Long-Distance Pipe Jacking in Complex Urban Geological Environment

A steel underground pipeline with a diameter of 2.4 m and a total length of 3,617 m (plate thickness of 26 mm) has been constructed in a city in central Hubei, and the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project has been lifted from the upstream channel to supplement water to the downstream lake inside the city. Through preliminary geological survey data, site topographic and geomorphic survey, urban construction, as well as the requirements of the construction party, the preliminary arrangement of working wells and receiving wells as well as the selection and customization of pipe jacking machines have been proposed. Frequency conversion motor and remote monitoring technology are adopted for geotechnical change and long-distance pipe jacking. Through detailed survey, the rock and soil change section as well as gradual change conditions have been determined, the accuracy of construction mechanics calculation and construction operation control have improved, the basis and analysis basis are provided, and some experiences in construction operation are summarized.

Laboratory Modeling of an Axial Flow Micro Hydraulic Turbine

This article is devoted to detailed experimental studies of the flow behind the impeller of an air model of a propeller-type microhydroturbine in a wide range of operating parameters. The measurements of two component distributions of averaged velocities and pulsations for conditions from part load to strong overload are conducted. It is shown that the flow at the impeller outlet becomes swirled when the hydraulic turbine operating mode shifts from the optimum one. The character of the behavior of the integral swirl number, which determines the state of the swirled flow, is revealed. Information about the flow peculiarities can be used when adjusting the hydraulic unit mode to optimal conditions and developing recommendations to expand the hydraulic turbine operation control range with preservation of high efficiency. This stage will significantly save time at the stage of equipment design for specific field conditions of water resource.

Effects of Environmental and Electrical Factors on Metering Error and Consistency of Smart Electricity Meters

The smart electricity meter (SEM) is an important part of smart power grid, and the accuracy of SEMs is the basis for power grid operation control and trade settlement between power supply and electricity consumption, but the evolution behaviors of metering error of SEMs under field operation conditions have not yet been identified. The SEMs were installed and operated on site, metering error data were collected under various temperature and current conditions. The influences of current, power coefficient, and temperature on metering error and consistency were analyzed separately with the help of quadratic polynomials, and then an integrated model elaborating the joint effects of multi-stress was developed based on a binary quadratic polynomial. We find that a lower temperature and a larger current result in a higher metering error of SEMs; however, the effects of current on metering error are determined by power coefficients. The results have reference value for remote metrological verification, error monitoring, and the optimization of the operation and maintenance scheme of SEMs.

Developing assessment criteria for operation control of local security health fund in the upper central area, Thailand

Background: The government's support for public health care in Thailand is very important and necessary. Therefore, there must be a supervisory process for budgeting to create the most equality and fairness to all people. At present, the instruments used to monitor health fund performance cannot be comprehensively assessed for effectiveness such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling. To address this gap, we created the Assessment Criteria for Operation control of Local security health Fund (ACOLF) which evaluates old assessment criteria, review literature and experience as separate constructs. Methods: The ACOLF is a 42-item survey with 12 old assessment criteria, 26 review literature and four experience items rated on scale from 0-9. In an observational analytical study, the survey was administered to 406 general population participants working in a provincial office for local administration. Validity and reliability were evaluated by testing construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the item of old assessment criteria, review literature and experience. Reliability of the questionnaires was tested using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results: The ACOLF demonstrated convergent construct validity (KMO = 0.88 and Bartlett's Test; p value <0.001) and explaining 88.95% of the variance of this construct. There were seven factors involved and all factors consisted of a total of 41 variables observed by the weight of the composition of the observed variables ranged from 0.780 to 0.972 at the significance level of 0.05. The reliability of the assessment criteria was tested using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, the total results was at 0.889. Conclusions: The ACOLF is a short, cover activity, valid, and reliable instrument for assessment operation control of local security health fund. Based on research findings the tool can be used to comprehensively assess the performance of local security health fund.