Full-scale experimental and numerical analysis of water mist system for sheltered fire sources in wind generator compartment

Through a series of full-scale fire experiments and numerical simulations, the effectiveness of water mist system on wind generator could be estimated, and compared with fire parameters, such as exposed or unexposed fire sources, number of nozzles, un-sheltered or sheltered fire sources, and fire source location.The experimental study found that the position of the water mist nozzles and whether the flames inside the oil pan are covered have a significant influence on overall extinguishing efficacy. The water mist system proved to have sound effectiveness on fire suppression in wind generators with sheltered fire source.According to FDS simulations of water mist systems, the simulated temperature curve declined more significantly than that for the actual measurements, indicating that the cooling effect of the simulated water mist was better. However, simulations were used for a situation where water mist was unable to directly extinguish the fire. Analysis of the simulated airflow showed that an opening caused the water to discharge outwards and the airflow was disturbed by the outside; thus, the extinguishing effect was poorer. There was less water with a sheltering object, and thus the extinguishing effect was poorer.     

How wrong can you be? Implications of incorrect utility function specification for welfare measurement in choice experiments

Despite the vital role of the utility function in welfare measurement, the implications of working with incorrect utility specifications have been largely neglected in the choice experiments literature. This paper addresses the importance of specification with a special emphasis on the effects of mistaken assumptions about the marginal utility of income. Monte Carlo experiments were conducted using different functional forms of utility to generate simulated choices. Multi-Nomial Logit and Mixed Logit models were then estimated on these choices under correct and incorrect assumptions about the true, underlying utility function. Estimated willingness to pay measures from these choice modeling results are then compared with the equivalent measures directly calculated from the true utility specifications. Results show that for the parameter values and functional forms considered, a continuous-quadratic or a discrete-linear attribute specification is a good option regardless of the true effects the attribute has on utility. We also find that mistaken assumptions about preferences over costs magnify attribute mis-specification effects.     

混凝土板墙加固后墙片与剪力墙性能的对比研究

首先通过3个墙片的水平低周反复伪动力试验,对比研究了混凝土板墙加固后墙片与剪力墙的承载力、耗能能力等各项抗震性能.由于试验条件的限制,试验仅对比研究了120 mm混凝土剪力墙与双面60 mm混凝土板墙加固后墙片的抗震性能.在试验基础上,利用有限元软件建立合理的计算模型,将计算结果与试验结果进行了对比分析;利用该计算模型...     

半横向排烟下隧道火灾烟气控制效果试验研究

为了研究隧道火灾半横向排烟对烟气排放效果的影响参数,同时为半横向通风排烟下隧道火灾烟气蔓延情况的系统性研究提供试验数据支持,建立缩尺比例为1:10的水平模型隧道开展火灾试验,并对火灾半横向排烟时排烟阀和排烟道内的烟气流动进行理论分析.结果表明,水平公路隧道半横向排烟情况下,理论分析得出的排烟阀处烟气流速与模型试验结果基...     

Using local knowledge to model asymmetric preference formation in willingness to pay for environmental services

This paper describes an approach to account for asymmetric preference formation in discrete choice models used for environmental valuation. The paper draws on data from a case study on preferences for environmental change resulting from a hypothetical rural development and conservation programme in Indonesia. Local knowledge on the current state of the environment was used to define an individual-specific status quo that consistently frames changes in a range of environmental services as gains or losses matching the perceptions of the local population living in the vicinity of a National Park. I estimated choice models that included separate parameters for increases and decreases in attribute levels for the environmental services and derived the indicators of local willingness to pay (WTP) corresponding to the bidirectional changes relative to the individual-specific status quo option. I found clear evidence of an asymmetric response to increase and decrease in attribute levels relative to the status quo. Ignoring asymmetric preference formation can therefore result in biased estimates of WTP indicators and welfare measures of change in cases where the outcomes of environmental programmes can plausibly result in both an increase and a decrease relative to a reference option. Compared to a symmetrical modelling approach, the combination of simultaneously accounting for asymmetric preference formation and preference heterogeneity in the choice model yielded additional insights that may be used to inform the development of local strategies towards biodiversity conservation.     

The Impacts of Water Conservation Strategies on Water Use: Four Case Studies1

Tsai, Yushiou, Sara Cohen, and Richard M. Vogel, 2011. The Impacts of Water Conservation Strategies on Water Use: Four Case Studies. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(4):687‐701. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00534.x Abstract: We assessed impacts on water use achieved by implementation of controlled experiments relating to four water conservation strategies in four towns within the Ipswich watershed in Massachusetts. The strategies included (1) installation of weather‐sensitive irrigation controller switches (WSICS) in residences and municipal athletic fields; (2) installation of rainwater harvesting systems in residences; (3) two outreach programs: (a) free home indoor water use audits and water fixture retrofit kits and (b) rebates for low‐water‐demand toilets and washing machines; and (4) soil amendments to improve soil moisture retention at a municipal athletic field. The goals of this study are to summarize the effectiveness of the four water conservation strategies and to introduce nonparametric statistical methods for evaluating the effectiveness of these conservation strategies in reducing water use. It was found that (1) the municipal WSICS significantly reduced water use; (2) residences with high irrigation demand were more likely than low water users to experience a substantial demand decrease when equipped with the WSICS; (3) rainwater harvesting provided substantial rainwater use, but these volumes were small relative to total domestic water use and relative to the natural fluctuations in domestic water use; (4) both the audits/retrofit and rebate programs resulted in significant water savings; and (5) a modeling approach showed potential water savings from soil amendments in ball fields.     

