Plant Shutdown Research Articles

Pre COVID-19 Market Conditions Persist & the Stocker Industry Can Dampen the Damage

The effects of COVID-19 on the livestock market are well known and felt. Some effects include depressed futures and cash prices, unusual basis patterns, decreased packer bids and sale barn volume, packing plant closures, consumer hording of meat products, and shifting food service products for retail consumption. All these effects occurred as market participants grappled with everchanging government and industry policy which reduced consumer demand and resulted in bottlenecks and increasing supply gluts upstream. Simultaneously reducing demand and increasing supply always cause prices to plummet, and in the case of COVID-19 very rapidly. Some segments of the market are likely to begun to stabilize as government lockdown restrictions are lifted. However, the beef complex still has significant supply and demand issues to sort through in the coming months.

Vulnerabilities and Benefits of Megascale Agrifood Processing Facilities in Canada

This paper explores the vulnerabilities associated with mega-scale agri-food processing facilities in the wake of Canada’s COVID-19 outbreak and associated disruptions to the food supply chain and food security as the result of disease outbreak-induced plant closures. The current system of mega-scale facilities has come about as a result of powerful economic incentives associated with economies of size and scale, which allow larger-scale facilities to spread fixed costs across more units of output, leading to lower per-unit costs, greater levels of profitability, and, in the case of the agri-food sector, lower prices and enhanced food security. Governmental and regulatory policies such as tax incentives for investment in large plants (to bring jobs into communities) and allowing the anti-competitive effects of larger/fewer plants to be a secondary consideration to efficiencies have also contributed to the phenomenon of large plant size. Unfortunately, however, increased plant size also requires more workers which can lead to increased risk of disease spread. Moreover, with fewer and larger plants, if a disease like COVID-19 is detected and a plant idled or shut down as a result, the impact of any individual plant being closed upon the food supply and food security is much greater. Three potential strategic policy options to address this are explored. The first is the introduction of a series of smaller, regional facilities which would greater match commodity availability to processing capacity. For example, Canada’s cattle slaughter capacity does not closely resemble the location of its cattle herd. A second possible option would be the encouragement of alternative ownership structures such as the 1990s-era “New Generation Co-operative” which would be farmer-owned and geographically dispersed. The third (and most likely) option is the introduction of greater levels of mechanization, which would require fewer workers, and increased intra-plant distancing and safety measures for those workers.

The Effects of Fuel Prices, Environmental Regulations, and Other Factors on U.S. Coal Production, 2008-2016

We decompose the decline in coal production from 2008 to 2016 into the contributions of several sources. In particular, we estimate the effects of declining natural gas prices and the introduction of new environmental regulations along with several other factors, using both monthly state-level data and annual information on coal plant closings. We estimate that the declining price of natural gas relative to coal is responsible for 92 percent of the total decline in coal production over this period and that environmental regulations account for an additional six percent, with other factors making small and offsetting contributions.

Labor, Trade, and Populism: How ILO-WTO Collaboration Can Save the Global Economic Order

Populists are trying to take down the global economic order and its institutions. While some of those forces are fueled by racism, they are also motivated by legitimate social concerns that include massive plant closings and deindustrialization, inadequate skills programs, and lack of decent jobs. Some of these problems also concern the Global South, as workers there face exploitation, unhealthy working conditions, and other social ills caused by global capitalism. In light of these problems, this article argues that the International Labor Organization (ILO) should design new conventions on lead firm liability and mass layoffs. While other scholars and policymakers have already argued that lead firms should shoulder employer responsibilities of their suppliers, contractors, and franchisees, this is the first law article that calls for an ILO convention that can diffuse such rules globally. The article also calls on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to advise the ILO on these labor-protective conventions. The WTO, as an expert trade body, can better ensure stakeholders that these new conventions will comply with international trade law and policy, including with WTO public morals exception rules and with rules on technical barriers on trade and tax and subsidies. In doing so, the WTO can guarantee that the new conventions, far from hurting trade, will help to enhance the global trade regime. Moreover, the WTO, through its peer review practice, where stakeholders can discuss how to create and implement new labor and trade policies, can help coordinate a much-needed global dialogue for a more inclusive globalization. This is also true of the ILO conventions that we advocate for here. We conclude by addressing likely arguments against our proposal, including from scholars and policymakers skeptical of the role that international law can have on the current political turmoil. After addressing those objections to our proposal, we maintain that collaboration between the ILO and the WTO, while certainly not the panacea for all the complex and daunting problems of our times, remains critical to restore legitimacy to the global economic order in a post-populist era.

