Fuel efficiency improvement of a dual-fuel engine fuelled with Honge oil methyl ester (HOME)–bioethanol and producer gas

Renewable and alternative fuels have numerous advantages compared with fossil fuels as they are renewable and biodegradable and provide food and energy security and foreign exchange savings besides addressing environmental concerns and socio-economic issues (Yaliwal et al. 2013. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, doi:10.1080/19397038.2013.801530. Zhu et al. 2011a, Applied Thermal Engineering 31 (14–15): 2271–2278; Zhu et al. 2011b, Fuel 90: 1743-1750; Banapurmath, Tewari, and Hosmath 2008, Renewable Energy 33: 2007-2018; Banapurmath 2009, “Performance, Combustion and Emission Characteristics of a Single Cylinder Direct Injection CI Engine Operated on Dual Fuel Mode Using Honge Oil and Producer Gas.” PhD thesis, 1–195; Banapurmath et al. 2011, Waste and Biomass Valorization 2: 1–11). In this context, the main objective of the present work is to study methods of biofuel production such as Honge oil methyl ester (HOME) using a conventional transesterification process and bioethanol from the Calliandra calothyrsus shrub using a new pretreatment method known as hydrothermal explosion. Further, experimental investigations were carried out on a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct-injection stationary diesel engine operating in a dual-fuel mode using HOME, bioethanol and producer gas combinations to determine its performance, combustion and emission characteristics. The performance of the dual-fuel engine was analyzed at optimized engine conditions. HOME-Bioethanol (BE) blends such as HOME+ 5% bioethanol (BE5), HOME+ 10% bioethanol (BE10) and HOME+ 15% bioethanol (BE15) were prepared by adding bioethanol to HOME (on volume basis) in different proportions ranging from 5 to 15% with an increment of 5%. In this present work, the effect of different BE blends on the performance of producer gas fuelled dual fuel engine was studied. Experimental investigation on dual fuel engine using BE5-Producer gas operation resulted in up to 4–9% increased brake thermal efficiency with decreased hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and marginally increased nitric oxide (NOx) emission levels compared to HOME-Producer gas, BE10-producer gas and BE15-producer gas mode of operation. However, it was observed that, the overall performance of BE-producer gas operation was found to be lower compared to diesel-producer gas operation.     

Limits of thermoluminescence dosimetry using quartz extracted from recent building materials in urban settlements

The luminescence of quartz extracted from recently fired building material is known to detect doses of few mGy and can be successfully employed in the case of large scale radiation exposures due to nuclear accidents or terrorist acts. One brick and two tiles (50-80 years range) collected from an urban settlement were used to test the realistic minimum detectable dose limits of retrospective luminescence dosimetry. Independent methods like alpha counting, beta dosimetry, gamma spectrometry and flame photometry were used for the annual dose assessment. Two approaches were employed for the evaluation of the total accrued dose: regenerative dose and additive dose. The former allows the assessment of doses due to anthropogenic sources of radiation as low as approximately 12 mGy by using 10-year-old samples, but it can be applied only in samples showing no sensitisation. The latter can be applied to any sample, however, the related uncertainty is higher and minimum detectable anthropogenic dose in young samples amounts to 20 mGy.     

三峡库区坡耕地利用与水土保持种植制

三峡库区耕地资源十分有限,且坡耕地占有相当大的比重,陡坡地多,在不良的耕作方式下肥力低下,水土流失十分严重在分析三峡库区自然条件与坡耕地资源特点的基础上,讨论了坡耕地种植制度与土壤侵蚀的关系,提出通过合理搭配作物种类进行多熟制间套作,一年生农作物与多年生经饲作物间作及农作物与木本植物等高间作等手段来建立坡耕地水土保持种植制,从而达到减轻土 蚀之目的。     

苏北浅滩腰沙围填海控制线研究

围填海控制线是在工程可行的前提下,不显著改变区域海洋动力格局和岸滩演变趋势的最大围填外包络线,能够最大限度地协调围填海与海洋资源环境保护之间的关系。以苏北浅滩腰沙为例,在对围填海控制性因素进行筛选、识别与分析的基础上,根据各控制性因素的控制要求,设计了围填海控制性指标。应用潮流数值模拟和泥沙回淤预测技术,采用分层次筛选和迭代逼近的方法,构建围填海控制线迭代优选模型,分析不同围填海方案对海洋动力格局演变的影响,计算得到腰沙的围填海控制线为理论基面+28 m。提出的研究方法和迭代优选模型可为沿海省市围填海控制线的制定提供参考和方法借鉴,为制定围填海规模总量控制指标提供科学依据     

