Novel Temperature Control Technique for a Medicinal Herb Dryer System Powered by a Photovoltaic Array

Each plant has its own optimal drying temperature, especially for the medicinal herbs, because they are sensitive to heat. If the drying temperature becomes more than the optimal value, some chemical reactions will occur and influence the quality of the dried herb, such as color, taste, and aroma. While if the drying temperature becomes lower than the optimal value, the drying process will slow down, and consequently an expected degradation in the quality of the herb may occur, due to insects and fungi infestation which increase in moist conditions. This paper presents a new temperature control technique for a medicinal herb dryer system. The technique fixes the drying temperature of the medicinal herbs at 40^°C, even in cases of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions. The control of the dryer temperature is achieved through using the proportional integral (PI) controller. The designed dryer contains two systems, which are the thermal and the electrical systems. The thermal system is designed to heat the drying air by using solar energy and bio-gas fuel. Whereas the electrical system, which contains a photovoltaic (PV) modules and a battery, is designed to supply the different electrical loads of the dryer system. The control technique is investigated through simulation work by using MATLAB-SIMULINK. The simulation results indicate the high capability of the proposed technique in controlling the drying temperature, even in cases of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions.     

Thermal gradient in the vicinity of Kwale/Okpai gas plant,Delta state,Nigeria: Preliminary observations

Environmental Pollution now persist in Nigeria especially the oil-rich regions of Delta State. One of these problems is due to gas flaring. Thermal gradient resulting from the gas flared at Kwale/Okpai gas plant is hereby reported. Surface temperature variations with distance from the flare point were investigated for the four cardinal directions. The results show a surface temperature elevation of about 3.7° C above the mean normal daily temperature within a radius of 270 M. Hence the thermal equilibrium has been altered. This increase in temperature has undesirable effect on man and his environment especially on the socio-economic lives and activities of the inhabitants. It is therefore necessary that Government Agencies empowered to monitor environment such as Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) should embark on adequate remediation activities in order to stop the environmental degradation before enormous and permanent damage is caused. Furthermore, the companies involved in the gas flaring should be made to be concerned with the danger they may be causing the inhabitants in particular and the populace in general.     

Multi-stage chemical looping combustion (CLC) for combined cycles with CO2 capture

This paper presents application of the chemical looping combustion (CLC) method in natural gas-fired combined cycles for power generation with CO₂ capture. A CLC combined cycle consisting of single CLC-reactor system, an air turbine, a CO₂-turbine and a steam cycle has been designated as the base-case cycle. The base-case cycle can achieve net plant efficiency of about 52% at an oxidation temperature of 1200 °C. In order to achieve a reasonable efficiency at lower oxidation temperatures, reheat is introduced into the air turbine by employing multi CLC-reactors. The results show that the single reheat CLC-combined cycle can achieve net plant efficiency of above 51% at oxidation temperature of 1000 °C and above 53% at the oxidation temperature of 1200 °C including CO₂ compression to 110 bar. The double reheat cycle results in marginal efficiency improvement as compared to the single reheat cycle. The CLC-cycles are also compared with a conventional combined cycle with and without post-combustion capture in amine solution. All the CLC-cycles show higher net plant efficiencies with close to 100% CO₂ capture as compared to a conventional combined cycle with post-combustion capture, which is very promising.     

