Geological Engineering Commons^™

Ponded And Landfilled Fly Ash As A Source Of Rare Earth Elements From A Kentucky Power Plant, James C. Hower, John G. Groppo, Kevin R. Henke, Uschi M. Graham, Madison M. Hood, Prakash Joshi, Dorin V. Preda

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Twenty samples, with one composite sample built out of the 20 individual samples, of ponded ash were collected at a Kentucky power plant. The coal feed throughout the history of the power plant was central eastern Kentucky low- to moderate-S high volatile A bituminous coal. The pond was in the process of being excavated, with the ash moved to a landfill on another company property. In spite of the long history of the pond and the expected variation in coal supply, and perhaps because of the mixing due to the excavation, there is little variation in ash-basis rare earth elements …

Rare Earth Element Distribution In Fly Ash Derived From The Fire Clay Coal, Kentucky, Madison M. Hood, Ross K. Taggart, Ryan C. Smith, Heileen Hsu-Kim, Kevin R. Henke, Uschi Graham, John G. Groppo, Jason M. Unrine, James C. Hower

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Fly ash was collected from individual mechanical and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) hoppers at a 130-MW pulverized-coal utility unit burning a southeastern Kentucky moderate- to high-S Pennsylvanian Fire Clay coal. The fly ash particle size is generally similar within each row of the mechanical and ESP hoppers, with the mean particle diameter decreasing from >36 μmin the mechanical hoppers to 6 μm in the last ESP row. Rare earth element (REE)–bearing phases occur within fine minerals and, possibly, as part of the fly ash glass phase. Transmission electron microscopy was used to identify Y-Ce-Nd-La–bearing regions within a glassy matrix. Y- and …

The Relative Impact Framework For Evaluating Coal Combustion Residual Surface Impoundment Closure Options: Applications And Lessons Learned, Ari S. Lewis, Andrew B. Bittner

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

In response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new rule regarding the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs), many utilities need to re-examine their waste disposal practices and make decisions regarding if and how unlined surface impoundments (SIs) should be closed. The two primary options for closing SIs are in-place closure, with capping and engineering controls, and excavation of the CCR for transport to and re-disposal in a lined landfill. To help inform closure option decisions, we supported the Electric Power Research Institute’s development of a practical, science-based decision framework that comprehensively evaluates the potential impacts to human health and …

Successful Field Application Of A New Polymer Flooding Technique Suitable For Mature Oilfields Against Low-Oil-Price Background - A Case Study From East China, X. Wu, Y. Wu, C. Xiong, H. Xu, X. Jia, L. Shao, Y. Xiong, J. Zhang, A. Wang, H. Xu, J. Tian, Baojun Bai, X. Tian

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

DGXJ is a sandstone reservoir with temperature of 113 °C, salinity of 36235mg/L, and calcium and magnesium content of 1152mg/L and 30mg/L respectively. The reservoir is not only vertically multilayered and severe heterogeneous, but also witnesses water flowing channels, irregular and imperfect injecting production well patterns, high recovery degree (43%) and high water cut (97%). A new particle-type polymer (SMG) slug combined several small linked-polymer-gel (LPG)slugs and pregelled swellable particle (PSP) was applied during 2011-2015 and achieved remarkable technical and economic effect. The application area is composed of 16 injection wells and 22 production wells. Among the 22 wells, 17 …

Performance Evaluation Of Integrated Co2 Huff-N-Puff And Wag In Low-Pressure Heterogeneous Reservoir, Hutthapong Yoosook

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The integrated CO2 Huff-n-Puff and WAG is a novel technique to combine CO2 Huff-n-Puff technique that conducted at early state and followed by WAG technique until the end of operating time. This technique is effectiveness in term of increased oil recovery and reduced CO2 utilization. However, the integrated CO2 Huff-n-Puff and WAG process contains numerous adjustable operating parameters. Hence, numerical simulation study and sensitivity analysis become essential to investigate the effects of main operational parameters and evaluate the performance of the integrated CO2 Huff-n-Puff and WAG process in low-pressure heterogeneous reservoir to achieve the maximum benefits. According to simulation results, …

Comparing The Depositional Environment Of The Upper Smackover Formation In Southwestern Clarke County, Mississippi And Brooklyn/ Little Cedar Creek Field, Alabama, Elsie Ekene Okoye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluated the depositional settings of the upper Smackover formation in southwestern Clarke County (scc), Mississippi and compared its facies to those of the Brooklyn and little cedar creek fields (bf/lcc) in Conecuh and Escambia Counties, Alabama. The Smackover formation has been a prolific oil producing formation in the Gulf of Mexico since its discovery in Union County, Arkansas in 1937. The discovery of the lcc in 1994 and the bf in 2007 has generated additional interest in the Smackover. The bf/ lcc occur near the updip limit of the upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) Smackover formation. These fields produce from …

