Large Industrial Facilities Research Articles

Detection of Strong NOX Emissions from Fine-scale Reconstruction of the OMI Tropospheric NO2 Product

Satellite-retrieved atmospheric NO2 column products have been widely used in assessing bottom-up NOX inventory emissions emitted from large cities, industrial facilities, and power plants. However, the satellite products fail to quantify strong NOX emissions emitted from the sources less than the satellite’s pixel size, with significantly underestimating their emission intensities (smoothing effect). The poor monitoring of the emissions makes it difficult to enforce pollution restriction regulations. This study reconstructs the tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (VCD) of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)/Aura (13 × 24 km2 pixel resolution at nadir) over South Korea to a fine-scale product (grid resolution of 3 × 3 km2) using a conservative spatial downscaling method, and investigates the methodological fidelity in quantifying the major Korean area and point sources that are smaller than the satellite’s pixel size. Multiple high-fidelity air quality models of the Weather Research and Forecast-Chemistry (WRF-Chem) and the Weather Research and Forecast/Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system (WRF/CMAQ) were used to investigate the downscaling uncertainty in a spatial-weight kernel estimate. The analysis results showed that the fine-scale reconstructed OMI NO2 VCD revealed the strong NOX emission sources with increasing the atmospheric NO2 column concentration and enhanced their spatial concentration gradients near the sources, which was accomplished by applying high-resolution modeled spatial-weight kernels to the original OMI NO2 product. The downscaling uncertainty of the reconstructed OMI NO2 product was inherent and estimated by 11.1% ± 10.6% at the whole grid cells over South Korea. The smoothing effect of the original OMI NO2 product was estimated by 31.7% ± 13.1% for the 6 urbanized area sources and 32.2% ± 17.1% for the 13 isolated point sources on an effective spatial resolution that is defined to reduce the downscaling uncertainty. Finally, it was found that the new reconstructed OMI NO2 product had a potential capability in quantifying NOX emission intensities of the isolated strong point sources with a good correlation of R = 0.87, whereas the original OMI NO2 product failed not only to identify the point sources, but also to quantify their emission intensities (R = 0.30). Our findings highlight a potential capability of the fine-scale reconstructed OMI NO2 product in detecting directly strong NOX emissions, and emphasize the inherent methodological uncertainty in interpreting the reconstructed satellite product at a high-resolution grid scale.

Spatial Heterogeneity In Phenological Development Of Prunus Padus L. In The Yekaterinburg City

The possible impact of the climate changes on vegetation is a key topic of various research studies in geography and ecology. In this study we tried to provide a «one-time survey» of the phenological development of Prunus padus L. in the Yekaterinburg city as a part of the large-scale project “A Single Phenological Day ” and show the data on a map. The registration of a seasonal development of bird cherry was provided annually in the years of 2012-2018 on one and the same date in the city of Yekaterinburg, on 15 May. Yekaterinburg is the largest city located on the eastern foothills of the Middle Urals, Russia. The city has residential areas, parks, water reservoirs, as well as large industrial facilities that affect microclimatic conditions, resulting in an increase of the temperatures. Such microclimatic heterogeneity results in uneven development of bird cherry in spring. It was revealed the slowing of the bird cherry development in the areas situated close to large water reservoirs. At the same time bird cherry trees growing inside large industrial areas, on the contrary, developed much faster. The development rates of Prunus padus L. also differed though years: in years with dry and warm weather during the period of late April - early May the vegetation began earlier.

The Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS): Integration of Low-Cost Sensors and Reference Grade Monitoring in a Complex Metropolitan Area. Part 1: Overview of the Project.

