Integrated interpretation of the magnetotelluric and magnetic data from Mahallat geothermal field,Iran

Magnetotelluric (MT) and ground magnetic surveys were conducted on the Mahallat geothermal field situated in Markazi province, central Iran, as a primary part of the explorations and developments of a geothermal energy investigation program in the region. Mahallat region has the greatest geothermal fields in Iran. MT survey was performed in November 2011 on an 8 km profile crossing the hot springs with a total of 17 stations. The 2D inversion of the determinant MT data was performed using a 2D inversion routine based on the Occam approach. The 2D resistivity model obtained from the determinant data shows a low resistivity zone at 800-2000 m depth and a higher resistivity zone above the low resistivity zone, interpreted as geothermal reservoir and cap rock, respectively. It also revealed two major concealed faults which are acting as preferential paths for the circulation of hydrothermal fluids. To obtain more geophysical evidence, a ground magnetic survey with 5000 stations was also performed over an area of 200 km² around the MT profile. Magnetic measurements show a main positive anomaly of about +1000 nT over the study area, which could be interpreted as an intrusive body with the high magnetic susceptibility (i.e. mafic and ultramafic rocks) into the sedimentary host rocks. We interpret the body as the heat source of the geothermal system. Structural index and depth estimation of the anomaly indicate that the intrusive body is similar to a cylinder extending from about one kilometer depth down to greater depths. The results of MT and magnetic investigations indicate a geothermal reservoir which proves the preliminary geological observations to a great extent.     

Photodegradation,Photocatalytic, and Aerobic Biodegradation of Sulfisomidine and Identification of Transformation Products by LC–UV‐MS/MS

Much attention has recently been devoted to the fate and effects of pharmaceuticals in the water cycle. Removal of antibiotics in effluents by photo‐treatment or biodegradation is a topic currently under discussion. Degradation and removal efficiencies of sulfisomidine (SUI) by photodegradation and aerobic biodegradability were studied. SUI behavior was monitored during photolysis and photocatalysis (catalyst titanium dioxide) using 150‐W medium‐pressure Hg lamp. Also an aerobic bacterial degradation test from the OECD series (closed bottle test (CBT, OECD 301 D)) was performed. The primary elimination of SUI was monitored. Structures of photo‐degradation products were assessed by chromatographic separation on a C18 column with ultraviolet detection at 270 nm and ion trap MS. The results demonstrate that SUI is not readily biodegradable in CBT. Photo catalysis was more is effective than photolysis. SUI underwent photodegradation and several SUI photoproducts were identified. Accordingly, the photodegradation pathway of SUI was postulated. When reaching the aquatic environment, SUI and its photo products can constitute a risk to the environment.     

Operational performance of current synthetic aperture radar sensors in mapping soil surface characteristics in agricultural environments: application to hydrological and erosion modelling

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors are often used to characterize the surface of bare soils in agricultural environments. They enable the soil moisture and roughness to be estimated with constraints linked to the configurations of the sensors (polarization, incidence angle and radar wavelength). These key soil characteristics are necessary for different applications, such as hydrology and risk prediction. This article reviews the potential of currently operational SAR sensors and those planned for the near future to characterize soil surface as a function of users' needs. It details what it is possible to achieve in terms of mapping soil moisture and roughness by specifying optimal radar configurations and the precision associated with the estimation of soil surface characteristics. The summary carried out for the present article shows that mapping soil moisture is optimal with SAR sensors at low incidence angles (<35 ). This configuration, which enables an estimated moisture accuracy greater than 6% is possible several times a month taking into account all the current and future sensors. Concerning soil roughness, it is best mapped using three classes (smooth, moderately rough, and rough). Such mapping requires high‐incidence data, which is possible with certain current sensors (RADARSAT‐1 and ASAR both in band C). When L‐band sensors (ALOS) become available, this mapping accuracy should improve because the sensitivity of the radar signal to Soil Surface Characteristics (SSC) increases with wavelength. Finally, the polarimetric mode of certain imminent sensors (ALOS, RADARSAT‐2, TerraSAR‐X, etc.), and the possibility of acquiring data at very high spatial resolution (metre scale), offer great potential in terms of improving the quality of SSC mapping. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Saturation effect on electrical properties of hematitic sandstone in the audio frequency range using non-polarizing electrodes

