Pre-feasibility Study Research Articles

Developing the ‘Life Threads’ approach to support families after traumatic brain injury in UK community settings: protocol for a qualitative prefeasibility study

IntroductionTraumatic brain injury (TBI) brings about inevitable and significant changes for family members. Mental health effects for family members are well documented but there are significant gaps in support options...

On the industrial solar drying of tomatoes in Biskra : A preliminary study

The objective of this study is to carry out a pre-feasibility study of solar industrial drying as a preliminary step before investing in large-scale solar drying projects in Algeria. Our primary goal is to promote the use of industrial solar dryers and to incite public authorities and industrials to invest in this promising niche. This work aims to strengthen the contribution of renewable energies and particularly solar energy in the sustainable development of the agri-food sector. Indeed, using solar energy will reduce the energy consumption and decrease greenhouse gas emissions of drying process. The prefeasibility analysis is achieved using the RETScreen Suite. Our study aims to investigate energy consumption of an industrial solar dryer of tomatoes, located in the city of Biskra. Various parameters as solar collector type and drying air temperature were tested and discussed. The obtained results showed a reduction in energy consumption up to 35%. Likewise, the reduction of GHG emissions recorded very favorable rates. This study's findings provide a preliminary vision for investors in the agri-food sector to build their project so they may maximize their profit while supporting the environment by lowering carbon emissions.

Design Optimization of a Run-Of-River Small Hydropower Plant: A Case Study of Mabula Kapi Site

Prior to construction, small or large hydropower plants undergo feasibility studies, which involve technical, economic, financial, social, and environmental aspects. Technical studies, particularly, include various engineering disciplines. This study sought to conduct a component of technical feasibility studies, focused on design optimization of the turbine-plant capacity size for a run-of-river case study called Mabula Kapi, on Kaombe River, Serenje, Zambia. The study method used computational modelling, simulation, and optimization techniques, and used secondary data from previous site. A prefeasibility study conducted earlier had underestimated the turbine-plant capacity owing to underestimated discharge data, owing to lack of site gauging station. A less accurate discharge estimation method involving transposition from a gauged similar catchment had been used. A later feasibility-level site hydrological study found improved discharge data. Riding on the improved discharge data, this study found the following optimised plant design parameters based on plant design discharge of 6.20 m3/s: Installed capacity of 10.20 MW; Annual energy production of 42 GWh; Capacity factor of 47.1%; 3 x Pelton wheel of 272 rpm speed, 2.1 m diameter, 2-nozzles of diameter 0.16 m each, 21 buckets of 0.58m width each; and 3 x 4 MVA generators of 50Hz, 22-poles, and 11kV.

Exploring Cargo Potential of an Airport: Pre-Feasibility Study and Policy Recommendations for Hasan Polatkan Airport

Although air passenger transportation has grown steadily since liberalization movements, it has experienced a sharp decline with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, air cargo transportation has been relatively less affected by this crisis due to the increasing volume of e-commerce and the critical importance of supply chains. Air cargo positively affects the regional economy through the logistics and trade channels it provides. This study aims to investigate Eskişehir Hasan Polatkan Airport's cargo transportation potential and make its pre-feasibility as an air cargo hub. In this context, as a case study, interviews were conducted with stakeholders regarding the cargo potential of Hasan Polatkan Airport, and qualitative data were obtained. The authors qualitatively analyzed the data, and the findings were compiled under two headings: findings on demand and findings on technical/operational requirements. Considering these findings, alternative business models are discussed, and different policy recommendations are provided.

Sustainability of Water Supply Projects

Sustainability is one of the major issues for Water Supply and Sanitation activities/ projects. The project should have the measuring tools for the sustainable part. Water supply is one of the basic needs for human beings with all living things may come first air then water or soil in the universe to sustain. Sustainability indicators of water supply projects was determined by three major dimensions (i) technical, (ii) Socio-environmental, and (iii) Institutional [15]. Other aspects, functionality has divided with requirements, actions, and results. Sustainability is the combination of functionality index and sustainability dimensions on a fifty-fifty percent shearing base. The research has developed sustainability tools on the basis of available literatures and practical experiences. The tools have developed. The project study has to take consideration for the sustainability from the pre-feasibility study, feasibility, detail study.

