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Sample records for tracer circulation time

  1. Isotopes as tracers of the oceanic circulation: Results from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlosser, P.; Jenkins, W.J.; Key, R.; Lupton, J.

    2002-01-01

    During the past decades, natural and anthropogenic isotopes such as tritium ( 3 H), radiocarbon ( 14 C), 3 He, or the stable isotopes of water have been used in studies of the dynamics of natural systems. Early applications of tracers to studies of the ocean were directed at determination of circulation patterns and mean residence times of specific water masses, as well as estimates of mixing coefficients. These exploratory studies suggested that tracers can add significantly to our understanding of the oceanic circulation. In order to fully exploit this potential, the first global tracer study, the GEochemical Ocean SECtions Study (GEOSECS), was launched. From the GEOSECS results it was immediately apparent that very close coordination of tracer programs with physical oceanography studies is required for full utilization of tracer data. During the 1980s plans for the World OCean Experiment (WOCE) were developed. As part of its Hydrographic Program (WHP), especially during the one-time survey, a set of tracers were measured on a global scale with unprecedented spatial resolution (both lateral and vertical). The original plan included a larger number of tracers (CFCs, 3 H/ 3 He, 14 C, 39 Ar, stable isotopes of water, helium isotopes, 228 Ra, 90 Sr, 137 Cs, 85 Kr) than could actually be measured systematically (CFCs, 3 H/ 3 He, 14 C, H 2 18 O/H 2 16 O, helium isotopes). Nevertheless, the resulting data set, which presently is under evaluation, exceeds those obtained from pre-WOCE tracer studies by a wide margin. In this contribution, we describe the existing WOCE data set and demonstrate the type of results that can be expected from its interpretation on the basis of a few selected examples. These examples include: (1) the application of tritium and 3 He to studies of the ventilation of the upper waters in the Pacific Ocean, (2) the spreading of intermediate water in the Pacific and Indian oceans as derived from the distribution of 3 He, and (3) the evaluation of

  2. Passive tracers in a general circulation model of the Southern Ocean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. G. Stevens

    Full Text Available Passive tracers are used in an off-line version of the United Kingdom Fine Resolution Antarctic Model (FRAM to highlight features of the circulation and provide information on the inter-ocean exchange of water masses. The use of passive tracers allows a picture to be built up of the deep circulation which is not readily apparent from examination of the velocity or density fields. Comparison of observations with FRAM results gives good agreement for many features of the Southern Ocean circulation. Tracer distributions are consistent with the concept of a global "conveyor belt" with a return path via the Agulhas retroflection region for the replenishment of North Atlantic Deep Water.

    Key words. Oceanography: general (numerical modeling; water masses · Oceanography: physical (general circulation

  3. A Synoptic View of the Ventilation and Circulation of Antarctic Bottom Water from Chlorofluorocarbons and Natural Tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purkey, Sarah G.; Smethie, William M.; Gebbie, Geoffrey; Gordon, Arnold L.; Sonnerup, Rolf E.; Warner, Mark J.; Bullister, John L.

    2018-01-01

    Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) is the coldest, densest, most prolific water mass in the global ocean. AABW forms at several distinct regions along the Antarctic coast and feeds into the bottom limb of the meridional overturning circulation, filling most of the global deep ocean. AABW has warmed, freshened, and declined in volume around the globe in recent decades, which has implications for the global heat and sea level rise budgets. Over the past three decades, the use of tracers, especially time-varying tracers such as chlorofluorocarbons, has been essential to our understanding of the formation, circulation, and variability of AABW. Here, we review three decades of temperature, salinity, and tracer data and analysis that have led to our current knowledge of AABW and how the southern component of deep-ocean ventilation is changing with time.

  4. General circulation and tracers: studies in the Western Indian Ocean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamous, Daniel

    1991-01-01

    The main question addressed in this thesis is how to best use the information obtained from hydro-biogeochemical tracer data, to study the oceanic general circulation in the Western Indian Ocean. First, a principal component analysis is performed on a historical data set. The tracers considered are temperature, salinity, density, oxygen, phosphate and silica. The method reduces the amount of data to be considered by a factor of 5. It reproduces correctly and efficiently the large-scale distributions of these oceanic properties. The analysed data are then used in a finite-difference nonlinear inverse model. The grid has a resolution of 4 deg. by 4 deg.. Dynamical as well as tracer conservation constraints are used. These constraints are well satisfied by the obtained solutions but the associated errors remain large. Additional constraints would be required in order to discuss the different solutions in more detail. Finally, a qualitative study is done on the deep distribution of helium-3. The data show several important features linked to hydrothermal input in the Gulf of Aden and on the Central Indian Ridge, and to the origin of water masses and deep circulation characteristics. However additional data are required in order to clarify the distribution of this tracer in other key areas. (author) [fr

  5. Tracer simulation using a global general circulation model: Results from a midlatitude instantaneous source experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahlman, J.D.; Moxim, W.J.

    1978-01-01

    An 11-level general circulation model with seasonal variation is used to perform an experiment on the dispersion of passive tracers. Specially constructed time-dependent winds from this model are used as input to a separate tracer model. The methodologies employed to construct the tracer model are described.The experiment presented is the evolution of a hypothetical instantaneous source of tracer on 1 Janaury with maximum initial concentration at 65 mb, 36 0 N, 180 0 E. The tracer is assumed to have no sources or sinks in the stratosphere, but is subject to removal processes in the lower troposphere.The experimental results reveal a number of similarities to observed tracer behavior, including the average poleward-downward slope of mixing ratio isopleths, strong tracer gradients across the tropopause, intrusion of tracer into the Southern Hemisphere lower stratosphere, and the long-term interhemispheric exchange rate. The model residence times show behavior intermediate to those exhibited for particulate radioactive debris and gaseous C 14 O 2 . This suggests that caution should be employed when either radioactive debris or C 14 O 2 data are used to develop empirical models for prediction of gaseous tracers which are efficiently removed in the troposphere.In this experiment, the tracer mixing ratio and potential vorticity evolve to very high correlations. Mechanisms for this correlation are discussed. The zonal mean tracer balances exhibit complex behavior among the various transport terms. At early stages, the tracer evolution is dominated by eddy effects. Later, a very large degree of self-cancellation between mean cell and eddy effects is observed. During seasonal transitions, however, this self-cancellation diminishes markedly, leading to significant changes in the zonal mean tracer distribution. A possible theoretical explanation is presented

  6. Direct inversion of circulation and mixing from tracer measurements – Part 1: Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. von Clarmann

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available From a series of zonal mean global stratospheric tracer measurements sampled in altitude vs. latitude, circulation and mixing patterns are inferred by the inverse solution of the continuity equation. As a first step, the continuity equation is written as a tendency equation, which is numerically integrated over time to predict a later atmospheric state, i.e., mixing ratio and air density. The integration is formally performed by the multiplication of the initially measured atmospheric state vector by a linear prediction operator. Further, the derivative of the predicted atmospheric state with respect to the wind vector components and mixing coefficients is used to find the most likely wind vector components and mixing coefficients which minimize the residual between the predicted atmospheric state and the later measurement of the atmospheric state. Unless multiple tracers are used, this inversion problem is under-determined, and dispersive behavior of the prediction further destabilizes the inversion. Both these problems are addressed by regularization. For this purpose, a first-order smoothness constraint has been chosen. The usefulness of this method is demonstrated by application to various tracer measurements recorded with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS. This method aims at a diagnosis of the Brewer–Dobson circulation without involving the concept of the mean age of stratospheric air, and related problems like the stratospheric tape recorder, or intrusions of mesospheric air into the stratosphere.

  7. Tracer water transport and subgrid precipitation variation within atmospheric general circulation models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koster, Randal D.; Eagleson, Peter S.; Broecker, Wallace S.

    1988-03-01

    A capability is developed for monitoring tracer water movement in the three-dimensional Goddard Institute for Space Science Atmospheric General Circulation Model (GCM). A typical experiment with the tracer water model follows water evaporating from selected grid squares and determines where this water first returns to the Earth's surface as precipitation or condensate, thereby providing information on the lateral scales of hydrological transport in the GCM. Through a comparison of model results with observations in nature, inferences can be drawn concerning real world water transport. Tests of the tracer water model include a comparison of simulated and observed vertically-integrated vapor flux fields and simulations of atomic tritium transport from the stratosphere to the oceans. The inter-annual variability of the tracer water model results is also examined.

  8. Tracer water transport and subgrid precipitation variation within atmospheric general circulation models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koster, Randal D.; Eagleson, Peter S.; Broecker, Wallace S.

    1988-01-01

    A capability is developed for monitoring tracer water movement in the three-dimensional Goddard Institute for Space Science Atmospheric General Circulation Model (GCM). A typical experiment with the tracer water model follows water evaporating from selected grid squares and determines where this water first returns to the Earth's surface as precipitation or condensate, thereby providing information on the lateral scales of hydrological transport in the GCM. Through a comparison of model results with observations in nature, inferences can be drawn concerning real world water transport. Tests of the tracer water model include a comparison of simulated and observed vertically-integrated vapor flux fields and simulations of atomic tritium transport from the stratosphere to the oceans. The inter-annual variability of the tracer water model results is also examined.

  9. Circulation of the medullary cerebrospinal fluid. Comparative study of various tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bok, B.; Thebault, B.; Cavailloles, F.; Aboulker, J.

    Gammamyelography is used to study the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid in the perimedullary sub-arachoid spaces. Many radioactive preparations have been proposed for this examination which is designed to show up all dynamic perturbations of the CSF flux. Of the criteria governing the choice of tracer some importance given has been to the molecular diffusion constant of the preparation, iodinated albumine seeming the most suitable in this respect. An attempt was made to estimate the influence of molecular weight on the tracer kinetics by comparing three preparations injected simultaneously: indium 111-labelled siderophilline of M.W. above 100,000; iodine 131-labelled human serum albumine of MW around 70,000; sup(99m)Tc-labelled DTPA, a chelate of low molecular weight. The results showed no detectable influence of the molecular weight of these preparations on their intraspinal kinetics in the time taken for the examination. In practice this work justifies the use of the preparation most convenient and least harmful from the dosimetric viewpoint for the isotope and from the antigenic toxicological viewpoint for the tracer, which means that the replacement of iodinated albumine by indium-111 DTPA for example should be possible at least at the medullary level [fr

  10. Water tracers in the general circulation model ECHAM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann, G.; Heimann, M.

    1993-01-01

    We have installed a water tracer model into the ECHAM General Circulation Model (GCM) parameterizing all fractionation processes of the stable water isotopes ( 1 H 2 18 O and 1 H 2 H 16 O). A five year simulation was performed under present day conditions. We focus on the applicability of such a water tracer model to obtain information about the quality of the hydrological cycle of the GCM. The analysis of the simulated 1 H 2 18 O composition of the precipitation indicates too weak fractionated precipitation over the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets and too strong fractionated precipitation over large areas of the tropical and subtropical land masses. We can show that these deficiencies are connected with problems of model quantities such as the precipitation and the resolution of the orography. The linear relationship between temperature and the δ 18 O value, i.e. the Dansgaard slope, is reproduced quite well in the model. The slope is slightly too flat and the strong correlation between temperature and δ 18 O vanishes at very low temperatures compared to the observations. (orig.)

  11. Environment tracers application to groundwater circulation assessment in an alluvial aquifer in Central Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sappa, Giuseppe; Barbieri, Maurizio; Vitale, Stefania

    2017-04-01

    Groundwater vulnerability assessment is an important tool in order to plan any groundwater protection strategy. The aim of this study is to experiment a specific approach to give a conceptual model about groundwater circulation characterization. This approach has been applied to a suspected contaminated site in a large alluvial plan, made of sediments coming from weathered volcanic rocks, laying on marine sediments, where more than thirty years ago had been built a very important urban waste solid landfill. In referring to this case history it has been pointed out the importance of natural chemical interaction between ground water and rock mass, especially when pyroclastic origin sediments are involved. The landfill had been isolated from the surrounding environment, especially to protect aquifers, by a waterproof diaphragm This land is characterised by intensive agricultural and industrial activities (oil refineries, medical waste incinerators, concrete production, tar factory). The study will highlight the importance of environmental tracers which provide information about the flow and mixing processes of water coming from different sources. They are also useful to point out directions of groundwater flow and to determine origin Environmental tracers are natural chemical and isotopic substances that can be measured in groundwater and used to understand hydrologic properties of aquifers. They may be input into the hydrological system from the atmosphere at recharge and/or are added/lost/exchanged inherently as waters flow over and through materials. Variations in their chemical abundances and isotopic compositions can be used as tracers to determine sources (provenance), pathways (of reaction or interaction) and also timescales (dating) of environmental processes. In combination with these, the basic idea is to use. In this case enviromental tracers have been integrated by temperature and electric conductivity logs, to better investigate different levels of faster

  12. Tracer element studies on deep water formation and circulation in the European Artic Sea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boenisch, G.

    1991-01-01

    Tracer element investigations (tritium, helium 3, carbon 14, argon 39, krypton 85 and fluorohydrocarbons) were carried out in the European Arctic Sea. The findings are discussed with a view to their validity in the case of deep water formation and circulation. The data cover the period of 1972 through 1989. (BBR) [de

  13. Studies of deep water formation and circulation in the Weddell Sea using natural and anthropogenic tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlosser, Peter; Bayer, Reinhold

    1991-01-01

    The application of natural and anthropogenic trace substances in oceanographic studies of the Weddell Sea is reviewed. The potential of some steady-state and transient tracers (tritium, CFC-11 and CFC-12, 18 O, and helium isotopes) for studies of deep water formation and circulation is discussed on the basis of data sets collected mainly on cruises of R/V 'Polastern' to the Weddell Sea during the 1980s. CFC/ tritium ratio dating of young water masses is applied to estimate mean age and transit times of water involved in Weddell Sea Bottom Water formation. The history of the CFC-11/tritium ratio through time is derived for Weddell Sea shelf waters. (author). 36 refs.; 18 figs

  14. A comparative study of peripheral to central circulation delivery times between intraosseous and intravenous injection using a radionuclide technique in normovolemic and hypovolemic canines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cameron, J.L.; Fontanarosa, P.B.; Passalaqua, A.M.

    1989-01-01

    Intraosseous infusion is considered a useful technique for administration of medications and fluids in emergency situations when peripheral intravascular access is unobtainable. This study examined the effectiveness of intraosseous infusion for delivery of substances to the central circulation. Central deliveries of a radionuclide tracer administered by the intraosseous and intravenous routes were evaluated during normovolemic and hypovolemic states. Intraosseous infusion achieved peripheral to central circulation transit times comparable to those achieved by the intravenous route. Analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences between the peripheral to central delivery times comparing intraosseous and intravenous administration. The results demonstrate that intraosseous infusion is a rapid and effective method of delivery to the central circulation and is an alternative method for intravascular access. This study also suggests that a radionuclide tracer is useful for the evaluation of transit times following intraosseous injection

  15. Long residence times - bad tracer tests?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghergut, Julia; Behrens, Horst; Sauter, Martin

    2015-04-01

    Tracer tests conducted at geothermal well doublets or triplets in the Upper Rhine Rift Valley [1] all face, with very few exceptions so far, one common issue: lack of conclusive tracer test results, or tracer signals still undetectable for longer than one or two years after tracer injection. While the reasons for this surely differ from site to site (Riehen, Landau, Insheim, Bruchsal, ...), its effects on how the usefulness of tracer tests is perceived by the non-tracer community are pretty much the same. The 'poor-signal' frustration keeps nourishing two major 'alternative' endeavours : (I) design and execute tracer tests in single-well injection-withdrawal (push-pull), 'instead of' inter-well flow-path tracing configurations; (II) use 'novel' tracer substances instead of the 'old' ones which have 'obviously failed'. Frustration experienced with most inter-well tracer tests in the Upper Rhine Rift Valley has also made them be regarded as 'maybe useful for EGS' ('enhanced', or 'engineered' geothermal systems, whose fluid RTD typically include a major share of values below one year), but 'no longer worthwhile a follow-up sampling' in natural, large-scale hydrothermal reservoirs. We illustrate some of these arguments with the ongoing Bruchsal case [2]. The inter-well tracer test conducted at Bruchsal was (and still is!) aimed at assessing inter-well connectivity, fluid residence times, and characterizing the reservoir structure [3]. Fluid samples taken at the geothermal production well after reaching a fluid turnover of about 700,000 m3 showed tracer concentrations in the range of 10-8 Minj per m3, in the liquid phase of each sample (Minj being the total quantity of tracer injected as a short pulse at the geothermal re-injection well). Tracer signals might actually be higher, owing to tracer amounts co-precipitated and/or adsorbed onto the solid phase whose accumulation in the samples was unavoidable (due to pressure relief and degassing during the very sampling

  16. Tracers vs. trajectories in a coastal region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engqvist, A.; Döös, K.

    2008-12-01

    Two different methods of estimating the water exchange through a Baltic coastal region have been used, consisting of particle trajectories and passive tracers. Water is traced from and to a small discharge region near the coast. The discharge material in this region is treated as zero dimensional particles or tracers with neutral buoyancy. The real discharge material could be a leakage of radio-nuclides through the sea floor from an underground repository of nuclear waste. Water exchange rates between the discharge region and the model domain are estimated using both forward and backward trajectories as well as passive tracers. The Lagrangian trajectories can account for the time evolution of the water exchange while the tracers give one average age per model grid box. Water exchange times such as residence time, age and transient times have been calculated with trajectories but only the average age (AvA) for tracers. The trajectory calculations provide a more detailed time evolution than the tracers. On the other hand the tracers are integrated "on-line" simultaneously in the sea circulation model with the same time step while the Lagrangian trajectories are integrated "off-line" from the stored model velocities with its inherent temporal resolution, presently one hour. The sub-grid turbulence is parameterised as a Laplacian diffusion for the passive tracers and with an extra stochastic velocity for trajectories. The importance of the parameterised sub-grid turbulence for the trajectories is estimated to give an extra diffusion of the same order as the Laplacian diffusion by comparing the Lagrangian dispersions with and without parameterisation. The results of the different methods are similar but depend on the chosen diffusivity coefficient with a slightly higher correlation between trajectories and tracers when integrated with a lower diffusivity coefficient.

  17. Flow-rate measurement using radioactive tracers and transit time method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turtiainen, Heikki

    1986-08-01

    The transit time method is a flow measurement method based on tracer techniques. Measurement is done by injecting to the flow a pulse of tracer and measuring its transit time between two detection positions. From the transit time the mean flow velosity and - using the pipe cross section area - the volume flow rate can be calculated. When a radioisotope tracer is used the measurement can be done from outside the pipe and without disturbing the process (excluding the tracer injection). The use of the transit time method has been limited because of difficulties associated with handling and availability of radioactive tracers and lack of equipment suitable for routine use in industrial environments. The purpose of this study was to find out if these difficulties may be overcome by using a portable isotope generator as a tracer source and automating the measurement. In the study a test rig and measuring equipment based on the use of a ''1''3''7Cs/''1''3''7''''mBa isotope generator were constructed. They were used to study the accuracy and error sources of the method and to compare different algorithms to calculate the transit time. The usability of the method and the equipment in industrial environments were studied by carrying out over 20 flow measurements in paper and pulp mills. On the basis of the results of the study, a project for constructing a compact radiatracer flowmeter for industrial use has been started. The application range of this kind of meter is very large. The most obvious applications are in situ calibration of flowmeters, material and energy balance studies, process equipment analyses (e.g. pump efficiency analyses). At the moment tracer techniques are the only methods applicable to these measurements on-line and with sufficient accuracy

  18. Key aspects of stratospheric tracer modeling using assimilated winds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Bregman

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available This study describes key aspects of global chemistry-transport models and their impact on stratospheric tracer transport. We concentrate on global models that use assimilated winds from numerical weather predictions, but the results also apply to tracer transport in general circulation models. We examined grid resolution, numerical diffusion, air parcel dispersion, the wind or mass flux update frequency, and time interpolation. The evaluation is performed with assimilated meteorology from the "operational analyses or operational data" (OD from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF. We also show the effect of the mass flux update frequency using the ECMWF 40-year re-analyses (ERA40. We applied the three-dimensional chemistry-transport Tracer Model version 5 (TM5 and a trajectory model and performed several diagnoses focusing on different transport regimes. Covering different time and spatial scales, we examined (1 polar vortex dynamics during the Arctic winter, (2 the large-scale stratospheric meridional circulation, and (3 air parcel dispersion in the tropical lower stratosphere. Tracer distributions inside the Arctic polar vortex show considerably worse agreement with observations when the model grid resolution in the polar region is reduced to avoid numerical instability. The results are sensitive to the diffusivity of the advection. Nevertheless, the use of a computational cheaper but diffusive advection scheme is feasible for tracer transport when the horizontal grid resolution is equal or smaller than 1 degree. The use of time interpolated winds improves the tracer distributions, particularly in the middle and upper stratosphere. Considerable improvement is found both in the large-scale tracer distribution and in the polar regions when the update frequency of the assimilated winds is increased from 6 to 3 h. It considerably reduces the vertical dispersion of air parcels in the tropical lower stratosphere. Strong

  19. Use of Helium-3 and Tritium tracers in oceanography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrie, Chantal

    1987-01-01

    As tritium considered as a transient tracer has become one of the most promising tool for the study of oceanic circulation and of the ocean capacity to absorb anthropogenic carbon, and as the simultaneous use of its radioactive descendant, Helium-3, brings an additional information (together, these tracers build up a clock in the study of water masses), and as all helium-3 and tritium measurements are made by mass spectroscopy, this research thesis addresses the analytical process, the detection limit, and the method reproducibility associated with this use of both tracers. The author reports and discusses helium-3 data obtained during a measurement campaign which allowed the localisation of an active source and the evidence of an intermediate back current, and tritium data obtained during another measurement campaign which allowed the description of the high time variability of convection processes, and an assessment of water renewal delays and of some deep water circulations. He also reports and discusses the simultaneous use of helium-3 data and tritium data to localize areas where convection processes occur. A theoretical approach to this simultaneous use is proposed which uses a mixing model which distinguishes the venting transit time. Measurement campaigns were performed in Red Sea, western Mediterranean Sea, and north-eastern Atlantic Ocean [fr

  20. Evaluation of asymmetries of blood flow rate and of circulation time by intravenous radionuclide cerebral angiography in patients with ischemic completed stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartolini, A; Primavera, A; Gasparetto, B

    1984-12-01

    155 patients with ischemic completed stroke of varying severity and outcome have been evaluated by radionuclide cerebral angiography with analysis of regional time-activity curves. Two parameters have been evaluated: area under the upslope of the curve (Aup) reflecting regional blood flow rate and moment of the whole curve reflecting tracer circulation time (rABCT) Combination of these two methods ensured increased detection of perfusion asymmetries.

  1. Circulation of cerebrospinal fluid. Comparative study of various tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bok, B.; Thebault, B.; Cavailloles, F.; Aboulker, J.

    1977-01-01

    The dynamics of cerebrospinal fluid in the spinal subarachnoid space is studied by gammamyelography. There are still controversies about the ideal properties of the tracer to be used. The influence of the tracer's molecular weight on the kinetic of ascent in the medullar cerebrospinal fluid with a view to rating the criterias for choice of an available radiopharmaceutical was evaluated. Three compounds injected simultaneously through a lombar puncture were compared: indium 111 labelled transferrin, iodine 131 labelled human serum albumin and technetium 99m labelled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid. The individual stability of the compounds and a possible interference between them was investigated especially by electrophoretic technics. A spectrometric study showed that it is possible to simultaneously identify and count each of the isotopes included in the mixture on the detector device: an hybrid scanner. The comparison of linear activity profils collected on phantoms and on ten patients showed a similar fate of the three compounds during the first hours of the investigation studying the ascent of tracers into basal cisterns either in normal or pathological patients. It is therefore concluded that molecular weight does not influence in a detectable manner the spinal C.S.F. kinetics of the radiopharmaceuticals. This allows the use of the most convenient and best tolerated tracer from the dosimetric and toxicological stand point [fr

  2. Tracer concentration curves and residence time analysis in technological flow systems. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pippel, W.

    1976-01-01

    Tracer concentration curves measured in flow systems by means of radioactive isotopes are treated as a two dimensional random process. Comparing them with the family distribution functions described in part I, it follows that only in case of ergodic behaviour of the system tracer curves can be considered as age distribution functions. The conception of ergodicity in residence time systems has been explained with the aid of a time function measurable by a special method of radioactive tracer technique and by the mean value of the residence time obtainable from this function. Furthermore, technological consequences in evaluating tracer concentration curves of real flow systems are discussed with respect to supposed ergodic or nonergodic behaviour. These considerations are of special importance for flow systems with temporary fluctuations in structure. (author)

  3. Radioisotopic evaluation of portal circulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maliska, C.; Rosenthal, D.

    1986-01-01

    The use of a radio-tracer of portal circulation through the intestine, should prevent cruel punctures in the portal-vein or spleen as it is usually the case with traditional methods in the study of portal-system. The absorption of I-131 and Tc-99m, previously cheked in rabbits presented similar results in dogs. The time of circulation between terminal large-intestine and the liver (t-RF) was determined by external counting at hepatic level by recording radioactivity variation-time. In healthy animals the t-RF was from 20to 60 seconds, with average time of 42 seconds. In 2 animals with partial binding of portal-vein the t-RF went up to 110 and 120 seconds. (Author) [pt

  4. Modeling the effects of size on patch dynamics of an inert tracer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Xiu

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Mesoscale iron enrichment experiments have revealed that additional iron affects the phytoplankton productivity and carbon cycle. However, the role of initial size of fertilized patch in determining the patch evolution is poorly quantified due to the limited observational capability and complex of physical processes. Using a three-dimensional ocean circulation model, we simulated different sizes of inert tracer patches that were only regulated by physical circulation and diffusion. Model results showed that during the first few days since release of inert tracer, the calculated dilution rate was found to be a linear function with time, which was sensitive to the initial patch size with steeper slope for smaller size patch. After the initial phase of rapid decay, the relationship between dilution rate and time became an exponential function, which was also size dependent. Therefore, larger initial size patches can usually last longer and ultimately affect biogeochemical processes much stronger than smaller patches.

  5. Journal: Efficient Hydrologic Tracer-Test Design for Tracer ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hydrological tracer testing is the most reliable diagnostic technique available for the determination of basic hydraulic and geometric parameters necessary for establishing operative solute-transport processes. Tracer-test design can be difficult because of a lack of prior knowledge of the basic hydraulic and geometric parameters desired and the appropriate tracer mass to release. A new efficient hydrologic tracer-test design (EHTD) methodology has been developed to facilitate the design of tracer tests by root determination of the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation (ADE) using a preset average tracer concentration which provides a theoretical basis for an estimate of necessary tracer mass. The method uses basic measured field parameters (e.g., discharge, distance, cross-sectional area) that are combined in functional relatipnships that descrive solute-transport processes related to flow velocity and time of travel. These initial estimates for time of travel and velocity are then applied to a hypothetical continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) as an analog for the hydrological-flow system to develop initial estimates for tracer concentration, tracer mass, and axial dispersion. Application of the predicted tracer mass with the hydraulic and geometric parameters in the ADE allows for an approximation of initial sample-collection time and subsequent sample-collection frequency where a maximum of 65 samples were determined to be necessary for descri

  6. Circulation of water masses in the Baltic Proper revealed through iodine isotopes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yi, P.; Chen, X.G.; Aldahan, A.

    2013-01-01

    Tracer technology has been used to understand water circulation in marine systems where the tracer dose is commonly injected into the marine waters through controlled experiments, accidental releases or waste discharges. Anthropogenic discharges of 129I have been used to trace water circulation...

  7. CellProfiler Tracer: exploring and validating high-throughput, time-lapse microscopy image data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bray, Mark-Anthony; Carpenter, Anne E

    2015-11-04

    Time-lapse analysis of cellular images is an important and growing need in biology. Algorithms for cell tracking are widely available; what researchers have been missing is a single open-source software package to visualize standard tracking output (from software like CellProfiler) in a way that allows convenient assessment of track quality, especially for researchers tuning tracking parameters for high-content time-lapse experiments. This makes quality assessment and algorithm adjustment a substantial challenge, particularly when dealing with hundreds of time-lapse movies collected in a high-throughput manner. We present CellProfiler Tracer, a free and open-source tool that complements the object tracking functionality of the CellProfiler biological image analysis package. Tracer allows multi-parametric morphological data to be visualized on object tracks, providing visualizations that have already been validated within the scientific community for time-lapse experiments, and combining them with simple graph-based measures for highlighting possible tracking artifacts. CellProfiler Tracer is a useful, free tool for inspection and quality control of object tracking data, available from http://www.cellprofiler.org/tracer/.

  8. Holdup time measurement by radioactive tracers in pulp production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roetzer, H.; Donhoffer, D.

    1988-12-01

    A batch of pulp was to be labelled before passing two bleaching towers of a pulp plant. Activated glass fibres were used as a tracer, which contained 24-Na with a half-life of 15 hours. It was shown in laboratory tests, that the glass fibres were suitable for transport studies of wood pulp. For use in the tests the fibres were activated and suspended in water. Due to the small diameter of the fibres (2-5 micrometers) this suspension shows physical properties very similar to the pulp. For detection six scintillation probes were mounted at different positions outside the bleaching tower. Radiation protection during the test was very easy due to the low total activity of the tracer material. Residence time distributions for both towers were measured. The successful tracer experiments show, that the method of labelling is suited for investigations of material transport in the pulp and paper industry. 3 figs., 11 refs., 2 tabs. (Author)

  9. Direct Observation of Heavy-Tailed Storage Times of Bed Load Tracer Particles Causing Anomalous Superdiffusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, D. Nathan

    2017-12-01

    A consensus has formed that the step length distribution of fluvial bed load is thin tailed and that the observed anomalous superdiffusion of bed load tracer particles must arise from heavy-tailed resting times. However, heavy-tailed resting times have never been directly observed in the field over multiple floods. Using 9 years of data from a large bed load tracer experiment, I show that the spatial variance of the tracer plume scales faster than linearly with integrated excess stream power, indicating anomalous superdiffusion. The superdiffusion is caused by a heavy-tailed distribution of observed storage times that is fit with a truncated Pareto distribution with a tail parameter that is predicted by anomalous diffusion theory. The heavy-tailed distribution of storage times causes the tracer virtual velocity to slow over time, indicated by a sublinear increase in the mean displacement that is predicted by the storage time distribution tail parameter.

  10. Dispersion of dissolved tracers released at the seafloor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kupferman, S.L.; Moore, D.E.

    1983-01-01

    The authors present scenarios that describe the temporal and spatial development of a concentration field of a dissolved tracer released at the seafloor for one Pacific and two Atlantic study areas. The scenarios are closely tied to available data by means of simple analytical models, and they proceed in stages from short time and space scales in the immediate vicinity of a release point to those scales characteristic of entire ocean basins. They introduce and discuss the concepts of internal mixing time and residence time in the benthic mixed layer, which are useful for developing an intuitive feeling for the behavior of a tracer. They also introduce the concept of domain of occupation, which is useful in drawing distinctions between mixing and stirring in the ocean. From this study it is apparent that reliable estimation of mixing will require careful consideration of the dynamics of the eddy fields in the ocean. In addition they urgently need more information that relates isopycnal structure and bottom topography to local near-bottom circulation

  11. Hydrodynamics of a commercial scale CFB boiler-study with radioactive tracer particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lin, Weigang; Hansen, Peter F.B.; Dam-Johansen, Kim

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents the experimental results with radioactive tracer particles in an 80 MWth circulating fluidized-bed boiler. Batches of gamma-ray emitting tracer particles were injected into the standpipe. The response curves of the impulse injection were measured by a set of successive scintil...

  12. Methane as a Diagnostic Tracer of Changes in the Brewer-Dobson Circulation of the Stratosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remsberg, E. E.

    2015-01-01

    This study makes use of time series of methane (CH4/ data from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) to detect whether there were any statistically significant changes of the Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC) within the stratosphere during 1992-2005. The HALOE CH4 profiles are in terms of mixing ratio versus pressure altitude and are binned into latitude zones within the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere. Their separate time series are then analyzed using multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques. The CH4 trend terms for the Northern Hemisphere are significant and positive at 10 N from 50 to 7 hPa and larger than the tropospheric CH4 trends of about 3%decade(exp -1) from 20 to 7 hPa. At 60 N the trends are clearly negative from 20 to 7 hPa. Their combined trends indicate an acceleration of the BDC in the middle stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere during those years, most likely due to changes from the effects of wave activity. No similar significant BDC acceleration is found for the Southern Hemisphere. Trends from HALOE H2O are analyzed for consistency. Their mutual trends with CH4 are anti-correlated qualitatively in the middle and upper stratosphere, where CH4 is chemically oxidized to H2O. Conversely, their mutual trends in the lower stratosphere are dominated by their trends upon entry to the tropical stratosphere. Time series residuals for CH4 in the lower mesosphere also exhibit structures that are anti-correlated in some instances with those of the tracer-like species HCl. Their occasional aperiodic structures indicate the effects of transport following episodic, wintertime wave activity. It is concluded that observed multi-year, zonally averaged distributions of CH4 can be used to diagnose major instances of wave-induced transport in the middle atmosphere and to detect changes in the stratospheric BDC.

  13. 3D Visualization of Global Ocean Circulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, V. G.; Sharma, R.; Zhang, E.; Schmittner, A.; Jenny, B.

    2015-12-01

    Advanced 3D visualization techniques are seldom used to explore the dynamic behavior of ocean circulation. Streamlines are an effective method for visualization of flow, and they can be designed to clearly show the dynamic behavior of a fluidic system. We employ vector field editing and extraction software to examine the topology of velocity vector fields generated by a 3D global circulation model coupled to a one-layer atmosphere model simulating preindustrial and last glacial maximum (LGM) conditions. This results in a streamline-based visualization along multiple density isosurfaces on which we visualize points of vertical exchange and the distribution of properties such as temperature and biogeochemical tracers. Previous work involving this model examined the change in the energetics driving overturning circulation and mixing between simulations of LGM and preindustrial conditions. This visualization elucidates the relationship between locations of vertical exchange and mixing, as well as demonstrates the effects of circulation and mixing on the distribution of tracers such as carbon isotopes.

  14. Stratospheric temperatures and tracer transport in a nudged 4-year middle atmosphere GCM simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Aalst, M. K.; Lelieveld, J.; Steil, B.; Brühl, C.; Jöckel, P.; Giorgetta, M. A.; Roelofs, G.-J.

    2005-02-01

    We have performed a 4-year simulation with the Middle Atmosphere General Circulation Model MAECHAM5/MESSy, while slightly nudging the model's meteorology in the free troposphere (below 113 hPa) towards ECMWF analyses. We show that the nudging 5 technique, which leaves the middle atmosphere almost entirely free, enables comparisons with synoptic observations. The model successfully reproduces many specific features of the interannual variability, including details of the Antarctic vortex structure. In the Arctic, the model captures general features of the interannual variability, but falls short in reproducing the timing of sudden stratospheric warmings. A 10 detailed comparison of the nudged model simulations with ECMWF data shows that the model simulates realistic stratospheric temperature distributions and variabilities, including the temperature minima in the Antarctic vortex. Some small (a few K) model biases were also identified, including a summer cold bias at both poles, and a general cold bias in the lower stratosphere, most pronounced in midlatitudes. A comparison 15 of tracer distributions with HALOE observations shows that the model successfully reproduces specific aspects of the instantaneous circulation. The main tracer transport deficiencies occur in the polar lowermost stratosphere. These are related to the tropopause altitude as well as the tracer advection scheme and model resolution. The additional nudging of equatorial zonal winds, forcing the quasi-biennial oscillation, sig20 nificantly improves stratospheric temperatures and tracer distributions.

  15. GTS-LCS, in-situ experiment 2. Modeling of tracer test 09-03

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manette, M.; Saaltink, M.W.; Soler, J.M.

    2015-02-01

    Within the framework of the GTS-LCS project (Grimsel Test Site - Long-Term Cement Studies), an in-situ experiment lasting about 5 years was started in 2009 to study water-cement-rock interactions in a fractured granite. Prior to the experiment, a tracer test was performed to characterize the initial flow and transport properties of the rock around the experimental boreholes. This study reports on the model interpretation of tracer test 09-03. The calculations were performed by means of a two-dimensional model (homogeneous fracture plane including 3 boreholes) using the Retraso-CodeBright software package. In the tracer test, Grimsel groundwater containing the tracer (uranine) was circulated in the emplacement borehole during 43 days (zero injection flow rate). Circulation continued without tracer afterwards. Water was extracted at the observation and extraction boreholes. Results from a model sensitivity analysis comparing model results with measured tracer concentrations showed 3 cases where the evolution of tracer concentrations in the 3 different boreholes was satisfactory. In these cases a low-permeability skin affected the emplacement and observation boreholes. No skin appeared to affect the extraction borehole. The background hydraulic gradient seems to have no effect on the results of the tracer test. These results will be applied in the calculation of the initial flow field for the reactive transport phase of in-situ experiment 2 (interaction between pre-hardened cement and fractured granite at Grimsel). (orig.)

  16. Description and results of tracer tests conducted for a deep fracture zone within granitic rock at the Leuggern borehole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spane, F.A. jr.

    1990-09-01

    A tracer test program was planned at the Leuggern borehole, to provide hydrogeologic information concerning the fracture zone(s) intersected within the depth interval 1,634.9 - 1,688.9 m. The original design of the tracer-dilution test was to: establish a uniform tracer concentration within the test system, and then monitor (at ground surface) the decline of tracer concentration within the circulated test system fluid. Analysis of the tracer concentration decline pattern was expected to provide an estimate of the natural lateral flux and lateral hydraulic gradient for the isolated test interval. A later pump-back test was also designed to recover tracer that had been 'flushed' into the test section, during the previous closed-circulation period. Analysis of the tracer recovery pattern was expected to provide an estimate of the dispersivity within the intersected fracture system. Results obtained from 'arrival-time' information during the Eosin and Naphtionat injection/recovery phases indicate a downward vertical flow of approximately 195-225 ml/min in the isolated interval, from an analysis of the dilution levels of Uranin and Eosin during the injection/recovery periods, and review of field data, the top of the upper inflow zone was determined to be approximately 13 m below the top flow line and the bottom of the outflow zone to be approximately 3 to 5 meters above the bottom flow line. (author) 30 figs., tabs., 42 refs

  17. The Hamburg Oceanic Carbon Cycle Circulation Model. Version 1. Version 'HAMOCC2s' for long time integrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinze, C.; Maier-Reimer, E. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany)

    1999-11-01

    The Hamburg Ocean Carbon Cycle Circulation Model (HAMOCC, configuration HAMOCC2s) predicts the atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure (as induced by oceanic processes), production rates of biogenic particulate matter, and geochemical tracer distributions in the water column as well as the bioturbated sediment. Besides the carbon cycle this model version includes also the marine silicon cycle (silicic acid in the water column and the sediment pore waters, biological opal production, opal flux through the water column and opal sediment pore water interaction). The model is based on the grid and geometry of the LSG ocean general circulation model (see the corresponding manual, LSG=Large Scale Geostrophic) and uses a velocity field provided by the LSG-model in 'frozen' state. In contrast to the earlier version of the model (see Report No. 5), the present version includes a multi-layer sediment model of the bioturbated sediment zone, allowing for variable tracer inventories within the complete model system. (orig.)

  18. Plan for radionuclide tracer studies of the residence time distribution in the Wilsonville dissolver and preheater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jolley, R.L.; Begovich, J.M.; Brashear, H.R.

    1983-12-01

    Stimulus-response measurements using radiotracers to measure residence time distribution (RTD) and hydrodynamic parameters for the preheaters and dissolvers at the Ft. Lewis Solvent Refined Coal (SRC) and the Exxon Donor Solvent (EDS) coal conversion pilot plants are reviewed. A plan is also presented for a series of radioactive tracer studies proposed for the Advanced Coal Liquefaction Facility at Wilsonville, Alabama, to measure the RTD for the preheater and dissolvers in the SRC-I mode. The tracer for the gas phase will be 133 Xe, and 198 Au (on carbonized resin or as an aqueous colloidal suspension) will be used as the slurry tracer. Four experimental phases are recommended for the RTD tracer studies: (1) preheater; (2) dissolver with 100% takeoff; (3) dissolver with 100% takeoff and solids withdrawal; and (4) dissolver with 50% takeoff. Eighteen gas-tracer and 22 liquid-tracer injections are projected to accomplish the four experimental phases. Two to four tracer injections are projected for preliminary tests to ensure the capability of safe injection of the radiotracers and the collection of statistically significant data. A complete projected cost and time schedule is provided, including procurement of necessary components, preparation of the radiotracers, assembly and testing of tracer injection apparatus and detection systems, onsite work and tracer injections, laboratory experimentation, data analysis, and report writing

  19. Local study of pollutants dispersion by a real time tracer method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faivre-Pierret, R.X.; Sestier-Carlin, R.; Berne, P.

    1992-01-01

    It is possible to use a Gaussian mathematical model of atmospheric dispersion for calculating atmospheric transfer coefficient (ATC) in long range model, but for proximity models, an experimental model using a tracer technic has to take in account ground effects and natural or artificial obstacles. SF 6 tracer method gives the true plume ground trace in real time. The measured ATC shows a larger ground trace, lower concentration in the axis, and a displacement of the maximum concentration with regard to wind axis in comparison with the calculated ATC. (A.B.). 14 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

  20. TRAC, a collaborative computer tool for tracer-test interpretation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fécamp C.

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Artificial tracer tests are widely used by consulting engineers for demonstrating water circulation, proving the existence of leakage, or estimating groundwater velocity. However, the interpretation of such tests is often very basic, with the result that decision makers and professionals commonly face unreliable results through hasty and empirical interpretation. There is thus an increasing need for a reliable interpretation tool, compatible with the latest operating systems and available in several languages. BRGM, the French Geological Survey, has developed a project together with hydrogeologists from various other organizations to build software assembling several analytical solutions in order to comply with various field contexts. This computer program, called TRAC, is very light and simple, allowing the user to add his own analytical solution if the formula is not yet included. It aims at collaborative improvement by sharing the tool and the solutions. TRAC can be used for interpreting data recovered from a tracer test as well as for simulating the transport of a tracer in the saturated zone (for the time being. Calibration of a site operation is based on considering the hydrodynamic and hydrodispersive features of groundwater flow as well as the amount, nature and injection mode of the artificial tracer. The software is available in French, English and Spanish, and the latest version can be downloaded from the web site http://trac.brgm.fr.

  1. Radon as geological tracer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lacerda, T.; Anjos, R.M. [Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niteroi, RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica; Valladares, D.L.; Rizzotto, M.; Velasco, H.; Ayub, J. Juri [Universidad Nacional de San Luis (Argentina). Inst. de Matematica Aplicada San Luis (IMASL); Silva, A.A.R. da; Yoshimura, E.M. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IF/USP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica

    2012-07-01

    Full text: This work presents measurements of {sup 222}Rn levels performed in La Carolina gold mine and Los Condores tungsten mine at the province of San Luis, Argentina, today used for tourist visitation, and can evaluate the potential use of such radioactive noble gas as tracer or marker for geological processes in underground environments. By concentrations of {sup 40}K, {sup 232}Th and {sup 23}'8U were also measured in the walls of tunnels were determined the rocks mineral composition, what indicated that the mines have the same composition. In this sense, we used nuclear trace plastic detectors CR-39, gamma spectrometry of rock samples and Geiger-Muller (GM) monitors The patterns of radon gas transportation processes revealed that La Carolina could be interpreted through a model based on a radioactive gas confined into a single entrance tube, with constant cross section and air velocity. Los Condores, which has a second main entrance, could be interpreted through a model based on a radioactive gas confined into a two entrance tube, allowing a chimney effect for air circulation. The results showed the high potential of using {sup 222}Rn as a geological tracer. In what concerns the occupational hazard, in summer (time of more intense tourist activity in the mine) La Carolina presented a mean concentration of the radioactive noble gas that exceeds in four times the action level of 1,5 kBq m{sup -3} recommended by the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP). The chimney effect shows the low mean concentration of radon in Los Condores. (author)

  2. Radon as geological tracer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lacerda, T.; Anjos, R.M.; Silva, A.A.R. da; Yoshimura, E.M.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: This work presents measurements of 222 Rn levels performed in La Carolina gold mine and Los Condores tungsten mine at the province of San Luis, Argentina, today used for tourist visitation, and can evaluate the potential use of such radioactive noble gas as tracer or marker for geological processes in underground environments. By concentrations of 40 K, 232 Th and 23 '8U were also measured in the walls of tunnels were determined the rocks mineral composition, what indicated that the mines have the same composition. In this sense, we used nuclear trace plastic detectors CR-39, gamma spectrometry of rock samples and Geiger-Muller (GM) monitors The patterns of radon gas transportation processes revealed that La Carolina could be interpreted through a model based on a radioactive gas confined into a single entrance tube, with constant cross section and air velocity. Los Condores, which has a second main entrance, could be interpreted through a model based on a radioactive gas confined into a two entrance tube, allowing a chimney effect for air circulation. The results showed the high potential of using 222 Rn as a geological tracer. In what concerns the occupational hazard, in summer (time of more intense tourist activity in the mine) La Carolina presented a mean concentration of the radioactive noble gas that exceeds in four times the action level of 1,5 kBq m -3 recommended by the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP). The chimney effect shows the low mean concentration of radon in Los Condores. (author)

  3. Advances in computer applications in radioactive tracer studies of the circulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, H.N. Jr.; Klingensmith, W.C. III; Knowles, L.G.; Lotter, M.G.; Natarajan, T.K.

    1977-01-01

    Advances in computer technology since the last IAEA symposium on medical radionuclide imaging have now made possible a new approach to the study of physiological processes that promise to improve greatly our perception of body functions and structures. We have developed procedures, called ''compressed time imaging'' (CTI), that display serial images obtained over periods of minutes and hours at framing rates of approximately 16 to 60 per minute. At other times, ''real'' or ''expanded time imaging'' is used, depending on the process under study. Designed initially to study the beating heart, such multidimensional time studies are now being extended to the cerebral and other regional circulations, as well as to other organ systems. The improved imaging methods provide a new approach to space and time in the study of physiology and are supplemented by quantitative analysis of data displayed on the television screen of the computer. (author)

  4. Determination of the resident time distribution (RTD) in copper concentrate drying plants using radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz V, Francisco J.; Duran P, Oscar U.; Hernandez A, Fernando A.

    1996-01-01

    This paper is a study on the drying process of copper concentrate, on two fluidized bed dryers at Fundicion Caletones, Division El Teniente, Codelco-Chile. The problem was investigated by experimental determination of the resident Time Distribution (RTD) for the material to be dry and by an analysis of the influence of the grain size in the drying process. The stimulus-response technique was used in the experiments, where the stimulation was a pulse of an adequate radioactive tracer injected at the dryer's input. Under these conditions, the response obtained at the dryer's outputs, i.e., the concentration variation curve as a function of time, represents directly the RTD of the system between the injection and measuring points. The tracer used was the same material to be dried, and it was irradiated with neutrons in the nuclear reactor at La Reina Nuclear Centre, thus producing a solid gamma radiation emitter tracer of identical behaviour as the material under study. The approximate activity of each sample was equivalent to 8 mCi of Cu-64 at the time of the injection and the measurement of the tracer was made on-line using NaI(Tl) gamma radiation detectors. The results obtained showed average times less than the estimated and would indicate a fast drying using minimum volume in the dryer. The drying of the fine particles was three times faster than the coarse ones. (author)

  5. Observed variations in U.S. frost timing linked to atmospheric circulation patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, Courtenay; McCabe, Gregory J

    2017-05-23

    Several studies document lengthening of the frost-free season within the conterminous United States (U.S.) over the past century, and report trends in spring and fall frost timing that could stem from hemispheric warming. In the absence of warming, theory and case studies link anomalous frost timing to atmospheric circulation anomalies. However, recent efforts to relate a century of observed changes in U.S. frost timing to various atmospheric circulations yielded only modest correlations, leaving the relative importance of circulation and warming unclear. Here, we objectively partition the U.S. into four regions and uncover atmospheric circulations that account for 25-48% of spring and fall-frost timing. These circulations appear responsive to historical warming, and they consistently account for more frost timing variability than hemispheric or regional temperature indices. Reliable projections of future variations in growing season length depend on the fidelity of these circulation patterns in global climate models.

  6. Quadratic tracer dynamical models tobacco growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiang Jiyi; Hua Cuncai; Wang Shaohua

    2011-01-01

    In order to study the non-uniformly transferring process of some tracer dosages, we assume that the absorption of some tracer by tobacco is a quadratic function of the tracer quantity of the tracer in the case of fast absorption, whereas the exclusion of the tracer from tobacco is a linear function of the tracer quantity in the case of slow exclusion, after the tracer is introduced into tobacco once at zero time. A single-compartment quadratic dynamical model of Logistic type is established for the leaves of tobacco. Then, a two-compartment quadratic dynamical model is established for leaves and calms of the tobacco. Qualitative analysis of the models shows that the tracer applied to the leaves of the tobacco is excluded finally; however, the tracer stays at the tobacco for finite time. Two methods are also given for computing the parameters in the models. Finally, the results of the models are verified by the 32 P experiment for the absorption of tobacco. (authors)

  7. Novel S-35 Intrinsic Tracer Method for Determining Groundwater Travel Time near Managed Aquifer Recharge Facilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urióstegui, S. H.; Bibby, R. K.; Esser, B. K.; Clark, J. F.

    2013-12-01

    Identifying groundwater travel times near managed aquifer recharge (MAR) facilities is a high priority for protecting public and environmental health. For MAR facilities in California that incorporate tertiary wastewater into their surface-spreading recharge practices, the target subsurface residence time is >9 months to allow for the natural inactivation and degradation of potential contaminants (less time is needed for full advanced treated water). Established intrinsic groundwater tracer techniques such as tritium/helium-3 dating are unable to resolve timescales of method using a naturally occurring radioisotope of sulfur, sulfur-35 (S-35). After its production in the atmosphere by cosmic ray interaction with argon, S-35 enters the hydrologic cycle as dissolved sulfate through precipitation The short half-life of S-35 (3 months) is ideal for investigating recharge and transport of MAR groundwater on the method, however, has not been applied to MAR operations because of the difficulty in measuring S-35 with sufficient sensitivity in high-sulfate waters. We have developed a new method and have applied it at two southern California MAR facilities where groundwater travel times have previously been characterized using deliberate tracers: 1) Rio Hondo Spreading Grounds in Los Angeles County, and 2) Orange County Groundwater Recharge Facilities in Orange County. Reasonable S-35 travel times of method also identified seasonal patterns in subsurface travel times, which may not be revealed by a deliberate tracer study that is dependent on the hydrologic conditions during the tracer injection period.

  8. Evaluation of urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants using radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brandao, Luis Eduardo Barreira

    2001-07-01

    A methodology for studies and evaluation of sewage treatment plants with radioactive tracers is presented.. Radioisotopes as 82 Br ( for the liquid phase), 110m Ag and 140 La, (for the solid phase) was used to evaluate sewage flow rates, mixing pattern in equalization tank and test effluent treatment units. The tracer was injected in the unit (instantaneously or in a constant rate with a pump) and NaI-scintillation detectors measured the output signal. The Fortran program TRACADORES was developed to analyze the response function of the units in form of residence times distribution curves (RTD), which represents the probability of an element of the material to interact with the unit, and calculate the mean residence time γ, the central moment of this distribution function. This fundamental parameter characterizes the tank and serves as a quantitative evaluation for its performance. With the radiotracer techniques was possible to identify dead zone, channeling, internal circulation of the solid phase inside the tanks. The technique represents a guideline for redesign a imperfect unit and eliminate the problem. (author)

  9. Modelling travel and residence times in the eastern Irish Sea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dabrowski, T.; Hartnett, M.

    2008-01-01

    The Irish Sea, which lies between 51 deg. N-56 deg. N and 2 deg. 50'W-7 deg. W, provides a sheltered environment to exploit valuable fisheries resource. Anthropogenic activity is a real threat to its water quality. The majority of freshwater input down rivers flows into the eastern Irish Sea. The structure of the water circulation was not well understood during the planning of Sellafield nuclear plant outfall site in the eastern Irish Sea. A three-dimensional primitive equation numerical model was applied to the Irish Sea to simulate both barotropic and baroclinic circulation within the region. High accuracy was achieved with regard to the prediction of both tidal circulation and surface and nearbed water temperatures across the region. The model properly represented the Western Irish Sea Gyre, induced by thermal stratification and not known during planning Sellafield. Passive tracer simulations based on the developed hydrodynamic model were used to deliver residence times of the eastern Irish Sea region for various times of the year as well as travel times from the Sellafield outfall site to various locations within the Irish Sea. The results indicate a strong seasonal variability of travel times from Sellafield to the examined locations. Travel time to the Clyde Sea is the shortest for the autumnal tracer release (90 days); it takes almost a year for the tracer to arrive at the same location if it is released in January. Travel times from Sellafield to Dublin Bay fall within the range of 180-360 days. The average residence time of the entire eastern Irish Sea is around 7 months. The areas surrounding the Isle of Man are initially flushed due to a predominant northward flow; a backwater is formed in Liverpool Bay. Thus, elevated tracer concentrations are predicted in Liverpool Bay in the case of accidental spills at the Sellafield outfall site

  10. Tracer dating and ocean ventilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thiele, G.; Sarmiento, J.L.

    1990-01-01

    The interpretation of transient tracer observations depends on difficult to obtain information on the evolution in time of the tracer boundary conditions and interior distributions. Recent studies have attempted to circumvent this problem by making use of a derived quantity, age, based on the simultaneous distribution of two complementary tracers, such as tritium and its daughter, helium 3. The age is defined with reference to the surface such that the boundary condition takes on a constant value of zero. The authors use a two-dimensional model to explore the circumstances under which such a combination of conservation equations for two complementary tracers can lead to a cancellation of the time derivative terms. An interesting aspect of this approach is that mixing can serve as a source or sink of tracer based age. The authors define an idealized ventilation age tracer that is conservative with respect to mixing, and they explore how its behavior compares with that of the tracer-based ages over a range of advective and diffusive parameters

  11. The analysis of cerebro-vascular circulation time using digital subtraction angiography (DSA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, D. G.; Kim, D. H.; Lee, H. K.; Kwon, K. H.; Kim, K. J.

    1986-01-01

    We analyzed the cerebral arterio-venous circulation time of 141 cases of cranial DSA in 136 patients, for the assessment of cerebral circulatory dynamics. IV-DSA was 111 cases, IA-DSA 30 cases. The results were as follows: 1. There was no significant difference in arterio-venous circulation time between IA-DSA and IV-DSA, if the disease pattern was not considered (P > 0.1). 2. Prolongation of arterio-venous circulation time was noted in the cases of cerebral (cerebellar) hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hematoma, brain abscess, acute stage of cerebra-vascular occlusive disease, acute stage of postoperative follow up, and acute stage of cerebral contusion (p > 0.05). 3. Compared the chronic stage of cerebra-vascular occlusive disease, postoperative follow up, and cerebral contusion with acute stage, significant decrement of arterio-venous circulation time was resulted (p > 0.05). 4. DSA was a useful modality for the assessment of circulatory dynamics, including measurement of arterio-venous circulation time.

  12. Disinfection Contact Time study plan (100-N Area tracer protocol). Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kretzschmar, S.P.; Bedi, G.S.; Martinez, P.; Ervin, K.

    1996-07-01

    Bechtel Hanford, Inc. will prepare an Engineering Tracer Study Protocol for the determination of contact time for the disinfection process at Group A Non-transient Non-community water treatment plant for the 100-N Water Plant at the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington. Included in this report are the results of a study that determine the actual detention time within the plant clearwell, and thus the disinfection contact time at several clearwell effluent flow rates

  13. Transient tracers in the ocean (TTO) program: the North Atlantic study, 1981: the Tropical Atlantic study, 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brewer, P.G.; Sarmiento, J.L.; Smethie, W.M. Jr.

    1985-01-01

    The two parts of this major geochemical and physical oceanographic expedition took place on the research vessel Knorr of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The expeditions were designed to observe the passage of man-made geochemical tracers into the interior of the ocean. A systematic survey revealed the penetration into the thermocline and deep ocean of the products of man's military/industrial activities, principally tritium and carbon-14 resulting from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. The passage of these tracers documents as nothing else can the manner and time scale of ocean mixing and provides a fundamental calibration for models of ocean circulation. Maps showing the cruise routes are presented. 1 figure, 1 table

  14. Sulfate accumulation in a sea breeze/land breeze circulation system

    OpenAIRE

    Cass, Glen R.; Shair, Frederick H.

    1984-01-01

    An atmospheric tracer study using SF_6 was conducted on July 22, 1977, to examine the origin of the high particulate sulfate concentrations observed in coastal Los Angeles County. It was found that the sea breeze/land breeze circulation system in the Los Angeles Basin both increases the retention time for sulfate formation in the marine environment and causes individual air parcels to make multiple passes over large coastal emissions sources. Day-old sulfur oxides emissions advected out to se...

  15. Tracers and Tracer Testing: Design, Implementation, Tracer Selection, and Interpretation Methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    G. Michael Shook; Shannon L.; Allan Wylie

    2004-01-01

    Conducting a successful tracer test requires adhering to a set of steps. The steps include identifying appropriate and achievable test goals, identifying tracers with the appropriate properties, and implementing the test as designed. When these steps are taken correctly, a host of tracer test analysis methods are available to the practitioner. This report discusses the individual steps required for a successful tracer test and presents methods for analysis. The report is an overview of tracer technology; the Suggested Reading section offers references to the specifics of test design and interpretation.

  16. A contribution to the study of cerebrospinal fluid circulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roncari, G.; Meldolesi, U.

    1975-01-01

    In an attempt to facilitate the examination of cerebrospinal fluid circulation, a method was developed which is simultaneously quantitative and qualitative; this was done by combining scintigraphy with the study of the process of resorption. The method utilizes 169 Yb-DPTA as tracer for the scintigraphy of sub-arachnoid spaces. After resorption, this compound is eliminated so rapidly by the kidneys that transit time in the blood is negligible. Scintigraphic profiles are recorded at time 0, 1, 2, 6 and 24 hours after injection. By subtracting the preceding profile from each one obtained, the elimination of tracer from the sub-arachnoid spaces can be measured during the period between two successive determinations, provided the subject urinates before the measurement. In addition, a measurement of the rythm of resorption is obtained by the ratio between the average elimination and retention in the same time interval e.g. the fraction of the radiotracer which was resorbed during the unit of time. Variations of this rythm can be studied by taking into consideration the scintigraphic images which show the contamination of the sub-arachnoid spaces. An example of results obtained with a normal subject is presented [fr

  17. Development and Validation of Water Vapor Tracers as Diagnostics for the Atmospheric Hydrologic Cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosilovich, Michael G.; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Understanding of the local and remote sources of water vapor can be a valuable diagnostic in understanding the regional atmospheric hydrologic cycle. In the present study, we have implemented passive tracers as prognostic variables to follow water vapor evaporated in predetermined regions until the water tracer precipitates. The formulation of the sources and sinks of tracer water is generally proportional to the prognostic water vapor variable. Because all water has been accounted for in tracers, the water vapor variable provides the validation of the tracer water and the formulation of the sources and sinks. The tracers have been implemented in a GEOS General Circulation Model (GCM) simulation consisting of several summer periods to determine the source regions of precipitation for the United States and India. The recycling of water and interannual variability of the sources of water will be examined. Potential uses in GCM sensitivity studies, predictability studies and data assimilation will be discussed.

  18. Delayed clearance of cerebrospinal fluid tracer from entorhinal cortex in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: A glymphatic magnetic resonance imaging study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eide, Per K; Ringstad, Geir

    2018-01-01

    The glymphatic system plays a key role for clearance of waste solutes from the rodent brain. We recently found evidence of glymphatic circulation in the human brain when using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tracer in conjunction with multiple MRI acquisitions (gMRI). The present study explored the hypothesis that reduced glymphatic clearance in entorhinal cortex (ERC) may be instrumental in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) dementia. gMRI acquisitions were obtained over a 24-48 h time span in cognitively affected iNPH patients and non-cognitively affected patients with suspected CSF leaks. The CSF tracer enrichment was determined as changes in normalized MRI T1 signal units. The study included 30 patients with iNPH and 8 individuals with suspected CSF leaks (i.e. reference individuals). Compared to reference individuals, iNPH patients presented with higher medial temporal lobe atrophy score and Evan's index and inferior ERC thickness. We found delayed clearance of the intrathecal CSF tracer gadobutrol from CSF, the ERC and adjacent white matter, suggesting impaired glymphatic circulation. Reduced clearance and accumulation of toxic waste product such as amyloid-β may be a mechanism behind dementia in iNPH. Glymphatic MRI (gMRI) may become a tool for assessment of early dementia.

  19. Suitability of tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klotz, D.

    1999-01-01

    Hydrological tracer techniques are a means of making statements on the direction and speed of underground water. One of the simpler tasks is to find out whether there is hydrological communication between two given points. This requires a determination of the direction of flow, which places less exacting demands on the properties of the tracer than does the task of determining the flow velocity of underground water. Tracer methods can serve to infer from flow velocity the distance (flow) velocity, which is defined as the ratio between the distance between two points located in flow direction and the actual time it takes water to flow from one to the other [de

  20. Stability in time of iodinated tracers for Testosterone, Progesterone and cortisol radiommunoassays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nisembaum Alas, A.T.; Machado Curbelo, A.J.; Diaz Castro, D.; Chape Puertas, A.; Santander Lopez, A.M.; Cabrera Oliva, V.

    1996-01-01

    Stability in time of three iodihistamine derivates for steroid hormone radioimmunoassays (RIAs): Testosterone-3, Carboximetilxomine-histamine- 125I , Progesterone-11 Hemisuccinate-histamine- 125I and Cortisol-21 Hemisuccinate histamine- 125I produced in the National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba was tested. Iodinated tracers were prepared according to Nars and Hunters's method, modifying in the purifying

  1. Estimation of time-variable fast flow path chemical concentrations for application in tracer-based hydrograph separation analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kronholm, Scott C.; Capel, Paul D.

    2016-01-01

    Mixing models are a commonly used method for hydrograph separation, but can be hindered by the subjective choice of the end-member tracer concentrations. This work tests a new variant of mixing model that uses high-frequency measures of two tracers and streamflow to separate total streamflow into water from slowflow and fastflow sources. The ratio between the concentrations of the two tracers is used to create a time-variable estimate of the concentration of each tracer in the fastflow end-member. Multiple synthetic data sets, and data from two hydrologically diverse streams, are used to test the performance and limitations of the new model (two-tracer ratio-based mixing model: TRaMM). When applied to the synthetic streams under many different scenarios, the TRaMM produces results that were reasonable approximations of the actual values of fastflow discharge (±0.1% of maximum fastflow) and fastflow tracer concentrations (±9.5% and ±16% of maximum fastflow nitrate concentration and specific conductance, respectively). With real stream data, the TRaMM produces high-frequency estimates of slowflow and fastflow discharge that align with expectations for each stream based on their respective hydrologic settings. The use of two tracers with the TRaMM provides an innovative and objective approach for estimating high-frequency fastflow concentrations and contributions of fastflow water to the stream. This provides useful information for tracking chemical movement to streams and allows for better selection and implementation of water quality management strategies.

  2. Asian Tracer Experiment and Atmospheric Modeling (TEAM) Project: Draft Field Work Plan for the Asian Long-Range Tracer Experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allwine, K Jerry; Flaherty, Julia E.

    2007-08-01

    This report provides an experimental plan for a proposed Asian long-range tracer study as part of the international Tracer Experiment and Atmospheric Modeling (TEAM) Project. The TEAM partners are China, Japan, South Korea and the United States. Optimal times of year to conduct the study, meteorological measurements needed, proposed tracer release locations, proposed tracer sampling locations and the proposed durations of tracer releases and subsequent sampling are given. Also given are the activities necessary to prepare for the study and the schedule for completing the preparation activities leading to conducting the actual field operations. This report is intended to provide the TEAM members with the information necessary for planning and conducting the Asian long-range tracer study. The experimental plan is proposed, at this time, to describe the efforts necessary to conduct the Asian long-range tracer study, and the plan will undoubtedly be revised and refined as the planning goes forward over the next year.

  3. Development of a downhole tool measuring real-time concentration of ionic tracers and pH in geothermal reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, Ryan F.; Boyle, Timothy J.; Limmer, Steven; Yelton, William G.; Bingham, Samuel; Stillman, Greg; Lindblom, Scott; Cieslewski, Grzegorz

    2014-06-01

    For enhanced or Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) geothermal brine is pumped to the surface via the production wells, the heat extracted to turn a turbine to generate electricity, and the spent brine re-injected via injection wells back underground. If designed properly, the subsurface rock formations will lead this water back to the extraction well as heated brine. Proper monitoring of these geothermal reservoirs is essential for developing and maintaining the necessary level of productivity of the field. Chemical tracers are commonly used to characterize the fracture network and determine the connectivity between the injection and production wells. Currently, most tracer experiments involve injecting the tracer at the injection well, manually collecting liquid samples at the wellhead of the production well, and sending the samples off for laboratory analysis. While this method provides accurate tracer concentration data at very low levels of detection, it does not provide information regarding the location of the fractures which were conducting the tracer between wellbores. Sandia is developing a high-temperature electrochemical sensor capable of measuring tracer concentrations and pH downhole on a wireline tool. The goal of this effort is to collect real-time pH and ionic tracer concentration data at temperatures up to 225 °C and pressures up to 3000 psi. In this paper, a prototype electrochemical sensor and the initial data obtained will be presented detailing the measurement of iodide tracer concentrations at high temperature and pressure in a newly developed laboratory scale autoclave.

  4. Aggregation in environmental systems - Part 1: Seasonal tracer cycles quantify young water fractions, but not mean transit times, in spatially heterogeneous catchments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchner, J. W.

    2016-01-01

    Environmental heterogeneity is ubiquitous, but environmental systems are often analyzed as if they were homogeneous instead, resulting in aggregation errors that are rarely explored and almost never quantified. Here I use simple benchmark tests to explore this general problem in one specific context: the use of seasonal cycles in chemical or isotopic tracers (such as Cl-, δ18O, or δ2H) to estimate timescales of storage in catchments. Timescales of catchment storage are typically quantified by the mean transit time, meaning the average time that elapses between parcels of water entering as precipitation and leaving again as streamflow. Longer mean transit times imply greater damping of seasonal tracer cycles. Thus, the amplitudes of tracer cycles in precipitation and streamflow are commonly used to calculate catchment mean transit times. Here I show that these calculations will typically be wrong by several hundred percent, when applied to catchments with realistic degrees of spatial heterogeneity. This aggregation bias arises from the strong nonlinearity in the relationship between tracer cycle amplitude and mean travel time. I propose an alternative storage metric, the young water fraction in streamflow, defined as the fraction of runoff with transit times of less than roughly 0.2 years. I show that this young water fraction (not to be confused with event-based "new water" in hydrograph separations) is accurately predicted by seasonal tracer cycles within a precision of a few percent, across the entire range of mean transit times from almost zero to almost infinity. Importantly, this relationship is also virtually free from aggregation error. That is, seasonal tracer cycles also accurately predict the young water fraction in runoff from highly heterogeneous mixtures of subcatchments with strongly contrasting transit-time distributions. Thus, although tracer cycle amplitudes yield biased and unreliable estimates of catchment mean travel times in heterogeneous

  5. Dynamic dual-tracer PET reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Fei; Liu, Huafeng; Jian, Yiqiang; Shi, Pengcheng

    2009-01-01

    Although of important medical implications, simultaneous dual-tracer positron emission tomography reconstruction remains a challenging problem, primarily because the photon measurements from dual tracers are overlapped. In this paper, we propose a simultaneous dynamic dual-tracer reconstruction of tissue activity maps based on guidance from tracer kinetics. The dual-tracer reconstruction problem is formulated in a state-space representation, where parallel compartment models serve as continuous-time system equation describing the tracer kinetic processes of dual tracers, and the imaging data is expressed as discrete sampling of the system states in measurement equation. The image reconstruction problem has therefore become a state estimation problem in a continuous-discrete hybrid paradigm, and H infinity filtering is adopted as the estimation strategy. As H infinity filtering makes no assumptions on the system and measurement statistics, robust reconstruction results can be obtained for the dual-tracer PET imaging system where the statistical properties of measurement data and system uncertainty are not available a priori, even when there are disturbances in the kinetic parameters. Experimental results on digital phantoms, Monte Carlo simulations and physical phantoms have demonstrated the superior performance.

  6. Chemical Tracer Methods: Chapter 7

    Science.gov (United States)

    Healy, Richard W.

    2017-01-01

    Tracers have a wide variety of uses in hydrologic studies: providing quantitative or qualitative estimates of recharge, identifying sources of recharge, providing information on velocities and travel times of water movement, assessing the importance of preferential flow paths, providing information on hydrodynamic dispersion, and providing data for calibration of water flow and solute-transport models (Walker, 1998; Cook and Herczeg, 2000; Scanlon et al., 2002b). Tracers generally are ions, isotopes, or gases that move with water and that can be detected in the atmosphere, in surface waters, and in the subsurface. Heat also is transported by water; therefore, temperatures can be used to trace water movement. This chapter focuses on the use of chemical and isotopic tracers in the subsurface to estimate recharge. Tracer use in surface-water studies to determine groundwater discharge to streams is addressed in Chapter 4; the use of temperature as a tracer is described in Chapter 8.Following the nomenclature of Scanlon et al. (2002b), tracers are grouped into three categories: natural environmental tracers, historical tracers, and applied tracers. Natural environmental tracers are those that are transported to or created within the atmosphere under natural processes; these tracers are carried to the Earth’s surface as wet or dry atmospheric deposition. The most commonly used natural environmental tracer is chloride (Cl) (Allison and Hughes, 1978). Ocean water, through the process of evaporation, is the primary source of atmospheric Cl. Other tracers in this category include chlorine-36 (36Cl) and tritium (3H); these two isotopes are produced naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere; however, there are additional anthropogenic sources of them.

  7. Transport on intermediate time scales in flows with cat's eye patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pöschke, Patrick; Sokolov, Igor M.; Zaks, Michael A.; Nepomnyashchy, Alexander A.

    2017-12-01

    We consider the advection-diffusion transport of tracers in a one-parameter family of plane periodic flows where the patterns of streamlines feature regions of confined circulation in the shape of "cat's eyes," separated by meandering jets with ballistic motion inside them. By varying the parameter, we proceed from the regular two-dimensional lattice of eddies without jets to the sinusoidally modulated shear flow without eddies. When a weak thermal noise is added, i.e., at large Péclet numbers, several intermediate time scales arise, with qualitatively and quantitatively different transport properties: depending on the parameter of the flow, the initial position of a tracer, and the aging time, motion of the tracers ranges from subdiffusive to superballistic. We report on results of extensive numerical simulations of the mean-squared displacement for different initial conditions in ordinary and aged situations. These results are compared with a theory based on a Lévy walk that describes the intermediate-time ballistic regime and gives a reasonable description of the behavior for a certain class of initial conditions. The interplay of the walk process with internal circulation dynamics in the trapped state results at intermediate time scales in nonmonotonic characteristics of aging not captured by the Lévy walk model.

