AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Provides the basic knowledge of the transport processes and dispersion of pollutants in natural water bodies.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with:

• a specialistic knowledge of core topics in pollutant dispersal;
• the ability to understand and demonstrate the fundamental physical principles  that govern molecular and turbulent convection-diffusion problems and dispersion;
• the ability to solve, in some simple configurations, the differential equations that control the process of dilution of a contaminant in a water body.

TEACHING METHODS

The EFM module is a 50-hours course held in the second term. Together with the Advanced Fluid Mechanics course held in the first term, it forms the 100-hours annual course of Environmental Fluid Mechanics.

Theoretical lectures will be intermixed with applications, based on the topics more than on a fixed schedule. Seminars about specific examples of pollutant dispersal can possibly be delivered close to the end of the course.

According to Covid-19-related safety measure change, the course might be held in remote, in blended mode or even in class unless otherwise indicated by the national health service.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course, held in English, combines theory and applications to study the process of the dilution of a contaminant in a water body. The three main mechanisms of dilution (molecular and turbulent diffusion and dispersion) are presented and discussed. A more detailed syllabus follows: 

Molecolar diffusion: basic principles, Fick's law, fundamental solution, wall boundary conditions, applications.

Turbulent diffusion: basic principles, properties of the ensamble averaged cloud, turbulent diffusivity, applications.

Dispersion: basic principles, Taylor's theory, dispersion coefficient, applications

River mixing: the near, indermediate and far fields

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fischer, H. B., List, J. E., Koh, C. R., Imberger, J., & Brooks, N. H. (1979). Mixing in inland and coastal waters. Academic press.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARCO ENRICO COLOMBINI (President)

PAOLO BLONDEAUX

NICOLETTA TAMBRONI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/10720/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral examination during which the student will have to show that they have learned the topics explained during the course and the capability to correctly formulate the problem of the dilution of  a pollutant cloud in a water body, as well as to choose the most appropriate approach to determine the solution.

The exam mark (up to 30/30) will count 50% of the final grade, the other 50% coming from the Advanced Fluid Mechanics module. Students awarded with the maximum score in both modules will receive the final grade of 30/30 cum laude.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam will last about 40 minutes and it will be held either in English or in Italian, depending on the student's choice. Three questions will be asked, one for each of the main topics of the course: molecular diffusion, turbulent diffusion and dispersion.

Students are assessed on their competence on theory principles and on their ability to find the correct solution strategy for simple applications.

Exam schedule