Emissions from transportation sources can impact local air quality and contribute to adverse health effects. The Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS), conducted over a 1-year period, researched emissions source characterization in the Argentine, Turner, and Armourdale, Kansas (KS) neighborhoods and the broader southeast Kansas City, KS area. This area is characterized as a near-source environment with impacts from large railyard operations, major roadways, and commercial and industrial facilities. The spatial and meteorological effects of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), and black carbon (BC) pollutants on potential population exposures were evaluated at multiple sites using a combination of regulatory grade methods and instrumentation, low-cost sensors, citizen science, and mobile monitoring. The initial analysis of a subset of these data showed that mean reference grade PM2.5 concentrations (gravimetric) across all sites ranged from 7.92 to 9.34 μg/m3. Mean PM2.5 concentrations from low-cost sensors ranged from 3.30 to 5.94 μg/m3 (raw, uncorrected data). Pollution wind rose plots suggest that the sites are impacted by higher PM2.5 and BC concentrations when the winds originate near known source locations. Initial data analysis indicated that the observed PM2.5 and BC concentrations are driven by multiple air pollutant sources and meteorological effects. The KC-TRAQS overview and preliminary data analysis presented will provide a framework for forthcoming papers that will further characterize emission source attributions and estimate near-source exposures. This information will ultimately inform and clarify the extent and impact of air pollutants in the Kansas City area.

Real-time energy visualization system for light commercial businesses

Several real-time Energy Visualization (EV) systems have emerged in the market in recent years with specific applications for large industrial and commercial facilities and residential buildings. However, light commercial businesses have been neglected with only a few attempts for EV solutions. In this study a framework for an economical, flexible, and plug and play EV system for the light commercial businesses is presented. It was hypothesized that the proposed framework will provide flexible yet cost effective energy efficiency solutions. Our specific contributions are (1) critical evaluation of existing EV systems, (2) development of framework with respect to operational, technical and budgetary challenges that are specific to light commercial businesses, (3) a computerized program to guide business owners through a step-by-step process involved in the development and installation of the EV system. To test the hypothesis, a field study was conducted by performing energy audits at 15 light commercial businesses. On average, the cost of the EV system was found to be 5% of the annual energy cost. Overall, the findings from our field study conclude that the proposed EV system is economical and flexible enough to address “varied and unique” energy efficiency requirements of light commercial businesses.

Rapid detection of Escherichia coli in beverages using genetically engineered bacteriophage T7

Foodborne illness due to bacterial contamination is a significant issue impacting public health that demands new technology which is practical to implement by food industry. Detection of bacteria in food products and production facilities is a crucial strategy supporting food safety assessments. Bacteriophages were investigated as a tool for bacterial detection due to their ability to infect specific strain of host bacteria in order to improve sensitivity, specificity, and rapidity of bacterial detection. The results of this investigation reveal a novel method for rapid detection. The method employs a genetically engineered bacteriophage, phage T7-ALP, which expresses alkaline phosphatase. Upon infection of Escherichia coli, overexpression of alkaline phosphatase provides an opportunity for rapid sensitive detection of a signal indicative of bacterial presence in model beverage samples as low as 100 bacteria per gram. The method employs a fluorescent precipitated substrate, ELF-97, as a substrate for alkaline phosphatase activity coupled with fluorescence imaging and image analysis allowing single-cell imaging results in high detection sensitivity. The method is easily completed within less than 6 h enabling it to be deployed within most large industrial food processing facilities that have routine 8-h operational shifts.

Accounting for the vertical distribution of emissions in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> simulations

Abstract. Inverse modeling of anthropogenic and biospheric CO2 fluxes from ground-based and satellite observations critically depends on the accuracy of atmospheric transport simulations. Previous studies emphasized the impact of errors in simulated winds and vertical mixing in the planetary boundary layer, whereas the potential importance of releasing emissions not only at the surface but distributing them in the vertical was largely neglected. Accounting for elevated emissions may be critical, since more than 50 % of CO2 in Europe is emitted by large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities. In this study, we conduct high-resolution atmospheric simulations of CO2 with the mesoscale Consortium for Small-scale Modeling model extended with a module for the simulation of greenhouse gases (COSMO-GHG) over a domain covering the city of Berlin and several coal-fired power plants in eastern Germany, Poland and Czech Republic. By including separate tracers for anthropogenic CO2 emitted only at the surface or according to realistic, source-dependent profiles, we find that releasing CO2 only at the surface overestimates near-surface CO2 concentrations in the afternoon on average by 14 % in summer and 43 % in winter over the selected model domain. Differences in column-averaged dry air mole XCO2 fractions are smaller, between 5 % in winter and 8 % in summer, suggesting smaller yet non-negligible sensitivities for inversion modeling studies assimilating satellite rather than surface observations. The results suggest that the traditional approach of emitting CO2 only at the surface is problematic and that a proper allocation of emissions in the vertical deserves as much attention as an accurate simulation of atmospheric transport.

