Capture Zone Research Articles

Pursuit-evasion games of multiple cooperative pursuers and an evader: A biological-inspired perspective

Multi-player pursuit-evasion games are fascinating in both nature and the artificial world. In these games, the purpose of pursuers is to capture the evader who attempt to avoid being captured. This article solves the pursuit-evasion games with communication constraints, and obtains the pursuit and escape strategies of all players and the corresponding capture zones. The successful capture conditions of multiple pursuers are defined according to the laws of nature, including distance conditions and quantity conditions. From the biological-inspired perspective, we formulate a concise dynamic and design the pursuit and escape strategies. The collision avoidance, gathering, and direction alignment between pursuers are realized by introducing repulsion, attraction, and alignment functions in the pursuit strategy. Furthermore, the influence of parameter variation on the system’s dynamic performance is investigated by introducing the distance-cost, energetic-cost, and time-cost. The phase-transition lines that separate the whole space into the capture zone and escape zone are obtained by analysing various pursuit-evasion scenarios. The results are consistent with natural observations and disclose some natural laws in the predation scene of terrestrial creatures.

Application of random walk algorithm into finite element numerical groundwater model for capture zone depiction

Application of random walk algorithm into finite element numerical groundwater model for capture zone depiction

Colloidal model of two-step protocol for epitaxial growth in one dimension

We explore the application of a two-step growth protocol to a one-dimensional colloidal model. The evolution of the system is described in terms of the time-dependence of both monomer and island densities, N 1 and N, while its structure is characterized by using distributions of the gap length, the capture zone, the inter-island distance, and the island length. Analytical results obtained from rate equations are compared with these from molecular dynamics simulations. Since the two-step growth protocol deals with nucleation and aggregation processes in two completely separated time regimes, it makes possible to gain better understanding and control on the island formation mechanism than the standard one-step protocol. The predicted features and advantages of the two-step process could be experimentally tested using deposition of colloidal spheres on pattern substrates.

Density-dependent patterns of multivariate selection on sperm motility and morphology in a broadcast spawning mussel.

Sperm cells exhibit extraordinary phenotypic variation, both among taxa and within individual species, yet our understanding of the adaptive value of sperm trait variation across multiple contexts is incomplete. For species without the opportunity to choose mating partners, such as sessile broadcast spawning invertebrates, fertilization depends on gamete interactions, which in turn can be strongly influenced by local environmental conditions that alter the concentration of sperm and eggs. However, the way in which such environmental factors impact phenotypic selection on functional gamete traits remains unclear in most systems. Here, we analyze patterns of linear and nonlinear multivariate selection under experimentally altered local sperm densities (densities within the capture zone of eggs) on a range of functionally important sperm traits in the broadcast spawning marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Specifically, we assay components of sperm motility and morphology across two fertilization environments that simulate either sperm limitation (when there are too few sperm to fertilize all available eggs), or sperm saturation (when there are many more sperm than required for fertilization, and the risk of polyspermy and embryonic failure is heightened). Our findings reveal that the strength, form, and targets of selection on sperm depend on the prevailing fertilization environment. In particular, our analyses revealed multiple significant axes of nonlinear selection on sperm motility traits under sperm limitation, but only significant negative directional selection on flagellum length under sperm saturation. These findings highlight the importance of local sperm densities in driving the adaptation of sperm phenotypes, particularly those related to sperm motility, in broadcast spawning invertebrates.

Inspecting the Reliability of Geochemical Facies Identified for the Waterworks' Capture Zone in Germany.

Little research attention has been given to validating clusters obtained from the groundwater geochemistry of the waterworks' capture zone with a prevailing lake-groundwater exchange. To address this knowledge gap, we proposed a new scheme whereby Gaussian finite mixture modeling (GFMM) and Spike-and-Slab Bayesian (SSB) algorithms were utilized to cluster the groundwater geochemistry while quantifying the probability of the resulting cluster membership against each other. We applied GFMM and SSB to 13 geochemical parameters collected during different sampling periods at 13 observation points across the Barnim Highlands plateau located in the northeast of Berlin, Germany; this included 10 observation wells, two lakes, and a gallery of drinking production wells. The cluster analysis of GFMM yielded nine clusters, either with a probability ≥0.8, while the SSB produced three hierarchical clusters with a probability of cluster membership varying from <0.2 to >0.8. The findings demonstrated that the clustering results of GFMM were in good agreement with the classification as per the principal component analysis and Piper diagram. By superimposing the parameter clustering onto the observation clustering, we could identify discrepancies that exist among the parameters of a certain cluster. This enables the identification of different factors that may control the geochemistry of a certain cluster, although parameters of that cluster share a strong similarity. The GFMM results have shown that from 2002, there has been active groundwater inflow from the lakes towards the capture zone. This means that it is necessary to adopt appropriate measures to reverse the inflow towards the lakes.

