Unauthorized Connections Research Articles

On the issue of reliability of power transmission (on the example of the branch of PJSC Rosseti Volga – Penzaenergo)

The article is a continuation of a series of publications focusing on the analytical assessment of specifics of power transmission in various structural divisions of PJSC Rosseti and is dedicated to the consideration of specific features of electric energy transport in the PJSC Rosseti Volga – Penzaenergo branch electric networks over the period of 2018 – 2023. The characteristic of the structural and balance state of the company's electrical networks for the period under study is presented. Based on the data published in the open press, the analysis of the number of emergency shutdowns and their consequences in electric networks of all levels of rated voltage was carried out. In accordance with the accepted classification, the intensity of these outages was analyzed depending on the amount of electrical energy undersupplied to consumers. The percentage ratio of the value of electrical energy not delivered as a result of emergency shutdowns is analyzed according to the accepted criteria of the intensity level of these failures. It was found that the smallest number of failures of extreme intensity accounts for more than 25% of undelivered electrical energy. The percentage ratio of the amount of electricity not delivered as a result of emergency outages is compared with losses of electricity as a result of unauthorized connections. Specific groups of causes of emergency shutdowns have been identified and the percentage ratio of the number of failures due to these causes to the total number of failures during the period under study has been determined. General scientific methods and methods of numerical analysis were used in the study. The technologies of Excel, Paint 3D software shells, MATLAB graphics editor, as well as author's software solutions were used as a tool base. The results obtained may be of interest to the management of the power grid structures of the Russian Federation, as well as to engineers and researchers engaged in research in the field of improving the reliability of power supply to consumers.

A comprehensive review of artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in energy consumption and production

The energy industry worldwide is today confronted with several challenges, including heightened levels of consumption and inefficiency, volatile patterns in demand and supply, and a dearth of crucial data necessary for effective management. Developing countries face significant challenges due to the widespread occurrence of unauthorized connections to the electricity grid, resulting in substantial amounts of unmeasured and unpaid energy consumption. Nevertheless, the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies has the potential to improve energy management, efficiency, and sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the potential influence of AI and ML technologies on the progress of the energy industry. The present study employed the systematic literature review methodology to examine the challenges arising from frequent power outages and limited energy accessibility in various developing nations. The results of this study indicate that AI and ML possess significant potential in various domains, including predictive maintenance of turbines, optimization of energy consumption, management of power grids, prediction of energy prices, and assessment of energy demand and efficiency in residential buildings. This study concluded with a discussion of the necessary measures to enable developing nations to harness the advantages of AI and ML in the energy sector.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS OF THE RAINWATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM OF MYKOLAIV

The article is devoted to the study of the chemical composition and quantitative volume of pollutants entering the Bug Estuary with the rainwater sewage of Mykolaiv. It is known that sewage from industrial and municipal enterprises poses a threat of a significant additional burden on limited regional water resources. First and foremost, uncontrolled stormwater runoff is a major concern. In Mykolaiv, there are 49 registered stormwater drains, of which 19 are directly discharged into open water bodies. The purpose of the study was to investigate the chemical composition and volume of urban stormwater runoff into the Bug Estuary. The study was based on the results of chemical analyses of water samples from four storm sewers in Mykolaiv, performed in 2022. The materials of chemical analyses of water samples from five storm sewers of Mykolaiv in 1997 were also included. It was proved that phosphates, oil products, and nitrite nitrogen are present in the stormwater runoff from Mykolaiv to the Bug Estuary. The multiplicity of exceedances of the maximum permissible concentrations is: for biological oxygen consumption - 14-37 times; nitrite - 10-39 times; chemical oxygen consumption - 7-18 times. It has been shown that lead, nickel, iron, copper, chromium, and zinc are released into the Bug estuary with rainwater runoff. Excessive pollution of rainwater with suspended solids is associated with contamination of territories with dust, soil, clay, etc. Excessive pollution with oil products and heavy metals is associated with the operation of motor vehicles and industrial enterprises. It has been shown that unauthorized connections of domestic and industrial sewage systems are mostly responsible for some of the substances that pollute stormwater (phosphates, nitrates). Prospects for further research are the study of the sorption capacity of bottom sediments for the retention of pollutants and the assessment of the ecological capacity of the bottom sediments of the Bug estuary..

