Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2013 Issue 1

The achievement of air quality standards (AQS) is the main concern of air quality managers. In the semi arid and arid areas such as Qatar, dust storms release large amounts of particulate into the atmosphere every year, which can cause serious health problems such as lung irritation, allergic reactions, eye infections, meningitis. The present research aims at simulating PM10 concentrations distribution in Tehran by lognormal statistical distribution method during a bit more than 2-year period (2011-19 January 2013). With respect to statistical properties of air pollutants, the number of exceeding daily average concentrations from assigned air quality standards (AQS) can be estimated, as well as the level of reduction in current emission sources of PM10 required in order to meet the AQS. The results show that the distribution of PM10 concentration could be in?uenced by local meteorological conditions in di?erent seasons .In addition, the emission sources reduction of PM10 concentration to meet the air quality standard (PM10> 50µg/m3) for Fath's station is successfully predicted.

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a key technology for converting syngas (H2/CO mixture) into a variety of hydrocarbon products via the gas-to-liquid technology (GTL) process. Although this technology has existed for decades, commercial development remains limited to a few reactor configurations (e.g. fixed bed reactor, fluidized bed and slurry reactor). On the lab-scale, the utilization of supercritical fluids as reaction media in FTS was shown to combine the advantages of both the gas-phase (fixed bed) and the liquid-phase (slurry) reactors, while simultaneously overcoming their limitations [1]. Our previous studies in this field reported the challenges facing the design of a novel supercritical fluids FTS reactor technology [2,4]. The current study focuses on modeling the in situ behavior of typical SCF-FTS reactor bed ('macro-scale' assessment) as well as catalyst pellet ('micro-scale' assessment). This research has several objectives; however its main scope is to provide both qualitative and quantitative assessment of the in situ behavior of the non-ideal reactor bed relative to the conventional gas-phase fixed bed reactor technology, as a first step towards industrial scale-up. The specific aims of our paper are as follows: to simulate the heat and mass transfer behavior inside the reactor bed; to identify operating conditions using near- or supercritical fluids capable of overcoming mass and heat transfer limitations inside the reactor bed; and to quantify the role of the main controlling parameters on the reactor bed behavior as measured by the catalyst effectiveness factor. A typical mathematical modeling technique for the fixed bed reactor was applied to simultaneously simulate the concentration and temperature profiles inside the catalyst pores (micro-scale modeling) and inside the reactor bed (macroscale modeling) [5-7]. For the micro scale simulation of the in situ behavior inside a spherical catalyst pellet a second order ordinary differential equation was used to describe both the mass and heat balances. For the macro scale modeling a 1D steady state pseudo homogeneous plug-flow model was used. In addition, in both models the mass balance equation was expressed in terms of fugacity to account for the non-ideal behavior of the reaction mixture in the SCF reaction. The thermodynamic properties of the mixture were calculated using the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state (SRK-EOS). Using this methodology, the effect of pressure in the (near)-critical fluid (SCF) assisted reaction, and the effect of the (near)-critical fluid on heat transfer and temperature distribution within the reactor was investigated. We also investigated the effect of the particle size on the overall catalyst effectiveness factor for both the SCF and gas phase FTS. Figure1 and Figure2 show the temperature and conversion profiles under comparable conventional gas phase reaction and SCF reaction conditions. The most dramatic effect can be found in the temperature distribution profile. Due to the presence of the solvent the generated heat is absorbed, leading to a much smoother temperature profile. In general, this study will provide a comparison between the in situ behavior and the catalyst effectiveness factor for the proposed novel process versus the conventional gas-phase FTS reactor bed under equivalent operating conditions.

Climate change, caused by excess green house gas (GHG) emissions from human activities is becoming a pressing problem as the Earth's mean surface temperature has increased by about 0.8 °C since the early 20th century (America's Climate Choices, 2011). It is now widely accepted that investment in renewable energy sources is one of the most effective solutions to amend the emission of GHGs. Yet renewable energy technologies only account for a small fraction of the world's primary energy supply. Several technical, economical and behavioral reasons hinder market diffusion of these technologies; among these we note the lack, inadequacy or instability of the governmental policies to promote sustainable energy solutions. Various policies such as subsidies and tax reductions have been implemented to facilitate the diffusion of renewable energy systems. Yet, there is limited research on which policy is optimal, taking into account the complexities and externalities in the supply chain of such renewables as Photovoltaic (PV) systems. Using a stylized economical model, this research aims at identifying optimal policies for adoption of PV systems. We develop a model with a 3-player environment, which includes a grid operator responsible for meeting electricity demands, a PV manufacturer, and customers who are sensitive about their investment payback time with heterogeneous 'discount rate', reflecting their attitude toward the time value of money. The grid operator is responsible to meet all electricity demand, while aiming at increasing PV penetration. The PV manufacturer as well as the customers seeks to maximize their own profit/utility. The decision variable for the customers is whether or not to adopt the system, affecting profit of the two other parties by determining the demand as well as the amount and variation of the electricity fed into the grid using the PV systems. The decision variable for the PV manufacturer is the price to charge for each PV unit, while the grid operator decides on the incentive schemes for adoption including feed-in tariffs and subsides. We investigate the equilibrium outcome in this intertwined decision environment as a sequential game, where the manufacturer determines the price of PV units given the governmental incentive systems, and the customers determine demand. Using this equilibrium outcome, we then investigate the effectiveness of various incentive policies to maximize supply chain profit as well as PV penetration.

