Improving the seismic performance of base-isolated liquid storage tanks with supplemental linear viscous dampers

Large tanks are extensively used for storing water,petrochemicals and fuels.Since they are often cited in earthquake-prone areas,the safe and continuous operation of these important structures must be ensured even when severe earthquakes occur,since their failure could have devastating financial and socio-environmental consequences.Base-isolation has been widely adopted for the efficient seismic protection of such critical facilities.However,base-isolated tanks can be located relatively close to active faults that generate strong excitations with special characteristics.Consequently,viscous dampers can be incorporated into the isolation system to reduce excessive displacement demands and to avoid overconservative isolator design.Nonetheless,only a few studies have focused on the investigation of seismic response of base-isolated liquid storage tanks in conjunction with supplemental viscous dampers.Therefore,the impact of the addition of supplemental linear viscous dampers on the seismic performance of tanks isolated by single friction pendulum devices is investigated herein.Four levels of supplemental damping are assessed and compared with respect to isolators′displacement capacity and accelerations that are transferred to the tanks.

UNITIVE ANALYSIS SCHEMES ON PROBLEMS OF MULTIPLE MOVING BOUNDARIES WITH 3-D LIQUID-SOLID MULTIPLE NONLINEAR COUPLING FOR UPLIFT OF ANCHOREDLIQUID STORAGE TANKS

In the paper, 3-D analysis method with unitive schemes is set up, which is used to resolve the uplift with multiple moving boundaries and multiple nonlinear coupling for anchored liquid storage tanks. hi it, an algorithm of quasi-harmonious finite elements for arbitrary quadrilateral of thin plates and shells is built up to analyze the multiple coupling problems of general thin plates and shells structures with three dimensions, the complementary equations for analyzing uplifting moving boundary problems are deduced. The axial symmetry and presumption of beam type mode are not used. In it, an algorithm is put forward for analyzing the Navier-Stokes problems of unsteady, three-dimensional, and viscous liquid with sloshing of moving boundary surfaces in large amplitude under ALE frame by scheme of time-split-steps to which linear potential theory is not applied. The algorithms can be used to analyze the solid-liquid multiple nonlinear coupling problems with 3-D moving boundary with friction in multiple places.

Liquid Storage of Ram Semen: Associated Damages and Improvement

The successful application of assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) in ovine as in other mammal species relies on many factors among which the quality of the semen used. After collection, semen samples are generally processed for storage (liquid storage or cryoconservation) before being used for insemination or in vitro embryo production. During the liquid storage process, sperm cells are exposed to artificial conditions which lead to oxidative stress—the imbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidants (AO), following overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS)—resulting in ultrastructural, biochemical and functional damages of spermatozoa. Especially, viability, motility, mitochondrial activity, membrane integrity, and acrosome integrity are reduced while morphological abnormalities, DNA fragmentation, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) are increased, affecting the fertilizing ability and subsequent early embryonic development when using standard extenders. Indeed, an optimal semen extender must not only regulate and support an environment of adequate pH and buffering capacity to protect spermatozoa from osmotic and cooling stresses, but, also prevent the generation and/or scavenge excess ROS. To improve ram semen liquid storage, several methods have been developed with the supplementation of extenders with antioxidants or antioxidant like-compounds (enzymes, amino-acids, vitamins, plant extracts), seminal plasma, sugars, fatty acids, and nanoparticles being a relevant approach. Promising results have been registered with the supplementation of extenders with these compounds, confirming they can be used to preserve ram semen quality and fertility. Therefore, the present review provides an updated overview of the damages and associated mechanisms that ram spermatozoa undergo during liquid storage. Moreover, the supplementation of extenders with different compounds as a tool to improve semen storage is also discussed as well as their efficiency to reduce and/or prevent sperm damages during storage.

A power plant for integrated waste energy recovery from liquid air energy storage and liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas(LNG)is regarded as one of the cleanest fossil fuel and has experienced significant developments in recent years.The liquefaction process of natural gas is energy-intensive,while the regasification of LNG gives out a huge amount of waste energy since plenty of high grade cold energy(-160℃)from LNG is released to sea water directly in most cases,and also sometimes LNG is burned for regasification.On the other hand,liquid air energy storage(LAES)is an emerging energy storage technology for applications such as peak load shifting of power grids,which generates 30%-40%of compression heat(-200℃).Such heat could lead to energy waste if not recovered and used.The recovery of the compression heat is technically feasible but requires additional capital investment,which may not always be economically attractive.Therefore,we propose a power plant for recovering the waste cryogenic energy from LNG regasification and compression heat from the LAES.The challenge for such a power plant is the wide working temperature range between the low-temperature exergy source(-160℃)and heat source(-200℃).Nitrogen and argon are proposed as the working fluids to address the challenge.Thermodynamic analyses are carried out and the results show that the power plant could achieve a thermal efficiency of 27%and 19%and an exergy efficiency of 40%and 28%for nitrogen and argon,respectively.Here,with the nitrogen as working fluid undergoes a complete Brayton Cycle,while the argon based power plant goes through a combined Brayton and Rankine Cycle.Besides,the economic analysis shows that the payback period of this proposed system is only 2.2 years,utilizing the excess heat from a 5 MW/40 MWh LAES system.The findings suggest that the waste energy based power plant could be co-located with the LNG terminal and LAES plant,providing additional power output and reducing energy waste.

