The Optimisation of the Draft Tube of a Hydro Power Plant at Off-Design Conditions

Several possible methods of increasing the efficiency and power of hydro power plants by improving the flow passages are investigated in this stydy. The theoretical background of diffuser design and its application to the optimisation of hydraulic turbine draft tubes is presented in the first part of this study. Several draft tube modernisation projects that have been carried out recently are discussed. Also, a method of increasing the efficiency of the draft tube by injecting a high velocity jet into the boundary layer is presented. Methods of increasing the head of a hydro power plant by using an ejector or a jet pump are discussed in the second part of this work. The theoretical principles of various ejector and jet pump types are presented and four different methods of calculating them are examined in more detail. A self-made computer code is used to calculate the gain in the head for two example power plants. Suitable ejector installations for the example plants are also discussed. The efficiency of the ejector power was found to be in the range 6 - 15 % for conventional head increasers, and 30 % for the jet pump at its optimum operating point. In practice, it is impossible to install an optimised jet pump with a 30 % efficiency into the draft tube as this would considerabely reduce the efficiency of the draft tube at normal operating conditions. This demonstrates, however, the potential for improvement which lies in conventional head increaser technology. This study is based on previous publications and on published test results. No actual laboratory measurements were made for this study. Certain aspects of modelling the flow in the draft tube using computational fluid dynamics are discussed in the final part of this work. The draft tube inlet velocity field is a vital boundary condition for such a calculation. Several previously measured velocity fields that have successfully been utilised in such flow calculations are presented herein.

Semeadura direta de milho com dois tipos de sulcadores de adubo, em nível e no sentido do declive do terreno

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar parâmetros operacionais de um conjunto mecanizado envolvendo trator e semeadora, assim como o rendimento da cultura do milho semeada nas diferentes configurações das máquinas e combinações com o ambiente de produção. Os tratamentos consistiram de tipos de sulcadores (discos duplos e hastes), os quais foram avaliados em experimentos em que a operação de semeadura direta do milho foi efetuada transversalmente ao declive (em nível) e em aclive e declive. A semeadura contra o declive e o uso de haste sulcadora implicaram maior demanda de esforço de tração, patinagem do trator e consumo de combustível por área trabalhada e não influenciaram o volume de solo mobilizado, a população de plantas e a produtividade de grãos do milho, em relação à operação realizada em declive e uso de sulcador de discos duplos, respectivamente. A utilização de sulcador do tipo haste resultou em menor número de plantas acamadas e quebradas, em relação ao uso de discos duplos, independentemente do sentido da operação. A principal diferença entre semear em nível ou em declive é a formação de sulcos orientados no sentido do terreno, pela ação de sulcadores do tipo haste e elevada patinagem dos rodados do trator, já que o consumo de combustível por área trabalhada e capacidade operacional não foram afetados por aquelas variáveis.

Draft environmental statement by the Directorate of Licensing, United States Atomic Energy Commission related to the proposed manufacture of floating nuclear power plants, Offshore Power Systems, Docket no. STN 50-437.

At head of title: v.2, NUREG-75/113; v.3, NUREG-0127.

Has the time for renewables finally arrived? – An event study on EPA’s Clean Power Plan

The recent proposals presented by EPA aimed to reduce the dependency of fossil fuels and to lower current emissions levels, hoping to gradually shift electric generation units to renewable energy sources. Actually, the Final Rule Proposal announcement day exhibited a negative Abnormal Return on Fossil Fuels but the following days had positive Abnormal Returns, mostly due to legislative change perceived by financial markets which eased up implementation periods of the proposed measures in the Final Rule when compared to the Draft Rule. Oppositely, Renewables and Solar Portfolios exhibited negative Cumulative Abnormal Returns over the period surrounding the Final Rule.

Determination of the thermal parameters of high-power batteries by local heat

A new approach to the determination of the thermal parameters of high-power batteries is introduced here. Application of local heat flux measurement with a gradient heat flux sensor (GHFS) allows determination of the cell thermal parameters in di_erent surface points of the cell. The suggested methodology is not cell destructive as it does not require deep discharge of the cell or application of any charge/discharge cycles during measurements of the thermal parameters of the cell. The complete procedure is demonstrated on a high-power Li-ion pouch cell, and it is verified on a sample with well-known thermal parameters. A comparison of the experimental results with conventional thermal characterization methods shows an acceptably low error. The dependence of the cell thermal parameters on state of charge (SoC) and measurement points on the surface was studied by the proposed measurement approach.