Spent spot lining (SPL) is a graphite/ceramic waste that is produced from the aluminum industry. The rate of SPL production is expected to increase worldwide by 500,000 tons per year. SPL is considered as a hazardous material since it contains many contaminants e.g. fluorides, cyanides, lead and chromium in addition to flammable gases when it comes in contact with water e.g. ammonia, phosphine, hydrogen and methane. Hydrogen and methane accounts for approximately 99 percent of gases generated. These gases are released slowly for significant lengths of time which could present an explosion hazard in confined or poorly ventilated spaces. Furthermore, the SPL contaminants can diffuse to the water ground during storage. The aims of this work are to (i) design and verify a full analysis protocol for the SPL and (ii) find a suitable application for consuming the SPL waste. SPL was collected from Qatalum, grinded using a ball miller and then washed with water, conc. HNO3 and finally with conc. NaOH. The evolved gases in each stage were collected in gas collection bags and analyzed using gas chromatography. Also, the eluents from the different washing steps were collected for the induced coupled plasma (ICP) analysis to determine the concentration of the different trace metals. Furthermore, a qualitative analysis for the anions was done. Part of the graphite was transformed into graphene which later was was functionalized in two different ways to add acidic and basic moieties on its surface to trap basic and acidic gases, respectively which are evolved during the washing and chemical treatment of the SPL.

*The increasing attention received by environmental problems in general and by global warming in particular reignites the debate around the sustainability of energy sources and renewable energy technologies. Renewable energies (RE) are considered one of the most effective and least risky solutions to curb greenhouse gas emissions. By providing emission-free and sustainable energy, these energies are main alternatives to fossil fuels. Yet, notwithstanding the advantages and the fact that they have experienced a substantial growth over the last decade, RE market penetration still remains below the levels judged necessary to effectively curb C02 emissions. Increasing RE penetration requires therefore that concerned actors such as RE companies and policy makers develop a more thorough understanding of the factors that affect the RE diffusion process. To that end, in this study we adopt a new technology diffusion perspective to shed further light on the factors that may hamper or accelerate the diffusion of a specific type of RE: photovoltaic systems (PV). We especially discuss and examine the impact of the following factors: i) the type and amount of PV-related information acquired by potential adopters; ii) the perceived economic value of PV; iii) the role of technological uncertainty and iv) the degree of competition in the PV market. We put forth a conceptual model of PV diffusion and we test it using primary data obtained through a survey of the actual and the potential clients of a large European utility that also sells PV systems. We used a set of logit models to estimate the impact of the above factors on the probability of adopting a PV system and we examined possible second order and interaction effects between these factors. The analysis provides interesting insights, particularly with respect to the role of information and the process through which it is acquired by potential adopters. Most importantly, the results indicate that information acquired through personal contacts (e.g. by visiting stores or talking to friends and colleagues) has a much greater impact on the probability of adoption than information filtered by other types of media (e.g. obtained from the web). This indirectly stresses the key role played by retailers, who guarantee a face-to-face contact with potential customers. Second, our results show that, contrary to expectations, increasing the number of market competitors decreases the probability of adoption, possibly because potential adopters defer their adoption decision when the number of available alternatives increases beyond a certain limit. Interestingly, we also note that the impact of perceived economic value and technological uncertainty is not significant, as if PV systems had already reached a minimum level of cost competitiveness and technological maturity. Altogether, our results indicate that - in addition to focusing on improving technological effectiveness and reducing system cost, RE providers should pay a lot of attention to the way they organize their distribution channels and to how they design their marketing campaigns. *The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Qatar National Research Fund (project n. NPRP 5 - 873 - 5 - 133

