Engineering Commons^™

Mn-Catalyzed Oxidation Of Multiple-Ringed Aromatics, G. Whelan, Ronald C. Sims

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

The role of manganese (Mn) oxides in catalyzing the abiotic oxidation of polynuclear aromatic compounds (PNAs) has been investigated by monitoring the oxidation of dihydrodiol and dione PNAs and corresponding reduction of Mn in an aqueous environment. 1,4-, 1,3-, and 2,3-naphthalenediol, 1,4-naphthoquinone, and l,4-dihydroxy-9,10-anthracenedione (Quinizarin) were oxidized in an oxic, aqueous environment, where each of these organic compounds is soluble in water, except Quinizarin. A mathematical model is presented, which describes the redox reactions, and suggests that electron transfer/organic release from the oxide surface is rate limiting with the reaction apparently proceeding through a free-radical formation. Results indicate significant oxidation …

Treatment Of Pentachlorophenol With Manganese Oxide Addition To Biotic And Abiotic Sediments, R. Petrie, J. E. Mclean, Ronald C. Sims

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Laboratory microcosms containing subsamples of a complex environmental sediment were used to evaluate the addition of oxidized manganese as the primary electron acceptor in the presence of pentachlorophenol (PCP) as the primary electron donor. Manganese oxide (MnO₂) particles were added to poisoned abiotic and non-poisoned biotic microcosms and incubated at 11°C in the presence of sediment samples that were shown capable of mineralizing PCP with indigenous microorganisms. Reduction in PCP concentration and production of reduced manganese was measured for both abiotic and biotic systems.

PCP was observed to be transformed most rapidly and to the greatest extent in …

Evaluation Of Biological Treatability Of Soil Contaminated With Manufactured Gas Plant Waste, J. S. Ginn, Ronald C. Sims, I. P. Murarka

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

The biological treatability of subsurface soil contaminated with manufactured gas plant (MGP) waste was evaluated. Mineralization assays incorporating ¹⁴C-phenanthrene were used to evaluate the biotransformation potential of indigenous microorganisms at the site. Multi-phase laboratory microcosms were used to evaluate the interphase transfer potential and chemical mass distribution of phenanthrene. The Microtox™ bioassay was used to evaluate detoxification trends at the site. Mineralization results indicated that indigenous microorganisms at the site were capable of transforming phenanthrene, a component of coal-tar creosote. Results also indicated that spiked ¹⁴C-phenanthrene mineralization was influenced by nutrient addition and by the amount of contamination. …

Mn-Catalyzed Oxidation Of Naphthalenediol, G. Whelan, Ronald C. Sims

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates the effects that manganese(IV) dioxide particles have on 2,3-naphthalenediol at varying pH levels (i.e., initial pH of 4.58, 5.85, and 8.75) and under different organic concentration conditions (4×¹⁰⁻³, 4×¹⁰⁻⁴, and 4×¹⁰⁻⁵ M), and assesses the importance of Mn oxides on abiotic catalysis of the multiple-ringed aromatic compound. Proton concentration affected the rates of reductive dissolution; as the pH values increased, the rate of reductive dissolution decreased, as predicted by theory. Also, as the concentration of naphthalenediol increased, the rate of reductive dissolution increased, although not proportionally; thus indicating that a majority of …

Optimal Pumping Strategy To Capture Tce Plume At Base Boundary, Norton Afb, California, Richard C. Peralta, A. H. Aly

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Ground water contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE) at Norton AFB (NAFB) has reached off-base supply wells. Utah State University (USU) computed an optimal steady pumping strategy to eventually halt off-base migration of TCE exceeding 5 ppb. (A steady pumping strategy is a spatially distributed set of extraction and injection rates.)

Simplex Algorithm For Optimizing Drainage Design, Majid Ehteshami, Lyman S. Willardson, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A methodology and computer model is developed to determine economically optimum closed subsurface drainage systems in irrigated areas. The model maximizes net benefits, by comparing profit driven by crop yield to drain system cost and selects an optimum drain layout. The optimization methodology used, is the SIMPLEX method, Neider and Mead. The SIMPLEX model was linked to the subsurface drainage model DRAINMOD Skaggs [10], and to the surface hydraulic model KINE, Walker and Skogerboe[14]. The selected optimum drainage system maximizes the difference between total revenue, and the total cost of installation, operation and management of a particular drainage system. The …

