Potential for synthetic gas in Finnish industry

Finland, other Nordic countries and European Union aim to decarbonize their energy production by 2050. Decarbonization requires large scale implementation of non-emission energy sources, i.e. renewable energy and nuclear power. Stochastic renewable energy sources present a challenge to balance the supply and demand for energy. Energy storages, non-emissions fuels in mobility and industrial processes are required whenever electrification is not possible. Neo-Carbon project studies the decarbonizing the energy production and the role of synthetic gas in it. This thesis studies the industrial processes in steel production, oil refining, cement manufacturing and glass manufacturing, where natural gas is already used or fuel switch to SNG is possible. The technical potential for fuel switching is assessed, and economic potential is necessary after this. All studied processes have potential for fuel switching, but total decarbonization of steel production, oil refining requires implementation of other zero-emission technologies.

The role of nuclear power in the future energy system

Currently widely accepted consensus is that greenhouse gas emissions produced by the mankind have to be reduced in order to avoid further global warming. The European Union has set a variety of CO2 reduction and renewable generation targets for its member states. The current energy system in the Nordic countries is one of the most carbon free in the world, but the aim is to achieve a fully carbon neutral energy system. The objective of this thesis is to consider the role of nuclear power in the future energy system. Nuclear power is a low carbon energy technology because it produces virtually no air pollutants during operation. In this respect, nuclear power is suitable for a carbon free energy system. In this master's thesis, the basic characteristics of nuclear power are presented and compared to fossil fuelled and renewable generation. Nordic energy systems and different scenarios in 2050 are modelled. Using models and information about the basic characteristics of nuclear power, an opinion is formed about its role in the future energy system in Nordic countries. The model shows that it is possible to form a carbon free Nordic energy system. Nordic countries benefit from large hydropower capacity which helps to offset fluctuating nature of wind power. Biomass fuelled generation and nuclear power provide stable and predictable electricity throughout the year. Nuclear power offers better energy security and security of supply than fossil fuelled generation and it is competitive with other low carbon technologies.

Developing construction site operations for EPC power plant projects

The purpose of this thesis is to find development areas for site operations in power plant construction projects delivered by Wärtsilä. The inspected operations are subcontractor management, site material management and work scheduling. The contractor's role in EPC project is to respond for engineering, procurement, and construction supervision. Geographical and cultural differences brings challenges for finding development areas as Wärtsilä delivers projects world-wide. Searching for development area is mainly made with survey, which answers were collected from the target company's site personnel. Based on the results, with good planning and preparation various problems would be avoided. An external view for the thesis was collected by an expert interview, which was held to three expe-rienced construction operating executives. Interviewees believed that with the se-lection of right site personnel and clearly defined areas of responsibility will great-ly affect the outcome of the project. Some of the theory has been collected from areas, which have helped to under-stand the inspected operations on site. Improving competence knowledge has been important due to the broad scope of work and the author’s inexperience of the topic. Also generally effective practices from construction projects has been col-lected to the theory part. Functionality of general practices have been reflected together with the results of empirically collected data for Wärtsilä's projects. As a result, a model was generated where development proposals and the benefits from new procedures were presented.

Observations of Acoustic Emission in Power Semiconductors

Industrial, electrical power generation, and transportation systems, to name but a few, rely heavily on power electronics to control and convert electrical power. Each of these systems, when encountering an unexpected failure, can cause significant financial losses, or even an emergency. A condition monitoring system would help to alleviate these concerns, but for the time being, there is no generally accepted and widely adopted method for power electronics. Acoustic emission is used as a failure precursor in many applications, but it has not been studied in power electronics so far. In this doctoral dissertation, observations of acoustic emission in power semiconductor components are presented. The acoustic emissions are caused by the switching operation and failure of power transistors. Three types of acoustic emission are observed. Furthermore, aspects related to the measurement and detection of acoustic phenomena are discussed. These include sensor performance and mechanical construction of experimental setups. The results presented in this dissertation are the outset of a research program where it will be determined whether an acoustic-emission-based condition monitoring method can be developed.

Between Dugin’s Eurasianism and Mahan’s Sea Power Concept: Russia’s Geopolitical Discourse within Foucault’s ‘Discursive Tree’ before and After the Incorporation of the Crimea

The fall of 2013 could be characterized as a crossroad in the geopolitics of Eastern Europe, namely Ukraine. Two rivalry geopolitical projects have been developing throughout the post-Cold War years, and it seems that they reached a collision point in Ukraine; a country whose authorities have been for long switching sides between the European Union and the Russian Federation in their foreign policy commitments. The refusal/postponing to sign the Association Agreement with Brussels, an expected event by a large category of the Ukrainian society, by Yanukovich’s government led to the outset of the latter; and brought a pro-Western, anti-Russian government in Kyiv. It seems that Ukraine, after those events, has embarked definitively on the path of integration into the West (European Union and possibly NATO). The Russian Federation, who has been throughout Putin’s years engaged into the re-integration of post-Soviet space, reacted to these developments in an assertive manner by violating borders, agreements and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Thus, the incorporation of the Crimea into the Russian Federation is the first in its kind in the post-Soviet space, despite the existence of various other conflicts that broke out in the region after the Soviet Union broke up. I will investigate in this thesis the nature of what will be labelled, in this work, the Crimean issue. I argue that the incorporation of the Crimean peninsula into the Russian Federation marks a new era in Russian geopolitical thinking that shapes, to a far extent, Russian foreign policy. Discourse analysis will be the methodological basis for this study, with a special focus on Michel Foucault’s Archaeology of Knowledge. The innovation that this research brings is the fact that it discusses Russian geopolitical discourse within the scope of Foucault’s ‘discursive tree’, with a reference to the Crimean issue. A wide range of primary sources will be consulted in this study such as presidential addresses to the Federal Assembly (2000-2014), Foreign Policy Concepts of the Russian Federation (2000, 2008), Russian maritime doctrines, as wells as Dugin’s Osnovy Geopolitiki (Foundations of Geopolitics), Mahan’s (The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783) and other Eurasianism related literature.

Benefits of a low-cost one-phase current distortion detection device in appliance supply in low-voltage residential networks

In this bachelor’s thesis are examined the benefits of current distortion detection device application in customer premises low voltage networks. The purpose of this study was to find out if there are benefits for measuring current distortion in low-voltage residential networks. Concluding into who can benefit from measuring the power quality. The research focuses on benefits based on the standardization in Europe and United States of America. In this research, were also given examples of appliances in which current distortion detection device could be used. Along with possible illustration of user interface for the device. The research was conducted as an analysis of the benefits of current distortion detection device in residential low voltage networks. The research was based on literature review. The study was divided to three sections. The first explain the reasons for benefitting from usage of the device and the second portrays the low-cost device, which could detect one-phase current distortion, in theory. The last section discuss of the benefits of usage of current distortion detection device while focusing on the beneficiaries. Based on the result of this research, there are benefits from usage to the current distortion detection device. The main benefitting party of the current distortion detection device was found to be manufactures, as they are held responsible of limiting the current distortion on behalf of consumers. Manufactures could adjust equipment to respond better to the distortion by having access to on-going current distortion in network. The other benefitting party are system operators, who would better locate distortion issues in low-voltage residential network to start prevention of long-term problems caused by current distortion early on.