Civil Engineering / İnşaat Mühendisliği

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  • Review
    Citation - WoS: 19
    Citation - Scopus: 22
    Water Dams: From Ancient To Present Times and Into the Future
    (MDPI, 2024) Angelakis, Andreas N.; Baba, Alper; Valipour, Mohammad; Dietrich, Jorg; Fallah-Mehdipour, Elahe; Krasilnikoff, Jens; Ahmed, Abdelkader T.
    Since ancient times, dams have been built to store water, control rivers, and irrigate agricultural land to meet human needs. By the end of the 19th century, hydroelectric power stations arose and extended the purposes of dams. Today, dams can be seen as part of the renewable energy supply infrastructure. The word dam comes from French and is defined in dictionaries using words like strange, dike, and obstacle. In other words, a dam is a structure that stores water and directs it to the desired location, with a dam being built in front of river valleys. Dams built on rivers serve various purposes such as the supply of drinking water, agricultural irrigation, flood control, the supply of industrial water, power generation, recreation, the movement control of solids, and fisheries. Dams can also be built in a catchment area to capture and store the rainwater in arid and semi-arid areas. Dams can be built from concrete or natural materials such as earth and rock. There are various types of dams: embankment dams (earth-fill dams, rock-fill dams, and rock-fill dams with concrete faces) and rigid dams (gravity dams, rolled compacted concrete dams, arch dams, and buttress dams). A gravity dam is a straight wall of stone masonry or earthen material that can withstand the full force of the water pressure. In other words, the pressure of the water transfers the vertical compressive forces and horizontal shear forces to the foundations beneath the dam. The strength of a gravity dam ultimately depends on its weight and the strength of its foundations. Most dams built in ancient times were constructed as gravity dams. An arch dam, on the other hand, has a convex curved surface that faces the water. The forces generated by the water pressure are transferred to the sides of the structure by horizontal lines. The horizontal, normal, and shear forces resist the weight at the edges. When viewed in a horizontal section, an arch dam has a curved shape. This type of dam can also resist water pressure due to its particular shape that allows the transfer of the forces generated by the stored water to the rock foundations. This article takes a detailed look at hydraulic engineering in dams over the millennia. Lessons should be learned from the successful and unsuccessful applications and operations of dams. Water resource managers, policymakers, and stakeholders can use these lessons to achieve sustainable development goals in times of climate change and water crisis.
  • Review
    Citation - WoS: 3
    Citation - Scopus: 3
    Evolution of Tunneling Hydro-Technology: From Ancient Times To Present and Future
    (MDPI, 2023) Angelakis, Andreas N.; Passchier, Cees W.; Valipour, Mohammad; Krasilnikoff, Jens A.; Tzanakakis, Vasileios A.; Ahmed, Abdelkader T.; Baba, Alper; Kumar, Rohitashw; Capodaglio, Andrea G.; Dercas, Nicholas; Bilgiç, Esra
    Water tunnels are one of the oldest hydro-technologies for extracting water resources and/or transmitting them through water distribution systems. In the past, human societies have used tunneling for various purposes, including development, as a measure to enable underground resource extraction and the construction of transportation networks in challenging landscapes and topographies. The development of hydro-technology potentially involves the construction of tunnels to feed aqueducts, irrigation and waste water systems. Thus, the ability to make and maintain tunnels became an important component in creating lasting and sustainable water systems, which increased water supply and security, minimized construction costs, and reduced environmental impact. Thus, this review asks how, when and why human societies of the past included tunneling for the development of lasting water supply systems. This review presents a comprehensive overview across time and space, covering the history of tunneling in hydro technology from antiquity to the present, and it ponders how past experiences could impact on future hydro-technological projects involving tunneling. A historical review of tunnel systems enhances our understanding of the potential, performance, challenges, and prospects associated with the use of hydro-techniques. In the past, as the different examples in time and space demonstrate, tunneling was often dedicated to solving local problems of supply and disposal. However, across the world, some features were repeated, including the need for carving through the living rock or digging to create tunnels covered with stone slabs. Also, the world-wide use of extensive and costly tunnel systems indicates the high level of investment which human societies are willing to make for securing control over and with its water resources. This study helps us to gather inspiration from proven technologies of the past and more recent knowledge of water tunnel design and construction. As we face global warming and its derivate problems, including problems of water scarcity and flooding, the ability to create and maintain tunnels remains an important technology for the future.