There is a growing momentum to analyse the broader interdependencies of the energy, water and food systems rather than evaluating them in isolation. For instance, it is impossible to consider a food system without evaluating its respective agriculture, water and energy characteristics using a suitable sustainability assessment methodology. The objective of this paper is to present the sustainability assessment model under development by the authors, which integrates the energy, water and food systems in one resource model. The integrated nexus tool is being designed to estimate the performance of the nexus at appropriate scale and resolution by identifying and quantifying the impact of given food production scenarios on terrestrial and marine eco-systems. Furthermore, the development of an integrated food system is key to the identification of the processes with the largest environment footprint. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to prepare detailed models of the sub-system components, determine the linkages between the different nexus constituents and evaluate impacts to the natural environment. The model developed considers the environmental impacts of selected processes within the food system with a special focus in regions of the world where water scarcity is a significant concern, such as Qatar. The nexus elements are described by sub-systems which are modelled using a combination of mass balance calculations, thermodynamic estimates and emission factors derived from literature and real plant data. The food sub-system includes the production and application of fertilizers and emissions from certain agriculture practices such as the raising of livestock. The water sub-systems include the production of water using desalination processes such as Reverse Osmosis and Multi-Stage flash and its distribution to the farm. The energy sub-systems consider both fossil fuel and renewable energy. Environmental emissions are calculated for a food production scenario in Qatar. This involves a crop production profile and corresponding land, water, energy and fertilizer requirements which will serve as inputs to the sub-system models. The outputs of the model are assigned into their respective LCA impact categories. Furthermore, desalination brine discharge is also considered for the aquatic-eco toxicity impact category. Within the sub-systems considered, it is shown the food sub-system produces the largest emissions, followed by fossil fuel powered desalination for irrigation. These emissions in addition the natural gas consumption can be significantly reduced if renewable energy in the form of PV systems are used, with however a significant land footprint. Furthermore, the available simulation tools, which consider the impact of desalination on the salinity of the wider Arabian Gulf, were critically evaluated with respect to their physical significance. When using the projection tool, it was found that Qatar’s food system contribution would represent approximately 0.5% of the total calculated salinity increase. However, evaluating historical data up to 2006, there has been no evidence to support significant differences in salinity conditions within the Arabian Gulf. As such, until a validated and comprehensive predicative model is developed, the models to date cannot provide conclusions on the salinity evolution of the Arabian Gulf and can only serve as comparisons between 2 scenarios.

Holocene sabkhas in the Arabian Gulf are important as analogues to ancient evaporitic hydrocarbon reservoirs. Sabkha, an Arabic term for salt flat, refers to marine coastal sediments which have been modified by precipitation of evaporitic minerals from groundwaters. Extensive and detailed geomorphological and sedimentological characterization of depositional environments in Qatar provides a framework for understanding hydrological and geochemical processes controlling the origins of evaporites, their spatial distribution and likely evolution of burial diagenesis through time. A range of hydrological models have been proposed to account for the sources of solutes forming the evaporites in different sabkhas, including discharge of continental groundwaters, evaporative pumping of seawater, seawater flooding and free convection. Comparison of two hydrological end-member regimes in Qatar, a coastal sabkha in continuity with marine water (Mesaieed) and a continental sabkha within a closed basin (Dukhan), offers new insights into the variability and complexity of sabkha hydrological systems. Mesaieed sabkha, located in the southeast of Qatar is part of a prograding coastal plain and consists of an onlap wedge of Holocene sediments with a basal coarse transgressive lag, overlying Eocene bedrock. The Holocene wedge is in hydraulic continuity with both marine and continental waters, although tidal head differences are observed only a short distance inland from the coast. Dukhan, a large inland sabkha in the Arabian Gulf, has formed in a syncline between the Qatar arch and the Dukhan anticline, which separate it from the west coast. The sabkha surface is below sea level, separated from a marine embayment to the north by an Eocene sill of unknown transmissibility. Sea-level reconstructions reveal marine communication in the Early Holocene, suggesting the basin was flooded during an earlier highstand, with evaporitic lakes or salinas developed within restricted areas. Gypsum is the most common diagenetic evaporite mineral in both sabkhas and is pervasive above and below the water table, with minor calcite, dolomite, anhydrite and halite. In Mesaieed such cementation is extensive in the proximal sabkha (in sediments dated c. 6000 yr BP), whilst in the central part (c. 4000 yr BP) gypsum is restricted to surface crusts and water table cements, and is largely absent in the distal (coastal) sabkha (≤ 2000 yr BP). In Dukhan gypsum occurs as surface crusts, detrital grains and coarse crystal mushes, formed in the sediment as well as in standing water. Halite and anhydrite occur near the surface. Geochemical studies suggest that evaporites are forming today. Both sabkhas act as sinks for brackish groundwater from the underlying Eocene aquifers of Qatar. Evaporative concentration of discharging groundwaters in the sabkha at and above the shallow water table generates dense fluids which reflux into the underlying Eocene, increasing solute concentration with distance from the Eocene/Holocene contact. In Mesaieed, studies indicate rare episodic inundation of the sabkha surface and subsurface intrusion of seawater may be significant in the distal part of the system and could explain the paucity of gypsum cementation.