Simulated Limnological Effects of the Shasta Lake Temperature Control Device

We estimated the effects of a temperature control device (TCD) on a suite of thermodynamic and limnological attributes for a large storage reservoir, Shasta Lake, in northern California. Shasta Dam was constructed in 1945 with a fixed-elevation penstock. The TCD was installed in 1997 to improve downstream temperatures for endangered salmonids by releasing epilimnetic waters in the winter/spring and hypolimnetic waters in the summer/fall. We calibrated a two-dimensional hydrodynamic reservoir water quality model, CE-QUAL-W2, and applied a structured design-of-experiment simulation procedure to predict the principal limnological effects of the TCD under a variety of environmental scenarios. Calibration goodness-of-fit ranged from good to poor depending on the constituent simulated, with an R ² of 0.9 for water temperature but 0.3 for phytoplankton. Although the chemical and thermal characteristics of the discharge changed markedly, the reservoir's characteristics remained relatively unchanged. Simulations showed the TCD causing an earlier onset and shorter duration of summer stratification, but no dramatic affect on Shasta's nutrient composition. Peak in-reservoir phytoplankton production may begin earlier and be stronger in the fall with the TCD, while outfall phytoplankton concentrations may be much greater in the spring. Many model predictions differed from our a priori expectations that had been shaped by an intensive, but limited-duration, data collection effort. Hydrologic and meteorological variables, most notably reservoir carryover storage at the beginning of the calendar year, influenced model predictions much more strongly than the TCD. Model results indicate that greater control over reservoir limnology and release quality may be gained by carefully managing reservoir volume through the year than with the TCD alone. RID=" ID=" Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: John_Bartholow@USGS.gov     

Control of upland bank erosion through tidal marsh construction on restored shores: Application in the maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay

During the period of 1972 through 1993, Environmental Concern Inc. (EC) and its recent (1989) affiliate Environmental Construction Company (ECC) have completed 216 marsh construction projects to control upland bank erosion in tributaries of the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. Of these projects, 26 have involved marsh construction on unaltered existing shores and 190 have utilized marsh construction on shores that have been restored to former increased elevations through shoreline filling and grading. This paper describes the latter restoration technique. Throughout the 21-year period of applying the technique for long-term upland bank erosion control, refinements to the design standards and criteria for site suitability have been made so as to optimize its successful application. As a result of this experience, a reliable bioengineering restoration technique has evolved to control upland bank erosion. This paper describes the details of this successful technique through a review of: (1) its objectives and benefits, (2) suitability of sites for its application, (3) the design of its shore restoration, (4) its construction, (5) its maintenance, and (6) comparison of its cost with those of structural techniques for bank erosion control. Although the technique has only been applied in the Maryland portions of Chesapeake Bay, its applicability should, with modifications, be broadly applicable to all water bodies.     

Use of agricultural waste for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen from aqueous medium

The effectiveness of wheat straw charcoal (WSC) and mustard straw charcoal (MSC) as adsorbents for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen from water has been investigated. Commercial activated carbon (CAC) was used as a standard for comparison. The adsorption effectiveness of MSC was highest followed by CAC and WSC irrespective of the concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in the range of 0-25mg/l. The effects of temperature in the range of 15-28 degrees C on adsorption by WSC and MSC have also been investigated. It was observed that the temperature dependence of the adsorption effectiveness of MSC was higher than that of WSC and CAC. It is concluded that the MSC can be used for the in situ treatment by adsorption of nitrate-nitrogen in underground and surface water.     

超临界流体技术在化工污染治理中的应用

对于许多化工产品废物,如塑料、有毒物质、生物污泥和有机废水等,利用传统技术进行处理的效果较差。超临界流体(SCF)技术作为一种清洁环境的新技术,可用于治理化工污染物。SCF作为反应介质或反应物可替代有毒、有害有机溶剂;用作萃取剂,它是一种新型的分离技术;以SCF作移动相的色谱,可提高检测灵敏度和分辨率;将超临界水作为氧化剂,可破坏有机污染物的结构。SCF技术的应用可以大大减少环境污染。     

Impingement of threadfin shad: Effects of temperature and hydrography

A model is presented that allows testing of hypotheses concerning the effects of temperature and change in temperature on impingement. The model is evaluated using data from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Steam Plant, Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee, USA for two fish species impinged in large numbers in the United States: threadfin and gizzard shad,Dorosoma petenense andD. cepedianum. Hydrographic characteristics near the intake screens were mapped to help explain the possible role of hydrography in distributing fish across the screens. Understanding the role of temperature and hydrography in impingement of fish provides a basis for new intake designs that may reduce impingement and helps in the development of methods to reduce impingement at existing facilities. The temperature modeling approach and conclusions about hydrographic effects might be applied to other systems in which cold-stressed schooling fish are impinged.Research sponsored by the Office of Health and Environmental Research, US Department of Energy, under contract W-7405-eng-26 with Union Carbide Corporation.Publication No. 1872, Environmental Sciences Division, ORNL.     

