scholarly journals Genetic monitoring of the endangered Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in the Aude River, France

2020 ◽  
Vol 146 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
François Gillet ◽  
Bruno Le Roux ◽  
Frédéric Blanc ◽  
Aurélie Bodo ◽  
Christine Fournier-Chambrillon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Local Population ◽  
High Water ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Galemys Pyrenaicus

The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small semi-aquatic mammal endemic to the Pyrenean Mountains and the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula. This species is currently considered as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List and has been suffering from habitat loss and fragmentation for decades but little is known about the impact of water flow modifications induced by hydroelectric power plants. In order to address this issue we monitored Pyrenean desman individuals living in a harnessed section of the Aude River, by genotyping both faeces samples and hair of live-trapped animals. During a three-year study (2011-2013), a total of 39 individuals were identified using 24 microsatellite loci, 28 from faeces and 11 from trapped animals. Several long distance movements were evidenced up to at least 15 km, a distance that has never previously been reported. These movements might be related to modifications of the river bed caused by very high water flows that occurred during the repair of the Nentilla hydroelectric plant. The local population density suggests that the Aude River provides suitable habitat for the Pyrenean desman, and preservation of this habitat should be a priority for the conservation of this species.

scholarly journals Availability Projections of Hydroelectric Power Plants through Monte Carlo Simulation

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8398
Author(s):  
Marcos Tadeu Barros de Oliveira ◽  
Patrícia de Sousa Oliveira Silva ◽  
Elisa Oliveira ◽  
André Luís Marques Marcato ◽  
Giovani Santiago Junqueira
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo Simulation ◽  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Maintenance Schedule ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
The Impact

The present work proposes a Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) to obtain availability projections for Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPP), based mainly on regulatory aspects involving the Availability Factor (AFA). The main purpose of the simulation is to generate scenarios to obtain statistics for risk analysis and decision-making in relation to the HPP. The proposed methodology consists of two steps, firstly, the optimization of the maintenance schedule of the hydroelectric plant is carried out, in order to allocate the mandatory maintenance in the simulation horizon. Then, for the MCS, scenarios of forced shutdowns of the Generating Units (GU) will be generated, which directly influence the operation and, consequently, the availability of the HPP. The scenarios will be inserted into an operation optimization model, which considers the impact of forced shutdown samples on the MCS. The proposed modeling was applied using real data from the Santo Antônio HPP, which is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in Brazil.

scholarly journals Influence of habitat connectivity and seasonality on the ichthyofauna structure of a riverine knickzone

2018 ◽  
Vol 108 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo M. Brambilla ◽  
Virginia S. Uieda ◽  
Marcos G. Nogueira
Keyword(s):  
Rainy Season ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
High Water ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Flood Pulses ◽  
Imminent Threat

ABSTRACT Knickzones are originated from basaltic outcroppings, present runs, riffles and pools and are highly influenced by flood pulses, which maintain their natural dynamic. However, the construction of hydroelectric power plants alters or eliminate the dynamism of this area and can affect the resident fauna that may be dependent on it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the organization of a knickzone’s ichthyofauna considering the influence of seasonality and connectivity of habitats. The study was performed in a knickzone located in the Sapucaí-Mirim River, Southeast Brazil. We sampled four rocky pools connected to the river and three isolated pools, during rainy and dry conditions. The analysis of the two factors (connectivity and seasonality) and of their interaction showed a significant influence only for seasonality on ichthyofauna structure, with higher values of abundance in the rainy season. The species that most contributed to the high dissimilarity between seasons were Knodus moenkhausii (50% of contribution) and Astyanax bockmanni (21%). The former is the most abundant species in the rainy season and the later in the dry season. The alteration between low and high water level occurs frequently in knickzones, as it is a rocky shallow platform in the middle of a river, with floods occurring seasonally or in stochastic short-term periods. This hydrological seasonal dynamic, high limnological variability and complex interactions of different habitats (pools, runs and rapids) explain the particular ichthyofauna structure in such small area. Our results also indicate the potential importance of basaltic knickzones for regional fish diversity conservation, especially due to the imminent threat by intensive hydropower reservoir construction.

scholarly journals Comparative Assessment of Spatial Variability and Trends of Flows and Sediments under the Impact of Climate Change in the Upper Indus Basin

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 730
Author(s):  
Waqas Ul Hussan ◽  
Muhammad Khurram Shahzad ◽  
Frank Seidel ◽  
Anna Costa ◽  
Franz Nestmann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Comparative Assessment ◽  
Indus Basin ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Indus River ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Upper Indus Basin ◽  
The Impact

