Power Plants

Over the last decade, there has been considerable progress in the development of countermeasures for preventing or reducing contamination of animal products by radioisotopes of iodine, caesium and strontium. In this paper, recent significant technical improvements are summarised and the current availability of countermeasures and their usefulness in the event of a nuclear accident reviewed. An improved understanding of factors controlling the metabolism of radioiodine and radiostrontium has enabled previously suggested countermeasures to be either optimised or dismissed. For radiocaesium in particular, experience since the Chernobyl accident has enabled effective and feasible countermeasures to be identified and successfully implemented in different situations. It has also been more widely understood that countermeasure effectiveness, although important, is not the only criterion which needs to be determined. In addition, cost and practical considerations such as availability, technical feasibility, acceptability and side-effects need to be taken into account. Evaluation of these factors has shown that some previously recommended countermeasures are unlikely to be feasible. #

When investigating the toxicity of individual particle sources, it is important to consider the contribution of both primary and secondary particles. In this article, we present the design of a new photochemical chamber that can be used to form secondary sulfuric acid particles from diluted coal-fired power plant emissions. The chamber is a relatively small, well-mixed flow reactor that can fit in a mobile reaction laboratory. It produces high concentrations of hydroxyl radical (OH) from the photolysis of ozone (O 3 ) in the presence of water vapor. Two chambers were built and tested. A pilot chamber was tested in the laboratory, using mixtures of NO and SO 2 in air, at concentrations that are approximately 100 times lower than those in power plant stack emissions. This chamber was able to oxidize about 20% of the SO 2 , thereby producing 1350 μg m −3 of H 2 SO 4 particles. Further tests showed that increasing O 3 concentrations and residence time increased the H 2 SO 4 production. A field chamber was built subsequently and used in a toxicological study. Diluted coal-fired power plant emissions were introduced in the chamber. Over 19 days of exposure, the chamber, on average, converted 17% of the supplied SO 2 emissions and produced an average of 350 μg m −3 of H 2 SO 4 particles. Particle losses were determined for the pilot chamber, using artificial particles whose size ranged from 50 to 1000 nm. The determined losses ranged from 21 to 42%, with no trend between the amount of particle loss and particle size. Losses for the field chamber, estimated using model calculations, were found to be similar to those of the pilot chamber.

Biogas technology, besides supplying energy and manure, provides an excellent opportunity for mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and reducing global warming through substituting firewood for cooking, kerosene for lighting and cooking and chemical fertilizers. A study was undertaken to calculate (1) global warming mitigation potential (GMP) and thereby earning carbon credit of a family size biogas plant in India, (2) GMP of the existing and target biogas plants in the country and (3) atmospheric pollution reduction by a family size biogas plant. The GMP of a family size biogas plant was 9.7 t CO 2 equiv. year −1 and with the current price of US $10 t −1 CO 2 equiv., carbon credit of US

The effects produced by emissions from coal-fired power plants, including mainly SO2, NO X and particulates, on natural populations and caged specimens of birds and small mammals were studied. The field-captured species used to evaluate these effects were passerine birds: Parus major (coal tit) and Emberiza cia (rock bunting), and the rodent Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse). In parallel to this study on animals captured in the field, we used other animals, Mus musculus (house mouse) and Carduelis carduelis (goldfinch) which were placed in cages near the source of pollution. Some of the animals were killed and their tracheas were removed and prepared for conventional optic studies (1000 x) and electron microscopy (TEM and SEM). The results show that atmospheric air pollutants from coal-fired power plants produce alterations in the tracheal epithelium. In passerine birds, an increase in the mucus which covers the tracheal epithelium, shortening of the cilia, and increase in the number of secretory granules and vesicles were observed. In mammals, variation of the uniformity of the pseudostratified epithelium with a wide stratum of mucus, shortening of the cilia, and increase in the number of secretory granules were observed.

The Aguamilpa Dam is part of the reservoir cascade system formed by four reservoirs in the middle and lower part of the Santiago River. For decades, this system has received urban and industrial wastewater from the metropolitan area of Guadalajara and the runoff of agricultural fields located in the river basin. The present study was carried out to obtain a preliminary assessment on the concentration distribution of heavy metals (Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in surface sediments of the Aguamilpa reservoir collected from 10 sampling stations. The metal concentrations (mg kg −1