This paper is devoted to study the effect of saturation, with distilled water, on AC electrical conductivity and dielectric constant of a fully and partially saturated hematitic sandstone sample (Aswan area, Egypt). The saturation of the sample was changed from full saturation to partial saturation by air drying. Complex resistivity measurements at room temperature (∼16° C) were performed in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 100 kHz. We used non-polarizing Cu/CuSO₄ gel electrodes. Experimental electrical spectra indicate, generally, that the electrical conductivity and dielectric constant vary strongly with water saturation and frequency. The low-frequency electrical conductivity and dielectric constant are supposed to be mainly controlled by surface conduction and polarization of the electrical double layer. Power law behaviours with frequency were noticed. The change in electrical conductivity and dielectric constant with increasing water content is fast at low saturations and slow at high saturations. The behaviour of the electrical conductivity and dielectric constant, with increasing water content, was argued to be the orientational polarization of bound water for very low saturations, displacement of the excess surface charges for relatively low saturations and free exchange of excess ions in double layer with the bulk electrolyte and generation of transient diffusional potentials, which lag behind the applied field for high saturations in addition to membrane polarization on clay and at inter-grain and grain surface water throats having selective charge transport properties. Also, from the data a semi-percolation behaviour was found that has a peak of dielectric constant at a certain concentration and an abrupt change in conductivity at another saturation.     

Application of GA in optimization of pore network models generated by multi-cellular growth algorithms

In pore network modeling, the void space of a rock sample is represented at the microscopic scale by a network of pores connected by throats. Construction of a reasonable representation of the geometry and topology of the pore space will lead to a reliable prediction of the properties of porous media. Recently, the theory of multi-cellular growth (or L-systems) has been used as a flexible tool for generation of pore network models which do not require any special information such as 2D SEM or 3D pore space images. In general, the networks generated by this method are irregular pore network models which are inherently closer to the complicated nature of the porous media rather than regular lattice networks. In this approach, the construction process is controlled only by the production rules that govern the development process of the network. In this study, genetic algorithm has been used to obtain the optimum values of the uncertain parameters of these production rules to build an appropriate irregular lattice network capable of the prediction of both static and hydraulic information of the target porous medium.     

Bacterial flora and antibiotic resistance from eggs of green turtles Chelonia mydas: An indication of polluted effluents

Sea turtles migrate to various habitats where they can be exposed to different pollutants. Bacteria were collected from turtle eggs and their resistance to antibiotics was used as pollutant bio-indicators of contaminated effluents. Eggs were collected randomly from turtles when they were laying their eggs. A total of 90 eggs were collected and placed into sterile plastic bags (3 eggs/turtle) during June-December of 2003. The bacteria located in the eggshell, albumen and yolk were examined, and 42% of the eggs were contaminated with 10 genera of bacteria. Pseudomonas spp. were the most frequent isolates. The albumen was found to be the part of the egg to be the least contaminated by bacterial infection. Bacterial isolates tested with 14 antibiotics showed variations in resistance. Resistance to ampicillin was the highest. The presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in eggs indicates that the green turtle populations were subjected to polluted effluents during some of their migratory routes and feeding habitats. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that Salmonella typhimurium penetrated all eggshell layers.     

The selection of corrosion prior distributions for risk based integrity modeling

The deterioration of the condition of process plants assets has a major negative impact on the safety of its operation. Risk based integrity modeling provides a methodology to quantify the risks posed by an aging asset. This provides a means for the protection of human life, financial investment and the environmental damage from the consequences of its failures. This methodology is based on modeling the uncertainty in material degradations using probability distributions, known as priors. Using Bayes theorem, one may improve the prior distribution to obtain a posterior distribution using actual inspection data. Although the choice of priors is often subjective, a rational consensus can be achieved by judgmental studies and analyzing the generic data from the same or similar installations. The first part of this paper presents a framework for a risk based integrity modeling. This includes a methodology to select the prior distributions for the various types of corrosion degradation mechanisms, namely, the uniform, localized and erosion corrosion. Several statistical tests were conducted based on the data extracted from the literature to check which of the prior distributions follows data the best. Once the underlying distribution has been confirmed, one can estimate the parameters of the distributions. In the second part, the selected priors are tested and validated using actual plant inspection data obtained from existing assets in operation. It is found that uniform corrosion can be best described using 3P-Weibull and 3P-Lognormal distributions. Localized corrosion can be best described using Type1 extreme value and 3P-Weibull, while erosion corrosion can best be described using the 3P-Weibull, Type1 extreme value, or 3P-Lognormal distributions.     