Prefeasibility study on optimal site location for Power‐to‐X: An experiment for the Danish energy system

Denmark has set ambitious goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70 % by the year 2030, and in an effort to reach this, the Danish Energy Agency has proposed a Power-to-X strategy that involves an overall capacity target of 6 GW of electrolysis by 2030. The objective of the following study was to identify the optimal site location for siting an electrolyser for Power-to-X as a prefeasibility analysis. The results indicated that Jammerbugt was an ideal area, for an add on solution to an already existing wind turbine, with 1303 h of excess wind energy available for Power-to-X. A financial analysis showed that there was an NPV of - €126,032 after a 20-year period, which improves with a theoretical 20 % governmental subsidy to €16,662. Therefore, it was found that Power-to-X is still currently reliant on governmental support as a viable business case. The study's findings highlight the importance of this support for Power-to-X to be a viable business case, such as the decision to allocate 1.25 billion DKK for hydrogen production by 2030.

Rock engineering evaluation of existing and planned Salang Tunnels with high overburden through Hindukush Mountains, Afghanistan

The Kabul – Mazar Highway connects Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to northern provinces of the country, and further extends into Central Asian countries through the Hindukush mountains. The Salang Tunnel, which is 2600 m long, was designed by Soviet engineers in 1958 and constructed using conventional techniques in 1964. During its construction, the tunnel ranked the distinction of being the highest-altitude tunnel at 3400 m. The socioeconomic importance of the tunnel is exceptionally high, as the Hindukush Mountain range to the east and south of the country is crossed by it. Since 1964, there has been a significant increase in traffic volume. Due to the narrowness of the existing tunnel, the Ministry of Public Works (MOPW) of Afghanistan has planned the construction of new twin-tube tunnels. Although there have been rehabilitation and enlargement efforts for the existing tunnel, none of these renovation works have been proven effective, and challenges persist. In 2008, the MOPW initiated a pre-feasibility study for new tunnels, which was finalized in 2012, presenting various options. Subsequently, in early 2018, the MOPW commenced feasibility and detailed studies, leading to the proposal of new twin-tube tunnels, which are designated as the planned tunnels in this paper. In this study, the available geotechnical and environmental data are used to evaluate the rock engineering aspects of the tunnels, including an assessment of the in-situ stress state. A particular emphasis is placed on the reassessment and design of the support system for both the existing and planned tunnels according to RMQR and another system, respectively. The evaluation of the response and stability of the tunnels is concluded, and the implications are subsequently discussed.

A Methodology for Water Resource Management and the Planning of the Coastal Reservoir in Indonesia

Metropolitan areas in Indonesia, specifically Jabodetabek, are projected to continue experiencing population growth. This will result in increased water demand, which, if left unchecked, could lead to a water crisis. Additionally, the region faces persistent flooding issues. To mitigate these challenges, the Indonesian government proposes the creation of a coastal reservoir. However, a methodology for the pre-feasibility study of such reservoirs in Indonesia is currently lacking. This study addresses this gap by presenting a methodological framework encompassing hydrology and water allocation analyses as well as numerical modeling related to hydraulic and sedimentation aspects of coastal reservoirs. The methodology was designed to be adaptable based on data availability. Finally, this methodology was applied to a case study located at the Cisadane River estuary. The water allocation simulation showed that the reservoir can release an annual optimum discharge of 80.618 m3/s in wet years and 22.731 m3/s in dry years. Flood modeling demonstrated a modest impact on reducing early-hour floods, with a water level decrease of around 20–50 cm within 5 km of the reservoir. Furthermore, sediment modeling revealed varying sedimentation and erosion depths along the rivers, with approximately 62,300 m3/year settling in the reservoir.

Pre-feasibility Study of Landfill Biogas for Electricity in Colombia

A technical and financial pre-feasibility study of an energy from waste project in Colombia is presented. The current situation in Colombia, the technologies available, and the tools for the simulation are described. A case study based on transforming an existing landfill to allow the collection of the landfill gas to generate electricity for sale to the grid as well as to nearby industry is presented. Two special variations of the case study are also presented to demonstrate the effect of Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) incentives. Results demonstrate the importance of a sound FIT policy and the potential advantage of gaining CDM credits in the financial viability of the project. The project additionally may contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions.

Pre-feasibility study of a grid connected wind-PV hybrid system with energy storage and power prediction.

