Water Flow Research Articles

The Effects of Water Flow Speed on Swimming Capacity and Energy Metabolism in Adult Amur Grayling (Thymallus grubii)

The Effects of Water Flow Speed on Swimming Capacity and Energy Metabolism in Adult Amur Grayling (Thymallus grubii)

Studies on Recovery of Performance of Fouled Nanocomposite Ultrafiltration Membranes on Cleaning after Treatment of Oil–Water Emulsions

Herein, we discussed the pure water flux recovery of carbon based nanofillers embedded polyvinyl chloride nanocomposite membranes after physical cleaning through backwashing & flushing with flow reversal and after chemical cleaning using hydrochloric acid and caustic soda. The water flux recovery by backwashing is more than that by forward flushing for all the membrane but it is more effective in carbon black (CB) & graphitized carbon black (GCB) carbon-based membranes than relatively hydrophilic multiwalled carbon-nanotube (MWCNT) & carboxylated multiwalled carbon-nanotube (CMWCNT) based nanocomposite membranes. The highest water flux recovery was found ~96% for nanocomposite membranes by backwashing and caustic soda cleaning. The combination of backwashing and caustic soda cleaning could be the most effective method of cleaning of oil-water fouled membranes to restore the maximum water flux.

Identification of N, P, and K in Solid Waste from Palm Flour Production and Their Benefits as Organic Compost Fertilizer Ingredients

The palm flour manufacturing industry produces a lot of liquid waste and solid waste. The absence of a waste processing system means the waste is dumped around the production house. The large amount of solid waste that is dumped every day causes a buildup of waste on riverbanks. The flow of river water is disturbed, pollutes the river ecosystem, and the smell is unpleasant. The research aims to identify the content of N, P, and K elements in palm flour solid waste. The data obtained will be used as a basic reference for using palm flour solid waste as an alternative compost material considering that most of the Pucang Miliran village area is an agricultural area. The research was carried out by taking a sample of 1 kg of sugar palm flour solid waste and testing it for the content of N, P, and K. Data from laboratory tests were analyzed descriptively supported by a literature study. The research results showed that palm flour solid waste contained Nitrogen (N) of 194.227 mg/Kg, Phosphorus (P) of 410.270 mg/Kg, and Potassium (K) of 832.382 mg/Kg. The presence of the three nutrients N, P, and K in large enough quantities can be considered that palm flour solid waste can be a good alternative material for making organic fertilizer/compost. Further research is needed to determine the comparison and combination of various compost material compositions to produce the best palm solid waste compost.

Synthesis of Responsive Membranes for Water Recovery through Desalination of Saline Industrial Effluents

Polysulfone (PSF) and smart polymers (SRPs)—including polyacrylic acid (AAc), poly N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA), and sulfonated poly(1,4-phenylene ether-ether-sulfone) (SPEES)—were used in the synthesis of responsive membranes (PSF-SRP) for application in sustainable desalination processes involving food industry effluents for water recovery and recycling. With the inclusion of SRPs, PSF-SRP membranes showed different characteristics when compared to the PSF membrane. AAc caused fibers to occur in the surface structure, increasing the MWCO of the PSF membrane, whereas NIPA and SPEES diminished the MWCO, resulting in ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes. Furthermore, NIPA and SPEES provided high mechanical and thermal resistance when incorporated into the PSF membrane. The performance of the membranes also showed important changes. In comparison with only PSF, PSF-SPEES and PSF-NIPA increased the water flux and salt rejection percentage by 20–30%. In addition, the highest membrane fouling resistance was observed with PSF-NIPA, while PSF-AAc and PSF-NIPA-AAc presented the lowest resistances. Therefore, PSF-NIPA and PSF-SPEES resulted in membrane improvement, including stimuli-responsive properties, allowing for effective saline effluent treatment.

Alcohol-alcohol-based draw solute minimizes the reverse solute flux in forward osmosis desalination.

