WorldWideScience

Sample records for company plant efficiency

  1. Evaluation of efficiency in Japan electric power companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghaderi, F.; Muyajima, M.

    2001-01-01

    Achieving energy efficiency also must consider supply efficiency, how much energy it takes to generate electricity and transmit it to the end user. system efficiency reflects the loss of energy during the processes of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Of the millions of tons of coal that are burned to produce heat in generation of electricity every year, only one third is converted into electricity.The electric power plant immediately uses 5 to 10 percent of that energy for use in the plant. Around another 10 percent of this energy is consumed in the transmission and distribution of electric energy to end users. Overall,more that 70 percent of the energy used to produce and deliver electricity never gets to the end user. The costs of this wasted energy are reflected in the customer's electricity bill. Furthermore, once delivered, users of electricity are subjected to more h idden c osts the demand charge which reflects the rate at which consumers draw energy from the power plant during a particular time of day, are also affected by the time of year. This additional charge c n be dramatic. For example, the cost for using electric air conditioning at the w rong t ime of the day , are also affected by the time of year. This additional charge can be dramatic. For example, the cost for using electric air conditioning at the wrong time of the day could be as much as 25 to 40 percent higher than what a facility normally pays for electricity during off-peak times. Minimizing the costs of operations, therefor, is a must for all electric companies. In the other hand utility rates, such as the cost of electricity, are a necessary element of operating in all enterprises.In some industries the payment over electricity make a large percentage of their total expenses, but that doesn't mean that every effort should not be made to reduce their impact on the bottom line, it should be considered that a very small change in operating procedure can change

  2. Valuating the Investment Efficiency of Distribution Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Karajica

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The task of this study is to valuate the investment efficiency of distribution companies. Although a series of publications and studies has been dedicated to this topic, it is difficult to find a general consensus in defining the investment efficiency of a company. Nevertheless if we simplify an imaginary  company as a production unit in which a series of actions transforms inputs to outputs, efficiency can be understood as like an effort to achieve maximum value of the outputs together with minimum usage of inputs, where the inputs constitute investments by a company. The investment efficiency of a company can be measured by expressing the absolute values of selected inputs and outputs, a relative expression of inputs and outputs, and perhaps an expression of the difference between them. However, an examination of the efficiency of a certain company is impossible without a valuation of other companies. In view of the amount of benchmarking, it should be emphasized, that this study is dedicated to a certain category of benchmarking, which we may term investment benchmarking. This benchmarking can be defined as a comparison of companies in terms investment efficiency. The purpose of this comparison is not only to investigate levels of investment efficiency and to relate them to other companies from the same branch, but also to locate the greatest efficiency and indicate potential improvement. 

  3. Innovative-Simplified Nuclear Power Plant Efficiency Evaluation with High-Efficiency Steam Injector System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shoji, Goto; Shuichi, Ohmori; Michitsugu, Mori

    2006-01-01

    It is possible to establish simplified system with reduced space and total equipment weight using high-efficiency Steam Injectors (SI) instead of low-pressure feedwater heaters in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). The SI works as a heat exchanger through direct contact between feedwater from condensers and extracted steam from turbines. It can get higher pressure than supplied steam pressure. The maintenance and reliability are still higher than the feedwater ones because SI has no movable parts. This paper describes the analysis of the heat balance, plant efficiency and the operation of this Innovative-Simplified NPP with high-efficiency SI. The plant efficiency and operation are compared with the electric power of 1100 MWe-class BWR system and the Innovative-Simplified BWR system with SI. The SI model is adapted into the heat balance simulator with a simplified model. The results show that plant efficiencies of the Innovated-Simplified BWR system are almost equal to original BWR ones. The present research is one of the projects that are carried out by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Toshiba Corporation, and six Universities in Japan, funded from the Institute of Applied Energy (IAE) of Japan as the national public research-funded program. (authors)

  4. Multinational Companies, Technology Spillovers, and Plant Survival

    OpenAIRE

    Holger Görg; Eric Strobl

    2003-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of the presence of multinational companies on plant survival in the host country. We postulate that multinational companies can impact positively on plant survival through technology spillovers. We study the nature of the effect of multinationals using a Cox proportional hazard model which we estimate using plant level data for Irish manufacturing industries. Our results show that the presence of multinationals has a life enhancing effect only on indigenous plan...

  5. The effect of size-control policy on unified energy and carbon efficiency for Chinese fossil fuel power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Ning; Kong, Fanbin; Choi, Yongrok; Zhou, P.

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of size control policy on the energy and carbon efficiency for Chinese fossil fuel power industry. For this purpose, we propose two non-radial directional distance functions for energy/carbon efficiency analysis of fossil fuel electricity generation. One is named a total-factor directional distance function that incorporates the inefficiency of all input and output factors to measure the unified (operational and environmental) efficiency of fossil fuel power plants, and the other is called an energy–environmental directional distance function that can be used to measure the energy–environmental performance of fossil fuel electric power plants. Several standardized indicators for measuring unified efficiency and energy–environmental performance are derived from the two directional distance functions. An empirical study of 252 fossil fuel power plants in China is conducted by using the proposed approach. Our empirical results show that there exists a significant positive relationship between the plant size and unified efficiency, the five state-owned companies show lower unified efficiency and energy–environmental performance than other companies. It is suggested that Chinese government might need to consider private incentives and deregulation for its state-owned enterprises to improve their performance proactively. - Highlights: • Two non-radial directional distance functions are presented for energy/carbon efficiency analysis. • An empirical study of 252 fossil fuel power plants in China is conducted. • The five state-owned companies show lower unified efficiency and energy–environmental performance

  6. Efficiency of insurance companies: Application of DEA and Tobit analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Grmanová

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to determine the relationship between technical efficiency and profitability of insurance companies. The profitability of insurance companies was expressed by such indicators as ROA, ROE and the size of assets. We analysed 15 commercial insurance companies in Slovakia in the period of 2013-2015. Technical efficiency scores were expressed using DEA models. The relationship between the technical efficiency score and the indicators of profitability was expressed using censored regression, i.e. the Tobit regression model and the Mann-Whitney U-test. The relationship between the technical efficiency score in the CCR and BCC models and all the groups formed on the basis of the return on assets and the group formed basing on the return on equity was not confirmed. Statistically significant difference between average technical efficiency score in the CCR model in the group of insurance companies with ROA

  7. Evaluation of wastewater treatment plant at Khartoum refinery company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alnour, Y. A. M.

    2010-03-01

    A wastewater treatment plant has been established in Khartoum Refinery Company in order to treat 1800 meters cubic per day, and to meet the increase in the number of employees and the continued expansion of the company. The study aims to evaluate the performance of the station after a three years period of work, and calculate the efficiency of the station through the following variables: average removal of the biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids and oils, by taking water samples before and after treatment, every week for two month, analysis of samples were conducted in the central laboratory at KRC. The determination of the station efficiency revealed that the station is working well. Treated water characteristics are in conformity with the specifications set by the world Organization Health. It is also proved to be suitable for use in irrigation the amount of water entering to treatment is very large (1500 cubic meters), which lead to dilution of the BOD, COD, SS and oils concentrations. The reason being misuse of water by employees in addition to the large number of damage in the water pipes. The station must be re-evaluated after a certain (5 years) period to determine the impact of future increases of employees, and it is effect on the efficiency of the station. It is recommended to improve the behaviour of employees regarding the use of water, so as to reduce the dilution. (Author)

  8. Investigation on the Efficiency of Financial Companies in Malaysia with Data Envelopment Analysis Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng Siew, Lam; Kah Fai, Liew; Weng Hoe, Lam

    2018-04-01

    Financial ratio and risk are important financial indicators to evaluate the financial performance or efficiency of the companies. Therefore, financial ratio and risk factor are needed to be taken into consideration to evaluate the efficiency of the companies with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. In DEA model, the efficiency of the company is measured as the ratio of sum-weighted outputs to sum-weighted inputs. The objective of this paper is to propose a DEA model by incorporating the financial ratio and risk factor in evaluating and comparing the efficiency of the financial companies in Malaysia. In this study, the listed financial companies in Malaysia from year 2004 until 2015 are investigated. The results of this study show that AFFIN, ALLIANZ, APEX, BURSA, HLCAP, HLFG, INSAS, LPI, MNRB, OSK, PBBANK, RCECAP and TA are ranked as efficient companies. This implies that these efficient companies have utilized their resources or inputs optimally to generate the maximum outputs. This study is significant because it helps to identify the efficient financial companies as well as determine the optimal input and output weights in maximizing the efficiency of financial companies in Malaysia.

  9. IMPROVING TACONITE PROCESSING PLANT EFFICIENCY BY COMPUTER SIMULATION, Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    William M. Bond; Salih Ersayin

    2007-03-30

    This project involved industrial scale testing of a mineral processing simulator to improve the efficiency of a taconite processing plant, namely the Minorca mine. The Concentrator Modeling Center at the Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory, University of Minnesota Duluth, enhanced the capabilities of available software, Usim Pac, by developing mathematical models needed for accurate simulation of taconite plants. This project provided funding for this technology to prove itself in the industrial environment. As the first step, data representing existing plant conditions were collected by sampling and sample analysis. Data were then balanced and provided a basis for assessing the efficiency of individual devices and the plant, and also for performing simulations aimed at improving plant efficiency. Performance evaluation served as a guide in developing alternative process strategies for more efficient production. A large number of computer simulations were then performed to quantify the benefits and effects of implementing these alternative schemes. Modification of makeup ball size was selected as the most feasible option for the target performance improvement. This was combined with replacement of existing hydrocyclones with more efficient ones. After plant implementation of these modifications, plant sampling surveys were carried out to validate findings of the simulation-based study. Plant data showed very good agreement with the simulated data, confirming results of simulation. After the implementation of modifications in the plant, several upstream bottlenecks became visible. Despite these bottlenecks limiting full capacity, concentrator energy improvement of 7% was obtained. Further improvements in energy efficiency are expected in the near future. The success of this project demonstrated the feasibility of a simulation-based approach. Currently, the Center provides simulation-based service to all the iron ore mining companies operating in northern

  10. Venture capital and efficiency of portfolio companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Thillai Rajan

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Venture Capital (VC has emerged as the dominant source of finance for entrepreneurial and early stage businesses, and the Indian VC industry in particular has clocked the fastest growth rate globally. Academic literature reveals that VC funded companies show superior performance to non VC funded companies. However, given that venture capitalists (VCs select and fund only the best companies, how much credit can they take for the performance of the companies they fund? Do the inherent characteristics of the firm result in superior performance or do VCs contribute to the performance of the portfolio company after they have entered the firm? A panel that comprised VCs, an entrepreneur and an academic debated these and other research questions on the inter-relationships between VC funding and portfolio firm performance. Most empirical literature indicates that the value addition effect dominates the selection effect in accounting for the superior performance of VC funded companies. The panel discussion indicates that the context as well as the experience of the General Partners in the VC firms can influence the way VCs contribute to the efficiency of their portfolio companies.

  11. Techno-economic evaluation of commercial cogeneration plants for small and medium size companies in the Italian industrial and service sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armanasco, Fabio; Colombo, Luigi Pietro Maria; Lucchini, Andrea; Rossetti, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    The liberalization of the electricity market and the concern for energy efficiency have resulted in a surge of interest in cogeneration and distributed power generation. In this regard, companies are encouraged to evaluate the opportunity to build their own cogeneration plant. In Italy, the majority of such companies belong to the industrial or service sector; it is small or medium in size and the electric power ranges between 1 ÷ 10 MW. Commercially available gas turbines are the less expensive option for cogeneration. Particular attention has been given to the possibility of combining an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with gas turbine, to improve the conversion efficiency. Companies have to account for both technical and economical aspects to assess viability of cogeneration. A techno-economic analysis was performed to identify, in the Italian energy market, which users can take advantage of a cogeneration plant aimed to cover at least part of their energy demand. Since electricity and thermal needs change considerably in the same sector, single product categories have been considered in the analysis. Our work shows that in the industrial sector, independent of the product category, cogeneration is a viable option form a techno-economic perspective. - Highlights: ► The best technologies for 1 ÷ 10 MW distributed generation plant are gas turbine and ORC. ► A variety of commercial cogeneration plants is available to meet user needs. ► Cogeneration is a technical and economical advantage for industrial sector companies.

  12. Development of management systems for nuclear power plant of Hokuriku Electric Power Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Tatsuaki; Hasunuma, Junichi; Suzuki, Shintaro

    2009-01-01

    Hokuriku Electric Power Company has been operating the Shika Nuclear Power Station that it constructed in Shika city, Ishikawa prefecture, for over 15 years since bringing Unit 1 of this plant online in July 1993. In addition to electricity generation, maintenance and inspection tasks constitute a big part of operating a large-scale nuclear power plant, and in recent years, problems at power stations in the nuclear power industry have led to several revisions of nationally regulated maintenance and inspection systems. This paper describes the background, objectives, development method, and features of the Maintenance Management System and Maintenance History Management System that make effective use of information technology to promote safer and more efficient maintenance work at large-scale nuclear power plants. (author)

  13. Measuring sustainability by Energy Efficiency Analysis for Korean Power Companies: A Sequential Slacks-Based Efficiency Measure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ning Zhang

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Improving energy efficiency has been widely regarded as one of the most cost-effective ways to improve sustainability and mitigate climate change. This paper presents a sequential slack-based efficiency measure (SSBM application to model total-factor energy efficiency with undesirable outputs. This approach simultaneously takes into account the sequential environmental technology, total input slacks, and undesirable outputs for energy efficiency analysis. We conduct an empirical analysis of energy efficiency incorporating greenhouse gas emissions of Korean power companies during 2007–2011. The results indicate that most of the power companies are not performing at high energy efficiency. Sequential technology has a significant effect on the energy efficiency measurements. Some policy suggestions based on the empirical results are also presented.

  14. 75 FR 16524 - FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, Perry Nuclear Power Plant; Exemption

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Company, Perry Nuclear Power Plant; Exemption 1.0 Background FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC... the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 (PNPP). The license provides, among other things, that the... date for all operating nuclear power plants, but noted that the Commission's regulations provide...

  15. THE EFFICIENCY OF IMPLEMENTING PRIVATE MANAGEMENT IN STATE COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mungiu-Pupăzan Mariana Claudia

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available In 2012, nine state-owned companies are expected to have private management giving up the statemanagement. Therefore, a full debate of this issue is required, taking into consideration the fact that, in ouropinion, this process involves more than just the replacement of a manager with another. The implementationof private management in companies of national strategy, currently in state ownership, is desired to be aprofound and also very complex process, aiming to change organizational culture in depth, both verticallyand horizontally, so as to increase efficiency in these companies.Implementation of private management could be a good opportunity for an efficient development ofthese companies, for an increasing level of competitiveness on the international market, but only in terms ofa leadership team chosen on performance criteria, with a coherent set of objectives and a high independencelevel of decision.There are some opinions from people with experience in managing both private and statecompanies. They believe that the idea of establishing a private management in state companies, is, in themain, good, but it is essential to take into consideration the idea of a team trained to lead the company,instead of one person as a general manager.Another element to be taken into account, so that this idea of private management may have thedesired effect, is to precisely determine companies where private management teams should be installed. Notall companies are suitable for the same private management strategy. This type of leadership is better forcompanies with a real international perspective, such as Tarom, while strategic companies should be ratherreformed, including management privatization, and kept as state strategic areas. However, strict criteria ofstate intervention in decision-making process should be established, a striking question concerning thecircumstances under which such a management team could be successful, given that state firms are

  16. The energy efficiency partnership - Kraft General Foods and Boston Edison Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowley, J.C.; Donoghue, J.P.

