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mschock

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  1. Got it, thanks. I didn't think to look on the hard drive for the installation folder. The lab reports total alkalinity as mg/L CaCO3, from which we can derive meq/L. In fact, many titration systems don't even get close pH calibration, since technically you can get the result simply following the mV. We have often done exactly as you suggested, computing DIC and comparing to a directly analyzed value, but when doing field studies we usually don't have the luxury of either totally complete analyses, or DIC. Thanks for your help!
  2. This is a clever way to approach it, but we wouldn't know the pH of the equivalence point exactly. However, it would make sense that as an approximation you could figure out from the total sulfate, total phosphate (assuming orthophosphate), total silica, hypochlorous acid/hypochlorite (would have to add as weak base but it's problematic for redox because of frequent disequilibrium conditions), ammonia, etc. to approximately the range of the carbonic acid equivalence point. This could be figured out in principle (the way the USGS programs used to do it) by subtracting the meq/L of the acid/base components neutralized from the total alkalinity observed? Where is that script file example? I haven't been able to find it yet.
  3. We have a situation with having a need to derive the total carbonate concentration in a closed system from laboratory analytical input parameters. The measurement we often have is total alkalinity, as defined by strong acid titration to the carbonic acid equivalence point. In drinking water context, there often are other dissociated weak acids, like phosphoric acid, hypochlorite ion, NH3, silicic acid, present in solution, which are titratable. We cannot analytically separate carbonate alkalinity from total alkalinity, in the absence of a direct coulometric or other analysis of total inorganic carbon in the water (which is only sometimes available). With solution pH and the rest of the major constituent water analysis, for example, total concentrations of Ca, Na, Mg, SO4, PO4, SiO2, free chlorine residual (hypochlorous acid/hypochlorite ion), total NH3, etc. we can get ionic strength, ion pairing and the other weak acids that would be caught in the total alkalinity measurement. This issue is described nicely in the documentation of the original USGS WATEQ series of computer programs, as well as in many other water chemistry texts. Is it possible to implement this calculation in GWB, particularly in the GSS spreadsheet and SPECE8? Assuming carbonate alkalinity = total alkalinity is very often a good approximation. But in waters of low carbonate concentration (less than 5 mg/L as C), typical water treatment practice results in concentrations of other weak acids and bases that are significant relative to the carbonate alkalinity.
  4. As an originator of the second of the diagrams (which was done before GWB, actually), I can point to some important strategies and concepts for generating similar diagrams. First, know what solids and aqueous species you want to include in the model, and then make sure they are in the thermodynamic data base called by Act2. It is quite possible that some of the solids and aqueous species are not contained in any or all of the default databases that come with GWB. In our research lab we have been building our own as we need it for different metals, drawing aqueous complexes and solid phases from either others of the thermo databases, or we add them from the literature. Notably, there are widely-varying solubility constants and aqueous complex formation constants in the literature. You could get very different-looking diagrams depending on your choices. There are certainly differences behind the last two diagrams you show. We have found it useful to include multiples of the same solid phase with different Ksp's, but name them differently so that you can test the different choices in a diagram by disallowing unwanted solid phases. When ligands are weak acids or weak bases, like the carbonate system or phosphoric acid system, you will have to allow the form to vary with pH when you set up your Act2 script. One additional reminder, and that is to make sure that the activities chosen for Pb and the carbonate (or other species) are as specified in the original diagrams you're trying to reproduce, or set to values for new diagrams of your choice. For your reference, most of the thermodyamic data for the first diagram likely originates in the book chapter: Schock, M. R.; Wagner, I.; Oliphant, R. The Corrosion and Solubility of Lead in Drinking Water; In Internal Corrosion of Water Distribution Systems; Second ed.; AWWA Research Foundation/DVGW Forschungsstelle: Denver, CO, 1996.
  5. We are modeling the solubility and speciation of metals released from drinking water/plumbing interactions. We directly analyze for total inorganic carbon in the water by coulometric titration. We also analyze what would be termed "titration alkalinity" to the carbonic acid equivalence point by sulfuric acid titration. Drinking waters can have weak acid contributions from such anions as aqueous ammonia, hypochlorite ion, or various phosphoric acid anions, depending on the pH of the water. So it would not be proper to assume this titration alkalinity to be the system parameter carbonate alkalinty. While there is an analyte for titration acidity in the system parameters, I don't see one for titration alkailnty. And while we can express the titration alkainitiy in many varied units, I don't know what the best way to input that analytical data would be. Must we define a complicated new analyte of our own? Directly inputting the total concentrations of the other weak acids and the analyzed TIC would likely be the most accurate. Can TIC be properly input using HCO3- as the analyte? Or do we define something else?
  6. Greetings; I don't have experience with the plot overlay files, but I have a lot of experience with researching and doing plots for lead and copper solubility and mobility in potable water systems. The first two places I'd look at are that you need to assume a total lead(II) activity that's reaslistic for the diagram (log Pb++ = 0 in your .ac2 script) and also make sure the thermodynamic database has the right suite of aqueous and solid species in it for your system. We've had to make huge changes in the thermo data bases to get what we find are both thermodynamically and kinetically plausible phases for environmental systems, and the most realistic log K's. We're a lot more confident in the choices for the Pb-OH-CO3 system than the others. I've attached a PDF that shows a comparison of what I get with your script, and what I get for two useful types of diagrams with our own script from a somewhat similar geochemical system, though the chloride and sulfate levels in my example are probably a lot lower than in your system. I've also attached the thermodynamic database that we've used recently, and one of the scripts. Hope this helps.... --Mike Schock, USEPA, Water Supply & Water Resources Division, Cincinnati, OH. thermo MS.dat Lead diagram examples.pdf Pb 10 DIC 18 Cl 35 SO4 96.ac2
  7. I have not run into this specific problem in my own modeling of copper with Act2, but with other software and when trying to do Pourbaix diagrams manually, I have run into similar problems when the Gibbs free energies used for the different species are taken from various different articles and compilations, and they not internally-consistent. The phase stability polygons then do not properly close.
