Research on pumped storage and complementary energy development models for abandoned mines in China

Within the framework of achieving carbon neutrality,various industries are confronted with fresh challenges.The ongoing process of downsizing coal industry operations has evolved into a new phase,with the burgeoning proliferation of abandoned mines posing a persistent issue.Addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by these abandoned mines,this paper advocates for a scientific approach centered on the advancement of pumped storage energy alongside gas-oil complementary energy.Leveraging abandoned mine tunnels to establish pumped storage power stations holds significant ecological and economic importance for repurposing these sites.This initiative not only serves as an effective means to restore the ecological balance in mining regions but also provides an environmentally friendly approach to repurposing abandoned mine tunnels,offering a blueprint for economically viable pumped storage power stations.This article delineates five crucial scientific considerations and outlines seven primary models for the utilization of abandoned mine sites,delineating a novel,comprehensive pathway for energy and power development that emphasizes multi-energy complementarity and synergistic optimization within abandoned mines.

Evaluation of development potential of pumped hydroelectric storage and geothermal utilization system in abandoned coal mine

Every year in China,a significant number of mines are closed or abandoned.The pumped hydroelectric storage(PHS)and geothermal utilization are vital means to efficiently repurpose resources in abandoned mine.In this work,the development potentials of the PHS and geothermal utilization systems were evaluated.Considering the geological conditions and meteorological data available of Jiahe abandoned mine,a simple evaluation model for PHS and geothermal utilization was established.The average efficiency of the PHS system exceeds 70%and the regulatable energy of a unit volume is over 1.53 kW·h/m^(3).The PHS system achieves optimal performance when the wind/solar power ratio reaches 0.6 and 0.3 in daily and year scale,respectively.In the geothermal utilization system,the outlet temperature and heat production are significantly affected by the injection flow rate.The heat production performance is more stable at lower rate flow,and the proportion of heat production is higher in the initial stage at greater flow rate.As the operating time increases,the proportion of heat production gradually decreases.The cyclic heat storage status has obvious advantages in heat generation and cooling.Furthermore,the energy-saving and emission reduction benefits of PHS and geothermal utilization systems were calculated.

Expression changes of microtubule associated protein 1B in the brain of Fmr1 knockout mice

Objective To explore the regulatory effect of fragile X mental retardation protein （FMRP） on the translation of microtubule associated protein 1B （MAP1B）. Methods The expressions of MAP1B protein and MAP1B mRNA in the brains of 1-week and 6-week old fragile X mental retardation-1 （FmrI） knockout （KO） mice were investigated by immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and in situ hybridization, with the age-matched wild type mice （WT） as controls. Results The mean optical density （MOD） of MAP1B was significantly decreased in each brain region in KO6W compared with WT6W, whereas in KO1W, this decrease was only found in the hippocampus and cerebellum. MAP1B in 6-week mice was much less than that in 1-week mice of the same genotype. The results of Western blot and in situ hybridization showed that MAP1B protein and MAP1B mRNA were significantly decreased in the hippocampus of both KO1W and KO6W. Conclusion The decreased MAP1B protein and MAP1B mRNA in the Fmrl knockout mice indicate that FMRP may positively regulate the expression of MAP1B.

Different effects of ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin on gastroduodenal motility in conscious rats

Three peptides, ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin are derived from a common prohormone, preproghrelin by posttranslational processing, originating from endocrine cells in the stomach. To examine the effects of these peptides, we applied the manometric mea- surement of gastrointestinal motility in freely moving conscious rat models. Ghrelin exerts stimulatory ef- fects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in both fed and fasted state of animals. Des-acyl ghrelin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum, but not on the motility of duodenum in the fasted state of ani- mals. Obestatin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in the fed state, but not in the fasted state of animals. NPY Y2 or Y4 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of ghrelin, CRF type 2 receptors in the brain mediate the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas CRF type 1 and type 2 receptors in the brain mediate the action of obestatin. Vagal afferent pathways might be involved in the action of ghre- lin, but not involved in the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas vagal afferent pathways might be partially involved in the action of obestatin.