A major challenge for modern waste management lies in a smart integration of waste-to-energy installations in local energy systems in such a way that the energy efficiency of the waste-to-energy plant is optimized and that the energy contained in the waste is, therefore, optimally utilized. The extent of integration of thermal waste treatment processes into regular energy supply systems plays a major role with regard to climate control. In this research, the specific waste management situation looked at scenarios aiming at maximizing the energy recovery from waste (i.e. actual scenario and waste-to-energy process with 75% energy efficiency [22.5% electricity, 52.5% heat]) yield greenhouse gas emission savings due to the fact that more greenhouse gas emissions are avoided in the energy sector than caused by the various waste treatment processes. Comparing dedicated waste-to-energy-systems based on the combined heat and power (CHP) process with concepts based on sole electricity production, the energy efficiency proves to be crucial with regard to climate control. This underlines the importance of choosing appropriate sites for waste-toenergy-plants. This research was looking at the effect with regard to the climate impact of various waste management scenarios that could be applied alternatively by a private waste management company in Austria. The research is, therefore, based on a specific set of data for the waste streams looked at (waste characteristics, logistics needed, etc.). Furthermore, the investigated scenarios have been defined based on the actual available alternatives with regard to the usage of treatment plants for this specific company. The standard scenarios for identifying climate impact implications due to energy recovery from waste are based on the respective marginal energy data for the power and heat generation facilities/industrial processes in Austria.

Cs-137 is considered to be the most significant anthropogenic contributor to human dose and presents a particularly difficult remediation challenge after a dispersal following nuclear incident. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant meltdown in April 1986 represents the largest nuclear accident in history and released over 80 PBq of Cs into the environment. As a result, much of the land in close proximity to Chernobyl, which includes the Polessie State Radioecology Reserve in Belarus, remains highly contaminated with Cs to such an extent they remain uninhabitable. Whilst there is a broad scale understanding of the depositional patterns within and beyond the exclusion zone, detailed mapping of the distribution is often limited. New developments in mobile gamma spectrometry provide the opportunity to map the fallout of Cs and begin to reconstruct the depositional environment and the long-term behaviour of Cs in the environment. Here, full gamma spectrum analysis using algorithms based on t...

... countries since many years ago and it is considered as one of the development indexes [1]. TheBOT contract is a contract in which the client, which usually is from government sector, assigns a private firm with the credit of executing a project or plan within a certain time. ...

The increasing number and size of wind farms call for more data on human response to wind turbine noise, so that a generalized dose-response relationship can be modeled and possible adverse health effects avoided. This paper reports the results of a 2007 field study in The Netherlands with 725 respondents. A dose-response relationship between calculated A-weighted sound pressure levels and reported perception and annoyance was found. Wind turbine noise was more annoying than transportation noise or industrial noise at comparable levels, possibly due to specific sound properties such as a "swishing" quality, temporal variability, and lack of nighttime abatement. High turbine visibility enhances negative response, and having wind turbines visible from the dwelling significantly increased the risk of annoyance. Annoyance was strongly correlated with a negative attitude toward the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape. The study further demonstrates that people who benefit economically from wind turbines have a significantly decreased risk of annoyance, despite exposure to similar sound levels. Response to wind turbine noise was similar to that found in Sweden so the dose-response relationship should be generalizable.

Vertical cylindrical vessel-chambers as a part of coal — drying plants, whose purpose is to collect wastewater, are supported at 3 points in upper dish head area and are made of fine-grained Mn steel plates, joined by welding. Significant thinning and leaking in upper dish head area of the vessel occurred due to original design provoking an intensive abrasion, cracking and rupture. After reconstruction, in the upper zone of cylindrical shell, two new joints were made in sity by manual arc welding, with subsequent, local post-weld heat treatment. However, cracks appeared firstly in new welded zones in radial and axial joints, and then in zones of openings. Later, the similar failure features began to appear in the area of original welded joints. All of these cracks were repaired by properly specified technology. Unfortunately, after some period of exploitation the initiation of new cracks was observed, at first by the visual inspection. This problem was detected in the repaired areas...

In the face of a continuing attention to operations and maintenance costs at nuclear power plants, the future of the industry depends largely upon increasing plant availability and improving operating efficiency. The success in achieving these objectives is dependent upon the success of each plant's equipment maintenance program. Preventing the introduction of foreign materials into a nuclear power plant system or component requires a careful, thoughtful, and professional approach by all site personnel. This paper describes a proactive approach to prevent the introduction of foreign material into systems and components, by providing an overview of technical considerations required to develop, implement, and manage a foreign material exclusion program at CNE Cernavoda Unit 1&2 Nuclear Power Station. It is also described an example of Foreign Material Intrusion which happened during the 2003 planned maintenance outage at Cemavoda Unit #1. This paper also defines personnel responsibilities and key nomenclature and a means for evaluating prospective work tasks and activities against standardized criteria, in order to identify the appropriate level of the required FME controls.

