Thermodynamic and economic analyses of a Brazilian natural gas thermal power plant

In this work, thermodynamic and economic analyses are applied to a Brazilian thermal power plant operating with natural gas. The analyses are performed in two cases: the current configuration and the future configuration. The current configuration is constituted by four gas turbines which operate in open cycle. The future configuration is obtained by a plant repowering by addition of four recovery boilers, two steam turbines and others equipment and accessories necessary to operate in combined cycle. In order to obtain the performance parameters, energetic and exergetic analyses for each case considered are carried out. on the other hand, thermoeconomic analysis provides means to evaluate the influences of the capital and fuel costs in the composition of the electricity costs. Techniques of investment analysis are also applied to the new configuration and from the results obtained it is possible to verify the advantages of the modifications.

Thermodynamic and economic analysis of hydrogen production integration in the Brazilian sugar and alcohol industry

One of the biggest challenges today is to develop clean fuels, which do not emit pollutant and with viable implementation. One of the options currently under study is the hydrogen production process. In this context, this work aims to study the technical and economical aspects of the incorporation process of hydrogen producing by ethanol steam reforming in the sugar cane industry and MCFC (molten carbonate fuel cell) application on it to generate electric power. Therefore, it has been proposed a modification in the traditional process of sugar cane industry, in order to incorporate hydrogen production, besides the traditional products (sugar, ethylic, hydrated and anhydric alcohol). For this purpose, a detailed theoretical study of the ethanol production process, describing the considerations to incorporate the hydrogen production will be performed. After that, there will be a thermodynamic study for analysing the innovation of this production chain, as well as a study of economic engineering to allocate the costs of products of the new process, optimising it and considering the thermoeconomics as being as an analysis tool. This proposal aims to improve Brazil's position in the ranking of international biofuels, corroborating the nation to be a power in the hydrogen era. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chronic Diseases: Chronic Diseases and Development 2 Health, agricultural, and economic effects of adoption of healthy diet recommendations

Transition to diets that are high in saturated fat and sugar has caused a global public health concern as the pattern of food consumption is a mayor modifiable risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases Although agri food systems are intimately associated with this transition, agriculture and health sectors are largely disconnected in their priorities policy, and analysis with neither side considering the complex inter relation between agri trade patterns of food consumption health, and development We show the importance of connection of these perspectives through estimation of the effect of adopting a healthy diet on population health, agricultural production trade the economy and livelihoods, with a computable general equilibrium approach on the basis of case studies from the UK and Brazil we suggest that benefits of a healthy diet policy will vary substantially between different populations, not only because of population dietary intake but also because of agricultural production trade and other economic factors

Performance and economic indicators of a large scale fish farming in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Performance and economic indicators of a large scale fish farm that produces round fish, located in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, were evaluated. The 130.8 ha-water surface area was distributed in 30 ponds. Average total production costs and the following economic indicators were calculated: gross income (GI), gross margin (GM), gross margin index (GMI), profitability index (PI) and profit (P) for the farm as a whole and for ten ponds individually. Production performance indicators were also obtained, such as: production cycle (PC), apparent feed conversion (FC), average biomass storage (ABS), survival index (SI) and final average weight (FAW). The average costs to produce an average 2.971 kg.ha-1 per year were: R$ 2.43, R$ 0.72 and R$ 3.15 as average variable, fixed and total costs, respectively. Gross margin and profit per year per hectare of water surface were R$ 2,316.91 and R$ 180.98, respectively. The individual evaluation of the ponds showed that the best pond performance was obtained for PI 38%, FC 1.7, ABS 0.980 kg.m-2, TS 56%, FAW 1.873 kg with PC of 12.3 months. The worst PI was obtained for the pond that displayed losses of 138%, FC 2.6, ABS 0.110 kg.m-2, SI 16% and FAW 1.811 kg. However, large scale production of round-fish in farms is economically feasible. The studied farm displays favorable conditions to improve performance and economic indicators, but it is necessary to reproduce the breeding techniques and performance indicators achieved in few ponds to the entire farm.

