Optimal control of lake pH for mercury bioaccumulation control

Mercury is recognized internationally as an important pollutant since mercury and its compounds are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic, and pose human and ecosystem risks. A critical aspect of mercury cycling is its bioaccumulation, mainly as methylmercury, along the aquatic food web resulting in high risk of human exposure through contaminated fish consumption. Since lake acidity (pH) and mercury methylation are correlated, control of lake pH through lake liming is a possible option to mitigate mercury bioaccumulation. This work proposes to use optimal control theory to derive time-dependent lake liming strategies for a tighter control of lake pH. Since the behavior of the freshwater ecosystems such as lakes is often associated with considerable uncertainties, a robust and realistic analysis should incorporate such uncertainties. This work models the time-dependent uncertain variations in the basic lake pH value and derives the liming profiles in the presence of such seasonal pH fluctuations. Established techniques from real options theory are employed for modeling the uncertainty as a stochastic process, and stochastic optimal control is used for deriving liming profiles. The approach is critically evaluated through applications to various case study lakes. Considering the substantial costs associated with liming operations, the work formulates a multi-objective problem highlighting the tradeoff between accurate pH control and liming cost. The results of the control problem solution are also compared with heuristics based liming. The results, while highlighting the success of using time-dependent liming, put forth certain interesting aspects that might be helpful to a decision maker. The analysis is expected to make liming operation more reliable, thereby presenting one more tool to manage the harmful effects of mercury pollution.     

Inherently safer sustained casing pressure testing for well integrity evaluation

This paper presents the use of a model to predict sustained casing pressure (SCP), from early pressure buildup data, as a basis for inherently safer well integrity testing. Inherently safer principles aim to eliminate or reduce the hazards by design rather than by using protective features. SCP, a well integrity issue exhibited in many wells, is any measurable pressure that rebuilds after being bled down and attributable to causes other than artificially applied pressure or temperature fluctuations in the well. Intrusion of gas, resulting in SCP, can occur because of poor cement bond in the casing or cement deterioration. Gas entering the annulus migrates to the wellhead and represents a hazard due to increased wellhead pressure and the gas inventory. Compromised well integrity can have catastrophic consequences on both environmental and safety aspects.Most regulations require the monitoring, testing and, eventually, the elimination of SCP. However, test data analysis is predominantly qualitative and limited to arbitrary criteria. Due to the high percentage of wells that present SCP, accurate, safe and preferably fast testing methods are needed. This paper implements an analytical model, rooted in the transport processes and thermodynamics of the system, to predict pressure profiles and gas accumulation during SCP testing from early-time pressure buildup data. The amount of gas accumulated during different testing criteria, being 1) current practices and 2) early diagnostic by the analytical model, is calculated and compared. Results show that using the analytical model as a predictive tool, testing time is reduced significantly, thereby limiting the amount of gas accumulated and reducing the risk. This makes the testing procedure inherently safer as well as less time consuming.     

堤防工程综合安全模型和风险评价体系研究及应用

为获得荆南长江干堤的安全特性,在层次分析法及模糊一致理论的基础上,考虑堤防工程水、土两相系材料的特点,建立了模糊综合评判系统结构模型。通过正态型模糊隶属函数,结合两种权值理论实现了对堤防工程的安全综合评判。在模糊综合评判结论的基础上,结合模式识别的间接方法,提出了广义多维加权模糊识别模型,实现了对典型堤身段的安全模式识别,并对模型指标体系作了敏感性分析。所得成果比较全面地反映了干堤在复杂运行条件下的综合安全特性,对指导工程现场管理与监测有现实意义。对于复杂堤防系统,模糊综合评判是实现全面风险分析的有效手段,而广义多维加权模糊识别模型可以为工程安全决策提供有力依据。     

高温滤袋的有效清灰强度

对Φ120 mm×1 000 mm氟美斯滤袋的最大侧壁压力峰值、除尘器运行阻力进行实验测试,并结合滤袋破损情况探究高温滤袋的有效清灰强度。结果表明,最大侧壁压力峰值在一定范围内对滤袋有较好的清灰效果且对滤袋的损伤较小。对粉煤灰而言,滤袋沿长度方向的平均最大侧壁压力峰值为876 Pa时的强度能满足除尘器的清灰要求,随着滤袋的最大侧壁压力峰值增大,除尘器清灰效果越好,当平均最大侧壁压力峰值超过2 713 Pa时,清灰效果仅轻微提升;且局部最大侧壁压力峰值大于5 282 Pa时滤袋破损,造成过度清灰。     

Ecological Tax Reform: Many Know Why But Few Know How

Ecological tax reform involves the utilisation of the tax system to facilitate sustainable development. The generally accepted approach to ecological tax reform is to reduce tax rates on income and labour and to impose Pigouvian taxes on resource use and pollution emissions. While this approach is a vast improvement on current tax systems, it is an inadequate means of achieving sustainable development because it relies exclusively on the manipulation of market prices – an allocation instrument – when ecological sustainability is a throughput problem that requires a separate policy instrument to be adequately resolved. With the aid of a linear throughput representation of the economic process, it is argued that conventional ecological tax reform measures promote just two of the five behavioural modes put forward to achieve sustainable development. In order to promote all five behavioural modes, it is argued that ecological tax reform is best conducted with the incorporation of tradeable resource use permits and assurance bonds.     

