Centro de Estudios de Técnicas Aplicadas
Landslides caused by El Salvador Earthquake (2001) in Cordillera del Bálsamo
Over the year 2003, the Centro de Estudios de Técnicas Aplicadas, particularly the Area of Physical and Electronic Techniques, has carried out activities in the fields of Rail Signalling and Traffic Control Management Systems as well as in those of Energy and Superconductivity.
In the field of Rail Signalling, and pursuant to the Agreement signed between CEDEX and the Dirección General de Ferrocarriles of the Ministry of Fomento, it has been continued the building-up and setting into operation of the Rail Interoperability Laboratory (LIF), where some components and sub-systems of ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) are being tested on. In April, the UNISIG consortium, assembly of all European Signalling companies, officially acknowledged CEDEX Lab as the first Reference Laboratory in Europe for ERTMS component testing.
Main tasks developed at LIF have included testing on eurobalises within the Eurobalise Test Campaign supported by the European Commission and the ERTMS Users Group. A sample of a balise by each of the four European balise manufacturers (Alstom, Ansaldo, Bombardier and Siemens) has been tested on, and the Test Specifications for Eurobalise have been consolidated on the basis of these tests performed in the lab. Apart from the manufacturers, six European Notified Bodies have participated in the campaign, who shall be responsible in the near future for the certification of ERTMS components. Some important conclusions have been drawn up regarding the conformity of the eurobalises that have a direct effect on their installation on the Spanish High Speed Lines.
BTM (Balise Transmission Module) and Antenna test in the Eurobalise Laboratory
In addition, the process of setting up the Eurocab Laboratory within LIF, where the ERTMS on-board equipment, or the so-called EVC (European Vital computer), shall be put to test, has ended up. This lab is fully equipped now, including the Balise and Radio Message Generators that transmit identical signals to the EVC as the ones that the latter should receive from the trackside. Besides, the Eurocab Test Campaign has started out, during which it is expected to perform the first independent tests on Alstom, Ansaldo-CSEE, Bombardier, Dimetronic and Siemens' Eurocabs. These tests have been designed taking into account the European Test Specifications as well as the test trips of the Madrid-Lérida High Speed Line, showing in this way the lab competence to develop specific tests for commercial lines.
Cross-section of the first kinetic energy storage prototype
The lab activity in the European context of rail signalling has also been very intense. CEDEX is currently leading the European Work Group in charge of writing down Test Specifications for the On-board equipment and defining the Reference Lab Architecture so as to implement the tests defined in the European Reference Lab, which shall end up in a formal course of certification for the on-board equipment. Both documents (Subsets 076 and 094) were approved by the European Commission in December to be included in the Technical Annex of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI). It has been remarkable the support given by the ERTMS Users Group to the whole of these activities.
In the field of Energy and Superconductivity, the project ACE2 (Flywheel Energy Storage for Electric Power Levelling) is been initially developed, in the frame of the Agreement signed between CEDEX and the Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (GIF). Among the project main activities there stand the definition and prior assessment of a solution for the flywheel as well as the definition of power electronics converters, the storage overall control structure and especially the related software. In addition, it has been designed a full control system for a prototype at 2 kW that works similarly to that of the ACE2. It has also been calculated a former prototype W of ACE2 system at a power of 200 kW and energy of 5 MJ, on which the essential concepts shall be tested, such as the flywheel manufacturing technology, electromagnetic support, power converter functioning, control, etc.
Regarding Applied Superconductivity, counting on projects financially supported by the National Plan of Research and Development to build up a Test Station for the Linear Accelerator TESLA 500, it was accomplished the project BISCUIT for the manufacturing of power suppliers by means of high critical temperature superconductors. The suppliers have been successfully tested on the premises of the German Synchrotron DESY. They are expected to be newly tested on throughout 2004 as well as eventually installed on a final site. Moreover, the project EDISON was continued for the manufacturing of two combined superconductor magnets for the above-mentioned station. In 2003 there began the construction of the former magnet, which is expected to be finished by the first semester of 2004.
Three-level electronic converter and control system
Finally, there was much work done on the International project AMS2 for the installation of a particle detector with a superconductor magnet in the International Space-Station. CEDEX participates in the follow-up of the magnet power supply. The first modules of the supply have been performed, which is to be completed in 2004 and afterwards tested on at CEDEX.
