Month: November 2012

Industrial Waste Site Tour

Posted on by

I recently toured an industrial waste site where the groundwater underneath is being remediated for perchlorate contamination as well as other contaminates. Perchlorate can be naturally occurring, but in this case it is from historic rocket fuel and explosives manufacturing. The groundwater is being remediated partially through the use of bioremediation (i.e. microbes).

Lots of chemicals on site for the remediation, like ferrous sulfate.

Hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient for the microbes.

Lots of nutrients for the microbes

The label on this container notes the dangers of the concentrated phosphoric acid, which it contains. It also notes that there is a $800 deposit on the container, so you definitely want to remember to return the container.

The main part of the site is a series of fluidized bed reaction tanks.

With centrifugal pumps to keep the fluids moving.

More chemical storage tanks

At industrial plants, pipes always need to be labeled.

The first two mailboxes are labeled “PAP Sample to Lab,” and the second two are labeled “Clean Bottle Return.” I actually have doubts that these are really being used for pick up of samples to go to the lab. In general, samples need to be refrigerated once taken, and they should not be left in a metal box to bake in the hot sun.

Finally, always remember to drive slowly

Las Vegas, Where Insane Architecture Reigns

Posted on by

A disclaimer on this post: I am an engineer. Architects and engineers famously don’t get along all that well. Oh sure, we work on projects together, but engineers understand and respect the laws of physics. Architects, not so much. I do in fact like and respect architects, and at one point in high school, I wanted to be one. That was until I realized how much more I like and was better at the math and science of design than the art of it. However I do appreciate good architectural design. Then there is Las Vegas. I need to study the history of Las Vegas because I am really curious when and why casinos started being built with crazier and crazier, over the top themes. The casinos really know how to do a theme also. They completely saturate the property with the theme, whatever it may be. I have to wonder if drugs were involved in the design of some of the casinos. Along the Strip, are casinos and hotels with themes based on at least three different continents, several different time eras, and both real and fictional places. Part of what I find so hilarious is that casinos with completely different themes sit right next to each other. For example, on the southern end of the strip is Mandalay Bay which has water as part of its theme and features an aquarium. Thus it is appropriate (in Las Vegas logic) that next to it is the Luxor, which is themed off of ancient Egypt (i.e. the desert) and features a giant, black glass pyramid, a shape, I might add which is rather inefficient use of space for a hotel. Also, I can’t leave out the fake Sphinx in front of it because of course a pyramid is not complete without a sphinx.

The Luxor sits hilariously next to the Excalibur, so that one can walk from ancient Egypt to the fictionally old England of Camelot.

I must say that while the Excalibur does a nice, over the top, job of a theme based on the fictional England of the Camelot tales, it really does not have a proper moat, and that is a disappointment.

From fictional England, one can then walk to modern day New York City because well, why not?

Across the street from New York New York is the MGM Grand, whose theme I have never been clear on, but it features a giant gold lion head in front. If the MGM Grand lion and the Luxor’s sphinx came to life, would they be friends or enemies? Would they eat the giant M&Ms and drink the giant margarita and coke that sit next to the MGM Grand in what appears to be food trademark central?

Very close to all the gaudiness and insanity is the brand new CityCenter, which features some absolutely gorgeous buildings and in my opinion, looks rather out of place on the Strip.

At the front of CityCenter is the Crystals at CityCenter designed by Daniel Libeskind in his trademark disjointed, angled buildings design. I am rather a fan of Daniel Libeskind. He and Frank Gehry are probably my favorite modern architects, but I could never work on the construction of any of their buildings because first, I’m not that type of engineer, and second because they seem to enjoy designing buildings that try to break the laws of physics.

The Crystals is even interesting up close due to the different materials and textures on the exterior.

Inside the Crystals is more insane architecture. I have no idea what this wooden structure is supposed to be.

Across the street from CityCenter is Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile Shops, whose architecture is not really insane, just rather loud. The exterior of the Miracle Mile Shops features a series of three-dimensional dots that look either green or purple depending on the direction from which they are viewed. I have no idea what they are supposed to represent, but they are kind of cool.

Next to Planet Hollywood, we again travel to another continent with Paris which features a scale model of the Eiffel Tower because again, why not?

At this point on the strip, you can look at a scantly clad women from Bally’s who appears to be looking at Paris, perhaps to get some much needed clothes for which Paris is famous. Across the street is the edge of ancient Rome (Ceasar’s Palace), modern (?) Italy (Bellagio), and the modern architecture of CityCenter. Only in Las Vegas.

The Strip is not done yet though. Across from ancient Rome is the Flamingo, which is not all that outrageous, but just features lots of pink flamingos that would never be found in Nevada. Then the Asian themed Imperial Palace, which appears to be coming down or being renovated. Asia is next to the New Orleans’s Mardi Gras themed Harrah’s. Close to this, we go back to Italy with the Venetian and Palazzo. Italy is very popular on the Strip.

