Bed Exchange Research Articles

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Bed Exchange Characteristics of Fine Sediments From the Weser Estuary

Sedimentation of fine-grained sediments in estuaries is a natural physical phenomenon influenced by biogeochemical processes. In the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM), enhanced net deposition of sediments is observed even in areas with higher hydrodynamic exposure, such as the navigational channel. Maintenance dredging is a common method to maintain the navigational channel, which requires large financial effort and has potential negative impacts on the environment. Research at the Institute for River and Coastal Engineering addresses the challenge of understanding the processes leading to net sedimentation and accumulation in estuarine navigational channels in reach of the ETM. In this contribution, investigations of bed exchange properties of estuarine cohesive sediments conducted in field and laboratory studies are presented. The results provide rarely available and estuary-specific parameters characterizing sediment transport, mainly related to erosion processes. By performing field campaigns within the ETM of the Weser estuary, cores of freshly deposited sediments have been sampled from two sites (Blexer Bogen and Nordenham) along the center of the navigational channel. Sediment characteristics (grain size distribution, water content, loss on ignition, density profiles) have been derived, and the erodibility of the deposits is investigated both quasi in situ and in the laboratory using an erosion microcosm system. Erodibility experiments are run in a closed system so sediment concentration above the lutocline increases during the experiment. This is a unique feature of this study, and it is expected to produce more natural characteristics of net erosion. By proving the reproducibility of the natural structure of the deposited sediments (stratification and density profiles) in the laboratory, systematic studies for analyzing the sensitivity of determined parameters (shear stresses and erosion rates) to varying environmental conditions (settling conditions and density) could be performed. Temporal development of suspended sediment concentration and erosion rates is the main result of the erodibility experiments, from which we derive bandwidths for erosion parameters, like floc erosion rate, critical shear for floc erosion, and critical shear for mass erosion.

Modelling dynamics of the estuarine turbidity maximum and local net deposition

Net deposition in estuaries is often linked to the estuarine turbidity maximum zones, in which fine, cohesive sediments accumulate due to residual transport by the estuarine circulation and tidal asymmetries. Sediments deposit in fairways or harbours, which creates high maintenance dredging costs and the need for better prediction of dredging hotspots with process-based numerical models. In this paper, a new efficient modelling approach is presented which enables the simulation of the ETM formation, its seasonal dynamics and the local sedimentation. A 3D baroclinic large-scale estuary model with a characteristic sediment fraction with simplified sediment transport properties is used with realistic boundary conditions, but without initial sediment distribution. This approach is referred to as supply-limited, regarding the ETM formation by residual transport. A dynamic equilibrium between residual sediment import from the open boundaries, accumulation and local sedimentation establishes in the model. This is achieved by combining the large-scale supply-limited model with an extended bed exchange formulation (2-Layer-Concept). A model of the Weser estuary is used as case study to reproduce and analyse the ETM formation and the resulting sedimentation simulated with this approach. The results are compared with the equivalent sediment concentration of turbidity measurements and dredging volumes.

Parametric study of particle distribution in tube bundle heat exchanger

Fluidized particles in liquid–solid fluidized bed exchangers are able to remove deposits from walls and thus are able to prevent fouling or scaling. Particle distribution is an important parameter for the performance of fouling prevention. In this paper, the Eulerian multiphase fluid model was adopted to simulate the particle distribution in the fluidized bed heat exchanger incorporating tube bundle arranged in parallel. The porous media model was applied in the zone of the tube bundle to analyze the pressure loss through the vertical tube. Factors influencing the particle distribution including the velocity, volume fraction of the solid phase and the property of the particle were discussed respectively. Particle distribution became more uniform in the high velocity due to the full fluidization of particle in each tube. With the increase in density or diameter of particle, particle maldistribution took place because the sedimentation velocity of these particles was so great that particles could not run into the tubes on both sides. With the increasing of volume fraction of solid phase, particle distribution became slightly more uniform. However increment of particle would bring about greater flow resistance and reduce the usage life of particle and devices. Therefore amount of injected particle should be adjusted according to parameters such as effect of fouling prevention, pressure drop etc. A comparison of the simulation results with the experimental measurements was carried out, showing good agreement.

