A review on the requirements for environmentally friendly insulating oils used in high-voltage equipment under the eco design framework

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The advancements in electricity production and distribution, as well as the growing consumption of electrical energy, have made electrical equipment a...     

Environmental degradation,economic growth and tourism development in Chinese regions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Tourism development is recognised as an essential tool in promoting economic growth; however, it may also contribute to environmental degradation....     

A model for the prediction of oil slick movement and spreading using cellular automata

A model for the prediction of oil slick movement and spreading, using Cellular Automata, is presented in this paper. The model is general and can predict the behaviour of oil slicks in regions with complicated boundaries. The effects of winds, surface currents, and oil evaporation have been taken into account. An algorithm for the simulation of oil slick movement and spreading, based on this model, has also been developed and has been used to simulate hypothetical oil slicks in hypothetical geographical regions. The results of the simulation are in qualitative agreement with real oil slick movement and spreading.     

Computer-aided modeling of the protective effect of explosion relief vents in tunnel structures

This paper aims at contributing to the efficient design of explosion protection systems against confined explosions. The issue addressed concerns the quantitative estimation of the protective effect of explosion relief vents in the case of confined explosions inside tunnels. A series of virtual experiments performed by computer simulation, revealed how the number of vents, their diameter, as well as the angle between the vents and the tunnel, influences the blast wave attenuation. The computational study was performed considering a complicated large-scale tunnel configuration with branches on its half portion. The purpose was the calculation of the attenuation effect due to the presence of vents by comparing the total explosion-specific impulse developing at antidiametric positions inside the tunnel. Simulations were carried out via a three-dimensional numerical model built in the computational fluid dynamics code CFX 5.7.1, which has been validated in previous papers against experimental overpressure histories data demonstrating reasonable performance. Computer results showed that the use of branch vents provides an effective method for shock wave attenuation following an explosion, whereas their statistical elaboration revealed that the attenuation is mainly affected by the number of vents and their diameter. In contrast, the angle between the side vents and the main tunnel appeared to slightly affect the pressure wave weakening. Eventually, the quantitative influence of the above parameters was effectively illustrated in functional diagrams, so that the total attenuation effect may be promptly estimated, if the design variables are known. In addition, two statistical models with reasonable fitting to the calculated data are proposed, which express the attenuation effect as a dependent variable of the design variables including their interactions.     

Exposure to major volatile organic compounds and carbonyls in European indoor environments and associated health risk

This paper summarizes recent data on the occurrence of major organic compounds (benzene, toluene, xylenes, styrene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, naphthalene, limonene, α-pinene and ammonia, classified by the European Commission's INDEX strategy report as the priority pollutants to be regulated) and evaluates accordingly cancer and non-cancer risks posed by indoor exposure in dwellings and public buildings in European Union (EU) countries. The review process indicated that significant differences in indoor air quality exist within and among the countries where data were available, indicating corresponding differences in sources and emission strength of airborne chemicals, identified or not. Conservative exposure limits were not exceeded for non-carcinogenic effects, except for formaldehyde; for carcinogenic agents the estimated risks were up to three orders of magnitude higher than the one (10(-6)) proposed as acceptable by risk management bodies. However, the risk assessment evaluation process faces crucial difficulties, either due to the relative paucity of indoor air quality measurements in many EU countries, or by the lack of sampling consistency in the already existing studies, indicating the need for additional measurements of indoor air quality following a harmonized sampling and analytical protocol. Additionally, uncertainties embodied in the cancer potency factors and exposure limit values impose further difficulties in substance prioritization and risk management.     

Passive sampling of selected pesticides in aquatic environment using polar organic chemical integrative samplers

Purpose  

Polar chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were examined for their sampling efficiency of 12 pesticides and one metabolite commonly detected in surface waters. Laboratory-based calibration experiments of POCISs were conducted. The determined passive sampling rates were applied for the monitoring of pesticides levels in Lake Amvrakia, Western Greece. Spot sampling was also performed for comparison purposes.