Increasing the Efficiency and Level of Environmental Safety of Pro-Environmental City Heat Supply Technologies by Low Power Nuclear Plants

In connection with the current prospect of decarbonization of coal energy through the use of small nuclear power plants (SNPPs) at existing TPPs as heat sources for heat supply to municipal heating networks, there is a technological need to improve heat supply schemes to increase their environmental friendliness and efficiency. The paper proves the feasibility of using the heat-feeding mode of ASHPs for urban heat supply by heating the network water with steam taken from the turbine. The ratio of electric and thermal power of a “nuclear” combined heat and power plant is given. The advantage of using a heat pump, which provides twice as much electrical power with the same heat output, is established. Taking into account that heat in these modes is supplied with different potential, the energy efficiency was used to compare these options. To increase the heat supply capacity, a scheme with the use of a high-pressure heater in the backpressure mode and with the heating of network water with hot steam was proposed. Heat supply from ASHPs is efficient and environmentally friendly even in the case of significant remoteness of heat consumers.

Prospects of Technological Improvement of Nuclear and Environmental Safety of World Energy

Today, the most urgent problem of the existing and future nuclear power industry is to ensure the nuclear and environmental safety of the operation of nuclear power reactor units (NPPs) and nuclear power plants (NPPs). It is solved thanks to the application of deeply echeloned protection and an anti-accident complex of methods and means for effective control of the operation of active reactor zones (AZR). However, the danger of existing NPPs in the world from time to time manifests itself in the form of severe post-project accidents and catastrophes with the release into the environment of a significant amount of radioactive materials dangerous for all living things. The results of the analysis show that the unconditional fulfillment of the main requirements of nuclear environmental safety and biocompatibility is possible only in the so-called wave nuclear reactor of the G-V generation, which, unlike reactors of the previous generations III, II+ and IV, does not require supercritical loading of the core with nuclear fuel. In the active zone of this reactor, nuclear-physical processes governed by physical law are implemented, which exclude the operator’s participation in regulating the reactivity of the reactor’s active zone, which makes it the reactor with the highest level of nuclear and environmental safety today, which is based on the principles of so-called internal safety, free from the human factor. The possibility of burning nuclear fuel based on U238 and Th232 in it expands the reserves of energetic nuclear fuel almost to inexhaustibility. The technology of nuclear reactors of the G5 generation through the secondary use of spent irradiated nuclear fuel (SNF) for the production of energy and energy raw materials with simultaneous burning of it to an environmentally safe state is able to quickly reduce the available stocks and further production of dangerous SNF, guarantee the nuclear and environmental safety of NPPs with reactors G5 and to technologically make nuclear post-project accidents and disasters impossible at the level of physical law with the complete elimination of the human factor.

Investigation of the different weight models in Kalman filter:A case study of GNSS monitoring results

During geodetic monitoring with GNSS technology one of important steps is the correct processing and analysis of the measured displacements. We used the processing method of Kalman filter smoothing algorithm, which allows to evaluate not only displacements, but also the speed, acceleration, and other characteristics of the deformation model. One of the important issues is the calculation of the obser- vations weight matrix in the Kalman filter. Recurrence algorithm of Kalman filtering can calculate and specify the weights during processing. However, the weights obtained in such way do not always exactly correspond to the actual observation accuracy. We established the observations weights based on the accuracy of baseline measurements. In the presented study, we offered and investigated different models of establishing the accuracy of the baselines. The offered models and the processing of the measured displacements were tested on an experimentally geodetic GNSS network. The research results show that despite of different weight models, changing weights up to 2 times do not change Kalman filtering ac- curacy extremely. The significant improvements for Kalman filtering accuracy for baselines shorter than 10 km were not got. Therefore, for typical GNSS monitoring networks with baseline range 10-15 km, we recommend to use any kind of models. The compulsory condition for getting correct and reliable results is checking results on blunders. For baselines, which are longer than 15 km we propose to use weight model which include baseline standard deviation from network adjustment and corrections for baseline length and its accuracy.

Copper Release Kinetics and Ageing of Insulation Paper in Oil-Immersed Transformers

The paper provides a general overview of chemical processes leading to the degradation of oil-paper insulation in oil-immersed electrical current transformers. Previous knowledge available in literature is complemented by new results placing a specific emphasis on the physicochemical factors which affect the copper release in the insulation oil and the oil oxidation kinetics. It is demonstrated that various ageing processes interact with each other, with one or another process dominating under specific conditions. Comprehensive but disjoint studies focusing on separate sub-processes may produce rather misleading results, and occasionally, lie behind rather irrelevant quality demands imposed on the insulating liquids.

Analysis of the displacements of pipeline overpasses based on geodetic monitoring results

There are many approaches to address geospatial monitoring of pipeline overpasses,among which the most widespread methods are terrestrial laser scanning and total station measurements.However,there is a problem in comparing the geospatial monitoring data collected by different methods in different epochs.The main task of this work is to find the correspondence between points in different epochs.The total station measurements are carried out in specific discrete points of the pipeline overpass.In contrast,terrestrial laser scanning allows the collection of the whole data set without fixing specific point co-ordinates.In order to compare different data in different epochs,it is necessary to select a relevant presentation of the monitoring results(reference model)and specify appropriate criteria for quality inspection.In general,a pipeline can be presented as a spatial curve.In this study,two types of reference models are considered:cubic splines and Bezier curves.These models are examined for the monitoring of two gas pipeline overpasses.The first measurement epoch is accomplished by the terrestrial laser scanning,and the second measurement epoch is completed by the total station.The reference models are simulated by Matlab coding.The preliminary accuracy of ground laser scanning and total station mea-surement is selected as the criterion of quality inspection.The simulation and comparison results provide the evidence that the correct selection of reference model is a crucial component of successful geospatial monitoring.The results show that the Hermite splines are effective in the comparison of different data sets.These splines present the interpolation accuracy compatible with measurement accuracy,i.e.,15-20 mm for spatial displacement determination.

