Influence of the microstructure in the collapse of a residual clayey tropical soil

A typical residual clayey soil originating from basalt in southern Brazil has been analyzed in order to assess the influence of wetting-induced deformation and microstructural features on the collapse behavior. Single and double oedometer tests were undertaken on a soil profile to 9 m depth. The results indicated collapsible behaviour at all profile depths. The influence of pre-consolidation stress and pedogenetic factors in the variability of the physical characteristics of the soil and in the magnitude of the collapse was noted. The collapse coefficient has been shown to be related to the both the microaggregate plasma and the varying nature of the pores and their interconnectivity.

Collapse behavior of soil in a Brazilian region affected by a rising water table

Collapsible soils are usually nonsaturated, low density, and metastable-structured soils that are known to exhibit a volume reduction following an episode of moisture increase or suction reduction. This paper describes the collapsible behavior of clayey sand based on controlled soil suction tests carried out on undisturbed samples from the city of Pereira Barreto, in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Foundation settlements due to soil collapse are common in this region and occurred during the filling of the reservoir of the Tres Irmaos Dam, which induced the elevation of the groundwater table in different parts of Pereira Barreto. This paper shows that collapse strains depend on the stress and soil suction acting in the sample and that saturation is not necessary for a collapse to occur. The influence of soil suction, gradual wetting, and the wetting and drying cycle on the collapsible behavior of the soil is also shown and discussed.

Rotifer abundance, biomass, and secondary production after the recovery of hydrologic connectivity between a river and two marginal lakes (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Rotifera density, biomass, and secondary production on two marginal lakes of Paranapanema River were compared after the recovery of hydrologic connectivity with the river (Sao Paulo State, Brazil). Daily samplings were performed in limnetic zone of both lakes during the rainy season immediately after lateral inflow of water and, in the dry period, six months after hydrologic connectivity recovery. In order to identify the factors that affect rotifer population dynamics, lake water level, volume, depth, temperature, transparency, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, conductivity, suspended solids, nutrients, and chlorophyll-a were determined. Variations of water physical and chemical factors that affect rotifer population were related to the lake-river degree of connection and to water level rising after drought. The water lateral inflow from the river resulted in an increase in lake water volume, depth, and transparency and a decrease in water pH, alkalinity, and suspended solids. The lake with the wider river connection, more frequent biota exchange, and larger amount of particulate and dissolved materials was richer and more diverse, while rotifer density, biomass, and productivity were lower in both periods studied. Density, biomass, and secondary production were higher in the lake with the smaller river connection and the higher physical and chemical stability. Our results show that the connectivity affects the limnological stability, associated to seasonality. Stable conditions, caused by low connectivity in dry periods, were related with high density, biomass and secondary production. Conversely, instability conditions in rainy periods were associated to elevated richness and diversity values, caused by exchange biota due to higher connectivity. (C) 2008 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Inertia in two simple problems of soil hydrodynamics

In the present paper the dynamic solutions of two non-steady seepage problems are discussed. It is shown that the acceleration term in the equation of motion is important for a correct qualitative description of the flow.

Availability analysis of heat recovery steam generators used in thermal power plants

The combined-cycle gas and steam turbine power plant presents three main pieces of equipment: gas turbines, steam turbines and heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). In case of HRSG failure the steam cycle is shut down, reducing the power plant output. Considering that the technology for design, construction and operation of high capacity HRSGs is quite recent its availability should be carefully evaluated in order to foresee the performance of the power plant. This study presents a method for reliability and availability evaluation of HRSGs installed in combined-cycle power plant. The method`s first step consists in the elaboration of the steam generator functional tree and development of failure mode and effects analysis. The next step involves a reliability and availability analysis based on the time to failure and time to repair data recorded during the steam generator operation. The third step, aiming at availability improvement, recommends the fault-tree analysis development to identify components the failure (or combination of failures) of which can cause the HRSG shutdown. Those components maintenance policy can be improved through the use of reliability centered maintenance (RCM) concepts. The method is applied on the analysis of two HRSGs installed in a 500 MW combined-cycle power plant. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization and application of the solid waste generated in the production of calcium carbonate precipitate as a corrective for the soil acidity