安徽省粮食生产的主成分分析及其趋势预测

采用安徽省1978～2010年的相关社会经济统计资料为基础数据,在对33 a来粮食动态变化的定量定性分析基础上,利用主成分分析方法探讨了区域粮食生产的影响因子。然后根据安徽33 a粮食总产量的历史数据,建立GM(1,1)预测模型,对安徽省未来20 a（2011～2030年）的粮食产量进行中长期的模拟预测,以期为相关部门粮食生产决策提供科学依据。研究表明：(1)1978～2010年,安徽省粮食生产在波动中增长,粮食总产量和人均粮食产量曲线的动态变化基本吻合。（2）影响粮食生产的3个主要成分分别是社会经济发展水平、农业生产成本和粮食作物播种面积。（3）粮食生产在2011～2030年将保持平稳增长的良性发展态势,2030年粮食预测产量达到4 119万t,比2010年增长了1 039万t,年均增长15%。〖HJ1〗〖HJ〗     

基于WebGIS三峡干流水质模拟平台研究

三峡蓄水成库后仍属于典型的河道型水库,其总体水流、水质运动特性符合一维水流水质运动规律。针对三峡库区总体水流、水质运动特性,采用一维水流水质模型对三峡库区水流和水质进行了模拟。以该模型为核心,利用Web Services技术开发并在互联网上发布了模型服务,在此基础上采用成熟的WebGIS和富客户端Flex等技术构建了适用于三峡库区的干流水质模拟平台;能够实现包括各计算断面流速、流量、水位以及污染物浓度时空过程在内的三峡库区干流流速场和浓度场的数值模拟。以库区干流清溪场至十里铺断面内的江段作为模拟实例,利用该平台模拟计算江段内水流和水质状况,并以水文水质同步观测数据对模拟结果进行验证,结果表明其具有较好的模拟效果;为三峡库区污染物总体输移扩散特性研究提供了有利工具,同时也为国家和地方政府进行库区水环境决策提供了技术支持     

Relationship between the riverine nitrate–nitrogen concentration and the land use in the Teshio River watershed, North Japan

The present research investigated the relationship between nitrate–nitrogen (NO₃–N) in river water and the land use/land cover (hereafter, land use) in the Teshio River watershed located in northern Hokkaido island to understand the effect of human activities such as agriculture, forestry, industry, and urbanization in the drainage basin on the river ecosystem quality and services. River water was sampled at nine points seasonally during a 2-year period and the nutrients concentration was measured. Land use profiles were estimated at two spatial scales, riparian and sub-catchment, for each sampling station. The spatial pattern of water quality in the Teshio River showed increased NO₃–N levels associated with agriculture and urban expansion, and forest reduction in the watershed. Land use at the riparian scale closely reflected that at the sub-catchment scale, which masked the unique riparian buffer effect on the river water condition. The increased agricultural and reduced forest area in the riparian zone, especially in the upper middle reach, could be a possible reason for a decline of ecosystem service for the provisioning of clean water and habitat for aquatic organisms. Measures towards sustainable and more nature-friendly agricultural management are necessary in the area to protect the Teshio River ecosystem and its ecosystem services.     

Monitoring of radionuclides contamination of soils in Shatsk National Natural Park (Volyn region, Ukraine) during 1994-2001

The results of studies of radionuclide contamination of the soils in the western part of the territory of Shatsk National Natural Park (ShNNP), Volyn region, Ukraine, performed during 1994-2001 are presented. Based on the experimental results, the three-dimensional plot of the 137Cs density contamination for the soils at the territory under investigation has been constructed. The monitoring during 1994-2001 of the 137Cs vertical distributions in the different kinds of soils from the Park and the forecasting of the distribution changes of the depth down to 50 cm for the sod loamy sandy gleyed loamy sand soil of the Park up to 2086 have been performed.