The role of the transmission network in the Power System is to transmit the power generated in the power plants to the load centers and the interconnected power systems. The transmission of electric power has to take place in the most efficient way in addition to providing flexibility in the process. Flexible A.C. Transmission System (FACTS) promotes the use of static controllers to enhance the controllability and increase the power transfer capability. Providing reactive shunt compensation with shunt-connected capacitors and reactors is a well established technique to get a better voltage profile in a power system. Shunt capacitors are inexpensive but lack dynamic capabilities, thus some form of dynamically controlled reactive power compensation becomes essential. This feature is provided by Static VAR Compensator (SVC). The work presented here also compares SVC with fixed capacitor compensation and documents the superiority of SVC using Computer Simulation and its performance for reactive power management and better voltage control.

Seismic or base isolation is a proven technology for reducing the effects of earthquake shaking on buildings, bridges and infrastructure. The benefit of base isolation has been presented in terms of reduced accelerations and drifts on superstructure components but never quantified in terms of either a percentage reduction in seismic loss (or percentage increase in safety) or the probability of an unacceptable performance. Herein, we quantify the benefits of base isolation in terms of increased safety (or smaller loss) by comparing the safety of a sample conventional and base-isolated nuclear power plant (NPP) located in the Eastern U.S. Scenario-and time-based assessments are performed using a new methodology. Three base isolation systems are considered, namely, (1) Friction Pendulum TM bearings, (2) lead-rubber bearings and (3) low-damping rubber bearings together with linear viscous dampers. Unacceptable performance is defined by the failure of key secondary systems because these systems represent much of the investment in a new build power plant and ensure the safe operation of the plant. For the scenario-based assessments, the probability of unacceptable performance is computed for an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 at a distance 7.5 km from the plant. For the time-based assessments, the annual frequency of unacceptable performance is computed considering all potential earthquakes that may occur. For both assessments, the implementation of base isolation reduces the probability of unacceptable performance by approximately four orders of magnitude for the same NPP superstructure and secondary systems. The increase in NPP construction cost associated with the installation of seismic isolators can be offset by substantially reducing the required seismic strength of secondary components and systems and potentially eliminating the need to seismically qualify many secondary components and systems. Analysis of plant systems and accident sequences Characterization of seismic hazard Structural response simulation Damage assessment of NPP components Risk computation Figure 1. The procedure of seismic performance assessment of NPPs.

One of the fundamental challenges in studying cognitive systems in context is how to generalize beyond the specific work setting studied. How does one progress beyond the details of a single case to derive a more general understanding of distributed cognitive work and how to support it?

This article reviews the progress made in CO 2 separation and capture research and engineering. Various technologies, such as absorption, adsorption, and membrane separation, are thoroughly discussed. New concepts such as chemical-looping combustion and hydrate-based separation are also introduced briefly. Future directions are suggested. Sequestration methods, such as forestation, ocean fertilization and mineral carbonation techniques are also covered. Underground injection and direct ocean dump are not covered.

A systematic approach to optimizing water network has traditionally been utilized to exam and plan water conservation in industrial processes. In the present case study, water-pinch technology was used to analyze and optimize the water network of a steel plant near China's Zhangjiakou city. A system design was developed and a limiting constraint (Cl À concentration) was identified based on investigations of water quality then the minimum freshwater and wastewater targets were determined without considering water losses. The analysis was then extended by calculating the additional input of freshwater required to balance the actual water losses. A nearestneighbor algorithm (NNA) was used to distribute the freshwater and recycled water among each of the plant's operations. The results showed that with some reconstruction of the water network, the flow rates of freshwater and wastewater could be decreased by 57.5% and 81.9%, respectively.

The original contribution of this work is contained in the following statements. A general mathematical model of auxiliary DC installations in power plants was developed in order to he used for analyzing short circuit conditions according to the references [I] and 121. It was concluded that the transient state during short circuit has to be taken into account. The essence of this new approach is the new mathematical model which takes into consideration not only resistances, but inductances and capacities of auxiliary DC elements as well as the active network in front of the rectifier. Based on this mathematical model, an original program package was developed and used for analyzing and dimensioning auxiliary DC installations in power plants according to 1101. The results obtained by means of the program package are relevant for dimensioning all elements of auxiliary DC installations, particularly when protection devices are considered Kqwora3: DC auxiliary installations, short-circuit, transient behavior, protection, selectivity

The disposal of fly ash as a byproduct of thermic power stations, results in significant environmental problems. The leaching of coal fly ash during disposal is of concern for possible contamination, especially for the aquatic environment when ash is in contact with water. The aim of this study was to investigate the leaching behaviour of fly ashes currently disposed in Kemerkoy Power Plant (Turkey) fly-ash-holding pond. The studies were conducted with fly ashes from the electrostatic precipitators (fresh fly ash) and from the fly ash pond (pre-leached fly ash). The fly ashes has alkaline in nature and pH ranges between 11.9 to 12.2. The pre-leached fly ash exhibited lower EC values (7,400 µS) than the fresh fly ash (10,300 µS). In contrast to Fe and Pb, the elements such as Cr, Cd, Cu and Co did not leach from the fly ash. The Ca and Mn concentrations decreased with increasing temperature whereas, Na and K concentrations increased. The results showed that the most important effects of fly ash leaching were pH, Na, Ca, K, Fe, Mg, Mn and Pb.