The calcium carbonate industry generates solid waste products which, because of their high alkaline content (CaO, CaCO(3) and Ca (OH)(2)), have a substantial impact on the environment. The objectives of this study are to characterize and classify the solid waste products, which are generated during the hydration process of the calcium carbonate industry, according to ABNT`s NBR 10.000 series, and to determine the potential and efficiency of using these solid residues to correct soil acidity. Initially, the studied residue was submitted to gross mass, leaching, solubility, pH. X-ray Diffractometry, Inductive Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), granularity and humidity analyses. The potential and efficiency of the residue for correcting soil acidity was determined by analysis of the quality attributes for soil correctives (PN, PRNT, Ca and Mg contents, granularity). Consequently, the results show that the studied residue may be used as a soil acidity corrective, considering that a typical corrective compound is recommended for each different type of soil. Additionally, the product must be further treated (dried and ground) to suit the specific requirements of the consumer market.

Spent NiMH batteries-The role of selective precipitation in the recovery of valuable metals

The production of electronic equipment, such as computers and cell phones, and, consequently, batteries, has increased dramatically. One of the types of batteries whose production and consumption has increased in recent times is the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery. This study evaluated a hydrometallurgical method of recovery of rare earths and a simple method to obtain a solution rich in Ni-Co from spent NiMH batteries. The active materials from both electrodes were manually removed from the accumulators and leached. Several acid and basic solutions for the recovery of rare earths were evaluated. Results showed that more than 98 wt.% of the rare earths were recovered as sulfate salts by dissolution with sulfuric acid, followed by selective precipitation at pH 1.2 using sodium hydroxide. The complete process. precipitation at pH 1.2 followed by precipitation at pH 7, removed about 100 wt.% of iron and 70 wt.% of zinc from the leaching solution. Results were similar to those found in studies that used solvent extraction. This method is easy, economic, and does not pose environmental threats of solvent extraction. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermomechanical processing for recovery of desired < 001 > fiber texture in electric motor steels

A processing route has been developed for recovering the desired lambda fiber in iron-silicon electrical steel needed for superior magnetic properties in electric motor application. The lambda fiber texture is available in directionally solidified iron-silicon steel with the < 001 > columnar grains but was lost after heavy rolling and recrystallization required for motor laminations. Two steps of light rolling each followed by recrystallization were found to largely restore the desired fiber texture. This strengthening of the < 001 > fiber texture had been predicted on the basis of the strain-induced boundary migration (SIBM) mechanism during recrystallization of lightly rolled steel from existing grains of near the ideal orientation, due to postulated low stored energies. Taylor and finite element models supported the idea of the low stored energy of the lambda fiber grains. The models also showed that the lambda fiber grains, though unstable during rolling, only rotated away from their initial orientations quite slowly.

Gas flow analysis in a Kraft recovery boiler

Demands for optimal boiler performance and increased concerns in lowering emission have always been the driving force in the reevaluation and evolution of the Kraft boiler: specifically the air distribution strategies that are directly related to achieving increased residence time of flue gas combustion inside the furnace which in turn lowers atmosphere emission levels and enhances boiler operation. This paper presents the results of a study that analyzes the interaction of the different multilevel air injections have on flue gas flow patterns including various quaternary air supply arrangements. Additionally, this study assesses the performance of the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model against data available in literature. Simulations were performed considering isothermal and incompressible flows, and did not take into account thermal phenomena or chemical reactions. The numerical solutions generated proved to be coherently related to the data available in literature, and provided proof of the efficiency of tertiary level air injection, as well as revealed that quaternary air injection ports arranged in a symmetrical configuration is most suitable for optimal equipment operation. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Watershed scale temporal stability of soil water content

The recognition of temporally stable locations with respect to soil water content is of importance for soil water management decisions, especially in sloping land of watersheds. Neutron probe soil water content (0 to 0.8 m), evaluated at 20 dates during a year in the Loess Plateau of China, in a 20 ha watershed dominated by Ust-Sandiic Entisols and Aeolian sandy soils, were used to define their temporal stability through two indices: the standard deviation of relative difference (SDRD) and the mean absolute bias error (MABE). Specific concerns were (a) the relationship of temporal stability with soil depth, (b) the effects of soil texture and land use on temporal stability, and (c) the spatial pattern of the temporal stability. Results showed that temporal stability of soil water content at 0.2 m was significantly weaker than those at the soil depths of 0.6 and 0.8 m. Soil texture can significantly (P<0.05) affect the stability of soil water content except for the existence of an insignificant difference between sandy loam and silt loam textures, while temporal stability of areas covered by bunge needlegrass land was not significantly different from those covered by korshinsk peashrub. Geostatistical analysis showed that the temporal stability was spatially variable in an organized way as inferred by the degree of spatial dependence index. With increasing soil depth, the range of both temporal stability indices showed an increasing trend, being 65.8-120.5 m for SDRD and 148.8-214.1 m for MABE, respectively. This study provides a valuable support for soil water content measurements for soil water management and hydrological applications on sloping land areas. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using a New Criterion to Identify Sites for Mean Soil Water Storage Evaluation