  • Review
    Citation - WoS: 14
    Citation - Scopus: 25
    Sustainability of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: From Prehistoric Times To the Present Times and the Future
    (MDPI, 2023) Angelakis, Andreas N.; Capodaglio, Andrea G.; Passchier, Cees W.; Valipour, Mohammad; Krasilnikoff, Jens; Tzanakakis, Vasileios A.; Suermelihindi, Guel; Baba, Alper
    Contaminated water and poor sanitation are associated with disease transmission. Absent, inadequate, or improperly managed water resources and sanitation systems expose individuals to preventable health risks. Billions of people lack access to these basic services today and will remain in this condition for decades to come. As we are usually thinking and talking about water, sanitation and hygiene services have changed. Looking back at the history of water, sanitation, and hygiene can help us understand the challenges and opportunities of these issues and draw lessons to achieve sustainable development in the future. Throughout history, civilizations have successfully experimented with treating water and using it for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture. For example, the Minoan civilizations originally focused on water treatment and cleaning to improve the aesthetic properties of drinking water. During prehistoric times, Minoan and Indus Valley civilizations, dating back to about 2000 BC, were the first to focus on the treatment of water supplies. From the early Minoan period, they relied on rainwater collection. During historic times, Hippocrates was the first to invent and used a water filter in the form of a cloth bag, at about 400 BC, known today as the Hippocrates Sleeve. The Romans perfected existing water technologies on a larger scale and initiated their spread throughout the Empire. Hygiene in ancient Rome was promoted by the famous public baths and toilets, which were supplied with water through widely branched aqueducts that had a high standard of cleanliness for the time and were regularly maintained.
  • Review
    Citation - WoS: 25
    Citation - Scopus: 35
    Evolution of Floods: From Ancient Times To the Present Times (ca 7600 Bc To the Present) and the Future
    (MDPI, 2023) Angelakis, Andreas N.; Capodaglio, Andrea G.; Valipour, Mohammad; Krasilnikoff, Jens; Ahmed, Abdelkader T.; Mandi, Laila; Tzanakakis, Vasileios A.; Kumar, Rohitashw; Min, Zhang; Han, Mooyoung; Bashiru, Turay; Derkas, Nicholas; Baba, Alper; Bilgiç, Esra
    Floods are one of the most dangerous natural disasters, causing great destruction, damage, and even fatalities worldwide. Flooding is the phenomenon of a sudden increase or even slow increase in the volume of water in a river or stream bed as the result of several possible factors: heavy or very long precipitation, melting snowpack, strong winds over the water, unusually high tides, tsunamis, or the failure of dams, gages, detention basins, or other structures that hold back water. To gain a better understanding of flooding, it is necessary to examine evidence, search for ancient wisdom, and compare flood-management practices in different regions in a chronological perspective. This study reviews flood events caused by rising sea levels and erratic weather from ancient times to the present. In addition, this review contemplates concerns about future flood challenges and possible countermeasures. Thus, it presents a catalogue of past examples in order to present a point of departure for the study of ancient floods and to learn lessons for preparation for future flood incidents including heavy rainfalls, particularly in urbanized areas. The study results show that ancient societies developed multifaceted technologies to cope with floods and many of them are still usable now and may even represent solutions and measures to counter the changing and increasingly more erratic weather of the present.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 11
    Citation - Scopus: 11
    Adapting Cities To Pluvial Flooding: the Case of Izmir (türkiye)
    (MDPI, 2022) Salata, Stefano; Couch, Virginia Thompson; Velibeyoğlu, Koray; Baba, Alper; Saygın, Nicel; Uzelli, Taygun
    In the coming decades, climate change will be one of the most significant challenges for urban areas. The quantity, duration and intensity of events, such as flash rains and heat waves, will increase the vulnerability of urban regions while exposing citizens to potentially dangerous conditions. According to the current literature, mainstreaming resilience in urban planning means designing rules that strengthen urban systems’ adaptive and self-regulating functions by reducing their vulnerability. In this work, we aimed to build knowledge for the application of the sponge district concept to Izmir (Türkiye), one of Europe’s most vulnerable areas to pluvial flooding. To do this, we first analyzed the runoff in each urban sub-watershed, then employed a composite index to determine potential areas of intervention for nature-based solutions. Results show that 10% of Izmir’s urban areas are extremely vulnerable to cloudbursts, which means that 40% of the urban population is exposed to this phenomenon. Moreover, the runoff calculation in the sub-watershed demonstrated that the potential flood volume is underestimated, especially in the upslope areas. The results can be used as a template to suggest a stepwise approach to mainstream the resilience of densely-inhabited coastal urban catchments.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 4
    Citation - Scopus: 12
    Carbon Dioxide Emissions Mitigation Strategy Through Enhanced Geothermal Systems: Western Anatolia, Turkey
    (Springer, 2022) Chandrasekharam, Dornadula; Baba, Alper
    Although Turkey is not the biggest GHG polluter, its emissions have increased by 110.4% since 1990. Currently, its CO2 emissions alone have crossed 400 Mt. Within the scope of 2 °C targets (2D scenario), the country can easily surpass this target test by increasing its renewable energy sources as a primary energy source mix, by developing its Enhanced Geothermal Sources (EGS) locked up in the radiogenic granites of western Anatolia. The radiogenic heat generated by these granites, spread over an area of 4221 sq. km, varies from 5.3 to 16.34 µW/m3. Based on the electricity generation capacity of granites from Soultz-sous-Forets and Cooper Basin EGS sites, the combined electricity generation capacity of Kestanbol and Kozak granite plutons is about 830 billion kWh. For the period extending from 2019 to 2023, Turkey is aiming at reducing the usage of gas for electricity generation from 29.9 to 20.7%, increasing the share of renewable energy sources from 32.5 to 38.8%, increasing the electricity production from local energy sources from 150 to 219 TWh and increasing the electricity usage per-capita from 3.7 to 4.3 MWh. These energy targets can be achieved by major contributions from hydrothermal and EGS energy sources. This review demonstrates that besides electricity and heat, EGS energy can be utilized, together with other renewable energy sources, such as hydrothermal, wind, and concentrated solar for providing fresh water through the desalination process. These energy sources would provide food, energy, and water security to the country for several decades.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 6
    Citation - Scopus: 6
    Valuing Groundwater Heritage: the Historic Wells of Kadıovacık
    (Springer, 2021) Yüceer, Hülya; Baba, Alper; Özcan Gönülal, Yasemin; Uştuk, Ozan; Gerçek, Deniz; Güler, Selen; Uzelli, Taygun
    The consideration of the subject of water resources, seen as a part of cultural heritage, generally includes water-related architectural structures such as bridges, aqueducts, and cisterns. Groundwater resources and related structures, however, receive little attention as heritage assets, and they are mostly forgotten together with the valuable information they hold. In this sense, this study aims to provide an accurate assessment of groundwater heritage and to suggest proposals for conservation through the case of the historic wells of Kadıovacık village in the Urla district of İzmir. Although the region where the village is located is rich in groundwater resources, the residents have suffered from drought for ages due to the specific geological characteristics of the Kadıovacık polje. The limited amount of water resources in Kadıovacık village have karstic characteristics and have shaped the life and topography of the region. To access and harvest this limited groundwater, a group of wells had been constructed on the ridge of the hill. These wells have been idle since 1980s with the supply of city main water. In line with the aim, a comprehensive heritage valuation by an interdisciplinary group of experts is essential to reveal the significance of the relatively humble wells. Accordingly, a multi-method system is used, including historical, social, cultural, architectural, geological, hydrogeological, and environmental aspects. The results show that although the wells are generally considered to be less important as heritage assets in terms of their physical features, an in-depth evaluation demonstrates their high significance for the village community.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 55
    Citation - Scopus: 67
    Desalination: From Ancient To Present and Future
    (MDPI, 2021) Angelakis, Andreas N.; Valipour, Mohammad; Choo, Kwang-Ho; Ahmed, Abdelkader T.; Baba, Alper; Kumar, Rohitashw; Toor, Gurpal S.
