Meeting Street Needs Assessment and Space Planning

A community space is a multigenerational gathering place in which a variety of activities, programs and services are offered for the benefit of the public. This space should be a pillar of the community. Just like in a family unit, a community that overcomes hard times, controversial issues and challenging obstacles together will grow closer. In areas that are facing poor education, low income and a general decomposition of core values, a community center that encompasses resources for family, education, guidance, arts and entertainment, and technology can act as the catalyst for overall community improvement and a new cycle of living. The community center acts as a welcoming and equalizing place that operates without stigma, judgment or prejudice. It should encourage both personal and communal growth

Blithewold Mansion: A Vision for the Visitors Center

The Visitor Center is one of the most important programmatic elements of the estate. The building tends to get overlooked due to its small size and unclear signage. It currently houses a ticket booth, an information center and a gift shop, but there isn’t much space leftover for employees, guests or expansion

Borehole water level response to barometric pressure as an indicator of aquifer vulnerability

The response of borehole water levels to barometric pressure changes in semiconfined aquifers can be used to determine barometric response functions from which aquifer and confining layer properties can be obtained. Following earlier work on barometric response functions and aquifer confinement, we explore the barometric response function as a tool to improve the assessment of groundwater vulnerability in semiconfined aquifers, illustrated through records from two contrasting boreholes in the semiconfined Chalk Aquifer, East Yorkshire, UK. After removal of recharge and Earth tide influences on the water level signal, barometric response functions were estimated and aquifer and confining layer properties determined through an analytical model of borehole water level response to barometric pressure. A link between the thickness and vertical diffusivity of the confining layer determined from the barometric response function, and groundwater vulnerability is proposed. The amplitude spectrum for barometric pressure and instrument resolution favor determination of the barometric response function at frequencies to which confining layer diffusivities are most sensitive. Numerical modeling indicates that while the high frequency response reflects confining layer properties in the immediate vicinity of the borehole, the low frequency response reflects vertical, high diffusivity pathways though the confining layer some hundreds of meters distant. A characteristic time scale parameter, based on vertical diffusivities and thicknesses of the saturated and unsaturated confining layer, is introduced as a measure of semiconfined aquifer vulnerability. The study demonstrates that the barometric response function has potential as a tool for quantitative aquifer vulnerability assessment in semiconfined aquifers

Comparative analysis of SOFC–GT freight locomotive fueled by natural gas and diesel with onboard reformation

Due to increasing awareness of the deleterious environmental and health effects of diesel combustion emissions, major regulatory action and policy measures are focused on reducing emissions from diesel engines. Freight operations, including rail-based freight transportation, have received special attention as an industry where major change can be affected, especially in neighborhoods located near operations centers. A FORTRAN-based dynamic simulation model of an SOFC-GT (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine) system from a prior feasibility study has been adapted to analyze system operation along a representative but demanding route in southern California. In previous simulations with the model, the basic operational feasibility of the system has been demonstrated as well as the in-service operation for pre-reformed fuels. In the current study, the analysis is extended to include reformation of two fuels (diesel and natural gas) onboard the locomotive and analyses of system efficiency, fuel consumption, CO2 emission, and NOx emission that can be attained through careful thermal integration of the reformer unit. Route-averaged fuel-to-wheels system efficiencies of 60% and 52% are predicted for natural gas and diesel fuel, respectively. Additionally, SOFC-GT operation could provide (1) a reduction approaching 98% in NOx for both fuels; (2) a 54% savings in CO2 for operation on natural gas; and (3) a 30% CO2 reduction for operation on diesel fuel compared to state-of-the-art locomotive technology. These gains may be offset by design challenges, especially for the diesel case, due to the requirement for large volumes of water to support the reformation process even for medium-length freight hauling trips