Engineering Commons^™

Improving Basalt Wettability To De-Risk Co2 Geo-Storage In Basaltic Formations, Stefan Iglauer, Ahmed Al-Yaseri

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

CO₂ geo-storage in basaltic formations has recently been identified as a viable option to rapidly dispose large quantities of CO₂, hence mitigating anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. However, it has been shown that basalt is weakly water-wet or intermediate-wet at typical storage conditions, which reduces capillary trapping capacities and increases lateral and vertical spreading of the CO₂ plume; and these effects increase project risk. We thus propose here to prime basalt surfaces with anionic surfactant (here we used sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate), and demonstrate that such priming is highly efficient, and renders the basalt completely water-wet even …

A Comprehensive Comparative Investigation On Solar Heating And Cooling Technologies From A Thermo-Economic Viewpoint—A Dynamic Simulation, Hassan Jafari Mosleh, Pooria Behnam, Maryam Abbasi Kamazani, Omid Mohammadi, Soheil Kavian, Pouria Ahmadi, Marc A. Rosen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 The Authors. Energy Science & Engineering published by the Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The yearly thermo-economic performance is dynamically investigated for three solar heating and cooling systems: solar heating and absorption cooling (SHAC), solar heating and ejector cooling (SHEC), and heating and solar vapor compression cooling (HSVC). First, the effects of important design parameters on the thermo-economic performance of the systems to supply the heating and cooling loads of the building are evaluated. The systems are parametrically analyzed with the weather conditions of Tehran, Iran. The results show that the life cycle …

Effect Of Seawater Ageing On Fracture Toughness Of Stitched Glass Fiber/Epoxy Laminates For Marine Applications, Atizaz Hassan, Rafiullah Khan, Numan Khan, Muhammad Aamir, Danil Y. Pimenov, Khaled Giasin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Composite materials are used in various industries such as marine, aircraft, automotive, etc. In marine applications, composites are exposed to seawater, which can affect their mechanical properties due to moisture absorption. This work focuses on the durability of composite materials under the short-term effect of seawater ageing. The specimens were prepared from glass fiber/epoxy using a hand lap-up method and stitched in the z-direction with Kevlar fiber. The specimens were submerged in seawater for 24 and 35 days. A significant decrease in maximum load was found as specimen immersion time in seawater increased. The seawater ageing also affected fracture toughness …

Experimental Study On Repeatedly Loaded Foundation Soil Strengthened By Wraparound Geosynthetic Reinforcement Technique, Muhammad Nouman Amjad Raja, Sanjay K. Shukla

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In the recent past, the potential benefits of wraparound geosynthetic reinforcement technique for constructing the reinforced soil foundations have been reported. This paper presents the experimental study on the behaviour of model strip footing resting on sandy soil bed reinforced with geosynthetic in wraparound and planar forms under monotonic and repeated loadings. The geosynthetic layers were laid according to the reinforcement ratio to minimise the scale effect. It is found that for the same amount of reinforcement material, the wraparound reinforced model resulted in less settlement in comparison to planar reinforced models. The efficiency of wraparound reinforced model increased with …

Individual-Based Modelling Of Cyanobacteria Blooms: Physical And Physiological Processes, Mohammad H. Ranjbar, David P. Hamilton, Amir Etemad-Shahidi, Fernanda Helfer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Lakes and reservoirs throughout the world are increasingly adversely affected by cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs). The development and spatiotemporal distributions of blooms are governed by complex physical mixing and transport processes that interact with physiological processes affecting the growth and loss of bloom-forming species. Individual-based models (IBMs) can provide a valuable tool for exploring and integrating some of these processes. Here we contend that the advantages of IBMs have not been fully exploited. The main reasons for the lack of progress in mainstreaming IBMs in numerical modelling are their complexity and high computational demand. In this review, we identify …

Influence Of Rock Wettability On Thf Hydrate Saturation And Distribution In Sandstones, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Abubakar Isah, Alireza Keshavarz, Sefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Natural gas trapped in hydrate deposits is a potentially enormous source of energy which can in principle be extracted from the underground reservoir structures. These reserves can potentially also catastrophically release very large quantities of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. One key parameter which is well known to strongly influence fluid distribution, saturation, and production is rock wettability. However, the effect of wettability on gas hydrate in sediments has not been investigated yet. We thus used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry to measure relaxation times (T₂ and T₁) and the corresponding surface relaxivity of tetrahydrofuran hydrate …