Recently, alcohol-based draw solute (DS), i.e., alcohol with water, is one of the trending research topics in forward osmosis (FO) because of its performance and ease of regeneration. Nevertheless, the higher reverse solute flux (RSF) of the alcohol-based DS hinders its commercialization in water and wastewater treatment applications. This research aims to minimize the RSF of the alcohol-based DS in FO by investigating the possibility of using alcohol-alcohol-based draw solutes for the first time. Three alcohol-alcohol-based draw solutions, namely, (1) E70 + IPA30 (ethanol: 70% + isopropanol: 30%), (2) E40 + IPA60 (ethanol: 40% + isopropanol: 60%), and (3) E10 + IPA90 (ethanol: 10% + isopropanol: 90%), were prepared and the properties (including osmolality, shear stress, and viscosity) of the DS were first investigated followed by the parametric investigation (concerning temperature and concentration). The results were further analyzed with the fixed-point iterative method in MATLAB to obtain the performance parameters. Results reveal that the E10 + IPA90 mixture yields a lower RSF of 40.62g/m2/h and specific reverse solute flux of3.78g/L with a considerably good water flux and recovery percentage of 11.47 LMH and 26.29%, respectively, as compared to other DS E70 + IPA30 and E40 + IPA60 at 25°C. Thus, E10 + IPA90 is recommended as a potential candidate to be used as a DS in FO.

Effects of 2D hydrodynamic model resolution on habitat estimates for rearing Coho Salmon in contrasting channel forms

AbstractEstimating the impacts of water allocation decisions on fish populations and habitat availability is an important part of environmental flow assessments, especially in locations where water resources are limited. Two‐dimensional hydrodynamic models (2DHMs) are commonly coupled with biological models to estimate fish habitat quality, area, and capacity across a range of proposed streamflows. Increasingly, resource managers are relying on landscape‐scale model domains with coarse model resolutions to maintain feasible computational loads, but this may affect habitat estimates if the mesh element size of the model exceeds the spatial scale relevant to the organism. We investigated how coarsening the resolution of a 2DHM influences the area and spatial distribution of estimated Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) fry habitats. We used an interpolation scheme that upscaled mesh elements from a high‐resolution (0.25 m2) 2DHM to quantify and visualize the effects of 2DHM resolution on estimates of Coho Salmon fry habitat for two contrasting channel morphologies and across a broad range of streamflows. Estimates of Coho Salmon fry habitat at increasingly coarser resolutions led to 20%–50% reductions in weighted usable habitat area (WUA) across several streamflow scenarios for a complex channel type, but did not impact estimates in a confined, flume‐like channel. Additionally, flow‐to‐habitat area relationships were not congruent at a given streamflow when resolution coarsened. Along with almost 500% more high‐quality habitat area estimated in the complex channel type over the confined, discrepancies in habitat area increased with higher flows in areas defined as optimal for rearing Coho Salmon fry. Considering that complex channel types contain critical habitat for Coho Salmon fry, this study suggests coarse 2DHM resolutions may exclude important wetted edge and off‐channel habitats from environmental flow assessments.

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Heat Transfer in a Chilled Ceiling System

Radiant cooling has been growing in recent years due to energy savings and improved comfort and health. The aim of this study was to reduce energy consumption and provide comfort using a chilled ceiling panel in the zone. In the experimental part of this study, a test room was created to investigate the change in the heat transfer performance of a chilled ceiling panel according to different water temperatures, different water flow rates and different heat source values. As a result of the experimental study, it was found that optimum conditions were achieved with a heat rate of 280 Watts and the lowest supply water temperature of 14 °C, with indoor comfort conditions being achieved with water flow rates of 0.93 m3/h. In the theoretical part of this study, a thermal balance was established for ceiling panel cooling applications. An analytical model of the heat transfer between the cold ceiling panel and the room air was also developed. The convection coefficient, convective heat transfer and total heat transfer coefficient were compared using the values obtained from the experiments and those reported in the literature. It was found that the convection coefficient was within the range reported in the literature, and the radiation heat coefficient was within 99.8% of the literature values.

