A benign approach to the preparation of freshwater bryozoan statoblasts for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging
- Authors: Mitra, Robin , Crawford, Simon , Barton, Andrew , Briggs, Steven , Orbell, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: New Zealand Journal of Zoology Vol. 40, no. 2 (2013), p. 154-159
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Several different species of freshwater Bryozoa, belonging to the genera Plumatella, Rumarcanella and Fredericella, were detected within the Northern Mallee Pipeline (NMP) system in Victoria, Australia, that required definitive identification. These organisms produce asexual buds called statoblasts, with valves composed of sclerotised chitin that bear minute micro-ornamentations of considerable taxonomical significance. Imaging and analysis of these distinctive micro-ornamentations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is often employed for species identification. Meticulous preparation of statoblast samples is therefore required that necessitates the removal of adhering debris, dehydration and drying - whilst mitigating specimen damage and distortion. This technical note describes an approach whereby each of these three steps have been individually designed to be as benign as possible, using mild detergent/sonication to remove debris, a gradual and gentle dehydration procedure using ethanol, and critical point drying. For the overall process, these methods are chosen to optimise control and to minimise the use of harsh and hazardous chemicals. © 2013 The Royal Society of New Zealand.
A history of water distribution systems and their optimisation
- Authors: Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Barton, Andrew , Bagirov, Adil
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water Science and Technology-Water Supply Vol. 15, no. 2 (2015), p. 224-235
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990908
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Water distribution systems have a very long and rich history dating back to the third millennium B.C. Advances in water supply and distribution were followed in parallel by discoveries and inventions in other related fields. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to review both the history of water distribution systems and those related fields in order to present a coherent summary of the complex multi-stranded discipline of water engineering. Related fields reviewed in this paper include devices for raising water and water pumps, water quality and water treatment, hydraulics, network analysis, and optimisation of water distribution systems. The review is brief and concise and allows the reader to quickly gain an understanding of the history and advancements of water distribution systems and analysis. Furthermore, the paper gives details of other existing publications where more information can be found.
A novel approach to optimal pump scheduling in water distribution systems
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Barton, Andrew , Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Al Nuaimat, Alia , Ahmed, S. T. , Sultanova, Nargiz , Yearwood, John
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis Conference 2012, WDSA 2012 Vol. 1; Adelaide, Australia; 24th-27th September; p. 618-631
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990908
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The operation of a water distribution system is a complex task which involves scheduling of pumps, regulating water levels of storages, and providing satisfactory water quality to customers at required flow and pressure. Pump scheduling is one of the most important tasks of the operation of a water distribution system as it represents the major part of its operating costs. In this paper, a novel approach for modeling of pump scheduling to minimize energy consumption by pumps is introduced which uses pump's start/end run times as continuous variables. This is different from other approaches where binary integer variables for each hour are typically used which is considered very impractical from an operational perspective. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem and a new algorithm is developed for its solution. This algorithm is based on the combination of the grid search with the Hooke-Jeeves pattern search method. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using literature test problems applying the hydraulic simulation model EPANet.
