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

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

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

Inundaciones urbanas : criterios de peligrosidad y evaluación del riesgo para peatones y vehículos

In this research work, an analysis is first undertaken on the hazard regarding people exposed to floods in urban areas. Several experiments with people were carried out in order to determine the stability limit to pedestrians, with physical characteristics previously established, crossing through a water flow. This study was complemented by including surveys on the tested people regarding their feelings during the tests. The aim was to evaluate the adequacy of the tests and more especially to figure out the stability feelings of every person under different hydraulic conditions (water depths and velocities). Vehicles are essential components related to impacts in cities when importants floods occurs, considering that direct tangible damages (impacts either on the vehicles themselves or on other urban structures), indirect tangible damages (traffic interruption) and indirect intangible damages (impacts on pedestrians) may be caused by important flash flood events. After losing the stability vehicles are swept away by the water flow as if they were huge debris. Therefore, it is essential to have suitable tools to evaluate the stability of different types of vehicles (shapes and weights) under different hydraulic conditions (water depths and velocities). Herein, tools to evaluate the stability of vehicles exposed to floods are provided, which have been developed carrying out experimental tests using a sample of vehicles with different scales. Together with the conducted experimental studies, several three-dimensional simulations were carried out. Hardly-measurable variables were obtained due to those simulations which allowed analysing the phenomenon in more depth. The critical friction coefficient was estimated for a tested subject, based on the forces obtained through the conducted simulations. A numerical validation of the proposed experimental threshold was performed for one of the tested vehicles. It opens a wide research field in the pedestrians and vehicles stability studies based on the employment of numerical tools. Lastly, a case study is presented where hazard and risk criteria based on the conducted stability experiments are applied. A new methodoly for the economic damages estimation for vehicles when those are exposed to flooding is presented and applied as well within the case study. In summary, experimental results are presented here, complemented with numerical simulations, and are applied together into a real case, thereby providing valued information according to the final target, flood risk management in urban areas.En este trabajo de investigación se ha analizado en primer lugar la peligrosidad a la que se ven expuestas las personas durante eventos de inundación en zona urbana, estudiando los límites de estabilidad de éstas, cuando cruzan a través de una corriente de agua, a partir de ensayos experimentales con personas de ciertas características escogidas previamente. Éste estudio se ha complementado con encuestas realizadas a las personas ensayadas, de forma que se pueda evaluar la idoneidad de los ensayos y sobretodo la sensación de estabilidad que presentaba cada sujeto ensayado para las diferentes condiciones hidráulicas (calados y velocidades) a las que se veían sometidos. Los vehículos son componentes esenciales en las afectaciones producidas en una ciudad ante importantes inundaciones ya que pueden producir daños directos tangibles (viéndose afectados los propios vehículos o colisionando sobre otros elementos urbanos), daños indirectos tangibles (derivados de la interrupción del tráfico) y daños indirectos intangibles (afectaciones a personas). Éstos, al perder la estabilidad, terminan siendo grandes escombros arrastrados por el agua, con lo cual resulta imprescindible disponer de herramientas para evaluar su estabilidad ante diferentes condiciones hidráulicas (calados y velocidades) y para diferentes tipologías de vehículos (formas y pesos). En este documento se ofrecen herramientas para evaluar la estabilidad de los vehículos, habiéndose llevado a cabo ensayos experimentales con vehículos de diferentes características a escalas que permitian ser ensayados en un canal de 0.6 m de ancho. En combinación con los estudios experimentales, se llevan a cabo simulaciones numéricas tridimensionales con las que se obtienen resultados (fuerzas actuantes) difícilmente medibles en laboratotio. Es posible estimar el coeficiente de rozamiento que produjo una inestabilidad de un sujeto ensayado en laboratorio, así como validar numéricamente el umbral de estabilidad de un vehículo ensayado. Se abre un amplio campo de investigación basado en herramientas numéricas para el análisis de la estabilidad de personas y vehículos. Por último se presenta un caso de estudio en el que aplican criterios de peligrosidad y riesgo basados en los estudios experimentales de estabilidad para peatones y vehículos. Se propone y se aplica una metodología para estimar los daños ocasionados a vehículos, derivados de una cierta inundación. En definitiva, en este trabajo de investigación se presentan resultados fundamentados experimentalmente, complementados con simulaciones numéricas y aplicados conjuntamente a un caso real, que aportan información de gran valor para el objetivo final, la gestión del riesgo de inundaciones en zonas urbanas

Hazards threatening underground transport systems

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-03860-wMetro systems perform a significant function for millions of ridership worldwide as urban passengers rely on a secure, reliable, and accessible underground transportation way for their regular conveyance. However, hazards can restrict normal metro service and plans to develop or improve metro systems set aside some way to cope with these hazards. This paper presents a summary of the potential hazards to underground transportation systems worldwide, identifying a knowledge gap on the understanding of water-related impacts on metro networks. This is due to the frequency and scope of geotechnical and air quality hazards, which exceed in extreme magnitude the extreme precipitation events that can influence underground transportation systems. Thus, we emphasize the importance of studying the water-related hazards in metro systems to fill the gaps in this topic.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Experimental study of the stability of pedestrians exposed to urban pluvial flooding