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Energy Consumption and Production in Emerging Markets: A Review

An increase in consumption and inefficiency, fluctuating trends in demand and supply, and a lack of critical analytics for successful management are just some of the problems that the energy business throughout the world is currently facing. This study set out to assess the potential contributions that AI and ML technologies could make to the expansion of energy production in developing countries, where these issues are more pronounced because of the prevalence of numerous unauthorized connections to the electricity grid, where a large amount of energy is not being measured or paid for. This study primarily aims to address issues that arise due to frequent power outages and widespread lack of access to energy in a wide range of developing countries. Findings suggest that AI and ML have the potential to make major contributions to the fields of predictive turbine maintenance, energy consumption optimization, grid management, energy price prediction, and residential building energy demand and efficiency assessment. A discussion of what has to be done so that developing nations may reap the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the energy sector concluded the paper.

Study on computerized measurement-control system for determining the condition of electrical network insulation and permitted connections for electrical energy consumption

In this article electrical distribution in order to ensure the reliability and safe operation of networks, information is provided about the computerized measurement control system that allows determining the state of their insulation. In the article, the functional scheme of the computerized measurement and control system, which allows to determine the state of electrical network insulation and unauthorized connections to electricity, the structural diagram of the connection of the computerized measurement and control device to the electrical network, the structural diagram of the program developed for calculating the electrical network sizes, and the development of mathematical models developed.

Follow-Up Model to Evaluate Failure Factors of Single-Phase Distribution Transformers in High Environmental Pollution Zones

Single-phase distribution transformers are commonly installed in outdoor distribution networks to supply electricity to final users. Utilities are used to receive abnormal operating reports related to typical failures that negatively affect the reliability and security indicators. Therefore, a follow-up model is proposed in this paper to evaluate the failure factors of distribution transformers installed in high environmental pollution zones. The results show that the main factors that cause failures are overload, overvoltage, overcurrent, moisture, hot spots, manufacturing process, and lack of technical knowledge. Furthermore, all those factors are presented in a typical case using time-lines diagrams to characterize the main failures. Finally, hot spots, overloads, and unauthorized connections are the most critical failure factors identified in the research. According to the statistical analysis, those failures could occur 16 days after installing the transformer. The follow-up model presented in this research can characterize the main failures presented in outdoor distribution transformers.

Feature Selection Method based on Chaotic Salp Swarm Algorithm and Extreme Learning Machine for Network Intrusion Detection Systems

Network Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) have been widely used to monitor and manage network connections and prevent unauthorized connections. Machine learning models have been utilized to classify the connections into normal connections or attack connections based on the users' behavior. One of the most common issues facing the IDSs is the detection system's low classification accuracy and high dimensionality in the feature selection process. However, the feature selection methods are usually used to decrease the datasets' redundancy and enhance the classification performance. In this paper, a Chaotic Salp Swarm Algorithm (CSSA) was integrated with the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) classifier to select the most relevant subset of features and decrease the dimensionality of a dataset. Each Salp in the population was represented in a binary form, where 1 represented a selected feature, while 0 represented a removed feature. The proposed feature selection algorithm was evaluated based on NSL-KDD dataset, which consists of 41 features. The results were compared with others and have shown that the proposed algorithm succeeded in achieving classification accuracy up to 97.814% and minimized the number of selected features.

