Impurity effect on clear water evaporation: toward modelling wastewater evaporation using ANN,ANFIS-SC and GEP techniques

The growing shortage of freshwater resources and increasing environmental awareness give rise to the use of treated wastewater as an alternative resource for water supply. Accurate estimation of wastewater evaporation (WWE), as the main cause of water losses, is necessary for proper water resources management. Unfortunately, few studies have focused on modelling WWE despite its vital importance. This study investigates the ability of gene expression programming (GEP), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural networks (ANN) techniques to estimate WWE as a function of variables including wastewater properties, clear water evaporation and climatic factors. The study uses measured data from an experiment conducted in Neishaboor municipal wastewater treatment plant, Iran. Results indicate that the ANN model is superior among the three methods, and also demonstrates higher accuracy when compared with those of a dimensional analysis model using the F-test statistic.     

Experimental investigation of density current patterns using dynamic fractal analysis

Density currents are caused by a difference in density,though low,of an entering fluid with the ambient fluid.This type of current is two-phased and found on riverbeds or in reservoirs behind dams,and is nonlinear in nature,complex,and sensitive to initial conditions.Fractal geometry is used as a powerful tool for studying complex natural phenomena.Using experimental studies and changes in inlet current conditions,the fractal and multi-fractal analyses of the interface between the density current and the ambient fluid were done.In addition,a search was made to find a possible connection between the nonlinear patterns.According to the results,with an increase in the inlet discharge and inlet density of the current the fractal dimension decreased.Further,the smaller the range of the singularity spectrum diagram was,i.e.,the more it was less than 0.34,the lower the system's tendency was to be multi-fractal,and the system sensitive to large local changes.In the interface between the density current and the ambient fluid,using the fractal dimension-based Richardson number could improve experimental data by 12.4%.Moreover,with an increase in the Richardson number,the Reynolds number of the current decreased.Further,upon considering the fractal dimension,the Reynolds number improved by 23%and a good correlation with a coefficient of determination of 0.76.     

Image Segmentation for Hydrothermal Alteration Mapping Using PCA and Concentration–Area Fractal Model

Information extraction from processed remotely sensed images, in the case of missing initial spectra of pixels, can be a challenge for the users. In such situations, application of conventional methods based on spectral properties of pixels is impractical. We took advantage of the fractal theory for image segmentation of a principal component (PC) image for hydrothermal alteration mapping. The selected input images included short wave infrared bands of ASTER imagery covering the Darrehzar porphyry copper mine and surrounding areas with well-known hydrothermal alteration zones. Hydrothermal alteration like other geological processes can show spatial distribution with fractal properties. Principal component analysis was used to enhance hydrothermal alteration associated with the Darrehzar porphyry copper deposit. None of the resulting PCs were appropriate to portray clearly important alteration types in the study area. The PC1 image, which contains more than 98% of variance of the input bands, was selected for image segmentation using a digital number–area technique based on the established concentration–area fractal model. This technique was proposed based on frequency distributions and spatial correlation and variability of pixel values. The resulting hydrothermal alteration map indicates intense phyllic, weak phyllic, and propylitic as the main alteration types exposed at the surface of the Darrehzar area. In addition, the proposed technique delineated the phyllic zone in the exposed mine pit and a transition zone between inner phyllic and surrounding propylitic alteration zones. Field investigation and sampling in 23 locations including spectral measurements, XRD and thin section studies, confirmed the accuracy of the classified image by the proposed technique.     

Lusi,a clastic‐dominated geysering system in Indonesia recently explored by surface and subsurface observations

The spectacular eruption of Lusi began in NE Java, Indonesia, on 29 May 2006 and is still ongoing. Since its birth, Lusi has presented a pulsating activity marked by frequent eruptions of gas, water, mud and clasts. The aim of this study was to bridge subsurface and surface observations to describe Lusi's behaviour. Based on visual observations from 2014 to 2015, Lusi's erupting activity is characterised by four recurrent phases: (1) regular bubbling activity; (2) clastic geysering; (3) clastic geysering with mud bursts and intense vapour discharge; (4) quiescent phase. With a temporary network of five seismic stations deployed around the crater, we could identify tremor events related to phases 2 and 3. One of the tremor types shows periodic overtones that we associate with mud wagging in the feeder conduit. On the basis of our observations, we would describe Lusi as a sedimentary‐hosted hydrothermal system with clastic‐dominated geysering activity.     