  8. Tracers and tracing methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leclerc, J.P.

    2001-01-01

    The first international congress on 'Tracers and tracing methods' took place in Nancy in May 2001. The objective of this second congress was to present the current status and trends on tracing methods and their applications. It has given the opportunity to people from different fields to exchange scientific information and knowledge about tracer methodologies and applications. The target participants were the researchers, engineers and technologists of various industrial and research sectors: chemical engineering, environment, food engineering, bio-engineering, geology, hydrology, civil engineering, iron and steel production... Two sessions have been planned to cover both fundamental and industrial aspects: 1)fundamental development (tomography, tracer camera visualization and particles tracking; validation of computational fluid dynamics simulations by tracer experiments and numerical residence time distribution; new tracers and detectors or improvement and development of existing tracing methods; data treatments and modeling; reactive tracer experiments and interpretation) 2)industrial applications (geology, hydrogeology and oil field applications; civil engineering, mineral engineering and metallurgy applications; chemical engineering; environment; food engineering and bio-engineering). The program included 5 plenary lectures, 23 oral communications and around 50 posters. Only 9 presentations are interested for the INIS database

  9. Usefulness of measurement of circulation time using MgSO4 : correlation with time-density curve using electron beam computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Byung Ki; Lee, Hui Joong; Lee, Jong Min; Kim, Yong Joo; Kang, Duck Sik

    1999-01-01

    To determine the usefulness of MgSO 4 for measuring the systemic circulation time. Systemic circulation time, defined as elapsed time from the injection of MgSO 4 solution to the point of pharyngeal burning sensation, was measured in 63 volunteers. MgSO 4 was injected into a superficial vein of an upper extremity. Using dynamic electron beam computed tomography at the level of the abdominal aorta and celiac axis, a time-intensity curve was plotted, and for these two locations, maximal enhancement time was compared. For 60 of the 63 subjects, both systemic circulation time and maximal enhancement time were determined. Average systemic circulation time was 17.4 (SD:3.6) secs. and average maximal enhancement times at the level of the abdominal aorta and celiac axis were 17.5 (SD:3.0) secs. and 18.5 (SD:3.2) secs., respectively. Correlation coefficients between systemic circulation time and maximal enhancement time for the abdominal aorta and celiac axis were 0.73 (p 4 injection and maximal enhancement time for the abdominal aorta showed significant correlation. Thus, to determine the appropriate scanning time in contrast-enhanced radiological studies, MgSO 4 can be used instead of a test bolus study

  10. Simulation of glacial ocean biogeochemical tracer and isotope distributions based on the PMIP3 suite of climate models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khatiwala, Samar; Muglia, Juan; Kvale, Karin; Schmittner, Andreas

    2016-04-01

    In the present climate system, buoyancy forced convection at high-latitudes together with internal mixing results in a vigorous overturning circulation whose major component is North Atlantic Deep Water. One of the key questions of climate science is whether this "mode" of circulation persisted during glacial periods, and in particular at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 21000 years before present). Resolving this question is both important for advancing our understanding of the climate system, as well as a critical test of numerical models' ability to reliably simulate different climates. The observational evidence, based on interpreting geochemical tracers archived in sediments, is conflicting, as are simulations carried out with state-of-the-art climate models (e.g., as part of the PMIP3 suite), which, due to the computational cost involved, do not by and large include biogeochemical and isotope tracers that can be directly compared with proxy data. Here, we apply geochemical observations to evaluate the ability of several realisations of an ocean model driven by atmospheric forcing from the PMIP3 suite of climate models to simulate global ocean circulation during the LGM. This results in a wide range of circulation states that are then used to simulate biogeochemical tracer and isotope (13C, 14C and Pa/Th) distributions using an efficient, "offline" computational scheme known as the transport matrix method (TMM). One of the key advantages of this approach is the use of a uniform set of biogeochemical and isotope parameterizations across all the different circulations based on the PMIP3 models. We compare these simulated distributions to both modern observations and data from LGM ocean sediments to identify similarities and discrepancies between model and data. We find, for example, that when the ocean model is forced with wind stress from the PMIP3 models the radiocarbon age of the deep ocean is systematically younger compared with reconstructions. Changes in

  11. Use of multiple age tracers to estimate groundwater residence times and long-term recharge rates in arid southern Oman

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Müller, Th.; Osenbrück, K.; Strauch, G.; Pavetich, S.; Al-Mashaikhi, K.-S.; Herb, C.; Merchel, S.; Rugel, G.; Aeschbach, W.; Sanford, W.

    2016-01-01

    Multiple age tracers were measured to estimate groundwater residence times in the regional aquifer system underlying southwestern Oman. This area, known as the Najd, is one of the most arid areas in the world and is planned to be the main agricultural center of the Sultanate of Oman in the near future. The three isotopic age tracers "4He, "1"4C and "3"6Cl were measured in waters collected from wells along a line that extended roughly from the Dhofar Mountains near the Arabian Sea northward 400 km into the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula. The wells sampled were mostly open to the Umm Er Radhuma confined aquifer, although, some were completed in the mostly unconfined Rus aquifer. The combined results from the three tracers indicate the age of the confined groundwater is  100 ka in the central section north of the mountains, and up to and > one Ma in the Empty Quarter. The "1"4C data were used to help calibrate the "4He and "3"6Cl data. Mixing models suggest that long open boreholes north of the mountains compromise "1"4C-only interpretations there, in contrast to "4He and "3"6Cl calculations that are less sensitive to borehole mixing. Thus, only the latter two tracers from these more distant wells were considered reliable. In addition to the age tracers, δ"2H and δ"1"8O data suggest that seasonal monsoon and infrequent tropical cyclones are both substantial contributors to the recharge. The study highlights the advantages of using multiple chemical and isotopic data when estimating groundwater travel times and recharge rates, and differentiating recharge mechanisms. - Highlights: • Multiple age tracers are required for the interpretation of the groundwater system. • Different tracers are applicable along different sections of the flowpath. • Groundwater residence times >1 Ma have been determined for the northern Najd area.

  12. Quantification of Nitrous Oxide from Fugitive Emissions by Tracer Dilution Method using a Mobile Real-time Nitrous Oxide Analyzer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mønster, J.; Rella, C.; Jacobson, G. A.; He, Y.; Hoffnagle, J.; Scheutz, C.

    2012-12-01

    Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas considered 298 times stronger than carbon dioxide on a hundred years term (Solomon et al. 2007). The increasing global concentration is of great concern and is receiving increasing attention in various scientific and industrial fields. Nitrous oxide is emitted from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Inventories of source specific fugitive nitrous oxide emissions are often estimated on the basis of modeling and mass balance. While these methods are well-developed, actual measurements for quantification of the emissions can be a useful tool for verifying the existing estimation methods as well as providing validation for initiatives targeted at lowering unwanted nitrous oxide emissions. One approach to performing such measurements is the tracer dilution method (Galle et al. 2001), in which a tracer gas is released at the source location at a known flow. The ratio of downwind concentrations of both the tracer gas and nitrous oxide gives the ratios of the emissions rates. This tracer dilution method can be done with both stationary and mobile measurements; in either case, real-time measurements of both tracer and analyte gas is required, which places high demands on the analytical detection method. To perform the nitrous oxide measurements, a novel, robust instrument capable of real-time nitrous oxide measurements has been developed, based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy and operating in the near-infrared spectral region. We present the results of the laboratory and field tests of this instrument in both California and Denmark. Furthermore, results are presented from measurements using the mobile plume method with a tracer gas (acetylene) to quantify the nitrous oxide and methane emissions from known sources such as waste water treatment plants and composting facilities. Nitrous oxide (blue) and methane (yellow) plumes downwind from a waste water treatment facility.

  13. Radioactive tracer system to indicate drill bit wear or failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fries, B.A.

    1975-01-01

    A radioactive tracer system for indicating drill bit wear or failure utilizing radioactive krypton 85 in clathrate form, in the form of water-soluble kryptonates, or dissolved grease, is described. Preferably the radioactive krypton is placed so that when drill bit wear or failure occurs, the radioactive krypton 85 is relased and effectively becomes diffused in the circulating drilling fluid. At the surface, the radioactive krypton 85 gas is separated from the circulating drilling fluid by gas-mud separating means and is transported as a gas to a counting chamber where an accurate radioactivity count of beta rays released from the krypton is obtained. (Patent Office Record)

  14. Portal pressure correlated to visceral circulation times

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friman, L [Serafimerlasarettet, Stockholm (Sweden)

    1979-01-01

    Visceral angiography was performed in 7 patients with normal portal pressure and in 10 with portal hypertension. Circulation times, size of vessels and portal pressure were determined. At celiac angiography, a direct correlation was found between time for maximum filling of portal vein and portal pressure, provided no vascular abnormalities existed. At superior mesenteric angiography such a correlation was not found; loss of flow by shunts in portal hypertension being one explanation. Portocaval shunts are common in the celiac system, but uncommon in the superior mesenteric system.

  15. Investigations On Water Circulation in Animal Sea-Water Basins – On the Example of Seals′ Breeding Pools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zima Piotr

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents general comments concerning investigations on water circulation in animal breeding pools containing sea water. As an example are given results of computer simulation of water circulation in seals′ breeding pools situated in Marine Station at Hel, belonging to Oceanographic Institute , Gdansk University. A mathematical model of three main pools was prepared with taking into account their inflow and outflow water supply points. Next, the object indication ( tracer tests were done with the use of mathematical modelling as well as in-situ measurements. For description of flow field in steady conditions a simplified model of 2D flow in the form of Helmholtz biharmonic equation of stream function , recalculated then into velocity vector components, was used. The equation , supplemented with appropriate boundary conditions , was solved numerically by using the finite differences method. The spreading of a substance dissolved in water (tracer was analyzed by solving 2D equation of transient advecting - dispersing transport. To solve it the finite volumes method was applied. The applied model was verified by conducting the indication tests with the use of the rhodamine WT as a tracer. The obtained results made it possible to reconstruct water circulation within the seals′ pools and identify stagnation zones in which water circulation may be made difficult.

  16. Tumoral tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Camargo, E.E.

    1979-01-01

    Direct tumor tracers are subdivided in the following categories:metabolite tracers, antitumoral tracers, radioactive proteins and cations. Use of 67 Ga-citrate as a clinically important tumoral tracer is emphasized and gallium-67 whole-body scintigraphy is discussed in detail. (M.A.) [pt

  17. The Use of Stable Isotope Tracers to Quantify the Transit Time Distribution of Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, T. M.; Troch, P. A. A.

    2016-12-01

    Water pollution is an important societal problem because it can have harmful effects on human and ecological health. In order to improve water quality, scientists must develop land management methods that can avoid or mitigate environmental pollution. State of the art tools to develop such methods are flow and transport models that trace water and other solutes through the landscape. These models deliver important information that can lead to remediation efforts, and improve the quality of water for humans, plants, and animals. However, these models may be difficult to apply since many details about the catchment may not be available. Instead, a lumped approach is often used to find the water transit time using stable isotope tracers such as 18O and 2H that are naturally applied by precipitation to a catchment. The transit time distribution of water is an important indicator for the amount of solutes soil water and groundwater can contain, and thus a predictor of water quality. We conducted a 2-week long experiment using a tilted weighing lysimeter at Biosphere 2 to observe the breakthrough curves of deuterium and specific artificial DNA particles. We show that hydrological parameters can be computed in order to provide an estimate for the transit time distribution of deuterium. The convolution integral is then used to determine the distribution of the water transit time in the system. Unfortunately, stable isotopes such as deuterium make it difficult to pinpoint a specific flowpath since they naturally occur in the environment. Recent studies have shown that DNA tracers are able to trace water through the landscape. We found that DNA has a similar breakthrough curve happening at similar timescales as the deuterium. Therefore, DNA tracers may be able to identify sources of nonpoint source pollution in the future.

  18. Compilation and analyses of results from cross-hole tracer tests with conservative tracers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hjerne, Calle; Nordqvist, Rune; Harrstroem, Johan (Geosigma AB (Sweden))

    2010-09-15

    Radionuclide transport in hydrogeological formations is one of the key factors for the safety analysis of a future repository of nuclear waste. Tracer tests have therefore been an important field method within the SKB investigation programmes at several sites since the late 1970's. This report presents a compilation and analyses of results from cross-hole tracer tests with conservative tracers performed within various SKB investigations. The objectives of the study are to facilitate, improve and reduce uncertainties in predictive tracer modelling and to provide supporting information for SKB's safety assessment of a final repository of nuclear waste. More specifically, the focus of the report is the relationship between the tracer mean residence time and fracture hydraulic parameters, i.e. the relationship between mass balance aperture and fracture transmissivity, hydraulic diffusivity and apparent storativity. For 74 different combinations of pumping and injection section at six different test sites (Studsvik, Stripa, Finnsjoen, Aespoe, Forsmark, Laxemar), estimates of mass balance aperture from cross-hole tracer tests as well as transmissivity were extracted from reports or in the SKB database Sicada. For 28 of these combinations of pumping and injection section, estimates of hydraulic diffusivity and apparent storativity from hydraulic interference tests were also found. An empirical relationship between mass balance aperture and transmissivity was estimated, although some uncertainties for individual data exist. The empirical relationship between mass balance aperture and transmissivity presented in this study deviates considerably from other previously suggested relationships, such as the cubic law and transport aperture as suggested by /Dershowitz and Klise 2002/, /Dershowitz et al. 2002/ and /Dershowitz et al. 2003/, which also is discussed in this report. No clear and direct empirical relationship between mass balance aperture and hydraulic

  19. Meteorological tracers in regional planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, K.H.

    1974-11-01

    Atmospheric tracers can be used as indicators to study both the ventilation of an urban region and its dispersion meteorology for air pollutants. A correlation analysis applied to the space-time dependent tracer concentrations is able to give transfer functions, the structure and characteristic parameters of which describe the meteorological and topographical situation of the urban region and its surroundings in an integral manner. To reduce the number of persons usually involved in a tracer experiment an automatic air sampling system had to be developed

  20. Portal pressure correlated to visceral circulation times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friman, L.

    1979-01-01

    Visceral angiography was performed in 7 patients with normal portal pressure and in 10 with portal hypertension. Circulation times, size of vessels and portal pressure were determined. At celiac angiography, a direct correlation was found between time for maximum filling of portal vein and portal pressure, provided no vascular abnormalities existed. At superior mesenteric angiography such a correlation was not found; loss of flow by shunts in portal hypertension being one explanation. Portocaval shunts are common in the celiac system, but uncommon in the superior mesenteric system. (Auth.)

  1. The European tracer experiment ETEX: a real-time long range atmospheric dispersion model exercise in different weather conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graziani, G.; )

    1998-01-01

    Two long-range tracer experiments were conducted. An inert, non-depositing tracer was being released at Rennes in France for 12 hours. The 168 sampling ground stations were run by the National Meteorological Services. Twenty-four institutions took part in the real-time forecasting of the cloud evolution using 28 long-range dispersion models. The horizontal projection of the cloud evolution over Europe was combined with real-time aerial chemical analysis. The results of the comparison indicate that a limited group of models (7-8) were capable of obtaining a good reproduction of the cloud movement throughout Europe for the first release. Large differences were, however, found in the predicted tracer concentration at a particular location. For the second release, there were large differences between the measured and calculated cloud, particularly after a front passage, which indicates that some efforts have still to be spent before consensus on the model reliability is achieved. (P.A.)

  2. Systems approach to tracer data in groundwater hydrology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saxena, R.K.

    1977-01-01

    A brief review of current mathematical methods for the analysis of tracer data in groundwater hydrology has been given. The description of the hydrological cycle as a whole or in part, by a system (compartment) or sub-system under linear and stationary conditions is discussed. Basic concepts of transit time, residence time, their distributions in time and response characteristics of a system are outlined. From the knowledge of tracer input, output and systems response function for a generalised system, reservoir capacity and storage for given period can be estimated. Use of a time series model for environmental tracer data in discreet time scale aimed at the solution of hydrological problems e.g. mean transit time and reservoir capacity is also explored. It is concluded that the combination of tracer data with systems approach can go a long way in the study of some complex hydrological problems. (author)

  3. Role of tracer methods in hydrology as a source of physical information. Basic concepts and definitions. Time relationship in dynamic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nir, A.

    1986-01-01

    The paper provides a general review on the systems theory approach for the tracer methodology, indicating also the relations of the system theory to other available approaches such as deterministic mechanism description and stochastic approaches. Methodology and formulations of systems approach as applied to tracer use in steady-state cases are discussed. Extension of the systems approach for tracer use in non-steady-state cases and input-output relationships for time varying systems are also given. (author)

  4. Wairakei tracer tests 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCabe, W.J.; Barry, B.J.

    1984-05-01

    Tracer tests, with and without, hot water reinjection into WK213 showed returns of tracer iodine-131; in wells in both the Waiora Valley and the eastern end of the field. The effect of reinjection at a rate of 200 cu. m/h was to reduce the arrived time from 15 to 7 days. Increasing the rate of reinjection into WK62 from 30 cu. m/h to 200 cu. m/h seemed to increase the initial velocity of the tracer wave and the distance it moved. However, returns were recorded only in the adjacent wells WK61 and WK63 with a very small, and three days delayed, response in WK43

  5. Simulation and interpretation of inter-well tracer tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dugstad Øyvind

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In inter-well tracer tests (IWTT, chemical compounds or radioactive isotopes are used to label injection water and gas to establish well connections and fluid patterns in petroleum reservoirs. Tracer simulation is an invaluable tool to ease the interpretation of IWTT results and is also required for assisted history matching application of tracer data. In this paper we present a new simulation technique to analyse and interpret tracer results. Laboratory results are used to establish and test formulations of the tracer conservation equations, and the technique is used to provide simulated tracer responses that are compared with observed tracer data from an extensive tracer program. The implemented tracer simulation methodology use a fast post-processing of previously simulated reservoir simulation runs. This provides a fast, flexible and powerful method for analysing gas tracer behaviour in reservoirs. We show that simulation time for tracers can be reduced by factor 100 compared to solving the tracer flow equations simultaneously with the reservoir fluid flow equations. The post-processing technique, combined with a flexible built-in local tracer-grid refinement is exploited to reduce numerical smearing, particularly severe for narrow tracer pulses.

  6. North Atlantic ocean circulation and abrupt climate change during the last glaciation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, L G; McManus, J F; Curry, W B; Roberts, N L; Piotrowski, A M; Keigwin, L D

    2016-07-29

    The most recent ice age was characterized by rapid and hemispherically asynchronous climate oscillations, whose origin remains unresolved. Variations in oceanic meridional heat transport may contribute to these repeated climate changes, which were most pronounced during marine isotope stage 3, the glacial interval 25 thousand to 60 thousand years ago. We examined climate and ocean circulation proxies throughout this interval at high resolution in a deep North Atlantic sediment core, combining the kinematic tracer protactinium/thorium (Pa/Th) with the deep water-mass tracer, epibenthic δ(13)C. These indicators suggest reduced Atlantic overturning circulation during every cool northern stadial, with the greatest reductions during episodic Hudson Strait iceberg discharges, while sharp northern warming followed reinvigorated overturning. These results provide direct evidence for the ocean's persistent, central role in abrupt glacial climate change. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  7. Test determination with tritium as a radioactive tracer of the residence time distribution in the stability pool for Cabrero sewage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz, Francisco; Duran, Oscar; Henriquez, Pedro; Vega, Pedro; Padilla, Liliana; Gonzalez, David; Garcia Agudo, Edmundo

    2000-01-01

    This work was prepared by the Chilean and International Atomic Energy Agencies and covers the hydrodynamic functioning of sewage stability pools using tracers. The plant selected in the city of Cabrero, 500 km. south of Santiago, and is a rectangular facultative pool with a surface area of 7100 m 2 and a maximum volume of 12,327 m2 that receives an average flow of 20 l/s, serving a population of 7000 individuals. The work aims to characterize the runoff from the flow that enters the pool, using a radioactive tracer test, where the incoming water is marked, and its out-coming passage is determined, to establish the residence time distribution. Tritium was selected in the form of tritiated water as a tracer that is precisely emptied into the water flow from the distribution ravine at the lake entrance. Samples are taken at the outflow to determine the concentration of tritium after distillation, simultaneously measuring the flow, to be analyzed in a liquid flicker counter. An average test time of 5.3 days was obtained and an analysis of the residence time distribution for the tracer shows that it leaves quickly and indicates bad flow distribution in the lake with a major short circuit and probable dead zones

  8. TracerLPM (Version 1): An Excel® workbook for interpreting groundwater age distributions from environmental tracer data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurgens, Bryant C.; Böhlke, J.K.; Eberts, Sandra M.

    2012-01-01

    TracerLPM is an interactive Excel® (2007 or later) workbook program for evaluating groundwater age distributions from environmental tracer data by using lumped parameter models (LPMs). Lumped parameter models are mathematical models of transport based on simplified aquifer geometry and flow configurations that account for effects of hydrodynamic dispersion or mixing within the aquifer, well bore, or discharge area. Five primary LPMs are included in the workbook: piston-flow model (PFM), exponential mixing model (EMM), exponential piston-flow model (EPM), partial exponential model (PEM), and dispersion model (DM). Binary mixing models (BMM) can be created by combining primary LPMs in various combinations. Travel time through the unsaturated zone can be included as an additional parameter. TracerLPM also allows users to enter age distributions determined from other methods, such as particle tracking results from numerical groundwater-flow models or from other LPMs not included in this program. Tracers of both young groundwater (anthropogenic atmospheric gases and isotopic substances indicating post-1940s recharge) and much older groundwater (carbon-14 and helium-4) can be interpreted simultaneously so that estimates of the groundwater age distribution for samples with a wide range of ages can be constrained. TracerLPM is organized to permit a comprehensive interpretive approach consisting of hydrogeologic conceptualization, visual examination of data and models, and best-fit parameter estimation. Groundwater age distributions can be evaluated by comparing measured and modeled tracer concentrations in two ways: (1) multiple tracers analyzed simultaneously can be evaluated against each other for concordance with modeled concentrations (tracer-tracer application) or (2) tracer time-series data can be evaluated for concordance with modeled trends (tracer-time application). Groundwater-age estimates can also be obtained for samples with a single tracer measurement at one

  9. Tracing global biogeochemical cycles and meridional overturning circulation using chromophoric dissolved organic matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Norman B.; Siegel, David A.; Carlson, Craig A.; Swan, Chantal M.

    2010-02-01

    Basin-scale distributions of light absorption by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are positively correlated (R2 > 0.8) with apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) within the top kilometer of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. However, a much weaker correspondence is found for the Atlantic (R2 organic matter from sinking particles. The observed meridional-depth sections of CDOM result from a balance between biogeochemical processes (autochthonous production and solar bleaching) and the meridional overturning circulation. Rapid mixing in the Atlantic dilutes CDOM in the interior and implies that the time scale for CDOM accumulation is greater than ˜50 years. CDOM emerges as a unique tracer for diagnosing changes in biogeochemistry and the overturning circulation, similar to dissolved oxygen, with the additional feature that it can be quantified from satellite observation.

  10. Measuring gas-residence times in large municipal incinerators, by means of a pseudo-random binary signal tracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasserzadeh, V.; Swithenbank, J.; Jones, B.

    1995-01-01

    The problem of measuring gas-residence time in large incinerators was studied by the pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) stimulus tracer response technique at the Sheffield municipal solid-waste incinerator (35 MW plant). The steady-state system was disturbed by the superimposition of small fluctuations in the form of a pseudo-random binary sequence of methane pulses, and the response of the incinerator was determined from the CO 2 concentration in flue gases at the boiler exit, measured with a specially developed optical gas analyser with a high-frequency response. For data acquisition, an on-line PC computer was used together with the LAB Windows software system; the output response was then cross-correlated with the perturbation signal to give the impulse response of the incinerator. There was very good agreement between the gas-residence time for the Sheffield MSW incinerator as calculated by computational fluid dynamics (FLUENT Model) and gas-residence time at the plant as measured by the PRBS tracer technique. The results obtained from this research programme clearly demonstrate that the PRBS stimulus tracer response technique can be successfully and economically used to measure gas-residence times in large incinerator plants. It also suggests that the common commercial practice of characterising the incinerator operation by a single-residence-time parameter may lead to a misrepresentation of the complexities involved in describing the operation of the incineration system. (author)

  11. A Thermodynamically General Theory for Convective Circulations and Vortices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renno, N. O.

    2007-12-01

    Convective circulations and vortices are common features of atmospheres that absorb low-entropy-energy at higher temperatures than they reject high-entropy-energy to space. These circulations range from small to planetary-scale and play an important role in the vertical transport of heat, momentum, and tracer species. Thus, the development of theoretical models for convective phenomena is important to our understanding of many basic features of planetary atmospheres. A thermodynamically general theory for convective circulations and vortices is proposed. The theory includes irreversible processes and quantifies the pressure drop between the environment and any point in a convective updraft. The article's main result is that the proposed theory provides an expression for the pressure drop along streamlines or streamtubes that is a generalization of Bernoulli's equation to convective circulations. We speculate that the proposed theory not only explains the intensity, but also shed light on other basic features of convective circulations and vortices.

  12. Tracer-tracer relations as a tool for research on polar ozone loss

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mueller, Rolf

    2010-07-01

    The report includes the following chapters: (1) Introduction: ozone in the atmosphere, anthropogenic influence on the ozone layer, polar stratospheric ozone loss; (2) Tracer-tracer relations in the stratosphere: tracer-tracer relations as a tool in atmospheric research; impact of cosmic-ray-induced heterogeneous chemistry on polar ozone; (3) quantifying polar ozone loss from ozone-tracer relations: principles of tracer-tracer correlation techniques; reference ozone-tracer relations in the early polar vortex; impact of mixing on ozone-tracer relations in the polar vortex; impact of mesospheric intrusions on ozone-tracer relations in the stratospheric polar vortex calculation of chemical ozone loss in the arctic in March 2003 based on ILAS-II measurements; (4) epilogue.

  13. Physical oceanographic characteristics influencing the dispersion of dissolved tracers released at the sea floor in selected deep ocean study areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kupferman, S.L.; Moore, D.E.

    1981-02-01

    Scenarios which follow the development in space and time of the concentration field of a dissolved tracer released at the sea floor are presented for a Pacific and two Atlantic study areas. The scenarios are closely tied to available data by means of simple analytical models and proceed in stages from short time and space scales in the immediate vicinity of a release point to those scales characteristic of ocean basins. The concepts of internal mixing time and residence time in the benthic mixed layer, useful for developing an intuitive feeling for the behavior of a tracer in this feature, are introduced and discussed. We also introduce the concept of domain of occupation, which is useful in drawing distinctions between mixing and stirring in the ocean. From this study it is apparent that reliable estimation of mixing will require careful consideration of the dynamics of the eddy fields in the ocean. Another area in which more information is urgently needed is in the relation of deep isopycnal structure and bottom topography to local near-bottom circulation

  14. Journal: A Review of Some Tracer-Test Design Equations for ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Determination of necessary tracer mass, initial sample-collection time, and subsequent sample-collection frequency are the three most difficult aspects to estimate for a proposed tracer test prior to conducting the tracer test. To facilitate tracer-mass estimation, 33 mass-estimation equations are reviewed here, 32 of which were evaluated using previously published tracer-test design examination parameters. Comparison of the results produced a wide range of estimated tracer mass, but no means is available by which one equation may be reasonably selected over the others. Each equation produces a simple approximation for tracer mass. Most of the equations are based primarily on estimates or measurements of discharge, transport distance, and suspected transport times. Although the basic field parameters commonly employed are appropriate for estimating tracer mass, the 33 equations are problematic in that they were all probably based on the original developers' experience in a particular field area and not necessarily on measured hydraulic parameters or solute-transport theory. Suggested sampling frequencies are typically based primarily on probable transport distance, but with little regard to expected travel times. This too is problematic in that tends to result in false negatives or data aliasing. Simulations from the recently developed efficient hydrologic tracer-test design methodology (EHTD) were compared with those obtained from 32 of the 33 published tracer-

  15. Using Tracer Technology to Characterize Contaminated Pipelines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maresca, Joseph, W., Jr., Ph.D.; Bratton, Wesley, L., Ph.D., P.E.; Dickerson, Wilhelmina; Hales, Rochelle

    2005-12-30

    The Pipeline Characterization Using Tracers (PCUT) technique uses conservative and partitioning, reactive or other interactive tracers to remotely determine the amount of contaminant within a run of piping or ductwork. The PCUT system was motivated by a method that has been successfully used to characterize subsurface soil contaminants and is similar in operation to that of a gas chromatography column. By injecting a ?slug? of both conservative and partitioning tracers at one end (or section) of the piping and measuring the time history of the concentration of the tracers at the other end (or another section) of the pipe, the presence, location, and amount of contaminant within the pipe or duct can be determined. The tracers are transported along the pipe or duct by a gas flow field, typically air or nitrogen, which has a velocity that is slow enough so that the partitioning tracer has time to interact with the contaminant before the tracer slug completely passes over the contaminate region. PCUT not only identifies the presence of contamination, it also can locate the contamination along the pipeline and quantify the amount of residual. PCUT can be used in support of deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) of piping and ducts that may have been contaminated with hazardous chemicals such as chlorinated solvents, petroleum products, radioactive materials, or heavy metals, such as mercury.

  16. Biogeochemical proxies in Scleractinian corals used to reconstruct ocean circulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guilderson, T.P.; Kashgarian, M.; Schrag, D.P.

    2002-01-01

    We utilize monthly 14 C data derived from coral archives in conjunction with ocean circulation models to address two questions: 1) how does the shallow circulation of the tropical Pacific vary on seasonal to decadal time scales and 2) which dynamic processes determine the mean vertical structure of the equatorial Pacific thermocline. Our results directly impact the understanding of global climate events such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). To study changes in ocean circulation and water mass distribution involved in the genesis and evolution of ENSO and decadal climate variability, it is necessary to have records of climate variables several decades in length. Continuous instrumental records are limited because technology for continuous monitoring of ocean currents has only recently been available, and ships of opportunity archives such as COADS contain large spatial and temporal biases. In addition, temperature and salinity in surface waters are not conservative and thus can not be independently relied upon to trace water masses, reducing the utility of historical observations. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) in sea water is a quasi-conservative water mass tracer and is incorporated into coral skeletal material, thus coral 14 C records can be used to reconstruct changes in shallow circulation that would be difficult to characterize using instrumental data. High resolution Δ 14 C time-series such as these, provide a powerful constraint on the rate of surface ocean mixing and hold great promise to augment onetime surveys such as GEOSECS and WOCE. These data not only provide fundamental information about the shallow circulation of the Pacific, but can be used as a benchmark for the next generation of high resolution ocean models used in prognosticating climate change. (author)

  17. Tracer dispersion in planar multipole flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koplik, J.; Redner, S.; Hinch, E.J.

    1994-01-01

    We study the motion of passive Brownian tracer particles in steady two-dimensional potential flows between sources and sinks. Our primary focus is understanding the long-time properties of the transit time probability distribution for the tracer to reach the sink p(t) and the influence of the flow geometry on this probability. A variety of illustrative case studies is considered. For radial potential flow in an annular region, competition between convection and diffusion leads to nonuniversal decay of the transit time probability. Dipolar and higher multipole flows are found to exhibit generic features, such as a power-law decay in p(t) with an exponent determined by the multipole moment, an exponential cutoff related to stagnation points, and a ''shoulder'' in p(t) that is related to reflection from the system boundaries. For spatially extended sinks, it is also shown that the spatial distribution of the collected tracer is independent of the overall magnitude of the flow field and that p(t) decays as a power law with a geometry-dependent exponent. Our results may offer the possibility of using tracer measurements to characterize the flow geometry of porous media

  18. Study of particle movement in conical fluidized beds using the tracer method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Penkalla, H. J.; Gyarmati, E.; Nickel, H.

    1976-01-15

    In the work reported here, a method is described which enables the path and speed of the particles during fluidization to be measured using a tracer particle technique. Using statistical methods, it is then possible to determine the path-time diagram, the rate of circulation of the particles, the transport capacity, the extent of mixing and the relative residence time of the particles in a given zone of the bed. Measurements were made at room temperature in a 3'' model fluidized bed as a first step in evaluating the feasibility of the test method. Criteria for the type of coating, the growth rate of the coatings and the coating potential of the coating as were correlated with the relative dwell time of the particles and the dwell-time spectrum of the coating gases in a given part of the bed. It was therefore necessary to know the streaming behavior of the fluidizing gas, and so such an analysis was first carried out.

  19. Viruses as groundwater tracers: using ecohydrology to characterize short travel times in aquifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Randall J.; Borchardt, Mark A.; Bradbury, Kenneth R.

    2014-01-01

    Viruses are attractive tracers of short (population over time; therefore, the virus snapshot shed in the fecal wastes of an infected population at a specific point in time can serve as a marker for tracking virus and groundwater movement. The virus tracing approach and an example application are described to illustrate their ability to characterize travel times in high-groundwater velocity settings, and provide insight unavailable from standard hydrogeologic approaches. Although characterization of preferential flowpaths does not usually characterize the majority of other travel times occurring in the groundwater system (e.g., center of plume mass; tail of the breakthrough curve), virus approaches can trace very short times of transport, and thus can fill an important gap in our current hydrogeology toolbox.

  20. Nanoparticle tracers in calcium carbonate porous media

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Yan Vivian; Cathles, Lawrence M.; Archer, Lynden A.

    2014-01-01

    the fractures or channels where flow occurs and thus take much less time to travel between two points. In combination with a chemical tracer they can measure the degree of flow concentration. A prerequisite for tracer applications is that the particles

  1. The role of convective tracer transport for the NO{sub x} content in the North Atlantic flight corridor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koehler, I.; Sausen, R. [Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik der Atmosphaere

    1997-12-31

    The effect of convective tracer transport on the NO{sub x} distribution at cruising altitudes is studied by means of the atmosphere general circulation model ECHAM which was extended by a simplified (linear) NO{sub x} chemistry module. NO{sub x} originates from several sources including aircraft emissions. Two numerical simulations have been performed: one including convective tracer transport and one without this process. The differences in the NO{sub x} distribution of these two runs are discussed. (author) 8 refs.

  2. The role of convective tracer transport for the NO{sub x} content in the North Atlantic flight corridor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koehler, I; Sausen, R [Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik der Atmosphaere

    1998-12-31

    The effect of convective tracer transport on the NO{sub x} distribution at cruising altitudes is studied by means of the atmosphere general circulation model ECHAM which was extended by a simplified (linear) NO{sub x} chemistry module. NO{sub x} originates from several sources including aircraft emissions. Two numerical simulations have been performed: one including convective tracer transport and one without this process. The differences in the NO{sub x} distribution of these two runs are discussed. (author) 8 refs.

  3. A regional ocean circulation model for the mid-Cretaceous North Atlantic Basin: implications for black shale formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. P. M. Topper

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available High concentrations of organic matter accumulated in marine sediments during Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs in the Cretaceous. Model studies examining these events invariably make use of global ocean circulation models. In this study, a regional model for the North Atlantic Basin during OAE2 at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary has been developed. A first order check of the results has been performed by comparison with the results of a recent global Cenomanian CCSM3 run, from which boundary and initial conditions were obtained. The regional model is able to maintain tracer patterns and to produce velocity patterns similar to the global model. The sensitivity of the basin tracer and circulation patterns to changes in the geometry of the connections with the global ocean is examined with three experiments with different bathymetries near the sponges. Different geometries turn out to have little effect on tracer distribution, but do affect circulation and upwelling patterns. The regional model is also used to test the hypothesis that ocean circulation may have been behind the deposition of black shales during OAEs. Three scenarios are tested which are thought to represent pre-OAE, OAE and post-OAE situations. Model results confirm that Pacific intermediate inflow together with coastal upwelling could have enhanced primary production during OAE2. A low sea level in the pre-OAE scenario could have inhibited large scale black shale formation, as could have the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic Seaway in the post-OAE scenario.

  4. Determination of Columbia River flow times from Pasco, Washington using radioactive tracers introduced by the Hanford reactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Jack L.; Perkins, R.W.; Haushild, W.L.

    1966-01-01

    Radioactive tracers introduced into the Columbia River in cooling water from the Hanford reactors were used to measure flow times downstream from Pasco, Washington, as far as Astoria, Oregon. The use of two tracer methods was investigated. One method used the decay of a steady release of Na24 (15-hour half-life) to determine flow times to various downstream locations, and flow times were also determined from the time required for peak concentration of instantaneous releases of I131 (8-day half-life) to reach these locations. Flow times determined from the simultaneous use of the two methods agreed closely. The measured flow times for the 224 miles from Pasco to Vancouver, Washington, ranged from 14.6 to 3.6 days, respectively, for discharges of 108,000 and 630,000 ft3/sec at Vancouver, Washington. A graphic relation for estimating flow times at discharges other than those measured and for several locations between Pasco and Vancouver was prepared from the data of tests made at four river discharges. Some limited data are also presented on the characteristics of dispersion of I131 in the Columbia River.

  5. Proceedings of Tracer 3. International Conference on Tracers and Tracing Methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    Tracer 3 conference is a continuation of former Tracer 1 (1998) and Tracer 2 (2001) conferences organized by CNRS - Nancy France. The objective of this 3rd conference is presentation of different aspects of tracer method applications and development of tracer methodology.The new field of activity presented at the Conference was application of stable isotopes as natural tracers for investigations of environmental processes. The conference gave the possibility for scientific information exchange between specialists from different fields of activity such as chemical engineering, chemistry, bioengineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, civil engineering, metallurgy, etc. The presentations were divided into groups covering the principal items of Conference. Section A. Fundamental development - RTD and tracer methodology, - RTD methodology and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), - New tracers and detectors. Section B. Industrial applications - Environment, - Geology, hydrogeology and oil field applications, - Civil engineering, mineral engineering and metallurgy applications, - Food engineering and bioengineering, - Material engineering, - Chemical engineering. During the Conference INIS promotion materials were exposed by INIS liaison officer for Poland

  6. Proceedings of Tracer 3. International Conference on Tracers and Tracing Methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2004-07-01

    Tracer 3 conference is a continuation of former Tracer 1 (1998) and Tracer 2 (2001) conferences organized by CNRS - Nancy France. The objective of this 3rd conference is presentation of different aspects of tracer method applications and development of tracer methodology.The new field of activity presented at the Conference was application of stable isotopes as natural tracers for investigations of environmental processes. The conference gave the possibility for scientific information exchange between specialists from different fields of activity such as chemical engineering, chemistry, bioengineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, civil engineering, metallurgy, etc. The presentations were divided into groups covering the principal items of Conference. Section A. Fundamental development - RTD and tracer methodology, - RTD methodology and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), - New tracers and detectors. Section B. Industrial applications - Environment, - Geology, hydrogeology and oil field applications, - Civil engineering, mineral engineering and metallurgy applications, - Food engineering and bioengineering, - Material engineering, - Chemical engineering. During the Conference INIS promotion materials were exposed by INIS liaison officer for Poland.

  7. Use of multiple age tracers to estimate groundwater residence times and long-term recharge rates in arid southern Oman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Th.; Osenbrück, K.; Strauch, G.; Pavetich, S.; Al-Mashaikhi, K.-S.; Herb, C.; Merchel, S.; Rugel, G.; Aeschbach, W.; Sanford, Ward E.

    2016-01-01

    Multiple age tracers were measured to estimate groundwater residence times in the regional aquifer system underlying southwestern Oman. This area, known as the Najd, is one of the most arid areas in the world and is planned to be the main agricultural center of the Sultanate of Oman in the near future. The three isotopic age tracers 4He, 14C and 36Cl were measured in waters collected from wells along a line that extended roughly from the Dhofar Mountains near the Arabian Sea northward 400 km into the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula. The wells sampled were mostly open to the Umm Er Radhuma confined aquifer, although, some were completed in the mostly unconfined Rus aquifer. The combined results from the three tracers indicate the age of the confined groundwater is  100 ka in the central section north of the mountains, and up to and > one Ma in the Empty Quarter. The 14C data were used to help calibrate the 4He and 36Cl data. Mixing models suggest that long open boreholes north of the mountains compromise 14C-only interpretations there, in contrast to 4He and 36Cl calculations that are less sensitive to borehole mixing. Thus, only the latter two tracers from these more distant wells were considered reliable. In addition to the age tracers, δ2H and δ18O data suggest that seasonal monsoon and infrequent tropical cyclones are both substantial contributors to the recharge. The study highlights the advantages of using multiple chemical and isotopic data when estimating groundwater travel times and recharge rates, and differentiating recharge mechanisms.

  8. Radioactive tracers in the sea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jenkins, W.J.; Livingston, H.D.

    1980-01-01

    Artificial radionuclides introduced to the oceans during the last four decades have proved invaluable tools for study of many processes in marine water columns and sediments. Both global and close-in fallout of radioactivity from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing have distributed these radionuclides widely, and in amounts sufficient to be useful as tracers. An additional source of considerable significance and tracer potential comes from coastal discharges of European nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes. The nature of these sources, types and amounts of radionuclides introduced and the time histories of their introduction generate a variety of tracer distributions which illuminate a broad spectrum of physical and chemical processes active over a wide range of timescales. Depending on their respective chemistries, artificial radionuclides have been demonstrated to exhibit both conservative and non-conservative properties in the oceans. Some examples are given of the uses made of soluble, conservative tracers for the study of oceanic transport processes and of non-conservative tracers for studies of processes which move them to, and mix them within, marine sediments. Sampling and measurement techniques which have been used in these studies are described

  9. Tracer theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Margrita, R.

    1988-09-01

    Tracers are used in many fields of science to investigate mass transfer. The scope of tracers applications in Service of Applications Radioisotopes (S.A.R.-France) is large and concerns natural and industrial systems such as Sciences of earth: hydrology - civil engineering - Sedimentology - environmental studies. Industrial field: chemical engineering - mechanical engineering. A general tracer methodology has been developed in our laboratories from these different applications fields and this paper shows these different points of view in using tracers; our wish is that the methods used in an experimental field can be employed in an another one

  10. Interpretation of the tracer testing conducted in the Leuggern borehole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNeish, J.A.; Andrews, R.W.; Vomvoris, S.

    1990-12-01

    Tracer testing was conducted in the Leuggern borehole from July to December 1988 to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the crystalline host rock. The tested interval was an approximately 50 m section of fractured crystalline rock at a depth of greater than 1,600 m. The testing consisted of three tracer injection/recovery periods (uranin - 44 days, eosin - 30 days, and naphtionat -14 days), which utilized tracer injection/circulation rates, ranging between 25 and 50 ml/min. During these testing periods, tracer was injected in either of two 1/4 flow lines ported at the top or bottom of the interval and recovered from the other. Following the three tracer injection periods, a natural outflow tracer recovery test was conducted from the central tubing at an average outflow of 12 l/min. The central tubing was ported near the center of the test interval. Data collected during the testing periods included: continuous monitoring of fluid temperature, injection pressure, and electrical conductivity as well as discrete measurement of flow rates, electrical conductivity, fluid temperature, and tracer concentration. Testing results indicate a downward vertical flow of approximately 195-225 ml/min in the isolated interval, from an upper fracture inflow zone to a lower fracture outflow zone. Through analysis of the dilution levels of uranin and eosin during the injection/recovery periods, and review of field data, the top of the upper inflow zone was determined to be approximately 13 m below the top flow line and the bottom of the outflow zone to be approximately 3 to 5 meters above the bottom flow line. The calculated transmissivity value of 6E-05 m 2 /s from observed outflow rate and pressure recovery data, is consistent with results derived from previous hydraulic packer testing in the interval. The effective porosity was determined to be 0.1. Dispersion coefficient values ranged from 1.0 m to 5.0 m. The lateral hydraulic gradient value calculated from tracer recovery

  11. Time-lapse Mise-á-la-Masse measurements and modeling for tracer test monitoring in a shallow aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perri, Maria Teresa; De Vita, Pantaleone; Masciale, Rita; Portoghese, Ivan; Chirico, Giovanni Battista; Cassiani, Giorgio

    2018-06-01

    The main goal of this study is to evaluate the reliability of the Mise-á-la-Masse (MALM) technique associated with saline tracer tests for the characterization of groundwater flow direction and velocity. The experimental site is located in the upper part of the Alento River alluvial plain (Campania Region, Southern Italy). In this paper we present the hydrogeological setting, the experimental setup and the relevant field results. Subsequently, we compare those data against the simulated results obtained with a 3D resistivity model of the test area, coupled with a model describing the Advection - Dispersion equation for continuous tracer injection. In particular, we calculate a series of 3D forward solutions starting from a reference model, all derived from electrical tomography results, but taking into consideration different values of mean flow velocity and directions. Each electrical resistivity 3D model is used to produce synthetic voltage maps for MALM surveys. Finally, the synthetic MALM voltage maps are compared with the ones measured in the field in order to assess the information content of the MALM dataset with respect to the groundwater field characteristics. The results demonstrate that the information content of the MALM data is sufficient to define important characteristics of the aquifer geometry and properties. This work shows how a combination of three-dimensional time-lapse modeling of flow, tracer transport and electrical current can substantially contribute towards a quantitative interpretation of MALM measurements during a saline tracer test. This approach can thus revive the use of MALM as a practical, low cost field technique for tracer test monitoring and aquifer hydrodynamic characterization.

  12. Transdiaphragmatic transport of tracer albumin from peritoneal to pleural liquid measured in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai-Fook, Stephen J; Houtz, Pamela K; Jones, Philip D

    2005-12-01

    In conscious Wistar-Kyoto rats, we studied the uptake of radioactive tracer (125)I-albumin into the pleural space and circulation after intraperitoneal (IP) injections with 1 or 5 ml of Ringer solution (3 g/dl albumin). Postmortem, we sampled pleural liquid, peritoneal liquid, and blood plasma 2-48 h after IP injection and measured their radioactivity and protein concentration. Tracer concentration was greater in pleural liquid than in plasma approximately 3 h after injection with both IP injection volumes. This behavior indicated transport of tracer through the diaphragm into the pleural space. A dynamic analysis of the tracer uptake with 5-ml IP injections showed that at least 50% of the total pleural flow was via the diaphragm. A similar estimate was derived from an analysis of total protein concentrations. Both estimates were based on restricted pleural capillary filtration and unrestricted transdiaphragmatic transport. The 5-ml IP injections did not change plasma protein concentration but increased pleural and peritoneal protein concentrations from control values by 22 and 30%, respectively. These changes were consistent with a small (approximately 8%) increase in capillary filtration and a small (approximately 20%) reduction in transdiaphragmatic flow from control values, consistent with the small (3%) decrease in hydration measured in diaphragm muscle. Thus the pleural uptake of tracer via the diaphragm with the IP injections occurred by the near-normal transport of liquid and protein.

  13. Groundwater circulations within a tropical humid andesitic volcanic watershed using the temperature as a tracer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selles, Adrien; Violette, Sophie; Hendrayana, Heru

    2014-05-01

    water temperature has been used as a tracer to understand the pattern of groundwater flow and to determine the mean recharge elevation for springs. Inferences from standard oxygen and hydrogen isotopic measurements are compared with temperature measurements made at the springs to confirm the recharge elevation estimation and whether groundwater circulates to shallow or deeper depths. The METIS model, coupling groundwater flow and heat transport simulations in 2D steady flow regime, has been used in order to confirm the findings of the temperature and mean flow rate analysis and to characterize the regional flow of the multi-layered aquifer system. This approach provides methodological insights into characterization of the groundwater pathway within complex porous media in tropical humid regions. This study enable us to provide guidance on the required level of model complexity as well as on the amount and type of observations data required.

  14. Determination of optimum mixing time for raw materials with the tracer method in the glass industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gallyas, M; Gemesi, J; Kurinka, J

    1983-02-01

    The authors explain how the optimum mixing time for the raw materials for glass manufacture can be determined with the aid of the radioactive tracer method. Basing themselves on measurements, they indicate the change in the degree of mixing of the individual components (soda (Na-24), sodium sulphate, coke (La-140) and bone meal (P-32) as a function of mixing time. The optimum degree of mixing and mixing time for dry and for wet mixing are determined. Finally, data for determining the permissible storage time of the mixture are given.

  15. Tracer kinetic model-driven registration for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI time-series data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buonaccorsi, Giovanni A; O'Connor, James P B; Caunce, Angela; Roberts, Caleb; Cheung, Sue; Watson, Yvonne; Davies, Karen; Hope, Lynn; Jackson, Alan; Jayson, Gordon C; Parker, Geoffrey J M

    2007-11-01

    Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) time series data are subject to unavoidable physiological motion during acquisition (e.g., due to breathing) and this motion causes significant errors when fitting tracer kinetic models to the data, particularly with voxel-by-voxel fitting approaches. Motion correction is problematic, as contrast enhancement introduces new features into postcontrast images and conventional registration similarity measures cannot fully account for the increased image information content. A methodology is presented for tracer kinetic model-driven registration that addresses these problems by explicitly including a model of contrast enhancement in the registration process. The iterative registration procedure is focused on a tumor volume of interest (VOI), employing a three-dimensional (3D) translational transformation that follows only tumor motion. The implementation accurately removes motion corruption in a DCE-MRI software phantom and it is able to reduce model fitting errors and improve localization in 3D parameter maps in patient data sets that were selected for significant motion problems. Sufficient improvement was observed in the modeling results to salvage clinical trial DCE-MRI data sets that would otherwise have to be rejected due to motion corruption. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  16. Decreased circulation time offsets increased efficacy of PEGylated nanocarriers targeting folate receptors of glioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNeeley, Kathleen M; Annapragada, Ananth; Bellamkonda, Ravi V

    2007-01-01

    Liposomal and other nanocarrier based drug delivery vehicles can localize to tumours through passive and/or active targeting. Passively targeted liposomal nanocarriers accumulate in tumours via 'leaky' vasculature through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Passive accumulation depends upon the circulation time and the degree of tumour vessel 'leakiness'. After extravasation, actively targeted liposomal nanocarriers efficiently deliver their payload by receptor-mediated uptake. However, incorporation of targeting moieties can compromise circulation time in the blood due to recognition and clearance by the reticuloendothelial system, decreasing passive accumulation. Here, we compare the efficacy of passively targeted doxorubicin-loaded PEGylated liposomal nanocarriers to that of actively targeted liposomal nanocarriers in a rat 9L brain tumour model. Although folate receptor (FR)-targeted liposomal nanocarriers had significantly reduced blood circulation time compared to PEGylated liposomal nanocarriers; intratumoural drug concentrations both at 20 and 50 h after administration were equal for both treatments. Both treatments significantly increased tumour inoculated animal survival by 60-80% compared to non-treated controls, but no difference in survival was observed between FR-targeted and passively targeted nanocarriers. Therefore, alternate approaches allowing for active targeting without compromising circulation time may be important for fully realizing the benefits of receptor-mediated active targeting of gliomas

  17. Statistically Based Morphodynamic Modeling of Tracer Slowdown

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borhani, S.; Ghasemi, A.; Hill, K. M.; Viparelli, E.

    2017-12-01

    Tracer particles are used to study bedload transport in gravel-bed rivers. One of the advantages associated with using of tracer particles is that they allow for direct measures of the entrainment rates and their size distributions. The main issue in large scale studies with tracer particles is the difference between tracer stone short term and long term behavior. This difference is due to the fact that particles undergo vertical mixing or move to less active locations such as bars or even floodplains. For these reasons the average virtual velocity of tracer particle decreases in time, i.e. the tracer slowdown. In summary, tracer slowdown can have a significant impact on the estimation of bedload transport rate or long term dispersal of contaminated sediment. The vast majority of the morphodynamic models that account for the non-uniformity of the bed material (tracer and not tracer, in this case) are based on a discrete description of the alluvial deposit. The deposit is divided in two different regions; the active layer and the substrate. The active layer is a thin layer in the topmost part of the deposit whose particles can interact with the bed material transport. The substrate is the part of the deposit below the active layer. Due to the discrete representation of the alluvial deposit, active layer models are not able to reproduce tracer slowdown. In this study we try to model the slowdown of tracer particles with the continuous Parker-Paola-Leclair morphodynamic framework. This continuous, i.e. not layer-based, framework is based on a stochastic description of the temporal variation of bed surface elevation, and of the elevation specific particle entrainment and deposition. Particle entrainment rates are computed as a function of the flow and sediment characteristics, while particle deposition is estimated with a step length formulation. Here we present one of the first implementation of the continuum framework at laboratory scale, its validation against

  18. Study of lag time of river chenab between marala barrage and khanki headworks using radioactive tracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, A.; Tariq, J.A.; Ahmad, N.; Iqbal, N.

    2001-05-01

    During the flood season, sometimes discharge peaks in two tributaries of the Indus River System coincide at the point of confluence and their cumulative effect threatens the downstream barrage/headworks. Reasonably accurate lag time (transit time) between different control points in relation to discharge helps mange flood routing more safely. As a part of S tudy of Lag Time of the Indus River Suystem , radioactive tracer experiment was conducted to determine the lag time between Marala Barrage and Khanki Headworks at the river Chenab. Discharge data shows that the maximum flood peak appears in August. In the monsoon period of the year 1999 the floods were low. So the radiotracer experiment was carried out at low discharge of about 538 m/sup 3/ sec/sup-1/ (19000 cusecs). An activity of about 2 Ci of /sup 82/Br radioactive tracer was injected instantaneously in the river at Marala on 1st September 1999 at 0640 hours. Monitoring of radioactivity by scintillation detectors (sodium iodide) was done at Khanki Headworks. The peak value of activity was found on September 2, 1999 at 0005 hours. The lag time was determined as 17 hours and 25 minutes. At this discharge level the river water travelled with the average speed of 3.69 km/hr. (author)

  19. Tracer verification and monitoring of containment systems (II)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, C.V.; Dunn, S.D.; Lowry, W.E.

    1997-01-01

    A tracer verification and monitoring system, SEAtrace trademark, has been designed and field tested which uses gas tracers to evaluate, verify, and monitor the integrity of subsurface barriers. This is accomplished using an automatic, rugged, autonomous monitoring system combined with an inverse optimization code. A gaseous tracer is injected inside the barrier and an array of wells outside the barrier are monitored. When the tracer gas is detected, a global optimization code is used to calculate the leak parameters, including leak size, location, and when the leak began. The multipoint monitoring system operates in real-time, can be used to measure both the tracer gas and soil vapor contaminants, and is capable of unattended operation for long periods of time (months). The global optimization code searches multi-dimensional open-quotes spaceclose quotes to find the best fit for all of the input parameters. These parameters include tracer gas concentration histories from multiple monitoring points, medium properties, barrier location, and the source concentration. SEAtrace trademark does not attempt to model all of the nuances associated with multi-phase, multi-component flow, but rather, the inverse code uses a simplistic forward model which can provide results which are reasonably accurate. The system has calculated leak locations to within 0.5 meters and leak radii to within 0.12 meters

  20. Determination of the catalyst circulation rate in a FCC cold flow pilot unit using nuclear techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Valdemir A. dos; Lima, Emerson A.O.

    2013-01-01

    Nuclear techniques of gamma transmission and radioactive tracer were used to estimate the catalyst circulation rate in a cold flow pilot plant unit of Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC). Catalyst circulation rate in a FCC unit, allow to determine operating conditions of the exchange catalyst and inlet data for fluid dynamic simulation computational program. The pilot unit was fabricated obeying geometrical parameters provided by the Petrobras Research Center (CENPES), based on hot pilot units to existing in that center. The cold flow pilot unit has a transfer line, two separation vessels flash type, a return column, a riser and a regenerator. The vertical sections as riser, return column, regenerator column and transfer line are made of transparent material (glass). The two separation vessels have bases with tapered cylindrical shapes and are made of steel plates. The riser is divided into four sections of different diameters (0.005 m, 0.010 m, 0.018 m and 0.025 m) and rising upwards, to simulate the increasing flow rate caused by the increase of volume with the increase of the number of moles due to molecules breakage. The radioactive tracer used was the catalyst itself (intrinsic tracer) irradiated by neutron activation, yielding the radioisotope 59 Fe. The velocity measurements were also obtained with aid of an electronic clock triggered by certain radiation levels across the two detectors. Besides estimates for the catalyst circulation rate was possible to identify the type of flow relative to the catalyst in return column. (author)

  1. Heat tracer methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Healy, Richard W.; Scanlon, Bridget R.

    2010-01-01

    The flow of heat in the subsurface is closely linked to the movement of water (Ingebritsen et al., 2006). As such, heat has been used as a tracer in groundwater studies for more than 100 years (Anderson, 2005). As with chemical and isotopic tracers (Chapter 7), spatial or temporal trends in surface and subsurface temperatures can be used to infer rates of water movement. Temperature can be measured accurately, economically, at high frequencies, and without the need to obtain water samples, facts that make heat an attractive tracer. Temperature measurements made over space and time can be used to infer rates of recharge from a stream or other surface water body (Lapham, 1989; Stonestrom and Constantz, 2003); measurements can also be used to estimate rates of steady drainage through depth intervals within thick unsaturated zones (Constantz et al., 2003; Shan and Bodvarsson, 2004). Several thorough reviews of heat as a tracer in hydrologic studies have recently been published (Constantz et al., 2003; Stonestrom and Constantz, 2003; Anderson, 2005; Blasch et al., 2007; Constantz et al., 2008). This chapter summarizes heat-tracer approaches that have been used to estimate recharge.Some clarification in terminology is presented here to avoid confusion in descriptions of the various approaches that follow. Diffuse recharge is that which occurs more or less uniformly across large areas in response to precipitation, infiltration, and drainage through the unsaturated zone. Estimates of diffuse recharge determined using measured temperatures in the unsaturated zone are referred to as potential recharge because it is possible that not all of the water moving through the unsaturated zone will recharge the aquifer; some may be lost to the atmosphere by evaporation or plant transpiration. Estimated fluxes across confining units in the saturated zone are referred to as interaquifer flow (Chapter 1). Focused recharge is that which occurs directly from a point or line source, such

  2. Using environmental tracers to determine the relative importance of travel times in the unsaturated and saturated zones for the delay of nitrate reduction measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerber, Christoph; Purtschert, Roland; Hunkeler, Daniel; Hug, Rainer; Sültenfuss, Jürgen

    2018-06-01

    Groundwater quality in many regions with intense agriculture has deteriorated due to the leaching of nitrate and other agricultural pollutants. Modified agricultural practices can reduce the input of nitrate to groundwater bodies, but it is crucial to determine the time span over which these measures become effective at reducing nitrate levels in pumping wells. Such estimates can be obtained from hydrogeological modeling or lumped-parameter models (LPM) in combination with environmental tracer data. Two challenges in such tracer-based estimates are (i) accounting for the different modes of transport in the unsaturated zone (USZ), and (ii) assessing uncertainties. Here we extend a recently published Bayesian inference scheme for simple LPMs to include an explicit USZ model and apply it to the Dünnerngäu aquifer, Switzerland. Compared to a previous estimate of travel times in the aquifer based on a 2D hydrogeological model, our approach provides a more accurate assessment of the dynamics of nitrate concentrations in the aquifer. We find that including tracer measurements (3H/3He, 85Kr, 39Ar, 4He) reduces uncertainty in nitrate predictions if nitrate time series at wells are not available or short, but does not necessarily lead to better predictions if long nitrate time series are available. Additionally, the combination of tracer data with nitrate time series allows for a separation of the travel times in the unsaturated and saturated zone.

  3. Tracer tests Wairakei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCabe, W.J.; Manning, M.R.; Barry, B.J.

    1980-07-01

    The report summarises the radioactive tracer tests, using iodine-131 and bromine-82, made in the Wairakei geothermal field over the period 1978-80. Injection of tracer into three wells with strong cool water downflows at about 300-400m below ground level, produced strong rapid responses from the only deep wells feeding from about 800-1000m and lying in the south-westerly direction from the injection wells, i.e. parallel to the fault planes. Shallower wells, even though in some cases much closer to the injection well, reacted much more slowly. Velocities, as measured by peak arrival times, as high as 22m/h over 200m and 11m/h over 650m, were found. The flow patterns for the cool water feeds to the production area are discussed

  4. Principle of cerebral hemodynamic perfusion in SPECT and new evaluation method of hemodynamic reserve capacity using {sup 99m}Tc tracer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hashimoto, Masaaki; Mukai, Hironobu; Tada, Motoyuki; Miyazaki, Yoshiharu; Takimoto, Masamori; Shiozaki, Jun; Inoue, Hisashi [Noto General Hospital, Nanao, Ishikawa (Japan)

    2002-07-01

    We performed quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) using {sup 99m}Tc tracer by the Patlak Plot method with reference to normal aging and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) capacity and then investigated a new evaluation method of CVR. Aging and decrease of ADL were significantly associated with reduction of the mean hemispheric CBF. In the acetazolamide (ACZ) stress test, these retrospective data showed some overlap in each ischemic grade on the relationship between rCBF and CVR response for the predictability of EC/IC bypass surgery. In these controversial problems, we must reconfirm the principle of cerebral hemodynamic perfusion in SPECT. First, retention tracer is distributed via the microcirculatory system to brain tissue. Second, therefore, we should understand not only the circulation of major vessels, but also the dynamics and rheology in parenchymal microcirculation to determine brain SPECT and CVR capacity. In the next step, we approached the new evaluation method of CVR capacity using {sup 99m}Tc tracer by a serial dynamic SPECT with a slip-ring rotational gamma camera. These preliminally findings suggest that a serial dynamic SPECT may be more useful for analyzing the pathophysiology on brain circulation and CVR than conventional approaches. (author)

  5. Analysis of some laboratory tracer runs in natural fissures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, L.; Neretnieks, I.

    1984-01-01

    Tracer tests in natural fissures performed in the laboratory are analysed by means of fitting two different models. In the experiments, sorbing and non-sorbing tracers were injected into a natural fissure running parallel to the axis of a drill core. The models take into account advection, diffusion into the rock matrix, sorption onto the rock surface and dispersion. For the last mechanism, one of the models considers hydrodynamic dispersion while the other model assumes channeling dispersion. The models take into account time delays in the inlet and outlet channels. The dispersion characteristics and water residence time were determined from the experiments with non-sorbing tracers. Surface and volume sorption coefficients and data on diffusion into the rock matrix were determined for the sorbing tracers. The results are compared with values independently determined in the laboratory. Good agreement was obtained using either model. When these models are used for prediction of tracer transport over larger distances, the results will depend on the model. The model with channeling dispersion will show a greater dispersion than the model with hydrodynamic dispersion. (author)

  6. Environmental Tracers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trevor Elliot

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Environmental tracers continue to provide an important tool for understanding the source, flow and mixing dynamics of water resource systems through their imprint on the system or their sensitivity to alteration within it. However, 60 years or so after the first isotopic tracer studies were applied to hydrology, the use of isotopes and other environmental tracers are still not routinely necessarily applied in hydrogeological and water resources investigations where appropriate. There is therefore a continuing need to promote their use for developing sustainable management policies for the protection of water resources and the aquatic environment. This Special Issue focuses on the robustness or fitness-for-purpose of the application and use of environmental tracers in addressing problems and opportunities scientifically, to promote their wider use and to address substantive issues of vulnerability, sustainability, and uncertainty in (groundwater resources systems and their management.

  7. Measurement of circulation time distribution in a shaking vessel; Yodo kakuhan sonai no junkan jikan bunpu no sokutei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kato, Y; Hiraoka, S; Tada, Y; Ue, T [Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya (Japan); Koh, S [Toyo Engineering Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Lee, Y [Keimyung University, (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-01-20

    The circulation time distribution of a liquid in a horizontally shaking vessel was observed by tracing particle motion with the liquid. The distribution was affected by the operating conditions. The distribution was monotonous and the flow in the vessel was almost rotational flow at large Fr number. The circulation flow rate q{sub c} derived from the mean circulation time was correlated with Nq{sub c} = 22Fr{sup 2.1}Re{sup 0.2}(d/D){sup -2.6}, where Nq{sub c}, Fr and Re were the dimensionless numbers defined as q{sub c}/Nd{sup 3}, N{sup 2}D/g and Nd{sup 2}/{nu}, respectively, and q{sub c} was defined as {pi}D{sup 2}H/4t{sub c}. It was found from the comparison of the mean circulation time with the mixing time that complete mixing was achieved after about 16 circulations. 12 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

  8. Evidence of the Lower Thermospheric Winter-to-Summer Circulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, L.; Burns, A. G.; Yue, J.

    2017-12-01

    Numerical studies showed that the lower thermospheric winter-to-summer circulation is driven by wave dissipation, and it plays a significant role in trace gas distributions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), and in the composition of the thermosphere. Direct observations of this circulation are difficult. However, it leaves clear signatures in tracer distributions. Recent analysis of CO2 observed by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite showed dynamically driven dense isolines of CO2 at summer high latitudes. We conduct modeling and observational studies to understand the CO2 distribution and circulation patterns in the MLT. We found that there exists maximum vertical gradient of CO2 at summer high latitudes, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the mesospheric circulation and the downwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation; this maximum vertical gradient of CO2 is located at a higher altitude in the winter hemisphere, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation and the downwelling of the solar-driven thermospheric circulation. Based on SABER CO2 distribution, the bottom of the lower thermospheric circulation is located between 95 km and 100 km, and it has a vertical extent of 10 km. Analysis of the SABER CO2 and temperature at summer high latitudes showed that the bottom of this circulation is consistently higher than the mesopause height by 10 km; and its location does not change much between solar maximum and solar minimum.

  9. On the late-time behavior of tracer test breakthrough curves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    HAGGERTY, ROY; MCKENNA, SEAN A; MEIGS, LUCY C

    2000-06-12

    The authors investigated the late-time (asymptotic) behavior of tracer test breakthrough curves (BTCs) with rate-limited mass transfer (e.g., in dual or multi-porosity systems) and found that the late-time concentration, c, is given by the simple expression: c = t{sub ad} (c{sub 0}g {minus} m{sub 0}{partial_derivative}g/{partial_derivative}t), for t >> t{sub ad} and t{sub a} >> t{sub ad} where t{sub ad} is the advection time, c{sub 0} is the initial concentration in the medium, m{sub 0} is the 0th moment of the injection pulse; and t{sub a} is the mean residence time in the immobile domain (i.e., the characteristic mass transfer time). The function g is proportional to the residence time distribution in the immobile domain, the authors tabulate g for many geometries, including several distributed (multirate) models of mass transfer. Using this expression they examine the behavior of late-time concentration for a number of mass transfer models. One key results is that if rate-limited mass transfer causes the BTC to behave as a power-law at late-time (i.e., c {approximately} t{sup {minus}k}), then the underlying density function of rate coefficients must also be a power-law with the form a{sup k{minus}}, as a {r_arrow}0. This is true for both density functions of first-order and diffusion rate coefficients. BTCs with k < 3 persisting to the end of the experiment indicate a mean residence time longer than the experiment and possibly infinite, and also suggest an effective rate coefficient that is either undefined or changes as a function of observation time. They apply their analysis to breakthrough curves from Single-Well Injection-Withdrawal tests at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, New Mexico.

  10. Tracer studies with aortic infusion result in improper tracer distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wisneski, J.A.; Brooks, G.A.; Neese, R.A.; Stanley, W.C.; Morris, D.L.; Gertz, E.W.

    1986-01-01

    It has been suggested that lactate turnover can be accurately assessed by infusing radioactive lactate tracer into the aorta and sampling blood in the vena cava. However, there may be streaming of newly infused tracer in the aorta, resulting in a nonuniform arterial specific activity (SA). Furthermore vena caval blood may not be representative of mixed venous blood. The authors examined this problem in 7 anesthetized dogs with sampling catheters in the pulmonary (PA), carotid (CA), and femoral (FA) arteries, and the superior (SVC) and inferior (IVC) vena cavi. [1- 14 C]lactate was continuously infused into the left ventricle through a catheter introduced through the femoral artery. The same SA (dpm/μmol) was found in the CA and FA, indicating adequate mixing of newly infused tracer with trace. Three dogs showed differences between SVC, IVC and PA, suggesting a mixed venous sample can not be obtained from the VC. When the catheter was moved into the aorta, wide differences in SA appeared between the CA and FA, clearly reflecting streaming of tracer. These differences also appeared in the SVC and IVC. In conclusion, adequate mixing does not occur between tracer and trace in arterial blood with aortic infusion. Further, VC sampling will not give a consistent mixed venous SA. Therefore, for practical reasons, aortic tracer infusion with vena caval sampling will lead to erroneous turnover values

  11. The Hamburg oceanic carbon cycle circulation model. Cycle 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maier-Reimer, E.; Heinze, C.

    1992-02-01

    The carbon cycle model calculates the prognostic fields of oceanic geochemical carbon cycle tracers making use of a 'frozen' velocity field provided by a run of the LSG oceanic circulation model (see the corresponding manual, LSG=Large Scale Geostrophic). The carbon cycle model includes a crude approximation of interactions between sediment and bottom layer water. A simple (meridionally diffusive) one layer atmosphere model allows to calculate the CO 2 airborne fraction resulting from the oceanic biogeochemical interactions. (orig.)

  12. Lanthanide-based fluorescent tracers in complex media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brichart, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Tracers are objects allowing the determination of the position or the distribution of a product; tracers are currently used in a great variety of domains. Despite the fact that each field has it's own specifications, it is possible to find tracers in medicine (contrast agents), anti-counterfeiting or geological exploration. We have developed lanthanide complex tracers for oil field injection waters. Those tracers, derived from the DOTA, have been detected at concentration lower than 1 ppb, thanks to a simple and compact apparatus. This detection has been made possible by the use of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, this technique allows us to get rid of the background noise created by the intrinsic fluorescence of oil residues that are present in production waters. We also demonstrated how we can, through a reverse microemulsion synthesis, encapsulate several different dyes inside a single nanoparticle composed of a gold core and a silica shell. We showed as well, how those particles can be used as smart tracers to gather data, such as temperature, pH, solvents, etc. inside the well. Finally the use of lanthanides and scale inhibitors properties allowed us to create a simple and fast dosing protocol of such scale inhibitors in injection waters. This dosage will then allow the quick adjustment of their concentration inside each well. (author) [fr

  13. The Southern Ocean's role in ocean circulation and climate transients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, A. F.; Stewart, A.; Hines, S.; Adkins, J. F.

    2017-12-01

    The ventilation of deep and intermediate density classes at the surface of the Southern Ocean impacts water mass modification and the air-sea exchange of heat and trace gases, which in turn influences the global overturning circulation and Earth's climate. Zonal variability occurs along the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Antarctic margins related to flow-topography interactions, variations in surface boundary conditions, and exchange with northern basins. Information about these zonal variations, and their impact on mass and tracer transport, are suppressed when the overturning is depicted as a two-dimensional (depth-latitude) streamfunction. Here we present an idealized, multi-basin, time-dependent circulation model that applies residual circulation theory in the Southern Ocean and allows for zonal water mass transfer between different ocean basins. This model efficiently determines the temporal evolution of the ocean's stratification, ventilation and overturning strength in response to perturbations in the external forcing. With this model we explore the dynamics that lead to transitions in the circulation structure between multiple, isolated cells and a three-dimensional, "figure-of-eight," circulation in which traditional upper and lower cells are interleaved. The transient model is also used to support a mechanistic explanation of the hemispheric asymmetry and phase lag associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events during the last glacial period. In particular, the 200 year lag in southern hemisphere temperatures, following a perturbation in North Atlantic deep water formation, depends critically on the migration of Southern Ocean isopycnal outcropping in response to low-latitude stratification changes. Our results provide a self-consistent dynamical framework to explain various ocean overturning transitions that have occurred over the Earth's last 100,000 years, and motivate an exploration of these mechanisms in more sophisticated climate models.

  14. Evaluation of angiographic delayed vasospasm due to ruptured aneurysm in comparison with cerebral circulation time measured by IA-DSA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okada, Yoshikazu; Shima, Takeshi; Nishida, Masahiro; Yamane, Kanji; Okita, Shinji; Hatayama, Takashi; Yoshida, Akira; Naoe, Yasutaka; Shiga, Naoko (Chugoku Rosai Hospital, Hiroshima (Japan))

    1994-05-01

    Delayed vasospasm due to ruptured aneurysm has been basically evaluated by angiographic changes in contrast to clinical features such as delayed ischemic neurological deficits (DIND). However, the discrepancies between angiographic and clinical findings have been pointed out. In this study, angiographic changes and cerebral circulation time in ruptured aneurysms were simultaneously investigated with IA-DSA. Thirty-two patients, who had ruptured aneurysms at the anterior circle of Willis and neck clippings at the acute stage, were investigated. Carotid angiogram was performed with IA-DSA on the 7-13th day after the attack. Angiographic changes were evaluated by Fischer's classification and circulation time was calculated in the following way. A time-density curve was obtained at the two ROI's: the C3-C4 portion and the rolandic vein. Circulation time was defined by the difference between the time showing peak optical density at the carotid and the venous portion. The control value of this circulation time obtained from 20 cases with non-rupture aneurysm and epilepsy was 3.4 sec (53 year old) on the average. X-ray CT scan examination was performed at the same time and clinical features were observed every day. Angiographically, 3 cases were free from vasospasm, 18 cases were found to present slight to moderate vasospasm, and 11 cases showed severe vasospasm. Circulation time in patients with no spasm was 3.6 seconds, in patients with slight to moderate vasospasm it was 4.3 seconds and in patients with severe vasospasm it was 6.8 seconds. Ten patients showing cerebral infarction on CT scans demonstrated significantly long circulation time, 7.0 seconds on the average. And all patients having severe vasospasm with circulation time more than 6 seconds presented DIND such as hemiparesis. (author).

  15. Five channel data acquisition system for tracer studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narender Reddy, J.; Dhananjay Reddy, Y.; Dheeraj Reddy, J.

    2001-01-01

    Radioactive tracers are being used by many modern industries for trouble shooting, process control/quality control and optimization in the process plants. A five channel data acquisition system which has five independent scintillation detector based channels for data acquisition has been developed and made available. This system can be used for tracer studies involving Mean residence time, Resident time distribution and other similar parameters involving tracer movement. System developed can acquire data with dwell times ranging from 10 m sec to 100 sec into each channel and has a capacity to acquire data into 10K channels. Each channel electronics, has a 1x1 NaI Scintillation Detector probe, HV, AMP SCA, micro-controller based data acquisition card with independent dot matrix LCD display for visualization. Extensive use of serial bus (I 2 C, microwire) compatible devices has been incorporated in the design. Data acquisition is initiated simultaneously into all the channels. System design permits delayed/prompt data acquisition selectively. Dual counter switching technique has been employed to achieve faster dwell times for data acquisition. (author)

  16. Field tracer test for denitrification in a pyrite-bearing schist aquifer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pauwels, H.; Kloppmann, W.; Foucher, J.-C.; Martelat, A.; Fritsche, V.

    1998-01-01

    A small-scale artificial tracer test performed on a schist aquifer in Brittany has helped clarify mechanisms and kinetics of in situ autotrophic denitrification. NO 3 was injected as a pulse simultaneously with a conservative tracer - Br - . During the test, which lasted 210 h, 73% of the injected Br - was recovered, as against only 47% of the NO 3 . The 26% difference in the recovery of the two injected species is interpreted as being the result of denitrification, in part due to the direct oxidation of pyrite present in the solid aquifer according to the reaction: 5FeS 2 +14NO 3 - +4H + approaches7N 2 +10SO 4 2- +5Fe 2+ +2H 2 O, and in part due to subsequent iron oxidation according to the reaction: NO 3 - +5Fe 2+ +6H + approaches1/2N 2 +5Fe 3+ +3H 2 O. Despite the potential increase in SO 4 and Fe resulting from denitrification through pyrite oxidation, the concentrations of these elements in the groundwater remain moderate due to the precipitation of minerals such as jarosite and/or natroalunite. Tracer transfer takes place in a heterogeneous medium which, according to the breakthrough curves, can be simplified to a dual-porosity aquifer comprising a high-permeability (fractures or large fissures) medium of low porosity from which only minor denitrification of circulating NO 3 -bearing water was observed and a low-permeability (small fissures) medium of high porosity which induces a higher denitrification rate in the circulating NO 3 -bearing water. The kinetics of the denitrification reaction are high compared with results obtained for other environments and can be described by a first-order model with a half life of 7.9 days for the low-porosity medium and only 2.1 days for the high-porosity medium. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  17. Acupuncture meridians demythified. A study using the radioactive tracer method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, J.; Esquerre, J.P.; Guiraud, R.; Guiraud, G.; Lazorthes, Y.

    1988-01-01

    Radioactive trajectories can be visualized by injecting a radioactive tracer, technetium 99 m, at the site of acupuncture points. To determine the exact nature of these trajectories we performed several experiments on healthy volunteers, and our results may be summarized as follows. The target organs of technetium 99 m, and notably the thyroid gland, were always visualized. The circulating radioactivity, visible on scintiscans and confirmed by venous blood counts, was not negligible. The radioactive trajectories we observed were often divided at their starting point and did not extend along the whole length of the acupuncture meridians they might have made visible. The radioactive trajectories disappeared after venous blockade to reappear when the blockade was lifted. Finally, the radioactive trajectories obtained were very similar after injection at the acupuncture point and at a control point. These findings indicate a lymphatic and venous drainage of the radioactive tracer at the site of injection followed by transportation through the veins, rather than visualization of acupuncture meridians as suggested by some authors [fr

  18. Acupuncture meridians demythified. A study using the radioactive tracer method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simon, J.; Esquerre, J.P.; Guiraud, R.; Guiraud, G.; Lazorthes, Y.

    1988-07-01

    Radioactive trajectories can be visualized by injecting a radioactive tracer, technetium 99 m, at the site of acupuncture points. To determine the exact nature of these trajectories we performed several experiments on healthy volunteers, and our results may be summarized as follows. The target organs of technetium 99 m, and notably the thyroid gland, were always visualized. The circulating radioactivity, visible on scintiscans and confirmed by venous blood counts, was not negligible. The radioactive trajectories we observed were often divided at their starting point and did not extend along the whole length of the acupuncture meridians they might have made visible. The radioactive trajectories disappeared after venous blockade to reappear when the blockade was lifted. Finally, the radioactive trajectories obtained were very similar after injection at the acupuncture point and at a control point. These findings indicate a lymphatic and venous drainage of the radioactive tracer at the site of injection followed by transportation through the veins, rather than visualization of acupuncture meridians as suggested by some authors.

  19. Tracers confirm downward mixing of Tyrrhenian Sea upper waters associated with the Eastern Mediterranean Transient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Roether

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Observations of tritium and 3He in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 1987–2009, confirm the enhanced vertical mixing of intermediate waters into the deep waters that has been noted and associated with the Eastern Mediterranean Transient in previous studies. Our evidence for the mixing rests on increasing tracer concentrations in the Tyrrhenian deep waters, accompanied by decreases in the upper waters, which are supplied from the Eastern Mediterranean. The downward transfer is particularly evident between 1987 and 1997. Later on, information partly rests on increasing tritium-3He ages; here we correct the observed 3He for contributions released from the ocean floor. The Tyrrhenian tracer distributions are fully compatible with data upstream of the Sicily Strait and in the Western Mediterranean. The tracer data show that mixing reached to the bottom and confirm a cyclonic nature of the deep water circulation in the Tyrrhenian. They furthermore indicate that horizontal homogenization of the deep waters occurs on a time scale of roughly 5 years. Various features point to a reduced impact of Western Mediterranean Deep Water (WMDW in the Tyrrhenian during the enhanced-mixing period. This is an important finding because it implies less upward mixing of WMDW, which has been named a major process to enable the WMDW to leave the Mediterranean via the Gibraltar Strait. On the other hand, the TDW outflow for several years represented a major influx of enhanced salinity and density waters into the deep-water range of the Western Mediterranean.

  20. Analysis of tracer transit in rat brain after carotid artery and femoral vein administrations using linear system theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudin, M; Beckmann, N; Sauter, A

    1997-01-01

    Determination of tissue perfusion rates by MRI bolus tracking methods relies on the central volume principle which states that tissue blood flow is given by the tissue blood volume divided by the mean tracer transit time (MTT). Accurate determination of the MTT requires knowledge of the arterial input function which in MRI experiments is usually not known, especially when using small animals. The problem of unknown arterial input can be circumvented in animal experiments by directly injecting the contrast agent into a feeding artery of the tissue of interest. In the present article the passage of magnetite nanoparticles through the rat cerebral cortex is analyzed after injection into the internal carotid artery. The results are discussed in the framework of linear system theory using a one-compartment model for brain tissue and by using the well characterized gamma-variate function to describe the tissue concentration profile of the contrast agent. The results obtained from the intra-arterial tracer administration experiments are then compared with the commonly used intra-venous injection of the contrast agent in order to estimate the contribution of the peripheral circulation to the MTT values in the latter case. The experiments were analyzed using a two-compartment model and the gamma-variate function. As an application perfusion rates in normal and ischemic cerebral cortex of hypertensive rats were estimated in a model of focal cerebral ischemia. The results indicate that peripheral circulation has a significant influence on the MTT values and thus on the perfusion rates, which cannot be neglected.

  1. Development and application of a modified wireless tracer for disaster prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung Yang, Han; Su, Chih Chiang

    2016-04-01

    Typhoon-induced flooding causes water overflow in a river channel, which results in general and bridge scour and soil erosion, thus leading to bridge failure, debris flow and landslide collapse. Therefore, dynamic measurement technology should be developed to assess scour in channels and landslide as a disaster-prevention measure against bridge failure and debris flow. This paper presents a wireless tracer that enables monitoring general scour in river channels and soil erosion in hillsides. The wireless tracer comprises a wireless high-power radio modem, various electronic components, and a self-designed printed circuit board that are all combined with a 9-V battery pack and an auto switch. The entire device is sealed in a jar by silicon. After it was modified, the wireless tracer underwent the following tests for practical applications: power continuation and durability, water penetration, and signal transmission during floating. A regression correlation between the wireless tracer's transmission signal and distance was also established. This device can be embedded at any location where scouring is monitored, and, in contrast to its counterparts that detect scour depth by identifying and analyzing received signals, it enables real-time observation of the scouring process. In summary, the wireless tracer developed in this study provides a dynamic technology for real-time monitoring of scouring (or erosion) and forecasting of landslide hazards. Keywords: wireless tracer; scour; real-time monitoring; landslide hazard.

  2. Transport of Perfluorocarbon Tracers in the Cranfield Geological Carbon Sequestration Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moortgat, J.; Soltanian, M. R.; Amooie, M. A.; Cole, D. R.; Graham, D. E.; Pfiffner, S. M.; Phelps, T.

    2017-12-01

    A field-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) injection pilot project was conducted by the Southeast Regional Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) at Cranfield, Mississippi. Two associated campaigns in 2009 and 2010 were carried out to co-inject perfluorocarbon tracers (PFTs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) with CO2. Tracers in gas samples from two observation wells were analyzed to construct breakthrough curves. We present the compiled field data as well as detailed numerical modeling of the flow and transport of CO2, brine, and introduced tracers. A high-resolution static model of the formation geology in the Detailed Area Study (DAS) was used in order to capture the impact of connected flow pathways created by fluvial channels on breakthrough curves and breakthrough times of PFTs and SF6 tracers. We use the cubic-plus-association (CPA) equation of state, which takes into account the polar nature of water molecules, to describe the phase behavior of CO2-brine-tracer mixtures. We show how the combination of multiple tracer injection pulses with detailed numerical simulations provide a powerful tool in constraining both formation properties and how complex flow pathways develop over time.

  3. Potential vorticity dynamics for global scale circulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, C.; Schubert, W.

    1994-01-01

    One of the most notable advances in extratropical dynamics this decade has been the understanding of large-scale atmospheric and oceanic processes by using potential vorticity dynamics, the so called open-quotes IPV thinking.close quotes This analysis method has also been successfully extended to some tropical atmospheric circulation systems such as hurricanes and the Hadley circulation. The fundamental idea behind such a dynamic system rests with the fact that PV is a tracer-like quantity since it is conserved (in the absence of friction and diabatic heating) following a fluid particle and carries both significant dynamic and thermodynamic information regarding fluid motion. Thus, the prediction and inversion of PV form the most succinct dynamic view of atmospheric and oceanic motions. Furthermore, PV dynamics provides access to many insightful dynamic analyses such as: Propagation of Rossby waves, barotropic and baroclinic instabilities for shear flows, and wave-mean flow interactions. All these features make IPV analysis a very attractive tool for studying geophysical fluid systems

  4. Analysis of blood clearance and labeled metabolites for the estrogen receptor tracer [F-18]-16α-fluorestradiol (FES)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mankoff, David A.; Tewson, Timothy J.; Eary, Janet F.

    1997-01-01

    [F-18] 16α-Fluoroestradiol (FES) has been shown to be a tracer of estrogen receptor content in breast tumors; however, quantitative analysis of FES images is complicated by the rapid metabolism of the tracer in vivo. To optimize FES PET imaging studies and to provide an input function for the quantitative analysis of the tracer FES uptake in breast tumors, we studied the clearance and metabolism of FES in 15 breast cancer patients. FES clearance, protein binding, and metabolite production and limited assays to determine the identity of labeled metabolites were performed. These studies show that FES was rapidly cleared from the blood and metabolized; at 20 min only 20% of the circulating radioactivity was unmetabolized FES, and much of this was protein bound. The detectable metabolites in either blood or urine are conjugation products, largely the glucuronide and the sulfate of FES, and these are excreted through the kidneys at a rate comparable to their introduction into the circulation. After 20 min postinjection the blood levels of radioactivity remain fairly constant. Our results, the first report on human metabolites, are in close agreement with previous animal studies of FES metabolism. These studies show that because FES clearance is rapid and metabolite background is nearly constant, imaging starting at 20 to 30 min after injection may provide good visualization of estrogen-containing tissues. Labeled metabolites need to be accounted for in quantifying FES uptake

  5. Radio-isotopic tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolfangel, R.G.

    1976-01-01

    The invention concerns the dispersions that may be used for preparing radio-isotopic tracers, technetium labelled dispersions, processes for preparing these dispersions and their use as tracers. Technetium 99m sulphur colloids are utilized as scintillation tracers to give a picture of the reticulo-endothelial system, particularly the liver and spleen. A dispersion is provided which only requires the addition of a radioactive nuclide to form a radioactively labelled dispersion that can be injected as a tracer. It is formed of a colloid of tin sulphur dispersed in an aqueous buffer solution. Such a reagent has the advantage of being safe and reliable and is easier to use. The colloid can be prepared more quickly since additions of several different reagents are avoided. There is no need to heat up and no sulphuretted hydrogen, which is a toxic gas, is used [fr

  6. The Faroe shelf circulation and its potential impact on the primary production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasmussen, Till A. S.; Olsen, Steffen M.; Hansen, Bogi; Hátún, Hjálmar; Larsen, Karin M. H.

    2014-10-01

    -shelf flow near the surface and an off-shelf flow near the bottom associated with the frictional boundary layer. This is confirmed by the tracer experiment. Both the tracer experiment and the exchange across the 120 m isobath indicate that there is spatial variability in the exchange of the shelf water. The renewal rate of the shelf water mass during the spring bloom period is assessed by a set of passive tracer simulations. Using passive tracers, the time scale for the half-life is found to be between 30 and 40 days. This compares favorably with the time-scale based on the net, advected water mass exchange that yields 60-70 days, considering that this estimate neglects turbulent and diffusive exchange.

  7. Using neural networks to describe tracer correlations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. J. Lary

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Neural networks are ideally suited to describe the spatial and temporal dependence of tracer-tracer correlations. The neural network performs well even in regions where the correlations are less compact and normally a family of correlation curves would be required. For example, the CH4-N2O correlation can be well described using a neural network trained with the latitude, pressure, time of year, and methane volume mixing ratio (v.m.r.. In this study a neural network using Quickprop learning and one hidden layer with eight nodes was able to reproduce the CH4-N2O correlation with a correlation coefficient between simulated and training values of 0.9995. Such an accurate representation of tracer-tracer correlations allows more use to be made of long-term datasets to constrain chemical models. Such as the dataset from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE which has continuously observed CH4  (but not N2O from 1991 till the present. The neural network Fortran code used is available for download.

  8. Using radioactive tracer technique in municipal hygiene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yurasova, O.I.

    1974-01-01

    Work of the A. N. Syrsin Institute of General and Municiapl Hygiene using raidoactive tracers is reviewed. The studies include research on protein metabolism in the living organism following action of unfavorable factors of the environment; determination of the paths of introduction into the organism of substances with an alien composition; and study of the rate of resorption of subcutaneous papuli. Results are shown of radioactive-tracer studies on the mechanism of action of poisonous substances on the living organism and of migration of alien chemical compounds in the organism and in objects in the environment. It is concluded that the radioactive tracer method has wide application in municipal hygiene and sanitary microbiology. The absence of laborious operations, economy of time, precision of the experiments, and the possibility of obtaining additional information on the mechanism of action of poisonous substances on the organism and the low cost of such studies compared with other methods makes the radioactive tracer method economically attractive. The studies made show the various types of use of the method in municipal hygiene and sanitary microbiology

  9. Using radioactive tracer technique in municipal hygiene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yurasova, O I [Institut Obshchej i Kommunal' noj Gigieny, Moscow (USSR)

    1974-01-01

    Work of the A. N. Syrsin Institute of General and Municiapl Hygiene using raidoactive tracers is reviewed. The studies include research on protein metabolism in the living organism following action of unfavorable factors of the environment; determination of the paths of introduction into the organism of substances with an alien composition; and study of the rate of resorption of subcutaneous papuli. Results are shown of radioactive-tracer studies on the mechanism of action of poisonous substances on the living organism and of migration of alien chemical compounds in the organism and in objects in the environment. It is concluded that the radioactive tracer method has wide application in municipal hygiene and sanitary microbiology. The absence of laborious operations, economy of time, precision of the experiments, and the possibility of obtaining additional information on the mechanism of action of poisonous substances on the organism and the low cost of such studies compared with other methods makes the radioactive tracer method economically attractive. The studies made show the various types of use of the method in municipal hygiene and sanitary microbiology.

  10. Development of radioisotope tracer technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Joon Ha; Lee, Myun Joo; Jung, Sung Hee; Park, Soon Chul; Lim, Dong Soon; Kim, Jae Ho; Lee, Jae Choon; Lee, Doo Sung; Cho, Yong Suk; Shin, Sung Kuan

    2000-04-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop the radioisotope tracer technology, which can be used in solving industrial and environmental problems and to build a strong tracer group to support the local industries. In relation to the tracer technology in 1999, experiments to estimate the efficiencies of a sludge digester of a waste water treatment plant and a submerged biological reactor of a dye industry were conducted. As a result, the tracer technology for optimization of facilities related to wastewater treatment has been developed and is believed to contribute to improve their operation efficiency. The quantification of the experimental result was attempted to improve the confidence of tracer technology by ECRIN program which basically uses the MCNP simulation principle. Using thin layer activation technique, wear of tappet shim was estimated. Thin layer surface of a tappet shim was irradiated by proton beam and the correlation between the measured activity loss and the amount of wear was established. The equipment was developed to adjust the energy of proton which collides with the surface of tappet. The tracer project team has participated into the tracer test for estimating the efficiency of RFCC system in SK cooperation. From the experiment the tracer team has obtained the primary elements to be considered for judging the efficiency of RFCC unit. By developing the tracer techniques to test huge industrial units like RFCC, the tracer team will be able to support the local industries that require technical services to solve any urgent trouble. (author)

  11. Field measurements of tracer gas transport by barometric pumping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lagus, P.L.; McKinnis, W.B.; Hearst, J.R.; Burkhard, N.R.; Smith, C.F.

    1994-01-01

    Vertical gas motions induced by barometric pressure variations can carry radioactive gases out of the rubblized region produced by an underground nuclear explosion, through overburden rock, into the atmosphere. To better quantify transit time and amount of transport, field experiments were conducted at two sites on Pahute Mesa, Kapelli and Tierra, where radioactive gases had been earlier detected in surface cracks. At each site, two tracer gases were injected into the rubblized chimney 300-400 m beneath the surface and their arrival was monitored by concentration measurements in gas samples extracted from shallow collection holes. The first ''active'' tracer was driven by a large quantity of injected air; the second ''passive'' tracer was introduced with minimal gas drive to observe the natural transport by barometric pumping. Kapelli was injected in the fall of 1990, followed by Tierra in the fall of 1991. Data was collected at both sites through the summer of 1993. At both sites, no surface arrival of tracer was observed during the active phase of the experiment despite the injection of several million cubic feet of air, suggesting that cavity pressurization is likely to induce horizontal transport along high permeability layers rather than vertical transport to the surface. In contrast, the vertical pressure gradients associated with barometric pumping brought both tracers to the surface in comparable concentrations within three months at Kapelli, whereas 15 months elapsed before surface arrival at Tierra. At Kapelli, a quasisteady pumping regime was established, with tracer concentrations in effluent gases 1000 times smaller than concentrations thought to exist in the chimney. Tracer concentrations observed at Tierra were typically an order of magnitude smaller. Comparisons with theoretical calculations suggest that the gases are traveling through ∼1 millimeter vertical fractures spaced 2 to 4 meters apart. 6 refs., 18 figs., 3 tabs

  12. Non-linear time series analysis on flow instability of natural circulation under rolling motion condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Wenchao; Tan, Sichao; Gao, Puzhen; Wang, Zhanwei; Zhang, Liansheng; Zhang, Hong

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Natural circulation flow instabilities in rolling motion are studied. • The method of non-linear time series analysis is used. • Non-linear evolution characteristic of flow instability is analyzed. • Irregular complex flow oscillations are chaotic oscillations. • The effect of rolling parameter on the threshold of chaotic oscillation is studied. - Abstract: Non-linear characteristics of natural circulation flow instabilities under rolling motion conditions were studied by the method of non-linear time series analysis. Experimental flow time series of different dimensionless power and rolling parameters were analyzed based on phase space reconstruction theory. Attractors which were reconstructed in phase space and the geometric invariants, including correlation dimension, Kolmogorov entropy and largest Lyapunov exponent, were determined. Non-linear characteristics of natural circulation flow instabilities under rolling motion conditions was studied based on the results of the geometric invariant analysis. The results indicated that the values of the geometric invariants first increase and then decrease as dimensionless power increases which indicated the non-linear characteristics of the system first enhance and then weaken. The irregular complex flow oscillation is typical chaotic oscillation because the value of geometric invariants is at maximum. The threshold of chaotic oscillation becomes larger as the rolling frequency or rolling amplitude becomes big. The main influencing factors that influence the non-linear characteristics of the natural circulation system under rolling motion are thermal driving force, flow resistance and the additional forces caused by rolling motion. The non-linear characteristics of the natural circulation system under rolling motion changes caused by the change of the feedback and coupling degree among these influencing factors when the dimensionless power or rolling parameters changes

  13. Measurements of waste tank passive ventilation rates using tracer gases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huckaby, J.L.; Olsen, K.B.; Sklarew, D.S.; Evans, J.C.; Remund, K.M.

    1997-09-01

    This report presents the results of ventilation rate studies of eight passively ventilated high-level radioactive waste tanks using tracer gases. Head space ventilation rates were determined for Tanks A-101, AX-102, AX-103, BY-105, C-107, S-102, U-103, and U-105 using sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) and/or helium (He) as tracer gases. Passive ventilation rates are needed for the resolution of several key safety issues. These safety issues are associated with the rates of flammable gas production and ventilation, the rates at which organic salt-nitrate salt mixtures dry out, and the estimation of organic solvent waste surface areas. This tracer gas study involves injecting a tracer gas into the tank headspace and measuring its concentration at different times to establish the rate at which the tracer is removed by ventilation. Tracer gas injection and sample collection were performed by SGN Eurisys Service Corporation and/or Lockheed Martin Hanford Corporation, Characterization Project Operations. Headspace samples were analyzed for He and SF 6 by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The tracer gas method was first demonstrated on Tank S-102. Tests were conducted on Tank S-102 to verify that the tracer gas was uniformly distributed throughout the tank headspace before baseline samples were collected, and that mixing was sufficiently vigorous to maintain an approximately uniform distribution of tracer gas in the headspace during the course of the study. Headspace samples, collected from a location about 4 in away from the injection point and 15, 30, and 60 minutes after the injection of He and SF 6 , indicated that both tracer gases were rapidly mixed. The samples were found to have the same concentration of tracer gases after 1 hour as after 24 hours, suggesting that mixing of the tracer gas was essentially complete within 1 hour

  14. Tracer Testing for Estimating Heat Transfer Area in Fractured Reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pruess, Karsten; van Heel, Ton; Shan, Chao

    2004-05-12

    A key parameter governing the performance and life-time of a Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) reservoir is the effective heat transfer area between the fracture network and the matrix rock. We report on numerical modeling studies into the feasibility of using tracer tests for estimating heat transfer area. More specifically, we discuss simulation results of a new HFR characterization method which uses surface-sorbing tracers for which the adsorbed tracer mass is proportional to the fracture surface area per unit volume. Sorption in the rock matrix is treated with the conventional formulation in which tracer adsorption is volume-based. A slug of solute tracer migrating along a fracture is subject to diffusion across the fracture walls into the adjacent rock matrix. Such diffusion removes some of the tracer from the fluid in the fractures, reducing and retarding the peak in the breakthrough curve (BTC) of the tracer. After the slug has passed the concentration gradient reverses, causing back-diffusion from the rock matrix into the fracture, and giving rise to a long tail in the BTC of the solute. These effects become stronger for larger fracture-matrix interface area, potentially providing a means for estimating this area. Previous field tests and modeling studies have demonstrated characteristic tailing in BTCs for volatile tracers in vapor-dominated reservoirs. Simulated BTCs for solute tracers in single-phase liquid systems show much weaker tails, as would be expected because diffusivities are much smaller in the aqueous than in the gas phase, by a factor of order 1000. A much stronger signal of fracture-matrix interaction can be obtained when sorbing tracers are used. We have performed simulation studies of surface-sorbing tracers by implementing a model in which the adsorbed tracer mass is assumed proportional to the fracture-matrix surface area per unit volume. The results show that sorbing tracers generate stronger tails in BTCs, corresponding to an effective

  15. Suitability of tracers; Eignung von Tracern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klotz, D. [GSF - Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit GmbH, Neuherberg (Germany). Inst. fuer Hydrologie

    1999-02-01

    Hydrological tracer techniques are a means of making statements on the direction and speed of underground water. One of the simpler tasks is to find out whether there is hydrological communication between two given points. This requires a determination of the direction of flow, which places less exacting demands on the properties of the tracer than does the task of determining the flow velocity of underground water. Tracer methods can serve to infer from flow velocity the distance (flow) velocity, which is defined as the ratio between the distance between two points located in flow direction and the actual time it takes water to flow from one to the other. [Deutsch] Mit Hilfe der hydrologischen Markierungstechniken koennen Aussagen ueber die Richtung und die Geschwindigkeit von Bewegungen des unterirdischen Wassers gemacht werden. Der einfachere Fall liegt vor, wenn festgestellt werden soll, ob zwischen zwei Punkten eine hydrologische Verbindung besteht. Bei dieser Fliessrichtungsbestimmung sind die Forderungen an die Eigenschaften der einzusetzenden Tracer geringer als bei der Bestimmung der Geschwindigkeit des unterirdischen Wassers. Von den Geschwindigkeiten des unterirdischen Wassers ist die Abstands-(Fliess)geschwindigkeit, die definiert ist durch das Verhaeltnis aus dem Abstand und der wahren Fliesszeit zwischen zwei in Bewegungsrichtung gelegenen Punkten, durch Tracermethoden zu bestimmen. (orig.)

  16. Application of artificial radioactive tracers for groundwater flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamza, M.S.; Aly, A.I.M.; Swailem, F.M.; Nada, A.A.; Awad, M.A.

    1989-01-01

    In this work, the groundwater velocity was estimated by applying radioactive tracer techniques: the single well and the multiple well methods. In the first single well method, radioactive iodine-131 was injected in the well and the radioactivity was monitored with time. The groundwater flow was estimated as a function of the concentration dilution factor of the tracer taking into consideration the permeability of the filter screen and the aquifer. The second method (the multiple well technique) is based on direct measuring of the period of time the tracer needs to disperse from the injection well to one of receptor well arranged in a circle around the injection. The latter method was found to be more accurate and reliable and has also the advantage of determining the groundwater velocity and direction of flow as well. The limitations of the single well technique are discussed and a detailed comparison between single and multi-well techniques is given

  17. Demonstration of circulating 1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D3 in man by radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clemens, T.L.; Fraher, L.J.; Sandler, L.M.; O'Riordan, J.L.H.

    1982-01-01

    1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D 3 has been detected in human serum using a sensitive radioimmunoassay. Tritiated 1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D 3 was synthesized biologically and used as tracer to monitor the recovery of endogenous metabolite during isolation from serum. Circulating 1,24,25(OH) 3 D 3 in normal subjects ranged from 9.3 to 18.5 pmol/l but was not detectable ( 3 . (author)

  18. Wirelessly powered micro-tracer enabled by miniaturized antenna and microfluidic channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duan, G; Zhao, X; Seren, H R; Chen, C; Zhang, X

    2015-01-01

    A miniaturized antenna, 380μm by 380μm in size, was fabricated and integrated with a commercialized passive RFID chip to form a micro-tracer, whose size was 2mm by 1mm in total. The micro-tracer was wirelessly powered and interrogated by a single layer spiral reader antenna through near field coupling. To maximize the working distance, the resonant frequency of micro-tracer and reader antenna were matched at 840MHz. Due to the ultra small size of the tracer antenna, power transfer efficiency decreased dramatically as the distance between tracer antenna and reader antenna increased, thus the working distance of the microtracer was limited within 1mm. To achieve massive operation of the micro-tracer, a microfluidic platform was fabricated with in channel focusing and separation. Acrylic sheets were laser cut to define the channel and cover structure, then bonded together layer by layer with a glass substrate, on which reader antenna was integrated. Pump oil was used as the fluidic media carrying the micro-tracer flowing inside the microfluidic channel. The wireless power transfer and real-time communication was demonstrated with the micro-tracer flowing above the reader antenna, as the ID of the micro-tracer was retrieved and displayed on a computer screen. (paper)

  19. Laplace transform in tracer kinetic modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hauser, Eliete B., E-mail: eliete@pucrs.br [Instituto do Cerebro (InsCer/FAMAT/PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, (Brazil). Faculdade de Matematica

    2013-07-01

    The main objective this paper is to quantify the pharmacokinetic processes: absorption, distribution and elimination of radiopharmaceutical(tracer), using Laplace transform method. When the drug is administered intravenously absorption is complete and is available in the bloodstream to be distributed throughout the whole body in all tissues and fluids, and to be eliminated. Mathematical modeling seeks to describe the processes of distribution and elimination through compartments, where distinct pools of tracer (spatial location or chemical state) are assigned to different compartments. A compartment model is described by a system of differential equations, where each equation represents the sum of all the transfer rates to and from a specific compartment. In this work a two-tissue irreversible compartment model is used for description of tracer, [{sup 18}F]2-fluor-2deoxy-D-glucose. In order to determine the parameters of the model, it is necessary to have information about the tracer delivery in the form of an input function representing the time-course of tracer concentration in arterial blood or plasma. We estimate the arterial input function in two stages and apply the Levenberg-Marquardt Method to solve nonlinear regressions. The transport of FDG across de arterial blood is very fast in the first ten minutes and then decreases slowly. We use de Heaviside function to represent this situation and this is the main contribution of this study. We apply the Laplace transform and the analytical solution for two-tissue irreversible compartment model is obtained. The only approach is to determinate de arterial input function. (author)

  20. Evaluation of urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants using radioactive tracers; Otimizacao de unidades de tratamento de aguas residuais urbanas e industriais empregando-se tracadores radioativos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brandao, Luis Eduardo Barreira

    2001-07-01

    A methodology for studies and evaluation of sewage treatment plants with radioactive tracers is presented.. Radioisotopes as {sup 82} Br ( for the liquid phase), {sup 110m} Ag and {sup 140} La, (for the solid phase) was used to evaluate sewage flow rates, mixing pattern in equalization tank and test effluent treatment units. The tracer was injected in the unit (instantaneously or in a constant rate with a pump) and NaI-scintillation detectors measured the output signal. The Fortran program TRACADORES was developed to analyze the response function of the units in form of residence times distribution curves (RTD), which represents the probability of an element of the material to interact with the unit, and calculate the mean residence time {gamma}, the central moment of this distribution function. This fundamental parameter characterizes the tank and serves as a quantitative evaluation for its performance. With the radiotracer techniques was possible to identify dead zone, channeling, internal circulation of the solid phase inside the tanks. The technique represents a guideline for redesign a imperfect unit and eliminate the problem. (author)

  1. Characterization of a managed aquifer recharge system using multiple tracers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moeck, Christian; Radny, Dirk; Popp, Andrea; Brennwald, Matthias; Stoll, Sebastian; Auckenthaler, Adrian; Berg, Michael; Schirmer, Mario

    2017-12-31

    Knowledge about the residence times of artificially infiltrated water into an aquifer and the resulting flow paths is essential to developing groundwater-management schemes. To obtain this knowledge, a variety of tracers can be used to study residence times and gain information about subsurface processes. Although a variety of tracers exists, their interpretation can differ considerably due to subsurface heterogeneity, underlying assumptions, and sampling and analysis limitations. The current study systematically assesses information gained from seven different tracers during a pumping experiment at a site where drinking water is extracted from an aquifer close to contaminated areas and where groundwater is artificially recharged by infiltrating surface water. We demonstrate that the groundwater residence times estimated using dye and heat tracers are comparable when the thermal retardation for the heat tracer is considered. Furthermore, major ions, acesulfame, and stable isotopes (δ 2 H and δ 18 O) show that mixing of infiltrated water and groundwater coming from the regional flow path occurred and a vertical stratification of the flow system exist. Based on the concentration patterns of dissolved gases (He, Ar, Kr, N 2 , and O 2 ) and chlorinated solvents (e.g., tetrachloroethene), three temporal phases are observed in the ratio between infiltrated water and regional groundwater during the pumping experiment. Variability in this ratio is significantly related to changes in the pumping and infiltration rates. During constant pumping rates, more infiltrated water was extracted, which led to a higher dilution of the regional groundwater. An infiltration interruption caused however, the ratio to change and more regional groundwater is extracted, which led to an increase in all concentrations. The obtained results are discussed for each tracer considered and its strengths and limitations are illustrated. Overall, it is demonstrated that aquifer heterogeneity and

  2. Estimation of transit times in a Karst Aquifer system using environmental tracers: Application on the Jeita Aquifer system-Lebanon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doummar, Joanna; Hamdan, Ahmad

    2016-04-01

    Estimating transit times is essential for the assessment of aquifer vulnerability to contaminants. Groundwater in karst aquifer is assumed to be relatively young due to fast preferential pathways; slow flow components are present in water stored in the fissured matrix. Furthermore, transit times are site specific as they depend on recharge rates, temperatures, elevation, and flow media; saturated and unsaturated zones. These differences create significant variation in the groundwater age in karst systems as the water sampled will be a mix of different water that has been transported through different flow pathways (fissured matrix and conduits). Several methods can be applied to estimate water transit time of an aquifer such as artificial tracers, which provide an estimate for fast flow velocities. In this study, groundwater residence times in the Jeita spring aquifer (Lebanon) were estimated using several environmental tracers such as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6), Helium-Tritium (3H, 3H- 3He). Additional stable isotope and major ion analysis was performed to characterize water types. Groundwater samples were collected from six different wells in the Jeita catchment area (Jurassic Kesrouane aquifer) as well as from the spring and cave itself. The results are reproducible for the Tritium-Helium method, unlike for the CFC/SF6 methods that yielded poor results due to sampling problems. Tritium concentrations in all groundwater samples show nearly the same concentration (~2.73 TU) except for one sample with relatively lower tritium concentration (~2.26 TU). Ages ranging from 0.07 ± 0.07 years to 23.59 ± 0.00 years were obtained. The youngest age is attributed to the spring/ cave while the oldest ages were obtained in wells tapping the fissured matrix. Neon in these samples showed considerable variations and high delta Ne in some samples indicating high excess air. Four (4) samples showed extreme excess air (Delta-Ne is greater than 70 %) and

  3. Tracer SWIW tests in propped and un-propped fractures: parameter sensitivity issues, revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghergut, Julia; Behrens, Horst; Sauter, Martin

    2017-04-01

    Single-well injection-withdrawal (SWIW) or 'push-then-pull' tracer methods appear attractive for a number of reasons: less uncertainty on design and dimensioning, and lower tracer quantities required than for inter-well tests; stronger tracer signals, enabling easier and cheaper metering, and shorter metering duration required, reaching higher tracer mass recovery than in inter-well tests; last not least: no need for a second well. However, SWIW tracer signal inversion faces a major issue: the 'push-then-pull' design weakens the correlation between tracer residence times and georeservoir transport parameters, inducing insensitivity or ambiguity of tracer signal inversion w. r. to some of those georeservoir parameters that are supposed to be the target of tracer tests par excellence: pore velocity, transport-effective porosity, fracture or fissure aperture and spacing or density (where applicable), fluid/solid or fluid/fluid phase interface density. Hydraulic methods cannot measure the transport-effective values of such parameters, because pressure signals correlate neither with fluid motion, nor with material fluxes through (fluid-rock, or fluid-fluid) phase interfaces. The notorious ambiguity impeding parameter inversion from SWIW test signals has nourished several 'modeling attitudes': (i) regard dispersion as the key process encompassing whatever superposition of underlying transport phenomena, and seek a statistical description of flow-path collectives enabling to characterize dispersion independently of any other transport parameter, as proposed by Gouze et al. (2008), with Hansen et al. (2016) offering a comprehensive analysis of the various ways dispersion model assumptions interfere with parameter inversion from SWIW tests; (ii) regard diffusion as the key process, and seek for a large-time, asymptotically advection-independent regime in the measured tracer signals (Haggerty et al. 2001), enabling a dispersion-independent characterization of multiple

  4. Diffusing passive tracers in random incompressible flows: Statistical topography aspects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klyatskin, V.I.; Woyczynski, W.A.; Gurarie, D.

    1996-01-01

    The paper studies statistical characteristics of the passive tracer concentrations and of its spatial gradient, in random incompressible velocity fields from the viewpoint of statistical topography. The statistics of interest include mean values, probability distributions, as well as various functionals characterizing topographic features of tracers. The functional approach is used. We consider the influence of the mean flow (the linear shear flow) and the molecular diffusion coefficient on the statistics of the tracer. Most of our analysis is carried out in the framework of the delta-correlated (in time) approximation and conditions for its applicability are established. But we also consider the diffusion approximation scheme for finite correlation radius. The latter is applied to a diffusing passive tracer that undergoes sedimentation in a random velocity field

  5. Relationship between availability of the collateral circulation and ischemic time for myocardial viability in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Assessment by technetium-99m tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanamori, Norio; Kondo, Makoto; Fukuoka, Yoshitomo; Higuchi, Hirokazu; Kubota, Tomoyuki; Matsuoka, Ryota; Araki, Makoto; Tanio, Hitoshi; Doyama, Kiyoshi

    2007-01-01

    Myocardial accumulation before reperfusion therapy of a radioactive tracer in the completely occluded region, conceivably reflects the viability of myocytes and degree of collateral circulation. To confirm this, the present study examined the relationship in the title. Subjects were 33 patients (F 7, M 26; average age 65 y) of the first 1-branch acute myocardial infarction and of TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction trial) grade 0 who recovered to TIMI 3 within 12 hr after attack: 99m Tc-tetrofosmin, 740 MBq, was intravenously injected before reperfusion and just after which, SPECT imaging (TF-SPECT) was conducted with Toshiba E. CAM, and regional severity score index (RSSI) (0-3) was calculated. About 1 week later, to see the myocardial viability in the chronic phase, GITl (Glucose-Insulin- 201 Tl) (111 MBq) SPECT was performed 30 min after its injection to calculate RSSI as above, and the echocardiography with ALOKA Pro Sound SSD-4000 or SIEMENS Acuson SEQUOIA C256 was done to calculate the regional wall motion score index (RWMSI) (0-4). RWMSI was found significantly correlated with TF-RSSI, the group with the better collateral circulation (TF-RSSI, 1.9 or less) exhibited significantly lower GITl-RSSI and RWMSI, and correlation between the ischemic time and neither TF-RSSI, GITl-RSSI nor RWMSI was found. Thus under these conditions, the development of collateral vessels was found to have potential protective effects on myocardium independently on the ischemic time. (T.I.)

  6. The fluorescent tracer experiment on Holiday Beach near Mugu Canyon, Southern California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinsman, Nicole; Xu, J. P.

    2012-01-01

    After revisiting sand tracer techniques originally developed in the 1960s, a range of fluorescent coating formulations were tested in the laboratory. Explicit steps are presented for the preparation of the formulation evaluated to have superior attributes, a thermoplastic pigment/dye in a colloidal mixture with a vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate copolymer. In September 2010, 0.59 cubic meters of fluorescent tracer material was injected into the littoral zone about 4 kilometers upcoast of Mugu submarine canyon in California. The movement of tracer was monitored in three dimensions over the course of 4 days using manual and automated techniques. Detailed observations of the tracer's behavior in the coastal zone indicate that this tracer successfully mimicked the native beach sand and similar methods could be used to validate models of tracer movement in this type of environment. Recommendations including how to time successful tracer studies and how to scale the field of view of automated camera systems are presented along with the advantages and disadvantages of the described tracer methodology.

  7. Contamination tracer testing with seabed drills: IODP Expedition 357

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orcutt, Beth N.; Bergenthal, Markus; Freudenthal, Tim; Smith, David; Lilley, Marvin D.; Schnieders, Luzie; Green, Sophie; Früh-Green, Gretchen L.

    2017-11-01

    IODP Expedition 357 utilized seabed drills for the first time in the history of the ocean drilling program, with the aim of collecting intact sequences of shallow mantle core from the Atlantis Massif to examine serpentinization processes and the deep biosphere. This novel drilling approach required the development of a new remote seafloor system for delivering synthetic tracers during drilling to assess for possible sample contamination. Here, we describe this new tracer delivery system, assess the performance of the system during the expedition, provide an overview of the quality of the core samples collected for deep biosphere investigations based on tracer concentrations, and make recommendations for future applications of the system.

  8. Recent and ancient recharge deciphered by multi-dating tracer technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dogramaci, Shawan; Cook, Peter; Mccallum, Jimes; Purtchert, Roland

    2017-04-01

    Determining groundwater residence time from environmental tracer concentrations obtained from open bores or long screened intervals is fraught with difficulty because the sampled water represents variety of ages. Information on the distribution of groundwater age is commonly obtained by measuring more than one tracer. We examined the use of the multi-tracer technique representing different time frames (39Ar, 85Kr, 14C, 3H, CFC 11- CFC-12 CFC-113, SF6 and Cl,) to decipher the groundwater ages sampled from long screened bores in a regional aquifer in the Pilbara region of northwest Australia. We then applied a technique that assumes limited details of the form of the age distribution. Tracer concentrations suggest that groundwater samples are a mixture of young and old water - the former is inferred to represent localised recharge from an adjacent creek, and the latter to be diffuse recharge. Using our method, we were able to identify distinct age components in the groundwater. The results suggest the presence of four distinct age groups; zero and 20 years, 50 to 100 years, 100 to 600 years and approximately 1000 years old. These relatively high recharge events were consistent with local recharge sources (50-100 years) and confirmed by palaeo-climate record obtained from lake sediments. We found that although the ages of these components were well constrained, the relative proportions of each component was highly sensitive to errors of environmental tracer data. Our results show that the method we implemented can identify distinct age groups in groundwater samples without prior knowledge of the age distribution. The presence of distinct recharge times gives insight into groundwater flow conditions over long periods of time.

  9. Packet Tracer network simulator

    CERN Document Server

    Jesin, A

    2014-01-01

    A practical, fast-paced guide that gives you all the information you need to successfully create networks and simulate them using Packet Tracer.Packet Tracer Network Simulator is aimed at students, instructors, and network administrators who wish to use this simulator to learn how to perform networking instead of investing in expensive, specialized hardware. This book assumes that you have a good amount of Cisco networking knowledge, and it will focus more on Packet Tracer rather than networking.

  10. Proceedings of the atmospheric tracers and tracer application workshop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barr, S.; Gedayloo, T.

    1979-12-01

    In addition to presentations by participating members a general discussion was held in order to summarize and outline the goals and objectives of the workshop. A number of new low level background tracers such as heavy methanes, perfluorocarbons, multiply labeled isotopes such as 13 C 18 O 2 , helium 3, in addition to sample collection techniques and analytical methods for various tracers were discussed. This report is a summary of discussions and papers presented at this workshop

  11. Natural tracer profiles across argillaceous formations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazurek, Martin; Alt-Epping, Peter; Bath, Adrian; Gimmi, Thomas; Niklaus Waber, H.; Buschaert, Stephane; Canniere, Pierre De; Craen, Mieke De; Gautschi, Andreas; Savoye, Sebastien; Vinsot, Agnes; Wemaere, Isabelle; Wouters, Laurent

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Solute transport processes in clay and shale formations at nine sites are examined. → Conservative pore-water tracers (e.g. Cl - , δ 18 O, δ 2 H, He) show regular profiles. → These indicate the dominance of diffusive transport over times of 10 5 -10 6 years. → The contribution of vertical advection to transport is limited or negligible. → Modelled evolution times are in line with independent palaeo-hydrogeological data. - Abstract: Argillaceous formations generally act as aquitards because of their low hydraulic conductivities. This property, together with the large retention capacity of clays for cationic contaminants, has brought argillaceous formations into focus as potential host rocks for the geological disposal of radioactive and other waste. In several countries, programmes are under way to characterise the detailed transport properties of such formations at depth. In this context, the interpretation of profiles of natural tracers in pore waters across the formations can give valuable information about the large-scale and long-term transport behaviour of these formations. Here, tracer-profile data, obtained by various methods of pore-water extraction for nine sites in central Europe, are compiled. Data at each site comprise some or all of the conservative tracers: anions (Cl - , Br - ), water isotopes (δ 18 O, δ 2 H) and noble gases (mainly He). Based on a careful evaluation of the palaeo-hydrogeological evolution at each site, model scenarios are derived for initial and boundary pore-water compositions and an attempt is made to numerically reproduce the observed tracer distributions in a consistent way for all tracers and sites, using transport parameters derived from laboratory or in situ tests. The comprehensive results from this project have been reported in . Here the results for three sites are presented in detail, but the conclusions are based on model interpretations of the entire data set. In essentially all cases, the

  12. A degradation approach to accelerate simulations to steady-state in a 3-D tracer transport model of the global ocean

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aumont, O.; Orr, J.C.; Marti, O. [CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France). Lab. de Modelisation du Climat et de l`Environnement; Jamous, D.; Monfray, P. [Centre des Faibles Radioactivites, Laboratoire mixte CNRS-CEA, L`Orme des Merisiers, Bt. 709/LMCE, CE Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex (France); Madec, G. [Laboratoire d`Oceanographie Dynamique et de Climatologie, (CNRS/ORSTOM/UPMC) Universite Paris VI, 4 place Jussieu, Paris (France)

    1998-02-01

    We have developed a new method to accelerate tracer simulations to steady-state in a 3D global ocean model, run off-line. Using this technique, our simulations for natural {sup 14}C ran 17 times faster when compared to those made with the standard nonaccelerated approach. For maximum acceleration we wish to initialize the model with tracer fields that are as close as possible to the final equilibrium solution. Our initial tracer fields were derived by judiciously constructing a much faster, lower-resolution (degraded), off-line model from advective and turbulent fields predicted from the parent on-line model, an ocean general circulation model (OGCM). No on-line version of the degraded model exists; it is based entirely on results from the parent OGCM. Degradation was made horizontally over sets of four adjacent grid-cell squares for each vertical layer of the parent model. However, final resolution did not suffer because as a second step, after allowing the degraded model to reach equilibrium, we used its tracer output to reinitialize the parent model (at the original resolution). After reinitialization, the parent model must then be integrated only to a few hundred years before reaching equilibrium. To validate our degradation-integration technique (DEGINT), we compared {sup 14}C results from runs with and without this approach. Differences are less than 10 permille throughout 98.5% of the ocean volume. Predicted natural {sup 14}C appears reasonable over most of the ocean. In the Atlantic, modeled {Delta}{sup 14}C indicates that as observed, the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) fills the deep North Atlantic, and Antartic Intermediate Water (AAIW) infiltrates northward. (orig.) With 12 figs., 1 tab., 42 refs.

  13. Tracer techniques in karst hydrogeology. Application to the location of karst aquifers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mangin, A.; Molinari, J.

    1976-01-01

    From the recent progress in karst aquifer simulation techniques and the improved knowledge of tracers, the old-established tracer technique has become an invaluable instrument for hydrogeological survey work. Typical information obtainable includes karst system boundaries features and location of hydrodynamic discontinuities, flow variation in both space and time. Tracer methods are a basic requirement for investigation of karst groundwater supplies and determining protection zones for water supply points [fr

  14. Nutrient pumping by submesoscale circulations in the mauritanian upwelling system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosegood, P. J.; Nightingale, P. D.; Rees, A. P.; Widdicombe, C. E.; Woodward, E. M. S.; Clark, D. R.; Torres, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    Observations made within a cold filament in the Mauritanian upwelling system demonstrate that intense submesoscale circulations at the peripheral edges of the filament are likely responsible for anomalously high levels of observed primary productivity by resupplying nutrients to the euphotic zone. Measurements made on the shelf within the recently upwelled water reveal that primary production (PP) of 8.2 gC/m-2 day-1 was supported by nitrate concentrations (NC) of 8 mmol m-3. Towards the front that defined the edge of the filament containing the upwelled water as it was transported offshore, PP dropped to 1.6 gC m-2 day-1 whilst NC dropped to 5.5 mmol m-3. Thus, whilst the observed nutrients on the shelf accounted for 90% of new production, this value dropped to ∼60% near the filament's front after accounting for vertical turbulent fluxes and Ekman pumping. We demonstrate that the N15 was likely to have been supplied at the front by submesoscale circulations that were directly measured as intense vertical velocities ⩾100 m day-1 by a drifting acoustic Doppler current profiler that crossed a submesoscale surface temperature front. At the same time, a recently released tracer was subducted out of the mixed layer within 24 h of release, providing direct evidence that the frontal circulations were capable of accessing the reservoir of nutrients beneath the pycnocline. The susceptibility of the filament edge to submesoscale instabilities was demonstrated by O(1) Rossby numbers at horizontal scales of 1-10 km. The frontal circulations are consistent with instabilities arising from a wind-driven nonlinear Ekman buoyancy flux generated by the persistent northerly wind stress that has a down-front component at the northern edge of the inshore section of the filament. The prevalence of submesoscale instabilities and their associated vertical circulations are proposed to be a key mechanism operating at sub-grid scales and sustaining new production throughout the upwelling

  15. Quantitative Visualization of Dynamic Tracer Transportation in the Extracellular Space of Deep Brain Regions Using Tracer-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Jin; Wang, Wei; Quan, Xianyue; Liang, Wen; Li, Zhiming; Han, Hongbin; Chen, Deji

    2017-01-01

    Background This study assessed an innovative tracer-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to visualize the dynamic transportation of tracers in regions of deep brain extracellular space (ECS) and to measure transportation ability and ECS structure. Material/Methods Gadolinium-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) was the chosen tracer and was injected into the caudate nucleus and thalamus. Real-time dynamic transportation of Gd-DTPA in ECS was observed and the results were verified by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Using Transwell assay across the blood-brain barrier, a modified diffusion equation was further simplified. Effective diffusion coefficient D* and tortuosity λ were calculated. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis were used to investigate the extracellular matrix contributing to ECS structure. Results Tracers injected into the caudate nucleus were transported to the ipsilateral frontal and temporal cortices away from the injection points, while both of them injected into the thalamus were only distributed on site. Although the caudate nucleus was closely adjacent to the thalamus, tracer transportation between partitions was not observed. In addition, D* and the λ showed statistically significant differences between partitions. ECS was shown to be a physiologically partitioned system, and its division is characterized by the unique distribution territory and transportation ability of substances located in it. Versican and Tenascin R are possible contributors to the tortuosity of ECS. Conclusions Tracer-based MRI will improve our understanding of the brain microenvironment, improve the techniques for local delivery of drugs, and highlight brain tissue engineering fields in the future. PMID:28866708

  16. Quantitative Visualization of Dynamic Tracer Transportation in the Extracellular Space of Deep Brain Regions Using Tracer-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Jin; Wang, Wei; Quan, Xianyue; Liang, Wen; Li, Zhiming; Chen, Deji; Han, Hongbin

    2017-09-03

    BACKGROUND This study assessed an innovative tracer-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to visualize the dynamic transportation of tracers in regions of deep brain extracellular space (ECS) and to measure transportation ability and ECS structure. MATERIAL AND METHODS Gadolinium-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) was the chosen tracer and was injected into the caudate nucleus and thalamus. Real-time dynamic transportation of Gd-DTPA in ECS was observed and the results were verified by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Using Transwell assay across the blood-brain barrier, a modified diffusion equation was further simplified. Effective diffusion coefficient D* and tortuosity λ were calculated. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis were used to investigate the extracellular matrix contributing to ECS structure. RESULTS Tracers injected into the caudate nucleus were transported to the ipsilateral frontal and temporal cortices away from the injection points, while both of them injected into the thalamus were only distributed on site. Although the caudate nucleus was closely adjacent to the thalamus, tracer transportation between partitions was not observed. In addition, D* and the λ showed statistically significant differences between partitions. ECS was shown to be a physiologically partitioned system, and its division is characterized by the unique distribution territory and transportation ability of substances located in it. Versican and Tenascin R are possible contributors to the tortuosity of ECS. CONCLUSIONS Tracer-based MRI will improve our understanding of the brain microenvironment, improve the techniques for local delivery of drugs, and highlight brain tissue engineering fields in the future.

  17. Photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy for conducting gas tracer tests and measuring water saturations in landfills

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Yoojin; Han, Byunghyun; Mostafid, M. Erfan; Chiu, Pei; Yazdani, Ramin; Imhoff, Paul T.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy tested for measuring tracer gas in landfills. ► Measurement errors for tracer gases were 1–3% in landfill gas. ► Background signals from landfill gas result in elevated limits of detection. ► Technique is much less expensive and easier to use than GC. - Abstract: Gas tracer tests can be used to determine gas flow patterns within landfills, quantify volatile contaminant residence time, and measure water within refuse. While gas chromatography (GC) has been traditionally used to analyze gas tracers in refuse, photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) might allow real-time measurements with reduced personnel costs and greater mobility and ease of use. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of PAS for conducting gas tracer tests in landfills. Two tracer gases, difluoromethane (DFM) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), were measured with a commercial PAS instrument. Relative measurement errors were invariant with tracer concentration but influenced by background gas: errors were 1–3% in landfill gas but 4–5% in air. Two partitioning gas tracer tests were conducted in an aerobic landfill, and limits of detection (LODs) were 3–4 times larger for DFM with PAS versus GC due to temporal changes in background signals. While higher LODs can be compensated by injecting larger tracer mass, changes in background signals increased the uncertainty in measured water saturations by up to 25% over comparable GC methods. PAS has distinct advantages over GC with respect to personnel costs and ease of use, although for field applications GC analyses of select samples are recommended to quantify instrument interferences.

  18. Use of artificial tracers in hydrology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-05-01

    The IAEA has convened an Advisory Group Meeting with the following objectives: To define the role of artificial radioactive tracers for water tracing in comparison with other non-radioactive tracers. To evaluate the real needs of artificial radioactive tracers in hydrology. To identify the fields for which artificial radioactive tracers are useful as well as those in which they can be substituted by other tracers. To discuss the strategy to be adopted to overcome the difficulties derived from the restrictions on the use of radioactive tracers in hydrology. The meeting was held at IAEA Headquarters from 19 to 22 March 1990, and was attended by 30 participants from 15 Member States. The conclusions and recommendations are that the use of artificial radioactive tracers should be restricted to cases where other tracers cannot be used or do not provide the same quality of information. Tritium, iodine-131, bromine-82, chromium-51 in the form of Cr-EDTA, technetium-99m obtained from 99 Mo-generators and gold-198 as an adsorbable tracer are, practically, the only radionuclides used for water tracing. The use of other radionuclides for this purpose does not appear to be necessary, possible and/or convenient. Refs, figs and tabs

  19. Feasibility of perfluorocarbon tracers (PFTs) in atmospheric source-receptor experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dietz, R.N.; Senum, G.I.

    1984-03-01

    A brief description of the perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) system, which includes the tracers and the release equipment, the air samplers and the analyzers, is presented along with details on the research needs to provide a viable system for MATEX-scenario experiments. The present family of 2 viable PFTs needs to be increased to 5 to 6. Given the present precision of the analysis system, a one year long tracer experiment consisting of 4 hour releases every 60 hours from 5 different sites would require nearly 150 metric tons of PFTs at a cost of $15,000,000. Shortcomings in the programmable sampler include the pump, the sampling sequence control flexibility, data storage and retrieval, and the lack of remote communication capability; sampler adsorbent studies are also needed. The analytical system, including the catalyst processing bed, the chromatography column resolution, and the linearity of the detector, is in need of significant improvement. A higher resolution analysis system could significantly reduce analysis time but, more importantly, reduce tracer requirements more than 10-fold, for a cost savings potential of more than $13,000,000. A model is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of tracer material balances. Assessment of earlier long-range tracer experiments indicates the need for possibly 400 ground sampling sites requiring $8 to $14 million worth of samplers for a one-year tracer experiment. As many as six aircraft would be needed to conduct airborne model validation and material balance studies for each tracer plume

  20. Statistical Analysis of Categorical Time Series of Atmospheric Elementary Circulation Mechanisms - Dzerdzeevski Classification for the Northern Hemisphere.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brenčič, Mihael

    2016-01-01

    Northern hemisphere elementary circulation mechanisms, defined with the Dzerdzeevski classification and published on a daily basis from 1899-2012, are analysed with statistical methods as continuous categorical time series. Classification consists of 41 elementary circulation mechanisms (ECM), which are assigned to calendar days. Empirical marginal probabilities of each ECM were determined. Seasonality and the periodicity effect were investigated with moving dispersion filters and randomisation procedure on the ECM categories as well as with the time analyses of the ECM mode. The time series were determined as being non-stationary with strong time-dependent trends. During the investigated period, periodicity interchanges with periods when no seasonality is present. In the time series structure, the strongest division is visible at the milestone of 1986, showing that the atmospheric circulation pattern reflected in the ECM has significantly changed. This change is result of the change in the frequency of ECM categories; before 1986, the appearance of ECM was more diverse, and afterwards fewer ECMs appear. The statistical approach applied to the categorical climatic time series opens up new potential insight into climate variability and change studies that have to be performed in the future.

  1. Quantifying solute transport processes: are chemically "conservative" tracers electrically conservative?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singha, Kamini; Li, Li; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Regberg, Aaron B.

    2012-01-01

    The concept of a nonreactive or conservative tracer, commonly invoked in investigations of solute transport, requires additional study in the context of electrical geophysical monitoring. Tracers that are commonly considered conservative may undergo reactive processes, such as ion exchange, thus changing the aqueous composition of the system. As a result, the measured electrical conductivity may reflect not only solute transport but also reactive processes. We have evaluated the impacts of ion exchange reactions, rate-limited mass transfer, and surface conduction on quantifying tracer mass, mean arrival time, and temporal variance in laboratory-scale column experiments. Numerical examples showed that (1) ion exchange can lead to resistivity-estimated tracer mass, velocity, and dispersivity that may be inaccurate; (2) mass transfer leads to an overestimate in the mobile tracer mass and an underestimate in velocity when using electrical methods; and (3) surface conductance does not notably affect estimated moments when high-concentration tracers are used, although this phenomenon may be important at low concentrations or in sediments with high and/or spatially variable cation-exchange capacity. In all cases, colocated groundwater concentration measurements are of high importance for interpreting geophysical data with respect to the controlling transport processes of interest.

  2. A comparison of measurements and calculations for the Stripa tracer experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodgkinson, D.P.; Copper, N.S.

    1992-03-01

    This paper presents a comparison of measurements and predictions for migration of tracers from boreholes to the validation drift and to other boreholes in the Site Characterisation and Validation (SCV) block. The comparison was carried out on behalf of the Stripa task force on fracture flow modelling. The paper summarises the radar/saline tracer experiments, the tracer migration experiment observations and reviews the fracture flow and tracer transport modelling approaches and predictions made by AEA Technology, Fracflow Consultants, Golder Associates and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The predictions are compared with the observed breakthrough curves on the basis of the validation process and criteria defined by the task force. The results of all four modelling groups met the validation criteria, with the predictions of the tracer breakthrough concentrations and times being within an order of magnitude of the observations. Also the AEA and Golder approaches allow the spatial distribution of tracer breakthrough into the validation drift to be predicted and these predictions also showed reasonable accuracy. The successful completion of this project demonstrates the feasibility of discrete fracture flow and tracer transport modelling. (36 refs.) (au)

  3. Transfer function analysis of positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS) data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keutgen, N.; Matsuhashi, S.; Mizuniwa, C.; Ito, T.; Fujimura, T.; Ishioka, N.S.; Watanabe, S.; Sekine, T.; Uchida, H.; Hashimoto, S.

    2002-01-01

    Quantitative analysis of the two-dimensional image data obtained with the positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS) for plant physiology has been carried out using a transfer function analysis method. While a cut leaf base of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum Rottler) or a cut stem of soybean (Glycine max L.) was immersed in an aqueous solution containing the [ 18 F] F - ion or [ 13 N]NO 3 - ion, tracer images of the leaf of Chinese chive and the trifoliate of soybean were recorded with PETIS. From the time sequence of images, the tracer transfer function was estimated from which the speed of tracer transport and the fraction moved between specified image positions were deduced

  4. Sulfate accumulation in a sea breeze/land breeze circulation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cass, G.R.; Shair, F.H.

    1984-01-01

    An atmosphere tracer study using SF 6 was conducted on July 22, 1977, to examine the origin of the high particulate sulfate concentrations observed in coastal Los Angeles County. It was found that the sea breeze/land breeze circulation system in the Los Angeles Basin both increases the retention time for sulfate formation in the marine environment and causes individual air parcels to make multiple passes over large coastal emissions sources. Day-old sulfur oxides emissions advected out to sea by the land breeze at night were estimated to be the largest single contributor to 24-hour average sulfate air quality over land the next day. In contrast, 24-hour average SO 2 concentrations were dominated by fresh emissions from nearby sources. The overall rate of SO 2 transformation to form particular sulfur oxides along some trajectories that spent a considerable time over the ocean at night probably exceeds the rate that can be explained by known photochemical processes acting during the daylight portion of these trajectories. This suggests that appreciable aerosol formation may occur in a polluted marine environment at night

  5. Application of separable parameter space techniques to multi-tracer PET compartment modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jeff L; Michael Morey, A; Kadrmas, Dan J

    2016-01-01

    Multi-tracer positron emission tomography (PET) can image two or more tracers in a single scan, characterizing multiple aspects of biological functions to provide new insights into many diseases. The technique uses dynamic imaging, resulting in time-activity curves that contain contributions from each tracer present. The process of separating and recovering separate images and/or imaging measures for each tracer requires the application of kinetic constraints, which are most commonly applied by fitting parallel compartment models for all tracers. Such multi-tracer compartment modeling presents challenging nonlinear fits in multiple dimensions. This work extends separable parameter space kinetic modeling techniques, previously developed for fitting single-tracer compartment models, to fitting multi-tracer compartment models. The multi-tracer compartment model solution equations were reformulated to maximally separate the linear and nonlinear aspects of the fitting problem, and separable least-squares techniques were applied to effectively reduce the dimensionality of the nonlinear fit. The benefits of the approach are then explored through a number of illustrative examples, including characterization of separable parameter space multi-tracer objective functions and demonstration of exhaustive search fits which guarantee the true global minimum to within arbitrary search precision. Iterative gradient-descent algorithms using Levenberg–Marquardt were also tested, demonstrating improved fitting speed and robustness as compared to corresponding fits using conventional model formulations. The proposed technique overcomes many of the challenges in fitting simultaneous multi-tracer PET compartment models. (paper)

  6. Contamination tracer testing with seabed drills: IODP Expedition 357

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. N. Orcutt

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available IODP Expedition 357 utilized seabed drills for the first time in the history of the ocean drilling program, with the aim of collecting intact sequences of shallow mantle core from the Atlantis Massif to examine serpentinization processes and the deep biosphere. This novel drilling approach required the development of a new remote seafloor system for delivering synthetic tracers during drilling to assess for possible sample contamination. Here, we describe this new tracer delivery system, assess the performance of the system during the expedition, provide an overview of the quality of the core samples collected for deep biosphere investigations based on tracer concentrations, and make recommendations for future applications of the system.

  7. A passive heat tracer experiment to determine the seasonal variation in residence times in a managed aquifer recharge system with DTS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    des Tombe, B.F.; Bakker, M.; Schaars, F; van der Made, KJ; Calje, R; Borst, L.

    2016-01-01

    Targeted provisional session N°8.01 The seasonal variation in residence times is determined in a managed aquifer recharge system using a passive heat tracer test. The managed aquifer recharge system consists of a sequence of alternating elongated recharge basins and rows of recovery wells. The

  8. Halon-1301, a new Groundwater Age Tracer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyer, Monique; van der Raaij, Rob; Morgenstern, Uwe; Jackson, Bethanna

    2015-04-01

    Groundwater dating is an important tool to assess groundwater resources in regards to direction and time scale of groundwater flow and recharge and to assess contamination risks and manage remediation. To infer groundwater age information, a combination of different environmental tracers, such as tritium and SF6, are commonly used. However ambiguous age interpretations are often faced, due to a limited set of available tracers and limitations of each tracer method when applied alone. There is a need for additional, complementary groundwater age tracers. We recently discovered that Halon-1301, a water soluble and entirely anthropogenic gaseous substance, may be a promising candidate [Beyer et al, 2014]. Halon-1301 can be determined along with SF6, SF5CF3 and CFC-12 in groundwater using a gas chromatography setup with attached electron capture detector developed by Busenberg and Plummer [2008]. Halon-1301 has not been assessed in groundwater. This study assesses the behaviour of Halon-1301 in water and its suitability as a groundwater age tracer. We determined Halon-1301 in 17 groundwater and various modern (river) waters sites located in 3 different groundwater systems in the Wellington Region, New Zealand. These waters have been previously dated with tritium, CFC-12, CFC-11 and SF6 with mean residence times ranging from 0.5 to over 100 years. The waters range from oxic to anoxic and some show evidence of CFC contamination or degradation. This allows us to assess the different properties affecting the suitability of Halon-1301 as groundwater age tracer, such as its conservativeness in water and local contamination potential. The samples are analysed for Halon-1301 and SF6simultaneously, which allows identification of issues commonly faced when using gaseous tracers such as contamination with modern air during sampling. Overall we found in the assessed groundwater samples Halon-1301 is a feasible new groundwater tracer. No sample indicated significantly elevated

  9. Use of radioactive tracers in dynamic sedimentology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tola, Francois.

    1982-01-01

    In the first part, developments in the use of radioactive tracers in sedimentology are recalled together with the corresponding fields of application and the identities of the main users. The state-of-the-art in France is also discussed; The main characteristics of the method are then described and compared with those of more classical methods. The results that can be obtained with tracer methods are then outlined. The criteria employed to establish the granulometry characteristics of the tracer, the particular radioisotope to be used, and the masses and activities involved, are treated. A list is then given of the main isotopes available in France and their characteristics. The various different labelling techniques employed are studied together with their respective advantages and disadvantages. The special case of pelitic sediments is mentioned. The use of reduced model isotope generators, double labelling and applications to studies of the mud plug in the Gironde Estuary are also discussed. The methods and materials used for injecting and detecting tracers are described, emphasis being given to the economic factors associated with the use of radioactive tracers in sedimentology. The second part of the report contains two chapters: - studies of transport by driftage: presentation and analysis of results and the application of the Count Rate Balance method to obtain quantitative information on transport; - studies of in-suspension transport of fine sediments in the sea: the procedures adopted from the moment when the tracer is introduced up to the time when the results are analyzed and interpreted, enables the trajectories and mean velocities of the transported sediments to be determined together with their degree of dilution and their settling speeds and rates; it is also possible to investigate the evolution and horizontal dispersion of the sediments in this way. Results from recent experiments are presented in both parts of the report

  10. Accurate assessment of exposure using tracer gas measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kierat, Wojciech; Bivolarova, Mariya; Zavrl, Eva

    2018-01-01

    analyzers with short and long response times, respectively. The tracer gas concentration was characterized by the mean, standard deviation and 95th percentile values. The results revealed that the measurement time needed to determine, with sufficient accuracy, these parameters decreased substantially...

  11. Prototype Repository. Tracer dilution tests during operation phase, test campaign 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harrstroem, Johan; Andersson, Peter (Geosigma AB (Sweden))

    2010-05-15

    The Prototype Repository project is focused on testing and demonstrating the function of the SKB deep repository system. The third tracer dilution campaign during the Prototype Repository operation period was performed in January 2010. The purpose was to estimate the groundwater flows and hydraulic gradients in the boreholes vicinity and will function as a reference for comparison with results from modeling and prior assumptions. The test campaign consisted of tracer dilution tests in 13 different borehole sections. Each test consisted of approximately 15-55 min tracer injection time and about 1-3 days dilution test time depending on the transmissivity of the test section. The data interpretation also included estimates of the local hydraulic gradients in the vicinity of the borehole sections

  12. The propagation of Escherichia Coli and of conservative tracers. A comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, I.; Seiler, K.P.

    1982-01-01

    The propagation of Escherichia Coli (ATCC 11229, Gelsenkirchen) is compared with that of conservative tracers in groundwater. The experiments were performed with injection quantities of 10 7 , 10 8 , 10 10 and 10 11 of Escherichia Coli. Both, bacteria and conservative tracers pass their maximum at the same instant in the observation gauges. With injection quantities of more than 10 8 , the propagation of the Escherichia Coli sets in at the same time as it begins with the dyes. When the quantities range below 10 8 , the propagation begins after that of conservative tracers, because Coli bacteria were measured with a lower degree of detecting sensitivity than the tracers. With Coli injection quantities ranging above 10 10 , an increased filtering of these bacteria can be observed. Coli bacteria propagate more laterally than conservative tracers, however it could not be proved that this lateral propagation depends on the bacteria concentration. (orig.) [de

  13. Xanthine tracers and their preparation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groman, E.V.; Cabelli, M.D.

    1980-01-01

    Compounds useful as tracers in the radioimmunoassay of xanthine derivatives such as theophylline and pharmacologically related drugs are described. They are substituted xanthines in which at least one substituted radical contains radioiodine. The tracers are made by linking radioiodinatable or preradioiodinated radicals to the xanthine derivative which is to be assayed. The tracers may be employed in known radioimmunoassay techniques. (author)

  14. Identification and characterization of conservative organic tracers for use as hydrologic tracers for the Yucca Mountain Site characterization study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dombrowski, T.; Stetzenbach, K.

    1993-01-01

    This report is in two parts one for the fluorinated benzoic acids and one for the fluorinated aliphatic acids. The assumptions made in the report regarding the amount of tracer that will be used, dilution of the tracer during the test and the length of exposure (if any) to individuals drinking the water were made by the authors. These assumptions must really come from the USGS hydrologists in charge of the c-well tracer testing program. Accurate estimates of dilution of the tracer during the test are also important because of solubility limitations of some of the tracers. Three of the difluorobenzoic acids have relatively low solubilities and may not be usable if the dilution estimates are large. The toxicologist that reviewed the document agreed with our conclusion that the fluorinated benzoic and toluic acids do not represent a health hazard if used under the conditions as outlined in the report. We are currently testing 15 of these compounds, and if even if three difluorobenzoic acids cannot be used because of solubility limitations we will still have 12 tracers. The toxicologist felt that the aliphatic fluorinated acids potentially present more of a health risk than the aromatic. This assessment was based on the fact of a known allergic response to halothane anesthetic. This risk, although minimal, is known and he felt that was enough reason to recommend against their use. The authors feel that the toxicologists interpretation of this risk was overly conservative, however, we will not go against his recommendation at this time for the following reasons. First, without the aliphatic compounds we still have 12 to 15 fluorinated aromatic acids which, should be enough for the c-well tests. Second, to get a permit to use aliphatic compounds would undoubtedly require a hearing which could be quite lengthy

  15. Nanoparticle tracers in calcium carbonate porous media

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Yan Vivian

    2014-07-15

    Tracers are perhaps the most direct way of diagnosing subsurface fluid flow pathways for ground water decontamination and for natural gas and oil production. Nanoparticle tracers could be particularly effective because they do not diffuse away from the fractures or channels where flow occurs and thus take much less time to travel between two points. In combination with a chemical tracer they can measure the degree of flow concentration. A prerequisite for tracer applications is that the particles are not retained in the porous media as the result of aggregation or sticking to mineral surfaces. By screening eight nanoparticles (3-100 nm in diameter) for retention when passed through calcium carbonate packed laboratory columns in artificial oil field brine solutions of variable ionic strength we show that the nanoparticles with the least retention are 3 nm in diameter, nearly uncharged, and decorated with highly hydrophilic polymeric ligands. The details of these column experiments and the tri-modal distribution of zeta potential of the calcite sand particles in the brine used in our tests suggests that parts of the calcite surface have positive zeta potential and the retention of negatively charged nanoparticles occurs at these sites. Only neutral nanoparticles are immune to at least some retention. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media.

  16. Statistical dynamic imaging of RI-labeled tracer from list-mode PET data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanimoto, Michiaki; Kuroda, Yoshihiro; Oshiro, Osamu; Watabe, Hiroshi; Kuroda, Tomohiro

    2009-01-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) can be used in physiological analysis to illustrate physiological states by visualizing the accumulation of radioisotope (RI)-labeled tracer in specific organs or tissues. PET obtains spatio-temporal statistics in the form of list-mode data. However, conventional imaging techniques, which sum up list-mode data over a given time period, cannot depict detailed temporal dynamics of the RI-labeled tracer. In this study, a spatio-temporal analysis approach was employed to visualize the temporal flow dynamics of RI-labeled tracer from the obtained list-mode data. Experiments to assess the visualization of simulated RI-labeled tracer dynamics as well as RI-labeled tracer dynamics in a vascular phantom showed that the proposed method successfully depicted detailed temporal flow dynamics that could not be visualized using conventional methods. (author)

  17. Identification and characterization of conservative organic tracers for use as hydrologic tracers for the Yucca Mountain site characterization study. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stetzenbach, K.; Farnham, I.

    1996-01-01

    Extensive tracer testing is expected to take place at the C-well complex in the Nevada Test Site as part of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The C-well complex consists of one pumping well, C3, and two injection wells, C1 and C2 into which tracer will be introduced. The goal of this research was to provide USGS with numerous tracers to completed these tests. Several classes of fluorinated organic acids have been evaluated. These include numerous isomers of fluorinated benzoic acids, cinnamic acids, and salicylic acids. Also several derivatives of 2-hydroxy nicotinic acid (pyridone) have been tested. The stability of these compounds was determined using batch and column tests. Ames testing (mutagenicity/carcinogenicity) was conducted on the fluorinated benzoic acids and a literature review of toxicity of the fluorobenzoates and three perfluoro aliphatic acids was prepared. Solubilities were measured and method development work was performed to optimize the detection of these compounds. A Quality Assurance (QA) Program was developed under existing DOE and USGS guidelines. The program includes QA procedures and technical standard operating procedures. A tracer test, using sodium iodide, was performed at the C-well complex. HRC chemists performed analyses on site, to provide real time data for the USGS hydrologists and in the laboratories at UNLV. Over 2,500 analyses were performed. This report provides the results of the laboratory experiments and literature reviews used to evaluate the potential tracers and reports on the results of the iodide C-well tracer test

  18. Identification and characterization of conservative organic tracers for use as hydrologic tracers for the Yucca Mountain site characterization study. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stetzenbach, K.; Farnham, I.

    1996-06-01

    Extensive tracer testing is expected to take place at the C-well complex in the Nevada Test Site as part of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The C-well complex consists of one pumping well, C3, and two injection wells, C1 and C2 into which tracer will be introduced. The goal of this research was to provide USGS with numerous tracers to completed these tests. Several classes of fluorinated organic acids have been evaluated. These include numerous isomers of fluorinated benzoic acids, cinnamic acids, and salicylic acids. Also several derivatives of 2-hydroxy nicotinic acid (pyridone) have been tested. The stability of these compounds was determined using batch and column tests. Ames testing (mutagenicity/carcinogenicity) was conducted on the fluorinated benzoic acids and a literature review of toxicity of the fluorobenzoates and three perfluoro aliphatic acids was prepared. Solubilities were measured and method development work was performed to optimize the detection of these compounds. A Quality Assurance (QA) Program was developed under existing DOE and USGS guidelines. The program includes QA procedures and technical standard operating procedures. A tracer test, using sodium iodide, was performed at the C-well complex. HRC chemists performed analyses on site, to provide real time data for the USGS hydrologists and in the laboratories at UNLV. Over 2,500 analyses were performed. This report provides the results of the laboratory experiments and literature reviews used to evaluate the potential tracers and reports on the results of the iodide C-well tracer test.

  19. 3D General Circulation Model of the Middle Atmosphere of Jupiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zube, Nicholas Gerard; Zhang, Xi; Li, Cheng; Le, Tianhao

    2017-10-01

    The characteristics of Jupiter’s large-scale stratospheric circulation remain largely unknown. Detailed distributions of temperature and photochemical species have been provided by recent observations [1], but have not yet been accurately reproduced by middle atmosphere general circulation models (GCM). Jupiter’s stratosphere and upper troposphere are influenced by radiative forcing from solar insolation and infrared cooling from hydrogen and hydrocarbons, as well as waves propagating from the underlying troposphere [2]. The relative significance of radiative and mechanical forcing on stratospheric circulation is still being debated [3]. Here we present a 3D GCM of Jupiter’s atmosphere with a correlated-k radiative transfer scheme. The simulation results are compared with observations. We analyze the impact of model parameters on the stratospheric temperature distribution and dynamical features. Finally, we discuss future tracer transport and gravity wave parameterization schemes that may be able to accurately simulate the middle atmosphere dynamics of Jupiter and other giant planets.[1] Kunde et al. 2004, Science 305, 1582.[2] Zhang et al. 2013a, EGU General Assembly, EGU2013-5797-2.[3] Conrath 1990, Icarus, 83, 255-281.

  20. Transit time dispersion in pulmonary and systemic circulation: effects of cardiac output and solute diffusivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, Michael; Krejcie, Tom C; Avram, Michael J

    2006-08-01

    We present an in vivo method for analyzing the distribution kinetics of physiological markers into their respective distribution volumes utilizing information provided by the relative dispersion of transit times. Arterial concentration-time curves of markers of the vascular space [indocyanine green (ICG)], extracellular fluid (inulin), and total body water (antipyrine) measured in awake dogs under control conditions and during phenylephrine or isoproterenol infusion were analyzed by a recirculatory model to estimate the relative dispersions of transit times across the systemic and pulmonary circulation. The transit time dispersion in the systemic circulation was used to calculate the whole body distribution clearance, and an interpretation is given in terms of a lumped organ model of blood-tissue exchange. As predicted by theory, this relative dispersion increased linearly with cardiac output, with a slope that was inversely related to solute diffusivity. The relative dispersion of the flow-limited indicator antipyrine exceeded that of ICG (as a measure of intravascular mixing) only slightly and was consistent with a diffusional equilibration time in the extravascular space of approximately 10 min, except during phenylephrine infusion, which led to an anomalously high relative dispersion. A change in cardiac output did not alter the heterogeneity of capillary transit times of ICG. The results support the view that the relative dispersions of transit times in the systemic and pulmonary circulation estimated from solute disposition data in vivo are useful measures of whole body distribution kinetics of indicators and endogenous substances. This is the first model that explains the effect of flow and capillary permeability on whole body distribution of solutes without assuming well-mixed compartments.

  1. Emission quantification using the tracer gas dispersion method: The influence of instrument, tracer gas species and source simulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Delre, Antonio; Mønster, Jacob; Samuelsson, Jerker

    2018-01-01

    The tracer gas dispersion method (TDM) is a remote sensing method used for quantifying fugitive emissions by relying on the controlled release of a tracer gas at the source, combined with concentration measurements of the tracer and target gas plumes. The TDM was tested at a wastewater treatment...... plant for plant-integrated methane emission quantification, using four analytical instruments simultaneously and four different tracer gases. Measurements performed using a combination of an analytical instrument and a tracer gas, with a high ratio between the tracer gas release rate and instrument...... precision (a high release-precision ratio), resulted in well-defined plumes with a high signal-to-noise ratio and a high methane-to-tracer gas correlation factor. Measured methane emission rates differed by up to 18% from the mean value when measurements were performed using seven different instrument...

  2. Contamination Tracer Testing With Seabed Rock Drills: IODP Expedition 357

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orcutt, B.; Bergenthal, M.; Freudenthal, T.; Smith, D. J.; Lilley, M. D.; Schneiders, L.; Fruh-Green, G. L.

    2016-12-01

    IODP Expedition 357 utilized seabed rock drills for the first time in the history of the ocean drilling program, with the aim of collecting intact core of shallow mantle sequences from the Atlantis Massif to examine serpentinization processes and the deep biosphere. This new drilling approach required the development of a new system for delivering synthetic tracers during drilling to assess for possible sample contamination. Here, we describe this new tracer delivery system, assess the performance of the system during the expedition, provide an overview of the quality of the core samples collected for deep biosphere investigations based on tracer concentrations, and make recommendations for future applications of the system.

  3. Vertical and horizontal resolution dependency in the model representation of tracer dispersion along the continental slope in the northern Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracco, Annalisa; Choi, Jun; Kurian, Jaison; Chang, Ping

    2018-02-01

    A set of nine regional ocean model simulations at various horizontal (from 1 to 9 km) and vertical (from 25 to 150 layers) resolutions with different vertical mixing parameterizations is carried out to examine the transport and mixing of a passive tracer released near the ocean bottom over the continental slope in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The release location is in proximity to the Deepwater Horizon oil well that ruptured in April 2010. Horizontal and diapycnal diffusivities are calculated and their dependence on the model set-up and on the representation of mesoscale and submesoscale circulations is discussed. Horizontal and vertical resolutions play a comparable role in determining the modeled horizontal diffusivities. Vertical resolution is key to a proper representation of passive tracer propagation and - in the case of the Gulf of Mexico - contributes to both confining the tracer along the continental slope and limiting its vertical spreading. The choice of the tracer advection scheme is also important, with positive definiteness in the tracer concentration being achieved at the price of spurious mixing across density surfaces. In all cases, however, the diapycnal mixing coefficient derived from the model simulations overestimates the observed value, indicating an area where model improvement is needed.

  4. Hanford facilities tracer study report (315 Water Treatment Facility)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ambalam, T.

    1995-01-01

    This report presents the results and findings of a tracer study to determine contact time for the disinfection process of 315 Water Treatment Facility that supplies sanitary water for the 300 Area. The study utilized fluoride as the tracer and contact times were determined for two flow rates. Interpolation of data and short circuiting effects are also discussed. The 315 Water Treatment Facility supplies sanitary water for the 300 Area to various process and domestic users. The Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR), outlined in the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments enacted by the EPA in 1989 and regulated by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) in Section 246-290-600 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), stipulates filtration and disinfection requirements for public water systems under the direct influence of surface water. The SWTR disinfection guidelines require that each treatment system achieves predetermined inactivation ratios. The inactivation by disinfection is approximated with a measure called CxT, where C is the disinfectant residual concentration and T is the effective contact time of the water with the disinfectant. The CxT calculations for the Hanford water treatment plants were derived from the total volume of the contact basin(s). In the absence of empirical data to support CxT calculations, the DOH determined that the CxT values used in the monthly reports for the water treatment plants on the Hanford site were invalid and required the performance of a tracer study at each plant. In response to that determination, a tracer study will be performed to determine the actual contact times of the facilities for the CxT calculations

  5. Isotopic marking and tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, F.

    1997-01-01

    The use of radioactive isotopes as tracers in biology has been developed thanks to the economic generation of the required isotopes in accelerators and nuclear reactors, and to the multiple applications of tracers in the life domain; the most usual isotopes employed in biology are carbon, hydrogen, phosphorus and sulfur isotopes, because these elements are present in most of organic molecules. Most of the life science knowledge appears to be dependent to the extensive use of nuclear tools and radioactive tracers; the example of the utilization of radioactive phosphorus marked ATP to study the multiple reactions with proteins, nucleic acids, etc., is given

  6. Identification of circulating miRNA biomarkers based on global quantitative real-time PCR profiling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kang Kang

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs (18-25 nucleotides that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of miRNAs in the blood circulation. Deregulation of miRNAs in serum or plasma has been associated with many diseases including cancers and cardiovascular diseases, suggesting the possible use of miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers. However, the detection of the small amount of miRNAs found in serum or plasma requires a method with high sensitivity and accuracy. Therefore, the current study describes polymerase chain reaction (PCR-based methods for measuring circulating miRNAs. Briefly, the procedure involves four major steps: (1 sample collection and preparation; (2 global miRNAs profiling using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR; (3 data normalization and analysis; and (4 selection and validation of miRNA biomarkers. In conclusion, qRT-PCR is a promising method for profiling of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers.

  7. Relative distance between tracers as a measure of diffusivity within moving aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pönisch, Wolfram; Zaburdaev, Vasily

    2018-02-01

    Tracking of particles, be it a passive tracer or an actively moving bacterium in the growing bacterial colony, is a powerful technique to probe the physical properties of the environment of the particles. One of the most common measures of particle motion driven by fluctuations and random forces is its diffusivity, which is routinely obtained by measuring the mean squared displacement of the particles. However, often the tracer particles may be moving in a domain or an aggregate which itself experiences some regular or random motion and thus masks the diffusivity of tracers. Here we provide a method for assessing the diffusivity of tracer particles within mobile aggregates by measuring the so-called mean squared relative distance (MSRD) between two tracers. We provide analytical expressions for both the ensemble and time averaged MSRD allowing for direct identification of diffusivities from experimental data.

  8. EGS in sedimentary basins: sensitivity of early-flowback tracer signals to induced-fracture parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karmakar, Shyamal; Ghergut, Julia; Sauter, Martin

    2015-04-01

    Artificial-fracture design, and fracture characterization during or following stimulation treatment is a central aspect of many EGS ('enhanced' or 'engineered' geothermal system) projects. During the creation or stimulation of an EGS, the injection of fluids, followed by flowback and production stages offers the opportunity for conducting various tracer tests in a single-well (SW) configuration, and given the typical operational and time limitations associated with such tests, along with the need to assess treatment success in real time, investigators mostly favour using short-time tracer-test data, rather than awaiting long-term 'tailings' of tracer signals. Late-time tracer signals from SW injection-flowback and production tests have mainly been used for the purpose of multiple-fracture inflow profiling in multi-layer reservoirs [1]. However, the potential of using SW short-term tracer signals for fracture characterization [2, 3] remained little explored as yet. Dealing with short-term flowback signals, we face a certain degree of parameter interplay, leading to ambiguity in fracture parameter inversion from the measured signal of a single tracer. This ambiguity can, to a certain extent, be overcome by - combining different sources of information (lithostratigraphy, and hydraulic monitoring) in order to constrain the variation range of hydrogeologic parameters (matrix and fracture permeability and porosity, fracture size), - using different types of tracers, such as conservative tracer pairs with contrasting diffusivity, or tracers pairs with contrasting sorptivity onto target surfaces. Fracture height is likely to be constrained by lithostratigraphy, while fracture length is supposed to be determinable from hydraulic monitoring (pressure recordings); the flowback rate can be assumed as a known (measurable) quantity during individual-fracture flowback. This leaves us with one or two unknown parameters to be determined from tracer signals: - the transport

  9. The circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the spinal canal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Antonio L.; Martinez-Bazan, Carlos; Lasheras, Juan C.

    2016-11-01

    Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) is secreted in the choroid plexus in the lateral sinuses of the brain and fills the subarachnoid space bathing the external surfaces of the brain and the spinal canal. Absence of CSF circulation has been shown to impede its physiological function that includes, among others, supplying nutrients to neuronal and glial cells and removing the waste products of cellular metabolism. Radionuclide scanning images published by Di Chiro in 1964 showed upward migration of particle tracers from the lumbar region of the spinal canal, thereby suggesting the presence of an active bulk circulation responsible for bringing fresh CSF into the spinal canal and returning a portion of it to the cranial vault. However, the existence of this slow moving bulk circulation in the spinal canal has been a subject of dispute for the last 50 years. To date, there has been no physical explanation for the mechanism responsible for the establishment of such a bulk motion. We present a perturbation analysis of the flow in an idealized model of the spinal canal and show how steady streaming could be responsible for the establishment of such a circulation. The results of this analysis are compared to flow measurements conducted on in-vitro models of the spinal canal of adult humans.

  10. Tracer transport in fractures: analysis of field data based on a variable - aperture channel model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsang, C.F.; Tsang, Y.W.; Hale, F.V.

    1991-06-01

    A variable-aperture channel model is used as the basis to interpret data from a three-year tracer transport experiment in fractured rocks. The data come from the so-called Stripa-3D experiment performed by Neretnieks and coworkers. Within the framework of the variable-aperture channel conceptual model, tracers are envisioned as travelling along a number of variable-aperture flow channels, whose properties are related to the mean b - and standard deviation σ b of the fracture aperture distribution. Two methods are developed to address the presence of strong time variation of the tracer injection flow rate in this experiment. The first approximates the early part of the injection history by an exponential decay function and is applicable to the early time tracer breakthrough data. The second is a deconvolution method involving the use of Toeplitz matrices and is applicable over the complete period of variable injection of the tracers. Both methods give consistent results. These results include not only estimates of b and σ, but also ranges of Peclet numbers, dispersivity and an estimate of the number of channels involved in the tracer transport. An interesting and surprising observation is that the data indicate that the Peclet number increases with the mean travel time: i.e., dispersivity decreasing with mean travel time. This trend is consistent with calculated results of tracer transport in multiple variable-aperture fractures in series. The meaning of this trend is discussed in terms of the strong heterogeneity of the flow system. (au) (22 refs.)

  11. The ATLAS DDM Tracer monitoring framework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zang Dongsong; Garonne, Vincent; Barisits, Martin; Lassnig, Mario; Andrew Stewart, Graeme; Molfetas, Angelos; Beermann, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    The DDM Tracer monitoring framework is aimed to trace and monitor the ATLAS file operations on the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid. The volume of traces has increased significantly since the framework was put in production in 2009. Now there are about 5 million trace messages every day and peaks can be near 250Hz, with peak rates continuing to climb, which gives the current structure a big challenge. Analysis of large datasets based on on-demand queries to the relational database management system (RDBMS), i.e. Oracle, can be problematic, and have a significant effect on the database's performance. Consequently, We have investigated some new high availability technologies like messaging infrastructure, specifically ActiveMQ, and key-value stores. The advantages of key value store technology are that they are distributed and have high scalability; also their write performances are usually much better than RDBMS, all of which are very useful for the Tracer monitoring framework. Indexes and distributed counters have been also tested to improve query performance and provided almost real time results. In this paper, the design principles, architecture and main characteristics of Tracer monitoring framework will be described and examples of its usage will be presented.

  12. Development of radioisotope tracer technology and nucleonic control system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Joon Ha; Lee, Myun Joo; Jung, Sung Hee and others

    1999-04-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop the radioisotope tracer technology, which can be used in solving industrial and environmental problems and basic technology of nuclear control systems that are widely used for automation of industrial plants, and to build a strong tracer group to support the local industries. In relation to the tracer technology, the data acquisition system, the column scanning equipment and the detection pig for a leakage test have been developed. In order to use in analyzing data of tracer experiments, a computer program for the analysis of residence time distribution has been created as well. These results were utilized in developing the tracer technologies, such as the column scanning, the flow measurement using the dilution method, the simultaneous monitoring rotational movement of piston rings and the optimization of a waste water treatment facility, and the technologies were successfully demonstrated in the local industrial. The stripper of RFCC reactor has been examined to find an unwanted structure in it by imminent request from the industry. Related to the development of nucleonic control system, the state of art report on the technology has been written and an equipment for the analysis of asphalt content has been developed. (author)

  13. Slew-rate dependence of tracer magnetization response in magnetic particle imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Saqlain A.; Ferguson, R. M.; Krishnan, K. M.

    2014-10-01

    Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a new biomedical imaging technique that produces real-time, high-resolution tomographic images of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle tracers. Currently, 25 kHz and 20 mT/μ0 excitation fields are common in MPI, but lower field amplitudes may be necessary for patient safety in future designs. Here, we address fundamental questions about MPI tracer magnetization dynamics and predict tracer performance in future scanners that employ new combinations of excitation field amplitude (Ho) and frequency (ω). Using an optimized, monodisperse MPI tracer, we studied how several combinations of drive field frequencies and amplitudes affect the tracer's response, using Magnetic Particle Spectrometry and AC hysteresis, for drive field conditions at 15.5, 26, and 40.2 kHz, with field amplitudes ranging from 7 to 52 mT/μ0. For both fluid and immobilized nanoparticle samples, we determined that magnetic response was dominated by Néel reversal. Furthermore, we observed that the peak slew-rate (ωHo) determined the tracer magnetic response. Smaller amplitudes provided correspondingly smaller field of view, sometimes resulting in excitation of minor hysteresis loops. Changing the drive field conditions but keeping the peak slew-rate constant kept the tracer response almost the same. Higher peak slew-rates led to reduced maximum signal intensity and greater coercivity in the tracer response. Our experimental results were in reasonable agreement with Stoner-Wohlfarth model based theories.

  14. Bromide as a tracer for studying water movement and nitrate displacement in soils: comparison with stable isotope tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russow, R.; Knappe, S.

    1999-01-01

    Tracers are an ideal means of studying water movement and associated nitrate displacement. Often bromide is preferred as a tracer because it is considered a representative tracer for water and because, being a conservative tracer (i.e. not involved in chemical and biological soil processes), it can be used for studying anion transport in soils. Moreover, it is less expensive and easier to measure than the stable isotopes deuterium and 15 N. Its great advantage over radioactive tracers (e.g. tritium), which outweighs their extreme sensitivity and ease of measurement and which it has in common with stable isotopes, is that it does not require radiation protection measures. However, there are also constraints on the use of bromide as a tracer in soil/water/plant systems. Our own studies on different soils using D 2 O, bromide and [ 15 N]-nitrate in lysimeters suggest that the above assumptions on bromide tracers need not always be valid under conditions as they prevail in biologically active soils. As the present paper shows, these studies permit a good assessment of the possibilities and limits to these tracers [de

  15. Using REE tracers to measure sheet erosion changing to rill erosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Puling; Xue Yazhou; Song Wei; Wang Mingyi; Ju Tongjun

    2004-01-01

    Rare Earth Elements (REE) tracer method was used to study sheet erosion changing to rill erosion on slope land. By placing different rare earth elements of different soil depth across a slope in an indoor plot, two simulated rainfalls were applied to study the change of erosion type and the rill erosion process. The results indicate that the main erosion type is sheet erosion at the beginning of the rainfalls, and serious erosion happens after rill erosion appears. Accumulated sheet and rill erosion amounts increase with the rainfalls time. The percentage of sheet erosion amount decreases and rill erosion percentage increases with time. At the end of the rainfalls, the total rill erosion amounts are 4-5 times more than sheet erosion. In this paper, a new REE tracer method was used to quantitatively distinguish sheet and rill erosion amounts. The new REE tracer method should be useful to future studying of erosion processes on slope lands. (authors)

  16. Recover Act. Verification of Geothermal Tracer Methods in Highly Constrained Field Experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Becker, Matthew W. [California State University, Long Beach, CA (United States)

    2014-05-16

    pumping tests in identifying a poorly connected well. As a result, we were able to predict which well pairs would demonstrate channelized flow. The focus of the tracer investigation was multi-ionic tests. In multi-ionic tests several ionic tracers are injected simultaneously and the detected in a nearby pumping well. The time history of concentration, or breakthrough curve, will show a separation of the tracers. Anionic tracers travel with the water but cationic tracer undergo chemical exchange with cations on the surface of the rock. The degree of separation is indicative of the surface area exposed to the tracer. Consequently, flow channelization will tend to decrease the separation in the breakthrough. Estimation of specific surface area (the ration of fracture surface area to formation volume) is performed through matching the breakthrough curve with a transport model. We found that the tracer estimates of surface area were confirmed the prediction of channelized flow between well pairs produced by the periodic hydraulic tests. To confirm that the hydraulic and tracer tests were correctly predicting channelize flow, we imaged the flow field using surface GPR. Saline water was injected between the well pairs which produced a change in the amplitude and phase of the reflected radar signal. A map was produced of the migration of saline tracer from these tests which qualitatively confirmed the flow channelization predicted by the hydraulic and tracer tests. The resolution of the GPR was insufficient to quantitatively estimate swept surface area, however. Surface GPR is not applicable in typical geothermal fields because the penetration depths do not exceed 10’s of meters. Nevertheless, the method of using of phase to measure electrical conductivity and the assessment of antennae polarization represent a significant advancement in the field of surface GPR. The effect of flow character on fracture / rock thermal exchange was evaluated using heated water as a tracer. Water

  17. Measurement of open streams by using tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, German F.; Tarquino, W.; Curcuy, H.; Orozco, C.

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents an intercomparison study to be carried out between flux measurements by using tracers and moulinet. This intercomparison is scheduled to be performed at the measurement station belonging to the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (SENAMHI). Two techniques of tracer dilution are outstanded: total evaluation with tracer punctual injection and punctual evaluation with tracer continuous injection. Total evaluation with tracer punctual injection has been used since this technique is considered to be more suitable for hydrology purposes

  18. The NPE gas tracer test and the development of on-site inspection techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carrigan, C.; Heinle, R.; Zucca, J.J.

    1995-01-01

    Tracer gases emplaced in or near the detonation cavity of the 1-kiloton Non-Proliferation Event required 1.5 and 13.5 months for sulfur hexaflouride and helium-3, respectively, to reach the surface of Rainier Mesa from an emplacement depth of 400 meters. The sites that first produced tracer gases are those located in known faults and fractures. Numerical modeling suggests that transport to the surface is accomplished within this time frame through atmospheric pumping along high permeability pathways such as fractures. The difference in travel time between the two tracers is due to differences in gas diffusivity and can also be explained by our numerical modeling. (author)

  19. Tracer attenuation in groundwater

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cvetkovic, Vladimir

    2011-12-01

    The self-purifying capacity of aquifers strongly depends on the attenuation of waterborne contaminants, i.e., irreversible loss of contaminant mass on a given scale as a result of coupled transport and transformation processes. A general formulation of tracer attenuation in groundwater is presented. Basic sensitivities of attenuation to macrodispersion and retention are illustrated for a few typical retention mechanisms. Tracer recovery is suggested as an experimental proxy for attenuation. Unique experimental data of tracer recovery in crystalline rock compare favorably with the theoretical model that is based on diffusion-controlled retention. Non-Fickian hydrodynamic transport has potentially a large impact on field-scale attenuation of dissolved contaminants.

  20. Process Analysis in Chemical Plant by Means of Radioactive Tracers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirayama, T.; Hamada, K.; Osada, K. [Showa Denko K.K., Tokyo (Japan)

    1967-06-15

    Following the movement of solids and fluids is important in chemical processes to determine mixing efficiency and residence time. Since it is necessary to follow many complex substances such as raw materials, intermediates and reactants in plant investigations, it is often necessary to ascertain whether the behaviour of the radioisotope tracer and the substance to be traced are identical. The most difficult problem is to determine the best method of labelling, a factor which is a substantial key to the success of an experiment. Usually, there are three labelling techniques: radioisotope labelling, pre-.activation of the material and post-activation of the material. This paper deals with practical examples of the double-tracer technique, a combination of conventional radioisotope labelling and post-activation methods by means of activation analysis. In process analysis by means of tracers, a practical measurement method should also be devised and developed for each experiment. Phosphorus-32 and gold (non-radioactive) were used to measure retention time in a carbon-black plant. The radioisotope was pumped into a feed-stock pipe positioned before the reactor and samples were taken from each process of the plant, including the bag filter, mixer and product tank. After sampling from each step of the process, {sup 32}P in a semi-infinite powder sample was measured in situ by beta counting, and the gold was measured by gamma counting after activating the sample in a reactor. The experiment showed that both tracers had the same residence time, which was shorter than expected. Useful data were also obtained from the dispersion pattern of the material flow for future operation controls, including the time required to change from one grade of product to another. Practical tracer techniques to measure mixing characteristics in high-speed gas flows using {sup 85}Kr have been developed. A study of the measurement method was conducted by calculating the differential values of

  1. The field tracer test study of atmospheric dispersion in Fujian Huian Nuclear Power Plant site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Erbang; Xin Cuntian; Yan Jiangyu; Ren Zhiqiang; Xuan Yiren; Jia Peirong

    2003-01-01

    The SF 6 tracer tests and its main results completed in site of Fujian Huian Nuclear Power Plant during summer, 2002, are described. A total of 15 times of SF 6 tracer tests were done in the July, in which the time of atmospheric stability B, C, D, E is respectively 3, 2, 9, 1 based on ΔT-U method and the time of B, D, E is respectively 1, 11, 3 based on ΔT method. About 50 samples were collected in each SF 6 tracer tests, the maximum of sample distance from the tower in which the SF 6 tracer was released is about 15 km. The values of p y , p z , q y , q z in the formula of diffusion parameters is determined. Finally the above diffusion parameters are compared with P-G curve, Briggs diffusion parameters and those obtained from turbulence observation and wind tunnel simulation test done in the past time. (authors)

  2. Coefficients of tracer transfer through membranes. Pt. 7

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dorabialska, A; Hawlicka, E; Plonka, A [Politechnika Lodzka (Poland)

    1974-01-01

    The doubled value of the tracer transfer coefficient in the self-diffusion process is equal to the sum of tracer transfer coefficients in the diffusion and interfusion processes. The fundamental phenomenological relation can be deduced for the coefficients of tracer transfer between two phases of electrolyte solutions spearated by a virtual boundary. Indeed, the doubled value of the tracer mobility in the self-diffusion experiment (no concentration gradient of the traced substance) is equal to the sum of the tracer mobilities in the diffusion (tracer movement along with the concentration gradient of the traced substance) and interfusion experiments (tracer movement against the concentration gradient of the traced substance). Thus the doubled value of the tracer transfer coefficient in the self-diffusion process should be equal to the sum of tracer transfer coefficients in the diffusion and interfusion processes. The experimental verification of that fundamental relation is presented.

  3. Fracture Characterization in Reactive Fluid-Fractured Rock Systems Using Tracer Transport Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhopadhyay, S.

    2014-12-01

    Fractures, whether natural or engineered, exert significant controls over resource exploitation from contemporary energy sources including enhanced geothermal systems and unconventional oil and gas reserves. Consequently, fracture characterization, i.e., estimating the permeability, connectivity, and spacing of the fractures is of critical importance for determining the viability of any energy recovery program. While some progress has recently been made towards estimating these critical fracture parameters, significant uncertainties still remain. A review of tracer technology, which has a long history in fracture characterization, reveals that uncertainties exist in the estimated parameters not only because of paucity of scale-specific data but also because of knowledge gaps in the interpretation methods, particularly in interpretation of tracer data in reactive fluid-rock systems. We have recently demonstrated that the transient tracer evolution signatures in reactive fluid-rock systems are significantly different from those in non-reactive systems (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2013, 2014). For example, the tracer breakthrough curves in reactive fluid-fractured rock systems are expected to exhibit a long pseudo-state condition, during which tracer concentration does not change by any appreciable amount with passage of time. Such a pseudo-steady state condition is not observed in a non-reactive system. In this paper, we show that the presence of this pseudo-steady state condition in tracer breakthrough patterns in reactive fluid-rock systems can have important connotations for fracture characterization. We show that the time of onset of the pseudo-steady state condition and the value of tracer concentration in the pseudo-state condition can be used to reliably estimate fracture spacing and fracture-matrix interface areas.

  4. Evidence of the Lower Thermospheric Winter-to-Summer Circulation From SABER CO2 Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Liying; Burns, Alan; Yue, Jia

    2017-10-01

    Numerical studies have shown that there is a lower thermospheric winter-to-summer circulation that is driven by wave dissipation and that it plays a significant role in trace gas distributions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, and in the composition of the thermosphere. However, the characteristics of this circulation are poorly known. Direct observations of it are difficult, but it leaves clear signatures in tracer distributions. The Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite has obtained CO2 concentration from 2002 to present. This data set, combined with simulations by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, provides an unprecedented opportunity to infer the morphology of this circulation in both the summer and winter hemispheres. Our study show that there exists a maximum vertical gradient of CO2 at summer high latitudes, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the mesospheric circulation and the downwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation; in the winter hemisphere, the maximum vertical gradient of CO2 is located at a higher altitude, driven by the convergence of the upwelling of the lower thermospheric circulation and the downwelling of the solar-driven thermospheric circulation; the bottom of the lower thermospheric circulation is located between 95 km and 100 km, and it has a vertical extent of 10 km. Analysis of the SABER CO2 and temperature at summer high latitudes showed that the bottom of this circulation is consistently higher than the mesopause height by 10 km.

  5. Using tracers to understand the hydrology of an abandoned underground coal mine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Canty, G.A.; Everett, J.W.

    1998-01-01

    Flooded underground mines pose a difficult problem for remediation efforts requiring hydrologic information. Mine environments are hydraulically complicated due to sinuous travel paths and variable hydraulic gradients. For an acidic mine remediation project, conducted by the University of Oklahoma in conjunction with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, a tracer study was undertaken to identify basic hydrologic properties of a flooded coal mine. The study was conducted to investigate the possibility of in-situ remediation of acidic mine water with the use of alkaline coal combustion by-products. Information on the rate of flow and ''connectiveness'' of injection wells with the discharge point was needed to develop a treatment strategy. Fluorescent dyes are not typically used in mine tracer studies because of the low pH values associated with certain mines and a tendency to adsorb ferric iron precipitates. However, Rhodamine WT was used in one tracer test because it can be detected at low concentrations. Due to poor recovery, a second tracer test was undertaken using a more conservative tracer-chloride. Each tracer produced similar travel time results. Findings from this study suggest that Rhodamine WT can be used under slightly acidic conditions, with mixed results. The more conservative tracer provided somewhat better results, but recovery was still poor. Use of these tracers has provided some valuable information with regard to mine hydrology, but additional questions have been raised

  6. Determination of dispersion coefficients and average flow velocities in rivers radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carvalho, M.A.G. de; Moreira, R.M.

    1984-01-01

    The determination of the dispersion characteristics and residence time distribution in a series of adjoining stretches of a river with one single tracer injection, are presented. The method allows minimizing the amount of work and tracer expenditure in the measurement of fluvial transport over long or heterogeneous river courses. (M.A.C.) [pt

  7. A novel double-tracer technique to characterize absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of [14C]tofogliflozin after oral administration and concomitant intravenous microdose administration of [13C]tofogliflozin in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwab, Dietmar; Portron, Agnes; Backholer, Zoe; Lausecker, Berthold; Kawashima, Kosuke

    2013-06-01

    Human mass balance studies and the assessment of absolute oral bioavailability (F) are usually assessed in separate studies. Intravenous microdose administration of an isotope tracer concomitant to an unlabeled oral dose is an emerging technique to assess F. We report a novel double-tracer approach implemented for tofogliflozin combining oral administration of a radiolabel tracer with concomitant intravenous administration of a stable isotope tracer. Tofogliflozin is a potent and selective sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus currently in clinical development. The objectives of the present study were to assess the systemic exposure of major circulating metabolites, excretion balance, F and contribution of renal clearance (CLR) to total clearance (CL) of tofogliflozin in healthy subjects within one study applying a novel double-tracer technique. Six healthy male subjects received 20 mg [(12)C/(14)C]tofogliflozin (3.73 MBq) orally and a concomitant microdose of 0.1 mg [(13)C]tofogliflozin intravenously. Pharmacokinetics of tofogliflozin were determined for the oral and intravenous route; the pharmacokinetics of the metabolites M1 and M5 were determined for the oral route. Quantification of [(12)C]tofogliflozin in plasma and urine and [(13)C]tofogliflozin in plasma was performed by selective LC-MS/MS methods. For the pre-selected metabolites of tofogliflozin, M1 and M5, a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was applied to plasma and urine samples. Total radioactivity was assessed in plasma, urine and feces. Pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted by non-compartmental methods. The pharmacokinetics of tofogliflozin in healthy subjects were characterized by an F of 97.5 ± 12.3 %, CL of 10.0 ± 1.3 l/h and volume of distribution at steady-state (V(ss)) of 50.6 ± 6.7 l. The main route of elimination of total drug-related material was by excretion into urine (77.0 ± 4.1 % of the dose). The

  8. Rate tracer studies of heterogeneous catalysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Happel, J; Kiang, S

    1977-10-01

    An analysis is presented of the extent to which parameters involved in transient tracing of isotopic species in heterogeneous catalysis can be determined by experiments in which tracer concentrations are measured as a function of time. Different treatments for open and closed systems with the over-all reaction at equilibrium or irreversible were developed.

  9. Tritium as tracer of flow in constructed wetlands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wachniew, P.; Czuprynski, P.; Maloszewski, P.

    2005-01-01

    Constructed wetlands technology is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method used world-wide to treat waste waters of different origins. The soluble pollutants are transformed and removed mainly through the processes that occur at surfaces of plants, plant debris or filtering media. The efficiency of soluble pollutants removal is thus primarily related to the extent of contact between waste waters and the reactive surfaces. Residence time distributions function (RTD)is basic characteristic of wetland hydraulic properties and can be obtained by combined use of tracer technique and mathematical modelling. Tritium was used as to obtain RTD's of three parallel cells of a sub-surface flow constructed wetland overgrown with Pharagmites australis in Nowa Slupia. Tritium as a part of water molecule, is an ideal tracer of flow in the highly reactive environment of constructed wetlands. Results of the tracer test interpreted by the assumed model (Multi Flow Dispersion Model) of conservative solute transport revealed a complex structure of flow through the wetland. (author)

  10. Tracer research in process engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iller, E.

    1992-01-01

    The book is a review of modern applications of tracer techniques in chemical and process engineering studies. The next topics have been extensively presented: 1) media flow through apparatus; 2) the tracers in the study of media flow dynamics through apparatus; 3) mathematical interpretation of experimental data from impulse-response method; 4) the models of media flow through chemical reactors and apparatus; 5) radiotracers in mass transport study; 6) examples of practical applications of tracer methods in industrial objects. 84 refs, 96 figs, 31 tabs

  11. Evaluating 10B-enriched Boric Acid, Bromide, and Heat as Tracers of Recycled Groundwater Flow near MAR Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, T.; Clark, J. F.

    2012-12-01

    Coupled with the unpredictability of a changing climate, the projected growth in human population over the next century requires new and innovative ways to augment already-depleted water supplies. An increasingly popular and promising development is managed aquifer recharge (MAR), a cost-effective method of intentionally storing potable water in groundwater aquifers at engineered sites worldwide. Reclaimed (or recycled) water, defined as cleaned and treated wastewater, will account for a larger portion of MAR water in future years. A crucial component for managing groundwater recharged with reclaimed water is its subsurface travel time. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), with the most recent draft of regulations issued on November 21, 2011, requires the application of groundwater tracers to demonstrate subsurface residence time. Residence time increases the quality of reclaimed water via soil-aquifer treatment (SAT), which includes mechanisms such as sorption, biological degradation, and microbial inactivation to remove potential contaminants or pathogens. This study addresses the need for an appropriate tracer to determine groundwater residence times near MAR facilities. Standard shallow groundwater dating techniques, such as T/3He and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) methods, cannot be used because their uncertainties are typically ± 2 years, longer than the target CDPH retention time of ~6 months. These methods also cannot map preferential flow paths. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a nonreactive synthetic gas, is well-established as a deliberate tracer for determining subsurface travel time; however, SF6 is a very strong greenhouse gas and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is regulating its emission. Other tracers, such as noble gas isotopes, that have successfully determined subsurface retention times are impractical due to their high cost. A multi-tracer experiment at the San Gabriel Spreading Grounds test basin (Montebello Forebay, Los Angeles

  12. New SPECT tracers: Example of tracers of proteoglycans and melanin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cachin, F.; Mestas, D.; Kelly, A.; Merlin, C.; Veyre, A.; Maublant, J.; Cachin, F.; Chezal, J.M.; Miot-Noirault, E.; Moins, N.; Auzeloux, P.; Vidal, A.; Bonnet-Duquennoy, M.; Boisgard, S.; D'Incan, M.; Madelmont, J.C.; Maublant, J.; Boisgard, S.; D'Incan, M.; Redini, F.; Filaire, M.

    2009-01-01

    The majority of research program on new radiopharmaceuticals turn to tracers used for positron emission tomography (PET). Only a few teams work on new non fluorine labeled tracers. However, the coming of SPECT/CT gamma cameras, the arrival of semi-conductors gamma cameras should boost the development of non-PET tracers. We exhibit in this article the experience acquired by our laboratory in the conception and design of two new non fluorine labelled compounds. The 99m Tc-N.T.P. 15-5 (N.T.P. 15-5 for N-[tri-ethyl-ammonium]-3-propyl-[15]ane-N5) which binds to proteoglycans could be used for the diagnosis and staging of osteoarthritis and chondrosarcoma. The iodo benzamides, specific to the melanin, are nowadays compared to 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose in a phase III clinical trial for the diagnosis and detection of melanoma metastasis. Our last development focus on N-[2-(diethyl-amino)ethyl]-4 and 2-iodo benzamides respectively B.Z.A. and B.Z.A.2 hetero-aromatic analogues usable for melanoma treatment. (authors)

  13. Instantaneous axial velocity of a radioactive tracer determined with radioactive particle tracking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fraguio, Maria Sol; Cassanello, Miryan C., E-mail: miryan@di.fcen.uba.a [Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Programa de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Fuentes Alternativas de Materias Primas y Energia (PINMATE); Cardona, Maria Angelica; Hojman, Daniel, E-mail: cardona@tandar.cnea.gov.a [CONICET, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Somacal, Hector [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica (CNEA), Buenos Aires (Argentina). Centro Atomico Constituyentes. Dept. de Fisica

    2009-07-01

    Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) is a technique that has been successfully used to get features of the liquid and/or the solid motion in multiphase contactors. It is one of the rare techniques able to provide experimental data in dense and strongly turbulent multiphase media. Validation of the technique has always been based on comparing the estimated mean velocity to an imposed mean velocity although the extracted features are frequently related to the instantaneous velocities. The present work pursues the analysis, through calibration experiments, of the ability of RPT to get the actual tracer instantaneous velocities. With this purpose, the motion of a radioactive tracer attached to a moving rod driven by a pneumatic system is reconstructed from the combined response of an array of 10 NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors. Simultaneously, the tracer motion is registered through an encoder able to establish the axial tracer coordinate with high precision and high time resolution. The tracer is a gold particle, activated by neutron bombardment. The rod is moved at different velocities and it travels upwards and downwards close to the column centre. A mini-pilot scale bubble column is used as the test facility. The model liquid is tap water in batch mode and the gas is air, flowing at different gas velocities, spanning the homogeneous and the heterogeneous flow regimes. Time series of the entirety response of all the detectors, while the rod is moving at different imposed velocities within the two phase emulsion, are measured with a sampling period of 0.03 s during about 2 minutes. The instantaneous tracer positions and velocities reconstructed from RPT and the one obtained from the encoder response are compared under different operating conditions and for different tracer velocities. (author)

  14. Tracer filamentation at an unstable ocean front

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yen Chia; Mahadevan, Amala; Thiffeault, Jean-Luc; Yecko, Philip

    2017-11-01

    A front, where two bodies of ocean water with different physical properties meet, can become unstable and lead to a flow with high strain rate and vorticity. Phytoplankton and other oceanic tracers are stirred into filaments by such flow fields, as can often be seen in satellite imagery. The stretching and folding of a tracer by a two-dimensional flow field has been well studied. In the ocean, however, the vertical shear of horizontal velocity is typically two orders of magnitude larger than the horizontal velocity gradient. Theoretical calculations show that vertical shear alters the way in which horizontal strain affects the tracer, resulting in thin, sloping structures in the tracer field. Using a non-hydrostatic ocean model of an unstable ocean front, we simulate tracer filamentation to identify the effect of vertical shear on the deformation of the tracer. In a complementary laboratory experiment, we generate a simple, vertically sheared strain flow and use dye and particle image velocimetry to quantify the filamentary structures in terms of the strain and shear. We identify how vertical shear alters the tracer filaments and infer how the evolution of tracers in the ocean will differ from the idealized two-dimensional paradigm. Support of NSF DMS-1418956 is acknowledged.

  15. Tracer dispersion - experiment and CFD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zitny, R.

    2004-01-01

    Description of tracer distribution by means of dispersion models is a method successfully used in process engineering for fifty years. Application of dispersion models in reactor engineering for characterization of flows in column apparatus, heat exchangers, etc. is summarized and experimental tracer techniques as well as CFD methods for dispersion coefficients evaluation are discussed. Possible extensions of thermal axial dispersion model (ADM) and a core-wall ADM model suitable for description of tracer dispersion in laminar flows are suggested as well as CFD implementation as 1D finite elements. (author)

  16. Doublet tracer tests to determine the contaminant flushing properties of a municipal solid waste landfill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodman, N D; Rees-White, T C; Beaven, R P; Stringfellow, A M; Barker, J A

    2017-08-01

    This paper describes a programme of research investigating horizontal fluid flow and solute transport through saturated municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. The purpose is to inform engineering strategies for future contaminant flushing. Solute transport between injection/abstraction well pairs (doublets) is investigated using three tracers over five separate tests at well separations between 5m and 20m. Two inorganic tracers (lithium and bromide) were used, plus the fluorescent dye tracer, rhodamine-WT. There was no evidence for persistent preferential horizons or pathways at the inter-well scale. The time for tracer movement to the abstraction wells varied with well spacing as predicted for a homogeneous isotropic continuum. The time for tracer movement to remote observation wells was also as expected. Mobile porosity was estimated as ~0.02 (~4% of total porosity). Good fits to the tracer breakthrough data were achieved using a dual-porosity model, with immobile regions characterised by block diffusion timescales in the range of about one to ten years. This implies that diffusional exchanges are likely to be very significant for engineering of whole-site contaminant flushing and possibly rate-limiting. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Selection of tracers for oil and gas evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjoernstad, T.

    1991-08-01

    The importance of tracer tests in reservoir descriptions is increasingly acknowledged by reservoir engineers as a method to obtain valuable dynamic information from the reservoir. The report describes the ''state-of-the art'' on tracer technology for interwell investigations. Experiences gained from a number of reported field tracer tests are reviewed, and results from detailed laboratory investigations on the static and dynamic behavior of various tracer molecules are discussed. A critical evaluation of the applicability of the various identified tracers is provided. Present and future trends in the development of tracer technology for reservoir description are sketched. 64 refs., 12 figs., 2 tabs

  18. The use of radioactive and other tracers in oil and gas measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edmonds, E.A.

    1985-01-01

    A description and critical discussion of the use of tracer techniques of flowrate measurement in the oil and gas industries. Radioactive tracers are discussed in particular, with emphasis on the practical aspects of their use. Radiotracers suitable for use in industrial environments are described and discussed. The advantages of radiotracers over conventional chemical tracers are reviewed and the logistical problems associated with the use of radioactive materials are considered. The results of measurements conducted using radiotracers on operating plant and on calibration facilities are presented with a discussion of the accuracy of measurement of flowrate which is achievable: potentially, in ideal circumstances, and in practical situations. The modification of tracer techniques of flow measurement to enable residence time distributions to be evaluated and leaks to be located and quantified on operating process plant is illustrated and discussed. The use of specially synthesized radiochemicals for tracing complex petrochemical processes involving chemical reactions and multiproduct streams is described. The use of novel non-radioactive tracers and specialized detection systems is also described, again with practical illustrations of experience in the field. The benefits offered by the use of these tracers and the limitations encountered are discussed. (author)

  19. Single well surfactant test to evaluate surfactant floods using multi tracer method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheely, Clyde Q.

    1979-01-01

    Data useful for evaluating the effectiveness of or designing an enhanced recovery process said process involving mobilizing and moving hydrocarbons through a hydrocarbon bearing subterranean formation from an injection well to a production well by injecting a mobilizing fluid into the injection well, comprising (a) determining hydrocarbon saturation in a volume in the formation near a well bore penetrating formation, (b) injecting sufficient mobilizing fluid to mobilize and move hydrocarbons from a volume in the formation near the well bore, and (c) determining the hydrocarbon saturation in a volume including at least a part of the volume of (b) by an improved single well surfactant method comprising injecting 2 or more slugs of water containing the primary tracer separated by water slugs containing no primary tracer. Alternatively, the plurality of ester tracers can be injected in a single slug said tracers penetrating varying distances into the formation wherein the esters have different partition coefficients and essentially equal reaction times. The single well tracer method employed is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,842. This method designated the single well surfactant test (SWST) is useful for evaluating the effect of surfactant floods, polymer floods, carbon dioxide floods, micellar floods, caustic floods and the like in subterranean formations in much less time and at much reduced cost compared to conventional multiwell pilot tests.

  20. Advancing Reactive Tracer Methods for Measurement of Thermal Evolution in Geothermal Reservoirs: Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitchell A. Plummer; Carl D. Palmer; Earl D. Mattson; Laurence C. Hull; George D. Redden

    2011-07-01

    The injection of cold fluids into engineered geothermal system (EGS) and conventional geothermal reservoirs may be done to help extract heat from the subsurface or to maintain pressures within the reservoir (e.g., Rose et al., 2001). As these injected fluids move along fractures, they acquire heat from the rock matrix and remove it from the reservoir as they are extracted to the surface. A consequence of such injection is the migration of a cold-fluid front through the reservoir (Figure 1) that could eventually reach the production well and result in the lowering of the temperature of the produced fluids (thermal breakthrough). Efficient operation of an EGS as well as conventional geothermal systems involving cold-fluid injection requires accurate and timely information about thermal depletion of the reservoir in response to operation. In particular, accurate predictions of the time to thermal breakthrough and subsequent rate of thermal drawdown are necessary for reservoir management, design of fracture stimulation and well drilling programs, and forecasting of economic return. A potential method for estimating migration of a cold front between an injection well and a production well is through application of reactive tracer tests, using chemical whose rate of degradation is dependent on the reservoir temperature between the two wells (e.g., Robinson 1985). With repeated tests, the rate of migration of the thermal front can be determined, and the time to thermal breakthrough calculated. While the basic theory behind the concept of thermal tracers has been understood for some time, effective application of the method has yet to be demonstrated. This report describes results of a study that used several methods to investigate application of reactive tracers to monitoring the thermal evolution of a geothermal reservoir. These methods included (1) mathematical investigation of the sensitivity of known and hypothetical reactive tracers, (2) laboratory testing of novel

  1. Tracer techniques in microelectronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flachowsky, J.; Freyer, K.

    1981-01-01

    Tracer technique and neutron activation analysis are capable of measuring impurities in semiconductor material or on the semiconductor surface in a very low concentration range. The methods, combined with autoradiography, are also suitable to determine dopant distributions in silicon. However, both techniques suffer from certain inherent experimental difficulties and/or limitations which are discussed. Methods of tracer technique practicable in the semiconductor field are described. (author)

  2. Tracer transport in fractured rocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsang, C.F.; Tsang, Y.W.; Hale, F.V.

    1988-07-01

    Recent interest in the safety of toxic waste underground disposal and nuclear waste geologic repositories has motivated many studies of tracer transport in fractured media. Fractures occur in most geologic formations and introduce a high degree of heterogeneity. Within each fracture, the aperture is not constant in value but strongly varying. Thus for such media, tracer tends to flow through preferred flowpaths or channels within the fractures. Along each of these channels, the aperture is also strongly varying. A detailed analysis is carried out on a 2D single fracture with variable apertures and the flow through channels is demonstrated. The channels defined this way are not rigidly set pathways for tracer transport, but are the preferred flow paths in the sense of stream-tubes in the potential theory. It is shown that such variable-aperture channels can be characterized by an aperture probability distribution function, and not by the exact deterministic geometric locations. We also demonstrate that the 2D tracer transport in a fracture can be calculated by a model of a system of 1D channels characterized by this distribution function only. Due to the channeling character of tracer transport in fractured rock, random point measurements of tracer breakthrough curves may give results with a wide spread in value due to statistical fluctuations. The present paper suggests that such a wide spread can probably be greatly reduced by making line/areal (or multiple) measurements covering a few spatial correlation lengths. 13 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab

  3. Tracers of air-sea gas exchange

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liss, P.S.

    1988-01-01

    The flux of gas across the air-sea interface is determined by the product of the interfacial concentration difference driving the exchange and a rate constant, often termed the transfer velocity. The concentration-difference term is generally obtained by direct measurement, whereas more indirect approaches are required to estimate the transfer velocity and its variation as a function of controlling parameters such as wind and sea state. Radioactive tracers have proved particularly useful in the estimation of air-sea transfer velocities and, recently, stable purposeful tracers have also started to be used. In this paper the use of the following tracers to determine transfer velocities at the sea surface is discussed: natural and bomb-produced 14 C, dissolved oxygen, 222 Rn and sulphur hexafluoride. Other topics covered include the relation between transfer velocity and wind speed as deduced from tracer and wind-tunnel studies, and the discrepancy between transfer velocities determined by using tracers and from eddy correlation measurements in the atmosphere. (author)

  4. Tracer techniques for urine volume determination and urine collection and sampling back-up system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, R. V.

    1971-01-01

    The feasibility, functionality, and overall accuracy of the use of lithium were investigated as a chemical tracer in urine for providing a means of indirect determination of total urine volume by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. Experiments were conducted to investigate the parameters of instrumentation, tracer concentration, mixing times, and methods for incorporating the tracer material in the urine collection bag, and to refine and optimize the urine tracer technique to comply with the Skylab scheme and operational parameters of + or - 2% of volume error and + or - 1% accuracy of amount of tracer added to each container. In addition, a back-up method for urine collection and sampling system was developed and evaluated. This back-up method incorporates the tracer technique for volume determination in event of failure of the primary urine collection and preservation system. One chemical preservative was selected and evaluated as a contingency chemical preservative for the storage of urine in event of failure of the urine cooling system.

  5. Determining Near-Bottom Fluxes of Passive Tracers in Aquatic Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bluteau, Cynthia E.; Ivey, Gregory N.; Donis, Daphne; McGinnis, Daniel F.

    2018-03-01

    In aquatic systems, the eddy correlation method (ECM) provides vertical flux measurements near the sediment-water interface. The ECM independently measures the turbulent vertical velocities w' and the turbulent tracer concentration c' at a high sampling rate (> 1 Hz) to obtain the vertical flux w'c'¯ from their time-averaged covariance. This method requires identifying and resolving all the flow-dependent time (and length) scales contributing to w'c'¯. With increasingly energetic flows, we demonstrate that the ECM's current technology precludes resolving the smallest flux-contributing scales. To avoid these difficulties, we show that for passive tracers such as dissolved oxygen, w'c'¯ can be measured from estimates of two scalar quantities: the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation ɛ and the rate of tracer variance dissipation χc. Applying this approach to both laboratory and field observations demonstrates that w'c'¯ is well resolved by the new method and can provide flux estimates in more energetic flows where the ECM cannot be used.

  6. Extended application of radon as a natural tracer in oil reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moreira R.M.

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In the 80's it was a common practice in the study of contamination by NAPL to incorporate a tracer to the medium to be studied. At that time the first applications focused on the use of 222Rn, a naturally occurring radioactive isotope as a natural tracer, appropriate for thermodynamics studies, geology and transport properties in thermal reservoirs. In 1993 the deficit of radon was used to spot and quantify the contamination by DNAPL under the surface. For the first time these studies showed that radon could be used as a partitioning tracer. A methodology that provides alternatives to quantify the oil volume stored in the porous space of oil reservoirs is under development at CDTN. The methodology here applied, widens up and adapts the knowledge acquired from the use of radon as a tracer to the studies aimed at assessing SOR. It is a postulation of this work that once the radon partition coefficient between oil and water is known, SOR will be determined considering the increased amount of radon in the water phase as compared to the amount initially existent as the reservoir is flooded with water. This paper will present a description of the apparatus used and some preliminary results of the experiments.

  7. Concentration dynamics in lakes and reservoirs. Studies using radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilath, Ch.

    1983-01-01

    The use of radioactive tracers for the investigation of concentration dynamics of inert soluble matter in lakes and reservoirs is reviewed. Shallow and deep stratified lakes are considered. The mechanism of mixing in lakes, flow pattern and input - output response are discussed. The methodology of the use of radioactive tracers for concentration dynamic studies is described. Examples of various investigations are reviewed. The dynamics of shallow lakes can be found and expressed in terms of transfer functions, axial dispersion models, residence time distributions and sometimes only semiquantitative information about the flow pattern. The dynamics of deep, stratified lakes is more complex and difficult to investigate with tracers. Flow pattern, horizontal and vertical eddy diffusivities, mass transfer between the hypolimnion and epilimnion are tools used for describing this dynamics. (author)

  8. Evaluation of the transport matrix method for simulation of ocean biogeochemical tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvale, Karin F.; Khatiwala, Samar; Dietze, Heiner; Kriest, Iris; Oschlies, Andreas

    2017-06-01

    Conventional integration of Earth system and ocean models can accrue considerable computational expenses, particularly for marine biogeochemical applications. Offline numerical schemes in which only the biogeochemical tracers are time stepped and transported using a pre-computed circulation field can substantially reduce the burden and are thus an attractive alternative. One such scheme is the transport matrix method (TMM), which represents tracer transport as a sequence of sparse matrix-vector products that can be performed efficiently on distributed-memory computers. While the TMM has been used for a variety of geochemical and biogeochemical studies, to date the resulting solutions have not been comprehensively assessed against their online counterparts. Here, we present a detailed comparison of the two. It is based on simulations of the state-of-the-art biogeochemical sub-model embedded within the widely used coarse-resolution University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM). The default, non-linear advection scheme was first replaced with a linear, third-order upwind-biased advection scheme to satisfy the linearity requirement of the TMM. Transport matrices were extracted from an equilibrium run of the physical model and subsequently used to integrate the biogeochemical model offline to equilibrium. The identical biogeochemical model was also run online. Our simulations show that offline integration introduces some bias to biogeochemical quantities through the omission of the polar filtering used in UVic ESCM and in the offline application of time-dependent forcing fields, with high latitudes showing the largest differences with respect to the online model. Differences in other regions and in the seasonality of nutrients and phytoplankton distributions are found to be relatively minor, giving confidence that the TMM is a reliable tool for offline integration of complex biogeochemical models. Moreover, while UVic ESCM is a serial code, the TMM can

  9. Using stable isotope tracers to assess hydrological flow paths, residence times and landscape influences in a nested mesoscale catchment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Rodgers

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available δ18O measurements in precipitation and stream waters were used to investigate hydrological flow paths and residence times at nested spatial scales in the mesoscale (233 km2 River Feugh catchment in the northeast of Scotland over the 2001-2002 hydrological year. Precipitation δ18O exhibited strong seasonal variation, which although significantly damped within the catchment, was reflected in stream water at six sampling sites. This allowed δ18O variations to be used to infer the relative influence of soil-derived storm flows with a seasonally variable isotopic signature, and groundwater of apparently more constant isotopic composition. Periodic regression analysis was then used to examine the sub-catchment difference using an exponential flow model to provide indicative estimates of mean stream water residence times, which varied between approximately 3 and 14 months. This showed that the effects of increasing scale on estimated mean stream water residence time was minimal beyond that of the smallest (ca. 1 km2 headwater catchment scale. Instead, the interaction of catchment soil cover and topography appeared to be the dominant controlling influence. Where sub-catchments had extensive peat coverage, responsive hydrological pathways produced seasonally variable δ18O signatures in runoff with short mean residence times (ca. 3 months. In contrast, areas dominated by steeper slopes, more freely draining soils and larger groundwater storage in shallow valley-bottom aquifers, deeper flow paths allow for more effective mixing and damping of δ18O indicating longer residence times (>12 months. These insights from δ18O measurements extend the hydrological understanding of the Feugh catchment gained from previous geochemical tracer studies, and demonstrate the utility of isotope tracers in investigating the interaction of hydrological processes and catchment characteristics at larger spatial scales.

  10. The annual cycle of stratospheric water vapor in a general circulation model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mote, Philip W.

    1995-01-01

    The application of general circulation models (GCM's) to stratospheric chemistry and transport both permits and requires a thorough investigation of stratospheric water vapor. The National Center for Atmospheric Research has redesigned its GCM, the Community Climate Model (CCM2), to enable studies of the chemistry and transport of tracers including water vapor; the importance of water vapor to the climate and chemistry of the stratosphere requires that it be better understood in the atmosphere and well represented in the model. In this study, methane is carried as a tracer and converted to water; this simple chemistry provides an adequate representation of the upper stratospheric water vapor source. The cold temperature bias in the winter polar stratosphere, which the CCM2 shares with other GCM's, produces excessive dehydration in the southern hemisphere, but this dry bias can be ameliorated by setting a minimum vapor pressure. The CCM2's water vapor distribution and seasonality compare favorably with observations in many respects, though seasonal variations including the upper stratospheric semiannual oscillation are generally too small. Southern polar dehydration affects midlatitude water vapor mixing ratios by a few tenths of a part per million, mostly after the demise of the vortex. The annual cycle of water vapor in the tropical and northern midlatitude lower stratosphere is dominated by drying at the tropical tropopause. Water vapor has a longer adjustment time than methane and had not reached equilibrium at the end of the 9 years simulated here.

  11. Fluorescence tracers as a reference for pesticide transport in wetland systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lange, Jens; Passeport, Elodie; Tournebize, Julien

    2010-05-01

    Two different fluorescent tracers, Uranine (UR) and Sulforhodamine (SRB), were injected as a pulse into surface flow wetlands. Tracer breakthrough curves were used to document hydraulic efficiencies, peak attenuation and retention capacities of completely different wetland systems. The tracers were used as a reference to mimic photolytic decay (UR) and sorption (SRB) of contaminants, since a real herbicide (Isoproturon, IPU) was injected in parallel to UR and SRB. Analysis costs limited IPU sampling frequency and single samples deviated from the tracer breakthrough curves. Still, a parallel behavior of IPU and SRB could be observed in totally different wetland systems, including underground passage through drainage lines. Similar recovery rates for IPU and SRB confirmed this observation. Hence, SRB was found to be an appropriate reference tracer to mimic the behavior of mobile pesticides (low KOC, without degradation) in wetland systems and the obtained wetland characteristics for SRB may serve as an indication for contaminant retention. Owing to the properties of IPU, the obtained results should be treated as worst case scenarios for highly mobile pesticides. A comparison of six different wetland types suggested that non-steady wetland systems with large variation in water level may temporally store relatively large amounts of tracers (contaminants), partly in areas that are not continuously saturated. This may lead to an efficient attenuation of peak concentrations. However, when large parts of these systems are flushed by natural storm events, tracers (contaminants) may be re-mobilized. In steady systems vegetation density and water depth were found to be the most important factors for tracer/contaminant retention. Illustrated by SRB, sorption on sediments and vegetation was a quick, almost instantaneous process which lead to considerable tracer losses even at high flow velocities and short contact times. Shallow systems with dense vegetation appeared to be the

  12. Hanford 100-N Area Tracer Study Final Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kretzschmar, S.P.; Bedi, G.S.; Martinez, P.; Ervin, K.

    1996-09-01

    This document provides an engineering tracer study final report for the determination of contact time for the disinfection process at Group A Nontransient Noncommunity water treatment plant for the 100- N Water Plant (located on the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington). The purpose of this study is to determine the actual detention time within the plant clearwell, and the disinfection contact time at several clearwell effluent flow rates

  13. Doublet Tracer Testing in Klamath Falls, Oregon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gudmundsson, J S; Johnson, S E; Horne, R N; Jackson, P B [Pet. Eng. Dept., Stanford University; Culver, G G [Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR

    0000-12-30

    A tracer test was carried out in a geothermal doublet system to study the injection behavior of a developed reservoir known to be fractured. The doublet produces about 320 gpm of 160 degrees Fahrenheit water that is used for space heating and then injected; the wells are spaced 250 ft apart. Tracer breakthrough was observed in 2 hours and 45 minutes in the production well, indicating fracture flow. However, the tracer concentrations were low and indicated porous media flow; the tracers mixed with a reservoir volume much larger than a fracture.

  14. Tracer a application in marine outfall studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genders, S.

    1979-01-01

    The applicability of radioactive and fluorescent tracers for field studies to predict or investigate waste water transport and dispersion from marine outfalls is evaluated. The application of either instantaneous or continuous tracer release, 'in situ' detection of tracers and data processing are considered. The necessity of a combined use of tracer techniques and conventional hydrographic methods for a statistical prediction of transport and dillution of waste water are pointed out. A procedure to determine an outlet distance from the coast, which satisfy bathing water criteria is outlined. (M.A.) [pt

  15. Doublet Tracer Testing in Klamath Falls, Oregon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gudmundsson, J.S.; Johnson, S.E.; Horne, R.N.; Jackson, P. B. [Pet. Eng. Dept., Stanford University; Culver, G.G. [Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR

    0001-01-01

    A tracer test was carried out in a geothermal doublet system to study the injection behavior of a developed reservoir known to be fractured. The doublet produces about 320 gpm of 160 degrees Fahrenheit water that is used for space heating and then injected; the wells are spaced 250 ft apart. Tracer breakthrough was observed in 2 hours and 45 minutes in the production well, indicating fracture flow. However, the tracer concentrations were low and indicated porous media flow; the tracers mixed with a reservoir volume much larger than a fracture.

  16. Bromide as a tracer for studying water movement and nitrate displacement in soils: comparison with stable isotope tracers; Bromid als Tracer zur Untersuchung der Wasserbewegung und der Nitratverlagerung in Boeden: Vergleich mit stabilisotopen Tracern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Russow, R.; Knappe, S. [UFZ - Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle GmbH, Bad Lauchstaedt (Germany). Sektion Bodenforschung

    1999-02-01

    Tracers are an ideal means of studying water movement and associated nitrate displacement. Often bromide is preferred as a tracer because it is considered a representative tracer for water and because, being a conservative tracer (i.e. not involved in chemical and biological soil processes), it can be used for studying anion transport in soils. Moreover, it is less expensive and easier to measure than the stable isotopes deuterium and {sup 15}N. Its great advantage over radioactive tracers (e.g. tritium), which outweighs their extreme sensitivity and ease of measurement and which it has in common with stable isotopes, is that it does not require radiation protection measures. However, there are also constraints on the use of bromide as a tracer in soil/water/plant systems. Our own studies on different soils using D{sub 2}O, bromide and [{sup 15}N]-nitrate in lysimeters suggest that the above assumptions on bromide tracers need not always be valid under conditions as they prevail in biologically active soils. As the present paper shows, these studies permit a good assessment of the possibilities and limits to these tracers. [Deutsch] Fuer die Untersuchung der Wasserbewegung sowie der daran gekoppelten Nitrat-Verlagerung ist der Einsatz von Tracern das Mittel der Wahl. Dabei wird Bromid als Tracer haeufig bevorzugt, da es allgemein als ein repraesentativer Tracer fuer Wasser und als konservativer Tracer (nicht involviert in chemische und biologische Bodenprozesse) zur Untersuchung des Anionentransportes in Boeden angesehen wird und es gegenueber den stabilen Isotopen Deuterium und {sup 15}N billiger und einfacher zu bestimmen ist. Gegenueber den radioaktiven Tracern (z.B. Tritium), die zwar sehr empfindlich und einfach messbar sind, besteht der grosse Vorteil, dass, wie bei den stabilen Isotopen, keine Strahlenschutzmassnahmen ergriffen werden muessen. Es gibt jedoch auch einschraenkende Hinweise fuer die Verwendung von Bromid als Tracer im System Boden

  17. An Efficient Method for Detection of Outliers in Tracer Curves Derived from Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linning Ye

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Presence of outliers in tracer concentration-time curves derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging can adversely affect the analysis of the tracer curves by model-fitting. A computationally efficient method for detecting outliers in tracer concentration-time curves is presented in this study. The proposed method is based on a piecewise linear model and implemented using a robust clustering algorithm. The method is noniterative and all the parameters are automatically estimated. To compare the proposed method with existing Gaussian model based and robust regression-based methods, simulation studies were performed by simulating tracer concentration-time curves using the generalized Tofts model and kinetic parameters derived from different tissue types. Results show that the proposed method and the robust regression-based method achieve better detection performance than the Gaussian model based method. Compared with the robust regression-based method, the proposed method can achieve similar detection performance with much faster computation speed.

  18. Tracer tests to determine the impact of industrial activities on groundwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaspar, R.D.

    1995-01-01

    The drinking water supply from drains of Iasi town is vulnerable to pollution because of the human activities developed in the supply area. To assess the vulnerability, the transfer functions of pollutants were determined using activable tracer and fluorescent dyes. Tracer techniques have been applied in very permeable sediments and in surface waters for the determination of the dynamic parameters of groundwater movements such as flow vectors and dispersion. To determine the residence time distribution of the pollutants, the mathematical models for surface water pollution and an axial dispersion model for the porous medium between the pollution source and catchment were used. Tracer techniques also allowed the determination of water losses under the drain. (author) 7 figs., 1 tab., 12 refs

  19. Artificial radionuclide tracer supply to the Denmark Strait overflow between 1972 and 1981

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livingston, Hugh D.; Swift, James H.; Ostlund, H. Gote

    1985-01-01

    Measurements of the concentrations of the artificial radionuclides 3H, 137Cs, and 90Sr in the northern Irminger Sea in 1972 and 1981 are reported. In both years, tracer measurements from this area included data from samples of the dense overflow water from the north through Denmark Strait. All three tracers were strongly correlated inversely with salinity in the dense outflows—the tracer maxima being related directly to the salinity minimum. When the tracer characteristics in the outflows in 1972 and 1981 were compared, concentrations of all in 1981 were observed to be about double the 1972 values. The individual tracer concentrations—on a decay-corrected, density-normalized basis—were higher in increasing order: 90Sr (+93%) seas of advected European nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes. Both the tracer and hydrographic data are used to identify northern locations of intermediate water formation capable of supplying the observed dense overflow water characteristics. It is argued, from the time taken for the overflow water to reflect the new surface 137Cs source, that transport from the source to the overflow can be quite rapid (about 2 years).

  20. Search for a non-metabolizable PET tracer for heart neuronal imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wieland, D.M.; Rosenspire, K.C.; Van Dort, M.E.; Haka, M.S.; Jung, Y.W.; Gildersleeve, D.L.

    1990-01-01

    The tracer (1R,2S)-(-)-[ 11 C]-meta-hydroxyephedrine (MHED) is used successfully at the authors' institution to study neuronal heart diseases and neuroendocrine tumors. However, MHED is rapidly metabolized in humans, most likely to alpha-methylepinephrine and its 3-O-methyl ether by the initial action of liver microsomal hydroxylase. This presentation will describe efforts to develop a [ 11 C]-labelled neuronal tracer that is completely resistant to metabolism on the PET-imaging time scale

  1. Final report of the TRUE Block Scale project. 2. Tracer tests in the block scale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andersson, Peter; Byegaard, Johan [Geosigma AB, Uppsala (Sweden); Winberg, Anders [Conterra AB, Partille (Sweden)

    2002-05-01

    The tracer test programme of the TRUE Block Scale Project involved 14 tracer tests campaigns, including performance of 32 tracer injections in 16 different combinations of source and sink sections (flow paths) varying in length between 10 to 130 metres, and involving one or more structures. Average, travel times varied between 1.5 and >2000 hours. Tracer dilution tests performed in conjunction with cross-hole hydraulic pumping tests were found to be a very important part of the pre-tests, where the results were used to identify and screen among possible injection points, and to verify the hydrostructural model valid at a given time. The main problem faced in the block scale tests was to select a test geometry, which gave a sufficiently high mass recovery, and at the same time enabled performance of cross-hole sorbing tracer tests within reasonable time frames. Three different injection methods were applied during the test programme; decaying pulse, finite pulse and forced pulse (unequal dipole). During the later phases of the tracer test programme it was identified that forced injection had to be employed in order to enable detection of tracer at the sink due to strong dilution, and also to avoid problems with artificially induced tailing in the injection signal. Sorbing (reactive) tracers were selected among the radioactive isotopes of the alkali and alkaline earth metals previously used in the TRUE- 1 experiments. It was decided that at least one slightly sorbing tracer and one strongly sorbing tracer should be used in each injection. Non-sorbing tracers were used for conservative reference, e.g., {sup 82}Br{sup -}, {sup 186}ReO{sub 4}, HTO (tritiated water) and {sup 131}I{sup -}. In two of the injections the radioactive non-sorbing tracers were rather short-lived and Uranine and Naphthionate were used as complementary conservative tracers. Surface distribution coefficients, K{sub a}, were evaluated from TRUE-1 and TRUE Block Scale data, making use of the

  2. Final report of the TRUE Block Scale project. 2. Tracer tests in the block scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersson, Peter; Byegaard, Johan; Winberg, Anders

    2002-05-01

    The tracer test programme of the TRUE Block Scale Project involved 14 tracer tests campaigns, including performance of 32 tracer injections in 16 different combinations of source and sink sections (flow paths) varying in length between 10 to 130 metres, and involving one or more structures. Average, travel times varied between 1.5 and >2000 hours. Tracer dilution tests performed in conjunction with cross-hole hydraulic pumping tests were found to be a very important part of the pre-tests, where the results were used to identify and screen among possible injection points, and to verify the hydrostructural model valid at a given time. The main problem faced in the block scale tests was to select a test geometry, which gave a sufficiently high mass recovery, and at the same time enabled performance of cross-hole sorbing tracer tests within reasonable time frames. Three different injection methods were applied during the test programme; decaying pulse, finite pulse and forced pulse (unequal dipole). During the later phases of the tracer test programme it was identified that forced injection had to be employed in order to enable detection of tracer at the sink due to strong dilution, and also to avoid problems with artificially induced tailing in the injection signal. Sorbing (reactive) tracers were selected among the radioactive isotopes of the alkali and alkaline earth metals previously used in the TRUE- 1 experiments. It was decided that at least one slightly sorbing tracer and one strongly sorbing tracer should be used in each injection. Non-sorbing tracers were used for conservative reference, e.g., 82 Br - , 186 ReO 4 , HTO (tritiated water) and 131 I - . In two of the injections the radioactive non-sorbing tracers were rather short-lived and Uranine and Naphthionate were used as complementary conservative tracers. Surface distribution coefficients, K a , were evaluated from TRUE-1 and TRUE Block Scale data, making use of the retardation noted in the injection

  3. ATTILA - Atmospheric Tracer Transport In a Langrangian Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reithmeier, C.; Sausen, R.

    2000-07-01

    The Lagrangian model ATTILA (atmospheric tracer transport in a Lagrangian model) has been developed to treat the global-scale transport of passive trace species in the atmosphere within the framework of a general circulation model (GCM). ATTILA runs online within the GCM ECHAM4 and uses the GCM produced wind field to advect the centrois of 80.000 to 180.000 constant mass air parcels into which the model atmosphere is divided. Each trace constituent is thereby represented by a mass mixing ratio in each parcel. ATTILA contains state-of-the-art parameterizations of convection, turbulent boundary layer mixing, and interparcel transport and provides an algorithm to map the tracer concentrations from the trajectories to the ECHAM model grid. We use two experiments to evaluate the transport characteristics of ATTILA against observations and the standard semiLagrangian transport scheme of ECHAM. In the first experiment we simulate the distribution of the short-lived tracer Radon ({sup 222}Rn) in order to examine fast vertical transport over continents, and long-range transport from the continents to remote areas. In the second experiment, we simulate the distribution of radiocarbon ({sup 14}C) that was injected into the northern stratosphere during the nuclear weapon tests in the early 60ties, in order to examine upper tropospheric and stratospheric transport characteristics. ATTILA compares well to the observations and in many respects to the semiLagrangian scheme. However, contrary to the semiLagrangian scheme, ATTILA shows a greatly reduced meridional transport in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, and a reduced downward flux from the stratosphere to the troposphere, especially in midlatitudes. Since both transport schemes use the same model meteorology, we conclude that the often cited enhanced meridional transport and overestimated downward flux in ECHAM as described above is rather due to the numerical properties of the semiLagrangian scheme than due to an

  4. Utility of multiple tracer distributions in calibrating models for uptake of anthropogenic CO2 by the ocean thermocline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, T.H.; Broecker, W.S.

    1985-01-01

    Two-dimensional thermocline ventilation models for the temperate North Atlantic with differing circulation patterns were calibrated to yield a tritium distribution similar to that observed during the GEOSECS survey. These models were then run for 3 He, bomb-produced 14 C, radiokrypton, and freons. They were also run for the uptake of fossil fuel CO 2 . While the models differ significantly in their ability to match the observed 3 He and 14 C distributions, these differences are not large enough to clearly single out one model as superior. This insensitivity of tracer-to-tracer ratio to model design is reflected by the near identity of the fossil fuel CO 2 uptake by the various models. This result suggests that the uptake of CO 2 by the sea is limited more by the rates of physical mixing within the sea than by gas exchange across the sea surface. If so, then the hope that models employing outcropping isopycnals will enhance the CO 2 uptake by the sea and thereby lead to a narrowing in the gap that exists for anthropogenic CO 2 budgets is not well founded. The interim strategy of using reservoir models calibrated by tracer distributions appears to be sound. 20 references, 19 figures, 5 tables

  5. Noninvasive experimental determination of the individual kidney filtration fraction by means of a dual-tracer technique. [/sup 131/I and /sup 99m/Tc tracer techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Assailly, J.; Pavel, D.G.; Bader, C.; Chanard, J.; Ryerson, T.W.; Cotard, J.P.; Funck-Brentano, J.L.

    1977-07-01

    A noninvasive method for measurement of the individual kidney filtration fraction (FF) is presented, based on an analysis of the early rise of the kidneys' time-activity curves obtained after simultaneous injection of tubular (/sup 131/I) ortho-iodohippurate and glomerular (Tc-99m DTPA) tracers. The analysis is based on the assumption that an insignificant amount of tracer leaves the kidney during the first few moments following injection. Therefore the kidney activity during this period is directly proportional to the integral of the blood (heart) activity. The dual-tracer technique allows the direct calculation of the ratio of glomerular to tubular clearances, i.e., the FF. In vivo studies were performed on 12 dogs, including normals as well as others with acute ureteral ligation or Benemid-induced tubular blockade. The calculated FF correlated well with the FF obtained from single-shot clearances performed simultaneously. We conclude that the FF can be calculated directly for each kidney, noninvasively, from the early part of the tubular and glomerular time-activity curves by noninvasive external detection.

  6. Innovative use of a microbial tracer for measuring groundwater through a fractured matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strong-Gunderson, J.M.

    1995-01-01

    Site characterization for ground water remediation activities is limited by the one's ability to visualize the complexity of the subsurface environment. Currently, a variety of dyes, colloids, gases, etc., are used to monitor and estimate ground water flow and contaminant transport. The author has recently identified a new, innovative colloidal tracer that is a non-hazardous bacterium that is detectable at very low concentrations (ng/kg), and can provide real-time analysis (3--5 min) for measuring colloid transport. The tracer is the ice nucleating active (INA) bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. The assay conditions require measuring the freezing point of the sample (e.g., ground water and soil slurries). Typically, 10--100 microL drops of water will not freeze until -15 to -20 C. However, if the tracer is present the water will freeze at -3 to -7 C. This increase in the freezing point can only be due to the presence of the tracer and this phenomenon is well documented in the plant pathology and low-temperature biology literature but has only now been applied to site characterization and remediation activities. Laboratory experiments have identified the stability of the tracer in the presence of a variety of ground water contaminants (> 100 ppm) and it is stable over a pH range of 2.3--10.0. The tracer has been demonstrated in conjunction with other commonly used tracers at a variety of field sites: (1) a drilling tracer to identify potential cross contamination, and as a colloid/bacterial tracer in (2) a hydrofracturing demonstration, (3) a horizontal recirculation well system, (4) a fractured karst matrix, and (5) a radioactive contaminated site. The data from these demonstrations have provided additional information about site characteristics including faster ground water flow rates than previously identified and due to its low sensitivities better distribution into a clay matrix than estimated by the bromide tracer

  7. First technical report about tracer applications to processes assessment in a portable water potabilizing plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suarez Antola, R.; Giosa Porley, P.

    1996-03-01

    Radioactive and fluorescent tracers were applied to measure the distribution of residence times in each of the four subsystems of a portable water purifying plant: the mechanical flocculation unit, the hydraulic flocculation unit, the sedimentation unit, and the sand filter. This report begins by a revision of the physicochemical processes produced in each of the above mentioned subsystems, connected in series. Then a mathematical model of residence time distribution for each unit is constructed, with free parameters that can be estimated from the experimental results obtained with tracers. Tracer methodology for this kind of field experiment is reviewed. Their possible short comes are briefly discussed for each of the intended tracers. The tracer experiments done with rhodamine and uranine are described. The experimental results are reported and the residence time distributions obtained with different tracers were carefully compared. In order to make the field experiments, five different values of global water flow were sustained, pumping in steady state: two under the nominal (design) value, two above the design flow and one equal to the nominal water flow. The model parameters were determined using a software package, D TR , made in France and supplied by the IAEA in the framework of the project. It was discovered that the diffuser in the sedimentation unit was not working as intended, and some guidelines for its re-design could be given to the process engineers. Also, process engineers received information about some amount of by-pass flow and death zones, as well as their variations with plant's global water flow

  8. Tracer methodology: an appropriate tool for assessing compliance with accreditation standards?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouchard, Chantal; Jean, Olivier

    2017-10-01

    Tracer methodology has been used by Accreditation Canada since 2008 to collect evidence on the quality and safety of care and services, and to assess compliance with accreditation standards. Given the importance of this methodology in the accreditation program, the objective of this study is to assess the quality of the methodology and identify its strengths and weaknesses. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was adopted to evaluate consistency, appropriateness, effectiveness and stakeholder synergy in applying the methodology. An online questionnaire was sent to 468 Accreditation Canada surveyors. According to surveyors' perceptions, tracer methodology is an effective tool for collecting useful, credible and reliable information to assess compliance with Qmentum program standards and priority processes. The results show good coherence between methodology components (appropriateness of the priority processes evaluated, activities to evaluate a tracer, etc.). The main weaknesses are the time constraints faced by surveyors and management's lack of cooperation during the evaluation of tracers. The inadequate amount of time allowed for the methodology to be applied properly raises questions about the quality of the information obtained. This study paves the way for a future, more in-depth exploration of the identified weaknesses to help the accreditation organization make more targeted improvements to the methodology. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Investigation of the connection between surface water and underground water from mine Cacova-Ierii, using activable tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinescu, L.; Domocos, V.; Craciun, St.

    1985-01-01

    Two tracers, indium in the form of In-EDTA complex and 82 Br were simultaneously used in mining hydrology studies. The water samples were passed through an ion exchange column retaining the other disturbing elements, such as Mn, Cl, Na, K etc. Indium was coprecipitated with bismuth hydroxide and determined by NAA. Ten samples of precipitate in plastic bags, wrapped in Al foil, and the standard were irradiated simultaneously for 20 minutes by 10 13 n/cm 2 s neutron flux in the VVR-S reactor, and measured immeadiately after irradiation. Measurements were performed with a Ge(Li) detector and ND-6620 data acquisition and processing system. Measuring time was 200 s. The desintegration correction was taken into account for concentration calculations. Bromine 82 was determined by ''in situ'' measurements with scintillation probe. The connection between surface water and underground Cacova-Ierii mine water was proved, and data regarding the velocity and circulation were obtained

  10. [Precarious matters. The radium economy, episteme of risk and the emergence of tracer technique in national socialism].

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Schwerin, Alexander

    2009-01-01

    Following the traces of radioactive material is--as scholars have recently shown--a valuable historical approach in order to evaluate the material 'factor' of science in action. Even though the origins of materials like radium and artificial isotopes are quite different, their circulation is interconnected. A material pathway can be drawn from the radium industry to the scientific rise of artificial isotopes as indicator substances in the 1930s, continuing to the building of networks by German scientists working for the war efforts. Also, this pathway reveals the role of radiation protection in establishing that material culture. Finally, the dynamics of material traces and institutional linkages is shown by the tracer work of biophysicists and radiation biologists working at the Genetic Department of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research in Berlin and at the Institut de Chimie Nucléaire at Paris, which at that time was occupied by German troops.

  11. Use of radioactive and neutron-activatable tracers to determine effective hydrogeologic parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, C.; Jester, W.A.; Jarrett, A.R.

    1985-01-01

    The migration of nuclides in a geologic medium is controlled by the hydrogeologic parameters of the medium such as the dispersion coefficient, pore water velocity, retardation factor, degradation rate, mass transfer coefficient, water content, and fraction of dead-end pores. The breakthrough curve (BTC), which is the graphical relationship between the tracer concentration and the elapsed time since introduction, is an integrated picture of the hydrogeologic parameters that produced the BTC. Both radioactive and neutron-activatable tracers have been used to generate BTCs. The BTC of a 92 Br radioactive tracer generated under saturated conditions in a nonhomogeneous (fractured) soil column is shown. From BTCs, the effective hydrogeologic parameters can be identified if appropriate techniques are applied

  12. Combining Empirical Relationships with Data Based Mechanistic Modeling to Inform Solute Tracer Investigations across Stream Orders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrington, C.; Gonzalez-Pinzon, R.; Covino, T. P.; Mortensen, J.

    2015-12-01

    Solute transport studies in streams and rivers often begin with the introduction of conservative and reactive tracers into the water column. Information on the transport of these substances is then captured within tracer breakthrough curves (BTCs) and used to estimate, for instance, travel times and dissolved nutrient and carbon dynamics. Traditionally, these investigations have been limited to systems with small discharges (turbidity (e.g., nitrate signals with SUNA instruments or fluorescence measures) and/or high total dissolved solids (e.g., making prohibitively expensive the use of salt tracers such as NaCl) in larger systems. Additionally, a successful time-of-travel study is valuable for only a single discharge and river stage. We have developed a method to predict tracer BTCs to inform sampling frequencies at small and large stream orders using empirical relationships developed from multiple tracer injections spanning several orders of magnitude in discharge and reach length. This method was successfully tested in 1st to 8th order systems along the Middle Rio Grande River Basin in New Mexico, USA.

  13. Tracer investigations of macroprocesses in mineral processing. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koch, P.

    1981-01-01

    Results obtained from tracer studies in mineral processing have been evaluated with regard to the effects of hydrodynamic and design parameters of the single cell on flotation kinetics, to the residence time in single and in series-connected cells, and to the possibility of designing process control models. An algorithm is given for technological interpretation of results obtained from residence time and process kinetics studies

  14. Principles and techniques of gamma ray tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Claxton, K.T.

    1978-01-01

    Radioactive tracer techniques provide a very sensitive means of studying physical and chemical processes in a whole variety of different media. Some of the techniques and principles of radioactive tracers and their application to practical engineering systems are discussed. Information which has been found useful in the design of high temperature liquid sodium facilities employing radio-tracers, is presented. The report deals solely with the use of gamma-emitting species as the tracer. These find particular application for in-situ studies on engineering systems where the highly penetrating properties of gamma rays are needed for detection through strongly absorbent media such as stainless steel pepe walls. (author)

  15. Meteorologic, oceanographic, and geomorphic controls on circulation and residence time in a coral reef-lined embayment: Faga'alu Bay, American Samoa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storlazzi, C. D.; Cheriton, O. M.; Messina, A. M.; Biggs, T. W.

    2018-06-01

    Water circulation over coral reefs can determine the degree to which reef organisms are exposed to the overlying waters, so understanding circulation is necessary to interpret spatial patterns in coral health. Because coral reefs often have high geomorphic complexity, circulation patterns and the duration of exposure, or "local residence time" of a water parcel, can vary substantially over small distances. Different meteorologic and oceanographic forcings can further alter residence time patterns over reefs. Here, spatially dense Lagrangian surface current drifters and Eulerian current meters were used to characterize circulation patterns and resulting residence times over different regions of the reefs in Faga'alu Bay, American Samoa, during three distinct forcing periods: calm, strong winds, and large waves. Residence times varied among different geomorphic zones of the reef and were reflected in the spatially varying health of the corals across the embayment. The relatively healthy, seaward fringing reef consistently had the shortest residence times, as it was continually flushed by wave breaking at the reef crest, whereas the degraded, sheltered, leeward fringing reef consistently had the longest residence times, suggesting this area is more exposed to land-based sources of pollution. Strong wind forcing resulted in the longest residence times by pinning the water in the bay, whereas large wave forcing flushed the bay and resulted in the shortest residence times. The effect of these different forcings on residence times was fairly consistent across all reef geomorphic zones, with the shift from wind to wave forcing shortening mean residence times by approximately 50%. Although ecologically significant to the coral organisms in the nearshore reef zones, these shortened residence times were still 2-3 times longer than those associated with the seaward fringing reef across all forcing conditions, demonstrating how the geomorphology of a reef environment sets a

  16. Live controls for radioisotope tracer food chain experiments using meiofauna

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montagna, P.A.

    1983-01-01

    Formalin poisoned samples are inadequate for measuring the amount of label to be subtracted as control values for certain food chain studies that employ radioactive tracers. In some studies, tracer is added just before incubation to label ''food'' during the feeding study. Commonly, parallel, poisoned incubations are used to distinguish between biotic and abiotic label incorporation. But, a poisoned control does not account for label that could enter a consumer via active transport, epicuticular microfloral uptake, or grazing on labeled, non-food particles. Experiments were performed to test if label uptake is greater in live non-grazing than dead organisms. Marine benthic meiofauna incoporate from 3 to 133 times more tracer when they are alive and not grazing than when they are formalin killed. These results suggest that control experiments with live animals be performed to measure all processes by which label can enter consumers in food chain experiments. (orig.)

  17. Synthesis of radiolabelled organic compounds for use as water tracers in oil reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eriksen, D.Oe.; Bjoernstad, V.

    1999-01-01

    Injection of water into oil containing strata to maintain field pressure and to replace oil is usually the primary choice to enhance oil-recovery. Use of tracer methods is becoming an important part of the oil companies' basis for making economical decisions. Such water tracing requires passive tracers, i.e. compounds that behave exactly like the substance studied under the conditions of interest. This implies that a water-tracer in a water-flooded oil-field must fulfil requirements like no absorption to reservoir rock, no partitioning (or distribution) with respect to the other fluids present, long time thermal stability, microbial resistance and high detectability. In addition, the tracer compound has to be environmentally acceptable and available at a reasonable cost. Among the extensive number of compounds tested according to these criteria in the laboratory we have qualified four compounds as tracers for water in oil reservoirs. For three of them we propose radiolabelling syntheses with 14 C as radioactive label to lower detection limits. The compounds are benzene 1,2- and 1,3-dicarboxylic acids and benzene 1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid. (author)

  18. Water Vapor Tracers as Diagnostics of the Regional Hydrologic Cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosilovich, Michael G.; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Numerous studies suggest that local feedback of surface evaporation on precipitation, or recycling, is a significant source of water for precipitation. Quantitative results on the exact amount of recycling have been difficult to obtain in view of the inherent limitations of diagnostic recycling calculations. The current study describes a calculation of the amount of local and remote geographic sources of surface evaporation for precipitation, based on the implementation of three-dimensional constituent tracers of regional water vapor sources (termed water vapor tracers, WVT) in a general circulation model. The major limitation on the accuracy of the recycling estimates is the veracity of the numerically simulated hydrological cycle, though we note that this approach can also be implemented within the context of a data assimilation system. In the WVT approach, each tracer is associated with an evaporative source region for a prognostic three-dimensional variable that represents a partial amount of the total atmospheric water vapor. The physical processes that act on a WVT are determined in proportion to those that act on the model's prognostic water vapor. In this way, the local and remote sources of water for precipitation can be predicted within the model simulation, and can be validated against the model's prognostic water vapor. As a demonstration of the method, the regional hydrologic cycles for North America and India are evaluated for six summers (June, July and August) of model simulation. More than 50% of the precipitation in the Midwestern United States came from continental regional sources, and the local source was the largest of the regional tracers (14%). The Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic regions contributed 18% of the water for Midwestern precipitation, but further analysis suggests that the greater region of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean may also contribute significantly. In most North American continental regions, the local source of precipitation is

  19. Tracer studies of flotation in the laboratory and in mineral processing plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niemi, A.J.; Thereska, J.; Plasari, E.; Kacaj, M.

    1993-01-01

    Radioisotope tracers have a proven application for the extraction of residence time distributions and the evaluation of flotation rates in industry. This paper shows how values of the rate factor k are scaled up on the basis of flotation in the laboratory and tracer tests in plant. The procedure is illustrated by a theoretical study and by experimental data. The information obtained can be introduced into models of larger flotation systems. (author)

  20. Radon diagnostics and tracer gas measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jilek, K.; Brabec, M.

    2004-01-01

    An outline is presented of the tracer gas technique, which is used for continuous measurements of air ventilation rate (generally time-varying) and for simultaneous estimation of air ventilation rate and radon entry rate, and some of its limitations are discussed. The performance of this technique in the calculation of the air ventilation rate is demonstrated on real data from routine measurements. The potential for air ventilation rate estimation based on radon measurements only is discussed. A practical application is described of the tracer gas technique to a simultaneous estimation of the air ventilation rate and radon entry rate in a real house where the effectiveness of radon remedy was tested. The following main advantages of the CO tracer gas techniques are stressed: (i) The averaging method continuous determination of the ventilation rate with good accuracy (≤ 20 %). (ii) The newly presented and verified method based on simultaneous measurements of radon concentration and CO gas concentration enables separate continuous measurements of the radon entry rate and ventilation rate. The results of comparative measurements performed with the aim to estimate the inaccuracy in determination of radon entry rate showed acceptable and good agreement up to approximately 10 %. The results of comparative measurements performed with the aim to estimate the mutual commensuration of the method to the determination of the ventilation rate confirmed the expected unreliability the two parametric non-linear regression method, which is the most frequently used method in radon diagnostic in the Czech Republic

  1. New developments in the use of stable activable tracers in environmental science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loveland, W.; Keasler, K.; Ghannam, L.; Borovik, A.

    1980-01-01

    Recent developments in the use of stable activable tracers (SATs) in environmental science are reported. (A stable activable tracer is a stable material injected into a system under study and whose concentration is measured by post-sampling activation analysis.) The activable nuclear parts of the tracers studied have been rare earth nuclides with short-lived activation products or Cu. To trace the fate of fluid-bound pollutants (and/or water masses) in marine waters, we have used anionic DTPA complexes of the rare earths. These tracers were shown to be stable (80 to 90% nondissociated) in extensive laboratory tests involving solutions of the tracer in estuarine water including large amounts of marine sediments. Results of a field study in which the flushing time and other hydrological characteristics of an estuarine marina were measured by simultaneously using a fluorescent dye and a SAT are presented. To trace the path of potentially toxic organic molecules, three stable activable tracers, dysprosium(III)-trisacetylacetonate DY(acac) 3 3H 2 O), dysprosium(III)-trisdibenzoylmethane (DY(dbm) 3 H 2 O and copper oxinate Cu (C 9 H 6 ON) 2 were synthesized. Their octanol/water partition coefficients and their solubility in water were measured and used to correlate the tracer species and its biological activity with that of known toxic materials. In a project to demonstrate the simple use of SATs to trace the origin of common insecticides and herbicides, seven common insecticides and herbicides were marked with anionic rare earth DTPA complexes and shown to be detectable at dilutions of 1 part in 10 12 . Two arsenical herbicides were chosen for further study and the tracer/herbicide ratio was shown to remain constant in samples of herbicide material collected on plant surfaces and runoff waters in the environment for long periods

  2. Study on time-based variation of blood circulation index, pulse wave energy, and RAI of healthy adult men after different eating times

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gyeong-Cheol Kim

    2013-12-01

    Conclusions: Different eating times can bring about changes on blood circulation index, E, and RAI. These changes show a certain tendency and coincide with the physiological factors that eating causes a rise of HR, an increase of systolic cardiac pump performance, and a reduction of peripheral vascular resistance.

  3. Toxicity of fluorescent tracers and their degradation byproducts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philippe Gombert

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Tracer tests are frequently used to delineate catchment area of water supply springs in karstic zones. In the karstic chalk of Normandy, the main tracers used are fluorescent: uranine, sulforhodamine B, naphtionate, and Tinopal®. In this area, a statistical analysis shows that less than half of the injected tracers joins the monitored restitution points and enters the drinking water system where they undergo chlorination. Most of the injected tracers is absorbed in the rock matrix or is thrown out of the aquifer via karstic springs: then it can join superficial waters where it is degraded due to the sun and air action. The paper presents firstly the laboratory degradation of a first batch of fluorescent tracers in contact with chlorine, in order to simulate their passage through a water treatment system for human consumption. A second batch of the same tracers is subjected to agents of natural degradation: ultraviolet illumination, sunlight and air sparging. Most tracers is degraded, and toxicity and ecotoxicity tests (on rats, daphniae and algae are performed on degradation byproducts. These tests do not show any acute toxicity but a low to moderate ecotoxicity. In conclusion, the most used fluorescent tracers of the Normandy karstic chalk and their artificial and natural degradation byproducts do not exhibit significant toxicity to humans and the aquatic environment, at the concentrations generally noted at the restitution points.

  4. The European Tracer Experiment - experimental results and database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nodop, K.; Connolly, R.; Girardi, F.

    1997-01-01

    As part of the European Tracer Experiment (ETEX) two successful atmospheric experiments were carried out in October and November, 1994. Perfluorocarbon (PFC) tracers were released into the atmosphere in Monterfil, Brittany, and air samples were taken at 168 stations in 17 European countries for 72 hours after the release. Upper air tracer measurements were made from three aircraft. During the first experiment a westerly air flow transported the tracer plume north-eastwards across Europe. During the second release the flow was eastwards. The results from the ground sampling network allowed the determination of the cloud evolution as far as Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria. Typical background concentrations of the tracer used are around 5 to 7 fl/l in ambient air. Concentrations in the plume ranged from 10 to above 200 fl/l. The tracer release characteristics, the tracer concentrations at the ground and in upper air, the routine and additional meteorological observations at the ground level and in upper air, trajectories derived from constant-level balloons and the meteorological input fields for long-range transport (LRT) models are assembled in the ETEX database. The ETEX database is accessible via the Internet

  5. Using predictive uncertainty analysis to optimise tracer test design and data acquisition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallis, Ilka; Moore, Catherine; Post, Vincent; Wolf, Leif; Martens, Evelien; Prommer, Henning

    2014-07-01

    Tracer injection tests are regularly-used tools to identify and characterise flow and transport mechanisms in aquifers. Examples of practical applications are manifold and include, among others, managed aquifer recharge schemes, aquifer thermal energy storage systems and, increasingly important, the disposal of produced water from oil and shale gas wells. The hydrogeological and geochemical data collected during the injection tests are often employed to assess the potential impacts of injection on receptors such as drinking water wells and regularly serve as a basis for the development of conceptual and numerical models that underpin the prediction of potential impacts. As all field tracer injection tests impose substantial logistical and financial efforts, it is crucial to develop a solid a-priori understanding of the value of the various monitoring data to select monitoring strategies which provide the greatest return on investment. In this study, we demonstrate the ability of linear predictive uncertainty analysis (i.e. “data worth analysis”) to quantify the usefulness of different tracer types (bromide, temperature, methane and chloride as examples) and head measurements in the context of a field-scale aquifer injection trial of coal seam gas (CSG) co-produced water. Data worth was evaluated in terms of tracer type, in terms of tracer test design (e.g., injection rate, duration of test and the applied measurement frequency) and monitoring disposition to increase the reliability of injection impact assessments. This was followed by an uncertainty targeted Pareto analysis, which allowed the interdependencies of cost and predictive reliability for alternative monitoring campaigns to be compared directly. For the evaluated injection test, the data worth analysis assessed bromide as superior to head data and all other tracers during early sampling times. However, with time, chloride became a more suitable tracer to constrain simulations of physical transport

  6. Magnetic Particle / Magnetic Resonance Imaging: In-Vitro MPI-Guided Real Time Catheter Tracking and 4D Angioplasty Using a Road Map and Blood Pool Tracer Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salamon, Johannes; Hofmann, Martin; Jung, Caroline; Kaul, Michael Gerhard; Werner, Franziska; Them, Kolja; Reimer, Rudolph; Nielsen, Peter; Vom Scheidt, Annika; Adam, Gerhard; Knopp, Tobias; Ittrich, Harald

    2016-01-01

    In-vitro evaluation of the feasibility of 4D real time tracking of endovascular devices and stenosis treatment with a magnetic particle imaging (MPI) / magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) road map approach and an MPI-guided approach using a blood pool tracer. A guide wire and angioplasty-catheter were labeled with a thin layer of magnetic lacquer. For real time MPI a custom made software framework was developed. A stenotic vessel phantom filled with saline or superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MM4) was equipped with bimodal fiducial markers for co-registration in preclinical 7T MRI and MPI. In-vitro angioplasty was performed inflating the balloon with saline or MM4. MPI data were acquired using a field of view of 37.3×37.3×18.6 mm3 and a frame rate of 46 volumes/sec. Analysis of the magnetic lacquer-marks on the devices were performed with electron microscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry and micro-computed tomography. Magnetic marks allowed for MPI/MRI guidance of interventional devices. Bimodal fiducial markers enable MPI/MRI image fusion for MRI based roadmapping. MRI roadmapping and the blood pool tracer approach facilitate MPI real time monitoring of in-vitro angioplasty. Successful angioplasty was verified with MPI and MRI. Magnetic marks consist of micrometer sized ferromagnetic plates mainly composed of iron and iron oxide. 4D real time MP imaging, tracking and guiding of endovascular instruments and in-vitro angioplasty is feasible. In addition to an approach that requires a blood pool tracer, MRI based roadmapping might emerge as a promising tool for radiation free 4D MPI-guided interventions.

  7. Magnetic Particle / Magnetic Resonance Imaging: In-Vitro MPI-Guided Real Time Catheter Tracking and 4D Angioplasty Using a Road Map and Blood Pool Tracer Approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johannes Salamon

    Full Text Available In-vitro evaluation of the feasibility of 4D real time tracking of endovascular devices and stenosis treatment with a magnetic particle imaging (MPI / magnetic resonance imaging (MRI road map approach and an MPI-guided approach using a blood pool tracer.A guide wire and angioplasty-catheter were labeled with a thin layer of magnetic lacquer. For real time MPI a custom made software framework was developed. A stenotic vessel phantom filled with saline or superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MM4 was equipped with bimodal fiducial markers for co-registration in preclinical 7T MRI and MPI. In-vitro angioplasty was performed inflating the balloon with saline or MM4. MPI data were acquired using a field of view of 37.3×37.3×18.6 mm3 and a frame rate of 46 volumes/sec. Analysis of the magnetic lacquer-marks on the devices were performed with electron microscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry and micro-computed tomography.Magnetic marks allowed for MPI/MRI guidance of interventional devices. Bimodal fiducial markers enable MPI/MRI image fusion for MRI based roadmapping. MRI roadmapping and the blood pool tracer approach facilitate MPI real time monitoring of in-vitro angioplasty. Successful angioplasty was verified with MPI and MRI. Magnetic marks consist of micrometer sized ferromagnetic plates mainly composed of iron and iron oxide.4D real time MP imaging, tracking and guiding of endovascular instruments and in-vitro angioplasty is feasible. In addition to an approach that requires a blood pool tracer, MRI based roadmapping might emerge as a promising tool for radiation free 4D MPI-guided interventions.

  8. Exploring Hydrofluorocarbons as Groundwater Age Tracers (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haase, K. B.; Busenberg, E.; Plummer, L. N.; Casile, G.; Sanford, W. E.

    2013-12-01

    Groundwater dating tracers are an essential tool for analyzing hydrologic conditions in groundwater systems. Commonly used tracers for dating post-1940's groundwater include sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), 3H-3He, and other isotopic tracers (85Kr, δ2H and δ18O isotopes, etc.). Each tracer carries a corresponding set of advantages and limitations imposed by field, analytical, and interpretive methods. Increasing the number available tracers is appealing, particularly if they possess inert chemical properties and unique temporal emission histories from other tracers. Atmospherically derived halogenated trace gases continue to hold untapped potential for new tracers, as they are generally inert and their emission histories are well documented. SF5CF3, and CFC-13 were previously shown to have application as dating tracers, though their low mixing ratios and low solubility require large amounts of water to be degassed for their quantification. Two related groups of compounds, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are hypothesized to be potential age tracers, having similar mixing ratios to the CFCs and relatively high solubility. However, these compounds yield gas chromatography electron capture detector (GC-ECD) responses that are 10-2 -10-5 less than CFC-12, making purge and trap or field stripping GC-ECD approaches impractical. Therefore, in order to use dissolved HCFCs and HFCs as age tracers, different approaches are needed. To solve this problem, we developed an analytical method that uses an atomic emission detector (GC-AED) in place of an ECD to detect fluorinated compounds. In contrast to the ECD, the AED is a universally sensitive, highly linear, elementally specific detector. The new GC-AED system is being used to measure chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), and other fluorinated compounds in one liter water samples to study their potential as age dating tracers. HCFC-22 is a

  9. Interwell tracer analyses of a hydraulically fractured granitic geothermal reservoir

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tester, J.W.; Potter, R.M.; Bivins, R.L.

    1979-01-01

    Field experiments using fluorescent dye and radioactive tracers (Br 82 and I 131 ) have been employed to characterize a hot, low-matrix permeability, hydraulically-fractured granitic reservoir at depths of 2440 to 2960 m (8000 to 9700 ft). Tracer profiles and residence time distributions have been used to delineate changes in the fracture system, particularly in diagnosing pathological flow patterns and in identifying new injection and production zones. The effectiveness of one- and two-dimensional theoretical dispersion models utilizing single and multiple porous, fractured zones with velocity and formation dependent effects are discussed with respect to actual field data

  10. Effects of crude oil on water and tracer movement in the unsaturated and saturated zones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delin, Geoffrey N; Herkelrath, William N

    2017-05-01

    A tracer test was conducted to aid in the investigation of water movement and solute transport at a crude-oil spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota. Time of travel was measured using breakthrough curves for rhodamine WT and bromide tracers moving from the soil surface through oil-contaminated and oil-free unsaturated zones to the saturated zone. Results indicate that the rates of tracer movement were similar in the oil-free unsaturated and saturated zones compared to the oily zones. These results are somewhat surprising given the oil contamination in the unsaturated and saturated zones. Rhodamine tracer breakthrough in the unsaturated and saturated zones in general was delayed in comparison to bromide tracer breakthrough. Peak tracer concentrations for the lysimeters and wells in the oily zone were much greater than at the corresponding depths in the oil-free zone. Water and tracer movement in the oily zone was complicated by soil hydrophobicity and decreased oil saturations toward the periphery of the oil. Preferential flow resulted in reduced tracer interaction with the soil, adsorption, and dispersion and faster tracer movement in the oily zone than expected. Tracers were freely transported through the oily zone to the water table. Recharge calculations support the idea that the oil does not substantially affect recharge in the oily zone. This is an important result indicating that previous model-based assumptions of decreased recharge beneath the oil were incorrect. Results have important implications for modeling the fate and transport of dissolved contaminants at hydrocarbon spill sites. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Sino-Danish Brain Circulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertelsen, Rasmus Gjedssø; Du, Xiangyun; Søndergaard, Morten Karnøe

    2014-01-01

    China is faced with urgent needs to develop an economically and environmentally sustainable economy based on innovation and knowledge. Brain circulation and research and business investments from the outside are central for this development. Sino-American brain circulation and research...... and investment by overseas researchers and entrepreneurs are well described. In that case, the US is the center of global R&D and S&T. However, the brain circulation and research and investments between a small open Scandinavian economy, such as Denmark, and the huge developing economy of China are not well...... understood. In this case, Denmark is very highly developed, but a satellite in the global R&D and S&T system. With time and the growth of China as a R&D and S&T power house, both Denmark and China will benefit from brain circulation between them. Such brain circulation is likely to play a key role in flows...

  12. Artificial radionuclide tracer supply to the Denmark strait overflow between 1972 and 1981

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Livingston, H.D.; Swift, J.H.; Ostlund, H.G.

    1985-01-01

    Measurements of the concentrations of the artificial radionuclides 3 H, 137 Cs, and 90 Sr in the northern Irminger Sea in 1972 and 1981 are reported. In both years, tracer measurements from this area included data from samples of the dense overflow water from the north through Denmark Strait. All three tracers were strongly correlated inversely with salinity in the dense outflows-the tracer maxima being related directly to the salinity minimum. When the tracer characteristics in the outflows in 1972 and 1981 were compared, concentrations of all in 1981 were observed to be about double the 1972 values. The individual tracer concentrations-on a decay-corrected, density-normalized basis-were higher in increasing order: 90 Sr(+93%) 3 H(+115%) 137 Cs(+150%). The relatively greater increases for 3 H and 137 Cs were attributed to contributions of new sources of these tracers in northern surface waters: the 3 H source is argued to derive from atmospheric hydrological recycling, whereas the 137 Cs source is identified as the input to the Greenland and Iceland seas of advected European nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes. Both the tracer and hydrographic data are used to identify northern locations of intermediate water formation capable of supplying the observed dense overflow water characteristics. It is argued, from the time taken for the overflow water to reflect the new surface 137 Cs source, that transport from the source to the overflow can be quite rapid (about 2 years)

  13. Improving Marine Ecosystem Models with Biochemical Tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pethybridge, Heidi R.; Choy, C. Anela; Polovina, Jeffrey J.; Fulton, Elizabeth A.

    2018-01-01

    Empirical data on food web dynamics and predator-prey interactions underpin ecosystem models, which are increasingly used to support strategic management of marine resources. These data have traditionally derived from stomach content analysis, but new and complementary forms of ecological data are increasingly available from biochemical tracer techniques. Extensive opportunities exist to improve the empirical robustness of ecosystem models through the incorporation of biochemical tracer data and derived indices, an area that is rapidly expanding because of advances in analytical developments and sophisticated statistical techniques. Here, we explore the trophic information required by ecosystem model frameworks (species, individual, and size based) and match them to the most commonly used biochemical tracers (bulk tissue and compound-specific stable isotopes, fatty acids, and trace elements). Key quantitative parameters derived from biochemical tracers include estimates of diet composition, niche width, and trophic position. Biochemical tracers also provide powerful insight into the spatial and temporal variability of food web structure and the characterization of dominant basal and microbial food web groups. A major challenge in incorporating biochemical tracer data into ecosystem models is scale and data type mismatches, which can be overcome with greater knowledge exchange and numerical approaches that transform, integrate, and visualize data.

  14. Tracer monitoring of enhanced oil recovery projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kleven R.

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In enhanced oil recovery (EOR, chemicals are injected into the oil reservoir, either to increase macroscopic sweep efficiency, or to reduce remaining oil saturation in swept zones. Tracers can be used to identify reservoirs that are specifically suited for EOR operations. Injection of a selection of partitioning tracers, combined with frequent sample analysis of produced fluids, provides information suited for estimation of residual oil saturation. Tracers can also be used to evaluate and optimize the application of EOR chemicals in the reservoir. Suitable tracers will follow the EOR chemicals and assist in evaluation of retention, degradation or trapping. In addition to field applications, tracers also have a large potential as a tool to perform mechanistic studies of EOR chemicals in laboratory experiments. By labelling EOR chemicals with radioactive isotopes of elements such as H, C and S, detailed studies of transport mechanisms can be carried out. Co-injection of labelled compounds in dynamic flooding experiments in porous media will give information about retention or separation of the unique compounds constituting the chemical formulation. Separation of such compounds may be detrimental to obtaining the EOR effect expected. The paper gives new information of specific methods, and discusses current status for use of tracers in EOR operations.

  15. Keeping the secret: Insights from repeated catchment-scale tracer experiments under transient conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogner, Christina; Hauhs, Michael; Lange, Holger

    2016-04-01

    Catchment-level tracer experiments are generally performed to identify site-specific hydrological response functions of the catchment. The existence and uniqueness of these response functions are hardly ever questioned. Here, we report on a series of replicated tracer experiments in two small first-order catchments, G1 (0.6 ha, roofed) and F4 (2.3 ha, without roof) at Gårdsjön in SW Sweden. The soils in both catchments are shallow (500 m2) the experiments were done without a roof mostly at transient conditions. The catchment F4 was equipped with a sprinkler system with a watering capacity of around 38-45 m3 day-1. Natural rainfall comes in addition. A bromide tracer solution was injected to groundwater at a single location about 40 m upstream the weir over a period of less than an hour, and was monitored using a set of groundwater tubes and the weir at the outlet over the following 4 days. In addition, discharge was measured. The experiments were repeated each summer from 2007 to 2015. While steady state conditions were guaranteed in G1, steady runoff has been achieved only four times in F4. We investigated tracer recovery rates against cumulated runoff since tracer application. Substantially different transit times and qualitatively different behaviour of the breakthrough curves were observed, even under steady state conditions. In G1, no single system response function could be identified in 5 replicates. Similarly, the catchment response functions in F4 under steady state differed between experiments. However, they remained in a similar range as in G1. Based on these results, we question the identifiability of flow paths and system properties, such as saturated water content or hydrologic transmissivity, at the catchment scale using tracer experiments. Rather, the series demonstrate the utter importance of the initial and boundary conditions which largely determine the response of the system to inert tracer pulses.

  16. Radiochemical tracers in marine biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrocelli, S.R.; Anderson, J.W.; Neff, J.M.

    1977-01-01

    Tracers have been used in a great variety of experimentation. More recently, labeled materials have been applied in marine biological research. Some of the existing tracer techniques have been utilized directly, while others have been modified to suit the specific needs of marine biologists. This chapter describes some of the uses of tracers in marine biological research. It also mentions the problems encountered as well as offering possible solutions and discusses further applications of these techniques. Only pertinent references are cited and additional information may be obtained by consulting these references. Due to their relative ease of maintenance, freshwater species are also utilized in studies which involve radiotracer techniques. Since most of these techniques e directly applicable to marine species, some of these studies will also be included

  17. Elliptic random-walk equation for suspension and tracer transport in porous media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shapiro, Alexander; Bedrikovetsky, P. G.

    2008-01-01

    . The new theory predicts delay of the maximum of the tracer, compared to the velocity of the flow, while its forward "tail" contains much more particles than in the solution of the classical parabolic (advection-dispersion) equation. This is in agreement with the experimental observations and predictions......We propose a new approach to transport of the suspensions and tracers in porous media. The approach is based on a modified version of the continuous time random walk (CTRW) theory. In the framework of this theory we derive an elliptic transport equation. The new equation contains the time...... of the CTRW theory. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved....

  18. Rapid dual-tracer PTSM+ATSM PET imaging of tumour blood flow and hypoxia: a simulation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rust, T C; Kadrmas, D J

    2006-01-01

    Blood flow and hypoxia are interrelated aspects of physiology that affect cancer treatment and response. Cu-PTSM and Cu-ATSM are related PET tracers for blood flow and hypoxia, and the ability to rapidly image both tracers in a single scan would bring several advantages over conventional single-tracer techniques. Using dynamic imaging with staggered injections, overlapping signals for multiple PET tracers may be recovered utilizing information from kinetics and radioactive decay. In this work, rapid dual-tracer PTSM+ATSM PET was simulated and tested as a function of injection delay, order and relative dose for several copper isotopes, and the results were compared relative to separate single-tracer data. Time-activity curves representing a broad range of tumour blood flow and hypoxia levels were simulated, and parallel dual-tracer compartment modelling was used to recover the signals for each tracer. The main results were tested further using a torso phantom simulation of PET tumour imaging. Using scans as short as 30 minutes, the dual-tracer method provided measures of blood flow and hypoxia similar to single-tracer imaging. The best performance was obtained by injecting PTSM first and using a somewhat higher dose for ATSM. Comparable results for different copper isotopes suggest that tracer kinetics with staggered injections play a more important role than radioactive decay in the signal separation process. Rapid PTSM+ATSM PET has excellent potential for characterizing both tumour blood flow and hypoxia in a single, fast scan, provided that technological hurdles related to algorithm development and routine use can be overcome

  19. Joint interpretation of two tracer tests with reversed flow fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunstmann, H.; Kinzelbach, W.; Marschall, P.; Li, G.

    1995-01-01

    Two dipole tracer experiments were performed in a fractured rock at the Grimsel Test Site in February/March 1993. In both experiments NaCl was used as a tracer. The extraction rate was twice the injection rate. In the second experiment injection and extraction were interchanged (Reverse-Experiment). Long tailing was characteristic for the breakthrough curves in both experiments. The tests were interpreted using a single fracture flow model. Tracer transport is described by advection/dispersion along the fracture allowing for diffusion into an immobile matrix. The authors were able to interpret the breakthrough curves for both experiments by one unique set of parameters, describing transport and baseflow. Uniqueness could only be achieved when using the information of both experiments. The authors conclude that performing a Reverse-Experiment is an indispensable tool for parameter identification in dipole tracer tests. A sensitivity analysis suggested that not only matrix diffusion is responsible for the tailing in the breakthrough curves but also transversal dispersivity. Further, the typical exchange time between mobile and immobile media was too small to be attributed to matrix diffusion in the strict sense which will cause tailing even at large spatial and temporal scales. Analysis of the covariance matrices showed that the parameters have small errors but high correlation

  20. Combined interpretation of radar, hydraulic, and tracer data from a fractured-rock aquifer near Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day-Lewis, F. D.; Lane, J.W.; Gorelick, S.M.

    2006-01-01

    An integrated interpretation of field experimental cross-hole radar, tracer, and hydraulic data demonstrates the value of combining time-lapse geophysical monitoring with conventional hydrologic measurements for improved characterization of a fractured-rock aquifer. Time-lapse difference-attenuation radar tomography was conducted during saline tracer experiments at the US Geological Survey Fractured Rock Hydrology Research Site near Mirror Lake, Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA. The presence of electrically conductive saline tracer effectively illuminates permeable fractures or pathways for geophysical imaging. The geophysical results guide the construction of three-dimensional numerical models of ground-water flow and solute transport. In an effort to explore alternative explanations for the tracer and tomographic data, a suite of conceptual models involving heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity fields and rate-limited mass transfer are considered. Calibration data include tracer concentrations, the arrival time of peak concentration at the outlet, and steady-state hydraulic head. Results from the coupled inversion procedure suggest that much of the tracer mass migrated outside the three tomographic image planes, and that solute is likely transported by two pathways through the system. This work provides basic and site-specific insights into the control of permeability heterogeneity on ground-water flow and solute transport in fractured rock. ?? Springer-Verlag 2004.

  1. Rate equations for tracer studies in recirculating reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Happel, J [Columbia Univ., New York (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

    1974-10-01

    The employment of isotopic tracers is a useful technique for gaining insight into the rate controlling steps of a complex chemical reaction such as is frequently encountered in heterogeneous catalysis. An effective procedure has been to superpose tracer transfer on a reaction which is occurring under steady state conditions. If tracer transfer is employed in this fashion it is often possible to assess the individual step velocities in an assumed reaction mechanism. If transient transfer of tracer is now introduced it is possible in addition to estimate surface concentrations of chemisorbed species. The purpose of the present paper is to present the mathematical relationships involved when transfer of the tracer is not differential in the investigation. For this purpose a simple example is chosen to illustrate the various possibilities involved.

  2. Rate equations for tracer studies in recirculatinng reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Happel, J.

    1974-01-01

    The employment of isotopic tracers is a useful technique for gaining insight into the rate controlling steps of a complex chemical reaction such as is frequently encountered in heterogeneous catalysis. An effective procedure has been to superpose tracer transfer on a reaction which is occurring under steady state conditions. If tracer transfer is employed in this fashion it is often possible to assess the individual step velocities in an assumed reaction mechanism. If transient transfer of tracer is now introduced it is possible in addition to estimate surface concentrations of chemisorbed species. The purpose of the present paper is to present the mathematical relationships involved when transfer of the tracer is not differential in the investigation. For this purpose a simple example is chosen to illustrate the various possibilities involved. (auth.)

  3. Tracer responses and control of vessels with variable flow and volume

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niemi, A.J.

    1990-01-01

    Continuous flow vessels which are subject to variation of flow and volume are characterized by time-variable parameters. It is shown that their residence time distributions and weighting functions obtained by tracer testing are made invariant with regard to the integrated flow variables which are introduced. Under variable flow but constant volume, one such integrated variable is sufficient. Under variable volume, two different variables are suggested for the residence time distribution and weighting function, while the appropriate variable of the perfect mixer differs distinctly from that of vessels with a distinct velocity profile. It is shown through a number of example cases, that an agreement with their mathematical models is reached. The approach is extended to include also arbitrary, non-analytic response functions obtained by tracer measurements. Applications of the derived models and their incorporation in automatic control algorithms is discussed. (orig.) [de

  4. Potential study of bed filtration characteristics in impressed boreholes by radon tracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Litvinov, A.A.; Pinkenzon, D.B.; Makarov, M.S.; Vinarskij, M.S.

    1977-01-01

    Potential study of bed filtration characteristics in impressed boreholes by radon tracer method is shown. Effects recorded by radon tracer result from gamma radiation of short-living radon decay daughter products. During filtration of tracer through punched holes, cement stone, and rocks the products are deposited and cause a local effect for 2-3 hours. There is a shortage of short-living products in filtrated radon liquid and for some time (which is necessary for production of notable quantity of new decay products) it is practically not a gamma emitter. It is shown that the feature of effect formation governs the technique for well logging as well as interpretation of the results obtained

  5. Use of activable cations as tracers in groundwater hydrology. The case of DTPA-Indium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lumu, Badimbayi Matu.

    1978-01-01

    The possibilities of EDTA, CDTA and DTPA metallic complexes use as activable groundwater, tracers are discussed. Indium, which has good nuclear caracteristics for activation analysis and forms complexes of great stability with polyamino carboxylic acid has been for Laboratory and field studies. For corporative studies, Rhodomine B, a fluorescent tracer have been studied together with Indium complexes. In laboratory retention studies have been carried with In-EDTA, Iodine 131 and Rhodomine B, as tracers and bentonite, zeolite 13X and Dowex-1 and Dowex-50 as sorbents. As field studies, drainage evolution flow and resident time distribution of tracers substances in water, have been carried, under artificial rain conditions realized by aspersion. Results from field studies showed good characteristics of Indium Complexes especially in very absorbent medium (argilaceous limon) where their restitution balance were superior to that of Rhodomine B

  6. A novel fluorescent retrograde neural tracer: cholera toxin B conjugated carbon dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Nan; Hao, Zeyu; Zhao, Xiaohuan; Maharjan, Suraj; Zhu, Shoujun; Song, Yubin; Yang, Bai; Lu, Laijin

    2015-09-01

    The retrograde neuroanatomical tracing method is a key technique to study the complex interconnections of the nervous system. Traditional tracers have several drawbacks, including time-consuming immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining procedures, rapid fluorescence quenching and low fluorescence intensity. Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely used as a fluorescent bio-probe due to their ultrasmall size, excellent optical properties, chemical stability, biocompatibility and low toxicity. Herein, we develop a novel fluorescent neural tracer: cholera toxin B-carbon dot conjugates (CTB-CDs). It can be taken up and retrogradely transported by neurons in the peripheral nervous system of rats. Our results show that CTB-CDs possess high photoluminescence intensity, good optical stability, a long shelf-life and non-toxicity. Tracing with CTB-CDs is a direct and more economical way of performing retrograde labelling experiments. Therefore, CTB-CDs are reliable fluorescent retrograde tracers.The retrograde neuroanatomical tracing method is a key technique to study the complex interconnections of the nervous system. Traditional tracers have several drawbacks, including time-consuming immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining procedures, rapid fluorescence quenching and low fluorescence intensity. Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely used as a fluorescent bio-probe due to their ultrasmall size, excellent optical properties, chemical stability, biocompatibility and low toxicity. Herein, we develop a novel fluorescent neural tracer: cholera toxin B-carbon dot conjugates (CTB-CDs). It can be taken up and retrogradely transported by neurons in the peripheral nervous system of rats. Our results show that CTB-CDs possess high photoluminescence intensity, good optical stability, a long shelf-life and non-toxicity. Tracing with CTB-CDs is a direct and more economical way of performing retrograde labelling experiments. Therefore, CTB-CDs are reliable fluorescent retrograde

  7. Variability in the Speed of the Brewer-Dobson Circulation as Observed by Aura/MLS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flury, Thomas; Wu, Dong L.; Read, W. G.

    2013-01-01

    We use Aura/MLS stratospheric water vapour (H2O) measurements as tracer for dynamics and infer interannual variations in the speed of the Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC) from 2004 to 2011. We correlate one-year time series of H2O in the lower stratosphere at two subsequent pressure levels (68 hPa, approx.18.8 km and 56 hPa, approx 19.9 km at the Equator) and determine the time lag for best correlation. The same calculation is made on the horizontal on the 100 hPa (approx 16.6 km) level by correlating the H2O time series at the Equator with the ones at 40 N and 40 S. From these lag coefficients we derive the vertical and horizontal speeds of the BDC in the tropics and extra-tropics, respectively. We observe a clear interannual variability of the vertical and horizontal branch. The variability reflects signatures of the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO). Our measurements confirm the QBO meridional circulation anomalies and show that the speed variations in the two branches of the BDC are out of phase and fairly well anti-correlated. Maximum ascent rates are found during the QBO easterly phase. We also find that transport of H2O towards the Northern Hemisphere (NH) is on the average two times faster than to the Southern Hemisphere (SH) with a mean speed of 1.15m/s at 100 hPa. Furthermore, the speed towards the NH shows much more interannual variability with an amplitude of about 21% whilst the speed towards the SH varies by only 10 %. An amplitude of 21% is also observed in the variability of the ascent rate at the Equator which is on the average 0.2mm/s.

  8. Comparison of thermal, salt and dye tracing to estimate shallow flow velocities: Novel triple-tracer approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrantes, João R. C. B.; Moruzzi, Rodrigo B.; Silveira, Alexandre; de Lima, João L. M. P.

    2018-02-01

    The accurate measurement of shallow flow velocities is crucial to understand and model the dynamics of sediment and pollutant transport by overland flow. In this study, a novel triple-tracer approach was used to re-evaluate and compare the traditional and well established dye and salt tracer techniques with the more recent thermal tracer technique in estimating shallow flow velocities. For this purpose a triple tracer (i.e. dyed-salted-heated water) was used. Optical and infrared video cameras and an electrical conductivity sensor were used to detect the tracers in the flow. Leading edge and centroid velocities of the tracers were measured and the correction factors used to determine the actual mean flow velocities from tracer measured velocities were compared and investigated. Experiments were carried out for different flow discharges (32-1813 ml s-1) on smooth acrylic, sand, stones and synthetic grass bed surfaces with 0.8, 4.4 and 13.2% slopes. The results showed that thermal tracers can be used to estimate shallow flow velocities, since the three techniques yielded very similar results without significant differences between them. The main advantages of the thermal tracer were that the movement of the tracer along the measuring section was more easily visible than it was in the real image videos and that it was possible to measure space-averaged flow velocities instead of only one velocity value, with the salt tracer. The correction factors used to determine the actual mean velocity of overland flow varied directly with Reynolds and Froude numbers, flow velocity and slope and inversely with flow depth and bed roughness. In shallow flows, velocity estimation using tracers entails considerable uncertainty and caution must be taken with these measurements, especially in field studies where these variables vary appreciably in space and time.

  9. Circulation of the polar thermosphere during geomagnetically quiet and active times as observed by Dynamics Explorer 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCormac, F.G.; Killeen, T.L.; Thayer, J.P.; Hernandez, G.; Tschan, C.R.; Ponthieu, J.J.; Spencer, N.W.

    1987-01-01

    Neutral wind measurements obtained by instruments on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) spacecraft have been used to study the effects of geomagnetic activity on the circulation of the high-latitude neutral thermosphere for solar maximum conditions during the periods of November 1981 through January 1982 and November 1982 through January 1983. The data have been sorted and ordered according to the two geophysical indices Kp and (auroral electrojet) AE. Simple expressions have been derived which describe (1) the maximum antisunward wind speed in the geomagnetic polar cap, (2) the maximum sunward wind speeds in the dawn and dusk sectors of the auroral oval, and (3) the latitudinal extent of the polar cap antisunward neutral wind as functions of Kp and AE. The results show a positive correlation between the geomagnetic indices and the three characteristic features of the neutral circulation described above. Averaged vector wind fields in geomagnetic coordinates for Kp ≤ 2 and Kp ≥ 4 in both northern and southern hemispheres for the 6 months have been derived from the data. In doing this, a first-order invariance of the neutral wind circulation in geomagnetic coordinates as a function of universal time (UT) was assumed. The results show a two-cell circulation pattern in the northern winter hemisphere for both quiet and active geomagnetic periods. The cell sizes increase with increasing geomagnetic activity. The dusk cell is always dominant. The southern summer hemisphere averages show only the dusk circulation cell for both quiet and active geomagnetic periods. The cell sizes increase with increasing geomagnetic activity. The dusk cell is always dominant. The southern summer hemisphere averages show only the dusk circulation cell for both quiet and active geomagnetic periods. A diminution of this cell occurs for reduced levels of geomagnetic activity

  10. Relationships among Ocular Blood Flow Shown by Laser Speckle Flowgraphy, Retinal Arteriosclerotic Change, and Chorioretinal Circulation Time Obtained by Fluorescein Angiography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hironori Osamura

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To determine the correlations among the mean blur rate (MBR in the optic nerve head (ONH shown by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG, retinal arteriosclerosis, and the circulation time obtained by fluorescein angiography (FA. Method. We evaluated 118 patients and assessed their time of choroidal flush, arm-to-retina time, and early and late phases of retinal circulation time (RT: sec obtained by FA. The severity of retinal arteriosclerosis was classified according to the Scheie classification. The MBR values throughout the ONH (MBR-A, in the tissue (MBR-T, and in the vessels (MBR-V were analyzed. Results. Patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO showed prolonged early and late phases of RT compared to other ocular diseases. Single and multiple regression analyses showed that the MBR-V and Scheie classification were significantly associated with both the choroidal flush and arm-to-retina times. The incidences of RVO and MVR-V were significantly associated with the early phase of RT, and the incidences of RVO, MBR-V, Scheie classification, and gender were revealed to be factors independently contributing to the late phase of RT. Conclusion. MBR-V in the ONH and retinal arteriosclerosis are important contributing factors for the circulation time of each stage obtained by FA.

  11. Extracting a respiratory signal from raw dynamic PET data that contain tracer kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schleyer, P J; Thielemans, K; Marsden, P K

    2014-08-07

    Data driven gating (DDG) methods provide an alternative to hardware based respiratory gating for PET imaging. Several existing DDG approaches obtain a respiratory signal by observing the change in PET-counts within specific regions of acquired PET data. Currently, these methods do not allow for tracer kinetics which can interfere with the respiratory signal and introduce error. In this work, we produced a DDG method for dynamic PET studies that exhibit tracer kinetics. Our method is based on an existing approach that uses frequency-domain analysis to locate regions within raw PET data that are subject to respiratory motion. In the new approach, an optimised non-stationary short-time Fourier transform was used to create a time-varying 4D map of motion affected regions. Additional processing was required to ensure that the relationship between the sign of the respiratory signal and the physical direction of movement remained consistent for each temporal segment of the 4D map. The change in PET-counts within the 4D map during the PET acquisition was then used to generate a respiratory curve. Using 26 min dynamic cardiac NH3 PET acquisitions which included a hardware derived respiratory measurement, we show that tracer kinetics can severely degrade the respiratory signal generated by the original DDG method. In some cases, the transition of tracer from the liver to the lungs caused the respiratory signal to invert. The new approach successfully compensated for tracer kinetics and improved the correlation between the data-driven and hardware based signals. On average, good correlation was maintained throughout the PET acquisitions.

  12. Granular controls on the dispersion of bed load tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jerolmack, D. J.; Martin, R. L.; Phillips, C. B.

    2014-12-01

    Coarse particles are transported in a river as bed load, i.e., they move in frequent contact with and are supported by the granular bed. This movement is typically intermittent and may be described by a series of steps are rests, the distributions of which determine particle dispersion. Laboratory and field studies of bed load tracer dispersion have reported sub- and super-diffusive behavior, both of which have been successfully reproduced with stochastic transport models. Although researchers have invoked heavy-tailed step lengths as the cause of anomalous dispersion, most observations report thin-tailed distributions. Little attention has been paid to rest periods, and stochastic transport models have not been connected to the underlying mechanics of particle motion. Based on theoretical and experimental evidence, we argue that step lengths are thin-tailed and do not control the longterm dispersion of bed load tracers; they are determined by momentum balance between the fluid and solid. Using laboratory experiments with both marbles and natural sediments, we demonstrate that the rest time distribution is power law, and argue that this distribution controls asymptotic dispersion. Observed rest times far exceed any hydrodynamic timescale. Experiments reveal that rest times of deposited particles are governed by fluctuations in river bed elevation; in particular, the return time for the bed to scour to the base of a deposited particle. Stochastic fluctuations in bed elevation are describable by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (mean-reverting random walk) model that contains two parameters, which we show are directly related to the granular shear rate and range of bed elevation fluctuations, respectively. Combining these results with the theory of asymmetric random walks (particles only move downstream), we predict superdiffusive behavior that is in quantitative agreement with our observations of tracer dispersion in a natural river.

  13. An uncertainty inclusive un-mixing model to identify tracer non-conservativeness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherriff, Sophie; Rowan, John; Franks, Stewart; Fenton, Owen; Jordan, Phil; hUallacháin, Daire Ó.

    2015-04-01

    Sediment fingerprinting is being increasingly recognised as an essential tool for catchment soil and water management. Selected physico-chemical properties (tracers) of soils and river sediments are used in a statistically-based 'un-mixing' model to apportion sediment delivered to the catchment outlet (target) to its upstream sediment sources. Development of uncertainty-inclusive approaches, taking into account uncertainties in the sampling, measurement and statistical un-mixing, are improving the robustness of results. However, methodological challenges remain including issues of particle size and organic matter selectivity and non-conservative behaviour of tracers - relating to biogeochemical transformations along the transport pathway. This study builds on our earlier uncertainty-inclusive approach (FR2000) to detect and assess the impact of tracer non-conservativeness using synthetic data before applying these lessons to new field data from Ireland. Un-mixing was conducted on 'pristine' and 'corrupted' synthetic datasets containing three to fifty tracers (in the corrupted dataset one target tracer value was manually corrupted to replicate non-conservative behaviour). Additionally, a smaller corrupted dataset was un-mixed using a permutation version of the algorithm. Field data was collected in an 11 km2 river catchment in Ireland. Source samples were collected from topsoils, subsoils, channel banks, open field drains, damaged road verges and farm tracks. Target samples were collected using time integrated suspended sediment samplers at the catchment outlet at 6-12 week intervals from July 2012 to June 2013. Samples were dried (affected whereas uncertainty was only marginally impacted by the corrupted tracer. Improvement of uncertainty resulted from increasing the number of tracers in both the perfect and corrupted datasets. FR2000 was capable of detecting non-conservative tracer behaviour within the range of mean source values, therefore, it provided a more

  14. Development of X-ray tracer diagnostics for radiatively-driven ablator experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacFarlane, J.J.; Cohen, D.H.; Wang, P.; Moses, G.A.; Peterson, R.R.; Jaanimagi, P.A.; Langen, O.L.; Olson, R.E.; Murphy, T.J.; Magelssen, G.R.; Delamater, N.D.

    1999-01-01

    This report covers fiscal year 1998 of our ongoing project to develop tracer X-ray spectroscopic diagnostics for hohlraum environments. This effort focused on an experimental campaign carried out at OMEGA on 25--27 August 1998. This phase of the project heavily emphasized experimental design, diagnostic development, and target fabrication, as well as building up numerical models for the experiments. The spectral diagnostic under development involves using two thin (few 1000 Angstroem) mid-Z tracers in two witness plates mounted on the side of a hohlraum with the tracers' K a absorption features seen against an X-ray backlighter. The absorption data are used to sample the time-dependent, localized properties of each witness plate as a radiation wave ablates it. The experiments represented the first application of this diagnostic, in this case to side-by-side doped and undoped plastic to investigate the effects of capsule ablator dopants

  15. Industrial tracer application in people's republic of china

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Maoyi

    1987-01-01

    A number of important applications of radioisotopes and their compounds used as tracers in petroleum industry, metallurgical industry, mechanical industry, chemical industry, electronic industry, hydrology and water conservancy in China are introduced in this paper. And the tracer technique applied to entomology is also mentioned. The industrial tracer applications are successful and beneficial in People's Republic of China from the examples given. (author)

  16. Estimating the Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Age Using Synoptic Surveys of Environmental Tracers in Streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, W. P.

    2017-12-01

    A model which simulates tracer concentration in surface water as a function the age distribution of groundwater discharge is used to characterize groundwater flow systems at a variety of spatial scales. We develop the theory behind the model and demonstrate its application in several groundwater systems of local to regional scale. A 1-D stream transport model, which includes: advection, dispersion, gas exchange, first-order decay and groundwater inflow is coupled a lumped parameter model that calculates the concentration of environmental tracers in discharging groundwater as a function of the groundwater residence time distribution. The lumped parameters, which describe the residence time distribution, are allowed to vary spatially, and multiple environmental tracers can be simulated. This model allows us to calculate the longitudinal profile of tracer concentration in streams as a function of the spatially variable groundwater age distribution. By fitting model results to observations of stream chemistry and discharge, we can then estimate the spatial distribution of groundwater age. The volume of groundwater discharge to streams can be estimated using a subset of environmental tracers, applied tracers, synoptic stream gauging or other methods, and the age of groundwater then estimated using the previously calculated groundwater discharge and observed environmental tracer concentrations. Synoptic surveys of SF6, CFC's, 3H and 222Rn, along with measured stream discharge are used to estimate the groundwater inflow distribution and mean age for regional scale surveys of the Berland River in west-central Alberta. We find that groundwater entering the Berland has observable age, and that the age estimated using our stream survey is of similar order to limited samples from groundwater wells in the region. Our results show that the stream can be used as an easily accessible location to constrain the regional scale spatial distribution of groundwater age.

  17. Plutonium and tracer particle resuspension: an overview of selected Battelle-Northwest experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sehmel, G.A.

    1977-01-01

    Plutonium resuspension at Rocky Flats was determined in July 1973, by measuring airborne plutonium as a function of sampling height and of wind speed. The maximum airborne plutonium-239 concentration was 3700 aCi/m 3 . The maximum plutonium-239 activity per gram of collected airborne soil was 50 pCi/g. Airborne plutonium concentrations were shown to increase as the sixth power of wind speed, but the data were very imprecise. In measurement of fallout resuspension caused by burning vegetation, the 137 Cs concentration in a forest fire smoke plume was 22 times the concentration in ambient air. Resuspension rates for a man walking across a tracer area on an asphalt surface ranged from 1 x 10 -5 to 7 x 10 -4 fraction of tracer resuspended/pass. For vehicular traffic driven on a tracer lane, resuspension rates from the asphalt surface ranged from 10 -4 to 10 -2 fraction resuspended/pass. When the vehicle was driven on the lane adjacent to the tracer lane, resuspension rates were smaller, ranging from 10 -5 to 10 -3 fraction resuspended/pass. Resuspension rates decreased when the tracer had been on the ground for several days. In comparison to the asphalt surface, vehicle-caused tracer resuspension rates from a cheat grass area were lower, ranging from 10 -5 to 10 -4 fraction resuspended/pass. Wind caused tracer resuspension rates were on the order of 10 -11 fraction resuspended/sec for nonrespirable particles. Resuspension rates for respirable particles increased as the 4.8th power of wind speed, ranging from 10 -11 to 10 -7 fraction resuspended/sec. In another study, airborne respirable soil concentrations measured as a function of wind speed increased as the 0.6 to 3.2 power of wind speed

  18. The time of appearance and disappearance of fetal DNA from the maternal circulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, M R; Tutschek, B; Frost, A; Rodeck, C H; Yazdani, N; Craft, I; Williamson, R

    1995-07-01

    A single copy Y-chromosome DNA sequence was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the peripheral blood of 30 women who had achieved a pregnancy through an in vitro fertilization (IVF) programme. The time of conception was known precisely and was confirmed by serial ultrasound scans. Conceptions were dated as the number of weeks after fertilization plus 2, to give a time equivalent to the obstetric menstrual dating of the pregnancy (LMP). Y-chromosome-specific DNA was detected in all pregnancies with a male fetus (18/30). The earliest detection was at 4 weeks and 5 days, and the latest at 7 weeks and 1 day. Y-chromosome-specific sequences were no longer detected in any of the male pregnancies 8 weeks after delivery. No Y-chromosome sequences were detected in any of the pregnancies where only female babies were delivered. This demonstrates that fetal DNA appears in the maternal circulation early in the first trimester, that it can be identified in all pregnancies tested by 7 weeks, that it continues to be present throughout pregnancy, and that it has been cleared from the maternal circulation 2 months after parturition. Early non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for aneuploidies and inherited disorders will be possible in all pregnancies if fetal cells can be isolated free from maternal contamination (or identified accurately in the presence of maternal cells) without problems of contamination from previous pregnancies.

  19. Hydraulic and tracer experiments in the TVO research tunnel 1993- 1994

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hautojaervi, A.; Ilvonen, M.; Vieno, T.; Viitanen, P.

    1995-04-01

    Three full-size deposition holes (diameter 1.5 m, depth 7.5 m) for spent fuel canisters in a KBS-3 type repository have been bored with a new fullface boring method in the TVO Research Tunnel. The Research Tunnel lies in the crystalline bedrock at the depth of 60 metres in the VLJ Repository for low and medium level waste. The holes are 6 metres apart. The boring tests were accompanied by comprehensive pre- and post-characterization of the rock and the bored wells. The inflow rates of groundwater in two of the three full-size holes are 6 and 20 litres/hour. The well in the middle is almost dry as expected on the basis of the pre-characterization. In the tracer tests two different tracers, a dye and a radioactive tracer, were used at the same time. The comprehensive data analysis performed showed that novel techniques (e.g. Extreme Value Estimation, EVE) can be successfully applied to determine the impulse response from the experimental results even in cases where the measured signals are disturbed. Hydraulic and tracer tests as well as visual inspection of the inflow gave clear indications of flow and transport in sparse and narrow channels. Transport velocities could be predicted with a reasonable accuracy by using a simple concept of fracture cavities determining the transport time and 'bottlenecks' causing the hydraulic resistance. The observed non-Fickian dispersion is thought to be caused by velocity differences over the channel width or by diffusion into stagnant pools in the fracture filling. (orig.) (36 refs., 67 figs., 1 tab.)

  20. Warm and Saline Events Embedded in the Meridional Circulation of the Northern North Atlantic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakkinen, Sirpa; Rhines, Peter B.; Worthen, Denise L.

    2011-01-01

    Ocean state estimates from 1958 to 2005 from the Simple Ocean Assimilation System (SODA) system are analyzed to understand circulation between subtropical and subpolar Atlantic and their connection with atmospheric forcing. This analysis shows three periods (1960s, around 1980, and 2000s) with enhanced warm, saline waters reaching high latitudes, alternating with freshwater events originating at high latitudes. It complements surface drifter and altimetry data showing the subtropical -subpolar exchange leading to a significant temperature and salinity increase in the northeast Atlantic after 2001. The warm water limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning cell represented by SODA expanded in density/salinity space during these warm events. Tracer simulations using SODA velocities also show decadal variation of the Gulf Stream waters reaching the subpolar gyre and Nordic seas. The negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation index, usually invoked in such variability, fails to predict the warming and salinization in the early 2000s, with salinities not seen since the 1960s. Wind stress curl variability provided a linkage to this subtropical/subpolar gyre exchange as illustrated using an idealized two ]layer circulation model. The ocean response to the modulation of the climatological wind stress curl pattern was found to be such that the northward penetration of subtropical tracers is enhanced when amplitude of the wind stress curl is weaker than normal. In this case both the subtropical and subpolar gyres weaken and the subpolar density surfaces relax; hence, the polar front moves westward, opening an enhanced northward access of the subtropical waters in the eastern boundary current.

  1. TRACER - TRACING AND CONTROL OF ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, P. R.

    1994-01-01

    TRACER (Tracing and Control of Engineering Requirements) is a database/word processing system created to document and maintain the order of both requirements and descriptive material associated with an engineering project. A set of hierarchical documents are normally generated for a project whereby the requirements of the higher level documents levy requirements on the same level or lower level documents. Traditionally, the requirements are handled almost entirely by manual paper methods. The problem with a typical paper system, however, is that requirements written and changed continuously in different areas lead to misunderstandings and noncompliance. The purpose of TRACER is to automate the capture, tracing, reviewing, and managing of requirements for an engineering project. The engineering project still requires communications, negotiations, interactions, and iterations among people and organizations, but TRACER promotes succinct and precise identification and treatment of real requirements separate from the descriptive prose in a document. TRACER permits the documentation of an engineering project's requirements and progress in a logical, controllable, traceable manner. TRACER's attributes include the presentation of current requirements and status from any linked computer terminal and the ability to differentiate headers and descriptive material from the requirements. Related requirements can be linked and traced. The program also enables portions of documents to be printed, individual approval and release of requirements, and the tracing of requirements down into the equipment specification. Requirement "links" can be made "pending" and invisible to others until the pending link is made "binding". Individuals affected by linked requirements can be notified of significant changes with acknowledgement of the changes required. An unlimited number of documents can be created for a project and an ASCII import feature permits existing documents to be incorporated

  2. Tracer migration experiments in the Stripa mine 1980-1991

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birgersson, L.; Widen, H.; Aagren, T.; Neretnieks, I.

    1992-05-01

    During more than 10 years, tracer experiments have been performed in the Stripa mine as part of the Stripa project to investigate the properties of both 'average' fractured rock and fracture zones. Experiments have been performed that have ranged from a few decimeters, to examine the diffusion into the rock matrix, up to tracer migration to a drift more than 50 meters from the injection point. This report compiles the results and experience that have been gained from all these tracer experiments. The experiments that are described in this report are: * The in-situ diffusion experiment where simultaneous flow and diffusion of tracers in undisturbed rock were studied over more than 3 years to validate diffusivities obtained under laboratory conditions. * Migration in a single fracture where water flow distribution and tracer transport were studied using both conservative and sorbing tracers over migration distances up to 10 meters. * The 3-D migration experiment where water inflow and tracer transport to a drift covered with 350 plastic sheet were investigated to get information on flow porosity, dispersion and channeling. The transport distances were between 10 and 56 meters from the injection points to the drift. * The channeling experiments in which the aim was to examine the channeling properties of single fractures in detail. Pressure pulse tests and tracer experiments were performed over a distances of 2 meters. * The tracer migration experiment in the validation drift where the tracer were injected mainly in a fracture zone and the collection was inside both a drift covered with plastic sheets similar to in the 3-D experiment as well as in a borehole. The distances between injection and sampling location were between 10 and 25 meters. (57 refs.) (au)

  3. Radioisotope tracer applications in industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, S.M.

    1987-01-01

    Radioisotope tracers have many advantages in industrial trouble-shooting and studies on process kinetics. The applications are mainly of two types: one leading to qualitative (Yes or No type) information and the other to quantitative characterisation of flow processes through mass balance considerations and flow models. ''Yes or No'' type methods are mainly used for leakage and blockage locations in pipelines and in other industrial systems and also for location of water seepage zones in oil wells. Flow measurements in pipelines and mercury inventory in electrolytic cells are good examples of tracer methods using the mass balance approach. Axial dispersion model and Tanks-in-Series model are the two basic flow models commonly used with tracer methods for the characterisation of kinetic processes. Examples include studies on flow processes in sugar crystallisers as well as in a precalcinator in a cement plant. (author). 18 figs

  4. Delayed appearance of tracer lead in facial hair

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabinowitz, M.; Wetherill, G.; Kopple, J.

    1976-01-01

    Three adult men were fed 204 Pb--a rare, stable isotope of lead--daily for about 100 days. Simultaneous blood and facial hair measurements of this tracer and of total lead concentrations were made by mass spectrometric isotope dilution analysis. Although the blood showed an immediate response to the intake of the tracer, the facial hair showed a more gradual response and a delay of approximately 35 days. Since the pattern of appearance of lead in hair does not appear to represent a simple time delay of blood lead concentration, the existence of a physiological pool of lead fed by the blood and giving rise to the content in hair is suggested. Hair lead values should therefore, be interpreted as the integral of the blood lead values over the mean life of this intermediate pool--about 100 days

  5. Linking the Diffusion of Water in Compacted Clays at Two Different Time Scales: Tracer Through-Diffusion and QENS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juranyi, Fanni; Gonzalez Sanchez, Fatima; Gimmi, Thomas; Bestel, Martina; Van Loon, Luc; Diamond, Larryn W.

    2013-01-01

    Observable water diffusion processes in clays and their parameters depend on the spatial- and time-scale of the measurement. Comparing the diffusion coefficients of quasielastic neutron scattering and tracer through-diffusion, 'chemical' and 'geometrical' effects can be distinguished and quantified. Results for montmorillonite and illite in the Na- and Ca- form illustrate this very well. Swelling clays such as montmorillonite are especially interesting because of the interlayer water. This water is confined in form of few layers such that the diffusion occurs essentially in 2D. Furthermore the ratio of interlayer- and external- (macro-pore) water changes as a function of bulk dry density and degree of water saturation. Therefore it is of interest to describe the diffusion process using these parameters. Finally, the activation energy of the diffusion should be equal for both methods assuming that the geometrical factor does not depend on temperature. For the montmorillonites this was not the case, which might also indicate that the main processes on the two scales are different. We conclude that the geometrical factor and the electrostatic constraint can be determined from a comparison of the diffusion coefficients measured by the two different techniques: quasielastic neutron scattering and tracer through diffusion. Furthermore, activation energies obtained at the two scales are similar for clays having no interlayer water. For montmorillonite the activation energy values are different. Further investigations are required to clarify the reason. (authors)

  6. Prediction about chaotic times series of natural circulation flow under rolling motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan Can; Cai Qi; Guo Li; Yan Feng

    2014-01-01

    The paper have proposed a chaotic time series prediction model, which combined phase space reconstruction with support vector machines. The model has been used to predict the coolant volume flow, in which a synchronous parameter optimization method was brought up based on particle swarm optimization algorithm, since the numerical value selection of related parameter was a key factor for the prediction precision. The average relative error of prediction values and actual observation values was l,5% and relative precision was 0.9879. The result indicated that the model could apply for the natural circulation coolant volume flow prediction under rolling motion condition with high accuracy and robustness. (authors)

  7. Tracers of cancer cells in nuclear oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamgac, F.; Baillet, G.; Moretti, J.L.; Safi, N.; Weinmann, P.; Beco, V. de

    1997-01-01

    Evaluating the extent of disease is important in planning cancer treatment. Different types of tracers are used in vivo to diagnose tumors and these tracers can give supplementary information on the differentiation degree of tumors and response to therapy. (authors)

  8. Chemotherapeutic agent and tracer composition and use thereof

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babb, A. L.

    1985-01-01

    A therapeutic composition suitable for extracorporeal treatment of whole blood comprises a dialyzable chemotherapeutic agent and a dialyzable fluorescable tracer means. The removal rate of the fluorescable tracer compound from treated blood during hemodialysis is a function of the removal rate of unreacted chemotherapeutic agent present. The residual chemotherapeutic agent concentration after hemodialysis is ascertained by measuring the concentration of the fluorescable tracer compound in a dialysate using fluorometric techniques

  9. PET tracers for somatostatin receptor imaging of neuroendocrine tumors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johnbeck, Camilla Bardram; Knigge, Ulrich; Kjær, Andreas

    2014-01-01

    Neuroendocrine tumors have shown rising incidence mainly due to higher clinical awareness and better diagnostic tools over the last 30 years. Functional imaging of neuroendocrine tumors with PET tracers is an evolving field that is continuously refining the affinity of new tracers in the search...... these PET tracers further....

  10. Biological tracer for waste site characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strong-Gunderson, J.

    1995-01-01

    Remediating hazardous waste sites requires detailed site characterization. In groundwater remediation, characterizing the flow paths and velocity is a major objective. Various tracers have been used for measuring groundwater velocity and transport of contaminants, colloidal particles, and bacteria and nutrients. The conventional techniques use dissolved solutes, dyes. and gases to estimate subsurface transport pathways. These tracers can provide information on transport and diffusion into the matrix, but their estimates for groundwater flow through fractured regions are very conservative. Also, they do not have the same transport characteristics as bacteria and suspended colloid tracers, both of which must be characterized for effective in-place remediation. Bioremediation requires understanding bacterial transport and nutrient distribution throughout the acquifer, knowledge of contaminants s mobile colloidal particles is just essential

  11. (18)F-alfatide II and (18)F-FDG dual-tracer dynamic PET for parametric, early prediction of tumor response to therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Jinxia; Guo, Ning; Lang, Lixin; Kiesewetter, Dale O; Xie, Qingguo; Li, Quanzheng; Eden, Henry S; Niu, Gang; Chen, Xiaoyuan

    2014-01-01

    A single dynamic PET acquisition using multiple tracers administered closely in time could provide valuable complementary information about a tumor's status under quasiconstant conditions. This study aimed to investigate the utility of dual-tracer dynamic PET imaging with (18)F-alfatide II ((18)F-AlF-NOTA-E[PEG4-c(RGDfk)]2) and (18)F-FDG for parametric monitoring of tumor responses to therapy. We administered doxorubicin to one group of athymic nude mice with U87MG tumors and paclitaxel protein-bound particles to another group of mice with MDA-MB-435 tumors. To monitor therapeutic responses, we performed dual-tracer dynamic imaging, in sessions that lasted 90 min, starting with injection via the tail vein catheters with (18)F-alfatide II, followed 40 min later by (18)F-FDG. To achieve signal separation of the 2 tracers, we fit a 3-compartment reversible model to the time-activity curve of (18)F-alfatide II for the 40 min before (18)F-FDG injection and then extrapolated to 90 min. The (18)F-FDG tumor time-activity curve was isolated from the 90-min dual-tracer tumor time-activity curve by subtracting the fitted (18)F-alfatide II tumor time-activity curve. With separated tumor time-activity curves, the (18)F-alfatide II binding potential (Bp = k3/k4) and volume of distribution (VD) and (18)F-FDG influx rate ((K1 × k3)/(k2 + k3)) based on the Patlak method were calculated to validate the signal recovery in a comparison with 60-min single-tracer imaging and to monitor therapeutic response. The transport and binding rate parameters K1-k3 of (18)F-alfatide II, calculated from the first 40 min of the dual-tracer dynamic scan, as well as Bp and VD correlated well with the parameters from the 60-min single-tracer scan (R(2) > 0.95). Compared with the results of single-tracer PET imaging, (18)F-FDG tumor uptake and influx were recovered well from dual-tracer imaging. On doxorubicin treatment, whereas no significant changes in static tracer uptake values of (18)F-alfatide II

  12. Extracting a respiratory signal from raw dynamic PET data that contain tracer kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schleyer, P J; Thielemans, K; Marsden, P K

    2014-01-01

    Data driven gating (DDG) methods provide an alternative to hardware based respiratory gating for PET imaging. Several existing DDG approaches obtain a respiratory signal by observing the change in PET-counts within specific regions of acquired PET data. Currently, these methods do not allow for tracer kinetics which can interfere with the respiratory signal and introduce error. In this work, we produced a DDG method for dynamic PET studies that exhibit tracer kinetics. Our method is based on an existing approach that uses frequency-domain analysis to locate regions within raw PET data that are subject to respiratory motion. In the new approach, an optimised non-stationary short-time Fourier transform was used to create a time-varying 4D map of motion affected regions. Additional processing was required to ensure that the relationship between the sign of the respiratory signal and the physical direction of movement remained consistent for each temporal segment of the 4D map. The change in PET-counts within the 4D map during the PET acquisition was then used to generate a respiratory curve. Using 26 min dynamic cardiac NH 3 PET acquisitions which included a hardware derived respiratory measurement, we show that tracer kinetics can severely degrade the respiratory signal generated by the original DDG method. In some cases, the transition of tracer from the liver to the lungs caused the respiratory signal to invert. The new approach successfully compensated for tracer kinetics and improved the correlation between the data-driven and hardware based signals. On average, good correlation was maintained throughout the PET acquisitions. (paper)

  13. Simultaneous quantitative assessment of circulating cell-free mitochondrial and nuclear DNA by multiplex real-time PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Xia

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Quantification of circulating nucleic acids in plasma and serum could be used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for monitoring a wide variety of diseases and conditions. We describe here a rapid, simple and accurate multiplex real-time PCR method for direct synchronized analysis of circulating cell-free (ccf mitochondrial (mtDNA and nuclear (nDNA DNA in plasma and serum samples. The method is based on one-step multiplex real-time PCR using a FAM-labeled MGB probe and primers to amplify the mtDNA sequence of the ATP 8 gene, and a VIC-labeled MGB probe and primers to amplify the nDNA sequence of the glycerinaldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH gene, in plasma and serum samples simultaneously. The efficiencies of the multiplex assays were measured in serial dilutions. Based on the simulation of the PCR reaction kinetics, the relative quantities of ccf mtDNA were calculated using a very simple equation. Using our optimised real-time PCR conditions, close to 100% efficiency was obtained from the two assays. The two assays performed in the dilution series showed very good and reproducible correlation to each other. This optimised multiplex real-time PCR protocol can be widely used for synchronized quantification of mtDNA and nDNA in different samples, with a very high rate of efficiency.

  14. Tracer applications in oil reservoirs in Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreira, R.M.; Ferreira Pinto, A.M.

    2004-01-01

    Radiotracer applications in oil reservoirs in Brazil started in 1997 at the request of the State Oil Company (Petrobras) at the Carmoplois oilfield. 1 Ci of HTO was injected in a regular five-spot plot and the results obtained were quite satisfactory. Shortly after this test one other request asked for distinguishing the contribution of different injection wells to a production well. It was then realized that other tracers should be available. As a first choice 35 SCN - has been selected since it could be produced at CDTN. An alternative synthesis path was defined which shortened post-irradiation manipulations. The tracer was tested in core samples and a field injection, simultaneously with HTO, was carried out at the Buracica field; again the HTO performed well but 35 SCN - showed up well ahead. Presently the HTO applications are being done on a routine basis. All in all, four tests were performed (some are still ongoing), and the detection limits for both 3 H and 35 S were optimized by refining the sample preparation stage. Lanthanide complexes used as activable tracers are also an appealing option, however core tests performed so far with La-, Ce- and Eu-EDTA indicated some delay of the tracer, so other complexants such as DOTA are to be tried in further laboratory tests and in a field application. Thus, a deeper understanding of their complexation chemistry and carefully conducted tests must be performed before lanthanide complexes can be qualified as reliable oil reservoir tracers. More recently, Petrobras has been asking for partitioning tracers intended for SOR measurement

  15. Device and method for traditional chinese medicine diagnosis using radioactive tracer method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Shanling; Shen, Miaohe

    1997-05-29

    Disclosed is a device and method for traditional chinese medicine diagnosis using radioactive-tracer method. At least two nuclear radiation probes are arranged apart along the channels to detect the changing with time and on space of the intensity of radioactivity of the nuclear radioactive tracer which has been injected into the body in the channel position. The detected signals are amplified by amplifiers, and the outputs of the amplifiers are applied to data processing means which monitor the whole detecting process in real time and analyse and process the detected information about the changing of the intensity of radioactivity with time and on space indicating the operating of vital energy and blood, and obtain state parameters about operating of vital energy and blood in the body which is then output through data output means. (author) figs.

  16. Evaluation of TRUE-1 tests with sorbing tracers using CHAN3D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, L.

    2001-01-01

    Three tracer tests (STT1a, STT1b and STT2) with sorbing species performed as a part of the TRUE-1 experiments are studied. The tests were carried out in a radially converging flow geometry with a travel distance of about 5 m The injected sorbing tracers were: Na + , Sr 2+ , Ca 2+ , Ba 2+ , Cs + , Co 2+ , Rb + . The sorption properties of the tracer cover a wide interval. The tracer tests were modelled using the Channel Network Model, which assumes that fluid flow and solute transport take place through a network of channels. It includes solute transport by advection, diffusion into the rock matrix, and sorption within the matrix and onto the channel surface. Sorption and diffusion data were obtained from laboratory measurements carried out over generic Aespoe material. Some measurements were made using material from the Feature A. Large differences are found between the experimental and the predicted breakthrough curves. The predicted times are much shorter than the experimental ones. An attempt is made to explain these differences using various possible retardation mechanisms. Finally, it is concluded that several mechanisms must act simultaneously in order to explain the large differences

  17. Accuracy of tracer stimulus response experiments in laminar flows

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chlup, Hynek; Novotný, Pavel; Žitný, R.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 55, 23-24 (2012), s. 6458-6462 ISSN 0017-9310 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : residence time distribution * tracer injection * laminar convective dominated flow Subject RIV: JB - Sensors, Measurment, Regulation Impact factor: 2.315, year: 2012 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001793101200470X

  18. New radioactive tracers can help find cause of jaundice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carrard, G.

    1987-01-01

    Radioactive tracers for the investigation of a condition known as persistent jaundice of the newborn, have been designed, prepared and tested at ANSTO. The tracers are chemical compounds of the radioactive elements gallium-67 and indium-111. They given lower radiation doses than the conventional radioactive tracer, iodine-131, used in these studies

  19. Impulse-response function of splanchnic circulation with model-independent constraints: theory and experimental validation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, O L; Keiding, S; Bass, L

    2003-01-01

    Modeling physiological processes using tracer kinetic methods requires knowledge of the time course of the tracer concentration in blood supplying the organ. For liver studies, however, inaccessibility of the portal vein makes direct measurement of the hepatic dual-input function impossible...

  20. Benefits of important industrial tracer applications in the GDR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leonhardt, J.W.; Goeldner, R.; Koennecke, H.G.; Kupsch, H.; Luther, D.; Otto, R.; Reinhardt, R.; Ulrich, H.

    1990-01-01

    Tracers can be used to label substances or objects in order to discriminate between them, to follow their movement, to record changes of concentration and distribution between phases, etc. The main advantages of tracer investigations are the contactless recording of signals without influencing the observed process (also under rigorous operation conditions), the high detection sensitivity, the large number of available tracer nuclides (problems of all branches of industry can be solved) and the fact that tracer investigation can be carried out on operating production units, so that they provide valuable checks of the validity of design and process data. The cost-to-benefit ratio can be as low as 1:50. In the following some selected examples of tracer applications and their benefits will be presented. (orig./BBR) [de

  1. Investigation of Groundwater Flow Variations near a Recharge Pond with Repeat Deliberate Tracer Experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordan F Clark

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Determining hydraulic connections and travel times between recharge facilities and production wells has become increasingly important for permitting and operating managed aquifer recharge (MAR sites, a water supply strategy that transfers surface water into aquifers for storage and later extraction. This knowledge is critical for examining water quality changes and assessing the potential for future contamination. Deliberate tracer experiments are the best method for determining travel times and identifying preferential flow paths between recharge sites over the time scales of weeks to a few years. This paper compares the results of two deliberate tracer experiments at Kraemer Basin, Orange County, CA, USA. Results from the first experiment, which was conducted in October 1998, showed that a region of highly transmissive sedimentary material extends down gradient from the basin for more than 3 km [1]. Mean groundwater velocities were determined to be approximately 2 km/year in this region based on the arrival time of the tracer center of mass. A second experiment was initiated in January 2008 to determine if travel times from this basin to monitoring and production wells changed during the past decade in response to new recharge conditions. Results indicate that flow near Kraemer Basin was stable, and travel times to most wells determined during both experiments agree within the experimental uncertainty.

  2. Fluorinated tracers for imaging cancer with positron emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Couturier, Olivier; Chatal, Jean-Francois; Luxen, Andre; Vuillez, Jean-Philippe; Rigo, Pierre; Hustinx, Roland

    2004-01-01

    2-[ 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) is currently the only fluorinated tracer used in routine clinical positron emission tomography (PET). Fluorine-18 is considered the ideal radioisotope for PET imaging owing to the low positron energy (0.64 MeV), which not only limits the dose rate to the patient but also results in a relatively short range of emission in tissue, thereby providing high-resolution images. Further, the 110-min physical half-life allows for high-yield radiosynthesis, transport from the production site to the imaging site and imaging protocols that may span hours, which permits dynamic studies and assessment of potentially fairly slow metabolic processes. The synthesis of fluorinated tracers as an alternative to FDG was initially tested using nucleophilic fluorination of the molecule, as performed when radiolabelling with iodine-124 or bromide-76. However, in addition to being long, with multiple steps, this procedure is not recommended for bioactive molecules containing reactive groups such as amine or thiol groups. Radiochemical yields are also often low. More recently, radiosynthesis from prosthetic group precursors, which allows easier radiolabelling of biomolecules, has led to the development of numerous fluorinated tracers. Given the wide availability of 18 F, such tracers may well develop into important routine tracers. This article is a review of the literature concerning fluorinated radiotracers recently developed and under investigation for possible PET imaging in cancer patients. Two groups can be distinguished. The first includes ''generalist'' tracers, i.e. tracers amenable to use in a wide variety of tumours and indications, very similar in this respect to FDG. These are tracers for non-specific cell metabolism, such as protein synthesis, amino acid transport, nucleic acid synthesis or membrane component synthesis. The second group consists of ''specific'' tracers for receptor expression (i.e. oestrogens or somatostatin), cell

  3. A Comparative Uptake Study of Multiplexed PET Tracers in Mice with Turpentine-Induced Inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingting Huang

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The potential value of multiplexed positron emission tomography (PET tracers in mice with turpentine-induced inflammation was evaluated and compared with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]FDG for glucose metabolism imaging. These PET tracers included [18F]fluoromethylcholine ([18F]FCH for choline metabolism imaging, (S-[11C]methyl-D-cysteine ([11C]DMCYS for amino acid metabolism imaging, [11C]bis(zinc(II-dipicolylamine ([11C]DPA-Zn2+ for apoptosis imaging, 2-(4-N-[11C]-methylaminophenyl-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ([11C]PIB for β amyloid binding imaging, and [18F]fluoride (18F− for bone metabolism imaging. In mice with turpentine-induced inflammation mice, the biodistribution of all the tracers mentioned above at 5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min postinjection was determined. Also, the time-course curves of the tracer uptake ratios for inflammatory thigh muscle (IM to normal uninflammatory thigh muscle (NM, IM to blood (BL, IM to brain (BR, and IM to liver (LI were acquired, respectively. Moreover, PET imaging with the tracers within 60 min postinjection on a clinical PET/CT scanner was also conducted. [18F]FDG and 18F− showed relatively higher uptake ratios for IM to NM, IM to BL, IM to BR, and IM to LI than [18F]FCH, [11C]DPA-Zn2+, [11C]DMCYS and [11C]PIB, which were highly consistent with the results delineated in PET images. The results demonstrate that 18F− seems to be a potential PET tracer for inflammation imaging. [18F]FCH and [11C]DMCYS, with lower accumulation in inflammatory tissue than [18F]FDG, are not good PET tracers for inflammation imaging. As a promising inflammatory tracer, the chemical structure of [11C]DPA-Zn2+ needs to be further optimized.

  4. Near-kHz 3D tracer-based LIF imaging of a co-flow jet using toluene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, V A; Troutman, V A; Hanson, R K

    2014-01-01

    This work demonstrates tracer-based, high-repetition-rate planar (15 kHz) and three-dimensional (940 Hz) laser-induced fluorescence imaging. An off-the-shelf, pulsed, frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser at 266 nm is used as the excitation light source, and a high-frame-rate intensified relay optic with a slow P46 phosphor coupled to a CMOS camera is used to image the fluorescence. Four different tracers are investigated (3-pentanone, acetone, anisole, and toluene) and relative signal levels are measured in the potential core of a laminar co-flow jet. Resulting SNR values range from 6 to 44 for the different tracers, and relative signal levels and SNR for each tracer are provided as an engineering-basis for tracer-based imaging diagnostic design. It was found that signal levels from anisole (relative to toluene) are about ten times less than suggested by other literature, owing to uncertainty in the reported absorption cross sections. Using toluene as a tracer and a custom-made piezo-actuated steering optic to scan the laser sheet, 3D LIF imaging at 940 Hz is demonstrated by visualizing a co-flow jet mixing with ambient air. (paper)

  5. Development of nuclear methods for determining fluid-dynamic parameters in fluid catalyst cracking reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, V.A. dos; Dantas, C.C.

    1986-01-01

    Flow parameters of circulating fluidized bed in a simulated Fluid Catalyst Cracking reactor were determined by means of nuclear methods. The parameters were: residence time, density, inventory, circulation rate and radial distribution, for the catalyst; residence time for the gaseous phase. The nuclear methods where the gamma attenuation and the radiotracer. Two tracer techniques were developed, one for tagging of the catalyst by the 59 Fe as intrinsic tracer and another for tagging of the gaseous phase by the CH 3 82 Br as tracer. A detailed description of each measuring technique for all the investigated parameters is included. To carry out the determination for some of parameters a combination of the two methods was also applied. The results and the nuclear data are given in a table. (Author) [pt

  6. An Integrated Approach to Characterizing Bypassed Oil in Heterogeneous and Fractured Reservoirs Using Partitioning Tracers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akhil Datta-Gupta

    2006-12-31

    We explore the use of efficient streamline-based simulation approaches for modeling partitioning interwell tracer tests in hydrocarbon reservoirs. Specifically, we utilize the unique features of streamline models to develop an efficient approach for interpretation and history matching of field tracer response. A critical aspect here is the underdetermined and highly ill-posed nature of the associated inverse problems. We have investigated the relative merits of the traditional history matching ('amplitude inversion') and a novel travel time inversion in terms of robustness of the method and convergence behavior of the solution. We show that the traditional amplitude inversion is orders of magnitude more non-linear and the solution here is likely to get trapped in local minimum, leading to inadequate history match. The proposed travel time inversion is shown to be extremely efficient and robust for practical field applications. The streamline approach is generalized to model water injection in naturally fractured reservoirs through the use of a dual media approach. The fractures and matrix are treated as separate continua that are connected through a transfer function, as in conventional finite difference simulators for modeling fractured systems. A detailed comparison with a commercial finite difference simulator shows very good agreement. Furthermore, an examination of the scaling behavior of the computation time indicates that the streamline approach is likely to result in significant savings for large-scale field applications. We also propose a novel approach to history matching finite-difference models that combines the advantage of the streamline models with the versatility of finite-difference simulation. In our approach, we utilize the streamline-derived sensitivities to facilitate history matching during finite-difference simulation. The use of finite-difference model allows us to account for detailed process physics and compressibility effects

  7. COMPARISON OF THREE TRACER TESTS AT THE RAFT RIVER GEOTHERMAL SITE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Earl D Mattson; Mitchell Plummer; Carl Palmer; Larry Hull; Samantha Miller; Randy Nye

    2011-02-01

    Three conservative tracer tests have been conducted through the Bridge Fault fracture zone at the Raft River Geothermal (RRG) site. All three tests were conducted between injection well RRG-5 and production wells RRG-1 (790 m distance) and RRG-4 (740 m distance). The injection well is used during the summer months to provide pressure support to the production wells. The first test was conducted in 2008 using 136 kg of fluorescein tracer. Two additional tracers were injected in 2010. The first 2010 tracer injected was 100 kg fluorescein disodium hydrate salt on June, 21. The second tracer (100 kg 2,6-naphthalene disulfonic acid sodium salt) was injected one month later on July 21. Sampling of the two productions wells is still being performed to obtain the tail end of the second 2010 tracer test. Tracer concentrations were measured using HPLC with a fluorescence detector. Results for the 2008 test, suggest 80% tracer recover at the two production wells. Of the tracer recovered, 85% of tracer mass was recovered in well RRG-4 indicating a greater flow pathway connection between injection well and RRG-4 than RRG-1. Fluorescein tracer results appear to be similar between the 2008 and 2010 tests for well RRG-4 with peak concentrations arriving approximately 20 days after injection despite the differences between the injection rates for the two tests (~950 gpm to 475 gpm) between the 2008 and 2010. The two 2010 tracer tests will be compared to determine if the results support the hypothesis that rock contraction along the flow pathway due to the 55 oC cooler water injection alters the flow through the ~140 oC reservoir.

  8. Multiple-tracer tests for contaminant transport process identification in saturated municipal solid waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woodman, N.D.; Rees-White, T.C.; Stringfellow, A.M.; Beaven, R.P.; Hudson, A.P.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Multiple tracers were applied to saturated MSW to test dual-porosity properties. • Lithium demonstrated to be non-conservative as a tracer. • 260 mm diameter column too small to test transport properties of MSW. • The classical advection-dispersion mode was rejected due to high dispersivity. • Characteristic diffusion times did not vary with the tracer. - Abstract: Two column tests were performed in conditions emulating vertical flow beneath the leachate table in a biologically active landfill to determine dominant transport mechanisms occurring in landfills. An improved understanding of contaminant transport process in wastes is required for developing better predictions about potential length of the long term aftercare of landfills, currently measured in timescales of centuries. Three tracers (lithium, bromide and deuterium) were used. Lithium did not behave conservatively. Given that lithium has been used extensively for tracing in landfill wastes, the tracer itself and the findings of previous tests which assume that it has behaved conservatively may need revisiting. The smaller column test could not be fitted with continuum models, probably because the volume of waste was below a representative elemental volume. Modelling compared advection-dispersion (AD), dual porosity (DP) and hybrid AD–DP models. Of these models, the DP model was found to be the most suitable. Although there is good evidence to suggest that diffusion is an important transport mechanism, the breakthrough curves of the different tracers did not differ from each other as would be predicted based on the free-water diffusion coefficients. This suggested that solute diffusion in wastes requires further study

  9. Multiple-tracer tests for contaminant transport process identification in saturated municipal solid waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woodman, N.D., E-mail: n.d.woodman@soton.ac.uk; Rees-White, T.C.; Stringfellow, A.M.; Beaven, R.P.; Hudson, A.P.

    2015-04-15

    Highlights: • Multiple tracers were applied to saturated MSW to test dual-porosity properties. • Lithium demonstrated to be non-conservative as a tracer. • 260 mm diameter column too small to test transport properties of MSW. • The classical advection-dispersion mode was rejected due to high dispersivity. • Characteristic diffusion times did not vary with the tracer. - Abstract: Two column tests were performed in conditions emulating vertical flow beneath the leachate table in a biologically active landfill to determine dominant transport mechanisms occurring in landfills. An improved understanding of contaminant transport process in wastes is required for developing better predictions about potential length of the long term aftercare of landfills, currently measured in timescales of centuries. Three tracers (lithium, bromide and deuterium) were used. Lithium did not behave conservatively. Given that lithium has been used extensively for tracing in landfill wastes, the tracer itself and the findings of previous tests which assume that it has behaved conservatively may need revisiting. The smaller column test could not be fitted with continuum models, probably because the volume of waste was below a representative elemental volume. Modelling compared advection-dispersion (AD), dual porosity (DP) and hybrid AD–DP models. Of these models, the DP model was found to be the most suitable. Although there is good evidence to suggest that diffusion is an important transport mechanism, the breakthrough curves of the different tracers did not differ from each other as would be predicted based on the free-water diffusion coefficients. This suggested that solute diffusion in wastes requires further study.

  10. Evaluation of Parameter Uncertainty Reduction in Groundwater Flow Modeling Using Multiple Environmental Tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, B. W.; Gardner, P.

    2013-12-01

    years is similar to the range of transport times (hundreds to thousands of years) in the heterogeneous synthetic aquifer domain. The slightly higher uncertainty range for the case using all of the environmental tracers simultaneously is probably due to structural errors in the model introduced by the pilot point regularization scheme. It is concluded that maximum information and uncertainty reduction for constraining a groundwater flow model is obtained using an environmental tracer whose half-life is well matched to the range of transport times through the groundwater flow system. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  11. A numerical three-dimensional ocean general circulation and radionuclides dispersion model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chartier, M.; Marti, O.

    1988-01-01

    The dispersion of radioactive waste disposed of in the deep-sea or transferred from the atmosphere is a complex hydrodynamic problem concerned by space scales as large as the world ocean. The recent development in the high-speed computers has led to significant progress in ocean modelling and now allows a thorough improvement in the accuracy of the simulations of the nuclides dispersion in the sea. A three-dimensional ocean general circulation model has been recently developed in France for research and engineering purposes. The model solves the primitive equation of the ocean hydrodynamics and the advection-diffusion equation for any dissolved tracer. The code has been fully vectorized and multitasked on 1 to 4 processors of the CRAY-2

  12. Predictions of tracer transport in interwell tracer tests at the C-Hole complex. Yucca Mountain site characterization project report milestone 4077

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reimus, P.W.

    1996-09-01

    This report presents predictions of tracer transport in interwell tracer tests that are to be conducted at the C-Hole complex at the Nevada Test Site on behalf of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The predictions are used to make specific recommendations about the manner in which the tracer test should be conducted to best satisfy the needs of the Project. The objective of he tracer tests is to study flow and species transport under saturated conditions in the fractured tuffs near Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the site of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository. The potential repository will be located in the unsaturated zone within Yucca Mountain. The saturated zone beneath and around the mountain represents the final barrier to transport to the accessible environment that radionuclides will encounter if they breach the engineered barriers within the repository and the barriers to flow and transport provided by the unsaturated zone. Background information on the C-Holes is provided in Section 1.1, and the planned tracer testing program is discussed in Section 1.2

  13. Development and characterization of food-grade tracers for the global grain tracing and recall system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyung-Min; Armstrong, Paul R; Thomasson, J Alex; Sui, Ruixiu; Casada, Mark; Herrman, Timothy J

    2010-10-27

    Tracing grain from the farm to its final processing destination as it moves through multiple grain-handling systems, storage bins, and bulk carriers presents numerous challenges to existing record-keeping systems. This study examines the suitability of coded caplets to trace grain, in particular, to evaluate methodology to test tracers' ability to withstand the rigors of a commercial grain handling and storage systems as defined by physical properties using measurement technology commonly applied to assess grain hardness and end-use properties. Three types of tracers to dispense into bulk grains for tracing the grain back to its field of origin were developed using three food-grade substances [processed sugar, pregelatinized starch, and silicified microcrystalline cellulose (SMCC)] as a major component in formulations. Due to a different functionality of formulations, the manufacturing process conditions varied for each tracer type, resulting in unique variations in surface roughness, weight, dimensions, and physical and spectroscopic properties before and after coating. The applied two types of coating [pregelatinized starch and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC)] using an aqueous coating system containing appropriate plasticizers showed uniform coverage and clear coating. Coating appeared to act as a barrier against moisture penetration, to protect against mechanical damage of the surface of the tracers, and to improve the mechanical strength of tracers. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests showed the type of tracer, coating material, conditioning time, and a theoretical weight gain significantly influenced the morphological and physical properties of tracers. Optimization of these factors needs to be pursued to produce desirable tracers with consistent quality and performance when they flow with bulk grains throughout the grain marketing channels.

  14. Measuring gravel transport and dispersion in a mountain river using passive radio tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, D. N.; Tucker, G. E.

    2012-01-01

    Random walk models of fluvial sediment transport recognize that grains move intermittently, with short duration steps separated by rests that are comparatively long. These models are built upon the probability distributions of the step length and the resting time. Motivated by these models, tracer experiments have attempted to measure directly the steps and rests of sediment grains in natural streams. This paper describes results from a large tracer experiment designed to test stochastic transport models. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to label 893 coarse gravel clasts and placed them in Halfmoon Creek, a small alpine stream near Leadville, Colorado, USA. The PIT tags allow us to locate and identify tracers without picking them up or digging them out of the streambed. They also enable us to find a very high percentage of our rocks, 98% after three years and 96% after the fourth year. We use the annual tracer displacement to test two stochastic transport models, the Einstein–Hubbell–Sayre (EHS) model and the Yang–Sayre gamma-exponential model (GEM). We find that the GEM is a better fit to the observations, particularly for slower moving tracers and suggest that the strength of the GEM is that the gamma distribution of step lengths approximates a compound Poisson distribution. Published in 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  15. Three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation: part II—dynamical equations of horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shujuan; Cheng, Jianbo; Xu, Ming; Chou, Jifan

    2018-04-01

    The three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation (TPDGAC) partitions three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric circulation into horizontal, meridional and zonal components to study the 3D structures of global atmospheric circulation. This paper incorporates the three-pattern decomposition model (TPDM) into primitive equations of atmospheric dynamics and establishes a new set of dynamical equations of the horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations in which the operator properties are studied and energy conservation laws are preserved, as in the primitive equations. The physical significance of the newly established equations is demonstrated. Our findings reveal that the new equations are essentially the 3D vorticity equations of atmosphere and that the time evolution rules of the horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations can be described from the perspective of 3D vorticity evolution. The new set of dynamical equations includes decomposed expressions that can be used to explore the source terms of large-scale atmospheric circulation variations. A simplified model is presented to demonstrate the potential applications of the new equations for studying the dynamics of the Rossby, Hadley and Walker circulations. The model shows that the horizontal air temperature anomaly gradient (ATAG) induces changes in meridional and zonal circulations and promotes the baroclinic evolution of the horizontal circulation. The simplified model also indicates that the absolute vorticity of the horizontal circulation is not conserved, and its changes can be described by changes in the vertical vorticities of the meridional and zonal circulations. Moreover, the thermodynamic equation shows that the induced meridional and zonal circulations and advection transport by the horizontal circulation in turn cause a redistribution of the air temperature. The simplified model reveals the fundamental rules between the evolution of the air temperature and the horizontal, meridional

  16. Pipeline leak detection using volatile tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, G.M.; Golding, R.D.

    1993-01-01

    A method of leak detection for underground storage tanks and pipelines adds volatile tracers to the products in the tanks and analyzes the surrounding shallow soil gases for tracer vapors. This method has several advantages: the success of the test is not limited by the size and structural design of the vessels, tanks can be tested at any fill level without taking the tank out of service, the location of a leak along a pipeline is clearly marked by the location of the tracer, and liquid leaks as small as 0.2 liters per hour (lph) can be detected. A limitation is: the backfill material must have some degree of air permeability in the zone above the water table. Several field tests document the success achieved using this method. A tracer leak detection system was installed at Homestead AFB after several other testing methods failed to locate a leak at a valve pit location along approximately 4 kilometers of fuel transfer piping. The leak was detected to the side of the valve pit at a depth of approximately 2.5 meters below the ground surface. Another installation of Edwards AFB involved the collection of 415 soil gas samples along approximately 3,050 meters of 15.25-centimeter fiberglass pipeline. Fourteen separate leaks were detected

  17. Determination of the self purification of streams using tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salviano, J.S.

    1982-04-01

    A methodology for the 'in situ' evaluation of the self purification of streams is discussed. It consists of the simultaneous injection of two tracers into the stream. One of the tracers is oxidized by biochemical processes. It can be either artificially supplied to the stream or a naturally present component can be used. This tracer is used for the determination of the self purification parameters. The other tracer is conservative and allows for the hydrodynamic effects. Tests have been carried out in two streams with quite different hydrodynamic and physicochemical conditions. In the first stream, with a flow-rate of about 0.9 m 3 /s, urea was used as the nonconservative tracer. In the other stream, which had a flow-rate of about 5 m 3 /s, only a radioactive tracer has been used, and the rate of biochemical oxidation has been determined from BOD measurements. Calculations have been implemented on a digital computer. In both cases it was found that the reoxygenation rate is more conveniently determined by empirical formulas. Results from both tests have been deemed realistic by comparison with similar experiments. (Author) [pt

  18. A description of the atmospheric tracer technology used at the J.R.C.-Ispra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaglione, P.

    1988-01-01

    Atmospheric tracers are a versatile tool that can be used in conjunction with basic meteorological investigations and models to gain a better understanding of the dynamical behaviour of atmospheric pollutants on both the local and regional scales. The tracer activity was initiated at Ispra about ten years ago, with the aim of providing an experimental support to the research activity carried out in the field of air pollution modeling. At the time the area of interest was mainly related to the atmospheric dispersion on a local scale of pollutants released from stacks of power stations, therefore a technique using SF 6 as a tracer was implemented. In the last few years some efforts have been devoted also to the determination of the atmospheric dispersion parameters in the mesoscale and in the regional scale. Due to the limitations in the use of SF 6 over these distances, a new technique utilizing perfluorocarbons (C 7 F 14 and C 8 F 16 ) as tracers has been implemented and positively tested in the field, even though limited until now to a few short range experiments. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the tracer technology developments at the J.R.C.-Ispra including the main results obtained in different field studies

  19. Case study: evaluation of the performance of water treatment units by the use of tracer techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sebastian, C.; Maghella, G.; Mamani, E.

    2000-12-01

    Very often, water treatment systems do not reach the expected performance due to disturbances of hydraulic order, which cause malfunctioning in the flow through such systems. Tracer techniques have proved to be very useful to obtain information on the system or a part of it, by means of observation of the released tracer or observation of the released tracer during its progress into the system or at the output of the same. This paper is a report of the behavior of a set of both sand settlement unit and hydraulic flocculators in a potable water plant, through the analysis of radiotracers response curves or residence time distribution curves. The tracers released into the system consists in an aqueous solution of Iodine-131 with very low activity, in order to get a dynamic behave similar to the one of the fluid under investigation

  20. A dual tracer ratio method for comparative emission measurements in an experimental dairy housing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohn, Joachim; Zeyer, Kerstin; Keck, Margret; Keller, Markus; Zähner, Michael; Poteko, Jernej; Emmenegger, Lukas; Schrade, Sabine

    2018-04-01

    Agriculture, and in particular dairy farming, is an important source of ammonia (NH3) and non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This calls for the development and quantification of effective mitigation strategies. Our study presents the implementation of a dual tracer ratio method in a novel experimental dairy housing with two identical, but spatially separated housing areas. Modular design and flexible floor elements allow the assessment of structural, process engineering and organisational abatement measures at practical scale. Thereby, the emission reduction potential of specific abatement measures can be quantified in relation to a reference system. Emissions in the naturally ventilated housing are determined by continuous dosing of two artificial tracers (sulphur hexafluoride SF6, trifluoromethylsulphur pentafluoride SF5CF3) and their real-time detection in the ppt range with an optimized GC-ECD method. The two tracers are dosed into different experimental sections, which enables the independent assessment of both housing areas. Mass flow emissions of NH3 and GHGs are quantified by areal dosing of tracer gases and multipoint sampling as well as real-time analysis of both tracer and target gases. Validation experiments demonstrate that the technique is suitable for both areal and point emission sources and achieves an uncertainty of less than 10% for the mass emissions of NH3, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which is superior to other currently available methods. Comparative emission measurements in this experimental dairy housing will provide reliable, currently unavailable information on emissions for Swiss dairy farming and demonstrate the reduction potential of mitigation measures for NH3, GHGs and potentially other pollutants.

  1. Focuss algorithm application in kinetic compartment modeling for PET tracer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Xinrui; Bao Shanglian

    2004-01-01

    Molecular imaging is in the process of becoming. Its application mostly depends on the molecular discovery process of imaging probes and drugs, from the mouse to the patient, from research to clinical practice. Positron emission tomography (PET) can non-invasively monitor . pharmacokinetic and functional processes of drugs in intact organisms at tracer concentrations by kinetic modeling. It has been known that for all biological systems, linear or nonlinear, if the system is injected by a tracer in a steady state, the distribution of the tracer follows the kinetics of a linear compartmental system, which has sums of exponential solutions. Based on the general compartmental description of the tracer's fate in vivo, we presented a novel kinetic modeling approach for the quantification of in vivo tracer studies with dynamic positron emission tomography (PET), which can determine a parsimonious model consisting with the measured data. This kinetic modeling technique allows for estimation of parametric images from a voxel based analysis and requires no a priori decision about the tracer's fate in vivo, instead determining the most appropriate model from the information contained within the kinetic data. Choosing a set of exponential functions, convolved with the plasma input function, as basis functions, the time activity curve of a region or a pixel can be written as a linear combination of the basis functions with corresponding coefficients. The number of non-zero coefficients returned corresponds to the model order which is related to the number of tissue compartments. The system macro parameters are simply determined using the focal underdetermined system solver (FOCUSS) algorithm. The FOCUSS algorithm is a nonparametric algorithm for finding localized energy solutions from limited data and is a recursive linear estimation procedure. FOCUSS algorithm usually converges very fast, so demands a few iterations. The effectiveness is verified by simulation and clinical

  2. Methods of 15N tracer research in biological systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirschberg, K.; Faust, H.

    1985-01-01

    The application of the stable isotope 15 N is of increasing importance in different scientific disciplines, especially in medicine, agriculture, and the biosciences. The close correlation between the growing interest and improvements of analytical procedures resulted in remarkable advances in the 15 N tracer technique. On the basis of the latest results of 15 N tracer research in life sciences and agriculture methods of 15 N tracer research in biological systems are compiled. The 15 N methodology is considered under three headings: Chemical analysis with a description of methods of sample preparation (including different separation and isolation methods for N-containing substances of biological and agricultural origin) and special procedures converting ammonia to molecular nitrogen. Isotopic analysis with a review on the most important methods of isotopic analysis of nitrogen: mass spectrometry (including the GC-MS technique), emission spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and other analytical procedures. 15 N-tracer techniques with a consideration of the role of the isotope dilution analysis as well as different labelling techniques and the mathematical interpretation of tracer data (modelling, N turnover experiments). In these chapters also sources of errors in chemical and isotopic analysis, the accuracy of the different methods and its importance on tracer experiments are discussed. Procedures for micro scale 15 N analysis and aspects of 15 N analysis on the level of natural abundance are considered. Furthermore some remarks on isotope effects in 15 N tracer experiments are made. (author)

  3. Winter atmospheric circulation signature for the timing of the spring bloom of diatoms in the North Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohmann, Gerrit; Wiltshire, Karen

    2015-04-01

    Analysing long-term diatom data from the German Bight and observational climate data for the period 1962-2005, we found a close connection of the inter-annual variation of the timing of the spring bloom with the boreal winter atmospheric circulation. We examined the fact that high diatom counts of the spring bloom tended to occur later when the atmospheric circulation was characterized by winter blocking over Scandinavia. The associated pattern in the sea level pressure showed a pressure dipole with two centres located over the Azores and Norway and was tilted compared to the North Atlantic Oscillation. The bloom was earlier when the cyclonic circulation over Scandinavia allowed an increased inflow of Atlantic water into the North Sea which is associated with clearer, more marine water, and warmer conditions. The bloom was later when a more continental atmospheric flow from the east was detected. At Helgoland Roads, it seems that under turbid water conditions (= low light) zooplankton grazing can affect the timing of the phytoplankton bloom negatively. Warmer water temperatures will facilitate this. Under clear water conditions, light will be the main governing factor with regard to the timing of the spring bloom. These different water conditions are shown here to be mainly related to large-scale weather patterns. We found that the mean diatom bloom could be predicted from the sea level pressure one to three months in advance. Using historical pressure data, we derived a proxy for the timing of the spring bloom over the last centuries, showing an increased number of late (proxy-) blooms during the eighteenth century when the climate was considerably colder than today. We argue that these variations are important for the interpretation of inter-annual to centennial variations of biological processes. This is of particular interest when considering future scenarios, as well to considerations on past and future effects on the primary production and food webs.

  4. Anti-cyclonic circulation driven by the estuarine circulation in a gulf type ROFI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujiwara, T.; Sanford, L. P.; Nakatsuji, K.; Sugiyama, Y.

    1997-08-01

    Baroclinic residual circulation processes are examined in gulf type Regions Of Freshwater Influence (ROFIs), which have large rivers discharging into a rounded head wider than the Rossby internal deformation radius. Theoretical and observational investigations concentrate on Ise Bay, Japan, with supporting data from Osaka Bay and Tokyo Bay. Simplified analytical solutions are derived to describe the primary features of the circulation. Three dimensional residual current data collected using moored current meters and shipboard acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCPs), satellite imagery and density structure data observed using STDs, are presented for comparison to the theoretical predictions. There are three key points to understanding the resulting circulation in gulf type ROFIs. First, there are likely to be three distinct water masses: the river plume, a brackish upper layer, and a higher salinity lower layer. Second, baroclinic processes in gulf type ROFIs are influenced by the Earth's rotation at first order. Residual currents are quasi-geostrophic and potential vorticity is approximately conserved. Third, the combined effects of a classical longitudinal estuarine circulation and the Earth's rotation are both necessary to produce the resulting circulation. Anti-cyclonic vorticity is generated in the upper layer by the horizontal divergence associated with upward entrainment, which is part of the estuarine circulation. The interaction between anti-cyclonic vorticity and horizontal divergence results in two regions of qualitatively different circulation, with gyre-like circulation near the bay head and uniformly seaward anti-cyclonicly sheared flow further towards the mouth. The stagnation point separating the two regions is closer to (further away from) the bay head for stronger (weaker) horizontal divergence, respectively. The vorticity and spin-up time of this circulation are-(ƒ-ω 1)/2 and h/2w 0, respectively, where ƒ is the Coriolis parameter, ω 1 is

  5. 3-D migration experiment - report 2: Instrumentation and tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abelin, H.; Birgersson, L.; Gidlund, J.

    1987-11-01

    This report is one of the four reports describing the Stripa 3D experiment where water and tracer flow has been monitored in a specially excavated drift in the Stripa mine. The experiment was performed in a specially excavated drift at the 360 m level in granite. The whole ceiling and upper part of the walls were covered with more than 350 individual plastic sheets where the water flow into the drift could be collected. 11 different tracers were injected at distances between 11 and 50 m from the ceiling of the drift. The flow rate and tracer monitoring was kept up for more than two years. The tracer breakthrough curves and flow rate distributions were used to study the flow paths, velocities, hydraulic conductivities, dispersivities and channeling effects in the rock. The report describes the instrumentation developed and used as well as the tracers that were tested and used in the experiment. (orig.)

  6. Radioisotope tracers in industrial flow studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Easey, J.F.

    1987-01-01

    The scope of radioisotope tracer work carried out by ANSTO has involved most sectors of Australian industry including iron and steel coal, chemical, petrochemical, natural gas, metallurgical, mineral, power generation, liquified air plant, as well as port authorities, water and sewerage instrumentalities, and environmental agencies. A major class of such studies concerns itself with flow and wear studies involving industrial equipment. Some examples are discussed which illustrate the utility of radioisotope tracer techniques in these applications

  7. Real-time monitoring and analysis of nutrient transportation in a living plant using a positron emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuhashi, Shinpei

    2005-01-01

    We visualized the uptake and transportation of nutrition in a living plant using positron-emitting tracers and mathematical analysis of the data. We have been developing a positron-imaging technique to visualize the uptake and transportation of nutrients in a plant by a positron-emitting tracer-imaging system (PETIS) using positron-emitting nuclide-labeled compounds. The PETIS data is analyzed mathematically to understand the physiological meaning of the physical parameters. In this study, the results on the uptake and transportation of nutrients, which were obtained with the use of a positron-imaging method, are introduced. (author)

  8. Tracer-based quantification of individual frac discharge in single-well multiple-frac backflow: sensitivity study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghergut, Julia; Behrens, Horst; Sauter, Martin

    2014-05-01

    a simplified flow and tracer transport model (using FEOW and assuming Darcian flow within the matrix, Hagen-Poiseuille flow within the waterfrac, and either D or H-P flow within the gel-proppant fracs), whose main findings are: (1) late tracer signals are almost independent on matrix porosity, permeability distribution, frac area (length), thickness and effective aperture, while being highly sensitive to local discharge values; 'late' means a backflow or production volume at least fivefold the injected chaser volume; (2a) early tracer signals (concentration 'peak' intervals) may exhibit slight 'acceleration' and 'damping' with increasing matrix porosity or increasing frac aperture (a 'paradoxical' behaviour which is not really surprising for single-well 'push-then-backflow' tests, actually owing to flow-field dispersion[4]), and (2b) a non-monotonous response to varying frac area, being almost insensitive to frac area as long as the linear-flow regime prevails against the radial-flow regime (effects of the latter only becoming visible at very low frac areas); (2c) the effects of these various factors on early-time tracer signals are not unambiguously discernible from each other, and this ambiguity would persist even if frac-resolved (in-situ) discharge metering were feasible. For each of the three fracs (k=1,2,3), a 'type-curve' set Ck(Q,t) (parametrized by discharge values Q) can be generated. Since every frac received a different tracer, tracer signals measured within the overall backflow will differ from individual-frac type-curves by mere dilution (no 'superposition'). Type-curve dilution by factor Qk/Qtotal can be compared to measured tracer concentrations in the total discharge, ck(ti), (i = 1, ..., no. of tracer samplings). From a formal point of view, the unknown discharge values Qk can be determined as the solution of a linear optimization task subject to the constraint Q1 + Q2 + Q3 = Qtotal (the latter being a measured value). It is recommendable to

  9. What Can Radiocarbon Depth Profiles Tell Us About The LGM Circulation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, A.; Stewart, A.; Adkins, J. F.; Ferrari, R. M.; Thompson, A. F.; Jansen, M. F.

    2014-12-01

    Published reconstructions of radiocarbon in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean indicate that there is a mid-depth maximum in radiocarbon age during the last glacial maximum (LGM). This is in contrast to the modern ocean where intense mixing between water masses along shared density surfaces (isopycnals) results in a relatively homogenous radiocarbon profile. A recent study (Ferrari et al. 2014) suggested that the extended Antarctic sea ice cover during the LGM necessitated a shallower boundary between the upper and lower branches of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC). This shoaled boundary lay above major topographic features and their associated strong diapycnal mixing, which isolated dense southern-sourced water in the lower branch of the overturning circulation. This isolation would have allowed radiocarbon to decay, and thus provides a possible explanation for the mid-depth radiocarbon age bulge. We test this hypothesis using an idealized, 2D, residual-mean dynamical model of the global overturning circulation. Concentration distributions of a decaying tracer that is advected by the simulated overturning are compared to published radiocarbon data. We test the sensitivity of the mid-depth radiocarbon age to changes in sea ice extent, wind strength, and isopycnal and diapycnal diffusion. The mid-depth radiocarbon age bulge is most likely caused by the different circulation geometry, associated with increased sea ice extent. In particular, with an LGM-like sea ice extent the upper and lower branches of the MOC no longer share isopycnals, so radiocarbon-rich northern-sourced water is no longer mixed rapidly into the southern-sourced water. However, this process alone cannot explain the magnitude of the glacial radiocarbon anomalies; additional isolation (e.g. from reduced air-sea gas exchange associated with the increased sea ice) is required. Ferrari, R., M. F. Jansen, J. F. Adkins, A. Burke, A. L. Stewart, and A. F. Thompson (2014), Antarctic sea

  10. Tracers Detect Aquifer Contamination

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Enfield, Carl

    1995-01-01

    The EPA's National Laboratory (NRMRL) at Ada, OK, along with the University of Florida and the University of Texas, have developed a tracer procedure to detect the amount of contamination in aquifer formations...

  11. Groundwater residence time : tell me who you are and I will tell which information you may provide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aquilina, Luc; Labasque, Thierry; Kolbe, Tamara; Marçais, Jean; Leray, Sarah; Abbott, Ben; de Dreuzy, Jean-Raynald

    2016-04-01

    Groundwater residence-time or ages have been widely used in hydrogeology during the last decades. Following tritium measurements, anthropogenic gases (CFC, SF6, 35Kr) have been developed. They provide information at the aquifer scale on long residence times. They complement the more localized data obtained from sparse boreholes with hydraulic and geophysical methods. Anthropogenic tracer concentrations are most generally considered as "Groundwater ages" using a piston flow model providing an order of magnitude for the residence time. More advanced information can however be derived from the combined analysis of the tracer concentrations. For example, the residence time distribution over the last 50 years can be well approached by the concentration of two sufficient different anthropogenic tracers in the group (CFC, SF6, 35Kr), i.e. tracers whose anthropogenic chronicles are sufficiently different. And, with additional constrains on geological and hydraulic properties, groundwater ages contribute to characterize the aquifer structures and the groundwater resources. Complex geological environments also include old groundwater bodies in extremely confined aquifer sections. In such cases, various tracers are related to highly different processes. CFCs can be taken as a marker of modern contamination to track exchanges between shallower and deeper aquifers, leakage processes, and modification of circulations linked to recent anthropogenic changes. 14C or 36Cl can be used to evidence much older processes but have to be related to the history of the chemical element itself. Numerous field studies in fact demonstrate the broad-range extent of the residence time distribution spanning in some cases several orders of magnitude. Flow and transport models in heterogeneous structures confirm such wide residence times and help to characterize their distribution. Residence times also serve as a privileged interface to the fate of some contaminants in aquifers or to trace

  12. Spatial and temporal variability of interhemispheric transport times

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiaokang; Yang, Huang; Waugh, Darryn W.; Orbe, Clara; Tilmes, Simone; Lamarque, Jean-Francois

    2018-05-01

    The seasonal and interannual variability of transport times from the northern midlatitude surface into the Southern Hemisphere is examined using simulations of three idealized age tracers: an ideal age tracer that yields the mean transit time from northern midlatitudes and two tracers with uniform 50- and 5-day decay. For all tracers the largest seasonal and interannual variability occurs near the surface within the tropics and is generally closely coupled to movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). There are, however, notable differences in variability between the different tracers. The largest seasonal and interannual variability in the mean age is generally confined to latitudes spanning the ITCZ, with very weak variability in the southern extratropics. In contrast, for tracers subject to spatially uniform exponential loss the peak variability tends to be south of the ITCZ, and there is a smaller contrast between tropical and extratropical variability. These differences in variability occur because the distribution of transit times from northern midlatitudes is very broad and tracers with more rapid loss are more sensitive to changes in fast transit times than the mean age tracer. These simulations suggest that the seasonal-interannual variability in the southern extratropics of trace gases with predominantly NH midlatitude sources may differ depending on the gases' chemical lifetimes.

  13. Fracture geometries consistent with tiltmeter data and pressure and tracer communication in the GLISP I-1 stimulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palmer, I.D.; Moschovidis, Z.A. (Amoco Production Co., Tulsa, OK (USA))

    The goal of this paper is to examine the consistency of three totally independent diagnostic observations of fracturing (tiltmeters, pressure, and tracer communication). The Gregoire Lake In-Situ Steam Pilot (GLISP) in the Athabasca tar sands, includes three producing wells surrounding an injection well. The authors modeled tiltmeter records of the fracturing treatment of the central injection well, and pressure and tracer communication from the central injection well to the producing wells, and investigated how these analyses support various fracture geometry scenarios. Several different fracture geometry scenarios have been examined. Theoretical surface tiltmeter vectors for these scenarios are compared with observed vectors. Also, theoretical time delays based on propagation of pressure transients and tracer material have been predicted for these scenarios, and compared with observed delays. The results of these comparisons are expressed in the form of a range of fracture geometries that are most consistent with measured tiltmeter data in the field, and pressure and tracer time delays in the three production wells. Interpretations within this range include complex fracture systems with one or two fracture components rising steeply from the base of the McMurray Formation into the overlying depleted zone. Dominant horizontal fracturing does not appear to occur. The three independent sets of observations (pressure transient delays, tracer delays, and tiltmeter vectors) support this hypothesis. 9 refs., 20 figs., 3 tabs.

  14. Tracer investigations of natural and polluted sea sediment movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pruszak, Z.

    1994-01-01

    Results of tracer investigations and bottom sediment movement analysis (natural and polluted) performed world-wide have been shown. Polish investigations have been compared to these results. A critical estimation and analysis of particular elements of sediment movement: thickness of the drag layer and various characteristics of bottom transport evaluated in different time-space scales has been performed. 14 refs, 9 figs

  15. [99mTc]O2-AMD3100 as a SPECT tracer for CXCR4 receptor imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartimath, Siddesh V.; Domanska, Urszula M.; Walenkamp, Annemiek M.E.; Dierckx, Rudi A.J.O.; Vries, Erik F.J. de

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: CXCR4 plays an important role in HIV infection, tumor progression, neurogenesis, and inflammation. In-vivo imaging of CXCR4 could provide more insight in the role of this receptor in health and disease. The aim of this study was to investigate [ 99m Tc]O 2 -AMD3100 as a potential SPECT tracer for imaging of CXCR4. Method: AMD3100 was labelled with [ 99m Tc]pertechnetate. A cysteine challenge assay was performed to test the tracer stability. Heterologous and homologous receptor binding assay and internalization assay were performed in CXCR4 expressing Jurkat-T cells. Ex vivo biodistribution was studied in healthy mice at 30, 60, and 120 min after tracer injection. Tumor uptake of the tracer was determined by microSPECT imaging in nude mice xenografted with human PC-3 prostate tumor. Specificity of tracer uptake was determined by blocking studies using an excess of unlabelled AMD3100. Results: AMD3100 was labelled with technetium-99 m with a radiochemical yield of > 98%. The tracer was stable in PBS and mouse plasma for at least 6 h at 37 °C. Heterologous and homologous binding assays with AMD3100 showed IC 50 values of 240 ± 10 μM, and 92 ± 5 μM for [ 125 I]SDF-1α and [ 99m Tc]O 2 -AMD3100 respectively, with negligible receptor internalisation. The tracer showed high uptake in liver, lungs, spleen, thymus, intestine and bone. Blocking dose of AMD3100.8HCl (20 mg/kg) decreased the uptake in these organs (p 99m Tc]O 2 -AMD3100 showed specific tumor accumulation in mice bearing PC-3 xenografts model. Time activity curves (TAC) in AMD3100 pre-treated animals tracer showed 1.7 times less tumor uptake as compared to control animals (p 99m Tc]O 2 -AMD3100 is readily labelled, is stable in plasma and displays a favourable binding affinity for the CXCR4 receptors. [ 99m Tc O 2 -AMD3100 shows specific binding in organs with high CXCR4 expression and in CXCR4 positive tumors. These results justify further evaluation of this radiopharmaceutical as a potential

  16. Root zone effects on tracer migration in arid zones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyler, S.W.; Walker, G.R.

    1994-01-01

    The study of groundwater recharge and soil water movement in arid regions has received increased attention in the search for safe disposal sites for hazardous wastes. In passing through the upper 1 to 2 m of most soil profiles, tracers indicative of recharge such as Cl, 2 H, 18 O, Br, 3 H, and 56 Cl are subjected to a wide range of processes not encountered deeper in the profile. This transition zone, where water enters as precipitation and leaves as recharge, is often ignored when environmental tracers are used to estimate deep soil water flux and recharge, yet its effect may be profound. In this work, we reexamine the processes of root extraction and its effect on the velocity and distribution of tracers. Examples are presented for idealized conditions, which show clearly the relation between the root zone processes and the deep drainage or recharge. The results indicate that, when recharge is small and root zone processes are not accounted for, tracer techniques can significantly overestimate recharge until the tracer has moved well below the root zone. By incorporating simple models of root zone processes, a clearer understanding of tracer distributions and a more accurate estimate of recharge can then be made. 11 refs., 9 figs

  17. Tracer tests - possibilities and limitations. Experience from SKB fieldwork: 1977-2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loefgren, Martin; Crawford, James; Elert, Mark (Kemakta Konsult AB, Stockholm (SE))

    2007-09-15

    Tracer tests have played, and still play, a central role in investigations relating to the understanding of radionuclide retention processes in the field. At present there is a debate within the scientific community concerning how, and to what extent, tracer tests can be used to evaluate large-scale and long-term transport and retardation of radionuclides and other solutes of interest for Safety Assessment of repositories for spent nuclear fuel. In this report the SKB fieldwork on tracer tests performed at Swedish sites from 1977 to 2007 is described and discussed. Furthermore, the knowledge and process understanding evolved during the decades of radionuclide transport experiments and modelling within the SKB programme is summarised. One of the main objectives of this report is to discuss what data and knowledge can be extracted from different in situ tests in a robust fashion. Given the level of complexity associated with transport processes that may occur over the timescale of a tracer test, the utility of tracer tests is considered in the context of evidence-based interpretations of data which we characterise in the form of a sequence of questions of increasing complexity. The complexity of this sequence ranges from whether connection can be confirmed between injection and withdrawal points to whether quantitative data can be extrapolated from a tracer test to be subsequently used in Safety Assessment. The main findings of this report are that: Field scale tracer tests can confirm flow connectivity. Field scale tracer tests confirm the existence of retention. Field scale tracer tests alone can only broadly substantiate our process understanding. However, if performing extensive Site Characterisation and integrating the tracer test results with the full range of geoscientific information available, much support can be given to our process understanding. Field scale tracer tests can deliver the product of the material property group MPG and the F-factor, valid

  18. Hybrid tracers for sentinel node biopsy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Den Berg, N. S.; Kleinjan, G. I.; Valdés-Olmos, R. A.; Buckle, T.; Van Leeuwen, F. I.; Klop, W. M.; Horenblas, S.; Van Der Poel, H. G.

    2014-01-01

    Conventional sentinel node (SN) mapping is performed by injection of a radiocolloid followed by lymphoscintigraphy to identify the number and location of the primary tumor draining lymph node(s), the so-called SN(s). Over the last decade research has focused on the introduction of new imaging agents that can further aid (surgical) SN identification. Different tracers for SN mapping, with varying sizes and isotopes have been reported, most of which have proven their value in a clinical setting. A major challenge lies in transferring this diagnostic information obtained at the nuclear medicine department to the operating theatre thereby providing the surgeon with (image) guidance. Conventionally, an intraoperative injection of vital blue dye or a fluorescence dye is given to allow intraoperative optical SN identification. However, for some indications, the radiotracer-based approach remains crucial. More recently, hybrid tracers, that contain both a radioactive and fluorescent label, were introduced to allow for direct integration of pre- and intraoperative guidance technologies. Their potential is especially high when they are used in combination with new surgical imaging modalities and navigation tools. Next to a description of the known tracers for SN mapping, this review discusses the application of hybrid tracers during SN biopsy and how the introduction of these new techniques can further aid in translation of nuclear medicine information into the operating theatre.

  19. Use of (3H) and (125I) tracers in steroid radioimmunoassays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeffcoate, S.L.

    1975-01-01

    The comparative use of 3 H and 125 I tracers in steroid radioimmunoassays will be discussed around the following points: - 3 H. Advantages: they can be purchased commercially and have a long shelf-life. Disadvantages: they may have reduced affinity for antibodies due to ''isotope effects''; the counting of β-emitters is more expensive and difficult; 3 H tracers are not available for all steroids. - 125 I. Advantages: gamma-counting is cheaper, simpler and more precise; 125 I tracers may have higher affinity for antibodies than unlabelled steroids; 125 I can be used to label any steroid. Disadvantages: 125 I tracers have a limited shelf-life (n.b. six months for 125 I histamine tracers). The high affinity of some tracers will be a big disadvantage if the unlabelled steroid cannot compete effectively

  20. Fluorescence characteristics of the fuel tracers triethylamine and trimethylamine for the investigation of fuel distribution in internal combustion engines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lind, Susanne; Aßmann, Simon; Zigan, Lars; Will, Stefan

    2016-03-01

    Laser-induced fluorescence based on fuel tracers like amines is a suitable measurement technique for mixing studies in internal combustion (IC) engines. Triethylamine has often been used in gasoline IC engines; however, no detailed fluorescence characterization for excitation at 263 or 266 nm is available. Trimethylamine (TMA) exhibits high potential as a gaseous fuel tracer but little information about TMA fluorescence is currently available. A picosecond laser source combined with a streak camera equipped with a spectrograph was used to determine the spectral fluorescence emission and fluorescence decay time of both tracers. The tracers were investigated at various temperatures and pressures in a calibration cell with nitrogen as bath gas. The results provide an in-depth understanding of the fluorescence characteristics of both tracers and allow assessment of their application to the investigation of fuel distribution in IC engines.

  1. Novel tracer for radiation treatment planning; Welche neuen PET-Tracer braucht die Strahlentherapie?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwarzenboeck, S.; Krause, B.J. [Rostock Univ. (Germany). Klinik fuer Nuklearmedizin; Herrmann, K.; Gaertner, F.; Souvatzoglou, M. [Technische Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Klinik fuer Nuklearmedizin; Klaesner, B. [Klinikum Bogenhausen, Muenchen (Germany). Inst. fuer Radiologie und Nuklearmedizin

    2011-07-15

    PET and PET/CT with innovative tracers gain increasing importance in diagnosis and therapy management, and radiation treatment planning in radio-oncology besides the widely established FDG. The introduction of [{sup 18}F]Fluorothymidine ([{sup 18}F]FLT) as marker of proliferation, [{sup 18}F]Fluoromisonidazole ([{sup 18}F]FMISO) and [{sup 18}F]Fluoroazomycin-Arabinoside ([{sup 18}F]FAZA) as tracer of hypoxia, [{sup 18}F]Fluoroethyltyrosine ([{sup 18}F]FET) and [{sup 11}C]Methionine for brain tumour imaging, [{sup 68}Ga]DOTATOC for somatostatin receptor imaging, [{sup 18}F]FDOPA for dopamine synthesis and radioactively labeled choline derivatives for imaging phospholipid metabolism have opened novel approaches to tumour imaging. Some of these tracers have already been implemented into radio-oncology: Amino acid PET and PET/CT have the potential to optimise radiation treatment planning of brain tumours through accurate delineation of tumour tissue from normal tissue, necrosis and edema. Hypoxia represents a major therapeutic problem in radiation therapy. Hypoxia imaging is very attractive as it may allow to increase the dose in hypoxic tumours potentially allowing for a better tumour control. Advances in hybrid imaging, i.e. the introduction of MR/PET, may also have an impact in radio-oncology through synergies related to the combination of molecular signals of PET and a high soft tissue contrast of MRI as well as functional MRI capabilities. (orig.)

  2. Evaluation of Positron Emission Tomographic Tracers for Imaging of Papillomavirus-Induced Tumors in Rabbits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonja Probst

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET/magnetic resonance (MR imaging was employed to evaluate the feasibility of the PET tracers 2-deoxy-2-18F-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG, 11C-choline, and 18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT to detect papillomavirus-induced tumors in an established rabbit model system. The combined PET/MR allowed the analysis of tracer uptake of the tumors using the morphologic information acquired by MR. New Zealand White rabbits were infected with cottontail rabbit papillomavirus genomes and were imaged for up to 10 months with a simultaneous PET/MR system during the course of infection. The uptake characteristics of the PET tracers 11C-choline and 18F-FLT of tumors and reference tissues were examined relative to the clinical standard, 18F-FDG. Tracer biodistribution of various organs was measured by gamma-counting after the last PET scan and compared to the in vivo PET/MR 18F-FDG uptake. Increased tracer uptake was found 2 months postinfection in primary tumors with 18F-FDG and 11C-choline, whereas 18F-FLT failed to detect the tumors at all measured time points. Our data show that the PET tracer 18F-FDG is superior for imaging papillomavirus-induced tumors in rabbits compared to 11C-choline and 18F-FLT. However, 11C-choline imaging, which has previously been applied to detect various tumor entities in patients, appears to be an alternative to 18F-FDG.

  3. The behavior of potassium in the blast furnace deduced from isotope tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, I; Botha, D.W.S.; Farquharson, D.C.; Gordon, P.T.

    1978-01-01

    Two tracer tests were done with radioactive potassium (42 K) on blast furnace no. 1, Pretoria Works. Some 80% of the injected 42 K was recovered in 2 1/2 days. About 95% of both radioactive and natural potassium reported in the slag. Mean residence times of 18 and 25 hours confirmed the accumulation of potassium in the furnace. In these tests the slag basicity appeared to be an adequate indicator of furnace conditions governing the behaviour of potassium. A quantitative discontinious model with varying volume CSTR's and interflow controlled according to slag basicity - could be made to fit the results of both tests. The total amounts of K 2 O required by the model - 4 and 9 t respectively - were larger than estimates from input/output imbalance, or from mean residence time of the tracer

  4. Evaluation of single- and dual-porosity models for reproducing the release of external and internal tracers from heterogeneous waste-rock piles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackmore, S; Pedretti, D; Mayer, K U; Smith, L; Beckie, R D

    2018-05-30

    Accurate predictions of solute release from waste-rock piles (WRPs) are paramount for decision making in mining-related environmental processes. Tracers provide information that can be used to estimate effective transport parameters and understand mechanisms controlling the hydraulic and geochemical behavior of WRPs. It is shown that internal tracers (i.e. initially present) together with external (i.e. applied) tracers provide complementary and quantitative information to identify transport mechanisms. The analysis focuses on two experimental WRPs, Piles 4 and Pile 5 at the Antamina Mine site (Peru), where both an internal chloride tracer and externally applied bromide tracer were monitored in discharge over three years. The results suggest that external tracers provide insight into transport associated with relatively fast flow regions that are activated during higher-rate recharge events. In contrast, internal tracers provide insight into mechanisms controlling solutes release from lower-permeability zones within the piles. Rate-limited diffusive processes, which can be mimicked by nonlocal mass-transfer models, affect both internal and external tracers. The sensitivity of the mass-transfer parameters to heterogeneity is higher for external tracers than for internal tracers, as indicated by the different mean residence times characterizing the flow paths associated with each tracer. The joint use of internal and external tracers provides a more comprehensive understanding of the transport mechanisms in WRPs. In particular, the tracer tests support the notion that a multi-porosity conceptualization of WRPs is more adequate for capturing key mechanisms than a dual-porosity conceptualization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Demonstration and quantification of the redistribution and oxidation of carbon monoxide in the human body by tracer analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Makoto Sawano

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Numerous studies have confirmed the role of endogenous carbon monoxide (CO gas as a signal transmitter. However, CO is considered an intracellular transmitter, as no studies have demonstrated the redistribution of CO from the blood to tissue cells. Tracer analyses of 13 CO 2 production following 13 CO gas inhalation demonstrated that CO is oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO 2 in the body and that CO oxidation does not occur in the circulation. However, these results could not clearly demonstrate the redistribution of CO, because oxidation may have occurred in the airway epithelium. The objective of this study, therefore, was to definitively demonstrate and quantify the redistribution and oxidation of CO using time-course analyses of CO and 13 CO 2 production following 13 CO-hemoglobin infusion. The subject was infused with 0.45 L of 13 CO-saturated autologous blood. Exhaled gas was collected intermittently for 36 hours for measurement of minute volumes of CO/CO 2 exhalation and determination of the 13 CO 2 / 12 CO 2 ratio. 13 CO 2 production significantly increased from 3 to 28 hours, peaking at 8 hours. Of the infused CO, 81% was exhaled as CO and 2.6% as 13 CO 2 . Identical time courses of 13 CO 2 production following 13 CO-hemoglobin infusion and 13 CO inhalation refute the hypothesis that CO is oxidized in the airway epithelium and clearly demonstrate the redistribution of CO from the blood to the tissues. Quantitative analyses have revealed that 19% of CO in the circulating blood is redistributed to tissue cells, whereas 2.6% is oxidized there. Overall, these results suggest that CO functions as a systemic signal transmitter.

  6. Performance Testing of Tracer Gas and Tracer Aerosol Detectors for use in Radionuclide NESHAP Compliance Testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuehne, David Patrick [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Lattin, Rebecca Renee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-06-28

    The Rad-NESHAP program, part of the Air Quality Compliance team of LANL’s Compliance Programs group (EPC-CP), and the Radiation Instrumentation & Calibration team, part of the Radiation Protection Services group (RP-SVS), frequently partner on issues relating to characterizing air flow streams. This memo documents the most recent example of this partnership, involving performance testing of sulfur hexafluoride detectors for use in stack gas mixing tests. Additionally, members of the Rad-NESHAP program performed a functional trending test on a pair of optical particle counters, comparing results from a non-calibrated instrument to a calibrated instrument. Prior to commissioning a new stack sampling system, the ANSI Standard for stack sampling requires that the stack sample location must meet several criteria, including uniformity of tracer gas and aerosol mixing in the air stream. For these mix tests, tracer media (sulfur hexafluoride gas or liquid oil aerosol particles) are injected into the stack air stream and the resulting air concentrations are measured across the plane of the stack at the proposed sampling location. The coefficient of variation of these media concentrations must be under 20% when evaluated over the central 2/3 area of the stack or duct. The instruments which measure these air concentrations must be tested prior to the stack tests in order to ensure their linear response to varying air concentrations of either tracer gas or tracer aerosol. The instruments used in tracer gas and aerosol mix testing cannot be calibrated by the LANL Standards and Calibration Laboratory, so they would normally be sent off-site for factory calibration by the vendor. Operational requirements can prevent formal factory calibration of some instruments after they have been used in hazardous settings, e.g., within a radiological facility with potential airborne contamination. The performance tests described in this document are intended to demonstrate the reliable

  7. Feasibility of Real-Time Near-Infrared Fluorescence Tracer Imaging in Sentinel Node Biopsy for Oral Cavity Cancer Patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Anders; Juhl, Karina; Charabi, Birgitte

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is an established method in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) for staging the cN0 neck and to select patients who will benefit from a neck dissection. Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging has the potential to improve the SNB procedure by facilitating...... intraoperative visual identification of the sentinel lymph node (SN). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of fluorescence tracer imaging for SN detection in conjunction with conventional radio-guided technique. METHODS: Prospective study of patients with primary OSCC planned for tumor...... be identified in vivo using NIRF imaging, and the majority of those were located in level 1 close to the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: A combined fluorescent and radioactive tracer for SNB is feasible, and the additional use of NIRF imaging may improve the accuracy of SN identification in oral cancer patients...

  8. PC-based hardware and software for tracer measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaemaeraeinen, V.J.; Kall, Leif; Kaeki, Arvo

    1990-01-01

    Cheap, efficient personal computers can be used for both measurement and analysis. The results can be calculated immediately after the measurements are made in order to exploit the real-time measuring capabilities of tracer techniques fully. In the analysis phase the measurement information is visualized using graphical methods. The programs are menu drive to make them easy to use and adaptable for field conditions. The measuring equipment is modular for easy installation and maintenance. (author)

  9. Tritium and deuterium as water tracers in hydrologic systems. Completion report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stewart, G.L.; Stetson, J.R.

    1975-05-01

    A study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of deuterium and tritium as tracers to depict water and pollutant movement in porous media. This involved studying the interaction of these tracers with soil materials and evaluating this interaction in terms of retardation in tracer flow velocity, compared to bulk water flow. Previous work had suggested that tritium and deuterium interact with soils and are removed from tracer solution during flow. The data presented clearly show that a tracing front becomes diluted in tracer during infiltration into oven-dried soil. There appears to be very little difference between the degree of tritium and deuterium interaction. The source of interaction is demonstrated to be primarily hydroxyl associated with the clay minerals. These exchange sites are destroyed by heating soil to 70C which eliminates tracer loss during infiltration

  10. Studies on the electrochemical behaviour of iron by the use of radio-tracer technique, 1. Studies on the electrodeposition and dissolution of iron by the use of radio-tracer technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moritani, Kimikazu; Ito, Yasuhiko; Kamata, Masahiro; Oishi, Jun

    1984-12-01

    To investigate whether radio-tracer techniques can augment conventional electrochemical techniques, offering useful information about the electrochemical behaviour of iron, the current efficiency of the electrodeposition of iron and the corrosion rate of metallic iron were measured by the radio-tracer method and the results were compared with the results measured by gravimetry and absorption photometry. Major conclusions obtained by the experiments are summarized as: 1) Between ordinary Fe and /sup 59/Fe, no isotope effect was observed. 2) Radiation from /sup 59/Fe had no effect on the electrode reaction. 3) While the use of a Ge semiconductor detector is undoubtedly preferable, Geiger-Mueller counter or NaI(Tl) scintillation counter gave fully satisfactory results. 4) Electrodeposited iron corrodes several times more rapidly than the iron base metal. These results suggests many other interesting applications of the radio-tracer technique when it is desired to obtain more detailed information on the electrochemical behaviour of iron. (author).

  11. Tracers Reveal Recharge Elevations, Groundwater Flow Paths and Travel Times on Mount Shasta, California

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Peters

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mount Shasta (4322 m is famous for its spring water. Water for municipal, domestic and industrial use is obtained from local springs and wells, fed by annual snow melt and sustained perennially by the groundwater flow system. We examined geochemical and isotopic tracers in samples from wells and springs on Mount Shasta, at the headwaters of the Sacramento River, in order to better understand the hydrologic system. The topographic relief in the study area imparts robust signatures of recharge elevation to both stable isotopes of the water molecule (δ18O and δD and to dissolved noble gases, offering tools to identify recharge areas and delineate groundwater flow paths. Recharge elevations determined using stable isotopes and noble gas recharge temperatures are in close agreement and indicate that most snowmelt infiltrates at elevations between 2000 m and 2900 m, which coincides with areas of thin soils and barren land cover. Large springs in Mt Shasta City discharge at an elevation more than 1600 m lower. High elevation springs (>2000 m yield very young water (<2 years while lower elevation wells (1000–1500 m produce water with a residence time ranging from 6 years to over 60 years, based on observed tritium activities. Upslope movement of the tree line in the identified recharge elevation range due to a warming climate is likely to decrease infiltration and recharge, which will decrease spring discharge and production at wells, albeit with a time lag dependent upon the length of groundwater flow paths.

  12. Phenotypic and Functional Alterations in Circulating Memory CD8 T Cells with Time after Primary Infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew D Martin

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Memory CD8 T cells confer increased protection to immune hosts upon secondary viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. The level of protection provided depends on the numbers, quality (functional ability, and location of memory CD8 T cells present at the time of infection. While primary memory CD8 T cells can be maintained for the life of the host, the full extent of phenotypic and functional changes that occur over time after initial antigen encounter remains poorly characterized. Here we show that critical properties of circulating primary memory CD8 T cells, including location, phenotype, cytokine production, maintenance, secondary proliferation, secondary memory generation potential, and mitochondrial function change with time after infection. Interestingly, phenotypic and functional alterations in the memory population are not due solely to shifts in the ratio of effector (CD62Llo and central memory (CD62Lhi cells, but also occur within defined CD62Lhi memory CD8 T cell subsets. CD62Lhi memory cells retain the ability to efficiently produce cytokines with time after infection. However, while it is was not formally tested whether changes in CD62Lhi memory CD8 T cells over time occur in a cell intrinsic manner or are due to selective death and/or survival, the gene expression profiles of CD62Lhi memory CD8 T cells change, phenotypic heterogeneity decreases, and mitochondrial function and proliferative capacity in either a lymphopenic environment or in response to antigen re-encounter increase with time. Importantly, and in accordance with their enhanced proliferative and metabolic capabilities, protection provided against chronic LCMV clone-13 infection increases over time for both circulating memory CD8 T cell populations and for CD62Lhi memory cells. Taken together, the data in this study reveal that memory CD8 T cells continue to change with time after infection and suggest that the outcome of vaccination strategies designed to elicit

  13. Representation of tropical deep convection in atmospheric models – Part 2: Tracer transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. R. Hoyle

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available The tropical transport processes of 14 different models or model versions were compared, within the framework of the SCOUT-O3 (Stratospheric-Climate Links with Emphasis on the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere project. The tested models range from the regional to the global scale, and include numerical weather prediction (NWP, chemical transport, and chemistry-climate models. Idealised tracers were used in order to prevent the model's chemistry schemes from influencing the results substantially, so that the effects of modelled transport could be isolated. We find large differences in the vertical transport of very short-lived tracers (with a lifetime of 6 h within the tropical troposphere. Peak convective outflow altitudes range from around 300 hPa to almost 100 hPa among the different models, and the upper tropospheric tracer mixing ratios differ by up to an order of magnitude. The timing of convective events is found to be different between the models, even among those which source their forcing data from the same NWP model (ECMWF. The differences are less pronounced for longer lived tracers, however they could have implications for modelling the halogen burden of the lowermost stratosphere through transport of species such as bromoform, or short-lived hydrocarbons into the lowermost stratosphere. The modelled tracer profiles are strongly influenced by the convective transport parameterisations, and different boundary layer mixing parameterisations also have a large impact on the modelled tracer profiles. Preferential locations for rapid transport from the surface into the upper troposphere are similar in all models, and are mostly concentrated over the western Pacific, the Maritime Continent and the Indian Ocean. In contrast, models do not indicate that upward transport is highest over western Africa.

  14. The stability of the thermohaline circulation in a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schiller, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany); Mikolajewicz, U. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany); Voss, R. [Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ), Hamburg (Germany)

    1996-02-01

    The stability of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation against meltwater input is investigated in a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model. The meltwater input to the Labrador Sea is increased linearly for 250 years to a maximum input of 0.625 Sv and then reduced again to 0 (both instantaneously and slowly decreasing over 250 years). The resulting freshening forces a shutdown of the formation of North Atlantic deepwater and a subsequent reversal of the thermohaline circulation of the Atlantic, filling the deep Atlantic with Antarctic bottom water. The change in the overturning pattern causes a drastic reduction of the Atlantic northward heat transport, resulting in a strong cooling with maximum amplitude over the northern North Atlantic and a southward shift of the sea-ice margin in the Atlantic. Due to the increased meridional temperature gradient, the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone is displaced southward and the westerlies in the northern hemisphere gain strength. We identify four main feedbacks affecting the stability of the thermohaline circulation: the change in the overturning circulation of the Atlantic leads to longer residence times of the surface waters in high northern latitudes, which allows them to accumulate more precipitation and runoff from the continents, which results in an increased stability in the North Atlantic.

  15. Radionuclides as tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganatra, R.D.

    1992-01-01

    Importance of radioisotopes in medicine is because of their two characteristics: their biological behaviour is identical to their stable counterparts, and because they are radioactive their emissions can be detected by a suitable instrument. All isotopes of iodine will behave in the same way and will concentrate in the thyroid gland. There is no way of detecting the stable, natural iodine in the thyroid gland, but the presence of radioactive iodine can be detected externally in vivo by a detector. Thus, the radioactive iodine becomes a tracer, a sport of a spy, which mimics the behaviour of natural iodine and relays information to a detector. The radioactive tracers are popular because of the ease with which they can be detected in vivo and the fact that the measurement of their presence in the body can be in quantitative terms. The measurement can be very accurate and sensitive. Whenever the measurements can be done in vivo, the information is obtained in dynamic terms, as it is happening, as if the physiological events become transparent

  16. Solute movement observation in the field soils by means of radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lichner, L.

    1986-01-01

    The radioactive tracer method is discussed as applied to transfer velocity measurements of solutions in unsaturated soils, its applicability and the criteria for the choice of the tracer. The method is based on measurement of the radioactive tracer velocity in the field and on laboratory determination of the equilibrium distribution coefficients of the tracer and the solute in the same field soil. From these results and from the soil characteristics (porosity, bulk density) the solute transfer velocity in the field soil can be calculated. The results are presented of 131 I - velocity measurements in the loamy soil in the region of water source Cunovo near Bratislava, which equals 9.29x10 -9 m/s, and in the downstream slope of the earth dam Rozgrund near Banska Stiavnica where the velocity of 131 I - near the dam foot was found to be 2.03 - 2.86 times greater than near the top. Results are also presented of 131 I - , [ 60 Co-EDTA] - and 60 Co 2+ velocity measurements in clay-loam soil at the experimental field of the Research Institute of Irrigation in Most near Bratislava. The results are applicable to evaluation of surface damage to embankments and earth dams, to determination of the conservation zone around water sources, and the establishment of the level of ground water pollution from different sources (waste disposal, agriculture, etc.)

  17. Enhanced Oil Recovery: Aqueous Flow Tracer Measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joseph Rovani; John Schabron

    2009-02-01

    A low detection limit analytical method was developed to measure a suite of benzoic acid and fluorinated benzoic acid compounds intended for use as tracers for enhanced oil recovery operations. Although the new high performance liquid chromatography separation successfully measured the tracers in an aqueous matrix at low part per billion levels, the low detection limits could not be achieved in oil field water due to interference problems with the hydrocarbon-saturated water using the system's UV detector. Commercial instrument vendors were contacted in an effort to determine if mass spectrometry could be used as an alternate detection technique. The results of their work demonstrate that low part per billion analysis of the tracer compounds in oil field water could be achieved using ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry.

  18. Dynamics and mechanics of bed-load tracer particles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. B. Phillips

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the mechanics of bed load at the flood scale is necessary to link hydrology to landscape evolution. Here we report on observations of the transport of coarse sediment tracer particles in a cobble-bedded alluvial river and a step-pool bedrock tributary, at the individual flood and multi-annual timescales. Tracer particle data for each survey are composed of measured displacement lengths for individual particles, and the number of tagged particles mobilized. For single floods we find that measured tracer particle displacement lengths are exponentially distributed; the number of mobile particles increases linearly with peak flood Shields stress, indicating partial bed load transport for all observed floods; and modal displacement distances scale linearly with excess shear velocity. These findings provide quantitative field support for a recently proposed modeling framework based on momentum conservation at the grain scale. Tracer displacement is weakly negatively correlated with particle size at the individual flood scale; however cumulative travel distance begins to show a stronger inverse relation to grain size when measured over many transport events. The observed spatial sorting of tracers approaches that of the river bed, and is consistent with size-selective deposition models and laboratory experiments. Tracer displacement data for the bedrock and alluvial channels collapse onto a single curve – despite more than an order of magnitude difference in channel slope – when variations of critical Shields stress and flow resistance between the two are accounted for. Results show how bed load dynamics may be predicted from a record of river stage, providing a direct link between climate and sediment transport.

  19. Methods for conduct of atmospheric tracer studies at ANSTO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clark, G H; Stone, D J.M.; Pascoe, J H [Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, NSW (Australia). Environment Division

    2000-07-01

    A perfluorocarbon atmospheric tracer system has been developed to investigate atmospheric dispersion processes in the region surrounding the Lucas Heights Science and Technology Centre. This report discusses the tracer release, sampling and analysis methods.

  20. The Invertibility, Explicit Determinants, and Inverses of Circulant and Left Circulant and g-Circulant Matrices Involving Any Continuous Fibonacci and Lucas Numbers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaolin Jiang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Circulant matrices play an important role in solving delay differential equations. In this paper, circulant type matrices including the circulant and left circulant and g-circulant matrices with any continuous Fibonacci and Lucas numbers are considered. Firstly, the invertibility of the circulant matrix is discussed and the explicit determinant and the inverse matrices by constructing the transformation matrices are presented. Furthermore, the invertibility of the left circulant and g-circulant matrices is also studied. We obtain the explicit determinants and the inverse matrices of the left circulant and g-circulant matrices by utilizing the relationship between left circulant, g-circulant matrices and circulant matrix, respectively.

  1. Development of activable tracers for application in secondary recovering in petroleum reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins, Polyana Fabricia Fernandes; Moreira, Rubens Martins . Servico de Meio Ambiente e Tecnicas Nucleares.

    2007-01-01

    Nuclear methods are instrumental in describing detailed flow patterns and other features of oil reservoirs that are unattainable to other methods. Tracer studies in oil fields are performed in a net of injection and producing wells. Thus, the use of only one tracer species would not discriminate the contributions of distinct injection wells to the output of a given production well. Hence, a multi-tracer experiment is required, and the use of activable tracers, capable of being measured by neutron activation analysis (NAA) is here proposed. As additional tracer choices lanthanum (La) and europium (Eu) were chosen from the rare earth series due to their large neutron cross sections and general availability. In order to decrease losses to the oil phase and the retardation of the tracer relatively to the aqueous phase, these elements were complexed with organic chelating ligands: the polyaminocarboxylic acids EDTA, DTPA and DOTA. Infrared spectrometry was used to check complexation. In order to check the partition of the tracer between the aqueous and organic phases, tests were carried stirring the two phases together and measuring the tracer concentrations in the aqueous phase; the partition coefficient (Kao) was then calculated for all the combinations of the two lanthanides and the three ligands. Tests in which the tracer was continuously pumped through reservoir rock samples were also carried out using tritiated water as a reference tracer and the complexed lanthanides. (author)

  2. Development and evaluation of a tracer-injection hydrothermal technique for studies of waste package interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, T.E.; Coles, D.G.; Britton, R.C.; Burnell, J.R.

    1986-11-01

    A tracer-injection system has been developed for use in characterizing reactions of waste package materials under hydrothermal conditions. High-pressure liquid chromatographic instrumentation has been coupled with Dickson-type rocking autoclaves to allow injection of selected components into the hydrothermal fluid while maintaining run temperature and pressure. Hydrothermal experiments conducted using this system included the interactions of depleted uranium oxide and Zircaloy-4 metal alloy discs with trace levels of 99 Tc and non-radioactive Cs and I in a simulated groundwater matrix. After waste-package components and simulated waste forms were pre-conditioned in the autoclave systems (usually 4 to 6 weeks), known quantities of tracer-doped fluids were injected into the autoclaves' gold reaction bag at run conditions. Time-sequenced sampling of the hydrothermal fluid providing kinetic data on the reactions of tracers with waste package materials. The injection system facilitates the design of experiments that will better define ''steady-state'' fluid compositions in hydrothermal reactions. The injection system will also allow for the formation of tracer-bearing solid phases in detectable quantities

  3. Molecular dynamics investigation of tracer diffusion in a simple liquid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ould-Kaddour, F.; Barrat, J.L.

    1991-05-01

    Extensive Molecular-Dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out for a model trace-solvent system made up of 100 solvent molecules and 8 tracer molecules interacting through truncated Lennard-Jones potentials. The influence of the size ratio between solute and solvent, of their mass ratio and of the solvent viscosity on the diffusivity of a small tracer were investigated. Positive deviations from a Stokes-Einstein behaviour are observed, in qualitative agreement with experimental observations. It was also observed that as tracer and solvent become increasingly dissimilar, their respective dynamics becomes decoupled. We suggest that such decouplings can be interpreted by writing their mobility of the tracer as the sum of two terms, the first one arising from a coupling between tracer dynamics and hydrodynamics modes of the solvent, and the second one describing jump motion in a locally nearly frozen environment. (author). 17 refs, 4 figs, 6 tabs

  4. Geologic flow characterization using tracer techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klett, R.D.; Tyner, C.E.; Hertel, E.S. Jr.

    1981-04-01

    A new tracer flow-test system has been developed for in situ characterization of geologic formations. This report describes two sets of test equipment: one portable and one for testing in deep formations. Equations are derived for in situ detector calibration, raw data reduction, and flow logging. Data analysis techniques are presented for computing porosity and permeability in unconfined isotropic media, and porosity, permeability and fracture characteristics in media with confined or unconfined two-dimensional flow. The effects of tracer pulse spreading due to divergence, dispersion, and porous formations are also included

  5. Feasibility of Real-Time Near-Infrared Fluorescence Tracer Imaging in Sentinel Node Biopsy for Oral Cavity Cancer Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Anders; Juhl, Karina; Charabi, Birgitte; Mortensen, Jann; Kiss, Katalin; Kjær, Andreas; von Buchwald, Christian

    2016-02-01

    Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is an established method in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) for staging the cN0 neck and to select patients who will benefit from a neck dissection. Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging has the potential to improve the SNB procedure by facilitating intraoperative visual identification of the sentinel lymph node (SN). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of fluorescence tracer imaging for SN detection in conjunction with conventional radio-guided technique. Prospective study of patients with primary OSCC planned for tumor resection and SNB. Thirty patients were injected peritumorally with a bimodal tracer (ICG-99mTc-Nanocoll) followed by lymphoscintigraphy and SPECT/CT to define the SNs and their anatomic allocation preoperatively. SNs were detected intraoperatively with a hand-held gamma-probe and a hand-held NIRF camera. In 29 of 30 subjects (97%), all preoperatively defined SNs could be identified intraoperatively using a combination of radioactive and fluorescence guidance. A total of 94 SNs (mean 3, range 1-5) that were both radioactive and fluorescent ex vivo were harvested. Eleven of 94 SNs (12%) could only be identified in vivo using NIRF imaging, and the majority of those were located in level 1 close to the primary tumor. A combined fluorescent and radioactive tracer for SNB is feasible, and the additional use of NIRF imaging may improve the accuracy of SN identification in oral cancer patients. Intraoperative fluorescence guidance seems of particular value when SNs are located in close proximity to the injection site.

  6. The estimation of turnover time in the Japan Sea bottom water by 129I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Takashi; Togawa, Orihiko; Minakawa, Masayuki

    2010-01-01

    It is well known that the Japan Sea is sensitive for the environment such a global warming. To understand the oceanic circulation in the Japan Sea, we estimated a turnover time and a potential formation rate of the Japan Sea bottom water (JSBW) using an oceanographic tracer of 129 I. The turnover time of JSBW was calculated based on the increased concentration during the nuclear era. The turnover time was estimated to be 180 - 210 years. The potential formation rate of JSBW is calculated based on the existence of the anthropogenic 129 I in the JSBW. The potential formation rate of JSBW is estimated to be (3.6-4.1) x 10 12 m 3 /y which is consistent with another estimation and is about quarter of that of the upper Japan Sea proper water. (author)

  7. Guidebook on radioisotope tracers in industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    The idea of using tracers (chemical, dyes, etc.) in the investigation of complex physical phenomena has always attracted the attention of scientists and engineers. When radioactive isotopes became available it was immediately recognized that they offered an almost ideal solution to tracer selection. This book is devoted to reviewing the present status of the tracer method as such and to its applications to those branches of industry which have derived large benefits from the use of this modern technology. The main objectives of the IAEA's Industrial Applications and Chemistry Section is to help Member States in introducing to their own industries the different isotope and radiation techniques which have become available as a result of developments in the nuclear sciences. This section proposed the preparation of this guidebook, putting together various radiotracer methods and the experience obtained so far in their industrial use. Chapters 2 to 4 cover the general concept of tracers, technology and safety aspects, as well as data evaluation and interpretation. In chapter 5, therefore, general applications are discussed. In chapter 6, specialists in selected fields discuss their experience in radiotracer applications in various types of industrial activity. Most case studies are illustrated by at least one detailed example of an experiment carried out at an industrial installation. Current trends in the development of radiotracer methods are discussed in chapter 7, from both a theoretical and a practical viewpoint. Some possible new RTT applications in the future are also discussed here. Sealed radioactive sources are used almost as often as radioisotope tracers in industrial measurements. Annex I gives a short review of these techniques. Readers who are interested in the basic principles of radioisotope production will find the necessary information in Annex II. Annexes III, V and VI provide a demonstration of fundamental relations and properties; useful

  8. Study on Radioecology and Tracer of Iodine-129

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiaolin, Hou

    2004-01-01

    Iodine-129 (15.7 Ma) is a naturally occurring radioisotope of iodine. The ratio of 129 I/ 127 I was estimated to be ∼ 10 -12 in the ocean and 10 -11 in the territorial environment in pre-nuclear era, releases from nuclear weapon tests have increased this ratio to ∼ 10 -10 . However, a large amount of iodine-129 was released from various nuclear facilities, and the greatest releases of 129 I are from two European reprocessing plants, especially in recent years. By 1998, 2600 Kg and 220 Kg 129 I have been discharged to the marine environment and atmosphere from La Hague (France) and Sellafield reprocessing plants, respectively. This amount is tens times larger than the total 129 I inventory in the pre-nuclear ocean and weapon test releases. Although there is no significant radiation risk for the human health at present level of 129 I, the continuously increasing production and release of 129 I make the accumulation of 129 I in the environment, immigration, cycle and long term radioecological risk should be give more attention due to its long half-life, high accumulation in human thyroid and high mobility. Iodine is a conservative element in the ocean, the large amount of iodine-129 discharged to the marine system can therefore be used as a oceanographic tracer to study the physical dispersion, mixing and circulative processes of water mass in the ocean. In Riso national laboratory, a radiochemical neutron activation analysis method was developed, using this method the radioecology and tracer of iodine-129 was studied. Some representative works are presented below. (1) Evaluation of radiation exposure of humans to iodine-129. The human and animal thyroids collected from different places, such as Tianjin in China, Gemol in Belarus, Ribe in Denmark, human urine in Denmark, seafood in China were analysed for iodine-129 concentration and 129 I/ 127 I ratio, the exposure level were compared with other places. (2) Reconstruction of radiation dose from I-131 in the

  9. Survey on industrial applications of radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jae Rok; Yoo, Young Soo; Lee, Jong Doo; Awh, Ok Doo; Kim, Jun Hyung

    1986-12-01

    Current status and future feasibilities of industrial tracer applications in the Republic of Korea have been surveyed. Microleak detection using Krypton-85 in eight electronics industrial companies, and efficiency tests of steam generators in four nuclear power plants using Sodium-24 are the principal applications in Korea. Future applications are expected for mercury inventory in one soda industrial company, and alkali movement studies in two cement industrial companies. Korean industries expressed deep interest in leak detection in underground pipelines, abrasion/corrosion studies, mixing rate and residence time measurements. (Author)

  10. Tracing salmon to their birthplace by activable tracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibuya, Masao

    1978-01-01

    Activable tracer technique was applied to trace the recurrent migration of white salmons, as a typical example of employing radioactivation analysis to the study of agricultural and marinefields. Europium was adopted because it is easy to use technically with less influence on fish body and easy to detect, and its remaining time is very long. Artificially hatched young white salmons were stocked in the Saibetsu River after being raised for a month with europium-containing feed. These stocked fish were labeled by fin-cutting method. Recurrent salmons (fin cutting-labeled fish) were then collected and dissected. The fishes were divided into otoliths, scales, flesh, internal organs, gills, bones, etc., and irradiated for 5 min in JRR-2 reactor of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. Europium was detected from the scales and otoliths of 3 to 4 year stocked adult fishes by γ-spectrometry of Eu. This proved the availability of activable tracer method for tracing the recurrent migration of salmons. (Kobatake, H.)

  11. Use of tracer tests to evaluate hydraulic properties of constructed wetlands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wachniew, P.; Czuprynski, P.; Maloszewski, P.

    2004-01-01

    Knowledge of hydraulic properties is a perquisite for studies of constructed wetlands functioning. Bromide ions and tritium were used as a tracers to derive RTDs for two constructed wetlands: a reed bed with subsurface flow and a Lemna pond. Quantitative hydraulic characteristics (mean travel time of water, dispersion number) of the wetlands were evaluated from RTDs (Residence Time Distributions) by means of a mathematical model of waste water flow. (author)

  12. CFD simulation of homogenisation time measured by radiotracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thyn, J.; Novy, M.; Zitny, R.; Mostik, M.; Jahoda, M.

    2004-01-01

    A methodology for CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation of radiotracer experiments was suggested. The most important parts of the methodology for validation of CFD results by radiotracers are: a) successful simulation of tracer experiment by CFD code (numerical solution of tracer dispersion in a stirred tank), which results in tracer concentration field at several time intervals; b) post-process data treatment, which uses detection chain description and which enables to simulate the detector measurement of homogenisation time from the tracer concentration field evaluated by CFD code. (author)

  13. Low-cost, High Flexibility I-V Curve Tracer for Photovoltaic Modules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ibirriaga, Julen Joseba Maestro; Pena, Xabier Miquelez de Mendiluce; Opritescu, Adrian

    2010-01-01

    This work presents the design, construction and test of an in-door low cost, high flexibility I-V curve tracer for photovoltaic modules. The tracer is connected to a Xenon lamp based flashing solar simulator. The designed tracer is able to deal with the very fast changing irradiation conditions...

  14. Our experience of blood flow measurements using radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Danet, Bernard.

    1974-01-01

    A critical study of blood flow measuring methods is proposed. After a review of the various diffusible and non-diffusible radioactive tracers and the corresponding detector systems, the principles which allow to measure blood flow from the data so obtained, are studied. There is a different principle of flow measurement for each type of tracer. The theory of flow measurement using non-diffusible tracers (human serum albumin labelled with 131 I or sup(99m)Tc, 113 In-labelled siderophiline) and its application to cardiac flow measurement are described first. Then the theory of flow measurement using diffusible tracers ( 133 Xe, 85 Kr) and its application to measurement of blood flow through tissues (muscles and kidney particularly) are described. A personal experience of this various flow measurements is reported. The results obtained, the difficulties encountered and the improvments proposed are developed [fr

  15. SpaceX Dragon Air Circulation System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Brenda; Piatrovich, Siarhei; Prina, Mauro

    2011-01-01

    The Dragon capsule is a reusable vehicle being developed by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) that will provide commercial cargo transportation to the International Space Station (ISS). Dragon is designed to be a habitable module while it is berthed to ISS. As such, the Dragon Environmental Control System (ECS) consists of pressure control and pressure equalization, air sampling, fire detection, illumination, and an air circulation system. The air circulation system prevents pockets of stagnant air in Dragon that can be hazardous to the ISS crew. In addition, through the inter-module duct, the air circulation system provides fresh air from ISS into Dragon. To utilize the maximum volume of Dragon for cargo packaging, the Dragon ECS air circulation system is designed around cargo rack optimization. At the same time, the air circulation system is designed to meet the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) inter-module and intra-module ventilation requirements and acoustic requirements. A flight like configuration of the Dragon capsule including the air circulation system was recently assembled for testing to assess the design for inter-module and intra-module ventilation and acoustics. The testing included the Dragon capsule, and flight configuration in the pressure section with cargo racks, lockers, all of the air circulation components, and acoustic treatment. The air circulation test was also used to verify the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the Dragon capsule. The CFD model included the same Dragon internal geometry that was assembled for the test. This paper will describe the Dragon air circulation system design which has been verified by testing the system and with CFD analysis.

  16. Utility of bromide and heat tracers for aquifer characterization affected by highly transient flow conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Rui; Zheng, Chunmiao; Zachara, John M.; Tonkin, Matthew

    2012-08-01

    A tracer test using both bromide and heat tracers conducted at the Integrated Field Research Challenge site in Hanford 300 Area (300A), Washington, provided an instrument for evaluating the utility of bromide and heat tracers for aquifer characterization. The bromide tracer data were critical to improving the calibration of the flow model complicated by the highly dynamic nature of the flow field. However, most bromide concentrations were obtained from fully screened observation wells, lacking depth-specific resolution for vertical characterization. On the other hand, depth-specific temperature data were relatively simple and inexpensive to acquire. However, temperature-driven fluid density effects influenced heat plume movement. Moreover, the temperature data contained "noise" caused by heating during fluid injection and sampling events. Using the hydraulic conductivity distribution obtained from the calibration of the bromide transport model, the temperature depth profiles and arrival times of temperature peaks simulated by the heat transport model were in reasonable agreement with observations. This suggested that heat can be used as a cost-effective proxy for solute tracers for calibration of the hydraulic conductivity distribution, especially in the vertical direction. However, a heat tracer test must be carefully designed and executed to minimize fluid density effects and sources of noise in temperature data. A sensitivity analysis also revealed that heat transport was most sensitive to hydraulic conductivity and porosity, less sensitive to thermal distribution factor, and least sensitive to thermal dispersion and heat conduction. This indicated that the hydraulic conductivity remains the primary calibration parameter for heat transport.

  17. Analysis of infiltration through mill tailings using a bromide tracer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, G.J.; Stephens, D.B.

    1985-01-01

    Infiltration of precipitation into tailings impoundments as a means of recharge to underlying materials is often considered insignificant, particularly in arid and semi-arid environments. A series of experiments was performed to investigate the behavior of infiltrated precipitation into tailing soils, by the use of a bromide tracer. A bromide tracer was applied to the surface of columns driven into the tailings to monitor downward advancement of tracer-laden water. Controlled laboratory experiments on the behavior of the bromide tracer under varying precipitation events and initial soil moisture contents were also conducted. Results indicate that a definite downward migration of infiltrated precipitation occurs, particularly with large magnitude precipitation events, and that, eventually, some fraction of the infiltrated precipitation may continue downward below the zone affected by evaporation. The use of an artificially applied bromide tracer to monitor depth of infiltration of precipitation is a simple, safe technique that can provide valuable information for long-term tailings management strategies at low cost

  18. Numerical Simulation of a Tracer Experiment at the Wolsong Nuclear Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Hyojoon; Kim, Eunhan; Park, Misun; Jeong, Haesun; Hwang, Wontae; Han, Moonhee

    2014-01-01

    By comparing the concentration of a tracer measured under weather conditions that are disadvantageous to the dilution of radioactive materials released from the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant, with the concentration of a tracer calculated using an air Dispersion model, it is possible to evaluate the characteristics of the air concentrations of radioactive materials estimated with an air Dispersion model, which can then be used in an environmental impact analysis of radioactive materials. Therefore, a field Dispersion experiment has been carried out to figure out the behavioral characteristics of the tracer under weather conditions that are disadvantageous to the dilution of radioactive materials released from the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant site in Korea. In addition, through a comparison of the tracer concentrations estimated by the Gaussian plume model with measurements, this study checked the degree of conservative estimation for the Gaussian plume at the Wolsong nuclear site in Korea. A tracer Dispersion experiment using an SF 6 trace was implemented to determine the Dispersion characteristics of radioactive materials at the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant site in Korea. Based on meteorological data and the emission rate of the tracers, this study estimated the tracer concentrations using a Gaussian plume model, and then compared it with the measurement to check the conservative estimation of the Gaussian plume model. The measured concentrations of the tracer tends to be lower than the concentrations estimated by the Gaussian plume model overall

  19. Estimation of the dilution field near a marine outfall by using effluent turbidity as an environmental tracer and comparison with dye tracer data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pecly, José Otavio Goulart

    2018-01-01

    The alternative use of effluent turbidity to determine the dilution field of a domestic marine outfall located off the city of Rio de Janeiro was evaluated through field work comprising fluorescent dye tracer injection and tracking with simultaneous monitoring of sea water turbidity. A preliminary laboratory assessment was carried out with a sample of the outfall effluent whose turbidity was measured by the nephelometric method before and during a serial dilution process. During the field campaign, the dye tracer was monitored with field fluorometers and the turbidity was observed with an optical backscattering sensor interfaced to an OEM data acquisition system. About 4,000 samples were gathered, covering an area of 3 km × 3 km near the outfall diffusers. At the far field - where a drift towards the coastline was observed - the effluent plume was adequately labeled by the dye tracer. The turbidity plume was biased due to the high and variable background turbidity of sea water. After processing the turbidity dataset with a baseline detrending method, the plume presented high correlation with the dye tracer plume drawn on the near dilution field. However, dye tracer remains more robust than effluent turbidity.

  20. A mathematical model for the design and interpretation of tracer experiments intended to measure the T90 in estuarine coastal waters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suarez Antola, R.

    2006-07-01

    In highly stratified estuarine waters, with significant sediment loads, it is fairly difficult to predict the T90 , the time scale that characterizes the bacterial inactivation or death, using mathematical formulae, so that suitable experiments must be done using tracers to measure physical dilution and microbiological methods to measure bacterial disappearance or inactivation. The location and characteristics of a second sewage out fall for the city of Montevideo is being determined. In this framework, several experiments with tracers were done to measure the self-purifying capacity of the coastal waters at the selected site. Due to the difficulties in the design and interpretation of the measurements, special mathematical models were constructed and applied to help in obtaining a deeper understanding of the complex advection-dispersion-inactivation processes. In this report the construction and the solution of the equations of an analytical model that guided all the subsequent modelling activities is described. The tracer and the bacteria fields are obtained as products of a function of time and the horizontal coordinates by a series of decaying exponential functions of time weighted by functions of depth. The quotient between the bacteria concentration and the tracer concentration, that is commonly used to determine a global value of T90 , taking suitable average values after a long enough transient, is studied. A procedure that may be used to summarize the field of local inactivation times by a few parameters, determined by tracer experiments and microbiological measurements, is discussed. A half-empirical correlation formula between the T90 parameter and the main variables of the body of receiving waters is suggested from the results of tracer experiments and other sources of information. The advantages and limitations of the modelling approach used in this case are assessed and some possible improvements are briefly outlined

  1. A mathematical model for the design and interpretation of tracer experiments intended to measure the T90 in estuarine coastal waters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suarez Antola, R.

    2006-03-01

    In highly stratified estuarine waters, with significant sediment loads, it is fairly difficult to predict the T90, the time scale that characterizes the bacterial inactivation or death, using mathematical formulae, so that suitable experiments must be done using tracers to measure physical dilution and microbiological methods to measure bacterial disappearance or inactivation. The location and characteristics of a second sewage outfall for the city of Montevideo is being determined. In this framework, several experiments with tracers were done to measure the self-purifying capacity of the coastal waters at the selected site. Due to the difficulties in the design and interpretation of the measurements, special mathematical models were constructed and applied to help in obtaining a deeper understanding of the complex advection-dispersion-inactivation processes. In this report the construction and the solution of the equations of an analytical model that guided all the subsequent modelling activities is described. The tracer and the bacteria fields are obtained as products of a function of time and the horizontal coordinates by a series of decaying exponential functions of time weighted by functions of depth. The quotient between the bacteria concentration and the tracer concentration, that is commonly used to determine a global value of T90 , taking suitable average values after a long enough transient, is studied. A procedure that may be used to summarize the field of local inactivation times by a few parameters, determined by tracer experiments and microbiological measurements, is discussed. A half-empirical correlation formula between the T90 parameter and the main variables of the body of receiving waters is suggested from the results of tracer experiments and other sources of information. The advantages and limitations of the modelling approach used in this case are assessed and some possible improvements are briefly outlined

  2. DBSSP - A computer program for simulation of controlled circulation boiler and natural circulation boiler start up behavior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Bin; Chen Tingkuan; Yang Dong

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, a computer program, Drum Boiler Start-up Simulation Program (DBSSP), is developed for simulating the start up behavior of controlled circulation and natural circulation boilers. The mathematical model developed here is based on the first principles of mass, energy and momentum conservations. In the boiler model, heat transfer in the waterwall, the superheater, the reheater and the economizer is simulated by the distributing parameter method, while heat transfer in the drum and the downcomer is simulated by lumped parameter analysis. The program can provide detailed flow and thermodynamic characteristics of the boiler components. The development of this program is based only on design data, so it can be used for any subcritical, controlled or natural circulation boiler. The simulation results were compared with experimental measurements, and good agreements between them were found. This program is expected to be useful for predicting the characteristics and the performance of controlled circulation and natural circulation boilers during the start up process. It also can be used to optimize a start up system for minimum start up time

  3. Marine geochemistry ocean circulation, carbon cycle and climate change

    CERN Document Server

    Roy-Barman, Matthieu

    2016-01-01

    Marine geochemistry uses chemical elements and their isotopes to study how the ocean works. It brings quantitative answers to questions such as: What is the deep ocean mixing rate? How much atmospheric CO2 is pumped by the ocean? How fast are pollutants removed from the ocean? How do ecosystems react to the anthropogenic pressure? The book provides a simple introduction to the concepts (environmental chemistry, isotopes), the methods (field approach, remote sensing, modeling) and the applications (ocean circulation, carbon cycle, climate change) of marine geochemistry with a particular emphasis on isotopic tracers. Marine geochemistry is not an isolated discipline: numerous openings on physical oceanography, marine biology, climatology, geology, pollutions and ecology are proposed and provide a global vision of the ocean. It includes new topics based on ongoing research programs such as GEOTRACES, Global Carbon Project, Tara Ocean. It provides a complete outline for a course in marine geochemistry. To favor a...

  4. Tracer gas diffusion sampling test plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rohay, V.J.

    1993-01-01

    Efforts are under way to employ active and passive vapor extraction to remove carbon tetrachloride from the soil in the 200 West Area an the Hanford Site as part of the 200 West Area Carbon Tetrachloride Expedited Response Action. In the active approach, a vacuum is applied to a well, which causes soil gas surrounding the well to be drawn up to the surface. The contaminated air is cleaned by passage through a granular activated carbon bed. There are questions concerning the radius of influence associated with application of the vacuum system and related uncertainties about the soil-gas diffusion rates with and without the vacuum system present. To address these questions, a series of tracer gas diffusion sampling tests is proposed in which an inert, nontoxic tracer gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), will be injected into a well, and the rates of SF 6 diffusion through the surrounding soil horizon will be measured by sampling in nearby wells. Tracer gas tests will be conducted at sites very near the active vacuum extraction system and also at sites beyond the radius of influence of the active vacuum system. In the passive vapor extraction approach, barometric pressure fluctuations cause soil gas to be drawn to the surface through the well. At the passive sites, the effects of barometric ''pumping'' due to changes in atmospheric pressure will be investigated. Application of tracer gas testing to both the active and passive vapor extraction methods is described in the wellfield enhancement work plan (Rohay and Cameron 1993)

  5. Influence of bovine LH tracer quality on levels of LH in GnRH-treated cows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madej, A.; Hallin, P.; Madej, M.; Seguin, B.; Edqvist, L.E.

    1989-01-01

    Chromatography of 125I-bovine LH (LER-1716-2 and USDA-I-1) by means of anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed two main peaks of radioactivity regardless as to whether or not the tracer was initially purified on cellulose CF11. The content of radioactivity in the first peak tended to increase as the storage time of the bLH preparation, either before or after iodination, increased. The first peak of radioactivity after HPLC fractionation either with or without cellulose adsorption consisted of material with low binding ability to bLH antiserum (6.9% +/- 0.5 and 13.0% +/- 1.0, respectively) and high binding ability to ovine LH alpha antiserum (51.0% +/- 2.7 and 35.2% +/- 3.6, respectively). The average ratio of alpha-subunit immuno-reactivity to 125I-bLH immunoreactivity in this material was 7.4 +/- 0.1 and 2.7 +/- 0.2, respectively (P less than 0.001). Peaks in 125I-bLH radioactivity and 125I-bLH immunoreactivity had different elution times. Radioimmunoassays with tracers obtained from fractions derived from the first radioactive peak after HPLC chromatography (i.e. 125I-bLH-LER-1716-2) both with and without cellulose adsorption, yielded significantly lower mean plasma LH levels in GnRH-treated cows compared with the control tracer routinely purified only on cellulose CF11 (e.g. 5.7 vs. 8.2 micrograms/; 4.6 vs. 8.2 micrograms/l). Plasma LH levels in GnRH-treated cows were significantly (P less than 0.001) lower as measured by radioimmunoassay utilizing 125I-USDA-blH-I-1 tracers than by radioimmunoassays utilizing 125I-blH-LER-1716-2 tracers (i.e. either Y = 0.17 + 0.75X or Y = 1.18 + 0.60X)

  6. Partitioning tracers for measuring residual NAPL: Field-scale test results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Annable, M.D.; Rao, P.S.C.; Hatfield, K.; Graham, W.D.; Wood, A.L.; Enfield, C.G.

    1998-01-01

    The difficult task of locating and quantifying nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) present in the vadose and saturated zones has prompted the development of innovative, nondestructive characterization techniques. The use of the interwell partitioning tracer's (IWPT) test, in which tracers that partition into the NAPL phase are displaced through the aquifer, is an attractive alternative to traditional coring and analysis. The first field test of IWPT was conducted in a hydraulically isolated test cell to quantify the total amount of a complex NAPL (a mixture of JP-4 jet fuel and chlorinated solvents) trapped within a 1.5-m smear zone in a shallow, unconfined sand and gravel aquifer at Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah. Tracer breakthrough curves (BTCs) were measured in three extraction wells (EWs) following a tracer pulse introduction through four injection wells (IWs). The measured retardation of the partitioning tracer (2,2-dimethyl-3-pentanol) relative to the nonreactive tracer (bromide) was used to quantify the NAPL present. The EW data were used to estimate an average NAPL saturation of 4.6--5.4% within the test cell. NAPL saturations estimated by using measured concentrations in soil cores of two significant compounds present in the NAPL were 3.0 and 4.6%

  7. Models for tracer flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuber, A.

    1983-01-01

    A review and discussion is given of mathematical models used for interpretation of tracer experiments in hydrology. For dispersion model, different initial and boundary conditions are related to different injection and detection modes. Examples of applications of various models are described and commented. (author)

  8. Tracking tracer breakthrough in the hyporheic zone using time‐lapse DC resistivity, Crabby Creek, Pennsylvania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyquist, Jonathan E.; Toran, Laura; Fang, Allison C.; Ryan, Robert J.; Rosenberry, Donald O.

    2010-01-01

    Characterization of the hyporheic zone is of critical importance for understanding stream ecology, contaminant transport, and groundwater‐surface water interaction. A salt water tracer test was used to probe the hyporheic zone of a recently re‐engineered portion of Crabby Creek, a stream located near Philadelphia, PA. The tracer solution was tracked through a 13.5 meter segment of the stream using both a network of 25 wells sampled every 5–15 minutes and time‐lapse electrical resistivity tomographs collected every 11 minutes for six hours, with additional tomographs collected every 100 minutes for an additional 16 hours. The comparison of tracer monitoring methods is of keen interest because tracer tests are one of the few techniques available for characterizing this dynamic zone, and logistically it is far easier to collect resistivity tomographs than to install and monitor a dense network of wells. Our results show that resistivity monitoring captured the essential shape of the breakthrough curve and may indicate portions of the stream where the tracer lingered in the hyporheic zone. Time‐lapse resistivity measurements, however, represent time averages over the period required to collect a tomographic data set, and spatial averages over a volume larger than captured by a well sample. Smoothing by the resistivity data inversion algorithm further blurs the resulting tomograph; consequently resistivity monitoring underestimates the degree of fine‐scale heterogeneity in the hyporheic zone.

  9. Addition of tracers into the polypropylene in view of automatic sorting of plastic wastes using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bezati, F.; Froelich, D.; Massardier, V.; Maris, E.

    2010-01-01

    This study focused on the detection of rare earth oxides, used as tracers for the identification of polymer materials, using XRF (X-ray fluorescence) spectrometry. The tests were carried out in a test system device which allows the collection of static measurements of the samples' spectrum through the use of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technology. A sorting process based on tracers added into the polymer matrix is proposed in order to increase sorting selectivity of polypropylene during end-of-life recycling. Tracers consist of systems formed by one or by several substances dispersed into a material, to add a selective property to it, with the aim of improving the efficiency of sorting and high speed identification. Several samples containing rare earth oxides (Y 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , Nd 2 O 3 , Gd 2 O 3 , Dy 2 O 3 , Er 2 O 3 and Yb 2 O 3 ) in different concentrations were prepared in order to analyse some of the parameters which can influence the detection, such as the concentration of tracers, the acquisition time and the possible overlapping among the tracers. This work shows that by using the XRF test system device, it was possible to detect 5 of the 7 tracers tested for 1 min exposure time and at a concentration level of 1000 ppm. These two parameters will play an important role in the development of an industrial device, which indicates the necessity of further works that needs to be conducted in order to reduce them.

  10. Tracer techniques in food industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pertsovskij, E.S.; Sakharov, Eh.V.; Dolinin, V.A.

    1980-01-01

    The appicability of radioactive tracer techniques to process control in food industry are considered. Investigations in the field of food industry carried out using the above method are classified. The 1 class included investigations with preliminary preparation of a radioactive indicator and its following introduction in the system studied. The 2 class includes investigations based on the introduction in the system studied of a non-active indicator which is activated in a neutron flux being in samples selected in or after the process investigated. The 3 class includes studies based on investigations of natural radioactivity of certain nuclides in food stuff. The application of tracer techniques to the above classes of investigations in various fields of food industry and the equipment applied are considered in detail [ru

  11. Pulling the Meridional Overturning Circulation From the South DESC0005100

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cessi, Paola [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Wolfe, Christopher L. [Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, San Diego, CA (United States)

    2015-11-25

    This project concerned the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), its stability, variability and sensitivity to atmospheric forcing, both mechanical (wind-stress) and thermodynamical (heat and freshwater surface fluxes). The focus of the study is the interhemispheric cell in the largely adiabatic regime, where the flow is characterized by a descending branch in the high latitudes of the North Atlantic and the upwelling branch in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) region of the Southern Ocean. These two end points are connected by shared isopycnals along which the flow takes place. The approach is to systematically study the amplitude and frequency of the AMOC’s response to localized buoyancy with an ocean-only model in both coarse and high-resolution configurations, analyzed with innovative diagnostics, focused on the “residual overturning circulation” (ROC), which is the proper measure of the transport of heat and other tracers.

  12. Assessing preferential flow by simultaneously injecting nanoparticle and chemical tracers

    KAUST Repository

    Subramanian, S. K.; Li, Yan; Cathles, L. M.

    2013-01-01

    The exact manner in which preferential (e.g., much faster than average) flow occurs in the subsurface through small fractures or permeable connected pathways of other kinds is important to many processes but is difficult to determine, because most chemical tracers diffuse quickly enough from small flow channels that they appear to move more uniformly through the rock than they actually do. We show how preferential flow can be assessed by injecting 2 to 5 nm carbon particles (C-Dots) and an inert KBr chemical tracer at different flow rates into a permeable core channel that is surrounded by a less permeable matrix in laboratory apparatus of three different designs. When the KBr tracer has a long enough transit through the system to diffuse into the matrix, but the C-Dot tracer does not, the C-Dot tracer arrives first and the KBr tracer later, and the separation measures the degree of preferential flow. Tracer sequestration in the matrix can be estimated with a Peclet number, and this is useful for experiment design. A model is used to determine the best fitting core and matrix dispersion parameters and refine estimates of the core and matrix porosities. Almost the same parameter values explain all experiments. The methods demonstrated in the laboratory can be applied to field tests. If nanoparticles can be designed that do not stick while flowing through the subsurface, the methods presented here could be used to determine the degree of fracture control in natural environments, and this capability would have very wide ranging value and applicability.

  13. Optimizing the mercury mass measurement in industrial electrolytic cells by the radio-tracer method at ININ

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valle R, J.; Angeles C, A.

    2014-10-01

    One method used in the production of chlorine and sodium is the use of electrolytic cells for the separation of chlorine and sodium from the brine; the industries apply very intense electromagnetic fields in this process. The electrolytic cells use mercury as electrode. In a chlorine production plant inventories are determined by total amount of mercury in the plant annually, since mercury losses are large and a very important parameter is to control the mass of mercury for it is necessary to measure with great precision the losses made. There are several methods to determine the mass of mercury ranging from take samples and weigh, but this involves continuous interruption of the process creating downtimes which in turn represent economic losses giving a result delimiting productivity for the industrial sector. An alternative and attractive method is to use a radioactive tracer whose principle has a similar behavior to study objective. The inert mercury has to be neutron activated in a nuclear reactor to having the characteristics of a tracer; the result makes one of the isotopes of mercury. The tracer is transported taking into account the recommendations of the Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias (Mexico), then it is injected into the electrolytic cells mixing with the mercury in the system. By a relative radioactivity measurement and one sample by gamma spectrometry per interest cell, the mass of mercury without stopping the process is obtained. For optimal use of radio-tracer method must be taken into account as important features: irradiation time of mercury, counting conditions, vial geometry, sample volume, sample cells, mixing time and half-life of the tracer. (Author)

  14. Numerical flow models and their calibration using tracer based ages: Chapter 10

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanford, W.

    2013-01-01

    Any estimate of ‘age’ of a groundwater sample based on environmental tracers requires some form of geochemical model to interpret the tracer chemistry (chapter 3) and is, therefore, referred to in this chapter as a tracer model age. the tracer model age of a groundwater sample can be useful for obtaining information on the residence time and replenishment rate of an aquifer system, but that type of data is most useful when it can be incorporated with all other information that is known about the groundwater system under study. groundwater fl ow models are constructed of aquifer systems because they are usually the best way of incorporating all of the known information about the system in the context of a mathematical framework that constrains the model to follow the known laws of physics and chemistry as they apply to groundwater flow and transport. It is important that the purpose or objective of the study be identified first before choosing the type and complexity of the model to be constructed, and to make sure such a model is necessary. The purpose of a modelling study is most often to characterize the system within a numerical framework, such that the hydrological responses of the system can be tested under potential stresses that might be imposed given future development scenarios. As this manual discusses dating as it applies to old groundwater, most readers are likely to be interested in studying regional groundwater flow systems and their water resource potential.

  15. Recharge sources and residence times of groundwater as determined by geochemical tracers in the Mayfield Area, southwestern Idaho, 2011–12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopkins, Candice B.

    2013-01-01

    Parties proposing residential development in the area of Mayfield, Idaho are seeking a sustainable groundwater supply. During 2011–12, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, used geochemical tracers in the Mayfield area to evaluate sources of aquifer recharge and differences in groundwater residence time. Fourteen groundwater wells and one surface-water site were sampled for major ion chemistry, metals, stable isotopes, and age tracers; data collected from this study were used to evaluate the sources of groundwater recharge and groundwater residence times in the area. Major ion chemistry varied along a flow path between deeper wells, suggesting an upgradient source of dilute water, and a downgradient source of more concentrated water with the geochemical signature of the Idaho Batholith. Samples from shallow wells had elevated nutrient concentrations, a more positive oxygen-18 signature, and younger carbon-14 dates than deep wells, suggesting that recharge comes from young precipitation and surface-water infiltration. Samples from deep wells generally had higher concentrations of metals typical of geothermal waters, a more negative oxygen-18 signature, and older carbon-14 values than samples from shallow wells, suggesting that recharge comes from both infiltration of meteoric water and another source. The chemistry of groundwater sampled from deep wells is somewhat similar to the chemistry in geothermal waters, suggesting that geothermal water may be a source of recharge to this aquifer. Results of NETPATH mixing models suggest that geothermal water composes 1–23 percent of water in deep wells. Chlorofluorocarbons were detected in every sample, which indicates that all groundwater samples contain at least a component of young recharge, and that groundwater is derived from multiple recharge sources. Conclusions from this study can be used to further refine conceptual hydrological models of the area.

  16. Seasonal overturning circulation in the Red Sea: 2. Winter circulation

    KAUST Repository

    Yao, Fengchao; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Pratt, Lawrence J.; Bower, Amy S.; Kö hl, Armin; Gopalakrishnan, Ganesh; Rivas, David

    2014-01-01

    The shallow winter overturning circulation in the Red Sea is studied using a 50 year high-resolution MITgcm (MIT general circulation model) simulation with realistic atmospheric forcing. The overturning circulation for a typical year, represented

  17. Waste tank ventilation rates measured with a tracer gas method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huckaby, J.L.; Evans, J.C.; Sklarew, D.S.; Mitroshkov, A.V.

    1998-08-01

    Passive ventilation with the atmosphere is used to prevent accumulation of waste gases and vapors in the headspaces of 132 of the 177 high-level radioactive waste Tanks at the Hanford Site in Southeastern Washington State. Measurements of the passive ventilation rates are needed for the resolution of two key safety issues associated with the rates of flammable gas production and accumulation and the rates at which organic salt-nitrate salt mixtures dry out. Direct measurement of passive ventilation rates using mass flow meters is not feasible because ventilation occurs va multiple pathways to the atmosphere (i.e., via the filtered breather riser and unsealed tank risers and pits), as well as via underground connections to other tanks, junction boxes, and inactive ventilation systems. The tracer gas method discussed in this report provides a direct measurement of the rate at which gases are removed by ventilation and an indirect measurement of the ventilation rate. The tracer gas behaves as a surrogate of the waste-generated gases, but it is only diminished via ventilation, whereas the waste gases are continuously released by the waste and may be subject to depletion mechanisms other than ventilation. The fiscal year 1998 tracer studies provide new evidence that significant exchange of air occurs between tanks via the underground cascade pipes. Most of the single-shell waste tanks are connected via 7.6-cm diameter cascade pipes to one or two adjacent tanks. Tracer gas studies of the Tank U-102/U-103 system indicated that the ventilation occurring via the cascade line could be a significant fraction of the total ventilation. In this two-tank cascade, air evidently flowed from Tank U-103 to Tank U-102 for a time and then was observed to flow from Tank U-102 to Tank U-103

  18. Quenching phenomena in natural circulation loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Umekawa, Hisashi; Ozawa, Mamoru; Ishida, Naoki

    1995-01-01

    Quenching phenomena has been investigated experimentally using circulation loop of liquid nitrogen. During the quenching under natural circulation, the heat transfer mode changes from film boiling to nucleate boiling, and at the same time flux changes with time depending on the vapor generation rate and related two-phase flow characteristics. Moreover, density wave oscillations occur under a certain operating condition, which is closely related to the dynamic behavior of the cooling curve. The experimental results indicates that the occurrence of the density wave oscillation induces the deterioration of effective cooling of the heat surface in the film and the transition boiling regions, which results in the decrease in the quenching velocity

  19. Quenching phenomena in natural circulation loop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Umekawa, Hisashi; Ozawa, Mamoru [Kansai Univ., Osaka (Japan); Ishida, Naoki [Daihatsu Motor Company, Osaka (Japan)

    1995-09-01

    Quenching phenomena has been investigated experimentally using circulation loop of liquid nitrogen. During the quenching under natural circulation, the heat transfer mode changes from film boiling to nucleate boiling, and at the same time flux changes with time depending on the vapor generation rate and related two-phase flow characteristics. Moreover, density wave oscillations occur under a certain operating condition, which is closely related to the dynamic behavior of the cooling curve. The experimental results indicates that the occurrence of the density wave oscillation induces the deterioration of effective cooling of the heat surface in the film and the transition boiling regions, which results in the decrease in the quenching velocity.

  20. Application of multiple tracers (SF6 and chloride) to identify the transport by characteristics of contaminant at two separate contaminated sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, K. K.; Lee, S. S.; Kim, H. H.; Koh, E. H.; Kim, M. O.; Lee, K.; Kim, H. J.

    2016-12-01

    Multiple tracers were applied for source and pathway detection at two different sites. CO2 gas injected in the subsurface for a shallow-depth CO2 injection and leak test can be regarded as a potential contaminant source. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the migration pattern of CO2 gas. Also, at a DNAPL contaminated site, it is important to figure out the characteristics of plume evolution from the source zone. In this study, multiple tracers (SF6 and chloride) were used to evaluate the applicability of volatile and non-volatile tracers and to identify the characteristics of contaminant transport at each CO2 injection and leak test site and DNAPL contaminated site. Firstly, at the CO2 test site, multiple tracers were used to perform the single well push-drift-pull tracer test at total 3 specific depth zones. As results of tests, volatile and non-volatile tracers showed different mass recovery percentage. Most of chloride mass was recovered but less than half of SF6 mass was recovered due to volatile property. This means that only gaseous SF6 leak out to unsaturated zone. However, breakthrough curves of both tracers indicated similar peak time, effective porosity, and regional groundwater velocity. Also, at both contaminated sites, natural gradient tracer tests were performed with multiple tracers. With the results of natural gradient tracer test, it was possible to confirm the applicability of multiple tracers and to understand the contaminant transport in highly heterogeneous aquifer systems through the long-term monitoring of tracers. Acknowledgement: financial support was provided by the R&D Project on Environmental Management of Geologic CO2 Storage)" from the KEITI (Project Number: 2014001810003) and Korea Ministry of Environment as "The GAIA project (2014000540010)".

  1. Studying circulation times of liver cancer cells by in vivo flow cytometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, G; Li, Y; Fan, Z; Guo, J; Tan, X; Wei, X, E-mail: xwei@fudan.edu.cn [Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032 (China)

    2011-02-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may metastasize to lung kidney and many other organs. The survival rate is almost zero for metastatic HCC patients. Molecular mechanisms of HCC metastasis need to be understood better and new therapies must be developed. A recently developed 'in vivo flow cytometer' combined with real-time confocal fluorescence imaging are used to assess spreading and the circulation kinetics of liver tumor cells. The in vivo flow cytometer has the capability to detect and quantify continuously the number and flow characteristics of fluorescently labeled cells in vivo in real time without extracting blood sample. We have measured the depletion kinetics of two related human HCC cell lines high-metastatic HCCLM3 cells and low-metastatic HepG2 cells which were from the same origin and obtained by repetitive screenings in mice. >60% HCCLM3 cells are depleted within the first hour. Interestingly the low-metastatic HepG2 cells possess noticeably slower depletion kinetics. In comparison <40% HepG2 cells are depleted within the first hour. The differences in depletion kinetics might provide insights into early metastasis processes.

  2. Advection and dispersion of bed load tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lajeunesse, Eric; Devauchelle, Olivier; James, François

    2018-05-01

    We use the erosion-deposition model introduced by Charru et al. (2004) to numerically simulate the evolution of a plume of bed load tracers entrained by a steady flow. In this model, the propagation of the plume results from the stochastic exchange of particles between the bed and the bed load layer. We find a transition between two asymptotic regimes. The tracers, initially at rest, are gradually set into motion by the flow. During this entrainment regime, the plume is strongly skewed in the direction of propagation and continuously accelerates while spreading nonlinearly. With time, the skewness of the plume eventually reaches a maximum value before decreasing. This marks the transition to an advection-diffusion regime in which the plume becomes increasingly symmetrical, spreads linearly, and advances at constant velocity. We analytically derive the expressions of the position, the variance, and the skewness of the plume and investigate their asymptotic regimes. Our model assumes steady state. In the field, however, bed load transport is intermittent. We show that the asymptotic regimes become insensitive to this intermittency when expressed in terms of the distance traveled by the plume. If this finding applies to the field, it might provide an estimate for the average bed load transport rate.

  3. Interpretation of Water Tracer Simulation in the H-1 Segment of the Gullfaks Field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moid, Farrukh

    2000-07-01

    This thesis describes the water tracer simulation in the H-1 segment of the Gullfaks field. Three passive water tracer slugs were injected from the two producing wells during water flooding, pressure maintenance and reservoir monitoring program in the Gullfaks field. The same program is considered in this thesis. Computer Modelling Group's (CMG) simulator STARS is used for the general reservoir simulation and a separate module for tracer flow (ITRC-SIM) which is incorporated in the STARS and developed at Institute For Energy (IFE) is used for the tracer simulation. Water cut and tracer concentration data are used in history matching of the field. History matching is performed by changing the transmissibility and permeability of different layers; also the effect of changing saturations near the well bore on history matching is examined. It is noted that water cut is sensitive to transmissibility of the layers and the saturation around the well bore. Tracers are found to be moving in the most permeable layers. The corresponding history matching of water and tracer production shows a severe loss of first tracer injected because of imbibition process. Water phase velocity and areal communication between different wells are determined. Advance numerical features of tracer module ITRC-SIM such as flux limiting scheme and grid refinement scheme are evaluated and are found to be an important tool for reducing the numerical smearing. The effects of dispersion and diffusion on tracer response curve are also evaluated. Dispersion makes the tracer concentration curve smeared. Simulation results of water cut and tracer concentration show a good history match for this reservoir. The improved simulation model and the tracer module for this reservoir can be used for the prediction of future performance of the reservoir and interpretation of the tracer behaviour in the reservoir. (author)

  4. Flow visualization in superfluid helium-4 using He2 molecular tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Wei

    Flow visualization in superfluid helium is challenging, yet crucial for attaining a detailed understanding of quantum turbulence. Two problems have impeded progress: finding and introducing suitable tracers that are small yet visible; and unambiguous interpretation of the tracer motion. We show that metastable He2 triplet molecules are outstanding tracers compared with other particles used in helium. These molecular tracers have small size and relatively simple behavior in superfluid helium: they follow the normal fluid motion at above 1 K and will bind to quantized vortex lines below about 0.6 K. A laser-induced fluorescence technique has been developed for imaging the He2 tracers. We will present our recent experimental work on studying the normal-fluid motion by tracking thin lines of He2 tracers created via femtosecond laser-field ionization in helium. We will also discuss a newly launched experiment on visualizing vortex lines in a magnetically levitated superfluid helium drop by imaging the He2 tracers trapped on the vortex cores. This experiment will enable unprecedented insight into the behavior of a rotating superfluid drop and will untangle several key issues in quantum turbulence research. We acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-1507386 and the US Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG02 96ER40952.

  5. Minimizing Patient-Specific Tracer Dose in Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Using CZT SPECT

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, Joris David; Jager, Pieter L.; Ottervanger, Jan Paul; Slump, Cornelis H.; de Boer, Jaep; Oostdijk, Adrianus H.J.; van Dalen, Jorn A.

    Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with SPECT is widely adopted in clinical practice but is associated with a relatively high radiation dose. The aim of this study was to determine the minimum product of tracer dose and scan time that will maintain diagnostic value for cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)

  6. Predictions of PuO2 and tracer compound release from ISV melts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cronenberg, A.W.; Callow, R.A.

    1992-04-01

    Two field tests were conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to assess in situ vitrification (ISV) suitability for long-term stabilization of buried radioactive waste. Both tests contained rare-earth oxide tracers (DY 2 O 3 , Yb 2 O 3 , and Tb 4 O 7 ) to simulate the presence of plutonium in the form of PuO 2 . In the first test, Intermediate Field Test (IFT)-l, approximately 4-% release of tracer material occurred during soil melting and associated off-gassing, while essentially nil release was observed for the second experiment (IFT-2) for which off-gassing was much reduced. This report presents an evaluation of the IFT test data in terms of governing release processes. Prediction of tracer release during ISV melting centered on an assessment of three potential transport mechanisms, (a) tracer diffusion through stagnant pool, (b) tracer transport by convective currents, and (c) tracer carry-off by escaping gas bubbles. Analysis indicates that tracer release by escaping gas is the dominant release mechanism, which is consistent with video records of gas bubble escape from the ISV melt surface. Quantitative mass transport predictions were also made for the IFT-I test conditions, indicating similarity between the 4-% release data and calculational results at viscosities of ∼ poise and tracer diffusivities of ∼10 -6 CM 2 /s. Since PuO 2 has similar chemical and transport (diffusivity) properties as the rare-earth tracers used in the rare earth tracers used in the IFT experiments, release of PuO 2 is predicted for similar off-gassing conditions. Reduced off-gassing during ISV would thus be expected to improve the overall retention of heavy-oxides within vitrified soil

  7. Development of Models to Simulate Tracer Tests for Characterization of Enhanced Geothermal Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Williams, Mark D.; Reimus, Paul; Vermeul, Vincent R.; Rose, Peter; Dean, Cynthia A.; Watson, Tom B.; Newell, D.; Leecaster, Kevin; Brauser, Eric

    2013-05-01

    A recent report found that power and heat produced from enhanced (or engineered) geothermal systems (EGSs) could have a major impact on the U.S energy production capability while having a minimal impact on the environment. EGS resources differ from high-grade hydrothermal resources in that they lack sufficient temperature distribution, permeability/porosity, fluid saturation, or recharge of reservoir fluids. Therefore, quantitative characterization of temperature distributions and the surface area available for heat transfer in EGS is necessary for the design and commercial development of the geothermal energy of a potential EGS site. The goal of this project is to provide integrated tracer and tracer interpretation tools to facilitate this characterization. This project was initially focused on tracer development with the application of perfluorinated tracer (PFT) compounds, non-reactive tracers used in numerous applications from atmospheric transport to underground leak detection, to geothermal systems, and evaluation of encapsulated PFTs that would release tracers at targeted reservoir temperatures. After the 2011 midyear review and subsequent discussions with the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technology Program (GTP), emphasis was shifted to interpretive tool development, testing, and validation. Subsurface modeling capabilities are an important component of this project for both the design of suitable tracers and the interpretation of data from in situ tracer tests, be they single- or multi-well tests. The purpose of this report is to describe the results of the tracer and model development for simulating and conducting tracer tests for characterizing EGS parameters.

  8. Hydraulic characterisation of karst systems with man-made tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Werner, A.

    1998-01-01

    Tracer experiments using man-made tracers are common in hydrogeological exploration of groundwater aquifers in karst systems. In the present investigation, a convection-dispersion model (multidispersion model with consideration of several flow paths) and a single-cleft model (consideration of the diffusion between the cleft and the surrounding rock matrix) were used for evaluating tracer experiments in the main hydrological system of the saturated zone of karst systems. In addition to these extended analytical solutions, a numerical transport model was developed for investigating the influence of the transient flow rate on the flow and transport parameters. Comparative evaluations of the model approaches for the evaluation of tracer experiments were made in four different karst systems: Danube-Aach, Paderborn, Slowenia and Lurbach, of which the Danube-Aach system was considered as the most important. The investigation also comprised three supplementary experiments in order to enable a complete hydraulic characterisation of the system. (orig./SR) [de

  9. Predictive value of tracer studies for 131I treatment in hyperthyroid cats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broome, M.R.; Turrel, J.M.; Hays, M.T.

    1988-01-01

    In 76 cats with hyperthyroidism, peak thyroidal radioiodine ( 131 I) uptakes and effective half-lives were determined after administration of tracer and therapeutic activities of 131 I. In 6 additional hyperthyroid cats, only peak thyroidal uptakes after administration of tracer and therapeutic activities of 131 I were determined. Good correlation was found between peak thyroidal uptakes of tracer and therapeutic 131 I; however, only fair correlation was observed between effective half-lives. In 79% of the cats, the effective half-life for therapeutic 131 I was longer than that for tracer 131 I. After administration of therapeutic activity of 131 I, monoexponential and biphasic decay curves were observed in 51 and 16 cats, respectively. Using therapeutic kinetic data, radiation doses to the thyroid gland were calculated retrospectively on the basis of 2 methods for determining the activity of 131 I administered: (1) actual administration of tracer-compensated activity and (2) hypothetic administration of uniform activity (3 mCi). Because of the good predictive ability of tracer kinetic data for the therapeutic kinetic data, the tracer-compensated radiation doses came significantly (P = 0.008) closer to the therapeutic goal than did the uniform-activity doses. In addition, the use of tracer kinetic information reduced the extent of the tendency for consistently high uniform-activity doses. A manual method for acquiring tracer kinetic data was developed and was an acceptable alternative to computerized techniques. Adoption of this method gives individuals and institutions with limited finances the opportunity to characterize the iodine kinetics in cats before proceeding with administration of therapeutic activities of 131 I

  10. Fluorescence guided surgery and tracer-dose, fact or fiction?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KleinJan, Gijs H.; Olmos, Renato A.V.; Bunschoten, Anton; Berg, Nynke S. van den; Klop, W.M.C.; Horenblas, Simon; Poel, Henk G. van der; Wester, Hans-Juergen; Leeuwen, Fijs W.B. van

    2016-01-01

    Fluorescence guidance is an upcoming methodology to improve surgical accuracy. Challenging herein is the identification of the minimum dose at which the tracer can be detected with a clinical-grade fluorescence camera. Using a hybrid tracer such as indocyanine green (ICG)- 99m Tc-nanocolloid, it has become possible to determine the accumulation of tracer and correlate this to intraoperative fluorescence-based identification rates. In the current study, we determined the lower detection limit of tracer at which intraoperative fluorescence guidance was still feasible. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) provided a laboratory set-up to analyze the chemical content and to simulate the migratory behavior of ICG-nanocolloid in tissue. Tracer accumulation and intraoperative fluorescence detection findings were derived from a retrospective analysis of 20 head-and-neck melanoma patients, 40 penile and 20 prostate cancer patients scheduled for sentinel node (SN) biopsy using ICG- 99m Tc-nanocolloid. In these patients, following tracer injection, single photon emission computed tomography fused with computed tomography (SPECT/CT) was used to identify the SN(s). The percentage injected dose (% ID), the amount of ICG (in nmol), and the concentration of ICG in the SNs (in μM) was assessed for SNs detected on SPECT/CT and correlated with the intraoperative fluorescence imaging findings. SEC determined that in the hybrid tracer formulation, 41 % (standard deviation: 12 %) of ICG was present in nanocolloid-bound form. In the SNs detected using fluorescence guidance a median of 0.88 % ID was present, compared to a median of 0.25 % ID in the non-fluorescent SNs (p-value < 0.001). The % ID values could be correlated to the amount ICG in a SN (range: 0.003-10.8 nmol) and the concentration of ICG in a SN (range: 0.006-64.6 μM). The ability to provide intraoperative fluorescence guidance is dependent on the amount and concentration of the fluorescent dye accumulated in the lesion(s) of

  11. Deuterium used as artificial tracer in column studies under saturated water flow conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koeniger, P.; Geiges, M.; Leibundgut, Ch.

    2003-04-01

    In contrast to numerous investigations using deuterium as an environmental tracer, hydrological investigations with deuterium-labelled water are rather rare. Currently applications in groundwater studies are restricted due to increasing costs of spiking large water quantities but an application as intelligent tracer might be of advantage especially in combination with other tracers and under distinct environmental conditions. Therefore deuterium was applied as artificial tracer in column experiments that are well proved as a tool to characterise tracer behaviour in recent studies. Deuterium was tested in comparison to the more familiar conservative tracer fluorescein. Varying experimental conditions, e.g. column length (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 m), initial tracer concentration (0.01, 0.02, 0.2 mg) and flow velocity (1.5 to 6.0 m/d) were used to investigate tracer behaviour under saturated water flow conditions. Deuterium was analysed using an H/Device with chrome reduction connected to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer and expressed in relative concentrations [per mill V-SMOW]. Theoretical tracer breakthrough curves were calculated using a one dimensional dispersion model. The results indicate higher mean transport velocities and smaller dispersion for deuterium in all experiments. Due to different molecule properties that also determine the interaction of soil substrate and tracer, deuterium indicates a more conservative transport behaviour. Deuterium is non-toxic, completely soluble, chemically and biologically stable and not subject to light-influenced decay. Furthermore, it shows promise for investigations of water flow in the unsaturated zone, and of interactions of water in soil-plant-atmosphere systems. A further discussion of problems, together with possibilities for applying deuterium as an artificial tracer, will be presented.

  12. Stable isotope tracers and exercise physiology: past, present and future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, Daniel J; Brook, Matthew S; Smith, Kenneth; Atherton, Philip J

    2017-05-01

    Stable isotope tracers have been invaluable assets in physiological research for over 80 years. The application of substrate-specific stable isotope tracers has permitted exquisite insight into amino acid, fatty-acid and carbohydrate metabolic regulation (i.e. incorporation, flux, and oxidation, in a tissue-specific and whole-body fashion) in health, disease and response to acute and chronic exercise. Yet, despite many breakthroughs, there are limitations to 'substrate-specific' stable isotope tracers, which limit physiological insight, e.g. the need for intravenous infusions and restriction to short-term studies (hours) in controlled laboratory settings. In recent years significant interest has developed in alternative stable isotope tracer techniques that overcome these limitations, in particular deuterium oxide (D 2 O or heavy water). The unique properties of this tracer mean that through oral administration, the turnover and flux through a number of different substrates (muscle proteins, lipids, glucose, DNA (satellite cells)) can be monitored simultaneously and flexibly (hours/weeks/months) without the need for restrictive experimental control. This makes it uniquely suited for the study of 'real world' human exercise physiology (amongst many other applications). Moreover, using D 2 O permits evaluation of turnover of plasma and muscle proteins (e.g. dynamic proteomics) in addition to metabolomics (e.g. fluxomics) to seek molecular underpinnings, e.g. of exercise adaptation. Here, we provide insight into the role of stable isotope tracers, from substrate-specific to novel D 2 O approaches, in facilitating our understanding of metabolism. Further novel potential applications of stable isotope tracers are also discussed in the context of integration with the snowballing field of 'omic' technologies. © 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

  13. Realisation of microstrip junction circulator using LTCC technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Thomas; Krozer, V; Kjærgaard, Claus

    2011-01-01

    An integrated circulator based on low-temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) tapes and LTCC compatible ferrite tapes has been developed for the first time and its performance has been verified experimentally. The insertion loss is less than 2 dB and the isolation is better than 25 dB with a centre f...... frequency of 7.45 GHz. These results are in good agreement with simulations and offer a route towards integrated LTCC microwave circulators.......An integrated circulator based on low-temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) tapes and LTCC compatible ferrite tapes has been developed for the first time and its performance has been verified experimentally. The insertion loss is less than 2 dB and the isolation is better than 25 dB with a centre...

  14. Atmospheric Gas Tracers in Groundwater: Theory, Sampling. Measurement and Interpretation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayari, C.S.

    2002-01-01

    Some of the atmospheric gasses posses features that are sought in an environmental tracer of hydrogeologic interest. Among these, chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur hegzafluoride, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, krypton-85 etc. have found increasing use in groundwater age dating studies during the last ten years. This paper explains the theory of their use as tracer and discusses the major concerns as related to their sampling and analyses. Factors affecting their applicability and the approach to interpret tracer gas data is briefly outlined

  15. First preclinical evaluation of mono-[123I]iodohypericin as a necrosis-avid tracer agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ni, Yicheng; Chen, Feng; Marchal, Guy; Huyghe, Dieter; Verbeke, Kristin; Verbruggen, Alfons M.; Bormans, Guy M.; Witte, Peter A. de; Nuyts, Johan; Mortelmans, Luc

    2006-01-01

    We have labelled hypericin, a polyphenolic polycyclic quinone found in St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), with 123 I and evaluated mono-[ 123 I]iodohypericin (MIH) as a potential necrosis-avid diagnostic tracer agent. MIH was prepared by an electrophilic radioiodination method. The new tracer agent was evaluated in animal models of liver infarction in the rat and heart infarction in the rabbit using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) histochemical staining, serial sectional autoradiography and microscopy, and radioactivity counting techniques. Using in vivo SPECT imaging, hepatic and cardiac infarctions were persistently visualised as well-defined hot spots over 48 h. Preferential uptake of the tracer agent in necrotic tissue was confirmed by perfect match of images from post-mortem TTC staining, autoradiography (ARX) and histology. Radioactivity concentration in infarcted tissues was over 10 times (liver; 3.51% ID/g in necrotic tissue vs 0.38% ID/g in normal tissue at 60 h p.i.) and over 6 times (myocardium; 0.36% ID/g in necrotic tissue vs 0.054% ID/g in normal tissue; ratios up to 18 for selected parts on ARX images) higher than in normal tissues. The results suggest that hypericin derivatives may serve as powerful necrosis-avid diagnostic agents for assessment of tissue viability. (orig.)

  16. Sistem Pre Kompilasi Data Tracer Studi Online Ditjen Belmawa Ristekdikti (Studi Kasus: Politeknik Harapan Bersama

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Very Kurnia Bakti

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Tracer studi merupakan salah satu upaya yang diharapkan dapat menyediakan informasi untuk mengevaluasi hasil pendidikan di Politeknik Harapan Bersama dari kuisioner yang diberikan kepada alumni. Kegiatan tracer studi ini sudah dilaksanakan secara online, namun masih terdapat kendala pada bagian sistem yang digunakan saat ini, hal tersebut menyebabkan Politeknik Harapan Bersama tidak dapat melaporkan / mengunggah hasil tracer studi kepada Ditjen Belmawa Ristekdikti, dimana form kuisioner dan data export tracer studi yang dihasilkan berbeda dengan kebutuhan seperti yang tercantum pada surat edaran No. 313/B/SE/2016 tentang pelaksanaan tracer studi di tingkat perguruan tinggi. Mengingat pentingnya tracer studi sebagai umpan balik bagi Politeknik Harapan Bersama, maka perlu solusi untuk mengatasi kekurangan sistem ini. Dengan merubah sistem yang ada dengan sistem tracer studi yang baru merupakan solusi yang tepat dalam permasalahan ini. Sistem tracer studi yang baru mampu menghasilkan data tracer studi alumni dan pengisian form kuisioner sesuai dengan standar Ditjen Belmawa Ristekdikti yang dapat diunggah sistem tracer studi ristekdikti.

  17. General circulation model study of atmospheric carbon monoxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinto, J.P.; Yung, Y.L.; Rind, D.; Russell, G.L.; Lerner, J.A.; Hansen, J.E.; Hameed, S.

    1983-01-01

    The carbon monoxide cycle is studied by incorporating the known and hypothetical sources and sinks in a tracer model that uses the winds generated by a general circulation model. Photochemical production and loss terms, which depend on OH radical concentrations, are calculated in an interactive fashion. The computed global distribution and seasonal variations of CO are compared with observations to obtain constraints on the distribution and magnitude of the sources and sinks of CO, and on the tropospheric abundance of OH. The simplest model that accounts for available observations requires a low latitude plant source of about 1.3 x 10 15 g yr -1 , in addition to sources from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and oxidation of methane. The globally averaged OH concentration calculated in the model is 7 x 10 5 cm -3 . Models that calculate globally averaged OH concentrations much lower than our nominal value are not consistent with the observed variability of CO. Such models are also inconsistent with measurements of CO isotopic abundances, which imply the existence of plant sources

  18. IMAGE Project: Results of Laboratory Tests on Tracers for Supercritical Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandvoll, Øyvind; Opsahl Viig, Sissel; Nardini, Isabella; Muller, Jiri

    2016-04-01

    The use of tracers is a well-established technique for monitoring dynamic behaviour of water and gas through a reservoir. In geothermal reservoirs special challenges are encountered due to high temperatures and pressures. In this work, tracer candidates for monitoring water at supercritical conditions (temperature > 374°C, pressure ca 218 bar), are tested in laboratory experiments. Testing of tracers at supercritical water conditions requires experimental set-ups which tolerate harsh conditions with respect to high temperature and pressure. In addition stringent HES (health, environment and safety) factors have to be taken into consideration when designing and performing the experiments. The setup constructed in this project consists of a pressure vessel, high pressure pump, instrumentation for pressure and temperature control and instrumentation required for accurate sampling of tracers. In order to achieve accurate results, a special focus has been paid to the development of the tracer sampling technique. Perfluorinated cyclic hydrocarbons (PFCs) have been selected as tracer candidates. This group of compounds is today commonly used as gas tracers in oil reservoirs. According to the literature they are stable at temperatures up to 400°C. To start with, five PFCs have been tested for thermal stability in static experiments at 375°C and 108 bar in the experimental setup described above. The tracer candidates will be further tested for several months at the relevant conditions. Preliminary results indicate that some of the PFC compounds show stability after three months. However, in order to arrive at conclusive results, the experiments have to be repeated over a longer period and paying special attention to more accurate sampling procedures.

  19. Revisiting the circulation time of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes: molecular detection methods to estimate the duration of gametocyte carriage and the effect of gametocytocidal drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sawa Patrick

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There is renewed acknowledgement that targeting gametocytes is essential for malaria control and elimination efforts. Simple mathematical models were fitted to data from clinical trials in order to determine the mean gametocyte circulation time and duration of gametocyte carriage in treated malaria patients. Methods Data were used from clinical trials from East Africa. The first trial compared non-artemisinin combination therapy (non-ACT: sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP plus amodiaquine and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT: SP plus artesunate (AS or artemether-lumefantrine. The second trial compared ACT (SP+AS with ACT in combination with a single dose of primaquine (ACT-PQ: SP+AS+PQ. Mature gametocytes were quantified in peripheral blood samples by nucleic acid sequence based amplification. A simple deterministic compartmental model was fitted to gametocyte densities to estimate the circulation time per gametocyte; a similar model was fitted to gametocyte prevalences to estimate the duration of gametocyte carriage after efficacious treatment. Results The mean circulation time of gametocytes was 4.6-6.5 days. After non-ACT treatment, patients were estimated to carry gametocytes for an average of 55 days (95% CI 28.7 - 107.7. ACT reduced the duration of gametocyte carriage fourfold to 13.4 days (95% CI 10.2-17.5. Addition of PQ to ACT resulted in a further fourfold reduction of the duration of gametocyte carriage. Conclusions These findings confirm previous estimates of the circulation time of gametocytes, but indicate a much longer duration of (low density gametocyte carriage after apparently successful clearance of asexual parasites. ACT shortened the period of gametocyte carriage considerably, and had the most pronounced effect on mature gametocytes when combined with PQ.

  20. Study of solid and liquid behavior in large copper flotation cells (130 m2) using radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz, F.; Jimenez, O.; Yianatos, J.; Contreras, F.

    2013-01-01

    The behavior of the solid and liquid phases, in large flotation cells, was characterized by means of the radioactive tracer technique. The use of radioactive tracers enabled the identification of the Residence Time Distribution, of floatable and non-floatable solid, from continuous (on-line) measuring at the output streams of the flotation cells. For this study, the proper radioactive tracers were selected and applied in order to characterize the different phases; i.e. for liquid phase Br-82 as Ammonium Bromide, for floatable solid recovered in the concentrate Cu-64, and for non-floatable solid in three particle size classes (coarse: >150 μm, intermediate: 45 μm, and fine: <45 μm), Na-24. The experimental results confirmed the strong effect of particle size on the Residence Time Distribution, and mean residence time of solids in larger flotation cells, and consequently in flotation hydrodynamics. From a hydrodynamic point of view, the experimental data confirmed that a single mechanical flotation cells, of large size, can deviate significantly from perfect mixing. The experimental work was developed in a 130 m3 industrial flotation cell of the rougher circuit at El Teniente Division, Codelco-Chile. (authors)

  1. Enhanced conjugation stability and blood circulation time of macromolecular gadolinium-DTPA contrast agent

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jenjob, Ratchapol [Department of New Drug Development, School of Medicine, Inha University, 2F A-dong, Jeongseok Bldg., Sinheung-dong 3-ga, Jung-gu, Incheon 400-712 (Korea, Republic of); Kun, Na [Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 420-743 (Korea, Republic of); Ghee, Jung Yeon [Utah-Inha DDS and Advanced Therapeutics, B-403 Meet-You-All Tower, SongdoTechnopark, 7–50, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 406-840 (Korea, Republic of); Shen, Zheyu; Wu, Xiaoxia [Division of Functional Materials and Nano-Devices, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering (NIMTE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, 519 Zhuangshi Street, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201 (China); Cho, Steve K., E-mail: scho@gist.ac.kr [Division of Liberal Arts and Science, GIST College, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Don Haeng [Utah-Inha DDS and Advanced Therapeutics, B-403 Meet-You-All Tower, SongdoTechnopark, 7–50, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 406-840 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Incheon 420-751 (Korea, Republic of); Yang, Su-Geun, E-mail: Sugeun.Yang@Inha.ac.kr [Department of New Drug Development, School of Medicine, Inha University, 2F A-dong, Jeongseok Bldg., Sinheung-dong 3-ga, Jung-gu, Incheon 400-712 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-04-01

    In this study, we prepared macromolecular MR T1 contrast agent: pullulan-conjugated Gd diethylene triamine pentaacetate (Gd-DTPA-Pullulan) and estimated residual free Gd{sup 3+}, chelation stability in competition with metal ions, plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics, and abdominal MR contrast on rats. Residual free Gd{sup 3+} in Gd-DTPA-Pullulan was measured using colorimetric spectroscopy. The transmetalation of Gd{sup 3+} incubated with Ca{sup 2+} was performed by using a dialysis membrane (MWCO 100–500 Da) and investigated by ICP-OES. The plasma concentration profiles of Gd-DTPA-Pullulan were estimated after intravenous injection at a dose 0.1 mmol/kg of Gd. The coronal-plane abdominal images of normal rats were observed by MR imaging. The content of free Gd{sup 3+}, the toxic residual form, was less than 0.01%. Chelation stability of Gd-DTPA-Pullulan was estimated, and only 0.2% and 0.00045% of Gd{sup 3+} were released from Gd-DTPA-Pullulan after 2 h incubation with Ca{sup 2+} and Fe{sup 2+}, respectively. Gd-DTPA-Pullulan displayed the extended plasma half-life (t{sub 1/2,α} = 0.43 h, t{sub 1/2,β} = 2.32 h), much longer than 0.11 h and 0.79 h of Gd-EOB-DTPA. Abdominal MR imaging showed Gd-DTPA-Pullulan maintained initial MR contrast for 30 min. The extended plasma half-life of Gd-DTPA-Pullulan probably allows the prolonged MR acquisition time in clinic with enhanced MR contrast. - Highlights: • Macromolecule (pullulan) conjugated Gd contrast agent (Gd-DTPA-Pullulan) showed the extended plasma half-life (t{sub 1/2,α} = 0.43 h, t{sub 1/2,β} = 2.32 h) in comparison with Gd-EOB-DTPA • Gd-DTPA-pullulan T1 contrast agent exhibited strong chelation stability against Gd. • The extended blood circulation attributed the enhanced and prolonged MR contrast on abdominal region of rats. • The extended blood circulation may provide prolonged MR acquisition time window in clinics.

  2. The use of bromine as a tracer for studying infiltrations in mining processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz, F; Andonie, O; Rojas, X

    2003-01-01

    The impact of mining activity on underground water is becoming increasingly important because of the scarcity of the resource and due to the different use if there is water under the mining. Once the resource is affected the source of infiltration should be identified in all the processes and systems that are involved in the production system in order to take the appropriate preventive or remedial measures, which should also be the most efficient ones. Tracers play an important role in studying infiltration from mining processes to underground bodies of water. Natural chemical and isotopic tracers can identify the hydrogeological setting and help to establish supported hypotheses about the possible origin of the infiltrations. After the different ideas about the processes or systems that could be infiltrated are presented, the application of additional artificial tracers can resolve any doubts This work presents the use of bromine as a tracer for such studies, because of its specific characteristics as a good tracer in water with low interaction in porous surroundings, generally, and its determination by Neutron Activation Analyzers (NAA) due to its low limits of detection and the technique's precision and accuracy for use at reasonable costs. Given that for this type of study a large number of samples are necessary and that it should be carried out in a time period that does not surpass the duration of the process (a few months), a change had to be made in the methodology usually used for the NAA, which included taking a fraction of significantly less sample while meeting the power requirements for differentiating small changes in concentrations between samples. With this modification a larger number of samples can be irradiated in available positions for these purposes in the RECH-1 and the requirements for the number of samples and response time can be met. After the practical performance of this modification, a comparison between both methodologies was carried

  3. Methods and systems using encapsulated tracers and chemicals for reservoir interrogation and manipulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Jeffery; Aines, Roger D; Duoss, Eric B; Spadaccini, Christopher M

    2014-11-04

    An apparatus, method, and system of reservoir interrogation. A tracer is encapsulating in a receptacle. The receptacle containing the tracer is injected into the reservoir. The tracer is analyzed for reservoir interrogation.

  4. Impacts of Siberian biomass burning on organic aerosols over the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic: primary and secondary organic tracers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Xiang; Wang, Xinming; Xie, Zhouqing; Zhang, Zhou; Sun, Liguang

    2013-04-02

    During the 2003 Chinese Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE2003) from the Bohai Sea to the high Arctic (37°N-80°N), filter-based particle samples were collected and analyzed for tracers of primary and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) as well as water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC). Biomass burning (BB) tracer levoglucosan had comparatively much higher summertime average levels (476 ± 367 pg/m(3)) during our cruise due to the influence of intense forest fires then in Siberia. On the basis of 5-day back trajectories, samples with air masses passing through Siberia had organic tracers 1.3-4.4 times of those with air masses transporting only over the oceans, suggesting substantial contribution of continental emissions to organic aerosols in the marine atmosphere. SOA tracers from anthropogenic aromatics were negligible or not detected, while those from biogenic terpenenoids were ubiquitously observed with the sum of SOA tracers from isoprene (623 ± 414 pg/m(3)) 1 order of magnitude higher than that from monoterpenes (63 ± 49 pg/m(3)). 2-Methylglyceric acid as a product of isoprene oxidation under high-NOx conditions was dominant among SOA tracers, implying that these BSOA tracers were not formed over the oceans but mainly transported from the adjacent Siberia where a high-NOx environment could be induced by intense forest fires. The carbon fractions shared by biogenic SOA tracers and levoglucosan in WSOC in our ocean samples were 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than those previously reported in continental samples, BB emissions or chamber simulation samples, largely due to the chemical evolution of organic tracers during transport. As a result of the much faster decline in levels of organic tracers than that of WSOC during transport, the trace-based approach, which could well reconstruct WSOC using biogenic SOA and BB tracers for continental samples, only explained ∼4% of measured WSOC during our expedition if the same tracer-WSOC or tracer-SOC relationships were

  5. Sentinel site-enhanced near-real time surveillance documenting West Nile virus circulation in two Culex mosquito species indicating different transmission characteristics, Djibouti City, Djibouti.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faulde, Michael K; Spiesberger, Michael; Abbas, Babiker

    2012-08-01

    The Horn of Africa represents a region formerly known to be highly susceptible to mosquito-borne infectious diseases. In order to investigate whether autochthonous WNV transmission occurs in the Djibouti City area, in how far, and which of, the endemic Culex mosquito species are involved in WNV circulation activity,and whether sentinel site-enhanced near-real time surveillance (SSE-NRTS) may increase WNV detection sensitivity, mosquito vector monitoring was conducted from January 2010 to June 2012. Six monitoring locations, including two identified sentinel sites, considered most probable for potential anthroponotic and zoonotic virus circulation activity, have been continuously employed. Among the 20431 mosquitoes collected, 19069 (93.4%) were Cx. quinquefasciatus, and 1345 (6.6%) Cx. pipiens ssp. torridus. WNV lineage 2 circulation activity was detected between December 20th, 2010 and January 7th, 2011. Overall, 19 WNV RNA-positive mosquito pools were detected. Generally, urban environment-specific WNV-RNA circulation took place in Cx. pipiens ssp. torridus, whereas periurban and rural area-linked circulation was detected only in Cx. quinquefasciatus. Serological investigation data from 10 volunteers employed at the dislocated zoonotic WNV transmission sentinel site suggest that six persons (60%) had an acute, or recent, WNV infection. Results show that WNV should be considered endemic for Djibouti and sentinel site-enhanced near-real time surveillance is an elegant and highly effective epidemiological tool. In Djibouti, the endemicity level, public health impact and transmission modes of vector-borne diseases in concordance with locally optimized monitoring and control regimen deserve further investigation.

  6. On-line measurements of liquid carry-over from scrubbers using radioactive tracers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haugan, A; Hassfjell, S [Institute for Energy Technology, Kjeller (Norway); Finborud, A [Mator, Porsgrunn (Norway)

    2004-07-01

    A method to measure liquid carry-over from scrubbers using gamma-emitting tracers is described and results from field tests at two onshore installations are presented. One water/1,2-ethanediol (MEG) and two hydrocarbon liquid (condensate) tracers have been used in the tests. One of the condensate tracers deposited to some extent inside the process pipe, while the other had a too high vapor pressure. The water/MEG tracer showed no MEG carry-over while the carry-over of MEG was documented to be considerable. (author)

  7. On-line measurements of liquid carry-over from scrubbers using radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haugan, A.; Hassfjell, S.; Finborud, A.

    2004-01-01

    A method to measure liquid carry-over from scrubbers using gamma-emitting tracers is described and results from field tests at two onshore installations are presented. One water/1,2-ethanediol (MEG) and two hydrocarbon liquid (condensate) tracers have been used in the tests. One of the condensate tracers deposited to some extent inside the process pipe, while the other had a too high vapor pressure. The water/MEG tracer showed no MEG carry-over while the carry-over of MEG was documented to be considerable. (author)

  8. Multi-Scale Thermal Heat Tracer Tests for Characterizing Transport Processes and Flow Channelling in Fractured Media: Theory and Field Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    de La Bernardie, J.; Klepikova, M.; Bour, O.; Le Borgne, T.; Dentz, M.; Guihéneuf, N.; Gerard, M. F.; Lavenant, N.

    2017-12-01

    The characterization of flow and transport in fractured media is particularly challenging because hydraulic conductivity and transport properties are often strongly dependent on the geometric structure of the fracture surfaces. Here we show how thermal tracer tests may be an excellent complement to conservative solute tracer tests to infer fracture geometry and flow channeling. We performed a series of thermal tracer tests at different scales in a crystalline rock aquifer at the experimental site of Ploemeur (H+ observatory network). The first type of thermal tracer tests are push-pull tracer tests at different scales. The temporal and spatial scaling of heat recovery, measured from thermal breakthrough curves, shows a clear signature of flow channeling. In particular, the late time tailing of heat recovery under channeled flow is shown to diverge from the T(t) α t-1,5 behavior expected for the classical parallel plate model and follow the scaling T(t) α 1/t(logt)2 for a simple channel modeled as a tube. Flow channeling is also manifested on the spatial scaling of heat recovery as flow channeling affects the decay of the thermal breakthrough peak amplitude and the increase of the peak time with scale. The second type of thermal tracer tests are flow-through tracer tests where a pulse of hot water was injected in a fracture isolated by a double straddle packer while pumping at the same flow rate in another fracture at a distance of about 10 meters to create a dipole flow field. Comparison with a solute tracer test performed under the same conditions also present a clear signature of flow channeling. We derive analytical expressions for the retardation and decay of the thermal breakthrough peak amplitude for different fracture geometries and show that the observed differences between thermal and solute breakthrough can be explained only by channelized flow. These results suggest that heat transport is much more sensitive to fracture heterogeneity and flow

  9. Use of tracers to quantify subsurface flow through a mining pit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schladow, S Geoffrey; Clark, Jordan F

    2008-12-01

    Three independent tracer experiments were conducted to quantify the through-flow of water from Herman Pit, an abandoned mercury (Hg) mine pit adjacent to Clear Lake, California, USA. The tracers used were Rhodamine-WT, sulfur hexafluoride, and a mixture of sulfur hexafluoride and neon-22. The tracers were injected into Herman Pit, a generally well-mixed water body of approximately 81,000 m2, and the concentrations were monitored in the mine pit, observation wells, and the lake for 2-3 months following each injection. The results for all three experiments showed that the tracer arrived at certain observation wells within days of injection. Comparing all the well data showed a highly heterogeneous response, with a small number of wells showing this near-instantaneous response and others taking months before the tracer was detectable. Tracer was also found in the lake on four occasions over a one-month period, too few to infer any pattern but sufficient to confirm the connection of the two water bodies. Using a simple mass balance model it was possible to determine the effective loss rate through advection for each of the tracers and with this to estimate the through-flow rate. The through-flow rate for all three experiments was approximately 630 L/s, at least 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than previous estimates, all of which had been based on geochemical inferences or other indirect measures of the pit through-flow.

  10. Double-tracer autoradiographic study of protein synthesis and glucose consumption in rats with focal cerebral ischemia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Thomas; Balchen, T; Bruhn, T

    1999-01-01

    A double-tracer autoradiographic method for simultaneous measurement of regional glucose utilization (rCMRglc) and regional protein synthesis (PS) in consecutive brain sections is described and applied to study the metabolism of the ischemic penumbra 2 h after occlusion of the middle cerebral...... artery (MCAO) in rats. In halothane anesthesia, the left middle cerebral artery was permanently occluded. Two hours after MCAO an i.v. bolus injection of 14C-deoxyglucose and 3H-leucine was given and circulated for 45 min. Two sets of brain sections were processed for quantitative autoradiography....... Neighboring brain sections exposed an X-ray film (3H-insensitive), and a 3H-sensitive for determination of rCMRglc and PS, respectively. Sections for PS determination were washed in trichloroacetic acid (TCA) prior to film exposure in order to remove 14C-deoxyglucose and unincorporated 3H-leucine. Regional...

  11. Circulatory shear flow alters the viability and proliferation of circulating colon cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Rong; Emery, Travis; Zhang, Yongguo; Xia, Yuxuan; Sun, Jun; Wan, Jiandi

    2016-06-01

    During cancer metastasis, circulating tumor cells constantly experience hemodynamic shear stress in the circulation. Cellular responses to shear stress including cell viability and proliferation thus play critical roles in cancer metastasis. Here, we developed a microfluidic approach to establish a circulatory microenvironment and studied circulating human colon cancer HCT116 cells in response to a variety of magnitude of shear stress and circulating time. Our results showed that cell viability decreased with the increase of circulating time, but increased with the magnitude of wall shear stress. Proliferation of cells survived from circulation could be maintained when physiologically relevant wall shear stresses were applied. High wall shear stress (60.5 dyne/cm2), however, led to decreased cell proliferation at long circulating time (1 h). We further showed that the expression levels of β-catenin and c-myc, proliferation regulators, were significantly enhanced by increasing wall shear stress. The presented study provides a new insight to the roles of circulatory shear stress in cellular responses of circulating tumor cells in a physiologically relevant model, and thus will be of interest for the study of cancer cell mechanosensing and cancer metastasis.

  12. Behaviors of sea water studied with chemical transient tracers. Lecture by the member awarded the Okada prize of the Oceanographic Society of Japan for 1996

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Y.W.

    1997-01-01

    Chemical tracers are useful tools for clarifying the behaviors of sea water in the ocean. The present article reviews my works concerning chemical tracers. Based on my chemical tracers data, it was concluded that the turnover time of the Japan Sea deep water and the residence time of water within the Japan Sea were about 100 years and 1000 years, respectively, and that the exchange coefficient of CO 2 in the Japan Sea was smaller than that in the North Pacific. Furthermore, chemical tracers and carbonate species data set in the North Pacific suggested that the production rate of intermediate water in the North Pacific was about 24 Sv and that the North Pacific subpolar region was an important sink of CO 2 released from human activities after the industrial era. (author)

  13. Behaviors of sea water studied with chemical transient tracers. Lecture by the member awarded the Okada prize of the Oceanographic Society of Japan for 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watanabe, Y.W. [National Inst. for Resources and Environment, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

    1997-02-01

    Chemical tracers are useful tools for clarifying the behaviors of sea water in the ocean. The present article reviews my works concerning chemical tracers. Based on my chemical tracers data, it was concluded that the turnover time of the Japan Sea deep water and the residence time of water within the Japan Sea were about 100 years and 1000 years, respectively, and that the exchange coefficient of CO{sub 2} in the Japan Sea was smaller than that in the North Pacific. Furthermore, chemical tracers and carbonate species data set in the North Pacific suggested that the production rate of intermediate water in the North Pacific was about 24 Sv and that the North Pacific subpolar region was an important sink of CO{sub 2} released from human activities after the industrial era. (author)

  14. Purification of tracer for somatomedin C radioimmunoassay by hydrophobic interaction chromatography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baxter, R.C.; Brown, A.S.

    1982-03-01

    A tracer for use in the somatomedin C radiommunoassay by hydrophobic interaction chromatography was purified. Material showing greatest immunoreactivity binds to Octyl Sepharose CL-4B (Pharmacia) in a buffer mixture consisting of 130 mL of acetonitrile and 870 mL of 0.1 mol/L NH/sub 4/HCO/sub 3/, pH 7.8, but is eluted by increasing the acetonitrile content to 180 mL/L. As compared with tracer purified by binding to specific antiserum in liquid phase, precipitating the complex with second antibody, and then dissociating by gel chromatography at acid pH, this tracer shows equal immunoreactivity against specific somatomedin C antiserum. Either preparation allows excellent discrimination between extracts of normal, acromegalic, and hypopituitary plasma samples; thus either is suitable for use in the somatomedin C radioimmunoassay. Tracer purification by hydrophobic interaction chromatography is rapid and inexpensive. It may be useful in preparing highly immunoreactive tracers for other peptide radioimmunoassays.

  15. Circulation shedding in viscous starting flow past a flat plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nitsche, Monika; Xu, Ling

    2014-01-01

    Numerical simulations of viscous flow past a flat plate moving in the direction normal to itself reveal details of the vortical structure of the flow. At early times, most of the vorticity is attached to the plate. This paper introduces a definition of the shed circulation at all times and shows that it indeed represents vorticity that separates and remains separated from the plate. During a large initial time period, the shed circulation satisfies the scaling laws predicted for self-similar inviscid separation. Various contributions to the circulation shedding rate are presented. The results show that during this initial time period, viscous diffusion of vorticity out of the vortex is significant but appears to be independent of the value of the Reynolds number. At later times, the departure of the shed circulation from its large Reynolds number behaviour is significantly affected by diffusive loss of vorticity through the symmetry axis. A timescale is proposed that describes when the viscous loss through the axis becomes relevant. The simulations provide benchmark results to evaluate simpler separation models such as point vortex and vortex sheet models. A comparison with vortex sheet results is included. (paper)

  16. Spectral analysis for evaluation of myocardial tracers for medical imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huesman, Ronald H.; Reutter, Bryan W.; Marshall, Robert C.

    2000-01-01

    Kinetic analysis of dynamic tracer data is performed with the goal of evaluating myocardial radiotracers for cardiac nuclear medicine imaging. Data from experiments utilizing the isolated rabbit heart model are acquired by sampling the venous blood after introduction of a tracer of interest and a reference tracer. We have taken the approach that the kinetics are properly characterized by an impulse response function which describes the difference between the reference molecule (which does not leave the vasculature) and the molecule of interest which is transported across the capillary boundary and is made available to the cell. Using this formalism we can model the appearance of the tracer of interest in the venous output of the heart as a convolution of the appearance of the reference tracer with the impulse response. In this work we parameterize the impulse response function as the sum of a large number of exponential functions whose predetermined decay constants form a spectrum, and each is required only to have a nonnegative coefficient. This approach, called spectral analysis, has the advantage that it allows conventional compartmental analysis without prior knowledge of the number of compartments which the physiology may require or which the data will support

  17. Hydrodynamic characteristics in the Levantine Basin in autumn 2016 - The CINEL experiment (CIrculation and water mass properties in the North-Eastern Levantine)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mauri, Elena; Poulain, Pierre-Marie; Gerin, Riccardo; Hayes, Dan; Gildor, Hezi; Kokkini, Zoi

    2017-04-01

    During the CINEL experiment, currents and thermohaline properties of the water masses in the eastern areas of the Levantine Basin (Mediterranean Sea) were monitored with mobile autonomous systems in October-December 2016. Two gliders were operated together with satellite-tracked drifters and Argo floats to study the complex circulation features governing the dynamics near the coast and in the open sea. Strong mesoscale and sub-basin scale eddies were detected and were crossed several times by the gliders during the experiment. The physical and biogeochemical parameters were sampled, showing peculiar characteristics in some of the mesoscale features and a probable interaction with a persistent coastal current off Israel. The in-situ observations were interpreted in concert with the distribution of tracers (sea surface temperature, chlorophyll) and altimetry data obtained from satellites. Numerical simulations with a high resolution model in which deep profiles of temperature and salinity from gliders were assimilated, were used in near-real time to fine tune the observational array and to help with the interpretation of the local dynamics.

  18. Fluoride tracer test for the performance analysis of a basin used as a lagooning pre-treatment facility in a WTP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruffino, Barbara

    2015-07-01

    The water treatment plant (WTP) of the city of Torino (NW Italy), which treats about 40 · 10(6) m(3)/year of raw water from Po river, has a 15-ha basin used as a lagooning pre-treatment facility. Since the efficiency of the lagooning process in the removal of pollutants from raw water depends on the internal hydrodynamics of the basin, the hydraulic performance of the basin was studied by combining the results of a stimulus-response tracer test with the monitoring of the tracer (fluoride) concentration throughout the basin at different times. The outcomes of the test demonstrated that the system was efficiently mixed and could be assimilated to a continuous stirred reactor presenting no flow anomalies, with an actual mean residence time (RT) of 12.7 days, compared with a nominal RT of 18 days. This assured that dissolved contaminants (such as fluoride) coming from the river were efficiently diluted before entering the WTP. The axial dispersion coefficient calculated from the RT distribution was approximately 47,300 m(2)/day. Three of the most popular formulae developed for the calculation of the axial dispersion coefficient provided results spreading over three orders of magnitude, thus showing their limitations. Finally, because of the width extent of the basin and the characteristics of its inflow, the 1-D advection-dispersion model failed in predicting the tracer concentration values in time at the outlet channel. On the contrary, the analytical solution of the 2-D advection-dispersion model proved to be suitable to fit the tracer concentration data over time at the outlet channel but it failed in describing the tracer distribution throughout the basin on the monitoring dates.

  19. Circulation of Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boitani, P.

    2016-01-01

    Since the dawn of man, contemplation of the stars has been a primary impulse in human beings, who proliferated their knowledge of the stars all over the world. Aristotle sees this as the product of primeval and perennial “wonder” which gives rise to what we call science, philosophy, and poetry. Astronomy, astrology, and star art (painting, architecture, literature, and music) go hand in hand through millennia in all cultures of the planet (and all use catasterisms to explain certain phenomena). Some of these developments are independent of each other, i.e., they take place in one culture independently of others. Some, on the other hand, are the product of the “circulation of stars.” There are two ways of looking at this. One seeks out forms, the other concentrates on the passing of specific lore from one area to another through time. The former relies on archetypes (for instance, with catasterism), the latter constitutes a historical process. In this paper I present some of the surprising ways in which the circulation of stars has occurred—from East to West, from East to the Far East, and from West to East, at times simultaneously.

  20. Fifty years of radiochemical tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, E.A.

    1992-01-01

    During the past 50 years radiochemical tracers, usually in the form of isotopically labelled organic compounds, have been essential tools to further advance our knowledge at the frontiers of a great variety of scientific developments in the life sciences. This plenary lecture reviews necessarily selected highlights in the synthesis and applications of such radiochemical tracers. Included are examples where important advances, made possible by using radiochemicals, have contributed to improving the quality of life on this planet. The principal radioisotopes involved, 14 C, 3 H, 35 S, 32 P, 125 I, are all relatively safe to handle and are commercially available at maximum theoretical specific activity (carrier free). The compounds labeled with these radioisotopes are used in many fields of research which include biosynthesis and biotechnology studies, cell biology, drug metabolism, clinical research and environmental applications, and are briefly reviewed. (author). 55 refs

  1. Study of the mineralization of coral implanted in vivo by radioactive tracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irigaray, J.L.; Sauvage, T.; Oudadesse, H.; El Fadl, H.; Lefaivre, J.; Barlet, J.P.; Trevers, S.; Tixer, H.

    1993-01-01

    Coral has been used for the last ten years as bone substitution in the body because of its mechanical and osteoconductor properties. Primary studies have shown, for the first time, the quantitative behaviour of the atomic components. A biocoral implanted 'in vivo' was studied by some physical method of analysis. The natural biocorals used are the calcium carbonated exoskeletons built by Madrepian coral polyps. Neutron activation analysis showed that initial coral, essentially CaCO 3 , becomes a new material which has a mineral composition close to that of bone. The calcification mechanism of this implant was studied by using radioactive tracers. The tracer kinetics of calcium biomaterial have been established in the blood circuit and its use was shown by the organism for skeleton mineralization. (author) 8 refs.; 6 figs.; 4 tabs

  2. Comparison of oral iodine-131-cellulose and indium-111-DTPA as tracers for colon transit scintigraphy: Analysis by colon activity profiles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smart, R.C.; McLean, R.G.; Gaston-Parry, D.; Barbagallo, S.; Bruck, C.E.; King, D.W.; Lubowski, D.Z.; Talley, N.A.

    1991-01-01

    In 11 normal subjects and 11 patients with a clinical diagnosis of constipation, oral 131I-cellulose and 111In-DTPA were compared simultaneously as tracers for radionuclide colon transit scintigraphy. Visual assessment of the images revealed no differences between tracers. Quantitation was performed using total and segmental percent retention and the derived value of clearance half-time. In addition, profiles of the activity distribution along the length of the colon were generated and the mean position of the activity in the colon calculated. For all indices, the results were similar in both normal subjects and constipated patients when comparing tracers, although marked differences were present between normal subjects and constipated patients for each tracer. Indium-111-DTPA was easy to administer and dosimetry was more acceptable than for 131I-cellulose, especially in constipated patients. It is concluded that 111In-DTPA is the preferred tracer for oral colon transit scintigraphy

  3. Bidecadal North Atlantic ocean circulation variability controlled by timing of volcanic eruptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swingedouw, Didier; Ortega, Pablo; Mignot, Juliette; Guilyardi, Eric; Masson-Delmotte, Valérie; Butler, Paul G; Khodri, Myriam; Séférian, Roland

    2015-03-30

    While bidecadal climate variability has been evidenced in several North Atlantic paleoclimate records, its drivers remain poorly understood. Here we show that the subset of CMIP5 historical climate simulations that produce such bidecadal variability exhibits a robust synchronization, with a maximum in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) 15 years after the 1963 Agung eruption. The mechanisms at play involve salinity advection from the Arctic and explain the timing of Great Salinity Anomalies observed in the 1970s and the 1990s. Simulations, as well as Greenland and Iceland paleoclimate records, indicate that coherent bidecadal cycles were excited following five Agung-like volcanic eruptions of the last millennium. Climate simulations and a conceptual model reveal that destructive interference caused by the Pinatubo 1991 eruption may have damped the observed decreasing trend of the AMOC in the 2000s. Our results imply a long-lasting climatic impact and predictability following the next Agung-like eruption.

  4. Characterization of eco-friendly fluorescent nanoparticle-doped tracers for environmental sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tauro, Flavia; Rapiti, Emiliano; Al-Sharab, Jafar F.; Ubertini, Lucio; Grimaldi, Salvatore; Porfiri, Maurizio

    2013-01-01

    Particle tracers are extensively used in quantitative flow visualization and environmental sensing. In this paper, we provide a thorough characterization of the novel eco-friendly fluorescent particle tracers formulated in Tauro et al. (AIP Adv 3(3): 032108, 2013). The tracers are synthesized from natural beeswax and are functionalized by encapsulating nontoxic fluorophore nanoparticles in the beads’ matrix through an inexpensive thermal procedure. Visibility and durability studies are conducted through a wide array of techniques to investigate the tracers’ surface morphological microfeatures, crystal nature and size, chemical composition, fluorophore incorporation into the beeswax matrix, and fluorescence response under severe settings resembling exposure to natural environments. Our findings demonstrate that fluorescent nanoparticles ranging from 1.51 to 3.73 nm are homogeneously distributed in the superficial layer (12 nm) of the tracers. In addition, fluorescence emissions are observed up to 26 days of continuous exposure of the tracers to high energy radiation. To demonstrate the particles’ use in environmental flow sensing, a set of proof of concept outdoor tests are conducted, in which image analysis tools are utilized for detecting the fluorescent tracers. Experimental results suggest that fluorescent microparticles deployed in high flow-rate flows (2 m/s) and under direct sunlight can be sensed through commercially available cameras (frame rate set to 30 Hz)

  5. Unit vent airflow measurements using a tracer gas technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adams, D.G. [Union Electric Company, Fulton, MO (United States); Lagus, P.L. [Lagus Applied Technology, Inc., San Diego, CA (United States); Fleming, K.M. [NCS Corp., Columbus, OH (United States)

    1997-08-01

    An alternative method for assessing flowrates that does not depend on point measurements of air flow velocity is the constant tracer injection technique. In this method one injects a tracer gas at a constant rate into a duct and measures the resulting concentration downstream of the injection point. A simple equation derived from the conservation of mass allows calculation of the flowrate at the point of injection. Flowrate data obtained using both a pitot tube and a flow measuring station were compared with tracer gas flowrate measurements in the unit vent duct at the Callaway Nuclear Station during late 1995 and early 1996. These data are presented and discussed with an eye toward obtaining precise flowrate data for release rate calculations. The advantages and disadvantages of the technique are also described. In those test situations for which many flowrate combinations are required, or in large area ducts, a tracer flowrate determination requires fewer man-hours than does a conventional traverse-based technique and does not require knowledge of the duct area. 6 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs.

  6. Natural stream flow-rates measurements by tracer techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cuellar Mansilla, J.

    1982-01-01

    This paper presents the study of the precision obtained measuring the natural stream flow rates by tracer techniques, especially when the system presents a great slope and a bed constituted by large and extended particle size. The experiences were realized in laboratory pilot channels with flow-rates between 15 and 130 [1/s]; and in natural streams with flow-rates from 1 to 25 m 3 /s. Tracer used were In-133m and Br-82 for laboratory and field measurements respectively. In both cases the tracer was injected as a pulse and its dilution measured collecting samples in the measured section, at constant flow-rates, of 5[1] in laboratory experiences and 60[1] of water in field experiences. Precisions obtained at a 95% confidence level were about 2% for laboratory and 3% for field. (I.V.)

  7. Identification and characterization of conservative organic tracers for use as hydrologic tracers for the Yucca Mountain site characterization project: Quality Assurance Project Plan, Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stetzenbach, K.J.

    1993-01-01

    The purpose of this work is to identify and characterize candidate conservative organic tracers for use as hydrologic tracers for experiments to be conducted at the Yucca Mountain C-well complex. During this quarter the main effort was directed towards rewriting the quality assurance program in preparation for a review and audit by the USGS. However, due to budget constraints the review and audit were not carried out. The tracer QA plan and standard operating procedures (SOPs) were revised and copies are included in the report. Instrumental problems were encountered and corrected with the addition of new integration and sample control software. In the sampling, there was an unexplained peak in the chromatograms of the tracers being tested in the light tuff. This was not correctable and these experiments will be repeated in the next quarter

  8. Hydrodynamic stability and Ti-tracer distribution in low-adiabat OMEGA direct-drive implosions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joshi, Tirtha R.

    We discuss the hydrodynamic stability of low-adiabat OMEGA direct-drive implosions based on results obtained from simultaneous emission and absorption spectroscopy of a titanium tracer added to the target. The targets were deuterium filled, warm plastic shells of varying thicknesses and filling gas pressures with a submicron Ti-doped tracer layer initially located on the inner surface of the shell. The spectral features from the titanium tracer are observed during the deceleration and stagnation phases of the implosion, and recorded with a time integrated spectrometer (XRS1), streaked crystal spectrometer (SSCA) and three gated, multi-monochromatic X-ray imager (MMI) instruments fielded along quasi-orthogonal lines-of-sight. The time-integrated, streaked and gated data show simultaneous emission and absorption spectral features associated with titanium K-shell line transitions but only the MMI data provides spatially resolved information. The arrays of gated spectrally resolved images recorded with MMI were processed to obtain spatially resolved spectra characteristic of annular contour regions on the image. A multi-zone spectroscopic analysis of the annular spatially resolved spectra permits the extraction of plasma conditions in the core as well as the spatial distribution of tracer atoms. In turn, the titanium atom distribution provides direct evidence of tracer penetration into the core and thus of the hydrodynamic stability of the shell. The observations, timing and analysis indicate that during fuel burning the titanium atoms have migrated deep into the core and thus shell material mixing is likely to impact the rate of nuclear fusion reactions, i.e. burning rate, and the neutron yield of the implosion. We have found that the Ti atom number density decreases towards the center in early deceleration phase, but later in time the trend is just opposite, i.e., it increases towards the center of the implosion core. This is in part a consequence of the convergent

  9. TU-AB-202-11: Tumor Segmentation by Fusion of Multi-Tracer PET Images Using Copula Based Statistical Methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lapuyade-Lahorgue, J; Ruan, S; Li, H; Vera, P

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Multi-tracer PET imaging is getting more attention in radiotherapy by providing additional tumor volume information such as glucose and oxygenation. However, automatic PET-based tumor segmentation is still a very challenging problem. We propose a statistical fusion approach to joint segment the sub-area of tumors from the two tracers FDG and FMISO PET images. Methods: Non-standardized Gamma distributions are convenient to model intensity distributions in PET. As a serious correlation exists in multi-tracer PET images, we proposed a new fusion method based on copula which is capable to represent dependency between different tracers. The Hidden Markov Field (HMF) model is used to represent spatial relationship between PET image voxels and statistical dynamics of intensities for each modality. Real PET images of five patients with FDG and FMISO are used to evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively our method. A comparison between individual and multi-tracer segmentations was conducted to show advantages of the proposed fusion method. Results: The segmentation results show that fusion with Gaussian copula can receive high Dice coefficient of 0.84 compared to that of 0.54 and 0.3 of monomodal segmentation results based on individual segmentation of FDG and FMISO PET images. In addition, high correlation coefficients (0.75 to 0.91) for the Gaussian copula for all five testing patients indicates the dependency between tumor regions in the multi-tracer PET images. Conclusion: This study shows that using multi-tracer PET imaging can efficiently improve the segmentation of tumor region where hypoxia and glucidic consumption are present at the same time. Introduction of copulas for modeling the dependency between two tracers can simultaneously take into account information from both tracers and deal with two pathological phenomena. Future work will be to consider other families of copula such as spherical and archimedian copulas, and to eliminate partial volume

  10. Appraisal of transport and deformation in shale reservoirs using natural noble gas tracers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heath, Jason E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kuhlman, Kristopher L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Robinson, David G. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bauer, Stephen J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Gardner, William Payton [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Univ. of Montana, Missoula, MT (United States)

    2015-09-01

    This report presents efforts to develop the use of in situ naturally-occurring noble gas tracers to evaluate transport mechanisms and deformation in shale hydrocarbon reservoirs. Noble gases are promising as shale reservoir diagnostic tools due to their sensitivity of transport to: shale pore structure; phase partitioning between groundwater, liquid, and gaseous hydrocarbons; and deformation from hydraulic fracturing. Approximately 1.5-year time-series of wellhead fluid samples were collected from two hydraulically-fractured wells. The noble gas compositions and isotopes suggest a strong signature of atmospheric contribution to the noble gases that mix with deep, old reservoir fluids. Complex mixing and transport of fracturing fluid and reservoir fluids occurs during production. Real-time laboratory measurements were performed on triaxially-deforming shale samples to link deformation behavior, transport, and gas tracer signatures. Finally, we present improved methods for production forecasts that borrow statistical strength from production data of nearby wells to reduce uncertainty in the forecasts.

  11. Dynamic study of an anaerobic reactor in pilot plant scale using radioactive tracer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinto, A.M.F.; Moreira, R.M.; Chernicharo, C.A.L.

    1995-01-01

    The use of flow traces is a common practice in hydrodynamic studies. However chemical tracers have some shortcomings, such as the need of sampling, analysis and possible interferences with the delicate biological processes taking place within the reactor. Thus a radiotracer, Br 82 has been chosen for this purpose. The advantages of this radioisotope are its energetic gamma emission which can be easily detected outside the reactor walls, its solubility and lack of adsorption, besides having a convenient half-life and being easily produced is small nuclear reactors. The tracer responses to instantaneous injections at the reactor entrance were used to determine the resistance time and the mixing patterns of the reactors. The normalized residence time distributions were fitted to mathematical models by a least-squares subroutine. The axial dispersion model and the tanks-in-series model have been used, thus allowing the determination of the dispersion coefficient and the Peclet Number. (author). 5 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

  12. Tracer concentration profiles measured in central London as part of the REPARTEE campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Martin

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available There have been relatively few tracer experiments carried out that have looked at vertical plume spread in urban areas. In this paper we present results from two tracer (cyclic perfluorocarbon experiments carried out in 2006 and 2007 in central London centred on the BT Tower as part of the REPARTEE (Regent's Park and Tower Environmental Experiment campaign. The height of the tower gives a unique opportunity to study vertical dispersion profiles and transport times in central London. Vertical gradients are contrasted with the relevant Pasquill stability classes. Estimation of lateral advection and vertical mixing times are made and compared with previous measurements. Data are then compared with a simple operational dispersion model and contrasted with data taken in central London as part of the DAPPLE campaign. This correlates dosage with non-dimensionalised distance from source. Such analyses illustrate the feasibility of the use of these empirical correlations over these prescribed distances in central London.

  13. A polymer-based magnetic resonance tracer for visualization of solid tumors by 13C spectroscopic imaging.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshikazu Suzuki

    Full Text Available Morphological imaging precedes lesion-specific visualization in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI because of the superior ability of this technique to depict tissue morphology with excellent spatial and temporal resolutions. To achieve lesion-specific visualization of tumors by MRI, we investigated the availability of a novel polymer-based tracer. Although the 13C nucleus is a candidate for a detection nucleus because of its low background signal in the body, the low magnetic resonance sensitivity of the nucleus needs to be resolved before developing a 13C-based tracer. In order to overcome this problem, we enriched polyethylene glycol (PEG, a biocompatible polymer, with 13C atoms. 13C-PEG40,000 (13C-PEG with an average molecular weight of 40 kDa emitted a single 13C signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio due to its ability to maintain signal sharpness, as was confirmed by in vivo investigation, and displayed a chemical shift sufficiently distinct from that of endogenous fat. 13C-PEG40,000 intravenously injected into mice showed long retention in circulation, leading to its effective accumulation in tumors reflecting the well-known phenomenon that macromolecules accumulate in tumors because of leaky tumor capillaries. These properties of 13C-PEG40,000 allowed visualization of tumors in mice by 13C spectroscopic imaging. These findings suggest that a technique based on 13C-PEG is a promising strategy for tumor detection.

  14. Tracer technology modeling the flow of fluids

    CERN Document Server

    Levenspiel, Octave

    2012-01-01

    A vessel’s behavior as a heat exchanger, absorber, reactor, or other process unit is dependent upon how fluid flows through the vessel.  In early engineering, the designer would assume either plug flow or mixed flow of the fluid through the vessel.  However, these assumptions were oftentimes inaccurate, sometimes being off by a volume factor of 100 or more.  The result of this unreliable figure produced ineffective products in multiple reaction systems.   Written by a pioneering researcher in the field of chemical engineering, the tracer method was introduced to provide more accurate flow data.  First, the tracer method measured the actual flow of fluid through a vessel.  Second, it developed a suitable model to represent the flow in question.  Such models are used to follow the flow of fluid in chemical reactors and other process units, like in rivers and streams, or solid and porous structures.  In medicine, the tracer method is used to study the flow of chemicals—harmful  and harmless—in the...

  15. Commercial applications of perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dietz, R.N.

    1991-06-01

    Tracer technology can be successfully applied to many leak-checking and monitoring evaluations of operating systems (e.g., building HVACs), manufacturing processes and products (e.g., air conditioners), and subsurface components and systems (e.g., underground storage tanks). Perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) technology is the most sensitive of all tracer technologies because the ambient background levels of the five (5) routinely-used PFTs are in the range of parts per 10 15 parts of air (i.e., parts per quadrillion-ppq) and this technology's instrumentation can measure down to those levels. The effectiveness of this technology is achieved both in terms of cost (very little PFT need to be used) and detectability; for example, very small leaks can be rapidly detected. The PFT compounds, which are environmentally and biologically safe to use, are commercially available as are the sampling and analysis instrumentation. This presentation concerns (1) the steps being taken to commercialize this technology, (2) new applications of processes currently under study, and (3) applications in areas of use that will be particularly beneficial to the environment. 21 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  16. Development of in-vessel source term analysis code, tracer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyagi, K.; Miyahara, S.

    1996-01-01

    Analyses of radionuclide transport in fuel failure accidents (generally referred to source terms) are considered to be important especially in the severe accident evaluation. The TRACER code has been developed to realistically predict the time dependent behavior of FPs and aerosols within the primary cooling system for wide range of fuel failure events. This paper presents the model description, results of validation study, the recent model advancement status of the code, and results of check out calculations under reactor conditions. (author)

  17. Tracer test modeling for characterizing heterogeneity and local scale residence time distribution in an artificial recharge site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valhondo, Cristina; Martinez-Landa, Lurdes; Carrera, Jesús; Hidalgo, Juan J.; Ayora, Carlos

    2017-04-01

    Artificial recharge of aquifers (AR) is a standard technique to replenish and enhance groundwater resources, that have widely been used due to the increasing demand of quality water. AR through infiltration basins consists on infiltrate surface water, that might be affected in more or less degree by treatment plant effluents, runoff and others undesirables water sources, into an aquifer. The water quality enhances during the passage through the soil and organic matter, nutrients, organic contaminants, and bacteria are reduced mainly due to biodegradation and adsorption. Therefore, one of the goals of AR is to ensure a good quality status of the aquifer even if lesser quality water is used for recharge. Understand the behavior and transport of the potential contaminants is essential for an appropriate management of the artificial recharge system. The knowledge of the flux distribution around the recharge system and the relationship between the recharge system and the aquifer (area affected by the recharge, mixing ratios of recharged and native groundwater, travel times) is essential to achieve this goal. Evaluate the flux distribution is not always simple because the complexity and heterogeneity of natural systems. Indeed, it is not so much regulate by hydraulic conductivity of the different geological units as by their continuity and inter-connectivity particularly in the vertical direction. In summary for an appropriate management of an artificial recharge system it is needed to acknowledge the heterogeneity of the media. Aiming at characterizing the residence time distribution (RTDs) of a pilot artificial recharge system and the extent to which heterogeneity affects RTDs, we performed and evaluated a pulse injection tracer test. The artificial recharge system was simulated as a multilayer model which was used to evaluate the measured breakthrough curves at six monitoring points. Flow and transport parameters were calibrated under two hypotheses. The first

  18. Single-well tracer methods for hydrogeologic evaluation of target aquifers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, S.H.

    1994-11-01

    Designing an efficient well field for an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) project requires measuring local groundwater flow parameters as well as estimating horizontal and vertical inhomogeneity. Effective porosity determines the volume of aquifer needed to store a given volume of heated or chilled water. Ground-water flow velocity governs the migration of the thermal plume, and dispersion and heat exchange along the flow path reduces the thermal intensity of the recovered plume. Stratigraphic variations in the aquifer will affect plume dispersion, may bias the apparent rate of migration of the plume, and can prevent efficient hydraulic communication between wells. Single-well tracer methods using a conservative flow tracer such as bromide, along with pumping tests and water-level measurements, provide a rapid and cost-effective means for estimating flow parameters. A drift-and-pumpback tracer test yields effective porosity and flow velocity. Point-dilution tracer testing, using new instrumentation for downhole tracer measurement and a new method for calibrating the point-dilution test itself, yields depth-discrete hydraulic conductivity as it is affected by stratigraphy, and can be used to estimate well transmissivity. Experience in conducting both drift-and-pumpback and point-dilution tests at three different test sites has yielded important information that highlights both the power and the limitations of the single-well tracer methods. These sites are the University of Alabama Student Recreation Center (UASRC) ATES well field and the VA Medical Center (VA) ATES well field, both located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the Hanford bioremediation test site north of Richland, Washington

  19. Outline of research on plant physiological functions using Positron Emitting Tracer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kume, Tamikazu

    2000-01-01

    Application of Positron Emitting Tracer Imaging System (Pets) for the plant has been investigated under JAERI-Universities Joint Research Project. Five university groups are studying a dynamic image of plant transport or a static image of the result of tracer movement using 11 C (half-life 20 min), 13 N (10 min), 18 F (110 min), etc. The Pets consisted of two-dimensional block detectors (48 x 50 mm square) which were composed of a Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 scintillator array coupled to a position sensitive photomultiplier tube. In the system, the plant samples are placed at the mid position between the two opposing detectors and annihilation γ-rays from the samples are detected in coincidence. The positron emitting tracer images are obtained by accumulating these signals. The spatial resolution was 2.4 mm and images with a good S/N ratio can be obtained in real time. Using TIARA AVF cyclotron, 13 NO 3 - , 13 NH 4 + , 18 F-water, 11 C-methionine, etc. were produced and supplied to the plants. The transport of these labeled compounds introduced into plants was followed dynamically by PETIS. The results show that the system is effective in observing the uptake and transport of nutrients in plants and is useful for the study of physiological functions of plants. (author)

  20. Complex functionality with minimal computation: Promise and pitfalls of reduced-tracer ocean biogeochemistry models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galbraith, Eric D.; Dunne, John P.; Gnanadesikan, Anand; Slater, Richard D.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Dufour, Carolina O.; de Souza, Gregory F.; Bianchi, Daniele; Claret, Mariona; Rodgers, Keith B.; Marvasti, Seyedehsafoura Sedigh

    2015-12-01

    Earth System Models increasingly include ocean biogeochemistry models in order to predict changes in ocean carbon storage, hypoxia, and biological productivity under climate change. However, state-of-the-art ocean biogeochemical models include many advected tracers, that significantly increase the computational resources required, forcing a trade-off with spatial resolution. Here, we compare a state-of-the art model with 30 prognostic tracers (TOPAZ) with two reduced-tracer models, one with 6 tracers (BLING), and the other with 3 tracers (miniBLING). The reduced-tracer models employ parameterized, implicit biological functions, which nonetheless capture many of the most important processes resolved by TOPAZ. All three are embedded in the same coupled climate model. Despite the large difference in tracer number, the absence of tracers for living organic matter is shown to have a minimal impact on the transport of nutrient elements, and the three models produce similar mean annual preindustrial distributions of macronutrients, oxygen, and carbon. Significant differences do exist among the models, in particular the seasonal cycle of biomass and export production, but it does not appear that these are necessary consequences of the reduced tracer number. With increasing CO2, changes in dissolved oxygen and anthropogenic carbon uptake are very similar across the different models. Thus, while the reduced-tracer models do not explicitly resolve the diversity and internal dynamics of marine ecosystems, we demonstrate that such models are applicable to a broad suite of major biogeochemical concerns, including anthropogenic change. These results are very promising for the further development and application of reduced-tracer biogeochemical models that incorporate "sub-ecosystem-scale" parameterizations.