Reduction in Non-Revenue Water in Water Distribution System

Water is the world’s most critical natural resource. Rapid population growth and economic development have led to higher demand for water worldwide whereas on the supply side, natural sources of water have become less reliable. This demand-supply imbalance in the water sector calls for more innovative water management practices and suitable technologies. Utilities cannot afford the water loss because of poor operation and maintenance of water distribution infrastructure facilities. The terms theft, smuggling and leakages are most common sources of generation of Non- revenue water (NRW). Newspaper articles around the world, particularly in countries experiencing intense drought and water shortages, are highlighting water theft as a growing problem. Analysis of various city development plans in India shows that water leakages, theft and unauthorized water connections gives rise to a high level of unaccounted water. A recent study on Water Governance (2013) reveals that unaccounted water in Delhi amounts to around 50% of the total water pumped into the system, whereas it is 35-40% in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The World Bank in its report, ‘The Challenge of Reducing Non-Revenue Water in Developing Countries’, reveals that 48 million cubic meters of drinkable water escape daily from official supply networks, which is enough to provide water for 200 million people. The same report on India had clearly highlighted that 40-60% of water in Mumbai is lost through illegal diversion. In This paper we have made an attempt to analyze the current methods, their drawbacks and we have provided solution in the form of software-based approach (using Bentley Watergems) which is more relevant as compared to the current field method.

Detection and interpretation of erroneous data in statistical analysis of consumption of energy resources

Monitoring and analysis of consumption of energy resources in various contexts, as well as measuring of parameters (indicators) in time are of utmost importance for the modern economy. This work is dedicated to examination and interpretation of the anomalies of collecting data on consumption of energy resources (on the example of gas consumption) in the municipal formation. Gas consumption is important for the socioeconomic sphere of cities. Unauthorized connections are the key reason for non-technological waste of the resource. The traditional methods of detection of stealing of gas are ineffective and time-consuming. The modern technologies of data analysis would allow detecting and interpreting the anomalies of consumption, as well as forming the lists for checking the objects for unauthorized connections. The author’s special contribution lies in application of the set of statistical methods aimed at processing and identification of anomalies in energy consumption of a municipal formation. It is worth noting that the use of such technologies requires the development of effective algorithms and implementation of automation and machine learning algorithms. The new perspective upon time-series data facilitates identification of anomalies, optimization of decision-making, etc. These processes can be automated. The presented methodology tested on time-series data that describes the consumption of gas can be used for a broader range of tasks. The research can be combined with the methods of knowledge discovery and deep learning algorithms.

Аналитический расчет узловых нагрузок распределительной электрической сети

A method for calculating nodal loads with the known supply bus voltage the circuit head section current is developed. The electric network model is represented by the main section, in which the parameters of power transmission lines are known, and means for altering the circuit state are available. The state of the circuit can be altered by changing the supply bus voltage through adjusting the substation power transformer’s OLTC, by changing the parameters of power lines equipped with FACTS devices, or by a combination of both. The nodal voltages at the load nodes will be different in different states, with the power flows remaining unchanged. The advantage of the approach and its theoretical significance lie in the fact that all necessary relationships have been obtained analytically, and that the complex nonlinear problem has correctly been reduced to a set of linear operations. determined. The proposed approach can be used in locating unauthorized connections to the network.

СТРУКТУРНА ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЯ ЯК СКЛАДОВА ЧАСТИНА СТРАТЕГІЧНОГО МЕНЕДЖМЕНТУ СЕКТОРУ РОЗПОДІЛУ ПРИРОДНОГО ГАЗУ УКРАЇНИ

2020 showed that the gas distribution sector of the Ukrainian economy, which is represented by joint-stock companies – operators of the gas transmission system, which are mainly under external management consulting, is in crisis. According to the authors, the requirements of companies operating in this market regarding the need to increase tariffs at present are unfounded. Due to the structural transformation proposed in the article as a component of strategic management of the natural gas distribution sector of Ukraine, it becomes possible: break-even operation in the market of natural gas distribution services; release of funds for refinancing the modernization of distribution networks, reduction of losses, purchase of gas meters to replace those that have not passed the timely metrological verification, reducing the number of emergencies and more; increasing the value of existing business, increasing the attractiveness for attracting foreign investors, favorable loans; transition to optimization of gas networks (reconstructions for the purpose of departure from large diameters to optimum that reduces system capacities to actually necessary values); reconstruction of market boundaries and going beyond the existing demand for capital construction services, connection of households, reconstruction of facilities, replacement of meters, performance of emergency works (replacement of gas pipelines, valves), etc. The result of merging companies (subject to qualitative transformation) can also be a reduction in taxes or tax benefits. Derivation of economic security and laboratories for maintenance and repair of domestic and industrial gas meters will minimize corruption in the areas of: detection of unauthorized connections, interference in the operation of meters, issuance of technical specifications, design, and acceptance of facilities, verification and examination of meters, procurement materials and more. The implementation of the above measures will allow not only to preserve all major business processes and move companies to the operators of the gas transmission system to a qualitatively new level, but also to prevent further increases in tariffs for natural gas distribution services.