In the field of Power Electronics, a study has been carried out on multi-levelled converters and their application to wind generation systems. It has been built up a first prototype of a three-level converter at 10 kVA, which is managed by a system allowing for a swift implementation of different control solutions
Mixed under-passing point in a highway, designed as stream drainage, path rehabilitation and fauna passing point.
The Area of Environmental Engineering, commissioned by the Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental (DGCEA) under the authority of the Ministry of the Environment, fulfilled in 2003 the studies aimed at finding out the influence of the design and construction of linear infrastructures in the knowledge and protection of the national artistic-historic Patrimony, and also at continuing in its fourth phase the evaluation campaigns on the effectiveness of the specific, wild fauna over- and under-passing points and cross drainage works suitable as passing points for certain species. This fourth phase was extended by fulfilling studies on the run-over mortality. Also, for the afore-mentioned DGCEA, the participation in the COST Action 350 went ahead, aimed at the integrated evaluation of the environmental impact of traffic and transport infrastructures.
Debido a la entrada en vigor de la Directiva de la Unión Europea 2002/49/CE sobre evaluación y gestión del ruido ambiental, y a los trabajos en relación con la Ley del Ruido, el Programa de Contaminación Acústica elaboró, para la DGCEA, el inventario de los grandes ejes viarios y ferroviarios del territorio español afectados por estas normativas y, por tanto, sujetos a elaboración de mapas de ruido, que servirán de base para establecer la relación definitiva que ha de trasladarse a la Comisión Europea.
Due to the EU Directive 2002/49/CE taking effect, on the evaluation and management of environmental noise, and the works related to the Spanish Noise Law, the Acoustic Pollution Division elaborated, for DGCEA, the inventory of the main railway and road axes on Spanish territory affected by these laws, and thus, subject to the creation of noise maps, which will be the base for establishing the final list that is to be sent to the European Commission.
The up-dating of the information included in the website of the Ministry of Environment named after "Spanish Beaches Guide" went ahead for the Dirección General de Costas of this Ministry. A new design of the website was realized, changing totally its external appearance, following the style-book of the Ministry. The up-dating was possible thanks to the information supplied by the Dirección General de Costas, mainly through its Provincial Departments. As a result, the information was up-dated for all provinces, except for the Canary Islands. For the Dirección General de Obras Hidráulicas y Calidad de las Aguas of the same Ministry, different environmental reports on the river Guadiana estuary were evaluated.
Diagram for video system installation in a specific over-passing point for fauna
The Area of Isotopic Applications carried on the radiological monitoring of Spanish waters. For this purpose, inland, coastal and supply water networks were prepared, with over 200 sampling points; the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council also commissioned the Area to carry out cesium-137 determinations, so as to establish a high sensitivity network in Alcántara (Tajo), García (Ebro) and Cabo de Ajo (Cantábrico). Work was also made on a method for measuring alpha-ray emitters, separating the different radionuclides. The preparation of the application for the management, analysis and processing of the results of the water samples (Meragua) was finished.
Noise level measurements in M-40 (Madrid).
In the sphere of isotopic hydrology work was finished on the determination of infiltration rates in the golf-field of "Serres de Pals" in Gerona and isotopic characterization of the hydrogeological units in the Ebro basin. Work goes ahead on leakage control in dams of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (Bellús, Tous and Longuilla) and in Lomas de Úbeda region (Jaén). The hydrological study in Riotinto mines (part of Marte project) has started, while the study for the evaluation of aquifers recharge in Los Arenales was finished. Work in R&D project Tracer II, on pollutants dispersal, in collaboration with the Complutense University (Madrid) and the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council, has also concluded. The isotopic determination of rainfall in the network installed with the help of the National Meteorology Institute went on, as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency project entitled Isotopic Composition of Precipitation in the Mediterranean Basin in Relation to Air Circulation Patterns and Climate.
In the field of Computational Engineering, numeric mathematical models continued to be developed, under the frame of the different research projects coordinated by CEDEX.
The project Methodology for analysis and prevention of landslides in roads and railways (DESCARTES) was initiated, funded by the Ministry of Fomento, with collaboration of the Technical School of Topographic Engineering and the Agustin de Betancourt Foundation (Polytechnic University of Madrid) and the International Centre for Numeric Methods in Engineering (Polytechnic University of Cataluña). It was carried out modelling of the initial phase of landslides caused by earthquakes, through finite elements, by using elastoplastic and viscoplastic models, developing improved processes for the analysis of failure-mechanisms, studying new re-meshing techniques, modelling the propagation phase in sudden landslides, up-dating and improving GeoFlow software and going on the final preparations of diverse rheologic models for the propagation phase (frictional-fluid and Bingham models).