Erodibility of soft freshwater sediments in Markermeer: the role of bioturbation by meiobenthic fauna

The Markermeer is a large and shallow man-made freshwater lake in the Netherlands, characterized by its high turbidity. As part of a study aiming to mitigate this high turbidity, we studied the water–bed exchange processes of the lake’s muddy bed. The upper centimeter’s–decimeter’s of the lake bed sediments mainly consists of soft anoxic mud. Recent measurements have proved the existence of a thin oxic layer on top of this soft anoxic mud. This oxic layer, which is much easier to be eroded than the anoxic mud, is believed to be related with Markermeer’s high-turbidity levels. Our hypothesis is that the thin oxic layer develops from the anoxic mud, enhanced by bioturbation. Actually, we will demonstrate that it is the bioturbated state of the bed that increases its erodability, and not the oxidation state of the sediments. In particular, we will refer to bioturbation caused by meiobenthic fauna. The objective of this study is therefore to determine the influence of the development of the thin oxic layer on the water–bed exchange processes, as well as to establish the role of bioturbation on those processes. This is done by quantifying the erosion rate as a function of bed shear stresses, and at different stages of the development of the oxic layer. Our experiments show that bioturbation increases the rate at which Markermeer sediments are eroded by almost an order of magnitude. The short-term fine sediment dynamics in Markermeer are found to be driven by the complex and highly dynamic interactions between physics, chemistry, and biology. Finally, the long-term fine sediment dynamics are driven by the erosion of the historical deposits in the lake’s bed, which is only possible after bioturbation, and which leads to an increase of the stock of sediments in the lake’s muddy bed.

Comments on the transition between cohesive and cohesionless sediment bed exchange

The presence of both cohesive and cohesionless particles in estuarine and lacustrine sediments makes it essential to model bed exchange of both types of particles. The usual practice is to select a purely empirical estimate of particle diameter marking the transition between the two behaviors. Based on available data on particle erosion and deposition in non-oscillating flows and viscoplastic properties of bed sediment, we have attempted to examine the likelihood of identifying the transition diameter within a less empirical framework. From the relationship between diameter and bed shear stress for a variety of cohesive and cohesionless sediments, it appears that two transition diameters can be defined. One is the largest diameter of clay mineral particles at which cohesion is considered to vanish. The other is the smallest diameter at which cohesionless behavior is assumed to end at the limit of the well-known Shields' relationship extended to very fine particles. These two diameters appear to be reasonably close for mainly inorganic mineral sediments. Assuming they are equal, six zones of bed exchange are identified in terms of diameter and bed shear stress. Depending on these two variables, zones of only erosion, no erosion or deposition, and only deposition can be designated. Realistic modeling of bed exchange of multi-size sediments requires that the full range of diameters be considered. Extension of this analysis to organic-rich sediments is pending better understanding of their rheological properties.

Analytical solution and simplified analysis of coupled parent‐daughter steady‐state transport with multirate mass transfer

Key Points Ratio of daughter to parent concentrations is a simple function Ratio information that characterizes bed exchange and respiration

LAG EFFECTS IN MORPHODYNAMIC MODELLING OF ENGINEERING IMPACTS

This paper details the extension of the sediment transport and morphology model SISYPHE to include a lag term within the bed exchange source term of the, depth-averaged, continuity of sediment concentration equation. This lag term represents the time it takes for a sediment concentration profile to adapt to spatial or temporal changes in the flow. The inclusion of a lag term means that the settling velocity is no longer the only scaling factor for the exchange of sediment between the water and the bed. The modified sediment transport and morphodynamics model is tested against field data from the Thames estuary (UK) and on the morphodynamic development of a dredged trench in flume experiments. It is illustrated that the lag factor introduced is essential to model the sediment transport and morphodynamics, especially when considering engineered situations, where the bed is out of equilibrium with the flow conditions. Moreover, with this lag factor included, there is evidence that SISYPHE can be used for morphodynamic modeling of engineered situations.

