Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Potential Effects Of Pneumatic Fracturing On Existing Structures And Utilities, Michael C. Canino

Theses

This thesis develops a mathematical design model for predicting ground deformations resulting from pneumatic fracturing. Pneumatic fracturing is a patented process developed for the purpose of enhancing the in situ treatment and removal of hazardous contaminants from geologic formations. During pneumatic injections, measurable ground deformations are experienced both during and after the process. Safe application of pneumatic fracturing to contaminated plumes occurring beneath existing structures and utilities requires that the elastic deformation behavior of the geologic formation and overlying structures be quantified.

Data from five pneumatic fracturing sites were regressed to establish the characteristic polynomial describing the curvature of ground …

A Methodology For The Design Of An Integrated Air Stripping/Biofiltration Process To Clean Contaminated Aquifers, Pothitos Ioannis Stamatiadis

Theses

This thesis deals with the conceptual design of an integrated air stripping/biofiltration process for cleaning aquifers contaminated with volatile organic pollutants. In this technology, the pollutant is transferred from the aquifer to an air stream which is subsequently treated in a biofilter. The work presented here is an effort to develop a design methodology for the integrated process and suggests a general, quantitative approach which can be used in preliminary technology evaluation. This methodology involves relatively simple equations for the stripping process and detailed (oftentimes complex) models for biofiltration under conditions of continuous variation of the properties of the polluted …

Biodegradation And Landfill Settlement, Shailesh Pisolkar

Theses

The most widely used method for the final disposal of solid waste is landfilling, which is also economical and simpler than most other disposal systems. Long term settlement in a landfill occurs mainly due to biodegradation of the refuse which is a very slow microbiological process. However, if the rate of biodegradation is enhanced, it may be possible to achieve early stabilization, faster settlement, consequently more capacity of the landfill to handle waste.

The objective of this research is to study the effects of enhanced biodegradation on settlement and to compare these results to other models used for predicting landfill …

Solidification/Stabilization Of Petroleum Contaminated Soils With Cold Mix Asphalt Concrete, Nazhat Aboobaker

Theses

In this research Petroleum Contaminated Soils (PCSs) are recycled in Cold Mix Asphalt (CMA), to produce a useful product that can control potential environmental threats. The stability, durability, and hydraulic conductivity are three important engineering parameters that need to be considered when using petroleum contaminated soils (PCSs) in cold mix asphalt (CMA). In this research, stability, durability, and hydraulic conductivity due to the addition of six different PCSs into CMA is investigated. The stability test were performed to determine if cold mix asphalt made with petroleum contaminated soil can withstand heavy traffic. The freeze-thaw, and wet-dry tests were performed to …

Relationship Between Precipitation, Surface Runoff, And Shallow Water-Table, Manoj Patel

Theses

In this study, a model was developed to describe the relationship between precipitation, surface runoff, and shallow groundwater table in a watershed that is subjected to groundwater extraction and urbanization. Regression analysis of fourteen years (1976-1989) of time series data for precipitation, stream discharge, ground water elevation, and groundwater extraction yielded good correlation between these parameters.

Analysis of the data associated with groundwater recharge and discharge events that occurred in the watershed from 1976 to 1989 yielded a high correlation between the above cited parameters. Regression analysis utilized to predict monthly variations in groundwater elevations showed a fair correlation between …

Advanced Characterization And Leaching Behavior Of Hexavalent And Trivalent Chromium From Waste Material, Erik Moerman

Theses

In this thesis we employed advanced characterization techniques such as XRF, XRD, XPS, SEM, and EDS to provide detailed information about the chromium waste _ specifically chromium valence states (Cr(VI) and Cr(III)), and their chemical association with other phases in the waste matrix.

The removal of Cr(VI) was accomplished by leaching with aqueous solutions containing inorganic anions such as Cl^-, SO₄^2-, PO₄^3- and others. Cr(VI) can be released from the waste by a combination of desorption and ion exchange processes. The efficiency and kinetics of displacing CrO₄^2- from the waste by …

Development Of A Fiber Optic Polarimetric Sensor For Concrete, Insang Lee

Theses

Development of a fiber optic sensor for embedment in cementitious composites and measurement of displacements associated with the opening of microcracks is described. The sensor can be employed as a transducer for measurement of crack tip opening displacements during fracture tests. A polarization maintaining fiber is used as the sensing element, and transduction mechanism is similar to those of other polarimetric type based sensors. However, the deformation resolving power of the sensor is increased by way of increasing the effective length of the optical fiber. This is done by winding the optical fiber into a coil. A direct relationship between …

Separation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons By Using Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography, Patricia Simmons

Theses

In this work, the use of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for the separation of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds is investigated. All of the compounds studied are listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants.