Continuous Electrocoagulation for a Sustainable Water Treatment: Effects of Electrode Configuration, Electrical Connection Mode, and Polarity Reversal on Fluoride Removal

Water pollution in southern Tunisia, particularly in the mining basin of Gafsa, is primarily due to elevated levels of fluoride ions. This study focuses on removing fluoride from Metlaoui’s tap water through a continuous electrocoagulation (EC) treatment. With a fluoride concentration of 3.5 mg·L−1, this water exhibits the highest fluoride levels in Gafsa’s mining basin. The study investigates the impact of electrode configuration on fluoride removal from tap water through continuous electrocoagulation treatment. Configuring the electrodes perpendicular to the water flow improves the aluminum dissolution by electrocoagulation and the fluoride removal efficiency. Additionally, the study explores the effect of electrical connection modes on electrode performance, showing consistent fluoride removal yield under identical current densities and electrochemical cell numbers. Furthermore, the study examines cathodic deposit removal through polarity reversal, demonstrating its effectiveness in eliminating deposits and achieving high fluoride removal yields, especially with polarity reversal every minute. This method proves to be an efficient approach for a more sustainable fluorinated water treatment, eliminating cathodic deposits without the need for chemical or mechanical interventions, and without producing additional effluents or waste. The optimization of these parameters not only enhances fluoride removal efficiency, but also reduces energy consumption and operational costs, thereby promoting the sustainable management of energy and water resources.

The Properties of the Physical Parameters in the Triple Diffusive Fluid Flow Model

The existence of more than one diffusive component in fluid mixtures is observed in these situations: underground water flow, the mechanism of acid rain, the existence of contaminant in some certain mixture, etc. These diffusive components are occurred with the single temperature gradient (since all of the elements are dissolved into the same mixture) and 2 types of concentration gradients (since the dual diffusive components are dissolved in the same mixture). Besides, many industrial and engineering processes are utilizing the concept of convective fluid flow especially over a shrinking sheet. Therefore, a mathematical model for triple-diffusive flow over a nonlinear compressing sheet has been developed in this paper, and subjected to the Soret-Dufour effects. The model comprises of five initial equations namely continuity, momentum, energy, concentration of component 1 and concentration of component 2 equations, together with boundary conditions. These initial equations are expressed as partial differential equations. However, the finalized equations are in the form of ordinary differential equations. Later, the bvp4c programme provided by the Matlab Software is used to solve the ordinary differential equations and the boundary conditions. Three distinct values of each governing parameter are fixed into the bvp4c function, to observe the behaviour of the physical parameters, namely as local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number. The main finding of the dual numerical solutions varies for increasing governing parameters until they intersect at the critical points. In conclusion, the governing parameters affects the heat and mass transfer of the fluid flow model model.

Syphons in tipping bucket rain gauges: How do they affect rainfall intensity estimates derived from inter-tip times?

Tipping-bucket rain gauges (TBRGs) are widely used globally to record rainfall amounts over nominated accumulation durations such as 15-minute rainfall, hourly rainfall, and daily rainfall. To reduce the under-estimation of rainfall amounts that results from high rates of inflow to the tipping buckets in intense rainfall, small syphons are commonly installed between the rain-collecting funnel and the bucket mechanism. The syphon is designed to regulate the inflow, reducing the systematic error inherent in the basic TBRG mechanism.The inter-tip times (ITTs) of a TBRG are often used as a source of rainfall intensity data, since the ITTs provide the highest temporal resolution possible from such gauges. However, the influence of the syphon is generally neglected in this approach to intensity estimation. Experimental results are presented here from a high-quality TBRG fed with known rates of water inflow, simulating rain of various constant intensities. Tests were replicated with the syphon installed, and with it removed.Results confirm that the syphon significantly perturbs the sequence of ITTs, causing apparent fluctuations in intensity that do not in fact exist. At least two factors contribute to this. The first is the lack of correspondence between syphon and bucket volumes, such that more than one syphon operation may be needed to fill one bucket. The second factor is the continued inflow to the syphon during its emptying cycle. This lengthens the time required for the syphon to cycle, as well as worsening any mismatch between the amount of water discharged through the syphon to the tipping-bucket mechanism and the bucket capacity. In fact, there can be no fixed relationship between the syphon discharge volume and the capacity of a TBRG bucket. Therefore, one syphon emptying cycle can deliver more than the nominal 0.2 mm needed to trigger a tip event, such that the varying excess (dependent on the rainfall intensity) drains to the second bucket, which in turn tips earlier than would be expected. Consequently, even at constant intensity, the ITTs display increased variability, with widely-varying apparent intensities among successive ITTs. The variance among ITTs is shown always to be greater in data from a syphon-equipped TBRG than from a “straight-through” (no-syphon) gauge, such that the reliability of intensity data obtained from the ITTs of a syphon-equipped TBRG are reduced by the presence of the syphon.

