EA4527/2015-16

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN SESSION 2015-16

EA4527
Degree Examination in EA4527 ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

5th May 2016 Time

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING

(i) You must not have in your possession any material other than that expressly permitted in the rules
appropriate to this examination. Where this is permitted, such material must not be amended,
annotated or modified in any way.

(ii) You must not have in your possession any material that could be determined as giving you an
advantage in the examination.

(iii) You must not attempt to communicate with any candidate during the exam, either orally or by
passing written material, or by showing material to another candidate, nor must you attempt to
view another candidate’s work.

(iv) You must not take to your examination desk any electronic devices such as mobile phones or other
“smart” devices. The only exception to this rule is an approved calculator.

Failure to comply with the above will be regarded as cheating and may lead to disciplinary action as
indicated in the Academic Quality Handbook Section 7 and particularly Appendix 7.1.

Notes: (i) Candidates ARE permitted to use an approved calculator

(ii) Candidates ARE NOT permitted to use Engineering Mathematics Handbook

(iii) Data sheets are attached to the paper

Candidates should attempt ALL questions.

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Question 1
An industrial WWTP discharges 0.5 m3/s of industrial wastewater containing an ultimate BOD
concentration of 220 mg/L at a temperature of 26°C and a DO concentration of 2.0 mg/L into a
large river. The velocity of the river is 0.85 m/s. Upstream of the point of discharge, the river has
a temperature of 12°C, an ultimate BOD of 15 mg/L, and flow rate of 2.5 m 3/s. The
deoxygenation and reaeration rate coefficients are 0.2 d-1 and 0.4 d-1 at 20°C. Calculate:

a) The dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/L) at the point of discharge.

[5 marks]
b) The dissolved oxygen deficit (Do) in mg/L at the point of discharge.
[2 marks]
c) The ultimate biochemical oxygen demand (Lo) in mg/L at the point of discharge.
[5 marks]
d) The dissolved oxygen deficit (mg/L) 50 km downstream assuming that the temperature in the
river remains the same as it is at the point of discharge.
[5 marks]
e) The dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/L) 50 km downstream assuming that the
temperature in the river remains the same as it is at the point of discharge.
[3 marks]

Question 2
a) Describe the procedure for measuring the porosity of a soil sample
[5 marks]
b) Calculate the bulk density of a rectangular soil sample with dimensions 12 cm by 6 cm by 4
cm that is 15% moisture content and weighs 320 g.
[5 marks]
c) A soil core with a height of 6 cm and a diameter of 5 cm weighs 215 g when collected and
188 g when oven-dried. When the core was ground and poured into 100 ml of water, the final
volume of the soil-water mixture was 171 ml. Calculate the soil bulk density, particle density,
and porosity in percentage. Note that 1 ml of water equals 1 cm3 of water and that water has a
density of 1,000 kg/m3.
[10 marks]

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Question 3
a) Explain what an aquifer is and draw a diagram indicating the different types of aquifers and
how they are associated with the phreatic level.
[5 marks]

b) Describe how adsorption of a pollutant on soil grains influences its transport in groundwater.
[3 marks]

c) A shallow homogeneous isotropic aquifer is 5 m thick and has a steady uniform pore water
velocity of 10 m/day. A long ditch cuts through the aquifer perpendicular to the direction of flow
(Figure 1). Longitudinal dispersivity of the aquifer is 7 m, and its effective porosity is 0.25. A
chemical waste is continuously poured into the ditch. The rate of chemical waste inflow is about
0.02 m3/day per unit length of the ditch. The concentration of a certain contaminant in this
waste is 50 kg/m3. Before the operation has started, the aquifer had not contained the
contaminant.
i. Calculate the concentration of the contaminant at the contact between the aquifer and
the ditch, C0.
[2 marks]

ii. Using the simplified equation given below, calculate and plot the contaminant
concentration time-series at profile ‘A’, which is 100m away from the ditch.
(Recommended time interval is 4 days).
C  x  tV 
 0.5erfc  
C0  2 tD  ,

where usual notation applies.