Chemometric Assessment of Soil Pollution and Pollution Source Apportionment for an Industrially Impacted Region around a Non-Ferrous Metal Smelter in Bulgaria.

The present study deals with the assessment of pollution caused by a large industrial facility using multivariate statistical methods. The primary goal is to classify specific pollution sources and to apportion their involvement in the formation of the total concentration of the chemical parameters being monitored. This aim is accomplished by intelligent data analysis based on cluster analysis, principal component analysis and principal component regression analysis. Five latent factors are found to explain over 80% of the total variance of the system being conditionally named “organic”, “non-ferrous smelter”, “acidic”, “secondary anthropogenic contribution” and “natural” factor. The apportionment models designate the contribution of the identified sources quantitatively and help in the interpretation of risk assessment and management actions. Since the study takes into account pollution uptake from soil to a cabbage plant, the data interpretation could help in introducing biomonitoring aspects of the assessment. The chemometric expertise helps in revealing hidden relationships between the objects and the variables involved to achieve a better understanding of specific pollution events in the soil of a severely industrially impacted region.

Causes and consequences of depopulation in the municipality of Kuršumlija

The municipality of Kuršumlija is located in the South of Serbia, encompassing the area of 952 km². According to the census from 2011, it is inhabited by 19,213 people. During the last decades, the municipality is facing the rapid decrease in the number of inhabitants, caused by natural and social factors. The manuscript analyzes the demographic changes reflected in the migration and structure of population in the period after 1948, along with the beginning of the industrial development, to 2011, when the municipality experienced the crash of economy. The analysis established that the municipality of Kuršumlija became emigrational area, especially after the closure of large industrial facilities which were the pillars of development. The young ones and those able for work were forced to leave their hearths, in search for employment and survival. All the settlements of Kuršumlija were included in the negative demographic processes reflected in the constant decrease of population. Big problem was also the intensity of inhabitants' ageing, and lessening of the percentage of young ones, which points out that the municipality is in the phase of the deepest demographic age. The worrying fact is that the tendency of the population rate decrease in the settlements of Kuršumlija 'municipality is prolonged.

Optimization of the Amount of Coke Filling Usage in Cathodic Protection Systems for an Anode Grounding Model in the form of a Hemisphere

In this work, we calculated the optimal amount according to “annualized costs” criteria on the basis of model representations for anodic grounding of the cathodic protection system in the form of a single hemisphere, which is located on the surface of the ground and contains coke backfilling. At the same time, calculations were made for a similar grounding, but without the use of coke filling, which allowed comparative analysis and calculation of their comparative economic efficiency, depending on the specific resistance of the soil. As a result of these calculations, we proposed a modernized anodic grounding with a normalized amount of coke filling that has increased safety in comparison with the traditional product, since it allows reducing risks, caused by generation of positive DC stray currents of cathodic protection system, to other underground metal constructions. This quality of the proposed anode grounding is especially important in urban areas and at the territories of large industrial facilities characterized by an increased density of underground metal structures.

Development of a Data Acquisition System for Autonomous Vehicle Systems

A data acquisition system along with a sensor package was designed and installed on an existing mechanically-controlled system to gather more data on their usage patterns. The data collected through the developed system include GPS route, vehicle speed and acceleration, engine state, transmission state, seat occupancy, fuel level, and video recording. The sensor package was designed and integrated in a way that does not interfere with the driver’s operation of the system. Cellular network connectivity was employed to retrieve sensor data so as to minimize human effort and maintain typical usage patterns of the outfitted systems. Testing and validation results showed that the developed system can correctly and effectively record data necessary for further analysis and optimization. The collected data will significantly promote system activity simulations in order to facilitate optimizing work flow at large industrial facilities and improving energy efficiency.