A heuristic examination of cohesive sediment bed exchange in turbulent flows

Prediction of the concentration of suspended cohesive sediment in the marine environment is constrained by difficulties in interpreting experimental evidence on bed exchange, i.e. erosion and deposition of particles, which remains sparse in mechanistic details. In this paper, conditions under which bed exchange in turbulent flows collectively determines the concentration of suspended matter have been examined in the heuristic sense based on selective experimental data. It is argued that interpretation of such data can be significantly facilitated when multi-class representation of particle size, collisional interaction between suspended particles and probabilistic representations of the bed shear stress along with variables describing particle behavior (critical shear stress for deposition, bed floc shear strength) are taken into account. Aggregation—floc growth and breakup kinetics—brings about shifts in the suspended particle size distribution; bed exchange is accordingly modulated and this in turn determines concentration dynamics. Probabilistic representation of the governing variables broadens the suspended sediment size spectrum by increasing the possibilities of inter-particle interactions relative to the mean-value representation. Simple models of bed exchange, which essentially rely on single-size assumption and mean-value representation of variables, overlook the mechanistic basis underpinning particle dynamics.

A computational approach to patient flow logistics in hospitals

Scheduling decisions in hospitals are often taken in a decentralized way. This means that different specialized hospital units decide autonomously on e.g. patient admissions and schedules of shared resources. Decision support in such a setting requires methods and techniques that are different from the majority of existing literature in which centralized models are assumed. The design and analysis of such methods and techniques is the focus of this thesis. Specifically, we develop computational models to provide dynamic decision support for hospital resource management, the prediction of future resource occupancy and the application thereof. Hospital resource management targets the efficient deployment of resources like operating rooms and beds. Allocating resources to hospital units is a major managerial issue as the relationship between resources, utilization and patient flow of different patient groups is complex. The issues are further complicated by the fact that patient arrivals are dynamic and treatment processes are stochastic. Our approach to providing decision support combines techniques from multi-agent systems and computational intelligence (CI). This combination of techniques allows to properly consider the dynamics of the problem while reflecting the distributed decision making practice in hospitals. Multi-agent techniques are used to model multiple hospital care units and their decision policies, multiple patient groups with stochastic treatment processes and uncertain resource availability due to overlapping patient treatment processes. The agent-based model closely resembles the real-world situation. Optimization and learning techniques from CI allow for designing and evaluating improved (adaptive) decision policies for the agent-based model, which can then be implemented easily in hospital practice. In order to gain insight into the functioning of this complex and dynamic problem setting, we developed an agent-based model for the hospital care units with their patients. To assess the applicability of this agent-based model, we developed an extensive simulation. Several experiments demonstrate the functionality of the simulation and show that it is an accurate representation of the real world. The simulation is used to study decision support in resource management and patient admission control. To further improve the quality of decision support, we study the prediction of future hospital resource usage. Using prediction, the future impact of taking a certain decision can be taken into account. In the problem setting at hand for instance, predicting the resource utilization resulting from an admission decision is important to prevent future bottlenecks that may cause the blocking of patient flow and increase patient waiting times. The methods we investigate for the task of prediction are forward simulation and supervised learning using neural networks. In an extensive analysis we study the underlying probability distributions of resource occupancy and investigate, by stochastic techniques, how to obtain accurate and precise prediction outcomes. To optimize resource allocation decisions we consider multiple criteria that are important in the hospital problem setting. We use three conflicting objectives in the optimization: maximal patient throughput, minimal resource costs and minimal usage of back-up capacity. All criteria can be taken into account by finding decision policies that have the best trade-off between the criteria. We derived various decision policies that partly allow for adaptive resource allocations. The design of the policies allows the policies to be easily understandable for hospital experts. Moreover, we present a bed exchange mechanism that enables a realistic implementation of these adaptive policies in practice. In our optimization approach, the parameters of the different decision policies are determined using a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA). Specifically, the MOEA optimizes the output of the simulation (i.e. the three optimization criteria) as a function of the policy parameters. Our results on resource management show that the benchmark allocations obtained from a case study are considerably improved by the optimized decision policies. Furthermore, our results show that using adaptive policies can lead to better results and that further improvements may be obtained by integrating prediction into a decision policy.