[10 marks]

neff=0.25
αL= 7 m

1m

Figure 1

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Question 4

a) Explain the different atmospheric stability situations based on the relationship between
‘ambient lapse rate’ and ‘dry adiabatic lapse rate’ (DALR)
[5 marks]

b) Select the correct answer to the following question: which type of atmospheric stability will
promote the pollutant dispersion in the air after its emission?
a) Stable
b) Unstable
Add the explanation to the answer you have given above:
[5 marks]

c) Show how the equation below can be used to solve the following problem:
Q 1 y 1 z
C ( x, y, z )  exp[  ( ) 2 ] exp[  ( ) 2 ]
2u y z 2 y 2 z
An estimation of the maximum concentration of sulphur dioxide (SO2) at ground level is
required 5 km downwind of a 500 MW coal fired power station. It is estimated that the
maximum rate of discharge of sulphur dioxide could be 1900 g / s . The chimney of the power
station is 100 m high and the wind speed at 10 m from the ground is U10  8 m / s . Assume that
the source can be taken as the top of the chimney and that Turner’s stability category D applies
for which
UH H
 ( ) 0.5
U 10 10

Where H is the height of the chimney and U H is the wind speed at the top of the chimney.
Turner’s dispersion coefficients can be obtained from the accompanying Pasquill-Gifford
diagrams. Given that the maximum acceptable concentration based on an annual averaging
time (based on 24 h measurements) is 205 g / m 3 , comment on your result and any action that
might be necessary.
[10 marks]

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Question 5

a) Explain the waste sampling strategies, and the importance of the collection of representative
samples
[5 marks]
b) A dumpsite fire emits 6 g/s of NOx. Determine the NOx concentration at 2 km downwind if
the wind speed U10= 12 m/s and the stability is class D. What is the maximum concentration at
ground level and also at 65 m above the ground?
[10 marks]
c) An abandoned ditch under a paved road has become packed with sand from end to end. The
ditch is 20 m long and 5 m in diameter. The sand in the ditch has a hydraulic conductivity
K=4.2 m/d and an effective porosity neff = 0.20. The water level at one end of the culvert is 5.1 m
higher than at other end and the entire culvert is below water. Calculate the discharge, specific
discharge and average linear velocity through the ditch.
[5 marks]

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FORMULAE AND TABLES

BOD:
1/ 3
t

y  Lo 1  e  K1t
    
1

K12 / 3
t  x  A  Bt
 y  K1L0 1/ 3 6 L01/ 3
1/ 3
t 1 K12 / 3 B 1
where: x    , A , B  K1  6 and L0 
 y  K1L0  1/ 3
6 L01/ 3 A 6 A2 B

 e k d t  e kr t   Da e kr t , when kd= kr : D   kd tLa  Da e k d t

kd La
DO Sag Curve: D 
kr  kd
v
kd ,20  K1  , kd  kd ,20 T  20 where =1.135 for T(4-20oC), =1.056 for T(20-30oC)
H
3.9v 0.5
kr, 20  , k r  k r ,20 T 20 where =1.024
H 1.5

1 k  k  kd  
The critical point: t c  ln  r 1  Da r  , when kd= kr
kr  k d  k d  k d La  
1  Da 
tc  1  
kd  La 

Equilibrium concentrations (mg/l) of dissolved oxygen as a function of temperature

Temperature oC DOs (mg/l) Temperature oC DOs (mg/l)

9 11.59 20 9.17
10 11.33 21 8.99
11 11.08 22 8.83
12 10.83 23 8.68
13 10.60 24 8.53
14 10.37 25 8.38
15 10.15 26 8.22
16 9.95 27 8.07
17 9.74 28 7.92
18 9.54 29 7.77
19 9.35 30 7.63

Enrichment ratio
0.3
Ero   1.08
% soil organic matter

Potency factor: po = % soil organic matter  Ero

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Modified Dulong formula: E =337 C + 1428 (H - O/8) + 9 S