Sinapis alba seed meal as a feedstock for extracting the natural tyrosinase inhibitor 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol

Although mustards are ideal rotational crops in moisture-limited environments, biofuels production from mustard seed isn’t economically feasible unless the de-oiled seed meal is used to generate co-products. 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) derived from Sinapis alba (yellow mustard) seed meal is a potentially high value co-product that acts as a skin lightening agent. With increasing demand for skin lightening agents, there is need for the development of alternative products preferably derived from what are perceived as renewable, safer natural materials. Although HBA is known to have inhibitory activity on the tyrosinase reaction by reducing melanin production, the use of HBA from S. alba, a widely grown agricultural crop, has not been described. Our objective was to evaluate the potential of an HBA-containing S. alba extract to act as an inhibitor for the tyrosinase reaction by 1) optimizing the conditions for production and recovery of HBA from S. alba seed meal and 2) quantifying the inhibitory effect of S. alba seed meal extracts on the tyrosinase-activated reaction of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA). The optimized procedure to produce an S. alba mustard seed meal extract with an HBA concentration of 2 mM included using ground mustard meal, 100 mM citrate-phosphate buffer (pH 3.8), and a 24-h incubation. The calculated IC50 value for the S. alba extract is equivalent to 6.0 μM demonstrating that potency of the extract is comparable to that achieved using standard skin lightening agents. The procedure for HBA extraction from seed meal is relatively rapid and does not require sophisticated equipment or solvent systems, making it easily adapted to large scale industrial processing facilities. The potential thus exists to use a feedstock that is readily available from an agriculturally important oilseed crop to produce HBA as a natural tyrosinase inhibitor.

Air quality trends in an industrialised area of SW Spain

Abstract Copper smelters represent a major anthropogenic source of SO2 and sulphide-related elements into particulate matter, affecting the air quality of the surrounding areas. The implementation of measures to reduce the emission of gaseous contaminants and particles in industrial processes is a major issue, which aims to establish technological progress for cleaner production. In this sense, a long-range study covering the period 2001–2015 has been performed in the SW Spain, where one of the largest Cu-smelters in Europe is located. Trends of PM10 and PM2.5 levels and geochemical patterns were studied considering the following periods: prior (2001–2008), during (2009–2013) and after (2014–2015) the implementation of emission abatement technology (wet electrofilters, bag filters and lime injection) by this large industrial facility. The results evidenced relatively high concentrations of sulphide-related elements (annual mean of 6.1, 1.7, 0.7, 2.2, 2.0, 21.0 and 1.0 ng m−3 for As, Se, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pb and Bi, respectively) during 2001–2008. A reduction of 50% was observed for the last period (2.8, 0.5, 0.2, 1.6, 1.1, 6.7 an d 0.3 ng m−3 for the same elements, respectively) in PM10. A similar trend was observed for PM2.5 samples. However, the number of episodes of SO2 has not changed along the studied period (average 8 days/month), although the SO2 concentration during the pollution episodes has markedly diminished from maximum peak concentrations of 350 μg m−3 to 170 μg m−3. A high arsenic concentration is the main geochemical anomaly found in PM, reaching annual mean concentrations up to 10.4 ng m−3 in 2005 above the annual EU target value (6 ng m−3) in PM10, decreasing down to 2.7 and 2.9 ng m−3 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. However, sporadically high episodic levels are still recorded (e.g. 26.8 ng m−3 in 2014 and 14.9 ng m−3 in 2015).

Линейные искажения при переходе от эллипсоида Красовского на секущий эллипсоид

The increasing of the engineering surveys’ volume necessary for the building of various large industrial facilities, demands rectification of many algorithms and techniques of mapping construction and operation areas. Such objects are, for example, linear structures – roads, railways, power lines, pipelines. A large-scale map must accompany the construction and exploitation of dams power stations, excavations, objects of urban infra-structure, etc. Many of the objects that require geodetic surveys are located in the piedmont and even mountainous terrain. In most cases, special algorithms of geodetic projections used do not take into account the altitude of the locality. Hence, it is necessary to consider the elevation of the mapped terrain. This article presents the results of the analysis of the significance of the introduction of the secant (additional) ellipsoid for solving the problem of reducing distortion when projected on the plane of the lines and coordinate points in mountain localities. The basic formulae that allow specifying the algorithms of geodetic projections with the height of the site. The results of computing experiments confirming the proposals for technological improvements of algorithms of geodetic projections. The basis of improvement is the use of a scaling factor reflecting the change in semimajor axis of the ellipsoid.