Quantifying The Benefits Of In-Time And In-Place Responses To Remediate Acute Lnapl Release Incidents, Kaveh S. Lari, Andrew King, John L. Rayner, Greg B. Davis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Acute large volume spills from storage tanks of petroleum hydrocarbons as light non aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) can contaminate soil and groundwater and may have the potential to pose explosive and other risks. In consideration of an acute LNAPL release scenario, we explore the value of a rapid remediation response, and the value of installing remediation infrastructure in close proximity to the spill location, in effecting greater recovery of LNAPL mass from the subsurface. For the first time, a verified three-dimensional multi-phase numerical framework and supercomputing resources was applied to explore the significance of in-time and in-place remediation actions. A …

Predicting The Settlement Of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Foundations Using Evolutionary Artificial Intelligence Technique, Muhammad Nouman Amjad Raja, Sanjay K. Shukla

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In order to ensure safe and sustainable design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil foundation (GRSF), settlement prediction is a challenging task for practising civil/geotechnical engineers. In this paper, a new hybrid technique for predicting the settlement of GRSF has been proposed based on the combination of evolutionary algorithm, that is, grey-wolf optimisation (GWO) and artificial neural network (ANN), abbreviated as ANN-GWO model. For this purpose, the reliable pertinent data were generated through numerical simulations conducted on validated large-scale 3-D finite element model. The predictive power of the model was assessed using various well-established statistical indices, and also validated against several independent scientific …

Drastic Enhancement Of Co2 Adsorption Capacity By Negatively Charged Sub-Bituminous Coal, Hussein R. Abid, Stefan Iglauer, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate change is a key problem of the 21st century. Climate change is mainly caused by anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, and one solution to this problem is to capture and store CO₂ in deep coal seams, where it is immobilized by adsorption to the coal surface. Here we propose to modify the coal with methyl orange (MO), a typical dye that is also a major pollutant of the hydrosphere and removed thereby. Thus, raw and MO-modified coals were characterized to investigate their thermal stabilities, textural properties, carbon contents, surface characteristics, and CO₂ adsorption on the coal samples was …

Influence Of Diagenetic Features On Petrophysical Properties Of Fine-Grained Rocks Of Oligocene Strata In The Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, Abdul Majeed Shar, Aftab Ahmed Mahesar, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Asad Ali Narejo, Asghar Ali Alias Daahar Hakro

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Nari Formation is considered as one of the most important oil and gas exploration targets. These fine-grained tight sandstone reservoirs face enormous challenges due to their extremely low matrix porosity and permeability. Hence, in this regard, the study was carried out to collect the high-quality data on petrophysical properties along with mineralogy and microstructural characteristics and diagenesis. The experiments performed includes the petrographic study and scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses. Besides, the measurement of petrophysical properties was carried out to assess the likely influence of the reservoir quality. The petrographic analysis shows predominantly fine- to medium-grained grey samples …

Hydrogen Wettability Of Sandstone Reservoirs, Stefan Iglauer, Muhammad Ali, Alireza Keshavarz

Research Datasets

Data set include the data for contact angle data as a function of pressure, temperature and stearic acid concentration in H₂. One exemplary figure is also provided for contact angle measurement in H₂ atmosphere.

Comparison And Verification Of Turbulence Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Closures To Model Spatially Varied Flows, Kudzai Chipongo, Mehdi Khiadani, Kaveh Sookhak Lari

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The robustness and accuracy of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models was investigated for complex turbulent flow in an open channel receiving lateral inflow, also known as spatially varied flow with increasing discharge (SVF). The three RANS turbulence models tested include realizable k–ε, shear stress transport k–ω and Reynolds stress model based on their prominence to model jets in crossflows. Results were compared to experimental laser Doppler velocimetry measurements from a previous study. RANS results in the uniform flow region and farther from the jet centreline were more accurate than within the lateral inflow region. On the …