Seismic assessment of unanchored steel storage tanks by endurance time method

Liquid storage tanks are essential structures that are often located in residential and industrial areas; thus an assessment of their seismic performance is an important engineering issue. In this paper, the seismic response ofunanchored steel liquid storage tanks is investigated using the endurance time （ET） dynamic analysis procedure and compared to responses obtained for anchored tanks under actual ground motions and intensifying ET records. In most cases, the results from ground motions are properly obtained with negligible differences using ET records. It is observed that uplifting of the tank base, which is closely related to the tank aspect ratio, has the greatest significance in the responses of the tank and can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by using currently available ET records.

Seismic performance evaluation of VCFPB isolated storage tank using real-time hybrid simulation

Variable curvature friction pendulum bearings(VCFPB)effectively reduce the dynamic response of storage tanks induced by earthquakes.Shaking table testing is used to assess the seismic performance of VCFPB isolated storage tanks.However,the vertical pressure and friction coefficient of the scaled VCFPB in the shaking table tests cannot match the equivalent values of these parameters in the prototype.To avoid this drawback,a real-time hybrid simulation(RTHS)test was developed.Using RTHS testing,a 1/8 scaled tank isolated by VCFPB was tested.The experimental results showed that the displacement dynamic magnification factor of VCFPB,peak reduction factors of the acceleration,shear force,and overturning moment at bottom of the tank,were negative exponential functions of the ratio of peak ground acceleration(PGA)and friction coefficient.The peak reduction factors of displacement,acceleration,force and overturning moment,which were obtained from the experimental results,are compared with those calculated by the Housner model.It can be concluded that the Housner model is applicable in estimation of the acceleration,shear force,and overturning moment of liquid storage tank,but not for the sliding displacement of VCFPBs.

Seasonal stress on semen quality profiles, seminal biochemical and oxidative stress attributes in endangered Teressa goat of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Objective:To measure seasonal effects on semen quality profiles,seminal biochemical and oxidative stress attributes in fresh and liquid stored semen in monsoon and dry seasons.Methods:A total of 10 Teressa bucks(3-4 years)were selected from breeding farm,ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute,Port Blair,Andaman and Nicobar Islands,India.Semen samples(n=25 per season)were collected through artificial vagina method and preserved at refrigerated temperature(5℃)for 48 h using Tris citrate glucose based extender.We detected semen quality parameters[volume,mass activity,pH,sperm concentration,total motility,viability,total sperm abnormality,and plasma membrane,acrosomal and nuclear integrities],biochemical profiles[aspartate amino transferase(AST),alanine amino transferase(ALT)and total cholesterol],and oxidative stress markers[total antioxidant capacity(TAC)and malondialdehyde(MDA)]during monsoon and dry seasons.Results:Semen quality parameters significantly differed between seasons(P<0.05)and among storage periods(P<0.05).Volume,pH,mass activity,motility,viability,acrosomal,plasma membrane and nuclear integrities,and TAC were significantly higher(P<0.05).Sperm concentration,sperm abnormalities,MDA,AST,ALT and total cholesterol were significantly lower in fresh semen of monsoon than dry season(P<0.05).Motility,viability,acrosomal,plasma membrane and nuclear integrities,and TAC were significantly decreased(P<0.05)while sperm abnormality,AST,ALT,total cholesterol and MDA were significantly increased as liquid semen storage period advanced(P<0.05).Conclusions:Monsoon season has higher beneficial effects on semen quality profiles and liquid stored semen remained usable for upto 48 h.Good quality ejaculates with higher TAC and lower MDA can be cryopreserved and will be used for artificial insemination.