Across the street from fake Venice is the Mirage with its waterfall that at night has a volcano on top of it. Again, why not?

In the background is Treasure Island which of course has pirates. Don’t most deserts have pirates? Oh wait. . . Then slightly further down the strip is the Fashion Show Mall which appears to just be a mall, but a UFO landed on top it. No doubt the UFO got lost from nearby Area 51. Further down from it is the Stratosphere which features a roller coaster on top of a really tall tower because isn’t that where most people put their roller coasters?

Well north of the Strip are the really old casinos of Fremont Street. Several years back, they built the Fremont Street Experience, a light structure to help bring business back to their area and away from the Strip. From an engineering standpoint, the Fremont Street Experience is a cool structure.

One of the fun things about the Fremont Street Experience is that it is a light show that encapsulates other lighted advertisement signs.

I have to wonder how much electricity would be saved if all of Las Vegas’s lights were converted to LEDs. At the east end of the Fremont Street Experience is Fremont East. I have no idea what is in this district, but it features a fun, retro martini sign. Presumably there are bars there, but I think that goes without saying.

So that was my one cent tour of the insane architecture of Las Vegas. I hope you enjoyed the visit. I did.

 

Hoover Dam and Bypass Bridge

Posted on by

On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I made a trip out to Hoover Dam. As an engineer, I have an irresistible urge to visit important engineering landmarks. However, I don’t think you have to be an engineer to realize what a marvel the Hoover Dam is. Too many hardworking men died building it (one is too many though), and it has caused ecological problems by altering the flow of the Colorado River. However from an engineering stand point, it is an absolute marvel. The new bypass bridge next to it, more formally known as the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, is in my opinion also a marvel and beautiful in its design. Part of the reason I consider both the dam and bridge to be marvels is where they were built, across the very steep, deep canyon of the Colorado River. The Hoover Dam was built with some really nice details that I have to wonder if most visitors appreciate or even notice. It was not just built as a plain hunk of concrete, especially on top where visitors walk. The bypass bridge was also built with some nice details, including many education plaques explaining how the bridge was built and why.

On a basic level, the Hoover Dam is a large block on concrete, carefully poured to hold back the Colorado River, and its adjoining power plant.

Actually, it is not a large block of concrete. It is a massive structure of carefully and individually poured blocks of concrete that form one connected structure.

It has its four connected intake towers to bring the water to the power plant. The intake towers were nicely designed in an art deco style.

Lake Mead water level has been dropping, so currently the Arizona overflow spillway is entirely out of the water.

A plaque on the dam marks the state line between Nevada and Arizona and notes that the American Society of Civil Engineers has selected the Hoover Dam as one of seven modern civil engineering wonders.

On top of the dam are restrooms. Here is the women’s restroom which has quite the entrance.

Here is the floor of the women’s restroom. Presumably the men’s restroom has a nice one too, but I wouldn’t know.

The designers really liked brass doors. I am not sure where this brass door leads since you can longer enter the dam the way the way you could when it was originally built.

If you stand in front of the door at the right angle, at the right time of day, with the right sunlight, you can see the intake tower on the other side of the dam reflected in the door. Look near the top of the door, and you can see the reflection of the blue clock near the top of the intake tower.

An upclose photo of the post top in front of the door in the above photo. They put brass prickly pear cactuses on top of the posts. I love that level of detail.

In the reflection of this door’s window, you can see Lake Mead.

I don’t actually know what this is, but it is on top of the dam. I thought it was kind of interesting, and also it has the name of another state besides Nevada and Arizona on top of the dam.

At the bottom of the dam, of course, is its power plant. Below, as seen from dam.

The view from the bridge of the power plant.

The power plant requires a jungle of transmission lines.

The relatively new visitor’s center, new compared to the dam, was also built in a ridiculous position on the shear canyon walls.

The bypass bridge sits high above the power plant.

It gracefully crosses the canyon.

The pedestrian walkway of the bridge has nice markers to denote the state line and apex of the bridge, which are in two different spots.

 

 

 

 

 

The path to the bridge passes through a rock cut where each side is lined with rock stabilization bolts, which I personally think are really cool looking.

Finally, one last look at the Hoover Dam with the shadow of the bridge across it, and the moon rising in the sky.

Las Vegas Lights

Posted on by

Las Vegas is known for many things, and one of those things are its lights on the strip. While visiting Las Vegas, I set up my camera on my tripod to capture a few photos of the lights.

The pedestrian overpass north of the Venetian, looking south

The Flamingo’s colorful sign

The overpass near the Flamingo looking south on the Strip. The Flamingo sign and hotel is reflecting off the transparent barrier.

The overpass near the Flamingo looking west towards the Bellagio. The fountains of the Bellagio can be seen.

The Bellagio fountains