Panoramic Sea Happening (After Kantor): Video Installation

Panoramic Sea Happening (After Kantor) is a 7 minute durational film that reimagines part of Tadeusz Kantor's original sea happenings from 1967 in a landscape in which the sea has retreated. The conductor of Kantor’s original performance is replaced with a sound object cast adrift on a beach in Dungeness (UK). The object plays back the sound of the sea into the landscape, which was performed live and then filmed from three distinct angles. The first angle mimics the position of the conductor in Kantor’s original happening, facing outwards into the horizon of the beach and recalls the image in Kantor’s work of a human figure undertaking the absurd task of orchestrating the sound of a gigantic expanse of water. The second angle exposes the machine itself and the large cone that amplifies the sound, reinforcing the isolation of the object. The third angle reveals a decommissioned nuclear power station and sound objects used as a warning system for the power plant. Dungeness is a location where the sea has been retreating from the land, leaving traces of human activity through the disused boat winches, abandoned cabins and the decommissioned nuclear buildings. It is a place in which the footprint of the anthropocene is keenly felt. The sound object is intended to act as an anthropomorphic figure, ghosting the original conductor and offering the sound of the sea back into the landscape through a wide mouthpiece, echoing Kantor’s own load hailer in the original sequence of sea happenings. It speculates on Kantor's theory of the bio-object, which proposed a symbiotic relationship between the human and the nonhuman object in performance, as a possible instrument to access a form of geologic imagination. In this configuration, the human itself is absent, but is evoked through the objects left behind. The sound object, helpless in a red dingy, might be thought of as a co-conspirator with the viewer, enabling a looking back to the past in a landscape of an inevitable future. The work was originally commissioned by the University of Kent in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute for the Symposium Kantorbury Kantorbury in Canterbury (UK) to mark the 100 years since Tadeusz Kantor’s birth (15 - 19 September 2015). It should be projected and requires stereo speakers.

Energy systems analysis of transboundary river basins in a nexus approach: the Sava river basin study case

Resource management policies are frequently designed and planned to target specific needs of particular sectors, without taking into account the interests of other sectors who share the same resources. In a climate of resource depletion, population growth, increase in energy demand and climate change awareness, it is of great importance to promote the assessment of intersectoral linkages and, by doing so, understand their effects and implications. This need is further augmented when common use of resources might not be solely relevant at national level, but also when the distribution of resources ranges over different nations. This dissertation focuses on the study of the energy systems of five south eastern European countries, which share the Sava River Basin, using a water-food(agriculture)-energy nexus approach. In the case of the electricity generation sector, the use of water is essential for the integrity of the energy systems, as the electricity production in the riparian countries relies on two major technologies dependent on water resources: hydro and thermal power plants. For example, in 2012, an average of 37% of the electricity production in the SRB countries was generated by hydropower and 61% in thermal power plants. Focusing on the SRB, in terms of existing installed capacities, the basin accommodates close to a tenth of all hydropower capacity while providing water for cooling to 42% of the net capacity of thermal power currently in operation in the basin. This energy-oriented nexus study explores the dependency on the basin’s water resources of the energy systems in the region for the period between 2015 and 2030. To do so, a multi-country electricity model was developed to provide a quantification ground to the analysis, using the open-source software modelling tool OSeMOSYS. Three main areas are subject to analysis: first, the impact of energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies in the electricity generation mix; secondly, the potential impacts of climate change under a moderate climate change projection scenario; and finally, deriving from the latter point, the cumulative impact of an increase in water demand in the agriculture sector, for irrigation. Additionally, electricity trade dynamics are compared across the different scenarios under scrutiny, as an effort to investigate the implications of the aforementioned factors in the electricity markets in the region.

Estudo numérico do impacto das emissões veiculares e fixas da cidade de Manaus nas concentrações de poluentes atmosféricos da região amazônica