Prioritization of non-revenue water reduction scenarios using a risk-based group decision-making approach

This study investigates the effectiveness of the reduction policies of the apparent and real losses of non-revenue water. For this purpose, using technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) model, a decision matrix is proposed, involving apparent and real losses risk reduction values induced by the implementation of each non-revenue water reduction policy. First, decision criteria, including technical, economic, and social criteria, were selected and introduced. Then, the technical criterion was calculated using a fuzzy Bayesian model. In the following, using group decision-making and analytic hierarchy process method, the criteria were weighted. In the next step, the bests of decision criteria were determined by the TOPSIS method. This method was applied in the water distribution network of district 4 of Tehran, Iran. The results indicated that the most basic non-revenue water reduction policy by risk-based group decision-making is to identify unauthorized connections in the apparent water loss sector and increase the speed and quality of maintenance and repairs in the real water loss sector.

A Death in a Tea Estate as a Result of Illicit Power Trapping

Electrocution results when a human is exposed to a lethal amount of electrical energy. Electrocution is the cause of death for approximately 1000 people in the United States every year. In Sri Lanka common causes for injuries due to electrocution include use of defective electrical appliances, faulty wiring, failure to take safety precautions and installations of unauthorized connections from high tension lines. In this case the diseased was a 48 year-old farmer from a rural area in Galle district. On this particular day, the diseased left home around 9.00 p.m. to go to his paddy field and did not return. The next morning, he was found lying unresponsive on a tea estate near his paddy field. At the post-mortem examination, multiple 2nd degree burns were found on the front aspect of the right upper thigh, back of the middle third of the right forearm, front of the upper third of the left leg and between the base of right thumb and index finger. Ruptured blister was present on the back aspect of the thumb over the metarcarpo-phalangeal joint. Musculo-skeletal dissection revealed charred subcutaneous tissues and superficial layers of the muscles underline the above-mentioned injuries. No deep contusions or fractures were seen. The cause of death was electrocution. This was an unfortunate case of accidental electrocution of a farmer due to application of an unauthorized power line to trap wild animals. The most likely mechanism of death was ventricular fibrillation. A detailed history regarding the incident, scene visit and proper postmortem examination with the histological and toxicological analysis are recommended prior to concluding the cause of death as electrocution.

Breaches of Energy Consumption Law

Artificial electric lighting in buildings is an important element of any electrical system. The ample use of artificial electric lighting in modern society is indisputable. Apart from its main purpose, if legally designed and installed, electrical lighting promotes the stable work and development of a country’s power engineering. Effective use of energy resources and the capacities of power engineering are keys for the sustainability of economic growth. An increased demand in energy resources has provoked uncontrolled energy consumption and violations in fuel extraction as well as in fuel or electricity use. In the article, the authors try to give an analysis of such violations, which in its turn allows disclosing a few legal loopholes in this economic sector. The owner of energy resources suffers great damages from unauthorized connections to electrical and gas networks. Perpetrators of electrical and thermal energy consumption regulations are subject to civil, criminal, and administrative law. Nevertheless, the authors’ analysis of cases in the courts shows that a great number of them are seldom inquired into, and most perpetrators are very rarely held liable. The aim of the article is to analyze the national legislation to withstand the illegitimate energy resources consumption, to bring to light the issues in this economic sector and to suggest some ways of their solution.

Monitoring of Optical Fibrous Networks

Abstract The paper proposes control systems for monitoring fiber-optic networks and analyzes the principles of the remote monitoring of fiber-optic networks. The most important function of the proposed monitoring system is that it constantly analyzes the results of testing fiber-optic networks and detects and predicts problems with an optical fiber with different wavelengths and when a problem is detected and unauthorized connections to optical channels are automatically switched to another channel. For this purpose, the functionality of the monitoring device has been expanded and the algorithm of operation for optical networks with different wavelengths, which will be used in trunk, passive optical networks, is described. Thus, the system is under constant automatic control and the accuracy of the system is based on the results of comparing the current reflector parameters with the initial values.