Optimal Perennial Groundwater Yield Planning For Complex Nonlinear Aquifers: Methods And Examples, Shu Takahashi, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Optimal perennial groundwater yield pumping strategies were computed for a complex multilayer aquifer with: (i) confined and unconfined flow, and (ii) many flows typically described by piecewise-linear (nonsmooth) equations. The latter flows account for over 50% of the aquifer discharge from the test area, the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Normally utilized response matrix (RM) and embedding (EM) simulation/optimization modelling procedures did not converge to optimal solutions for this area; they diverged or oscillated. However, the newly presented linear RM and EM approaches satisfactorily addressed the nonlinearities posed by over 2000 piecewise-linear constraints for evapotranspiration, discharge …

Stepwise Pumping Approach To Improve Free Phase Light Hydrocarbon Recovery From Unconfined Aquifers, Grant Cooper, Richard C. Peralta, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A stepwise, time-varying pumping approach is developed to improve free phase oil recovery of light non-aqueous phase liquids {LNAPL) from a homogeneous, unconfined aquifer. Stepwise pumping is used to contain the floating oil plume and obtain efficient free oil recovery. The pumping approach is developed using detailed simulations, multiple linear regression and graphical plots. The approach uses ARMOS©, an areal two-dimensional multiphase flow, finite-element simulation model. Systematic simulations of f~ oil area changes to pumping rates are analyzed. Pumping rates are determined that achieve LNAPL plume containment at different times (i.e. 90, 180 and 360 days) for a planning period …

Maximizing Conjunctive Use Of Surface And Ground Water Under Surface Water Quality Constraints, Muhammad Shafqat Ejaz, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A simulation/optimization (s/o) model is presented to address the increasingly common conflicts between water quantity and quality objectives. The model can assist water resources analysts in selecting compromise strategies for stream/aquifer systems in which the stream gains water from the aquifer. The water quantity objective is to maximize steady conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water resources. The water quality objective is to maximize waste loading from a sewage treatment plant {STP) to the stream without violating downstream water quality beyond acceptable limits. The STP discharge is proportional to human population. The two objectives conflict because an increase in groundwater …

Application Of Lawn Fertilizers And Pesticides In Salt Lake Valley Recharge Areas, Ghassan R. Musharrafieh, Larry Sager, Howard M. Deer, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Homeowners, chemical applicators, and commercial lawncare companies apply chemicals to lawns and ornamentals overlying the recharge zone of Salt Lake Valley's principal aquifer. These applied fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides can potentially leach far enough to contaminate ground water. This report summarizes a study conducted in 1993-1994 to determine the type, rate, and frequency of applying chemicals to lawns and ornamentals in the recharge zone. Surveyed are lawncare companies, chemical applicators, schools, churches, hospitals, parks, homeowners, and government documents and community and state regulations. Results will help assess the potential impact of these applications on future ground water quality.

Modelling For Optimal Conjunctive Water Management: Irrigated Crop Production Versus Nps Pollution Prevention, O. H. Daza, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Conjunctive water management{CWM)involves coordinating use of ground and surface water sources. Agricultural (A) and nonagricultural {NA)users compete for available water of adequate quality. A Simulation/Optimization (S/0) conjunctive water management model was developed to aid estimating the effects of water and environmental management decisions on crop yield and water quality. Included subsystems are groundwater, surface water, reservoir, delivery system, drainage, and A and NA water users. The nonlinear model addresses flows described by nonsmooth piecewise-linear functions which have discontinuous derivatives. Embedded constraints describe all significant subsystem flows. For example 1 deep percolation and runoff from surface irrigation are explicitly described as …

Conjunctive Management Of Surface Water And Ground Water Quantity And Quality: Conceptual And Functional Modelling Approach, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This report discusses how to design a computer model to aid optimizing conjunctive management of groundwater and surface water quantity and quality. The report does not present a completed computer model, but rather discusses how a future model could be developed. The discussed modelling approach is termed PROMOD (PROposed methodology and MODel). Precursors to PROMOD are in current use, but are far from having all the attributes discussed here. The additional capabilities are important to address world needs.

In Situ Bioremediation Of Contaminated Unsaturated Subsurface Soils, Joseph L. Sims, R. C. Sims, R. R. Dupont, J. E. Mathews, M. M. Russell

Reports

An emerging technology for the remediation of unsaturated subsurface soils involves the use of microorganisms to degrade contaminants which are present in such soils. Understanding the processes which drive in situ bioremediation, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the utilization of these systems, are issues which have been identified by the Regional Superfund Engineering Forum as concerns of Superfund decision makers.

