Influence of temporally variable groundwater flow conditions on point measurements and contaminant mass flux estimations

Monitoring of contaminant concentrations, e.g., for the estimation of mass discharge or contaminant degradation rates, often is based on point measurements at observation wells. In addition to the problem, that point measurements may not be spatially representative, a further complication may arise due to the temporal dynamics of groundwater flow, which may cause a concentration measurement to be not temporally representative. This paper presents results from a numerical modeling study focusing on temporal variations of the groundwater flow direction. “Measurements” are obtained from point information representing observation wells installed along control planes using different well frequencies and configurations. Results of the scenario simulations show that temporally variable flow conditions can lead to significant temporal fluctuations of the concentration and thus are a substantial source of uncertainty for point measurements. Temporal variation of point concentration measurements may be as high as the average concentration determined, especially near the plume fringe, even when assuming a homogeneous distribution of the hydraulic conductivity. If a heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity field is present, the concentration variability due to a fluctuating groundwater flow direction varies significantly within the control plane and between the different realizations. Determination of contaminant mass fluxes is also influenced by the temporal variability of the concentration measurement, especially for large spacings of the observation wells. Passive dosimeter sampling is found to be appropriate for evaluating the stationarity of contaminant plumes as well as for estimating average concentrations over time when the plume has fully developed. Representative sampling has to be performed over several periods of groundwater flow fluctuation. For the determination of mass fluxes at heterogeneous sites, however, local fluxes, which may vary considerably along a control plane, have to be accounted for. Here, dosimeter sampling in combination with time integrated local water flux measurements can improve mass flux estimates under dynamic flow conditions.     

Magnetic mapping of fly-ash pollution and heavy metals from soil samples around a point source in a dry tropical environment

The Singrauli region in the southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India is one of the most polluted industrial sites of Asia. It encompasses 11 open cast coalmines and six thermal power stations that generate about 7,500 MW (about 10% of India’s installed generation capacity) electricity. Thermal power plants represent the main source of pollution in this region, emitting six million tonnes of fly-ash per annum. Fly-ash is deposited on soils over a large area surrounding thermal power plants. Fly-ashes have high surface concentrations of several toxic elements (heavy metals) and high atmospheric mobility. Fly ash is produced through high-temperature combustion of fossil fuel rich in ferromagnetic minerals. These contaminants can be identified using rock-magnetic methods. Magnetic susceptibility is directly linked to the concentration of ferromagnetic minerals, primarily high values of magnetite. In this study, magnetic susceptibility of top soil samples collected from surrounding areas of a bituminous-coal-fired power plant were measured to identify areas of high emission levels and to chart the spatial distribution of airborne solid particles. Sites close to the power plant have shown higher values of susceptibility that decreases with increasing distance from the source. A significant correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal content in soils is found. A comparison of the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility with heavy-metal concentrations in soil samples suggests that magnetic measurements can be used as a rapid and inexpensive method for proxy mapping of air borne pollution due to industrial activity.     

A Two-Stage Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for MPPT of Partially Shaded PV Arrays

The power-voltage (P-V) characteristic curves of a PV array are nonlinear and have multiple peaks under partially shaded conditions (PSCs). This paper proposes a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method for a PV system with reduced steady-state oscillation based on a two-stage particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The grouping method of the shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) is incorporated in the basic PSO algorithm (PSO-SFLA), ensuring fast and accurate searching of the global extremum. An adaptive speed factor is also introduced into the improved PSO to further enhance its convergence speed. Test results show that the proposed method converges in less than half the time taken by the conventional PSO method, and the power is improved by 33% under the worst PSCs, which confirms the superiority of the proposed method over the standard PSO algorithm in terms of tracking speed and steady-state oscillations under different PSCs.     

Mutagenicity evaluation of chemical pesticides

Abstract

Over the last few decades, the use of chemical pesticides has increased dramatically in the U.S. This relatively sudden increase greatly concerns the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), since it has the responsibility for ensuring the safety of all pesticides used in the U.S. In response to this concern, EPA has established a review program, the Rebuttable Presumption Against Registration (RPAR), for periodically reassessing the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of pesticide compounds.

