Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Ocena Efektów Termomodernizacji Budynków Jednorodzinnych. 2. Ograniczenie Wpływu Na Jakość Powietrza Atmosferycznego, Robert Oleniacz, Magdalena Kasietczuk, Mateusz Rzeszutek

Robert Oleniacz

The article assesses to what extent reduced the impact on air quality of a complex of detached coal-fired houses as a result of some thermal renovation works which lowered the fuel consumption and reduced emissions of pollutants into the air. The assessment was done on the basis of results of dispersion modelling for selected substances (SO2, NO2, CO, PM10, B(a)P and PCDD/F) in the ambient air with the use of CALMET/CALPUFF models. The calculation process encompassed preparation of the data on spatial features of the area, making a three-dimensional grid of meteorological data, definition of geometrical parameters of substitute emitters …

Numerical Modeling Of The Effects Of Hydrologic Conditions And Sediment Transport On Geomorphic Patterns In Wetlands, Mehrnoosh Mahmoudi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on developing a numerical model of spatial and temporal changes in bed morphology of ridge and slough features in wetlands with respect to hydrology and sediment transport when a sudden change in hydrologic condition occurs. The specific objectives of this research were: (1) developing a two-dimensional hydrology model to simulate the spatial distribution of flow depth and velocity over time when a pulsed flow condition is applied, (2) developing a process-based numerical model of sediment transport coupled with flow depth and velocity in wetland ecosystems, and (3) use the developed model to explore how sediment transport may …

An Integrated Modeling System For Estimating Glacier And Snow Melt Driven Streamflow From Remote Sensing And Earth System Data Products In The Himalayas, M. E. Brown, A. E. Racoviteanu, David G. Tarboton, A. Sen Gupta, J. Nigro, F. Policelli, S. Habib, M. Tokay, M. S. Shrestha, S. Bajracharya, P. Hummel, M. Gray, P. Duda, B. Zaitchik, Vinod Mahat, G. Artan, S. Tokar

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantification of the contribution of the hydrologic components (snow, ice and rain) to river discharge in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is important for decision-making in water sensitive sectors, and for water resources management and flood risk reduction. In this area, access to and monitoring of the glaciers and their melt outflow is challenging due to difficult access, thus modeling based on remote sensing offers the potential for providing information to improve water resources management and decision making. This paper describes an integrated modeling system developed using downscaled NASA satellite based and earth system data products coupled with in-situ …

Numerical And Experimental Studies Of Transmission Lines Subjected To Tornadoes, Ahmed Hamada

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The majority of worldwide weather-related transmission line failures have been attributed to High Intensity Wind (HIW) events in the form of tornadoes and downbursts. The research conducted in the current thesis presents a significant development in the understanding of the structural behaviour of transmission line systems under tornado loading. A comprehensive in-house numerical model that combines the data of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of tornado wind fields with three dimensional nonlinear structural analysis modelling is developed. A three dimensional four-nodded cable element is first formulated to simulate the nonlinear large deformation behaviour of the conductors. The support provided to …

Optimizing Operation Of A Campus Energy System For Economic And Environmental Considerations, John Imperatore Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to determine effective costs of campus utilities, optimal operation of energy conversion and production subsystems through minimization of economic and environmental costs, and to evaluate how changing electrical grid costs and sources will affect future optimal operations at a campus. Characteristic days were developed to typify campus activities and their impact on energy consumption. At current grid electricity and natural gas prices, utilization of a cogeneration unit, a form of combined heat and power plant, is less expensive than purchasing equivalent amounts of electric and gas to produce steam, as long as there is …

Phytomonitoring Of Chlorinated Ethenes In Trees: A Four-Year Study Of Seasonal Chemodynamics In Planta, Matt A. Limmer, Amanda J. Holmes, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) of Groundwater Remedial Projects is Costly and Time-Consuming, Particularly When using Phytoremediation, a Long-Term Remedial Approach. the Use of Trees as Sensors of Groundwater Contamination (I.e., Phytoscreening) Has Been Widely Described, Although the Use of Trees to Provide Long-Term Monitoring of Such Plumes (Phytomonitoring) Has Been More Limited Due to Unexplained Variability of Contaminant Concentrations in Trees. to Assess This Variability, We Developed an in Planta Sampling Method to Obtain High-Frequency Measurements of Chlorinated Ethenes in Oak (Quercus Rubra) and Baldcypress (Taxodium Distichum) Trees Growing above a Contaminated Plume during a 4-Year Trial. the Data Set Revealed …