TiO2 is a semiconductor with photo-catalytic properties and is being thoroughly investigated for its use in the degradation of harmful environmental pollutants using photo-catalytic reactions. The effects of TiO2 nanoparticles and different structured TiO2 electrodes on methyl orange degradation using sunlight have been investigated. Titania Nanotube (TNT) and Titania Nanofiber (TNF) were obtained through anodic oxidation of pure titanium sheet and titania nanoparticle was commercially available. Nanostructured Titania was doped with palladium and Methyl Orange, a harmful environmental pollutant, was degraded using palladium doped nanostructured titania. The kinetic degradation was observed using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Titania Nanotube degraded the pollutant faster than titania nanofiber because of the larger surface area provided by tubes. Titania nanoparticle being in the powder form was the most effective in degrading methyl orange pollutant because of the very large surface area providing higher catalytic capability.

This project aims at identifying and validating the performance measurements of container logistics at Qatalum Smelter. The project investigates two different cases that Qatalum has implemented to manage the empty container logistics using simulation. The first case is to keep a limited empty container buffer; and the second case is to provide empty containers in a just-in-time fashion. Accordingly, a field research was conducted at Qatalum to collect required data. Quantitative and informative data were collected though meetings, on-site observations, and time and motion measurements to develop spaghetti diagrams that show all possible flows and flow charts of container logistics in order to develop the simulation models. Both situations were simulated using Arena software. Optimal buffer size of empty containers inside the cast house was determined, in which different empty containers buffer sizes were tried to choose the optimum buffer size. The vehicle fleet utilization in both cases was determined and scenario testing was implemented, in which the effect of adding additional resources was observed. The results show that the optimal buffer size of empty containers inside the cast house is 14 containers. The vehicle fleet utilization in the current case is less than its utilization in sand case and the most utilized vehicles in both cases are trucks and the container mover. The impact of additional resources is also studied via simulation.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Pyrite for Removal of Mercury

Modeling a Seawater Flash Distillation Process with the Q-Electrolattice Equation of State

Abstract Concentrations of twenty five heavy metals (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, V, Zn, and Hg) in surface sediment from ten transects each with five stations were studied. The sediment samples were collected in May and December 2012 in order to examine the spatial and temporal variation and investigate the pollution sources. Significant differences were observed in metal concentrations between the sampling locations and durations. Higher concentrations were observed in areas where there are a lot of anthropological activities. The distribution of selected metals were presented in contour maps showing the variation between the two periods. Moreover, it was observed that December 2012 sampling was significantly higher than May 2012. In order to further study particle size effect on metals uptake, two different grinding times were administered on four randomly selected samples and the results showed no significant difference on the analysis in the ICP-OES instrument. The overall results of metal analyses were within the international standards criteria and the results were comparable to the previous studies conducted around Qatar. A monitoring approach is recommended for the sediment quality assessment. Additional examinations were conducted using contour maps that show the distributions of the metals around Doha Bay during May and December 2012.

Laundering processes use significant amounts of water, including water-washing processes and dual-phase washing. These processes perform a separation process in which soil and stains are removed from a textile substrate. The most important ingredients of laundry detergents are bleach, water softeners and surfactants. Using laundry effluent into gardens and lawns was shown to be technically possible without treatment in many areas in Australia and USA. Among the various environmental concerns facing Qatar, the most pressing is linked to the country's most acute water scarcity according to Qatar's National Development Strategy 2011-2016 (QNDPS). Farming in Qatar continue to make heavy demands on Qatar's precious water resources. Laundry wastewater reuse for food production could make a significant contribution to redirecting Qatar's precious natural resources to higher value uses. Related issues like food safety, hygienic issues and possible ground water contaminations should be investigated in parallel with any step to be taken in this regard. The current study aims to evaluate the reuse of laundry wastewater from Qatari household in irrigating edible vegetables (Fig. 1). The wastewater is fully characterized. The analysis includes pH, EC (conductivity) and COD (chemical oxygen demand). In addition Total cations (Na, K, Ca, and Mg), total anions (HCO3, SO4, and Cl), and trace elements including Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Fe, and Cd will be found. The same characterization is followed for the different parts of the plants; leaves, roots, stem, fruits and the planting soil itself. Irrigating with tap water is used as reference (Fig. 2). Plants and soil irrigated with tap water is subjected to the same chemical analysis as the wastewater. The project will shed light on the possibility for the reuse of this valuable wastewater stream. The study will compare the results with international standards and a statements about the suitability of using laundry greywater for irrigation will be withdrawn. The research will define the limitations and put recommendations and suggestions for further implementation. The results from this study are expected to support people working in water and safe food sector in Qatar.

