Stratified flow interactions with a suspended canopy

Field observations of the interactions between a stratified flow and a canopy suspended from the free surface above a solid boundary are described and analysed. Data were recorded in and around the canopy formed by a large long-line mussel farm. The canopy causes a partial blockage of the water flow, reducing velocities in the upper water column. Deceleration of the approaching flow results in a deepening of isopycnals upstream of the canopy. Energy considerations show that the potential for an approaching stratified flow to be diverted beneath a porous canopy is indicated by a densimetric Froude number. Strong stratification or low-velocities inhibit vertical diversion beneath the canopy, instead favouring a horizontal diversion around the sides. The effect on vertical mixing is also considered with a shear layer generated beneath the canopy and turbulence generated from drag within the canopy. In the observations, stratification is shown to be of sufficient strength to limit the effectiveness of the first mixing process, while the turbulence within the canopy is likely to enhance vertical exchange. Velocity and temperature microstructure measurements are used to investigate the effect of the canopy on turbulent dissipation and show that dissipation is enhanced within the canopy.     

Contribution of anadromous fish to the diet of European catfish in a large river system

Many anadromous fish species, when migrating from the sea to spawn in fresh waters, can potentially be a valuable prey for larger predatory fish, thereby efficiently linking these two ecosystems. Here, we assess the contribution of anadromous fish to the diet of European catfish (Silurus glanis) in a large river system (Garonne, southwestern France) using stable isotope analysis and allis shad (Alosa alosa) as an example of anadromous fish. Allis shad caught in the Garonne had a very distinct marine δ¹³C value, over 8‰ higher after lipid extraction compared to the mean δ¹³C value of all other potential freshwater prey fish. The δ¹³C values of European catfish varied considerably between these two extremes and some individuals were clearly specializing on freshwater prey, whereas others specialized on anadromous fish. The mean contribution of anadromous fish to the entire European catfish population was estimated to be between 53% and 65%, depending on the fractionation factor used for δ¹³C.     

The effects of littoral zone vegetation on turbulent mixing in lakes

Micro-scale thermal profile data were acquired in four lakes in northwest England and southeast Australia that ranged from a small, sheltered pond with a surface area of about 1 ha to more open lakes with surface areas of several square kilometres. These lakes provided a range of topographic and climatic contexts, basin morphologies and dominant macrophyte species. The data were acquired using two SCAMP profilers, one deployed in the open water and the other mounted on a field traverse deployed within the vegetated littoral zone. From these profile data, turbulence parameters were calculated. The results show the variation in the influence of vegetation on turbulence in the four lakes, which depends on the combination of wind stress, solar radiative forcing and macrophyte mechanical properties. In the sheltered pond, the vegetation alters the light climate within the water, thus reducing stratification and allowing weak, thermally-driven mixing. In the larger lakes, however, the primary action of the vegetation is to prevent surface-generated TKE from penetrating the water column, although this effect becomes less important as the plant separation increases. A simple mechanistic model, calibrated against the field data, suggests that the macrophyte mechanical properties are most important in determining the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) profile. Increasing the number of turbulence-generating plants reduces the transport of surface-generated TKE into the deeper water, consistent with the field observations. The model suggests that solar forcing, as measured by the temperature gradient between the surface and bottom waters, is of less importance since the TKE profile is similar in runs with different gradients. Perhaps most surprisingly, the value of the surface-wind stress used in the model is not important, within the limitations of the model, as it does not change the TKE profile, except in a thin surface layer.     

Investigation of an accidental explosion due to unintended mixing involving reactive chemicals at a waste storage tank

An accidental explosion occurred in a waste storage tank at an incineration plant in Kawasaki, Japan, on May 11, 1997. The accident was caused primarily by unintended mixing involving reactive chemicals, such as organic peroxides (POs) and acrylonitrile (AN). The PO initiated polymerization of AN and the heat released during the polymerization led to a runaway reaction and explosion. POs are widely used in the chemical industry and can be self-reactive and hazardous when mixed with other chemicals such as acids and alkalis. The goal of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the mixing hazard of chemicals through an evaluation of POs with other chemicals using conventional experimental techniques such as glass test-tube tests, Dewar vessel tests, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Seven types of POs were mixed with AN. Test results were classified into four ranks based on the hazard criteria. In addition, di(2-ethylhexyl)-peroxydicarbonate/AN mixtures were investigated in detail and the influences of the mixing ratio and the stirring rate were examined.     

楼梯井内烟囱效应对着火房间燃烧和溢出烟气的影响研究

实验研究了楼梯井内的烟囱效应对着火房间燃烧速率、补风速度、羽流温度等的影响.实验在一个模拟尺寸的十二层的楼梯井实验台内进行,实验时开启楼梯井顶层直通室外门.火灾时楼梯井内的烟囱效应加速了空气在楼梯井内的对流,使火源区从外界单侧卷吸空气,形成着火房间单侧强补风下的燃烧,燃烧速率比开放空间下的燃烧快,同时使得火焰向前室一侧倾斜,出现火焰"分岔"现象.与火源位于一层的工况相比,当火源位于六层,且首层门开启时,楼梯井内下部空气向上部烟气的掺混较大,着火房间门口进风速度减小,羽流的倾斜角度变小,温度较高,而当首层门关闭时,则减小了楼梯井下部空气与上部烟气的掺混,使得楼梯井内的上部烟气温度较高.     