Heat Transfer Characteristics Of Ggbs Concrete In Fire, Ted Mckenna, Mark G. Richardson, Brian O’Rourke

Publications

Partial replacement of high clinker content cements by Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag (GGBS) can reduce the carbon footprint of concrete, with consequent benefits in respect of sustainable construction. Furthermore a state-of-the-art report indicated that use of GGBS as a binder replacement may increase the fire resistance of concrete. If so this could lead to thinner sections in fire compartment elements, especially non-loadbearing walls, leading to further gains in respect of sustainable development. Concrete is considered an effective material in protecting against the detrimental effects of fire in structures. However, exposure to high temperatures can degrade concrete performance. Fire resistance performance …

Approaches For Studying Fish Production: Do River And Lake Researchers Have Different Perspectives?, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Nicholas A. Heredia, Brian G. Laub, Christy S. Meredith, Harrison E. Mohn, Sarah E. Null, David A. Pluth, Brett B. Roper, W. Carl Saunders, David King Stevens, Richard H. Walker, Kit Wheeler

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Biased perspectives of fisheries researchers may hinder scientific progress and effective management if limiting factors controlling productivity go unrecognized. We investigated whether river and lake researchers used different approaches when studying salmonid production and whether any differences were ecologically supported. We assessed 564 peer-reviewed papers published between 1966 and 2012 that studied salmonid production or surrogate variables (e.g., abundance, growth, biomass, population) and classified them into five major predictor variable categories: physical habitat, fertility (i.e., nutrients, bottom-up), biotic, temperature, and pollution. The review demonstrated that river researchers primarily analyzed physical habitat (65% of studies) and lake researchers primarily analyzed fertility …

Investigation Of Fracture Toughness Measurement For Pipeline Steels Based On Se(B) And Se(T) Specimens, Zijian Yan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis deals with issues related to the experimental determination of the fracture toughness resistance curves, i.e. the J-integral (J)-R curve and crack tip opening displacement (CTOD)-R curves, using the single-edge bend (SE(B)) and single-edge tension (SE(T)) specimens. First, the impact of the crack front curvature on the J-R curve measured from the SE(B) specimen is investigated through systematic linear-elastic and elastic-plastic three-dimensional (3D) finite element analyses (FEA) of SE(B) specimens containing both straight and curved crack fronts. Three average relative crack lengths are considered, namely 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7, and three specimen width-to-thickness ratios are …

Practitioner Interview, Kirk Westphal

All ECSTATIC Materials

Phone interview with Kirk Westphal from CDM Smith by Emily Berglund and David Watkins, Jr.. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Reaction Engineering Routes To Waste Gasification For Sustainable Living Environments, Stephen A. Reeves, Mohammed S. Suleiman, Joshua M. Cmar, Jorge E. Gatica

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

There is an increasing pressure to reduce waste generation and dependence upon fossil fuels in our society. The approach investigated in this project aims to address both concerns by formulating a low-temperature gasification process to process long-chain polymers typically found in municipal waste. Gasification routes which convert plastic and bio-waste into useful fuel syngas products has been extensively investigated. The novelty of the approach examined here consists on the use of a variety of catalysts, which can promote high conversion in gasification reactions at much lower temperature and pressure conditions. This route overcomes some of the financial and environmental shortcomings …

Developing Pavement Preservation And Mitigation Strategies Using Pavement Me Design Guide For Rhode Island Dot, Sean Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the study is to develop pavement preservation strategies using Pavement ME. The International Roughness Index (IRI), Longitudinal Cracking, and Permanent Deformation (Rutting) in both the asphalt layer and the total structure were predicted using Pavement ME to determine the sensitivity of flexible pavement performance with varying pavement parameters, such as thickness of the surface and existing hot mix asphalt (HMA) layers, traffic volume, binder grade of the surface HMA layer and the base layer modulus. The surface HMA layer thickness and traffic volume were significant at 95% confidence level for both types of rutting and terminal IRI. …