Sedimentological and geoenvironmental evaluation of the coastal area between Al-Khowkhah and Al-Mokha,southeastern Red Sea,Republic of Yemen

The increasing anthropogenic activities (e.g., constructing touristic resorts) have led to notable changes in the Yemeni Red Sea coastal regions. In this context, recent sediments have been investigated to infer possible natural and man-induced processes on these coastal areas. The target area lies between longitudes 43°13′–43°30′E and latitudes 13°15′–13°55′N. It extends about 90 km along the coastline as a part of the Tihama plain. Geomorphologically, it forms a long-curved stretch with pronounced headlands, embayments and bays. Generally, it is covered by recent sediments (wadi, lagoon, beach and spit deposits along with sabkha, coastal dunes and mangrove). Textural studies reveal that most of the studied sediments are mainly poorly to moderately sorted and are composed mainly of sandy fractions with few gravel and mud, mostly bimodal with minor unimodal patterns. The igneous (granites) as well as basic (basalt, andesite and andesitic pyroclastics) and acidic (dacite and rhyolite) volcanic rocks of Tertiary age, which are exposed to the east of the study area, are believed to be the source of pyroxenes, amphiboles, epidotes, biotite, sphene, zircon, tourmaline and rutile, in a decreasing order of abundance. Moreover, smectite, kaolinite, chlorite, illite and palygorskite are the predominant clay minerals, mainly of detrital origin. The total carbonate content fluctuates from 37.41% (lagoon sediments) to 53.74% (sabkha sediments). The high amount of sea grasses, which covers the tidal flat zone and relates to the fine-grained sediments, accounts for the high organic matter content. The mineralogy of the source rocks has controlled the general distribution of major elements (Fe, Mg, Na, K and Mn) in the beach sediments. In such sediments, the concentrations of the heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb and Co) may reflect the sediment pollution using different approaches. The enrichment factors (EFs) of the trace metals for most samples reveal values that are greater than 1, referring to three groupings, which are: moderate to moderately severe (Zn, Cu and Mn), minor to moderate (Pb and Co) and zero to minor (Cd and Ni) enrichment. The EFs for Pb, Cd, Ni and Co metals (<5) may be attributed to the crustal materials and/or natural weathering processes. But, those for Zn, Cu and Mn (>5), especially in Al-Khowkhah–Abu-Zahr, Moushij–Zahari–Ruays, Yokhtol and Mokha localities, are possible of anthropogenic contributions.     

Effect of polymer and fiber usage on dewatering and compressibility behavior of fly ash slurries

Coal ash producing is an increasing trend because of its high energy demand worldwide. For transportation, disposal, and reuse of the industrial waste materials, geotextile tube’s dewatering technology has been widely used over the last three decades, which helps to decrease the volume of the dewatered slurry. In this study, effect of usage of polymer and fibers on dewatering characteristic of fly ash slurries was investigated. For the experimental investigation, an anionic polymer and short nylon fibers were used. As a new concept, centrifuge test is introduced as an alternative for the widely used pressure filtration test (PFT). Centrifuge test was used to evaluate final solid content of the retained sediments and change in slurry volume of fly ash. Tests were conducted on unconditioned and anionic polyacrylamide and/or fiber conditioned fly ash slurries. Centrifuge test results were compared with PFT results with respect to final solid content. It was found that fiber and/or polymer usage has remarkable effect on the dewatering rate of fly ash slurry. It was also found that final solid content of fly ash slurries was decreased by inclusion of fibers and polymer, which indicates that fiber and/or polymer usage can create more permeable soil body.     

Surface soil assessment in the Ubhur area,north of Jeddah,western Saudi Arabia,using a multichannel analysis of surface waves method

Ten boreholes drilled in Ubhur area up to the depth of bedrock indicted the shallow depth of bedrock where the average depth ranges between 10 and 15 m. The standard penetration test N-values of these boreholes were measured and averaged. Based on N-values to the depth of bedrock, Ubhur area can be classified as site class C and D. Multichannel analysis of surface waves technique has been applied along seventy six profiles using 24-channel geophone array and 4.5Hz vertical geophones with 1m geophone spacing and sledgehammer and/or weight drop as seismic energy sources. Values of shear wave velocity to 30 m are calculated and then averaged (Vs30) where it ranges between 310.08 m/s and 1139.8 m/s. Therefore, Ubhur area can be classified into site class B, C and D based on site classification of the national earthquake hazards reduction program (NEHRP) recommendations. Accordingly, the greatest part of the study area falls in site class C while class B and D covered limited areas in the western and the eastern parts respectively. Depending on the shallow depth of bedrock in the study area, the Vs30 parameter is not applicable in the study area so the average values of Vs for the soil thickness, excluding the bedrock, have been calculated and mapped for site class C and D only. So Vs30 approach is not applicable for areas with shallow depth of bedrock which gives higher classification.