PROSPECTS FOR THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION OF NORD STREAM 2

In early September 2021, the construction of the Northern stream – 2 рroject (NS-2) was completed. Its operator, Nord Stream 2 AG, has submitted documents for certification of the gas pipeline. The Federal Network Agency of Germany (BNetzA) is responsible for this process, which refused to grant the SP-2 operator an independent status. In November 2021, the German regulator agreed with him on the need to create a subsidiary in the Federal Republic of Germany. It must meet the requirements of German legislation and the Third Energy Package of the European Union. Contrary to the optimistic forecasts of experts and the expectations of Gazprom, the start of commercial operation of the project was postponed to 2022. BNetzA’s decision coincided with the adoption of the next US sanctions against the SP-2 participants and the creation of a new government coalition in Germany. Opponents of the project from the Union 90 / Greens party entered the new cabinet of ministers. The SP-2 is not mentioned in the coalition agreement that defines the future relations of Germany with the Russian Federation. The author, based on the analysis of original sources, examines the reasons for the delay in project certification; its role and place in the strategy of the new German cabinet of ministers; assesses the prospects for the start of commercial operation of the NS-2 in the context of continued opposition from Poland and Ukraine, as well as American sanctions mechanisms and confrontation in this matter from the US Congress and the President.

FISHERY CHARACTERISTICS OF PIKE ESOX LUCIUS (L.) OF TOPO-PYAOZERO RESERVOIR (WHITE SEA CATCHMENT AREA)

The article presents the results of the work carried out within the framework of forecast topics and economic contractual topics aimed to assess the stock and production of pike in the Topo-Pyaozero (Kumskoe) Reservoir. There have been studied its main biological and structural-population indicators. Calculations of indicators of pike’s abundance and biomass at the present stage, necessary for the rational regulation of the fishery have been carried out. It was found that the fishing possibilities of the presented pike populations correspond to the production possibilities of its sexually mature part and the value obtained as a result of the biomass increase. Pike should be taken into the commercial operation from the age of 4+ years and older. The performed calculations of the stock size based on the materials of 2009–2020 recommend the volume of the pike total allowable catch at the present stage not less than 36 tons, or 21% of the value of the commercial stock (at the maximum rate of 23.4%). From the results of observations it follows that the abundance and stocks of pike in the Topo-Pyaozero Reservoir make it possible to provide large volumes of catch at the present time, and the total catch can be increased to the calculated values the volume of the allowable catch, provided that a rational fishery is maintained in water bodies. The intensity of fishing and an increase in pike catches in the reservoir should be considered as mandatory measures in terms of biological reclamation in reservoirs

Innovation toward the Reinvigoration of the Plant Extracts Industry in Developing Countries

Smaller countries with economies that are fossil fuel based, face the challenge of diversifying their economies, with an ideal emphasis on clean technologies. In this case study approach, we undertook a techno-feasibility study to evaluate the potential for constructing and operating a supercritical fluid extraction plant in Trinidad and Tobago to produce the oils and oleoresins of turmeric. This approach was based on the premise of the importance of data derived from laboratory-scale analysis for informing commercialization decisions. In our case, the laboratory study identified that the optimal extraction approach was an innovative two-stage extraction technique (25 °C and 65 bar for 60 minutes, followed by 50 °C and 350 bar for a further 120 minutes). This optimal method had a conservatively projected extraction yield of 7%. We then evaluated a commercial operation guided by the laboratory study. Over a period of 10 years at a discount rate of 10%, our calculations showed an internal rate of return of 19% with a net present value of US$1.878 million. Based on our results, we conclude that this project may be a viable avenue for the sustainable development of Trinidad and Tobago and could be further explored. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2021-02-03-02 Full Text: PDF

Managing Risks Associated With Turbine First Steam Admission Following Inadequate Boiler Cleaning