In micellar electrokinetic chromatography, solutes partition between the aqueous phase and the micellar phase. This partition is based on the hydrophobicity of each compound. In some cases, organic modifiers are added to the electrophoretic solution to enhance the separation efficiency. The organic modifier used in this study is y-cyclodextrin (y-CD), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is used as the micellar phase. …

Remediation And Reuse Of Chromium Contaminated Soils Through Cold Top Ex-Site Vitrification, Wiwat Kamolpornwijit

Theses

More than 150 sites in Hudson County, New Jersey are identified as chromium contaminated sites. Hexavalent chromium, highly soluble in water, is considered as an environmental and health hazard, classified as a group A human carcinogen. In this research, the feasibility was performed to study the possibility of remediation of chromium contaminated soil by ex-situ vitrification and to evaluate reuse potential of vitrified products as highway construction aggregate. A series of physical and chemical analysis was conducted on nine soil samples collected from different chromium contaminated sites. Results were analyzed for their compatibility for vitrification. Sand and carbon were added …

Sensivity Analysis And Design Calculations With Biofiltration Models, Michael Lawrence Cohen

Theses

Biofiltration is a new technology for biological treatment of volatile organic compounds present in airstreams. It is a complex process and thus, engineering models which attempt to describe it are by necessity very involved and contain a large number of parameters.

In this study, two models describing biofiltration of airstreams carrying a single pollutant (VOC) were used in detailed parameter-sensitivity studies. One model concerned biofiltration under steady-state conditions, while the second described the transient behavior of the process. The intent of the sensitivity studies was to determine which model parameters need to be known with accuracy in order to allow …

Nondestructive Dynamic Load Testing Of Bridges Using Strain Sensors, Suzanne Boland

Theses

This thesis investigates the use of nondestructive bridge load testing utilizing strain sensing equipment. Nondestructive bridge load testing has not been used extensively due to lack of expertise and perceived high cost. It can, however, play a key role when an existing bridge needs to be evaluated. Since most evaluation techniques tend to be conservative, the results from such an evaluation may not represent the real properties of the structural members. The true properties of an existing bridge can be identified using the results from nondestructive static and dynamic load testing. The procedures used to identify a structure with the …

A Study Of Settlement In Landfills Due To Biodegradation, Michael Guasconi

Theses

Finding new space for landfills is difficult due to land availability, stringent environmental regulations, and public sentiment. So other means of waste disposal, such as hauling it to a distant landfill, or incinerating it, will have to be resorted to. These methods may be unpopular with the public involved. By studying settlement due to biodegradation, ways to increase settlement can be found, allowing for additional waste disposal capacity in operating, and closed landfills.

Existing theoretical models are based on rheological concepts, not on biodegradation. So, they do not realistically model settlement. In this study, a model to determine the rate, …

Optimizing Rail-Truck Intermodal Drayage Operations, Wen Zhang

Theses

This thesis presents a case study of the trucking (or drayage) portion of rail-truck intermodal freight transportation. The approach used was to examine in detail the current costs and potential for improvement at one New Jersey intermodal terminal. The analysis is conducted using a mathematical programming model to find an optimal scheduling plan for the drayage operation. To solve the model more efficiently, a modification is made to explore the special structure of the original problem which has a sparse constraint matrix. The model is solved first with an objective function that minimizes the total cost of the operation, and …

Reverse Osmosis As A Pretreatment Of Ion Exchange Equipment At Pse & G'S Hudson Generation Station, Steven Leon

Theses

Public Service Electric and Gas Company's Hudson Generating Station has historically had problems providing sufficient high quality water for its two once through, supercritical design boilers. The station requires over 60 million gallons annually to compensate for system losses.

The stations' ion exchange demineralizers proved to be costly to operate and overall inefficient in performance. Drawbacks include: short service cycles, periodic contamination of storage tanks due to premature breakthrough, prohibitively high chemical regenerant costs, excessive labor requirements, frequent resin replacement, and overall unreliable plant operations.

A reverse osmosis unit was installed as a pretreatment to the demineralizers to offset these …

Congestion Management Systems Development And Implementation : Four Case Studies, Arlene Rose-Marie Willis

Theses

To address concerns of poor air quality, congested highways and the need to manage and plan for transportation within budgetary constraints, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) mandated the development and implementation of a Congestion Management System (CMS). Primarily, a CMS will fuel transportation decision making with information on system performance and alternate strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance mobility. Efforts through ISTEA are expected to produce a more efficient American transportation system -- this thesis takes a look at the preparatory activities.

It is based on a federally funded project with metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in …

Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Modeling Of The Whippany River, John E. Krohn

Theses

The Whippany River is located in northern New Jersey and is a major tributary to the Passaic River System. This waterway accepts a wide variety of wastes from the diverse communities within its watershed. These wastes contribute to a rather complex network of biological, chemical and physical interactions.

