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- Earthquake (4)
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Cross sections for neutron-induced reactions of short-lived nuclei are essential for nuclear astrophysics since these reactions in the stars are responsible for the production of most heavy elements in the universe. These reactions are also key in applied domains like energy production and medicine. Nevertheless, neutron-induced cross-section measurements can be extremely challenging or even impossible to perform due to the radioactivity of the targets involved. Indirect measurements through the surrogate-reaction method can help to overcome these difficulties.
The surrogate-reaction method relies on the use of an alternative reaction that will lead to the formation of the same excited nucleus as in the neutron-induced reaction of interest. The decay probabilities (for fission, neutron and gamma-ray emission) of the nucleus produced via the surrogate reaction allow one to constrain models and the prediction of the desired neutron cross sections.
We propose to perform surrogate reaction measurements in inverse kinematics at heavy-ion storage rings, in particular at the CRYRING@ESR of the GSI/FAIR facility. We present the conceptual idea of the most promising setup to measure for the first time simultaneously the fission, neutron and gamma-ray emission probabilities. The results of the first simulations considering the 238U(d,d') reaction are shown, as well as new technical developments that are being carried out towards this set-up.
The increasing share of renewable electricity in the grid drives the need for sufficient storage capacity. Especially for seasonal storage, power-to-gas can be a promising approach. Biologically produced methane from hydrogen produced from surplus electricity can be used to substitute natural gas in the existing infrastructure. Current reactor types are not or are poorly optimized for flexible methanation. Therefore, this work proposes a new reactor type with a plug flow reactor (PFR) design. Simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics ® showed promising properties for operation in laminar flow. An experiment was conducted to support the simulation results and to determine the gas fraction of the novel reactor, which was measured to be 29%. Based on these simulations and experimental results, the reactor was constructed as a 14 m long, 50 mm diameter tube with a meandering orientation. Data processing was established, and a step experiment was performed. In addition, a kLa of 1 h−1 was determined. The results revealed that the experimental outcomes of the type of flow and gas fractions are in line with the theoretical simulation. The new design shows promising properties for flexible methanation and will be tested.
Innovative breeds of sugar cane yield up to 2.5 times as much organic matter as conventional breeds, resulting in a great potential for biogas production. The use of biogas production as a complementary solution to conventional and second-generation ethanol production in Brazil may increase the energy produced per hectare in the sugarcane sector. Herein, it was demonstrated that through ensiling, energy cane can be conserved for six months; the stored cane can then be fed into a continuous biogas process. This approach is necessary to achieve year-round biogas production at an industrial scale. Batch tests revealed specific biogas potentials between 400 and 600 LN/kgVS for both the ensiled and non-ensiled energy cane, and the specific biogas potential of a continuous biogas process fed with ensiled energy cane was in the same range. Peak biogas losses through ensiling of up to 27% after six months were observed. Finally, compared with second-generation ethanol production using energy cane, the results indicated that biogas production from energy cane may lead to higher energy yields per hectare, with an average energy yield of up to 162 MWh/ha. Finally, the Farm²CBG concept is introduced, showing an approach for decentralized biogas production.
