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Evaluation of the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities of household wastes

Evaluation of the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities of household wastes
Evaluation of the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities of household wastes
Hydraulic conductivity is a measurement of the ease of movement of a fluid through a medium and is therefore a key parameter in the design of landfill leachate management systems. Hydraulic conductivity of landfilled wastes may be affected by several factors such as overburden stress from the weight of overlying waste, water content, the type, age and pre-processing of the waste, and the presence of landfill gas. A further factor that may affect leachate movement through wastes is the predominantly horizontal orientated structure of compacted wastes. This anisotropic structure may result in hydraulic conductivity in the horizontal direction being greater than that in the vertical direction. However existing research has been effectively limited to evaluating hydraulic conductivity in a single plane and so the presence of anisotropic flow in waste remains unproven. Consequently, modelling of leachate and contaminant movement in landfills may be compromised by the use of isotropic, or assumed anisotropic, hydraulic conductivity values.
The object of this research has been to assess for the first time the inherent anisotropy of two different waste samples by measuring and comparing the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities over a range of stresses typical of landfill conditions. In this thesis, factors affecting the measurement of hydraulic conductivity of wastes are discussed, and details of the samples tested and test methodology are given. The results of the tests are shown and alternative test methods are discussed. The effects of gas accumulation and pore water pressure on waste hydraulic conductivity encountered during testing are also reported as further research has developed from this important finding.
Hudson, Andrew Philip
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Hudson, Andrew Philip
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Powrie, William
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Beaven, Richard
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Hudson, Andrew Philip (2007) Evaluation of the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities of household wastes. University of Southampton, School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, Doctoral Thesis, 255pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Hydraulic conductivity is a measurement of the ease of movement of a fluid through a medium and is therefore a key parameter in the design of landfill leachate management systems. Hydraulic conductivity of landfilled wastes may be affected by several factors such as overburden stress from the weight of overlying waste, water content, the type, age and pre-processing of the waste, and the presence of landfill gas. A further factor that may affect leachate movement through wastes is the predominantly horizontal orientated structure of compacted wastes. This anisotropic structure may result in hydraulic conductivity in the horizontal direction being greater than that in the vertical direction. However existing research has been effectively limited to evaluating hydraulic conductivity in a single plane and so the presence of anisotropic flow in waste remains unproven. Consequently, modelling of leachate and contaminant movement in landfills may be compromised by the use of isotropic, or assumed anisotropic, hydraulic conductivity values.
The object of this research has been to assess for the first time the inherent anisotropy of two different waste samples by measuring and comparing the vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities over a range of stresses typical of landfill conditions. In this thesis, factors affecting the measurement of hydraulic conductivity of wastes are discussed, and details of the samples tested and test methodology are given. The results of the tests are shown and alternative test methods are discussed. The effects of gas accumulation and pore water pressure on waste hydraulic conductivity encountered during testing are also reported as further research has developed from this important finding.

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More information

Published date: December 2007
Organisations: University of Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 79368
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/79368
PURE UUID: 687373ee-7cda-4485-8ee1-cf1b60ce9513
ORCID for William Powrie: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-0826
ORCID for Richard Beaven: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1387-8299

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 15 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:40

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Contributors

Author: Andrew Philip Hudson
Thesis advisor: William Powrie ORCID iD
Thesis advisor: Richard Beaven ORCID iD

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