Effects Of Post Eviction Resettlement On Land-Use And Cover Change In Uganda’S Oil Exploration Areas, Joseph Ssekandi, John Mburu, Oliver Wasonga, Laban Macopiyo, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Evaluation of the changes in land use and land cover change (LULCC) in respect to oil exploration across the Albertine region in Uganda has been focused around the exploration areas and protected areas, with no attention to the potential impacts of evictees’ activities on resettled areas. This study used LANDSAT images to analyze the land use and land cover changes (LULCC) among the period before eviction (2002 and 2005) at the climax of eviction and resettlements (2005-2011), and during the post-resettlement period (2011-2015) to quantify the impacts of resettlements on the environment. LANDSAT images were processed using ERDAS IMAGINE software …

Designing Efficient Petroleum Fiscal System For Mozambique, Nelson Victor

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Nowadays, tax regime is designed to attract investment and provide the contractor with fair return on investment, at the same time, provide the host government with adequate resources for rent, thereby resulting in win-win situation. This study analyses the existing petroleum fiscal regime in the Republic of Mozambique and proposes a more efficient and flexible regime. The analysis shows that the government take currently remains at around 39% while the contactors' net present value (NPV) increases as field sizes and oil prices increase. The current system is considered a regressive system which is inefficient in distributing wealth from oil profit. …

Coal Combustion Products Utilization For Soil Amendment, Tran Thi Anh Tuyet

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Nowadays, coal has a crucial role in generating energy all over the world. As a result, the consumption of coal creates a huge amount of coal combustion products, including bottom ash and fly ash. The coal ash has the potential characteristics to become a resource material in agriculture such as its texture, water holding capacity, bulk density, pH etc., and contains almost all the essential plant nutrients. However, most of the coal ash created is dumped into the landfill, which is a contributing factor in the environmental degradation. This study wants to use coal ash in agriculture as a way …

Time Series Pattern Discovery Techniques For Well-To-Well Log Correlation, Chanchai Apiwatsakulchai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Well log data is one of the most abundant data sources for subsurface characterization since almost all drilled wells are logged. Subsurface characterization requires correlated well log information. Processes to help perform well-to-well log correlation have been developed in this study based on the two approaches: pattern matching and pattern discovery. Pattern matching focuses on finding a known pattern of interest in uncorrelated wells. The use of Euclidean, Hamming, and Levenshtein distances in similarity measurement, Piecewise Aggregate Approximation (PAA), and Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (SAX) data representation helps create reduced-resolution while maintains the main characteristics of the signals. Multi-resolution analysis provides …

Hydrogeochemical Controls On Reactive And Nonreactive Solute Transport In Heterogenous Porous Media, Mahta Gholizadeh Ansari

Masters Theses

"This work examines how physical and chemical heterogeneity can affect reactive and non-reactive transport in porous media. The effect of heterogeneity of the porous media is investigated both on dissolution rate of magnesite and attenuation time of nonreactive contaminants in non-reactive media. Various spatial distribution were created using statistical parameters in PETREL.A total of 6793 transport modeling simulations were run using CrunchFlow. Lasso regression was used to select most significant features and those features are then used in linear regression and deep learning models.

The magnesite dissolution simulations were performed under different permeability ratios (magnesite /sand permeability) and inlet pH. …

In-Situ Assessment Of Concrete Bridge Decks And Pavements Using Stress-Wave Based Methods, Mengxing Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"Concrete infrastructure of United States is aging and deteriorating. Accurate assessment the condition of concrete infrastructure is critical for its maintenance and rehabilitation. Stress-wave based methods, including ultrasonic surface wave (USW) and impact echo (IE), are becoming popular for characterizing defects and mechanical properties of concrete infrastructures. In this dissertation, a comprehensive literature review of seismic wave theory and common types of defects identified in concrete infrastructures, as well as stress-wave based methods used for concrete infrastructure monitoring and characterizing on a selected concrete bridge deck and two concrete pavement segments are present. The utility and reliability of both methods …

The Use Of Geophysical Methods For Dam Seepage Investigations And Dredged Oyster Deposit Characterization, Stanley Chinedu Nwokebuihe

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation is made up of three papers, which discuss the utility of geophysical tools in earthfill dam investigations and dredged oyster bed characterization.