Load Transfer Mechanisms For Piles In Soft Soils, Andrew L. Palmer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to interpret pile load test data for several instrumented piles to determine the load transfer characteristics of driven piles in soft soils. Piles develop resistance to axial loads through two different mechanisms, side friction and end bearing. The rate that resistance develops is dependent upon soil type, pile type, and movement of the pile with respect to the soil. This thesis addresses load transfer for driven pipe piles in deep lacustrine deposits along the Wasatch Front area of Utah. The piles used in this study were installed for the support of highway structures in …

The Design Of An Augmentative Communications Device, Darren Blaser, Scott Sorenson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There is an extremely large number of people in the modem world who have difficulty communicating. Among these are approximately 25 million people with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a disability that is usually caused during, or shortly after birth. Cerebral palsy usually affects a person's motor skills and sense of balance, often rendering them incapable of speaking clearly enough to be understood well. Because this group of people cannot communicate as effectively as other individuals, many uninformed people suppose they do not have as great a need to speak, to say things like, "How are you?", ''I'm Hungry", "Thank …

Evaluation Of Flood Routing Techniques For Incremental Damage Assessment, Enan Fakhri Jayyousi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Incremental damage assessment is a tool used to assess the justification for expensive modifications of inadequate dams. The input data to incremental damage assessment are the output from the breach analysis and flood routing. For this reason, flood routing should be conducted carefully. Distorted results from the flood routing technique or unstable modeling of the problem will distort the results of an incremental damage assessment, because an error in the estimated incremental stage will cause a certain error in the estimated incremental damages.

The objectives of this study were (1) to perform a comprehensive survey of the available dam break …

Advanced Navigation For Planetary Vehicles Applying An Approximate Mapping Technique, Timothy R. Mcjunkin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis provides a method for compressing the information provided by JPL Mars rover obstacle sensors by creating an approximate map of the terrain around the vehicle. This thesis demonstrates that this method provides adequate information for a human operator to negotiate complex obstacles fields.

By dividing the area around the vehicle into regions and classifying each region as to how dangerous (impassable), the sensor data can be accumulated with minimal overhead. The terrain in each region has a number between zero and one, with zero meaning completely passable and one meaning completely impassable. A continuum of possible values between …

Design And Evaluation Of Stepped Spillways For High Dams, Jeffrey Scott Rau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to investigate the hydraulic performance of stepped spillways. A thorough investigation was made of all printed material on stepped spillways, and a summary of this material is presented in the text. Data from experiments in the laboratory were used to develop a design procedure for stepped spillways and hydraulic jump stilling basins. The experimental study was conducted at Utah State University - Utah Water Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah. Four models were built and tested in the laboratory under various flowrates.

The crest of the model spillway was constructed in the shape of a …

Use Of Multispectral Aerial Videography For Jurisdictional Delineation Of Wetland Areas, James A. Shoemaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Multispectral aerial videography was used to reproduce the jurisdictional delineation of wetland area of approximately 50 hectares in Davis County, Utah Imagery from the system consisted of three-band composite with wavelengths covering 550 nm (±10 nm), 650 nm (±10 nm), and 850 nm (±10 nm). The site was overflown at three different flight dates during the 1992 growing season (June 2, July 22, October 1). Imagery resolution varied from 0.56 m to 0.81 m. Mosaiced images were analyzed with a Supervised clustering/maximum likelihood classifier, ISODATA clustering/Euclidan classifier, statistical clustering/maximum likelihood classifier, and fuzzy c-means clustering. Overall accuracies for wetland/upland designations …

Modeling Of Natural Settling In A Trapezoidal Sedimentation Basin, Kent S. Wilkerson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objectives of this thesis are to 1) review current theory relative to numerically modeling a trapezoidal settling basin, 2) develop a more appropriate model to better predict settling and deposition within a basin, and 3) confirm the accuracy of the model. The TSB (Trapezoidal Settling Basin) model was developed as part of this thesis. The Bureau of Reclamation's SETSIZE model performs similar analysis, but the TSB model makes significant improvements. The TSB model improves numerical modeling of a trapezoidal basin by allowing both sediment and sieve particle data, complex basin geometries with a multidimensional sediment deposition, and improved hydrograph …

Developing A Benchmark For Evaluating The Performance Of Parallel Computers, D. Ladd Williamson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper discusses the development of a portable suite of benchmarking programs for parallel computers. Comparative measurement of the performance of parallel computing systems has been limited because of the great diversity of architectures and of processor interconnection schemes. One solution is to translate benchmark codes into a consistent and portable parallel language. This paper reports on progress in developing such a portable suite of benchmarks. An extensive introduction to parallel computing is included as an appendix, to provide a thorough understanding of the factors complicating development of the performance suite. Key to the development was the use of p4, …

Integrated Embedding Optimization Applied To Salt Lake Valley Aquifers, A. Gharbi, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The embedding optimization modeling approach is adapted to aid sustainable groundwater quantity and quality management of complex nonlinear multilayer aquifers. Implicit block-centered finite difference approximations of the quasi three-dimensional unsteady flow equation and Galerkin finite element approximations of the two-dimensional advection-dispersion transport equation are embedded directly as constraints in the model. Also used are nonlinear constraints describing river-aquifer interflow, evapotranspiration, and vertical flow reduction due to unconfinement. These circumvent use of large numbers of integer variables. The use of both linear and nonlinear formulations in a cyclical manner reduces execution time and improves confidence in solution optimality. The methodology is …

Pc Software For Optimizing Groundwater Contaminant Plume Capture And Containment, Richard C. Peralta, Herminio H. Suguino, Alaa H. Aly

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Simulation/optimization (S/0) models can be used to speed the process of computing desirable groundwater pumping strategies for plume management. They make the process of computing optimal strategies fairly straightforward and can help minimize the labor and cost of groundwater contaminant cleanup.