    1993-01-01

    During the past twenty years, inordinate shifts in the supply and demand of energy have forced both electric utility companies and their customers to investigate new and innovative ways to satisfy the ever increasing demand for electricity. The Energy Efficiency Partnership, developed between Kraft General Foods and Boston Edison Company, presents an exemplary study of how two corporate giants creatively solved the problem of uncontrolled energy costs and its positive effect on the overall operations of Kraft General Foods, Framingham. But the Energy Efficiency Partnership did more than reduce energy costs, it provided benefits to all parties on the playing field. To understand its significance, a review of the partnership's history is paramount. The first official announcement of the Energy Efficiency Partnership was made on April 9, 1990. Framingham, MA, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Kraft General Foods Framingham, and Boston Edison Company have joined forces in a $3.6 million dollar energy partnership that will help keep 250 industrial jobs in Massachusetts and could lead to the future expansion of the international food company's Framingham facility

  17. Differences in the patent management in Brazilian companies with and without plants abroad

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilda Maria Salomé Pereira

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper compares the procedures of local Brazilian companies (those which have plants in Brazil only with those of international Brazilian companies (which have plants in at least two countries regarding the patent management. Although there are a lot more variables to consider when examining the issue of patents in companies, this study presents and analyzes the results of a qualitative research on the decision to patent innovations, the choice of countries where to patent and the strategic significance of patents to the company.

  18. Nitrogen oxide control at power plants of the ENEL company (Italy)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kotler, V.R. (Vserossiiskii Teplotekhnicheskii Institut (Russian Federation))

    1993-03-01

    Analyzes experiences of the ENEL electricity company in Italy in controlling pollutant emission from fossil-fuel power plants. In 1990, the company produced 87% of the country's electricity. Until the year 2000, ENEL plans to increase coal use for power generation by 23.5% and install 9,300 MW of new coal-fired power plant capacity. New European and Italian emission standards require ENEL to reduce NO[sub x] emissions by 30% from 1986 to 1998. NO[sub x] emission values from various fuel-oil and pulverized-coal fired steam generators operated by the company are given. Modifications to existing combustion technologies and equipment installed to lower NO[sub x] content in flue gases at various ENEL power plants are considered. The most promising coal combustion technologies and ongoing research programs are pointed out. 4 refs.

  19. Benchmarking the efficiency of the Chilean water and sewerage companies: a double-bootstrap approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinos-Senante, María; Donoso, Guillermo; Sala-Garrido, Ramon; Villegas, Andrés

    2018-03-01

    Benchmarking the efficiency of water companies is essential to set water tariffs and to promote their sustainability. In doing so, most of the previous studies have applied conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. However, it is a deterministic method that does not allow to identify environmental factors influencing efficiency scores. To overcome this limitation, this paper evaluates the efficiency of a sample of Chilean water and sewerage companies applying a double-bootstrap DEA model. Results evidenced that the ranking of water and sewerage companies changes notably whether efficiency scores are computed applying conventional or double-bootstrap DEA models. Moreover, it was found that the percentage of non-revenue water and customer density are factors influencing the efficiency of Chilean water and sewerage companies. This paper illustrates the importance of using a robust and reliable method to increase the relevance of benchmarking tools.

  20. Study notes separability of oil company profitability, efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, R.G.

    1993-01-01

    In recent years, the large publicly traded oil companies have been restructuring and downsizing to improve efficiency. Newly developed decision theory forces one to question the widely held singular focus on efficiency because improving efficiency will not necessarily improve profits. This is especially likely in the oil industry, where price volatility is the norm. Because its products are so basic, its price volatility typically ripples widely throughout the economy. In light of this, efficiency and profitability in the oil industry require separate treatment. More specifically, the efficient are not necessarily the most profitable; conversely, the most profitable are not necessarily the most efficient. Such a decoupling of efficiency and profitability requires a totally new look at business strategy. In the face of highly variable prices, firms can no longer depend on the long-accepted duality norm between profits and efficiency

  1. Information asymmetries, information externalities, oil companies strategies and oil exploration information efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nyouki, E.

    1998-07-01

    Both for economics (in general) and energy economics matters, it is important to reach oil exploration efficiency. To achieve this aim, a pragmatic approach is to use the concept of information efficiency which means that the different tracts have to be drilled in the decreasing order of estimated profitabilities, estimations being made on the basis of the best (in the sense of reliability) available information. What does 'best available information' mean? It corresponds either to the information held by the most experienced oil companies (due to the existence of information asymmetries to the profit of these companies), or to information revealed by the drilling and which allows to revise probabilities of success on neighboring tracts with similar geological features (due to the existence of information externalities). In consideration of these information asymmetries and externalities, we will say that exploration is information efficient when. -- on the one hand, initial exploration choices are directed by the most experienced companies, - and, on the other hand, during the drilling phase, in the face of the information externality, companies adopt a sequential drilling, i.e. excluding both over-investment and strategic under-investment. The topic we deal with in this thesis is then to know if oil companies, when they are put in normal competition conditions, are likely to make emerge a state of information efficiency in exploration, the analysis being conducted theoretically and empirically. (author)

  2. 76 FR 27669 - Automotive Components Holdings, LLC, a Subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, Saline Plant Division...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-12

    ... Holdings, LLC, a Subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, Saline Plant Division, Including Workers Whose Wages Were Reported Under Ford Company, Visteon, MSX International, W.J. O'Neil Company, and Unibar, Saline... workers of Automotive Components Holdings, LLC, a Subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, Saline Plant Division...

  3. Efficiency of Finish power transmission network companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2001-01-01

    The Finnish Energy Market Authority has investigated the efficiency of power transmissions network companies. The results show that the intensification potential of the branch is 402 million FIM, corresponding to about 15% of the total costs of the branch and 7.3 % of the turnout. Energy Market Authority supervises the reasonableness of the power transmission prices, and it will use the results of the research in supervision. The research was carried out by the Quantitative Methods Research Group of Helsinki School of Economics. The main objective of the research was to create an efficiency estimation method for electric power distribution network business used for Finnish conditions. Data of the year 1998 was used as basic material in the research. Twenty-one of the 102 power distribution network operators was estimated to be totally efficient. Highest possible efficiency rate was 100, and the average of the efficiency rates of all the operators was 76.9, the minimum being 42.6

  4. Efficiency analysis of hydroelectric generating plants: A case study for Portugal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barros, Carlos Pestana

    2008-01-01

    This paper estimates changes in total productivity, breaking this down into technically efficient change and technological change, by means of data envelopment analysis (DEA) applied to the hydroelectric energy generating plants of EDP - the Portugal Electricity Company. The aim of this procedure is to seek out those best practices that will lead to improved performance in the energy market. We rank the plants according to their change in total productivity for the period 2001-2004, concluding that some plants experienced productivity growth while others experienced a decrease in productivity. The implications arising from the study are that EDP should adopt an internal benchmark management procedure in order to evaluate the relative position of each hydroelectric generating plant and to adopt managerial strategies designed to catch up with the frontier of 'best practices'. As the frontier is shifting along the time, constant efforts are needed in this respect along the time. (author)

  5. Low R&D Efficiency in Large Pharmaceutical Companies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Erik Strøjer; Wu, Yanqing

    2016-01-01

    Large pharmaceutical companies will face serious challenges in the future when several of their blockbuster drugs run out of patents, and meanwhile a growing political pressure to stop the fast increase in health care expenditures has merged. The recent wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) within...... the industry can be seen as an effective means to reduce costs and compensate for the reduced earnings from patented drugs. The paper examines the main development in expenditure on research and development (R&D) and number of patents in the industry with a focus on the role of company size. The analysis...... builds on a data set containing information of both patents and R&D expenditure from the world’s top 90 largest pharmaceutical companies, as well as their account data from 2002 to 2013. The empirical part estimates the firm size effect on R&D efficiency and the amount of investment allocated to R...

  6. A proposal for human factors education in a power plant company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hikono, Masaru

    2004-01-01

    The author was asked by a power plant company to investigate how to change the actual education system concerning human factor education for the plant staff. First, the problems faced by actual education system were investigated based on the results of a large number of surveys conducted in educational fields, and various documents. In the present paper, the author describes the newly proposed educational program., using as illustration a case study. The findings of the present study suggests that, concerning the content of the educational program, it is indispensable for each company to develop a curriculum based on its specific needs. (author)

  7. Development of technologies on innovative-simplified nuclear power plant using high-efficiency steam injectors. (2) Analysis of heat balance of innovative-simplified nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goto, Shoji; Ohmori, Shuichi; Mori, Mitchitsugu

    2004-01-01

    It is possible to established simplified systems and reduced space and equipments using high-efficiency Steam Injector (SI) instead of low-pressure feed water heaters in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). The SI works as a heat exchanger through direct contact between feedwater from condenser and extracted steam from turbine. It can get a higher pressure than supplied steam pressure, so it can reduce the feedwater pumps. The maintenance and reliability are still higher because SI has no movable parts. This paper describes the analysis of the heat balance and plant efficiency of this Innovative-Simplified NPP with high-efficiency SI. The plant efficiency is compared with the electric power of 1100MWe class original BWR system and the Innovative-Simplified BWR system with SI. The SI model is adapted into the heat balance simulator with a simplified model. The results show plant efficiencies of the Innovated-Simplified BWR system are almost equal to the original BWR one. The present research is one of the projects that are carried out by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Toshiba Corporation, and six Universities in Japan, funded from the Institute of Applied Energy (IAE) of Japan as the national public research-funded program. (author)

  8. The Application Potential of Eco-Efficiency for Greening Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasaja, Lukman Eka; Hadiyanto

    2018-02-01

    Eco-Efficiency emerged in the 1990s as a measure of "the efficiency that ecological sources use to meet human needs." As a tool in economic and environmental integration, Eco-efficiency needs to be promoted further so that regulation in government and industrial management can include it as an important instrument. This paper provides several approaches that can help various industries to develop effective eco-efficiency principles. The approach used is to maximize the role of the Steering Committee of the company's internal environment. Utilization of natural resources such as water, forests, mines and energy needs need to be balanced with Eco-Efficiency so that natural exploitation can be well controlled so that sustainable development aspired by the world can be realized.

  9. The Impact of capital structure on the performance efficiency of Baltic listed companies

    OpenAIRE

    Norvaišienė, Rasa

    2012-01-01

    The capital structure can influence the behavior of the company as well as its performance results and its value. However, the effect can be quite different. The financial indicators of Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian listed companies published in their annual reports have been used in order to investigate the impact of capital structure on performance efficiency of the companies. The research included data of only non-financial companies, because the capital structure of financial instituti...

  10. Treatment of Oily Wastewater Produced From Old Processing Plant of North Oil Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Faris Hammoodi Al-Ani

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The main objectives of this research were to study and analyses oily wastewater characteristics originating from old-processing plant of North Oil Company and to find a suitable and simple method to treat the waste so it can be disposed off safely. The work consists of two stages; the first was the study of oily wastewater characteristics and its negative impacts. The results indicated that oil and grease were the most dominant pollutant with concentration range between 1069 – 3269.3 mg/l that must be removed; other pollutants were found to be within Iraqi and EPA standards. The next stage was the use of these characteristics to choose the proper technology to treat that wastewater. This stage was divided into two stages: the first stage was a jar tests to find the optimum doses of alum, lime and powdered activated carbon (PAC. The second stage was the treatment by a batch pilot plant constructed for this purpose employing the optimum doses as determined from the first stage to treat the waste using a flotation unit followed by a filtration-adsorption unit. The removal efficiencies of flotation unit for oil and grease, COD, and T.S.S found to be 0.9789, 0.974, and 0.9933, respectively, while the removal efficiency for T.D.S was very low 0.0293. From filtration – adsorption column the removal efficiencies of oil and grease, T.D.S, COD, and T.S.S were found to be 0.9486, 0.8908, 0.6870, and 0.7815, respectively. The overall removal efficiencies of pilot plant were 0.9986, 0.8939, 0.9921, and 0.9950, respectively. The results indicated that this type of treatment was the simplest and most effective method that can be used to treat produced oily wastewater before disposal

  11. Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Vehicle Assembly Industry: An ENERGY STAR Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galitsky, Christina; Galitsky, Christina; Worrell, Ernst

    2008-01-01

    The motor vehicle industry in the U.S. spends about $3.6 billion on energy annually. In this report, we focus on auto assembly plants. In the U.S., over 70 assembly plants currently produce 13 million cars and trucks each year. In assembly plants, energy expenditures is a relatively small cost factor in the total production process. Still, as manufacturers face an increasingly competitive environment, energy efficiency improvements can provide a means to reduce costs without negatively affecting the yield or the quality of the product. In addition, reducing energy costs reduces the unpredictability associated with variable energy prices in today?s marketplace, which could negatively affect predictable earnings, an important element for publicly-traded companies such as those in the motor vehicle industry. In this report, we first present a summary of the motor vehicle assembly process and energy use. This is followed by a discussion of energy efficiency opportunities available for assembly plants. Where available, we provide specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies, as well as references to technical literature. If available, we have listed costs and typical payback periods. We include experiences of assembly plants worldwide with energy efficiency measures reviewed in the report. Our findings suggest that although most motor vehicle companies in the U.S. have energy management teams or programs, there are still opportunities available at individual plants to reduce energy consumption cost effectively. Further research on the economics of the measures for individual assembly plants, as part of an energy management program, is needed to assess the potential impact of selected technologies at these plants.

  12. The European Model Company Act: How to choose an efficient regulatory approach?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cleff, Evelyne Beatrix

    ) on the organization of company laws reflect an interesting paradigm shift. Whereas, previously company law was primarily focused on preventing abuse, there is now a trend towards legislation that promote commerce and satisfy the needs of business. This means that the goal of economic efficiency is having...... an increasing influence on the framing of company legislation, such as the choice between mandatory or default rules. This article introduces the project "European Company Law and the choice of Regulatory Method" which is carried out in collaboration with the European Model Company Act Group. The project aims...... to analyze the appropriateness of different regulatory methods which are available to achieve the regulatory goals.   ...