Extensive research of the variability of flows under the impact of climate change has been conducted for the Upper Indus Basin (UIB). However, limited literature is available on the spatial distribution and trends of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) in the sub-basins of UIB. This study covers the comparative assessment of flows and SSC trends measured at 13 stations in the UIB along with the variability of precipitation and temperatures possibly due to climate change for the past three decades. In the course of this period, the country’s largest reservoir, Tarbela, on the Indus River was depleted rapidly due to heavy sediment influx from the UIB. Sediment management of existing storage and future planned hydraulic structures (to tap 30,000 MW in the region) depends on the correct assessment of SSC, their variation patterns, and trends. In this study, the SSC trends are determined along with trends of discharges, precipitation, and temperatures using the non-parametric Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator. The results reveal that the annual flows and SSC are in a balanced state for the Indus River at Besham Qila, whereas the SSC are significantly reduced ranging from 18.56%–28.20% per decade in the rivers of Gilgit at Alam Bridge, Indus at Kachura, and Brandu at Daggar. The SSC significantly increase ranging from 20.08%–40.72% per decade in the winter together with a significant increase of average air temperature. During summers, the SSC are decreased significantly ranging from 18.63%–27.79% per decade along with flows in the Hindukush and Western–Karakorum regions, which is partly due to the Karakorum climate anomaly, and in rainfall-dominated basins due to rainfall reduction. In Himalayan regions, the SSC are generally increased slightly during summers. These findings will be helpful for understanding the sediment trends associated with flow, precipitation, and temperature variations, and may be used for the operational management of current reservoirs and the design of several hydroelectric power plants that are planned for construction in the UIB.

Engineering Solutions to the Greenhouse Gases Generated by Hydroelectric Plants

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaufui Vincent Wong
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plants ◽  
Water Turbine ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
The Right ◽  
Do The Right Thing

There is a controversy brewing for about 10 years that hydroelectric power plants are not a clean, renewable source of electricity. The current review indicates that the source of methane is not in the mechanics or mechanical design of the equipment used. The source of the methane is from nature, and man's failure to do the right thing. This methane may be reduced or completely eliminated. If this cannot be accomplished or if it is too expensive to retrofit the hydroelectric plant, then the deep water may be preprocessed (and the methane collected) before being used in the water turbine. Several methods have been introduced and discussed. Details have been omitted so that practicing engineers and other professionals can obtain funds to research and develop or invent the practical solutions suited to conditions local to the problem.

scholarly journals The Amur River Water During the Winter Low-water Period: The Many-year dynamics of the Sulfates Content and Runoff.

2020 ◽  
pp. 82-93
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Amur Basin ◽  
Amur River ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
The Amur River ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact

ulfates are the dominant ions among the major ones in the Amur region’s sewage. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to study the long-term dynamics of the content and runoff of sulfates in the Amur River in the winter low-water, based on the materials of Roshydromet for 1943-1976 and the author’s data for 1999-2019.Significant variations in the main areas were found due to both the diversity of natural conditions and anthropogenic influence in the areas of large cities and localities. The impact of the construction of hydroelectric power plants, significant economic changes in the Chinese part of the Amur basin, as well as the closure of pulp and paper and microbiological industries in the Russian part of the Amur basin on the long-term dynamics of the content and flow of sulfates is estimated. The maximum content of sulfates in the Amur River was observed after the accident at the Jilin chemical plant in China in December 2005. The influence of major floods on the increase in the flow of sulphates in the winter low-water was established.

ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SOIL RESISTANCE AND PHYSICAL NON-LINEARITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE IN THE CALCULATION OF UNDERGROUND PREFABRICATED REINFORCED CONCRETE WATER PIPELINES

2021 ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
T. K. KSENOFONTOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Physical Nonlinearity ◽  
Soil Resistance ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Ground Resistance ◽  
The Impact

One of the most common types of hydraulic structures is reinforced concrete pipelines used in various areas of water management. They are used in water supply and disposal systems as supply and discharge pipelines of hydroelectric power plants and pumping stations, in the system of land reclamation. Due to the prevalence of these structures and their large lengths, design issues play an important role. Currently, when calculating reinforced concrete pipelines, both monolithic and prefabricated, the pipe ring of a single width is considered as a linear-elastic body under the conditions of a plane-deformed state. At the same time, it is considered that reinforced concrete pipelines have a sufficiently high rigidity, so the impact of soil resistance due to their deformation is very small and it is not taken into account when designing. In addition,in reinforced concrete, from which pipes are made, even at low loads, nonlinear deformations occur associated with the development of its creep. Non-linear operation of reinforced concrete also occurs in the case of cracks in the pipeline shell, and in its most stressed zones cracks may be formed and stresses may appear in the reinforcement. These factors lead to a change in the rigidity of the cross sections of the pipeline shell and redistribution. The article considers how the presence of expanded joints affects the stress state of the underground pipeline shell,how justified is the assumption that the ground resistance has a small effect on the operation of the prefabricated water supply pipeline, and also there is examines the influence of the physical nonlinearity of reinforced concrete on the results of its calculation in the spatial setting.I

