time for initial water levels of 4.457 m, 4.2 m and 4.02 m are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Water levels increase at the beginning due to the expansion of the water during the heat-up from 301 K to 373 K. Boiling occurs after the water temperature reaches 373 K. The total amount of hydrogen generated is ~2000 kg, this amount includes hydrogen generated from Zr, which is the largest amount (~1580 kg), from stainless steel (~360 kg), and from B4C (~60 kg). In theory, it is possible to generate up to 3.4 kg of hydrogen per assembly (from oxidation of Zr in the fuel cladding and box), or a total of 4,525 kg from the hot 1331 assemblies stored in the SFP4. The hydrogen generated from oxidation of steel and B4C will be additional. So the answers to the questions are YES according to these MELCOR calculations, enough hydrogen (150 kg) could be generated in the SFP4 3.64 days after the earthquake to produce ...« less

Preparation of graphene by electrical explosion of graphite sticks.

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Xu, Chunxiao; Yin, Hao; Wang, Xiaoguang; Song, Qiuzhi; Chen, Pengwan

2017-08-03

Graphene nanosheets were produced by electrical explosion of high-purity graphite sticks in distilled water at room temperature. The as-prepared samples were characterized by various techniques to find different forms of carbon phases, including graphite nanosheets, few-layer graphene, and especially, mono-layer graphene with good crystallinity. Delicate control of energy injection is critical for graphene nanosheet formation, whereas mono-layer graphene was produced under the charging voltage of 22.5-23.5 kV. On the basis of electrical wire explosion and our experimental results, the underlying mechanism that governs the graphene generation was carefully illustrated. This work provides a simple but innovative route for producing graphene nanosheets.

Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture: Development of a Regional Water Reuse Decision-Support Model (RWRM) for Cost-Effective Irrigation Sources.

PubMed

Tran, Quynh K; Schwabe, Kurt A; Jassby, David

2016-09-06

Water scarcity has become a critical problem in many semiarid and arid regions. The single largest water use in such regions is for crop irrigation, which typically relies on groundwater and surface water sources. With increasing stress on these traditional water sources, it is important to consider alternative irrigation sources for areas with limited freshwater resources. One potential irrigation water resource is treated wastewater for agricultural fields located near urban centers. In addition, treated wastewater can contribute an appreciable amount of necessary nutrients for plants. The suitability of reclaimed water for specific applications depends on water quality and usage requirements. The main factors that determine the suitability of recycled water for agricultural irrigation are salinity, heavy metals, and pathogens, which cause adverse effects on human, plants, and soils. In this paper, we develop a regional water reuse decision-support model (RWRM) using the general algebraic modeling system to analyze the cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment trains to generate irrigation water from reclaimed wastewater, with the irrigation water designed to meet crop requirements as well as California's wastewater reuse regulations (Title 22). Using a cost-minimization framework, least-cost solutions consisting of treatment processes and their intensities (blending ratios) are identified to produce alternative irrigation sources for citrus and turfgrass. Our analysis illustrates the benefits of employing an optimization framework and flexible treatment design to identify cost-effective blending opportunities that may produce high-quality irrigation water for a wide range of end uses.

Repeatable hydrogen generation of 3D microporous nickel membrane using chemical milling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Keumyoung; Lim, Taekyung; Ju, Sanghyun

2018-05-01

In this study, we investigated a novel method of hydrogen generation through a chemical milling process. In the process of generating hydrogen with a thermochemical water-splitting method using a 3D microporous nickel membrane, the nickel surface is oxidized, leading to a decreased generation of hydrogen gas with time. To regenerate hydrogen from the oxidized catalysts, the oxidized metal surface was easily removed at room temperature, re-exposing a metal surface with abundant oxygen vacancies for continuous hydrogen generation. With this method, ~110 µmol · g‑1 of hydrogen gas was continuously produced per cycle. Since this method enabled us to create a fit state for hydrogen generation without extra heat, light, or electrical energy, it can solve the biggest commercialization challenge: inefficiency because the energy required for hydrogen generation is higher than the energy of the generated hydrogen.

OH Production Enhancement in Bubbling Pulsed Discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lungu, Cristian P.; Porosnicu, Corneliu; Jepu, Ionut

2010-10-13

The generation of active species, such as H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, O{sup *}, OH*, HO{sub 2}*, O{sub 3}, N{sub 2}{sup *}, etc, produced in aqueous solutions by HV pulsed discharges was studied in order to find the most efficient way in waste water treatment taking into account that these species are almost stronger oxidizers than ozone. Plasma was generated inside gas bubbles formed by the argon, air and oxygen gas flow between the special designed electrodes. The pulse width and pulse frequency influence was studied in order to increase the efficiency of the OH active species formation. The produced active speciesmore » were investigated by optical emission spectroscopy and correlated with electrical parameters of the discharges (frequency, pulse width, amplitude, and rise and decay time).« less

Apparatus and process for the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles using microbubble column flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, R.H.; Adel, G.T.; Luttrell, G.H.

1992-12-01

A method and apparatus are disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine and coarse particles, especially coal and minerals, so as to produce high purity and high recovery efficiency. This is accomplished through the use of a flotation column, microbubbles, recycling of the flotation pulp, and countercurrent wash water to gently wash the froth. Also disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a highly efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or in-line static generators. 14 figs.

Apparatus and process for the separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles using microbubble column flotation together with a process and apparatus for generation of microbubbles

DOEpatents

Yoon, R.H.; Adel, G.T.; Luttrell, G.H.

1998-09-29

A method and apparatus are disclosed for the microbubble flotation separation of very fine and coarse particles, especially coal and minerals, so as to produce high purity and high recovery efficiency. This is accomplished through the use of a flotation column, microbubbles, recycling of the flotation pulp, and countercurrent wash water to gently wash the froth. Also disclosed are unique processes and apparatus for generating microbubbles for flotation in a highly efficient and inexpensive manner using either a porous tube or in-line static generators. 14 figs.

Generation of micro- and nano-droplets containing immiscible solutions in view of optical studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nastasa, V.; Karapantsios, T.; Samaras, K.; Dafnopatidou, E.; Pradines, V.; Miller, R.; Pascu, M. L.

2010-08-01

The multiple resistances to treatment, developed by bacteria and malignant tumors require finding alternatives to the existing medicines and treatment procedures. One of them is strengthening the effects of cytostatics by improving the delivery method. Such a method is represented by the use of medicines as micro/nano-droplets. This method can reduce the substance consumption by generating drug micro-droplets incorporated in substances that can favour a faster localization, than the classical mode of medicine administration, to the tumor tissues. This paper contains the results concerning the generation and study of micro/nano-droplets and the generation of micro-droplets with an inner core (medicine) and a thin layer covering it. We have measured the surface tension at water/air interface and water/oil interface for a medicine (Vancomycin) and we have generated and measured droplets of medicine containing a layer of Vitamin A by using a double capillary system. The micro/nano-droplets may be produced by mixing of two immiscible solutions in particular conditions (high rotating speed and/or high pressure difference). For this we have studied the generation of emulsions of vitamin A diluted in sunflower oil and a solution of a surfactant Tween 80 in distilled water. The concentration of surfactant in water was typically 4*10-5M. We have studied in a batch stirred tank system the dependence of the droplet dimensions in emulsion, function of the mixing rotation speed, agitation time and components ratio. The droplet diameters were measured using a Malvern light scattering instrument type Mastersizer Hydro 2000M. We have obtained droplets with diameters smaller than 100 nm; the diameters distribution exhibited a peak at 65 nm.

Small-angle x-ray scattering measurement of a mist of ethanol nanodroplets: An approach to understanding ultrasonic separation of ethanol-water mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Yohko F.; Matsuura, Kazuo; Fukazu, Tetsuo; Abe, Fusatsugu; Wakisaka, Akihiro; Kobara, Hitomi; Kaneko, Kazuyuki; Kumagai, Atsushi; Katsuya, Yoshio; Tanaka, Masahiko

2007-07-01

Small-angle x-ray scattering measurements using a brilliant x-ray source revealed nanometer sized liquid droplets in a mist formed by ultrasonic atomization. Ultrasonic atomization of ethanol-water mixtures produced a combination of water-rich droplets of micrometer order and ethanol-rich droplets as small as 1nm, which is 10-3 times smaller than the predicted size. These sizes were also obtained for mists generated from the pure liquids. These results will help to clarify the mechanism of "ultrasonic ethanol separation," which has the potential to become an alternative to distillation.

Illuminating water and life: Emilio Del Giudice.

PubMed

Ho, Mae-Wan

2015-01-01

The quantum electrodynamics theory of water put forward by Del Giudice and colleagues provides a useful foundation for a new science of water for life. The interaction of light with liquid water generates quantum coherent domains in which the water molecules oscillate between the ground state and an excited state close to the ionizing potential of water. This produces a plasma of almost free electrons favoring redox reactions, the basis of energy metabolism in living organisms. Coherent domains stabilized by surfaces, such as membranes and macromolecules, provide the excited interfacial water that enables photosynthesis to take place, on which most of life on Earth depends. Excited water is the source of superconducting protons for rapid intercommunication within the body. Coherent domains can also trap electromagnetic frequencies from the environment to orchestrate and activate specific biochemical reactions through resonance, a mechanism for the most precise regulation of gene function.

Oil-derived marine aggregates - hot spots of polysaccharide degradation by specialized bacterial communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnosti, Carol; Ziervogel, Kai; Yang, Tingting; Teske, Andreas

2016-07-01

Aggregates generated in the laboratory from incubations of seawater and surface-water oil collected in the initial phase of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill resemble the oil-aggregates observed in situ. Here, we investigated the enzyme activities and microbial community composition of laboratory generated oil-aggregates, focusing on the abilities of these communities to degrade polysaccharides, which are major components of marine organic matter and are abundant constituents of exopolymeric substances (EPS) generated by oil-associated bacteria in response to the presence of oil. The patterns of polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzyme activities in oil aggregates were very different from those in the water surrounding the aggregates after formation, and in the surface water that did not contain the oil. Specific oil aggregate-associated hydrolysis rates were also considerably higher than in the water surrounding the aggregates. The differences in initial hydrolysis profiles, and in evolution of these profiles with time, points to specialized metabolic abilities among the oil-aggregate communities compared to oil-water and ambient water communities. The composition of the oil-aggregate community indicates a multifunctional microbial assemblage containing primary oil-degrading and exopolysaccharide-producing members of the Gammaproteobacteria, and diverse members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Planktomycetales that most likely participate in the breakdown of oil-derived bacterial biopolymers. Formation and aging of oil-aggregates encourages the growth and transformation of microbial communities that are specialized in degradation of petroleum, as well as their secondary degradation products.

Fouling-Resistant Membranes for Treating Concentrated Brines for Water Reuse in Advanced Energy Systems- Final Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hendren, Zachary; Choi, Young Chul

The high total dissolved solids (TDS) levels in the wastewater quality generated from unconventional oil and gas development make the current state-of-the art approach to water treatment/disposal untenable. Our proposed membrane technology approach addresses the two major challenges associated with this water: 1) the membrane distillation process removes the high TDS content, which is often 8 times higher than that of seawater, and 2) our novel membrane coating prevents the formation of scale that would otherwise pose a significant operational hurdle. This is accomplished through next-generation electrically conductive membranes that mitigate fouling beyond what is currently possible, and allow formore » the flexibility to treat to the water to levels desirable for multiple reuse options, thus reducing fresh water withdrawal, all the way to direct disposal into the environment. The overall project objective was to demonstrate the efficacy of membrane distillation (MD) as a cost-savings technology to treat concentrated brines (such as, but not limited to, produced waters generated from fossil fuel extraction) that have high levels of TDS for beneficial water reuse in power production and other industrial operations as well as agricultural and municipal water uses. In addition, a novel fouling-resistant nanocomposite membrane was developed to reduce the need for chemicals to address membrane scaling due to the precipitation of divalent ions in high-TDS waters and improve overall MD performance via an electrically conductive membrane distillation process (ECMD). This anti-fouling membrane technology platform is based on incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the surface layer of existing, commercially available MD membranes. The CNTs impart electrical conductivity to the membrane surface to prevent membrane scaling and fouling when an electrical potential is applied.« less

Fast electric control of the droplet size in a microfluidic T-junction droplet generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shojaeian, Mostafa; Hardt, Steffen

2018-05-01

The effect of DC electric fields on the generation of droplets of water and xanthan gum solutions in sunflower oil at a microfluidic T-junction is experimentally studied. The electric field leads to a significant reduction of the droplet diameter, by about a factor of 2 in the case of water droplets. The droplet size can be tuned by varying the electric field strength, an effect that can be employed to produce a stream of droplets with a tailor-made size sequence. Compared to the case of purely hydrodynamic droplet production without electric fields, the electric control has about the same effect on the droplet size if the electric stress at the liquid/liquid interface is the same as the hydrodynamic stress.

Putting Fuel Cells to the Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

If research has its way, an electrochemical device capable of converting energy into electricity and heat will become the impetus behind the next generation of automobiles, superseding the internal combustible engine found under the hoods of vehicles that rule the road today. The thought of fuel cell technology being able to accomplish such a feat may be dismissed as too futuristic by some, but the truth is that fuel cells have been in play as a source of propulsion since the 1960s, when NASA first used them to generate power onboard the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft for extended space missions. Even more unknown is the fact that fuel cells were and continue to be a source of drinking water for astronauts in orbit, since they produce pure water as a by-product.

Geologic Setting of Mosul Dam and Its Engineering Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

thought that an increase in vol- ume, produced during alteration of interbedded anhydrite to gypsum, generated sufficient pressure to fracture the...construction.. ..................................................................23 Figure 8. Geologic sections with water- pressure test values and...contains fragments or clasts of limestone, dolomite , or larger pieces of insoluble rocks of collapsed material. The upper portion of the accumulation

26 CFR 1.199-4 - Costs allocable to domestic production gross receipts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., natural gas, and potable water (as defined in § 1.199-3(l)) (collectively, utilities) that will generate... dollar-value pool contains QPP, qualified films, or utilities that produces DPGR and goods that do not, the taxpayer must allocate CGS attributable to that grouping or pool between DPGR and non-DPGR using a...

Green Arctic Patrol Vessel

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

Treaty Organization NREIP – Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program NSWCCD – Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division PZT – Piezoelectric...ratio before it can be implemented into the 2030 GAPV design. Piezoelectric Transducers ( PZT ) generate electricity through applied mechanical...water. However, PZTs will not be implemented in the GAPV design because they lack evaluation in marine applications and currently produce electricity

Modeling erosion on steep sagebrush rangeland before and after prescribed fire

Treesearch

Corey A. Moffet; Frederick B. Pierson; Kenneth E. Spaeth

2007-01-01

Fire in sagebrush rangelands significantly alters canopy cover, ground cover, and soil properties that influence runoff and erosion processes. Runoff is generated more quickly and a larger volume of runoff is produced following prescribed fire. The result is increased risk of severe erosion and downstream flooding. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), developed...

Beneficial Use of Produced Water from Oil and Gas Operations for Agriculture: Effects on Crop Health and Crop Uptake of Contaminants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedlacko, E.; Blaine, A. C.; Haynes, K. M.; Higgins, C. P.

2016-12-01

The balance between water conservation and energy generation is difficult to maintain. Oil and gas (O&G) companies look to dispose of produced water in safe, economical ways, while farmers desperate for water seek plentiful sources to maintain their fields. The solution seems simple—purify the water from O&G operations and deliver it to the farmers for irrigation to ensure a reliable source of food. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted to date that could provide purification guidelines, risk warnings, or standard methods for how to implement this solution. In addition, multiple barriers to implementation including regulatory, economic, liability, and social license considerations, must be addressed. This presentation contains data regarding the uptake of compounds two crops, Triticum aestivum (spring wheat) and Helianthus annus (sunflower), grown in a controlled greenhouse environment and irrigated with different dilutions of raw and treated produced water from O&G operations. Differences in plant height, plant color, leaf area, and plant mass were examined, and additional laboratory analyses were conducted on the plants to detect uptake of inorganic and organic substances. Plant stress was also assessed both qualitatively and through plant hormone analysis. In addition, this project provided the opportunity for K-12 teachers to become involved in university research through a new National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at Colorado School of Mines. The subsequent impacts of this food-energy-water nexus research on local communities and local STEM curricula via the RET program will also be highlighted.

Impact of plasma jet vacuum ultraviolet radiation on reactive oxygen species generation in bio-relevant liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jablonowski, H.; Bussiahn, R.; Hammer, M. U.; Weltmann, K.-D.; von Woedtke, Th.; Reuter, S.

2015-12-01

Plasma medicine utilizes the combined interaction of plasma produced reactive components. These are reactive atoms, molecules, ions, metastable species, and radiation. Here, ultraviolet (UV, 100-400 nm) and, in particular, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 10-200 nm) radiation generated by an atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet were investigated regarding plasma emission, absorption in a humidified atmosphere and in solutions relevant for plasma medicine. The energy absorption was obtained for simple solutions like distilled water (dH2O) or ultrapure water and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution as well as for more complex ones, for example, Rosewell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI 1640) cell culture media. As moderate stable reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was studied. Highly reactive oxygen radicals, namely, superoxide anion (O2•-) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH), were investigated by the use of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. All species amounts were detected for three different treatment cases: Plasma jet generated VUV and UV radiation, plasma jet generated UV radiation without VUV part, and complete plasma jet including all reactive components additionally to VUV and UV radiation. It was found that a considerable amount of radicals are generated by the plasma generated photoemission. From the experiments, estimation on the low hazard potential of plasma generated VUV radiation is discussed.

Water footprint and life cycle assessment of concrete roof tile and brick products at PT. XYZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Octavia, Caesara; Laurence; Hartono, Natalia

2017-12-01

PT. XYZ is an Indonesian company engaged in manufacturing concrete roof tile and paving block. The company has not paid attention to the environmental and human health aspects of their production activity, where there is so much water used and discarded during the production process and no water treatment for the wastewater produced. Therefore this topic proposed in order to determine the resulting impacts from the production processes of concrete roof tile and brick at PT. XYZ on the environment and human health. The impact on the environment and human health were identified through water footprint assessment (WFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). Through the WFA accounting, it is known that the amount of water needed to produce a concrete roof tile is 21.384 L which consists of 16.433 L blue water and 4.951 L grey water, whereas for a brick is 10.496 L which consists of 10.48 L blue water and 0.016 L grey water. With ReCiPe midpoint (H) method, it is known that the dominant impact categories generated in one batch production processes of concrete roof tile and brick are natural land transformation, marine eco-toxicity, freshwater eutrophication, and freshwater eco-toxicity, where those impact categories represent the average of 75.5% from overall impact category for concrete roof tile and brick products.

Highly Adaptive Solid-Liquid Interfacing Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Diverse Water Wave Energy.

PubMed

Zhao, Xue Jiao; Kuang, Shuang Yang; Wang, Zhong Lin; Zhu, Guang

2018-05-22

Harvesting water wave energy presents a significantly practical route to energy supply for self-powered wireless sensing networks. Here we report a networked integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (NI-TENG) as a highly adaptive means of harvesting energy from interfacing interactions with various types of water waves. Having an arrayed networking structure, the NI-TENG can accommodate diverse water wave motions and generate stable electric output regardless of how random the water wave is. Nanoscaled surface morphology consisting of dense nanowire arrays is the key for obtaining high electric output. A NI-TENG having an area of 100 × 70 mm 2 can produce a stable short-circuit current of 13.5 μA and corresponding electric power of 1.03 mW at a water wave height of 12 cm. This merit promises practical applications of the NI-TENG in real circumstances, where water waves are highly variable and unpredictable. After energy storage, the generated electric energy can drive wireless sensing by autonomously transmitting data at a period less than 1 min. This work proposes a viable solution for powering individual standalone nodes in a wireless sensor network. Potential applications include but are not limited to long-term environment monitoring, marine surveillance, and off-shore navigation.

Exploring the Effect of Climate Perturbations on Water Availability for Renewable Energy Development in the Indian Wells Valley, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rey, David M.