Establishing a few sites in which measurements of soil water storage (SWS) are time stable significantly reduces the efforts involved in determining average values of SWS. This study aimed to apply a new criterion the mean absolute bias error (MABE)-to identify temporally stable sites for mean SWS evaluation. The performance of MABE was compared with that of the commonly used criterion, the standard deviation of relative difference (SDRD). From October 2004 to October 2008, SWS of four soil layers (0-1.0, 1.0-2.0,2.0-3.0, and 3.0-4.0 m) was measured, using a neutron probe, at 28 sites on a hillslope of the Loess Plateau, China. A total of 37 SWS data sets taken over time were divided into two subsets, the first consisting of 22 dates collected during the calibration period from October 2004 to September 2006, and the second with 15 dates collected during the validation period from October 2006 to October 2008. The results showed that if a critical value of 5% for MABE was defined, more than half the sites were temporally stable for both periods, and the number of temporally stable sires generally increased with soil depth. Compared with SDRD, MABE was more suitable for the identification of time-stable sites for mean SS prediction. Since the absolute prediction error of drier sites is more sensitive to changes in relative difference in terms of mean SWS prediction, the sites of wet sectors should be preferable for mean SWS prediction for the same changes in relative difference.

Carbon and nitrogen cycling in a tropical Brazilian soil cropped with sugarcane and irrigated with wastewater

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in agro-systems can be altered as a consequence of treated sewage effluent (TSE) irrigation. The present study evaluated the effects of TSE irrigation over 16 months on N concentrations in sugarcane (leaves, stalks and juice), total soil carbon (TC), total soil nitrogen (TN), NO(3)(-)-N in soil and nitrate (NO(3)(-)) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil solution. The soil was classified as an Oxisol and samplings were carried out during the first productive crop cycle, from February 2005 (before planting) to September 2006 (after sugarcane harvest and 16 months of TSE irrigation). The experiment was arranged in a complete block design with five treatments and four replicates. Irrigated plots received 50% of the recommended mineral N fertilization and 100% (T100), 125% (T125), 150% (T150) and 200% (T200) of crop water demand. No mineral N and irrigation were applied to the control plots. TSE irrigation enhanced sugarcane yield but resulted in total-N inputs(804-1622 kg N ha(-1)) greater than exported N (463-597 kg N ha(-1)). Hence, throughout the irrigation period, high NO(3)(-) concentrations (up to 388 mg L(-1) at T200) and DOC (up to 142 mg L(-1) at T100) were measured in soil solution below the root zone, indicating the potential of groundwater contamination. TSE irrigation did not change soil TC and TN. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impacts of land-use pattern on soil water-content variability on the Loess Plateau of China

Long-term vegetation restoration carried out on the slopes of the Loess Plateau of China employed different spatial and temporal land-use patterns but very little is known about the effects of these patterns on soil water-content variability. For this study the small Donggou catchment was selected to investigate soil water-content distributions for three spatial scales, including the entire catchment area, sampling transects, and land-use systems. Gravimetric soil water contents were determined incrementally to a soil depth of 1.20 m, on 10 occasions from April to October, 2007, at approximately 20-day intervals. Results indicated that soil water contents were affected by the six land-use types, resulting in four distinct patterns of vertical distribution of soil moisture (uniform, increasing, decreasing, and fluctuating with soil depth). The soil water content and its variation were also influenced in a complex manner by five land-use patterns distributed along transects following the gradients of five similar slopes. These patterns with contrasting hydrological responses in different components, such as forage land (alfalfa)-cropland-shrubland or shrubland-grassland (bunge needlegrass)-cropland-grassland, showed the highest soil water-content variability. Soil water at the catchment scale exhibited a moderate variability for each measurement date, and the variability of soil water content decreased exponentially with increasing soil water content. The minimum sample size for accurate data for use in a hydrological model for the catchment, for example, required many more samples for drier (69) than for wet (10) conditions. To enhance erosion and runoff control, this study suggested two strategies for land management: (i) to create a mosaic pattern by land-use arrangement that located units with higher infiltration capacities downslope from those with lower soil infiltrabilities; and (ii) raising the soil-infiltration capacity of units within the spatial mosaic pattern where possible.

