Experiment Design for Environmental Engineering provides a wide range of practical environmental engineering laboratory experiments for implementation by students in a university laboratory or by practicing professionals in the field, along with an extensive discussion on how to design an experiment that will provide meaningful and useful data, how to interpret the data generated from an experiment, and how to present those data to an audience of other students or professionals. The example experiments provide a way to evaluate a new design against an existing experiment to determine what information is most appropriate in each section and how to format the data for the most effective outcome.
Features
- Fills in the gap in ABET requirements to teach students how to design experiments and includes key elements for a successful design
- Covers experiments for a wide range of environmental engineering topics
- Provides standardized approach that includes a basic background to the concepts and step-by-step procedure for conducting the experiment
- Explains designs that are suitable for college laboratory and professional applications
- Shows how to organize experimental data as it is collected to optimize usefulness
- Provides templates for design of the experiment and for presenting the resulting data to technical and nontechnical audiences or clients
Author(s): Abigail Charest, Francis J. Hopcroft
Publisher: CRC Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 367
City: Boca Raton
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Authors
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 How to Design an Engineering Experiment
2.1 Defining the Question to Be Answered
2.2 Defining the Variables Involved in a Question
2.3 Measuring and Controlling the Variables
2.4 Evaluation of Potential Interferences That Can Occur
2.5 Minimizing, Avoiding, or Accounting for the Effects of Interferences
2.6 Sensitivity Analyses of Experimental Data
2.7 Safety Considerations in Experiment Design
Chapter 3 Sampling Source Media
3.1 Sampling Water and Other Liquids
3.2 Sampling Soil or Other Solids
3.3 Sampling Air and Other Gases
3.4 Sampling Health and Safety Plans
Chapter 4 Expected Outcomes and Interpretation of Data
4.1 Expected Outcomes
4.2 Interpretation of the Data
4.3 Uncertainty Considerations
4.4 Estimating Future Parameter Values
4.5 Probability
4.5.1 Probability as Basis of Statistics
4.5.2 Estimating Probabilities in Experimentation
4.5.3 Misuse of Probability Data
4.5.4 Number of Data Points Needed
4.5.5 Selective Use of Data
4.5.6 Cause and Effect vs. Correlation
4.6 Risk
Chapter 5 Model Design Methodology
5.1 Discussion
5.2 Model Format
5.3 Experiment Design Format Model
Chapter 6 Laboratory Report
6.1 Conversion of Theory to Experimental Output Data
6.2 Compare and Contrast Experimental Output Data to Existing Literature
6.3 Suggested Laboratory Report Template
Chapter 7 Effective Presentation of the Data in Outcome Reports
Chapter 8 Designing Research Experiment Projects
8.1 Research to Assess Standard Sample Drying Protocols
8.2 Research to Assess Standard Indicator Organisms
8.3 Research Recommendations
Chapter 9 General Experiments
Experiment 9.1: Turbidity Meter Calibration
Experiment 9.2: Calibration of Spectrophotometers
Experiment 9.3: Jar Test Procedure
Experiment 9.4: Duct Tape Permeability Test
Experiment 9.5: Determination of Specific Heat Capacity
Experiment 9.6: Determination of Insulation R-Values for Various Materials
Experiment 9.7: Headspace Analysis for the Presence of Volatile Organic Compounds
Experiment 9.8: Surface Runoff Rate Determination and Volume Calculation
Experiment 9.9: Water Filtration Media Evaluation
Experiment 9.10: Water Filtration Media Evaluation Remote Area Options
Chapter 10 Oil and Petroleum-Based Experiments
Experiment 10.1: Solubility of Oil in Water as a Function of Salinity
Experiment 10.2: Gasoline Fingerprinting
Experiment 10.3: Determination of Porosity and Void Ratio in Soil
Chapter 11 Oxygen and BOD Experiments
Experiment 11.1: Calibration of DO Meter by Winkler Method
Experiment 11.2: Oxygen Transfer Rate Determination
Experiment 11.3: Maximum DO Concentration in Water as a Function of Temperature and Salinity
Experiment 11.4: 5-Day BOD Test with Determination of Exertion Rate k
Chapter 12 Environmental Microbiology Experiments
Experiment 12.1: Total coliforms and E. coli By IDEXX Quantitrays® and Colilert® Most Probable Number Methodologies
Experiment 12.2: Field Testing and Quantification of Total Coliforms and E. coli by Colilert and Petrifilm Methodologies
Experiment 12.3: Viral Indicators Coliphage Quantification Based on Easyphage Method
Experiment 12.4: Comparison of Disinfection Methods
Experiment 12.5: Comparison of Disinfection Methods: Remote Area Options
Chapter 13 Water Quality Experiments
Experiment 13.1: Introduction to Water Quality Parameters
Experiment 13.2: pH As a Function of Acid/Base Concentration With pH Neutralization Calculations
Experiment 13.3: Determination of Mean Cell Residence Time in a Dispersed Plug Flow Reactor
Experiment 13.4: Determination of Surface Water Evaporation Rate
Experiment 13.5: Characterization of Pond, Lake, or Stream Foam
Chapter 14 Contaminant Removal Experiments
Experiment 14.1: Determination of Contaminant Removal Rate
Experiment 14.2: Technique for Metal Ion Precipitation from Water
Experiment 14.3: Separation of Liquid Phase Components through a Distillation Process
Experiment 14.4: Technique for Potable Water Softening
Experiment 14.5: Coagulation, Flocculation, and Sedimentation for the Removal of Organic and Inorganic Water Contaminants
Experiment 14.6: Determination of Granular Media Suitability for Use in Granular Media Filters
Experiment 14.7: Analysis of Suspended Solids in Water
Experiment 14.8: Analysis of Total Solids in Water
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
