Monitoring near-surface thermal properties in conjunction with energy and moisture budgets to facilitate the optimization of ground-source heat pumps in the glaciated Midwest

This poster was presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2011, San Francisco, Calif., on December 7, 2011. It was part of IN33C, Geothermal energy research and discovery II posters session.By exploiting the near-surface heat reservoir, ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) represent an important renewable energy technology that can be further developed by establishing data sets related to shallow (<100m) thermal regimes. Although computer programs are available for GSHP installers to calculate optimal lengths and configurations of ground-coupling geothermal systems, uncertainties exist for input parameters that must first be determined for these models. Input parameters include earth temperatures and thermal properties of unconsolidated materials. Furthermore, thermal conductivity of sediments varies significantly depending on texture and moisture content, highlighting the need to characterize various unconsolidated materials under varying soil moisture regimes. Regolith texture data can be, and often are, collected for particular installations, and are then used to estimate thermal properties for system design. However, soil moisture and temperature gradients within the vadose zone are rarely considered because of the difficulty associated with collecting a sufficient amount of data to determine predominant moisture and temperature ranges. Six monitoring locations were chosen in Indiana to represent unique hydrogeologic settings and near-surface glacial sediments. The monitoring approach includes excavating trenches to a depth of 2 meters (a typical depth for horizontal GSHP installations) and collecting sediment samples at 0.3-meter intervals to determine thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and heat capacity in the laboratory using the transient line heat source method. Temperature sensors are installed at 0.3-meter intervals to continuously measure thermal gradients. Water-content reflectometers are installed at 0.3, 1, and 2 meters to determine continuous volumetric soil moisture. In-situ thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are measured at 1.5 meters using a differential temperature sensor that measures radial differential temperature around a heating wire. Micrometeorological data (precipitation, insolation, ambient air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) are also collected to determine surface energy and water budgets that drive fluxes of energy and moisture in the shallow subsurface. By establishing continuous, year-round data, fluctuations in seasonal energy budgets and unsaturated zone soil moisture can be considered such that GSHP system designers can establish accurate end members for thermal properties, thereby optimizing the ground-coupling component of GSHPs. These data will also provide empirical controls such that soil moisture and temperature regimes can be spatially distributed based on mapped soil units and hydrogeologic settings in Indiana

Indiana Shallow Geothermal Monitoring Network: A Test Bed for Optimizing Ground-Source Heat Pumps in the Glaciated Midwest

This poster was presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America, April 23-24, 2012.Ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) represent an important technology that can be further developed by collecting data sets related to shallow thermal regimes. Computer programs that calculate the required lengths and configurations of GSHP systems use specific input parameters related to the soil properties to enhance the accuracy of models and produce efficient system designs. The thermal conductivity of sediments varies significantly depending on texture, bulk density, and moisture content, and it is therefore necessary to characterize various unconsolidated materials under a wide range of moisture conditions. Regolith texture data are collected during some installations to estimate thermal properties, but soil moisture and temperature gradients within the vadose zone are rarely considered due to the difficulty of collecting sufficient amounts of data. Six monitoring locations were chosen in Indiana to represent unique hydrogeological settings and glacial sediments. Trenches were excavated to a depth of 2 meters (a typical depth for horizontal GSHP installations) and sediment samples were collected at 0.3-meter intervals for a laboratory analysis of thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, bulk density, and moisture content. Temperature sensors and water-content reflectometers were installed in 0.3-meter increments to monitor changes in temperature and soil moisture with depth. In-situ thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity were measured at 1.5-meters using a sensor that detects radial differential temperature around a heating wire. Micrometeorological data were also collected to determine the surface conditions and water budgets that drive fluxes of energy and moisture in the shallow subsurface. Preliminary results indicate that increases in water content can increase thermal conductivity by as much as 30% during wetting front propagation. Although there is a change in temperature associated with the infiltration of wetting fronts, thermal conductivity appears to be independent of soil temperature. By establishing continuous data sets, fluctuations in seasonal energy budgets and unsaturated zone soil moisture can be determined. This information can then be used to establish accurate end members for thermal properties and improve the efficiency of geothermal systems

