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AG's Final Thesis -12-08-2017.pdf (1.76 MB)

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UPSCALING OF A THERMAL EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT ON SHREDDED-TIRE MONOFILLS

Gelaye, Ababu A.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4202-2430
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1512762530668535

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, University of Akron, Geology-Environmental Geology.
Scrap tires are shredded and kept in monofills as one way of disposing or storing them for further processes such as recycling. Although monofills are safer than other means of disposing tires, long-term storage in fills and stockpiles, where the shredded tires are in a compressed state, has led to incidences of tire fires. In order to safely and more efficiently manage shredded tire monofills, it is imperative to understand the heat generation process in such settings. This study is an experimental investigation performed with the overall aim of determining the directional variations of the bulk thermal conductivity of shredded tires. To approximate the situation at monofills, an experimental apparatus was designed and constructed using an open-end steel drum with a diameter of 0.28 m (11 in) and 0.85 m (33.5 in) height. Heat was generated by compression of interstitial air/voids, and temperature distribution was measured when heat was in transit across the bulk volume of shredded tires. Experiments were conducted on three shred sizes: 12.5 mm (0.5 in), 25 mm (1 in), and 150 mm (6 in) to determine thermal conductivity variations as a function of size, density and compressibility. The three shred sizes correspond to three experimental set-ups. A fourth configuration was composed of 150 mm (6 in) shred sizes with a 75 mm (3 in) covering of mine spoils to determine the contribution of mine spoils to the temperature difference, heat flux, thermal conductivity and compressibility of interstitial air of bulk shredded tires. The compression/strain of the large size tire shreds was found to be higher than that of small size tire shreds. The reloading experiment also shows that shredded tires compress less during the second round of loading (i.e., showing a low level of hysteresis), although both the first time loading and the reloading curves depict a similar non-linear stress-strain behavior. One of the ramifications of the results is the finding that the thermal conductivity of shredded tires and the heat generation process is directly proportional to the composition of the shreds, the mechanical compressibility of the shredded tires, the degree of packing, and the applied stress. The larger tire shreds show higher values for thermal conductivities than the smaller tire shreds, all other things kept constant. It was also found that temperature is highest near the middle of the tested shredded tire volume, and the temperature decreases progressively moving farther away from the center. This corroborates with findings of continuous thermo-probes measurements in the field which also show temperature increases at the middle levels of the actual tire monofills. The focus of the thesis has been on determining directional thermal conductivities due to the compressibility of the tested sizes of the shredded tires. Future research needs to be completed on the effect of other factors such as long-term moisture and leachate dynamics of the tire monofills.
Ira D. Sasowsky, Dr. (Advisor)
David N. Steer, Dr. (Committee Member)
John M. Senko (Committee Member)
79 p.
Environmental Engineering; Environmental Geology
Thermal evolution, directional thermal conductivities, shredded tires, monofill, compressibility, stress-strain behavior, interstitial air, hysteresis, thermo-probes measurements

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gelaye, A. A. (2017). UPSCALING OF A THERMAL EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT ON SHREDDED-TIRE MONOFILLS [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1512762530668535

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gelaye, Ababu. UPSCALING OF A THERMAL EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT ON SHREDDED-TIRE MONOFILLS . 2017. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1512762530668535.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gelaye, Ababu. "UPSCALING OF A THERMAL EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT ON SHREDDED-TIRE MONOFILLS ." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1512762530668535

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1512762530668535
342
© 2017, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License UPSCALING OF A THERMAL EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT ON SHREDDED-TIRE MONOFILLS by Ababu A. Gelaye is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.