Delineation of spring capture zones in southern Great Basin, USA based on modeling results and geochemical data

The protection zones or capture zones of springs in desert environments can be hard to identify, but they are critical to spring protection. Most springs fed by regional aquifers are susceptible to contamination and groundwater development. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established hydrogeologic mapping methods to delineate protection zones for springs. However, it is often difficult to determine a regional aquifer system's flow pattern with this technique alone, and the use of these methods is not conducive to efficient groundwater management. Particle tracking analysis using a well-conceptualized and calibrated numerical model for the three-dimensional groundwater flow domain feeding a given group of springs can help facilitate the identification of spring capture zone boundaries. Building upon this basis, a multifaceted approach was developed to define clear boundaries of the capture zones for the springs in the Furnace Creek, Ash Meadows, and the Muddy River areas in the southern Great Basin, USA. Capture zones were first delineated from inverse particle tracking and Hydrologic Unit 12 watersheds. Afterwards, they were adjusted based on water budgets, geology, and hydrologically significant faults. Finally, a geochemical analysis of the groundwater chemistry and isotopic data was conducted to verify the extent of each spring capture zone. This multifaceted approach adds confidence to the new delineations.

Modeling, simulation and analysis of groundwater flow captured by the horizontal reactive media well using the cell-based smoothed radial point interpolation method

The Horizontal Reactive Media Treatment (HRX) well is a novel technology for in situ treatment of contaminated groundwater. The most significant technical performance risk associated with field-scale implementation of the HRX well is the potential for water to bypass the well untreated. Therefore, the groundwater capture simulation plays a very important role in the design of the HRX well. We build a model based on a cell-based smoothed radial point interpolation method (CS-RPIM) for simulating groundwater flow captured by the HRX well in both 3D test pit pilot scale and field scale. This method is compared with the finite element method and measured values. Capture width and groundwater velocity obtained by CS-RPIM are consistent with the measured values. We further develop MATLAB software modules to analyze the effects of the hydraulic conductivities, dimension of well and other parameters on the groundwater capture zone, velocity and residence time in the reactive media. The results show that increase of well diameter has a significant effect on enlargement of the capture zone and the extension of media treatment time. When well diameter increases by 100%, horizontal and vertical capture width increase by 57% and 50% respectively, and media treatment time can be extended by 68%.

Risk-Based Wellhead Protection Decision Support: A Repeatable Workflow Approach.

Environmental water management often benefits from a risk-based approach where information on the area of interest is characterized, assembled, and incorporated into a decision model considering uncertainty. This includes prior information from literature, field measurements, professional interpretation, and data assimilation resulting in a decision tool with a posterior uncertainty assessment accounting for prior understanding and what is learned through model development and data assimilation. Model construction and data assimilation are time consuming and prone to errors, which motivates a repeatable workflow where revisions resulting from new interpretations or discovery of errors can be addressed and the analyses repeated efficiently and rigorously. In this work, motivated by the real world application of delineating risk-based (probabilistic) sources of water to supply wells in a humid temperate climate, a scripted workflow was generated for groundwater model construction, data assimilation, particle-tracking and post-processing. The workflow leverages existing datasets describing hydrogeology, hydrography, water use, recharge, and lateral boundaries. These specific data are available in the United States but the tools can be applied to similar datasets worldwide. The workflow builds the model, performs ensemble-based history matching, and uses a posterior Monte Carlo approach to provide probabilistic capture zones describing source water to wells in a risk-based framework. The water managers can then select areas of varying levels of protection based on their tolerance for risk of potential wrongness of the underlying models. All the tools in this workflow are open-source and free, which facilitates testing of this repeatable and transparent approach to other environmental problems.