Time stability of soil water storage measured by neutron probe and the effects of calibration procedures in a small watershed

The knowledge of soil water storage (SWS) of soil profiles is crucial for the adoption of vegetation restoration practices. With the aim of identifying representative sites to obtain the mean SWS of a watershed, a time stability analysis of neutron probe evaluations of SWS was performed by the means of relative differences and Spearman rank correlation coefficients. At the same time, the effects of different neutron probe calibration procedures were explored on time stability analysis. mean SWS estimation. and preservation of the spatial variability of SWS. The selected watershed, with deep gullies and undulating slopes which cover an area of 20 ha, is characterized by an Ust-Sandiic Entisol and an Aeolian sandy soil. The dominant vegetation species are bunge needlegrass (Stipa bungeana Trim) and korshinsk peashrub (Carugano Korshinskii kom.). From June 11, 2007 to July 23,2008, SWS of the top1 m soil layer was evaluated for 20 dates, based on neutron probe data of 12 sampling sites. Three calibration procedures were employed: type 1, most complete, with each site having its own linear calibration equation (TrE); type II. with TrE equations extended over the whole field: and type III, with one single linear calibration curve for the whole field (UnE) and also correcting its intercept based on site specific relative difference analysis (RdE) and on linear fitting of data (RcE), both maintaining the same slope. A strong time stability of SWS estimated by TrE equations was identified. Soil particle size and soil organic matter content were recognized as the influencing factors for spatial variability of SWS. Land use influenced neither the spatial variability nor the time stability of SWS. Time stability analysis identified one site to represent the mean SWS of the whole watershed with mean absolute percentage errors of less than 10%, therefore. this site can be used as a predictor for the mean SWS of the watershed. Some equations of type II were found to be unsatisfactory to yield reliable mean SWS values or in preserving the associated soil spatial variability. Hence, it is recommended to be cautious in extending calibration equations to other sites since they might not consider the field variability. For the equations with corrected intercept (type III), which consider the spatial variability of calibration in a different way in relation to TrE, it was found that they can yield satisfactory means and standard deviation of SWS, except for the RdE equations, which largely leveled off the SWS values in the watershed. Correlation analysis showed that the neutron probe calibration was linked to soil bulk density and to organic matter content. Therefore, spatial variability of soil properties should be taken into account during the process of neutron probe calibration. This study provides useful information on the mean SWS observation with a time stable site and on distinct neutron probe calibration procedures, and it should be extended to soil water management studies with neutron probes, e.g., the process of vegetation restoration in wider area and soil types of the Loess Plateau in China. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatio-temporal variability behavior of land surface soil water content in shrub- and grass-land

The knowledge of the relationship between spatial variability of the surface soil water content (theta) and its mean across a spatial domain (theta(m)) is crucial for hydrological modeling and understanding soil water dynamics at different scales. With the aim to compare the soil moisture dynamics and variability between the two land uses and to explore the relationship between the spatial variability of theta and theta(m), this study analyzed sets of surface theta measurements performed with an impedance soil moisture probe, collected 136 times during a period of one year in two transects covering different land uses, i.e., korshinsk peashrub transect (KPT) and bunge needlegrass transect (BNT), in a watershed of the Loess Plateau, China. Results showed that the temporal pattern of theta behaved similarly for the two land uses, with both relative wetter soils during wet period and relative drier soils during dry period recognized in BNT. Soil moisture tended to be temporally stable among different dates, and more stable patterns could be observed for dates with more similar soil water conditions. The magnitude of the spatial variation of theta in KPT was greater than that in ENT. For both land uses, the standard deviation (SD) of theta in general increased as theta(m) increased, a behavior that could be well described with a natural logarithmic function. Convex relationship of CV and theta(m) and the maximum CV for both land uses (43.5% in KPT and 41.0% in BNT) can, therefore, be ascertained. Geostatistical analysis showed that the range in KPT (9.1 m) was shorter than that in BNT (15.1 m). The nugget effects, the structured variability, hence the total variability increased as theta(m) increased. For both land uses, the spatial dependency in general increased with increasing theta(m). 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.