Field-scale colloid migration experiments in a granite fracture

An understanding of particle migration in fractured rock, required to assess the potential for colloid-facilitated transport of radionuclides, can best be evaluated when the results of laboratory experiments are demonstrated in the field. Field-scale migration experiments with silica colloids were carried out at AECL's Underground Research Laboratory (URL), located in southern Manitoba, to develop the methodology for large-scale migration experiments and to determine whether colloid transport is possible over distances up to 17 m. In addition, these experiments were designed to evaluate the effects of flow rate and flow path geometry, and to determine whether colloid tracers could be used to provide additional information on subsurface transport to that provided by conservative tracers alone. The colloid migration studies were carried out as part of AECL's Transport Properties in Highly Fractured Rock Experiment, the objective of which was to develop and demonstrate methods for evaluating the solute transport characteristics of zones of highly fractured rock. The experiments were carried out within fracture zone 2 as two-well recirculating, two-well non-recirculating, and convergent flow tests, using injection rates of 5 and 10 1 min⁻¹. Silica colloids with a 20 nm size were used because they are potentially mobile due to their stability, small size and negative surface charge. The shapes of elution profiles for colloids and conservative tracers were similar, demonstrating that colloids can migrate over distances of 17 m. The local region of drawdown towards the URL shaft affected colloid migration and, to a lesser extent, conservative tracer migration within the flow field established by the two-well tracer tests. These results indicate that stable colloids, with sizes as small as 20 nm, have different migration properties from dissolved conservative tracers. - 1997 Atomic Energy of Canada.     

Validation of the CANDY model with Russian long-term experiments

The CANDY model has been qualitatively assessed for simulating long-term dynamics of soil organic carbon and tested against different long-term experiments representing various land uses and geographical sites, but never before against conditions of the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Our goal was to simulate long-term trends in soil organic carbon for the long-term experiments of Barybino (Moscow region, Russia), Grakov (Kharkow region, Ukraine) and Yachenka (Minsk region, Belarus) representing the predominant arable soil types, climate conditions and typical management strategies for the investigated arable areas. The fit of modelled results to the observed data was evaluated to assess the suitability of the model for further applications in the FSU. The crop parameters of the CANDY model had to be adapted to the low yields observed under the Russian site conditions resulting in a higher sensitivity to crop-derived carbon input as a function of yield. The results show that the approach of treating the organic carbon situated in micro pores as inert, is an applicable solution for simulating soil carbon dynamics under Russian conditions. This evaluation of CANDY, against long-term experiments from Russia, gives confidence for its wider application in this region.     

A laboratory study of auctions for reducing non-point source pollution

Non-point source pollution, such as nutrient runoff to waterways from agricultural production, is an environmental problem that typically involves asymmetric information. Land use changes to reduce pollution incur opportunity costs that are privately known to landholders, but these changes provide environmental benefits that may be more accurately estimated by regulators. This paper reports a testbed laboratory experiment in which landholder/sellers in sealed-offer auctions compete to obtain part of a fixed budget allocated by the regulator to subsidize abatement. In one treatment the regulator reveals to landholders the environmental benefits estimated for their projects, and in another treatment the regulator conceals the potential projects’ “environmental quality.” The results show that sellers’ offers misrepresent their costs more for high-quality projects when quality is revealed, so total abatement is lower and seller profits are higher when landholders know their projects’ environmental benefits. This suggests that concealing this information may improve regulatory efficiency.     

微波催化氧化处理正丁酸废水Ni-Co-Ce-O催化剂的制备及表征

采用微波催化氧化处理正丁酸模拟废水，以COD去除率为评价指标，对固相-焙烧法制备的3个系列共45种催化剂进行筛选，通过正交实验对催化剂制备工艺进行优化，并对优选出的催化剂进行XRD和SEM表征。结果表明，NiO+Co₂O₃+CeO₂（Ni∶Co=1∶1、NiO+Co₂O₃/CeO₂=1∶4）为筛选出的最优催化剂；Ni-Co-Ce-O催化剂最优制备条件为Ni：Co摩尔比1∶2、（NiO+Co₂O₃）/CeO₂质量比5%、研磨时间40 min、焙烧温度450℃、焙烧时间3 h，此条件下制备的催化剂催化效能最高，COD去除率达67%。