The heuristic-systematic information processing model (HSM) holds that individuals will use one or both of these modes of information processing when attempting to evaluate information in order to arrive at a judgment. Systematic processing is defined by effortful scrutiny and comparison of information, whereas heuristic processing is defined by the use of cues to amve more easily at a judgment. Antecedents to the two processing modes include information sufficiency, motivation, and self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling is used to examine competing configuration of this model and to evaluate the model as appropriate for predicting risk judgment. The model also is evaluated across three groups that vary with respect to their level of concern. These analyses are executed within a case study involving an epidemiological investigation of a suspected cancer cluster. The analysis confirms the HSM's theoretically proposed structure and shows it to be a useful vehicle for evaluating risk judgment. In the overall analysis, antecedent variables generally function as specified by theory. Systematic processing is predicted by greater motivation. Heuristic processing is predicted by information sufficiency. Self-efficacy is a significant predictor of both processing modes. And heuristic processing is shown to be associated with judgment of less risk. However, when the analysis is contrasted across three groups (those concerned about cancer, not concerned and uncertain) it is shown that the model is significantly more robust for the uncertain group. This finding may have implications for the use of the HSM in risk research specifically, and in field research generally.

For smart metering systems (SMSs), this study presents a novel architecture, which allows simple, secure and fast integration of SMSs with other software products. Proposed architecture that combines better features of two models [Common Information Model (CIM) and OPC's Unified Architecture (UA)] has proven in practice as a good basis for a commercial Meter Data Management System. In a case study, created using data from a pilot project, 7 experiments determined memory usage of OPC UA and CIM servers, duration of exporting data out of CIM and importing them to OPC UA, and size of XML export file.

The provision of electricity has been a great benefi t to society, particularly in health terms, but it also carries health costs. Comparison of diff erent forms of commercial power generation by use of the fuel cycle methods developed in European studies shows the health burdens to be greatest for power stations that most pollute outdoor air (those based on lignite, coal, and oil). The health burdens are appreciably smaller for generation from natural gas, and lower still for nuclear power. This same ranking also applies in terms of greenhouse-gas emissions and thus, potentially, to long-term health, social, and economic eff ects arising from climate change. Nuclear power remains controversial, however, because of public concern about storage of nuclear waste, the potential for catastrophic accident or terrorist attack, and the diversion of fi ssionable material for weapons production. Health risks are smaller for nuclear fusion, but commercial exploitation will not be achieved in time to help the crucial near-term reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions. The negative eff ects on health of electricity generation from renewable sources have not been assessed as fully as those from conventional sources, but for solar, wind, and wave power, such eff ects seem to be small; those of biofuels depend on the type of fuel and the mode of combustion. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture and storage is increasingly being considered for reduction of CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel plants, but the health eff ects associated with this technology are largely unquantifi ed and probably mixed: effi ciency losses mean greater consumption of the primary fuel and accompanying increases in some waste products. This paper reviews the state of knowledge regarding the health eff ects of diff erent methods of generating electricity.

As wind turbines get larger, worries have emerged that the turbine noise would move down in frequency and that the low-frequency noise would cause annoyance for the neighbors. The noise emission from 48 wind turbines with nominal electric power up to 3.6 MW is analyzed and discussed. The relative amount of low-frequency noise is higher for large turbines (2.3-3.6 MW) than for small turbines ( 2 MW), and the difference is statistically significant. The difference can also be expressed as a downward shift of the spectrum of approximately one-third of an octave. A further shift of similar size is suggested for future turbines in the 10-MW range. Due to the air absorption, the higher low-frequency content becomes even more pronounced, when sound pressure levels in relevant neighbor distances are considered. Even when A-weighted levels are considered, a substantial part of the noise is at low frequencies, and for several of the investigated large turbines, the one-third-octave band with the highest level is at or below 250 Hz. It is thus beyond any doubt that the low-frequency part of the spectrum plays an important role in the noise at the neighbors.

