Utilities Research Articles

Legal Regulation of Infrastructure for the Provision of Public Utilities Services Using Regulatory Agreements (Contracts) in Russian and Foreign Practice

International and Russian experience in the application of regulatory contracts (agreements) in the sectors of communal infrastructure (housing and communal services) was investigated. Various models of regulatory agreements were analyzed. Prospects for the development of the concept of regulatory agreements in Russian legislation, including issues of tariff regulation within the framework of regulatory agreements, were considered. Conclusions were drawn regarding the prospects for introducing regulatory agreements in the communal infrastructure in Russia.

Оценка дефицита местного бюджета в условиях глобальных вызовов: содержание, причины и пути оптимизации

Introduction. The impact of global challenges in the modern world establishes its own technologies for achieving balance in planning and using budget finances in Russia. These problems acquire a special spectrum within the framework of a large number, diversity of legal types, natural and geographical features of the territory and financial independence of local budgets. Local budgets are the most significant source of financing for public utility infrastructure facilities that residents of municipalities use every day, which ultimately determines the comfort and quality of living in the local area. This article aims to consider the theoretical and methodological approaches to the content and causes of the local budget deficit and to substantiate the criteria for the effectiveness of its financing with an uncertain revenue base and increasing costs for organizing the provision of municipal services in all areas of expenditure obligations of local governments. To substantiate the working hypothesis of the study, we point out that local budgets of all legal types of municipalities have gratuitous transfers from higher-level budgets as the main source of revenue base, a small amount of tax initiative and budgetary powers to assess their expenditure obligations. As a rule, all these powers are regulated at the federal and regional levels.The methodological basis of the study was the provisions of the Keynesian and neo-Keynesian schools of budget regulation, taking into account the new model of municipal governance. The empirical basis of the study was the control indicators of draft budgets of a number of municipalities of the Sverdlovsk region, obtained by the author from official sources and the results of the webinar with representatives of financial departments as part of local governments of the Sverdlovsk region.Results and conclusions. The results of the study identified the criteria for the formation and implementation of an effective budget deficit policy, formulated practical recommendations for local governments to optimize the financing of the local budget deficit and servicing the debt obligations of the municipality in the context of prevention and adaptation to global challenges. As further directions of scientific research, it is necessary to indicate an assessment of the possibilities of applying these criteria by local governments to the reformed provisions of the budget legislation of Russia, expected for 2030-2036.

Operation of an electric skidsteer mini-loader in a municipal utility service

Operation of an electric skidsteer mini-loader in a municipal utility service

Effective incentive based demand response with voltage support capability via reinforcement learning based multi-agent framework

With the ongoing advancements in power grids, it is crucial to maintain a balance between energy generation and usage to ensure the stability of power systems. Any disparity between the supply and demand of energy can lead to increased expenses for utility companies and consumers, which might potentially result in a widespread failure of the grid. To tackle this problem, this study offers the implementation of the Voltage Capability Incentive-Based Demand Response (VC-IBDR) system, which utilizes a multi-agent framework. The main goal is to reduce power usage by providing financial incentives, while also ensuring that voltage standards are satisfied at each node. In this method, the aggregator agent coordinates demand response operations by interacting with household agents that are equipped with home energy management systems. Every household utilizes a disjunctively constrained knapsack problem optimization method to effectively organize the consumption of home appliances, considering customer preferences and dissatisfaction. During demand response events, the aggregator agent works together with household agents to optimize appliance schedules, ensuring that voltage levels at each node remain within acceptable levels. The simulation is performed to assess the efficacy of VC-IBDR on a feeder that provides service to 25 residential households. The findings indicate substantial decreases in power usage, with an average decline in demand of 4.20% at the feeder level and a 10.41% decrease in peak power consumption throughout the day. Furthermore, the voltage values at each node stay consistently steady within the range of 0.96 to 1.0 per unit throughout the day.

Investigation and comparison of insulating oil properties using various analytical methods

ABSTRACT In the current scenario, rising energy consumption has put a significant burden on transformers. Simultaneously, power utility companies are reducing their capital investments. As a result, industrial consumers are increasingly focused on maintaining the trouble-free operation of their existing transformers to ensure their reliability remains intact. The reliability of the transformer heavily counts on the health and condition of its insulating oil and the various physicochemical and dielectric properties associated with it. Various national and international organisations, such as ASTM, IEC, and IS (Indian Standard), have established standardised test methods to evaluate the insulating oil properties. These tests help in assessing the oil’s quality and the transformer’s condition. Monitoring the properties of insulating oil using established test methods is vital for assuring transformer reliability. It allows for early detection of potential issues and enables timely maintenance or replacement actions to prevent costly failures. This paper aims to analyse and compare the key properties of mineral insulating oil including breakdown voltage (BDV), water content, IFT, and acidity, utilising ASTM, IEC, and IS standard test methods to assess the accuracy and uniformity of the test method. The results serve as a valuable resource for analysts and professionals.