- Description: E1
A procedure for formulation of multi-objective optimisation problems in complex water resources systems
- Authors: Godoy, Walter , Barton, Andrew , Perera, Bimalka
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 19th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, Perth, Australia, 12th-16th December, 2011 pg. 4029-4035
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The recently completed Wimmera Mallee Pipeline Project (WMPP) provides reticulated water to 36 towns and about 6000 farms across an area of approximately 2 million hectares in Western Victoria (Australia). This new pipeline has replaced an open channel distribution system and has vastly improved efficiencies in the supply of water, with water savings being returned to the environment, existing consumptive use and new development. One of the challenges for managers of these water recovery projects is to determine the most effective or optimal operational strategy to meet the needs of all water users. The study area supplies a subset of the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline and includes two separate river systems, namely the Glenelg River and the MacKenzie River which flow South-ward and North-ward from the Great Dividing Range respectively. Both river systems have their own unique environmental and socio-economic attributes which are indicative of those relating to the broader Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply System. In Victoria, these often conflicting interests to water have traditionally been addressed through a consultative process supported by surface water simulation modelling. Simulation models attempt to represent all the major characteristics of a system and are therefore tailored to examine "what if?" scenarios. Whilst such models are highly effective in demonstrating the effect of changes in system operation, the modelling process is limited to finding one solution at a time for a given set of conditions. Moreover, such traditional approaches have been challenged by the need to develop sustainable water management plans which attempt to meet the need of all users by searching for the optimal operating rules. Optimisation models have also proven to be effective tools but unlike simulation models are characterised by a numeric search technique and are better suited to address "what should be?" questions. However, the lack of popularity in optimisation models has been due to the complexity in their development, computational effort, and subsequently the simplification in problem specification. In recent times there has been growing interest in linking optimisation techniques with simulation models in order to build on the strengths of both modelling approaches in the search for optimal solutions. The general structure of this combined modelling technique provides for an iterative process; simulation outputs are used to quantify the effect of candidate solutions which are in turn passed to the search engine to find optimal solutions. The aim of this study is to develop a generalised procedure for the formulation of multi-objective optimisation problems relating to multi-reservoir systems with complex operating rules. Importantly the procedure has been developed for problems that are intended to be solved using a combined optimisationsimulation modelling technique. For the present study, the procedure will be used to formulate a sample multi-objective problem for the optimisation of operation of the study area. The procedure is applied in case study form, detailing the various components of the problem, both in mathematical terms and also the necessary qualitative information derived from stakeholder participation. The outcomes of this paper demonstrate: • the importance of on-going stakeholder participation in providing higher level qualitative information as part of (a) the problem formulation process in order to explicitly account for all interests to water, and (b) the optimisation process in order to enable decision makers to make the necessary trade-offs between choosing one optimal solution over another; and • the need to systematically identify the relevant system operating rules that control the movement of water within the simulation model
A review of cascade water supply systems
- Authors: Pathberiyage, Githmi , Barton, Andrew , Kandra, Harpreet , Dassanayake, Kithsiri
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 40th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022, Brisbane, Australia, 30 November to 2 December 2022, Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022 p. 679-694
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Cascade Water Supply Systems (CWSS) are a type of rural water supply system used in many parts of the world such as India, China, Sri Lanka, South America, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabi, Korea, Peru, Egypt, Rome, Turkey, Greece, and Thailand. They are also known as Village Tank Cascade Systems (VTCS) & Cascade Systems (CS). CWSS is typically designed to collect runoff from upper forested catchment areas to provide to downstream areas and consists of a network of linearly inter-connected 'tanks' or storages, with the supply of water often supplemented from additional catchments downstream, along with groundwater resources and diversions from other sources such as rivers. As water flows from the upper regions to the downstream segments of the system, water is utilised for various purposes such as irrigation, drinking, bathing, and other household activities. The inflows and outflows result in changes in water quality in different stretches of these systems. This paper reviews the international literature surrounding CWSS, with a particular focus on water quality and associated issues. It has been found that despite the significant social, environmental, and economic importance of CWSS, and their existence for many centuries, there is limited information on water quality characteristics over space and time. Pressures such as population growth, intensification of agricultural practices, and changing climate, affect these systems as well. This review reveals that water quality is comparatively better in the upstream sections of CWSSs and progressively worsens downstream, with the data showing that the water quality in downstream systems clearly exceeds the WHO drinking and irrigation water standards. © Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022. All rights reserved.