This doctoral thesis represents a set of new ideas, methods and research re-sults related to improving the efficiency of functioning of ship power plants (SPP) of combined propulsion complexes (CPC). The main motivation for these studies is the existing current practice requests for the operation of the SPP CPC, such as: ensuring minimization of irreversible losses in the transmission of capac-ities from the SPP to the engines of the CPC; the need to improve the monitoring of the transfer of capacities in the SPP CPC with dynamic principles of retaining the vessel; increasing the operational reliability and strength of the SPP CPC; creation of new and improvement of existing decision support systems (DSS) during operation, research and design of the SPP CPC.
Based on the analysis of the existing state of the development of the SPP CPC, the following unresolved problems were found on the lines of propellers, in power systems of motors for thrusters and power distribution systems, which can be characterized as follows: reduction of propeller thrust and torque due to water flow perpendicular to the axis of the propeller caused by the flow from the vessel speed or flows from other engines with force in the direction of inflow due to the deflection of the propeller flow. This is often called a cross-combination of resistances; the presence of cavitation for heavy loads on the propellers leads to a reduction in pressure on the blade of the propeller and can occur during a small immersion of the propeller due to the movement of the ship across the waves; sudden drops of thrust and torque with the effect of hysteresis due to the large amplitude of the ship's motion perpendicular to the surface of the water; simulta-neous reduction of thrust and change of thrust direction due to interaction of the flow from the thruster to the hull (Coanda effect); loss of the thrust and reduction of thrust caused by the action of the propellant flow from one motor to adjacent motors; limitation of the increase in torque by the inductance of the motor with the prevention of damage to the mechanical part of the electric drive; limitation of the maximum power of the thruster, is taken into account when determining the overload capacity of the electric motor and frequency converter (FC); the absence of a control strategy for the thruster FC based on  variable speed governors which provide the transition of consumers, working on a constant power hyper-bola, to the torque or speed of rotation control mode; the need for Dynamic Posi-tioning (DP) systems to meet the quality management requirements encountered during the operational phase; unification of Power Management System (PMS) in a combination of functions in relation to others similar; the independence of PMS systems components from each other to the level of sensors; not only the reduc-tion in capacity based on the total design load, but also the load of an individual medium speed diesel generator (MSDG); compliance of the system with condi-tions increasing the load in terms of sufficiency to ensure normal operation in re-lation to any abnormal mode and non-overloading the ship electric power system (SEPS) in general.
The above problems directly led to the formulation of the main complex re-search task: the development of a DSS for the design, research and improvement of SPP CPC, consisting of three main tasks: the development of a monitoring system for degradation effects on the lines of propulsion flows of motors with the identification of relevant markers, the development of the strategy for all-mode power controllers, torque controllers and variable speed governors by the electric motors of the CPC thrusters and the development of the methodology for con-structing multi-criteria control strategies over power distribution of the SPP CPC.
As a result of solving the main and auxiliary tasks, the following scientific positions were obtained: improvement of the method of computational hydrody-namics is provided by using the distribution of the sought-for intensities of the degradation effects from the interaction of the propeller flows among themselves and the CPC body due to the use of piezoelectric sensors on the shaft lines of az-imuth thruster. Compensation of degradation effects is achieved by calculation of power flows from azimuth thrusters in the form of a power drive disc, which al-lows identifying turbulent regions with relative vortex viscosity coefficients μt/μw. Calculation of the components of the x-velocities at the intersection of the propel-ler flow along the axis of rotation with dimensions in units of the diameter of the DP propeller makes it possible to realize the method of surface-oriented averag-ing of the Reynolds-Navier-Stokes equation for mass transfer at the interface; limitations on power and torque on the shaft lines of the SPP CPC thruster of dynamically positioning vessels are provided by redistribution of the thrusts be-tween the thrusters or the reduction of the maximum load as part of the algo-rithm for distributing the thrust of the DP system due to the application of the strategy of full range speed governors in relation to operating conditions; for the first time, a three-level multi-criteria strategy for managing the distribution of en-ergy in the hybrid SPP CPC was developed by integrating the classical strategy of power distribution management with a strategy of control over the state of the MSDG and the degree of charge of the energy storage system alternative generat-ing element. The developed strategy differs from existing by higher speed detec-tion of risk of de-energization of ship electric power system, greater reliability and accuracy in determining the need for load reduction and the thruster speed of rotation fully integrated with variable speed governors and power supply system; for the first time, the DSS was created to study the ways of automating and com-puterizing the design and operation processes of the SPP CPC, which being based on theoretical, design and experimental methods, has enabled the introduction of a comprehensive substantiation, verification and self-testing of the developed components of the methodological and mathematical apparatus; for the first time, a physical model of a multifunctional CPC with a variable structure was created, which, in synergy with the solution of the problem of DSS development, allows iterative analysis of the structures of the SPP CPC with minimal initial data; the law of pulsations of thrusts on the lines of propeller shafts is established, which occur under conditions of interaction of several thrusters with each other and with the CPC body. In the process of studying the version of the configuration of a CPC with contra-rotating propellers (CRP) it was established that: 1) the rota-tion of the thruster body leads to the appearance of characteristic recirculation zones and changes in the velocity fields in its disk and differs by an increased de-gree of flow heterogeneity; 2) the characteristics of the thrust and the torque of the thruster differ significantly depending on the direction of rotation; 3) the pul-sation of the propeller thrust  of the azimuth thruster sharply increases with its rotation, and the most significant growth in pulsations occurs at the resonant fre-quencies of the interaction of the propeller flow of the azimuth thruster and the stationary one; the theory of non-stationary interaction of several propellers with each other has been developed, which made it possible to establish for the first time the following facts: 1) rotation of the thruster  leads to an increase in the ax-ial and tangential components of the thrusts and torques; 2) the operation of the azimuth thruster at large angles with respect to the stationary propeller results in the appearance of significant loads on the  thruster stock, which can be determi-native in terms of the strength of the structural components of the thruster, the presence of deformations of which has been experimentally established and con-firmed by calculation. Also, for the first time, the dependencies of the thrusts and torques of the azimuth thruster were determined as a result of the interaction of the propeller flow with the hull and the stock due to the occurrence of degrada-tion effects; for the first time, a simplified semi-empirical method for iterative progressively regressive parameterization of the SPP CPC was developed in off-design operation modes, which generalizes the previously relationship, which have been derived for thrusts and torques of co-axial CPP s in a homogeneous flow with ratios known from the theory of turbomachines for the case of interac-tion between the stationary propeller and the azimuth thruster. On the basis of this technique, a calculation method has been developed that makes it possible to accurately estimate the value of thrusts and torques of motors for azimuth thrust-ers in a wide range of operating conditions and the angles of flow deflection due to the influence of degradation effects that are substantially different from the de-sign ones. The necessity to take into account the influence of degradation effects on the lines of propeller shafts in the CRP Azipod® concept has been proved