Energy and water are connected through the water-use cycle (e.g. obtaining, transporting, and treating water) and thermoelectric energy generation, which converts heat to electricity via steam-driven turbines. As the United States implements more renewable energy technologies, quantifying the relationships between energy, water, and land-surface impacts of these implementations will provide policy makers the strengths and weaknesses of different renewable energy options. In this study, a MODFLOW model of the Indian Wells Valley (IWV), in California, was developed to capture the water, energy, and land-surface impacts of potential proposed 1) solar, 2) wind, and 3) biofuel implementations. The model was calibrated to pre-existing groundwater head data from 1985 to present to develop a baseline model before running two-year predictive scenarios for photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), wind, and biofuel implementations. Additionally, the baseline model was perturbed by decreasing mountain front recharge values by 5%, 10%, and 15%, simulating potential future system perturbations under a changing climate. These potential future conditions were used to re-run each implementation scenario. Implementation scenarios were developed based on population, typical energy use per person, existing land-use and land-cover type within the IWV, and previously published values for water use, surface-area use, and energy-generation potential for each renewable fuel type. The results indicate that the quantity of water needed, localized drawdown from pumping water to meet implementation demands, and generation efficiency are strongly controlled by the fuel type, as well as the energy generating technology and thermoelectric technologies implemented. Specifically, PV and wind-turbine (WT) implementations required less than 1% of the estimated annual aquifer recharge, while technologies such as biofuels and CSP, which rely on thermoelectric generation, ranged from 3% to 20%. As modeled groundwater elevations declined in the IWV, the net generation (i.e. energy produced - energy used) of each renewable energy implementation decreased due a higher energy cost for pumping groundwater. The loss in efficiency was minimal for PV and wind solutions, with maximum changes in the drawdown being less than 10 m; however, for CSP and biofuel implementations drawdowns over 50 m were observed at the pumping well, resulting in electrical generation efficiency losses between 4% and 50% over a two-year period. It was concluded that PV would be the best balance between water and land-use for the IWV, or other groundwater dependent Basin and Range settings. In areas with limited water resources but abundant available land for implementation, WT solutions would have the smallest hydrologic impact. The impact of renewable scenarios was highly variable across and within differing fuel types, with the potential for larger negative impacts under a changing climate in areas with no perennial surface water.

Occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling systems and sludge in aggregate industries.

PubMed

Junqua, Guillaume; Spinelli, Sylvie; Gonzalez, Catherine

2015-05-01

Acrylamide is a hazardous substance having irritant and toxic properties as well as carcinogen, mutagen, and impaired fertility possible effects. Acrylamide might be found in the environment as a consequence of the use of polyacrylamides (PAMs) widely added as a flocculant for water treatment. Acrylamide is a monomer used to produce polyacrylamide (PAM) polymers. This reaction of polymerization can be incomplete, and acrylamide molecules can be present as traces in the commercial polymer. Thus, the use of PAMs may generate a release of acrylamide in the environment. In aggregate industries, PAM is widely involved in recycling process and water reuse (aggregate washing). Indeed, these industries consume large quantities of water. Thus, European and French regulations have favored loops of recycling of water in order to reduce water withdrawals. The main goal of this article is to study the occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling process as well as in the sludge produced by the flocculation treatment process in aggregate production plants. Moreover, to strengthen the relevance of this article, the objective is also to demonstrate if the recycling system leads to an accumulation effect in waters and sludge and if free acrylamide could be released by sludge during their storage. To reach this objective, water sampled at different steps of recycling water process has been analyzed as well as different sludge corresponding to various storage times. The obtained results reveal no accumulation effect in the water of the water-recycling system nor in the sludge.

Feasibility study of generating ultra-high harmonic radiation with a single stage echo-enabled harmonic generation scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Kaishang; Feng, Chao; Wang, Dong

2016-10-01

The echo enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) scheme holds the ability for the generation of fully coherent soft x-ray free-electron laser (FEL) pulses directly from external UV seeding sources. In this paper, we study the feasibility of using a single stage EEHG to generate coherent radiation in the "water window" and beyond. Using the high-order operating modes of the EEHG scheme, intensive numerical simulations have been performed considering various three-dimensional effects. The simulation results demonstrated that coherent soft x-ray radiation at 150th harmonic (1.77 nm) of the seed can be produced by a single stage EEHG. The decreasing of the final bunching factor at the desired harmonic caused by intra beam scattering (IBS) effect has also been analyzed.

The ferrosilicon process for the generation of hydrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, E R; Berry, W M; Bohnson, V L; Gordon, B D

1920-01-01

Report describes the generation of hydrogen by the reaction between ferrosilicon, sodium hydroxide, and water. This method known as the ferrosilicon method is especially adapted for use in the military field because of the relatively small size and low cost of the generator required to produce hydrogen at a rapid rate, the small operating force required, and the fact that no power is used except the small amount required to operate the stirring and pumping machinery. These advantages make it possible to quickly generate sufficient hydrogen to fill a balloon with a generator which can be transported on a motor truck. This report gives a summary of the details of the ferrosilicon process and a critical examination of the means which are necessary in order to make the process successful.

Accelerator-based method of producing isotopes

DOEpatents

Nolen, Jr., Jerry A.; Gomes, Itacil C.

2015-11-03

The invention provides a method using accelerators to produce radio-isotopes in high quantities. The method comprises: supplying a "core" of low-enrichment fissile material arranged in a spherical array of LEU combined with water moderator. The array is surrounded by substrates which serve as multipliers and moderators as well as neutron shielding substrates. A flux of neutrons enters the low-enrichment fissile material and causes fissions therein for a time sufficient to generate desired quantities of isotopes from the fissile material. The radio-isotopes are extracted from said fissile material by chemical processing or other means.

A new method of producing local enhancement of buoyancy in liquid flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhat, G. S.; Narasimha, R.; Arakeri, V. H.

1989-11-01

We describe here a novel method of generating large volumetric heating in a liquid. The method uses the principle of ohmic heating of the liquid, rendered electrically conducting by suitable additives if necessary. Electrolysis is prevented by the use of high frequency alternating voltage and chemically treated electrodes. The technique is demonstrated by producing substantial heating in an initially neutral jet of water. Simple flow visualisation studies, made by adding dye to the jet, show marked changes in the growth and development of the jet with heat addition.

Developmental variation in sound production in water and air in the blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus.

PubMed

Ghahramani, Zachary N; Mohajer, Yasha; Fine, Michael L

2014-12-01

Blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, the largest catfish in North America, produce pectoral stridulation sounds (distress calls) when attacked and held. They have both fish and bird predators, and the frequency spectrum of their sounds is better matched to the hearing of birds than to that of unspecialized fish predators with low frequency hearing. It is unclear whether their sounds evolved to function in air or water. We categorized the calls and how they change with fish size in air and water and compared developmental changes in call parameters with stridulation motions captured with a high-speed camera. Stridulation sounds consist of a variable series of pulses produced during abduction of the pectoral spine. Pulses are caused by quick rapid spine rotations (jerks) of the pectoral spine that do not change with fish size although larger individuals generate longer, higher amplitude pulses with lower peak frequencies. There are longer pauses between jerks, and therefore fewer jerks and fewer pulses, in larger fish, which take longer to abduct their spines and therefore produce a longer series of pulses per abduction sweep. Sounds couple more effectively to water (1400 times greater pressure in Pascals at 1 m), are more sharply tuned and have lower peak frequencies than in air. Blue catfish stridulation sounds appear to be specialized to produce underwater signals although most of the sound spectrum includes frequencies matched to catfish hearing but largely above the hearing range of unspecialized fishes. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Sugarcane Water Stress Tolerance Mechanisms and Its Implications on Developing Biotechnology Solutions

PubMed Central

Ferreira, Thais H. S.; Tsunada, Max S.; Bassi, Denis; Araújo, Pedro; Mattiello, Lucia; Guidelli, Giovanna V.; Righetto, Germanna L.; Gonçalves, Vanessa R.; Lakshmanan, Prakash; Menossi, Marcelo

2017-01-01

Sugarcane is a unique crop with the ability to accumulate high levels of sugar and is a commercially viable source of biomass for bioelectricity and second-generation bioethanol. Water deficit is the single largest abiotic stress affecting sugarcane productivity and the development of water use efficient and drought tolerant cultivars is an imperative for all major sugarcane producing countries. This review summarizes the physiological and molecular studies on water deficit stress in sugarcane, with the aim to help formulate more effective research strategies for advancing our knowledge on genes and mechanisms underpinning plant response to water stress. We also overview transgenic studies in sugarcane, with an emphasis on the potential strategies to develop superior sugarcane varieties that improve crop productivity in drought-prone environments. PMID:28690620

Analysis of a Wave-Powered, Reverse-Osmosis System and Its Economic Availability in the United States: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Yi-Hsiang; Jenne, Dale S

A wave energy converter (WEC) system has the potential to convert the wave energy resource directly into the high-pressure flow that is needed by the desalination system to permeate saltwater through the reverse-osmosis membrane to generate clean water. In this study, a wave-to-water numerical model was developed to investigate the potential use of a wave-powered desalination system (WPDS) for water production in the United States. The model was developed by coupling a time-domain radiation-and-diffraction-method-based numerical tool (WEC-Sim) for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of WECs with a solution-diffusion model that was used to simulate the reverse-osmosis process. To evaluate the feasibilitymore » of the WPDS, the wave-to-water numerical model was applied to simulate a desalination system that used an oscillating surge WEC device to pump seawater through the system. The annual water production was estimated based on the wave resource at a reference site on the coast of northern California to investigate the potential cost of water in that area, where the cost of water and electricity is high compared to other regions. In the scenario evaluated, for a 100-unit utility-scale electricity-producing array, the estimated levelized cost of energy for these WECs is about 3-6 times the U.S.'s current, unsubsidized electricity rates. However, with clean water as an end product and by directly producing pressurized water with WECs, rather than electricity as an intermediary, it is presently only 12 percent greater than typical water cost in California. This study suggests that a WEC array that produces water may be a viable, near-term solution to the nation's water supply, and the niche application of the WPDS may also provide developers with new opportunities to further develop technologies that benefit both the electric and drinking water markets.« less

High-flux soft x-ray harmonic generation from ionization-shaped few-cycle laser pulses

PubMed Central

Brahms, Christian; Gregory, Andrew; Tisch, John W. G.; Marangos, Jon P.

2018-01-01

Laser-driven high-harmonic generation provides the only demonstrated route to generating stable, tabletop attosecond x-ray pulses but has low flux compared to other x-ray technologies. We show that high-harmonic generation can produce higher photon energies and flux by using higher laser intensities than are typical, strongly ionizing the medium and creating plasma that reshapes the driving laser field. We obtain high harmonics capable of supporting attosecond pulses up to photon energies of 600 eV and a photon flux inside the water window (284 to 540 eV) 10 times higher than previous attosecond sources. We demonstrate that operating in this regime is key for attosecond pulse generation in the x-ray range and will become increasingly important as harmonic generation moves to fields that drive even longer wavelengths. PMID:29756033

Force Generation by Flapping Foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandyopadhyay, P. R.; Donnelly, M.

1996-11-01

Aquatic animals like fish use flapping caudal fins to produce axial and cross-stream forces. During WW2, German scientists had built and tested an underwater vehicle powered by similar flapping foils. We have examined the forces produced by a pair of flapping foils. We have examined the forced produced by a pair of flapping foils attached to the tail end of a small axisymmetric cylinder. The foils operate in-phase (called waving), or in anti-phase (called clapping). In a low-speed water tunnel, we have undertaken time-dependent measurements of axial and cross-stream forces and moments that are exerted by the vortex shedding process over the entire body. Phase-matched LDV measurements of vorticity-velocity vectors, as well as limited flow visualization of the periodic vortex shedding process have also been carried out. The direction of the induced velocity within a pair of shed vortices determines the nature of the forces produced, viz., thrust or drag or cross-stream forces. The clapping mode produces a widely dispersed symmetric array of vortices which results in axial forces only (thrust and rag). On the other hand, the vortex array is staggered in the waving mode and cross-stream (maneuvering) forces are then generated.

Recent Progress in Energy-Driven Water Splitting.

PubMed

Tee, Si Yin; Win, Khin Yin; Teo, Wee Siang; Koh, Leng-Duei; Liu, Shuhua; Teng, Choon Peng; Han, Ming-Yong

2017-05-01

Hydrogen is readily obtained from renewable and non-renewable resources via water splitting by using thermal, electrical, photonic and biochemical energy. The major hydrogen production is generated from thermal energy through steam reforming/gasification of fossil fuel. As the commonly used non-renewable resources will be depleted in the long run, there is great demand to utilize renewable energy resources for hydrogen production. Most of the renewable resources may be used to produce electricity for driving water splitting while challenges remain to improve cost-effectiveness. As the most abundant energy resource, the direct conversion of solar energy to hydrogen is considered the most sustainable energy production method without causing pollutions to the environment. In overall, this review briefly summarizes thermolytic, electrolytic, photolytic and biolytic water splitting. It highlights photonic and electrical driven water splitting together with photovoltaic-integrated solar-driven water electrolysis.

Recent Progress in Energy‐Driven Water Splitting

PubMed Central

Tee, Si Yin; Win, Khin Yin; Teo, Wee Siang; Koh, Leng‐Duei; Liu, Shuhua; Teng, Choon Peng

2017-01-01

Hydrogen is readily obtained from renewable and non‐renewable resources via water splitting by using thermal, electrical, photonic and biochemical energy. The major hydrogen production is generated from thermal energy through steam reforming/gasification of fossil fuel. As the commonly used non‐renewable resources will be depleted in the long run, there is great demand to utilize renewable energy resources for hydrogen production. Most of the renewable resources may be used to produce electricity for driving water splitting while challenges remain to improve cost‐effectiveness. As the most abundant energy resource, the direct conversion of solar energy to hydrogen is considered the most sustainable energy production method without causing pollutions to the environment. In overall, this review briefly summarizes thermolytic, electrolytic, photolytic and biolytic water splitting. It highlights photonic and electrical driven water splitting together with photovoltaic‐integrated solar‐driven water electrolysis. PMID:28546906

Radiography apparatus using gamma rays emitted by water activated by fusion neutrons

DOEpatents

Smith, D.L.; Ikeda, Yujiro; Uno, Yoshitomo

1996-11-05

Radiography apparatus includes an arrangement for circulating pure water continuously between a location adjacent a source of energetic neutrons, such as a tritium target irradiated by a deuteron beam, and a remote location where radiographic analysis is conducted. Oxygen in the pure water is activated via the {sup 16}O(n,p){sup 16}N reaction using {sup 14}N-MeV neutrons produced at the neutron source via the {sup 3}H(d,n){sup 4}He reaction. Essentially monoenergetic gamma rays at 6.129 (predominantly) and 7.115 MeV are produced by the 7.13-second {sup 16}N decay for use in radiographic analysis. The gamma rays have substantial penetrating power and are useful in determining the thickness of materials and elemental compositions, particularly for metals and high-atomic number materials. The characteristic decay half life of 7.13 seconds of the activated oxygen is sufficient to permit gamma ray generation at a remote location where the activated water is transported, while not presenting a chemical or radioactivity hazard because the radioactivity falls to negligible levels after 1--2 minutes. 15 figs.

Radiography apparatus using gamma rays emitted by water activated by fusion neutrons

DOEpatents

Smith, Donald L.; Ikeda, Yujiro; Uno, Yoshitomo

1996-01-01

Radiography apparatus includes an arrangement for circulating pure water continuously between a location adjacent a source of energetic neutrons, such as a tritium target irradiated by a deuteron beam, and a remote location where radiographic analysis is conducted. Oxygen in the pure water is activated via the .sup.16 O(n,p).sup.16 N reaction using .sup.14 -MeV neutrons produced at the neutron source via the .sup.3 H(d,n).sup.4 He reaction. Essentially monoenergetic gamma rays at 6.129 (predominantly) and 7.115 MeV are produced by the 7.13-second .sup.16 N decay for use in radiographic analysis. The gamma rays have substantial penetrating power and are useful in determining the thickness of materials and elemental compositions, particularly for metals and high-atomic number materials. The characteristic decay half life of 7.13 seconds of the activated oxygen is sufficient to permit gamma ray generation at a remote location where the activated water is transported, while not presenting a chemical or radioactivity hazard because the radioactivity falls to negligible levels after 1-2 minutes.

Fractional capacity electrolyzer development for CO2 and H2O electrolysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wynveen, R. A.

1980-01-01

The electrolyzer module was designed to produce 0.24 kg/d (0.53 lb/d) of breathable oxygen from the electrolysis of metabolic carbon dioxide and water vapor. The fractional capacity electrolyzer module is constructed from three electrochemical tube cells and contains only three critical seals. The module design illustrated an 84 percent reduction in the total number of seals for a one person capacity oxygen generating system based on the solid electrolyte carbon dioxide and water vapor electrolysis concept. The electrolyzer module was successfully endurance tested for 71 days.

Solar vapor generation enabled by nanoparticles.

PubMed

Neumann, Oara; Urban, Alexander S; Day, Jared; Lal, Surbhi; Nordlander, Peter; Halas, Naomi J

2013-01-22

Solar illumination of broadly absorbing metal or carbon nanoparticles dispersed in a liquid produces vapor without the requirement of heating the fluid volume. When particles are dispersed in water at ambient temperature, energy is directed primarily to vaporization of water into steam, with a much smaller fraction resulting in heating of the fluid. Sunlight-illuminated particles can also drive H(2)O-ethanol distillation, yielding fractions significantly richer in ethanol content than simple thermal distillation. These phenomena can also enable important compact solar applications such as sterilization of waste and surgical instruments in resource-poor locations.

A Marine Aerosol Reference Tank system as a breaking wave analogue for the production of foam and sea-spray aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stokes, M. D.; Deane, G. B.; Prather, K.; Bertram, T. H.; Ruppel, M. J.; Ryder, O. S.; Brady, J. M.; Zhao, D.

2013-04-01

In order to better understand the processes governing the production of marine aerosols a repeatable, controlled method for their generation is required. The Marine Aerosol Reference Tank (MART) has been designed to closely approximate oceanic conditions by producing an evolving bubble plume and surface foam patch. The tank utilizes an intermittently plunging sheet of water and large volume tank reservoir to simulate turbulence, plume and foam formation, and the water flow is monitored volumetrically and acoustically to ensure the repeatability of conditions.

Polymeric carbon nitride for solar hydrogen production.

PubMed

Li, Xiaobo; Masters, Anthony F; Maschmeyer, Thomas

2017-07-04

If solar hydrogen production from water is to be a realistic candidate for industrial hydrogen production, the development of photocatalysts, which avoid the use of expensive and/or toxic elements is highly desirable from a scalability, cost and environmental perspective. Metal-free polymeric carbon nitride is an attractive material that can absorb visible light and produce hydrogen from water. This article reviews recent developments in polymeric carbon nitride as used in photocatalysis and then develops the discussion focusing on the three primary processes of a photocatalytic reaction: light-harvesting, carrier generation/separation/transportation and surface reactions.

Experimental parametric study of jet vortex generators for flow separation control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selby, Gregory

1991-01-01

A parametric wind-tunnel study was performed with jet vortex generators to determine their effectiveness in controlling flow separation associated with low-speed turbulence flow over a two-dimensional rearward-facing ramp. Results indicate that flow-separation control can be accomplished, with the level of control achieved being a function of jet speed, jet orientation (with respect to the free-stream direction), and orifice pattern (double row of jets vs. single row). Compared to slot blowing, jet vortex generators can provide an equivalent level of flow control over a larger spanwise region (for constant jet flow area and speed). Dye flow visualization tests in a water tunnel indicated that the most effective jet vortex generator configurations produced streamwise co-rotating vortices.

