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Abstract In this paper, the authors present a method for collecting data on household energy-use behavior. Open-ended interviewing is supplemented by the use of a self-recording system to compensate for a persistent problem in data-gathering on behavior, namely, the gap between what people say they do in interviews and what they actually do. The authors developed and field-tested a self- recording diary which is simple to both use and analyze. Results of that field test are discussed, together with an analysis of who in the household used (or controlled) each of the energy systems in the house. We also compare self-recorded data with interview data to point to differences between reported and recorded behavior. We believe that both the method and the insights into the separation of energy tasks within the household should be of paramount interest to energy planners.

Bioplastics are alternatives of conventional petroleum-based plastics. Bioplastics are polymers processed from renewable sources and are biodegradable. This study aims at conducting an environmental impact assessment of the bioprocessing of agricultural wastes into bioplastics compared to petro-plastics using an LCA approach. Bioplastics were produced from potato peels in laboratory. In a biochemical reaction under heating, starch was extracted from peels and glycerin, vinegar and water were added with a range of different ratios, which resulted in producing different samples of bio-based plastics. Nevertheless, the environmental impact of the bioplastics production process was evaluated and compared to petro-plastics. A life cycle analysis of bioplastics produced in laboratory and petro-plastics was conducted. The results are presented in the form of global warming potential, and other environmental impacts including acidification potential, eutrophication potential, freshwater ecotoxicity potential, human toxicity potential, and ozone layer depletion of producing bioplastics are compared to petro-plastics. The results show that the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, through the different experiments to produce bioplastics, range between 0.354 and 0.623 kg CO2 eq. per kg bioplastic compared to 2.37 kg CO2 eq. per kg polypropylene as a petro-plastic. The results also showed that there are no significant potential effects for the bioplastics produced from potato peels on different environmental impacts in comparison with poly-β-hydroxybutyric acid and polypropylene. Thus, the bioplastics produced from agricultural wastes can be manufactured in industrial scale to reduce the dependence on petroleum-based plastics. This in turn will mitigate GHG emissions and reduce the negative environmental impacts on climate change.

Abstract The effects of ethanol and pentobarbital on flurothyl seizure susceptibility were studied in two lines of mice that were derived by selective breeding with respect to ethanol sleep time. Short-sleep mice (SS) were more susceptible than long-sleep mice (LS) to flurothyl-induced myoclonus, but there was no line difference in susceptibility to clonus. Low doses of ethanol or pentobarbital increased seizure latencies in both populations, and there was no difference between the lines in the effect of these drugs. The lack of difference in response to ethanol in the two populations indicates that the genetic mechanisms which determine sensitivity to ethanol's anticonvulsant action are not identical with those which determine sensitivity to its depressant action.

The effect of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC) and alcohol, singly and in combination, on divided attention performance was investigated in cannabis users and non-users who were matched for alcohol use. Both cannabis and alcohol produced decrements in central and peripheral signal detections. Drug and alcohol effects were greater for signal presentations in the periphery. Cannabis users were less impaired in peripheral signal detection than non-users while intoxicated by cannabis and/or alcohol. These findings suggest the development of tolerance and cross-tolerance in regular cannabis users and/or the ability to compensate for intoxication effects.

Abstract Severe accident analysis of a reactor is an important aspect for evaluation of source term. This in turn helps in emergency planning and severe accident management (SAM). Analyses have been carried out for VVER-1000 (V320) reactor following LOCA along with station blackout (SBO) to generate information on these aspects. Availability and unavailability of hydro-accumulators (HAs) are also considered for this study. Integral code ASTEC V1.3 (jointly developed by IRSN, France, and GRS, Germany) is used for analysing the transients. The predictions of different severe accident parameters like vessel rupture time, hydrogen and corium production and radioactivity release to containment have been compared for a spectrum of break sizes to provide information for probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) level-2 and severe accident management (SAM) guidelines.

