Critical Risk Indicators (CRIs) for the electric power grid: a survey and discussion of interconnected effects

The electric power grid is a critical societal resource connecting multiple infrastructural domains such as agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. The electrical grid as an infrastructure is shaped by human activity and public policy in terms of demand and supply requirements. Further, the grid is subject to changes and stresses due to diverse factors including solar weather, climate, hydrology, and ecology. The emerging interconnected and complex network dependencies make such interactions increasingly dynamic, posing novel risks, and presenting new challenges to manage the coupled human–natural system. This paper provides a survey of models and methods that seek to explore the significant interconnected impact of the electric power grid and interdependent domains. We also provide relevant critical risk indicators (CRIs) across diverse domains that may be used to assess risks to electric grid reliability, including climate, ecology, hydrology, finance, space weather, and agriculture. We discuss the convergence of indicators from individual domains to explore possible systemic risk, i.e., holistic risk arising from cross-domain interconnections. Further, we propose a compositional approach to risk assessment that incorporates diverse domain expertise and information, data science, and computer science to identify domain-specific CRIs and their union in systemic risk indicators. Our study provides an important first step towards data-driven analysis and predictive modeling of risks in interconnected human–natural systems.

     

Coupling loss characteristics of N-P-C through runoff and sediment in the hilly region of SE China under simulated rainfall

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Soil total carbon (TC), phosphorus (P), and nitrogen (N) exports from the weathered granite slopes are greatly influenced by the complex hydrological...     

垃圾焚烧炉燃烧过程的优化控制策略

焚烧炉控制旨在使城市垃圾经处理后达到无害化、减量化和资源化的目标,既有利于环境保护,也有良好的社会经济效益。针对垃圾焚烧过程中由于燃烧对象复杂性导致的控制难题,提出了一种对垃圾焚烧系统实施优化控制的仿人智能控制策略。研究出稳定燃烧评判指标、控制模型、工程控制算法,并进行仿真试验。系统仿真试验结果表明:仿人智能控制策略鲁棒性强、控制品种好,是一种有效的控制策略。     

液柱塔喷浆管道设计与优化

为了研究喷淋液柱吸收塔喷浆管道的喷嘴喷射流量以及液柱高度,对喷浆管道的流场进行了研究。采用基于计算流体力学的Fluent软件平台,对某电厂2×360MW机组液柱脱硫塔喷浆管建立数学物理模型。采用基于有限体积法的SIMPLE算法进行计算,计算对比了不同结构喷浆管各喷嘴对应的液柱高度分布以及流量分布,得到了最优化的液柱塔喷浆管道结构,并根据计算结果指导设计。     

稳健统计在快速生物降解性试验质量分析中的应用

快速生物降解性试验在新化学物质的生态毒理测试中占据重要地位,其测试数据的可靠性直接影响后续的测试策略和物质的申报登记、以及新化学物质进入环境后的风险管理。为研究OECD 301系列试验(301B、301D和301F)的质量,选用本机构近5年来积累的标准化物质苯甲酸钠14 d快速生物降解率数据,首次采用稳健统计技术,以稳健总计统计量的Z比分数作为评价指标,对各试验数据和试验系统的质量开展评估。结果显示,当301B、301D和301F试验的苯甲酸钠降解率分别在63.8%~88.0%、63.4%~89.2%和66.0%~99.8%范围内时,表明测试结果满意,该批次试验数据质量良好;若苯甲酸钠降解率不在此范围,则表明测试结果可能存在问题,甚至得到的可能是错误数据,需要进一步验证。据此提出了对实际测试工作具有指导意义的质量分析对照表,以期为测试机构开展新化学物质快速生物降解性试验时的质量分析提供参考。     

Fate and removal of typical pharmaceutical and personal care products in a wastewater treatment plant from Beijing: a mass balance study

The fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has received great attention during the last decade. Numerous data concerning concentrations in the water phase can be found in the literature, however corresponding data from sludge as well as associated mass balance calculations are very limited. In the present study, the adsorbed and dissolved concentrations of 9 PPCPs were investigated in each unit of a WWTP in Beijing, China. Based on the calculation of mass balance, the relative mass distribution and removal efficiency of each target compound was obtained at each process. The amount of PPCPs entering into the WWTP ranged from 12 g·d^–1 to 3848 g·d^–1. Five target compounds (caffeine, chloramphenicol, bezafibrate, clofibric acid, and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) were effectively removed, with rates of 57%–100%. Negative removal efficiencies were obtained for sulpiride, metoprolol, nalidixic acid, and carbamazepine, ranging from -19% to -79%. PPCPs mainly existed in dissolved form (≥92%) in both the raw influent and the final effluent. The sludge cake carried a much lower amount of PPCPs (17 g·d^–1) compared with the discharged effluent (402 g·d^–1). In A²/O treatment tanks, the anaerobic and anoxic tanks showed good performance for PPCPs removal, and the amount of adsorbed PPCPs was increased. The results reveal that both the dissolved and the adsorbed phases should be considered when assessing the removal capacity of each A²/O tank.     