The application of moving bed bio-reactor (MBBR) in commercial laundry wastewater treatment

Large, laboratory scale biological treatment tests of real industrial wastewater, generated in a large industrial laundry facility, was conducted from October 2014 to January 2015. This research sought to develop laundry wastewater treatment technology which included tests of a two-stage Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR); this had two reactors, was filled with carriers Kaldnes K5 (specific area – 800 m2/m3) and were realized in aerobic condition. Operating on site, in the laundry, reactors were fed actual wastewater from the laundry retention tank. The laundry wastewater contained mainly surfactants and impurities originating from washed fabrics; a solution of urea to supplement nitrogen content and a solution of acid to correct pH were added. The daily flow of raw wastewater Qd varied from 0.6–1.0 m3/d. Wastewater quality indicators showed that the reduction of pollutants was obtained: BOD5 by 95–98%, COD by 89–94%, the sum of anionic and nonionic surfactants by 85–96%. The quality of the purified wastewater after the start-up period met legal requirements regarding the standards for wastewater discharged into the environment.

Residents' Self-Reported Health Effects and Annoyance in Relation to Air Pollution Exposure in an Industrial Area in Eastern-Estonia.

Eastern Estonia has large oil shale mines and industrial facilities mainly focused on electricity generation from oil shale and shale oil extraction, which produce high air pollution emissions. The “Study of the health impact of the oil shale sector—SOHOS” was aimed at identifying the impacts on residents’ health and annoyance due to the industrial processing. First, a population-wide survey about health effects and annoyance was carried out. Second, the total and oil shale sectors’ emitted concentrations of benzene, phenol, and PM2.5 were modelled. Third, the differences between groups were tested and relationships between health effects and environmental pollution studied using multiple regression analysis. Compared to the control groups from non-industrial areas in Tartu or Lääne-Viru, residents of Ida-Viru more frequently (p < 0.05) reported wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, a long-term cough, hypertension, heart diseases, myocardial infarction, stroke, and diabetes. All health effects except asthma were reported more frequently among non-Estonians. People living in regions with higher levels of PM2.5, had significantly higher odds (p < 0.05) of experiencing chest tightness (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.02–1.26), shortness of breath (1.16, 1.03–1.31) or an asthma attack (1.22, 1.04–1.42) during the previous year. People living in regions with higher levels of benzene had higher odds of experiencing myocardial infarction (1.98, 1.11–3.53) and with higher levels of phenol chest tightness (1.44, 1.03–2.00), long-term cough (1.48, 1.06–2.07) and myocardial infarction (2.17, 1.23–3.83). The prevalence of adverse health effects was also higher among those who had been working in the oil shale sector. Next to direct health effects, up to a quarter of the residents of Ida-Viru County were highly annoyed about air pollution. Perceived health risk from air pollution increased the odds of being annoyed. Annoyed people in Ida-Viru had significantly higher odds of experiencing respiratory symptoms during the last 12 months, e.g., wheezing (2.30, 1.31–4.04), chest tightness (2.88, 1.91–4.33 or attack of coughing (1.99, 1.34–2.95).

Application of Buckling-Restrained Braces in the Seismic Design of a Thermal Power Plant in China

This paper presents the use of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) in the design of the main building of a thermal power plant as an alternative for the construction of such kind of large industrial facilities. The project is located in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, a region of high seismic demand (Intensity 8) in China. The main lateral force resisting system used for the structure of this project is composed of a combination of conventional concentrically braced frames (CBFs) and buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs). The paper explores the seismic design and performance assessment of this industrial steel building according to the provisions of the Chinese code. Response spectrum analysis and time-history analysis were conducted under two levels of seismic hazard: minor earthquake (63.2%/50 years) and major earthquake (2%/50 years). Results indicate that BRBs effectively helped to control lateral deformation and dissipated energy in stable manner, making the structure composed of CBFs and BRBFs to show the seismic performance as intended by the code.