Lima beans production and economic revenue as function of organic and mineral fertilization

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

RINEX_HO: second- and third-order ionospheric corrections for RINEX observation files

When GNSS receivers capable of collecting dual-frequency data are available, it is possible to eliminate the first-order ionospheric effect in the data processing through the ionosphere-free linear combination. However, the second- and third-order ionospheric effects still remain. The first-, second- and third-order ionospheric effects are directly proportional to the total electron content (TEC), although the second- and third-order effects are influenced, respectively, by the geomagnetic field and the maximum electron density. In recent years, the international scientific community has given more attention to these kinds of effects and some works have shown that for high precision GNSS positioning these effects have to be taken into consideration. We present a software tool called RINEX_HO that was developed to correct GPS observables for second- and third-order ionosphere effects. RINEX_HO requires as input a RINEX observation file, then computes the second- and third-order ionospheric effects, and applies the corrections to the original GPS observables, creating a corrected RINEX file. The mathematical models implemented to compute these effects are presented, as well as the transformations involving the earth's magnetic field. The use of TEC from global ionospheric maps and TEC calculated from raw pseudorange measurements or pseudoranges smoothed by phase is also investigated.

Second and Third Order Ionospheric Effects on GNSS Positioning: A Case Study in Brazil

The Global Positioning System (GPS) transmits signals in two frequencies. It allows the correction of the first order ionospheric effect by using the ionosphere free combination. However, the second and third order ionospheric effects, which combined may cause errors of the order of centimeters in the GPS measurements, still remain. In this paper the second and third order ionospheric effects, which were taken into account in the GPS data processing in the Brazilian region, were investigated. The corrected and not corrected GPS data from these effects were processed in the relative and precise point positioning (PPP) approaches, respectively, using Bernese V5.0 software and the PPP software (GPSPPP) from NRCAN (Natural Resources Canada). The second and third order corrections were applied in the GPS data using an in-house software that is capable of reading a RINEX file and applying the corrections to the GPS observables, creating a corrected RINEX file. For the relative processing case, a Brazilian network with long baselines was processed in a daily solution considering a period of approximately one year. For the PPP case, the processing was accomplished using data collected by the IGS FORT station considering the period from 2001 to 2006 and a seasonal analysis was carried out, showing a semi-annual and an annual variation in the vertical component. In addition, a geographical variation analysis in the PPP for the Brazilian region has confirmed that the equatorial regions are more affected by the second and third order ionospheric effects than other regions.

Combined cycle versus one thousand diesel power plants: pollutant emissions, ecological efficiency and economic analysis

The increase in the use of natural gas in Brazil has stimulated public and private sectors to analyse the possibility of using combined cycle systems for generation of electrical energy. Gas turbine combined cycle power plants are becoming increasingly common due to their high efficiency, short lead times, and ability to meet environmental standards. Power is produced in a generator linked directly to the gas turbine. The gas turbine exhaust gases are sent to a heat recovery steam generator to produce superheated steam that can be used in a steam turbine to produce additional power. In this paper a comparative study between a 1000 MW combined cycle power plant and 1000 kW diesel power plant is presented. In first step, the energetic situation in Brazil, the needs of the electric sector modification and the needs of demand management and integrated means planning are clarified. In another step the characteristics of large and small thermoelectric power plants that use natural gas and diesel fuel, respectively, are presented. The ecological efficiency levels of each type of power plant is considered in the discussion, presenting the emissions of particulate material, sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecological impacts from syngas burning in internal combustion engine: Technical and economic aspects

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Model for determining flow diameter and economic velocity in water elevating systems

The purpose of this paper was to develop a model for calculating the economical flow diameter and velocity, by obtaining the economical diameter, using Swamee's friction factor equation, by minimizing the total annual cost. The application of the model to a regular supply condition showed that the diameter of the actual condition, 250 mm, compared with the diameter calculated by the mode, at the same tariff as that applied to the property ( ground), 284.1 mm, involved the necessity to generate, transmit, and distribute extra electrical energy, due to the higher load loss caused by the original diameter, approximately 30800 kWh/year. This means that in one year, the consumer would spend R$2,804.00 more on pumping cost alone.