Impact of land use and land cover changes on the ambient temperature in a middle scale city, Takamatsu, in Southwest Japan

There is a lack of information on urban heat island impact on the thermal environment due to low populated urban sprawl, although densely populated urban sprawl impact has been identified by several researchers. The Takamatsu area has recently developed in a low populated urban sprawl style without any increase in population. This paper examined the impact of a low populated urban sprawl on the thermal environment through an analysis of the last 30 years data set and investigated the contribution of vegetation fraction and population density to the temperature trend. As a consequence, it was shown that one of the most significant causative factors of temperature increase is an expansion of non-vegetated area even without population growth. This result implied that vegetated zones should be maintained in urban areas in order to realize sustainable urbanization.     

温度试验中产品温度稳定的研究

阐述了温度试验中产品达到温度稳定的重要性,以及温度稳定的概念和确定方法。指出了直接测量法是最直观、最有效的方法,并对如何实施直接测量法提出了见解。另外还对影响产品温度稳定的外部因素进行了一些研究。     

Investigation of activated carbon/ethanol for low temperature adsorption cooling

Commercially available adsorption cooling systems use water/silica gel, water/zeolite and ammonia/ chloride salts working pairs. The water-based pairs are limited to work above 0°C due to the water high freezing temperature, while ammonia has the disadvantage of being toxic. Ethanol is a promising refrigerant due to its low freezing point (161 K), nontoxicity, zero ozone depletion, and low global warming potential. Activated carbon (AC) is a porous material with high degree of porosity (500–3000 m²/g) that has been used in wide range of applications. Using Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) test facility, this work characterizes the ethanol adsorption of eleven commercially available activated carbon materials for cooling at low temperature of ?15°C. DVS adsorption results show that Maxsorb has the best performance in terms of ethanol uptake and adsorption kinetics compared to the other tested materials. The Maxsorb/ethanol adsorption process has been numerically modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and simulation results are validated using the DVS experimental measurements. The validated CFD simulation of the adsorption process is used to predict the effects of adsorbent layer thickness and packing density on cycle uptake for evaporating temperature of ?15°C. Simulation results show that as the thickness of the Maxsorb adsorbent layer increases, its uptake decreases. As for the packing density, the amount of ethanol adsorbed per plate increases with the packing density reaching maximum at 750 kg/m³. This work shows the potential of using Maxsorb/ethanol in producing low temperature cooling down to ?15°C with specific cooling energy reaching 400 kJ/kg.     

Information requirements of integrated environmental policy experiences in the Netherlands

During the last few years in the Netherlands an integrated environmental policy has been developed. Solving environmental problems by means of effective and efficient solutions requires that the entire environmental cycle be considered in order to take all relevant compartments and aspects into account. Four different phases can be identified during the treatment of an environmental problem by management: recognition, formulation, solution, and control.Some qualitative and quantitative aspects of the information demand of environmental policy are explored. Special attention is given to the consequences of the integral approach in environmental policy in terms of information requirements. The process of information supply starts with an analysis of the demand. Subsequently data from the environmental cycle have to be selected, aggregated, and presented adequately. Further, integrated environmental policy puts increased demands on the associative power of environmental information systems.     