Water Resources of Georgia and Their Ecological Condition

Water resources are one of the most important natural resources of Georgia. Thereare 26060 rivers with total length 58987 km. A base of hydrographic network are smallrivers with length less than 25km and total length 50480 km.Georgia’s territory is dividedin two main regions: Black Sea basin and Caspian Sea basin. Total natural river runofffrom the territory of Georgia is 56.4km3 and to the territory (from Armenia and Turkey)- 8.74 km3. Thus, total water supplies amount for 65.4 km3. Rioni River is Imereti’smain artery of water. It is a left tributary of the largest river Imereti hills - Kvirila, which isconnected with Dzirula Chherimeloy, and the right side connects with the waters of theRioni Tskhenistskali. Rioni water is used in production, and communal services of thepopulation. On both sides of the Rioni are large industrial facilities that degrade waterquality. The problem of water resources protection in Imereti and rational use of it, onthe one hand, has created increasing demand for water by industry, and, on the otherside, of reservoirs pollution. Water pollution in the Rioni begins with the origins. Fromtraditional polluting facilities should be noted Kvaisskoe, Tutiyskoe businesses, a lot ofOni and Ambrolauri businesses that poured on the raw water in the Rioni. And the mostpolluted river in the territory of Kutaisi.

Economic opportunities for industrial systems from frequency regulation markets

We analyze economic opportunities for industrial facilities provided by frequency regulation (FR) markets. We use classical frequency domain analysis techniques to characterize the harmonic content of FR signals and to analyze the impact of such harmonics on the response of dynamical systems. The analysis reveals that systems with slow dynamics, as those found in large industrial facilities, are suitable to provide FR capacity because they can naturally damp the dominant high-frequency harmonic content of FR signals. We also propose optimization formulations to quantify the maximum amount of FR capacity that can be provided by a system given its dynamic characteristics, its control architecture. A distillation case study demonstrates that significant economic potential exists for large industrial facilities.

A multi-period optimisation model for planning carbon sequestration retrofits in the electricity sector

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a low-carbon technology aiming to prevent carbon dioxide (CO2) generated in large industrial facilities (e.g. power plants) from entering the atmosphere, thus mitigating human-caused climate change. CCS is deemed to be one of the most promising approaches to reduce industrial CO2 emissions on a global scale, in addition to energy efficiency enhancement and increased use of renewables. This paper presents a mathematical programming model for multi-period planning of power plant retrofits with carbon capture (CC) technologies. The model allows for energy penalties due to CC retrofits and the need for compensatory power generation, as well as variations in technological parameters (such as electricity costs) over time. Furthermore, the model is formulated as a mixed integer linear programme (MILP), for which global optimality is guaranteed if a solution exists. Two case studies on carbon-constrained energy sector planning are presented to illustrate the proposed approach. Further analysis is carried out to examine the effect of the cost limit on the total increase in power generation cost.

Risk-Based Maintenance Planning for Deteriorating Pressure Vessels With Multiple Defects

Pressure vessels are subject to deterioration processes, such as corrosion and fatigue, which can lead to failure. Inspections and repairs are performed to mitigate this risk. Large industrial facilities (e.g., oil and gas refineries) often have regularly scheduled shutdown periods during which many components, including the pressure vessels, are disassembled, inspected, and repaired if necessary. This paper presents a decision analysis framework for the risk-based maintenance (RBM) planning of corroding pressure vessels. After a vessel has been inspected, this framework determines the optimal maintenance time of each defect, where the optimal time is the one that minimizes the total expected cost over the lifecycle of the vessel. The framework allows for multiple defects and two failure modes (leak and burst), and accounts for the dependent failure events. A stochastic gamma process is used to model the future deterioration growth to determine the probability of vessel failure. The novel growth model presents a simple method to predict both the depth and length of each corrosion defect to enable burst analysis. The decision analysis framework can aid decision makers in deciding when a repair or replacement should be performed. This method can be used to immediately inform the decision maker of the optimal decision postinspection. A numerical example of a corroding pressure vessel illustrates the method.