Earth Sciences Commons^™

Comparisons Of Point And Average Capillary Pressure - Saturation Functions For Porous Media, Samuel Clark Cropper

Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between the volume of water occupying pores in soil or rock and its energy state is called the capillary pressure–saturation function. This is an important hydrogeologic property needed for modeling multiphase flow and transport. Standard methods used to determine capillary pressure–saturation behavior produce volume averaged functions rather than point functions. Average functions can produce erroneous simulations in flow models. Analytical expressions permit extraction of point functions from average functions, and predictions of average functions from point function parameters. These concepts are discussed in Chapter I.

Chapter II compares average and point functions from centrifugation of Berea sandstone, glass …

Impacts Of Climate Change On The Evolution Of The Electrical Grid, Melissa Ree Allen

Doctoral Dissertations

Maintaining interdependent infrastructures exposed to a changing climate requires understanding 1) the local impact on power assets; 2) how the infrastructure will evolve as the demand for infrastructure changes location and volume and; 3) what vulnerabilities are introduced by these changing infrastructure topologies. This dissertation attempts to develop a methodology that will a) downscale the climate direct effect on the infrastructure; b) allow population to redistribute in response to increasing extreme events that will increase under climate impacts; and c) project new distributions of electricity demand in the mid-21^st century.

The research was structured in three parts. The first …

An Analysis Of The Suspended Sediment Rating Curve Parameters In The Upper Mississippi River Basin At The Monthly And Annual Levels, Vi Thi Tuong Tran

Masters Theses

Suspended sediment rating curve parameters were analyzed to investigate the relationship of suspended load and discharge in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) at the annual and monthly levels. The rating curve parameters were obtained from the power function of load and discharge: Load = a × (Discharge)^b [(Discharge)^b]. The function was solved by ordinary least squares regression on its logarithmic form.

The annual rating coefficient a and exponent b ranged from 0 to 0.25 (kg/s)(s/m³)^b [(kg/s)(s/m^3)^b] and from 0.91 to 4.27, respectively. The monthly rating coefficient a and exponent b ranged from 0 to 0.239 …

Stability, Erosion, And Morphology Considerations For Sustainable Slope Design, Isaac Andres Jeldes Halty

Doctoral Dissertations

The construction of more natural and sustainable earth slopes requires the consideration of erosion and runoff characteristics as an integral part of the design. These effects not only result in high costs for removal of sediment, but also a profound damage to the ecosystem. In this dissertation, innovative techniques are developed such that more natural appearing slopes can be designed to minimize sediment delivery, while meeting mechanical equilibrium requirements. This was accomplished by: a) examining the fundamental failure modes of slopes built with minimum compaction (FRA) to enhance quick establishment of forest, b) investigating the geomechanical and erosion stability of …