Oxygen Production from Lunar Regolith using Ionic Liquids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paley, Mark Steven; Karr, Laurel J.; Curreri, Peter

2009-01-01

The objective of this work and future follow-on work is to develop a safe, efficient, and recyclable method for oxygen and/or metals extraction from lunar regolith, in support of establishing a manned lunar outpost. The approach is to solubilize the oxides that comprise lunar regolith in media consisting of ionic liquids (ILs) and/or their mixtures at temperatures at or below 300 C. Once in solution, electrolysis can either be performed in-situ to generate oxygen at the anode and hydrogen and/or metals (silicon, iron, aluminum, titanium, etc.) at the cathode. Alternatively, the water that is generated during the solubilization process can be distilled out and condensed into a separate IL and then electrolysized to produce hydrogen and oxygen. In the case of lunar regolith, this method could theoretically produce 44g oxygen per 100g of regolith. The oxygen can be used for human life support and/or as an oxidizer for rocket fuels, and the metals can be used as raw materials for construction and/or device fabrication. Moreover, the hydrogen produced can be used to re-generate the acidic medium, which can then be used to process additional regolith, thereby making the materials recyclable and limiting upmass requirements. An important advantage of IL acid systems is that they are much "greener" and safer than conventional materials used for regolith processing such as sulfuric or hydrochloric acids. They have very low vapor pressures, which means that they contain virtually no toxic and/or flammable volatile content, they are relatively non-corrosive, and they can exhibit good stability in harsh environments (extreme temperatures, hard vacuum, etc.). Furthermore, regolith processing can be achieved at lower temperatures than other processes such as molten oxide electrolysis or hydrogen reduction, thereby reducing initial power requirements. Six ILs have been synthesized and tested for their capability to dissolve lunar simulant, and for electrochemical and thermal stability. The results showed that ILs can be very efficient electrolytes; in particular IL/phosphoric-acid mixtures appear extremely promising for solubilizing lunar simulant. Results from preliminary experiments for distillation of water produced from the oxygen within the metal oxides of the simulant and the hydrogen from the acid indicates that over 75% of the oxygen from the simulant can be harvested as water at a temperature of 150 C. A method for collection of oxygen from electrolysis of the water derived from solubilizing simulant was developed by using a liquid nitrogen trap to liquefy and collect the oxygen. Although precise quantification of the liquid oxygen trapped is difficult to obtain, the amount of hydrogen and oxygen collected from electrolysis of water in this system was greater than 98%. This set-up also included a portable mass spectrometer for the identification of gases released from electrolysis cells. Regeneration of ILs through re-protonation was also demonstrated. Four sequential re-generations of an IL following solubilization of simulant showed no significant differences in amounts of simulant dissolved. Follow-on work for this project should include more studies of IL/phosphoric acid systems. Also, much more work is necessary for defining methods for electrolysis and purification of metals from regolith solubilized in ILs, and for developing a system to use the produced hydrogen to regenerate the spent IL. Finally, design and development of flight breadboard and prototype hardware is required.

U.S. power generation, water stress, and climate change: using science to understand "water-smart" electricity-sector decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, J. H.; Frumhoff, P. C.; Averyt, K.; Newmark, R. L.

2012-12-01

In 2011, nearly 90 percent of U.S. electricity came from thermoelectric (steam-producing) power plants that use water for cooling. These water demands can tax rivers and aquifers, threaten fish and wildlife, and spark conflicts between power plants and other water users. Climate change, driven by in large part by emissions from fossil fuel-based electricity generation, is adding to the strain. Higher temperatures raise electricity demand and lower cooling-system efficiency, while drought and changes in precipitation patterns may make freshwater supplies less reliable. Here we report new findings on the impacts, present and projected, of power-plant water use on local water stress across the United States, and its implications for understanding what constitutes "water-smart" energy decision making. This work was carried out under the auspices of the Energy and Water in a Warming World initiative (EW3), a research and outreach collaboration designed to inform and motivate U.S. public awareness and science-based public policy at the energy-water nexus. The research has involved cataloguing the water use characteristics of virtually every U.S. power generator in the nation to develop a robust assessment of the water resource implications of cooling the nation's power plants. By analyzing local water supply and demand conditions across the nation, we identified water basins where current power plant water use appears to contribute strongly to local water supply stress, and where water-intensive electricity choices could substantially exacerbate water stress. We also identified other potential approaches to considering stress, particularly related to water temperature. The research has also involved analyzing the water implications of different electricity pathways in the United States over the next 40 years. We used a high-resolution electricity model to generate a range of electricity mixes, particularly in the context of a carbon budget, and assessed the water implications of the mixes at water-relevant scales. We then examined how the different scenarios fared under changing water conditions, particular in the face of droughts and increases in water temperature. Our findings help enhance understanding within the general public, electricity-sector decision makers, and elected officials, and provide science-based information to inform decisions about new power plants, plant retirements, and cooling technology choices. We discuss the results of outreach to date around these findings, and opportunities to inform and motivate a more sustainable energy, water, and climate future.

Tools and Techniques for Basin-Scale Climate Change Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagona, E.; Rajagopalan, B.; Oakley, W.; Wilson, N.; Weinstein, P.; Verdin, A.; Jerla, C.; Prairie, J. R.

2012-12-01

The Department of Interior's WaterSMART Program seeks to secure and stretch water supplies to benefit future generations and identify adaptive measures to address climate change. Under WaterSMART, Basin Studies are comprehensive water studies to explore options for meeting projected imbalances in water supply and demand in specific basins. Such studies could be most beneficial with application of recent scientific advances in climate projections, stochastic simulation, operational modeling and robust decision-making, as well as computational techniques to organize and analyze many alternatives. A new integrated set of tools and techniques to facilitate these studies includes the following components: Future supply scenarios are produced by the Hydrology Simulator, which uses non-parametric K-nearest neighbor resampling techniques to generate ensembles of hydrologic traces based on historical data, optionally conditioned on long paleo reconstructed data using various Markov Chain techniuqes. Resampling can also be conditioned on climate change projections from e.g., downscaled GCM projections to capture increased variability; spatial and temporal disaggregation is also provided. The simulations produced are ensembles of hydrologic inputs to the RiverWare operations/infrastucture decision modeling software. Alternative demand scenarios can be produced with the Demand Input Tool (DIT), an Excel-based tool that allows modifying future demands by groups such as states; sectors, e.g., agriculture, municipal, energy; and hydrologic basins. The demands can be scaled at future dates or changes ramped over specified time periods. Resulting data is imported directly into the decision model. Different model files can represent infrastructure alternatives and different Policy Sets represent alternative operating policies, including options for noticing when conditions point to unacceptable vulnerabilities, which trigger dynamically executing changes in operations or other options. The over-arching Study Manager provides a graphical tool to create combinations of future supply scenarios, demand scenarios, infrastructure and operating policy alternatives; each scenario is executed as an ensemble of RiverWare runs, driven by the hydrologic supply. The Study Manager sets up and manages multiple executions on multi-core hardware. The sizeable are typically direct model outputs, or post-processed indicators of performance based on model outputs. Post processing statistical analysis of the outputs are possible using the Graphical Policy Analysis Tool or other statistical packages. Several Basin Studies undertaken have used RiverWare to evaluate future scenarios. The Colorado River Basin Study, the most complex and extensive to date, has taken advantage of these tools and techniques to generate supply scenarios, produce alternative demand scenarios and to set up and execute the many combinations of supplies, demands, policies, and infrastructure alternatives. The tools and techniques will be described with example applications.

Using snow data assimilation to improve ensemble streamflow forecasting for the Upper Colorado River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micheletty, P. D.; Perrot, D.; Day, G. N.; Lhotak, J.; Quebbeman, J.; Park, G. H.; Carney, S.

2017-12-01

Water supply forecasting in the western United States is inextricably linked to snowmelt processes, as approximately 70-85% of total annual runoff comes from water stored in seasonal mountain snowpacks. Snowmelt-generated streamflow is vital to a variety of downstream uses; the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) alone provides water supply for 25 million people, irrigation water for 3.5 million acres, and drives hydropower generation at Lake Powell. April-July water supply forecasts produced by the National Weather Service (NWS) Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC) are critical to basin water management. The primary objective of this project as part of the NASA Water Resources Applied Science Program, is to improve water supply forecasting for the UCRB by assimilating satellite and ground snowpack observations into a distributed hydrologic model at various times during the snow accumulation and melt seasons. To do this, we have built a framework that uses an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) to update modeled snow water equivalent (SWE) states in the Hydrology Laboratory-Research Distributed Hydrologic Model (HL-RDHM) with spatially interpolated SNOTEL snow water equivalent (SWE) observations and products from the MODIS Snow Covered-Area and Grain size retrieval algorithm (when available). We have generated April-July water supply reforecasts for a 20-year period (1991-2010) for several headwater catchments in the UCRB using HL-RDHM and snow data assimilation in the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) framework. The existing CBRFC ESP reforecasts will provide a baseline for comparison to determine whether the data assimilation process adds skill to the water supply forecasts. Preliminary results from one headwater basin show improved skill in water supply forecasting when HL-RDHM is run with the data assimilation step compared to HL-RDHM run without the data assimilation step, particularly in years when MODSCAG data were available (2000-2010). The final forecasting framework developed during this project will be delivered to CBRFC and run operationally for a set of pilot basins.

Carbon Nitride-Aromatic Diimide-Graphene Nanohybrids: Metal-Free Photocatalysts for Solar-to-Hydrogen Peroxide Energy Conversion with 0.2% Efficiency.

PubMed

Kofuji, Yusuke; Isobe, Yuki; Shiraishi, Yasuhiro; Sakamoto, Hirokatsu; Tanaka, Shunsuke; Ichikawa, Satoshi; Hirai, Takayuki

2016-08-10

Solar-to-chemical energy conversion is a challenging subject for renewable energy storage. In the past 40 years, overall water splitting into H2 and O2 by semiconductor photocatalysis has been studied extensively; however, they need noble metals and extreme care to avoid explosion of the mixed gases. Here we report that generating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from water and O2 by organic semiconductor photocatalysts could provide a new basis for clean energy storage without metal and explosion risk. We found that carbon nitride-aromatic diimide-graphene nanohybrids prepared by simple hydrothermal-calcination procedure produce H2O2 from pure water and O2 under visible light (λ > 420 nm). Photoexcitation of the semiconducting carbon nitride-aromatic diimide moiety transfers their conduction band electrons to graphene and enhances charge separation. The valence band holes on the semiconducting moiety oxidize water, while the electrons on the graphene moiety promote selective two-electron reduction of O2. This metal-free system produces H2O2 with solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency 0.20%, comparable to the highest levels achieved by powdered water-splitting photocatalysts.

Water for food and nature in drought-prone tropics: vapour shift in rain-fed agriculture.

PubMed Central

Rockström, Johan

2003-01-01

This paper quantifies the eco-hydrological challenge up until 2050 of producing food in balance with goods and services generated by water-dependent ecosystems in nature. Particular focus is given to the savannah zone, covering 40% of the land area in the world, where water scarcity constitutes a serious constraint to sustainable development. The analysis indicates an urgent need for a new green revolution, which focuses on upgrading rain-fed agriculture. Water requirements to produce adequate diets for humans are shown to be relatively generic irrespective of hydro-climate, amounting to a global average of 1,300 m(3) cap(-1) yr(-1). Present food production requires an estimated 6,800 km(3) yr(-1) of consumptive green water (5,000 km(3) yr(-1) in rain-fed agriculture and 1,800 km(3) yr(-1) from irrigated crops). Without considering water productivity gains, an additional 5,800 km(3) yr(-1) of water is needed to feed a growing population in 2,050 and eradicate malnutrition. It is shown that the bulk of this water will be used in rain-fed agriculture. A dynamic analysis of water productivity and management options indicates that large 'crop per drop' improvements can be achieved at the farm level. Vapour shift in favour of productive green water flow as crop transpiration could result in relative water savings of 500 km(3) yr(-1) in semi-arid rain-fed agriculture. PMID:14728794

Water for food and nature in drought-prone tropics: vapour shift in rain-fed agriculture.

PubMed

Rockström, Johan

2003-12-29

This paper quantifies the eco-hydrological challenge up until 2050 of producing food in balance with goods and services generated by water-dependent ecosystems in nature. Particular focus is given to the savannah zone, covering 40% of the land area in the world, where water scarcity constitutes a serious constraint to sustainable development. The analysis indicates an urgent need for a new green revolution, which focuses on upgrading rain-fed agriculture. Water requirements to produce adequate diets for humans are shown to be relatively generic irrespective of hydro-climate, amounting to a global average of 1,300 m(3) cap(-1) yr(-1). Present food production requires an estimated 6,800 km(3) yr(-1) of consumptive green water (5,000 km(3) yr(-1) in rain-fed agriculture and 1,800 km(3) yr(-1) from irrigated crops). Without considering water productivity gains, an additional 5,800 km(3) yr(-1) of water is needed to feed a growing population in 2,050 and eradicate malnutrition. It is shown that the bulk of this water will be used in rain-fed agriculture. A dynamic analysis of water productivity and management options indicates that large 'crop per drop' improvements can be achieved at the farm level. Vapour shift in favour of productive green water flow as crop transpiration could result in relative water savings of 500 km(3) yr(-1) in semi-arid rain-fed agriculture.

Pretreatment Solution for Water Recovery Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muirhead, Dean (Inventor)

2018-01-01

Chemical pretreatments are used to produce usable water by treating a water source with a chemical pretreatment that contains a hexavalent chromium and an acid to generate a treated water source, wherein the concentration of sulfate compounds in the acid is negligible, and wherein the treated water source remains substantially free of precipitates after the addition of the chemical pretreatment. Other methods include reducing the pH in urine to be distilled for potable water extraction by pretreating the urine before distillation with a pretreatment solution comprising one or more acid sources selected from a group consisting of phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid, wherein the urine remains substantially precipitate free after the addition of the pretreatment solution. Another method described comprises a process for reducing precipitation in urine to be processed for water extraction by mixing the urine with a pretreatment solution comprising hexavalent chromium compound and phosphoric acid.

Integrated gasification combined cycle using Egyptian Maghara coal-rice straw feedstock.

PubMed

Hegazy, A; Ghallab, A O; Ashour, F H

2017-06-01

Rice straw is an agricultural waste that causes an annoying problem in Egypt if it is not well exploited. This study focuses on using this waste in power generation by co-gasification of Egyptian Maghara coal and rice straw blends using entrained flow gasifier technology. Aspen Plus was used to conduct a parametric study for investigation of the effect of changing the inputs to the gasifier on the produced gas composition. Three different input parameters, influencing the performance of the gasifier, including the percentage of coal to rice straw in the blend, the fraction of added water to the blend, and the mass percentage of oxygen with respect to the mass of the blend fed to the gasifier were analysed. Two alternative power production schemes (with and without carbon capturing) have been investigated. The obtained optimum feed conditions are: 40% coal in the feed blend, 20% water concentration in the feed slurry, and 80% oxygen with respect to the dry feed blend to the gasifier. For (10 0000 kg per hour) of the feed blend, the power generated was 270.1 MW in the case of non-carbon capturing, while in the case of carbon capturing, 263.52 MW was generated. Although it produces less power, applying carbon capturing techniques means handling less flue gas and thus using smaller gas turbines and results in more environmentally friendly emissions.

Improving Precipitation Forcings for the National Water Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fall, G. M.; Zhang, Z.; Miller, D.; Kitzmiller, D.; Patrick, N.; Sparrow, K.; Olheiser, C.; Szeliga, T.

2017-12-01

The National Weather Service's Office of Water Prediction (NWS/OWP) produces operational hydrologic products, many of which are generated by the National Water Model (NWM). NWM analysis cycles (also known as "near-real-time" or "update" cycles) are of key importance, since the land surface states and fluxes they produce are used to initialize all forecast cycles. Among all forcing fields (which include precipitation, temperature, humidity, radiation, and wind), precipitation is particularly important. Currently, NWM precipitation forcings for analysis cycles are generated by combining hourly radar-derived precipitation products from the Multi-Radar, Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system with short-term quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) from the Rapid Refresh (RAP) and High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) systems. Short term QPF is used in analysis cycles to fill coverage gaps in MRMS products, and its inclusion is necessary due to the short latency associated with NWM analysis cycles relative to the availability of other operational precipitation analyses. This presentation will describe the methodology used to remove QPF bias and to spatially merge MRMS, HRRR, and RAP into hourly forcing inputs for NWM version 2.0, expected to enter into operations in late 2018. The accuracy of version 2.0 precipitation forcings relative to reference data sources, and the degree to which these forcings will represent an improvement over those used to drive the previous NWM version (1.2), will be described.

Observations and modelling of a meteotsunami across the English Channel on 23rd June 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, David; Horsburgh, Kevin; Schultz, David; Hughes, Chris

2017-04-01

Meteotsunami are shallow water waves in the tsunami frequency band, which are generated by sub-mesoscale pressure and wind velocity fluctuations. Whilst documented meteotsunami on the north-western European shelf have not been hazardous, around the world they have caused fatalities and significant economic losses. Previous observational studies suggest that across Western Europe strongly convective storms are meteotsunami-generating. We give evidence for a meteotsunami on 23rd June 2016 along the northern coastline of France, following strongly convective storms. This includes 1-minute temporal resolution tide gauge data, in situ pressure and wind velocities, and infrared satellite images. With an estimated wave height of 0.8 m at Boulogne, this meteotsunami is particularly large compared to previous observations in Western Europe. The tsunami travel times have been estimated using the wavefront method, showing that a single, instantaneous source for the waves is highly unlikely. Using the ocean model Telemac2D, idealised models of pressure and wind have been used to simulate the meteotsunami. The model supports that across the English Channel thunderstorms with north-easterly tracks, moving at the shallow water wave speed, can generate wave amplification through Proudman resonance. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been used to produce numerically simulated thunderstorms, which have been used to force the Telemac2D ocean model with idealised bathymetries. The WRF-Telemac2D model results also support meteotsunami generation by thunderstorms. To the author's knowledge this is the first time a thunderstorm simulation has been used to produce a meteotsunami-like wave, and indicates that non-hydrostatic, convective atmospheric processes are important for meteotsunami generation. This suggests that with combined high resolution observations and modelling, a meteotsunami forecasting system may become possible in Western Europe.

Automated land-use mapping from spacecraft data. [Oakland County, Michigan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chase, P. E. (Principal Investigator); Rogers, R. H.; Reed, L. E.

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. In response to the need for a faster, more economical means of producing land use maps, this study evaluated the suitability of using ERTS-1 computer compatible tape (CCT) data as a basis for automatic mapping. Significant findings are: (1) automatic classification accuracy greater than 90% is achieved on categories of deep and shallow water, tended grass, rangeland, extractive (bare earth), urban, forest land, and nonforested wet lands; (2) computer-generated printouts by target class provide a quantitative measure of land use; and (3) the generation of map overlays showing land use from ERTS-1 CCTs offers a significant breakthrough in the rate at which land use maps are generated. Rather than uncorrected classified imagery or computer line printer outputs, the processing results in geometrically-corrected computer-driven pen drawing of land categories, drawn on a transparent material at a scale specified by the operator. These map overlays are economically produced and provide an efficient means of rapidly updating maps showing land use.

Electric Power Generation from Low to Intermediate Temperature Resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gosnold, William D.