Maximum power point tracking methods for photovoltaic systems operating under partially shaded or rapidly variable insolation conditions: a review paper

To increase the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems, maximum power point (MPP) tracking of the solar arrays is needed. Under partially shaded conditions (PSCs), the solar arrays power–current (P–I) characteristic has multiple MPP. This paper presents various methods and approaches of tracking the MPP from a PV generator operating under PSC. Some comparisons, advantages, drawbacks and critical analysis of each method are discussed. It was found that, indirect methods use empirical data or mathematical expressions of numerical approximations to estimate the MPP from the PV generator’s voltage, current and irradiance. Direct methods offer the advantage of obtaining the actual maximum power from the PV generator’s voltage and current. Artificial intelligence methods do not need exact mathematical models. They can perform under parameter variation, load and supply voltage disturbances. Finally, novel methods require less number of iterations to converge, independent to the initial conditions. All these algorithms can be included in some of the DC/DC converters and MPP trackers for stand-alone or grid-connected systems.     

Gender response and safe carrying load limit for sugar industry workers

This study investigates the safe carrying load limit in relation to gender of workers in the sugar industry. A total of 632 workers (male and female) were interviewed following a physiological and psycho-physiological methodology. All of these workers were in the age groups of 21–30, 31–40 and ≥41 years. In this study, for the physiological methodology, both field and laboratory data were collected, which included heart rate, heart rate variability, energy expenditure and maximum rate of oxygen consumption. Information regarding hemoglobin content, weight, age, lean body weight, etc., was recorded to know the physical health of the workers. In the psycho-physiological evaluation, load-carrying limits were determined by the psychophysical rating of the load by workers from the selected age groups. By considering the physiological stresses and psycho-physiological evaluation, the safe carrying load limit was determined in head and back mode for male and female workers as per their age groups.     

对几种环境质量综合指数评价方法的探讨

从《全国环境质量报告书》的编写出发,探讨了多种环境质量综合指数的应用。利用具体数据对各种方法进行了比较,进而提出在目前报告书中宜采用最大值法和算术平均法相结合的方法来对全国环境质量进行评价,并结合国外环境评价方法的发展趋势对未来报告书的评价模式提出了建议。     

支持向量机回归在臭氧预报中的应用

采用南京工业区2016年5月20日~8月15日这一高臭氧（O₃）期的O₃、O₃前体物和常规气象资料数据,利用支持向量机回归（SVMr）方法分别预报O₃的小时值、日最大值和最大8 h滑动平均值.结果表明,O₃小时值预报的相关系数（R²）为0.84,平均绝对误差（MAE）和平均绝对百分误差（MAPE）分别为3.44×10^-9和24.48,O₃前期浓度、紫外B波段辐射（UVB）和NO₂浓度是关键因子.O₃日最大值预报的主要因子是NO_x在07：00的浓度和UVB.预报O₃ 8 h时UVB和气温起重要作用.加入前体物项能够使O₃的预报精度提升10%~28%.与多元线性回归方法相比,SVMr对O₃浓度的预报有明显优势.     

基于FLACS的CH4/CO2/air混合气爆炸参数分析

利用FLACS软件分析初始压力、初始温度对CH4/CO2/air混合气的爆炸温度、最大爆炸压力的影响;并与计算值对比。结果表明:①初始压力对爆炸温度、爆炸前后压力比影响可以忽略。常温变压条件下二氧化碳浓度增加,爆炸温度与爆炸前后压力比基本呈线性降低。常压变温条件较复杂,二氧化碳浓度升高爆炸温度降低;初始温度对低浓度（<15%）二氧化碳混合气爆炸温度几乎没有影响,而高浓度（>15%）二氧化碳混合气爆炸温度随初始温度增加而升高;最大爆炸压力随二氧化碳浓度以及温度升高而降低。②在设定条件下,低浓度（5%~10%）二氧化碳混合气爆炸温度计算值与模拟值相对误差小于5.5%,吻合较好;最大爆炸压力计算值与模拟值相对误差在6.5%～10.5%之间。