A structured procedure for developing sustainable operating plans for complex water resources systems
- Authors: Godoy, Walter , Barton, Andrew , Perera, Bimalka
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 36th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium : The art and science of water p. 1213-1220
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Water resources planning processes around the world are increasingly striving to incorporate sustainability principles in order to find optimal solutions to multi-criterial decision-making problems. The availability of sophisticated modelling techniques such as optimisation-simulation (O-S) models provide a proven approach to efficiently and effectively search for optimal solutions using trusted simulation models. However, optimisation problems in water resources planning are seldom represented using three or more objectives; the so called 'many-objective' multi-objective optimisation problems. Limiting problem dimensionality in this way simplifies visualisation of Pareto-optimal solutions, reduces computational effort, and simplifies the evaluation and interpretation of results. The aim of this study is to present a structured procedure for developing optimal operating plans for complex water resources systems using a combined multi-objective optimisation and sustainability assessment approach. The approach is applied to an 18-objective function MOOP which represents four broad categories relating to environmental, social, consumptive, and system-wide interests for water. The Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply System (WMWSS) is a multi-reservoir system located in Western Victoria (Australia) which is operated to meet a range of conflicting interests for water using complex operating rules. An O-S model is presented which uses the Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Algorithm (NSGA-II) as the optimisation engine and the REsource ALlocation Model (REALM) software as the simulation engine. This O-S model is applied to the WMWSS to search and evaluate candidate optimal operating plans over a 118-year period assuming historic hydro-climatic conditions. The resulting optimal operating plans are ranked in terms of their overall sustainability and compared to a known reference point or 'base case operating plan' which represents the status quo in operating rules for the WMWSS case study. The results show that the combined multi-objective optimisation and sustainability assessment approach is able to find optimal operating plans that are more sustainable than the base case operating plan.
A weighted sustainability index for selection of optimal operating plans
- Authors: Godoy, W. , Barton, Andrew , Perera, B. , Szemis, J.
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation: Managing Cumulative Risks through Model-Based Processes, MODSIM 2017 - Held jointly with the 25th National Conference of the Australian Society for Operations Research and the DST Group led Defence Operations Research Symposium, DORS 2017 p. 1378-1384
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline Project (WMPP) provides reticulated water to 36 towns and about 6000 farms across an area of approximately 2 million hectares and forms part of the Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply System (WMWSS). The WMWSS is a multi-reservoir system located in Western Victoria (Australia) which is operated to meet a range of conflicting interests for water using complex operating rules. Since completion in 2010, the pipeline has vastly improved efficiencies in the supply of water, with water savings being returned to the environment, existing consumptive use and new development. However, one of the major challenges for managers of these water recovery projects is to determine the most effective or optimal operational strategy to meet the needs of all water users. In Victoria, these often conflicting interests to water have traditionally been addressed through a consultative process supported by surface water simulation modelling. Simulation models attempt to represent all the major characteristics of a system and are suited to examine “what if?” scenarios. Whilst such models are highly effective in demonstrating the effect of changes in system operation, the modelling process is limited to finding one solution at a time for a given set of conditions. Optimisation models have also proven to be effective tools but unlike simulation models are characterised by a numeric search technique and are better suited to address “what should be?” questions. In recent times there has been growing interest in linking optimisation techniques with simulation models in order to build on the strengths of both modelling approaches in the search for optimal solutions. The general structure of this combined modelling technique provides for an iterative process; simulation outputs are used to quantify the effect of candidate solutions which are in turn passed to the search engine to find optimal solutions. The process of selecting the most preferred optimal solution brings together two aspects of multi-objective optimisation, namely; (i) the quantitative characteristics of these solutions relative to other solutions; and (ii) the higher level qualitative information in the form of stakeholders’ preferences. The aim of this study is to incorporate stakeholder preferences into a sustainability index which has been previously used to evaluate and compare optimal operating plans for the WMWSS. In that previous study, Godoy et al. (2015) applied a multi-objective optimisation and sustainability assessment approach to an 18-objective function multi-objective optimisation problem (MOOP) which represented a range of interests for water. For the present study, the same interests are described in terms of three broad categories i.e. strong environmental preferences, strong social preferences, and strong preferences for the needs of consumptive users. A weighted sustainability index is presented which incorporates these preferences in the original sustainability index formulation. This weighted sustainability index is used to select preferred optimal operating plans previously found by the optimisation-simulation modelling. The results showed that the weighted sustainability index provided a simple means to incorporate stakeholders’ preferences into the selection process and inform the decision maker of a stakeholder’s uncertainty about their values and priorities for water. © 2017 Proceedings - 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, MODSIM 2017. All rights reserved.