Effects of Water Pipe Leaks on Water Quality and on Non-Revenue Water: Case of Arusha Municipality

Utilities can no longer tolerate inefficiencies in water distribution systems and the resulting loss of revenue associated with underground water system leakage. Increases in pumping, treatment and operational costs make these losses prohibitive. Chronic water losses have been the hallmark of Tanzania especially AUWSA water management over the decades. The aim of this research was to assess effects of water pipe leaks on water quality and on non revenue water. Out of 140 respondents it was found out that unauthorized connections (illegal and by pass) account to 24%, while 30% of respondents identified leakages from water system (transmission mains, distribution mains, utility’s reservoirs, service connections); 16% due to stopped/malfunctions water meters (Bulk and customer water meters), whilst 14% respondents enumerated that is caused by other reasons like corruption and bribery among meter readers. The combination of both leakage and low pressure is a source of contamination of pipe water because it allows contaminants to siphon into the water system hence bacterial contamination (TC averaged to 67.5 CFU/100ml and FC averaged to 4.0 CFU/100ml while pH range from 6.5 – 7.7 ). Community awareness programmes about NRW to all consumers must be conducted to ensure that customer confidence in the utility‘s services is maintained. A key element in this is open communication like public should be able to easily contact the utility to report burst pipes, leakages, or other concerns.

Phase detection method embedded devices in telephone line

Interception of telephone communications and listening rooms equipped with telephones is the most likely threats to information security telecommunication subscribers. Although developed many methods and identify telephonebugs, but given the development of information technology, the search for new methods of detecting unauthorized connections to ATL. Design and investigate of linear bridge adapter for detecting unauthorized connectionsto telephone lines is described in this article. Ablock diagram of device for implementing the phase detection method of telephone bags is shown. A mathematical model of the linear adapter is developed and an efficiencyof its operations is analyzed. The synchronousdetection using for increasing of the device noise immunityis augmented.

Evaluating Subdivisions for Identifying Extraneous Flow in Separate Sanitary Sewer Systems

Separate sanitary sewer systems are designed to convey sewage waste from municipal areas to a central treatment facility; they are not designed to handle water associated with precipitation events. However, intercept of groundwater (infiltration) and of flows through manholes or unauthorized connections (inflows) introduces rainwater into the sanitary sewer system. Infiltration/Inflow (I/I) increases the costs associated with treatment and can create additional environmental problems. Identifying and quantifying the volume I/I can be complicated and costly. A simple quantitative method was developed to quantify the extent of I/I occurring in sewer sheds. The method uses measured sewer flows, water usage, precipitation values, and land cover data to calculate the volume of extraneous flows. To assess its utility, the method was used to compare two urban sewer sheds, Holiday Knolls and Eagle View. Both sewer sheds showed evidence of I/I in excess of 200 gallons per day per inch-mile of sewer pipe (gpd/in-mile). Holiday Knolls, the older subdivision had an average I/I of 1912 gpd/in-mile, while Eagle View had an average of 1143 gpd/in-mile. The devel- oped method provided simple means to calculate I/I and to identify sewer sheds in need of repair.

Sector fragmentation and aggregation of service provision in the water industry

This study analyzes the structure of the water industry in Peru. It investigates economies of scale and cost inefficiencies in 43 water providers during the years from 1996 to 2005. Different water sources in different geographical regions directly affect the production technology of the sector, making a regional cost frontier model appropriate. In 2005, 48.7% of the population of Peru lived in poverty, and 43.87% of the water produced was lost. These large proportions support the assumption that water producers allow water to be lost as a way to satisfy the water demands of the poorest segment of the population. Findings indicate a cost rise of 0.10% for each 1% increase of joint production of both outputs: water lost and produced. This result may be suggestive of a price the utility pays for allowing unauthorized connections in the network. From the perspective of the board of directors, this cost increase is the political cost of gaining municipal votes from the poorest segment of the population. Economies of scale are larger for utilities operating in the forest than in other regions. This has important implications for any future consolidation process that may be undertaken when the sector is opened to private participation.