This project was designed to test the concept on the Eland-Lodgepole Field near Dickinson, North Dakota in the Williston Basin. The field is in secondary-recovery water-flood and consists of 12 producing oil wells, 5 water injection wells and one disposal well. Water production at the site averages approximately 320 gallons per minute (20.2 l s-1) and the temperature is 100 ⁰C. Engineers at Ormat estimated power production potential with the existing resource to be approximately 350 kWh. Unfortunately, ownership of the field was transferred from Encore, Inc., to Denbury, Inc., within the first week of the project. After two yearsmore » of discussion and planning, Denbury decided not to pursue this project due to complications with the site location and its proximity to Patterson Lake. Attempts to find other partners operating in the Williston Basin were unsuccessful. Consequently, we were unable to pursue the primary objective of the project. However, during negations with Denbury and subsequent time spent contacting other potential partners, we focused on objectives 2 and 3 and developed a clear understanding of the potential for co-produced production in the Williston Basin and the best practices for developing similar projects. At least nine water bearing formations with temperatures greater than 90 ⁰C extend over areas of several 10s of km2. The total energy contained in the rock volume of those geothermal aquifers is 283.6 EJ (1 EJ = 1018 J). The total energy contained in the water volume, determined from porosities which range from 2 percent to 8 percent, is 6.8 EJ. The aquifers grouped by 10 ⁰C temperature bins (Table 1) include one or more formations due to the bowl-shape structure of the basin. Table 1. Summary of energy available in geothermal aquifers in the Williston Basin Analysis of overall fluid production from active wells, units, fields and formations in North Dakota showed that few sites co-produce sufficient fluid for significant power production with ORC technology. Average co-produced water for 10,480 wells is 3.2 gallons per minute (gpm). Even excluding the tight formations, Bakken and Three Forks, average co-produced water for the remaining 3,337 is only 5 gpm. The output of the highest producing well is 184 gpm and the average of the top 100 wells is 52 gpm. Due to the depth of the oil producing formations in the Williston Basin, typically 3 km or greater, pumps are operated slowly to prevent watering out thus total fluid production is purposefully maintained at low volumes. There remain potential possibilities for development of geothermal fluids in the Williston Basin. Unitized fields in which water production from several tens of wells is collected at a single site are good possibilities for development. Water production in the unitized fields is greater than 1000 gpm is several areas. A similar possibility occurs where infill-drilling between Bakken and Three Forks horizontal wells has created areas where large volumes of geothermal fluids are available on multi-well pads and in unitized fields. Although the Bakken produces small amounts of water, the water/oil ration is typically less than 1, the oil and water mix produced at the well head can be sent through the heat exchanger on an ORC. It is estimated that several tens of MWh of power could be generated by a distributed system of ORC engines in the areas of high-density drilling in the Bakken Formation. Finally, horizontal drilling in water bearing formations is the other possibility. Several secondary recovery water-flood projects in the basin are producing water above 100 ⁰C at rates of 300 gpm to 850 gpm. Those systems also could produce several tens of MWh of power with ORC technology. Objective 3 of the project was highly successful. The program has produced 5 PhDs, 7 MS, and 3 BS students with theses in geothermal energy. The team has involved 7 faculty in 4 different engineering and science disciplines, ChE, EE, GE, and Geol. The team has produced 26 peer-reviewed papers and 62 presentations at professional meetings. Faculty involved in the program developed five graduate level courses covering different elements in heat flow and geothermal energy that are now offered in the Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering. Lessons learned – Keys to developing a successful project;1. Determine target formations; a. Data from oil and gas operators, state oil and gas regulatory agencies, and state geological surveys help to identify producing formations and their properties; 2. Determine the quantity of energy available in the target formations; a. A complete thermal analysis of the basin or region yields the most useful information; b. Critical data include: BHT, heat flow, stratigraphy, lithology, lithological properties, and thermal conductivity, subsurface structure; 3. Determine fluid production potential; a. State oil and gas regulatory agencies, and state geological surveys have data on oil, gas and water production. State Water Commission/Agencies have data on water quality, aquifers, and regulations; b. Consider single horizontal wells, multiple conventional wells, and unitized fields; 4. Calculate energy production capacity of each formation based on different well combination and power plant scenarios. This is a broad overview rather than a site specific analysis; 5. Research and understand the local electrical power industry. Obtain the PPA before committing to the project; 6. Work with the high-level personnel in the oil company partner. Obtain an MOU that addresses all issues in the project including what to expect if the company goes out of business, is bought out, changes management, etc; and 7. Be prepared for project delays.« less

Kelley Hot Spring Geothermal Project: Kelly Hot Spring Agricultural Center conceptual design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Longyear, A.B.

1980-06-01

The proposed core activity in the Kelly Hot Spring Agricultural Center is a nominal 1200 sow swine raising complex. The swine raising is to be a totally confined operation for producing premium pork in controlled environment facilities that utilize geothermal energy. The complex will include a feedmill for producing the various feed formulae required for the animals from breeding through gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing and finishing. The market animals are shipped live by truck to slaughter in Modesto, California. A complete waste management facility will include manure collection from all raising areas, transport via a water flush sysem to methanemore » (biogas) generators, manure separation, settling ponds and disposition of the surplus agricultural quality water. The design is based upon the best commercial practices in confined swine raising in the US today. The most unique feature of the facility is the utilization of geothermal hot water for space heating and process energy throughout the complex.« less

CALCULATING WATER CONSUMPTION AND WITHDRAWAL FROM POWER PLANTS GLOBALLYUsing machine learning, remote sensing and power plant data from the Power Watch platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kressig, A.

2017-12-01

BACKGROUND The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), Scope 2 Guidance standardizes how companies measure greenhouse gas emissions from purchased or independently generated electricity (called "scope 2 emissions"). Additionally, the interlinkages between industrial or commercial (nonresidential) energy requirements and water demands have been studied extensively, mostly at the national or provincial scale, focused on industries involved in power generation. However there is little guidance available for companies to systematically and effectively quantify water withdrawals and consumption (herein referred to as "water demand") associated with purchased or acquired electricity(what we call "Scope 2 Water"). This lack of guidance on measuring a company's water demand from electricity use is due to a lack of data on average consumption and withdrawal rates of water associated with purchased electricity. OBJECTIVE There is growing demand from companies in the food, beverage, manufacturing, information communication and technology, and other sectors for a methodology to quantify Scope 2 water demands. By understanding Scope 2 water demands, companies could evaluate their exposure to water-related risks associated with purchased or acquired electricity, and quantify the water benefits of changing to less water-intensive sources of electricity and energy generation such as wind and solar. However, there has never been a way of quantifying Scope 2 Water consumption and withdrawals for a company across its international supply chain. Even with interest in understanding exposure to water related risk and measuring water use reductions, there has been no quantitative way of measuring this information. But WRI's Power Watch provides the necessary data to allow for the Scope 2 Water accounting, because it will provide water withdrawal and consumption rates associated with purchased electricity at the power plant level. By calculating the average consumption and withdrawal rates per unit of electricity produced across a grid region, companies can measure their water demand from facilities in that region. WRI is now developing a global dataset of grid level water consumption rates and developing a guidance for companies to report water demand across their supply chain and measure their reductions.

Fiber-Based, Double-Sided, Reduced Graphene Oxide Films for Efficient Solar Vapor Generation.

PubMed

Guo, Ankang; Ming, Xin; Fu, Yang; Wang, Gang; Wang, Xianbao

2017-09-06

Solar vapor generation is a promising and whole new branch of photothermal conversion for harvesting solar energy. Various materials and devices for solar thermal conversion were successively produced and reported for higher solar energy utilization in the past few years. Herein, a compact device of reduced graphene oxides (rGO) and paper fibers was designed and assembled for efficient solar steam generation under light illumination, and it consists of water supply pipelines (WSP), a thermal insulator (TI) and a double-sided absorbing film (DSF). Heat localization is enabled by the black DSF due to its broad absorption of sunlight. More importantly, the heat transfer, from the hot DSF to the cold base fluid (water), was suppressed by TI with a low thermal conductivity. Meanwhile, bulk water was continuously transported to the DSF by WSP through TI, which was driven by the surface energy and surface tension based on the capillary effect. The effects of reduction degrees of rGO on the photothermal conversion were explored, and the evaporation efficiency reached 89.2% under one sun with 60 mg rGO. This new microdevice provided a basic technical support for distillation, desalination, sewage treatment, and related technologies.

Experimental results of sodium-water reaction test No. 3 in LLTR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, A.E.; Neely, H.H.

1977-08-01

Computer-generated plots of the transient data obtained during the third sodium-water reaction test (SWR-3) and observations made after the test are presented. Similar to the first two tests of Series I, a double-ended guillotine rupture was produced in a water tube of the Atomics International Modular Steam Generator (AI-MSG). Prior to tube rupture, the temperature distribution in the vertical AI-MSG was linear from 600/sup 0/F at the bottom to 800/sup 0/F at the top. The rupture was located in the horizontal section 1.75 in. from the upper tubesheet. Peak pressures generated in this test were somewhat lower than the 400more » psi and 500 psi measured in the prior tests; while peak temperatures, about 1600/sup 0/F, were higher than were measured previously. The interest examinations revealed no structural damage, material wastage, stress corrosion cracking, or dimensional changes. Additional reaction products have been accumulated in the bottom of the AI-MSG up to Spacer 3, so that the flow path in the AI-MSG to both the lower relief line and the drain line is restricted. The relief lines are relatively clear.« less

An inverse approach to perturb historical rainfall data for scenario-neutral climate impact studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Danlu; Westra, Seth; Maier, Holger R.

2018-01-01

Scenario-neutral approaches are being used increasingly for climate impact assessments, as they allow water resource system performance to be evaluated independently of climate change projections. An important element of these approaches is the generation of perturbed series of hydrometeorological variables that form the inputs to hydrologic and water resource assessment models, with most scenario-neutral studies to-date considering only shifts in the average and a limited number of other statistics of each climate variable. In this study, a stochastic generation approach is used to perturb not only the average of the relevant hydrometeorological variables, but also attributes such as the intermittency and extremes. An optimization-based inverse approach is developed to obtain hydrometeorological time series with uniform coverage across the possible ranges of rainfall attributes (referred to as the 'exposure space'). The approach is demonstrated on a widely used rainfall generator, WGEN, for a case study at Adelaide, Australia, and is shown to be capable of producing evenly-distributed samples over the exposure space. The inverse approach expands the applicability of the scenario-neutral approach in evaluating a water resource system's sensitivity to a wider range of plausible climate change scenarios.

Evaluation and comparison of methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal for the National Water Census Focus Area Study of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in southwestern Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Painter, Jaime A.; Torak, Lynn J.; Jones, John W.

2015-09-30

Methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal using nationally available datasets and techniques that are transferable to other agricultural regions were evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin focus area study of the National Water Census (ACF–FAS). These methods investigated the spatial, temporal, and quantitative distributions of water withdrawal for irrigation in the southwestern Georgia region of the ACF–FAS, filling a vital need to inform science-based decisions regarding resource management and conservation. The crop– demand method assumed that only enough water is pumped onto a crop to satisfy the deficit between evapotranspiration and precipitation. A second method applied a geostatistical regimen of variography and conditional simulation to monthly metered irrigation withdrawal to estimate irrigation withdrawal where data do not exist. A third method analyzed Landsat satellite imagery using an automated approach to generate monthly estimates of irrigated lands. These methods were evaluated independently and compared collectively with measured water withdrawal information available in the Georgia part of the ACF–FAS, principally in the Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. An assessment of each method’s contribution to the National Water Census program was also made to identify transfer value of the methods to the national program and other water census studies. None of the three methods evaluated represent a turnkey process to estimate irrigation withdrawal on any spatial (local or regional) or temporal (monthly or annual) extent. Each method requires additional information on agricultural practices during the growing season to complete the withdrawal estimation process. Spatial and temporal limitations inherent in identifying irrigated acres during the growing season, and in designing spatially and temporally representative monitor (meter) networks, can belie the ability of the methods to produce accurate irrigation-withdrawal estimates that can be used to produce dependable and consistent assessments of water availability and use for the National Water Census. Emerging satellite-data products and techniques for data analysis can generate high spatial-resolution estimates of irrigated-acres distributions with near-term temporal frequencies compatible with the needs of the ACF–FAS and the National Water Census.

Fluorescent quantum dot hydrophilization with PAMAM dendrimer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potapkin, Dmitry V.; Geißler, Daniel; Resch-Genger, Ute; Goryacheva, Irina Yu.

2016-05-01

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were used to produce CdSe core/multi-shell fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) which are colloidally stable in aqueous solutions. The size, charge, and optical properties of QDs functionalized with the 4th (G4) and 5th (G5) generation of PAMAM were compared with amphiphilic polymer-covered QDs and used as criteria for the evaluation of the suitability of both water solubilization methods. As revealed by dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering (DLS and ELS), the hydrodynamic sizes of the QDs varied from 30 to 65 nm depending on QD type and dendrimer generation, with all QDs displaying highly positive surface charges, i.e., zeta potentials of around +50 mV in water. PAMAM functionalization yielded stable core/multi-shell QDs with photoluminescence quantum yields ( Φ) of up to 45 %. These dendrimer-covered QDs showed a smaller decrease in their Φ upon phase transfer compared with QDs made water soluble via encapsulation with amphiphilic brush polymer bearing polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene chains.

Municipal solid-waste disposal and ground-water quality in a coastal environment, west-central Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fernandez, Mario

1983-01-01

Solid waste is defined along with various methods of disposal and the hydrogeologic factors to be considered when locating land-fills is presented. Types of solid waste, composition, and sources are identified. Generation of municipal solid waste in Florida has been estimated at 4.5 pounds per day per person or about 7.8 million tons per year. Leachate is generated when precipitation and ground water percolate through the waste. Gases, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, are also produced. Leachate generally contains high concentrations of dissolved organic and inorganic matter. The two typical hydrogeologic conditions in west-central Florida are (1) permeable sand overlying clay and limestone and (2) permeable sand overlying limestone. These conditions are discussed in relation to leachate migration. Factors in landfill site selection are presented and discussed, followed by a discussion on monitoring landfills. Monitoring of landfills includes the drilling of test holes, measuring physical properties of the corings, installation of monitoring wells, and water-quality monitoring. (USGS)

Method of generating hydrogen by catalytic decomposition of water

DOEpatents

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Dorris, Stephen E.; Bose, Arun C.; Stiegel, Gary J.; Lee, Tae-Hyun

2002-01-01

A method for producing hydrogen includes providing a feed stream comprising water; contacting at least one proton conducting membrane adapted to interact with the feed stream; splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen at a predetermined temperature; and separating the hydrogen from the oxygen. Preferably the proton conducting membrane comprises a proton conductor and a second phase material. Preferable proton conductors suitable for use in a proton conducting membrane include a lanthanide element, a Group VIA element and a Group IA or Group IIA element such as barium, strontium, or combinations of these elements. More preferred proton conductors include yttrium. Preferable second phase materials include platinum, palladium, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, vanadium, silver, gold, copper, rhodium, ruthenium, niobium, zirconium, tantalum, and combinations of these. More preferably second phase materials suitable for use in a proton conducting membrane include nickel, palladium, and combinations of these. The method for generating hydrogen is preferably preformed in the range between about 600.degree. C. and 1,700.degree. C.

Steam drum design for direct steam generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willwerth, Lisa; Müller, Svenja; Krüger, Joachim; Succo, Manuel; Feldhoff, Jan Fabian; Tiedemann, Jörg; Pandian, Yuvaraj; Krüger, Dirk; Hennecke, Klaus

2017-06-01

For the direct steam generation in solar fields, the recirculation concept has been demonstrated in several installations. Water masses in the solar field vary during transient phases, such as passing clouds. The volume of the steam drum can serve as a buffer during such transients by taking in excess water and providing water storage. The saturated steam mass flow to the superheating section or the consumer can be maintained almost constant during short transients; therefore the steam drum plays a key role for constant steam supply. Its buffer effect depends on the right sizing of the steam drum for the prevailing situations. Due to missing experiences, steam drums have been sized under conservative assumptions and are thereby usually oversized. With this paper, experiences on the steam drum of the 5 MWel TSE1 power plant are discussed for optimized future plant design. The results are also of relevance for process heat installations, in which saturated steam is produced by the solar field.

Bedforms induced by solitary waves: laboratory studies on generation and migration rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

la Forgia, Giovanni; Adduce, Claudia; Falcini, Federico; Paola, Chris

2017-04-01

This study presents experiments on the formation of sandy bedforms, produced by surface solitary waves (SSWs) in shallow water conditions. The experiments were carried out in a 12.0 m long, 0.15 m wide and 0.5 m high flume, at Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory in Minneapolis. The tank is filled by fresh water and a removable gate, placed at the left hand-side of the tank, divides the flume in two regions: the lock region and the ambient fluid region. The standard lock-release method generates SSWs by producing a displacement between the free surfaces that are divided by the gate. Wave amplitude, wavelength, and celerity depend on the lock length and on the water level difference between the two regions. Natural sand particles (D50=0.64) are arranged on the bottom in order to form a horizontal flat layer with a thickness of 2 cm. A digital pressure gauge and a high-resolution acoustic velocimeter allowed us to measure, locally, both pressure and 3D water velocity induced on the bottom by each wave. Image analysis technique is then used to obtain the main wave features: amplitude, wavelength, and celerity. Dye is finally used as vertical tracer to mark the horizontal speed induced by the wave. For each experiment we generated 400 waves, having the same features and we analyzed their action on sand particles placed on the bottom. The stroke, induced by each wave, entails a shear stress on the sand particles, causing sediment transport in the direction of wave propagation. Immediately after the wave passage, a back flow occurs near the bottom. The horizontal pressure gradient and the velocity field induced by the wave cause the boundary layer separation and the consequent reverse flow. Depending on the wave features and on the water depth, the boundary shear stress induced by the reverse flow can exceed the critical value inducing the back motion of the sand particles. The experiments show that the particle back motion is localized at particular cross sections along the tank, where the wave steepening occur. For this reason, the pressure and velocity measures were collected in several cross sections along the tank. The propagation of consecutive waves with the same features induces the generation of erosion and accumulation zones, which slowly evolve in isometric bedforms.

A flow-free droplet-based device for high throughput polymorphic crystallization.

PubMed

Yang, Shih-Mo; Zhang, Dapeng; Chen, Wang; Chen, Shih-Chi

2015-06-21

Crystallization is one of the most crucial steps in the process of pharmaceutical formulation. In recent years, emulsion-based platforms have been developed and broadly adopted to generate high quality products. However, these conventional approaches such as stirring are still limited in several aspects, e.g., unstable crystallization conditions and broad size distribution; besides, only simple crystal forms can be produced. In this paper, we present a new flow-free droplet-based formation process for producing highly controlled crystallization with two examples: (1) NaCl crystallization reveals the ability to package saturated solution into nanoliter droplets, and (2) glycine crystallization demonstrates the ability to produce polymorphic crystallization forms by controlling the droplet size and temperature. In our process, the saturated solution automatically fills the microwell array powered by degassed bulk PDMS. A critical oil covering step is then introduced to isolate the saturated solution and control the water dissolution rate. Utilizing surface tension, the solution is uniformly packaged in the form of thousands of isolating droplets at the bottom of each microwell of 50-300 μm diameter. After water dissolution, individual crystal structures are automatically formed inside the microwell array. This approach facilitates the study of different glycine growth processes: α-form generated inside the droplets and γ-form generated at the edge of the droplets. With precise temperature control over nanoliter-sized droplets, the growth of ellipsoidal crystalline agglomerates of glycine was achieved for the first time. Optical and SEM images illustrate that the ellipsoidal agglomerates consist of 2-5 μm glycine clusters with inner spiral structures of ~35 μm screw pitch. Lastly, the size distribution of spherical crystalline agglomerates (SAs) produced from microwells of different sizes was measured to have a coefficient variation (CV) of less than 5%, showing crystal sizes can be precisely controlled by microwell sizes with high uniformity. This new method can be used to reliably fabricate monodispersed crystals for pharmaceutical applications.

Quantifying Cr(VI) Production and Export from Serpentine Soil of the California Coast Range

DOE PAGES

McClain, Cynthia N.; Fendorf, Scott; Webb, Samuel M.; ...

2016-11-22

Here, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is generated in serpentine soils and exported to surface and groundwaters at levels above health-based drinking water standards. Although Cr(VI) concentrations are elevated in serpentine soil pore water, few studies have reported field evidence documenting Cr(VI) production rates and fluxes that govern Cr(VI) transport from soil to water sources. We report Cr speciation (i) in four serpentine soil depth profiles derived from the California Coast Range serpentinite belt and (ii) in local surface waters. Within soils, we detected Cr(VI) in the same horizons where Cr(III)-minerals are colocated with biogenic Mn(III/IV)-oxides, suggesting Cr(VI) generation through oxidation bymore » Mn-oxides. Water-extractable Cr(VI) concentrations increase with depth constituting a 7.8 to 12 kg/km 2 reservoir of Cr(VI) in soil. Here, Cr(VI) is produced at a rate of 0.3 to 4.8 kg Cr(VI)/km 2/yr and subsequently flushed from soil during water infiltration, exporting 0.01 to 3.9 kg Cr(VI)/km 2/yr at concentrations ranging from 25 to 172 μg/L. Although soil-derived Cr(VI) is leached from soil at concentrations exceeding 10 μg/L, due to reduction and dilution during transport to streams, Cr(VI) levels measured in local surface waters largely remain below California’s drinking water limit.« less

Quantifying Cr(VI) Production and Export from Serpentine Soil of the California Coast Range.