Comparative Assessment of Methods for Coupling Regional and Local Groundwater Flow Models: A Case Study in the Beijing Plain, China

A coupled regional and local model is required when groundwater flow and solute transport are to be simulated in local areas of interest with a finer grid while regional aquifer boundary and major stresses should be retained with a coarser grid. The coupled model should also maintain interactions between the regional and local flow systems. In the Beijing Plain (China), assessment of managed aquifer recharge (MAR), groundwater pollution caused by rivers, capture zone of well fields, and land subsidence at the cone of depression requires a coupled regional and local model. This study evaluates three methods for coupling regional and local flow models for simulating MAR in the Chaobai River catchment in the Beijing Plain. These methods are the conventional grid refinement (CGR) method, the local grid refinement (LGR) method and the unstructured grid (USG) method. The assessment included the comparison of the complexity of the coupled model construction, the goodness of fit of the computed and observed groundwater heads, the consistency of regional and local groundwater budgets, and the capture zone of a well filed influenced by the MAR site. The results indicated that the CGR method based on MODFLOW-2005 is the easiest to implement the coupled model, capable of reproducing regional and local groundwater heads and budget, and already coupled with density and viscosity dependent model codes for transport simulation. However, the CGR method inherits shortcomings of finite difference grids to create multiple local models with inefficient computing efforts. The USG method based on MODFLOW-USG has the advantage of creating multi-scale models and is flexible to simulate rivers, wells, irregular boundaries, heterogeneities and the MAR site. However, it is more difficult to construct the coupled models with the unstructured grids, therefore, a good graphic user interface is necessary for efficient model construction. The LGR method based on MODFLOW-LGR can be used to create multiple local models in uniform aquifer systems. So far, little effort has been devoted to upgrade the LGR method for complex aquifer structures and develop the coupled transport models.

Novel gas aggregation cluster source based on post magnetron

AbstractIn this communication, a new gas aggregation cluster source is introduced equipped with post cylindrical magnetron. The rotation of magnetic circuit improves the usage of cylindrical copper target in terms of its homogenous consumption. Copper nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. Their deposition rate fluctuates at slow rotations of magnetic circuit. Cyclic trapping and release of nanoparticles from electrostatic capture zones are likely responsible for this effect. The instabilities are not observed at higher rotation speeds. The argon flow is found to be very complex within the cluster source; however, it seems crucial for its operation. The efficiency of transport of nanoparticles and their size increase with gas flow. The highest values of deposition rate of around 19 mg/h are obtained.

Impacts of Event-Based Recharge on the Vulnerability of Public Supply Wells

Dynamic recharge events related to extreme rainfall or snowmelt are becoming more common due to climate change. The vulnerability of public supply wells to water quality degradation may temporarily increase during these types of events. The Walkerton, ON, Canada, tragedy (2000) highlighted the threat to human health associated with the rapid transport of microbial pathogens to public supply wells during dynamic recharge events. Field research at the Thornton (Woodstock, ON, Canada) and Mannheim West (Kitchener, ON, Canada) well fields, situated in glacial overburden aquifers, identified a potential increase in vulnerability due to event-based recharge phenomena. Ephemeral surface water flow and local ponding containing microbial pathogen indicator species were observed and monitored within the capture zones of public supply wells following heavy rain and/or snowmelt. Elevated recharge rates beneath these temporary surface water features were estimated to range between 40 and 710 mm over two-week periods using analytical and numerical modelling based on the water level, soil moisture, and temperature data. Modelling also suggested that such events could reduce contaminant travel times to a supply well, increasing vulnerability to water quality degradation. These studies suggest that event-based recharge processes occurring close to public supply wells may enhance the vulnerability of the wells to surface-sourced contaminants.

Groundwater Monitoring Network Design Using Optimized DRASTIC Method and Capture Zone Analysis

Groundwater Monitoring Network Design Using Optimized DRASTIC Method and Capture Zone Analysis

Identifying Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge Locations to Benefit Drinking Water Supply in Rural Communities

AbstractThe southern Central Valley of California is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Yet, decades of groundwater use beyond sustainable yield have left rural communities highly vulnerable to shortages and contamination of their drinking water supply. As state regulation begins to address these issues, a need exists to design adaptive and appropriate management systems to increase resilience of rural communities. Targeted managed aquifer recharge on agricultural land (Ag‐MAR) near rural communities is one such strategy that could potentially stabilize groundwater tables and maintain or improve groundwater quality in domestic supply wells. Here we present a geographic information system‐based multicriteria decision analysis that combines biophysical data (soils, land use, and surface water conveyance) with groundwater modeling and particle tracking to identify suitable agricultural land parcels for multibenefit groundwater recharge within well capture zones of 288 rural communities. Parcels are prioritized using a vulnerability index to change in groundwater supply, derived from well reliance and failures, pesticide applications, land subsidence, and socio‐economic data. Our analysis identifies 2,998 suitable land parcels for Ag‐MAR within the well capture zones of 149 of the 288 communities, of which 144 rely mainly on groundwater for drinking water. The majority of identified Ag‐MAR parcels serve communities ranked as having extreme or very high vulnerability to changes in groundwater supply. Our research produces new understanding of factors contributing to community vulnerability and resilience to changes in drinking water supply and can be used to discuss actions to help achieve a stable and high‐quality water supply.