Agricultural Industry Advanced Vehicle Technology: Benchmark Study For Reduction In Petroleum Use, Roger M. Hoy, Rodney Rohrer, Adam Liska, Joe D. Luck, Loren Isom, Deepak R. Keshwani

Adam Liska Papers

Diesel use on farms in the United States has remained relatively constant since 1985, decreasing slightly in 2009, which may be attributed to price increases and the economic recession (Figure 1). During this time, the United States’ harvested area also has remained relatively constant at roughly 300 million acres. In 2010, farm diesel use was 5.4% of the total United States diesel use. Crops accounting for an estimated 65% of United States farm diesel use include corn, soybean, wheat, hay, and alfalfa, respectively, based on harvested crop area and a recent analysis of estimated fuel use by crop (Figure 2).1 …

Energy Consumption Reduction Strategies For Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles With Connected Vehicle Technology In An Urban Environment, Parth Bhavsar, Yiming He, Mashrur Chowdhury, Ryan Fries, Andrew Shealy

Publications

Automobile manufacturers have introduced plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to reduce fossil fuel consumption. This paper details three optimization strategies that can be utilized to further minimize energy consumption of PHEVs through an information exchange between PHEVs and infrastructure agents supported by the connected vehicle technology (CVT). While an earlier research by the authors focused on a freeway scenario, this study developed strategies for an urban scenario in which frequent ‘stop-and-go’ conditions exist. Three strategies were considered in this study based on different types of information availability using CVT; only signal timing information was available in Strategy One, only headway …

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Corrosion Resistance Of A Sand Particle-Modified Enamel Coating Applied To Smooth Steel Bars, Fujian Tang, Genda Chen, Richard K. Brow, Michael L. Koenigstein

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The protective performance of a sand particle-modified enamel coating on reinforcing steel bars was evaluated in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Seven percentages of sand particles by weight were investigated: 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 70%. The phase composition of the enamel coating and sand particles were determined with the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the sand particle-modified enamel coating were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD tests revealed three phases of sand particles: SiO₂, CaCO₃ and MgCO₃. SEM images demonstrated that the …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2009-2013), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Michael A. Fields

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents an analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky for the years of 2009 through 2013. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Rates were calculated for various types of highways and for counties and cities. Difference criteria were used for exposure.

Average and critical numbers and rates of crashes were calculated for various types of high ways in rural and urban areas. These rates used crashes identified on highways where traffic volumes were available. Improved methods of identifying crash locations have resulted in higher rates for the last couple …

Evaluating The Impact Of Deck Removal Method On The Performance Of Nu Girders, George Morcous

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Roadway Contributing Factors In Traffic Crashes, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This project involved an evaluation of the codes which relate to roadway contributing factors. This included a review of relevant codes used in other states. Crashes with related codes were summarized and analyzed. A sample of crash sites was inspected to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of the data being evaluated.

The results of the study are recommendations for a coding format to enable accurate and consistent data concerning the roadway as it affected the crash as well as examples of areas of training to improve the accuracy and consistency of the data.

Recommendations relating to coding of the police …

Development Of Simulation-Based Fragility Relationships For The Seismic Risk Assessment Of Buildings, Anas Salem (Mohammad Ghaleb) Issa

Theses

A number of driving engines are required for earthquake loss estimation and mitigation, including an inventory of exposed systems, seismic hazards of the study area and fragility relationships. The number of existing buildings in the UAE that may be at risk because of insufficient seismic design provisions cannot be underestimated. A crucial role in the recovery period following an earthquake is also played by emergency facilities. Therefore, a systematic seismic vulnerability assessment of a diverse range of reference structures representing pre-seismic code buildings and emergency facilities, in a highly populated and seismically active area in the UAE, has been conducted …