A Disaggregation‐Emulation Approach for Optimization of Large Urban Drainage Systems

none3Multi-objective optimization can help identify efficient and appealing designs of urban drainage systems. However, their application to large-scale problems is hindered by the computational cost of urban drainage simulation. We propose a novel disaggregation approach that allows simulating a portion of a drainage network while the remaining part is represented by a surrogate model that maps changes in the region of interest to hydraulic head time-series at synthetic nodes shared with the remaining part of the network. The proposed approach is demonstrated with an application to the many-objective optimization of sustainable urban drainage systems in two urban areas. The design problem's decision variables include the types of sustainable drainage systems, their combination within a subcatchment, their surface areas and spatial distribution, whereas the objectives include the minimization of capital cost, flood volume, flood duration, and total suspended solids or average peak runoff. The results show that the proposed disaggregation-emulation approach can provide an accurate representation of the system dynamics while significantly reducing the computational time compared to a model that simulates the whole network dynamics. Two alternative surrogate models are considered based on multilayer perceptron (MLP) and generalized regression neural networks (GRNN). MLP is found to be more accurate compared to GRNN at the cost of a larger computational time for the training process.noneSeyedashraf O.; Bottacin-Busolin Andrea; Harou J.J.Seyedashraf, O.; Bottacin-Busolin, Andrea; Harou, J. J

A contaminant transport model for wetlands accounting for distinct residence time bimodality

Vegetation plays a major role in controlling the fate of contaminants in natural and constructed wetlands. Estimating the efficiency of contaminant removal of a wetland requires separate knowledge of the residence time statistics in the main flow channels, where the flow velocity is relatively higher, and in the more densely vegetated zones, where the velocity is smaller and most of the biochemical transformations occur. A conceptual wetland characterized by a main flow channel (MFC) and lateral vegetated zones (LVZs) is modeled here using a two-dimensional depth-averaged hydrodynamic and advection\u2013dispersion model. The effect of vegetation is described as a flow resistance represented in the hydrodynamic model as a function of the stem density. Simulations are performed for a given flow discharge and for increasing values of the ratio between the vegetation density in the LVZs and in the MFC. Residence time distributions (RTDs) of a nonreactive tracer are derived from numerical simulations of the solute breakthrough curves (BTCs) resulting from a continuous concentration input. Results show that increasing vegetation densities produce an increasingly pronounced bimodality of the RTDs. At longer times, the RTDs decrease exponentially, with different timescales depending on the stem density ratio and other system parameters. The overall residence time distribution can be decomposed into a first component associated with the relatively fast transport in the MFC, and a second component associated with the slower transport in the LVZs. The weight of each temporal component is related to the exchange flux at the MFC-LVZ interface. A one-dimensional transport model is proposed that is capable to reproduce the RTDs predicted by the depth-averaged model, and the relationship between model and system parameters is investigated using a combination of direct and inverse modeling approaches

3D near-bed flow field measurements at low sediment transport rates

River morphodynamics and sediment transportMechanics of sediment transpor

The role of advection and dispersion in the rock matrix on the transport of leaking CO2-saturated brine along a fractured zone

CO2 that is injected into a geological storage reservoir can leak in dissolved form because of brine displacement from the reservoir, which is caused by large-scale groundwater motion. Simulations of the reactive transport of leaking CO2aq along a conducting fracture in a clay-rich caprock are conducted to analyze the effect of various physical and geochemical processes. Whilst several modeling transport studies along rock fractures have considered diffusion as the only transport process in the surrounding rock matrix (diffusive transport), this study analyzes the combined role of advection and dispersion in the rock matrix in addition to diffusion (advection-dominated transport) on the migration of CO2aq along a leakage pathway and its conversion in geochemical reactions. A sensitivity analysis is performed to quantify the effect of fluid velocity and dispersivity. Variations in the porosity and permeability of the medium are found in response to calcite dissolution and precipitation along the leakage pathway. We observe that advection and dispersion in the rock matrix play a significant role in the overall transport process. For the parameters that were used in this study, advection-dominated transport increased the leakage of CO2aq from the reservoir by nearly 305%, caused faster transport and increased the mass conversion of CO2aq in geochemical reactions along the transport pathway by approximately 12.20% compared to diffusive transport

Injection of CO2-saturated brine in geological reservoir: a way to enhanced storage safety