    Water is life, and without water, there would be no civilizations and a vacant Earth. Water is considered an abundant natural resource on the earth. Water covers 3/4 of the surface. However, 97% of the available water on the earth is salty oceanic water, and only a tiny fraction (3%) is freshwater. This small portion of the available water supplies the needs of humans and animals. However, freshwater exists in underground, rivers, and lakes and is insufficient to cover all the world's water demands. Thus, water saving, water reuse, rainwater harvesting, stormwater utilization, and desalination are critical for maintaining water supplies for the future of humanity. Desalination has a long history spanning centuries from ancient times to the present. In the last two decades, desalination has been rapidly expanding to meet water needs in stressed water regions of the world. Yet, there are still some problems with its implementation in several areas of the world. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the history of desalination for wiser and smarter water extraction and uses to sustain and support the water needs of the earth's inhabitants.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 1
    Citation - Scopus: 1
    Groundwater Recharge Estiaton in the Alaşehir Sub-Basin Using Hydro-Geochemical Data; Alaşehir Case Study
    (Springer, 2021) Tonkul, Serhat; Baba, Alper; Şimşek, Celalettin; Demirkesen, Ali Can
    The issue of groundwater recharge has gained importance in countries where there is not enough water supply to the aquifer. However, groundwater recharge is a difficult parameter to determine. This difficulty stems from factors such as the location of the area to be studied, time, cost, and hydrological data. Numerical, isotope, and chemical approaches are used in groundwater recharge investigations. Numerical and chemical approaches are more costly and time-consuming than chemical approaches. This study aims to ascertain alluvial aquifer recharge in Alaehir (Manisa) sub-basin using chemical approaches (Chloride Mass Balance Method) and its applicability. For this purpose, research wells were drilled at 25 different points in the alluvial aquifer, water sampling was done in wet and dry periods, and rainwater water samples were collected. Groundwater recharge was calculated by using chemical approaches from the chloride concentrations of the water samples collected. An annual average of 74.84 mm of recharge was found in the Alaehir sub-basin. This value corresponds to 16.38% of annual rainfall. At the same time, it was examined the groundwater and geothermal mixing mechanism to demonstrate the applicability of the Chloride Mass Balance Method. It was concluded that geothermal fluid in Alaehir sub-basin mixed with groundwater at a rate of 17%.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 4
    Citation - Scopus: 6
    Testing the Performance of Various Polymeric Antiscalants for Mitigation of Sb-Rich Precipitates Mimicking Stibnite-Based Geothermal Deposits
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2020) Çiftçi, Celal; Karaburun, Emre; Tonkul, Serhat; Baba, Alper; Demir, Mustafa Muammer; Yeşilnacar, Mehmet İrfan
    Scaling is frequently observed in geothermal fields and reduces the energy harvesting of power plants. Recently, Sb-rich deposits have developed in many fields around the world. Various polymeric macromolecules have been used as antiscalants to mitigate the formation of scale. Testing potential commercial antiscalants in field conditions is a tedious and costly process. The artificial synthesis of geothermal deposits in the lab is a more practical and economical way to test the performance of antiscalants. This study obtained a Sb-rich deposit by refluxing SbCl3 and Na2S center dot 3H(2)O in 18 h. The product was found to be a mixture of Sb2O3 and Sb2S3. We examined the performance of antiscalants such as poly(ethylene glycol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), Gelatin, and poly(vinyl alcohol) of various molecular weights at 5 to 100 ppm. The formation of Sb2S3 is suppressed in the presence of the polymeric antiscalants. The dosage was found to be critical for the solubilization of Sb-rich deposits. Gelatin of 5 ppm showed the highest performance under the conditions employed in this study. While low dosages improve the concentration of [Sb3+], high dosages are required to increase the solubility of [S2-]. Moreover, the amount of deposit is reduced by 12.4% compared to the reference (in the absence of any polymeric molecules). Thus, comparatively, Gelatin shows the most promising performance among the molecules employed.