E0 transitions in 106Pd studied by neutron capture / G. G. Colvin ; F. Hoyler ; S. J. Robinson
(1987)
The performance and biomass yield of the perennial energy plant Sida hermaphrodita (hereafter referred to as Sida) as a feedstock for biogas and solid fuel was evaluated throughout one entire growing period at agricultural field conditions. A Sida plant development code was established to allow comparison of the plant growth stages and biomass composition. Four scenarios were evaluated to determine the use of Sida biomass with regard to plant development and harvest time: (i) one harvest for solid fuel only; (ii) one harvest for biogas production only; (iii) one harvest for biogas production, followed by a harvest of the regrown biomass for solid fuel; and (iv) two consecutive harvests for biogas production. To determine Sida's value as a feedstock for combustion, we assessed the caloric value, the ash quality, and melting point with regard to DIN EN ISO norms. The results showed highest total dry biomass yields of max. 25 t ha⁻¹, whereas the highest dry matter of 70% to 80% was obtained at the end of the growing period. Scenario (i) clearly indicated the highest energy recovery, accounting for 439 288 MJ ha⁻¹; the energy recovery of the four scenarios from highest to lowest followed this order: (i) ≫ (iii) ≫ (iv) > (ii). Analysis of the Sida ashes showed a high melting point of >1500 °C, associated with a net calorific value of 16.5–17.2 MJ kg⁻¹. All prerequisites for DIN EN ISO norms were achieved, indicating Sida's advantage as a solid energy carrier without any post-treatment after harvesting. Cell wall analysis of the stems showed a constant lignin content after sampling week 16 (July), whereas cellulose had already reached a plateau in sampling week 4 (April). The results highlight Sida as a promising woody, perennial plant, providing biomass for flexible and multipurpose energy applications.
Simulating the electromagnetic‐thermal treatment of thin aluminium layers for adhesion improvement
(2015)
A composite layer material used in packaging industry is made from joining layers of different materials using an adhesive. An important processing step in the production of aluminium-containing composites is the surface treatment and consequent coating of adhesive material on the aluminium surface. To increase adhesion strength between aluminium layer and the adhesive material, the foil is heat treated. For efficient heating, induction heating was considered as state-of-the-art treatment process. Due to the complexity of the heating process and the unpredictable nature of the heating source, the control of the process is not yet optimised. In this work, a finite element analysis of the process was established and various process parameters were studied. The process was simplified and modelled in 3D. The numerical model contains an air domain, an aluminium layer and a copper coil fitted with a magnetic field concentrating material. The effect of changing the speed of the aluminium foil (or rolling speed) was studied with the change of the coil current. Statistical analysis was used for generating a general control equation of coil current with changing rolling speed.
With proven impact of statistical fracture analysis on fracture classifications, it is desirable to minimize the manual work and to maximize repeatability of this approach. We address this with an algorithm that reduces the manual effort to segmentation, fragment identification and reduction. The fracture edge detection and heat map generation are performed automatically. With the same input, the algorithm always delivers the same output. The tool transforms one intact template consecutively onto each fractured specimen by linear least square optimization, detects the fragment edges in the template and then superimposes them to generate a fracture probability heat map.
We hypothesized that the algorithm runs faster than the manual evaluation and with low (< 5 mm) deviation. We tested the hypothesis in 10 fractured proximal humeri and found that it performs with good accuracy (2.5 mm ± 2.4 mm averaged Euclidean distance) and speed (23 times faster). When applied to a distal humerus, a tibia plateau, and a scaphoid fracture, the run times were low (1–2 min), and the detected edges correct by visual judgement. In the geometrically complex acetabulum, at a run time of 78 min some outliers were considered acceptable. An automatically generated fracture probability heat map based on 50 proximal humerus fractures matches the areas of high risk of fracture reported in medical literature.
Such automation of the fracture analysis method is advantageous and could be extended to reduce the manual effort even further.
SHEMAT-Suite: An open-source code for simulating flow, heat and species transport in porous media
(2020)
SHEMAT-Suite is a finite-difference open-source code for simulating coupled flow, heat and species transport in porous media. The code, written in Fortran-95, originates from geoscientific research in the fields of geothermics and hydrogeology. It comprises: (1) a versatile handling of input and output, (2) a modular framework for subsurface parameter modeling, (3) a multi-level OpenMP parallelization, (4) parameter estimation and data assimilation by stochastic approaches (Monte Carlo, Ensemble Kalman filter) and by deterministic Bayesian approaches based on automatic differentiation for calculating exact (truncation error-free) derivatives of the forward code.
