PLS-based EWMA fault detection strategy for process monitoring

Fault detection (FD) and diagnosis in industrial processes is essential to ensure process safety and maintain product quality. Partial least squares (PLS) has been used successfully in process monitoring because it can effectively deal with highly correlated process variables. However, the conventional PLS-based detection metrics, such as the Hotelling's T² and the Q statistics are ill suited to detect small faults because they only use information from the most recent observations. Other univariate statistical monitoring methods, such as the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control scheme, has shown better abilities to detect small faults. However, EWMA can only be used to monitor single variables. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to combine the advantages of the univariate EWMA and PLS methods to enhance their performances and widen their applicability in practice. The performance of the proposed PLS-based EWMA FD method was compared with that of the conventional PLS FD method through two simulated examples, one using synthetic data and the other using simulated distillation column data. The simulation results clearly show the effectiveness of the proposed method over the conventional PLS, especially in the presence of faults with small magnitudes.     

A new leak location method based on leakage acoustic waves for oil and gas pipelines

In order to study a new leak detection and location method for oil and natural gas pipelines based on acoustic waves, the propagation model is established and modified. Firstly, the propagation law in theory is obtained by analyzing the damping impact factors which cause the attenuation. Then, the dominant-energy frequency bands of leakage acoustic waves are obtained through experiments by wavelet transform analysis. Thirdly, the actual propagation model is modified by the correction factor based on the dominant-energy frequency bands. Then a new leak detection and location method is proposed based on the propagation law which is validated by the experiments for oil pipelines. Finally, the conclusions and the method are applied to the gas pipelines in experiments. The results indicate: the modified propagation model can be established by the experimental method; the new leak location method is effective and can be applied to both oil and gas pipelines and it has advantages over the traditional location method based on the velocity and the time difference. Conclusions can be drawn that the new leak detection and location method can effectively and accurately detect and locate the leakages in oil and natural gas pipelines.     

Ecological and Economic Services Provided by Birds on Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Farms

Abstract: Coffee farms can support significant biodiversity, yet intensification of farming practices is degrading agricultural habitats and compromising ecosystem services such as biological pest control. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) is the world's primary coffee pest. Researchers have demonstrated that birds reduce insect abundance on coffee farms but have not documented avian control of the berry borer or quantified avian benefits to crop yield or farm income. We conducted a bird‐exclosure experiment on coffee farms in the Blue Mountains, Jamaica, to measure avian pest control of berry borers, identify potential predator species, associate predator abundance and borer reductions with vegetation complexity, and quantify resulting increases in coffee yield. Coffee plants excluded from foraging birds had significantly higher borer infestation, more borer broods, and greater berry damage than control plants. We identified 17 potential predator species (73% were wintering Neotropical migrants), and 3 primary species composed 67% of migrant detections. Average relative bird abundance and diversity and relative resident predator abundance increased with greater shade‐tree cover. Although migrant predators overall did not respond to vegetation complexity variables, the 3 primary species increased with proximity to noncoffee habitat patches. Lower infestation on control plants was correlated with higher total bird abundance, but not with predator abundance or vegetation complexity. Infestation of fruit was 1–14% lower on control plants, resulting in a greater quantity of saleable fruits that had a market value of US$44–$105/ha in 2005/2006. Landscape heterogeneity in this region may allow mobile predators to provide pest control broadly, despite localized farming intensities. These results provide the first evidence that birds control coffee berry borers and thus increase coffee yield and farm income, a potentially important conservation incentive for producers.     