Effects of annealing process on sagging resistance of cold-rolled three-layer Al alloy clad sheets

The effectsof annealing process on the hardness, microstructure, Si diffusion, and the sagging resistance of cold-rolled 4343/3003/4343 Al alloy clad sheets and their 3003 Al alloy core sheets were experimentally investigated through hardness tests, EBSD observations, EDS analysis, and sagging test.The results showedthat with the increase of annealing temperature, the hardness of both clad sheet and core sheet decreased, while thesaggingresistancesof both clad and core sheets achieved maximum values after annealing at 380℃ for 1h. After annealing at 380℃, the clad layer contained fine and equiaxedrecrystallized grains; the core layer was composed of fully recrystallized coarse grains elongated along the rolling direction. The Si diffusion from the clad layer to the core zone was limited. After annealing at a higher temperature of 440℃ or 550℃, thesaggingresistance of clad sheets worsened precipitously. The grains in the clad layer grew up, obscuring the interface between the clad and core layer; the recrystallized grains in the core layer became finer. Significant amount of Si penetrated into the core layer through the accelerated diffusion. Compared with the microstructure refinement, Si diffusion is the main factor influencing thesaggingresistance.

New understandings of the genetic basis of isolated diopathic central hypogonadism

Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is a rare disease that is characterized by delayed/absent puberty and/or infertility due to an insufficient stimulation of an otherwise normal pituitary-gonadal axis by gonadotrophin-releasing hormone （GnRH） action. Because reduced or normal luteinizing hormone （LH）/follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH） levels may be observed in the affected patients, the term idiopathic central hypogonadism （ICH） appears to be more appropriate. This disease should be distinguished from central hypogonadism that is combined with other pituitary deficiencies. Isolated ICH has a complex pathogenesis and ~s fivefold more prevalent in males. ICH frequently appears in a sporadic form, but several familial cases have also been reported. This finding, in conjunction with the description of numerous pathogenetic gene variants and the generation of several knockout models, supports the existence of a strong genetic component. ICH may be associated with several morphogenetic abnormalities, which include osmic defects that, with ICH, constitute the cardinal manifestations of Kallmann syndrome （KS）. KS accounts for approximately 40% of the total ICH cases and has been generally considered to be a distinct subgroup. However, the description of several pedigrees, which include relatives who are affected either with isolated osmic defects, KS, or normo-osmic ICH （nlCH）, justifies the emerging idea that ICH is a complex genetic disease that is characterized by variable expressivity and penetrance. In this context, either multiple gene variants or environmental factors and epigenetic modifications may contribute to the variable disease manifestations. We review the genetic mechanisms that are presently known to be involved in ICH pathogenesis and provide a clinical overview of the 227 cases that have been collected by the collaborating centres of the Italian ICH Network.

Phase change analysis of an underwater glider propelled by the ocean's thermal energy

The phase change characteristic of the power source of an underwater glider propelled by the ocean＇s thermal energy is the key factor in glider attitude control. A numerical model has been established based on the enthalpy method to analyze the phase change heat transfer process under convective boundary conditions. Phase change is not an isothermal process, but one that occurs at a range of temperature. The total melting time of the material is very sensitive to the surrounding temperature. When the temperature of the surroundings decreases 8 degrees, the total melting time increases 1.8 times. But variations in surrounding temperature have little effect on the initial temperature of phase change, and the slope of the temperature time history curve remains the same. However, the temperature at which phase change is completed decreases significantly. Our research shows that the phase change process is also affected by container size, boundary conditions, and the power source＇s cross sectional area. Materials stored in 3 cylindrical containers with a diameter of 38ram needed the shortest phase change time. Our conclusions should be helpful in effective design of underwater glider power systems.

Mechanical properties of underwater friction stir welded 2219 aluminum alloy

Underwater friction stir welding of 2219 aluminum alloy was carried out in order to further improve the joint performances by varying welding temperature history.The results indicated that the tensile strength of the joint can be improved from 324 MPa by external water cooling action in normal to 341 MPa.However,the plasticity of the joint is deteriorated.The underwater joint tends to fracture at the interface between the weld nugget zone and the thermal mechanically affected zone on the advancing side during tensile test,which is significantly different from the normal joint.