Critical Pitting Temperature of Ti-6Al-4V Produced with Rapid Prototyping Technology: Electron Beam Melting Machine Abstract Titanium and its alloys are valuable engineering materials due to their excellent mechanical and physical properties. Comparing to other metallic materials such as stainless steel and Co-Cr alloys; Ti and its alloys are of lighter weight, higher strength-density ratio, superior corrosion resistance in wide range of environments, and better biocompatibility in human body. The most widely used titanium alloy is Ti-6Al-4V. It contains a combination of α stabilizer (Aluminum) and β stabilizer (Vanadium) that gives better microstructure combination, resulting in a good balance of strength, ductility, fracture and fatigue properties. Rapid prototyping technology allows the manufacturing of 3D intricate objects through the layer-by-layer technique. Electron beam melting (EBM) machine utilizes this 3D printing technology to fabricate complex objects using Ti-6Al-4V alloy. EBM machine uses electrons as the energy source to melt layer-by-layer the metallic powder and build the required parts under vacuum pressure of 10-3 mbar and temperature of 690°C. Parts produced with this machine can be used in many applications such as; petrochemical industry, chemical processing, aerospace applications, medical applications, and automotive industry. Due to the unique manufacturing conditions of high temperature, vacuum pressure, and quenching of the molten metal to nearly room temperature in just a few hours; the corrosion behavior of produced part is likely very different from that of traditional wrought alloys. In addition, surface roughness and density of parts out of such machine is different than traditional commercial titanium. Notwithstanding this, EBM machine can work under different sets of processing parameters, which allows a control of part properties. This study measures the critical pitting temperature (CPT) of samples produced under different processing parameters of EBM machine. CPT test was performed to detect the temperature at which the part will start to pit in a 3.5% weight NaCl solution. CPT gives an indication of the ability of the metal to withstand pitting under specified tested condition and specifies the temperature at which pitting of the surface will start. Surface roughness and density were measured as well, and a Minitab software was used to relate these properties to the EBM machine manufacturing parameters in order to optimize the best working parameters that will enhance the quality and increase corrosion resistance of produced parts.

Performance improvement of grid-interfaced renewable energy sources in smart grids during faults

Multi-phase IM drive systems are nowadays seen as a possible alternative to the three-phase drives due to their features that are especially suited for high power applications such as Oil & Gas industries, electric vehicles, traction drive, ship propulsion, robotics and mining and huge number of application. The main advantages of the multi-phase machines are higher power density with reduced volume, lower torque pulsation at higher frequency, lower dc link current harmonics and lower noise and keep going. This fault tolerance capability of the multi-phase machines makes them highly attractive for safety critical applications listed above. The trend in the drive industry is to employ sensorless topology to make the system more reliable, robust, lower hardware count, reduced cabling, reduced cost and less maintenance. The purpose of this paper is to design and develop five-phase speed sensorless induction motor drive system with inverter output LC filter. The drive system are supplied using PWM voltage source inverter and the growing switching speed of IGBTs pose additional problem of high dv/dt. The high dv/dt of the inverter output leads to several problems in the drive systems such as doubling of motor applied voltage (especially for drive with long cable), high voltage stress on motor, leakage and bearing currents leading to the bearing failure and high electromagnetic interference (EMI) etc. To mitigate these issues particularly passive filters are used. This paper focuses on using an LC filter at the output of the five-phase inverter. This paper investigate the design issues of output LC in conjunction with five-phase drive system. The LC filter causes delay and phase shift in the output voltages that affect adversely the motor control especially in sensorless vector controlled drive system. The presence of LC filter is to be incorporated in the speed estimator system. Hence the modification is necessary in the control structure. The effect of inverter output LC filter on the behavior of a sensorless vector controlled five-phase induction motor drive system investigated in this paper. Modification in the control structure and algorithm is implemented and will be reported in the full paper. The whole approach based on theoretical study, simulation verification and experimental implementation.

The United Nations (UN) estimated that over 600 million people in urban areas were exposed to dangerous levels of traffic-generated air pollutants worldwide. Currently, there is no published literature available on the levels of air pollutants, specifically NO2, due to traffic in Doha-Qatar. According to the recent reports there are more 800,000 cars registered in Qatar. This relatively high number of cars brings in problems associated with increased level of pollution. Therefore, in this study the levels of traffic related air NO2 pollution were investigated at six major intersections along C-ring road of Doha. NO2 is considered to be a marker of vehicular pollution, thus, its relationship was established with traffic volume in each intersection during December 2012 and March-April 2013. Significant differences were established between the pollutant concentration in each intersection. Higher concentrations were observed in areas with high traffic volume. Additionally, meteorological conditions were also found to influence the NO2 levels along with the topographical structure within the area. The CALINE 4 model employed during the study to estimate the effect of the measured NO2 concentration on the predicted value was only 31.12 %. The low percentage may have accounted for the uncertainties brought about the vehicle emission factor and non-availability of temporal dynamics during the time of sampling.