Epidemiologic Analysis of Factors Associated with Local Disappearances of Native Ranid Frogs in Arizona

Abstract:  We examined factors that may independently or synergistically contribute to amphibian population declines. We used epidemiologic case–control methodology to sample and analyze a large database developed and maintained by the Arizona Game and Fish Department that describes historical and currently known ranid frog localities in Arizona, U.S.A. Sites with historical documentation of target ranid species ( n = 324) were evaluated to identify locations where frogs had disappeared during the study period (case sites) and locations where frog populations persisted (control sites). Between 1986 and 2003, 117 (36%) of the 324 sites became case sites, of which 105 were used in the analyses. An equal number of control sites were sampled to control for the effects of time. Risk factors, or predictor variables, were defined from environmental data summarized during site surveys and geographic information system data layers. We evaluated risk factors with univariate and multifactorial logistic-regression analyses to derive odds ratios (OR). Odds for local population disappearance were significantly related to 4 factors in the multifactorial model. Disappearance of frog populations increased with increasing elevation (OR = 2.7 for every 500 m, p < 0.01). Sites where disappearances occurred were 4.3 times more likely to have other nearby sites that also experienced disappearances (OR = 4.3, p < 0.01), whereas the odds of disappearance were 6.7 times less (OR = 0.15, p < 0.01) when there was a source population nearby. Sites with disappearances were 2.6 times more likely to have introduced crayfish than were control sites (OR = 2.6, p = 0.04). The identification of factors associated with frog disappearances increases understanding of declines occurring in natural populations and aids in conservation efforts to reestablish and protect native ranids by identifying and prioritizing implicated threats.     

中国“达标排放”政策的实证分析及理论探讨

以固定点源烟尘排放为例,从排放标准和监测标准两方面讨论了中国现阶段“达标排放”的状况,指出当前的大气污染源达标排放实际上是“初步达标排放”,现在的排放标准和监测规范合适考核污染源的初步达标排放,不适合考核污染源的连续达标排放。排放标准的规定形式、监测规范和适用范围需要改革。现在的排放标准指标需要与监测规范和超标率限值结合起来,以促进污染源的连续达标排放。     

城市固体垃圾焚烧的二次污染控制实现技术

由于城市固体垃圾的复杂多变性及不确定性,难以实现对垃圾的充分燃烧,常因控制不当而产生二次污染。针对二次污染控制问题,文章采用变频调速技术与智能控制技术相结合,提高系统的响应速度,满足垃圾焚烧对空(气)燃(料)比的严格需要,有效保证了垃圾的充分燃烧,减少了烟气对大气环境的二次污染。在讨论城市固体垃圾特性基础上,分析了二次污染产生的条件,探讨了优化燃烧过程的控制策略、风量调节方式、系统构架及相关技术问题。     

编制滇池流域水污染防治"十一五"规划的初步设想

从回顾滇池流域水污染防治“九五”计划和“十五”计划的编制入手,分析了1995、2000、2005年滇池流域的水污染变化趋势,提出了编制“十一五”规划的初步设想。     

物化法处理炼油废水

阐述了加热隔油与两级气浮相串联的物化法处理高粘度炼油废水的试验原理、过程及注意事项。结果表明：该试验流程处理效率高、四季运行稳定、出水能够达标排放。同时可回收浮油和泡沫油，具有显著的经济效益。     

上海市机动车排污状况与污染控制战略

通过对上海市中心城区机动车行驶工史现状的主要特点及发展趋势的分析，计算出中心城区１９９５年机动车尾气排放的ＣＯ、ＮＭＨＣ和ＮＯｘ负荷，分别占区域内机动车和固定源产排放总量的７６％、９３％和４４％，据预测，到２０１０年，中心城区内机动车排出的ＣＯ、ＮＭＨＣ和ＮＯｘ负荷，将分别占区域中机动车和固定源排放总量的９４％、９８％和７５％，因此，针对机动车排污所面临的严峻挑战，需要采取加强机动车检查与维修（Ｉ     

浅析沘江水体污染

Bi江水质已为劣V类，主要污染物为Pb,Zn,Cd,As,Hg等重金属，主要污染源是上游的兰坪铅锌矿。水污染已对Bi江两岸人民的生活，生产和健康造成极大影响。目前条件下一要侧重生物多样性保护，治理水土流失，恢复和重建生态环境，二要侧重工业污染防治。