Significance of the local anthropogenic effects in the dynamics of wild geese wintering on the Ramsar Site Lakes by Tata (Wetland City Tata)

The Old Lake of Tata, an important wild goose roosting site in Central Europe, is unique in its location being in the middle of a city with a population of 24,000. Consequently, the site is subject to intensive human disturbances. Goose migration and wintering on the lake was studied for over 37 years (1984–2021). In addition to weather, hydrological, and feeding conditions, particular attention was focused on human influences (which were deemed generally disruptive, but also beneficial in some cases) that can induce significant changes in the population dynamics of the 30,000–50,000 wild geese from 13 species wintering here. Almost without exception, the largest observed changes in the abundance of wild geese roosting overnight on the Old Lake are due to anthropogenic effects. In the majority of cases, the most significant population changes are due to impacts associated with the operation and upkeep of the lake and the New Year’s Eve fireworks. As a result, the winter operation of the Old Lake has been regulated by the Wild Goose Preference Mode since 2011, and the City of Tata has banned the use of fireworks during the winter period since 2018. Consequently, the conditions for wild goose migration have improved significantly. However, the situation of the Old Lake is still quite fragile and more conservation measures are needed to protect it further.

EVALUATION OF THE USAGE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN THE HOT WATER BOILER ROOM STRED I.

The dominant source of energy in the hot water boiler house Stred I. in Velky Meder is geothermal energy, which is drawn from the VM -1 well, which was drilled in its courtyard in 2015. Based on documents and personal inspections of this boiler room, I created a geothermal circuit scheme of this hot water boiler room, where the experimental measurements took place. Part of this paper is a diagram of the geothermal circuit, a comparison of measured values ​​within a selected characteristic day for summer and winter operation in 2020. Finally, the operation of the usage of geothermal energy in the hot water boiler room Stred I. is evaluated on all these indicators.

Using Heat Pumps to Improve the Efficiency of Combined-Cycle Gas Turbines

This paper studies the integration of heat pump units (HPUs) to enhance the thermal efficiency of a combined heat and power plant (CHPP). Different solutions of integrate the HPUs in a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant, the CCGT-450, are analyzed based on simulations developed on “United Cycle” computer-aided design (CAD) system. The HPUs are used to explore low-potential heat sources (LPHSs) and heat make-up and return network water. The use of HPUs to regulate the gas turbine (GT) intake air temperature during the summer operation and the possibility of using a HPU to heat the GT intake air and replace anti-icing system (AIS), over the winter at high humidity conditions were also analyzed. The best solution was obtained for the winter operation mode replacing the AIS by a HPU. The simulation results indicated that this scheme can reduce the underproduction of electricity generation by the CCGT unit up to 14.87% and enhance the overall efficiency from 40.00% to 44.82%. Using a HPU with a 5.04 MW capacity can save $309,640 per each MW per quarter.

Economic and Environmental Impacts of Geothermal Resource Development in Hunan, China

The global warming and soaring energy consumption have motivated many scholars and policymakers to pursue energy conservation and environmental improvement. As a renewable cleaning energy, geothermal resources have been actively developed in recent years. Taking six geothermal projects in Hunan, China as examples, this paper determines the input and output indices for each project. The input indices cover both economic and environmental dimensions. Then, the authors deeply explored how much geothermal resource quantity, single-well yield, total investment, and annual cost investment influence dynamic investment recovery period, coal reduction of summer operation, coal reduction of winter operation, environmental protection and energy saving, standard coal reduction, and emission reduction. The results show that total investment, single-well yield, and total investment have significant effects on economic indices, while geothermal resource quantity, single-well yield, and total investment have significant effects on environmental indices.

Energy Benefit of Liquid Desiccant-Assisted Humidification in Buildings during Winter Operation

The objective of this study was to modify an existing liquid desiccant and indirect/direct evaporative cooling-assisted 100% outdoor air system (LD-IDECOAS) for humidification operation in winter. The energy benefit of the liquid desiccant-assisted humidification approach during the operation of LD-IDECOAS over the conventional method with a steam humidifier was evaluated through a detailed energy simulation. The humidification and enthalpy effectiveness values of the liquid desiccant humidification measured from laboratory tests were 0.41 and 0.49, respectively, which were applied to the energy simulation for the modified system. Both systems with the proposed and conventional humidification approaches were simulated using an engineering equation solver combined with a TRNSYS 18 energy simulation program. The results demonstrated that the modified LD-IDECOAS consumes less energy for humidification compared to the existing system with a steam humidifier. The proposed system also exhibited considerable heating energy-saving potential. Consequently, modified LD-IDECOAS consumed 42% less primary energy during winter operation after being modified for liquid desiccant-assisted humidification.