Association Between Automotive Assembly Plant Closures and Opioid Overdose Mortality in the United States

Fading economic opportunity has been hypothesized to be an important factor associated with the US opioid overdose crisis. Automotive assembly plant closures are culturally significant events that substantially erode local economic opportunities. To estimate the extent to which automotive assembly plant closures were associated with increasing opioid overdose mortality rates among working-age adults. A county-level difference-in-differences study was conducted among adults aged 18 to 65 years in 112 manufacturing counties located in 30 commuting zones (primarily in the US South and Midwest) with at least 1 operational automotive assembly plant as of 1999. The study analyzed county-level changes from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2016, in age-adjusted, county-level opioid overdose mortality rates before vs after automotive assembly plant closures in manufacturing counties affected by plant closures compared with changes in manufacturing counties unaffected by plant closures. Data analyses were performed between April 1, 2018, and July 20, 2019. Closure of automotive assembly plants in the commuting zone of residence. The primary outcome was the county-level age-adjusted opioid overdose mortality rate. Secondary outcomes included the overall drug overdose mortality rate and prescription vs illicit drug overdose mortality rates. During the study period, 29 manufacturing counties in 10 commuting zones were exposed to an automotive assembly plant closure, while 83 manufacturing counties in 20 commuting zones remained unexposed. Mean (SD) baseline opioid overdose rates per 100 000 were similar in exposed (0.9 [1.4]) and unexposed (1.0 [2.1]) counties. Automotive assembly plant closures were associated with statistically significant increases in opioid overdose mortality. Five years after a plant closure, mortality rates had increased by 8.6 opioid overdose deaths per 100 000 individuals (95% CI, 2.6-14.6; P = .006) in exposed counties compared with unexposed counties, an 85% higher increase relative to the mortality rate that would have been expected had exposed counties followed the same outcome trends as unexposed counties. In analyses stratified by age, sex, and race/ethnicity, the largest increases in opioid overdose mortality were observed among non-Hispanic white men aged 18 to 34 years (20.1 deaths per 100 000; 95% CI, 8.8-31.3; P = .001) and aged 35 to 65 years (12.8 deaths per 100 000; 95% CI, 5.7-20.0; P = .001). We observed similar patterns of prescription vs illicit drug overdose mortality. Estimates for opioid overdose mortality in nonmanufacturing counties were not statistically significant. From 1999 to 2016, automotive assembly plant closures were associated with increases in opioid overdose mortality. These findings highlight the potential importance of eroding economic opportunity as a factor in the US opioid overdose crisis.

Modeling Solar Converters for Harmonic and Resonance Studies

Solar and renewable plants are increasingly being added to national grids. One technical drawback of renewable generators is that they tend to cause a significant harmonic distortion of the current and voltage waveforms. The harmonic distortions are amplified when the natural resonances of the grid interact with the injected harmonics from the power electronic based PV generation. A sustained harmonic distortion can lead to equipment failure, reduced plant output or a complete plant shutdown. Therefore, it is important to study harmonic interactions and resonance issues using fully detailed EMT models before the commissioning of a renewable plant. This paper outlines important features of modelling solar converters for the use of harmonic and resonance studies.

다국적기업 철수의 영향과 정책대응 방안 (The Economic Effects of MNC (Multinational Corporation) Withdrawal and Policy Responses)

다국적기업 철수의 영향과 정책대응 방안 (The Economic Effects of MNC (Multinational Corporation) Withdrawal and Policy Responses)

Research on Intelligent Diagnosis Technology of Emergency Diesel Generator in Nuclear Power Plant Based on New Monitoring Method

As the emergency power source of nuclear power plant, the emergency diesel generator sets need to provide power for the safety system of nuclear power plant after all external power sources of nuclear power plant are lost, to ensure the safe shutdown of nuclear power plant and prevent the leakage of radioactive materials to the environment. In view of the critical role of emergency diesel generator sets in ensuring the safe operation of the power station, high reliability is needed. Therefore, how to accurately monitor the state of diesel engine and how to diagnose the faults has become an urgent problem to be solved. In this paper, status monitoring system for diesel engine is designed and developed based on LabVIEW and new monitoring method to realize real-time and continuous collection during the operation of the diesel engine, intensive collection during the alarm process, and data display and storage. It can provide data support for fault diagnosis. The operation results show that the system has high reliability and meets the requirements of field inspection, regular test and fault analysis.