Public Transport Inequality and Utilization: Exploring the Perspective of the Inequality Impact on Travel Choices

Public transport (PT) inequality is evidenced to have adverse consequences on various social–urban–economic aspects of urban residents’ lives; however, the impact of this inequality on PT itself, particularly its utilization, is a less explored area of study. This paper examines the association between PT inequality and PT utilization patterns in Melbourne, Australia, using journey-to-work data in a multivariate regression model. By analyzing commuting and socioeconomic factors, we investigate how PT inequalities affect the travel choices of the residents. Our findings indicate that regions with lower PT inequality demonstrate higher PT usage for daily commuting, emphasizing the importance of the equitable distribution of resources. This finding is consistent across different PT modes of trains, trams, and buses, and using different inequality measures of the Gini index and the 90/10 ratio. Spatial variations and factors like income levels, education, home ownership, and age are also found to influence PT usage. The findings offer valuable insights into the potential impact of incorporating equity considerations during the planning stages of PT projects. Furthermore, they could justify targeted interventions aimed at enhancing the equity of PT services.

Enhancing the strength, microstructural integrity, and shrinkage performance of cement-based mortar using pulverised carbon and glass FRP composite waste

Adopting sustainable materials is a pressing concern for the construction industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, driving ongoing research to address environmental challenges. With a particular focus on the fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) byproducts and wastes generated by various industries, this paper investigates the viability of pulverising and repurposing waste materials from electrical cross-arms and aerospace composite parts in cementitious materials as a partial substitute for cement. Micro fibres with crushed resin particles (passing through a 600 μm sieve) were incorporated into the mortar, up to 10 % relative to the mass of cement. A series of tests was conducted to evaluate the effects of varying FRP recyclates on the mechanical, durability and electrical performance of mortars. The results indicated that at the 28-day curing age, the inclusion of FRP recyclates led to a 19 % reduction in water absorption and significant enhancement in the compressive (up to 67 %) and flexural strength (up to 43 %). The optimal restraint of drying shrinkage was observed when replacing 5 % by weight of cement with FRP recyclates from electrical cross-arms. The inclusion of FRP recyclates from aerospace offcuts resulted in a 25 % reduction in electrical resistivity, indicating a potential for reusing aerospace recyclates for electrically conductive cementitious composites (ECCCs). Further analyses were conducted to assess the effects of FRP recyclate addition on the microstructural properties of the cementitious matrix. This research offers a promising pathway to repurpose composite wastes from utility and aerospace industries as valuable additions to construction materials.

A large-scale evaluation of machine learning algorithms in mid-term water demand forecasting

ABSTRACT Water utilities currently face challenges in accurately measuring user-end consumption as they have to visit every conventional meter that is installed in their service area. This study explores the use of accessible machine learning models to forecast water demand at two crucial temporal scales, addressing practical needs such as customer billing. To draw meaningful conclusions, these models were tested and trained from actual user-end water consumption data from over 2.1 million customers over a 10-year period. These data were provided by the Water and Sewage Company of Greece (EYDAP). The large-scale experiment included the use of statistical models (ARIMA and SARIMA), deep learning [long short-term memory (LSTM)], and clustering techniques (k-NN algorithm). The model with the best performance was ARIMA, outperforming all the other models including the more complex ones. The LSTM model did not perform as expected in predicting water consumption, it excelled only in predicting the total amount of water consumed. These forecasts can be valuable tools for water utility companies, aiding in tasks such as customer billing and water balance calculations. This paper covers all the necessary steps that must be taken to achieve meaningful user-end water consumption forecasts, from raw data preprocessing to hyperparameter tuning for machine learning algorithms.