Classification Using Set-Valued Kalman Filtering And Levi's Decision Theory, T.K. Moon, Scott E. Budge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We consider the problem of using Levi's expected epistemic decision theory for classification when the hypotheses are of different informational values, conditioned on convex sets obtained from a set-valued Kalman filter. The background of epistemic utility decision theory with convex probabilities is outlined and a brief introduction to set-valued estimation is given. The decision theory is applied to a classifier in a multiple-target tracking scenario. A new probability density, appropriate for classification using the ratio of intensities, is introduced.

Epistemic Decision Theory Applied To Multiple-Target Tracking, T. K. Moon, Scott E. Budge, W. C. Stirling, J. B. Thompson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A decision philosophy that seeks the avoidance of error by trading off belief of truth and value of information is applied to the problem of recognizing tracks from multiple targets (MTT). A successful MTT methodology should be robust in that its performance degrades gracefully as the conditions of the collection become less favorable to optimal operation. By stressing the avoidance, rather than the explicit minimization, of error, the authors obtain a decision rule for trajectory-data association that does not require the resolution of all conflicting hypotheses when the database does not contain sufficient information to do so reliably. This rule, …

Optical Computing: Introduction By The Feature Editors, Scott Hinton, Bernard Soffer, Frank A.P. Tooley, Ken-Ichi Yukimatsu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This feature of Applied Optics: Information Processing on optical computing comprises thirty papers. Most of the papers evolved from papers presented at the Fifth Topical Meeting on Optical Computing held in March 1993 in Palm Springs, California.

Selecting Controls For Water Distribution Systems, J. Paul Tullis

Reports

One of the key requirements for reliable operations of a water supply system is a thorough analysis and proper selection of the control valves and pumps. For valves, selection criteria includes capacity, pressure loss, controllability, torque, cavitation and transients. Pump selection requires matching the pump performance to varying system demands. Examples are given for single pump operation and use of pumps in series and parallel. When future demands exceed the original design conditions, or if significant changes are required in the operation of the system, each important control device should be analyzed to see if it can operate safely at …

Antecedent Moisture Conditions For Utah Local Storm Probable Maximum Floods, Travis S. Taylor, David S. Bowles

Reports

Introduction: The critical inflow design flood for most dams in Utah is the probable maximum flood (PMF) resulting from the local storm probable maximum precipitation (PMP) event. Commonly, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number method is used to determine the PMF from the local storm PMP. An important factor in this determination is the assumption of antecedent moisture conditions (AMC) existing immediately prior to the onset of the PMP event. At one northern Utah dam site the use of AMC III increased the PMF peak flowrate by 50 percent over the peak obtained when AMC II was used (Win …

The Study Of Resistance And Stability Of Vegetation In Flood Channels, William Rahmeyer, David Werth, Rob Cleere

Reports

Preface: The following report was prepared by the Utah Water Research Laboratory of Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The report contains the data and conclusions of flow tests conducted with different types of shrubs and woody vegetation in the hydraulics flumes of Utah State University. The funding agency for this project was the U.S. Army Engineers Waterwasy Experiment Stations, Vicksburg, MS.; Project Name - Flood Control Channels; Work Unit Title - Stability of Vegetative Cover in Flood Control Channels; Work Unit No - 337A3; Federal Contract No - DACW39-94-K-0009. The study was the result of a proposal submitted in …

Low Frequency Climate Variability: Understanding The Rise And Fall Of The Great Salt Lake, Michael E. Mann, Upmanu Lall, Barry Saltzman

Reports

Connections between the Great Salt Lake (GSL) volume (V) and large-scale climate variations are developed through an analysis of the time series of the month-to-month differences in V (change in V), local precipitation and streamflow, and gridded U.S. sea level pressure and global temperature data. We isolate decadal and secular mdoes of cliamte variability that are coherent with change in V variations. The decadal variations results from a low-frequency north-south shifting of storm tracks which influence winter precipitation. These variations describe nearly 18% of the interannual variance in change in V, while the secular trend accounts for only ~1.5%. The …