A simulation system using Matlab/ Simulink® for battery sizing in grid-connected renewable generation is compared with results from the optimization tool HOMER. The system is intended to reinforce remote weak distribution grids. The power injection of the hybrid generation system to the grid is defined by a power prediction method. The battery smoothes the power output and absorbs the prediction errors. As a reference, a wind – battery system is chosen. The impact of the integration of photovoltaic generation is studied. As an example for the meteorological conditions, wind data from the airport and solar irradiation mean values for Zaragoza are applied. Simulated renewable power ranges from 600 kW to 1.1 MW. The battery sizes obtained from the Matlab simulation differ substantially from HOMER results but show similarities. This is due to the difference in the battery models. Integration of solar generation can reduce battery size relative to total installed power and also reduce total cost of generated energy.

Assessment of water level fluctuation impacts along River Nile, Egypt

ABSTRACT This paper aims to develop a computational model to assess and evaluate the annual water level fluctuation (WLF) impacts and their trends along any open channel (river, canal or lake) and provide reliable information that may help handle their implications. The impacts are related to water recession, flood plain areas, uncovered river bars and islands, locations of navigation bottle necks, and dredging works. The model is developed using Excel Spreadsheet VBA Coding. It computes the horizontal and inclined recession distances that govern water in take construction. It also computes the uncovered flood plain areas along the river reach to avoid encroachments and human interventions. In addition, it identifies the number of bar sand islands that emerge at low water levels to protect them against infringements. It also determines the locations of navigation bottle necks and computes the dredge volumes required. It can handle long river reaches quickly. Moreover, it is open-accessed where no hard locks or license renewals are required. It is run on Microsoft Excel which is an available and familiar environment to engineers. Therefore, the model can be a quick and powerful tool to support the decision-making process for projects related to such impacts, especially at the prefeasibility study stages. Reach '1' of River Nile in Egypt was taken as a case study to apply the model and show its capabilities in assessing the WLF impacts. This could help compute and analyze the size of the impacts and conceive their trends. Finally, the model could provide information about the impacts in concrete figures which can support decision making in coping properly with the impacts.

A comparative study of thermophysical properties between choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents and imidazolium-based ionic liquids

In respond to the queries of deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a better analogue over ionic liquid (IL), this research aims in contributing a comparative study on the thermophysical properties of choline chloride-based DESs and imidazolium-based ILs to provide a general understanding on the similarities and differences of their properties. The thermal conductivity, viscosity and ionic conductivity of choline chloride-based DESs with glycerol (Gly) and ethylene glycol (EG) as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) are characterized and compared with those of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EmimCl) and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (HmimCl). It is observed that the thermal conductivity of DESs increases with salt: HBD molar ratio while that of ILs increases with alkyl chain length. Meanwhile, the viscosity of DESs is depending on the nature of HBD. DESs with glycerol as HBD show an incremental trend in viscosity with increasing molar ratio, while DESs with ethylene glycol as HBD depict an opposite trend. For ILs, longer alkyl chain length results in greater viscosity. The ionic conductivity of both DESs and ILs increase as their viscosity decrease. The effect of temperature is insignificant on the thermal conductivity of DESs and ILs. The viscosity of both DESs and ILs is reduced while their ionic conductivity is enhanced with increase of temperatures. When aqueous form of DESs and ILs is considered, water has greatly enhanced the thermal conductivity and ionic conductivity of DESs and ILs. However, the viscosity of DESs and ILs is drastically reduced with the presence of water content. In general, the thermophysical properties of both DESs and ILs are comparable, including in their aqueous forms. A prefeasibility study is conducted to further evaluate the potential and practicality of DESs and ILs in comparison with the conventional lubricant and battery electrolyte.

Older people's perceptions and experiences of older people with the Sit-to-stand activity: An ethnographic pre-feasibility study.

the purpose of this pre-feasibility study was to examine perceptions and experiences of a Sit-to-stand activity with urban Brazilian community-dwelling older people in their homes. the exploration method was focused ethnography. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 older people. Five means of data generation were used, namely: socio-demographic surveys, participant observations, informal interviews, formal semi-structured interviews, and field notes. Data analysis was qualitative content analysis. the experience of mobility-challenged older people with the Sit-to-stand activity was dependent on their mobility expectations involving many factors that worked together to influence their beliefs and attitudes towards the activity, preferences, behaviors, and cultural perceptions. The participants of this study seemed to find the activity enjoyable; however, the most noticeable shortcomings for their engagement in the Sit-to-stand activity emerged as gaps in their personal and intrapersonal needs. the recommendations generated from the study findings call for the design of implementation strategies for the Sit-to-stand intervention that are tailored to this particular population's needs.