Accessible fresh water in rivers and lakes represent only 0.03 % of Earth's total water reservoir [1]. The protection and efficient utilization of this precious and limited resource is one of the most pressing issues in the 21st century. Today, it is estimated that 22 % percent of urban water resources is lost in the infrastructure due to leakage [2]. This article proposes a next-generation smart-sensing platform aimed at providing low-cost water-pipe inspection and leakage detection. Pipeline inspection techniques used in the traditional oil and gas industries are often not directly applicable to water systems [3]. Industry-standard pigging platforms require special launch and recovery facilities and they can not tolerate complex surface conditions caused by bio-fouling and corrosion. The current generation of water-pipe surveying instruments rely on ultrasound distance measurement which is prone to interference from road traffic, construction, and air pockets. The wavelength of ultrasound also limits its sensing accuracy [4]. Furthermore, all existing solutions requires highly trained on-site operators and thereby incurring significant deployment cost. The proposed smart-sensing platform in Figure 1 is designed to be fully autonomous, low-maintenance, and non-invasive to the existing infrastructures. The in-pipe roving sensor detects water leakage and wall-thinning and communicates this information in real-time via an acoustic-radio hybrid cellular sensor network. Portable self-powered base-stations are installed along the water-pipe at intervals of 10-100 meters and communicates with the roving sensor using a wide-band 1 MHz ultrasonic channel which, unlike electro-magnetic radio waves, can penetrate the metallic pipe wall without invasive retrofitting. The attenuation problem at this frequency range [5] is solved by the short distance between neighbouring base-stations. Channel-State-Information (CSI) is used to optimize transmitter power allocation; delays are tolerated in exchange for longer battery life. The data packets received from the roving sensor are relayed between the base-stations via the electro-magnetic radio frequency (RF) medium to the central server. The roving sensor in Figure 2 uses a compressive image sensor assisted by an acoustic transceiver to visually detect leakage sites. The image sensor's on-chip image compression (Figure 3) is facilitated by a novel Analog-to-Information architecture which allows the image to be sampled at sub-Nyquist rates with significant power savings in both image capture and processing [6]. This optic-acoustic hybrid fault detection scheme allows the image sensor to be utilized more efficiently by only waking up the image sensor when fault detection likelihood is high. The bases-station integrates a number of sensors (Figure 4) to provide complimentary pipe-line status information. Temperature [7] and humidity sensors are installed both near the pipe and at ground level. Leakage sites can be detected by observing a drop in temperature and rise in humidity in the soil near the pipe when compared to the ground level references. Zinc-oxide nano-wire gas sensors [8] is added to the sensing repertoire. All sensors on the base-station share a common ADC and analog circuit to minimized power consumption and cost. The base-station is self-powered by a solar-cell panel and a small backup battery.

With the world's current high output of industrial goods, hundreds of millions of tons of manufacturing by-products end up amassing in landfills each year. Steel-slag is not recycled to any significant degree, and even banned as a construction material in certain countries, such as Canada. Like many industrial waste residues, this limitation is mainly attributed to a lack in performance criteria permitting its economic and safe reuse. Moreover, the steel industry is a major contributor to anthropogenic CO2, and is subject to increasingly harsher regulatory codes that mandate heavier emission reductions. This project introduces a value-adding carbonation treatment that substantially enhances the waste slag's physical properties and, hence, its recyclable potential, while also presenting the added benefit of sequestering CO2. The end-use of the valorized slag as an aggregate replacement in concrete is explored. Considering that concrete is the world's most used construction material (> 9 billion tons per year), this project presents a sustainable building practice that fits within holistic environmental initiatives related to waste recycling, carbon mitigation, and resource conservation. In terms of practicality, an 8" concrete masonry block prepared in the prescribed manner will potentially sequester up to 2kg of CO2. The project ultimately seeks to demonstrate the possibility of implementing a closed loop system, for relevant industries, whereby waste streams and CO2 can be locally consumed at point source.