Design of novel sliding-mode controller for high-velocity AUV with consideration of residual dead load

This work focuses on motion control of high-velocity autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV).Conventional methods are effective solutions to motion control of low-and-medium-velocity AUV.Usually not taken into consideration in the control model,the residual dead load and damping force which vary with the AUV’s velocity tend to result in difficulties in motion control or even failure in convergence in the case of high-velocity movement.With full consideration given to the influence of residual dead load and changing damping force upon AUV motion control,a novel sliding-mode controller(SMC)is proposed in this work.The stability analysis of the proposed controller is carried out on the basis of Lyapunov function.The sea trials results proved the superiority of the sliding-mode controller over sigmoid-function-based controller(SFC).The novel controller demonstrated its effectiveness by achieving admirable control results in the case of high-velocity movement.

Design and performance analysis of wireless sensor network location node system for underground mine

Aiming at the application of a wireless sensor network to locating miners in underground mine,we design a wireless sensor network location node system,considering the communication performance and the intrinsic safety. The location node system consists of a mobile node,several fixed nodes,and a sink node,all of whose circuits were designed based on CC2430. A varistor and a RC circuit were used in the reset circuit of a sensor node to guarantee the intrinsic safety by reducing discharge energy,the theoretical analysis of the discharge energy shows that the reset circuit is an intrinsic safety one. The analysis and simulation about the performance of the location node system are discussed,such as network communication delay and packet loss rate,the results show that the highest network communication delay of the system is about 0.11 seconds,and the highest packet loss rate is about 0.13,which assures the location node system has a high reliability,and can locate miners in the underground mine.

Diagnostic value of antigenemia assay for cytomegalovirus gastrointestinal disease in immunocompromised patients

AIM:To investigate the utility of the cytomegalovirus(CMV)antigenemia assay for the diagnosis of CMV gastrointestinal disease(GID). METHODS:One hundred and thirty immunocompromised patients were enrolled in this study.Patients with a history of anti-CMV treatment and who had not undergone examination using the antigenemia assay were excluded.CMV-GID was defined as the detection of large cells with intranuclear inclusions alone or associated with granular cytoplasmic inclusions by biopsy.Biopsy sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemically stained with anti-CMV.We evaluated the association between CMV-GID and patient characteristics(symptoms,underlying disease,medication,leukocyte counts,and antigenemia assay).All patients were checked with an human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)antibody test before endoscopic examination.White blood cell(WBC)counts were obtained from medical records within 1 wk of endoscopy.Leukopenia was defined as a total WBC count<5000 cells/mm 3 . For HIV patients,we also checked CD4+counts from medical records. RESULTS:A total of 99 patients were retrospectively selected for analysis.Of the immunocompromised patients,19 had malignant disease,18 had autoimmune disease,19 had disorders of biochemical homeostasis, three had undergone transplantation,and 45 had HIV infection.A total of 50 patients had received immunosuppressive therapy.No patients had inflammatory bowel disease.Fifty-five patients were diagnosed as having CMV-GID.Univariate analysis indicated an association between HIV infection,leukopenia,and positive antigenemia and CMV-GID(P<0.05).Multivariate analysis using logistic regression revealed that HIV infection and positive antigenemia were the only independent factors related to CMV-GID(P<0.01).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of antigenemia for CMV-GID were 65.4%,93.6%, 91.9%,and 71.0%,respectively.In a subgroup analy-sis,patients with leukopenia displayed low sensitivity and high specificity.Minimal differences in accuracy were seen among patients with or without leukopenia. HIV-infected patients displayed low sensitivity and high specificity.Accuracy barely differed between HIV-positive and-negative patients.In HIV-infected patients, CD4 count<50 cells/μL resulted in low sensitivity and high specificity.Differences in accuracy among patients were minor,regardless of CD4 count.In patients who had undergone both quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and antigenemia assay,real-time PCR was slightly more accurate in terms of sensitivity than the antigenemia assay;however,this difference was not statistically significant(P=0.312). CONCLUSION:If the antigenemia test is positive,endoscopic lesions are acceptable for the diagnosis of CMVGID without biopsy.The accuracy is not affected by HIV infection and leukopenia.Either PCR or the antigenemia assay are valid.