An Integrated Architectural Element Approach to Three-Dimensional Geologic Mapping of the Huntertown Aquifer System In Northeastern Indiana

This poster was presented at the 2008 Joint Meeting of The Geological Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies with the Gulf Coast Section of SEPM, October 5-9, Houston, TX.A three-dimensional geologic model of the Huntertown glacial aquifer system is being developed. Permeable hydrostratigraphic units within the Huntertown Formation (Quaternary) comprise the principal ground-water resource for an expanding population in northern Allen County, Indiana. The Huntertown aquifer system lies predominantly between the less permeable Lagro and Trafalgar Formations. The Huntertown Formation and corresponding aquifer system are located in an interlobate setting characterized by complex glacial stratigraphy, consisting of coarse-grained proglacial sediments and loamy till intercalated with glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine facies. To construct the model, a database of more than 2,500 lithologic logs from public and private water supply wells and more than 200 down-hole natural gamma-ray logs was compiled for the study area (~500 km2). The lithologic logs were plotted to construct 110 hand-drawn cross sections (total length of about 900 km) that were used to map the bounding surfaces of the three formations (high-order architectural elements) as well as to constrain the scale and geometry of intratill sand and gravel aquifer units. The base of the Lagro Formation was determined from well logs by a shift from massive clays to loam-textured sediments or by the presence of laterally and vertically extensive underlying sand and gravel units. A prominent shift toward higher counts in natural gamma-ray profiles was also used to determine the base of the Lagro. The top of the Trafalgar Formation was defined by a ubiquitously present overlying outwash package depicted in gamma-ray logs or by lithologic descriptions reflecting the Trafalgar's overconsolidated nature. Previously mapped areal extents of hydrogeologic facies are currently being used in conjunction with both lithologic and natural gamma-ray cross sections, rendered at various orientations across the study area, to determine the geometry of individual morphosequences or lower-order architectural elements (e.g., ice marginal fans and outwash channels)

Simulation of multiscale industrial solidification problem under influence of electromagnetic field by meshless method

Simulation and control of macrosegregation, deformation and grain size under  electromagnetic (EM) processing conditions is important in industrial solidification systems,  since it influences the quality of the casts and consequently the whole downstream processing  path. Respectively, a multiphysics and multiscale model is developed for solution of Lorentz  force, temperature, velocity, concentration, deformation and grain structure of the casts. The  mixture equations with lever rule, linearized phase diagram, and stationary thermoelastic solid  phase are assumed, together with EM induction equation for the field imposed by the low  frequency EM field or Ohm’s law and charge conservation equation for stationary EM field.  Turbulent effects are incorporated through the solution of a low-Re turbulence model. The  solidification system is treated by the mixture-continuum model, where the mushy zone is  modeled as a Darcy porous media with Kozeny-Karman permeability relation and columnar  solid phase moving with the system velocity. Explicit diffuse approximate meshless solution  procedure [1] is used for solving the EM field, and the explicit local radial basis function  collocation  method  [2]  is  used  for  solving  the  coupled  transport  phenomena  and  thermomechanics  fields.  Pressure-velocity  coupling  is  performed  by  the  fractional  step  method [3]. The point automata method with modified KGT model is used to estimate the  grain structure [4] in a post-processing mode. Thermal, mechanical, EM and grain structure  outcomes of the model are demonstrated for low frequency EM casting of round aluminium  billets. A systematic study of the complicated influences of the process parameters on the  microstructure can be investigated by the model, including intensity and frequency of the  electromagnetic field

The information analysis center concept as developed by the Radiation Shielding Information Center in its computer codes activities

Information analysis center concept and computer codes for calculating radiation transport, and shield design

Comparison of traditional intranasal and aerosol inhalation inoculation of mice with influenza A viruses