Relating to Queer Theory: Rereading Sexual Self-Definition with Irigaray, Kristeva, Wittig and Cixous by Sarah Cooper (review)

MLR, 97.4, 2002 991 grew out of a graduate seminar taught forone term at the University of Toronto, is of extremely variable quality. Too many of the chapters have a limited, predictable, and even pedestrian quality to them, verging on the descriptive and over-schematic. This is not helped by some sloppy editing, including inconsistencies in the use of names, and occasionally some rambling and undigested passages. Moreover, for a collection entitled The Cinema ofJean Cocteau, much is lacking, in particular a proper sense of Cocteau as a vital and pioneering film theorist, as well as any engagement with his other less well-known but equally important experimental work such as the 1951 short, La Villa Santo-Sospir. The ultimate value of this volume will paradoxically be to force Cocteau scholars to take greater critical and creative risks. University of Kent at Canterbury James S. Williams Relating to Queer Theory: Rereading Sexual Self-Definition with Irigaray, Kristeva, Wittig and Cixous. By Sarah Cooper. Bern: Lang. 2000. 231pp. In an essay entitled 'Against Proper Objects', in a 1994 number of the journal differences ,Judith Butler, the doyenne of contemporary queer theory,expresses disquiet at the territorializing impulse that has led some queer theorists to distinguish theories of sexuality from theories of gender, and to claim the investigation of sexuality as their own particular province, offlimits to feminist analysts of gender. In short, she mounts a critique of separatist practices of scholarship that are, in essence, practices of exclusion. In Relating to Queer Theory, a text in which Butler's voice is accorded a primary place, Sarah Cooper pursues the counter-separatist stance Butler promotes, producing an intricate study that not only mobilizes relations between (French) feminism and queer theory, relations that are invoked in Against Proper Objects', by mapping these epistemological fields with and against each other, but also dissects a question left unexplored by Butler: that is, the question of who can perform queer readings of texts. This issue is the fulcrum of the first two chapters of Cooper's monograph. Here, she reflects compellingly on the issue of whether, in order to 'do' queer theoretical analysis, the reader must him/herself be queer-, lesbian-, or gayidentified , elaborating a theorization of reader relations to queer theory that the work of Butler and fellow queer theorists such as Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick neglects to furnish . Through a virtuoso engagement not only with queer theoretical discourse but also with discussions of ethical and identificatory dynamics proffered by Derrida, Deleuze, and Guattari, and others, she defends the contention that the act of reading queer theoretical texts is a transformative, constitutive act, engendering readers who, regardless of their sexual self-definition, accede to modes of queer identification. Her treatment of the (trans)formative potential of reading queer theory,and her concomitant vision of differentlyidentified queer readers, will undoubtedly reassure those of us who, in enacting queer theoretical exegesis from a straight-identifiedposition, are regularly assailed by doubts as to the ethics of our 'touristic' critical activities. In the remaining four chapters of her study Cooper herself 'does' queer theory,and reviews its relation to feminism, by reading the feminist work of Irigaray, Kristeva, Wittig, and Cixous in a manner informed not only by her own responses to the queer gestures and/or resistances enacted by the writings of these four French feminists,but likewise by the queer theoretical commentaries those writings have elicited, commentaries with which Cooper dialogues proficiently and productively. The encounters Cooper stages between selected texts by the feminists she takes as her focus and the realm of queer theory produce a series of interpretations that cannot fail to leave her reader dazzled and bewitched, and only too willing to do what Cooper exhorts us to do in her conclusion: that is, make new and previously unauthorized connections between ggz Reviews various, variant theoretical disciplines and discourses. She has written a wonderful book, that will certainly have a significant impact on current critical debate. University of Birmingham Alex Hughes Commencementsdu roman: Conferences du seminaire de Litterature comparee de I'Universite de la Sorbonne Nouvelle. Ed. by Jean Bessiere. Paris: Champion. 2001. 216 pp. The preface to this collection suggests that both historical...