Equipment:

Stand for testing porous media wettability

1. Equipment for measuring dynamic contact angle (a computer, a thermal chamber, a Wilhelmy plate, a Du Nouy ring, a digital reader, software). The equipment allows to measure:

– porous media contact angle according to Washburn method and Wilhelmy plate (solids),

– surface tension of liquids using a Du Nouy ring and a Wilhelmy plate,

– components of surface energy (Fowkes method, Zisman method, Owen-Wendt method, van Oss method and Neumann method).

Stand for testing unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils using evaporation method

1. Equipment for measuring unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils (field and laboratory probes for measuring humidity, temperature and suction pressure of soil water). The equipment allows to measure:

– unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils,

– retention curves of soils.

Stands for testing thermal properties of porous media

1. Thermal properties sensors Hukseflux (probes, data loggers, readers and software). The equipment allows to measure:

– volumetric heat capacity,

– thermal conductivity and diffusivity of porous media.

Stand for testing water retention curves of soils

1. Equipment for measuring water retention curves (pF) using Dutch method, which includes:

– dust block for determining pF characteristics in the range of 0,4 to 2.0,

– dust – kaolin block for determining pF characteristics in the range of 0,4 to 2.0,

– high pressure chamber fpr determining pF characteristics above 2.7.

2. Equipment for measuring water retention curves (pF) using ceramic plates, low – pressure chamber and high – pressure chamber.

Stand for testing unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils using inverse analysis method

1. Automatic system for measuring pF curves using inlet and outlet water pressure (measurement units, digital readers and software). The equipment allows to measure:

– hysteresis of the water retention curve,

– unsaturated water conductivity,

– retention curves of soils.

Other equipment

1. Soil respiration measurement system LCPro.
2. Automatic field system for measuring soil respiration.
3. Soil collection kit Eijkelkamp.
4. Laboratory dryers.
5. Laboratory scales.
6. Laboratory distiller.