Time for a Revolution: Smart Energy and Microgrid Use in Disaster Response

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wayne Callaway ◽  
Erin Noste ◽  
Peter Woods McCahill ◽  
A.J. Rossman ◽  
Dominique Lempereur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Modern Health Care ◽  
Energy Independence ◽  
Alternative Power

AbstractModern health care and disaster response are inextricably linked to high volume, reliable, quality power. Disasters place major strain on energy infrastructure in affected communities. Advances in renewable energy and microgrid technology offer the potential to improve mobile disaster medical response capabilities. However, very little is known about the energy requirements of and alternative power sources in disaster response. A gap analysis of the energy components of modern disaster response reveals multiple deficiencies. The MED-1 Green Project has been executed as a multiphase project designed to identify energy utilization inefficiencies, decrease demands on diesel generators, and employ modern energy management strategies to expand operational independence. This approach, in turn, allows for longer deployments in potentially more austere environments and minimizes the unit's environmental footprint. The ultimate goal is to serve as a proof of concept for other mobile medical units to create strategies for energy independence. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1–8)

Integration of Energy Analytics and Smart Energy Microgrid into Mobile Medicine Operations for the 2012 Democratic National Convention

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 600-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. McCahill ◽  
Erin E. Noste ◽  
AJ Rossman ◽  
David W. Callaway
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Pv Array ◽  
Mobile Medicine ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
National Convention ◽  
Energy Analytics ◽  
Battery Bank

AbstractIntroductionDisasters create major strain on energy infrastructure in affected communities. Advances in microgrid technology offer the potential to improve “off-grid” mobile disaster medical response capabilities beyond traditional diesel generation. The Carolinas Medical Center's mobile emergency medical unit (MED-1) Green Project (M1G) is a multi-phase project designed to demonstrate the benefits of integrating distributive generation (DG), high-efficiency batteries, and “smart” energy utilization in support of major out-of-hospital medical response operations.MethodsCarolinas MED-1 is a mobile medical facility composed of a fleet of vehicles and trailers that provides comprehensive medical care capacities to support disaster response and special-event operations. The M1G project partnered with local energy companies to deploy energy analytics and an energy microgrid in support of mobile clinical operations for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA). Energy use data recorded throughout the DNC were analyzed to create energy utilization models that integrate advanced battery technology, solar photovoltaic (PV), and energy conservation measures (ECM) to improve future disaster response operations.ResultsThe generators that supply power for MED-1 have a minimum loading ratio (MLR) of 30 kVA. This means that loads below 30 kW lead to diesel fuel consumption at the same rate as a 30 kW load. Data gathered from the two DNC training and support deployments showed the maximum load of MED-1 to be around 20 kW. This discrepancy in MLR versus actual load leads to significant energy waste. The lack of an energy storage system reduces generator efficiency and limits integration of alternative energy generation strategies. A storage system would also allow for alternative generation sources, such as PV, to be incorporated. Modeling with a 450 kWh battery bank and 13.5 kW PV array showed a 2-fold increase in potential deployment times using the same amount of fuel versus the current conventional system.ConclusionsThe M1G Project demonstrated that the incorporation of a microgrid energy management system and a modern battery system maximize the MED-1 generators’ output. Using a 450 kWh battery bank and 13.5 kW PV array, deployment operations time could be more than doubled before refueling. This marks a dramatic increase in patient care capabilities and has significant public health implications. The results highlight the value of smart-microgrid technology in developing energy independent mobile medical capabilities and expanding cost-effective, high-quality medical response.McCahillPW, NosteEE, RossmanAJ, CallawayDW. Integration of energy analytics and smart energy microgrid into mobile medicine operations for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(6):1-8.

Use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in the Medical Response to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster in Japan

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Nagata ◽  
Yoshinari Kimura ◽  
Masami Ishii
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Medical Association ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Nuclear Disaster ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Event Information ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

AbstractThe Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011. In the first 10 days after the event, information about radiation risks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was unavailable, and the disaster response, including deployment of disaster teams, was delayed. Beginning on March 17, 2011, the Japan Medical Association used a geographic information system (GIS) to visualize the risk of radiation exposure in Fukushima. This information facilitated the decision to deploy disaster medical response teams on March 18, 2011.Nagata T, Kimura Y, Ishii M. Use of a geographic information system (GIS) in the medical response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-3.

scholarly journals Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eziyi Offia Ibem ◽  
Michael Nwabueze Anosike ◽  
Dominic Ezenwa Azuh ◽  
Tim O. Mosaku
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Structural Engineers

This study was undertaken to identify key stress factors among professionals in building construction industry in Nigeria. This is in view of the fact that to date, very little is known about work stress among professionals in building construction industry in this country. The study involved the administration of questionnaire to 107 professionals including architects, builders, civil/structural engineers and quantity surveyors randomly selected from 60 ongoing building projects in Anambra, Ogun and Kaduna States, Nigeria. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and findings show that the principal sources of stress were high volume of work, uncomfortable site office environment, lack of feedback on previous and ongoing building projects, and variations in the scope of work in ongoing building projects. The paper suggests that taking responsibility for work which one has adequate capacity to handle, establishing realistic budgets and time frame for project delivery, provision of spatially adequate, visually and thermally comfortable site offices, adoption of appropriate job design practice and education of professionals on stress management strategies will reduce the incidence of stress among professionals in building industry in Nigeria. 