A reliable strategy for slug flow attenuation in pipeline-riser systems

Oil and gas activities across the globe now take place deep offshore. To operate in this harsh environment, there are numerous challenges. These can be in the form of high cost of production, space constraints, operational and technological demands. The co-transportation of oil and gas in same pipeline is one of the operational and technological approaches adopted in the industry to meet the transportation of produced crude. This approach comes with its attendant flow assurance difficulties. Slugging is one of such problems which can constitute operational hitches resulting in production reduction and sometimes eventual plant shutdown. Existing attenuation techniques are limited in various ways. Therefore, seeking a reliable solution to this problem is highly desired.In this study, an experimental study of multiple techniques for slug attenuation was attempted. A passive device-the intermittent slug absorber, topside choking and topside separator were investigated. The results show that a combination of the methods proves to be more effective compared to individual techniques. A significant reduction in riser- base pressure of up to 39% was achieved. This is advantageous and translates to an increase in oil recovery. Thus, the proposed strategy helps to achieve system stability and improved production at a lower cost.

Review of corrosion of refractory in gaseous environment

AbstractAdvancing high temperature technologies pushes the envelope of the service conditions to new extremes. However, corrosion of refractories substantially decreases the service life and causes unscheduled shutdown of manufacturing and processing plants. In this paper, corrosion of refractories in gaseous environments is reviewed. The corrosion mechanisms of alumina refractories, including alumino‐silicates and zirconia as oxide, and silicon carbide as non‐oxide refractory are emphasized due to their broad array of applications. It is shown that carbonaceous atmosphere and water vapor are detrimental for the oxide refractories. Interaction with water vapor leads to formation of the volatile species and subsequent recession of the refractories. Carbonaceous atmosphere leads to the decomposition of even mullite, which is categorized as neutral refractory due to its excellent thermochemical stability. Oxidizing atmosphere with water vapor dominates the corrosion of non‐oxide refractories. Presence of impurities, even parts per million level, in the gas stream such as alkali vapor and halogens can alter the corrosion mechanisms and favor “hot corrosion.”

Survival of the cleanest? Evidence from a plant-level analysis of pollutant emissions in Canadian pulp and paper industry, 2005–2013

We capitalize on access to plant-level data in examining the changes in emissions of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), and greenhouse gas (GHG) for a set of Canadian pulp and paper mills from 2005 to 2013. In particular, we investigate the roles played by changes in output, emission intensity, allocation of production among surviving plants, and plant closures. Output change is the main factor and improvement of emission intensity by surviving plants—the so-called technique effect—brings a small, yet positive contribution. However, there are no indications that market operations determining plant output and plant survival lead to lower emissions.

Impact of a Coal-Fired Power Plant Shutdown Campaign on Heavy Metal Emissions in China.

Recently, China has committed to decommissioning the heavy metal (HM) intensive coal-fired power plants (CFPPs), small units especially, yet a quantitative assessment for the impact on HM emissions remains poorly understood. This study, for the first time, compiles a plant-specific inventory for six HMs (Hg, As, Se, Pb, Cd, and Cr) avoided by CFPPs decommissioned in China during the 12th Five Year Plan period. The reduced HM amounts to 271.58 t (9.19 t Hg, 45.84 t As, 60.76 t Se, 85.30 t Pb, 1.74 t Cd, and 68.75 t Cr), accounting for 12.71% of the total emissions from all China's CFPPs in 2010. Small units which have low boiler efficiency and lack air pollutant control devices are more than tenfold HM-intensive as the large units. The detailed HM emission factors for each CFPP decommissioned in each provincial region are also identified. HM content in the coal consumed is a key parameter to determine their corresponding emission factors, while the capacity of decommissioned coal plants plays a decisive role in the reduced emissions. The high-resolution inventory not only verifies China's progress in alleviating HM pollution, but also provides basis for further investigation into HM relevant environmental and human health impact.

Internal inspection of the Lisama – El Centro gas pipeline using magnetic flux leakage technology in Santander, Colombia

The present work carried out the internal inspection of the pipeline that allows the natural gas transport from the “Compresora Lisama” to the gas plant “El Centro” in Santander, Colombia, establishing the current pipeline conditions and defining the actions that must be taken to maintain the safety of the process. The internal inspection was carried out using Magnetic Flux Leakage technology, which allowed identifying in a single run the different types of anomalies that may occur in the 8” diameter steel pipeline during natural gas transport. The anomalies identified during the internal inspection inherent to natural gas transport through water bodies and unstable soils of variable height corresponded to thickness losses, dents, and programmed anomalies with estimated repair factor greater than 1. These anomalies were grouped into a total of 41 sections of the “Lisama–El Centro” gas pipeline that require replacement to guarantee the correct operation of the “Compresora Lisama” and the gas plant “El Centro”, preventing unscheduled plant shutdowns that may lead to shortages in communities and companies that require daily the natural gas.