  13. Efficiency and productivity (TFP) of the Turkish electricity distribution companies: An application of two-stage (DEA and Tobit) analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Çelen, Aydın

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we analyze the efficiency performances of 21 Turkish electricity distribution companies during the period of 2002–2009. For this aim, we employ a two-stage analysis in order to take into account the business environment variables which are beyond the control of distribution companies. We determine the efficiency performances of the electricity distribution companies by help of DEA in the first stage. Then, in the second stage, using these calculated efficiency scores as dependent variable, we utilize Tobit model to determine the business environment variables which may explain the efficiency scores. According to the results, customer density of the region and the private ownership affect the efficiencies positively. Thus, the best strategy to improve efficiency in the market is privatizing the public distribution companies. - Highlights: • We analyze the efficiencies of 21 Turkish electricity distribution companies. • A two-stage analysis is employed to take into account environmental variables. • We firstly calculate efficiencies of companies with DEA, then Tobit model is used to determine the effects of the variables. • Customer density and ownership type affect the efficiencies positively. • Privatization is a good strategy to improve efficiencies

  14. Development of technologies on innovative-simplified nuclear power plant using high-efficiency steam injectors (2) analysis of heat balance of innovative-simplified nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goto, S.; Ohmori, S.; Mori, M.

    2005-01-01

    It is possible to establish simplified system with reduced space and total equipment weight using high-efficiency Steam Injector (SI) instead of low-pressure feedwater heaters in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)(1)-(6). The SI works as a heat exchanger through direct contact between feedwater from the condensers and extracted steam from the turbines. It can get a higher pressure than supplied steam pressure, so it can reduce the feedwater pumps. The maintenance and reliability are still higher because SI has no movable parts. This paper describes the analysis of the heat balance and plant efficiency of this Innovative- Simplified NPP with high-efficiency SI. The plant efficiency is compared with the electric power of 1100MWe-class BWR system and the Innovative- Simplified BWR system with SI. The SI model is adapted into the heat balance simulator with a simplified model. The results show plant efficiencies of the Innovated-Simplified BWR system are almost equal to the original BWR one. The present research is one of the projects that are carried out by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Toshiba Corporation, and six Universities in Japan, funded from the Institute of Applied Energy (IAE) of Japan as the national public research-funded program. (authors)

  15. Environmental efficiency among corn ethanol plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sesmero, Juan P.; Perrin, Richard K.; Fulginiti, Lilyan E.

    2012-01-01

    Economic viability of the US corn ethanol industry depends on prices, technical and economic efficiency of plants and the extent of policy support. Public policy support is tied to the environmental efficiency of plants measured as their impact on emissions of greenhouse gases. This study evaluates the environmental efficiency of seven recently constructed ethanol plants in the North Central region of the US, using nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA). The minimum feasible level of GHG emissions per unit of ethanol is calculated for each plant and this level is decomposed into its technical and allocative sources. Results show that, on average, plants in our sample may be able to reduce GHG emissions by a maximum of 6% or by 2.94 Gg per quarter. Input and output allocations that maximize returns over operating costs (ROOC) are also found based on observed prices. The environmentally efficient allocation, the ROOC-maximizing allocation, and the observed allocation for each plant are combined to calculate economic (shadow) cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These shadow costs gauge the extent to which there is a trade off or a complementarity between environmental and economic targets. Results reveal that, at current activity levels, plants may have room for simultaneous improvement of environmental efficiency and economic profitability. -- Highlights: ► Environmental efficiency of ethanol plants in the North Central US is evaluated. ► Economic (shadow) cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is calculated. ► Feasible changes in the mix of inputs and byproducts can reduce GHG emissions. ► On average plants may be able to reduce GHG emissions by 2.94 Gg per quarter. ► GHG reductions may be achieved at a moderate or zero operating cost.

  16. The plant efficiency of fusion power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darvas, J.; Foerster, S.

    1976-01-01

    Due to the circulating energy, lower efficiencies are to be expected with fusion power plants than with nuclear fission power plants. According to the systems analysis, the mirror machine is not very promising as a power plant. The plant efficiency of the laser fusion strongly depends on the laser efficiency about which one can only make speculative statements at present. The Tokamak requires a relatively low circulating energy and is certainly able to compete regarding efficiency as long as the consumption time can be kept large (> 100 sec) and the dead time between the power pulses small ( [de

  17. Measuring efficiency and productivity change in power electric generation management companies by using data envelopment analysis: A case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fallahi, Alireza; Ebrahimi, Reza; Ghaderi, S.F.

    2011-01-01

    This paper provides an empirical analysis of the determinants of energy efficiency in 32 power electric generation management companies over the period 2005–2009. The study uses non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate the relative technical efficiency and productivity change of these companies. In order to verify the stability of our DEA model and the importance of each input variable, a stability test is also conducted. The results of the study indicate that average technical efficiency of companies decreased during the study period. Nearly half of the companies (14) are below this average level of 88.7% for five years. Moreover, it is shown that the low increase of productivity changes is more related to low efficiency rather than technology changes. -- Highlights: ► DEA was applied on the 32 power electric generation management companies. ► A stability test is applied to verify the stability of DEA model. ► Average technical efficiency of companies decreased during the study period. ► The low increase of productivity changes is more related to low efficiency changes.

  18. Assessment and optimisation of energy efficiency in heat treatment plants; Bewertung und Optimierung der Energieeffizienz von Thermoprozessanlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krail, Juergen [Forschung Burgendland GmbH, Pinkafeld (Austria). Dept. Energie- und Umweltmanagement; Buchner, Klaus [Aichelin Ges.m.b.H., Moedling (Austria); Altena, Herwig [Aichelin Holding GmbH, Moedling (Austria)

    2013-06-15

    The last years are marked by heavily fluctuating energy costs and insecurity in the energy supply. Prognoses exhibit a dramatic difference between supply and demand of fossil fuel energy carriers in the years to come. Energy efficiency is one key to cover the future worldwide energy demand. In Austria and Germany process heat represents a considerable portion of total energy consumption. Targeted primary measurements and a consequent utilisation of waste heat in plants may lead to a significant improvement of plant efficiency and in consequence to a reduction of CO{sub 2}-emissions. By way of a gas-fired pusher type furnace for carburising internal and external efficiency increasing measures are demonstrated and their influences on the overall process are assessed. An increase of energy efficiency increasing measures are demonstrated and their influences on the overall process are assessed. An increase of energy efficiency up to 19 % and a reduction of CO{sub 2}-emissions of 547 t/y can be reached. However, a multidisciplinary cooperation of the plant supplier, energy engineer and operating company will be necessary for an optimum integration into a corporate energy concept. (orig.)

  19. Risk management of energy efficiency projects in the industry - sample plant for injecting pulverized coal into the blast furnaces

    OpenAIRE

    Jovanović Filip P.; Berić Ivana M.; Jovanović Petar M.; Jovanović Aca D.

    2016-01-01

    This paper analyses the applicability of well-known risk management methodologies in energy efficiency projects in the industry. The possibilities of application of the selected risk management methodology are demonstrated within the project of the plants for injecting pulverized coal into blast furnaces nos. 1 and 2, implemented by the company US STEEL SERBIA d.o.o. in Smederevo. The aim of the project was to increase energy efficiency through the reductio...

  20. Owners of nuclear power plants: Percentage ownership of commercial nuclear power plants by utility companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wood, R.S.

    1987-08-01

    The following list indicates percentage ownership of commercial nuclear power plants by utility companies as of June 1, 1987. The list includes all plants licensed to operate, under construction, docked for NRC safety and environmental reviews, or under NRC antitrust review. It does not include those plants announced but not yet under review or those plants formally canceled. In many cases, ownership may be in the process of changing as a result of altered financial conditions, changed power needs, and other reasons. However, this list reflects only those ownership percentages of which the NRC has been formally notified. Part I lists plants alphabetically with their associated applicants/licensees and percentage ownership. Part II lists applicants/licensees alphabetically with their associated plants and percentage ownership. Part I also indicates which plants have received operating licenses (OL's). Footnotes for both parts appear at the end of this document

  1. Idaho Chemical Processing Plant Process Efficiency improvements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griebenow, B.

    1996-03-01

    In response to decreasing funding levels available to support activities at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) and a desire to be cost competitive, the Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) and Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company have increased their emphasis on cost-saving measures. The ICPP Effectiveness Improvement Initiative involves many activities to improve cost effectiveness and competitiveness. This report documents the methodology and results of one of those cost cutting measures, the Process Efficiency Improvement Activity. The Process Efficiency Improvement Activity performed a systematic review of major work processes at the ICPP to increase productivity and to identify nonvalue-added requirements. A two-phase approach was selected for the activity to allow for near-term implementation of relatively easy process modifications in the first phase while obtaining long-term continuous improvement in the second phase and beyond. Phase I of the initiative included a concentrated review of processes that had a high potential for cost savings with the intent of realizing savings in Fiscal Year 1996 (FY-96.) Phase II consists of implementing long-term strategies too complex for Phase I implementation and evaluation of processes not targeted for Phase I review. The Phase II effort is targeted for realizing cost savings in FY-97 and beyond

  2. Increasing a large petrochemical company efficiency by improvement of decision making process

    OpenAIRE

    Kirin Snežana D.; Nešić Lela G.

    2010-01-01

    The paper shows the results of a research conducted in a large petrochemical company, in a state under transition, with the aim to "shed light" on the decision making process from the aspect of personal characteristics of the employees, in order to use the results to improve decision making process and increase company efficiency. The research was conducted by a survey, i.e. by filling out a questionnaire specially made for this purpose, in real conditions, during working hours. The sample of...

  3. THE USE OF NEW DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF INSURANCE COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga N. Kozlova

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the issues of increasing the efficiency of insurance companies on the basis of using new non-traditional distribution channels. The relevance of the topic is justified by the automation of management processes, a new generation of consumers focused on new technologies, the use of the Internet, growing and selling functional mobile gadgets. The insurance companies use new distribution channels via the Internet network along with the traditional means for the expansion of the insurance portfolio and attracting active and passive consumers. The calculations carried out on the basis of the data of the Bank of Russia show that the share of such sales is growing, but not leading. The use of the Internet depends on many factors, but primarily on the types of insurance. The authors carry out calculations on the use of distribution channels in various types of insurance. The complexity and variety of products on life insurance requires qualified intermediaries, therefore, the use of new distribution channels here is not widespread in contrast to classical accident insurance or compulsory insurance, where sales are more efficient when organizing through the Internet. Selling through Internet has a number of advantages that reduce the cost of doing business, reduce the agency network, the cost of print advertising to attract passive and strengthen the relationship with active consumers. The authors also conduct analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile gadgets to work with potential customers, quantitative and qualitative benefits of implementing mobile apps in the work of insurance companies. The conclusions are made about the complexity of calculation of economic efficiency of implementing mobile applications. The possible directions of increasing the efficiency of using new distribution channels by insurance companies are defined.

  4. Better Plants Program Overview

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2015-09-30

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Better Buildings, Better Plants Program is a voluntary partnership initiative to drive significant energy efficiency improvement across energy intensive companies and organizations. 157 leading manufacturers and public water and wastewater treatment utilities are partnering with DOE through Better Plants to improve energy efficiency, slash carbon emissions, and cut energy costs.

  5. Cost efficiency of Japanese steam power generation companies: A Bayesian comparison of random and fixed frontier models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Assaf, A. George [Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 90 Campus Center Way, Amherst 01002 (United States); Barros, Carlos Pestana [Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, Technical University of Lisbon, Rua Miguel Lupi, 20, 1249-078 Lisbon (Portugal); Managi, Shunsuke [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 6-6-20 Aramaki-Aza Aoba, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

    2011-04-15

    This study analyses and compares the cost efficiency of Japanese steam power generation companies using the fixed and random Bayesian frontier models. We show that it is essential to account for heterogeneity in modelling the performance of energy companies. Results from the model estimation also indicate that restricting CO{sub 2} emissions can lead to a decrease in total cost. The study finally discusses the efficiency variations between the energy companies under analysis, and elaborates on the managerial and policy implications of the results. (author)

  6. Measuring efficiency and productivity change (PTF) in the Peruvian electricity distribution companies after reforms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez-Reyes, Raul [Organismo Supervisor de la Inversion en Energia y Mineria, Osinergmin (Peru); Tovar, Beatriz [Infrastructure and Transport Research Group (EIT), Department of Applied Economics, University of Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)

    2009-06-15

    This paper analyzes the evolution of productivity of the electricity distribution companies in Peru, to assess whether reforms have improved the efficiency in this sector. The paper also identifies potential sources of productivity changes, based on market restructuring the electricity sector and changes in property. To do this, we rely on a set of data for 14 distribution companies, for the period 1996-2006. Our analysis suggests that improvements in the efficiency and productivity of electricity distribution in Peru have occurred, and that there is a relationship between the restructuring of distribution sector and the enhancement of productivity. (author)

  7. Measuring efficiency and productivity change (PTF) in the Peruvian electricity distribution companies after reforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Reyes, Raul; Tovar, Beatriz

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyzes the evolution of productivity of the electricity distribution companies in Peru, to assess whether reforms have improved the efficiency in this sector. The paper also identifies potential sources of productivity changes, based on market restructuring the electricity sector and changes in property. To do this, we rely on a set of data for 14 distribution companies, for the period 1996-2006. Our analysis suggests that improvements in the efficiency and productivity of electricity distribution in Peru have occurred, and that there is a relationship between the restructuring of distribution sector and the enhancement of productivity. (author)

  8. Evaluation on the efficiency of the construction sector companies in Malaysia with data envelopment analysis model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng Hoe, Lam; Jinn, Lim Shun; Weng Siew, Lam; Hai, Tey Kim

    2018-04-01

    In Malaysia, construction sector is essential parts in driving the development of the Malaysian economy. Construction industry is an economic investment and its relationship with economic development is well posited. However, the evaluation on the efficiency of the construction sectors companies listed in Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) with Data Analysis Envelopment (DEA) model have not been actively studied by the past researchers. Hence the purpose of this study is to examine the financial performance the listed construction sectors companies in Malaysia in the year of 2015. The results of this study show that the efficiency of construction sectors companies can be obtained by using DEA model through ratio analysis which defined as the ratio of total outputs to total inputs. This study is significant because the inefficient companies are identified for potential improvement.

  9. Managing key capabilities: A challenge for nuclear plant building companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pascal Corbel

    2003-01-01

    The nuclear plant building industry faces a paradoxical situation. The use of nuclear reactors to produce energy for civil purposes is both a promising technology, with potentially huge outlets, and a technology facing declining demand. One of the key problems is then: how to maintain the capabilities necessary to benefit from the potential recovery? The resource-based view of strategic management has shown the importance of different types of resources and capabilities in gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Successful incumbents in the market of nuclear station building have built those kinds of distinctive capabilities that give them a competitive advantage over potential new entrants. But we show that, without a permanent activity in plant building, preserving those capabilities necessitates specific strategic action. We firstly develop the argument that the nuclear plant building industry is in a paradoxical situation in terms of demand and technical performance trends. Secondly, we try to identify the key capabilities of the incumbents. We show that companies in that field use mainly three types of distinctive capabilities: pure technical and scientific knowledge in direct relation to the use of nuclear as an energy generator, competences in risk management and competences in large project management, including financing. Thirdly, we show that although some of those capabilities are used through other nuclear-related activities such as plant maintenance or fuel supply, some of them necessitate taking strategic actions in order to be preserved. We argue that this should be a priority of nuclear equipment company managers in the next few years. (author)

  10. Problems of assessment of efficiency of managing corporate rights in joint stock companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kurinnyy Oleksandr V.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The goal of the article lies in identification of specific features of formation, implementation and practical use of the balanced scorecard of efficiency of managing corporate rights in domestic joint stock companies. Complexity of formation of the balanced scorecard of efficiency of managing property of shareholders is due to a necessity of ensuring deliberateness of the combination of financial and non-financial indicators for formalisation of managerial goals, establishment of a connection between financial parameters and operation indicators of enterprise activity and also attempt to determine the whole cost of an enterprise, which would be adequate to the market value of its assets. Taking into account the above, the article defines efficiency of managing shares of the joint stock as the degree of correlation between the goal, regulatory set functions, managerial actions and results of execution of managerial duties by managers. Prospect of further studies in this direction is development of methodical basis of formation and functioning of the balanced scorecard of efficiency of the use of shares of corporate rights in a joint stock company.

