Study on Image Recognition Algorithm for Residual Snow and Ice on Photovoltaic Modules

The accumulation of snow and ice on PV modules can have a detrimental impact on power generation,leading to reduced efficiency for prolonged periods.Thus,it becomes imperative to develop an intelligent system capable of accurately assessing the extent of snow and ice coverage on PV modules.To address this issue,the article proposes an innovative ice and snow recognition algorithm that effectively segments the ice and snow areas within the collected images.Furthermore,the algorithm incorporates an analysis of the morphological characteristics of ice and snow coverage on PV modules,allowing for the establishment of a residual ice and snow recognition process.This process utilizes both the external ellipse method and the pixel statistical method to refine the identification process.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated through extensive testing with isolated and continuous snow area pictures.The results demonstrate the algorithm’s accuracy and reliability in identifying and quantifying residual snow and ice on PV modules.In conclusion,this research presents a valuable method for accurately detecting and quantifying snow and ice coverage on PV modules.This breakthrough is of utmost significance for PV power plants,as it enables predictions of power generation efficiency and facilitates efficient PV maintenance during the challenging winter conditions characterized by snow and ice.By proactively managing snow and ice coverage,PV power plants can optimize energy production and minimize downtime,ensuring a sustainable and reliable renewable energy supply.

Assessment of the Mechanical Properties of Carbon-Fiber Heating Cables in Snow and Ice Melting Applications

The use of carbon-fiber heating cables(CFHC)to achieve effective melting of snow and ice deposited on roads is a method used worldwide.In this study,tensile and compressive tests have been conducted to analyze the mechan-ical properties of the CFHC and assess whether the maximum tensile and compressive strengths can meet the pavement design specifications.In order to study the aging produced by multiple cycles of heating and cooling,in particular,the CFHC was repeatedly heated in a cold chamber with an ambient temperature ranging between-20℃ and+40℃.Moreover,to evaluate how the strength of the pavement is affected by its presence,the CFHC was embedded at different depths and concrete blocks with different curing ages were subjected to relevant com-pression and splitting tensile tests.Numerical simulations based on the ANSYS software have also been performed and compared with the outcomes of the static loading tests.The results show that the CFHC embedded in the concrete does not affect the compressive splitting tensile strengths of the pavement.Overall,the CFHC meets the conditions required for continued use in road ice melting applications.

The Variability of the Snow and Ice Melt in Alpine Rivers in Northwestern China

The study of snow and ice melt （SIM） is important in water-scarce arid regions for the assessment of water supply and quality. These studies involve unique difficulties, especially in the calibration of hydro-models because there is no direct way to continuously measure the SIM at hydrostations. The recursive digital filter （RDF） and the isotopic hydro-geochemical method （IHM） were coupled to separate the SIM from eight observed series of alpine streamflows in northwestern China. Validation of the calibrated methods suggested a good capture of the SIM characteristics with fair accuracy in both space and time. Applications of the coupled methods in the upper reaches of the Hei River Basin （HRB） suggested a double peak curve of the SIM fraction to streamflow for the multi-component recharged （MCR） rivers, while a single peak curve was suggested for the rainfall-dominant recharged （RDR） rivers. Given inter-annual statistics of the separation, both types of the alpine rivers have experienced an obvious decrease of SIM since 196os. In the past 10 years, the SIM in the two types of rivers has risen to the levels of the 1970s, but has remained lower than the level of the 1960s. The study provided a considerable evidence to quantify the alpine SIMbased on the separation of observed data series at gauge stations. Application of the coupled method could be helpful in the calibration and validation of SIM-related hydro-models in alpine regions.