The Optimization of Chillers Air-Conditioning in Thailand Supermarkets using a Retail Energy Management System (REMS)

Supermarkets in Thailand continue to grow and there will be more than 1500 branches by 2023 open 18-24 hours a day. In this research, we will present how to increase energy efficiency in retail stores by reducing the energy consumption of compressors of chiller air conditioning systems by using energy management systems in retail stores. Retail energy management systems in retail stores use the Internet of Things to connect to a device to store data and analyze and process from big data, then Artificial Intelligence controls and commands to make the air conditioning system energy efficient. Controlling 10 AHUs using central sensors at the sales area instead of return sensors allows us to save 25% of energy or 12,886 kWh/Year. As for the cold-water pump, it is controlled by an inverter. By using sensors to measure the water flow rate, we save 33% of energy or 19,755 kWh/Year. When controlling the water pump and AHU, the chiller compressor will save energy because when the air handling unit and the water pump have reduced work, the work of the compressor to cool water is reduced as well, resulting in energy savings of 12% or 25,211 kWh/Day. Using such a system reduces the overall energy consumption of the chiller air conditioning system. 17% or 57,852 per year has a payback period of 3 years and can also be extended to other systems within the store or other stores.

Performance Enhancement of Heat Pump Dryer using Heat Recovery

The purpose of this research was to study on performance of a heat pump dryer using R32 refrigerant by recovering waste heat from an external condenser. Drying was carried out with drying temperatures of 45, 50 and 55 °C and water flow rates in the heat exchanger of 2, 3 and 4 L/min. Criteria for evaluating performance of heat pump dryer include: drying rate (DR), specific moisture extraction rate, specific energy consumption (SEC) and coefficient of performance of heat pump (COPh). The result shown that the performance of a heat pump dryer with heat recovery is higher than that of a traditional heat pump dryer. It was also found that increasing in drying temperature and water flow rate in heat exchanger resulted in an increase in the drying rate, power of the heat pump dryer and the specific moisture extraction rate. Whereas the specific energy consumption had decreased.

Implication of fault seal analysis method to evaluate the sealing conditions of major fault planes at Barapukuria basin, North-West Bangladesh

The Barapukuria coal basin stands as Bangladesh’s sole active underground coal mining site. The geological setting of this basin is marked by two major faults, the Eastern Boundary Fault and FB fault encircling the basin perimeter, alongside several smaller faults and those induced by underground longwall mining activities. A major concerning issue of this mine is the water inrush into the mine area from the extensive groundwater aquifer, Upper DupiTila (UDT). Using the Fault Seal Analysis technique employed by (Yielding et al. in Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 81:897–917, 1997) algorithm, this analysis attempts to identify susceptible areas and potential unsealed faults that could provide the risk of water invasion into the mine area. Evaluation of Fault Seal Analysis reveals varying Shale Gauge Ratio (SGR) values: 0.08 and 0.13 for the major Eastern Boundary Fault, 0.05 for the second largest FB fault, 0.35 and 0.53 for FB-1, and 5.65, 1.69, and 1.22 for the smaller faults BGP-N-F11, BGP-N-F2, and F-24, respectively. According to SGR values, the Eastern Boundary Fault and the FB fault plane are anticipated to be unsealed and dip westward at an angle of 75°-80°, rendering them vulnerable to water inflow through the fault planes. The analysis also suggests that the Lower DupiTila (LDT) aquiclude which can impede the groundwater flow from the UDT aquifer into the mine area, is very thin or absent in the northern region of the basin making this region highly susceptible to water inundation.