The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 released 80 petabecquerel of radioactive caesium, strontium, plutonium and other radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere, polluting 200 000 km 2 of land in Europe. As we discuss here, several studies have since shown associations between high and low levels of radiation and the abundance, distribution, life history and mutation rates of plants and animals. However, this research is the consequence of investment by a few individuals rather than a concerted research effort by the international community, despite the fact that the effects of the disaster are continent-wide. A coordinated international research effort is therefore needed to further investigate the effects of the disaster, knowledge that could be beneficial if there are further nuclear accidents, including the threat of a 'dirty bomb'.

The world production of petroleum coke has been growing in the last years, due to a growing supply of heavy oils. The market is divided among the green coke consumers and the calcinate coke consumers. When taking pollutants into consideration, the quality of petcoke depends on the type of processed petroleum and the operational conditions of the production unit. Three different processes can produce petcoke. The cost of petcoke is inversely proportional to its sulfur content. Due to the consumer process type, there are those who can only use coke with low sulfur content. However, there are consumers that can burn coke with larger sulfur content without needing exhausted gas desulfurization treatments, such as power plants with fluidized bed boilers, and in the cement industry where the sulfurous gases incorporate to the clinker in the form of calcium sulfate.

The study area includes the Municipalities of Gela, Niscemi and Butera located in the South of Sicily, Italy. In 1990 it was declared Area at High Risk of Environmental Crisis. In 2000 part of it was designated as Gela Reclamation Site of National Interest, RSNI. The site includes a private industrial area, public and marine areas, for a total of 51 km(2). Gela populationin 2008 was 77,145 (54,774 in 1961). Sea level:46 m. Total area: 276 km(2). Grid reference: 37 degrees 4' 0" N, 14 degrees 15' 0" E. Niscemi and Butera are located border to Gela. Populations are respectively 26,541 and 5,063. Sea level respectively: 332 m and 402 m. Close to the city of Gela, the industrial area, operating since 1962, includes chemical production plants, a power station and an oil refinery plant, one of the larger in Europe, refining 5 millions tons of crude per year. From the beginning the workforces decreased from 7,000 to the current 3,000 units. Over the years, these industria...

This report presents the results of the first phase of the ongoing EG&G Idaho, Inc., Software Reliability Research Program. The program is studying the existing software reliability mc:lels and proposes a state-of-the-art software reliability model that is relevant to the nuclear reactor control environment. This report consists of three parts: (1) summaries of the literature review of existing software reliability and fault tolerant software reliability models and their related issues, (2) proposed technique for saitware reliability enhancement, and (3) general discussion and future research.

Co-gasification of solid waste and coal is a very attractive and efficient way of generating power, but also an alternative way, apart from conventional technologies such as incineration and landfill, of treating waste materials. The technology of co-gasification can result in very clean power plants using a wide range of solid fuels but there are considerable economic and environmental challenges.

The global electrical energy consumption is still rising and there is a steady demand to increase the power capacity. It is expected that it has to be doubled within 20 years. The production, distribution and use of the energy should be as technological efficient as possible and incentives to save energy at the end-user should be set up. Deregulation of energy has lowered the investment in larger power plants, which means the need for new electrical power sources may be increased in the near future. Two major technologies will play important roles to solve the future problems. One is to change the electrical power production sources from the conventional, fossil (and short term) based energy sources to renewable energy resources. Another is to use high efficient power electronics in power generation, power transmission/distribution and end-user application. This paper discuss the most emerging renewable energy sources, wind energy, which by means of power electronics are changing from being minor energy sources to be acting as important power sources in the electrical network.