Assessment of alternative groundwater flow models for Beijing Plain, China

Three alternative groundwater flow models were evaluated for Beijing Plain, China. The first model (AM1) was constructed with the “thin layer approach” in which all 9 model layers, including five aquifers separated by four aquitards, are continuously present in the same model area. The second model (AM2) was constructed with the “quasi-3D approach” in which the hydrogeological formations were classified into five aquifer units consisting of mixed permeable and semi-permeable layers at different depth ranges. The third model (AM3) was constructed with the “true layer approach” in which aquifers and aquitards were defined according to hydrostratigraphic properties, and model layers are absent in the area where corresponding hydrogeological formations intersect bedrocks. All 3 models were calibrated with the parameter optimization method under the steady state flow condition with the same hydrological stresses and observation data. All three models fit to observations well with the similar calibration criteria values. Furthermore, AIC and BIC information criteria could not distinguish three alternative models. Only KIC could identify AM3 as the best model. Major differences of the three alternative models were identified from a hydrogeological perspective. The AM1 model depicted an illusion through contour maps that groundwater was present everywhere in the deep aquifers. The model computed larger vertical leakages because more abstraction rates were assigned improperly in deep aquifers. The AM2 model was able to compute regional groundwater balances and depicted spatial groundwater level variations. However, the AM2 model computed longer groundwater travel times around the wellfield and should not be used for the delineation of the well field protection zones and contaminant transport simulation. The AM3 model could not only compute the regional groundwater balances and describe spatial groundwater distribution in deep confined aquifers, but also delineate the capture zone of the wellfield. It can therefore be used for simulating contaminant transport. Furthermore, the AM3 model is suitable to construct a coupled regional and local flow model for simulating a managed aquifer recharge scheme.

ANALYSIS OF THE CONDITION OF A PIPE FIXED IN A CLAMPING DEVICE

Due to the fact that clamping devices are widely used in various industries, the requirements for the operation of such devices are constantly increasing. This is due to an increase in the general requirements for processing accuracy, as well as an increase in the forces acting on the clamped part. The reliability of these devices when working with thin-walled cylindrical parts is of great importance.&#x0D; Thin-walled cylinders used in mechanical engineering are subject to significant loads. With prolonged exposure to loads from clamping forces, as well as from axial tensile forces, plastic deformations of cylindrical parts occur. In the oil and gas industry, when clamping drill and casing pipes in some areas in the capture zone, stresses exceed the yield strength. Multiple clamping of the pipe will reduce the pipe wall in the gripping area, which causes premature pipe failure. Therefore, increasing the holding capacity of clamping mechanisms is relevant.&#x0D; Analysis of broken drill pipes, which have been operating in wedge grips for a long time, showed that in most cases the pipes undergo plastic deformation caused by damage to the pipe surface by the teeth of the ram. To clarify the actual conditions of loading the pipe and the possibilities of increasing the capacity of the clamping devices, studies of the contact pressures in the clamping zone were carried out.&#x0D; A new pipe clamping chuck is also presented, which provides a sufficiently high reliability of fastening of cylindrical parts.

Groundwater recharge to a structurally complex aquifer system on the island of Tobago (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)

Trinidad and Tobago is a developing two-island nation in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. Tobago is the smaller island and has small highly heterogeneous aquifers composed of igneous and metamorphic crystalline rock with strong structural controls on the spatial distribution of permeability. Hydrogeologic analyses of the water budget and groundwater production suggest that portions of the island are underlain by prolific fractured-rock aquifer systems. This study quantifies the amount and spatial distribution of recharge, as well as the fraction of recharge captured by groundwater pumping, using historical data, new field data, remote sensing data, multiple storage quantification methods and stable isotope analysis. Despite extensive freshwater withdrawals, groundwater production reaches only ~10% of annual groundwater recharge. Groundwater capture zones are created using a first-order hydrologic balance approach and with backward particle tracking in a steady-state groundwater model. Both approaches to generating capture zones suggest that many wells capture water from outside their topographic watershed. The location of sustainable, high yield, fresh potable groundwater wells less than 1 km from the coast, that have fractured bedrock intakes well below sea level, supports the concept of a rigorous and active groundwater flow system. Understanding the hydrogeology of small bedrock island aquifers is critical to evaluating groundwater resources, especially in the Caribbean where there is strong seasonality in precipitation, finite surface-water storage and increases in potable water demand.