МОДЕЛЮВАННЯ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК ГІДРАВЛІЧНИХ ПРИСТРОЇВ АВТОМАТИКИ

The paper presents the results of calculations of the regression model of hydraulic losses of technological equipment, in particular, the gate pump SV1-25, which is used in the practice of laboratory research of hydraulic equipment (GЕ) as part of the educational process at the Department of Theoretical Mechanics, Mechanical Science and Robotic Systems of NAU "KHAI". The task of the work was to establish the nature and actual hydraulic losses depending on the hydraulic load. According to the obtained data, in turn, the goal was to establish a mathematical model of the dependence of losses on the load of the public utility. In the course of conducting a number of experiments with a successive increase in the hydraulic load, the flow rate of the working fluid and the hydraulic power of the system were recorded; power losses and hydraulic efficiency of the system were calculated. As a result of the experiment, the nonlinear theoretical, namely, the parabolic dependence of the losses on the load, which is described by parabolic regression with a looseness of the model that does not exceed 4%, was confirmed. The obtained mathematical model of losses can be used in the future to build a complete structural model of the GЕ and a detailed analysis of the factors that determine the occurrence of its power losses. The mathematical model of losses of real equipment obtained in the course of experimental research can be added to the already existing model of the GЕ for the purpose of non-linear correction of its efficiency under variable hydraulic load in real conditions of use. During the calculation of the mathematical model, some stages of mathematical modeling were simplified, namely: models with a higher degree of polynomial were not considered (that is, the type of regressive dependence was not changed), the significance of the obtained coefficients was not characterized by their dispersion when the external conditions of the application of the GЕ were changed. The use of the powerful mathematical CAD Sim Hidraulics (MATLAB) provides an opportunity to simplify the process of designing the latest hydraulic automation systems, taking into account the studied dependencies.

From Monolith to Market: Exploring IPO Issue and Market Potential of LIC of India

Insurance industry is one of the prominent sectors in India to maintain stability and enhancement of social security for efficiently building our nation's economy. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) regulates a total of 57 Indian insurance companies, in which LIC is the largest and most established public utility company that covers a wide range of portfolio opportunities withholding trust and reliability of policyholders for country’s GDP development. This study is a descriptive analysis of the journey of LIC IPO, which began trading from May 17, 2022 by being listed in both Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The IPO witnessed an overwhelming response from all categories of investors and resulted in 2.95 times oversubscriptions. Further, it shows a very stable equity market value in both the Exchanges while crossing thousand rupees during the latter part of the financial year 2023-24.

Security in advanced metering infrastructures: Lightweight cryptography

Abstract Smart grids are designed to revolutionize the energy sector by creating a smarter, more efficient and reliable power supply network. The rise of smart grids is a response to the need for a more comprehensive and sophisticated energy system that caters to the needs of homes and businesses. Key features of smart grids include the integration of renewable energy sources, decentralized generation and advanced distribution networks. At the heart of smart grids is a sophisticated metering system, consisting of intelligent electronic devices that measure energy consumption and enable two-way communication between the utility company and the consumer. The information exchanged via these devices is critical, as it includes sensitive data such as energy consumption patterns and billing information. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, the security of this information is of utmost importance. This paper delves into the security challenges faced by advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and highlights the crucial role played by cryptography in ensuring the secure exchange of sensitive information. Cryptographic protocols such as encryption, authentication and digital signatures are essential components of a secure smart grid infrastructure. These protocols work together to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of the information exchanged between the utility company and the consumer.

Knowledge, Practice and Factors associated with Utilization of Cervical Cancer Screening Services.

Cervical cancer is treatable with regular screening and follow-up practices. The utilization of cervical cancer utilization services is found to be unsatisfactory in the context of Nepal. The objective of this study was to assess the factors that influence knowledge, practice, and utilization of cervical cancer screening among women in the Dhulikhel Municipality, Nepal. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 156 married women residing in Dhulikhel Municipality. The study participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. A standard questionnaire was used to collect the information. This study examined socio-demograhic data, knowledge, practice, and factors associated with cervical cancer screening. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Only one-fifth (17.9%) of the participants had received a cervical cancer screening. Most participants possessed a sufficient level, 134 out of 85.9%, of information about cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening. Annual healthcare visits (p=0.00), participant knowledge (p=0.014), and perceived barriers (p=0.001) were statistically significant factors in the uptake of cervical cancer screening. Out of those who felt they were highly susceptible, just one-fourth, or 25%, had undergone cervical cancer screening services. The number of medical visits, participants' knowledge, and perceived barriers had a significant impact on the uptake of cervical cancer screening. However, there was not found any relationship between the use of cervical cancer screening and perceived susceptibility and other socio-demographic factors.