Thermal power plants (TPPs) that burn fossil fuels emit several pollutants linked to the environmental problems of acid rain, urban ozone, and the possibility of global climate change. As coal is burned in a power plant, its noncombustible mineral content is partitioned into bottom ash, which remains in the furnace, and fly ash, which rises with flue gases. Two other by-products of coal combustion air-pollution control technologies are flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastes and fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) wastes. This paper analyzed and summarized the generation, characteristics and application of TPP solid wastes and discussed the potential effects of such solid wastes on the environment. On this basis, a review of a number of methods for recovery of metals from TPP solid wastes was made. They usually contain a quantity of valuable metals and they are actually a secondary resource of metals. By applying mineral processing technologies and hydrometallurgical and biohydrometallurgical processes, it is possible to recover metals such as Al, Ga, Ge, Ca, Cd, Fe, Hg, Mg, Na, Ni, Pb, Ra, Th, V, Zn, etc., from TPP solid wastes. Recovery of metals from such wastes and its utilization are important not only for saving metal resources, but also for protecting the environment.

Electric power production from biomass has the potential to make significant contributions to the power mix in the United States, and to do so with substantially fewer environmental impacts than current technologies. Using dedicated energy crops for power production will significantly close the carbon cycle, reduce and stabilize feedstock costs, increase the feasible size of biomass power plants, and provide economic benefits to agricultural communities. However, to realize these potential contributions, biomass power systems must be competitive on a cost and efficiency basis. Additionally, a complete picture of how the biomass facility will affect the environment is needed. This requires an analysis of the entire system from biomass crops through power production.

In high pressure turbine the temperature of the steam will be in a range of 5400c – 5600c and the flow of the fluid flow will be subsonic and supersonic.  The pressure and temperature on the blade effects the surface of the blade, life cycle, deformation of the blade. In order to withstand blade at high pressure, temperatures, stresses and thermal loads the model of the blade is designed by introducing the cooling channels to the blade by supplying the cooling air through the rotor shaft which is extracted from the atmosphere and condenser to supply the coolant to the turbine blade. Using Grey cast iron material the blade profile can be able to withstand maximum pressure and temperatures and reduces the deformation levels. The aerodynamic profile, root notch and the shroud are designed using the CATIA v5 3D modeling software. The part is analysis with a material in ANSYS analysis software to observe the static structural, thermal and other required stresses at critical conditions in order to increase the life cycles and give better performance of the blade by using the Grey cast iron main high pressure steam turbine blade.