  8. Thank you. That helps clarify what's going on. I guess I need to work through this in some detail and try to figure out exactly how to decouple and work with a high Eh, and also to learn better how to add appropriate species to the thermodynamic database. What is really confusing to me is the co-existence of identical species but having different different names and using different basis species. From your explanation, I still am not quite sure why this is necessary, and whether or not there is a potential conflict in the calculation. For the time being, I seem to get logical and acceptable results (as best I can determine) using a realistic Eh of 0.7 volts for one of these waters, but that won't always be the case. I need to add some Pb(IV) aqueous species, so the coupling issue is also relevant there.
  9. Hi, Tom; Thank you. I figured out it might have something to do with the typo with the mass for vanadinite shortly after I posted the question, and your answer confirmed it. So that problem is solved. I have two remaining questions. First, for this current modeling exercise, I am very confused by the different ways the different thermodynamic databases handle the vanadium aqueous speciation, and how I should combine that with the lead. In this case, I have a system where the Eh is lower, and the likely coexisting valence states are Pb(II), V(V) and P(V)--orthophosphate. The LLNL thermo.com.r8.v6+.dat database that I've been working from and modifying (because of the completeness of some of the metals), seems to be missing some V(V) aqueous species, and it seems also to have some duplicates but with a different set of reactants to create that species. For example, it has both HVO4-- and VO3OH--, though their formation reactions are different. The thermo.dat database seems to have a more comprehensive set of species for V and uses three different basis species representing V(III), V(IV) and V(V), but dependent on redox reactions of V(IV). How can I reconcile these two approaches, to give me the ability to either do Eh-pH diagrams for both Pb and V, but also be able to use SpecE8 with specifying a single Eh? I have tried to incorporate the V(V) reactions into my own database, but the more acidic V(V) species are not being displayed, and I believe it may be becasue their formation reaction is not based on VO4---. I have attached a Word file showing the V(V) species that are in each of these 3 databases, for your reference. Second, is the general question, and that is basically how to properly set up speciation calculations in GWB for high Eh values (above water stability bounds), to prevent water from being removed from the system and producing misleading concentrations. Would I need to make sure all metastable elements (such as would be the case for Pb(IV) species and any other concurrent ligands or metals) are decoupled in some way, and then specify Eh input? I temporarily gave up on this when I kept having the problem with convergence or unrealistically high. Or, would I have to actually make sure the drinking water oxidants are added in to the database as basis and aqueous species (such as hypochlorous acid/hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, chloramines) so they can participate in the reactions? Or is there some other way. I hope this explanation is sufficiently clear. --Mike
  10. Hi; I'm trying to develop an upper-bounds estimate for the solubility constant and/or Gibbs free energy of formation of vanadinite (as found in lead pipe corrosion scales), from some drinking water monitoring data and some [hopefully wise] estimations of dissolved lead and vanadium levels in places that can't be directly measured. My strategy is to use SpecE8 with known background water chemistry (which varies somewhat for a few constituents) to derive the activities of Pb+2, VO4-3 and Cl- for some expected ends of chemistry ranges, to get an estimated log Ksp. From that, I can use Act2 to construct an Eh-pH diagram for some different water treatment scenarios. I thought I was OK up until I tried to add vanadinite into the thermodynamic database. I am using a modified version of thermo.com.v8.r6 which I have used for a couple of years, having extensively added to and modified the Pb and Cu sections. It is too big to attach, so I exerpted just the section where I added the vanadinite, and I incremented the number of solids by 1. I wrote the reaction in terms of Cl-, Pb++ and VO4---, but when trying to read the new database into SpecE8, it apparently tries to do something with the VO++/VO4--- couple and crashes with a "reaction mass imbalance for vanadinite" error (attached Word file). I am also attaching one of the representative SpecE8 script files which ran with the thermo database without the added vanadinite. Is there an error in the way I entered the solid, or other changes I need to the aqueous species for V(V) as well? I think I noted a redundancy in the database, too, though I don't think it's part of this problem. Both HVO4-- and VO3OH-- are in the database. As an aside, I originally tried to set Eh and include oxygen, but at the high Eh I tried (0.95 V), the calculations got way off, I think because it might have been oxidizing water. I couldn't find a way to make the calculations work by specifying Eh, which would be useful for looking at Pb solubility vs Eh at different pHs or carbonate concentrations, as the phase changes from cerussite or hydrocerussite to plattnerite. One problem that has some bearing on how I can approach this is that realistically, is many drinking water systems are in redox disequilibrium with the stability domain of water, thanks to the use of highly oxidizing disinfectants like hypochlorous acid. However, modelling based on short-term metastable equilibrium represents the systems well. Observed and inferred (from the presence of PbO2 and other highly oxidized mineral phases) Eh's are often in the 800-1000 mV range. Other systems use chloramines, a weaker oxidant, which are tough to characterize and enter into any thermodynamic database. Therefore, it would be best if I could use basis species that I know co-exist in the systems I want to model, such as VO4-3 and Pb+2, and try to ignore actual redox reactions in the key speciation calculations. Any help with this addition of vanadinite and setup of the V speciation problem would be appreciated. --Mike Schock
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