Efficiency evaluation of using lubricants with fullerene compositions during operation of trucks in the urban driving cycle

The assessment of a car fuel efficiency during operation using lubricants (motor and transmission oils) with fullerene compositions in a urban driving cycle is executed. Fullerene compositions were added to the engine and transmission oil at a mass concentration 10%. The guiding document that defines the procedure for testing vehicles for fuel efficiency is GOST 20306-90. Urban driving cycle tests were carried out on a truck ZIL-5301 "Bull" at an outside air temperature of +20°С (summer operation period) and at an outside air temperature of -5°С (winter operation period). It is established that operating a car in the urban driving cycle using of fullerene composition in both engine and transmission oils reduces the fuel consumption of the car by 14.54 ... 17.45% in the summer period. The value of 17.45% corresponds to the mileage of the car without cargo (m = 0), and the value of 14.54% – to the mileage with a cargo (m = 3000 kg). The coefficient of variation of the measured value of fuel consumption was 0.039 ... 0.042. This allows us to conclude that the measurement error is in the range of 3.9 ... 4.2%. When operating the car in the urban driving cycle in the winter operation period, the use of fullerene composition (mass concentration 10%) Simultaneously in the engine oil and transmission oil reduces fuel consumption by 13.24 ... 15.15%. The value of 15.15% corresponds to the mileage of the car without cargo (m = 0), and the value of 13.24% – mileage with cargo (m = 3000 kg). The coefficient of variation of the measured value of fuel consumption was 0.039 ... 0.044. This allows us to conclude that the measurement error is in the range of 3.9 ... 4.4%.

Development of an Intelligent Snowplow Truck that Integrates Telematics Technology, Roadway Sensors, and Connected Vehicle

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) manages and maintains over 28,000 miles of roadways. Maintenance of the roadways includes pavement repair in the summer as well as snow removal and de-icing in the winter. The prioritization of assets during winter storm events is crucial and impacts travel and safety. The objective of this project was to identify and develop tools INDOT could provide its operators to effectively perform winter operation de-icing activities. This project examined application methods and data to provide analytics and make data-driven decisions for state-wide deployment and operations. Discovery of calibration metrics partnered with fleetwide telematics enabled the development of analytic dashboards that allowed real-time evaluations and adjustments to be made during winter operation activities. These tools will allow the agency to better treat and enhance safety for road users.

Sizing of a decentralized wastewater treatment unit supported by biokinetic modeling

Decentralized wastewater systems treat, dispose and reuse the wastewater in the vicinity of source, reducing the sewage transportation cost to minimal. As an alternative to centralized systems it can function as a satellite system or an individual wastewater treatment unit. Design an onsite facility applies the same sizing procedure compared the conventional large scale systems, whereas the input flow data and its variability, the model parameters could differ. In this study a small size treatment unit was designed by biokinetic modeling, where the model parameters were estimated using analytical methods. As a result of the calculation the biomass build-up and the quality of the treated effluent was predicted and the operation parameters were determined in summer and winter operation.

Simulation and experimental study of phase change cooling and heating wall radiation air conditioning system

This paper presents a case study of phase change cooling and heating wall radiant (PC-CHWR) air conditioning system application in an energy-saving renovation project in a laboratory in Wuhan, Hubei province in China. To test the thermal performance of the system, the PHOENICS software was utilized to simulate and analyse the indoor thermal environment in the laboratory under both winter and summer operating conditions. In addition, field experiments were also conducted under winter operation condition. By comparing the results between numerical simulation and field experiment, it is found that thermal performance of the PC-CHWR air conditioning system evaluated by these two evaluation methods are quite match. Moreover, the results also show that the PC-CHWR system can meet the cooling and heating load of the building within the acceptable range.

Externally heated geothermal bridge deck: Performance analysis of the U-tube ground heat exchanger

In recent years, the geothermal heat pump de-icing system (GHDS) is introduced as a sustainable solution for bridge deck de-icing, which utilizes renewable geothermal energy. Existing GHDS designs mostly rely upon hydronic loops embedded in concrete decks. To extend the GHDS for existing bridges, a new external hydronic deck has been developed recently, which employs a hydronic pipe being attached to the bottom surface of the bridge deck. In this study, the performance of the externally heated geothermal bridge deck is investigated through winter deicing and summer recharging tests with the focus on the ground loop heat exchanger (GLHE), a key component of the GHDS. The test results show that the de-icing system was successful in maintaining the deck surface temperature above freezing in all winter tests. The soil temperature measurements indicate, the 132.5 m vertical U-tube ground heat exchanger is benefited from the undisturbed soil temperature of around 21 °C. The overall average hourly heat extraction of 0.67 kW during winter operation and average hourly heat injection of 0.69 kW during the summer operation were observed. Also, the ground thermal recharge test showed the increase of undisturbed soil temperature at 1.5 m from the geothermal borehole by 0.36 °C after 50 days of system operation.