Simulation and measurement of melting effects on metal sheets caused by direct lightning strikes
(1991)
Lightning protection design of a renewable energy hybrid-system without power mains connection
(2001)
The longitudinal voltage of cable tubes with a screening mesh caused by partial lightning currents
(1989)
Comparison of single point and equipotential bonding for I&C systems of large-area industrial sites
(1994)
Shielding effectiveness of reinforced concrete cable ducts carrying partial lightning currents
(1998)
Control of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in a AlGaAs/GaAs ring by asymmetric and symmetric gate biasing
(2001)
Future evolution of risk management for structures : Advancement for the future IEC 62305-2 Ed3
(2011)
Damage of reinforced concrete (RC) frames with masonry infill walls has been observed after many earthquakes. Brittle behaviour of the masonry infills in combination with the ductile behaviour of the RC frames makes infill walls prone to damage during earthquakes. Interstory deformations lead to an interaction between the infill and the RC frame, which affects the structural response. The result of this interaction is significant damage to the infill wall and sometimes to the surrounding structural system too. In most design codes, infill walls are considered as non-structural elements and neglected in the design process, because taking into account the infills and considering the interaction between frame and infill in software packages can be complicated and impractical. A good way to avoid negative aspects arising from this behavior is to ensure no or low-interaction of the frame and infill wall, for instance by decoupling the infill from the frame. This paper presents the numerical study performed to investigate new connection system called INODIS (Innovative Decoupled Infill System) for decoupling infill walls from surrounding frame with the aim to postpone infill activation to high interstory drifts thus reducing infill/frame interaction and minimizing damage to both infills and frames. The experimental results are first used for calibration and validation of the numerical model, which is then employed for investigating the influence of the material parameters as well as infill’s and frame’s geometry on the in-plane behaviour of the infilled frames with the INODIS system. For all the investigated situations, simulation results show significant improvements in behaviour for decoupled infilled RC frames in comparison to the traditionally infilled frames.
Because of simple construction process, high energy efficiency, significant fire resistance and excellent sound isolation, masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures are very popular in most of the countries in the world, as well as in seismic active areas. However, many RC frame structures with masonry infills were seriously damaged during earthquake events, as the traditional infills are generally constructed with direct contact to the RC frame which brings undesirable infill/frame interaction. This interaction leads to the activation of the equivalent diagonal strut in the infill panel, due to the RC frame deformation, and combined with seismically induced loads perpendicular to the infill panel often causes total collapses of the masonry infills and heavy damages to the RC frames. This fact was the motivation for developing different approaches for improving the behaviour of masonry infills, where infill isolation (decoupling) from the frame has been more intensively studied in the last decade. In-plane isolation of the infill wall reduces infill activation, but causes the need for additional measures to restrain out-of-plane movements. This can be provided by installing steel anchors, as proposed by some researchers. Within the framework of European research project INSYSME (Innovative Systems for Earthquake Resistant Masonry Enclosures in Reinforced Concrete Buildings) the system based on a use of elastomers for in-plane decoupling and steel anchors for out-of-plane restrain was tested. This constructive solution was tested and deeply investigated during the experimental campaign where traditional and decoupled masonry infilled RC frames with anchors were subjected to separate and combined in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Based on a detailed evaluation and comparison of the test results, the performance and effectiveness of the developed system are illustrated.
This study analyses the expected utilization of an urban distribution grid under high penetration of photovoltaic and e-mobility with charging infrastructure on a residential level. The grid utilization and the corresponding power flow are evaluated, while varying the control strategies and photovoltaic installed capacity in different scenarios. Four scenarios are used to analyze the impact of e-mobility. The individual mobility demand is modelled based on the largest German studies on mobility “Mobilität in Deutschland”, which is carried out every 5 years. To estimate the ramp-up of photovoltaic generation, a potential analysis of the roof surfaces in the supply area is carried out via an evaluation of an open solar potential study. The photovoltaic feed-in time series is derived individually for each installed system in a resolution of 15 min. The residential consumption is estimated using historical smart meter data, which are collected in London between 2012 and 2014. For a realistic charging demand, each residential household decides daily on the state of charge if their vehicle requires to be charged. The resulting charging time series depends on the underlying behavior scenario. Market prices and mobility demand are therefore used as scenario input parameters for a utility function based on the current state of charge to model individual behavior. The aggregated electricity demand is the starting point of the power flow calculation. The evaluation is carried out for an urban region with approximately 3100 residents. The analysis shows that increased penetration of photovoltaics combined with a flexible and adaptive charging strategy can maximize PV usage and reduce the need for congestion-related intervention by the grid operator by reducing the amount of kWh charged from the grid by 30% which reduces the average price of a charged kWh by 35% to 14 ct/kWh from 21.8 ct/kWh without PV optimization. The resulting grid congestions are managed by implementing an intelligent price or control signal. The analysis took place using data from a real German grid with 10 subgrids. The entire software can be adapted for the analysis of different distribution grids and is publicly available as an open-source software library on GitHub.