Peak-Shaving of the Oxy-Fuel Power Plant Coupled with Liquid O_(2)Storage

Integrating a high proportion of intermittent renewable energy provides a solution for the higher peak-shaving capacity of coal-fired power plants.Oxy-fuel combustion is one of the most promising carbon reduction technologies for coal-fired power plants.This study has proposed a novel oxy-fuel power plant that is coupled with both liquid O_(2)storage and cold energy recovery systems in order to adapt to the peak-shaving requirements.The liquid O_(2)storage system uses cheap valley electricity to produce liquid O_(2)for a later use in the peak period to enhance the peak-shaving capacity.Meanwhile,the cold energy recovery system has been introduced to recover the physical latent energy during the phase change of liquid O_(2)to increase the power generation in the peak period.Technical economies of three power plants,i.e.a 330 MW(e)oxy-fuel power plant as reference(Case 1),the same power plant coupled with only liquid O_(2)storage system(Case 2),and the same power plant coupled with both liquid O_(2)storage and cold energy recovery systems(Case 3),have been analyzed and compared.Thermodynamic performance analysis indicates that the peaking capacity of Case 3 can reach the range of 106.03 to 294.22 MW(e),and the maximum peak-shaving coefficient can be as high as 2.77.Exergy analysis demonstrates that the gross exergy efficiency of Cases 2 and 3 reaches 32.18%and 33.57%,respectively,in the peak period,which are significantly higher than that of 26.70%in Case 1.Economic analysis shows that through selling the liquid O_(2)and liquid CO_(2),combined with carbon trading,the levelized cost of electricity(LCOE)of the three cases have been greatly reduced,with the lowest one of 30.90 USD/MWh shown in Case 3.For a comprehensive consideration,Case 3 can be considered a future reference of oxy-fuel power plant with the best thermodynamic and economic performance.

A novel cryogenic insulation system of hollow glass microspheres and self-evaporation vapor-cooled shield for liquid hydrogen storage

Liquid hydrogen(LH2)attracts widespread attention because of its highest energy storage density.However,evaporation loss is a serious problem in LH2 storage due to the low boiling point(20 K).Efficient insulation technology is an important issue in the study of LH2 storage.Hollow glass microspheres(HGMs)is a potential promising thermal insulation material because of its low apparent thermal conductivity,fast installation(Compared with multi-layer insulation,it can be injected in a short time.),and easy maintenance.A novel cryogenic insulation system consisting of HGMs and a selfevaporating vapor-cooled shield(VCS)is proposed for storage of LH2.A thermodynamic model has been established to analyze the coupled heat transfer characteristics of HGMs and VCS in the composite insulation system.The results show that the combination of HGMs and VCS can effectively reduce heat flux into the LH2 tank.With the increase of VCS number from 1 to 3,the minimum heat flux through HGMs decreases by 57.36%,65.29%,and 68.21%,respectively.Another significant advantage of HGMs is that their thermal insulation properties are not sensitive to ambient vacuum change.When ambient vacuum rises from 10^-3 Pa to 1 Pa,the heat flux into the LH2 tank increases by approximately 20%.When the vacuum rises from 10^-3 Pa to 100 Pa,the combination of VCS and HGMs reduces the heat flux into the tank by 58.08%-69.84% compared with pure HGMs.

The carbon dioxide removal potential of Liquid Air Energy Storage: A high-level technical and economic appraisal

Liquid Air Energy Storage(LAES)is at pilot scale.Air cooling and liquefaction stores energy;reheating revaporises the air at pressure,powering a turbine or engine(Ameel et al.,2013).Liquefaction requires water&CO2 removal,preventing ice fouling.This paper proposes subsequent geological storage of this CO2–offering a novel Carbon Dioxide Removal(CDR)by-product,for the energy storage industry.It additionally assesses the scale constraint and economic opportunity offered by implementing this CDR approach.Similarly,established Compressed Air Energy Storage(CAES)uses air compression and subsequent expansion.CAES could also add CO2 scrubbing and subsequent storage,at extra cost.CAES stores fewer joules per kilogram of air than LAES–potentially scrubbing more CO2 per joule stored.Operational LAES/CAES technologies cannot offer full-scale CDR this century(Stocker et al.,2014),yet they could offer around 4%of projected CO2 disposals for LAES and<25%for current-technology CAES.LAES CDR could reach trillion-dollar scale this century(20 billion USD/year,to first order).A larger,less certain commercial CDR opportunity exists for modified conventional CAES,due to additional equipment requirements.CDR may be commercially critical for LAES/CAES usage growth,and the necessary infrastructure may influence plant scaling and placement.A suggested design for low-pressure CAES theoretically offers global-scale CDR potential within a century(ignoring siting constraints)–but this must be costed against competing CDR and energy storage technologies.