The 1994 Northridge Earthquake Disaster Response: The Local Emergency Medical Services Agency Experience

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Stratton ◽  
Virginia Price Hastings ◽  
Darlene Isbell ◽  
John Celentano ◽  
Miguel Ascarrunz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Northridge Earthquake ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
1994 Northridge Earthquake

AbstractIntroduction:This paper describes the 1994 Northridge earthquake experience of the local emergency medical services (EMS) agency. Discussed are means that should improve future local agency disaster responses.Methods:Data reported are descriptive and were collected from multiple independent sources, and can be reviewed publicly and confirmed. Validated data collected during the disaster by the Local EMS Agency also are reported.Results:The experience of the Los Angeles County EMS Agency was similar to that of earthquake disasters previously reported. Communication systems, water, food, shelter, sanitation means, power sources, and medical supplies were resources needed early in the disaster. Urban Search and Rescue Teams and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams were important elements in the response to the Northridge earthquake. The acute phase of the disaster ended within 48 to 72 hours and public health then became the predominant health-care issue. Locating community food and water supplies near shelters, providing transportation to medical care, and public-health visits to shelter locations helped prevent the development of long-term park encampments. An incident command system for the field, hospitals, and government responders was necessary for an organized response to the disaster.Conclusion:Disaster preparedness, multiple forms of reliable communication, rapid mobilization of resources, and knowledge of available state and federal resources are necessary for a disaster response by a local EMS agency.

Loss Minimization in Active Distribution Network

2020 ◽  
pp. 119-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bawoke Simachew
Keyword(s):  
Power Loss ◽  
Reactive Power ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Distribution Network ◽  
Optimization Method ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Optimal Size ◽  
Loss Reduction ◽  
Voltage Profile ◽  
Power Sources

Power loss reduction is an important problem that needs to be addressed with respect to generating electrical power. It is important to reduce power loss using locally generated power sources and/or compensations. This chapter brings a method of presents a method of maximizing energy utilization, feeder loss reduction, and voltage profile improvement for radial distribution network using the active and reactive power sources. Distributed Generation (DG) (wind and solar with backup by biomass generation) and shunt capacitor (QG) for reactive power demand are used. Integrating DG and QG at each bus might reduce the loss but it is economically unaffordable, especially for developing countries. Therefore, the utilization optimization method is required for finding an optimal size and location to feeders for placing QG and DG to minimize feeder loss.

scholarly journals Hollow Piezoelectric Ceramic Fibers for Energy Harvesting Fabrics

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 155892501300800
Author(s):  
François M. Guillot ◽  
Haskell W. Beckham ◽  
Johannes Leisen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Lead Zirconate Titanate ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Lead Zirconate ◽  
Ceramic Fibers ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Electromechanical Performance ◽  
Alternative Power

In the past few years, the growing need for alternative power sources has generated considerable interest in the field of energy harvesting. A particularly exciting possibility within that field is the development of fabrics capable of harnessing mechanical energy and delivering electrical power to sensors and wearable devices. This study presents an evaluation of the electromechanical performance of hollow lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibers as the basis for the construction of such fabrics. The fibers feature individual polymer claddings surrounding electrodes directly deposited onto both inside and outside ceramic surfaces. This configuration optimizes the amount of electrical energy available by placing the electrodes in direct contact with the surface of the material and by maximizing the active piezoelectric volume. Hollow fibers were electroded, encapsulated in a polymer cladding, poled and characterized in terms of their electromechanical properties. They were then glued to a vibrating cantilever beam equipped with a strain gauge, and their energy harvesting performance was measured. It was found that the fibers generated twice as much energy density as commercial state-of-the-art flexible composite sensors. Finally, the influence of the polymer cladding on the strain transmission to the fiber was evaluated. These fibers have the potential to be woven into fabrics that could harvest mechanical energy from the environment and could eventually be integrated into clothing.

scholarly journals Optimisation of schedules for the inspection of railway tracks

2017 ◽  
Vol 232 (6) ◽  
pp. 1577-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Haniff Bin Osman ◽  
Sakdirat Kaewunruen ◽  
Anson Jack
Keyword(s):  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Optimal Schedule ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Scheduling Problems ◽  
Railway Tracks ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Inspection Tasks ◽  
Optimisation Methods