The purpose of this study is to develop a water quality model using QUAL2E. This model will be used as a tool to simulate the complex interactions that take place within the river system. The river must he considered from physical, biological and chemical perspectives. A successful model can determine current water …

Integration Of Pneumatic Fracturing And In Situ Vitrification In Coarse Grained Soils, Sean Thomas Mcgonigal

Theses

This thesis investigates conceptual integration of the Pneumatic Fracturing (PF) process with In Situ Vitrification (ISV) for remediation of contaminated soil. Integration will permit ISV melts to be initiated below the ground surface and extend the depth of the ISV process.

Bench scale experiments were conducted in 4.9 ft³ (0.14 m³) Plexiglas tanks filled with a test soil that was specifically blended to simulate the Hanford Formation in Richland, WA. Discrete pneumatic fractures were successfully created and filled with the ISV starter path material. Conductivity measurements made across two graphite electrodes exhibited a pre-fracture soil resistance of …

A Study Of Transit Corridors Within The Njtpa Region, Mark Kagen Berger

Theses

Identifying potential bus and rail transit corridors for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) region by examining current travel patterns of commuters was the purpose of this thesis. The current transit corridors within the NJTPA region was discussed first, followed by the methods for selecting specific municipalities for analysis. At this point, specific examinations of the selected municipalities' origin and destination travel patterns were mapped. The results were then summed up, along with a discussion of potential new bus and rail transit corridors based on trips originating along a corridor enroute to the same municipality. The final discussion examined …

Reducing Rail-Truck Freight Intermodal Drayage Costs, David Moy Jr.

Theses

In rail-truck intermodal transport, a highway truck-trailer or container is moved by truck from a shipper to a rail terminal in the shipper's vicinity, and by rail in line haul between rail terminals. Upon being unloaded at the destination rail terminal, the container is delivered to a receiver (consignee) by truck. The highway portion of the move, or drayage, accounts for a relatively high percentage of total origin to destination cost, and it limits severely the competitiveness of intermodal service with door-to-door truck service. The approach used in this thesis is to examine in detail the current costs and potential …

Fundamentals Of Adhesion Of Organic Compounds And Aqueous Cleaning Of Glass And Metal Surfaces : Applications In The Pharmaceutical And Chemical Industries, Michel J. De Ruijter

Theses

In this thesis we studied the physics and chemistry of the adhesion of various classes of organic compounds to glass and stainless steel surfaces, by using diagnostic aqueous cleaning solutions and other techniques. We defined the thermodynamic requirements for aqueous cleaning based on extensive experimental and theoretical work. Novel cleaning diagrams are introduced, based on electrostatic interactions between organic compounds and solid surfaces, to facilitate the design of aqueous cleaning systems. We studied the mass transfer parameters for selected situations. The electrochemical Pourbaix-diagrams were used to explain the effect of hydrogen peroxide added to aqueous solutions and to avoid corrosion …

Stress-Strain Behavior Of High Strength Concrete Cylinders, Danqing Chen

Theses

Due to the recent development of high strength concrete in engineering and construction, it has become more important to study the behavior of materials in structures.

No results have been previously published in the literature regarding the influence of aspect ratio in plain high strength concrete cylinders on stress-strain behavior under uniaxial compression.Thus at present study, compression tests were conducted on 3x6 in., 3x9 in., and 3x12 in. plain high strength concrete cylinders to study their stress-strain behavior. Plain normal strength concrete cylinders were also tested and used for comparative study.

Based on the present investigations, attempting to obtain a …

A Comparison Between Revealed Preference (Rp) And Stated Preference (Sp) Based On Results Of Simulations, Qiuzi Chen

Theses

This research quantifies the potential biases resulted from two different data generation methods used in transportation modeling: Revealed Preference (RP) and Stated Preference (SP) techniques. Revealed Preference technique is the conventional approach to generate data. It relies on observed or reported data of actual behavior. Stated preference technique is a new data generation method. It creates transportation scenarios using hypothetical data. Conventional studies favor the use of revealed reference. However, full description of advantages and weaknesses of using revealed preference technique is not available in literature, neither point-to-point comparison between stated preference and revealed preference techniques. This research contributes to …

Mechanical Behavior Of Polystyrene Foam Bead Lightweight Concrete, Hai-Ying Ni

Theses

This thesis is designed to investigate the effect of porosity on the mechanical properties (strength and modulus) of concrete, and to evaluate the effect of silica fume on the mechanical properties of the polystyrene foam bead lightweight concrete. In this research we made the lightweight concrete by using polystyrene foam beads as light weight aggregate and studied its mechanical properties in detail. Due to the near zero density and modulus of foam beads, we were able to consider it as "porosity". We could then control porosity in concrete by varying foam bead volume fraction.