Older people’s perceptions and experiences of older people with the Sit-to-stand activity: An ethnographic pre-feasibility study

Resumo Objetivo: o objetivo deste estudo de pré-viabilidade foi examinar percepções e experiências da atividade de Sit-to-stand com idosos brasileiros residentes em suas casas, no meio urbano. Método: o método exploratório foi etnografia focada. Foi utilizada a amostragem intencional para recrutar 20 idosos. Foram utilizados cinco meios de geração de dados: inquéritos sociodemográficos, observações participantes, entrevistas informais, entrevistas formais semiestruturadas e notas de campo. Os dados foram analisados mediante análise de conteúdo qualitativo. Resultados: a experiência dos idosos com problemas de mobilidade na realização da atividade Sit-to-stand dependia de suas expectativas de mobilidade envolvendo muitos fatores coordenados que, de forma conjunta, influenciaram suas crenças e atitudes em relação à atividade, suas preferências, seus comportamentos e percepções culturais. Os participantes deste estudo pareciam considerar a atividade aprazível; no entanto, as deficiências mais perceptíveis para o engajamento dos participantes na atividade Sit-to-stand surgiram de falhas em suas necessidades pessoais e intrapessoais. Conclusão: as recomendações geradas a partir dos achados do estudo convocam a concepção de estratégias de implementação da intervenção Sit-to-stand adaptadas às necessidades dessa população em particular.

Older people’s perceptions and experiences of older people with the Sit-to-stand activity: An ethnographic pre-feasibility study

Resumen Objetivo: el propósito de este estudio de viabilidad previa fue examinar percepciones y experiencias con respecto a la actividad Sit-to-stand entre los adultos mayores de Brasil que viven en sus hogares en comunidades urbanas. Método: el método de exploración se enfocó en la etnografía. Se utilizó muestreo intencional para reclutar 20 adultos mayores. Se emplearon cinco medios para generar datos, a saber: encuestas sociodemográficas, observaciones participantes, entrevistas informales, entrevistas formales semiestructuradas y notas de campo. Para el análisis de los datos se recurrió a análisis de contenido cualitativo. Resultados: la experiencia de los adultos mayores con problemas de movilidad en relación con la actividad Sit-to-stand dependió de sus expectativas en torno a la movilidad, las cuales implicaron muchos factores que actuaron en conjunto para influenciar sus creencias y actitudes con respecto a la actividad, al igual que preferencias, conductas y percepciones culturales. Aparentemente, a los participantes de este estudio la actividad les resultó amena; sin embargo, los inconvenientes más notorios para adoptar la actividad Sit-to-stand surgió en la forma de déficits en sus necesidades personales e intrapersonales. Conclusión: las recomendaciones resultantes de los hallazgos del estudio indican la necesidad de diseñar estrategias de implementación para la intervención Sit-to-stand a la medida de las necesidades de este grupo poblacional específico.

The Potential of Deep Geothermal Energy in Tyrol—Based on a Pre-feasibility Study

The economic use of deep geothermal energy is fundamentally controlled by the factors of rock permeability, temperature gradient, and depth. The carbonates of the Northern Limestone Alps are considered possible hydrothermal deep aquifers in Tyrol. This is the so-called main dolomite and Wetterstein limestone. For an initial assessment of the geothermal potential, information from the deep Kramsach Th1 borehole was used. With a temperature gradient of approx. 1.8 °C/100 m, which could be derived from the Kramsach Th1 borehole, temperatures of 65 °C at depths of approx. 3000 m and 100 °C at a depth of 5000 m occur in the Inn Valley expect. In addition, it is noted that further in the northwest of the Limestone Alps, at the deep boreholes Vorderriß 1 and Hindelang 1, higher temperature gradients of 2.2 °C/100 m and 2.6 °C/100 m were observed, respectively. Successful thermal water development at these depths requires that hydraulically well-permeable rocks are present. To clarify this question, extensive investigations of the reservoir rocks through exploration drilling are still required. Deep geothermal energy can lead to associated seismicity. In order to quickly detect associated seismicity and to be able to react in a timely manner, seismic monitoring is required during drilling activities and during operation of the systems, whereby the accompanying seismic monitoring must be able to distinguish between natural and induced seismicity.