Noise map in a road (M-40, de Madrid).
The project Analysis of landslides caused by earthquakes (ANDES) went ahead, financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology, with collaboration of the Technical School of Topographic Engineering and the Technical High School of Civil Engineering (Polytechnic University of Madrid), Complutense University of Madrid, Granada University, Valencia University and the Spanish Navy Hydrographical Institute. Works included up-dating of GeHoMadrid finite elements software, modelling soils behaviour under dynamic and cyclic forces, developing of a constitutive model for collapsible soils under dynamic forces based on the Plasticity (generalized) Theory, modelling the propagation step for sudden landslides caused by earthquakes, preparing rheologic models for the propagation phase and developing simplified models that can be included in Information Systems.
Besides, collaboration with foreign research Centres and Universities went on, namely, ALERT-Geomaterials European network, Hohai University and Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment of Chengdu (financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation-AECI), with the creation of a virtual centre for the modelling of natural risks, and Reggio Calabria, Salerno, Athens, Tetuan, Polytechnic of Milan and Bolonia Universities.
Carbon-14 synthesis process
As part of the Scientific And Technical Information And Documentation Programme of CEDEX, the up-dating and developing of technology transfer tools continued, mostly through the participation in international networks and projects related to information, documentation and databases in a number of civil engineering fields and the environment concerned, and the development of Internet Information Systems on seashores and beaches, inland waters and roads.
In the field of inland waters and through the agreements signed with the Dirección General de Obras Hidráulicas y Calidad de las Aguas, HISPAGUA, the thematic portal on inland waters in Spain, continued to be up-dated and enlarged. Also, the collaboration in the European project SEMIDE/EMWIS (Euro-Mediterranean Water Information System) went ahead, Hispagua being the National Focal Point, and CEDEX being a member of the Technical Coordinating Unit. Last, with the collaboration of the World Bank Institute and the AECI (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), work has continued for the development of SIAGUA (Latin-American Water Information System), as system coordinators, and developers of the Spanish Focal Point and the International Focal Point. For this purpose, a Technical Conference in Antigua (Guatemala) was organized, with participation of 14 countries. Finally, meetings of both the Technical Committee and the Steering Committee of the Global Water Partnership Organization were organized and held in Madrid.
In the field of seashores, in agreement with the Dirección General de Costas, the Spanish Coastal Information System, included in the website of the Ministry of Environment, continued to be implemented. This System presents up-dated legal and administrative information on actions and management in the public coastal dominion, and technical and scientific information on the marine environment
In the field of roads and transport, in agreement with the Dirección General de Carreteras, participation progressed in the Programme ITRD/DIIT (International Transport Research Documentation) of OECD. As Spanish-speaking Coordinating Centre, the Spanish document database is provided and that of Latin-American countries is coordinated and supervised. The website DIRCAIBEA (Latin-America and Iberian Peninsula Highway Directors Council) and the Information System on road infrastructure and services, included in the Intranet of the Ministry of Fomento, were also up-dated and enlarged.
Failure caused by El Salvador earthquake in 2001.
Clausura de las Jornadas sobre SIAGUA en Antigua (Guatemala)
CEDEX library network increased its bibliographical resources with 3,890 documents, while the magazine subscriptions reached 320 titles, having received another 130 by way of exchange or donation. Processing of the documentation donated by the Spanish Irrigation and Drainage Committee to the library of the Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos of CEDEX must be also emphasized, since this donation means an increase of 1,012 antique documents. It is to be mentioned the collaboration with the Spanish Science and Technology Foundation to include CEDEX in the ISI Web of Knowledge, which is a powerful platform for information searching in database..
Finally, the Training Programme of CEDEX has organized 5 international masters, as well as 7 national courses, 2 online courses, 1 congress and 6 conferences. All of them are detailed in the enclosed document (in Spanish) comprising the Committees, Courses, Symposiums, Publications and Technical Reports published in 2003 by CEDEX.
Monographic article
Evaluation of aquifers recharge in Los Arenales through tracers and isotopic methods.