  11. Comparative study on efficiency performance of listed coal mining companies in China and the US

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Hong; Wu, Junjie; Zeng, Catherine

    2009-01-01

    Continually rising energy prices in global markets highlights a serious concern about the need to improve energy efficiency and the efficiency in energy sector in many countries. China, as one of the fastest growing countries in the world and the largest coal producer, has high coal consumption but a low recovery rate of coal utilization. Coal efficiency and the efficiency in coal industry have therefore attracted a great deal of attention from Chinese policy makers, coal firms and academics. This study attempts to compare the relative technical efficiency performance of listed coal mining companies in China and the US using CCR and BCC models in the advanced DEA linear programming. The results show that the level of relative efficiency in Chinese coal mining enterprises, regardless of total technical efficiency or decomposed pure technical and scale efficiency, is much lower than in American coal firms. The study also highlights the input resources that cause the inefficiency of Chinese coal mining companies. Furthermore, in-depth discussion and analysis of how the institutional environments of the two countries could cause the differences are provided. (author)

  12. Inventory management of spare parts in an energy company

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guajardo, Mario; Roennqvist, Mikael; Halvorsen, Ann Mari; Kallevik, Svein Inge

    2012-06-15

    We address a problem of inventory management of spare parts in the context of a large energy company, producer of oil and gas. Spare parts are critical for assuring operational conditions in offshore platforms. About 200,000 different items are held in several inventory plants. The inventory system implemented at the company corresponds to a min-max system. The control parameters are decided based mainly on the expert judgment of the planners. Also, though the inventory plants can in practice be supplied from each other, the inventory planning is performed separately by the plant planners. This is because of different ownership structures where the studied company has the operative responsibility. The company is pursuing a system in which all planners conform to the same inventory management approach and evaluation, as well as being more cost efficient. Our work focuses on supporting this goal. We apply methods to decide the inventory control parameters for this system under a service level constraint. The methodology we use distinguishes unit-size and lot-size demand cases. We perform computational experiments to find control parameters for a sample of items. After the control parameters are found, we use them to explore the impact of risk pooling among the plants and inaccuracy arising from duplicate item codes.(Author)

  13. THE USE OF NEW DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF INSURANCE COMPANIES

    OpenAIRE

    Olga N. Kozlova; Olga N. Kotova; Elizaveta V. Pavlovskaya

    2017-01-01

    The article deals with the issues of increasing the efficiency of insurance companies on the basis of using new non-traditional distribution channels. The relevance of the topic is justified by the automation of management processes, a new generation of consumers focused on new technologies, the use of the Internet, growing and selling functional mobile gadgets. The insurance companies use new distribution channels via the Internet network along with the traditional means for the expansion of...

  14. 75 FR 67770 - General Motors Company, Formerly Known as General Motors Corporation, Orion Assembly Plant...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-03

    ..., Formerly Known as General Motors Corporation, Orion Assembly Plant, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Aerotek Automotive, Ryder and Premier Manufacturing Support Services, Lake Orion, MI; Amended... of General Motors Company, formerly known as General Motors Corporation, Orion Assembly Plant, Lake...

  15. Simulation Based Data Reconciliation for Monitoring Power Plant Efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sang Jun; Heo, Gyun Young

    2010-01-01

    Power plant efficiency is analyzed by using measured values, mass/energy balance principles, and several correlations. Since the measured values can have uncertainty depending on the accuracy of instrumentation, the results of plant efficiency should definitely have uncertainty. The certainty may occur due to either the randomness or the malfunctions of a process. In order to improve the accuracy of efficiency analysis, the data reconciliation (DR) is expected as a good candidate because the mathematical algorithm of the DR is based on the first principles such as mass and energy balance considering the uncertainty of instrumentation. It should be noted that the mass and energy balance model for analyzing power plant efficiency is equivalent to a steady-state simulation of a plant system. Therefore the DR for efficiency analysis necessitates the simulation which can deal with the uncertainty of instrumentation. This study will propose the algorithm of the simulation based DR which is applicable to power plant efficiency monitoring

  16. Learning networks as an enabler for informed decisions to target energy-efficiency potentials in companies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wohlfarth, Katharina; Eichhammer, W.A.; Schlomann, Barbara; Mielicke, Ursula

    2017-01-01

    his paper deals with possibilities of targeting energy efficiency potentials in German companies by delivering information and support within a cooperative management system “Learning Energy Efficiency Networks” (LEEN). Information deficits are pointed out as a relevant barrier to implementing

  17. Economic efficiency of environmental management system operation in industrial companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dukmasova, N.; Ershova, I.; Plastinina, I.; Boyarinov, A.

    2017-06-01

    The article examines the issue of the efficiency of the environmental management system (EMS) implementation in the Russian machine-building companies. The analysis showed that Russia clearly lags behind other developed and developing countries in terms of the number of ISO 14001 certified companies. According to the authors, the main cause of weak system implementation activity is attributed to the lack of interest in ISO 14001 certification on the Russian market. Five-year primary (field) research aimed at the analysis of the environmental priorities of the civilians suggests that the image component of the economic benefits ensures the increase in economic and financial performance of the company due to the increase in customers’ loyalty to the products of the EMS adopter. To quantify economic benefits obtained from EMS implementation, a methodological approach with regard to the image component and the decrease in semi-fixed costs due to the increase in the production scale has been developed. This approach has been tested in a machine-building electrical equipment manufacturer in Ekaterinburg. This approach applied to data processing yields the conclusion that EMS gives a good additional competitive advantage to its adopters.

  18. Examining the cost efficiency of Chinese hydroelectric companies using a finite mixture model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barros, Carlos Pestana; Chen, Zhongfei; Managi, Shunsuke; Antunes, Olinda Sequeira

    2013-01-01

    This paper evaluates the operational activities of Chinese hydroelectric power companies over the period 2000–2010 using a finite mixture model that controls for unobserved heterogeneity. In so doing, a stochastic frontier latent class model, which allows for the existence of different technologies, is adopted to estimate cost frontiers. This procedure not only enables us to identify different groups among the hydro-power companies analysed, but also permits the analysis of their cost efficiency. The main result is that three groups are identified in the sample, each equipped with different technologies, suggesting that distinct business strategies need to be adapted to the characteristics of China's hydro-power companies. Some managerial implications are developed. - Highlights: ► This paper evaluates the operational activities of Chinese electricity hydric companies. ► This study uses data from 2000 to 2010 using a finite mixture model. ► The model procedure identifies different groups of Chinese hydric companies analysed. ► Three groups are identified in the sample, each equipped with completely different “technologies”. ► This suggests that distinct business strategies need to be adapted to the characteristics of the hydric companies

  19. Financial Performance of Korea's Overseas Companies and Policy Recommendations for Improving Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunjong Wang

    1998-03-01

    Full Text Available As part of globalization, elite multinational companies are actively promoting foreign direct investment, In order to adapt to the globalization trend, large from the middle of 1990s enterprises have helped South Korea to launch the large-scale oversea investment by contributing in it. However, foreign direct investment by Korean companies in operating results has yet to achieve satisfactory results. Under IMF's project, South Korean economy is facing the need for restructuring, and corporate restructuring has become an important issue. Because South Korea domestic enterprises foreign popularity fell sharply and overseas borrowings, lead to deterioration in the terms of the South Korean companies overseas direct investment activities atrophy. In this case, the enterprise's overseas direct investment form and strategic should also have comprehensive change on a scale. It should get rid of external, quantitative growth, but change to efficient strategy.

  20. Artificial intelligence aid to efficient plant operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wildberger, A.M.; Pack, R.W.

    1987-01-01

    As the nuclear power industry matures, it is becoming more and more important that plants be operated in an efficient, cost-effective manner, without, of course, any decrease in the essential margins of safety. Indeed, most opportunities for improved efficiency have little or no relation to nuclear safety, but are based on trade-offs among operator controllable parameters both within and external to the reactor itself. While these trade-offs are describable in terms of basic physical theory, thermodynamics, and the mathematics of control systems, their actual application is highly plant specific and influenced even by the day-to-day condition of the various plant components. This paper proposes the use of artificial intelligence techniques to construct a computer-based expert assistant to the plant operator for the purpose of aiding him in improving the efficiency of plant operation on a routine basis. The proposed system, which only advises the human operator, seems more amenable to the current regulatory approach than a truly automated control system even if the latter provides for manual override

  1. The ERECTA gene regulates plant transpiration efficiency in Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masle, Josette; Gilmore, Scott R; Farquhar, Graham D

    2005-08-11

    Assimilation of carbon by plants incurs water costs. In the many parts of the world where water is in short supply, plant transpiration efficiency, the ratio of carbon fixation to water loss, is critical to plant survival, crop yield and vegetation dynamics. When challenged by variations in their environment, plants often seem to coordinate photosynthesis and transpiration, but significant genetic variation in transpiration efficiency has been identified both between and within species. This has allowed plant breeders to develop effective selection programmes for the improved transpiration efficiency of crops, after it was demonstrated that carbon isotopic discrimination, Delta, of plant matter was a reliable and sensitive marker negatively related to variation in transpiration efficiency. However, little is known of the genetic controls of transpiration efficiency. Here we report the isolation of a gene that regulates transpiration efficiency, ERECTA. We show that ERECTA, a putative leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK) known for its effects on inflorescence development, is a major contributor to a locus for Delta on Arabidopsis chromosome 2. Mechanisms include, but are not limited to, effects on stomatal density, epidermal cell expansion, mesophyll cell proliferation and cell-cell contact.

  2. 75 FR 80547 - Carolina Power & Light Company, Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit No. 1; Exemption

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-22

    ..., Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit No. 1; Exemption 1.0 Background Carolina Power & Light Company... operation of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant (HNP), Unit 1. The license provides, among other things... request to generically extend the rule's compliance date for all operating nuclear power plants, but noted...

  3. The Event Communication Vector of Efficiency of Moroccan Large Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Najwa El Omari

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The event communication has for objective to give another dimension to the company or to the brand, by bringing it out of its daily life and by developing relations with its target public, around their centers of interests. It may be by sharing the same passions, by making live feelings to a group, by federating and by creating links; because today we need a more emotional and more real component. Since a few years, the event communication seems to be "revisited" by companies and appears to stand out as an alternative to media or other more traditional tools. For the upholders of the relationship marketing, this communication delivers “a social message which affects the spectator or the auditor in its inhalation to be a part of a social, sports or artistic community” (Perlstein and Picket, 1985. Therefore, we are going to expose our researches and would try to answer the following problem: "what is the impact of the event communication on the Moroccan large company, independently of any different parasite variable? ". The objective of our research is to try to make notions understand around the event communication, and especially the evaluation of its added value on the efficiency of the Moroccan large company. To try to answer these questions derived of our problem, our research will concentrate on: a first theoretical part around a set of concepts, a second part will be the object of an empirical study.

  4. 77 FR 19718 - Ford Motor Company Twin Cities Assembly Plant Vehicle Operations Division Including On-Site...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-81,038] Ford Motor Company Twin... February 9, 2012, applicable to workers of Ford Motor Company, Twin Cities Assembly Plant, Vehicle..., and Pacer International were employed on-site at the St. Paul, Minnesota location of Ford Motor...

  5. 75 FR 3252 - Ford Motor Company, Dearborn Truck Plant, Dearborn, MI; Notice of Negative Determination on...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-70,326] Ford Motor Company... workers and former workers of Ford Motor Company, Dearborn Truck Plant, Dearborn, Michigan. The Department... separations were not related to an increase in imports of like or directly competitive products with Ford F...

  6. 78 FR 26401 - Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company, Haddam Neck Plant, Environmental Assessment and Finding...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-06

    ... Atomic Power Company, Haddam Neck Plant, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact... Neck Plant (HNP) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). CYAPCO stated that the exemption...-rm/adams.html . From this site, you can access the NRC's ADAMS, which provides text and image files...

  7. Study on VDI-2048 for Plant Efficiency Calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hanseol; Heo, Gyunyoung

    2014-01-01

    It is a representative example when main steam mass flow of a steam generator is measured lower than main feedwater mass flow of outlet, or when efficiency of low pressure turbine is analyzed excessively low or exceeds 100 percent. Therefore, we need to obtain measured data minimizing uncertainty to calculate thermal efficiency as exactly as possible. In calculating the efficiency of an Nuclear Power Plant(NPP), measurement uncertainty is the most difficult to be solved technically and data reconciliation methodology is one method of ensuring to minimize uncertainty. In this paper, the case study on previous nuclear power plants was carried out by using redundancy of measured data from measuring instrument for plant operation, so as to calculate nuclear power plant efficiency accurately. As explain above, we performed the case study on data reconciliation methodology by using measurement redundancy and physical redundancy. The former comes up because of installing multiple measuring instruments for plant operation, and the latter is acquired based on the physical association like the first law of thermodynamics (the law of conservation of mass and energy). Through this case study, we got the reconciled data, which satisfies the constraint and minimizes data uncertainty measured in the nuclear power plant secondary system at the same time. The expected effects from data reconciliation methodology provided in VDI-2048, are considered totally four. First, this method can contribute to monitoring on-line efficiency in the operating nuclear power plant. Second, it can also improve the reliability of calculated results, minimizing the measurement uncertainty

  8. Market (in)efficiency in valuing electric utilities-The case of Norwegian generating companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kjaerland, Frode

    2010-01-01

    After deregulation of the energy market in Norway, a number of mergers and acquisitions of hydropower generating companies have taken place. However, valuation of these companies has proved controversial. From an ex-post perspective, there is support for the criticism that generation assets have been sold too cheaply. This article presents a simple valuation model providing evidence of how value has evolved. On the basis of these results, we discuss the valuation from an ex ante perspective and in the light of the market efficiency hypothesis of (Fama, 1970) and (Fama, 1991).

  9. Impact of technical and technological changes on energy efficiency of production company - case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szwedzka, K.; Gruszka, J.; Szafer, P.

    2016-08-01

    Improving energy efficiency is one of the strategic objectives of the European Union for rational energy economy. To make efforts to improve energy efficiency have been obliged both small and large end-users. This article aims to show the possibilities of improving energy efficiency by introducing technical and technological process changes of pine lumber drying. The object of the research is process of drying lumber implemented in a production company, which is a key supplier of large furniture manufacturer. Pine lumber drying chamber consume about 45% of total electricity in sawmill. According to various sources, drying of 1m3 of lumber uses about 3060kWh and is dependent of inter alia: the drying process itself, the factors affecting the processing time and the desired output moisture content of the timber. The article proposals for changes in the process of drying lumber pine have been positively validated in the company, and as a result their energy consumption per 1 m3 of product declined by 18%.

