Ecological and hygienic problems in the Arctic territories of intensive industrial activity (review)

The Goal. To analyze the literature on the impact of high latitude climate on human health, as well as consider some aspects of adaptation to Arctic conditions and nutritional issues for the population and shift workers.Methods. Review of the articles placed in the bibliographic and abstract databases of VINITI, CyberLeninka, RSCI, Scopus, WoS, on the study of environmental and hygienic problems in the Arctic territories, where intense industrial activity is carried out. The following keywords were used: Arctic territories, adaptation, watch, food.Results. Long-term fundamental research has established that a complex of unfavorable and extreme natural and climatic factors in the Arctic causes two main syndromes in humans – “polar tension” and “northern tissue hypoxia”. Adaptation of new settlers in the Arctic territories proceeds in three stages. The duration of the shift period must have a physiological and hygienic justification and correspond to the duration of the period of stable working capacity. In high latitudes, it is especially important to develop diets and food products for various groups of the population and shift workers in relation to the specifics of their work in the Arctic regionsConclusions. Among the main environmental and hygienic problems of the Arctic territories, where intense industrial activity is carried out, it is necessary to highlight the tasks of scientific substantiation of rational modes of work and rest of workers in rotational forms of work. Also it’s necessary to define the quantitative and qualitative composition of food rations recommended for nutrition of various groups of the population, in relation to the specifics of production factors.

Optical design challenges of subnivean camera trapping under extreme Arctic conditions

Camera trapping is widely used in different ecological studies and is particularly important for remote locations and extreme environments. However, the application of camera traps in Arctic regions remains very limited. One of the challenges is the formation of hoar on the lens of cameras. In this article, we propose a solution to address this problem by changing the camera parameters and its position in order to optimize the camera trap for long-term subnivean deployment in the Canadian Arctic. Preliminary field tests show that this approach allows tracking lemmings in the frozen environment without natural light or external electrical power supply, where the direct observations are impossible for the most part of the year. We obtained the first videos of lemmings under the snow during the Arctic winter. Extending the observational network of the newly designed camera traps will help to better understand lemming population dynamics. The demonstrated approach is also promising for other polar applications.

Promising use of high-strength nitrogen steel for the ice belt of marine machinery operating in the extreme arctic conditions

This article shows the possibility of using high-strength nitrogen-containing corrosion-resistant steel grade 04Kh20N6G11M2AFB for the construction of critical elements and units of marine equipment operating at low temperatures, including the Arctic. The advantages of nitrogen-containing steel over clad steel AB2 + 08Kh18N10T always used in shipbuilding and welded steel of F500W category are considered. According to the assessment of testing of homogeneous nitrogen steel sheets, the level of its physical and mechanical properties exceeds the analogous parameters of traditional AB2 + 08Kh18N10T steels in a wide temperature range, up to –90°C.

Drilling mud upward velocity modelling in Ansys CFX software

Drilling mud has various functions, one of which is to carry cuttings to the surface. All other things being equal, the removal of cuttings is characterized by the upward velocity. This paper simulates the rheology of polymer-glycolic non-dispersing mud (in particular viscosity) to achieve the required upward velocity in the «Ansys CFX» software. The viscosity of the mud varies from 6 to 12 mPa·s, on production casing drilling in Arctic conditions. The results of the study showed that for such conditions, the viscosity should be in the range from 6 to 8 mPa·s.

Can collected hygrothermal data illustrate observed thermal problems of the façade? – A case study from Greenland

Buildings are more vulnerable to faults in design and construction, when exposed to the extreme Greenlandic climate, however, most new materials and designs have not been tested for Arctic conditions. Thus even minor errors can result in failures like mould growth, discomfort, and unnecessary heat loss. Rekognizing the source of the error can be difficult, yet valuable. But how can it be identified whether the error lies in the design or quality of workmanship? This paper describes a case study from Nuuk, Greenland, where a new mineral wool insulation system was implemented. Residents were complaining about draft and cold areas. An investigation revealed that inaccurate use of the system caused several problems. Simulations of the exterior wall performance were conducted and compared to measurements. This paper discusses whether these measurements and simulations support the identified issues, and therefore if this kind of general surveillance of exterior walls can be used to determine the total performance of an exterior wall. The paper concludes that the collected data can support the issues of the complaints, and that the fundamental reasons for the problems are the design, the precision of the casted concrete and the lack of a wind barrier protecting the insulation.