An Innovative Surface Modification Technique for Antifouling Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes.

In this study, we developed a novel surface coating technique to modify the surface chemistry of thin film composite (TFC) nanofiltration (NF) membranes, aiming to mitigate organic fouling while maintaining the membrane's permselectivity. We formed a spot-like polyester (PE) coating on top of a polyamide (PA) TFC membrane using mist-based interfacial polymerization. This process involved exposing the membrane surface to tiny droplets carrying different concentrations of sulfonated kraft lignin (SKL, 3, 5, and 7 wt %) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC, 0.2 wt %). The main advantages of this surface coating technique are minimal solvent consumption (less than 0.05 mL/cm2) and precise control over interfacial polymerization. Zeta potential measurements of the coated membranes exhibited enhancements in negative charge compared to the control membrane. This enhancement is attributed to the unreacted carboxyl functional groups of the SKL and TMC monomers, as well as the presence of sulfonate groups (SO3) in the structure of SKL. AFM results showed a notable decrease in membrane surface roughness after polyester coating due to the slower diffusion of SKL to the interface and a milder reaction with TMC. In terms of fouling resistance, the membrane coated with a polyester composed of 7 wt % SKL showed a 90% flux recovery ratio (FRR) during Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) filtration, showing a 15% improvement compared to the control membrane (PA). PE-coated membranes provided stable separation performance over 40 h of filtration. The sodium chloride rejection and water flux displayed minimal variations, indicating the robustness of the coating layer. The final section of the presented study focuses on assessing the feasibility of scaling up and the cost-effectiveness of the proposed technique. The demonstrated ease of scalability and a notable reduction in chemical consumption establish this method as a viable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable solution for surface modification.

Assessing small hydropower viability in water-scarce regions: environmental flow and climate change impacts using a SWAT+ based tool

Water-scarce regions, like the Mediterranean, face worsening conditions due to climate change, intensifying pressure on key economic sectors such as hydropower. Additionally, environmental conservation policies, particularly the implementation of environmental flows, present challenges for hydropower systems. Certainty regarding the impact of these factors on future hydropower production is crucial for informed decision-making in the transition to sustainable energy. This study introduces S + HydPower, a tool coupled with SWAT+ to assess climate change and watershed management effects on small hydropower plant (SHP) systems. In this study, we used this tool to investigate the consequences of implementing environmental flows and climate change on run-of-river SHPs in the Catalan River Basin District (CRBD), in Catalonia. The results show that applying environmental flows would lead to a significant 27% reduction in SHP production. However, this reduction would represent only 0.25% of the region’s current energy demand. Furthermore, the study reveals a potential 38% to 73% reduction in SHP production by the end of the twenty-first century due to the combined effects of environmental flows and climate change. This suggests a substantial decline in run-of-river SHP’s contribution to the CRBD’s electricity supply. These findings emphasize the need to explore alternative and sustainable energy sources to ensure the long-term reliability and resilience of the region’s energy supply.

Impacts on water quality of producing biogas on pig farms as a function of the associated agricultural practices

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess positive or negative impacts of anaerobic digestion (AD) on water quality using a systemic approach. To this end, we used the agro-hydrological model Topography-based Nitrogen Transfer and Transformation (TNT2), a spatially explicit model that simulates nitrogen and water flows at the watershed scale on a daily time step. Four scenarios were constructed and analyzed: a baseline before the introduction of AD (S0), AD with adjusted fertilization (S1), AD with unadjusted fertilization (S2), and agroecological AD (S3). The results showed that, when spreading practices were similar and an equivalent amount of effective nitrogen was applied, digested pig slurry generally had a predicted amount of nitrate leaching similar to that of undigested pig slurry. In addition, replacing catch crops with energy cover crops had little impact on water quality. Scenario S3 was the most favorable one for water quality and biogas production, but not for soil organic nitrogen storage and food and feed production. This study’s strength is its systemic approach, which considered both environmental and agronomic aspects to assess the scenarios.

White Roman Goose Feather-Inspired Unidirectionally Inclined Conical Structure Arrays for Switchable Anisotropic Self-Cleaning.