Unit 6 of the recently completed six-unit Medupi coal-fired power station was the first unit to go into commercial operation. Synchronisation of the generator to the transmission grid had occurred five months before commercial operation. Prior to the admission of first steam to the turbines, the boiler underwent a three stage cleaning process, which was performed by the boiler contractor, to ensure that debris left over in the boiler from construction was removed and to avoid damage to the turbine when steam was admitted. Steam blowing of the boiler was the penultimate stage of boiler cleaning and contractually the steam would have been deemed clean when the steam cleanliness acceptance criteria were met. The steam cleanliness acceptance criteria, which were set by the turbine contractor, relate to the number and size of indentations caused by particles striking a given area of each target plate situated in the temporary piping downstream of the inlet valves of the high pressure and intermediate pressure turbines. For each target plate, values were prescribed for these variables and for the flow conditions that should prevail in the pipe upstream. The boiler contractor had to meet these requirements. Unfortunately, there was a mismatch between the steam cleanliness requirements set by the turbine contractor and those included in the boiler contract. The less stringent steam cleanliness requirements set for the boiler contractor in the boiler contract meant that the boiler would not be adequately cleaned, from the point of view of the turbine contractor. The boiler contractor designed a temporary pipework system for the steam blow-through process that permitted steam to bypass the turbines and exhaust to the atmosphere through a silencer. During steam blowing, the prescribed pipe flow conditions for accepting the steam were not being met, even after a large number of blows had been conducted. Mathematical modelling of the process revealed that the required pipe flow conditions could not be attained at the intermediate pressure turbine inlet and as such, the steam blow-through pipework was inadequately sized. The solution was to redesign the temporary pipework, and manufacture and install a new system of pipework, all of which would have taken a couple of months. Business needs required an alternative solution, and so a decision had to be taken on the way forward. Engineering judgement, based on operating and maintenance experience with the current fleet, suggested that the steam was sufficiently clean to be admitted to the turbine, with little risk. Of the two feasible options available to the project team, admission of steam after a defined number of blows was accepted. Care had to be exercised to manage the risk that the potential turbine contractor non-compliance to any of the performance guarantee conditions could be blamed on poor steam quality. An analysis of the risks associated with this option was conducted and controls were adopted to mitigate the risks. Eventually, steam was admitted to the turbines. Subsequent inspections and tests conducted on the turbines indicated minimal damage and no loss of performance. This paper describes the Medupi Unit 6 steam blow-through problem and the analytical process that revealed the inadequacy of the blow-through pipework. It describes also the process of analysing the risks associated with admission of first steam to the turboset, the decision processes that were followed to admit the steam, and the process of managing the identified risks through the controls that were put in place.

Nuclear Power Plants Pre-operational Radiological Monitoring Mapping for the Coastal Boarders and Islands of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

In the light of the peaceful nuclear power plants (NPPs) project of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the operation license has been issued and the first unit is being in commercial operation. This work deals mainly with radiological surveillance of the coastal boarder and some Islands of UAE as a baseline reference natural and artificial radioactivity mapping. Ultra-sensitive hyper pure Germanium (HpGe) detector was used to carry out the non-destructive gamma measurements. The area of study was divided into; Abu Dhabi region, northern emirates and islands. About 85 soils, shore sediment and water samples were collected based on the scientific sampling mechanism. The samples were analyzed for X-ray diffraction mineralogy (XRD). The radioactivity in Bq/kg of the natural 238U(226Ra), 232Th and 40K were calculated for all the collected samples. The artificial 137Cs was also observed in very low activity. The hazard indices were also calculated and found to be less than the recommended international and regional limits. The correlations between the measured radioisotopes were also depicted. The results were compared, presented and given in 3D histograms.