The Effect Of Fine And Coarse Recycled Aggregates On Fresh And Mechanical Properties Of Self-Compacting Concrete, Mahmoud Nili, Hossein Sasanipour, Farhad Aslani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Today, the use of recycled aggregates as a substitute for a part of the natural aggregates in concrete production is increasing. This approach is essential because the resources for natural aggregates are decreasing in the world. In the present study, the effects of recycled concrete aggregates as a partial replacement for fine (by 50%) and coarse aggregates (by 100%) were examined in the self-compacting concrete mixtures which contain air-entraining agents and silica fumes. Two series of self-compacting concrete mixes have been prepared. In the first series, fine and coarse recycled mixtures respectively with 50% and 100% replacement with air entraining …

Development Of Heavyweight Self-Compacting Concrete And Ambient-Cured Heavyweight Geopolymer Concrete Using Magnetite Aggregates, Afsaneh Valizadeh, Farhad Aslani, Zohaib Asif, Matt Roso

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Heavyweight self-compacting concrete (HWSCC) and heavyweight geopolymer concrete (HWGC) are new types of concrete that integrate the advantages of heavyweight concrete (HWC) with self-compacting concrete (SCC) and geopolymer concrete (GC), respectively. The replacement of natural coarse aggregates with magnetite aggregates in control SCC and control GC at volume ratios of 50%, 75%, and 100% was considered in this study to obtain heavyweight concrete classifications, according to British standards, which provide proper protection from sources that emit harmful radiations in medical and nuclear industries and may also be used in many offshore structures. The main aim of this study is to …

Modelling Of The Radiant Heat Flux And Rate Of Spread Of Wildfire Within The Urban Environment, Greg Penney, Steven Richardson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

One approach to increase community resilience to wildfire impacts is the enhancement of residential construction standards in an effort to provide protective shelters for families within their own homes. Current wildfire models reviewed in this study assume fire growth is unrestricted by vegetation fuel bed geometry; the head fire has attained a quasi-steady rate of spread; and the shielding effects of urban development are ignored. As a result, radiant heat flux may be significantly overestimated for small vegetation fires in road reserves, urban parklands, and similar scenarios. This paper proposes two new models to address this issue, and utilises two …

Taylor's Slope Stability Chart For Combined Effects Of Horizontal And Vertical Seismic Coefficients, Pragyan Sahoo, Sanjay Kumar Shukla

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Design standards and codes of practice on earth slope stability often recommend the pseudo-static method of analysis for determining the factor of safety of a slope subjected to seismic forces. In most pseudo-static methods of analysis, the horizontal seismic force is considered without due weightage to vertical seismic force. In the past, Taylor's stability chart for a homogeneous cohesive-frictional soil slope has been extended to consider the effect of horizontal seismic force only. In this paper, an attempt is made to develop an analytical formulation considering both horizontal and vertical seismic forces in order to estimate the factor of safety …

Immobilization Of Magnetite Nanoparticles For The Removal Of Arsenic And Antimony From Contaminated Water, Guangzhi Sun, Mehdi H. Khiadani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Magnetite (Fe3 O4) nanoparticles were synthesized and immobilized in a synthetic resin poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA). The Fe3 O4 nanoparticle-PMMA composites were studied for their efficiencies of removing dissolved arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb). The effects of major environmental and operating parameters on the removal of As and Sb were investigated in batch experiments. Singular and competitive adsorption of As and Sb onto the composites were studied. The results demonstrated the capability of the Fe3 O4-PMMA composites for removing dissolved metalloids.

Co 2 -Wettability Of Sandstones Exposed To Traces Of Organic Acids: Implications For Co 2 Geo-Storage, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Faraz Sahito, Sarmad Al-Anssari, Alireza Keshavarz, Ahmed Barifcani, Linda Stalker, Mohammad Sarmadivaleh, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Wettability of CO 2 -brine-mineral systems plays a vital role during geological CO 2 -storage. Residual trapping is lower in deep saline aquifers where the CO 2 is migrating through quartz rich reservoirs but CO 2 accumulation within a three-way structural closure would have a high storage volume due to higher CO 2 saturation in hydrophobic quartz rich reservoir rock. However, such wettability is only poorly understood at realistic subsurface conditions, which are anoxic or reducing. As a consequence of the reducing environment, the geological formations (i.e. deep saline aquifers) contain appreciable concentrations of various organic acids. We thus demonstrate …

