5,774 research outputs found
Mudflows: Assessment of Energy Dissipation on an Experimental Bottom Grid Device
Grid devices with a terminal wall barrier have been widely used for dissipation of energy load of water piped from the outfall works of artificial reservoirs. The satisfactory results obtained have led to the commitment to usage of such devices, with good results even in the case of mudflows for which design criteria were suggested. In this study, the experimental results of an evaluation of pressure on a vertical terminal wall are shown with the evaluation of the overall hydrodynamic thrust. The correct evaluation of the dynamic impact of a mudflow front against a structure is an important task in its design procedure. The hydrodynamic drive calculated from the tests with corresponding theoretical model values derived has shown a good matching. According to the test and speed range detected, the maximum dissipation rate due to the wall was about 35% of the available total load
Super-Hydrophobic Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Coatings for Stainless Steel
We have taken advantage of the native surface roughness and the iron content
of AISI 316 stainless steel to direct grow multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)
random networks by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at low-temperature (C), without the addition of any external catalysts or
time-consuming pre-treatments. In this way, super-hydrophobic MWCNT films on
stainless steel sheets were obtained, exhibiting high contact angle values
() and high adhesion force (high contact angle hysteresis).
Furthermore, the investigation of MWCNT films at scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) reveals a two-fold hierarchical morphology of the MWCNT random networks
made of hydrophilic carbonaceous nanostructures on the tip of hydrophobic
MWCNTs. Owing to the Salvinia effect, the hydrophobic and hydrophilic composite
surface of the MWCNT films supplies a stationary super-hydrophobic coating for
conductive stainless steel. This biomimetical inspired surface not only may
prevent corrosion and fouling but also could provide low-friction and
drag-reduction.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Exploiting the Hierarchical Morphology of Single-Walled and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Films for Highly Hydrophobic Coatings
Self-assembled hierarchical solid surfaces are very interesting for wetting
phenomena, as observed in a variety of natural and artificial surfaces. Here,
we report single-walled (SWCNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin
films realized by a simple, rapid, reproducible, and inexpensive filtration
process from an aqueous dispersion, that was deposited at room temperature by a
dry-transfer printing method on glass. Furthermore, the investigation of carbon
nanotube films through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the
multi-scale hierarchical morphology of the self-assembled carbon nanotube
random networks. Moreover, contact angle measurements show that hierarchical
SWCNT/MWCNT composite surfaces exhibit a higher hydrophobicity (contact angles
of up to 137{\deg}) than bare SWCNT (110{\deg}) and MWCNT (97{\deg}) coatings,
thereby confirming the enhancement produced by the surface hierarchical
morphology.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, This article is part of the Thematic Series
"Self-assembly of nanostructures and nanomaterials
Simulating the Impact on the Local Economy of Alternative Management Scenarios for Natural Areas
This working paper estimates the impact on the local economy of the High Garda Natural Park of alternative management scenarios for the West Garda Regional Forest. The local economy is specialized in tourist services and strongly linked to the tourist presence and their level of expenditure. We wish to investigate the effects of the participative management strategy, which takes into account users preferences and the non-participative strategy, using the SAM multiplier analysis. The local SAM has been constructed considering three sectors: agriculture, tourism and a third aggregate sector including all the other activities. The resident population has been divided into two categories: residents employed in the tourist sector and the remaining resident population. The SAM analysis shows that the accounting representation of the local economy is meaningful and that the participative program, if chosen by the central regional management, would be the most desirable program also at the local level.Tourism, SAM, Multiplier analysis
An Application of the Harmony-Search Multi-Objective (HSMO) Optimization Algorithm for the Solution of Pump Scheduling Problemâ
Abstract In hydraulic systems, water is often pumped to reach higher elevations, so as to ensure the minimum required pressure and guarantee adequate service level. However, pumps cannot be instantly activated and people do not consume the resource in uniform mode throughout the day. To avoid direct pumping, water can be stored in tanks at a higher elevation, so that it can be supplied whenever there is a higher demand. Because of the significant costs required for pumping, energy-saving in water supply systems is one of the most challenging issues to ensure optimal management of water systems. Careful scheduling of pumping operations may lead not only to energy savings, but alsoto prevent damages, as consequence of reduction of operation times and switches. By means of computer simulation, an optimal schedule of pumps can be achieved using optimization algorithms. In this paper, a harmony-search multi-objective (HSMO) optimization approach is adapted to the pump scheduling problem. The model interfaces with the popular hydraulic solver, EPANET 2.0, to check the hydraulic constraints and to evaluate the performances of the selected schedules. Penalties are introduced in the objective function in case of violation of the hydraulic constraints. The model is applied to a case study, showing that the results are comparable with those of competitive meta-heuristic algorithms (e.g. Genetic Algorithms) and pointing out the suitability of the HSMO algorithm for pumping optimization
- âŠ