Inspection of railway tracks involves a high volume of short-duration tasks (e.g. visual inspection, vehicle-based inspection, measurement, etc.) each of which is repeated at different frequencies and time intervals. It is important to gain as many benefits as possible from the inspection tasks, which incur huge expenses. To date, various optimisation methods have been incorporated into the schedule generation to determine an inspection order for a known number and geographical location of tracks. Due to the specific requirements of certain tracks or inspection problem—for example, the number of schedule parameters and one-off or incremental type schedules—researchers have developed more sophisticated and problem-dependent optimisation methods. However, introduction of a new inspection technology and policy in the last five years, especially in the United Kingdom, has urged a remodelling of the scheduling problem in track inspection in order to cope up with the new operational and business constraints. Thus, this paper conducts a review and gap analysis of previous studies with regard to track inspection scheduling problems from an optimisation point of view. In addition, the authors discuss several potential research interests resulting from the gap analysis undertaken. This study shows that heuristic methods are popular among researchers in searching for an optimal schedule subject to single or multiple optimisation function(s) while satisfying various technical and business constraints.

scholarly journals August 24th, 2016 Central Italy Earthquake - Validation of “Modified Utstein Template for Hospital Disaster Response Reporting,” A New Tool for Reporting Hospital’s Reaction to Disasters

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s4-s5
Author(s):  
Matteo Paganini ◽  
Luca Ragazzoni ◽  
Fabio Rossitto ◽  
Aurora Vecchiato ◽  
Rita Bonfini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Central Italy Earthquake ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Scientific Report ◽  
Management Reporting ◽  
Hospital Response ◽  
Utstein Style

Introduction:After Action Reports analyze events and recommend actions to facilitate preparedness and response to future similar disasters. However, there is no consensus among the templates developed to collect data during disasters and little is known about how to report hospital responses.Aim:The hypothesis was that the use of a new assessment tool for hospital response to natural disasters facilitates the systematic collection of data and the delivery of a scientific report after the event.Methods:A data collection tool, focused on hospital response to natural disasters, was created modifying the “Utstein-Style Template for Uniform Data Reporting of Acute Medical Response in Disasters”,1 and tested the reaction of the hospitals involved in the response to the Central Italy earthquake on August 24th, 2016.Results:Four hospitals were included. The completion rate of the tool was of 97.10%. A total of 613 patients accessed the four emergency departments, most of them in Rieti hospital (178; 29.04%). Three hundred and thirty – six patients were classified as earthquake-related (54.81%), most of which with trauma injuries (260; 77.38%).Discussion:The new reporting tool proved to be easy to use and allowed to retrospectively reconstruct most (97.10%) of the actions implemented by hospital responders. Details about activation, patient fluxes, times, and actions undertaken were easily reconstructed throughout in-field interviews of hospital managers and patients’ charts. Patients were uniformly distributed across the four hospitals, and the hospital capabilities were able to cope with this mass influx of casualties. The Modified Utstein Template for Hospital Disaster Response Reporting is a valid tool for hospital disaster management reporting. This template could be used for a better comprehension of hospital disaster reaction, debriefing activities, and revisions.

scholarly journals Lessons from the Brussels Terrorist Attack

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s91-s92
Author(s):  
Andreas Möhler
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Damage Control ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Emergency Plan ◽  
War Injuries ◽  
Burn Care ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Medical Teams

Introduction:On March 22, 2016, the capital of Europe was hit by two terrorist attacks. As terrorism becomes more and more violent, it is critical to learn and share experiences in order to enhance effectiveness in saving lives.Methods:A field perspective and experience feedback from the Emergency Medical Response.Results:The first attack hit the departure hall of the airport, which, due to its strategic role, relies upon a dedicated emergency plan. However, it focuses on airplane crashes and not on explosions in a crowded terminal. The second attack hit the subway at rush hour. An attack in such a confined environment is particularly challenging for the rescue teams, as injuries are worsened, access hindered, and exits numerous.Eleven medical teams were sent in order to perform triage and provide vital care. The medical response was organized by two disaster response teams. Advanced Medical Posts were set up and the mass casualty plans of all hospitals were activated. Managing war injuries for civilian teams was challenging. On-site care consisted essentially in prehospital damage control and burn care in order to ensure rapid evacuations for haemostatic surgery. 313 victims were dispatched to thirty hospitals. Another challenge was safety. Several threats were apparent and explosives were found on both sites. Lessons from Paris had prompted a review of our multiple sites Emergency Plan. One single way of communication was used and the evacuations were managed centrally. Finally, the key factor that helped limit the number of casualties was the acquaintanceship between emergency workers and non-medical teams built during exercises, allowing them to adapt and blend in as one team.Discussion:Lessons from previous attacks were crucial to improve our management of the medical response. These should be shared around, as another attack may always occur anywhere and at any time.

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