White Roman goose (Anser anser domesticus) feathers, comprised of oriented conical barbules, are coated with gland-secreted preening oils to maintain a long-term nonwetting performance for surface swimming. The geese are accustomed to combing their plumages with flat bills in case they are contaminated with oleophilic substances, during which the amphiphilic saliva spread over the barbules greatly impairs their surface hydrophobicities and allows the trapped contaminants to be anisotropically self-cleaned by water flows. Particularly, the superhydrophobic behaviors of the goose feathers are recovered as well. Bioinspired by the switchable anisotropic self-cleaning functionality of white Roman geese, superhydrophobic unidirectionally inclined conical structures are engineered through the integration of a scalable colloidal self-assembly technology and a colloidal lithographic approach. The dependence of directional sliding properties on the shape, inclination angle, and size of conical structures is systematically investigated in this research. Moreover, their switchable anisotropic self-cleaning functionalities are demonstrated by Sudan blue II/water (0.01%) separation performances. The white Roman goose feather-inspired coatings undoubtedly offer a new concept for developing innovative applications that require directional transportation and the collection of liquids.

Neutrophils actively swell to potentiate rapid migration.

While the involvement of actin polymerization in cell migration is well-established, much less is known about the role of transmembrane water flow in cell motility. Here, we investigate the role of water influx in a prototypical migrating cell, the neutrophil, which undergoes rapid, directed movement to sites of injury, and infection. Chemoattractant exposure both increases cell volume and potentiates migration, but the causal link between these processes are not known. We combine single-cell volume measurements and a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify the regulators of chemoattractant-induced neutrophil swelling, including NHE1, AE2, PI3K-gamma, and CA2. Through NHE1 inhibition in primary human neutrophils, we show that cell swelling is both necessary and sufficient for the potentiation of migration following chemoattractant stimulation. Our data demonstrate that chemoattractant-driven cell swelling complements cytoskeletal rearrangements to enhance migration speed.

Neutrophils actively swell to potentiate rapid migration

While the involvement of actin polymerization in cell migration is well-established, much less is known about the role of transmembrane water flow in cell motility. Here, we investigate the role of water influx in a prototypical migrating cell, the neutrophil, which undergoes rapid, directed movement to sites of injury, and infection. Chemoattractant exposure both increases cell volume and potentiates migration, but the causal link between these processes are not known. We combine single-cell volume measurements and a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify the regulators of chemoattractant-induced neutrophil swelling, including NHE1, AE2, PI3K-gamma, and CA2. Through NHE1 inhibition in primary human neutrophils, we show that cell swelling is both necessary and sufficient for the potentiation of migration following chemoattractant stimulation. Our data demonstrate that chemoattractant-driven cell swelling complements cytoskeletal rearrangements to enhance migration speed.

Precipitation and time effects on vegetation change in Southern Arizona abandoned farmland

Farmland abandonment represents a significant issue globally, and in arid environments reclaiming ecosystems is challenging. In the Sonoran Desert, much irrigated farmland has been abandoned since 1950. Our objective was to compare changes in vegetative (canopy) cover and species over a 26-year period on abandoned farmland and unfarmed controls in southcentral Arizona (precipitation <300 mm/year). We evaluated time since abandonment and precipitation effects on these variables between 1976 and 2003 with point frame methods on eight farmland sites using stepwise multiple regression. Results suggest antecedent precipitation (AP) is more important than time since abandonment in explaining cover changes. On 26 abandoned sites, we used non-parametric ANOVA to show that vegetative cover (point frame and line intercept methods) declined by about 43% from 1977 to 2023, which was greater than on non-farmed controls. Few farmlands had cover and species composition like reference communities in 2003. Paired farmland-control sites exhibited similar vegetation in 1977 and 2003 suggesting local factors (e.g., soil chemistry, roadways) may have overwhelmed that of farming. Uninterrupted (natural) surface water flow may predict where revegetation was most successful. Our research indicates that farmland may exist in alternative states, and passive revegetation will not reestablish native Sonoran Desert communities on most abandoned farmland sites.