In the first paper, an earthfill dam in Warren County, Missouri was effectively investigated for seepage through the dam and its outlet works using an integration of the electrical resistivity tomography, induced polarization and spontaneous potential geophysical tools. Recommendations were subsequently made based on the results of the study on grout locations to prevent further seepage. In the second paper, a similar study of earthfill dam seepage was conducted on a different dam in Southern Missouri. …

Dissolution-Enlarged Fractures Imaging Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (Ert), Elnaz Siami-Irdemoosa

Doctoral Dissertations

"In recent years the electrical imaging techniques have been largely applied to geotechnical and environmental investigations. These techniques have proven to be the best geophysical methods for site investigations in karst terrain, particularly when the overburden soil is clay-dominated. Karst is terrain with a special landscape and distinctive hydrological system developed by dissolution of rocks, particularly carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite, made by enlarging fractures into underground conduits that can enlarge into caverns, and in some cases collapse to form sinkholes.

Bedding planes, joints, and faults are the principal structural guides for underground flow and dissolution in almost …

Geophysical Assessment Of Soil And Rock In The New Madrid Seismic Zone, Faraj Mohamed Eljabri

Doctoral Dissertations

"The research presented here consists of two case studies: the first from a study site in Illinois and the second from a site in Arkansas. In both instances, geophysical investigations were conducted to characterize the subsurface. At the Illinois site, borehole control, downhole seismic (DHS), seismic refraction tomography (SRT) and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) data were acquired for the purpose of seismic site characterization. Shear wave and compressional wave velocities were used to estimate depth to bedrock and to generate 1-D plots depicting variations in Poisson's Ratio, elastic moduli and density. The average shear wave velocity in the …

Characterizing Long-Term Groundwater Conditions And Lithology For The Design Of Large-Scale Borehole Heat Exchangers, David Charles Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

"Construction of large scale ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) systems that operate with hundreds or even thousands of boreholes for the borehole heat exchangers (BHE) has increased in recent years with many coming on line in the past 10 years. Many large institutions are constructing these systems because of their ability to store energy in the subsurface for indoor cooling during the warm summer months and extract that energy for heating during the cool winter months.

Despite the increase in GCHP system systems constructed, there have been few long term studies on how these large systems interact with the subsurface. …

Acquisition Of Active Multichannel Analysis Of Surface Waves (Masw) Data In Karst Terrain, Ghassan Salem Alsulaimani

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study was designed to verify the effects and data reproducibility when the length of receiver array, receiver spacing, source offset and array orientation parameters are changed for data acquired using multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), at intended target depth of 30ft (9m), and to compare the results with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data obtained for the same study site.

The MASW data acquired for 34 sites, along four profiles for each site using variable source offsets of 10ft (3m) and 30ft (9.1m), and variable receiver spacings of 2.5ft (0.76m) and 5.0ft (0.76m), concurrently. Out of the 272 profiles …

Imaging A Fly Ash Landfill Using Non-Invasive Technologies (Ert And Masw), Atiat Shaban Qasim Alsaaideh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data were acquired across a segment of an existing fly ash landfill in southwestern Missouri. The objective was to map potential karst features and identify probable groundwater seepage through and beneath the landfill.

Variations in the moisture content were mapped below and above the two liners (clay and synthetic) systems, the soil and bedrock. Seepage pathways were mapped through the fly ash and the underlying soil and rock. No visual evidence was found on any of the 3D ERT profiles of the presence of either pre-existing air-filled voids or pre-existing or newly infilled clay-filled voids. There …

Characterizing Groundwater Flow At Fort Leonard Wood Using Universal Cokriging With Trend Removal, Rachel Mae Uetrecht

Masters Theses

"Groundwater elevation interpolation is necessary for the prediction of groundwater flow direction and contaminant transport. Kriging is a geostatistical tool commonly used to interpolate groundwater elevation. Kriging requires a relatively large number of monitoring wells at the site of interest. The variogram model is a crucial element to the kriging equations. The variogram modelling process is an iterative procedure that is often very time consuming. This study presents a literature based approach that provides a point of departure for the variogram modelling process as well as other kriging parameters. A literature database is developed in order to provide insight and …

Assessment Of Rockfall Rollout Risk Along Varying Slope Geometries Using The Rocfall And Crsp Software, Mariam S. Al E'Bayat

Masters Theses

"Most routes in mountainous areas suffer from rock falling, rolling and bouncing risk. There are many computer programs concerned with simulating the rockfall problem, and whereas they have the same purpose, they however differ in the input data that's needed to simulate the problem, and they also differ in the way of processing and kind of output.

This study used Rocfall® and the Colorado Rockfall Simulation Program (CRSP®) to simulate sixty-three models of varying slope geometry, where only the slope geometry is changed with the same material properties for both the slope and the rocks.

Both programs were fast and …