GENERATION OF SYNTHETIC AND MISSING CLIMATIC DATA FOR PUERTO RICO1

ABSTRACT: Climatic data such as temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, and wind speed have been widely used to estimate evapotranspiration. Moat of the solar radiation data and portions of the relative humidity data are either not available or missing from the records in Puerto Rico. Depending upon the availability and data characteristics of records, three methods (including a regression technique, an averaging of historical data, and a regional average) were used to generate missing data, and a time series analysis was used to synthesize a series of climatic data. The limitations and applicability of each method are discussed. The results showed that the time series analysis method can be successfully used to synthesize a series of monthly solar radiations for several stations. The regression technique and the regional average can be successfully applied to generate missing monthly solar radiation data. The regression technique and the averaging of historical data have been satisfactorily used to interpolate missing monthly relative humidity. The explained variance (R²) varied from 0.68 to 0.88, which are both significant at the 0.05 level of significance.     

南京青奥会环境保障经验及后青奥环境监管对策研究

文章介绍了南京在青奥会环境保障方面的管控措施与取得的成效,认为南京青奥环境保障成功的关键在于高效畅通的运行机制、强力有效的控污手段、不遗余力的执法监管、紧密配合的区域联防、以及科技支撑的科学决策。最后,从构建南京都市圈生态环保一体化格局、实施重点片区工业布局优化调整、淘汰落后产能、建立环境执法高压严管长效机制等方面,提出了后青奥时代南京加强环境监管、改善环境质量的对策与建议。     

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF CO2 REMOVAL IN TRAY AERATORS1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a discussion of the chemistry of CO₂ removal in tray aerators, and different sets of equations that are applicable to several initial water chemical conditions are proposed. These chemical equations and a statistical model to predict the kinetic constant were tested with field data observed by other researchers in pilot units and in a full scale plant. The water temperature in their experiments was around 15°C.     

Low-energy sodium hydroxide recovery for CO2 capture from atmospheric air—Thermodynamic analysis

To reduce the risks of climate change, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases must be lowered. Direct capture of CO₂ from ambient air, “air capture”, might be one of the few methods capable of systematically managing dispersed emissions. The most commonly proposed method for air capture is a wet scrubbing technique which absorbs CO₂ in an alkaline absorbent, i.e. sodium hydroxide producing an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate. In most of the previous works it was assumed that the absorbent would be regenerated and CO₂ liberated from the alkaline carbonate solution using a lime and calcium carbonate causticization cycle.We describe a novel technique for recovering sodium hydroxide from an aqueous alkaline solution of sodium carbonate and present an end-to-end energy and exergy analysis. In the first step of the recovery process, anhydrous sodium carbonate is separated from the concentrated sodium hydroxide solution using a two-step precipitation and crystallization process. The anhydrous sodium carbonate is then causticized using sodium tri-titanate. The titanate direct causticization process has been of interest for the pulp and paper industry and has been tested at lab- and pilot-scale. In the causticization process, sodium hydroxide is regenerated and carbon dioxide is liberated as a pure stream, which is compressed for use or disposal. The technique requires ～50% less high-grade heat than conventional causticization and the maximum temperature required is reduced by at least 50 °C. This titanate cycle may allow a substantial reduction in the overall cost of direct air capture.     

厌氧-好氧工艺在含油废水生化处理中的应用

(中国石油冀东油田分公司安全环保处)论述了厌氧-好氧(A/O)工艺的基本原理及工艺参数。该工艺在冀东油田两座废水处理站的应用结果表明,对废水中石油类物质、COD、硫化物去除效果明显。高一联合站及柳一联合站污水经处理后,石油类物质去除率分别为90.6%和96.0%;COD去除率分别为86.0%和91.6%;硫化物去除率分别为94.8%和98.2%,处理后的污水均达到一级排放标准。另外,采用厌氧-好氧工艺的成本相对较低,处理费用低于0.5元/m3。处理后的污水若回注地下,平均费用为4.7元/m3。     