Commissioned by the Secretaría de Estado de Aguas y Costas of the Ministry of Environment, the Area of Isotopic Applications initiated in 2000 and finished in 2003 an analysis on the evaluation of aquifers recharge in Los Arenales by means of natural and artificial tracers in the non-saturated zone. This work represents a complementary research to the previous study carried out by CEDEX to characterize the hydrogeological performance of Los Arenales aquifer through isotopic and hydrogeochemical techniques, which showed such a large heterogeneity, both in the spatial distribution and in the most-recent recharge amount of the subterranean waters pumped out of the deepest aquifer layers. Nowadays, deep pumping constitute the largest subterranean water flows exploited in the afore-mentioned region of the Duero basin. Environmental tritium balance in the whole aquifer allowed the identification of recently recharged zones in deep layers, over 200 mm/year, and areas of practically null recent recharge.
The hydrogeological unit 02.17, known as Los Arenales Region, is situated in the southern sector of Duero depression, among the provinces of Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Zamora and Salamanca. It includes a total area of 7,750 km2, when using the hydrogeological systematization of the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute. Los Arenales unit is named after the broad deposits of wind-originated Quaternary-aged sands, which partially cover the sandy and clayey Miocene formations that mostly fill the Duero basin. These superficial deposits cover, up to 15 meters depth, the central and east sectors of the hydrogeological unit; on the contrary, when nearing the western end, the Tertiary materials, which form the so-named deep aquifer of this zone, appear generally on the surface. Superficial runoff is much more notable in the east sector of the area occupied by the aquifer than in the Tertiary materials outcropping area.
The study made clear that the existence of sandy deposits and other recent sediments units plays an important role, both in the vegetation-type and land use distribution and in the hydrogeological characteristics of every sector in the aquifer, and particularly in the recharge. Pine groves areas are mostly connected to sandy surfaces, while cereals are dominant on Miocene materials.
Hydrogeologic map of the monitoring area for Los Arenales aguifer recharge.
River flows show different seasonal regimes due to the regulatory effect of shallow aquifers. The presence of a more permeable quaternary cover and sandy outcroppings in the Miocene materials, seem to determine the most significant recharge areas.
The set of techniques used in the analyses of recharge through hydrogeochemical methods and the main results obtained are the following:
Environmental tritium profile measurements in soil moisture in the non-saturated zone. This technique was intended to identify the depth and distribution of the water marked with tritium of thermonuclear origin in the last 50 years, which allowed to study the depth reached by rainfall in the 1960 decade. Thanks to these data and the soil moisture profiles, the average recharge was evaluated in more than 20 plots situated on the aquifer. Obtaining these profiles made necessary the development of techniques for sediment sampling, measuring of soil moisture and tritium measuring by means of electrolytic concentration, in small volumes of water samples.
Centrifuge for water extraction in soil samples.
Tritium profiles reached 30 m in places of deep piezometric level. On some occasions, the existence of hanged aquifers obliged to reduce the profile length. Recharge ratios in the profiles varied generally between low and very low values, except for some sectors in permeable places, where locally went beyond 120 mm/year.
It must be emphasized, as a real new development in hydrogeological methodologies, the realization of direct measurements of the infiltration rate in 20 experimental plots, using a technique based on the injection of artificial tritium in a plane close to the land surface and the later measurement of its movement through the non-saturated zone, owing to the infiltration of rainy waters.
Infiltration in the upper soil layers was measured in a 22 months-period. Recharge rates varied widely in the study area, from 5 mm/y to values over 45% the annual rainfall. Given the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall, CEDEX will continue these tests so that the recharge rate represents average measurements of several years after the injection.
Other action consisted of differential gauging in the main rivers going through the study area, so as to identify the main infiltration areas or subterranean discharge zones. Flow results were completed with chemical and isotopic variable measurements in water samples taken in these rivers.
These analyses gave information on the stretches where discharge of the shallowest aquifers takes effect, specially in the final stretches of some rivers. Water river pumping for agriculture (from April to September) was also detected in other cases.
Excavation for tritium irrigation
Chemical and isotopic data gave additional information on the origin of the water circulating and on the possible interaction of river with their geographically associated aquifers. Tritium concentrations gave evidence of the permanent discharge of subterranean water, with residence time of several decades, for instance in some reaches of river Guareña.