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the urban pollution plume from the city of Manaus by emissions from mobile and stationary sources in the atmospheric pollutants concentrations of the Amazon region, by using The Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. The air pollutants analyzed were CO, NOx, SO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10 and VOCs. The model simulations have been configured with a grid spacing of 3 km, with 190 x and 136 y grid points in horizontal spacing, centered in the city of Manaus during the period of 17 and 18 of March 2014. The anthropogenic emissions inventories have gathered from mobile sources that were estimated the emissions of light and heavy-duty vehicles classes. In addition, the stationary sources have considered the thermal power plants by the type of energy sources used in the region as well as the emissions from the refinery located in Manaus. Various scenarios have been defined with numerical experiments that considered only emissions by biogenic, mobile and stationary sources, and replacement fuel from thermal power plant, along with a future scenario consisting with twice as much anthropogenic emissions. A qualitative assessment of simulation with base scenario has also been carried out, which represents the conditions of the region in its current state, where several statistical methods were used in order to compare the results of air pollutants and meteorological fields with observed ground-based data located in various points in the study grid. The qualitative analysis showed that the model represents satisfactorily the variables analyzed from the point of view of the adopted parameters. Regarding the simulations, defined from the base scenarios, the numerical experiments indicate relevant results such as: it was found that the stationary sources scenario, where the thermal power plants are predominant, resulted in the highest concentrations, for all air pollutants evaluated, except for carbon monoxide when compared to the vehicle emissions scenario; The replacement of the energy matrix of current thermal power plants for natural gas have showed significant reductions in pollutants analyzed, for instance, 63% reductions of NOx in the contribution of average concentration in the study grid; A significant increase in the concentrations of chemical species was observed in a futuristic scenario, reaching up to a 81% increase in peak concentrations of SO2 in the study area. The spatial distributions of the scenarios have showed that the air pollution plume from Manaus is predominantly west and southwest, where it can reach hundreds of kilometers to areas dominated by original soil covering.

Sensoriamento óptico quase-distribuído aplicado ao monitoramento de trocadores de calor de usinas hidrelétricas

This work aims to develop optical sensors for temperature monitoring in hydroelectric power plant heat exchangers. The proposed sensors are based on the Fiber Bragg Gratings technology. First of all, a prototype with three sensors inscribed in a same fiber was developed. This fiber was then fixed to a conventional Pt100 sensor rod and inserted in a thermowell. The ensemble was then calibrated in a workbench, presenting a maximum combined uncertainty of 2,06 °C. The sensor was installed in one of the heat exchangers of the Salto Osório’s hydroelectric power plant. This power plant is situated in the Iguaçu river, at the Paraná state. Despite the satisfactory results, the sensor was improved to a second version. In this, fifteen optical Bragg sensors were inscribed in a same fiber. The fixation with a conventional sensor was no longer necessary, because the first version results comproved the efficiency and response time in comparison to a conventional sensor. For this reason, it was decided to position the fiber inside a stainless steel rod, due to his low thermal expansion coefficient and high corrosion immunity. The utilization of fifteen fiber Bragg gratings aims to improve the sensor spatial resolution. Therefore, measurements every ten centimeters with respect to the heat exchanger’s height are possible. This provides the generation of a thermal map of the heat exchanger’s surface, which can be used for determination of possible points of obstruction in the hydraulic circuit of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger’s obstruction in hydroelectric power plants usually occur by bio-fouling, and has direct influence in the generator’s cooling system efficiency. The obtained results have demonstrated the feasibility in application of the optical sensors technology in hydroelectric power plants.

Diagnóstico automático de eventos e distúrbios em unidades geradoras e usinas utilizando lógica fuzzy

The electric power systems are getting more complex and covering larger areas day by day. This fact has been contribuiting to the development of monitoring techniques that aim to help the analysis, control and planning of power systems. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Wide Area Measurement Systems and disturbance record systems. Unlike SCADA and WAMS, disturbance record systems are mainly used for offilne analysis in occurrences where a fault resulted in tripping of and apparatus such as a transimission line, transformer, generator and so on. The device responsible for record the disturbances is called Digital Fault Recorder (DFR) and records, basically, electrical quantities as voltage and currents and also, records digital information from protection system devices. Generally, in power plants, all the DFRs data are centralized in the utility data centre and it results in an excess of data that difficults the task of analysis by the specialist engineers. This dissertation shows a new methodology for automated analysis of disturbances in power plants. A fuzzy reasoning system is proposed to deal with the data from the DFRs. The objective of the system is to help the engineer resposnible for the analysis of the DFRs’s information by means of a pre-classification of data. For that, the fuzzy system is responsible for generating unit operational state diagnosis and fault classification.

Effects of Information and Time of Use Pricing on Irish Electricity Demand and Supply