Adaption to water shortage through the implementation of a unique pipeline system in Victoria, Australia
- Authors: Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Barton, Andrew , Bagirov, Adil , McRae-Williams, Pamela , Caris, Rob , Jackson, Peter
- Date: 2010
- Type: Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Hydropredict' 2010, 2nd International Interdisciplinary Conference on predications for Hydrology, Ecology, and Water Resources Management
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Abstract Water resource development has played a crucial role in the Grampians, Wimmera and Mallee regions of Australia, with the main source of surface water located in several reservoirs in the Grampians mountain ranges. Historically, water was delivered by gravity through a vast 19 500 km earthen channel system from the reservoirs to the townships and farms. As a result of the severe and protracted drought experienced in the region over the past 13 years and the projected drying climate, there have been fundamental changes made to the management of water in order to better cope with water scarcity. The primary strategic effort to sustainably manage water resources was by removing the unsustainable transport of water via the open channels which resulted in very high losses through seepage and evaporation. This inefficient system has been replaced by a pressurised pipeline, the largest geographical water infrastructure project of its type in Australia, spreading across an area of approximately 20 000 km2. To manage the change in water balance as a result of the pipeline and drying climate, the regions water corporations and environmental agencies have designed a scheme for water allocations intended to sustain local communities, allow for regional development and improve environmental conditions. This paper describes the unique pipeline system recently completed, provides a brief summary of water sharing arrangements and introduces the research program currently underway to optimise the performance of the pipeline system.
An algorithm for minimization of pumping costs in water distribution systems using a novel approach to pump scheduling
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Barton, Andrew , Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Al Nuaimat, Alia , Ahmed, S. T. , Sultanova, Nargiz , Yearwood, John
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Mathematical and Computer Modelling Vol. 57, no. 3-4 (2013), p. 873-886
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990908
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The operation of a water distribution system is a complex task which involves scheduling of pumps, regulating water levels of storages, and providing satisfactory water quality to customers at required flow and pressure. Pump scheduling is one of the most important tasks of the operation of a water distribution system as it represents the major part of its operating costs. In this paper, a novel approach for modeling of explicit pump scheduling to minimize energy consumption by pumps is introduced which uses the pump start/end run times as continuous variables, and binary integer variables to describe the pump status at the beginning of the scheduling period. This is different from other approaches where binary integer variables for each hour are typically used, which is considered very impractical from an operational perspective. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem, and a new algorithm is developed for its solution. This algorithm is based on the combination of the grid search with the Hooke-Jeeves pattern search method. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using literature test problems applying the hydraulic simulation model EPANet. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
- Description: 2003010583
An assessment of the monitoring methods and data limitations for inflow and infiltration in sewer networks
- Authors: Jayasooriya, Mahinda , Dahlhaus, Peter , Barton, Andrew , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: 36th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium: The Art and Science of Water, HWRS 2015; Hobart, Tasmania; 7th-10th December 2016. p. 436-442
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Inflow and infiltration into separate sewer systems is an ongoing challenge experienced by water utilities in managing sewer networks across the world. An accurate estimation of groundwater infiltration in terms of volume and flow rate is important for making decisions on sewer rehabilitation and for the effective operation of sewer networks. The fast response of surface inflow to sewers occurs during or immediately after a prolonged or intense precipitation event and can often be exacerbated by illegal stormwater connections into the sewer network. The slow response of inflow to sewers can be attributed to deep infiltration or the discharge of groundwater into the sewer network. A common practice for most Australian water utilities in combatting the problem of infiltration and inflow is to undertake short to medium term sewer network flow monitoring, while collecting contemporaneous rainfall data, to assess the various volumes and their origin in their sewer networks. This paper presents a review of the current data collection practices, using the City of Ballarat in south eastern Australia as a case study. Discussion is provided around gaps in data collection practices to properly understand the problem and recommendations are made on what additional monitoring works should be performed so that infiltration, in particular, can be assessed on a sound scientific basis. © 2015, Engineers Australia. All rights reserved.