The study area includes the Municipalities of Gela, Niscemi and Butera located in the South of Sicily, Italy. In 1990 it was declared Area at High Risk of Environmental Crisis. In 2000 part of it was designated as Gela Reclamation Site of National Interest, RSNI. The site includes a private industrial area, public and marine areas, for a total of 51 km(2). Gela populationin 2008 was 77,145 (54,774 in 1961). Sea level:46 m. Total area: 276 km(2). Grid reference: 37 degrees 4' 0" N, 14 degrees 15' 0" E. Niscemi and Butera are located border to Gela. Populations are respectively 26,541 and 5,063. Sea level respectively: 332 m and 402 m. Close to the city of Gela, the industrial area, operating since 1962, includes chemical production plants, a power station and an oil refinery plant, one of the larger in Europe, refining 5 millions tons of crude per year. From the beginning the workforces decreased from 7,000 to the current 3,000 units. Over the years, these industrial activities have been a major source of environmental pollution. Extremely high levels of toxic, persistent and bio-accumulating chemical pollutants have been documented. Many relevant environmental and health data are available. Prior to the studies described in the present publication, their use in order to identify environmental pressures on health has been limited. Nevertheless, since several years different epidemiological studies have provided evidence of the occurrence of health outcomes significantly higher than in neighbouring areas and compared to regional data. In 2007 a Multidisciplinary Working Group has been established, to analyze the existing data on pollution-exposure-effect and to complete current knowledge on the cycle of pollutants, from migration in the environment to health impact. The present publication is a collection of contribution of this group of experts, supported by the following projects: Evaluation of environmental health impact and estimation of economic costs at of National Interest Remediation Sites coordinated by the Italian National Institute of Health on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment and Technical Assistance of WHO Health and Environment Centre to the Sicilian Region to develop plans for environmental remediation. Results describe the state of contamination of a variety of environmental matrices in the area. Other contributions are addressed to understanding action mechanisms of main pollutants and their environmental pathways, as well as to identifying crucial knowledge to be used for studying the environment-health relations. A specific attention has been paid to pollutants migration in the environment and to the potential exposure of the population. Appropriate markers of exposure and physiological changes are described and referred to the chemical substances identified in the environment in Gela. Details are given about the genotoxic and endocrine disrupting potential, and about the potential association between markers of exposure and diseases observed in excess in the same area. Indications to develop specific biomarkers for Index Substances and human biomonitoring surveys for populations exposed to environmental risk are presented and discussed. A specific multiple-exposure risk assessment procedure is proposed for Index Substances. Epidemiological studies useful to describe the health status of Gela population are summarized. One report deals with the occupational and residential analyses of male petrochemical workers, born in Sicily, employed from 1960 to the end of 1993, followed up for mortality from 1960 to 2002. Major findings were amarked healthy worker effect and an increased lung cancer risk for residence in Gela. The analyses of death certificates from 1995 to 2002 and of hospital discharge records from 2001 to 2007 confirm the potentialities of these current statistics for ecological studies: they depict the poor health conditions of Gela residents compared to other neighbouring municipalities in a 40-km range. Infact, the overall mortality rate for tumor and non-tumor causes in Gela is significantly higher for both sexes, and this is shown also in the Municipality of Niscemi, especially among the male population. Hospital discharge records for tumor causes, but especially for non-tumor ones, exceeded expectations in both genders and must be analysed taking into consideration the attraction exerted on the surrounding areas by the Gela hospital. Data analysis according to 5 ten-year birth cohorts, from 1915 to 1964, shows a decreasing mortality trend, whereas the increase of hospital admissions is confirmed in the younger generations. The issue of birth defects is recurrent in this area: a suitable register is lacking so that updated figures cannot be presented. However, data previously published showed excesses of prevalence rates of several specific birth defects, mainly urinary tract and genital anomalies. The same is worth in the incidence of new cancer cases since the development of a proper register is yet in progress. Tools and methodologies that should be applied in Gela to study environment-health relations are proposed, like Life Cycle Analysis, dispersion patterns and an air-quality monitoring system. A conceptual model considering all pollution sources and different exposure patterns present in Gela, developed by the Multidisciplinary Working Group, is presented. Among the activities carried out by regional authorities, two Reports on the Regional Environment Protection Agency monitoring activity and on the EU Program SEARCH, School Environment And Respiratory Health in Children, are included. A section is devoted to understanding what is necessary to build an epidemiological monitoring system specifically designed for this area, in order to keep under permanent control environment-related health outcomes. This includes a systematic and continuative collection, storage and analysis of environmental-induced diseases, exposure and risk factors, as well as a timely dissemination of those information to the decision-makers. The final article describes the research activities carried out to design and implement a human biomonitoring survey in the area. These activities included relation-building with local communities, information collection, meetings, involvement of stake-holders. This experience will reach its climax when the community-exposure data feedback will be provided, because it will mark the consolidation of present knowledge and its possible processing into public health action plans. The present publication can represent an important tool and a model for all interest-bearers to assess environmental pollution impacts on human health in contaminated areas. A local system to assess the relation between environmental pollution and population health is therefore urgently needed to provide risk managers with ad-hoc tools to improve environmental protection and prevent further risks for local communities.

The Puertollano Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Power Plant (Spain) fly ash is characterized by a relatively high content of Ga and V, which occurs mainly as Ga 2 O 3 and as Ga 3+ and V 3+ substituting for Al 3+ in the Al-Si fly ash glass matrix. Investigations focused on evaluating the potential recovery of Ga and V from these fly ashes. Several NaOH based extraction tests were performed on the IGCC fly ash, at different temperatures, NaOH/fly ash (NaOH/FA) ratios, NaOH concentrations and extraction times. The optimal Ga extraction conditions was determined as 25 • C, NaOH 0.7-1 M, NaOH/FA ratio of 5 L/kg and 6 h, attaining Ga extraction yields of 60-86%, equivalent to 197-275 mg of Ga/kg of fly ash. Re-circulation of leachates increased initial Ga concentrations (25-38 mg/L) to 188-215 mg/L, while reducing both content of impurities and NaOH consumption. Carbonation of concentrated Ga leachate demonstrated that 99% of the bulk Ga content in the leachate precipitates at pH 7.4. At pH 10.5 significant proportions of impurities, mainly Al (91%), co-precipitate while >98% of the bulk Ga remains in solution. A second carbonation of the remaining solution (at pH 7.5) recovers the 98.8% of the bulk Ga. Re-dissolution (at pH 0) of the precipitate increases Ga purity from 7 to 30%, this being a suitable Ga end product for further purification by electrolysis. This method produces higher recovery efficiency than currently applied for Ga on an industrial scale. In contrast, low V extraction yields (<64%) were obtained even when using extreme alkaline extraction conditions, which given the current marked price of this element, limits considerably the feasibility of V recovery from IGCC fly ash.