Comparative analysis of the reliability assessment of commercial and residential feeders in the power distribution utility of Nigeria

Reliability studies serve as valuable tools for assessing and optimizing system performance. Utilities with higher reliability indices are more likely to achieve break-even points due to significantly reduced downtime. This paper explores a comparative assessment of two 11 kV feeders supplying electricity to residential and commercial customers, addressing concerns about distribution system reliability in Nigeria and its impact on the country's GDP. The study involves a comprehensive reliability analysis, utilizing a flowchart to outline procedural steps and employing the ETAP Software program for data analysis collected over a one-month period from a power utility company. The data encompass operational parameters such as day-hourly consumption, outage records, and network equipment data. Results indicate higher reliability indices in the commercial feeder compared to the residential feeder, with the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) being lower in the commercial feeder. The research underscores the significance of reliability assessment in improving operational efficiency, facilitating maintenance planning, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

The Influence of Financial Reporting Quality and Efficiency in Resources Utilization on Public Sector Financial Performance: Evidence from Tanzania

This study intended to examine the influence of financial reporting quality and efficiency in resource utilization on public sector financial performance as the results of adoption of accrual based IPSAS in Tanzania. Guided with Stakeholders Theory, a cross sectional-survey design was applied in collecting data from 178 public sector entities by applying a drop and pick method. PLS-SEM was employed in determining the relationship between financial reporting quality, efficiency in resource utilization and public sector financial performance. The findings revealed that, efficiency in resource utilization has a positive and significant influence on financial performance in the public sector entities. The relationship between financial reporting quality and public sector financial performance was not significant. These findings imply that efficiency in public resources utilisation plays a major role in achieving objectives of IPSAS adoption, hence leading to improved public sector financial performance.

Contributions of the Ondas Program of Colombia in the training of researchers

Article resulting from research on the contribution of the Ondas Program in the training of children, young people, graduates and research teachers of official educational institutions in the urban area of the municipality of Palmira (2014-2018); with mixed methodology, non-experimental descriptive, transversal and retrospective design, in a sample of students, teachers and graduates of I.E. urban public utilities in Palmira linked to the Ondas program between 2014-2018; updated information with evidence from recent years. A matrix of indicators and a semi-structured online form questionnaire are used as instruments. In findings, the Ondas program has positive results in the training of children, young people, graduates and research teachers, the longer the time of participation in the program, the greater the effect over time, improving academic level and preference for careers related to S&T. Concluding that the promotion of scientific vocations through the Ondas program demonstrates the achievement of its objectives.

Securing the green grid: A data anomaly detection method for mitigating cyberattacks on smart meter measurements

Smart meters, being a vital component in the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), provide an opportunity to remotely monitor and control power usage and act like a bridge between customers and utilities. The installation of millions of smart meters in the power grid is a step forward towards a green transition. However, it also constitutes a massive cybersecurity vulnerability. Cyberattacks on AMI can result in inaccurate billing, energy theft, service disruptions, privacy breaches, network vulnerabilities, and malware distribution. Thus, utility companies should implement robust cyber-security measures to mitigate such risks. In order to assess the impact of cybersecurity breaches on AMI, this paper presents a cyber-attack scenario on grid measurements obtained via smart meters and assesses the stochastic grid estimations under attack. This paper also presents an efficient method for the detection and identification of anomalous data within the power grid by leveraging the distance between measurements and the confidence ellipse centered around the estimated value. To assess the proposed method, a comparative analysis is done against the chi-square test for detection and the largest normalized distribution test for the identification of bad data. Furthermore, by using a Danish low-voltage grid as a base case, this paper introduces two test cases to evaluate the performance of the proposed method under single and multiple-node cyber-attacks on the grid state estimation. Results show a notable improvement in accuracy when using the proposed method. Additionally, based on these numerical results, protective countermeasures are presented for the grid.

Achieving Sustainable Goals Using an Effective Budget-Allocation Multicriteria Mives Model: Case Study of a Spanish Water Utility Company

Within the global sustainability agenda, companies must align their operations with specific Sustainable Goals (SGs) and develop corresponding budgeting strategies. This paper presents a robust multicriteria decision-making model tailored for a Spanish utility company specializing in water services. The model ensures that financial allocations reflect the company's vision and its interpretation of sustainable development within its service areas. This approach aims to promote objectivity, traceability, and sustainability in decision-making, as a critical component in achieving SGs. The article emphasizes the importance of aligning water companies' budget allocations with SGs, highlighting key indicators for consideration. It provides a practical illustration of how the company's financial allocations were synchronized with SGs using a multicriteria decision-making model. A case study is included, involving a budget allocation of 40 million euros compared across four scenarios with the historical average of budgets from the Past Three Investment Plans (P3IP). The results reveal significant variations in budget allocation across different infrastructure categories, demonstrating the system's robustness, such as a 70% variation in production infrastructures, 27% in transportation, 25% in distribution, and 40% in the remaining areas, depending on the scenario.