UMA GEOGRAFIA POLÍTICA DO OURO: SOBRE FRONTEIRA, GARIMPEIROS E DESPOSSESSÃO NA VOLTA GRANDE DO XINGU

Nas últimas duas décadas, poucas obras no Brasil deram margem a controvérsias e especulações tanto quanto a construção da Usina Hidroelétrica (UHE) Belo Monte, na Volta Grande do rio Xingu, estado do Pará. Atualmente, dois anos após o enchimento total dos reservatórios e do início da operação comercial da UHE, a população do Médio Xingu, particularmente aquela que se encontra no trecho de vazão reduzida da Volta Grande, continua sobre forte ameaça frente ao projeto de mineração de ouro em escala industrial. Valendo-se da vazão reduzida do rio, em decorrência da construção das barragens e de um garimpo de ouro em operação desde a década de 1940, uma mineradora canadense pretende exaurir, em pouco mais de uma década, a jazida de ouro que sustenta diversas famílias agroextrativistas há três gerações. Diante desta complexidade, o presente artigo discute, a partir de um olhar da geografia política, os aspectos relacionados à busca incessante de recursos materiais na Amazônia e seus desdobramentos em termos de despossessão e das disputas territoriais.Palavras-chave: Volta Grande do Xingu; mineração de ouro; fronteira; despossessão; território. A POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY OF GOLD: ON THE FRONTIER, MINERS AND DISPOSSESSION ON THE VOLTA GRANDE DO XINGU Abstract: In the last two decades, few projects in Brazil have been so controversial and have generated as much speculation as the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant (HPP), on Xingu River in Volta Grande region, state of Pará. Four years after the total filling of the reservoirs and the beginning of the commercial operation of Belo Monte, the population living in Middle Xingu, particularly those located in the reduced water flow areas of Volta Grande region, continue to be affected by a major gold mining project. Taking advantage of the reduced river flow caused by the construction of the dams and gold mining operations since 1940s, a Canadian mining company is now intending to deplete the local gold reserves - that have sustained three generations of local families - in just over a decade. Considering this complexity, this paper departs from the perspectives of the movements of the capitalist frontier, to discuss the aspects related to the incessant search for material resources in the Amazon and its unfolding consequences in terms of dispossession and territorial disputes.Keywords: Volta Grande do Xingu; gold mining; frontier; dispossession; territory. UNA GEOGRAFÍA POLÍTICA DEL ORO: SOBRE FRONTERA, MINEROS Y DESPOSESIÓN Y EN LA VOLTA GRANDE DO XINGU Resumen: El concepto de territorio ha sufrido importantes transformaciones, requeridas tanto por las prácticas de su uso como por los cambios en las dinámicas del poder, especialmente en relación a los límites a los que se ven sometidas las relaciones sociales de poder debido a los cambios ambientales y las llamadas fuerzas de la naturaleza. Así como ya no se puede hablar de territorio sin hablar de sus bases "naturales", no se puede hablar de "poder" sin su profunda conjugación con las "fuerzas" de la naturaleza. Muchas personas que viven esta inseparabilidad enfrentan el terricidio, ya que la existencia de sus culturas depende de la interacción con un territorio específico que está siendo amenazado. La dimensión material, corpórea y/o “natural” del territorio es cada vez más importante, vista en la múltiple riqueza - la multiterritorialidad - de sus manifestaciones, involucrando el espacio de todos los seres vivos.Palabras clave: territorio, corporificación, naturaleza, terricidio, multiterritorialidad

Study on Life Cycle Management System for Main condensers in Nuclear Power Plant

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant has been running for above 20 years. main condensers have begun to run during the commissioning phase before the official commercial operation, so it is imminent to carry out the life cycle management of main condensers combined with demonstration of the operation license extended to 60 years. A life cycle management system for main condensers in nuclear power plant is established in this paper, which is applied to management practices of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant.

New Media-based Health Communication in China-An empirical investigation aimed at innovation of new media

In this research, an empirical investigation is made to analyze the operation mode, effect, and feedback of digital health communication, which is based on China’s new media, and the result shows that: firstly, although the common new media’s means of communication are diverse and the profit mode is varied, traditional means such as articles and videos still prevail. Yet, new media has a heavy dependence on the profit mode based on network advertising and online shopping, while the operation mode profiting by outputting high-quality content requires a further improvement; secondly, on the whole, no obvious difference is found in the effect of communication between people of different ages and genders, but the main difference is observed between people having health problems and those not. If an in-depth analysis is respectively conducted for different kinds of new media, some specific differences can be found in the communication effect; thirdly, although many audiences may concern about the risks brought by new media’s credibility and commercial factors, commercial operation in a standardized way is acceptable to a large number of audiences. Therefore, effort shall be made to propel the development of new media-based health communication from such perspectives as optimizing the operation mode, deepening the user research and regulating the commercial operation, etc.

Commercial risks of sea trans-portation in ice navigation conditions

The commercial risks of sea transportation in ice navigation conditions differ from the usual shipping conditions due to additional factors that affect the fulfillment of the terms of the sea transportation contract. During ice navigation, disputes and litigation often arise between shipowners, charterers, cargo owners and consignees due to the commercial interests of the parties.Purpose.The purpose of this article is to analyze the commercial risks of maritime transport in ice navigation and identify possible ways to reduce them by making additional amendments to the contract of carriage in the global maritime market.Methods. To solve the problem, the following methods were used: the method of theoretical generalization, the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of systema-tization, the method of deduction.Results. The analysis of the international regulatory documents regulating commercial conditions and risks of navigation in the conditions of ice navigation is carried out. The main commercial risks arising from the organization of shipping and icebreaking of ships are identified and characterized, and measures to reduce them are proposed.Originality. The need to improve the commercial conditions for sea transport during the ice navigation period is due to an increase in commercial risks and, as a consequence, a decrease in cargo flows in ports in the winter. It is proposed to create new rational approaches to the conclusion of contracts of carriage by sea, taking into account international experience in order to reduce risks and attract cargo.Output. In conditions of ice navigation, the commercial risks of international maritime transport increase significantly due to. This has a significant impact on the business costs of the transport participants due to delays, unforeseen costs and additional risks. All of these factors reduce the commercial efficiency of maritime transport for all participants. It is necessary to constantly refine and improve the charter conditions in ice navigation conditions.Keywords: ice navigation, sea transportation, commercial operation of a vessel, commercial risks.