- Description: The Art and Science of Water - 36th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2015
An unexpected decrease in urban water demand : Making discoveries possible by taking a long-term view
- Authors: Ebbs, David , Dahlhaus, Peter , Barton, Andrew , Kandra, Harpreet
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water Policy Vol. 20, no. 3 (2018), p. 617-630
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Forecasting supply and demand is fundamental to the sustainability of the water system. Demand for urban water seems on an ever-upward trajectory, with use increasing twice as quickly as population throughout the 20th century. However, data from Ballarat, a city in south-eastern Australia, show that despite this conventionally held wisdom, total water usage actually peaked over 30 years ago. While the 1997–2009 ‘Millennium Drought’ had some effect, the decline commenced many years before. Initially, this was due to a reduction in external domestic water use, which correlates well with an increase in water price. However, the effect was found to not be purely economic as the price was not volumetric-based. Internal water use seems more affected by technological advances and regulatory controls. Interestingly, there was no relationship found between rainfall and water demand. The role of price, water-reduction education programmes, water-efficient technology and regulation supports previous research that a multifaceted approach is required when developing demand-reduction policies and strategies. This finding emphasises the importance of understanding the component of consumptive behaviour being targeted, and ensuring that policies being implemented are appropriate for the desired behavioural change.
Analysis of water quantity and quality trade-offs to inform selective harvesting of inflows in complex water resource systems
- Authors: Dey, Sayani , Barton, Andrew , Kandra, Harpreet , Bagirov, Adil , Wilson, Kym
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water Resources Management Vol. 35, no. 12 (2021), p. 4149-4165
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Challenges faced by water resource systems are multi-faceted. The problem can be even more pronounced in a dry continent like Australia where the water resources can often be afflicted by high salinity and turbidity. Therefore, modern water resource systems require to appropriately manage both water quality and quantity. This study aims to illustrate the trade-offs between water quantity and quality in a reservoir, based on decisions to harvest different inflow sources. Taylors Lake of the Grampians reservoir system in Western Victoria, Australia was chosen as the case study for this research as it is sufficiently complex and includes many of the contemporary water resources challenges seen around the world. Different operational scenarios were analysed which included increasingly stringent water quality criteria before the water was harvested or otherwise allowed to by-pass the storage. The study suggests that selective harvesting of water can be an option to improve the overall and long-term water quality within a reservoir, but stringent water quality measures can lead to an associated loss of overall water quantity. This research study provides useful insight to water planners and stakeholders in similar catchment settings around the world, to identify water harvesting regimes with competing water quality constraints. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. Correction to: Analysis of Water Quantity and Quality Trade‑Offs to Inform Selective Harvesting of Inflows in Complex Water Resource Systems (Water Resources Management, (2021), 35, 12, (4149-4165), 10.1007/s11269-021-02936-x)
Application of HEC RAS to hydraulic modelling of an Irrigation scheme to determine potential for capacity increase
- Authors: Sargison, Jane , Barton, Andrew
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 9th National Conference on Hydraulics in Water Engineering: Hydraulics, Darwin, 23-26th September, 2008 p.73-79
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Cressy-Longford Irrigation Scheme delivers irrigation water supply from the outfall of Poatina Tailrace on Tasmania's Central Highlands Hydroelectric Power Scheme, to the agricultural region surrounding the towns of Cressy and Longford in North Eastern Tasmania. The scheme delivers approximately 10 000 ML of water annually to a land district of 10 000 ha. The scheme consists of mostly open, earth lined channels, with sections of concrete lined channel, pipeline, culverts, drop pipes, and siphons or drop siphons where required for hydraulic design purposes or to provide road access and crossings. The system consists of over 100 km of channel and pipe, in a network of 17 distinct channel sections. The full system and its subcomponents have been modelled, using the generally available package, HEC-RAS, to model open channel sections, approximate pipe performance and to model the network operation under various scenarios. The performance of pipe and culvert sections was independently checked using spreadsheet analysis. The objective of the analysis was to determine the maximum capacity of the system in its current state; determine restrictions to the flow of water through the network; and to identify strategies to increase the capacity to deliver water by at least 30 %. The key restraints on the analysis were to ensure that any increased volume of water carried into the network could be safely discharged out of the network to adjoining natural watercourses in the event that irrigation was suddenly stopped and/or water input to the system increased, for example in the event of a sudden rainstorm. It was found that the system was currently underutilised, and that in most cases the culverts were capable of running full, which greatly increased the possible flow rates allowable in the system. Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter measurements in sections of the channel were used to verify modelled flow rates.