In our experiments we used the …

A Gis Based Multi-Modal Multiple Optimal Path Transit Advanced Traveler Information System, Nicholas A. Koncz

Theses

A method for the design and use of a Transit Advanced Traveler Information System (TATIS) using an off-the-shelf Geographic Information System (GIS) is developed in this thesis. The research design included: 1) representing multi-modal transit networks in a digital form with schedule databases; 2) development of a multiple "optimal" path algorithm that takes into account walking transfers using published time schedules; 3) incorporating user preferences and penalties in the algorithm; 4) development of a user-interface with suitable output capabilities; 5) using the prototype for sample inquiries giving performance measures.

This prototype was developed using the Arc/Info GIS developed by ESRI, …

The Use And Evaluation Of Cleaner Wicks To Accelerate In Situ Bioremediation Of Organically Contaminated Groundwater And Soil, Brian Michael Sielski

Theses

The adaptation of Cleaner Wicks to accelerate in situ bioremediation of organically contaminated ground water and soil can be accomplished by making minor modifications to the Cleaner Wick design.

Once these changes in the Cleaner Wick design have been made the two primary ingredients necessary for aerobic microorganisms, nutrients and oxygen, can be delivered via the Cleaner Wick to the subsurface environment both above and below the water table to stimulate microbial growth and activity. Therefore, the microbial population will be able to biodegrade the target contaminants, rendering them harmless products such as carbon dioxide and water.

An adequate understanding …

Integration Of Surfactants And Time Release Nutrients With Pneumatic Fracturing Process, Atiqur Md. Rahman

Theses

The objective of this laboratory study was the development of two novel improvements to the pneumatic fracturing process which would extend its present application. The first involved use of surfactant during pneumatic injection, and the second was subsurface injection of "time-release" dry nutrient pellets for enhancement of in situ biodegradation.

Bench scale tests demonstrated that pneumatic fracturing can be successfully performed with air containing a surfactant solution (foam fracturing). The results showed that foam fracturing followed by increased the rate of surrogate contaminant removal from 8% to 10% compared with regular pneumatic fracturing. These increases were attributed to enlarged fracture …

The Influence Of Hydrodynamics And Particle Size On The Rejection Properties Of Ultrafiltration Membranes, Usama M. Shahin

Theses

A mathematical model based on the flow hydrodynamics is developed to calculate the treatment efficiency of ultrafiltration process. This model relates the treatment efficiency with the consideration of both fixed parameters and variable parameters. The fixed parameters are function of the intrinsic rejection coefficient, diffusion coefficient, and viscosity whereas the variable parameters can be related to the fluid velocity, volume flux, and cartridge dimensions. The model has been examined by solutions with solutes that have different molecular weights. The experimental data fits the proposed mathematical model very closely suggesting its suitability to evaluate the rejection efficiency in ultrafiltration. As such …

Fluid Flow Modeling For Pneumatically Fractured Formations, Deepak Nautiyal

Theses

This thesis investigates the flow of compressible fluids in pneumatically fractured formations. Pneumatic fracturing is a recently developed technique for increasing permeability in geologic formations by the controlled injection of high pressure air. The artificially induced fractures enhance the flow rate of liquids and vapors in the subsurface, and can be applied to in situ remediation of hazardous waste sites, and for other hydrogeological applications.

A flow model for discrete fractures is derived based on the assumptions of viscous, laminar fluid flow through planar fractures (Poiseuille type flow). The model takes into account non-linearity introduced by gas compressibility effects. Provision …

Modeling Arsenic Transformation In Clay Soils, Chao-Yi Chung

Theses

This project is designed to estimate the possible transformation forms of arsenic in clay soil. A computer model was established to simulate arsenic transformations. The amount of arsenic species adsorbed, dissolved, and the predominant soluble species are calculated by the model, which is mainly based on the Freundlich adsorption isotherm, solubility data collected by Keaton and Kardos, and pH-Eh diagram established by Ferguson and Garvis. The computer language used is Turbo PASCAL version 5.5.

The clay soil environment is considered to be in standard state: 25°C 1 atm. Environmental factors of the soil system which are accounted for by the …

Development And Evaluation Of A Nfweav Simulation Model For Weaving Areas Under Non-Freeway Condition, Wen-Min Pan

Theses

The development of a microscopic digital computer simulation model representing vehicle interaction at a weaving area under non-freeway condition is presented. Weaving areas are classified into two categories: 1. Weaving caused by merging and diverging of a ramp with an arterial, 2. On/off ramps connecting an arterial with a highway. The principal characteristics of the simulation model are the following: 1) a car following and lane changing model were used to represent vehicle movements; 2) an anti-collision check algorithm was developed for all vehicle movements; 3) driver merging urgency and follower courtesy model were developed for weaving vehicles. The simulation …