AbstractIntranasal instillation of virus in a liquid suspension (IN) is the most frequently employed method to inoculate small mammalian models with influenza virus, but does not reflect a natural route of exposure. In contrast, inoculation via aerosol inhalation (AR) more closely resembles human exposure to influenza virus. Studies in mice have yielded conflicting results regarding virulence induced by virus inoculated by these routes, and have not controlled for potential strain-specific differences, or examined contemporary influenza viruses and avian viruses with pandemic potential. We used a whole-body AR inoculation method to compare infectivity and disease progression of a highly pathogenic H5N1, a low pathogenic H7N9, and a 2009 H1N1 virus with traditional IN inoculation in the mouse model. Generally comparable levels of morbidity and mortality were observed with all viruses examined using either inoculation route, indicating that both IN and AR delivery are appropriate for murine studies investigating influenza virus pathogenicity

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure during rat pregnancy leads to symmetrical fetal growth restriction and labyrinth-specific vascular defects in the placenta.

1 in 5 women report cannabis use during pregnancy, with nausea cited as their primary motivation. Studies show that (-)-△9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the major psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, causes fetal growth restriction, though the mechanisms are not well understood. Given the critical role of the placenta to transfer oxygen and nutrients from mother, to the fetus, any compromise in the development of fetal-placental circulation significantly affects maternal-fetal exchange and thereby, fetal growth. The goal of this study was to examine, in rats, the impact of maternal Δ9-THC exposure on fetal development, neonatal outcomes, and placental development. Dams received a daily intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of vehicle control or Δ9-THC (3 mg/kg) from embryonic (E)6.5 through 22. Dams were allowed to deliver normally to measure pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, with a subset sacrificed at E19.5 for placenta assessment via immunohistochemistry and qPCR. Gestational Δ9-THC exposure resulted in pups born with symmetrical fetal growth restriction, with catch up growth by post-natal day (PND)21. During pregnancy there were no changes to maternal food intake, maternal weight gain, litter size, or gestational length. E19.5 placentas from Δ9-THC-exposed pregnancies exhibited a phenotype characterized by increased labyrinth area, reduced Epcam expression (marker of labyrinth trophoblast progenitors), altered maternal blood space, decreased fetal capillary area and an increased recruitment of pericytes with greater collagen deposition, when compared to vehicle controls. Further, at E19.5 labyrinth trophoblast had reduced glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression in response to Δ9-THC exposure. In conclusion, maternal exposure to Δ9-THC effectively compromised fetal growth, which may be a result of the adversely affected labyrinth zone development. These findings implicate GLUT1 as a Δ9-THC target and provide a potential mechanism for the fetal growth restriction observed in women who use cannabis during pregnancy

Thalamic activity and biochemical changes in individuals with neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury

There is increasing evidence relating thalamic changes to the generation and/or maintenance of neuropathic pain. We have recently reported that neuropathic orofacial pain is associated with altered thalamic anatomy, biochemistry, and activity, which may result in disturbed thalamocortical oscillatory circuits. Despite this evidence, it is possible that these thalamic changes are not responsible for the presence of pain per se, but result as a consequence of the injury. To clarify this subject, we compared brain activity and biochemistry in 12 people with below-level neuropathic pain after complete thoracic spinal cord injury with 11 people with similar injuries and no neuropathic pain and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. Quantitative arterial spinal labelling was used to measure thalamic activity, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to determine changes in neuronal variability quantifying N-acetylaspartate and alterations in inhibitory function quantifying gamma amino butyric acid. This study revealed that the presence of neuropathic pain is associated with significant changes in thalamic biochemistry and neuronal activity. More specifically, the presence of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury is associated with significant reductions in thalamic N-acetylaspartate, gamma amino butyric acid content, and blood flow in the region of the thalamic reticular nucleus. Spinal cord injury on its own did not account for these changes. These findings support the hypothesis that neuropathic pain is associated with altered thalamic structure and function, which may disturb central processing and play a key role in the experience of neuropathic pain.NHMR