This paper presents a new device [TypoSoilTM] for characterizing the hydrostructural properties of the soil medium organization. It intended to simultaneously and continuously measure both the shrinkage [V(W)] and the water potential [h(W)] characteristic curves for 8 cylindrical soil samples (~100 〖"cm" 〗^"3" ) at the same time during evaporation from the saturation to dry state. No other device makes similar measurements that are crucial to research the fundamental equations of the hydrostructural behavior of soils. This device makes part of a complete chain of measurements of the hydrostructural properties of the soil medium including also the soil swelling curve [V(t)] and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curve [K(W)]. Twelve soil samples were prepared, and analyzed by TypoSoilTM. These samples included three replicates of reconstituted and undisturbed soil cores of two native soils in the state of Qatar, named locally "Rodah soil" and "Sabkha soil". The obtained results indicated a good procedure for the soil samples preparation, and consistent measurement of the TypoSoilTM. Minor variations were observed among SWCC and SSCC of the three replicates of each soil type showing the trustworthiness of measurement. The results will help us to make an accurate hydro-functional typology of these kinds of soils in arid countries. This information is also needed for understanding and simulating the soil hydraulic behavior under agronomical practices (irrigation), or for planning some remediation techniques of the Sabkha soils. The quality of results confirmed also the thermodynamic theory behind the exploitation of these curves to extract the hydrostructural characteristic parameters.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death worldwide, including Qatar. Hypertension is one of the most common CVDs that contribute to this mortality. Cadmium is a well-known pollutant that has been suggested to be a risk factor for hypertension. However, the underlying mechanisms are still lacking. Very little is known about the effect of cadmium on the expression of vascular alpha- 1 adrenoceptors in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study was therefore undertaken to determine the effect of cadmium on the expression of vascular alpha-1 adrenergic receptors in vitro. Along with that, there are several phenotypic changes could modulate the VSMCs function and contribute to CVDs including hypertension. These changes include hypertrophy, migration and senescence. The second objective of this study was to determine the effect of cadmium on VSMCs phenotype. Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were incubated with different concentrations of cadmium chloride for varying durations. The results indicated that cadmium (Cd) increases the expression of alpha -1 AR in HASMCs in a concentration and time dependent manner. To determine if cadmium modulates the transcriptional activity of alpha -1 AR, cells were pre-incubated with actinomycin D, a DNA-dependent RNA synthesis inhibitor. Interestingly, the cadmium-induced alpha1 AR protein expression was abolished by actinomycin D. Moreover, this expression of alpha- 1 AR was diminished when cells were pre-incubated with H89, a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor. This indicates that PKA plays an important role in mediating the Cd-induced expression of alpha- 1 AR. To determine the effect of Cd on VSMCs phenotype, HASMCs were incubated with CdCl2. Our results show that cadmium induces hypertrophy, migration and senescence. Taken together, our results dissect a novel pathway employed by cadmium to increase expression of vascular alpha 1 ARs, a major player in hypertension and VSMCs phenotypic modulation. This new paradigm offers a better understanding and thus potential amelioration of pollution- related CVDs.

As part of the biodiversity surveys conducted recently in Qatar, we studied the darkling beetles of the family Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera). We have started the analyses of the geographic distribution of the species, followed by studies on systematics, genetics, and evolution of the most diversified group of Coleoptera in desert environments. We have already produced relevant new results such as the discovery of the presence of Scaurus puncticollis Solier, 1838 in Qatar, and preliminary phylogeographic analyses of the populations of Adesmia cancellata distributed across Qatar. Together with these findings, we are currently updating the check-list of Qatar beetles of the family Tenebrionidae. In addition, several species of the genus Pimelia, Thriptera, and Gonocephalum are currently under taxonomic study, and we will add new records that will be included for the first time in the Biodiversity report of insect species for Qatar. The geographic range of darkling beetles in Qatar is being expanded along with current new biodiversity surveys. This suggest that the fauna of darkling beetles of Qatar is still underestimated despite previous efforts conducted by many researchers locally (e.g., Ministry of the Environment, Qatar University, Friends of the Environmental Centre) and internationally. To document and report the actual Biodiversity Heritage of Qatar, new exhaustive field biodiversity surveys should be conducted to complete the catalogue of Tenebrionoidae for the State of Qatar. This abstract is a contribution for the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference (QF-ARC-2013).

Exothermic reactions that undergo uncontrolled self-heating as a result of loss of cooling lead to a thermal runaway. Such reactions can present a serious hazard in the petrochemical (e.g. polymerisation processes) and chemical industries. They can reach excessively high rates of temperature increase, either due to production of gaseous reaction products, or the boiling of reactor contents. This temperature rise in effect leads to a pressure increase higher than the process equipment is made to withstand. Since the temperature rate rapidly increases (several hundred degrees per minute), a thermal explosion may occur followed by the release of toxic and flammable gases, if there is no venting mechanism to relieve the system of the excess pressure. The heat produced by a reaction is proportional to the volume of reaction mixture, while the cooling capacity however is a function of surface area. This has larger implications for industrial scaling, and is said to be the cause of accidents involving thermal runaways as in the well-known cases of Seveso in 1976, Bhopal in 1984 and more recently the T2 Laboratories in 2007. The prediction of the consequences of a runaway reaction in term of temperature and pressure evolution in a reactor vessel requires the knowledge of the reaction kinetics, thermodynamics and fluid dynamics inside the vessel during venting. Such phenomena and their interaction are complex and still to be fully understood, especially for those reactions in which the pressure generation is totally or partially due to the production of permanent gases (gassy or hybrid systems). Moreover, they cannot be easily determined by laboratory scale experiments. Computer modeling is a growing field of research necessary to develop methods capable of predicting the onset of a runaway reaction. Also, adequate vent sizing calculation methods are widely investigated for relief vent sizing emergency actions. The work described in this poster presents a dynamic model that simulates the behavior of a gassy system, specifically the decomposition of an 80% Cumene Hydro-Peroxide solution in aryl hydrocarbon during venting. The model provides the temperature, pressure, mass inventory and conversion profiles throughout the reaction. A sensitivity study of the model was performed in order to study the effect of various parameters on the resulting behaviour of the system before and after venting. The outcomes of this model provide a deeper insight into the improvement of emergency relief systems design for hybrid and gassy systems, where significant progress is still to be made both in the experimental and modeling areas.