Hazardous waste landfill site selection in Khorasan Razavi Province, Northeastern Iran

The disposal is the final step of any hazardous waste management plan. An inappropriate landfill site may have negative environmental, economical, and ecological impacts. Therefore, landfills should be sited carefully by taking into account various rules, regulations, factors, and constraints. In this study, candidate sites for hazardous landfills in the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province are determined using the integration of geographic information system and landfill susceptibility zonation methods. For this, the inappropriate areas were first removed from the model, and the suitability of remaining regions were evaluated using 15 different criteria in two steps. With this done, nine candidate sites were selected as the most suitable locations. Finally, the selected landfill sites were proposed based on environmental impact assessment (Leopold matrix) and economical studies. This study shows that Maasumabad, Kheirabad, Mayamey, and Yonsi are the best locations for the constitution of landfill in Khorasan Razavi province, respectively.     

Modelling of unsaturated ground behaviour influenced by vegetation transpiration

Vegetation contributes to weak soil stabilisation through reinforcement of the soil, dissipation of excess pore pressure and increasing the shear strength by induced matric suction. This paper describes the way vegetation influences soil matric suction, shrinkage and ground settlement in the vadose zone through transpiration. A mathematical model for the rate of root water uptake, including the root growth rate considering ground conditions, type of vegetation and climatic parameters, has been developed. A finite element approach is employed to solve the transient coupled flow-deformation equations. The finite element mesh is built using partially saturated soil elements capable of representing the salient aspects of unsaturated permeability and the soil water characteristic curve. The model formulation is based on the effective stress theory of unsaturated soils. Based on this proposed model, the distribution of the ground matric suction profile adjacent to the tree is numerically analysed. Current field measurements of soil matric suction and moisture content collected from Miram site located in Victoria State, Australia by the authors are compared with the numerical predictions. The results indicate that the proposed root water uptake model incorporated in the numerical analysis can be used for prediction of ground properties influenced by tree roots.     

Study of pore pressure variation during liquefaction using two constitutive models for sand

Numerical analyses of liquefiable sand are presented in this paper. Liquefaction phenomenon is an undrained response of saturated sandy soils when they are subjected to static or dynamic loads. A fully coupled dynamic computer code is developed to predict the liquefaction potential of a saturated sandy layer. Coupled dynamic field equations of extended Biot's theory with u–P formulation are used to determine the responses of pore fluid and soil skeleton. Generalized Newmark method is employed for integration in time. The soil behavior is modelled by two constitutive models; a critical state two-surface plasticity model, and a densification model. A class ‘B’ analysis of a centrifuge experiment is performed to simulate the dynamic response of level ground sites. The results of the numerical analyses demonstrate the capability of the critical sate two-surface plasticity model in producing pore pressures that are consistent with observations of the behavior of liquefiable sand in the centrifuge test.     

Numerical study of the coupled hydro-mechanical effects in dynamic compaction of saturated granular soils

Dynamic compaction is a widely used method for improvement of loose granular deposits. Its applicability in saturated layers generally considered to be less effective because of the fact that part of the applied energy is absorbed by pore water. Up to now the majority of numerical simulations have focused on the analysis of dynamic compaction in dry/moist soils. In this paper, a fully coupled hydro-mechanical finite element code has been developed and employed to evaluate the dynamic compaction effects on saturated granular soils. After verification of the results by comparing the numerical results with those measured in a real field case of DC treatment in a highway, some sensitivity analyses have been performed to evaluate the effect of water phase on the dimensions of the zone of improvement in the soil beneath the tamper. The results indicate that in the DC process the soil demonstrate two different behaviors. At the very early stage after impact, the soil behaves in an undrained manner and high oscillation of pore pressure occurs. After this phase, consolidation begins during which the pore-water-flow out of the soil mass takes place. The numerical analysis reveals that most of the DC improvement occurs during the undrained phase. The main mechanism responsible for the densification of soil during the undrained phase seems to be the compressibility of pore water. The simulation results indicate that the improvement zone diminishes when the degree of saturation increases.