PubMed

McClain, Cynthia N; Fendorf, Scott; Webb, Samuel M; Maher, Kate

2017-01-03

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is generated in serpentine soils and exported to surface and groundwaters at levels above health-based drinking water standards. Although Cr(VI) concentrations are elevated in serpentine soil pore water, few studies have reported field evidence documenting Cr(VI) production rates and fluxes that govern Cr(VI) transport from soil to water sources. We report Cr speciation (i) in four serpentine soil depth profiles derived from the California Coast Range serpentinite belt and (ii) in local surface waters. Within soils, we detected Cr(VI) in the same horizons where Cr(III)-minerals are colocated with biogenic Mn(III/IV)-oxides, suggesting Cr(VI) generation through oxidation by Mn-oxides. Water-extractable Cr(VI) concentrations increase with depth constituting a 7.8 to 12 kg/km 2 reservoir of Cr(VI) in soil. Here, Cr(VI) is produced at a rate of 0.3 to 4.8 kg Cr(VI)/km 2 /yr and subsequently flushed from soil during water infiltration, exporting 0.01 to 3.9 kg Cr(VI)/km 2 /yr at concentrations ranging from 25 to 172 μg/L. Although soil-derived Cr(VI) is leached from soil at concentrations exceeding 10 μg/L, due to reduction and dilution during transport to streams, Cr(VI) levels measured in local surface waters largely remain below California's drinking water limit.

Electricity for groundwater use: constraints and opportunities for adaptive response to climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Christopher A.

2013-09-01

Globally, groundwater use is intensifying to meet demands for irrigation, urban supply, industrialization, and, in some instances, electrical power generation. In response to hydroclimatic variability, surface water is being substituted with groundwater, which must be viewed as a strategic resource for climate adaptation. In this sense, the supply of electricity for pumping is an adaptation policy tool. Additionally, planning for climate-change mitigation must consider CO2 emissions resulting from pumping. This paper examines the influence of electricity supply and pricing on groundwater irrigation and resulting emissions, with specific reference to Mexico—a climate-water-energy ‘perfect storm’. Night-time power supply at tariffs below the already-subsidized rates for agricultural groundwater use has caused Mexican farmers to increase pumping, reversing important water and electricity conservation gains achieved. Indiscriminate groundwater pumping, including for virtual water exports of agricultural produce, threatens the long-term sustainability of aquifers, non-agricultural water uses, and stream-aquifer interactions that sustain riparian ecosystems. Emissions resulting from agricultural groundwater pumping in Mexico are estimated to be 3.6% of total national emissions and are equivalent to emissions from transporting the same agricultural produce to market. The paper concludes with an assessment of energy, water, and climate trends coupled with policy futures to address these challenges.

Snow and ice perturbation during historical volcanic eruptions and the formation of lahars and floods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Major, Jon J.; Newhall, Christopher G.

1989-01-01

Historical eruptions have produced lahars and floods by perturbing snow and ice at more than 40 volcanoes worldwide. Most of these volcanoes are located at latitudes higher than 35°; those at lower latitudes reach altitudes generally above 4000 m. Volcanic events can perturb mantles of snow and ice in at least five ways: (1) scouring and melting by flowing pyroclastic debris or blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris, (2) surficial melting by lava flows, (3) basal melting of glacial ice or snow by subglacial eruptions or geothermal activity, (4) ejection of water by eruptions through a crater lake, and (5) deposition of tephra fall. Historical records of volcanic eruptions at snow-clad volcanoes show the following: (1) Flowing pyroclastic debris (pyroclastic flows and surges) and blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris are the most common volcanic events that generate lahars and floods; (2) Surficial lava flows generally cannot melt snow and ice rapidly enough to form large lahars or floods; (3) Heating the base of a glacier or snowpack by subglacial eruptions or by geothermal activity can induce basal melting that may result in ponding of water and lead to sudden outpourings of water or sediment-rich debris flows; (4) Tephra falls usually alter ablation rates of snow and ice but generally produce little meltwater that results in the formation of lahars and floods; (5) Lahars and floods generated by flowing pyroclastic debris, blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris, or basal melting of snow and ice commonly have volumes that exceed 105 m3.The glowing lava (pyroclastic flow) which flowed with force over ravines and ridges...gathered in the basin quickly and then forced downwards. As a result, tremendously wide and deep pathways in the ice and snow were made and produced great streams of water (Wolf 1878).

Snow and ice perturbation during historical volcanic eruptions and the formation of lahars and floods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Major, Jon J.; Newhall, Christopher G.

1989-10-01

Historical eruptions have produced lahars and floods by perturbing snow and ice at more than 40 volcanoes worldwide. Most of these volcanoes are located at latitudes higher than 35°; those at lower latitudes reach altitudes generally above 4000 m. Volcanic events can perturb mantles of snow and ice in at least five ways: (1) scouring and melting by flowing pyroclastic debris or blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris, (2) surficial melting by lava flows, (3) basal melting of glacial ice or snow by subglacial eruptions or geothermal activity, (4) ejection of water by eruptions through a crater lake, and (5) deposition of tephra fall. Historical records of volcanic eruptions at snow-clad volcanoes show the following: (1) Flowing pyroclastic debris (pyroclastic flows and surges) and blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris are the most common volcanic events that generate lahars and floods; (2) Surficial lava flows generally cannot melt snow and ice rapidly enough to form large lahars or floods; (3) Heating the base of a glacier or snowpack by subglacial eruptions or by geothermal activity can induce basal melting that may result in ponding of water and lead to sudden outpourings of water or sediment-rich debris flows; (4) Tephra falls usually alter ablation rates of snow and ice but generally produce little meltwater that results in the formation of lahars and floods; (5) Lahars and floods generated by flowing pyroclastic debris, blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris, or basal melting of snow and ice commonly have volumes that exceed 105 m3. The glowing lava (pyroclastic flow) which flowed with force over ravines and ridges...gathered in the basin quickly and then forced downwards. As a result, tremendously wide and deep pathways in the ice and snow were made and produced great streams of water (Wolf 1878).

Visible light-induced water oxidation on mesoscopic alpha-Fe2O3 films made by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis.

PubMed

Duret, Alexis; Grätzel, Michael

2005-09-15

Alpha-Fe(2)O(3) films having a mesoscopic leaflet type structure were produced for the first time by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) to explore their potential as oxygen-evolving photoanodes. The target of these studies is to use translucent hematite films deposited on conducting fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass as top electrodes in a tandem cell that accomplishes the cleavage of water into hydrogen and oxygen by sunlight. The properties of layers made by USP were compared to those deposited by conventional spray pyrolysis (SP). Although both types of films show similar XRD and UV-visible and Raman spectra, they differ greatly in their morphology. The mesoscopic alpha-Fe(2)O(3) layers produced by USP consist mainly of 100 nm-sized platelets with a thickness of 5-10 nm. These nanosheets are oriented mainly perpendicularly to the FTO support, their flat surface exposing (001) facets. The mesoscopic leaflet structure has the advantage that it allows for efficient harvesting of visible light, while offering at the same time the very short distance required for the photogenerated holes to reach the electrolyte interface before recombining with conduction band electrons. This allows for water oxidation by the valence band holes even though their diffusion length is only a few nanometers. Distances are longer in the particles produced by SP favoring recombination of photoinduced charge carriers. Open-circuit photovoltage measurements indicate a lower surface state density for the nanoplatelets as compared to the round particles. These factors explain the much higher photoactivity of the USP compared to the SP deposited alpha-Fe(2)O(3) layers. Addition of hydrogen peroxide to the alkaline electrolyte further improves the photocurrent-voltage characteristics of films generated by USP indicating the hole transfer from the valence band of the semiconductor oxide to the adsorbed water to be the rate-limiting kinetic step in the oxygen generation reaction.

The generation of thermal stress and strain during quenching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soomro, A. B.

A viscoelastic-plastic mathematical model was used to calculate the thermal stress and strain generated during the quenching of an infinite plate of high hardenability steel (835M30) in water, oil and Polymer. In the present work the mathematical model was modified to include the effect of initial stress on the rate of stress relaxation, which has been found to be significant. The data required to incorporate this effect into the calculations, were obtained experimentally during the-.present investigation. The effect of an applied stress during transformation (transformation plasticity) was also introduced in the mathematical model. The new model produced a marked improvement in the degree of agreement between the calculated and experimental residual stress, although the corresponding level of agreement in the case of residual strain was less good. In particular, strains after water quenching agreed less well with experiment as a consequence of the change in the model, although this drawback was not found after oil and polymer quenching. The new mathematical model was used to investigate the effect of martempering, section size and transformation temperature range on the generation of thermal stress and strain. A salt bath treatment above the Ms temperature followed by air cooling prevented residual stress development, but an oil quench after the salt bath treatment generated a level of residual stress at the end of cooling that was similar to that obtained after a direct oil quench from 850°C. Neither martempering process was successful in reducing residual strain.With.an increase in section size a reduction in the residual stress and an increase in the distortions was obtained after a water quench. However, after oil quenching the overall effect of section size on residual stress and strain was small. The effect of variation in the transformation temperature range was found to be small in the case of residual stress but an increase in Ms temperature produced a significant increase in the level of residual strain.

Coexistence of diploid, triploid and tetraploid crucian carp (Carassius auratus) in natural waters

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Crucian carp (abbreviated CC) belongs to the genus of Carassius within the family of Cyprinidae. It has been one of the most important freshwater species for Chinese aquaculture and is especially abundant in the Dongting water system of Hunan province. CC used to be considered as all diploid forms. However, coexistence of diploid (abbreviated 2nCC), triploid (abbreviated 3nCC) and tetraploid crucian carp (abbreviated 4nCC) population of the Dongting water system was first found by our recently researches. Results We examined the ploidy level and compared biological characteristics in different ploidy CC. In reproductive mode, 2nCC was bisexual generative and 4nCC generated all-female offspring by gynogenesis. However, 3nCC generated progenies in two different ways. 3nCC produced bisexual triploid offspring fertilized with 3nCC spermatozoa, while it produced all-female triploid offspring by gynogenesis when its ova were activated by heterogenous spermatozoa. The complete mitochondrial DNA of three different ploidy fishes was sequenced and analyzed, suggesting no significant differences. Interestingly, microchromosomes were found only in 3nCC, which were concluded to be the result of hybridization. Allogenetic DNA fragments of Sox genes were obtained in 3nCC and 4nCC, which were absent in 2nCC. Phylogenetics analysis based on Sox4 gene indicated 3nCC and 4nCC formed a separate group from 2nCC. Conclusions In summary, this is the first report of the co-existence of three types of different ploidy crucian carps in natural waters in China. It was proved that the coexistence of different ploidy CC was reproductively maintained. We further hypothesized that 3nCC and 4nCC were allopolyploids that resulted from hybridization. The different ploidy CC population we obtained in this study possesses great significance for the study of polyploidization and the evolution of vertebrates. PMID:21276259

Plasmatron-catalyst system

DOEpatents

Bromberg, Leslie; Cohn, Daniel R.; Rabinovich, Alexander; Alexeev, Nikolai

2004-09-21

A plasmatron-catalyst system. The system generates hydrogen-rich gas and comprises a plasmatron and at least one catalyst for receiving an output from the plasmatron to produce hydrogen-rich gas. In a preferred embodiment, the plasmatron receives as an input air, fuel and water/steam for use in the reforming process. The system increases the hydrogen yield and decreases the amount of carbon monoxide.

Plasmatron-catalyst system

DOEpatents

Bromberg, Leslie; Cohn, Daniel R.; Rabinovich, Alexander; Alexeev, Nikolai

2007-10-09

A plasmatron-catalyst system. The system generates hydrogen-rich gas and comprises a plasmatron and at least one catalyst for receiving an output from the plasmatron to produce hydrogen-rich gas. In a preferred embodiment, the plasmatron receives as an input air, fuel and water/steam for use in the reforming process. The system increases the hydrogen yield and decreases the amount of carbon monoxide.

A Safe and Efficient Technique for the Production of HCl/DCl Gas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Steven G.; Bard, Raymond R.; Cantrell, Kevin

2008-01-01

We present a safe and efficient technique to generate HCl/DCl gas for use in the classic physical chemistry experiment that introduces students to ro-vibrational spectroscopy. The reaction involves thionyl chloride and a mixture of water and deuterium oxide to produce HCl/DCl gas with SO[subscript 2] gas as a byproduct. The entire reaction is…

Water Resources Management for Shale Energy Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoxtheimer, D.

2015-12-01

The increase in the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons, especially natural gas, from shale formations has been facilitated by advents in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. Shale energy resources are very promising as an abundant energy source, though environmental challenges exist with their development, including potential adverse impacts to water quality. The well drilling and construction process itself has the potential to impact groundwater quality, however if proper protocols are followed and well integrity is established then impacts such as methane migration or drilling fluids releases can be minimized. Once a shale well has been drilled and hydraulically fractured, approximately 10-50% of the volume of injected fluids (flowback fluids) may flow out of the well initially with continued generation of fluids (produced fluids) throughout the well's productive life. Produced fluid TDS concentrations often exceed 200,000 mg/L, with elevated levels of strontium (Sr), bromide (Br), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), barium (Ba), chloride (Cl), radionuclides originating from the shale formation as well as fracturing additives. Storing, managing and properly disposisng of these fluids is critical to ensure water resources are not impacted by unintended releases. The most recent data in Pennsylvania suggests an estimated 85% of the produced fluids were being recycled for hydraulic fracturing operations, while many other states reuse less than 50% of these fluids and rely moreso on underground injection wells for disposal. Over the last few years there has been a shift to reuse more produced fluids during well fracturing operations in shale plays around the U.S., which has a combination of economic, regulatory, environmental, and technological drivers. The reuse of water is cost-competitive with sourcing of fresh water and disposal of flowback, especially when considering the costs of advanced treatment to or disposal well injection and lessens the use of fresh water and disposal needs thus is a major innovation for the industry. Proper water resource managment techniques from the begining of drilling through production are critical to ensure the energy necessary for society is produced while also protecting the environment.

Coplanar surface barrier discharge ignited in water vapor—a selective source of OH radicals proved by (TA)LIF measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Procházka, V.; Tučeková, Z.; Dvořák, P.; Kováčik, D.; Slavíček, P.; Zahoranová, A.; Voráč, J.

2018-01-01

Coplanar dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was ignited in pure water vapor at atmospheric pressure in order to generate highly oxidizing plasma with one specific type of reactive radicals. In order to prevent water condensation the used plasma reactor was heated to 120 {}\\circ C. The composition of the radical species in the discharge was studied by methods based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and compared with analogous measurements realized in the same coplanar DBD ignited in air. Fast collisional processes and laser-surface interaction were taken into account during LIF data processing. It was found that coplanar DBD ignited in water vapor produces hydroxyl (OH) radicals with concentration in the order of 1020 m-3, which is 10× higher than the value measured in discharge in humid air (40% relative humidity at 21 {}\\circ C). The concentration of atomic hydrogen radicals in the DBD ignited in water vapor was below the detection limit, which proves that the generation of oxidizing plasma with dominance of one specific type of reactive radicals was achieved. The temporal evolution, spatial distribution, power dependence and rotational temperature of the OH radicals was determined in the DBD ignited in both water vapor and air.

Physiological and biochemical changes during drought and recovery periods at tillering and jointing stages in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Abid, Muhammad; Ali, Shafaqat; Qi, Lei Kang; Zahoor, Rizwan; Tian, Zhongwei; Jiang, Dong; Snider, John L; Dai, Tingbo

2018-03-15

Defining the metabolic strategies used by wheat to tolerate and recover from drought events will be important for ensuring yield stability in the future, but studies addressing this critical research topic are limited. To this end, the current study quantified the physiological, biochemical, and agronomic responses of a drought tolerant and drought sensitive cultivar to periods of water deficit and recovery. Drought stress caused a reversible decline in leaf water relations, membrane stability, and photosynthetic activity, leading to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation and membrane injury. Plants exhibited osmotic adjustment through the accumulation of soluble sugars, proline, and free amino acids and increased enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities. After re-watering, leaf water potential, membrane stability, photosynthetic processes, ROS generation, anti-oxidative activities, lipid peroxidation, and osmotic potential completely recovered for moderately stressed plants and did not fully recover in severely stressed plants. Higher photosynthetic rates during drought and rapid recovery after re-watering produced less-pronounced yield declines in the tolerant cultivar than the sensitive cultivar. These results suggested that the plant's ability to maintain functions during drought and to rapidly recover after re-watering during vegetative periods are important for determining final productivity in wheat.

Effect of Cu2O morphology on photocatalytic hydrogen generation and chemical stability of TiO2/Cu2O composite.

PubMed

Zhu, Lihong; Zhang, Junying; Chen, Ziyu; Liu, Kejia; Gao, Hong

2013-07-01

Improving photocatalytic activity and stability of TiO2/Cu2O composite is a challenge in generating hydrogen from water. In this paper, the TiO2 film/Cu2O microgrid composite was prepared via a microsphere lithography technique, which possesses a remarkable performance of producing H2 under UV-vis light irradiation, in comparison with pure TiO2 film, Cu2O film and TiO2 film/Cu2O film. More interesting is that in TiO2 film/Cu2O microgrid, photo-corrosion of Cu2O can be retarded. After deposition of Pt on its surface, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2/Cu2O microgrid in producing H2 is improved greatly.

Utilising Fine and Coarse Recycled Aggregates from the Gulf Region in Concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, M. Rod; Halliday, Judith E.; Csetenyi, Laszlo; Zheng, Li; Strompinis, N.

This paper explores the feasibility in utilising materials generated from C&DW to produce a `green' concrete. The two materials that are considered here are, (i) up-sizing silt-size material generated from recycled aggregates to produce a synthetic silt-sand and (ii) processed recycled coarse aggregates (RA) sourced from a Gulf Region landfill site. The work has demonstrated that there is potential for utilising silt wastes into foamed concrete, which can then be crushed to a sand-sized material suitable for use in concrete, however the porous nature of the material has highlighted that the water demand of this RA is high. RAs were characterised to BS EN 12620 and found suitable for use in concrete. The effect of RA on concrete properties is minimal when used up to 35% replacement levels, provided that they are pre-soaked.

Vertically migrating swimmers generate aggregation-scale eddies in a stratified column.

PubMed

Houghton, Isabel A; Koseff, Jeffrey R; Monismith, Stephen G; Dabiri, John O

2018-04-01

Biologically generated turbulence has been proposed as an important contributor to nutrient transport and ocean mixing 1-3 . However, to produce non-negligible transport and mixing, such turbulence must produce eddies at scales comparable to the length scales of stratification in the ocean. It has previously been argued that biologically generated turbulence is limited to the scale of the individual animals involved 4 , which would make turbulence created by highly abundant centimetre-scale zooplankton such as krill irrelevant to ocean mixing. Their small size notwithstanding, zooplankton form dense aggregations tens of metres in vertical extent as they undergo diurnal vertical migration over hundreds of metres 3,5,6 . This behaviour potentially introduces additional length scales-such as the scale of the aggregation-that are of relevance to animal interactions with the surrounding water column. Here we show that the collective vertical migration of centimetre-scale swimmers-as represented by the brine shrimp Artemia salina-generates aggregation-scale eddies that mix a stable density stratification, resulting in an effective turbulent diffusivity up to three orders of magnitude larger than the molecular diffusivity of salt. These observed large-scale mixing eddies are the result of flow in the wakes of the individual organisms coalescing to form a large-scale downward jet during upward swimming, even in the presence of a strong density stratification relative to typical values observed in the ocean. The results illustrate the potential for marine zooplankton to considerably alter the physical and biogeochemical structure of the water column, with potentially widespread effects owing to their high abundance in climatically important regions of the ocean 7 .

Using Cotton Model Simulations to Estimate Optimally Profitable Irrigation Strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauget, S. A.; Leiker, G.; Sapkota, P.; Johnson, J.; Maas, S.

2011-12-01

In recent decades irrigation pumping from the Ogallala Aquifer has led to declines in saturated thickness that have not been compensated for by natural recharge, which has led to questions about the long-term viability of agriculture in the cotton producing areas of west Texas. Adopting irrigation management strategies that optimize profitability while reducing irrigation waste is one way of conserving the aquifer's water resource. Here, a database of modeled cotton yields generated under drip and center pivot irrigated and dryland production scenarios is used in a stochastic dominance analysis that identifies such strategies under varying commodity price and pumping cost conditions. This database and analysis approach will serve as the foundation for a web-based decision support tool that will help producers identify optimal irrigation treatments under specified cotton price, electricity cost, and depth to water table conditions.