Abstract This paper deals with a Distribution STATic COMpensator (DSTATCOM) for balancing of source currents, power factor correction and harmonic mitigation in three-phase, three-wire distribution system supplying delta connected load under various source voltage conditions. The control strategy applied to the DSTATCOM play a major role in its performance. A novel approach based on an improved instantaneous active and reactive current component (IARCC) theory is proposed for generation of three-phase reference currents for DSTATCOM. A three-phase voltage source converter with a dc bus capacitor is employed as DSTACOM which will track the reference currents in a hysteresis band scheme. The performance of DSTATCOM is evaluated under sinusoidal, unbalanced sinusoidal and unbalanced distorted source voltage conditions. Variation in load current, variation in magnitude and harmonic content in source voltage has been considered. Delta connected linear as well as non-linear load conditions have been considered. The performance of the DSTATCOM using the proposed control strategy is demonstrated using simulation results in MATLAB/SIMULINK software. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of proposed scheme for the control of DSTACOM.

Using both HEM and TEDFM the steady-state behaviour of a rectangular uniform cross section two-phase closed NCL has been studied through one-dimensional approach. Uniform heat flux for heating as well as cooling has been considered along with the constant physical properties, uniform pressure inside the loop and water-steam as the working fluid. For the given operating range and loop geometry, the circulation velocity lies in the turbulent regime. The flow rate monotonically increases with the loop height. However, with heat flux it initially increases, reaches maximum and then falls. This implies that the surface heat flux should match the loop geometry and other operating parameters to produce the maximum flow rate. It has also been observed that the cooling and heating lengths and the temperature of the liquid at the entry of the heating section have to be selected optimally to generate the maximum mass flow rate.

Abstract An experimental study is conducted to investigate the melting and solidification processes of paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM) in horizontal double pipe heat latent heat storage unit. The present work on phase change process includes study of temperature variations along the axial distances in PCM, determination of heat transfer coefficient as well as the heat flow rate. A series of experiments was conducted to investigate the effect of increasing the inlet temperature and the mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) both on the charging and discharging processes of the PCM. The experimental results show that the PCM melts and solidifies congruently, and the melting front moves from the left to right side of the PCM container whereas the solidification front moves from right to the left along the axial distances in the PCM container. The results indicate that natural convection dominates the melting process in the liquid phase due to buoyancy effects. On the other hand, the solidification process is dominated by conduction. The flow rate and inlet temperature of the HTF in the experiment range has a significant effect on the phase change processes. The results also indicate that the heat transfer coefficient between the HTF and the PCM was affected by the Reynolds number more during the melting process than during the solidification process. Heat flow rate during the melting and solidification process increased by 25% and 11%, respectively, in the case of increase or decrease by 2 °C of the inlet HTF temperature. The results of this study show that by increasing the inlet water temperature from 70 °C to 74 °C, total melting time can be decreased by 31%.

This research examines the economic implications of different designs for a national low carbon fuel standard (NLCFS) for the road transportation sector. A NLCFS based on the average Carbon Intensity (CI) of all fuels sold generates an incentive for fuel suppliers to reduce the measured CI of their fuels. The economic impacts are determined by the availability of low carbon fuels, estimates of which can vary widely. Also important are the compliance path, reference level CI, and the design of the credit system, particularly the opportunities for trading and banking. To quantitatively examine the implications of a NLCFS, we created the Transportation Regulation and Credit Trading (TRACT) Model. With TRACT, we model a NLCFS credit trading system among profit maximizing fuel suppliers for light- and heavy-duty vehicle fuel use for the United States from 2012 to 2030. We find that credit trading across gasoline and diesel fuel markets can lower the average costs of carbon reductions by an insignificant amount to 98% depending on forecasts of biofuel supplies and carbon intensities. Adding banking of credits on top of trading can further lower the average cost of carbon reductions by 5%–9% and greatly reduce year-to-year fluctuations in credit prices.