Intrinsic Variations In Geometric Properties Of Nonlinear Equivalent Strut Models For Infill-Rc Frames, Bruna Kirch Nienkotter Rocha

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Reinforced concrete frames infilled with unreinforced masonry are commonly used in structures worldwide. The interaction between the frame and the infill panel is usually ignored in engineering practice, and the masonry infill is not considered as a structural element. However, observations made after the occurrence of strong earthquakes have shown that the bare frame and infill-frame behave differently when subjected to in-plane lateral loads. Extensive research has been conducted on the behaviour of infill-frames when laterally loaded. This research focuses on the analysis of infill-frames using the equivalent strut modelling method, whereby an infill-frame is simplified, and the infill panel …

Optimal Placement Of Distributed Energy Storage Systems In Distribution Networks Using Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm, Choton K. Das, Octavian Bass, Ganesh Kothapalli, Thair S. Mahmoud, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The deployment of utility-scale energy storage systems (ESSs) can be a significant avenue for improving the performance of distribution networks. An optimally placed ESS can reduce power losses and line loading, mitigate peak network demand, improve voltage profile, and in some cases contribute to the network fault level diagnosis. This paper proposes a strategy for optimal placement of distributed ESSs in distribution networks to minimize voltage deviation, line loading, and power losses. The optimal placement of distributed ESSs is investigated in a medium voltage IEEE-33 bus distribution system, which is influenced by a high penetration of renewable (solar and wind) …

Leaching Of A Mongolian Chalcopyrite Concentrate, Nicholas J. Welham, Jadambaa Temuujin, Nader Setoudeh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A Mongolian chalcopyrite flotation concentrate was leached using sodium hypochlorite adjusted to different pH using hydrochloric acid. It was found that using a starting pH of below 5.0 resulted in more efficient leaching. The extent of chalcopyrite leaching was determined by the concentration of sodium hypochlorite with > 40% dissolution being achieved. The residue after leaching was found to consist primarily of unreacted chalcopyrite which would be suitable for further leaching or smelting.

Evaluation Of Bio-Asphalt Binders Modified With Biochar: A Pyrolysis By-Product Of Mesua Ferrea Seed Cover Waste, Abhinay Kumar, Rajan Choudhary, Rumi Narzari, Rupam Kataki, Sanjay K. Shukla

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

With growing global concerns related to energy security and sustainability, interest in bio-fuels has increased significantly. Production of biofuel mostly begins with pyrolysis, a process that converts the biomass to liquid biooil, solid biochar and gases. A large amount of carbonaceous biochar is generated as a by-product during the pyrolysis. However, no major effort has been made in the past decade to utilize the biochar in pavement applications, especially as a bio-modifier to asphalt binders. In this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the carbonaceous biochar, obtained during bio-fuel production through pyrolysis of Mesua ferrea seed cover waste, as …

Stability Analysis And Design Charts For A Sandy Soil Slope Supporting An Embedded Strip Footing, Emmanuel Baah-Frempong, Sanjay Kumar Shukla

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In several field situations, especially in the hilly terrains, the construction of footings on slopes becomes essential. The factor of safety of a slope supporting a loaded footing on the crest is dependent on the position of the footing from the crest edge. Most studies in the past have focused on analysing the bearing capacity and settlement behaviour of a footing resting on a slope crest, but foundations in most infrastructure projects are usually built at some depth below the ground surface. Therefore, the availability of some form of design charts for determining the factor of safety of a slope …

Ucs And Cbr Behaviour Of Perth Sandy Soil Reinforced With Waste Tyre Fibres And Cement, Seyed M. A. Bazazorde

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Weak and unsuitable soil conditions have always caused problems for civil engineers during the construction of structures. To avoid problems in a cost-effective manner, proper and reliable solutions need to be developed. Fibre reinforcement and cement stabilisation are the most efficient and common methods in geotechnical engineering applications when engineers have problematic soil conditions. These methods can be used in different applications, such as pavement layers, retaining walls and slopes.

