MRI: Acquisition of an Ultra-Centrifuge to Enhance Geoenvironmental Research and Education at California State University Los Angeles

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The objective of this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award is to acquire an ultracentrifuge with high payload capacity. The ultracentrifuge uses centrifugation forces to speed up the measurement of hydrogeological and contaminant fate and transport properties. The ultracentrifuge G Force ranges from 0 to 250 with a maximum 20,000 G-lbs at 600 RPM. The acquired equipment will enhance research training and education at all levels, especially in the following areas: (a) hydraulic conductivity dependence on saturation level in low conductivity soils under unsaturated anisotropic conditions; (b) long-term deterioration of containment barriers; (c) characterization of hydrogeological and transport properties using anisotropy coefficient of porous media; (d) isotope transport in low permeability sediments in the vadose zone; and (e) chemical weathering of soils in areas used for carbon sequestration.Measurement of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in low conductivity soils can take years to be performed using most common approaches. Under steady-state centrifugation (SSC), which will be enabled through the acquisition of this equipment, the same measurement can be performed in a matter of days or even hours. The results will be widely disseminated to support research in the areas of underground contamination mitigation and groundwater protection. The instrumentation will be readily incorporated into undergraduate and graduate research and teaching programs available at CSULA.