Deindustrialisation, Foreign Investment and Social Development: Mortality in the Hungarian Rustbelt

Abstract Background Many nations are experiencing deindustrialisation. A common strategy to cope with this is encouraging foreign investment. We still know little about the health impact of such industrial transformations, especially their role in the postsocialist mortality crisis. Methods Utilising a novel dataset constructed over two years covering 52 towns, 550 companies and 42,800 subjects, using multilevel survival modelling I test how deindustrialisation and foreign investment affect mortality in medium-sized towns in Hungary. I group towns into severely, and moderately deindustrialised (1989-1995), and into state ownership, domestic private and foreign ownership dominated categories (1995-2004). A retrospective cohort study in these towns collected data on vital status of respondents. I use multiple robustness checks and sensitivity analyses to reduce selection bias and endogeneity. Findings Deindustrialisation is associated with significantly higher odds of mortality for men between 1989 and 1995 (OR = 1. 16; p < 0.01). Foreign investment was not associated with mortality in any of the models for the 1989-1995 period. Between 1995 and 2004, women living in towns dominated by state ownership had a significantly lower risk of mortality compared to those living in towns dominated by foreign investment (OR = 0.79; p < 0.05) or domestic private ownership (OR = 0.74; p < 0.01). Foreign investment was associated with higher income growth in both periods; however, this was not associated with better health results. Conclusions Severe deindustrialisation was a crucial factor behind the post-socialist mortality crisis for men. The indirect economic benefits of foreign investment do not translate automatically into better health; in fact, women living in towns dominated by foreign investors appear to have a higher risk of dying. Foreign investment might promote economic growth but in itself cannot mitigate the health impact of severe deindustrialisation. Key messages Deindustrialisation is a significant contextual health risk factor. Spontaneous market processes, such as foreign investment, do not automatically reduce the detrimental health effect of plant closures.

Contribution of Human Reliability in Power Probabilistic Safety Assessment Models Versus Shutdown Models

Abstract Human reliability analysis is a method, which evaluates the human error probabilities of human failure events, which may arise when human actions are required in operation of the considered facility or system. The objective of the work is to show the contribution of human failure events in probabilistic safety assessment with focus on comparison of this contribution over the different plant operating states. The method integrates the diagnosis and action part, which are evaluated for all steps, which are needed for modeling of the human action under investigation considering the parameters, which impact the human failure probability and which are obtained from database. The results show that the risk contribution of human failure events is notably higher in low power and shutdown states than in full power operation. The results show that the human factor in shutdown plant states is the most important risk contributor regarding the contribution to the core damage frequency and regarding the risk reduction worth and risk achievement worth. Only at some plant operating states, some other groups of equipment show larger risk achievement worth than group of human failure events.

Application of Pinch Analysis to Opportunistic Maintenance Management

The opportunistic maintenance (OM) approach allows exploiting the stoppage for performing additional maintenance actions alongside those planned, to save cost and time. This study aims to propose a graphical approach to identify the optimal maintenance grouping strategies in an operating process. The failure of a specific component is predicted by using the statistically-derived probability distribution function that reflects its time-variant failure behaviours. The periodic maintenance schedule is first derived, and the system failure likelihood is predicted within each time interval. The failure of one of the component creates an opportunity to reschedule maintenance activities, which can be carried out while replacing the failed components. The expected cost to mitigate the failures (‘Sinks’) can be reduced by the expected maintenance reschedule cost savings (‘Sources’) based on the derived schedule previously. In this work, Pinch Analysis is used as a targeting tool to determine the maximum cost savings and expected cost required to handle unexpected plant shutdown. The methodology is presented and demonstrated with a case study, featuring the component replacement for a hydrogen compressor in an oil refinery. The results show that about 35 % of the expected failure cost would need to be invested for opportunistic maintenance at the earlier time, minimising the risk of failure, while the remaining 65 % can be saved. The extra savings at the end of the period also suggest the maintenance grouping can be further reduced. The limitations and potential future development of the framework are discussed as well.