Plasmablastic lymphoma of the small intestine:Case report and literature review

Plasmablastic lymphoma(PBL) is a rare aggressive B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder,which has been characterized by the World Health Organization as a new entity.Although PBL is most commonly seen in the oral cavity of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-positive patients,it can also be seen in extraoral sites in immunocompromised patients who are HIV-negative.Here we present a rare case of PBL of the small intestine in a 55-year-old HIV-negative male.Histopathological examination of the excisional lesion showed a large cell lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation diffusely infiltrating the small intestine and involving the surrounding organs.The neoplastic cells were diffusely positive for CD79a,CD138 and CD10 and partly positive for CD38 and epithelial membrane antigen.Approximately 80% of the tumor cells were positive for Ki-67.A monoclonal rearrangement of the kappa light chain gene was demonstrated.The patient died approximately 1.5 mo after diagnosis in spite of receiving two courses of the CHOP chemotherapy regimen.In a review of the literature,this is the first case report of PBL with initial presentation in the small intestine without HIV and Epstein-Barr virus infection,and a history of hepatitis B virus infection and radiotherapy probably led to the iatrogenic immunocompromised state.

Isolated Pancreatic Tuberculosis in Non-immunocompromised Patient Treated by Whipple's Procedure:a Case Report

PANCREATIC tuberculosis(TB)is a rare disease and its diagnosis is difficult because of the lack of specific clinical manifestations.Computed tomography(CT)and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)have some diagnostic values in this disease,but it is easy to misdiagnose pancreatic TB as a pancreatic tumor.1 In this article,we present a case of non-immunocompromised patient developing an isolated pancreatic TB,report the CT and MRI findings,and the surgical procedure for it.

Effects of Soil Properties on Phosphorus Subsurface Migration in Sandy Soils

The soil factors influencing the potential migration of dissolved and particulate phosphorus(P) from structurally-weak sandy subsoils were evaluated by means of soil column leaching experiments. Soil colloids were extracted from two types of soils to make the colloid-bound forms of P solution. Eight sandy soils with diverse properties were collected for packing soil columns. The effects of influent solutions varying in concentrations of colloids,P,and electrolyte,on the transport of P and quality of leachates were characterized. P migration in the soils was soil property-dependent. High soil electrical conductivity values retarded the mobility of colloids and transportability of colloid-associated P(particulate P) . Soil electrical conductivity was negatively correlated with colloids and reactive particulate P(RPP) concentrations in the leachates,whereas,the total reactive P(TRP) and dissolved reactive P(DRP) concentrations in the leachates were mainly controlled by the P adsorption capacity and the P levels in the subsoil. The reactive particulate P in the leachates was positively correlated with the colloidal concentration. Increased colloidal concentration in the influent could significantly increase the colloidal concentration in the leachates. Elevated P concentration in the influent had little effect on P recovery in the leachates,but it resulted in significant increases in the absolute P concentration in the leachates.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus-an opportunistic cancer in HIV-positive male homosexuals

Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus （SCCA） is a com- mon cancer in the human immunodeficiency virus （HIV）- infected population, and its incidence continues to in- crease in male homosexuals. Combined chemoradiation with mitomycin C and 5-fiuorouracil was poorly tolerated by severely immunocompromised patients in the early 1990s. In the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy （HAART）, however, recent data indicate that： （1） most HIV patients with anal cancer can tolerate standard chemotherapy regimens; and （2） this approach is associ- ated with survival rates similar to those of HIV-negative patients. However, HIV-positive patients with SCCA are much younger, more likely to develop local tumor recur- rence, and ultimately die from anal cancer than immune competent patients. Taken together, these findings suggest that anal cancer is an often fatal neoplasia in mid- dle-aged HIV-positive male homosexuals. In this popula- tion, SCCA is an opportunistic disease resulting in patients with suboptimal immune function from persistent infection and prolonged exposition to oncogenic human papillomaviruses （HPVs）. Large-scale cancer-prevention strategies （routine anuscopy and anal papanicolaou test- ing） should be implemented in this population. In addi- tion, definitive eradication of oncogenic HPVs within the anogenital mucosa of high-risk individuals might require a proactive approach with repeated vaccination.