Non-nuclear and non-fossil energy resources and their possibilities for future power generation
(1975)
It must be stressed that the assessment of the exploitation possibilities of the energy resources discussed in this paper requires further studies. With this proviso, the situation can be provisionally summarised as follows: The total potential of known geothermal steam sources is only 64 GW. Geothermal energy could therefore only make a significant contribution to covering the worldwide power needs if we succeed in exploiting dry geothermal reservoirs. Exploitation of tidal energy is limited to a few geographically favourable locations. The power generation potential at these locations is only about 64 GW. An important drawback of tidal power is discontinuous power generation. Large scale exploitation of wind, wave and glacier energy, and of ocean heat, requires solution of a number of technological problems. The environmental effects of exploitation of these energy resources are to some extent of a qualitatively different nature from those of operation of fossil-fuel-fired and of nuclear power plants. The scanty knowledge in this area often results in these effects being underestimated. In any case, however, it would be deliberately misleading to postulate that any form of power generation is possible without some detrimental effects on the environment. It may be stated in conclusion that, owing to their small potential or to the as yet insufficiently advanced technological development, none of the energy resources discussed in this paper can make a significant contribution to the solution of middle-term energy supply problems, i.e., to a rapid replacement of mineral oil and natural gas.
In recent years, many onshore wind turbines are erected in seismic active regions and on soils with poor load bearing capacity, where pile grids are inevitable to transfer the loads into the ground. In this contribution, a realistic multi pile grid is designed to analyze the dynamics of a wind turbine tower including frequency dependent soil-structure-interaction. It turns out that different foundations on varying soil configurations heavily influence the vibration response. While the vibration amplitude is mostly attenuated, certain unfavorable combinations of structure and soil parameters lead to amplification in the range of the system's natural frequencies. This testifies the need for overall dynamic analysis in the assessment of the dynamic stability and the holistic frequency tuning of the turbines.
Recent earthquakes as the 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence showed that recently built unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings behaved much better than expected and sustained, despite the maximum PGA values ranged between 0.20–0.30 g, either minor damage or structural damage that is deemed repairable. Especially low-rise residential and commercial masonry buildings with a code-conforming seismic design and detailing behaved in general very well without substantial damages. The low damage grades of modern masonry buildings that was observed during this earthquake series highlighted again that codified design procedures based on linear analysis can be rather conservative. Although advances in simulation tools make nonlinear calculation methods more readily accessible to designers, linear analyses will still be the standard design method for years to come. The present paper aims to improve the linear seismic design method by providing a proper definition of the q-factor of URM buildings. These q-factors are derived for low-rise URM buildings with rigid diaphragms which represent recent construction practise in low to moderate seismic areas of Italy and Germany. The behaviour factor components for deformation and energy dissipation capacity and for overstrength due to the redistribution of forces are derived by means of pushover analyses. Furthermore, considerations on the behaviour factor component due to other sources of overstrength in masonry buildings are presented. As a result of the investigations, rationally based values of the behaviour factor q to be used in linear analyses in the range of 2.0–3.0 are proposed.