Activated carbons and amine-modified materials for carbon dioxide capture — a review

Rapidly increasing concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere has drawn more and more attention in recent years, and adsorption has been considered as an effective technology for CO₂ capture from the anthropogenic sources. In this paper, the attractive adsorbents including activated carbons and amine-modified materials were mainly reviewed and discussed with particular attention on progress in the adsorbent preparation and CO₂ adsorption capacity. Carbon materials can be prepared from different precursors including fossil fuels, biomass and resins using the carbonization-activation or only activation process, and activated carbons prepared by KOH activation with high CO₂ adsorbed amount were reviewed in the preparation, adsorption capacity as well as the relationship between the pore characteristics and CO₂ adsorption. For the amine-modified materials, the physical impregnation and chemical graft of polyethylenimine (PEI) on the different porous materials were introduced in terms of preparation method and adsorption performance as well as their advantages and disadvantages for CO₂ adsorption. In the last section, the issues and prospect of solid adsorbents for CO₂ adsorption were summarized, and it is expected that this review will be helpful for the fundamental studies and industrial applications of activated carbons and amine-modified adsorbents for CO₂ capture.     

高温燃烧水解-淋洗液在线发生离子色谱法同时测定煤中氟和氯

采用高温燃烧水解煤样-超纯水吸收装置,建立了高温燃烧水解-淋洗液在线发生离子色谱法同时测定煤中氟和氯的分析方法。系统、全面地考察了测定方法的影响因素,确定了最优高温燃烧水解预处理煤样和离子色谱法条件,并将该方法推广应用于飞灰、土壤和岩石的氟和氯含量检测,实验测定值与标准物质真实值误差能满足测定要求。     

Study of a proposed tunnel evacuation passageway formed by opposite-double air curtain ventilation

Subway tunnel fires often result in catastrophes and heavy casualties. To help people evacuate from a tunnel fire, an opposite-double air curtain ventilation assisted tunnel evacuation system (OTES) is introduced. It can be used to create a safe evacuation passageway that is free of smoke through out the length of the tunnel. The performance of the OTES is compared with that of the traditional ventilation systems: longitudinal ventilation and natural ventilation. The effect of the heat release rate, fire source location, and fire detection time are also discussed.This study also shows that compared with natural ventilation and longitudinal ventilation, the carbon monoxide, CO, concentration with OTES is significantly lower. Given the same HRR, the CO concentration values with OTES are only 0.58–2.41% of natural ventilation or 0.52–3.12% of longitudinal ventilation at the back end of the tunnel. An obviously clear evacuation passageway is created by OTES. The effects of changes in fire source location and fire detection time on tunnel ventilation are tested. Also the effect of these changes on the formation of an evacuation passageway by OTES is reported.     

Removal of clofibric acid from aqueous solution by polyethylenimine-modified chitosan beads

Polyethylenimine （PEI）-modified chitosan was prepared and used to remove clofibric acid （CA） from aqueous solution. PEI was chemically grafted on the porous chitosan through a crosslinking reaction, and the effects of PEI concentration and reaction time in the preparation on the adsorption of clofibric acid were optimized. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） showed that PEI macromolecules were uniformly grafted on the porous chitosan, and the analysis of pore size distribution indicated that more mesopores were formed due to the crosslinking of PEI molecules in the macropores of chitosan. The PEI-modified chitosan had fast adsorption for CA within the initial 5 h, while this adsorbent exhibited an adsorption capacity of 349 mg· g^-1 for CA at pH 5.0 according to the Langmuir fitting, higher than 213 mg· g^-1 on the porous chitosan. The CA adsorption on the PEI- modified chitosan was pH-dependent, and the maximum adsorption was achieved at pH 4.0. Based on the surface charge analysis and comparison of different pharmaceu- ticals adsorption, electrostatic interaction dominated the sorption of CA on the PEI-modified chitosan. The PEI- modified chitosan has a potential application for the removal of some anionic rnicropollutants from water or wastewater.