Liquid Air Energy Storage for Decentralized Micro Energy Networks with Combined Cooling,Heating,Hot Water and Power Supply

Liquid air energy storage(LAES)has been regarded as a large-scale electrical storage technology.In this paper,we first investigate the performance of the current LAES(termed as a baseline LAES)over a far wider range of charging pressure(1 to 21 MPa).Our analyses show that the baseline LAES could achieve an electrical round trip efficiency(e RTE)above 60%at a high charging pressure of 19 MPa.The baseline LAES,however,produces a large amount of excess heat particularly at low charging pressures with the maximum occurred at~1 MPa.Hence,the performance of the baseline LAES,especially at low charging pressures,is underestimated by only considering electrical energy in all the previous research.The performance of the baseline LAES with excess heat is then evaluated which gives a high e RTE even at lower charging pressures;the local maximum of 62%is achieved at~4 MPa.As a result of the above,a hybrid LAES system is proposed to provide cooling,heating,hot water and power.To evaluate the performance of the hybrid LAES system,three performance indicators are considered:nominal-electrical round trip efficiency(ne RTE),primary energy savings and avoided carbon dioxide emissions.Our results show that the hybrid LAES can achieve a high ne RTE between 52%and 76%,with the maximum at~5 MPa.For a given size of hybrid LAES(1 MW×8 h),the primary energy savings and avoided carbon dioxide emissions are up to 12.1 MWh and 2.3 ton,respectively.These new findings suggest,for the first time,that small-scale LAES systems could be best operated at lower charging pressures and the technologies have a great potential for applications in local decentralized micro energy networks.

Simulation and analysis of a peak regulation gas power plant with advanced energy storage and cryogenic CO_(2) capture

Flexible gas power plants are subject to energy storage,peak regulations,and greenhouse gas emissions.This study proposes an integrated power generation system that combines liquid air energy storage(LAES),liquefied natural gas(LNG)cold energy utilization,gas power systems,and CO_(2) capture and storage(CCS)technologies,named the LAES-LNG-CCS system.The off-peak electricity can be stored in liquid air.During the peak period,air and gas turbines generate supplementary electricity.Both LNG chemical energy and cold energy were considered:the former was used for gas power plants,and the latter was used for LAES regasification and CCS processes.Based on the thermodynamic analysis,we evaluated the effects of the recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature on the system power consumption and efficiency.The results demonstrated that the system recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature had the greatest effects on system power generation.Round-trip efficiency(RTE)was significantly affected by combustion temperature.The largest exergy loss occurred in the gas power plant.The optimal system operating ranges of the system recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature were 6−10 MPa,0.53−0.8 MPa,and 1,503−1,773 K,where the RTEs and𝜂Ex,RS reached 55%−58.98%and 74.6%−76%,respectively.The proposed system can simultaneously achieve the synergistic functions of large-scale energy storage,multilevel energy utilization,peak regulation,and carbon emission reduction.It can also be widely used in advanced distributed energy storage applications in the future.

Prospects of sea launches for Chinese cryogenic liquid-fueled medium-lift launch vehicles

This paper introduces the sea-launch technology of a cryogenic liquid-fueled medium-lift rocket.It first reviews the current state of sea launch technology,and then gives a brief introduction of China’s New Generation Medium-lift Launch Vehicle(NGMLV).The innovations in the NGMVL,such as responsive test and launch control,a H3 launch model,and unmanned operations,provide convenience for sea launches.Based on these innovations,this paper proposes a sea launch scheme,including the system configuration,test and launch processes,and an improved adaptive design for the rocket.Then,the launch platform is discussed in detail,which integrates the functions of sea transportation,assembly and test,as well as technical and launch areas.The layout and function divisions,fluid filling,gas supply and distribution systems,and lossless storage technology of LH2 are described in order.This breakthrough in sea launch technology will enable China to launch medium and large satellites and constellations‘both on land and sea’,especially into low-inclination Low-Earth Orbits(LEOs),and it allows China to remain competitive in the fast-paced space industry.

Study on critical technologies and development routes of coal-based hydrogen energy

Hydrogen is considered a secondary source of energy,commonly referred to as an energy carrier.It has the highest energy content when compared to other common fuels by weight,having great potential for further development.Hydrogen can be produced from various domestic resources but,based on the fossil resource conditions in China,coal-based hydrogen energy is considered to be the most valuable,because it is not only an effective way to develop clean energy,but also a proactive exploration of the clean usage of traditional coal resources.In this article,the sorption-enhanced water-gas shift technology in the coal-to-hydrogen section and the hydrogen-storage and transport technology with liquid aromatics are introduced and basic mechanisms,technical advantages,latest progress and future R&D focuses of hydrogen-production and storage processes are listed and discussed.As a conclusion,after considering the development frame and the business characteristics of CHN Energy Group,a conceptual architecture for developing coal-based hydrogen energy and the corresponding supply chain,is proposed.