An autoethnographic account of urban restructuring and neighborhood change in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley

Suburbs have long been glossed over by critical urbanists for being culturally, even if not spatially, less than urban. In Los Angeles, it is the San Fernando Valley that has received such treatment as scholars have tended toward the metropolitan basin. In this article, I aim to help re-center the San Fernando Valley as a complex and conflictual cultural landscape through an autoethnographic exploration of four moments of urban restructuring in the Panorama City neighborhood. I provide a personal account of how a succession of events – the 1992 LA Riot, 1993 General Motors Plant closure, 1994 Northridge earthquake, and 1996 dismantling of the Aid for Families with Dependent Children welfare program – led to the disruption and partial destruction of a neighborhood. I situate these moments of crisis within the context of a civil gang injunction and outbreak of abject violence during this time period, which further destabilized the neighborhood and informed my own decision to pick up a gun.

The Vulnerability of the Power Sector to Climate Variability and Change: Evidence from Indonesia

The power sector is a key target for reducing CO2 emissions. However, little attention has been paid to the sector’s vulnerability to climate change. This paper investigates the impacts of severe weather events and changes in climate variables on the power sector in developing countries, focusing on Indonesia as a country with growing electricity infrastructure, yet being vulnerable to natural hazards. We obtain empirical evidence concerning weather and climate impacts through interviews and focus group discussions with electric utilities along the electricity supply chain. These data are supplemented with reviews of utilities’ reports and published energy sector information. Our results indicate that severe weather events often cause disruptions in electricity supply—in the worst cases, even power outages. Weather-related power outages mainly occur due to failures in distribution networks. While severe weather events infrequently cause shutdowns of power plants, their impact magnitude is significant if it does occur. Meanwhile, transmission networks are susceptible to lightning strikes, which are the leading cause of the networks’ weather-related failures. We also present estimates of financial losses suffered by utilities due to weather-related power disruptions and highlights their adaptation responses to those disruptions.

Geographical political economy of nuclear power plant closures

Nuclear power had its heyday in the 1970s in the United States, and many of the nuclear power plants constructed during that period are now facing the end of their design life. Consequently, nuclear power plant closures and unsitings are emerging as highly contentious public issues. In an effort to provide a more nuanced account of nuclear power plant closures, we adopt theoretical vantage points from the geographical political economy literature. Our analysis focuses on the articulation and characterization of socio-spatial “moments” of closure processes rather than enumerating underlying “factors” in order to better explain variegated plant closure outcomes. For empirical analysis, we examine two contrasting cases of recent conflict over nuclear power plant closure in the northeastern United States, involving the Vermont Yankee and FitzPatrick plants. These closure episodes show marked differences in region-level activism. Yet the presence of these movements alone is insufficient in accounting for particular outcomes (the when and how) of the plant closure controversies. Our analysis highlights the agency of key state actors and their selective deployment of various global and local themes, such as nuclear disaster in Fukushima, global climate change, corporate accountability, and regional economic conditions, to define and promote their goals. Our study also demonstrates how the moments of closure decisions can be opened up by viewing the closure controversies from the owner company side, pointing to the usefulness of not only comparative, but also of connective accounts that highlight spatio-temporal links between closure processes.

Severe slug mitigation in an S-shape pipeline-riser system by an injectable venturi

Severe slugging is a cyclic flow regime that causes pressure, flow and temperature oscillations which leads to an intermittent delivery of liquid (oil and water) and gas to processing facilities during hydrocarbon extraction and transportation. These oscillations can cause separator flooding, production reduction, platform trips and plant shutdown. This paper presents a novel method for severe slug mitigation in a pipeline-riser system which use an injectable venturi coupled to the pipeline-riser system upstream of the topside test separator for severe slug mitigation. Injectable venturi is a venturi tube that has an opening at its throat and a pipe inclined at 45° is inserted into this opening. Gas is injected through the pipe counter to the flow coming from upstream of the injectable venturi to choke the working fluid passing through the throat of the injectable venturi. Flow regimes maps, stability maps, severe slug envelopes and Hopf bifurcation maps were generated and used to demonstrate the performance of the injectable venturi in mitigating severe slugging in a pipeline-riser system. A similar experiment was conducted with the injectable venturi with no gas injection and the plain riser (without the injectable venturi coupled). The results from the experiment show that with the injectable venturi coupled to the pipeline-riser system, severe slugging was mitigated, the severity of severe slugging was reduced, the operating region of severe slugging (severe slug envelop) was reduced and stability was achieved at a larger valve opening. Practically, these results imply that oil and gas production can proceed more smoothly, thus, enhancing flow assurance. The injectable venturi with gas injection gave a better performance than with no gas injection. Thus, the effectiveness of the injectable venturi is not due to the venturi itself, but due to gas injection at the throat of the venturi.