THE ENERGY OF SEA TIDES IN THE CONTEXT OF SOLVING CLIMATE PROBLEMS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Shirkova ◽  
Eduard Shirkov
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plant ◽  
Capital Intensity ◽  
Tidal Energy ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
North East

"The article presents an overview of the technical, economic, and environmental arguments in favour of wider use of the gigantic energy potential of sea tides to solve the most important climate problem today – the reduction of anthropogenic pollution of the Earth's atmosphere with carbon dioxide. The main idea of the considered solution is the replacement of carbon fuels for thermal power plants and transport with ""green"" hydrogen. The production of such hydrogen is carried out by electrolysis using the energy of carbon–free renewable sources. Tidal hydroelectric power plants are the cheapest, largest and most economically safe electricity supplier for the production of green hydrogen today. Until now, this direction of the energy sector has not become widespread due to the high capital intensity, as well as due to the geographic remoteness of the places where tidal energy is concentrated from large centres of electricity consumption. The explosive growth in global hydrogen demand in recent years alleviates the problem of very expensive transport and large losses in long distance transmission of electricity. Hydrogen can be transported without loss and relatively cheaply by pipelines and sea tankers over unlimited distances. The use of the energy of the highest tides and flow in the Pacific Ocean for the production of ""green"" hydrogen is proposed in the revived project of construction of the world's largest Penzhinsk Tidal Hydroelectric Power Plant (the Sea of Okhotsk’ north–east, Russia)."

Radioecological Monitoring of Agroecosystems in the NPP Vicinity: Methodology and Results of Investigations

2019 ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
В. Кузнецов ◽  
V. Kuznetsov ◽  
Н. Санжарова ◽  
N. Sanzharova ◽  
А. Панов ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
General System ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystems ◽  
Radioecological Monitoring ◽  
Standard Values ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: Justification of the necessity to establish and maintain a system of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems in the vicinity of nuclear power plants at all stages of the life cycle of a radiation-hazardous facility. Material and methods: The paper presents methodological approaches (sanitary-hygienic and environmental) to radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems in the region of the NPP location. The tasks of the radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems are defined, and its organisation and management stages are highlighted. The article displays the features of the development of programs and regulations of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems. The main objects of radioecological monitoring, parameters to be monitored, and also the frequency of monitoring observations are determined. The principles of locating the control points on the monitoring network are substantiated. Results: The results of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems in the impact zones of the Kursk and Rostov NPPs are presented. The approaches to the creation of a monitoring network, taking into account the peculiarities of the regions of the NPPs’ location (landscape, soil, economic), are demonstrated. It is shown that the contamination density of agricultural lands by 90Sr varies in the range of 0.47–1.74 kBq/m2, and by 137Cs – 2.7–9.7 kBq/m2 for Kursk NPP and, for Rostov NPP it is 0.36–2.57 kBq/m2 by 90Sr and 2.25–4.55 kBq/m2 by 137Cs. Over the entire period of monitoring observations, none of the samples of agricultural products appeared to have an excess of sanitary and hygienic standards for the content of radionuclides. Due to the consumption of food produced in 30-km observation zones, about 63 Bq/a of 90Sr and 195 Bq/a of 137Cs in the Kursk NPP observation zone and, respectively,133 and 184 Bq/a in the vicinity of Rostov NPP enter the diet of the local population, which is almost 400 times for 137Cs and 10–20 times for 90Sr below the annual ingestion limits respectively. Differences in the accumulation of radionuclides for the same crop in different years of observation come up to 1.5 times, due to the influence of soil and weather conditions, as well as different doses of ameliorants application. Conclusion: The results of the radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems confirm that the operation of the Kursk and Rostov NPPs in normal mode does not lead to a deterioration of the radiation situation in the regions where they are located. Radiation doses on the local population do not exceed the established standard values. The system of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems should be an integral component in the general system of radiation safety in the vicinities of NPPs and other radiation-hazardous facilities.

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