  10. Three Essays on National Oil Company Efficiency, Energy Demand and Transportation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eller, Stacy L.

    This dissertation is composed of three separate essays in the field of energy economics. In the first paper, both data envelopment analysis and stochastic production frontier estimation are employed to provide empirical evidence on the revenue efficiency of national oil companies (NOCs) and private international oil companies (IOCs). Using a panel of 80 oil producing firms, the analysis suggests that NOCs are generally less efficient at generating revenue from a given resource base than IOCs, with some exceptions. Due to differing firm objectives, however, structural and institutional features may help explain much of the inefficiency. The second paper analyzes the relationship between economic development and the demand for energy. Energy consumption is modeled using panel data from 1990 to 2004 for 50 countries spanning all levels of development. We find the relationship between energy consumption and economic development corresponds to the structure of aggregate output and the nature of derived demand for electricity and direct-use fuels in each sector. Notably, the evidence of non-constant income elasticity of demand is much greater for electricity demand than for direct-use fuel consumption. In addition, we show that during periods of rapid economic development, one in which the short-term growth rate exceeds the long-run average, an increase in aggregate output is met by less energy-efficient capital. This is a result of capital being fixed in the short-term. As additional, more efficient capital stock is added to the production process, the short-term increase in energy intensity will diminish. In the third essay, we develop a system of equations to estimate a model of motor vehicle fuel consumption, vehicle miles traveled and implied fuel efficiency for the 67 counties of the State of Florida from 2001 to 2008. This procedure allows us to decompose the factors of fuel demand into elasticities of vehicle driving demand and fuel efficiency. Particular

  11. 76 FR 77022 - In the Matter of Carolina Power & Light Company, H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-09

    ... and 72-3] In the Matter of Carolina Power & Light Company, H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2, Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Order Approving Indirect Transfer of Control of Licenses I. Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L, the licensee) is...

  12. Diagnosis of Thermal Efficiency of Nuclear Power Plants Using Optical Torque Sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shuichi Umezawa; Jun Adachi

    2006-01-01

    A new optical torque measuring method was applied to diagnosis of thermal efficiency of nuclear power plants. The sensor allows torque deformation of the rotor caused by power transmission to be measured without contact. Semiconductor laser beams and small pieces of stainless reflector that have bar-code patterns are employed. The intensity of the reflected laser beam is measured and then input into a computer through an APD and an A/D converter having high frequency sampling rates. The correlation analysis technique can translate these data into the torque deformation angle. This angle allows us to obtain the turbine output along with the torsional rigidity and the rotating speed of the rotor. The sensor was applied to a nuclear plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO, following its application success to the early combined cycle plants and the advanced combined cycle plants of TEPCO. As the turbine rotor of the nuclear power plant is less exposed than that of the combined cycle plants, the measurement position is confined to a narrow gap. In order to overcome the difficulty in installation, the shape of the sensor is modified to be long and thin. Sensor performance of the nuclear power plant was inspected over a year. The value of the torsional rigidity was analyzed by the finite element method at first. Accuracy was improved by correcting the torsional rigidity so that the value was consistent with the generator output. As a result, it is considered that the sensor performance has reached a practical use level. (authors)

  13. 75 FR 43563 - Dow Jones & Company, Sharon Pennsylvania Print Plant a Subsidiary of News Corporation, West...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-26

    ..., Sharon Pennsylvania Print Plant a Subsidiary of News Corporation, West Middlesex, Pennsylvania; Notice of..., Sharon Pennsylvania Print Plant, a subsidiary of News Corporation, West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, was... between Dow Jones & Company, West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, and any Konica facility. The petitioner did not...

  14. Integrated plant safety assessment: systematic evaluation program. Haddam Neck Plant, Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company. Docket No. 50-213

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-03-01

    The Systematic Evaluation Program was initiated in February 1977 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review the designs of older operating nuclear reactor plants to confirm and document their safety. The review provides: (1) an assessment of how these plants compare with current licensing safety requirements relating to selected issues, (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review, and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety. This report documents the review of Haddam Neck Plant, operated by Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company. The Haddam Neck Plant is one of 10 plants reviewed under Phase II of this program. This report indicates how 137 topics selected for review under Phase I of the program were addressed. Equipment and procedural changes have been identified as a result of the review

  15. 76 FR 66333 - Carolina Power & Light Company, H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2; Environmental...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-26

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-261; NRC-2011-0247] Carolina Power & Light Company, H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant... Facility Operating License No. DPR-23, issued to Carolina Power & Light Company (the licensee), for...

  16. Integrating Waste Heat from CO2 Removal and Coal-Fired Flue Gas to Increase Plant Efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Irvin, Nick [Southern Company Services, Inc., Birmingham, AL (United States); Kowalczyk, Joseph [Southern Company Services, Inc., Birmingham, AL (United States)

    2017-04-01

    In project DE-FE0007525, Southern Company Services demonstrated heat integration methods for the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide produced from pulverized coal combustion. A waste heat recovery technology (termed High Efficiency System) from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America was integrated into an existing 25-MW amine-based CO2 capture process (Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery Process®1) at Southern Company’s Plant Barry to evaluate improvements in the energy performance of the pulverized coal plant and CO2 capture process. The heat integration system consists of two primary pieces of equipment: (1) the CO2 Cooler which uses product CO2 gas from the capture process to heat boiler condensate, and (2) the Flue Gas Cooler which uses air heater outlet flue gas to further heat boiler condensate. Both pieces of equipment were included in the pilot system. The pilot CO2 Cooler used waste heat from the 25-MW CO2 capture plant (but not always from product CO2 gas, as intended). The pilot Flue Gas Cooler used heat from a slipstream of flue gas taken from downstream of Plant Barry’s air heater. The pilot also included a 0.25-MW electrostatic precipitator. The 25-MW High Efficiency System operated for approximately six weeks over a four month time period in conjunction with the 25-MW CO2 capture facility at Plant Barry. Results from the program were used to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of full-scale implementation of this technology. The test program quantified energy efficiency improvements to a host power plant that could be realized due to the High Efficiency System. Through the execution of this project, the team verified the integrated operation of the High Efficiency System and Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery Process®. The ancillary benefits of the High Efficiency System were also quantified, including reduced water consumption

  17. Modular Engineering of Production Plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miller, Thomas Dedenroth

    1998-01-01

    Based on a case-study on design of pharmaceutical production plants, this paper suggests that modularity may support business efficiency for companies with one-of-a-kind production and without in-house manufacturing. Modularity may support efficient management of design knowledge and may facilitate...

  18. Olkiluoto 1 and 2 - Plant efficiency improvement and lifetime extension-project (PELE) implemented during outages 2010 and 2011

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kosonen, M.; Hakola, M. [Teollisuuden Voima Oyj, F- 27160 Eurajoki (Finland)

    2012-07-01

    Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is a non-listed public company founded in 1969 to produce electricity for its stakeholders. TVO is the operator of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. TVO follows the principle of continuous improvement in the operation and maintenance of the Olkiluoto plant units. The PELE project (Plant Efficiency Improvement and Lifetime Extension), mainly completed during the annual outages in 2010 and 2011, and forms one part of the systematic development of Olkiluoto units. TVO maintains a long-term development program that aims at systematically modernizing the plant unit systems and equipment based on the latest technology. According to the program, the Olkiluoto 1 and Olkiluoto 2 plant units are constantly renovated with the intention of keeping them safe and reliable, The aim of the modernization projects is to improve the safety, reliability, and performance of the plant units. PELE project at Olkiluoto 1 was done in 2010 and at Olkiluoto 2 in 2011. The outage length of Olkiluoto 1 was 26 d 12 h 4 min and Olkiluoto 2 outage length was 28 d 23 h 46 min. (Normal service-outage is about 14 days including refueling and refueling-outage length is about seven days. See figure 1) The PELE project consisted of several single projects collected into one for coordinated project management. Some of the main projects were as follows: - Low pressure turbines: rotor, stator vane, casing and turbine instrumentation replacement. - Replacement of Condenser Cooling Water (later called seawater pumps) pumps - Replacement of inner isolation valves on the main steam lines. - Generator and the generator cooling system replacement. - Low voltage switchgear replacement. This project will continue during future outages. PELE was a success. 100 TVO employees and 1500 subcontractor employees participated in the project. The execution of the PELE projects went extremely well during the outages. The replacement of the low pressure turbines and seawater pumps improved the

  19. Olkiluoto 1 and 2 - Plant efficiency improvement and lifetime extension-project (PELE) implemented during outages 2010 and 2011

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kosonen, M.; Hakola, M.

    2012-01-01

    Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is a non-listed public company founded in 1969 to produce electricity for its stakeholders. TVO is the operator of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. TVO follows the principle of continuous improvement in the operation and maintenance of the Olkiluoto plant units. The PELE project (Plant Efficiency Improvement and Lifetime Extension), mainly completed during the annual outages in 2010 and 2011, and forms one part of the systematic development of Olkiluoto units. TVO maintains a long-term development program that aims at systematically modernizing the plant unit systems and equipment based on the latest technology. According to the program, the Olkiluoto 1 and Olkiluoto 2 plant units are constantly renovated with the intention of keeping them safe and reliable, The aim of the modernization projects is to improve the safety, reliability, and performance of the plant units. PELE project at Olkiluoto 1 was done in 2010 and at Olkiluoto 2 in 2011. The outage length of Olkiluoto 1 was 26 d 12 h 4 min and Olkiluoto 2 outage length was 28 d 23 h 46 min. (Normal service-outage is about 14 days including refueling and refueling-outage length is about seven days. See figure 1) The PELE project consisted of several single projects collected into one for coordinated project management. Some of the main projects were as follows: - Low pressure turbines: rotor, stator vane, casing and turbine instrumentation replacement. - Replacement of Condenser Cooling Water (later called seawater pumps) pumps - Replacement of inner isolation valves on the main steam lines. - Generator and the generator cooling system replacement. - Low voltage switchgear replacement. This project will continue during future outages. PELE was a success. 100 TVO employees and 1500 subcontractor employees participated in the project. The execution of the PELE projects went extremely well during the outages. The replacement of the low pressure turbines and seawater pumps improved the

  20. Efficiency and regulation of the Slovenian electricity distribution companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filippini, Massimo; Hrovatin, Nevenka; Zoric, Jelena

    2004-01-01

    The Slovenian Energy Law, adopted in 1999, has opened the internal market to competition up to 64% of the final consumption. The opening of the internal market to foreign competition is envisaged for 2003. With regard to the methodology of price regulation, the Energy Law introduces the 'price-cap' regulation, which aims to give firms incentive for cost reduction. To provide information for effective price regulation, we estimated a cost frontier function on a sample of Slovenian electricity distribution utilities over the 1991-2000 period. The estimated efficient frontier could be used by Slovenian regulatory agency as a benchmark to regulate network access prices. Our results show that Slovenian distribution companies are cost inefficient. We have also proved the presence of increasing returns to scale with most utilities not achieving the minimum efficient scale. Thus, the Slovenian regulatory authority should consider how to induce mergers of small electricity distribution utilities into larger units

  1. DOE/Industrial Technologies Program DOE Award Number DE-FG36-05GO15099 Plant Wide Energy Efficiency Assessment Pilgrims Pride Corporation – Mt Pleasant Facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paper, Riyaz; Dooley, Bill; Turpish, William J; Symonds, Mark; Carswell, Needham

    2007-04-13

    The U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP), through Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is supporting plant wide energy efficiency assessments that will lead to substantial improvements in industrial efficiency, waste reduction, productivity, and global competitiveness in industries identified in ITP’s Industries of the Future. The stated goal of the assessments is to develop a comprehensive strategy at manufacturing locations that will significantly increase plant productivity, profitability, and energy efficiency, and reduce environmental emissions. ITP awarded a contract to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation to conduct a plant wide energy efficiency assessment for their Mt Pleasant Facility in Mt Pleasant, Texas. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation is the largest poultry company in the U.S. and Mexico producing nearly 9 billion pounds of poultry per year. Pilgrim's Pride products are sold to foodservice, retail and frozen entrée customers. Pilgrim's Pride owns and operates 37 chicken processing plants (34 in the U.S. and three in Mexico), 12 prepared foods plants and one turkey processing plant. Thirty-five feed mills and 49 hatcheries support these plants. Pilgrim's Pride is ranked number 382 on 2006's FORTUNE 500 list and net sales were $7.4 billion. In Mt. Pleasant, Texas, Pilgrim's Pride operates one of the largest prepared foods plants in the United States, with the capability of producing 2,000 different products and the capacity to turn out more than 7 million pounds of finished goods per week. The facility is divided into distinct departments: East Kill, West Kill, Prepared Foods, Protein Conversion, Wastewater Treatment, and Truck Shop. Facility processes include killing, eviscerating, refrigeration, baking, frying, and protein conversion. Pilgrim’s Pride formed a team to complete the plant wide energy efficiency assessment. The scope of work for this project was to: provide the analysis of departmental

  2. Operational and Environmental Efficiencies of Japanese Electric Power Companies from 2003 to 2015: Influence of Market Reform and Fukushima Nuclear Power Accident

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mika Goto

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study measures operational and environmental efficiencies of nine incumbent electric power companies (EPCos in Japan and examines an influence of market reform and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident on efficiencies using a data set from 2003 to 2015. This study applies output-oriented radial data envelopment analysis (DEA model to the measurement of efficiencies. Three inputs and three desirable outputs are used for the measurement of operational efficiency, and one undesirable output besides inputs and desirable outputs is used to measure environmental efficiency. EPCos produce not only desirable output, for example, electricity, but also undesirable output, for example, CO2, for their operations. For the measurement of environmental efficiency, this study uses a unique DEA model that assumes occurrence of ecotechnology innovation. The results reveal that environmental efficiency of EPCos is mostly invariant over the period of this study, while operational efficiency decreases in the same period. In addition, the results present that Japanese EPCos make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions by promoting ecotechnology innovation. The Kruskal–Wallis rank sum test indicates differences in operational and environmental efficiencies among EPCos. Such performance differences might become larger as market liberalization advances, which could lead to further structural changes of the industry.

  3. Maximisation of Combined Cycle Power Plant Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janusz Kotowicz

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents concepts for increasing the efficiency of a modern combined cycle power plant. Improvement of gas turbine performance indicators as well as recovering heat from the air cooling the gas turbine’s flow system enable reaching gross electrical efficiencies of around 65%. Analyses for a wide range of compressor pressure ratios were performed. Operating characteristics were developed for the analysed combined cycle plant, for different types of open air cooling arrangements of the gas turbine’s expander: convective, transpiration and film.

  4. Synthetic Minor NSR Permit: Red Cedar Gathering Company - Arkansas Loop and Simpson Treating Plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page contains the response to public comments and the final synthetic minor NSR permit for the Red Cedar Gathering Company, Arkansas Loop and Simpson Treating Plants, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in La Plata County, CO.