Over the past three decades, many studies have been done to investigate the effects of adding synthetic and natural fibres to soil as the reinforcing material alone or with cement. …

Using Agricultural Wastes To Treat Lead-Contaminated Water In Western Australia, Hanie Hashtroudi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Aqueous solutions are becoming increasingly contaminated in all parts of the world (2015). Heavy metals are toxic contaminants that are mainly distributed in urban stormwater run-off and industrial wastewaters as a result of some mining operations, electronic assembly planting, battery manufacturing, and etching operations (Kadirvelu et al. 2001). Pb (II) is a heavy metal that causes significant damage in the human body. Drinking lead-contaminated water even at low concentrations may cause lifethreatening conditions such as cancer, kidney damage, brain damage, and liver problems (El-Said 2010). Therefore, it is necessary to remove lead from aqueous solutions.

Several conventional physical, chemical, and …

Liner Characterisation And Leak Detection Using Electrical Resistivity Techniques, Lopa M S Pandey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The resistivity of soil ranges from 7-15 Ωm for Leachate #1 to 20-50 Ωm for Leachate #2. The resistivity decreases with an increase in the proximity to the leak point. Furthermore, the resistivity values obtained with water were nearly 10 times the values observed with landfill leachate as the leaching liquid. Based on the resistivity profiles of soil as observed at different time intervals, the method is found to be effective in determining leakages in the liner.

The test results have also been presented for the leakage of Bayer liquor obtained from aluminium manufacturing company in Western Australia. The resistivity …

Resistivity Profiles Of Perth Soil In Australia In Leak-Detection Test, Lopa M. Pandey, Sanjay K. Shukla, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The use of a suitable leak-detection system for the prevention and mitigation of pollution due to lining system failures is integral to the proper management of landfill facilities. This paper briefly summarises various methods of leak detection that are currently being practised. The details of a newly developed leak-detection technique are also presented. The tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the new technique by use of controlled leakage. The resulting resistivity profiles for Perth soil in Australia were obtained at 10 min. This method is found to be effective in detecting and locating liner leakage issues within 30 …

Bio-Physical Closure Criteria Without Reference Sites: Realistic Targets In Modified Rivers, Melanie L. Blanchette, Mark Lund, Robyn Stoney, Digby Short, Colm Harkin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The use of reference sites for establishing closure criteria in areas disturbed by mining activities is common practice. ‘Reference’ sites are those considered to be largely unimpacted by anthropogenic activity (retaining desirable natural characteristics), and occurring near disturbed sites. Sites are considered rehabilitated when their biophysical condition approximates that of the reference site. However, this approach often creates impossible or unrealistic targets for miners seeking to close rehabilitated lands. For example, reference sites are often limited in availability (or non-existent) due to impacts by other land uses. Further, any available reference sites might not be realistic matches for the rehabilitated …

Analysis Of Right-Turn Lane Length In Left-Hand Traffic Countries At Signalised Intersections Of Urban Roads, Noura Thomas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Analysis of the right turn lane length of urban roads in left-hand traffic countries, such as Australia, UK and India (left-turn lane length in right-hand traffic countries such as USA), at signalised intersections encounters two main geometric features namely, deceleration length and storage length. The literature shows that in routine practice, the deceleration length is generally estimated by using constant deceleration rate. Many researchers consider this assumption for all design speeds unrealistic as it does not reflect the influence of the pavement condition. Hence, it may be desirable to consider the pavement’s condition in terms of its longitudinal coefficient of …

Electrical Resistivity Of Sandy Soil With Water, Leachates And Seawater, Lopa Mudra Pandey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Liners are used in the engineered containment systems such as landfills for controlling the migration of contaminants. Although there are several techniques for detecting the leakages through the liners, use of the electrical resistivity method can assist in timely detection of contaminant migration in cost-effective manner. This method is based on the well-established fact that the electrical resistivity of soils and other geomaterials is much higher than the electrical resistivity of water, leachates or any liquid effluents which may permeate the landfill foundation material. Additionally, the geotechnical properties of a soil exhibit a close relationship with its electrical resistivity values …