“Bed exchanger”: the Italian way of swing-bed approach. A new possibility through an old tool

We prospectively investigated the ideal imaging time to measure vascular uptake after injection of ¹⁸F-FDG. <b>Methods:</b> A total of 17 patients with atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent dynamic abdominal PET/CT...

Removal of copper(II) from aqueous phase by Purolite C100-MB cation exchange resin in fixed bed columns: Modeling

The dynamic removal of copper by Purolite C100-MB cation exchange resin was studied in packed bed columns. The values of column parameters are predicted as a function of flow rate and bed height. Batch experiments were performed using the Na-form resin to determine equilibrium and kinetics of copper removal. The uptake of Cu(II) by this resin follows first-order kinetics. The effect of stirring speed and temperature on the removal kinetics was studied. The activation energy for the exchange reaction is 13.58 kJ mol −1. The equilibrium data obtained in this study have been found to fit both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. A series of column tests were performed to determine the breakthrough curves with varying bed heights and flow rates. To predict the breakthrough curves and to determine the characteristic parameters of the column useful for process design, four kinetic models; Bohart–Adams, Bed Depth Service Time (BDST), Clark and Wolborska models are applied to experimental data. All models are found suitable for describing the whole or a definite part of the dynamic behavior of the column with respect to flow rate and bed height. The simulation of the whole breakthrough curve is effective with the Bohart–Adams and the Clark models, but the Bohart–Adams model is better. The breakthrough is best predicted by the Wolborska model. The breakthrough data gave a good fit to the BDST model, resulting in a bed exchange capacity very close to the value determined in the batch process.

Regulation of Glycogen Synthase: IDENTIFICATION OF RESIDUES INVOLVED IN REGULATION BY THE ALLOSTERIC LIGAND GLUCOSE-6-P AND BY PHOSPHORYLATION

Regulation of Glycogen Synthase: IDENTIFICATION OF RESIDUES INVOLVED IN REGULATION BY THE ALLOSTERIC LIGAND GLUCOSE-6-P AND BY PHOSPHORYLATION

A continuum mixture model of ice stream thermomechanics in the Laurentide Ice Sheet 1. Theory

We employ a continuum mixture framework to incorporate ice streams in a three‐dimensional thermomechanical model of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The ice mass is composed of a binary mixture of sheet ice, which deforms by viscous creep, and stream ice, which flows by sliding and/or sediment deformation at the bed. Dynamic and thermal evolutions are solved for each component in the mixture, with coupling rules to govern transfer between flow regimes. We describe two different transfer mechanisms: (1) creep exchange, the nourishment of ice streams by viscous creep inflow from the surrounding ice sheet, and (2) bed exchange, the activation, growth, and deactivation of ice streams, perpetrated by transfers of bed area between flow constituents. This paper develops the underlying mixture theory. We express the governing equations for mass, momentum, and energy balance in a form suitable for direct incorporation in existing numerical models of ice thermomechanics. A companion paper in this issue explores mixture and ice stream behavior in applications with the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Simple design of a crossflow moving bed heat exchanger-filter (MHEF)

In industrial applications hot combustion gases are often used in direct-contact gas-solid heat exchangers, such as fluidized bed, fixed bed and moving bed exchangers (1). Granular beds are also often used for filtering dust particles carried by fluids (2). However, hot gas filters and gas-solid heat exchangers have been studied and designed separately and little consideration has been given to devices where heat exchange and filtration take place simultaneously. This paper describes the design of a crossflow moving bed heat exchanger-filter (MHEF) (3), a device which uses a moving granular bed for simultaneous dust filtering and heat recovery from hot gases. Charts are presented for determining the dust concentration leaving the device, contact area needed for a required dust concentration or temperature in the effluent gas, and other parameters of practical interest.