Modeling and clustering water demand patterns from real-world smart meter data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheifetz, Nicolas; Noumir, Zineb; Samé, Allou; Sandraz, Anne-Claire; Féliers, Cédric; Heim, Véronique

2017-08-01

Nowadays, drinking water utilities need an acute comprehension of the water demand on their distribution network, in order to efficiently operate the optimization of resources, manage billing and propose new customer services. With the emergence of smart grids, based on automated meter reading (AMR), a better understanding of the consumption modes is now accessible for smart cities with more granularities. In this context, this paper evaluates a novel methodology for identifying relevant usage profiles from the water consumption data produced by smart meters. The methodology is fully data-driven using the consumption time series which are seen as functions or curves observed with an hourly time step. First, a Fourier-based additive time series decomposition model is introduced to extract seasonal patterns from time series. These patterns are intended to represent the customer habits in terms of water consumption. Two functional clustering approaches are then used to classify the extracted seasonal patterns: the functional version of K-means, and the Fourier REgression Mixture (FReMix) model. The K-means approach produces a hard segmentation and K representative prototypes. On the other hand, the FReMix is a generative model and also produces K profiles as well as a soft segmentation based on the posterior probabilities. The proposed approach is applied to a smart grid deployed on the largest water distribution network (WDN) in France. The two clustering strategies are evaluated and compared. Finally, a realistic interpretation of the consumption habits is given for each cluster. The extensive experiments and the qualitative interpretation of the resulting clusters allow one to highlight the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Streamflow generation in humid West Africa: the role of Bas-fonds investigated with a physically based model of the Critical Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hector, B.; Cohard, J. M.; Séguis, L.

2015-12-01

In West Africa, the drought initiated in the 70's-80's together with intense land-use change due to increasing food demand produced very contrasted responses on water budgets of the critical zone (CZ) depending on the lithological and pedological contexts. In Sahel, streamflow increased, mostly due to increasing hortonian runoff from soil crusting, and so did groundwater storage. On the contrary, in the more humid southern Sudanian area, streamflow decreased and no clear signal has been observed concerning water storage in this hard-rock basement area. There, Bas-fonds are fundamental landscape features. They are seasonally water-logged valley bottoms from which first order streams originate, mostly composed of baseflow. They are a key feature for understanding streamflow generation processes. They also carry an important agronomic potential due to their moisture and nutrient availability. The role of Bas-fond in streamflow generation processes is investigated using a physically-based coupled model of the CZ, ParFlow-CLM at catchment scale (10km²). The model is evaluated against classical hydrological measurements (water table, soil moisture, streamflow, fluxes), acquired in the AMMA-CATCH observing system for the West African monsoon, but also hybrid gravity data which measure integrated water storage changes. The bas-fond system is shown to be composed of two components with different time scales. The slow component is characterized by the seasonal and interannual amplitude of the permanent water table, which is disconnected from streams, fed by direct recharge and lowered by evapotranspiration, mostly from riparian areas. The fast component is characterized by thresholds in storage and perched and permanent water tables surrounding the bas-fond during the wet season, which are linked with baseflow generation. This is a first step toward integrating these features into larger scale modeling of the critical zone for evaluating the effect of precipitation intensification and land use changes scenarios in the area.

ESTIMATING WATER FOOTPRINT AND MANAGING BIOREFINERY WASTEWATER IN THE PRODUCTION OF BIO-BASED RENEWABLE DIESEL BLENDSTOCK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, May M.; Sawyer, Bernard M

This analysis covers the entire biorefinery operation. The study focuses on net water consumed for the production of a unit of biofuel: blue, green, and grey water footprint. Blue water is defined as the water consumed in the biorefinery that is withdrawn from surface and ground water. Blue water footprint includes enzyme cultivation, pretreatment, hydrolysis, bioreactor, cooling system, boiler, fuel upgrading, combustor track, and on-site WWT. Grey water is defined as wastewater generated from the biorefinery and was evaluated based on the wastewater treatment plant design. Green water, defined as rainwater consumed for the production, is not required in themore » RDB process. Approximately 7–15 gal of water are required to produce a gallon of RDB when corn stover or non-irrigated perennial grasses, switchgrass and Miscanthus x giganteus (Miscanthus), serve as the feedstock in the contiguous United States. Bioelectricity generation from the biorefinery resulted in a net water credit, which reduced the water footprint. The life cycle grey water footprint for nitrogen is primarily from nitrogen in the feedstock production stage because no wastewater is discharged into the environment in the RDB process. Perennial grasses-based RDB production shows a promising grey water footprint, while corn stover-based RDB production has a relatively low green water footprint. Results from the study can help improve our understanding of the water sustainability of advanced biofuel technology under development. Make-up water for cooling and boiling remains a major demand in the biorefinery. The work revealed a key issue or trade-off between achieving zero liquid discharge to maximize water resource use and potentially increasing cost of fuel production. Solid waste disposal was identified as a management issue, and its inverse relationship with wastewater management could affect economic sustainability.« less

Hydrogen generation using silicon nanoparticles and their mixtures with alkali metal hydrides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patki, Gauri Dilip

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier, for use in fuel cells, engines, and turbines for transportation or mobile applications. Hydrogen is desirable as an energy carrier, because its oxidation by air releases substantial energy (thermally or electrochemically) and produces only water as a product. In contrast, hydrocarbon energy carriers inevitably produce CO2, contributing to global warming. While CO2 capture may prove feasible in large stationary applications, implementing it in transportation and mobile applications is a daunting challenge. Thus a zero-emission energy carrier like hydrogen is especially needed in these cases. Use of H2 as an energy carrier also brings new challenges such as safe handling of compressed hydrogen and implementation of new transport, storage, and delivery processes and infrastructure. With current storage technologies, hydrogen's energy per volume is very low compared to other automobile fuels. High density storage of compressed hydrogen requires combinations of high pressure and/or low temperature that are not very practical. An alternative for storage is use of solid light weight hydrogenous material systems which have long durability, good adsorption properties and high activity. Substantial research has been conducted on carbon materials like activated carbon, carbon nanofibers, and carbon nanotubes due to their high theoretical hydrogen capacities. However, the theoretical values have not been achieved, and hydrogen uptake capacities in these materials are below 10 wt. %. In this thesis we investigated the use of silicon for hydrogen generation. Hydrogen generation via water oxidation of silicon had been ignored due to slow reaction kinetics. We hypothesized that the hydrogen generation rate could be improved by using high surface area silicon nanoparticles. Our laser-pyrolysis-produced nanoparticles showed surprisingly rapid hydrogen generation and high hydrogen yield, exceeding the theoretical maximum of two moles of H2 per mole of Si. We compare our silicon nanoparticles (˜10nm diameter) with commercial silicon nanopowder (<100nm diameter) and ball-milled silicon powder (325 mesh). The increase in rate upon decreasing the particle size to 10 nm was even greater than would be expected based upon the increase in surface area. While specific surface area increased by a factor of 6 in going from <100 nm to ˜10 nm particles, the hydrogen production rate increased by a factor of 150. However, in all cases, silicon requires a base (e.g. NaOH, KOH, hydrazine) to catalyze its reaction with water. Metal hydrides are also promising hydrogen storage materials. The optimum metal hydride would possess high hydrogen storage density at moderate temperature and pressure, release hydrogen safely and controllably, and be stable in air. Alkali metal hydrides have high hydrogen storage density, but exhibit high uncontrollable reactivity with water. In an attempt to control this explosive nature while maintaining high storage capacity, we mixed our silicon nanoparticles with the hydrides. This has dual benefits: (1) the hydride- water reaction produces the alkali hydroxide needed for base-catalyzed silicon oxidation, and (2) dilution with 10nm coating by, the silicon may temper the reactivity of the hydride, making the process more controllable. Initially, we analyzed hydrolysis of pure alkali metal hydrides and alkaline earth metal hydrides. Lithium hydride has particularly high hydrogen gravimetric density, along with faster reaction kinetics than sodium hydride or magnesium hydride. On analysis of hydrogen production we found higher hydrogen yield from the silicon nanoparticle—metal hydride mixture than from pure hydride hydrolysis. The silicon-hydride mixtures using our 10nm silicon nanoparticles produced high hydrogen yield, exceeding the theoretical yield. Some evidence of slowing of the hydride reaction rate upon addition of silicon nanoparticles was observed.

Sensory aspects and water quality impacts of chlorinated and chloraminated drinking water in contact with HDPE and cPVC pipe.

PubMed

Heim, Timothy H; Dietrich, Andrea M

2007-02-01

Pipes constructed with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (cPVC) are commonly used in drinking water distribution systems and premise plumbing. In this comprehensive investigation, the effects on odor, organic chemical release, trihalomethane (THM) formation, free chlorine demand and monochloramine demand were determined for water exposed to HDPE and cPVC pipes. The study was conducted in accordance with the Utility Quick Test (UQT), a migration/leaching protocol for analysis of materials in contact with drinking water. The sensory panel consistently attributed a weak to moderate intensity of a "waxy/plastic/citrus" odor to the water from the HDPE pipes but not the cPVC-contacted water samples. The odor intensity generated by the HDPE pipe remained relatively constant for multiple water flushes, and the odor descriptors were affected by disinfectant type. Water samples stored in both types of pipe showed a significant increase in the leaching of organic compounds when compared to glass controls, with HDPE producing 0.14 microgTOC/cm(2) pipe surface, which was significantly greater than the TOC release from cPVC. Water stored in both types of pipe showed disinfectant demands of 0.1-0.9 microg disinfectant/cm(2) pipe surface, with HDPE exerting more demand than cPVC. No THMs were detected in chlorinated water exposed to the pipes. The results demonstrate the impact that synthetic plumbing materials can have on sensory and chemical water quality, as well as the significant variations in drinking water quality generated from different materials.

Floods in mountain areas—an overview based on examples from Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weingartner, R.; Barben, M.; Spreafico, M.

2003-11-01

Mountains cover roughly one quarter of the planet's surface. Known as the Earth's water towers they produce a surplus of water that is transported to neighbouring lowlands via the vast river systems. Water as a vital benefit for life also holds dangers as a destructive element in the form of floods. The present paper, aims to discuss the basic aspects of floods in mountain areas and to illustrate them with examples of case studies, mainly from Switzerland. The hydrological characteristics of mountainous areas are described; the particular processes of flood generation in mountain areas, which should be taken into account. The last section is devoted to methods for estimating floods in ungauged catchments.

Ligand-free gold atom clusters adsorbed on graphene nano sheets generated by oxidative laser fragmentation in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Marcus; Haxhiaj, Ina; Wagener, Philipp; Intartaglia, Romuald; Brandi, Fernando; Nakamura, Junji; Barcikowski, Stephan

2014-08-01

Over three decades after the first synthesis of stabilized Au55-clusters many scientific questions about gold cluster properties are still unsolved and ligand-free colloidal clusters are difficult to fabricate. Here we present a novel route to produce ultra-small gold particles by using a green technique, the laser ablation and fragmentation in water, without using reductive or stabilizing agents at any step of the synthesis. For fabrication only a pulsed laser, a gold-target, pure water, sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide are deployed. The particles are exemplarily hybridized to graphene supports showing that these carbon-free colloidal clusters might serve as versatile building blocks.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Organic Impurities in Feedwater of a Heat-Recovery Steam Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chichirov, A. A.; Chichirova, N. D.; Filimonova, A. A.; Gafiatullina, A. A.

2018-03-01

In recent years, combined-cycle units with heat-recovery steam generators have been constructed and commissioned extensively in the European part of Russia. By the example of the Kazan Cogeneration Power Station no. 3 (TETs-3), an affiliate of JSC TGK-16, the specific problems for most power stations with combined-cycle power units that stem from an elevated content of organic impurities in the feedwater of the heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) are examined. The HRSG is fed with highly demineralized water in which the content of organic carbon is also standardized. It is assumed that the demineralized water coming from the chemical water treatment department of TETs-3 will be used. Natural water from the Volga River is treated to produce demineralized water. The results of a preliminary analysis of the feedwater demonstrate that certain quality indices, principally, the total organic carbon, are above the standard values. Hence, a comprehensive investigation of the feedwater for organic impurities was performed, which included determination of their structure using IR and UV spectroscopy techniques, potentiometric measurements, and element analysis; determination of physical and chemical properties of organic impurities; and prediction of their behavior in the HRSG. The estimation of the total organic carbon revealed that it exceeded the standard values in all sources of water comprising the feedwater for the HRSG. The extracted impurities were humic substances, namely, a mixture of humic and fulvic acids in a 20 : 80 ratio, respectively. In addition, an analysis was performed of water samples taken at all intermediate stages of water treatment to study the behavior of organic substances in different water treatment processes. An analysis of removal of the humus substances in sections of the water treatment plant yielded the concentration of organic substances on the HRSG condensate. This was from 100 to 150 μg/dm3. Organic impurities in boiler water can induce internal corrosion and deposits containing products of their degradation.

Efficient recovery of nano-sized iron oxide particles from synthetic acid-mine drainage (AMD) water using fuel cell technologies.

PubMed

Cheng, Shaoan; Jang, Je-Hun; Dempsey, Brian A; Logan, Bruce E

2011-01-01

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is an important contributor to surface water pollution due to the release of acid and metals. Fe(II) in AMD reacts with dissolved oxygen to produce iron oxide precipitates, resulting in further acidification, discoloration of stream beds, and sludge deposits in receiving waters. It has recently been shown that new fuel cell technologies, based on microbial fuel cells, can be used to treat AMD and generate electricity. Here we show that this approach can also be used as a technique to generate spherical nano-particles of iron oxide that, upon drying, are transformed to goethite (α-FeOOH). This approach therefore provides a relatively straightforward way to generate a product that has commercial value. Particle diameters ranged from 120 to 700 nm, with sizes that could be controlled by varying the conditions in the fuel cell, especially current density (0.04-0.12 mA/cm(2)), pH (4-7.5), and initial Fe(II) concentration (50-1000 mg/L). The most efficient production of goethite and power occurred with pH = 6.3 and Fe(II) concentrations above 200 mg/L. These results show that fuel cell technologies can not only be used for simultaneous AMD treatment and power generation, but that they can generate useful products such as iron oxide particles having sizes appropriate for used as pigments and other applications. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Negative pressures and spallation in water drops subjected to nanosecond shock waves

DOE PAGES

Stan, Claudiu A.; Willmott, Philip R.; Stone, Howard A.; ...

2016-05-16

Most experimental studies of cavitation in liquid water at negative pressures reported cavitation at tensions significantly smaller than those expected for homogeneous nucleation, suggesting that achievable tensions are limited by heterogeneous cavitation. We generated tension pulses with nanosecond rise times in water by reflecting cylindrical shock waves, produced by X-ray laser pulses, at the internal surface of drops of water. Depending on the X-ray pulse energy, a range of cavitation phenomena occurred, including the rupture and detachment, or spallation, of thin liquid layers at the surface of the drop. When spallation occurred, we evaluated that negative pressures below –100 MPamore » were reached in the drops. As a result, we model the negative pressures from shock reflection experiments using a nucleation-and-growth model that explains how rapid decompression could outrun heterogeneous cavitation in water, and enable the study of stretched water close to homogeneous cavitation pressures.« less

Investigation of DMSD Trend in the ISS Water Processor Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Layne; Bowman, Elizabeth; Wilson, Mark; Gentry, Greg; Rector, Tony

2013-01-01

The ISS Water Recovery System (WRS) is responsible for providing potable water to the crew, to the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) for oxygen production via electrolysis, to the Waste & Hygiene Compartment (WHC) for flush water, and for experiments on ISS. The WRS includes the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) and the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA). The WPA processes condensate from the cabin air and distillate produced by the UPA. In 2010, an increasing trend in the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in the potable water was ultimately identified as dimethylsilanediol (DMSD). The increasing trend was ultimately reversed after replacing the WPA's two multifiltration beds. However, the reason for the TOC trend and the subsequent recovery was not understood. A subsequent trend occurred in 2012. This paper summarizes the current understanding of the fate of DMSD in the WPA, how the increasing TOC trend occurred, and the plan for modifying the WPA to prevent recurrence.

Stability assessment of the chemical composition of the treated mining water used to replenish the cooling circuit in Jaworzno III Power Plant - Power Plant II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karpiński, Marcin; Kmiecik, Ewa

2017-11-01

In Poland, electricity is still produced mainly in conventional power plants where fuel and water are materials necessary to generate the electricity. Even in modern power plants operating according to the principles of the sustainable development, this involves a high intake of water and considerable production of wastewater. This, in turn, necessi-tates the application of some technological solutions aimed at limiting the negative impact on the environment. The Jaworzno III Power Plant - Power Plant II is located in Jaworzno, Silesian Province, Poland. In order to minimise the negative impact on the surface water, the plant replenishes the cooling circuit with the mining water obtained from the closed-down Jan Kanty mine. The paper presents a stability assessment of the chemical composition of the treated mining water used to replenish the cooling circuit based on the data from 2007-2017.

Optimization of Water Resources and Agricultural Activities for Economic Benefit in Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LIM, J.; Lall, U.

2017-12-01

The limited water resources available for irrigation are a key constraint for the important agricultural sector of Colorado's economy. As climate change and groundwater depletion reshape these resources, it is essential to understand the economic potential of water resources under different agricultural production practices. This study uses a linear programming optimization at the county spatial scale and annual temporal scales to study the optimal allocation of water withdrawal and crop choices. The model, AWASH, reflects streamflow constraints between different extraction points, six field crops, and a distinct irrigation decision for maize and wheat. The optimized decision variables, under different environmental, social, economic, and physical constraints, provide long-term solutions for ground and surface water distribution and for land use decisions so that the state can generate the maximum net revenue. Colorado, one of the largest agricultural producers, is tested as a case study and the sensitivity on water price and on climate variability is explored.

Aerosol Generation by Modern Flush Toilets.

PubMed

Johnson, David; Lynch, Robert; Marshall, Charles; Mead, Kenneth; Hirst, Deborah

A microbe-contaminated toilet will produce bioaerosols when flushed. We assessed toilet plume aerosol from high efficiency (HET), pressure-assisted high efficiency (PAT), and flushometer (FOM) toilets with similar bowl water and flush volumes. Total and droplet nuclei "bioaerosols" were assessed. Monodisperse 0.25-1.9- μ m fluorescent microspheres served as microbe surrogates in separate trials in a mockup 5 m 3 water closet (WC). Bowl water seeding was approximately 10 12 particles/mL. Droplet nuclei were sampled onto 0.2- μ m pore size mixed cellulose ester filters beginning 15 min after the flush using open-face cassettes mounted on the WC walls. Pre- and postflush bowl water concentrations were measured. Filter particle counts were analyzed via fluorescent microscopy. Bowl headspace droplet count size distributions were bimodal and similar for all toilet types and flush conditions, with 95% of droplets < 2 μ m diameter and > 99% < 5 μ m. Up to 145,000 droplets were produced per flush, with the high-energy flushometer producing over three times as many as the lower energy PAT and over 12 times as many as the lowest energy HET despite similar flush volumes. The mean numbers of fluorescent droplet nuclei particles aerosolized and remaining airborne also increased with flush energy. Fluorescent droplet nuclei per flush decreased with increasing particle size. These findings suggest two concurrent aerosolization mechanisms-splashing for large droplets and bubble bursting for the fine droplets that form droplet nuclei.

In-situ caustic generation from sewage: the impact of caustic strength and sewage composition.

PubMed

Pikaar, Ilje; Rozendal, René A; Rabaey, Korneel; Yuan, Zhiguo

2013-10-01

Periodic caustic dosage is a commonly used method by the water industry to elevate pH levels and deactivate sewer biofilms responsible for hydrogen sulfide generation. Caustic (NaOH) can be generated in-situ from sewage using a divided electrochemical cell, which avoids the need for transport, handling and storage of concentrated caustic solutions. In this study, we investigated the impact of caustic strength in the cathode compartment and the impact of sodium concentration in sewage on the Coulombic efficiency (CE) for caustic generation. The CE was found to be independent of the caustic strength produced in the range of up to ~3 wt%. Results showed that a caustic solution of ~3 wt% could be produced directly from sewage at a CE of up to 75 ± 0.5%. The sodium concentration in sewage had a significant impact on the CE for caustic generation as well as on the energy requirements of the system, with a higher sodium concentration leading to a higher CE and lower energy consumption. The proton, calcium, magnesium and ammonium concentrations in sewage affected the CE for caustic generation, especially at low sodium concentrations. Economical assessment based on the experimental results indicated that sulfide control in sewers using electrochemically-generated caustic from sewage is an economically attractive strategy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid removal of bacterial endotoxin and natural organic matter in water by dielectric barrier discharge plasma: Efficiency and toxicity assessment.