On the relationship between a 2 x 2 matrix and second-order scalar spectral problems for integrable equations

A simple proof is given that a 2 x 2 matrix scheme for an inverse scattering transform method for integrable equations can be converted into the standard form of the second-order scalar spectral problem associated with the same equations. Simple formulae relating these two kinds of representation of integrable equations are established.

Performance, carcass traits, meat quality and economic analysis of feedlot of young bulls fed oilseeds with and without supplementation of vitamin E

The objective of this research was to evaluate average daily gain (ADG), carcass traits, meat tenderness and profitability of keeping cattle fed different oilseeds and vitamin E in feedlot. A total of 40 Red Norte young bulls with initial average body weight of 339±15 kg were utilized. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The experiment lasted 84 days and experimental diets presented soybeans or cottonseeds as lipid sources associated or not to daily supplementation of 2,500 UI vitamin E per animal. The concentrate:roughage ratio was 60:40. Diets had the same amount of nitrogen (13% CP) and ether extract (6.5%). The data were analyzed by means of statistical software SAS 9.1. Neither vitamin supplementation nor lipid source affected ADG. There was no interaction between lipid source and vitamin supplementation for the variables studied. The inclusion of cottonseed reduced the carcass yield. There was no effect of diets on hot and cold carcass weights or prime cuts. The inclusion of cottonseed reduced the backfat thickness. No effect of experimental diets on the rib-eye area was observed. There was no effect of lipid source or vitamin supplementation on meat tenderness, which was affected, however, by ageing time. Diets with soybeans presented higher cost per animal. The utilization of soybean implied reduction of the gross margin (R$ 59.17 and R$ 60.51 for diets based on soy with and without supplemental vitamin, respectively, vs. R$ 176.42 and R$ 131.79 for diets based on cottonseed). The utilization of cottonseed enables improvement of profitability of feedlot fattening, in spite of negatively affecting some carcass characteristics.

Simulation and economic analysis of bovine sex selection

A simulation model implemented in the programming software Delphi XE® was applied to evaluate sex selection in bovine. The hypothesis under investigation was that a dynamic model with stochastic and deterministic elements could detect the sexed semen technique to minimize pregnancy cost and to determine the adequate number of recipients required for in vivo (ET) and in vitro embryo production (IVP) in the proposed scenarios. Sex selection was compared through semen sexed using flow cytometry (C1) and density gradient centrifugation techniques (C2) in ET and IVP. Sensibility analyses were used to identify the adequate number of recipients for each scenario. This number was reinserted into the model to determine the biological and financial values that maximized ET and IVP using sexed semen (C1M and C2M). New scenarios showed that the density gradient technique minimized pregnancy cost based on the proposed scenarios. In addition, the adequate number of recipients (ET - C1M - 115 and C2M - 105)/(IVP - C1M - 145 and C2M - 140) per donor used was determined to minimize the pregnancy cost in all scenarios.

Relation between photoluminescence emission and local order-disorder in the CaTiO3 lattice modifier

In this letter, the authors propose that photoluminescence emission in CaTiO3 is affected not only by disorder in the lattice former but also by structural disorder in the lattice modifier. Structural disorder was evaluated by Ti, Ca K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure experiments and by photoluminescence emission. The preedge feature of the Ca K edge was related to the intensity of photoluminescence emission. The results of the preedge feature of the Ca K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure confirm the presence of different Ca coordination numbers, namely, Ca-O-11 and Ca-O-12. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.