In this dissertation I quantify residential behavior response to interventions designed to reduce electricity demand at different periods of the day. In the first chapter, I examine the effect of information provision coupled with bimonthly billing, monthly billing, and in-home displays, as well as a time-of-use (TOU) pricing scheme to measure consumption over each month of the Irish Consumer Behavior Trial. I find that time-of-use pricing with real time usage information reduces electricity usage up to 8.7 percent during peak times at the start of the trial but the effect decays over the first three months and after three months the in-home display group is indistinguishable from the monthly treatment group. Monthly and bi-monthly billing treatments are not found to be statistically different from another. These findings suggest that increasing billing reports to the monthly level may be more cost effective for electricity generators who wish to decrease expenses and consumption, rather than providing in-home displays. In the following chapter, I examine the response of residential households after exposure to time of use tariffs at different hours of the day. I find that these treatments reduce electricity consumption during peak hours by almost four percent, significantly lowering demand. Within the model, I find evidence of overall conservation in electricity used. In addition, weekday peak reductions appear to carry over to the weekend when peak pricing is not present, suggesting changes in consumer habit. The final chapter of my dissertation imposes a system wide time of use plan to analyze the potential reduction in carbon emissions from load shifting based on the Ireland and Northern Single Electricity Market. I find that CO2 emissions savings are highest during the winter months when load demand is highest and dirtier power plants are scheduled to meet peak demand. TOU pricing allows for shifting in usage from peak usage to off peak usage and this shift in load can be met with cleaner and cheaper generated electricity from imports, high efficiency gas units, and hydro units.

Evaluación de las propiedades mecánicas de materiales compuestos elaborados a partir de cenizas volantes y polímeros reciclados

En el presente artículo se evalúan las propiedades mecánicas de los materiales compuestos basados en cenizas volantes de carbón de la central termoeléctrica de Termozipa combinadas con los película extensible (Stretch film), polietilenos de baja densidad lineal de pos-consumo y polímero termoplástico parcialmente cristalino pos- industrial. Se obtuvieron mezclas variando el contenido de cenizas volantes de 0 a 50 % en peso en cada uno de los tres materiales poliméricos, dentro de una máquina mezcladora tipo Brabender. Las propiedades mecánicas evaluadas fueron: resistencia a la tracción, dureza Shore D, y absorción de energía. Los resultados obtenidos indican que en todos los casos a medida que se agrega ceniza volante las propiedades mecánicas aumentan.

Les interconnexions électriques entre la France et ses voisins européens depuis 1970 : un vecteur méconnu de l'intégration européenne

Les ouvrages de transport d’électricité ont d’abord été pensés un par un, reliant un excédent de production à un besoin de consommation. Ils ont ainsi parfois très naturellement et dès l’origine traversé les frontières des États pour répondre à leur raison d’être. Les secteurs électriques se structurant fortement lorsque le virage électrique fut pris, les interconnexions entre pays furent conçues par les techniciens comme une mesure élémentaire de sûreté et d’équilibre de ce produit atypique qu’est l’électricité. En France plus particulièrement, lorsque la production électronucléaire se développa à partir des années 1970, ces interconnexions devinrent petit à petit sources de revenus pour l’entreprise nationale, et d’équilibre pour la balance commerciale nationale. L’intérêt grandissant porté au secteur électrique par les institutions européennes à la fin des années 1990 vient ébranler les acteurs économiques géographiques verticaux, et rebat les cartes des enjeux à adresser à une maille plus large que l’État nation. Dans ces transformations successives, les interconnexions aux frontières, et particulièrement aux frontières françaises, jouent ainsi un rôle tout à fait spécifique et de plus en plus structurant pour les économies ouvertes des pays européens. Les réseaux de transport électriques continuent ainsi une mutation entamée dans les années 1970 qui les a conduits de la condition de mal nécessaire à celle de vecteurs indispensables de transformation des économies européennes. L’objet de ce mémoire est d’illustrer la très grande capacité d’adaptation de ces organes industriels, économiques, sociétaux et politiques, dont on pourrait faussement penser qu’ils sont immobilisés par leur nature capitalistique, à travers les enjeux portés par les interconnexions aux frontières françaises. Les sources sont à la fois issues de données des opérateurs techniques, de la documentation – encore peu fréquente – sur ces sujets, ainsi que des statistiques officielles du ministère français. Cette capacité d’innovation et de développement de « couches de services » permet aujourd’hui aux grands réseaux de transport de traverser les époques et la variabilité des orientations de leurs environnements, durablement.

Efectos espaciales en la formación de precios de oferta en mercados spot de generación eléctrica

El mecanismo de fijación del precio de oferta en el mercado eléctrico colombiano exhibe comportamientos estratégicos inherente a la estructura oligopólica de este mercado, no solo por su alto porcentaje hidrológico, aproximadamente 80%, sino también debido a la localización geográfica de las plantas de generación eléctrica cercanas a la Región Andina. En esta investigación se diseña una matriz de pesos espaciales, que recoge características de la localización geográfica de las plantas de generación eléctrica, la cual se incorpora en un panel espacial de tipo Durbin para identificar dichos comportamientos de la geografía económica, además de las variables fundamentales que explican la formación del precio en este mercado.