中国化工产业园区化的驱动机制:基于社会-生态系统框架下的博弈论分析

化工产业园区化是政府合理规范化工园区且将化工园区外化工生产企业关停并搬迁至化工园区内的产业集聚化,是解决目前中国化工产业安全事故频发、环境污染严重等问题,推进化工产业转型升级的重要政策之一。中国化工产业园区化的社会—生态系统框架刻画了化工园区、化工产品、化工园区管委会、企业和公众四个核心子系统的关联,在此基础上,中国化工产业园区化的博弈模型将参与者简化为政府(包括化工园区管委会)、企业(化工生产企业)和公众(化工生产企业现址影响半径内的居民群体),并分别构建了政府与企业间的博弈模型与公众参与下的政府与企业间的博弈模型。根据模型推论,此两类情景博弈的纳什均衡都可以为(政府行政政策,企业按期搬迁入园)或(政府经济政策,企业按期搬迁入园)。中国化工产业园区化的驱动机制,是在作为外在驱动主体的政府和公众的引导和监督下,作为内在驱动主体的化工生产企业,在各驱动因素的协同作用下,实现其"按期搬迁入园"的机制。进而得出化工生产企业与化工园区"按期匹配搬迁入园"、提升化工园区公共服务能力、差异化地一企一策及建立公众和企业与政府的三方对话机制的四点政策建议。     

Electrochemical NOx reduction and oxidation of HC and PM emissions from biodiesel fuelled diesel engines using electrochemically activated cell

NOx emission is produced during combustion of fuels at high temperature. Excessive release of NOx causes several effects on living organisms and environment. In this work, the efforts to reduce NOx emission by developing electrochemically activated cells (EACs) for a diesel engine fuelled with diesel and biodiesel fuel are discussed. EAC technique is vital after treatment technology attempted in this work to simultaneous control of NOx, HC, and PM emissions. In this method, two types of EACs were developed. The CuO–YSZ electrolyte and CuO–YSZ electrolyte with BaO coating were developed and tested with diesel and biodiesel exhaust. Compared with diesel fuel, use of biodiesel fuel increased NOx emission by 11% and PM emission was slightly reduced with biodiesel, which was due to the presence of fuel bond oxygen content in biodiesel. The investigation has demonstrated low-temperature activation of the EACs at 250–350°C which was due to the addition of CuO to YSZ. In this work, maximum NOx reduction was achieved for CuO–YSZ cells with BaO NOx storage and the simultaneous control of HC and PM emission also was observed in this technique. NOx reduction by EAC is a vital technique and can be retrofitted with any diesel engine for emission reduction.     

Temperatures and Locations Used by Hibernating Bats,Including <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myotis sodalis</Emphasis> (Indiana Bat), in a Limestone Mine: Implications for Conservation and Management

Understanding temperatures used by hibernating bats will aid conservation and management efforts for many species. A limestone mine with 71 km of passages, used as a hibernaculum by approximately 30,000 bats, was visited four times during a 6-year period. The mine had been surveyed and mapped; therefore, bats could be precisely located and temperatures (T _s) of the entire hibernaculum ceiling accurately mapped. It was predicted that bats should hibernate between 5 and 10°C to (1) use temperatures that allow a near minimal metabolic rate, (2) maximize the duration of hibernation bouts, (3) avoid more frequent and prolonged arousal at higher temperatures, (4) avoid cold and freezing temperatures that require an increase in metabolism and a decrease in duration of hibernation bouts or that could cause death, and (5) balance benefits of a reduced metabolic rate and costs of metabolic depression. The distribution of each species was not random for location (P < 0.000) or T _s (P < 0.000). Myotis sodalis (Indiana bat) was most restricted in areas occupied, hibernating in thermally stable yet cold areas ( = 8.4 ± 1.7°C); 99% associated with cement block walls and sheltered alcoves, which perhaps dampened air movement and temperature fluctuations. Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis) hibernated in colder, more variable areas ( = 7.2 ± 2.6°C). Myotis septentrionalis (northern myotis), Pipistrellus subflavus (eastern pipistrelle), and Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat) typically hibernated in warm, thermally stable areas ( = 9.1 ± 0.2°C, = 9.6 ± 1.9°C, and = 9.5 ± 1.5°C, respectively). These data do not indicate that hibernacula for M. sodalis, an endangered species, should be manipulated to cool below 5°C.