Predictive modelling of dispersion controlled reactive plumes at the laboratory-scale

A model-based interpretation of laboratory-scale experimental data is presented. Hydrolysis experiments carried out using thin glass tanks filled with glass beads to construct a hypothetical and inert, homogeneous porous medium were analysed using a 2D numerical model. A new empirical formula, based upon results for non-reactive (tracer) experiments is used to calculate transversal dispersivity values for a range of grain sizes and any flow velocities. Combined with effective diffusion coefficients calculated from Stokes-Einstein type equations, plume lengths arising from mixing between two solutes can be predicted accurately using numerical modelling techniques. Moreover, pH and ion concentration profiles lateral to the direction of flow of the mixing species can be determined at any given point downstream, without the need for result fitting. In our case, this approach does not lead to overpredictions of lateral mixing, as previously reported when using parameters derived from non-reactive tracer experiments to describe reactive solute transport. The theory is based on the assumption of medium homogeneity.     

The effects of different mixing intensities during anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Mixing inside an anaerobic digester is often continuous and is not actively controlled. The selected mixing regime can however affect both gas production and the energy efficiency of the biogas plant. This study aims to evaluate these effects and compare three different mixing regimes, 150 RPM and 25 RPM continuous mixing and minimally intermittent mixing for both digestion of fresh substrate and post-digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The results show that a lower mixing intensity leads to a higher biogas production rate and higher total biogas production in both cases. 25 RPM continuous mixing and minimally intermittent mixing resulted in similar biogas production after process stabilization, while 150 RPM continuous mixing resulted in lower production throughout the experiment. The lower gas production at 150 RPM could not be explained by the inhibition of volatile fatty acids. Cumulative biogas production until day 31 was 295 ± 2.9, 317 ± 1.9 and 304 ± 2.8 N ml/g VS added during digestion of fresh feed and 113 ± 1.3, 134 ± 1.1 and 130 ± 2.3 N ml/g VS added during post digestion for the 150 RPM, 25 RPM and minimally mixed intensities respectively. As well as increasing gas production, optimal mixing can improve the energy efficiency of the anaerobic digestion process.     

利用水泥回转窑焚烧生活垃圾的探索与研究

提出利用市郊淘汰或者需要转型的水泥厂改造焚烧城市生活垃圾，给出了焚烧系统的主要构造和基本流程，并对焚烧工艺做了初步研究，最后提出需要解决的问题。     

Quality standard codes of reference of Jordanian coastal waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Back in 1992, the Gulf of Aqaba Environmental Action Plan (GAEAP), a collaboration between the Aqaba Region Authority (ARA), Jordan and the World Bank, gave considerable emphasis to the environmental protection of the Gulf of Aqaba [The World Bank. Gulf of Aqaba Environmental Action Plan. Report No. 12244JO (1993).]. The document recommended the establishment of a marine reserve and the long term monitoring of the coastal habitats' environmental quality. The combination of a dedicated follow up, the collaborative efforts of ARA and the Marine Science Station (MSS), and the founding of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) have turned the recommendations into reality. A comprehensive monitoring program of the Jordanian coastal habitats commenced in 1999. The first three years of the program were financed by a donation from The Global Environmental Facility (GEF). In return, Jordan has committed itself to the maintenance of the monitoring program as an ongoing tool for sustainable coastal management. The monitoring program includes observations on benthic habitat, fish communities, bottom sediments and seawater quality. This paper focuses on the results of seawater-quality monitoring in the first three years. Records of weather conditions, coastal currents, seawater temperature, transparency, salinity, density, pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, particulate matter, chlorophyll a, zooplankton biomass, total coliform, fecal coliform, hydrocarbons and sedimentation rate have been generated monthly since January 1999 at six coastal stations, and one offshore reference station, in the Jordanian waters of the Gulf of Aqaba. The coastal stations are located at sites with different benthic habitats and are occupied by different human activities. Offshore records of density (thermohaline structure), nutrients and chlorophyll a depicted two well-defined seasons; a nutrient-/chlorophyll a-rich, mixed water winter from December to April and a nutrient-/chlorophyll a-poor, stratified water summer from June to October. Short transition seasons appeared in May and November. The mixing and stratification seasons were also clearly depicted in the coastal waters. Statistical analysis of the three-year data collected at the offshore station revealed no significant inter-annual differences in the upper 125 m of the water column with respect to any of the measured parameters. At coastal stations, the water quality at the two northernmost stations was significantly different in comparison to the upper 125 m at the offshore station and to the other coastal stations, with respect to the two key indicator parameters: inorganic nitrogen and chlorophyll a. The three-year findings of the monitoring program are employed to suggest standard codes of reference for the coastal water quality.     

Characteristics of atmospheric single particles during haze periods in a typical urban area of Beijing: A case study in October, 2014

To investigate the composition and possible sources of particles, especially during heavy haze pollution, a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was deployed to measure the changes of single particle species and sizes during October of 2014, in Beijing. A total of 2,871,431 particles with both positive and negative spectra were collected and characterized in combination with the adaptive resonance theory neural network algorithm (ART-2a). Eight types of particles were classified: dust particles (dust, 8.1%), elemental carbon (EC, 29.0%), organic carbon (OC, 18.0%), EC and OC combined particles (ECOC, 9.5%), Na-K containing particles (NaK, 7.9%), K-containing particles (K, 21.8%), organic nitrogen and potassium containing particles (KCN, 2.3%), and metal-containing particles (metal, 3.6%). Three haze pollution events (P1, P2, P3) and one clean period (clean) were analyzed, based on the mass and number concentration of PM_2.5 and the back trajectory results from the hybrid single particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory model (Hysplit-4 model). Results showed that EC, OC and K were the major components of single particles during the three haze pollution periods, which showed clearly increased ratios compared with those in the clean period. Results from the mixing state of secondary species of different types of particles showed that sulfate and nitrate were more readily mixed with carbon-containing particles during haze pollution episodes than in clean periods.