Duplex steel welding in artic conditions – Correlation of welding parameters in relation to HISC

Duplex steel is an austenitic-femtic steel alloy commonly used in the offshore and subsea oil and gas industry. Duplex steel provides a unique combination of good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance in sweet and sour hydrocarbon environment, as well as in seawater. However, the combination of tensile loading, post-weld residual stresses, cathodic protection and other factors related to subsea implementation significantly increase the probability of hydrogen induced stress cracking (HISC). This paper aims to find a relationship between the formation of residual stresses and the imperfection of the welding process carried out on Duplex steel in extremely cold conditions. Based on a finite element (FE) welding transient simulation from a thermal perspective, the correlation between the welding parameters and heat distribution is established and analysed when the welding takes place in the cold arctic conditions. Pearson parameter correlation analysis method will be used to investigate the impact of extreme ambient temperatures on the welding process. The results and conclusions provide a solid foundation for welding process optimization in connection with HISC.

Autonomous Energy-Efficient Complexes Based on Crude Oil for Working in Arctic Conditions

The work is devoted to solving scientific and technical problems on the development of new generation Russian power equipment. Comprehensive theoretical and experimental studies of the effect of aerodynamic and heat-mass exchange processes on the ignition and combustion of crude oil in the straitened conditions of fire-tube boilers are reviewed and described. Based on the results of the research, design developments were carried out, prototypes of a fire-tube hot-water boiler with a remoted economizer and an automated low-emission burner device were manufactured and successfully tested. The efficiency of the boiler more than 94% and the reduced level of pollutants emissions in the operating load range are confirmed.

Methods of ensuring the operational stability of dc-dc power supply in arctic conditions

THE PURPOSE. To consider the features of development and exploitation of DC-DC power supplies for Arctic conditions, to show the key problems and existing methods of solving them, to identify prospective directions in the design of this type of devices. METODS. The work is mainly an over-view with the questions of construction, circuit design, control principles, maintaining thermal equilibrium, choosing of electric elements and miniaturization. The first part of the article is devoted to the review of scientific publications and patents, in the second part the idea of using a parallel architecture in frost-resistant power supplies is considered, giving an opportunity to adapt modular principle of device construction.RESULTS. The article examines the issues of adapting the modular approach to the specifics of frost-resistant power supplies. In this way you can build a self-healing, configurable, easy-to-repair power supply of wide application. With modular construction principle the entire electrical complex consists of parallel-connected cells, placed in one hermetic and heated case (a case with connectors on the surface, as well as the control and display units). CONCLUSION. Parallel connection of the cells allows to provide a significant power reserve in the power supply, to perform a quick replacement of faulty modules without interrupting the power supply process, to increase/reduce the system power easily by changing the number of working cells. The system acquires special advantages, if the output voltage levels of the cells are adjustable. In this case, it is possible to build a universal configurable power supply of wide application, which is a novelty on the market. If you group the cells on the output, you can use one power supply for several different consumers. The spare parts for the power supply are as simple as possible and consists of ready-made cells and connecting wires. The obtained results can be used in development of fault-tolerant secondary DC-DC power supplies for hard operating conditions.

Optimal Ways of Unloading and Loading Operations under Arctic Conditions

Usually, loading and unloading of cargo ships takes place in ports that are equipped with the infrastructure necessary to carry out such operations. In the Arctic, often a helicopter is the only way to get the cargo to the right place. Finding the optimal geographic location for unloading a ship using helicopters is an important task. It is necessary to create a support system for making the right decisions in such situations. Mathematical modeling has been used to find the geographical location that ensures the most favorable and quickest delivery of cargo from a vessel to its destination, using a helicopter. A criterion has also been found in which the search for the optimum point is a more rational way of unloading the vessel compared to other discharge options. The maps of the economic benefits of loading and unloading operations in this model have been developed. Using the example of the developed model, it is shown that during the transportation of goods in Ob Bay, significant economic and temporary advantages can be obtained. The developed model can be extended to the case of cargo delivery not only in the Arctic conditions, but also where the transport infrastructure is insufficiently developed.