PubMed

Zhang, Can; Fang, Zhendong; Liu, Wenjun; Tian, Fang; Bai, Miao

2016-11-15

Low-temperature plasma was used to control bacteria, endotoxins and natural organic matter (NOM) in water by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) device. Results indicate that DBD plasma has an obvious inactivation effect on various bacteria in water. The degree of inactivation from difficult to easy is as follows: Bacillus subtilis>Escherichia coli>Staphylococcus aureus. Activated ultrapure water treated using DBD plasma exhibited a sustained sterilization effect, but this sterilization effect decreased gradually after 1h. The total-endotoxin (free-endotoxin and bound-endotoxin) released by Escherichia coli during inactivation, as well as artificially simulated endotoxin in a control solution, was significantly controlled by DBD plasma. Both the metabolites that appeared after inactivation of microorganisms by plasma treatment, and the NOM in filtration effluent of a water treatment plant were well removed by DBD plasma if the treatment duration was sufficiently long. However, the acute toxicity increased significantly, and persisted for at least 2h, indicating that some long-life active substances were generated during the DBD process. Therefore, the removal of bacteria, endotoxins or NOM does not mean a safe water is produced. It is also important to eliminate the toxicity and byproducts produced during water treatment for the continuous promotion and industrial application of DBD plasma. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development status on a TPV cylinder for combined heat and electric power for the home

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraas, Lewis; Samaras, John; Huang, Han-Xiang; Seal, Michael; West, Edward

1999-03-01

Several first-generation water-cooled TPV cylinders have been built and tested. The existing units contain 380 GaSb cells mounted on 20 circuits; the design and test results on these photovoltaic converter arrays are presented here. Tested with a 1600 °C glowbar, one of these cylinders generated 990 Watts from a cell active area of 396 cm2, which is an electric power density of 2.5 Watts per cm2. A second-generation design is presented, using a new shingled circuit assembly. These shingled circuits allow for a slightly larger cylinder design with nearly double the cell active area. Using a SiC emitter operating at 1425 °C, this second-generation cylinder should produce over 1.5 kW of power with improved efficiency.

Flash water-window x-ray generator with a ferrite capillary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Eiichi; Sagae, Michiaki; Ichimaru, Toshio; Takayama, Kazuyoshi; Sakamaki, Kimio; Tamakawa, Yoshiharu

1997-12-01

The fundamental study on a flash water-window x-ray generator is described. This generator is composed of a high-voltage power supply, a polarity-inversion high-voltage pulser, a krytron pulser as a trigger device, an oil-diffusion pump, and a vacuum chamber with a capillary. A combined ceramic condenser of about 5 nF in the pulser is charged up to 70 kV by the power supply, and the electric charges in the condenser are discharged to the capillary in the tube after closing a gap switch by the krytron pulser. In the present work, the chamber is evacuated by the pump with a pressure of about 1 by 10-3 Pa, and the titanium anode and cathode electrodes are employed to produce L-series characteristic x rays in the water-window range. The diameter and the length of the ferrite capillary are 2.0 and 30 mm, respectively. Both the cathode voltage and the discharge current displayed damped oscillations. The peak values of the voltage and current increased when the charging voltage was increased, and their maximum values were minus 24 kV and 2.8 kA, respectively. The pulse durations of the water-window x-rays were nearly equivalent to those of the damped oscillations of the voltage and current, and their values were less than 10 microseconds.

Geospatial distribution modeling and determining suitability of groundwater quality for irrigation purpose using geospatial methods and water quality index (WQI) in Northern Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gidey, Amanuel

2018-06-01

Determining suitability and vulnerability of groundwater quality for irrigation use is a key alarm and first aid for careful management of groundwater resources to diminish the impacts on irrigation. This study was conducted to determine the overall suitability of groundwater quality for irrigation use and to generate their spatial distribution maps in Elala catchment, Northern Ethiopia. Thirty-nine groundwater samples were collected to analyze and map the water quality variables. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, ultraviolet spectrophotometer, titration and calculation methods were used for laboratory groundwater quality analysis. Arc GIS, geospatial analysis tools, semivariogram model types and interpolation methods were used to generate geospatial distribution maps. Twelve and eight water quality variables were used to produce weighted overlay and irrigation water quality index models, respectively. Root-mean-square error, mean square error, absolute square error, mean error, root-mean-square standardized error, measured values versus predicted values were used for cross-validation. The overall weighted overlay model result showed that 146 km2 areas are highly suitable, 135 km2 moderately suitable and 60 km2 area unsuitable for irrigation use. The result of irrigation water quality index confirms 10.26% with no restriction, 23.08% with low restriction, 20.51% with moderate restriction, 15.38% with high restriction and 30.76% with the severe restriction for irrigation use. GIS and irrigation water quality index are better methods for irrigation water resources management to achieve a full yield irrigation production to improve food security and to sustain it for a long period, to avoid the possibility of increasing environmental problems for the future generation.

The use of pneumatically generated water pressure signals for aquifer characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fort, M.; Roberts, R.; Chace, D.

2013-12-01

The use of pneumatically generated pressure signals for aquifer characterization Hydraulic tests are the most reliable method of obtaining estimates of hydrologic properties, such as conductivity, that are essential for flow and transport modeling. The use of a sinusoidal signal for hydraulic testing is well established, with Streltsova (1988), Rasmussen (2003) and others having developed analytic solutions. Sinusoidal tests provide a unique easily distinguished signal that reduces ambiguity during analysis and we show that a sinusoidal pressure signal propagates farther into the formation than a standard slug-test signal. If a sinusoidal test is combined with a slug and/or a constant rate test, it can further reduce uncertainty in the estimated parameter values. We demonstrate how pneumatic pressure can be used to generate all three of these signals. By positioning pressure transducers both below the water level and in the head space above the water, we can monitor the total pressure acting on the formation and the changes in water level. From the changes in water level, it is possible to calculate the flow rate in and out of the well, assuming that the well diameter and water density are known. Using gas flow controllers with a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system we are able to precisely control the pressures in the well. The use of pneumatic pressure has the advantage that it requires less equipment (no pumps) and produces no water. We also show how the numerical well test analysis program nSIGHTS can be used to analyze all three types of tests simultaneously and to assess the relative contribution of each type of test to the parameter estimation. nSIGHTS was recently released as open source by Sandia National Laboratories and is available for free.

Co-treatment of abandoned mine drainage and Marcellus Shale flowback water for use in hydraulic fracturing.

PubMed

He, Can; Zhang, Tieyuan; Vidic, Radisav D

2016-11-01

Flowback water generated during shale gas extraction in Pennsylvania is mostly reused for hydraulic fracturing operation. Abandoned mine drainage (AMD), one of the most widespread threats to water quality in Pennsylvania, can potentially serve as a make-up water source to enable flowback water reuse. This study demonstrated co-treatment of flowback water and AMD produced in northeastern Pennsylvania in a pilot-scale system consisting of rapid mix reactor, flocculation tank and sedimentation tank. Sulfate concentration in the finished water can be controlled at a desired level (i.e., below 100 mg/L) by adjusting the ratio of flowback water and AMD in the influent. Fe 3+ contained in the AMD can serve as a coagulant to enhance the removal of suspended solids, during which Fe 2+ is co-precipitated and the total iron is reduced to a desirable level. Solid waste generated in this process (i.e., barite) will incorporate over 99% of radium present in the flowback water, which offers the possibility to control the fate of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) brought to the surface by unconventional gas extraction. Sludge recirculation in the treatment process can be used to increase the size of barite particles formed by mixing flowback water and AMD to meet specifications for use as a weighting agent in drilling fluid. This alternative management approach for NORM can be used to offset the treatment cost and promote flowback water reuse, reduce environmental impacts of AMD and reduce pressure on fresh water sources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of plasma jet vacuum ultraviolet radiation on reactive oxygen species generation in bio-relevant liquids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jablonowski, H.; Hammer, M. U.; Reuter, S.

Plasma medicine utilizes the combined interaction of plasma produced reactive components. These are reactive atoms, molecules, ions, metastable species, and radiation. Here, ultraviolet (UV, 100–400 nm) and, in particular, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 10–200 nm) radiation generated by an atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet were investigated regarding plasma emission, absorption in a humidified atmosphere and in solutions relevant for plasma medicine. The energy absorption was obtained for simple solutions like distilled water (dH{sub 2}O) or ultrapure water and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution as well as for more complex ones, for example, Rosewell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI 1640) cell culture media. As moderate stablemore » reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) was studied. Highly reactive oxygen radicals, namely, superoxide anion (O{sub 2}{sup •−}) and hydroxyl radicals ({sup •}OH), were investigated by the use of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. All species amounts were detected for three different treatment cases: Plasma jet generated VUV and UV radiation, plasma jet generated UV radiation without VUV part, and complete plasma jet including all reactive components additionally to VUV and UV radiation. It was found that a considerable amount of radicals are generated by the plasma generated photoemission. From the experiments, estimation on the low hazard potential of plasma generated VUV radiation is discussed.« less

Water oxidation catalysts and methods of use thereof

DOEpatents

Hill, Craig L.; Gueletii, Yurii V.; Musaev, Djamaladdin G.; Yin, Qiushi; Botar, Bogdan

2017-12-05

Homogeneous water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) for the oxidation of water to produce hydrogen ions and oxygen, and methods of making and using thereof are described herein. In a preferred embodiment, the WOC is a polyoxometalate WOC which is hydrolytically stable, oxidatively stable, and thermally stable. The WOC oxidized waters in the presence of an oxidant. The oxidant can be generated photochemically, using light, such as sunlight, or electrochemically using a positively biased electrode. The hydrogen ions are subsequently reduced to form hydrogen gas, for example, using a hydrogen evolution catalyst (HEC). The hydrogen gas can be used as a fuel in combustion reactions and/or in hydrogen fuel cells. The catalysts described herein exhibit higher turn over numbers, faster turn over frequencies, and/or higher oxygen yields than prior art catalysts.

Polyoxometalate water oxidation catalysts and methods of use thereof

DOEpatents

Hill, Craig L.; Gueletii, Yurii V.; Musaev, Djamaladdin G.; Yin, Qiushi; Botar, Bogdan

2014-09-02

Homogeneous water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) for the oxidation of water to produce hydrogen ions and oxygen, and methods of making and using thereof are described herein. In a preferred embodiment, the WOC is a polyoxometalate WOC which is hydrolytically stable, oxidatively stable, and thermally stable. The WOC oxidized waters in the presence of an oxidant. The oxidant can be generated photochemically, using light, such as sunlight, or electrochemically using a positively biased electrode. The hydrogen ions are subsequently reduced to form hydrogen gas, for example, using a hydrogen evolution catalyst (HEC). The hydrogen gas can be used as a fuel in combustion reactions and/or in hydrogen fuel cells. The catalysts described herein exhibit higher turn over numbers, faster turn over frequencies, and/or higher oxygen yields than prior art catalysts.

Low-temperature conversion of methane to methanol on CeO x/Cu 2O catalysts: Water controlled activation of the C–H Bond

DOE PAGES

Zuo, Zhijun; Ramírez, Pedro J.; Senanayake, Sanjaya D.; ...

2016-10-10

Here, an inverse CeO 2/Cu 2O/Cu(111) catalyst is able to activate methane at room temperature producing C, CH x fragments and CO x species on the oxide surface. The addition of water to the system leads to a drastic change in the selectivity of methane activation yielding only adsorbed CH x fragments. At a temperature of 450 K, in the presence of water, a CH 4 → CH 3OH catalytic transformation occurs with a high selectivity. OH groups formed by the dissociation of water saturate the catalyst surface, removing sites that could decompose CH x fragments, and generating centers onmore » which methane can directly interact to yield methanol.« less

Environmental impact of coal mining and coal seam gas production on surface water quality in the Sydney basin, Australia.

PubMed

Ali, A; Strezov, V; Davies, P; Wright, I

2017-08-01

The extraction of coal and coal seam gas (CSG) will generate produced water that, if not adequately treated, will pollute surface and groundwater systems. In Australia, the discharge of produced water from coal mining and related activities is regulated by the state environment agency through a pollution licence. This licence sets the discharge limits for a range of analytes to protect the environment into which the produced water is discharged. This study reports on the impact of produced water from coal mine activities located within or discharging into high conservation environments, such as National Parks, in the outer region of Sydney, Australia. The water samples upstream and downstream from the discharge points from six mines were taken, and 110 parameters were tested. The results were assessed against a water quality index (WQI) which accounts for pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, total phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen and E .coli. The water quality assessment based on the trace metal contents against various national maximum admissible concentration (MAC) and their corresponding environmental impacts was also included in the study which also established a base value of water quality for further study. The study revealed that impacted water downstream of the mine discharge points contained higher metal content than the upstream reference locations. In many cases, the downstream water was above the Australia and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council and international water quality guidelines for freshwater stream. The major outliers to the guidelines were aluminium (Al), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). The WQI of surface water at and downstream of the discharge point was lower when compared to upstream or reference conditions in the majority of cases. Toxicology indices of metals present in industrial discharges were used as an additional tool to assess water quality, and the newly proposed environmental water quality index (EWQI) lead to better trend in the impact of coal and coal seam gas mining activities on surface water quality when compared to the upstream reference water samples. Metal content limits were based on the impact points assigned by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, USA. For environmental and health impact assessment, the approach used in this study can be applied as a model to provide a basis to assess the anthropogenic contribution from the industrial and mining activities on the environment.

Hydrogen rich gas generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houseman, J.; Rupe, J. H.; Kushida, R. O. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

A process and apparatus is described for producing a hydrogen rich gas by injecting air and hydrocarbon fuel at one end of a cylindrically shaped chamber to form a mixture and igniting the mixture to provide hot combustion gases by partial oxidation of the hydrocarbon fuel. The combustion gases move away from the ignition region to another region where water is injected to be turned into steam by the hot combustion gases. The steam which is formed mixes with the hot gases to yield a uniform hot gas whereby a steam reforming reaction with the hydrocarbon fuel takes place to produce a hydrogen rich gas.

Environmental monitoring of Space Shuttle launches at Kennedy Space Center - The first ten years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmalzer, Paul A.; Hall, Carlton R.; Hinkle, C. R.; Duncan, Brean W.; Knott, William M., III; Summerfield, Burton R.

1993-01-01

Space Shuttle launches produce local environmental effects through the generation of a launcher exhaust plume that in turn produces acidic depositions and acute vegetation damage in the near-field environment; fish kills have also been noted in the lagoon or impoundment near each of the launch pads. Repeated launches lead to cumulative changes in plant community composition and structure, and temporary decreases in pH due to acidification increases metal availability in soil microcosms and surface waters. Direct effects on terrestrial fauna include the mortality of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles in the near-field area.

Foamability and structure analysis of foams in Hele-Shaw cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caps, H.; Vandewalle, N.; Broze, G.; Zocchi, G.

2007-05-01

The authors have generated two-dimensional foams by imposing an intermittent drainage in a Hele-Shaw cell partially filled with a detergent/water mixture. The foam generation associated with this process is reproducible and depends on the surfactant molecules composing the solution. A kinetic model can be proposed for the foam evolution. The structure of the foam is also investigated: the average bubble side number and correlation functions are measured. Distinguishable behaviors are observed for different surfactant molecules. This way of producing a foam is thus adequate for applied foam structure characterizations and fundamental studies.

Robotic Stripping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

UltraStrip Systems, Inc.'s M-200 removes paint from the hulls of ships faster than traditional grit-blasting methods. And, it does so without producing toxic airborne particles common to traditional methods. The M-2000 magnetically attaches itself to the hull of the ship. Its water jets generate 40,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, blasting away paint down to the ships steel substrate. The only by product is water and dried paint chips and these are captured by a vacuum system so no toxic residue can escape. It was built out of a partnership between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Robotics Engineering Consortium.

Potential effects of climate change on ground water in Lansing, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Croley, T.E.; Luukkonen, C.L.

2003-01-01

Computer simulations involving general circulation models, a hydrologic modeling system, and a ground water flow model indicate potential impacts of selected climate change projections on ground water levels in the Lansing, Michigan, area. General circulation models developed by the Canadian Climate Centre and the Hadley Centre generated meteorology estimates for 1961 through 1990 (as a reference condition) and for the 20 years centered on 2030 (as a changed climate condition). Using these meteorology estimates, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's hydrologic modeling system produced corresponding period streamflow simulations. Ground water recharge was estimated from the streamflow simulations and from variables derived from the general circulation models. The U.S. Geological Survey developed a numerical ground water flow model of the Saginaw and glacial aquifers in the Tri-County region surrounding Lansing, Michigan. Model simulations, using the ground water recharge estimates, indicate changes in ground water levels. Within the Lansing area, simulated ground water levels in the Saginaw aquifer declined under the Canadian predictions and increased under the Hadley.

A self-trained classification technique for producing 30 m percent-water maps from Landsat data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rover, Jennifer R.; Wylie, Bruce K.; Ji, Lei

2010-01-01

Small bodies of water can be mapped with moderate-resolution satellite data using methods where water is mapped as subpixel fractions using field measurements or high-resolution images as training datasets. A new method, developed from a regression-tree technique, uses a 30 m Landsat image for training the regression tree that, in turn, is applied to the same image to map subpixel water. The self-trained method was evaluated by comparing the percent-water map with three other maps generated from established percent-water mapping methods: (1) a regression-tree model trained with a 5 m SPOT 5 image, (2) a regression-tree model based on endmembers and (3) a linear unmixing classification technique. The results suggest that subpixel water fractions can be accurately estimated when high-resolution satellite data or intensively interpreted training datasets are not available, which increases our ability to map small water bodies or small changes in lake size at a regional scale.

Electric Power Generation from Low to Intermediate Temperature Resourcces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gosnold, William; Mann, Michael; Salehfar, Hossein

The UND-CLR Binary Geothermal Power Plant was a collaborative effort of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Continental Resources, Inc. (CRL), Slope Electric Cooperative (SEC), Access Energy, LLC (AE), Basin Electric Cooperative (BEC), Olson Construction, the North Dakota Industrial Commission Renewable Energy Council (NDIC-REC), the North Dakota Department of Commerce Centers of Excellence Program (NDDC-COE), and the University of North Dakota (UND). The primary objective of project was to demonstrate/test the technical and economic feasibility of generating electricity from non-conventional, low-temperature (90 ºC to 150 °C) geothermal resources using binary technology. CLR provided the access to 98 ºC water flowingmore » at 51 l s-1 at the Davis Water Injection Plan in Bowman County, ND. Funding for the project was from DOE –GTO, NDIC-REC, NDD-COE, and BEC. Logistics, on-site construction, and power grid access were facilitated by Slope Electric Cooperative and Olson Construction. Access Energy supplied prototype organic Rankine Cycle engines for the project. The potential power output from this project is 250 kW at a cost of $3,400 per kW. A key factor in the economics of this project is a significant advance in binary power technology by Access Energy, LLC. Other commercially available ORC engines have efficiencies 8 to 10 percent and produce 50 to 250 kW per unit. The AE ORC units are designed to generate 125 kW with efficiencies up to 14 percent and they can be installed in arrays of tens of units to produce several MW of power where geothermal waters are available. This demonstration project is small but the potential for large-scale development in deeper, hotter formations is promising. The UND team’s analysis of the entire Williston Basin using data on porosity, formation thicknesses, and fluid temperatures reveals that 4.0 x 1019 Joules of energy is available and that 1.36 x 109 MWh of power could be produced using ORC binary power plants. Much of the infrastructure necessary to develop extensive geothermal power in the Williston Basin exists as abandoned oil and gas wells. Re-completing wells for water production could provide local power throughout the basin thus reducing power loss through transmission over long distances. Water production in normal oil and gas operations is relatively low by design, but it could be one to two orders of magnitude greater in wells completed and pumped for water production. A promising method for geothermal power production recognized in this project is drilling horizontal open-hole wells in the permeable carbonate aquifers. Horizontal drilling in the aquifers increases borehole exposure to the resource and consequently increases the capacity for fluid production by up to an order of magnitude.« less

Photochemical behavior of carbon nanotubes in natural waters: reactive oxygen species production and effects on •OH generation by Suwannee River fulvic acid, nitrate, and Fe (III).