The proposed Den Haag Zuidwest district heating system of the city of The Hague consists of a deep doublet in a Jurassic sandstone layer that is designed for a production temperature of 75 °C and a reinjection temperature of 40 °C at a flow rate of 150 m3 h−1. The prediction of reservoir temperature and production behavior is crucial for success of the proposed geothermal doublet. This work presents the results of a study of the important geothermal and geohydrological issues for the doublet design. In the first phase of the study, the influences of the three-dimensional (3D) structures of anticlines and synclines on the temperature field were examined. A comprehensive petrophysical investigation was performed to build a large scale 3D-model of the reservoir. Several bottomhole temperatures (BHTs), as well as petrophysical logs were used to calibrate the model using thermal conductivity measurements on 50 samples from boreholes in different lithological units in the study area. Profiles and cross sections extracted from the calculated temperature field were used to study the temperature in the surrounding areas of the planned doublet. In the second phase of the project, a detailed 3D numerical reservoir model was set up, with the aim of predicting the evolution of the producer and injector temperatures, and the extent of the cooled area around the injector. The temperature model from the first phase provided the boundary conditions for the reservoir model. Hydraulic parameters for the target horizons, such as porosity and permeability, were taken from data available from the nearby exploration wells. The simulation results are encouraging as no significant thermal breakthrough is predicted. For the originally planned location of the producer, the extracted water temperature is predicted to be around 79 °C, with an almost negligible cooling in the first 50 years of production. When the producer is located shallower parts of the reservoir, the yield water temperatures is lower, starting at ≈76 °C and decreasing to ≈74 °C after 50 years of operation. This comparatively larger decrease in temperature with time is caused by the structural feature of the reservoir, namely a higher dip causes the cooler water to easily move downward. In view of the poor reservoir data, the reservoir simulation model is constructed to allow iterative updates using data assimilation during planned drilling, testing, and production phases. Measurements during an 8 h pumping test carried out in late 2010 suggest that a flow rate of 150 m3 h−1 is achievable. Fluid temperatures of 76.5 °C were measured, which is very close to the predicted value.
A refined substructure technique in the frequency domain is developed, which permits consideration of the interaction effects among adjacent containers through the supporting deformable soil medium. The tank-liquid systems are represented by means of mechanical models, whereas discrete springs and dashpots stand for the soil beneath the foundations. The proposed model is employed to assess the responses of adjacent circular, cylindrical tanks for harmonic and seismic excitations over wide range of tank proportions and soil conditions. The influence of the number, spatial arrangement of the containers and their distance on the overall system's behavior is addressed. The results indicate that the cross-interaction effects can substantially alter the impulsive components of response of each individual element in a tank farm. The degree of this impact is primarily controlled by the tank proportions and the proximity of the predominant natural frequencies of the shell-liquid-soil systems and the input seismic motion. The group effects should be not a priori disregarded, unless the tanks are founded on shallow soil deposit overlying very stiff material or bedrock.
The fundamental modeling of energy systems through individual unit commitment decisions is crucial for energy system planning. However, current large-scale models are not capable of including uncertainties or even risk-averse behavior arising from forecasting errors of variable renewable energies. However, risks associated with uncertain forecasting errors have become increasingly relevant within the process of decarbonization. The intraday market serves to compensate for these forecasting errors. Thus, the uncertainty of forecasting errors results in uncertain intraday prices and quantities. Therefore, this paper proposes a two-stage risk-constrained stochastic optimization approach to fundamentally model unit commitment decisions facing an uncertain intraday market. By the nesting of Lagrangian relaxation and an extended Benders decomposition, this model can be applied to large-scale, e.g., pan-European, power systems. The approach is applied to scenarios for 2023—considering a full nuclear phase-out in Germany—and 2035—considering a full coal phase-out in Germany. First, the influence of the risk factors is evaluated. Furthermore, an evaluation of the market prices shows an increase in price levels as well as an increasing day-ahead-intraday spread in 2023 and in 2035. Finally, it is shown that intraday cross-border trading has a significant influence on trading volumes and prices and ensures a more efficient allocation of resources.