Search results for "Environmental engineering"
showing 10 items of 2674 documents
A non-hydrostatic pressure distribution solver for the nonlinear shallow water equations over irregular topography
2016
Abstract We extend a recently proposed 2D depth-integrated Finite Volume solver for the nonlinear shallow water equations with non-hydrostatic pressure distribution. The proposed model is aimed at simulating both nonlinear and dispersive shallow water processes. We split the total pressure into its hydrostatic and dynamic components and solve a hydrostatic problem and a non-hydrostatic problem sequentially, in the framework of a fractional time step procedure. The dispersive properties are achieved by incorporating the non-hydrostatic pressure component in the governing equations. The governing equations are the depth-integrated continuity equation and the depth-integrated momentum equation…
Hydrological post-processing based on approximate Bayesian computation (ABC)
2019
[EN] This study introduces a method to quantify the conditional predictive uncertainty in hydrological post-processing contexts when it is cumbersome to calculate the likelihood (intractable likelihood). Sometimes, it can be difficult to calculate the likelihood itself in hydrological modelling, specially working with complex models or with ungauged catchments. Therefore, we propose the ABC post-processor that exchanges the requirement of calculating the likelihood function by the use of some sufficient summary statistics and synthetic datasets. The aim is to show that the conditional predictive distribution is qualitatively similar produced by the exact predictive (MCMC post-processor) or …
Hydropower Optimization Using Split-Window, Meta-Heuristic and Genetic Algorithms
2019
In this paper, we try to find the most efficient optimization algorithm that can be used to resolve the hydropower optimization problem. We propose a novel optimization technique is called the Split-window method. The method is relatively simple and reduces the complexity of the optimization problem by split-ting the planning horizon (and datasets) into equal windows and assigning the same values to policies(actions) within each part. After splitting, a meta-heuristic technique is used to optimize the actions, and the dataset is split again until a split contains only one instance (timestep). The unique values to be optimized during each iteration is equal to the number of splits which make…
Hydropower Optimization Using Deep Learning
2019
This paper demonstrates how deep learning can be used to find optimal reservoir operating policies in hydropower river systems. The method that we propose is based on the implicit stochastic optimization (ISO) framework, using direct policy search methods combined with deep neural networks (DNN). The findings from a real-world two-reservoir hydropower system in southern Norway suggest that DNNs can learn how to map input (price, inflow, starting reservoir levels) to the optimal production pattern directly. Due to the speed of evaluating the DNN, this approach is from an operational standpoint computationally inexpensive and may potentially address the long-standing problem of high dimension…
Optimal Placement of Pressure Sensors Using Fuzzy DEMATEL-Based Sensor Influence
2020
[EN] Nowadays, optimal sensor placement (OSP) for leakage detection in water distribution networks is a lively field of research, and a challenge for water utilities in terms of network control, management, and maintenance. How many sensors to install and where to install them are crucial decisions to make for those utilities to reach a trade-off between efficiency and economy. In this paper, we address the where-to-install-them part of the OSP through the following elements: nodes' sensitivity to leakage, uncertainty of information, and redundancy through conditional entropy maximisation. We evaluate relationships among candidate sensors in a network to get a picture of the mutual influenc…
Experimental study on triangular central baffle flume
2019
Abstract In this paper the results of the experiments performed to study the flow through a Triangular Central Baffle Flume (TCBF) are reported. The investigated flume consists of a triangular baffle of the apex angle of 75° with a given base width. The theoretical stage-discharge formula was deduced by applying the Buckingham's Theorem and incomplete self-similarity hypothesis and was calibrated using the laboratory measurements carried out in this investigation. The proposed stage-discharge formula is characterized by a mean absolute relative error of 7.4% and 72% of the data points are in an error range of ±5%. The results indicate that TCBF flume is characterized by a flow capacity high…
A Simple Analytical Model for Remote Assessment of the Dynamics of Biomass Accumulation
2011
Efficient means for assessment of the dynamics and the state of the stocks of renewable assets such as wood biomass are important for sustainable supplies satisfying current needs. So far attention has been paid mainly to the economic aspects of forest management while ecological problems are rising with the expected transfer from fossil to renewable resources supplies of which from forest being essential for traditional consumers of wood and for emerging biorefineries. Production of biomass is more reliant on assets other than money the land (territory) available and suitable for the purpose being the first in the number. Studies of the ecological impacts (the “footprint”) of sustainable u…
Predicting sediment deposition rate in check-dams using machine learning techniques and high-resolution DEMs
2021
Sediments accumulated in check dams are a valuable measure to estimate soil erosion rates. Here, geographic information systems (GIS) and three machine learning techniques (MARS-multivariate adaptive regression splines, RF-random forest and SVM-support vector machine) were used, for the first time, to predict sediment deposition rate (SR) in check-dams located in six watersheds in SW Spain. There, 160 dry-stone check dams (~ 77.8 check-dams km−2), accumulated sediments during a period that varied from 11 to 23 years. The SR was estimated in former research using a topographical method and a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (average of 0.14 m3 ha−1 year−1). Nine environmental-to…
An Experimental Investigation on the Air Permeability of Passive Ventilation Grilles
2015
Abstract The need of increasing both energy saving and acoustic insulation has leaded to the design of lowest air permeability frames resulting in the worsening of indoor air quality. Moreover, sometime in several civil-use existing buildings (i.e. schools or houses, historical buildings) mechanical ventilation systems cannot be installed due to non-removable constraints. In these cases, passive ventilation grilles are a cheap and effective solution for the ventilation. This work deals with an in-depth experimental analysis about the air permeability values measured over a set of passive ventilation grilles available on the market. Obtained results often showed performances very far to thos…
Wine competition: from between-juries consistency to sensory perception of consumers
2015
Wine is a complex product offering to consumer a multitude of choices. Considering this diversity, wine competitions provide a way of helping consumers in their choices. However, the dramatic increase of wine contests in the last fifteen years has led to an increase in the number of award-winning wines. Is a medal really a guarantee of quality or having a medal is just a matter of chance? Two studies were therefore conducted during 3 years in a French wine competition. The first study assessed the impact of the order in which the wine was assessed, and the variability between juries’ judgements and therefore the chances of winning an award. For this purpose, the same wine was placed on all …