The concentration of an air pollutant at any point P(x,y,z) located downwind from a point of
release:

  y  
2
 1  z 2
Q  1 
C( x, y, z )   
exp    exp    
2 u  y  z  2 y    2   z  
 
Corrections:
A) Average wind velocity:

p
 z 
U z  U 10  
 10 
z

B) Emission concentration at average times different than 10 minutes:

0.1.65
 10 
Ct  C10  
 t 

Holland stability function and averaged exponent values for every atmospheric stability class
Atmospheric Stability Class Stability Avg. Values of dT/dz
Stability Function, Exponent, in ˚C/m
Ks p
Very Unstable A 1.2 0.141 -1.9
Unstable B 1.2 0.176 -1.9 to -1.7
Slightly unstable C 1.1 0.174 -1.7 to -1.5
Neutral D 1.0 0.209 -1.5 to -0.5
Slightly stable E 0.9 0.277 -0.5 to 1.5
Stable F 0.8 0.414 1.5 to 4.0

Plume height above the source:

vs D   Ts  Ta 
h  1.5   2.68  10 5 p D 
u   Ts 

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Turner’s standard deviation of horizontal plume concentration, y, based on the Pasquill classes

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Turner’s standard deviation of vertical plume concentration, z, based on the Pasquill classes

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Tables of Error Function

X ERF X ERF X ERF X ERF X ERF X ERF
0.01 0.0113 0.51 0.5292 1.01 0.8468 1.51 0.9673 2.01 0.9955 2.51 0.9996
0.02 0.0226 0.52 0.5379 1.02 0.8508 1.52 0.9684 2.02 0.9957 2.52 0.9996
0.03 0.0338 0.53 0.5465 1.03 0.8548 1.53 0.9695 2.03 0.9959 2.53 0.9997
0.04 0.0451 0.54 0.5549 1.04 0.8586 1.54 0.9706 2.04 0.9961 2.54 0.9997
0.05 0.0564 0.55 0.5633 1.05 0.8624 1.55 0.9716 2.05 0.9963 2.55 0.9997
0.06 0.0676 0.56 0.5716 1.06 0.8661 1.56 0.9726 2.06 0.9964 2.56 0.9997
0.07 0.0789 0.57 0.5798 1.07 0.8698 1.57 0.9736 2.07 0.9966 2.57 0.9997
0.08 0.0901 0.58 0.5879 1.08 0.8733 1.58 0.9745 2.08 0.9967 2.58 0.9997
0.09 0.1013 0.59 0.5959 1.09 0.8768 1.59 0.9755 2.09 0.9969 2.59 0.9998
0.10 0.1125 0.60 0.6039 1.10 0.8802 1.60 0.9763 2.10 0.9970 2.60 0.9998
0.11 0.1236 0.61 0.6117 1.11 0.8835 1.61 0.9772 2.11 0.9972 2.61 0.9998
0.12 0.1348 0.62 0.6194 1.12 0.8868 1.62 0.9780 2.12 0.9973 2.62 0.9998
0.13 0.1459 0.63 0.6270 1.13 0.8900 1.63 0.9788 2.13 0.9974 2.63 0.9998
0.14 0.1569 0.64 0.6346 1.14 0.8931 1.64 0.9796 2.14 0.9975 2.64 0.9998
0.15 0.1680 0.65 0.6420 1.15 0.8961 1.65 0.9804 2.15 0.9976 2.65 0.9998
0.16 0.1790 0.66 0.6494 1.16 0.8991 1.66 0.9811 2.16 0.9977 2.66 0.9998
0.17 0.1900 0.67 0.6566 1.17 0.9020 1.67 0.9818 2.17 0.9979 2.67 0.9998
0.18 0.2009 0.68 0.6638 1.18 0.9048 1.68 0.9825 2.18 0.9980 2.68 0.9998
0.19 0.2118 0.69 0.6708 1.19 0.9076 1.69 0.9832 2.19 0.9980 2.69 0.9999
0.20 0.2227 0.70 0.6778 1.20 0.9103 1.70 0.9838 2.20 0.9981 2.70 0.9999
0.21 0.2335 0.71 0.6847 1.21 0.9130 1.71 0.9844 2.21 0.9982 2.71 0.9999
0.22 0.2443 0.72 0.6914 1.22 0.9155 1.72 0.9850 2.22 0.9983 2.72 0.9999
0.23 0.2550 0.73 0.6981 1.23 0.9181 1.73 0.9856 2.23 0.9984 2.73 0.9999
0.24 0.2657 0.74 0.7047 1.24 0.9205 1.74 0.9861 2.24 0.9985 2.74 0.9999
0.25 0.2763 0.75 0.7112 1.25 0.9229 1.75 0.9867 2.25 0.9985 2.75 0.9999
0.26 0.2869 0.76 0.7175 1.26 0.9252 1.76 0.9872 2.26 0.9986 2.76 0.9999
0.27 0.2974 0.77 0.7238 1.27 0.9275 1.77 0.9877 2.27 0.9987 2.77 0.9999
0.28 0.3079 0.78 0.7300 1.28 0.9297 1.78 0.9882 2.28 0.9987 2.78 0.9999
0.29 0.3183 0.79 0.7361 1.29 0.9319 1.79 0.9886 2.29 0.9988 2.79 0.9999
0.30 0.3286 0.80 0.7421 1.30 0.9340 1.80 0.9891 2.30 0.9989 2.80 0.9999
0.31 0.3389 0.81 0.7480 1.31 0.9361 1.81 0.9895 2.31 0.9989 2.81 0.9999
0.32 0.3491 0.82 0.7538 1.32 0.9381 1.82 0.9899 2.32 0.9990 2.82 0.9999
0.33 0.3593 0.83 0.7595 1.33 0.9400 1.83 0.9903 2.33 0.9990 2.83 0.9999
0.34 0.3694 0.84 0.7651 1.34 0.9419 1.84 0.9907 2.34 0.9991 2.84 0.9999
0.35 0.3794 0.85 0.7707 1.35 0.9438 1.85 0.9911 2.35 0.9991 2.85 0.9999
0.36 0.3893 0.86 0.7761 1.36 0.9456 1.86 0.9915 2.36 0.9992 2.86 0.9999
0.37 0.3992 0.87 0.7814 1.37 0.9473 1.87 0.9918 2.37 0.9992 2.87 1.0000
0.38 0.4090 0.88 0.7867 1.38 0.9490 1.88 0.9922 2.38 0.9992 2.88 1.0000
0.39 0.4187 0.89 0.7918 1.39 0.9507 1.89 0.9925 2.39 0.9993 2.89 1.0000
0.40 0.4284 0.90 0.7969 1.40 0.9523 1.90 0.9928 2.40 0.9993 2.90 1.0000
0.41 0.4380 0.91 0.8019 1.41 0.9539 1.91 0.9931 2.41 0.9993 2.91 1.0000
0.42 0.4475 0.92 0.8068 1.42 0.9554 1.92 0.9934 2.42 0.9994 2.92 1.0000
0.43 0.4569 0.93 0.8116 1.43 0.9569 1.93 0.9937 2.43 0.9994 2.93 1.0000
0.44 0.4662 0.94 0.8163 1.44 0.9583 1.94 0.9939 2.44 0.9994 2.94 1.0000
0.45 0.4755 0.95 0.8209 1.45 0.9597 1.95 0.9942 2.45 0.9995 2.95 1.0000
0.46 0.4847 0.96 0.8254 1.46 0.9611 1.96 0.9944 2.46 0.9995 2.96 1.0000
0.47 0.4937 0.97 0.8299 1.47 0.9624 1.97 0.9947 2.47 0.9995 2.97 1.0000
0.48 0.5027 0.98 0.8342 1.48 0.9637 1.98 0.9949 2.48 0.9995 2.98 1.0000
0.49 0.5117 0.99 0.8385 1.49 0.9649 1.99 0.9951 2.49 0.9996 2.99 1.0000
0.50 0.5205 1.00 0.8427 1.50 0.9661 2.00 0.9953 2.50 0.9996 3.00 1.0000

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