Apportioning allocations to users of multi-storage water supply systems : A case study of making a complex volume shared system more transparent
- Authors: Barton, Andrew , Wilson, Kym
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings , Conference paper
- Relation: 2018 Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium: Water and Communities, HWRS 2018; Melbourne, Australia; 3rd-6th December 2018 p. 60-71
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper describes principles for the apportionment of water allocations to users of a multi-reservoir water supply system utilising a volume shared entitlement and allocation framework. The challenge of this problem is that volume shared systems determine the available water for allocation based on a total system approach. The subsequent operational challenge is to then apportion this total volume of available water to specific reservoirs to meet individual user requirements. This is an important problem as entitlement and allocation frameworks usually have the water resource assessment process and high-level water sharing principles enshrined in a set of legally binding orders and instruments. However, some systems still have a subsequent apportionment of allocation problem, not codified in any binding document, where decisions need to be made around how much allocation should be made available from particular reservoirs for the various stakeholders or user groups. In shared systems where contests over water is common, or access to allocation may vary over time, it is desirable that the agency responsible for making the resource decisions uses an objective, fair and equitable method of allocating water. To work through this problem and present the set of principles for apportionment, the Wimmera-Glenelg System located in western Victoria, Australia, is used as a case study. The Wimmera-Glenelg System is a complex water resource system with multiple reservoirs and many different user groups and stakeholders. The region is also subject to a highly variable climate with frequent dry periods and water rationing, creating periods of time where the equitable apportionment of allocation becomes incredibly important. Concepts of capacity sharing have been used to help with the development of the apportionment principles to help maximise the transparency in decision making to stakeholders and because the system does have an emerging water market where commercial and economic certainty is becoming paramount. However, capacity sharing for systems with multiple reservoirs is not common, and so even this has limitations in use. The principles described can be universally applied to reservoir systems of varying complexity, where there are multiple users, and is compatible with both capacity shared systems and newer continuous sharing or continuous accounting systems. Results are shown for the Wimmera-Glenelg System. © CURRAN-CONFERENCE. All rights reserved.
Characterizing the roughness of freshwater biofilms using a photogrammetric methodology
- Authors: Barton, Andrew , Sargison, Jane , Osborn, John , Perkins, Kathryn , Hallegraeff, Gustaaf
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biofouling Vol. 26, no. 4 (2010), p. 439-448
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The physical roughness of a surface changes when freshwater biofilms colonize and grow on it and this has significant implications for surfaces enclosing water conveying systems such as pipelines and canals. Plates with surfaces initially artificially roughened with varying grit size were deployed in an open channel system and biofilms were allowed to grow on the exposed surface. The plates were retrieved at intervals in time and their surfaces mapped using close range photogrammetry. For a fine grit surface (0.5-4 mm particles), diatom-dominated biofilms initially grew between the roughness elements; they subsequently developed as a mat to create a physically smoother outer surface than the underlying rough surface. For a coarse grit surface (2-4 mm), biofilms colonized faster; in one instance, larger clumps of biofilm were observed as transverse ripples across the plate.