PubMed

Zhou, Lei; Zhang, Ya; Wang, Qi; Ferronato, Corinne; Yang, Xi; Chovelon, Jean-Marc

2016-10-01

The photochemical activities of three kinds of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated in the present study. Efficient procedures of dispersing the three kinds of carbon nanotubes in water were established, and the quantitative analysis methods were also developed by TOC-absorbance method. High pH value or low ionic strength of the colloidal solutions facilitated the dispersion of CNTs. The suspensions of three kinds of CNTs could generate singlet oxygen ((1)O2) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) under irradiation of simulated sunlight, while superoxide radical (O2 (•-)) was not detected. The steady-state concentrations of (1)O2 and •OH generated by these CNTs were also determined. The presence of CNTs in natural waters can affect the photochemical behavior of water constituents, such as nitrate, dissolved organic matter, and Fe(3+). Specifically, in nitrate solution, the presence of CNTs could inhibit the generation of •OH by nitrate through light screening effect, while the quenching effect of hydroxyl radicals by CNTs was not observed. Besides light screening effect, the three kinds of CNTs used in the experiments also have a strong inhibiting effect on the ability of DOM to produce •OH by binding to the active sites. Moreover, the adsorption of Fe(3+) on MWCNT-OH and MWCNT-COOH could lead to its inactivation of formation of •OH in acidic conditions. However, the presence of the three kinds of CNTs did not affect the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) reaction of DOM-Fe (III) complex.

Enhanced shock wave generation via pre-breakdown acceleration using water electrolysis in negative streamer pulsed spark discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kern; Chung, Kyoung-Jae; Hwang, Y. S.

2018-03-01

This paper presents a method for enhancement of shock waves generated from underwater pulsed spark discharges with negative (anode-directed) subsonic streamers, for which the pre-breakdown process is accelerated by preconditioning a gap with water electrolysis. Hydrogen microbubbles are produced at the cathode by the electrolysis and move towards the anode during the preconditioning phase. The numbers and spatial distributions of the microbubbles vary with the amplitude and duration of each preconditioning pulse. Under our experimental conditions, the optimum pulse duration is determined to be ˜250 ms at a pulse voltage of 400 V, where the buoyancy force overwhelms the electric force and causes the microbubbles to be swept out from the water gap. When a high-voltage pulse is applied to the gap just after the preconditioning pulse, the pre-breakdown process is significantly accelerated in the presence of the microbubbles. At the optimum preconditioning pulse duration, the average breakdown delay is reduced by 87% and, more importantly, the energy consumed during the pre-breakdown period decreases by 83%. This reduced energy consumption during the pre-breakdown period, when combined with the morphological advantages of negative streamers, such as thicker and longer stalks, leads to a significant improvement in the measured peak pressure (˜40%) generated by the underwater pulsed spark discharge. This acceleration of pre-breakdown using electrolysis overcomes the biggest drawback of negative subsonic discharges, which is slow vapor bubble formation due to screening effects, and thus enhances the efficiency of the shock wave generation process using pulsed spark discharges in water.

Snow mapping from space platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Itten, K. I.

1980-01-01

The paper considers problems of optimum resolution, periodicity, and wavelength bands used for snow mapping. Analog and digital methods were used for application of satellite data; techniques were developed for producing steamflow forecasts, hydroelectric power generation regulation data, irrigation potentials, and information on the availability of drinking water supplies. Future systems will utilize improved spectral band selection, new spectral regions, higher repetition rates, and more rapid access to satellite data.

Recent development of anaerobic digestion processes for energy recovery from wastes.

PubMed

Nishio, Naomichi; Nakashimada, Yutaka

2007-02-01

Anaerobic digestion leads to the overall gasification of organic wastewaters and wastes, and produces methane and carbon dioxide; this gasification contributes to reducing organic matter and recovering energy from organic carbons. Here, we propose three new processes and demonstrate the effectiveness of each process. By using complete anaerobic organic matter removal process (CARP), in which diluted wastewaters such as sewage and effluent from a methane fermentation digester were treated under anaerobic condition for post-treatment, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewater was decreased to less than 20 ppm. The dry ammonia-methane two-stage fermentation process (Am-Met process) is useful for the anaerobic treatment of nitrogen-rich wastes such as waste excess sludge, cow feces, chicken feces, and food waste without the dilution of the ammonia produced by water or carbon-rich wastes. The hydrogen-methane two-stage fermentation (Hy-Met process), in which the hydrogen produced in the first stage is used for a fuel cell system to generate electricity and the methane produced in the second stage is used to generate heat energy to heat the two reactors and satisfy heat requirements, is useful for the treatment of sugar-rich wastewaters, bread wastes, and biodiesel wastewaters.

Hydrogen Generation Through Renewable Energy Sources at the NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colozza, Anthony; Prokopius, Kevin

2007-01-01

An evaluation of the potential for generating high pressure, high purity hydrogen at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) was performed. This evaluation was based on producing hydrogen utilizing a prototype Hamilton Standard electrolyzer that is capable of producing hydrogen at 3000 psi. The present state of the electrolyzer system was determined to identify the refurbishment requirements. The power for operating the electrolyzer would be produced through renewable power sources. Both wind and solar were considered in the analysis. The solar power production capability was based on the existing solar array field located at NASA GRC. The refurbishment and upgrade potential of the array field was determined and the array output was analyzed with various levels of upgrades throughout the year. The total available monthly and yearly energy from the array was determined. A wind turbine was also sized for operation. This sizing evaluated the wind potential at the site and produced an operational design point for the wind turbine. Commercially available wind turbines were evaluated to determine their applicability to this site. The system installation and power integration were also addressed. This included items such as housing the electrolyzer, power management, water supply, gas storage, cooling and hydrogen dispensing.

The seismic response of an aquifer to the propagation of an impact generated shock wave: A possible trigger of the Martian outflow channels?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leyva, Ivett A.; Clifford, Stephen M.

1993-01-01

Aquifer dilation from shock waves produced by the 8.4 magnitude Alaskan earthquake of 1964 led to water and sediment ejection from the ground up to 400 km away from the earthquake's epicenter. Groundwater disturbances were observed as far away as Perry, Florida (approximately 5500 km), where well water fluctuations with an amplitude of as much as 2.3 m were reported. The martian cratering record provides evidence that the planet has experienced numerous seismic events of a similar, and often much greater, magnitude. Given this fact, and the photogeologic evidence for abundant water in the early crust, the response of a basalt aquifer to the propagation of compressional waves (P-waves) produced by impacts in the 33-1000 km diameter size range were investigated. The resulting one-dimensional changes in effective stress and pore pressure were calculated - as a function of both distance and time - based on the following assumptions: (1) that all of the seismic energy radiated by an impact is transmitted as a single compressional wave; (2) that both the host rock and groundwater are compressible; and (3) that there is no net flow between the water-filled pores.

Quantity of flowback and produced waters from unconventional oil and gas exploration.

PubMed

Kondash, Andrew J; Albright, Elizabeth; Vengosh, Avner

2017-01-01

The management and disposal of flowback and produced waters (FP water) is one of the greatest challenges associated with unconventional oil and gas development. The development and production of unconventional natural gas and oil is projected to increase in the coming years, and a better understanding of the volume and quality of FP water is crucial for the safe management of the associated wastewater. We analyzed production data using multiple statistical methods to estimate the total FP water generated per well from six of the major unconventional oil and gas formations in the United States. The estimated median volume ranges from 1.7 to 14.3millionL (0.5 to 3.8milliongal) of FP per well over the first 5-10years of production. Using temporal volume production and water quality data, we show a rapid increase of the salinity associated with a decrease of FP production rates during the first months of unconventional oil and gas production. Based on mass-balance calculations, we estimate that only 4-8% of FP water is composed of returned hydraulic fracturing fluids, while the remaining 92-96% of FP water is derived from naturally occurring formation brines that is extracted together with oil and gas. The salinity and chemical composition of the formation brines are therefore the main limiting factors for beneficial reuse of unconventional oil and gas wastewater. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potential water resource impacts of hydraulic fracturing from unconventional oil production in the Bakken shale.

PubMed

Shrestha, Namita; Chilkoor, Govinda; Wilder, Joseph; Gadhamshetty, Venkataramana; Stone, James J

2017-01-01

Modern drilling techniques, notably horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, have enabled unconventional oil production (UOP) from the previously inaccessible Bakken Shale Formation located throughout Montana, North Dakota (ND) and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The majority of UOP from the Bakken shale occurs in ND, strengthening its oil industry and businesses, job market, and its gross domestic product. However, similar to UOP from other low-permeability shales, UOP from the Bakken shale can result in environmental and human health effects. For example, UOP from the ND Bakken shale generates a voluminous amount of saline wastewater including produced and flowback water that are characterized by unusual levels of total dissolved solids (350 g/L) and elevated levels of toxic and radioactive substances. Currently, 95% of the saline wastewater is piped or trucked onsite prior to disposal into Class II injection wells. Oil and gas wastewater (OGW) spills that occur during transport to injection sites can potentially result in drinking water resource contamination. This study presents a critical review of potential water resource impacts due to deterministic (freshwater withdrawals and produced water management) and probabilistic events (spills due to leaking pipelines and truck accidents) related to UOP from the Bakken shale in ND. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The water footprint of hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China.

PubMed

Zou, Caineng; Ni, Yunyan; Li, Jian; Kondash, Andrew; Coyte, Rachel; Lauer, Nancy; Cui, Huiying; Liao, Fengrong; Vengosh, Avner

2018-07-15

Shale gas is likely to play a major role in China's transition away from coal. In addition to technological and infrastructural constraints, the main challenges to China's sustainable shale gas development are sufficient shale gas production, water availability, and adequate wastewater management. Here we present, for the first time, actual data of shale gas production and its water footprint from the Weiyuan gas field, one of the major gas fields in Sichuan Basin. We show that shale gas production rates during the first 12 months (24 million m 3 per well) are similar to gas production rates in U.S. shale basins. The amount of water used for hydraulic fracturing (34,000 m 3 per well) and the volume of flowback and produced (FP) water in the first 12 months (19,800 m 3 per well) in Sichuan Basin are also similar to the current water footprints of hydraulic fracturing in U.S. basins. We present salinity data of the FP water (5000 to 40,000 mgCl/L) in Sichuan Basin and the treatment operations, which include sedimentation, dilution with fresh water, and recycling of the FP water for hydraulic fracturing. We utilize the water use data, empirical decline rates of shale gas and FP water productions in Sichuan Basin to generate two prediction models for water use for hydraulic fracturing and FP water production upon achieving China's goals to generate 100 billion m 3 of shale gas by 2030. The first model utilizes the current water use and FP production data, and the second assumes a yearly 5% intensification of the hydraulic fracturing process. The predicted water use for hydraulic fracturing in 2030 (50-65 million m 3 per year), FP water production (50-55 million m 3 per year), and fresh water dilution of FP water (25 million m 3 per year) constitute a water footprint that is much smaller than current water consumption and wastewater generation for coal mining, but higher than those of conventional gas production in China. Given estimates for water availability in Sichuan Basin, our predictions suggest that water might not be a limiting factor for future large-scale shale gas development in Sichuan Basin. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantity, composition and water contamination potential of ash produced under different wildfire severities.

PubMed

Santín, Cristina; Doerr, Stefan H; Otero, Xosé L; Chafer, Chris J

2015-10-01

Wildfires frequently threaten water quality through the transfer of eroded ash and soil into rivers and reservoirs. The ability to anticipate risks for water resources from wildfires is fundamental for implementing effective fire preparedness plans and post-fire mitigation measures. Here we present a new approach that allows quantifying the amount and characteristics of ash generated under different wildfire severities and its respective water contamination potential. This approach is applied to a wildfire in an Australian dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest, but can be adapted for use in other environments. The Balmoral fire of October 2013 affected 12,694 ha of Sydney's forested water supply catchment. It produced substantial ash loads that increased with fire severity, with 6, 16 and 34 Mg ha(-1) found in areas affected by low, high and extreme fire severity, respectively. Ash bulk density was also positively related to fire severity. The increase with fire severity in the total load and bulk density of the ash generated is mainly attributed to a combination of associated increases in (i) total amount of fuel affected by fire and (ii) contribution of charred mineral soil to the ash layer. Total concentrations of pollutants and nutrients in ash were mostly unrelated to fire severity and relatively low compared to values reported for wildfire ash in other environments (e.g. 4.0-7.3mg As kg(-1); 2.3-4.1 B mg kg(-1); 136-154 P mg kg(-1)). Solubility of the elements analysed was also low, less than 10% of the total concentration for all elements except for B (6-14%) and Na (30-50%). This could be related to a partial loss of soluble components by leaching and/or wind erosion before the ash sampling (10 weeks after the fire and before major ash mobilisation by water erosion). Even with their relatively low concentrations of potential pollutants, the substantial total ash loads found here represent a water contamination risk if transported into the hydrological network during severe erosion events. For example, up to 4 Mg of ash-derived P could be delivered into a single water supply reservoir. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental geology of coalbed methane from shallow to deep in Rocky Mountain basins and in Cook Inlet-Matanuska Basin, Alaska, USA and Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, R.C.; Flores, R.M.

1998-01-01

The Rocky Mountain basins of western North America contain vast deposits of coal of Cretaceous through early Tertiary age. Coalbed methane is produced in Rocky Mountain basins at depths ranging from 45 m (150 ft) to 1981 m (6500 ft) from coal of lignite to low-volatile bituminous rank. Although some production has been established in almost all Rocky Mountain basins, commercial production occurs in only a few. despite more than two decades of exploration for coalbed methane in the Rocky Mountain region, it is still difficult to predict production characteristics of coalbed methane wells prior to drilling. Commonly cited problems include low permeabilities, high water production, and coals that are significantly undersaturated with respect to methane. Sources of coalbed gases can be early biogenic, formed during the early stages of coalification, thermogenic, formed during the main stages of coalification, or late stage biogenic, formed as a result of the reintroduction of methane-gnerating bacteria by groundwater after uplift and erosion. Examples of all three types of coalbed gases, and combinations of more than one type, can be found in the Rocky Mountain region. Coals in the Rocky Mountain region achieved their present ranks largely as a result of burial beneath sediments that accumulated during the Laramide orogeny (Late Cretaceous through the end of the eocene) or shortly after. Thermal events since the end of the orogeny have also locally elevated coal ranks. Coal beds in the upper part of high-volatile A bituminous rank or greater commonly occur within much more extensive basin-centered gas deposits which cover large areas of the deeper parts of most Rocky Mountain basins. Within these basin-centered deposits all lithologies, including coals, sandstones, and shales, are gas saturated, and very little water is produced. The interbedded coals and carbonaceous shales are probably the source of much of this gas. Basin-centered gas deposits become overpressured from hydrocarbon generation as they form, and this overpressuring is probably responsible for driving out most of the water. Sandstone permeabilities are low, in part because of diagenesis caused by highly reactive water given off during the early stages of coalification. Coals within these basin-centered deposits commonly have high gas contents and produce little water, but they generally occur at depths greater than 5000 ft and have low permeabilities. Significant uplift and removal of overburden has occurred throughout the Rocky Mountain region since the end of the Eocene, and much of this erosion occurred after regional uplift began about 10 Ma. The removal of overburden generally causes methane saturation levels in coals to decrease, and thus a significant drop in pressure is required to initiate methane production. The most successful coalbed methane production in the Rocky Mountain region occurs in areas where gas contents were increased by post-Eocene thermal events and/or the generation of late-stage biogenic gas. Methane-generating bacteria were apparently reintroduced into the coals in some areas after uplift and erosion, and subsequent changes in pressure and temperature, allowed surface waters to rewater the coals. Groundwater may also help open up cleat systems making coals more permeable to methane. If water production is excessive, however, the economics of producing methane are impacted by the cost of water disposal.The Rocky Mountain basins of western North America contain vast deposits of coal of Cretaceous through early Tertiary age. Coalbed methane is produced in Rocky Mountain basins at depths ranging from 45 to 1981 m from coal of lignite to low volatile bituminous rank. Despite more than two decades of exploration for coalbed methane in Rocky Mountain region, it is still difficult to predict production characteristics of coalbed methane wells prior to drilling. Sources of coalbed gases can be early biogenic, formed during the main stages of coa

Bioelectrochemical production of hydrogen in an innovative pressure-retarded osmosis/microbial electrolysis cell system: experiments and modeling.

PubMed

Yuan, Heyang; Lu, Yaobin; Abu-Reesh, Ibrahim M; He, Zhen

2015-01-01

While microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can simultaneously produce bioelectrochemical hydrogen and treat wastewater, they consume considerable energy to overcome the unfavorable thermodynamics, which is not sustainable and economically feasible in practical applications. This study presents a proof-of-concept system in which hydrogen can be produced in an MEC powered by theoretically predicated energy from pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). The system consists of a PRO unit that extracts high-quality water and generates electricity from water osmosis, and an MEC for organic removal and hydrogen production. The feasibility of the system was demonstrated using simulated PRO performance (in terms of energy production and effluent quality) and experimental MEC results (e.g., hydrogen production and organic removal). The PRO and MEC models were proven to be valid. The model predicted that the PRO unit could produce 485 mL of clean water and 579 J of energy with 600 mL of draw solution (0.8 M of NaCl). The amount of the predicated energy was applied to the MEC by a power supply, which drove the MEC to remove 93.7 % of the organic compounds and produce 32.8 mL of H2 experimentally. Increasing the PRO influent volume and draw concentration could produce more energy for the MEC operation, and correspondingly increase the MEC hydraulic retention time (HRT) and total hydrogen production. The models predicted that at an external voltage of 0.9 V, the MEC energy consumption reached the maximum PRO energy production. With a higher external voltage, the MEC energy consumption would exceed the PRO energy production, leading to negative effects on both organic removal and hydrogen production. The PRO-MEC system holds great promise in addressing water-energy nexus through organic removal, hydrogen production, and water recovery: (1) the PRO unit can reduce the volume of wastewater and extract clean water; (2) the PRO effluents can be further treated by the MEC; and (3) the osmotic energy harvested from the PRO unit can be applied to the MEC for sustainable bioelectrochemical hydrogen production.

Opto-acoustic thrombolysis

DOEpatents

Celliers, Peter; Da Silva, Luiz; Glinsky, Michael; London, Richard; Maitland, Duncan; Matthews, Dennis; Fitch, Pat

2000-01-01

This invention is a catheter-based device for generating an ultrasound excitation in biological tissue. Pulsed laser light is guided through an optical fiber to provide the energy for producing the acoustic vibrations. The optical energy is deposited in a water-based absorbing fluid, e.g. saline, thrombolytic agent, blood or thrombus, and generates an acoustic impulse in the fluid through thermoelastic and/or thermodynamic mechanisms. By pulsing the laser at a repetition rate (which may vary from 10 Hz to 100 kHz) an ultrasonic radiation field can be established locally in the medium. This method of producing ultrasonic vibrations can be used in vivo for the treatment of stroke-related conditions in humans, particularly for dissolving thrombus or treating vasospasm. The catheter can also incorporate thrombolytic drug treatments as an adjunct therapy and it can be operated in conjunction with ultrasonic detection equipment for imaging and feedback control and with optical sensors for characterization of thrombus type and consistency.

A review on palm oil mill biogas plant wastewater treatment using coagulation-ozonation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dexter, Z. D.; Joseph, C. G.; Zahrim, A. Y.

2016-06-01

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) generated from the palm oil industry is highly polluted and requires urgent attention for treatment due to its high organic content. Biogas plant containing anaerobic digester is capable to treat the high organic content of the POME while generating valuable biogas at the same time. This green energy from POME is environmental-friendly but the wastewater produced is still highly polluted and blackish in colour. Therefore a novel concept of combining coagulation with ozonation treatment is proposed to treat pollution of this nature. Several parameters should be taken under consideration in order to ensure the effectiveness of the hybrid treatment including ozone dosage, ozone contact time, pH of the water or wastewater, coagulant dosage, and mixing and settling time. This review paper will elucidate the importance of hybrid coagulation-ozonation treatment in producing a clear treated wastewater which is known as the main challenge in palm oil industry