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Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for February
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Astani CEE Department Seminar: Co-Hosted by Daniel J. Esptein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Thu, Feb 23, 2012 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Mitchell Small. H. John Heinz III Professor, Environmental Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Predicting Performance of CO2 Leak Detection at Sequestration Sites
Abstract: As a near-term approach to reduce GHG emissions a number of nations are pursuing the implementation of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). CCS involves the capture of CO2 and its subsequent injection into geologic formations. However, leakage of the injected CO2 is possible. High leakage rates could pose a threat to health, safety, or environmental quality at a site, while undetected chronic leakage back to the atmosphere could nullify the greenhouse gas mitigation benefits of the project.
To detect and respond to CO2 leakage, effective monitoring technologies and networks are required. A methodology is developed to predict the probability of detecting a leak of a given size based on modeled signals from possible leakage events and statistical tests intended to distinguish these signals
from natural variations in monitored concentrations and fluxes.
The methodology is demonstrated for an idealized site with leak detection implemented using CO2 surface flux and injected tracer measurements. Further applications are planned using additional methods, including measurements of groundwater chemistry, isotopic ratios, and formation pressure profiles.
Biography: Mitchell Small is the H. John Heinz III Professor of Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He joined the Departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy (EPP) at CMU in 1982, following completion of his Ph.D. in Environmental & Water Resources Engineering at the University of Michigan. He serves as the associate department head for graduate education in EPP.
Professor Smallâs research involves mathematical modeling of environmental systems, risk assessment, statistical methods, and decision support. Current projects include the design and evaluation of monitoring networks for leak detection at geologic CO2 sequestration sites; risk assessment and trend evaluation for tropical cyclones; and the development of decision support tools for ecosystem management (current focus on coral reefs) for multiple stakeholders with conflicting beliefs and objectives.
Dr. Small has served as a member of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and has been a member of a number of US National Research Council committees addressing issues of environmental risk assessment and management. He is a Fellow and former Secretary of the Society for Risk Analysis, and a feature columnist for the Journal of Industrial Ecology. He recently completed a 16-year appointment as an associate editor for the journal Environmental Science & Technology, with particular responsibility for the environmental modeling and policy analysis sections of the publication.
Host: Prof. Lucio Soibelman
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Astani CEE Department Seminar
Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Wing Kam Liu, Walter P. Murphy Professor, Director of NSF Summer Institute of Nano Mechanics and Materials Northwestern University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Talk Title: Multiresolution Mechanics for Materials Design
Abstract: Nanomechanics and nanomaterials have an overall potential for the betterment of our society, for example in national defense, homeland security and private industry. These fields can make our manufacturing technologies and infrastructure more sustainable in terms of reduced energy usage and environmental pollution.
Optimized material performance and lower material design cycle times can be achieved by establishing a clear link between a materialâs underlying microstructure and the resulting material properties such as strength and toughness. Material properties are inherently a function of the microscale interactions at each distinct scale of deformation. We are developing the next generation of computer-aided design (CAE) simulation software that integrates nano and micro mechanisms into CAE capabilities for life-cycle design and manufacturing of products.
The multiscale method starts at the most fundamental level of material behavior, the strength of the bonds between atoms which is used to determine sub micro-scale behavior in important regions. Progressively coarser and larger domains are concurrently solved by performing in-situ atomic scale homogenization or by using a preformulated homogenized constitutive relation. In this manner, the deformation and constitutive behavior become more highly resolved as more scales of analysis are included. This facilities a smooth transition between a purely continuum treatment at coarser scales and an atomic scale resolution at finer scales. Hence, the estimation of the overall strength and toughness of the material is performed in terms of the important microstructural features and mechanisms.
Biography: Dr. Wing Kam Liu, Walter P. Murphy Professor at Northwestern University and Director of NSF Summer Institute on Nano Mechanics and Materials, received his Ph.D. from Caltech. His research activities include bridging scale computational mechanics and materials, multi-scale analysis, and computational biology. Selected Liu's honors include the Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, the Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal and the Melville Medal, all from ASME; the Thomas J. Jaeger Prize by the International Association for Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology; the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award; the Computational Structural Mechanics Award and Computational Mechanics Award from USACM and IACM, respectively; and the JSME Computational Mechanics Award. Liu serves on both the executive committee of the ASME applied mechanics division (Chair 2005-2006) and the International Association for Computational Mechanics. He was the past president of USACM. Liu is cited by Institute for Scientific Information as one of the most highly cited, influential researchers in Engineering, and an original member, highly cited researchers database. He is the editor and honorary editors of many Journals. Dr. Liu has acted as a consultant to many organizations.
Host: Prof. Roger Ghanem
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209 Conference Room
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Astani CEE Department Seminar
Wed, Feb 29, 2012 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Brian Phillips, Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Talk Title: Real-Time Hybrid Simulation for Structural Performance Evaluation
Abstract: Engineers have a number of experimental testing frameworks with which to assess the behavior of structural systems under dynamic loads including quasi-static testing, shake table testing, and hybrid simulation. The tradeoffs in loading protocol make each framework attractive in different situations. Hybrid simulation, a relatively new experimental framework, combines experimental testing and numerical simulation to provide an efficient and cost-effective framework to test large, complex structures. Advances in supplemental energy dissipation devices, such as base isolation, fluid dampers, and friction devices, provide promising solutions for mitigating damage resulting from dynamic loads. The responses of these devices are rate-dependent, requiring real-time execution to obtain accurate and stable results (i.e., real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS)). In RTHS, the dynamic behavior of the loading system (i.e., actuators, controller, and computers) is directly introduced into the hybrid simulation loop. At the same time, the phenomenon of control-structure interaction (CSI) leads to a coupling of the dynamic behavior of the actuators and the structure. Both actuator dynamics and actuator coupling lead to a complex control problem. An overview of RTHS is presented along with the challenges and proposed model-based actuator control methods to assure accurate and stable experiments.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209 Conference Room
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes