Javier Toraño

Cylinder cyclone (LARCODEMS) density media separation of plastic wastes

Cylindrical cyclone media separators using a suspended calcite separation media simulating industrial scale operations are demonstrated to effectively separate a wide variety of forms and a greater range of particle sizes of plastics by density than presently recycled. Purities of plastic products and recoveries obtained from mixed plastic wastes are comparable to those reported for established separations. Products of approximately 100% purity with recoveries of >99% were obtained for high density fractions and >98% purities and recoveries for the low density fractions. Cyclonic centrifugal forces and/or the fine particle size of the separation media appear to minimize hydroscopic and particle shape effects. A mathematical model is proposed for defining plastic waste feed rates and treatable particle size ranges for the LARCODEMS media separator. Waste plastic separations yielded Ecart probable (Ep) values 0.024 for a water only separation media. The Ep for 1.1gcm(-3) separation medias was <0.032 with minimal to no variation in values for 1-8mm particle sizes. Variation in the quality of separations is shown to be minimal with <72microm, <45microm and <2microm media particle sizes. Media density offset created varied according to particle size.

Mathematical and fuzzy logic models in prediction of geological and geomechanical properties of rock mass by excavation data on underground works

Abstract In underground works, the continual consciousness of geological and geomechanical properties of rock mass during drilling, is of major importance to optimize the works and the equipment used. In this paper, the mathematical relationship obtained from tunnel excavations, considering percussion drilling for blasting by a drilling machine and by a tunnel boring machine (TBM) are exposed. These mathematical relationships are useful in the percussion drilling case, to adjust the drilling parameter recorder (DPR) tools, and in the case of TBM to predict the rock mass geomechanical index (RMR). Taking into account the complexity of these mathematical models obtained, as a consequence of the affected variables and their relations, a fuzzy logic model based on parameters accessible to the drilling machine has been used in tricone bit drilling.

LIDAR technique application to the analysis of environmental pollution

Landfill sites are the simplest and most common ways to eliminate urban solid waste, although large amounts of pollutants are introduced into the environment, such us dust, gas, soluble and insoluble substances. Both the digital model of the landfill surface and the three-dimensional meshing of the domain, where the dispersion phenomena is analyzed, are essential when modelling pollutant behaviour using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD3D). The commonly used Digital Surface Models are generated by combining a set of geometric primitives. These are obtained through a process of scanning, in which a set of points, which geometrically defines the landfill site, are identified by the derived cartography. In this study, we propose a procedure to digitally model a real surface from a data point cloud obtained through LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, which identifies, in real-time, the main geometry that defines its surface. Thus, these landfill digital models are exported into the Ansys CFX 10.0 software for numerical modelling, in order to analyze the behaviour of dust and odours generated by the landfill site. The importance of LIDAR data technology in the study of environmental pollution produced by landfill sites is supported by the correlation between the obtained results through modelling and those obtained through field measurement programmes.