Temperature dependence of the rain-gas and snow-gas partition coefficients for nearly a thousand chemicals

Compared to the particle-gas partition coefficients (KPG), the rain-gas (KRG) and snow-gas (KSG) partition coefficients are also essential in studying the environmental behavior and fate of chemicals in the atmosphere. While the temperature dependence for the KPG have been extensively studied, the study for KRG and KSG are still lacking. Adsorption coefficients between water surface-air (KIA) and snow surface-air (KJA), as well as partition coefficients between water-air (KWA) and octanol-air (KOA) are vital in calculating KRG and KSG. These four basic adsorption and partition coefficients are also temperature-dependent, given by the well-known two-parameters Antoine equation logKXY = AXY + BXY/T, where KXY is the adsorption or partition coefficients, AXY and BXY are Antoine parameters (XY stand for IA, JA, WA, and OA), and T is the temperature in Kelvin. In this study, the parameters AXY and BXY are calculated for 943 chemicals, and logKXY can be estimated at any ambient temperature for these chemicals using these Antoine parameters. The results are evaluated by comparing these data with published experimental and modeled data, and the results show reasonable accuracy. Based on these coefficients, temperature-dependence of logKRG and logKSG is studied. It is found that both logKRG and logKSG are linearly related to 1/T, and Antoine parameters for logKRG and logKSG are also estimated. Distributions of the 943 chemicals in the atmospheric phases (gas, particle, and rain/snow), are illustrated in a Chemical Space Map. The findings reveal that, at environmental temperatures and precipitation days, the dominant state for the majority of chemicals is the gaseous phase. All the AXY and BXY values for logKSG, logKRG, and basic adsorption and partition coefficients, both modeled by this study and collected from published work, are systematically organized into an accessible dataset for public utilization.

Health Needs and Priorities of an Underserved Karenni Refugee Community: A Community Needs Assessment.

Southeast Asian refugee communities are frequently underserved by social and medical systems and experience profound health and health care inequities. The purpose of this study was to detail the health needs, priorities, and health care utilization of the Karenni, a Southeast Asian refugee community, in Forsyth County, North Carolina. A mixed-mode survey (i.e., online and in-person) was distributed in Kayah, Burmese, and English to Karenni adults in Forsyth County. Quantitative and qualitative questions focused on community health needs, health and public health service utilization, and social determinants of health. 101 Karenni adults completed the survey, with a total of 91 participants completing the quantitative portion (N = 91). Utilization of health care and public health services was low and impacted by individual- and contextual-level barriers, such as limited English profi-ciency and social determinants of health (e.g., lower levels of education and employment compared to state and national averages). Mental health, chronic pain, and health care access were highlighted as prominent community concerns while theh plaw theh jie (togetherness) and community organizations were described as community strengths. Data were collected using convenience sampling, and limited knowledge from the Karenni community regarding research served as a barrier to recruitment. Some sensitive questions (e.g., income) also experienced higher levels of missingness. This assessment highlights the need to increase engagement with and lower barriers to care for the Karenni community in Forsyth County, North Carolina. To produce culturally congruent and acceptable care, public health and health care systems should partner with the community to identify and address community needs and priorities, harness assets, and mitigate health and health care inequities.

Testing a novel life cycle assessment based framework for produced water management from offshore oilfield operations

As worldwide reliance on the petroleum industry persists, environmental concerns associated with offshore oilfield operations continue to present a critical challenge for sustainable management. This study develops and tests a novel life cycle assessment (LCA)-based framework to examine strategies for produced water (PW) management from offshore oilfield operations. The framework encompasses experimental designs under a dynamic modelling system coupled with stepwise linear regression, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), and fluctuating scenarios in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and other internal reuse options including cooling systems, drilling operations, and utility services. Two strategies for treatment train technologies were tested with various PW compositions, sludge management options, and variable EOR demands. When comparing conventional (corrugated plate interceptor, hydrocylone and nutshell filter) with recent treatment/disposal technologies (tubular separation, combined fiber coalescence and mechanical vapor compression), the LCA revealed that the latter increased operational efficiency (14%), reduced cost (6.5%) and the overall environmental impact categories (66%). The scenario that exhibited the lowest emissions incorporated recent treatment technologies and land application for sludge management. This configuration demonstrated considerable environmental advantages, evidenced by significant reductions in key impact indicators including freshwater eutrophication (74%), global warming (64%), marine ecotoxicity (58%), and stratospheric ozone depletion (44%) when compared to the baseline scenario with conventional treatment-disposal methods. The system dynamics model revealed that the internal reuse options exploited 23%–47% of PW inflow, indicating a significant annual surplus of unused PW that presents an opportunity for external applications to enhance sustainability. In closure, we argue that the proposed framework offers a valuable tool for waste management practitioners, facilitating the identification and selection of strategies with minimal environmental impacts for PW management.