HKIE Professional Assessment - Environmental Discipline flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Gaussian plume equation
- Steady-state model giving downwind concentration from a continuous point source as a function of emission rate, wind speed, and horizontal and vertical dispersion coefficients, with source height reflection.
- Pasquill-Gifford stability classes
- Six classes from A (very unstable) to F (very stable) that set dispersion coefficients from wind speed, solar radiation and night-time cloud cover in dispersion modelling.
- Sound pressure level formula
- Lp equals 20 times log base 10 of measured pressure divided by 20 micropascals, expressed in decibels relative to the hearing threshold reference.
- Decibel addition rule
- Equal incoherent sources combine logarithmically: two identical sources add 3 dB, ten add 10 dB; arithmetic addition of decibel values is incorrect.
- BOD5 definition
- Oxygen consumed by microorganisms over five days at 20 degrees Celsius with nitrification suppressed, used as a measure of biodegradable organic content in water.
- Ultimate BOD relation
- Ultimate BOD equals BOD5 divided by one minus exponential of minus five times the reaction rate constant, assuming first-order decay.
- Solids retention time
- SRT equals reactor volume times mixed liquor solids divided by the sum of waste sludge and effluent solids leaving the system per day.
- F/M ratio
- Food to microorganism ratio equals influent substrate load per day divided by the mass of biomass in the aeration tank; low values indicate long sludge age.
- Overflow rate
- Settling tank design parameter equal to flow divided by surface area, expressed in cubic metres per square metre per day; particles settling faster are removed.
- CT value
- Product of disinfectant residual concentration in milligrams per litre and contact time in minutes, compared with a required value for a target log inactivation.
- Ammonia speciation
- Fraction of free ammonia versus ammonium depends on pH and temperature; pKa about 9.25 at 25 degrees Celsius, with free ammonia dominant above pH 9.25.
- Mass balance principle
- For a defined control volume, accumulation equals inputs minus outputs plus generation minus consumption; stating assumptions such as steady state is essential.
- CSTR steady-state equation
- For first-order decay in a completely mixed reactor, effluent concentration divided by influent equals one over one plus rate constant times hydraulic retention time.
- Hydraulic retention time
- Reactor volume divided by flow rate, giving the average time fluid remains in the unit; units must be consistent with the reaction rate constant.
- Rational method
- Peak storm runoff equals runoff coefficient times rainfall intensity times catchment area; with intensity in millimetres per hour and area in hectares, multiply by 2.78 for litres per second.
- Pump power equation
- Power equals density times gravity times flow times head divided by pump efficiency; verify units and allow for motor efficiency in energy calculations.
- Design sensitivity check
- Identify the dominant uncertain parameter, run best and worst cases, and report the design margin explicitly rather than embedding it silently.
- Mitigation hierarchy
- Apply avoid first, then minimise, then restore, then offset; offsets are last resort and must be measurable, additional and long term.
- Conflict of interest duty
- Declare in writing any financial or personal interest in a project, supplier or decision, and withdraw from judgement where the interest could bias you.
- Confidentiality limits
- Client information is confidential but may be disclosed with consent, where legally required, or where public safety is at risk.
- Bribery prohibition
- Offering or accepting any advantage to influence a professional decision is prohibited; requests should be recorded and reported to the employer and anti-corruption authority.
- Signing and sealing rule
- Only sign or seal work you personally directed or reviewed; retain calculations and records for the period required by the client and statute.
- Whistleblowing escalation
- Where unsafe or unlawful practice persists, escalate internally first, then to the relevant authority, documenting each step and the responses received.
- Scheme A training
- Structured HKIE training, typically two years, under an approved supervisor with periodic progress reports and a logbook recording project experience.
- Evidence-based logbook
- Record what you did, the decisions made, constraints faced and outcome achieved; claims without supporting evidence cannot be assessed.
- Boundary of competence
- When a task exceeds your experience, seek specialist input, state the limitation clearly, and never present another person's work as your own.
- Ethical decision test
- Ask whether the action is legal, safe, defensible if published, and whether any interest has been declared before proceeding.
- Impact assessment sequence
- Baseline, predict impact, evaluate significance from magnitude and sensitivity, apply mitigation hierarchy, then state residual impact and monitoring requirements.
- Monitoring plan elements
- Specify parameters, locations, frequency, standard method, detection limits and trigger levels that prompt a defined response action.
- Construction phase controls
- Typical controls include noise barriers or enclosures, dust suppression by watering, silt curtains, site drainage and a waste management plan verified by inspection.
- Spill response order
- Contain the spill first, then recover material, then dispose with consignment records, and report to the authority within the statutory timeframe.
- Interview answer structure
- Answer as situation, analysis, options considered, decision and reason, outcome, and lesson learned, keeping quantitative values with units.