The Coulomb Resonances, the Quasi-Real Photons and Electro-Disintegration of Nuclei by High-Energy Electrons

Various aspects of the influence of the quasi-real photons and the Coulomb resonances on the formation of the crosssection of inelastic scattering of high energy electrons on atomic nuclei are investigated. Emiss is the energy that disappears in the processes of knocking-on of protons in the reactions . A new hypothesis that interprets the origin of the energy losses is proposed. Specific experiments that can confirm or refute this hypothesis are proposed as well. The “regularized” cross-sections of electro-disintegration of nuclei by high-energy electrons are calculated in the framework of the nuclear shell model. It is shown that for the experimental verification of the existence of Coulomb resonances, it is necessary to investigate the processes at relatively small angles of scattering. The peculiarities of numerical methods that are crucial in the investigation of inelastic scattering of high-energy electrons on nuclei in the framework of the nuclear shell model are analyzed in this work as well. The cross-sections of the scattering of high-energy electrons on the angle are calculated. It is shown that the orthogonality of the wave functions of a knocked-on proton in the initial and final states plays an important role in the interpretation of this process.

Adaptive Method of Increase of Package Network Load

The method of loading increase of package networks is considered. This method is based on the dynamic redistribution of the throughput of switch equipment among carrying capacities (bandwidths) of its ports. Redistribution is fulfilled synchronously with the pulsations of packet streams, which move over the entrances of these ports. In the complement of switch equipment, it entered the adaptive mechanism of automatic real time redistribution of the throughput of switch equipment among the bandwidths of ports. This mechanism allows to decrease the quantity of time intervals, when intensities of packet streams are exceeded by the set bandwidths of ports, and, thus to increase the load of equipment by useful traffic.

Estimation of Parameters of Boundary Value Problems for Linear Ordinary Differential Equations with Uncertain Data

In this paper we construct optimal, in certain sense, estimates of values of linear functionals on solutions to two-point boundary value problems (BVPs) for systems of linear first-order ordinary differential equations from observations which are linear transformations of the same solutions perturbed by additive random noises. It is assumed here that right-hand sides of equations and boundary data as well as statistical characteristics of random noises in observations are not known and belong to certain given sets in corresponding functional spaces. This leads to the necessity of introducing minimax statement of an estimation problem when optimal estimates are defined as linear, with respect to observations, estimates for which the maximum of mean square error of estimation taken over the above-mentioned sets attains minimal value. Such estimates are called minimax mean square or guaranteed estimates. We establish that the minimax mean square estimates are expressed via solutions of some systems of differential equations of special type and determine estimation errors.

Conceptual Determinants of Development of Intellectual Capital of Construction Enterprises

The presence and effective implementation of the intellectual potential of construction enterprises is important for creating unique competitive advantages as a response to challenges caused by globalization, the era of the knowledge economy, as well as the development of communication and information technologies. The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute to the development of intellectual capital in construction enterprises;development of an algorithm for thorough response by the enterprise to the action of determinants.The following methods were used: Analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction when studying the variety of determinants of the development of intellectual capital;grouping in the process of classifying determinants;statistical methods in the process of researching the reporting of construction enterprises;systematic approach in the process of forming an algorithm of actions aimed at ensuring effective management of the intellectual capital of construction enterprises;abstraction to generalize research results and outline significant trends in changing indicators that reflect the development of individual components of intellectual capital. In the paper, the determinants of the development of intellectual capital are grouped according to the classification features important for Ukrainian construction enterprises.The indicators, the monitoring of which is necessary in the process of implementing a conscious response to the action of the determinants of the development of the intellectual capital of construction enterprises, are studied on the example of Ukrainian construction enterprises.

Radix Panacis quinquefolii Extract Ameliorates Inflammatory Bowel Disease through Inhibiting Inflammation

Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of Radix Panacis quinquefolii extract(RPQE) and its therapeutic effects on inflammatory bowel disease(IBD). Methods: The 72-hour post-fertilization zebrafish was used to generate the local and systematic inflammation models through tail-amputation and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induction(100 μg/m L), respectively. The Tg(zlyz:EGFP) zebrafish was induced with 75 μg/m L 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBS) for establishing the IBD model. The tail-amputated, LPS-, and TNBS-induced models were subjected to RPQE(ethanol fraction, 10–20 μg/m L) administration for 12 and 24 h, respectively. Anti-inflammatory activity of RPQE was evaluated by detecting migration and aggregation of leukocytes and expression of inflammation-related genes. Meanwhile, TNBS-induced fish were immersed in 0.2%(W/V) calcein for 1.5 h and RPQE for 12 h before photographing to analyze the intestinal efflux efficiency(IEE). Moreover, the expression of inflammation-related genes in these fish was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Subject to RPQE administration, the migration and aggregation of leukocytes were significantly alleviated in 3 zebrafish models(P<0.01). Herein, RPQE ameliorated TNBS-induced IBD with respect to a significantly reduced number of leukocytes, improved IEE, and inhibited gene expression of pro-inflammatory factors(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion: RPQE exhibited therapeutic effects on IBD by inhibiting inflammation.