This paper presents a review and evaluation of the data reported in the literature on six chemical pesticides suspect for mutagenic potential. The pesticide chemicals discussed are maleic hydrazide; rotenone; monuron; diallate; triallate, and benomyl.     

乌鲁木齐市燃煤点源现状分析

对乌鲁木齐市燃煤点派数量、耗煤量、污染物的排放量以及在各功能区的分布分别进行了统计分析，对污染物的排放量在不同高度空间的分布也进行了统计分析，从而得出了确切的结论并提出了相应的建议。     

降雨-径流与非点源污染物浓度及流失量关系分析——以铁岭市柴河水库上游流域为例

以铁岭市柴河水库上游集水区域为研究对象,利用铁岭市柴河堡水文站降雨时节实测的暴雨径流数据、泥沙数据、污染物浓度数据进行分析,侧重研究降雨时节暴雨径流量与主要污染物浓度及污染物瞬时流失量之间的关系,以期为柴河流域农业非点源污染控制提供参考。研究结果表明:暴雨期内,非点源污染物浓度及瞬时流失量与径流峰值几乎同步出现,它们之间存在着非常密切的关系。     

A numerical study on the feasibility and efficiency of point smoke extraction strategies in large cross-section shield tunnel fires using CFD modeling

The strategy of smoke control is of high importance for the design process of tunnels, especially for long and large cross-section tunnels. The South Hongmei Rd. Tunnel (SHT) located in Shanghai, China, is a 3.39 km long shield TBM (tunnel boring machine) tunnel with an external diameter of 14.5 m. The point smoke extraction system was proposed initially as the main ventilation strategy during a tunnel fire. To investigate the fire characteristics in the tunnel and develop appropriate smoke control strategies, a series of numerical 3D Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted. Three fire scenarios, namely 5 MW, 20 MW and 50 MW, were modeled to evaluate the point extraction system. The gas temperatures, the stratification of the smoke, air temperature, minimum visibility etc., during the smoke spreading of a fire were analyzed. Based on the results of the simulation, the smoke extraction strategies according to fire scale and fire location were proposed for fire extinguishing. It was found that the three-point extraction opening strategy can control the smoke better than two-point extraction opening strategy under various fire scales, especially under serious fire scenario. From the results, damper openings ranged at closer intervals were found more efficient in two-point extraction system. Besides, placing the damper openings in the longitudinal direction can improve the efficiency of smoke extraction. It also results in reduction of the quantity of prefabricated members of duct slab and the process of assembly will be simplified during the construction.     

沈阳市地下水监测点优选方法研究

本文针对沈阳市地下水监测点优选方法进行研究.采用聚类分析划分污染类型,应用模糊数学划分污染程度,运用环境地质学原理和地质制图技术及数学方法绘制出相应图件,两图叠加形成块段,从中优选出监测点.     

Prenatal exclusion of haemophilia a and carrier testing by direct detection of a disease lesion

A novel mutation was detected in the Factor VIII gene of a sporadic case of severe haemophilia A. The lesion, a CGA → TGA transition, converts Arg 795 to Term and adequately accounts for the severe phenotype observed. PCR/direct sequencing was used to confirm the carrier status in the mother. Exclusion of haemophilia A in an at-risk pregnancy was then achieved by demonstration of the absence of this lesion in fetal DNA from a chorionic villus sample. The mutation was also detectable by chemical cleavage of mismatch (CCM), which both confirmed the prenatal diagnosis and established the carrier status of the proband's sister. This example therefore serves to illustrate the potential of direct gene analysis in sporadic cases of haemophilia A and/or in families uninformative for known RFLPs.     

丹东市环境空气SO_2总量控制初探

采用GB13201-91中的大气污染物总量控制方法总量计算公式,计算丹东市建成区环境空气SO2总量及污染状况。结果表明,整个采暖季全市SO2总量不需要削减,但低架源排放污染物较多,应进行削减。