Heat recovery by perforated-plate multistage fluidized bed exchangers

An experimental and theoretical study of a perforated plate multistage fluidized bed heat exchanger for particle heating or cooling is presented. Based on experimental data (with three-stage and four-stage columns), two design correlations are proposed for predicting loading and flooding for Froude numbers ranging from 100 to 400. The heat transfer is described using a residence time distribution model which takes into account the solid and gas bypasses and the solid entrainment. Predicted values are compared to experimental data in the range 373–773 K for estimating the three parameters.

Heat transfer parameters in fixed bed exchangers

Heat transfer parameters were measured in fixed bed exchangers containing alumina catalyst particles with particle diameter d p = 3.1 × 10 −3 m. Different tube diameter (d t ) to particle diameter ratios were used, ranging from 3 to 18. Radial temperature profiles were measured at various axial positions. Results were analysed on the basis of a pseudohomogeneous unidimensional model leading to an overall wall heat transfer coefficient h w , which showed a maximum value at d t /d p ≈ 6. Experimental results were also analysed by means of a pseudohomogeneous bidimensional model from which the wall heat transfer coefficient α w and the effective radial thermal conductivity κ er were calculated as a function of the particle Reynolds' number.

Developments in geothermal energy in Mexico—Part two: Heat transfer studies in relation to the utilization of geothermal brines

Geothermal fluids withdrawn from wells are normally saturated with dissolved solids such as carbonates and silica. Conventional heat transfer equipment used to recover the geothermal heat is subject to heavy scaling. The overall heat transfer coefficient of a shell and tube exchanger was reduced to one sixth of its original value in 50 days in a typical geothermal field. Chemical methods have been used to inhibit scale formation. However, tests have shown that the most effective solution is to use fluidized bed heat exchangers which work on the principle of controlled precipitation. Experimental studies are underway at IIE on small scale equipment using a range of particle and tube sizes. In addition a low cost fluidized bed exchanger is under development on a geothermal field. A laboratory scale direct contact heat exchanger is also under construction at IIE.

Heat transfer simulation in a raining packed bed exchanger

A model is presented that predicts the thermal performance of a raining packed bed heat exchanger (RPBE) from hydrodynamic data. The main feature of this gas-solids countercurrent heat exchanger is the presence of a packed zone which greatly enhances energy transfer between the two phases by slowing down the falling particles. The model based on the Ergun equation for evaluating an effective solids hold-up in the packed zone correctly predicts the fact that the efficiency passes by a maximum as the hot gas velocity increases. Experimental results obtained with sand particles of 205 μm mean dia. in a column filled with Pa11–15 rings agree reasonably well with the predicted ones.

Heat recovery from solids in a raining bed exchanger

The concept of a raining bed exchanger is described. Used for heat recovery from gases or solid particles at high temperatures, experiments on a two-dimensional column are described and heat transfer data given.

The Interaction of Bituminized Ion-Exchange Resins With Different Leachants

AbstractLeaching tests on bituminized ion-exchange resins from Olkiluoto power plant were made according to ISO/DIS 6961 in deionized water and groundwater. Simulated waste products including Cs and Sr were leached in cement water. A clear difference is seen between the water types. With cobalt in granular resins the leach rate in groundwater is three orders of magnitude higher than in deionized water, the latter being in the order of 10–15 m/s.The bituminized cation exchanger is still operating and changing ions with the surrounding water. Bitumen provides a hindering diffusion barrier.Bituminized resin absorbs water from the surroundings and the weight (and volume) of the product increases 10–80 % in 898 days compared to the original value. The weight increase is slower with bituminized powdered resins than with granular resins.Due to differencies in densities between bitumen and both anion and cation ion-exchangers, a distinct sedimentation effect of granular mixed bed exchangers is observed. The cation exchanger is separated on the bottom of the 200 1 drum while the anion exchanger is separated in the upper part of the drum.