Evaluation of non-destructive tools for preliminary environmental risk assessment during mining exploration

Environmental assessment is generally performed when a mining project is at an advanced development stage, such as the prefeasibility study. It involves several laboratory tests such as detailed characterisation and geochemical mobility prediction tests, which require many samples considered representative of the deposit. Having early characterisation information could be useful to select the most relevant samples for the overall environmental assessment. The present study proposes a selection of non destructive and portable tools for improving the early environmental assessment of a mineral deposit. Three tools (x-ray fluorescence (XRF), mineral spectrometer, carbonate staining) were identified to form a preliminary environmental assessment methodology that can be performed directly on the exploration site. This methodology was applied to two different mining projects: i) a well developed mine, LaRonde zone 5, with available geochemical data in a volcanic-associated massive sulfide (VMS) context, and ii) an exploration project, O’Brien, with ongoing geochemical acquisition in an Au-quartz vein context. Both mine sites are in the south of the Blake River Group within the Abitibi greenstone belt, Quebec, Canada. The first site was used to validate the developed methodology, whereas the second acted as a test site to apply the methodology as a preliminary environmental assessment. The results on the first site confirmed that the selected tools provide geochemical and mineralogical data sets comparable to those of traditional testing methods. The developed methodology then enabled the classification of preliminary geo-environmental domains for the second site. Standard static and kinetic tests were performed on the second site samples to confront the preliminary assessment protocol. The proposed preliminary protocol made it possible to discriminate low-risk samples versus those with a potentially higher risk for the selection of subsequent environmental assessments.

Pre-Feasibility Study for the Construction of a Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant with Energy Storage System Based on Lithium-Ion Batteries in Sub-Saharan Africa: Case of a 30 MWp Power Plant in Dapaong in Northern Togo

Pre-Feasibility Study for the Construction of a Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant with Energy Storage System Based on Lithium-Ion Batteries in Sub-Saharan Africa: Case of a 30 MWp Power Plant in Dapaong in Northern Togo

Generation of renewable hydrogen from sewage sludge — Quantitative and energy-based technology evaluation

The paper presents a critical analysis of a commercial pre-feasibility study for hydrogen generation from sewage sludge generated in a wastewater treatment plant sized Population Equivalent (PE) = 160,000 Three commercial offers based on hydrothermal carbonization, gasification/plasma gasification and gas separation, are analysed and validated in terms of chemical reactions and energy balance. The obtained hydrogen yield equals 10 kg H2/Mg sludge for Technology#2 and 5.5 kg H2/Mg sludge for Technology#3, while the process efficiency equals 31.4% and 41.2%, respectively. The offer for Technology#1 is inconsistent. The potential market can be built in the transport sector, based on buses (8–12/day) or locomotives (1–2/day) and complemented by passenger cars (16–22/day). Hydrogen surplus can be disposed into the natural gas network at a city gate station, with target concentration <2%. Alternatively, it is possible to install a fuel cell unit for on-site electricity generation of 1780 MWh/a sold to the public grid.

Techno-economic assessment of wind power generation feasibility in Sabang

Utilization of renewable energy in Aceh is still limited mainly to small-scale electricity through micro-hydro and solar power plants, accounting for less than 1% of the energy composition. Sabang stands out as a region with significant wind energy potential, boasting a speed of 8 m/s and an average power density of 537 W/m2 for the windiest 10% of the region. Therefore, to explore the viability of harnessing wind energy, a pre-feasibility study is needed. This study aimed to assess the techno-economic feasibility of constructing a wind power plant for electricity generation in Sabang by evaluating the region's wind energy. The statistical method of the Weibull Distribution probability density function was employed to evaluate Wind Power Density (WPD), Wind Turbine Capacity Factor, and Energy Output. Additionally, economic feasibility analysis involved calculating Net Present Value (NPV), Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Discounted Payback Period (DPP), and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). The results showed that Sabang exhibited favorable[UMN1] wind characteristics with a shape parameter (k) of 1.6, average wind speed (Vm) of 7.9 m/s, and scale parameter (c) of 9 m/s. These features classified Sabang as wind power class 6 with a WPD of 735 watts/m2 at a height of 50 m, and the results were categorized as excellent. The study concluded that constructing a wind power plant in Sabang using the Enercon E-70 turbine at a hub height of 100m was technically feasible. The shape parameter (k) was 1.6, the average wind speed (Vm) was 9.3 m/s, scale parameter (c) was 11 m, and the WPD reached 1213 W/m2, leading to a turbine capacity factor of 0.53 and an annual energy production (AEP) of 64,876,560 kW. The economic analysis yielded promising results for wind power projects. The DPP value was estimated at 5.6 years, the BCR at 1.96, the NPV amounted to USD 14,434,994, the IRR reached 17.9%, and the LCOE was assessed at USD 32.50/MWh. Considering all these economic indicators, it was evident that constructing a wind power plant in Sabang was highly feasible and financially viable