Depending on their physical properties, aerosols in the atmosphere can scatter and/or absorb solar radiation and thus reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface. Under cloud free conditions, the extinction of the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) is primarily caused by aerosols in the atmosphere. DNI data in locations where ground measurements are not available can be derived or estimated using satellites. However, for areas characterized by high aerosol load like in Qatar, satellite data gives DNI values with high uncertainties related to the inaccurate determination of aerosols present on a particular day. Ceilometer devices, which are based on the Lidar (LIght Detection And Ranging) technique, when operated on a routine basis, are reliable tools for long-term observation and qualitative assessment of the vertical distribution of aerosols in the atmosphere. Indeed, ceilometer measurements combined with specific retrieval software enable the detection of the vertical structure of the atmospheric boundary layer. Based on this data, the height of aerosol layers can be determined. This study describes an analysis over Doha, Qatar (25.33° N, 51.43° E), of day-to-day variability of aerosol layer heights measured by a ceilometer around solar noon under cloudless conditions; the layer heights are compared with day-to-day variability of DNI measured at the same time and same location. Aerosol layer heights are obtained using a CL51 Vaisala ceilometer. Ground measurements of DNI are collected by a pyrheliometer mounted on a high-quality Kipp & Zonen solar radiation measurement station, equipped with a sun tracker. The results of measurements for clear sky conditions over several months during this year (2013) will be presented. The study of the relation between the daily variation of aerosol layer heights and the direct component of the solar radiation is part of the solar resource assessment project within the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute and represents a first insight before further investigating the correlation of ceilometer backscatter measurements with ground-measured solar radiation.

Gas-To-Liquids technology is increasingly becoming an attractive source of ultra clean fuels, such as synthetic jet fuel. However, these synthetic fuels still face challenges in acquiring certification based on their properties. The focus of our current activities revolve around the experimental measurement of physical properties of fuel blends as per the aviation industries and ASTM guidelines [1], along with statistical analysis and visualization to find optimum fuel blend compositions that meet the required standards for certification. Through a series of distinct phases and with local funding from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), our research team has built an extensive Fuel Characterization Laboratory at Texas A&M Qatar in order to generate significant amounts of reliable data that meet industrial standards. Our methodology is to systematically generate several series of Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (SPK) fuel blends and to test them for their physical properties, such as density, viscosity, heat content, freezing point and flash point, following a strict safety and quality management system. In the first testing campaign the fuel blends were made from specific classes of typical GTL products (normal-, iso- and cyclo-paraffins) where the amount of each component was varied [2]. The analysis of the data generated (Figure 1) has enabled us to map how the hydrocarbon structure of a given SPK fuel blend influences its physical properties [2]. In a recent follow-up study we have also examined and mapped the influence of a fourth component, the aromatic building block, on the fuel blend properties. Aromatics improve the fuel density, which is one of the major hurdles in certifying these synthetic fuels. Separate studies also show that aromatics improve fuel-elastomer compatibility and lubricity [3]. In these first two campaigns the blends were limited in carbon number to C10 n- & cyclo- and C12 iso- paraffins, and the C7 mono-aromatic, toluene in order to study the effects of hydrocarbon structure. To improve on the model we are extending our map to study a wider range of carbon numbers. Blends in our current study are formulated from C7 to C14 hydrocarbons, which mimic the conventional jet fuel range. It is expected that these results will improve our understanding the influence of carbon chain length on the fuel properties, which have been expanded on to investigate known problematic SPK properties such as lubricity and electrical conductivity. We will report on our findings from our latest studies including the results of the aromatics campaign (using mono- as well as di-aromatics) and the statistical analysis of these data. The results from all phases are integrated into the multidimensional visualization model that correlates the properties and compositions of fuel blends. A completed model will be a useful predictive tool to help optimize the new generation of synthetic Jet fuels. References: [1] ASTM Standard D1655, 2010, DOI: 10.1520/D1655. [2] Bohra M., et al.(2012) QF-ARF, Vol. 2012, EEPS4,. [3] Orillano, M., et al. (2012) QF-ARF Vol. 2012, EEOS2.