Design, testing, and implementation of a real-time system for monitoring flow in horizontal wells

The Horizontal Reactive Media Treatment Well (HRX Well®) is a technology capable of collecting and treating groundwater passively. To monitor the internal flow rate, ensuring it remains at an acceptable level and maintains the desired capture zone size in the aquifer, Point Velocity Probes (PVPs) were adapted for the task. The modified PVP was assessed for its performance in a mock-HRX Well setting, which consisted of a laboratory sand column, similar in diameter to the HRX Well cartridges that would house the PVP in the field, with flow directed along the longitudinal axis of the probe. Experiments were conducted to assess 1) the effects of friction between the fluid and the probe surface, which could bias a velocity measurement low, and 2) the effect of gas in the porous medium, potentially generated by some reactive media, on PVP signals and measurements of velocity. It was determined that PVP length exerted no discernable effect on the quality of the PVP performance. However, the effects of gas in the porous medium were varied. Compared to velocity estimates assuming a fully saturated porous medium, the bias to velocity measurements was negative if gas was limited to locations near a PVP's injection-detection array, such as might occur by inadvertent bubble injection during the tracer pulses. The bias was positive if the gas was generated uniformly throughout the porous medium, such as might occur in a reactive porous medium like granular iron, or one featuring vigorous biological activity. A field trial of the HRX Well was subsequently undertaken with internal PVPs. The PVPs identified a missing seal that was later retrofit, and documented flow in the HRX Well at velocities in the range of 1.3 to 4.0 m/d, which compared well with expectations based on a site model that predicted velocities of 1.3 to 2.3 m/d. The results of this study demonstrate that HRX Wells perform hydraulically as designed, and that PVPs are effective devices for tracking flow rates within them in near real-time.

Island Growth of Poly(chloro-p-xylylene) Coatings

The evolution of the morphology of island poly(chloro-p-xylylene) films formed on silicon substrates by vapor deposition polymerization is investigated by atomic force microscopy. The dependences of the effective thickness of the island coating, the number density of polymer islands, and their average size on the surface coverage are studied. The maximal density of polymer islands and the surface coverage corresponding to the transition to the coalescence regime are estimated. Within the framework of the theory of dynamic scaling, the size distribution of islands and the size distribution of their “capture zones” are analyzed. It is shown that, at low degrees of filling of the substrate, before the coalescence of islands, these distributions are described by scaling functions corresponding to the model of reaction-limited aggregation. The size of the critical nucleus is estimated from the size distributions of the “capture zones” of polymer islands.

Support method for interpretation of regional groundwater monitoring in urban areas

Abstract Urban centers radically alter hydrological cycles, causing unintended consequences for the environment, such as the creation of extensive contamination plumes in unconfined aquifers. The Environmental Agency of the State of Sao Paulo has observed this issue since 1994. Therefore, this study aimed to create a method using nitrate as an indicator of contamination that permits an assertive interpretation of changes in the groundwater quality in monitoring wells of regional networks. The method was applied in ten cities with monitoring wells in the Bauru Aquifer System. The results correlated the presence of nitrate with the time and dynamics of land use in the capture zones of the wells over 54 years (1962-2016). In areas with sewer networks installed before 2001 and urban occupation greater than 60% of urban occupation in the capture zones, there was an increase in nitrate concentration of at least 35%. Likewise, extending this new method to other wells will make it possible to identify the causes of nitrate and other contaminants in the groundwater-monitoring network in the State of Sao Paulo.

Stochastic correlated hydraulic conductivity tensor calibration using gradual deformation

Quasi-point hydraulic properties (K) measured locally under laboratory or field conditions need to be upscaled to block-scale K-tensors for use in flow simulators. The upscaled model also needs to be calibrated to hydraulic head observations. The calibration must preserve spatial covariance, cross-covariance and non-linear relations between tensor components. We apply a new upscaling method that allows to compute and model the covariance between block K-tensor components. We use a gradual deformation method for calibration of simulated K-tensor fields to measured head data. Our method incorporates a new bivariate transform that preserves the non-linear relations between K-tensor components. The ensemble of calibrated realizations allows quantification of uncertainty of groundwater flow models. A comparison with PEST on a test case defining capture zones for water supply wells shows that our method calibrates better to measured heads than PEST, provides more realistic K-tensors and results in larger capture zones.