A implantação de hidrelétricas na Amazônia brasileira, impactos socioambientais e à saúde com as transformações no território : o caso da UHE de Belo Monte

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Humanas, Departamento de Geografia, Pós-Graduação em Geografia, 2016.

OBSERVATIONS AND EMISSIONS OF ENERGY-ASSOCIATED OZONE PRECURSORS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC UNITED STATES

Surface ozone is formed in the presence of NOx (NO + NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is hazardous to human health. A better understanding of these precursors is needed for developing effective policies to improve air quality. To evaluate the year-to-year changes in source contributions to total VOCs, Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was used to perform source apportionment using available hourly observations from June through August at a Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Station (PAMS) in Essex, MD for each year from 2007-2015. Results suggest that while gasoline and vehicle exhaust emissions have fallen, the contribution of natural gas sources to total VOCs has risen. To investigate this increasing natural gas influence, ethane measurements from PAMS sites in Essex, MD and Washington, D.C. were examined. Following a period of decline, daytime ethane concentrations have increased significantly after 2009. This trend appears to be linked with the rapid shale gas production in upwind, neighboring states, especially Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Back-trajectory analyses similarly show that ethane concentrations at these monitors were significantly greater if air parcels had passed through counties containing a high density of unconventional natural gas wells. In addition to VOC emissions, the compressors and engines involved with hydraulic fracturing operations also emit NOx and particulate matter (PM). The Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model was used to simulate air quality for the Eastern U.S. in 2020, including emissions from shale gas operations in the Appalachian Basin. Predicted concentrations of ozone and PM show the largest decreases when these natural gas resources are hypothetically used to convert coal-fired power plants, despite the increased emissions from hydraulic fracturing operations expanded into all possible shale regions in the Appalachian Basin. While not as clean as burning natural gas, emissions of NOx from coal-fired power plants can be reduced by utilizing post-combustion controls. However, even though capital investment has already been made, these controls are not always operated at optimal rates. CMAQ simulations for the Eastern U.S. in 2018 show ozone concentrations decrease by ~5 ppb when controls on coal-fired power plants limit NOx emissions to historically best rates.

Viabilidad de la aplicación de materiales reciclados y cenizas de biomasa en la fabricación de materiales tratados con cemento

La presente Tesis Doctoral es una contribución al conocimiento y la investigación sobre el uso de áridos reciclados y cenizas de fondo procedentes de la combustión de biomasa para su uso en ingeniería civil. El interés en el uso de áridos reciclados procedentes de residuos de construcción y demolición (RCD) están en continuo crecimiento debido a su potencial frente a diversos usos, entre ellos como material tratado con cemento para capas estructurales de carretera. Por otro lado, la producción de energía eléctrica a partir de centrales termoeléctricas que emplean biomasa como combustible, origina principalmente dos residuos: Cenizas de fondo (CF) formadas por el material total o parcialmente quemado y cenizas volantes (CV), partículas arrastradas por la corriente de gases al exterior de la cámara de combustión. En el desarrollo de este trabajo, se evaluó en una primera etapa, el comportamiento físico, químico y mecánico de diferentes mezclas de materiales granulares reciclados tratados con cemento, con diferentes contenidos de sulfato y de esta manera poder establecer protocolos de aplicación en la fabricación de suelocemento. Posteriormente, se analizo la viabilidad técnica de las cenizas de fondo de biomasa de varias plantas de energía andaluzas y de esta manera, evaluar su potencial uso en obras de infraestructura civil. Se determinó que las cenizas de fondo biomasa poseen propiedades aceptables para ser utilizados como un material de relleno en el núcleo de terraplenes de carreteras de más de 5 m en altura sin medidas de precaución adicionales. Por último, se estudio la posibilidad de incorporar, en proporciones determinadas, cenizas de fondo de biomasa en diferentes mezclas con árido natural y árido reciclado para su uso en ingeniería civil, concretamente como suelocemento para base y subbase de carreteras. El análisis de las propiedades mecánicas fue muy positivo. Las características físicas, químicas y mecánicas han sido estudiadas de acuerdo a la normativa vigente, y los parámetros han sido comparados con las especificaciones técnicas impuestas por la regulación española. La concepción del residuo como recurso para incorporarlo de nuevo al sistema productivo es un reto clave y una obligación y la principal motivación para el desarrollo de la presente Tesis Doctoral. Por ello, la correcta gestión de estos subproductos industriales, es esencial para evitar los impactos negativos sobre los ecosistemas, la biodiversidad y la salud humana, sin olvidar el beneficio económico que supone esta práctica.

Contribuição à estabilidade transitória de sistemas elétricos industriais de unidades estacionárias de produção de petróleo

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Elétrica, 2015.