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2242-zPopulations in urban environments are extremely mobile throughout the day and in various weather conditions; accounting for this pedestrian mobility and security becomes high importance. Research into the security and stability of the pedestrian environment under exposure to critical water flows provides an essential knowledge base with which the associated hazard unto them can be critically evaluated. This research seeks to analyse degrees of hazard in relation to persons exposed to high-volume rain events in urban areas. Several human trials of critical urban flows were conducted in order to determine the stability limits of pedestrians, crossing through a water flow in a real-scale physic model. Additionally, the critical first step from a dry footpath into fast-flowing water is considered and an assessment of the tested subjects' emotional responses when entering and crossing flooded roadways was carried out. Results from this study are compared with various proposed human stability criteria as well as alternatives proposed in other written works. The presented study offers a stability threshold focused on shallow depths and high-velocity conditions, the most common urban flooding conditions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Socio-economic potential impacts due to urban pluvial floods in Badalona (Spain) in a context of climate change

Pluvial flooding in Badalona (Spain) occurs during high rainfall intensity events, which in the future could be more frequent according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In this context, the present study aims at quantifying the potential impacts of climate change for the city of Badalona. A comprehensive pluvial flood multi risk assessment has been carried out for the entire municipality. The assessment has a twofold target: People safety, based on both pedestrians'' and vehicles'' stability, and impacts on the economic sector in terms of direct damages on properties and vehicles, and indirect damages due to businesses interruption. Risks and damages have also been assessed for the projected future rainfall conditions which enabled the comparison with the current ones, thereby estimating their potential increment. Moreover, the obtained results should be the first step to assess the efficiency of adaptation measures. The novelty of this paper is the integration of a detailed 1D/2D urban drainage model with multiple risk criteria. Although, the proposed methodology was tested for the case study of Badalona (Spain), it can be considered generally applicable to other urban areas affected by pluvial flooding

Stability criteria for flooded vehicles: a state-of-the-art review

This is the accepted version of the following article: [Martínez-Gomariz, E., Gómez, M., Russo, B. and Djordjević, S. (2018), Stability criteria for flooded vehicles: a state-of-the-art review. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 11: S817–S826. doi: 10.1111/jfr3.12262], which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/jfr3.12262/abstract.Hazard conditions related to vehicular circulation are important in flood risk management. The knowledge of vehicles stability when those are exposed to flooding is crucial for an informed flood risk management in urban areas. After losing stability, the vehicle becomes buoyant and may be washed away with potential injuries and fatalities. Therefore, the analysis of the stability of vehicles exposed to flooding is important in order to make decisions to reduce the damages and hazards. Herein a comprehensive state-of-the-art on stability of vehicles exposed to flooding is presented. The different studies have been gathered in experimental, theoretical and guidelines proposals and all of them focusing on parked vehicles. There is a clear need to conduct more research in this field by testing a greater variety of models in order to offer a more general methodology to define stability threshold for any vehicle exposed to flooding. Nevertheless, in this work, it has been demonstrate that the most safety stability criterion for vehicles exposed to flooding up to now is the proposed in the Guide AR&R.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

An approach to the modelling of stability of waste containers during urban flooding

This is the accepted version of the following article: Martínez‐Gomariz, E, Russo, B, Gómez, M, Plumed, A. An approach to the modelling of stability of waste containers during urban flooding. J Flood Risk Management. 2020; 13 ( Suppl. 1):e12558. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12558, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jfr3.12558.Before the solid waste is dumped in landfills, the collection process for large Spanish cities starts from a regular collection of household waste municipal service which is carried out through street containers. When an urban flood occurs those containers may lose their stability, thereby allowing debris (i.e., solid waste contained) and leachate to escape from the container and contaminate the flood water. Moreover, once a container loses its stability it can further constrict a narrow street and increase flooding, thereby creating a closed basin with no outlet for runoff and exacerbating the effects of flooding. Therefore, the waste containers stability when exposed to flooding is definitely an environmental, safety and health concern to be addressed. In this research stability functions for waste containers exposed to urban floods have been derived. These thresholds have been employed to analyse the containers' potential behaviour during floods in Barcelona. In order to validate the model a historical rainfall has been modelled and low-return-period design storms (i.e., 1, 5, and 10 years) have been used to assess the containers vulnerability against floods for frequent rainfall events. Once the number of potentially unstable containers has been estimated, an adaptation measure has been proposed in order to increase the resilience of waste sector against urban floods in Barcelona.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft