scholarly journals Automated Laboratory Infiltrometer to Estimate Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Using an Arduino Microcontroller Board

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Rodríguez-Juárez ◽  
Hugo Júnez-Ferreira ◽  
Julián González Trinidad ◽  
Manuel Zavala ◽  
Susana Burnes-Rudecino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
New Device ◽  
Reading Errors ◽  
Arduino Microcontroller ◽  
Natural Tracer

This paper describes the design, calibration and testing processes of a new device named Automated Laboratory Infiltrometer (ALI). It allows to determinate in laboratory, under controlled conditions the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of altered or unaltered soil samples which is a key parameter to understand the movement of water through a porous medium. The ALI combines the advantages of three different approaches: measures vertical infiltration rates in a soil column, measures the actual volumes of vertically drained water through the soil column, and finally, uses heat as a natural tracer to determinate water flux rates through the porous medium; all those parameters are used to determinate Ks. The ALI was developed using the popular Arduino microcontroller board and commercially available sensors that give the whole system a low cost. Data from the ALI are recorded in a microSD memory so they can be easily read from any spreadsheet software helping to reduce time consuming and avoiding reading errors. The performance of this device was evaluated by comparing the water flow rates determined by the three approaches for which is designed; an excellent correlation among them was observed (worst correlation: R2 = 0.9826 and r-RSME = 0.94%).

Surface-positioned double-ring to improve traditional infiltrometer for measuring soil infiltration

Soil Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Shaopeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Measurement Accuracy ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Maximum Relative Error ◽  
Wetting Front ◽  
Double Ring ◽  
Improve Measurement

The installation of a traditional double-ring infiltrometer (DRI) into soil is difficult and time consuming. It results in reduced accuracy because of soil disturbance and water leakage along the gaps between the ring wall and the soil. In this study, a surface-positioned DRI (SPDRI) was suggested to improve measurement accuracy and convenience of the DRI. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate performance of the method in terms of the influence of the lateral flow of water on the accuracy of infiltration rate, average vertical wetting front depth and saturated hydraulic conductivity. A cylindrical soil column was used to simulate the ideal ring infiltrometer (IRI) of the one-dimensional vertical infiltration process for comparison purposes. Experimental results indicated that the infiltration rates measured by the SPDRI and IRI were nearly identical, with maximum relative error (RE) of 18.75%. The vertical wetting front depth of the SPDRI was nearly identical to that of the IRI, with proportional coefficients of 0.97 and R2 > 0.95. Comparison of the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity with those from IRI indicated that the REs were 7.05–10.63% for the SPDRI. Experimental results demonstrated that the SPDRI could improve the measurement accuracy and facilitate the soil water infiltration measurement process.

Measuring the saturated hydraulic conductivity of peat substrates in nursery containers

1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Allaire ◽  
J. Caron ◽  
J. Gallichand
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Correction Factor ◽  
Darcy’S Law ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Darcy's Law ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Disruptive Effect ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Flux Measurements ◽  
Made In

Pore size, distribution and continuity are important characteristics for the exchange and storage of air and water in artificial mixes. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) measurements can be used to obtain such a characterization. However, two difficulties are encountered when using Ks in potting media. First, the validity of Ks may be limited because it may not apply in media composed of coarse material or peat. Second, the structure of peat substrates is very sensitive and in situ measurements of potted peat substrates (i.e. measurements made directly in the pots) should be carried out to avoid any disruptive effect due to handling. Such a measurement, when made in pots, may require the evaluation of the water flux reduction resulting from the container outflow configuration. The objectives of this study were therefore to check the validity of Darcy’s law for peat substrates and to propose an approach for estimating the saturated hydraulic conductivity from flow measurements made in nursery containers. For three different substrates, water flow in artificial mixes followed Darcy’s law for hydraulic gradients ranging from 1.1 to 1.6 cm cm−1. Experimental results showed that the measured fluxes in 5-L nursery container filled at five different substrate heights (9, 11.5, 14, 16.5 and 19 cm) with laterally located drainage holes were significantly different from those measured in pots with the bottom removed (therefore equivalent to measurement currently made in cylinders) at P = 0.0022. Fluxes in containers with bottoms removed were 7–31% higher than in intact pots. Water flux measurements may therefore need to be corrected for this flux reduction in order to accurately estimate hydraulic conductivity from flow experiments run in pots. A correction factor based on the results obtained from a finite difference model was derived and calibrated. Then, this correction factor was used to convert flux measurements made in pots with lateral holes into equivalent flux that would have been obtained had the pot had an open bottom. After correction, no significant flux reductions were found between pots with open bottoms and pots with lateral holes (P = 0.55). A correction factor estimated from Laplace’s equation, once calibrated, can therefore be applied to flux measurements obtained from pots to obtain estimates of Ks of undisturbed potted media. Key words: Hydraulic conductivity, peat substrates, container

The Effect of Porous Medium Particle Size on Groundwater Recharge Clogging

2013 ◽  
Vol 765-767 ◽  
pp. 2934-2937
Author(s):  
Jun Pan ◽  
Ming Zhong Wang ◽  
Ming Cen Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Porous Medium ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Column Experiment ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Medium Particle ◽  
Medium Particle Size

In order to grasp the effect of porous medium particle size on groundwater recharge clogging. Measure the water flux of porous medium with different particle, by indoor soil column experiment simulating the process of groundwater recharge clogging. The results show that porous medium particle size is proportional to the initial water flux and the clogging occurred time, and is negatively correlative to clogging degree. When lay out wells in the water source heat pump works, should give full consideration to the effect of local hydrogeological conditions on groundwater recharge. It provides a scientific reference to prevent groundwater recharge clogging and the choice of recharge wells location.

scholarly journals An improved drip infiltrometer measuring the near-saturated hydraulic conductivity: Pedotransfer development and macropore transport

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Vangsø Iversen ◽  
Michael Koppelgaard ◽  
Ali M. Kotlar
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Pedotransfer Functions ◽  
Ceramic Plate ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
High Level

<p>The near-saturated hydraulic conductivity is an important parameter in relation to the analysis of heterogeneous transport in the soil macropore system. To a high degree, leaching of phosphorus out of the root zone takes place in the macropores either in a dissolved form or as phosphorus bound to colloids. In this work, a newly constructed and improved drip infiltrometer (DIM) is presented being able to measure the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in the near-saturated range (i.e. in the range of matric potentials between -0.1 and 3 -kPa) on undisturbed soil columns (20 cm by 20 cm). The DIM is a modified version of the classical multistep system establishing gravity flow at decreasing flow rates. The procedure is that the soil column is placed on top of a ceramic plate. Five tensiometers measure the change in the matric potential a different flow rates applied by a drip-irrigation device mounted on the top of the column. By applying a certain inflow at the top and suction at the bottom of the sample, a steady state flow is established based on tensiometer readings showing a constant gradient along the soil sample. This allows the determination of the near-saturated hydraulic conductivity by applying Darcy’s equation. Compared to an earlier version of the infiltrometer, the instrument has been improved in several ways. This involves a high level of automation of the computer program controlling the analysis making it possible to setup a number of settings and constrains in order to optimize the analysis. Examples are given for newly developed pedotransfer functions predicting the saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivity. Results were used to model water transport in the vadose zone spatially distributed over Denmark using variation in the hydraulic properties as well as spatially distributed metrological data. Models results ended up with a map pointing out risk areas of macropore transport in relation to the leaching of phosphorus.</p>

scholarly journals Performance of a Hydraulically Linked and Physically Decoupled Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) System with Potentially Heterogeneous Native Soil

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-cheng Tu ◽  
Robert Traver
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Control Measure ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Water Drawdown ◽  
Overflow Pipe ◽  
Stormwater Control

This study shows that a physically decoupled but hydraulically linked design focusing on surface infiltration components (i.e., excluding underdrain and infiltration bed systems) can be the preferred way to have a low-cost and robust stormwater control measure (SCM) system. The SCM under investigation in Philadelphia, PA, is a green infrastructure (GI) and has a mirrored design of two sets of hydraulically linked planters. Each planter has an overflow pipe connected to an underground infiltration bed. The system showed excellent overall performance as no overflow/bypass entering the combined sewer. A large variation of saturated hydraulic conductivity was found for the planter soil, and the planter with lower saturated hydraulic conductivity created surface runoff that overflows to the next planter in line. Due to the linked design, the unexpected deviation of performance of a single planter did not affect overall system performance. The infiltration bed showed great variation in water drawdown rate at different water depth, which could be caused by the possible high heterogeneity of the native soil. The study argued that overflow systems, which handled only about 18% of runoff in this study, can be replaced by slightly larger surface area for lower building cost, lower maintenance cost, and more reliable performance.

Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Clayey Tills and the Role of Fractures

1990 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnny Fredericia
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
American Studies ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Present Knowledge ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Laboratory Measurements ◽  
Vertical Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Data Field

The background for the present knowledge about hydraulic conductivity of clayey till in Denmark is summarized. The data show a difference of 1-2 orders of magnitude in the vertical hydraulic conductivity between values from laboratory measurements and field measurements. This difference is discussed and based on new data, field observations and comparison with North American studies, it is concluded to be primarily due to fractures in the till.

Changes over time in near‐saturated hydraulic conductivity of peat soil following reclamation for agriculture

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-243
Author(s):  
Jari Hyväluoma ◽  
Mari Räty ◽  
Janne Kaseva ◽  
Riikka Keskinen
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Peat Soil ◽  
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

scholarly journals The BabySaver: Design of a New Device for Neonatal Resuscitation at Birth with Intact Placental Circulation

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 526
Author(s):  
James Ditai ◽  
Aisling Barry ◽  
Kathy Burgoine ◽  
Anthony K. Mbonye ◽  
Julius N. Wandabwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Neonatal Resuscitation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Skilled Birth Attendants ◽  
New Device ◽  
Birth Attendants ◽  
Premature Babies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

The initial bedside care of premature babies with an intact cord has been shown to reduce mortality; there is evidence that resuscitation of term babies with an intact cord may also improve outcomes. This process has been facilitated by the development of bedside resuscitation surfaces. These new devices are unaffordable, however, in most of sub-Saharan Africa, where 42% of the world’s 2.4 million annual newborn deaths occur. This paper describes the rationale and design of BabySaver, an innovative low-cost mobile resuscitation unit, which was developed iteratively over five years in a collaboration between the Sanyu Africa Research Institute (SAfRI) in Uganda and the University of Liverpool in the UK. The final BabySaver design comprises two compartments; a tray to provide a firm resuscitation surface, and a base to store resuscitation equipment. The design was formed while considering contextual factors, using the views of individual women from the community served by the local hospitals, medical staff, and skilled birth attendants in both Uganda and the UK.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document