Injection of free-phase supercritical CO2 into deep geological reservoirs is associated with risk of considerable return flows towards the land surface due to the buoyancy of CO2, which is lighter than the resident brine in the reservoir. Such upward movements can be avoided if CO2 is injected in the dissolved phase (CO2aq). In this work, injection of CO2-saturated brine in a subsurface carbonate reservoir was modelled. Physical and geochemical interactions of injected low-pH CO2-saturated brine with the carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite and siderite) were investigated in the reactive transport modelling. CO2-saturated brine, being low in pH, showed high reactivity with the reservoir minerals, resulting in a significant mineral dissolution and CO2 conversion in reactions. Over the injection period of 10 yr, up to 16% of the injected CO2 was found consumed in geochemical reactions. Sorption included in the transport analysis resulted in additional quantities of CO2 mass stored. However, for the considered carbonate minerals, the consumption of injected CO2aq was found mainly in the form of ionic trapping.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Reactive transport modeling of leaking CO2-saturated brine along a fractured pathway

One concern regarding the underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) is its potential leakage from reservoirs. Over short period of time, the leakage risk is related mainly to CO2 as a separate supercritical fluid phase. However, over longer periods upon complete dissolution of injected CO2 in the fluid, the leakage risk is associated with dissolved phase CO2. Over the geological time scales, large-scale groundwater motion may cause displacement of brine containing dissolved CO2 along the conducting pathways. In this paper, we present a comprehensive modeling framework that describes the reactive transport of CO2-saturated brine along a fracture in the clay caprock based on the future, hypothetical leakage of the dissolved phase CO2. This study shows that the transport of leaked dissolved CO2 is significantly retarded by a combination of various physical and geochemical processes, such as mass exchange between conducting fracture and the neighboring rock matrix through molecular diffusion, sorption and calcite dissolution in the rock matrix. Mass stored in aqueous and adsorbed states in the rock matrix caused retention of dissolved CO2 along the leakage pathway. Calcite dissolution reaction in the rock matrix resulted in consumption of leaking dissolved CO2 and reduced its mass along the leakage pathway. Consumption and retention of dissolved CO2 along the leakage pathway have important implications for analyzing the potential reduction of CO2 fluxes from storage reservoirs over large periods and long travel pathways

Effects of Streambed Morphology and Biofilm Growth on the Transient Storage of Solutes

Microbial biofilms are the prime site of nutrient and contaminant removal in streams. It is therefore essential to understand how biofilms affect hydrodynamic exchange, solute transport, and retention in systems where geomorphology and induced hydrodynamics shape their growth and structure. We experimented with large-scale streamside flumes with streambed landscapes constructed from graded bedforms of constant height and wavelength. Each flume had a different bedform height and was covered with a layer of gravel as substratum for benthic microbial biofilms. Biofilms developed different biomass and physical structures in response to the hydrodynamic conditions induced by the streambed morphology. Step injections of conservative tracers were performed at different biofilm growth stages. The experimental breakthrough curves were analyzed with the STIR model, using a residence time approach to characterize the retention effects associated with biofilms. The retained mass of the solute increased with biofilm biomass and the biofilm-associated retention was furthermore related to bedform height. We tentatively relate this behavior to biofilm structural differentiation induced by bed morphology, which highlights the strong linkage between geomorphology, hydrodynamics, and biofilms in natural streams and provide important clues for stream restoration

Many-Objective Optimization of Sustainable Drainage Systems in Urban Areas with Different Surface Slopes

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-10-21, accepted 2021-04-12, registration 2021-04-13, pub-print 2021-06, pub-electronic 2021-06-09, online 2021-06-09Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Sustainable urban drainage systems are multi-functional nature-based solutions that can facilitate flood management in urban catchments while improving stormwater runoff quality. Traditionally, the evaluation of the performance of sustainable drainage infrastructure has been limited to a narrow set of design objectives to simplify their implementation and decision-making process. In this study, the spatial design of sustainable urban drainage systems is optimized considering five objective functions, including minimization of flood volume, flood duration, average peak runoff, total suspended solids, and capital cost. This allows selecting an ensemble of admissible portfolios that best trade-off capital costs and the other important urban drainage services. The impact of the average surface slope of the urban catchment on the optimal design solutions is discussed in terms of spatial distribution of sustainable drainage types. Results show that different subcatchment slopes result in non-uniform distributional designs of sustainable urban drainage systems, with higher capital costs and larger surface areas of green assets associated with steeper slopes. This has two implications. First, urban areas with different surface slopes should not have a one-size-fits-all design policy. Second, spatial equality must be taken into account when applying optimization models to urban subcatchments with different surface slopes to avoid unequal distribution of environmental and human health co-benefits associated with green drainage infrastructure