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The paper presents an experimental study on the formation process of burden surface texture on the blast furnace throat and its influence on the radial distribution of gas flow. The study was performed with the application of blast furnaces equipped with a bell-type charging device using radio-isotope means for the control of burden surface texture (profile) and burden surface level, i.e., gamma locators for burden surface texture. The study was carried out under the conditions of an operating blast furnace in an iron and steel plant using a unique GEOTAPS system for automated control of geometric and temperature parameters of burden material surface on the blast furnace throat. The influence of the surface texture on the gas flow distribution was also investigated. The possibility of a self-stabilization effect for burden surface texture and gas flow in an operating blast furnace under suitable conditions was experimentally proven. As a result of the experimental study performed, four ways of energy-saving technology implementation were determined for the control of blast furnace melting based on the data on the burden surface texture and previously unknown regularities of surface layer formation of burden material on the throat of an operating blast furnace with a bell-type charging device. The main idea of the paper is the development of automated control for the radial distribution of burden material and gas flow using actual or predicted surface texture parameters as important intermediate factors that both describe the process and have a significant simultaneous influence on it.

According to the renewable energy directive 2009/28/EC, the European Union Member States should increase by 2020 the use of renewable energy to 20% of gross final energy consumption and to reach a mandatory share of 10% renewable energy in the transport sector. This study aims to quantify the impact of 2020 bioenergy targets on the land use in the EU, based on the projections of the National Renewable Action Plans in four scenarios: Scenario 1. Bioenergy targets according to NREAPs; Scenario 2. Bioenergy targets according to NREAPs, no second generation biofuels; Scenario 3. Bioenergy targets according to NREAPs, reduced import of biofuels and bioliquids; Scenario 4. Bioenergy targets according to NREAPs, high imports of biofuels and bioliquids. This study also considers the credit for co-products generated from biofuel production. The analysis reveals that the land used in the EU for bioenergy would range between 13.5 Mha and 25.2 Mha in 2020. This represent between 12.2% and 22.5% of the total arable land used and 7.3% and 13.5% of the Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA). In the NREAPS scenario, about 17.4 Mha would be used for bioenergy production, representing 15.7% of arable land and 9.4% of UAA. The increased demand from biofuels would lead to an increased generation of co-products, replacing conventional fodder for animal feed. Considering the co-products, the land used for bioenergy would range between 8.8 Mha and 15.0 Mha in 2020 in the various scenarios. This represent between 7.9% and 13.3% of the total arable land used in the EU and 4.7% and 8.0% of the UAA. In the NREAPS scenario, when co-products are considered, about 10.3 Mha would be used for biofuels, bioliquids and bioenergy production, representing 9.3% of arable land and 5.6% of agricultural land. This study further provides detailed data on the impact on land use in each Member State.

This report reviews social housing archetypes in Scotland to enable identification of suitable energy efficiency and zero emissions heating systems.

AbstractAn arc‐furnace model consisting of non‐linear, time‐varying resistance, realized by the Alternative Transients Program (ATP), is presented in this paper. It is shown that the model is appropriate for flicker investigation in electrical networks supplying arc furnaces, constituting a valid alternative to the linear arc modelling realized by amplitude modulation of voltage generators. Block diagram of the procedure for ATP modelling of the nonlinear, time‐varying arc resistance, dynamic voltage‐current characteristic of the furnace electric arc, voltage and current arc waveforms and characteristic curves of an arc furnace, obtained by ATP simulation, are presented, referring to circuit parameters taken from an actual plant and to a sinusoidal law for arc‐length time variation. Aflickermeter ATP simulation is realized to derive equivalent voltage‐variation values in agreement with the actual flicker measurements.

Abstract. Flooding in the Amazon basin is frequently attributed to modes of large-scale climate variability, but little attention is paid to how these modes influence the timing and duration of floods despite their importance to early warning systems and the significant impacts that these flood characteristics can have on communities. In this study, river discharge data from the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS 2.1) and observed data at 58 gauging stations are used to examine whether positive or negative phases of several Pacific and Atlantic indices significantly alter the characteristics of river flows throughout the Amazon basin (1979–2015). Results show significant changes in both flood magnitude and duration, particularly in the north-eastern Amazon for negative El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases when the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly is positioned in the central tropical Pacific. This response is not identified for the eastern Pacific index, highlighting how the response can differ between ENSO types. Although flood magnitude and duration were found to be highly correlated, the impacts of large-scale climate variability on these characteristics are non-linear; some increases in annual flood maxima coincide with decreases in flood duration. The impact of flood timing, however, does not follow any notable pattern for all indices analysed. Finally, observed and simulated changes are found to be much more highly correlated for negative ENSO phases compared to the positive phase, meaning that GloFAS struggles to accurately simulate the differences in flood characteristics between El Niño and neutral years. These results have important implications for both the social and physical sectors working towards the improvement of early warning action systems for floods.

Abstract The objective of this work is to evaluate the surge characteristics of an axial compressor operating under surge conditions, by using a hybrid BDF/harmonic balance method. During a surge event, a large amount of backflow occurs in the compressor. Consequently, the airflow oscillates along the axial direction at a low frequency, which can considerably damage the compressor. In this paper, a numerical investigation is performed to examine the effects of the system volume and average mass flow on the surge characteristics of a transonic high speed single stage axial compressor (stage 35) designed and evaluated at the NASA Glenn Center. The results show that the oscillation frequency of the airflow in the compressor generally ranges from 14.32–26.04 Hz during surge conditions, and both the system volume and average mass flow considerably influence the surge characteristics. For a constant average mass flow, as the system volume decreases, the oscillation frequency of the airflow in the compressor increases slightly, while the oscillation amplitude of the exit static pressure decreases significantly, and the maximum static pressure at the outlet remains nearly constant. In the case of a constant system volume, with the decrease in the average mass flow, the oscillation frequency of the airflow in the compressor gradually decreases, and the oscillation amplitude of the exit pressure increases significantly. With a further decrease in the average mass flow, the oscillation frequency stabilizes at a certain point and does not change thenceforth. Furthermore, the surge frequency obtained using the numerical method shows a same tendency with the Helmholtz frequency, but there is a considerable difference between them.