  5. Cost structure analysis of commercial nuclear power plants in Japan based on corporate financial statements of electric utility companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunitake, Norifumi; Nagano, Koji; Suzuki, Tatsujiro

    1998-01-01

    In this paper, we analyze past and current cost structure of commercial nuclear power plants in Japan based on annual corporate financial statements published by the Japanese electric utility companies, instead of employing the conventional methodology of evaluating the generation cost for a newly constructed model plant. The result of our study on existing commercial nuclear plants reveals the increasing significance of O and M and fuel cycle costs in total generation cost. Thus, it is suggested that electric power companies should take more efforts to reduce these costs in order to maintain the competitiveness of nuclear power in Japan. (author)

  6. POSSIBILITIES OF APPLYING THE DEA METHOD IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EFFICIENCY OF COMPANIES IN THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY: REVIEW OF WIND ENERGY COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dario Maradin

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available One of the fundamental tasks of modern power system is finding ways to produce stable and continuous electricity from scarce energy resources. One of the possible solutions is introduction, implementation and improvement of alternative forms of energy such as renewable energy sources, particularly wind energy as an increasingly important energy source which is expected to further increase its share in total electricity production. Numerous methods can be used in assessing the efficiency of wind energy companies, and in the focus of this research is the Data Envelopment Analysis method (DEA, a widely accepted methodology given its interdisciplinary approach and flexibility. This method represents a step forward in the field of renewable energy management, because it provides the possibility to compare the selected companies with the best in the industry (the most efficient and the possibility of determining sources of inefficiency and, consequently, the possibilities of their elimination.

  7. Proposed Synthetic Minor NSR Permit: Red Cedar Gathering Company - Arkansas Loop and Simpson Treating Plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proposed synthetic minor NSR permit, public notice bulletin, and administrative permit docket for the Red Cedar Gathering Company, Arkansas Loop and Simpson Treating Plants, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Colorado.

  8. Measuring the efficiency of large pharmaceutical companies: an industry analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gascón, Fernando; Lozano, Jesús; Ponte, Borja; de la Fuente, David

    2017-06-01

    This paper evaluates the relative efficiency of a sample of 37 large pharmaceutical laboratories in the period 2008-2013 using a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. We describe in detail the procedure followed to select and construct relevant inputs and outputs that characterize the production and innovation activity of these pharmaceutical firms. Models are estimated with financial information from Datastream, including R&D investment, and the number of new drugs authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considering the time effect. The relative performances of these firms-taking into consideration the strategic importance of R&D-suggest that the pharmaceutical industry is a highly competitive sector given that there are many laboratories at the efficient frontier and many inefficient laboratories close to this border. Additionally, we use data from S&P Capital IQ to analyze 2071 financial transactions announced by our sample of laboratories as an alternative way to gain access to new drugs, and we link these transactions with R&D investment and DEA efficiency. We find that efficient laboratories make on average more financial transactions, and the relative size of each transaction is larger. However, pharmaceutical companies that simultaneously are more efficient and invest more internally in R&D announce smaller transactions relative to total assets.

  9. Thermal power plant efficiency enhancement with Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soto, Rodrigo; Vergara, Julio

    2014-01-01

    In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, coastal thermal power plants would gain further opposition due to their heat rejection distressing the local ecosystem. Therefore, these plants need to enhance their thermal efficiency while reducing their environmental offense. In this study, a hybrid plant based on the principle of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion was coupled to a 740 MW coal-fired power plant project located at latitude 28°S where the surface to deepwater temperature difference would not suffice for regular OTEC plants. This paper presents the thermodynamical model to assess the overall efficiency gained by adopting an ammonia Rankine cycle plus a desalinating unit, heated by the power plant condenser discharge and refrigerated by cold deep seawater. The simulation allowed us to optimize a system that would finally enhance the plant power output by 25–37 MW, depending on the season, without added emissions while reducing dramatically the water temperature at discharge and also desalinating up to 5.8 million tons per year. The supplemental equipment was sized and the specific emissions reduction was estimated. We believe that this approach would improve the acceptability of thermal and nuclear power plant projects regardless of the plant location. -- Highlights: • An Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion hybrid plant was designed. • The waste heat of a power plant was delivered as an OTEC heat source. • The effect of size and operating conditions on plant efficiency were studied. • The OTEC implementation in a Chilean thermal power plant was evaluated. • The net efficiency of the thermal power plant was increased by 1.3%

  10. Analytic Hierarchy Process-Based Analysis to Determine the Barriers to Implementing a Material Efficiency Strategy: Electrical and Electronics’ Companies in the Malaysian Context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fu Haw Ho

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Material efficiency is one of the most important strategies for helping manufacturing companies achieve sustainability in their production activities. However, there are many barriers to the implementation of material efficiency strategies in the manufacturing processes and overall business operations. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the barriers faced by Electrical and Electronics (E&E manufacturing companies in Malaysia in implementing material efficiency strategies. A mixed-mode research method was employed to collect data from these companies. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify the barriers faced by the Malaysian Electrical and Electronics (E&E industry, while an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP survey was utilized to determine the importance of each barrier. Seven companies participated in the semi-structured interviews, and 18 companies took part in the AHP survey. Nine barriers were generated from analysis of the interviews, and were then ranked by priority using the AHP method. These important findings could be used as a guide for E&E companies in managing or overcoming barriers during the implementation of material efficiency strategies and other sustainable manufacturing activities.

  11. 75 FR 82414 - Carolina Power & Light Company; H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2; Exemption

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-30

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-261; NRC-2010-0062] Carolina Power & Light Company; H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2; Exemption 1.0 Background Carolina Power & Light... authorizes operation of the H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2 (HBRSEP). The license provides, among...

  12. 75 FR 11579 - Carolina Power & Light Company H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2; Exemption

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-11

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-261; NRC-2010-0062] Carolina Power & Light Company H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2; Exemption 1.0 Background Carolina Power & Light... of the H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2 (HBRSEP). The license provides, among other things...

  13. Water-integrated scheduling of batch process plants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pulluru, Sai Jishna; Akkerman, Renzo

    2018-01-01

    Efficient water management is becoming increasingly important in production systems, but companies often do not have any concrete strategies to implement. While there are numerous technological options for improving water efficiency in process plants, there is a lack of effective decision support to

  14. Water-integrated scheduling of batch process plants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pulluru, Sai Jishna; Akkerman, Renzo

    2017-01-01

    Efficient water management is becoming increasingly important in production systems, but companies often do not have any concrete strategies to implement. While there are numerous technological options for improving water efficiency in process plants, there is a lack of effective decision support to

  15. Energy companies in the Netherlands work on sustainable use of natural gas. Manifesto

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ten Berge, J.B.M.; Boersma, M.A.M.; Dijkgraaf, H.G.; Platenkamp, R.J.

    2004-01-01

    This manifesto concerns the vision of several Dutch energy companies with regard to sustainable use of natural gas in the Netherlands. The aim is to realize innovations in the field of efficient supply of natural gas, improving the efficiency of gas appliances, use of natural gas in transportation, development of 'virtual power plants', and experimental applications for 'green' gas and hydrogen [nl

  16. EFFICIENCY AND LIFETIME OF SOLAR COLLECTORS FOR SOLAR HEATING PLANTS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    The 12.5 m² flat plate solar collector HT, today marketed by Arcon Solvarme A/S, has been used in solar heating plants in Scandinavia since 1983. The collector is designed to operate in a temperature interval between 40°C and 90°C. The efficiency of the collector has been strongly improved since...... it was introduced on the market. The paper will present the increase of the efficiency of the collector due to technical improvements since 1983. Further, measurements from the spring of 2009 of the efficiency of two HT collectors, which have been in operation in the solar heating plant Ottrupgaard, Skørping......, Denmark since 1994 with a constant high flow rate and in the solar heating plant Marstal, Denmark since 1996 with a variable flow rate, will be presented. The efficiencies will be compared to the efficiencies of the collectors when they were first installed in the solar heating plants. The measurements...

  17. EFFICIENCY AND LIFETIME OF SOLAR COLLECTORS FOR SOLAR HEATING PLANTS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fan, Jianhua; Chen, Ziqian; Furbo, Simon

    2009-01-01

    The 12.5 m² flat plate solar collector HT, today marketed by Arcon Solvarme A/S, has been used in solar heating plants in Scandinavia since 1983. The collector is designed to operate in a temperature interval between 40°C and 90°C. The efficiency of the collector has been strongly improved since...... it was introduced on the market. The paper will present the increase of the efficiency of the collector due to technical improvements since 1983. Further, measurements from the spring of 2009 of the efficiency of two HT collectors, which have been in operation in the solar heating plant Ottrupgaard, Skørping......, Denmark since 1994 with a constant high flow rate and in the solar heating plant Marstal, Denmark since 1996 with a variable flow rate, will be presented. The efficiencies will be compared to the efficiencies of the collectors when they were first installed in the solar heating plants. The measurements...

  18. An analysis of factors that influence the technical efficiency of Malaysian thermal power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    See, Kok Fong; Coelli, Tim

    2012-01-01

    The main objectives of this paper are to measure the technical efficiency levels of Malaysian thermal power plants and to investigate the degree to which various factors influence efficiency levels in these plants. Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) methods are applied to plant-level data over an eight year period from 1998 to 2005. This is the first comprehensive analysis (to our knowledge) of technical efficiency in the Malaysian electricity generation industry using parametric method. Our empirical results indicate that ownership, plant size and fuel type have a significant influence on technical efficiency levels. We find that publicly-owned power plants obtain average technical efficiencies of 0.68, which is lower than privately-owned power plants, which achieve average technical efficiencies of 0.88. We also observe that larger power plants with more capacity and gas-fired power plants tend to be more technically efficient than other power plants. Finally, we find that plant age and peaking plant type have no statistically significant influence on the technical efficiencies of Malaysian thermal power plants. - Highlights: ► We examine the technical efficiency (TE) levels of Malaysian thermal power plants. ► We also investigate the degree to which various factors influence efficiency levels in these plants. ► Stochastic frontier analysis methods are used. ► Average plant would have to increase their TE level by 21% to reach the efficient frontier. ► Ownership, plant size and fuel type have a significant influence on the TE levels.

  19. Intergrated plant safety assessment. Systematic evaluation program. Palisades plant, Consumers Power Company, Docket No. 50-255. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-10-01

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published its Final Integrated Plant Safety Assessment Report (IPSAR) (NUREG-0820), under the scope of the Systematic Evaluation Program (SEP), for Consumers Power Company's Palisades Plant located in Covert, Van Buren County, Michigan. The SEP was initiated by the NRC to review the design of older operating nuclear reactor plants to reconfirm and document their safety. This report documents the review completed under the SEP for the Palisades Plant. The review has provided for (1) as assessment of the significance of differences between current technical positions on selected safety issues and those that existed when the Palisades Plant was licensed, (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review, and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety when all supplements to the Final IPSAR and the Safety Evaluation Report for converting the license from a provisional to a full-term license have been issued. The report also addresses the comments and recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards in connection with its review of the Draft Report, issued in April 1982

  20. Integrated Plant Safety Assessment: Systematic Evaluation Program. Haddam Neck Plant, Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company, Docket No. 50-213. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    The Systematic Evaluation Progam was initiated in February 1977 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission review the designs of older operating nuclear reactor plants to confirm and document their safety. The review provides: (1) an assessment of how these plants compare with curent licensing safety requirements relating to selected issues, (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review, and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety. This report documents the review of Haddam Neck Plant, operated by Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company. The Haddam Neck Plant is one of 10 plants reviewed under Phase II of this program. This report indicates how 137 topics selected for review under Phase I of the program were addressed. Equipment and procedural changes have been identified as a result of the review

  1. Evaluation of the influence of economic groups on the efficiency and quality of service of water companies: an empirical approach for Chile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinos-Senante, María; Farías, Rodrigo

    2018-06-04

    The privatization of water and sewerage services (WSS) has led to the foundation of water economic groups, which integrate several water companies and have gained notable importance at the global level. In the framework of benchmarking studies, there are no prior studies exploring the impact that economic groups have on the efficiency and quality of service provided by water companies. This study investigates, for the first time, whether the membership of water companies in an economic group influences their performance. Quantity- and quality-adjusted efficiency scores were computed using data envelopment analysis models. An empirical application was developed for the Chilean water industry since most of their water companies are private and belong to an economic group. The results show that independent water companies provide WSS with better quality than do water companies that belong to an economic group. From a statistical point of view, it was evident that membership in an economic group impacts both the quantity- and quality-adjusted efficiency scores of water companies. The results of this study illustrate that applying the model-firm regulation to the Chilean water industry has significant drawbacks that should be addressed by the water regulator to promote the long-term sustainability of the water industry.

  2. Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche–efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jingjing; Zhou, Mo; Tobin, Patrick C.; McGuire, A. David; Reich, Peter B.

    2015-01-01

    The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche–efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche–efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species’ inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty. PMID:25901325

  3. Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche–efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jingjing; Zhou, Mo; Tobin, Patrick C.; McGuire, A. David; Reich, Peter B.

    2015-01-01

    The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche–efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche–efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species’ inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty.

  4. Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche-efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jingjing; Zhou, Mo; Tobin, Patrick C; McGuire, A David; Reich, Peter B

    2015-05-05

    The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche-efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche-efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species' inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty.

  5. 'klima:aktiv energieeffiziente betriebe' (climate:active energy efficient companies) - the Austrian climate change program for industry. Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sattler, Peter; Sampl, Martin; Fuchsberger, Karin

    2007-01-01

    'klima:aktiv' is the climate change program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. The aim of 'klima:aktiv' is to reduce CO 2 emissions as well as reinforce renewable energy in Austria. To achieve these goals more than 20 programs for renewable energies and energy efficiency were created - 'energy efficient companies' being one of them. 'klima:aktiv' was created in order to identify and furthermore realise energy saving and CO 2 reducing measures. To build an active and effective network, regional programs, local consultants and companies on the energy-market are encouraged to become partners of the program to be multipliers.One focus of the program is the support of consultants which are acting as mediators to the companies. A step by step model was developed for companies to help them realise the goals of the program. To ensure the highest service efficiency from the first contact with companies, consultants were furthermore provided with special 'k:a eeb Pro-Tools', which include a wide variety of tools from analysis and development to financing advise.The program started in October 2005. Its mission statement for the first year was to reduce CO 2 emission at 45.000 t or 60 GWh of primarily electrical energy. To reach this goal, single regional agencies were committed to individual objectives. After one year, a detailed evaluation of the program was carried out with the aim to show the areas of success but also to highlight areas that will need adjustments for optimal results

  6. 78 FR 49305 - Luminant Generation Company LLC, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-13

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-445 and 50-446; NRC-2013-0182] Luminant Generation Company LLC, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Application for Amendment to Facility... Operating License Nos. NPF-87 and NPF-89 for the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2...

