Assessing the Impact of Different Types Power Plants on the Environment

Nitrogen dioxide is one of the most dangerous air pollutants, because its high concentration in air can be directly harmful to human health. It is also responsible for photochemical smog and acid rains. One of the most commonly used techniques to tackle this problem in large combustion plants is selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Commercial SCR installations are often equipped with a V2O5−WO3/TiO2 catalyst. In power plants which utilize a solid fuel boiler, catalysts are exposed to unfavorable conditions. In the paper, factors responsible for deactivation of such a catalyst are comprehensively reviewed where different types of deactivation mechanism, like mechanical, chemical or thermal mechanisms, are separately described. The paper presents the impact of sulfur trioxide and ammonia slip on the catalyst deactivation as well as the problem of ammonium bisulfate formation. The latter is one of the crucial factors influencing the loss of catalytic activity. The majority of issues with fast catalyst deactivation occur when the catalyst work in off-design conditions, in particular in too high or too low temperatures.

Download Full-text

Load Nowcasting: Predicting Actuals with Limited Data

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13061443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1443

Author(s):

Florian Ziel

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Model Structure ◽

Limited Data ◽

Recent Past ◽

Ridge Estimator ◽

Accuracy Improvement ◽

Energy Forecasting ◽

Different Types ◽

The Impact ◽

Generation Unit

We introduce the problem of load nowcasting to the energy forecasting literature. The recent load of the objective area is predicted based on limited available metering data within this area. Thus, slightly different from load forecasting, we are predicting the recent past using limited available metering data from the supply side of the system. Next, to an industry benchmark model, we introduce multiple high-dimensional models for providing more accurate predictions. They evaluate metered interconnector and generation unit data of different types like wind and solar power, storages, and nuclear and fossil power plants. Additionally, we augment the model by seasonal and autoregressive components to improve the nowcasting performance. We consider multiple estimation techniques based on the lassoand ridge and study the impact of the choice of the training/calibration period. The methodology is applied to a European TSO dataset from 2014 to 2019. The overall results show that in comparison to the industry benchmark, an accuracy improvement in terms of MAE and RMSE of about 60% is achieved. The best model is based on the ridge estimator and uses a specific non-standard shrinkage target. Due to the linear model structure, we can easily interpret the model output.

Download Full-text

An implementation model for automated construction materials tracking and locating

Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering ◽

10.1139/l09-178 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 588-599 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Hassan Nasir ◽

Carl T. Haas ◽

Duncan A. Young ◽

Saiedeh Nawabzadi Razavi ◽

Carlos Caldas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Construction Projects ◽

Power Plants ◽

Emerging Technologies ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Materials Management ◽

Implementation Model ◽

Different Types ◽

Industrial Projects ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

Good materials management on large construction projects is critical for maximizing productivity and project performance. When key materials are temporarily lost, whole crews may be left idle and the project may be delayed. When key materials are completely lost, the impact can be enormous. In fact, one of the major problems in managing construction materials and equipment is tracking them in the supply chain and knowing their location on large job sites. Fortunately, location can now be automatically estimated within metres using emerging technologies. This paper proposes a general implementation model for automated construction materials tracking and locating on large industrial projects, such as refineries and power plants. It includes a methodology for determining what type of technology should be used for different types of projects and construction materials. It is based on an analysis of the capabilities of emerging technologies and on experience gained from implementing automated materials tracking prototypes on two large industrial projects. It is concluded that these technologies can produce substantial net benefits, if implemented properly on the right projects using the model described here.

Download Full-text

Quota Women Are Threatening to Men

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000195 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 107-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Klea Faniko ◽

Till Burckhardt ◽

Oriane Sarrasin ◽

Fabio Lorenzi-Cioldi ◽

Siri Øyslebø Sørensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Organizational Performance ◽

Gender Stereotypes ◽

Perceived Threat ◽

Preferential Treatment ◽

Public Sector Employees ◽

Different Types ◽

Low Levels ◽

Women In Decision Making ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Two studies carried out among Albanian public-sector employees examined the impact of different types of affirmative action policies (AAPs) on (counter)stereotypical perceptions of women in decision-making positions. Study 1 (N = 178) revealed that participants – especially women – perceived women in decision-making positions as more masculine (i.e., agentic) than feminine (i.e., communal). Study 2 (N = 239) showed that different types of AA had different effects on the attribution of gender stereotypes to AAP beneficiaries: Women benefiting from a quota policy were perceived as being more communal than agentic, while those benefiting from weak preferential treatment were perceived as being more agentic than communal. Furthermore, we examined how the belief that AAPs threaten men’s access to decision-making positions influenced the attribution of these traits to AAP beneficiaries. The results showed that men who reported high levels of perceived threat, as compared to men who reported low levels of perceived threat, attributed more communal than agentic traits to the beneficiaries of quotas. These findings suggest that AAPs may have created a backlash against its beneficiaries by emphasizing gender-stereotypical or counterstereotypical traits. Thus, the framing of AAPs, for instance, as a matter of enhancing organizational performance, in the process of policy making and implementation, may be a crucial tool to countering potential backlash.

Download Full-text