Abstract

The Arctic continental shelf is a promising area for oil and gas exploration and mining. Extremely harsh environmental conditions affect the work of engineering geologists, whose work is essential for building and construction of pipelines and rigs for the petroleum industry. With the massive interest and growth of fossil fuels offshore production, more and more geotechnical issues are to be solved. The necessity of studying marine sediments becomes clear when the specific physical and mechanical properties of bottom soils in the Arctic sea shelf are taken into consideration. Certain geological aspects determine what marine soils comprise and how they behave under loads exerted by a construction. Traditional methods of measuring deformation and strength parameters are reviewed, compared and contrasted by their feasibility of using to study marine sediments from offshore the Arctic. A substantial range of published studies has been analyzed and the findings summarized to provide potential solutions. The article stresses the importance of proper geotechnical survey and collaboration between industries and environmental scientists to achieve best results in studying the Arctic and building long-term human capacity alongside with protection of its vulnerable environment. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

For astronauts and travelers in aircraft, space weather can quickly increase dose rates resulting from naturally occurring ionizing radiation by more than a 1000-fold. Historically, monitoring of these events has been done primarily by a combination of ground-based and satellite instrumentation. At best, these data sources provide a local (ground-level monitors) or global (satellite) average picture of an event as it evolves. With considerable modeling effort, a better global picture of an event emerges after the event has passed. For aviation users this is inadequate. Real-time local estimates on flight routes are preferred to enable appropriate responses from pilots and air traffic management. Modeling and measurement programs are described, and a new aviation dose index is discussed to provide examples of systems that are in development or that have been recently adopted for addressing problems with the current monitoring, warning, and evaluation methods. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

All radars are different (even if only due to the physical impacts of their operating locations) and creating a ‘rule of thumb’ for wind farm developments near all systems would require such a level of generalisation as to make it probably worthless. Therefore, in considering the effect of wind turbines on radar, developers need to focus on individual radars in the vicinity of their planned development. It is important also that developers appreciate the nature and extent of any problem. (Novak, 2009) For example, studies into air defence radars that take no account of the associated Command and Control systems may be of very limited value. Because both civil and military aviation communities have legitimate interests that must be protected; this includes protection against the adverse effects of wind turbines. However, there is scope for flexibility throughout the process of considering wind farm applications. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore the potential of community-led air quality monitoring. Community-led air quality monitoring differs from top-down monitoring in many aspects: it is focused on community needs and interests and a local problem and, therefore, has a limited geographical coverage as well as limited temporal coverage. However, localised air quality monitoring can potentially increase the spatial and temporal resolution of air quality information if there is a suitable information-sharing mechanism in place: information from multiple community-led activities can be shared at the city scale and used to augment official information. At the core of the chapter, we provide a detailed experiential description of the process of urban air quality practice, from which we draw our conclusion. We suggest that accessible and reliable community-led air quality monitoring can contribute to the understanding of local environmental issues and improve the dialogue between local authorities and communities about the impacts of air pollution on health and urban and transport planning. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Erosion caused by sand particles is a serious problem facing the oil and gas industry. Predicting pipe erosion due to sand transport is a complex process in multiphase flows due to the complex nature of the flow. Existing erosion studies are however focused on single phase flow conditions which are conservative and could lead to under-/over-engineering because actual fluid flow in pipelines is multiphase. There is therefore a need for in-depth analysis of the complex interaction between the multiphase fluid and transported sand particles. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

This thesis is about Photovoltaic (PV) cells and its stresses in various directions by calculating the power generated using solar cells under different conditions to improve its efficiency. Our research studies found that using multi-junction cells with larger substrates can increase the efficiency to some extent which in practice is limited to 43 percent. The experiment was conducted using ten solar cells each with an area of 20.9?cm? ^2, where each cell gives 0.5 V and 0.4 A and a 1.25 ? resistor was used. The cells were connected in series. Once, the PV cells were fixed horizontally and the other time tested in tilted position under same outdoor condition. The purpose of testing PV cells was to investigate the efficiency under above mentioned conditions. The data collected from the readings was used in calculation, and we have obtained from the calculations that horizontally fixed cells gave 4.8 percent efficiency whereas tilted cells gave 6.6 percent efficiency. Hence, the ratio showed that fixed cells produced 37.5 percent more power compared to horizontally fixed cells. Our other experiment consisted of testing PV cells under different temperature conditions that was done using a freezer and an oven for temperature variation and a tungsten bulb was used as a light source. The purpose of performing this experiment was to investigate how the efficiency of PV cells is affected under extreme conditions. Part of our thesis was also including studies and analysis of produced energy by the solar panel installed on the roof of “BTH” building in Karlskrona, Sweden. The data consisted of energy produced from February up to August 2014. The investigation also included finding the highest produced energy during these months. We have found that the highest energy was generated on the 1st of July which was 12.86 kWh. Furthermore, we went deep into investigation of the 1st of July to know exactly which hour of that day the highest energy was produced. The data showed that the highest produced energy was at 12:19 and 13:19 which was 2.03 kWh. Ramzi: +46723231353, +966561993488 Zain Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Part 8: Information Systems and Applications; International audience; GeneDBase is a part of a research project titled “Creating a genetic database of selected species of mammals in the Czech Republic to be used for sustainable transport development”. The aim of the research project is to assess the impact of roads on the fragmentation of animal populations and their genetic variability. Further, the objective is to create a genetic database of mammals comprising the data from collected samples of selected wild animals which could be used widely, not only for road planning, but also in other fields (agriculture, environmental protection, land-use planning). Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

The occurrence of several extreme flood events in Central Europe in the last two decades, in particular the flood along the Elbe River in 2002, and the resulting damage have shown shortcomings in the field of flood protection and have raised discussions on how to deal with flood risk in the future. As a consequence, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research funded the "Risk Management of Extreme Flood Events" (RIMAX) research programme, which aimed at the development and implementation of improved instruments for flood risk management (www.rimax-hochwasser.de). Document type: Part of book or chapter of book