The acid cleaning method of labware for trace element analysis in snow and ice samples

Acid cleaning processes were performed on a class 100 laminar flow clean bench assembled inside a class 1000 clean room.The ultrapure water was produced by Millipore RO (Reverse Osmosis) and Milli-Q water purification systems.The three purity grades of nitric acid used for cleaning include Merck reagent grade HNO3,Fisher 'TraceMetal' grade HNO3,and the purest Fisher 'Optima' grade HNO3.The various bottles,containers and other labware,which are in contact with the samples,are made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and FEP or PFA Teflon materials.The acid cleaning procedures of the bottles and other containers follow a successive four times cleaning through immersion in increasing purity of nitric acid baths at different concentrations during four weeks.The first acid bath is performed at room temperature,but the following three acid baths are heated on ceramic hotplates with a surface temperature of 45℃.In order to verify the efficiency of the acid cleaning method,cleaned bottles underwent a blank determination procedure using ELAN 6100 inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS).Results show that most measured trace elements are not detected and the elements detected are at very low concentrations.The blank values are comparable with that of bottles cleaned at Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI).Although the acid cleaning method is developed mainly for reliable measurements of trace elements in snow and ice samples,it can also be used for investigations of trace elements in other environmental samples.

Review on microorganisms of glacial snow and ice on the Tibetan Plateau

Over the past 15 years there has been much effort invested in microorganisms of glacial snow and ice on the Tibetan Plateau.These studies include:phenotypic characteristics of recovered isolates;factors(dust,temperature,altitude)influencing microbial abundance,diversity and community in one glacier;distribution of bacterial number,diversity,community along ice core depth;similarities and differences of regionally distributed ice core isolates;seasonal variation of bacterial abundance and diversity.The following need further study.Better methods for more information about the diversity,survival mechanism of glacial microorganism;more research about archaea and fungi;microbial resources;relation of glacial microorganisms with biogeochemical cycle and mass balance;research on altitude distribution.

Detecting Arctic snow and ice cover with FY-1D global data

Chinese meteorological satellite FY-1D can obtain global data from four spectral channels which include visible channel(0.58-0.68 μm) and infrared channels(0.84-0.89 μm,10.3-11.3 μm,11.5-12.5 μm).2366 snow and ice samples,2024 cloud samples,1602 land samples and 1648 water samples were selected randomly from Arctic imageries.Land and water can be detected by spectral features.Snow-ice and cloud can be classified by textural features.The classifier is Bayes classifier.By synthesizing five d ays classifying result of Arctic snow and ice cover area,complete Arctic snow and ice cover area can be obtained.The result agrees with NOAA/NESDIS IMS products up to 70%.

Determination of trace level of perchlorate in Antarctic snow and ice by ion chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry using an automated sample on-line preconcentration method

A new ion chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry （IC-ESI-MS/MS） method, with automated sampling and on-line preconcentration, has been developed for the determination of perchlorate in Antarctic snow and ice at low part-per-trillion （ng]L） levels. To the best of our lmowledge, this is the first time that an analytical method is used for the determination of perchlorate in Antarctic snow and ice. The IC-ESI-MS/MS instrumentation consisted of an ICS2000 ion chromatography （IC） system coupled to an API3200 electrospray tandem mass spectrometer （ESI-MS/MS）. On-line preconcentration was realized through a six-port injector valve, a TAC-ULP1 concentrator column and an AS auto-sampler. Multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode was used to quantify the perch/orate anion. The transition of 35Cl]604- （m/z 98.9） into 3SC11603 （m[z 82.9） was monitored for quantifying the main analyte, and the transition of 37C11604 （m/z 100.9） into 37C1~603- （m]z 84.9） was monitored for examining a proper isotopic abundance ratio of 3sCl to 37C1, which was used as a confirmation tool. The limit of detection （LOD） and limit of quantitation （LOQ） for the method was 0.2 ng/ L and 0.5 ng/L, respectively. And this new method exhibited acceptable accuracy and precision for samples at ng/L levels. All the tested snow and ice samples were found to contain measurable amount of oerchlorate, ran^in~ from 10 nell to 340 nell..