  7. Efficiency assessment and benchmarking of thermal power plants in India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shrivastava, Naveen; Sharma, Seema; Chauhan, Kavita

    2012-01-01

    Per capita consumption of electricity in India is many folds lesser than Canada, USA, Australia, Japan, Chaina and world average. Even though, total energy shortage and peaking shortage were recorded as 11.2% and 11.85%, respectively, in 2008–09 reflecting non-availability of sufficient supply of electricity. Performance improvement of very small amount can lead to large contribution in financial terms, which can be utilized for capacity addition to reduce demand supply gap. Coal fired thermal power plants are main sources of electricity in India. In this paper, relative technical efficiency of 60 coal fired power plants has been evaluated and compared using CCR and BCC models of data envelopment analysis. Target benchmark of input variables has also been evaluated. Performance comparison includes small versus medium versus large power plants and also state owned versus central owned versus private owned. Result indicates poor performance of few power plants due to over use of input resources. Finding reveals that efficiency of small power plants is lower in comparison to medium and large category and also performance of state owned power plants is comparatively lower than central and privately owned. Study also suggests different measures to improve technical efficiency of the plants. - Highlights: ► This study evaluates relative technical efficiency of 60 coal fired thermal power plants of India. ► Input oriented CCR and BCC models of data envelopment analysis have been used. ► Small, medium and large power plants have been compared. ► Study will help investor while setting up new power projects. ► Power plants of different ownerships have also been compared.

  8. Compound Synthesis or Growth and Development of Roots/Stomata Regulate Plant Drought Tolerance or Water Use Efficiency/Water Uptake Efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Lai-Sheng

    2018-04-11

    Water is crucial to plant growth and development because it serves as a medium for all cellular functions. Thus, the improvement of plant drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency is important in modern agriculture. In this review, we mainly focus on new genetic factors for ameliorating drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency of plants and explore the involvement of these genetic factors in the regulation of improving plant drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency, which is a result of altered stomata density and improving root systems (primary root length, hair root growth, and lateral root number) and enhanced production of osmotic protectants, which is caused by transcription factors, proteinases, and phosphatases and protein kinases. These results will help guide the synthesis of a model for predicting how the signals of genetic and environmental stress are integrated at a few genetic determinants to control the establishment of either water use efficiency or water uptake efficiency. Collectively, these insights into the molecular mechanism underpinning the control of plant drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency may aid future breeding or design strategies to increase crop yield.

  9. [Reflection on developing bio-energy industry of large oil company].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Haiyang; Su, Haijia; Tan, Tianwei; Liu, Shumin; Wang, Hui

    2013-03-01

    China's energy supply becomes more serious nowadays and the development of bio-energy becomes a major trend. Large oil companies have superb technology, rich experience and outstanding talent, as well as better sales channels for energy products, which can make full use of their own advantages to achieve the efficient complementary of exist energy and bio-energy. Therefore, large oil companies have the advantages of developing bio-energy. Bio-energy development in China is in the initial stage. There exist some problems such as available land, raw material supply, conversion technologies and policy guarantee, which restrict bio-energy from industrialized development. According to the above key issues, this article proposes suggestions and methods, such as planting energy plant in the marginal barren land to guarantee the supply of bio-energy raw materials, cultivation of professional personnel, building market for bio-energy counting on large oil companies' rich experience and market resources about oil industry, etc, aimed to speed up the industrialized process of bio-energy development in China.

  10. Have U.S. power plants become less technically efficient? The impact of carbon emission regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Yishu; Huang, Ling

    2016-01-01

    We estimate directional distance functions to measure the impact of carbon emission regulation, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in particular, on U.S. power plants' technical efficiency. The model shows that the average technical efficiency scores for coal and natural gas plants are 88.70% and 83.14% respectively, indicating a very technically efficient industry. We find no evidence of technical efficiency changes due to the RGGI regime in the RGGI area. In the same area, relatively less efficient coal plants exited the market and slightly more efficient natural gas plants entered, compared to the incumbent plants. In addition, some evidence of a spillover effect is found. Using a counterfactual analysis, the RGGI regulation leads to a 1.48% decline in the average technical efficiency for coal plants within neighboring states of RGGI during 2009–2013. - Highlights: • RGGI does not lead to a change in the technical efficiency of RGGI power plants. • Less efficient coal plants exit. • Entering natural gas plants are more efficient. • RGGI has a spillover effect on neighboring coal plants.

  11. Energy-saving at petrochemical plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    A potential survey was conducted of the reduction of greenhouse effect gas emissions and energy conservation in Thailand which are to be brought by the introduction of the energy conservation technology of Japan to a petrochemical company of Thailand. In the survey, study was made on the energy consumption in NPC (National Petroleum Corporation) which started operation 10 years ago, the largest petrochemical company in Thailand, and items for improvement of energy efficiency were selected and the demonstration was made using equipment. NPC's plant produces ethylene and propylene from natural gas and supplies power and vapor to plants near-by at the same time. The paper studied the power generation by recovery of exhaust heat, improvement of efficiency of power generation use gas turbine, reinforcement of thermal insulation of cracking furnace of ethylene plant, renewal of thermal insulation of vapor pipeline, change of the superannuated air conditioner to the high-efficient one, etc., and explained the specifications for improvement, expenses required and profits expected. The energy conservation amount to be brought by this improvement project will be 21,900 t/y crude oil or equivalent, and the reduction amount of greenhouse effect gas emissions 45,300 t/y CO2. (NEDO)

  12. Energy-saving at petrochemical plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    A potential survey was conducted of the reduction of greenhouse effect gas emissions and energy conservation in Thailand which are to be brought by the introduction of the energy conservation technology of Japan to a petrochemical company of Thailand. In the survey, study was made on the energy consumption in NPC (National Petroleum Corporation) which started operation 10 years ago, the largest petrochemical company in Thailand, and items for improvement of energy efficiency were selected and the demonstration was made using equipment. NPC's plant produces ethylene and propylene from natural gas and supplies power and vapor to plants near-by at the same time. The paper studied the power generation by recovery of exhaust heat, improvement of efficiency of power generation use gas turbine, reinforcement of thermal insulation of cracking furnace of ethylene plant, renewal of thermal insulation of vapor pipeline, change of the superannuated air conditioner to the high-efficient one, etc., and explained the specifications for improvement, expenses required and profits expected. The energy conservation amount to be brought by this improvement project will be 21,900 t/y crude oil or equivalent, and the reduction amount of greenhouse effect gas emissions 45,300 t/y CO2. (NEDO)

  13. The Evaluation of Efficiency of the Use of Machine Working Time in the Industrial Company - Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kardas, Edyta; Brožova, Silvie; Pustějovská, Pavlína; Jursová, Simona

    2017-12-01

    In the paper the evaluation of efficiency of the use of machines in the selected production company was presented. The OEE method (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) was used for the analysis. The selected company deals with the production of tapered roller bearings. The analysis of effectiveness was done for 17 automatic grinding lines working in the department of grinding rollers. Low level of efficiency of machines was affected by problems with the availability of machines and devices. The causes of machine downtime on these lines was also analyzed. Three basic causes of downtime were identified: no kanban card, diamonding, no operator. Ways to improve the use of these machines were suggested. The analysis takes into account the actual results from the production process and covers the period of one calendar year.

  14. 75 FR 8753 - Carolina Power & Light Company, Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2; Environmental...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-25

    ... Dusenbury of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources regarding the environmental... & Light Company, Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No... identification of licensing and regulatory actions requiring environmental assessments,'' the NRC prepared an...

  15. High efficiency USC power plant - present status and future potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blum, R [Faelleskemikerne I/S Fynsvaerket (Denmark); Hald, J [Elsam/Elkraft/TU Denmark (Denmark)

    1999-12-31

    Increasing demand for energy production with low impact on the environment and minimised fuel consumption can be met with high efficient coal fired power plants with advanced steam parameters. An important key to this improvement is the development of high temperature materials with optimised mechanical strength. Based on the results of more than ten years of development a coal fired power plant with an efficiency above 50 % can now be realised. Future developments focus on materials which enable an efficiency of 52-55 %. (orig.) 25 refs.

  16. High efficiency USC power plant - present status and future potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blum, R. [Faelleskemikerne I/S Fynsvaerket (Denmark); Hald, J. [Elsam/Elkraft/TU Denmark (Denmark)

    1998-12-31

    Increasing demand for energy production with low impact on the environment and minimised fuel consumption can be met with high efficient coal fired power plants with advanced steam parameters. An important key to this improvement is the development of high temperature materials with optimised mechanical strength. Based on the results of more than ten years of development a coal fired power plant with an efficiency above 50 % can now be realised. Future developments focus on materials which enable an efficiency of 52-55 %. (orig.) 25 refs.

  17. Enabling benchmarking and improving operational efficiency at nuclear power plants through adoption of a common process model: SNPM (standard nuclear performance model)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pete Karns

    2006-01-01

    others. The goal of the SNPM is to give the people maintaining and operating nuclear power stations a common model on which to base their business processes and measure/benchmark themselves against others. The importance of benchmarking and comparing 'apples to apples' has and will continue to safely drive improvement and efficiencies throughout the business. For example, in the mid 1990's it was quite difficult to compare work management statistics and programs between plants. The introduction of several INPO documents, which eventually became the SNPM work management process (AP 928) enabled plants to benchmark and compare information on many aspects of work management, in fact INPO began to evaluate the nuclear plants on their implementation and usage of AP 928. Also, the standardization enabled the identification and benchmarking of innovations in plant processes and performance, which in turn helped to facilitate those innovations being accepted in other plants-thus furthering the cycle of continuous improvement. Using a master plan, all communities of practice are able to identify specific improvement projects and coordinate the implementation of the processes to ensure smooth transitions between the various process interface or intersection points. In essence the nuclear energy industry in the United States is working as one company-driving efficiencies and operational improvements. Key enablers in adopting the best practices like the SNPM are work, asset and supply chain management solutions - both from a functional and a technological point of view. In addition to the importance of supporting industry best practices, there are two additional attributes a nuclear power operating company should evaluate regarding software solutions for work, asset, and supply chain management: breadth of assets managed, and the architecture of solution. (author)

  18. The heavy-minerals plant at Palabora Mining Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Spuy, R.C.M.

    1982-01-01

    The heavy-minerals plant at the Palabora Mining Company treats 25 to 30 kt of new feed daily. The U 3 O 8 value of the ore averages approximately 40 p.p.m. The circuit consists of four stages of upgrading on 68 Reichert cones, followed by a jig and 30 table decks. The paper describes how feed-distribution problems have been overcome and the methods used for monitoring and controlling the cone performance. The adaptation of a standard jig for the recovery of fine minerals is discussed, and a method of table agglomeration, for the recovery of coarse refractory copper sulphide is described. The tables consist of polyurethane-covered fibreglass decks, and their operation is controlled according to measurements of the uranothorianite content of the concentrates and middlings by means of a nuclear scintillation counter. The upgrading ratio of the uranium mineral by gravity concentration is 1000:1, baddeleyite (ZrO 2 ) being recovered as a byproduct [af

  19. 75 FR 65514 - Automotive Components Holdings, LLC, A Subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, Saline Plant Division...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-72,029] Automotive Components Holdings, LLC, A Subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, Saline Plant Division, Saline, MI; Notice of Affirmative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration By application sent to this office on April 8, 2010, the...

  20. 78 FR 14361 - In the Matter of Luminant Generation Company LLC, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-05

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0310; Docket Nos. 50-445 and 50-446; License Nos. NPF-87 and NPF-89] In the Matter of Luminant Generation Company LLC, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Units... Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 (CPNPP), and its Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation Facility...

  1. Efficient plant biomass degradation by thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora heterothallica

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Brink, J.; van Muiswinkel, G.C.; Theelen, B.; Hinz, S.W.; de Vries, R.P.

    2013-01-01

    Rapid and efficient enzymatic degradation of plant biomass into fermentable sugars is a major challenge for the sustainable production of biochemicals and biofuels. Enzymes that are more thermostable (up to 70 degrees C) use shorter reaction times for the complete saccharification of plant

  2. Perspectives at the East European engineering companies in the field of power industry in the power-plant construction globalization conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganchev, R.

    2001-01-01

    A large group of companies, institutes, boiler and power engineering work ect. from East European countries, currently in process of reorganization or already transformed into new-established private companies and corporations possess significant intellectual property in the field of thermal power technologies and equipment and broad experience in the design and the erection of thermal power plants. In many cases this know-how is not only competitive to that of the large companies of the West and of the Far East, but frequently it also proves to have a number of advantages. However, in the years of transition in these countries and simultaneous globalization, the owners of this potentials meet with difficulties and restrictions to realize it fully. Large investment projects - for new or replacement capacities or comprehensive rehabilitation or refurbishment of TPPs - are accessible only for the financially powerful EPC-contractors and key equipment suppliers, for which large bank credits are accessible. The near future perspective, for the scientists and experts that have accumulated this capital, is in the opportunity to employ the extensive experience and know-how of this firms in the forthcoming large-scale rehabilitation projects in these countries, and primarily, in the solution of specific problems, that have not been solved so far, provided that the projects are awarded not on the basis of the financial power of the contractors but on the basis of the efficiency of the proposed original solutions

  3. Quality assurance activities by the companies in the Mitsubishi group for nuclear power plants in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiwara, K.; Moriyama, A.; Okabe, K.

    1982-01-01

    The paper summarizes the quality assurance (QA) activities of the Mitsubishi group regarding PWR plant construction. 1. To ensure a uniform approach to QA activities in the group, the Nuclear System Quality Assurance Administration Centre was established at the headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This Centre is engaged in establishing and promoting comprehensive QA plans, in supervising the interface control between the companies concerned, and in auditing each company's QA programme. 2. In parallel with endeavours to complete QA systems, a great effort has been made to instill consciousness of QA in everyone concerned with the work. It is emphasized that quality control (QC) circle activities play an important role in maintaining a high level of quality. An innovative system of design computerization coupled with model engineering is now being developed to improve design reliability and to prevent human error. Reliability improvement and preventive maintenance systems using computers are being introduced with the object of performing systematic corrective actions based on analyses of plant operation. (author)

  4. Integrating environmental control for coal plant efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shepard, M

    1986-01-01

    As emission control requirements for power plants have grown more stringent, utilities have added new environmental protection technology. As environmental controls have been added one after another, plant designers have rarely had the opportunity to integrate these components with each other and the balance of the plant. Consequently they often cost more to build and operate and can reduce power plant efficiency and availability. With the aim of lowering the cost of environmental systems, a design approach known as integrated environmental control (IEC) has emerged. This is based on the premise that environmental controls can function most economically if they are designed integrally with other power generation equipment. EPRI has established an IEC progam to develop integrated design strategies and evaluate their net worth to utilities. Various aspects of this program are described. (3 refs.)

  5. Brewery cogeneration plant gives 82 per cent efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marsh, P

    1982-04-01

    A combined heat and power diesel plant for a brewery in Ireland is achieving a genuine 82% thermal efficiency and payback well within its initial three-year projection. The plant, developed as a joint program of work between engineers from Harp Ireland Ltd and the British diesel engine manufacturers, Mirrlees Blackstone, cost less than $1 million. 5 figures, 3 tables.