Community structure and ecological responses to hydrological changes in benthic algal assemblages in a regulated river : application of algal metrics and multivariate techniques in river management
- Authors: Atazadeh, Ehsan , Gell, Peter , Mills, Keely , Barton, Andrew , Newall, Peter
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Science and Pollution Research Vol. 28, no. 29 (2021), p. 39805-39825
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The flow regime of the Wimmera River was substantially modified due to the construction of a water supply reservoir. Samples of diatoms and soft algae and measurements of water quality were analysed at ten sampling sites for 3 years (between February 2012 and November 2014) along the MacKenzie River, a tributary of the Wimmera River, in different seasons and under different flow regimes, to understand the spatial and temporal variation in the relationship between algal communities, water quality and stream condition. Baseline information on algal communities and water quality was collected during base flow conditions, while experiments on the effect of water releases on algal communities were based on flow regime variations (manipulated flow regimes), specifically on the algae community structure, water quality and ecosystem function. Algal species composition changed along the river under different flow regimes and different seasons. Under base flow, Bacillariophyta (diatoms) were more abundant upstream, and filamentous green algae were more abundant downstream. The results showed that the algal composition shifted downstream after water release events. Chlorophyta (green algae), Cyanophyta (blue-green algae) and Chrysophyta gradually increased from upstream to downstream under base flow conditions and before water releases, whereas diatoms were greater upstream and increased downstream after water releases. The results are presented to tailor discharge and duration of the river flows by amalgamation of consumptive and environmental flows to improve the condition of the stream thereby supplementing the flows dedicated to environmental outcomes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Comparison of metaheuristic algorithms for pump operation optimization
- Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Ahmed, S. T. , Barton, Andrew , Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Al Nuaimat, Alia , Sultanova, Nargiz
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis Conference 2012, WDSA 2012 Vol. 2; Adelaide, Australia; 24th-27th September 2012; p. 886-896
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990908
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Pumping cost constitutes the main part of the overall operating cost of water distribution systems. There are different optimization formulations of the pumping cost minimization problem including those with application of continuous and integer programming approaches. To date mainly various metaheuristics have been applied to solve this problem. However, the comprehensive comparison of those metaheuristics has not been done. Such a comparison is important to identify strengths and weaknesses of different algorithms which reflects on their performance. In this paper, we present a methodology for comparative analysis of widely used metaheuristics for solving the pumping cost minimization problem. This methodology includes the following comparison criteria: (a) the "optimal solution" obtained; (b) the efficiency; and (c) robustness. Algorithms applied are: particle swarm optimization, artificial bee colony and firefly algorithms. These algorithms were applied to one test problem available in the literature. The results obtained demonstrate that the artificial bee colony is the most robust and the firefly is the most efficient and accurate algorithm for this test problem. Funding :ARC
Configuring consumptive water transfers for ecolgical benefit: An algal response model for water resource operations
- Authors: Atazadeh, Islam , Mills, Keely , Barton, Andrew , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 34th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Coping with severe drought : Stories from the front line
- Authors: Barton, Andrew , Briggs, Steven , McRae-Williams, Pamela , Prior, Darcy
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Water Resources Vol. 15, no. 1 (2011), p. 21-32
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The last 12 years has seen extreme drought in western Victoria. This has impacted on the area in many ways, but none more so than in the provision of basic water supplies to people. To meet the challenge of drought, headworks storages have had to be operated at record low levels, severe water restrictions imposed, water carting programs established, alternative sources of water, and new technologies developed and used. Significant changes have also been made to the water supply infrastructure in the region, most notably the Northern-Mallee and Wimmera-Mallee Pipelines. This paper relates the story of how water resources were managed and bulk water was delivered to around 70,000 customers over a geographic spread of 62,000 km2, or about 30% of Victoria. Discussion on the social, environmental and economic impacts on the region are also provided. © Institution of Engineers Australia, 2011.
Design and calibration of a water tunnel for skin friction research
- Authors: Sargison, Jane , Barton, Andrew , Walker, Gregory , Brandner, P. A.
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol. 7, no. 2 (2009), p. 111-124
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A new water tunnel facility has been designed for application in skin friction and boundary layer research. The closed loop, recirculating facility with working section 200 × 600 × 2400 mm and test surface 600 × 1000 mm has been designed to operate at working section flow speeds of up to 2 ms-1 (Reynolds number based on test surface length 2.2 × 106). A force balance enables the direct measurement of drag on test surfaces. Hot film, pitot and multi-hole pressure probes are used to investigate the near wall flow. © Institution of Engineers Australia, 2009.