On the Snow and Ice

Team China makes history at the Vancouver Winter Olympics amid concerns about a better performance at the next games

Research progress and development direction of low-temperature drilling fluid for Antarctic region

By combing the characteristics of drilling in Antarctic region, performance requirements on drilling fluid for Antarctic low temperature conditions, and research progress of low temperature drilling fluid, current problems of the drilling fluid have been sorted out, and the development direction of the drilling fluid has been pointed out. Drilling in the Antarctic region mainly includes drilling in snow, ice and subglacial rock formations, and drilling in Antarctic low temperature conditions will face problems in four aspects:(1) low temperature and large temperature changes in the drilling area;(2) likely well leakage and drillstring-sticking in the snow layer, creep in the ice layer, ice chip gathering jamming in the warm ice layer, well wall collapse in the subglacial rock formations;(3) lack of infrastructure and difficulty in logistical support;(4) fragile environment and low carrying capacity. After years of development, progresses have been made on low-temperature drilling fluids for the Antarctic region. Low-temperature petroleum-based drilling fluid, ethanol/ethylene glycol-based drilling fluid, ester-based drilling fluid and silicone oil-based drilling fluid have been developed. However, these drilling fluids have problems such as insufficient low-temperature tolerance, low environmental performance and weak wellbore stability, etc. In order to meet the performance requirements of drilling fluid under low-temperature conditions in Antarctic region, the working mechanisms of low-temperature drilling fluid must be examined in depth;environment-friendly low-temperature base fluid of drilling fluid and related additives must be developed to prepare environmentally friendly low temperature drilling fluid systems;multi-functional integrated adjustment method for drilling fluid must be worked out to ensure well wall stability and improve cutting-carry capacity when drilling ice formations and ice-rock interlayers;and on-site support operation codes must be established to provide technical support for Antarctic drilling.

The responses of hydro-environment system in the Second Songhua River Basin to melt water

Based on the continuous monitoring data of hydrology and water quality in the period from 1972 to 1997, the responses of hydro-environment system to melt water in the Second Songhua River basin were derived. Because of melt water, the water quality in the Second Songhua River is good and changes very except that the contents of Hg and Mn in the water are higher. The contribution of melt water to the water fluxes in the Second Songhua River basin is distinct: the water flow in April increases remarkably, reaches the peak in the upper reaches. The pollutant contributions and water pollution indices (WPIs) of the Second Songhua River in April are high in the upper reaches while that in the lower reaches are low. The responses of hydro-environment system to melt water of that basin are affected by content of packed snow and the underlining surface systems.

Multi-model assessment of glacio-hydrological changes in central Karakoram, Pakistan

The multi-model assessment of glacio-hydrological regimes can enhance our understanding of glacier response to climate change.This improved knowledge can uplift our computing abilities to estimate the contributing components of the river discharge.This study examined and compared the hydrological responses in the glacier-dominated Shigar River basin(SRB)under various climatic scenarios using a semi-distributed Modified Positive Degree Day Model(MPDDM)and a distributed Glacio-hydrological Degree-day Model(GDM).Both glacio-hydrological models were calibrated and validated against the observed hydro-meteorological data from 1988–1992 and 1993–1997.Temperature and precipitation data from Shigar and Skardu meteorological stations were used along with field estimated degree-day factor,temperature,and precipitation gradients.The results from both models indicate that the snow and ice melt are vital contributors to sustain river flow in the catchment.However,MPDDM estimated 68%of rain and baseflow contribution to annual river runoff despite low precipitation during the summer monsoon,while GDM estimated 14%rain and baseflow contribution.Likewise,MPDDM calculated 32%,and GDM generated 86%of the annual river runoff from snow and ice melt.MPDDM simulated river discharge with 0.86 and 0.78 NSE for calibration and validation,respectively.Similarly,GDM simulated river discharge with improved accuracy of 0.87 for calibration and 0.84 NSE for the validation period.The snow and ice melt is significant in sustaining river flow in the SRB,and substantial changes in melt characteristics of snow and ice are expected to have severe consequences on seasonal water availability.Based on the sensitivity analysis,both models’outputs are highly sensitive to the variation in temperature.Furthermore,compared to MPDDM,GDM simulated considerable variation in the river discharge in climate scenarios,RCP4.5 and 8.5,mainly due to the higher sensitivity of GDM model outputs to temperature change.The integration of an updated melt module and two reservoir baseflow module in GDM is anticipated to advance the representation of hydrological components,unlike one reservoir baseflow module used separately in MPDDM.The restructured melt and baseflow modules in GDM have fundamentally enriched our perception of glacio-hydrological dynamics in the catchment.