Methodology to quantify clogging coefficients for grated inlets: application to SANT MARTI catchment (Barcelona)

This is the accepted version of the following article: Gómez, M, Parés, J, Russo, B, Martínez‐Gomariz, E. Methodology to quantify clogging coefficients for grated inlets. Application to SANT MARTI catchment (Barcelona). J Flood Risk Management. 2019; 12:e12479. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12479, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12479.Within the drainage system of a city, the set of inlets is in charge of taking the runoff produced by local storms to the stormwater/sewer. In the drainage system design the selection of appropriate inlet models and their location is one of the fundamental aspects. The hydraulics of these inlets has received great attention within the last years; however, few inlet makers provide the hydraulic capacity of their products. In addition, these data usually consider clean water, while in reality, numerous inlets can be either totally or partially clogged. This aspect should be kept in mind within the design process. In this paper, a methodology to consider the hydraulic effects of clogging phenomena is presented. The work started from a visual inspection of the grated inlets throughout the urban catchment of Sant Martí, Barcelona, as a means of identifying clogging patterns, their repetitive forms and their associated frequency. After that, clogged patterns were reproduced in laboratory testing of typical inlets types, thereby obtaining the real quantity of water that could be captured by each of them. It was shown that the same expression employed to describe the efficiency of clean inlets can be used to assess the efficiency of those clogged. A reduction factor in terms of hydraulic capacity and related to each clogging pattern has been defined for use in hydraulic studies of runoff along streets. Finally, the paper compares the obtained results in terms of clogging coefficient with another experimental campaign carried out in other catchment of the city.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Assessment of inlet efficiency through a 3D simulation: numerical and experimental comparison

Inlet efficiency is a requirement for characterizing the flow transfers between surface and sewer flow during rain events. The dual drainage approach is based on the joint analysis of both upper and lower drainage levels, and the flow transfer is one of the relevant elements to define properly this joint behaviour. This paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical investigation about the inlet efficiency definition. A full scale (1:1) test platform located in the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) reproduces both the runoff process in streets and the water entering the inlet. Data from tests performed on this platform allow the inlet efficiency to be estimated as a function of significant hydraulic and geometrical parameters. A reproduction of these tests through a numerical three-dimensional code (Flow-3D) has been carried out simulating this type of flow by solving the RANS equations. The aim of the work was to reproduce the hydraulic performance of a previously tested grated inlet under several flow and geometric conditions using Flow-3D as a virtual laboratory. This will allow inlet efficiencies to be obtained without previous experimental tests. Moreover, the 3D model allows a better understanding of the hydraulics of the flow interception and the flow patterns approaching the inlet.Preprin

Projecte constructiu de l’EDAR del sector “Les Camposines” t.m. La Fatarella (Terra Alta)

El present projecte pretén definir i justificar totes les obres i instal·lacions necessàries de l’Estació Depuradora d’Aigües Residuals del sector d’activitats econòmiques Les Camposines, al terme municipal de La Fatarella, amb l’objecte de depurar les aigües d’aquesta nova urbanització abans de realitzar l’abocament al barranc de Cugado

Chronicle of the X International Colloquium of the Center for Phoenician and Punic Studies: MARE SACRUM. Religion, cults and Phoenician rituals in the Mediterranean. Tribute to Professor José María Blázquez (Cádiz-San Fernando, 13-15 December 2017)

Crónica del X Coloquio Internacional del Centro de Estudios Fenicios y Púnicos: MARE SACRUM. Religión, cultos y rituales fenicios en el Mediterráneo. Homenaje al profesor José María Blázquez (Cádiz-San Fernando, 13-15 diciembre 2017)

A new experiments-based methodology to define the stability threshold for any vehicle exposed to flooding

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Urban water journal on 2017, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1573062X.2017.1301501A vehicle exposed to flooding, after losing stability, becomes buoyant and may be washed away with potential injuries and fatalities. Such vehicles cause additional disruption to traffic that is already affected by flooding, which may lead to substantial indirect economic impact, especially in urban areas. Therefore, the analysis of the stability of vehicles exposed to flooding is important in order to make decisions to reduce damages and hazards. In this research, based on an experimental campaign that included a range of twelve car models, a new methodology to obtain the stability threshold for any real vehicle exposed to flooding is developed. A stability coefficient (SCmod) is derived with which the vehicles can be sorted by stability against water flows and their stability functions may be determined. The experiments were conducted with three different model scales (1:14, 1:18 and 1:24) and involved analysis of both friction and buoyancy effects, which made this the most comprehensive research study to date. This methodology enables the definition of a stable area in the flow depth-velocity domain for any real vehicle. A tool is provided that decision-makers in the field of urban flood risk management can employ and after defining a design vehicle they can obtain its corresponding stability threshold.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Resolution study of optical tomography systems in microscopy

Optical microscopy has been used in biomedical studies for more than three centuries, but the limitations imposed by light scattering restricted it to superficial studies. However, novel systems have led to the acquisition of 3D images by means of novel laser techniques, thus making it possible to examine features at depths and resolutions that were impossible before. They are referred as optical tomography systems, and they are of special interest in developmental biology studies, where fluorescent proteins are to be identified in transgenic animals for determining cell and tissue behavior. The main problem resides in the fact that although it is a noninvasive technique the sample should be transparent. For this purpose different methods have been developed, all of them based on the idea that water inside the sample has to be replaced with a liquid that has the same refractive index that proteins and lipids for preventing light scattering effects. The resolution obtained with these techniques is such that a gap which was previously uncovered by other techniques is hence possible. This is due to the fact that techniques like confocal microscopy have a higher resolution, but consequently a smaller Field of View (FOV). On the other hand, there are tomographic techniques like Computed Tomography that cover a much larger FOV, but they have a smaller resolution, being in this way more appropriate for large animal or humans. Nevertheless, each imaging modality uses a different technique for obtaining the 3D image, and depending on the technique used, it will be more appropriate for an specific study. However, it is still not clear in the literature which advantages one technique has over another, and more importantly, under which conditions is it more convenient to use each technique. All in all, besides having created a theoretical model for characterizing an optical system, it was put into practice by means of a software that analyzes the 3D image for obtaining the desired results and quantifying the resolution of the system. Furthermore, after having tested it and concluding that the results were accurate, it was also proved to be useful when used for studying the effect of scattering on the PSF. The fact that this model is also incorporated in an easy to implement protocol that can be put into practice by a standard user gives account of the scope of the future applications in which it can be used.Ingeniería Biomédic