Flow Past an Accumulator Unit of an Underwater Energy Storage System： Three Touching Balloons in a Floral Configuration

An LES simulation of flow over an accumulator unit of an underwater compressed air energy storage facility was conducted. The accumulator unit consists of three touching underwater balloons arranged in a floral configuration. The structure of the flow was examined via three dimensional iso surfaces of the Q criterion. Vortical cores were observed on the leeward surface of the balloons. The swirling tube flows generated by these vortical cores were depicted through three dimensional path lines. The flow dynamics were visualized via time series snapshots of two dimensional vorticity contours perpendicular to the flow direction; revealing the turbulent swinging motions of the aforementioned shedding-swirling tube flows. The time history of the hydrodynamic loading was presented in terms of lift and drag coefficients. Drag coefficient of each individual balloon in the floral configuration was smaller than that of a single balloon. It was found that the total drag coefficient of the floral unit of three touching balloons, i.e. summation of the drag coefficients of the balloons, is not too much larger than that of a single balloon whereas it provides three times the storage capacity. In addition to its practical significance in designing appropriate foundation and supports, the instantaneous hydrodynamic loading was used to determine the frequency of the turbulent swirling-swinging motions of the shedding vortex tubes; the Strouhal number was found to be larger than that of a single sphere at the same Reynolds number.

Performance of underground heat storage system in a double-film-covered greenhouse

An underground heat storage system in a double-film-covered greenhouse and an adjacent greenhouse without the heat storage system were designed on the basis of plant physiology to reduce the energy consumption in greenhouses. The results indicated that the floor temperature was respectively 5.2℃, 4.6℃ and 2.0 ℃ higher than that of the soil in the adjacent reference greenhouse after heat storage in a clear, cloudy and overcast sky in winter. Results showed that the temperature and humidity were feasible for plant growth in the heat saving greenhouse.

Experiment on mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete and application in deep underground engineering

Specimens of steel fiber reinforced concrete （SFRC） in volume ratios of 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% were prepared to study the supporting effect of SFRC at these diffterent volume ratios in a deep soft rock tunnel. Experiments with mechanical properties of compressive strength in cubic specimens, cleave strength in cylindrical specimens and four-point flexure strength of sheet metal specimens were carded out. The experimental results indicate that SFRC in a volume ratio of 1% is superior in ranking to other volume ratios in terms of technique and economics. By means of a numerical simulation, given the characteristics of soft rock deformation and damage at great depth, a new support substitution scheme of SFRC to replace plain concrete is proposed. The results of an industrial trial show that the support provided by SFRC can withstand large deformations of the surrounding rock. Good resuits have been obtained in a practical anplication.

Review on underwater friction stir welding: A variant of friction stir welding with great potential of improving joint properties

Friction stir welding（FSW） is a solid-state welding process which is capable of joining materials which are relatively difficult to be welded by fusion welding process. Further, this process is highly energy-efficient and environmental-friendly as compared to the fusion welding. Despite several advantages of FSW over fusion welding, the thermal cycles involved in FSW cause softening in joints generally in heat-treatable aluminum alloys（AAs） due to the dissolution or coarsening of the strengthening precipitates leading to decrease in mechanical properties. Underwater friction stir welding（UFSW） can be a process of choice to overcome these limitations. This process is suitable for alloys that are sensitive to heating during the welding and is widely used for heat-treatable AAs. The purpose of this article is to provide comprehensive literature review on current status and development of UFSW and its importance in comparison to FSW with an aim to discuss and summarize different aspects of UFSW. Specific attention is given to basic principle including material flow, temperature generation, process parameters, microstructure and mechanical properties. From the review, it is concluded that UFSW is an improved method compared with FSW for improving joint strength. Academicians, researchers and practitioners would be benefitted from this article as it compiles significantly important knowledge pertaining to UFSW.

Kinetic energy and its applications in mining engineering

Reduction of energy consumption in comminution is of significant importance in mining industry. To reduce such energy consumption the energy efficiency in an individual operation such as blasting must be increased. By using both new investigations and previous experimental results, this paper demonstrates that (1) kinetic energy carried by moving fragments in rock fracture is notable and it increases with an increasing loading rate;(2) this kinetic energy can be well used in secondary fragmentation in crushing and blasting. Accordingly, part of the muck pile from previous blast should be left in front of new(bench) face in either open pit or underground blasting. If so, when new blast occurs, the fragments from the new blast will collide with the muck pile left from the previous blast, and the kinetic energy carried by the moving fragments will be partly used in their secondary fragmentation.