  6. The Effects of Property, Plant and Equipment (TAS 16 Standard on Cost of Sales of Manufacturing Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    İlker KIYMETLİ ŞEN

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available According to the Turkish Commercial Code that came into force in July 2012, the all capital companies that meet the criteria described by the Council of Ministers are required to be in compliance with accounting and financial reporting standards published by the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Board. There are several differences between the local accounting regulations and the standards in terms of valuation, computation and presentation. These differences also affect the cost of sales of the companies that result in differences in the calculation of costs of goods manufactured. The purpose of this study is to examine and demonstrate the potential effects of the TAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment on calculations of manufacturing costs and the cost of sales of manufacturing companies.

  7. Practical PRA applications at Consumers Power Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blanchard, D.P.

    1985-01-01

    Consumers Power Company has completed two probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs), one each at its Big Rock Point and Midland plants and is in the process of performing a third study at its Palisades Plant. Each PRA is summarized briefly in this paper. Each PRA has been used to evaluate specific plant design features and make operating and design recommendations to plant and Company management as well as to the regulator. This paper is a sumary of those issues on which Consumers Power Company has applied PRAs to date. The technique used in applying PRA to these issues has varied as more was learned about the plants from the PRA and about PRA itself. Some issue resolutions involved deriving technical arguments from small parts of the PRA only, such as the logic models or consequence analysis. Still others required use of the entire PRA including sequence quantification, plant and containment response, consequence analysis and eventually cost-benefit evaluation of proposed resolutions. The benefits derived from these analyses have also varied and include not only a perceived reduction in the risks associated with plant operation but also economic benefit to the Company in that cost-effective alternatives to resolving safety issues have been permitted

  8. Analysis the Efficiency and Productivity of Indonesian Pharmaceutical Public Companies Using Data Envelopment Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dewi Hanggraeni

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available As one of the biggest medicines market in the South East Asia, the pharmaceutical industry inIndonesia has a huge potential market. However, the majority supply of raw materials has been imported.Besides, regulations of the Health Ministry and the Trade Ministry have still hampered mostplayers in Indonesia pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, this study used Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA models to analyze efficiency and productivity change in the Indonesian pharmaceutical industrybetween 2006 and 2011, listed in the Indonesia Stock Exchange and also supported by applyingefficiency financial ratio. This study finds that the decision for the most relatively efficient companyis different using DEA compared to efficiency financial ratios, yet DEA has better measurement ofefficiency. It is proven by one of State-owned Enterprises has been evaluated underperformed by thefinancial ratio analysis, unexpectedly is efficient using the DEA approach. This study has also proposedand tested a hypothesis on the average efficiency to check if the domestic and foreign pharmaceuticalcompanies differ in their efficiency but the result implies that there is no significant statisticaldifference among them. This study indicates that firms having dominant contribution in selling overthe-counter medicines are more efficient than selling ethical medicines. Lastly, technological changecontribution has more influence to productivity change instead of pure technical efficiency change inIndonesia pharmaceutical companies.

  9. THE EVALUATION OF EFFICIENCY OF THE USE OF MACHINE WORKING TIME IN THE INDUSTRIAL COMPANY – CASE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edyta KARDAS

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available In the paper the evaluation of efficiency of the use of machines in the selected production company was presented. The OEE method (Overall Equipment Effectiveness was used for the analysis. The selected company deals with the produc-tion of tapered roller bearings. The analysis of effectiveness was done for 17 automatic grinding lines working in the department of grinding rollers. Low level of efficiency of machines was affected by problems with the availability of ma-chines and devices. The causes of machine downtime on these lines was also analyzed. Three basic causes of downtime were identified: no kanban card, diamonding, no operator. Ways to improve the use of these machines were suggested. The analysis takes into account the actual results from the production process and covers the period of one calendar year.

  10. New CHP plant for a rubber products manufacturer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vila, R.; Martí, C.

    2016-01-01

    At the end of 2014 the company Industrias de Hule Galgo decided to undertake the installation project of an efficient CHP plant for its production plant, with the aim of bringing down energy costs and improving the company’s competitive position in the market. The new plant has already started its first operational phase. The project has comprised the installation of a single cycle with gas-powered gensets providing a total electrical capacity of 6.6 MW. This provides the necessary thermal oil for the production plant; covers 100% of the electrical power consumed by the industrial complex; and also generates cooling water, giving improved production capacity by supercooling the extrusion system. To execute these works, Industrias de Hule Galgo contracted the services of engineering company AESA to provide the engineering, procurement and construction of the CHP plant. (Author)

  11. How to deal with financial risk under the life circles of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Shilong

    2010-01-01

    Nuclear power plants don't necessarily form enterprise boundary, in the background of nuclear power booming, what characteristics of financial risk exist in nuclear power plant, how to deal with such financial risk and how to sustain a stable development of nuclear power ? Based on the enterprise boundary theory of transaction fees, the separate of the nuclear power plant owner, engineering company and operating company comply with the cost-efficient principle. The financial risk of the plant owner come from the cash flow characteristics under different life circles of its nuclear power plants, due to the passivation of the asset structure in the construction and early operation periods, considering the effects of asset structure on financial risk is meaningless. Based on the owners with single reactor or constructing reactors, big-scale investment holding company is needed to conduct professional asset management, and to diversify the financial risk, on the other hand, professional engineering and operation companies can realize the scale and the multi-reactor advantages. (author)

  12. Examination of Energy Efficiency Increasing Measures in an Automobile Assembly Plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatma ÇANKA KILIÇ

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this study, energy consumption analysis was performed in a car assembly plant (Body-inWhite (BiW productions, painting processes, chassis and accessory assembly processes. Examined automobile assembly plant has a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year by working six days a week and three shifts a day. Highly energy consuming processes are determined. Energy efficiency increasing opportunities in energy consuming systems (paint shop, drying ovens, compressed air, heating and cooling systems and effects of current automotive assembly techniques on energy efficiency are examined. Most of the total energy in the studied plant is consumed in the paint shop. Considering annual energy consumption; paint shop is responsible for the %50 of total electrical energy and %70 of total natural gas consumption. Specific energy consumption of plant is calculated as 853 kWh (SET; 275 kWh for electricity consumption (SETe , and 578 kWh for natural gas (SETdg . By performing determined energy efficiency measures; SET of plant will reduce %1 for the SETe , and %5,7 for SETdg

  13. Bioadsorption of nickel Mining Company by residual biomass Phyllanthus Orbicularis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariel Díaz-Puig

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Kinetic parameters for the adsorption of nickel were studied in the waste CalcinationPlant Company Ernesto Che Guevara biomass Phyllanthus orbicularis synthetic and industrial waste Calcination Plant enterprise solutions. The results showed that the major factors influencing the adsorption capacity of the biomass increases with increasing pH and the initial concentration of nickel in the effluent and is reduced by increasing the biomass concentration. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of residual nickel increases with increasing pH and concentration of biomass and reduced when the initial concentration of nickel in the effluent increases. The adsorption capacity nickel biomass Phyllanthus orbicularis from synthetic solutions and industrial waste Calcination Plant Company Nickel "Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara" was 44,05 and 26,25 mg/g respectively. The adsorption process nickel biomass Phyllanthus orbicularis follows kinetics pseudo-second order and according to the values of free energy of adsorption obtained through model-RadushkevichDubinin was 267,26 kJ/mol, this nature demonstrates that corresponds to a process mediated by chemical adsorption where the formation of stable bonds between the functional groups present in the biomass and the metal ions predominates.

  14. Saving Energy in Industrial Companies: Case Studies of Energy Efficiency Programs in Large U.S. Industrial Corporations and the Role of Ratepayer-Funded Support

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2017-03-08

    This paper is designed for companies looking to cut costs through energy savings, ratepayer-funded program administrators interested in increasing large industrial company participation in energy efficiency program offerings, and state utility commissions.

  15. Less power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    TASR

    2003-01-01

    In the Slovak Republic the number of company power plants decreased as against 2001 by two sources. In present time only 35 companies have their own power plants. The companies Slovnaft, Kappa Sturovo, Slovensky hodvab Senica, Matador Puchov, Maytex Liptovsky MikuIas, Kovohuty Krompachy, Chemko Strazske and some Slovak sugar factories belong to the largest company power plants in force of distributing companies. Installed output of present 35 company sources is 531 MW. The largest of separate power plants as Paroplynovy cyklus Bratislava (218 MW) and VD Zilina (72 MW) belong to independent sources. Total installed output of Slovak sources was 8306 MW in the end of last year

  16. BP Canada Energy Company energy efficiency and GHG reduction opportunities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forsyth, B. [BP Canada Energy Company, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2004-07-01

    This paper presented an outline of the BP Canada Energy Company's energy efficiency program, which uses an innovative approach that relies on front line operations staff to generate, evaluate and implement ideas for energy reduction projects. An outline of the organization team was presented, with details of the small central Calgary group responsible for coordination, technical support and tracking of data. Key objectives of the team were identified as: the promotion of energy efficiency; sharing of best practices; and coordination of efforts at operations at both the development and corporate level. An outline of BP upstream operations and emissions reduction strategies was provided along with a timeline of BP Canada greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sustainable reductions projects. A chart representing energy savings through conversion to natural gas was also presented, sorted by project type. Results included over 400 GHG or energy reduction projects completed, with an average pay out of 30 months as well as 300,000 tonnes equivalent of GHGs reduced at an estimated value of of $13,000,000. Areas of focus for future projects include: compression; fired equipment; flaring; venting; and fugitive emissions. Strategies to reduce emissions in all areas of future research were also provided. tabs, figs.

  17. Combined cycle power plants: technological prospects for improving the efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lauri, R.

    2009-01-01

    The combined cycle power plants characteristics are better than one course open to a closed loop presenting an electrical efficiency close to 60% do not reach for gas turbine engines for power plants and conventional steam engines. [it

  18. Study of wastewater treatment plants efficiency using radiotracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawi, W. D. A.

    2010-11-01

    This study was performed to investigate and diagnose hydrodynamic behavior of the Military Hospital wastewater treatment plant. The plant comprises two units of treatment, each of them has a separate system. The investigation was carried out using ''1''3''1I as a radiotracer. The concept of residence time distribution (RTD) was used to investigate the efficiency of the aeration tanks, secondary clarifiers and chlorine tanks. Preliminary treatment and modeling of the trace data was performed using two software package applied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) namely 4621 counter version 1.0.0 and RTD software. Plug flow pattern (parallel flow) was detected in the aeration tank and secondary clarifier of system 1 in one unit, while no homogeneous mixing was observed in the chlorine tank. Short - circuiting (by - passing) was evident in the aeration tank of system 2 in the other unit, which significantly reduced the operating efficiency. The percentage of dead volumes clearly suggests that the aeration tank and secondary clarifier were well utilized in the whole plant. (Author)

  19. 76 FR 388 - Southern Nuclear Operating Company; Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Notice...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-04

    ... Operating Company; Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Notice of Consideration of Issuance... Web site http://www.regulations.gov . Because your comments will not be edited to remove any... will not edit their comments to remove any identifying or contact information, and therefore, they...

  20. Modern plant management in the competitive market

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fischer, B.; Franke, U.; Freitag, J.U. [E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH, Hannover (Germany)

    2002-07-01

    Forced by the deregulation of the energy market and the big drop of electricity prices E.ON Kraftwerke was completely reorganised. Small, flexible units that are focussed on their key tasks were formed. Costs for electricity generation in our plants were reduced. Power plants that are currently not economically efficient are temporarily shut down. Power plants that are permanently not economically efficient are totally shut down. We have now reached a point at which energy prices slowly start to rise again. With our new plant management organization we have a lasting effect on further successfully operating power plants and a positive development of our company. Looking into the future does not create fear about what to do but positive believe that we will soon start new projects. This is the fundament for a stable, successful power plant company. (orig.) [German] Unter dem erheblichen Kostendruck, dem alle Energieversorger derzeit ausgesetzt sind, wurde die Aufbauorganisation von E.ON Energie grundlegend veraendert. Bei E.ON Kraftwerke wurden durch die Schaffung kleiner, flexibler Einheiten und eine klare Konzentration auf das Kerngeschaeft die Kosten fuer die Stromerzeugung in den eigenen Anlagen deutlich gesenkt. Die Auslastung vorhandener wirtschaftlicher Bloecke ist durch die Konservierung von derzeit nicht wirtschaftlichen bzw. durch die Stillegung langfristig nicht wirtschaftlicher Anlagen erheblich verbessert worden. Nachhaltig wurde damit eine Betriebsfuehrungsstrategie entwickelt, die den Bestand und eine positive Entwicklung der Kraftwerksgesellschaft sichert. (orig.)

  1. Upgrading and efficiency improvement in coal-fired power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-08-01

    Improving the efficiencies of the large number of older coal-fired power plants operating around the world would give major savings in CO2 emissions together with significant other benefits. This report begins with a summary of the ways efficiency can become degraded and of the means available to combat the decrease in performance. These include improvements to operating and maintenance practices and more major techniques that are available, including boiler and turbine retrofits. There is also an update on fuel drying developments as a route to higher efficiency in plants firing high moisture lignites. The largest chapter of the report contains a number of descriptions of case study improvement projects, to illustrate measures that have been applied, benefits that have been achieved and identify best practices, which are summarised. Major national and international upgrading programmes are described.

  2. Management quality in spanish nuclear power plant operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez de Zabalza Ramos, F.

    1995-01-01

    This paper analyzes the reasons that lead nuclear power plants to require engineering support that is not usual in other types of industrial installations, namely the complexity of the plant and the economic consequences of a possible shutdown. At the time of unit startup, the need to use the services of experienced engineers for the technical support of nuclear power plants induced plant owners to turn to the engineering companies which had participated in the design of the plants. The paper lists the wide range of plant support services which these engineering companies can provide, both from their central offices and on site, especially in the field of change orders and documentation update. The paper also describes the satisfactory development of management parameters in Spanish nuclear power plants both in terms of load factor and comparison of operating and maintenance costs, and how engineering companies have contributed to this achievement, by reducing costs with no loss in the technical quality of their services. Finally, the paper describes how the engineering companies have had to adapt to a shrinking market without losing quality and how they achieved this by diversifying their services. In this context there are two areas of concern. the first area of concern is the competition from certain companies with oversized staff, who attempt to employ them in operation support for nuclear power stations, a field which does not correspond to the training and background of said staff. This could lead to a loss of quality or economic efficiency of nuclear power plants, whose operation up to now has proven satisfactory. The second area of concern is the operator's tendency to use their own resources for engineering support, making more difficult the renewal of human resources and thus leading to a decrease in productivity, and in the transfer of practical and theoretical experience from one plant to another, as well as in the transmission of the latest know

  3. Reliability of reactor plant water cleanup pumps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearson, J.L.

    1979-01-01

    Carolina Power and Light Company's Brunswick 2 nuclear plant experienced a high reactor water cleanup pump-failure rate until inlet temperature and flow were reduced and mechanical modifications were implemented. Failures have been zero for about one year, and water cleanup efficiency has increased

  4. The French Electricity Company (EDF) and GEC ALSTHOM have signed the agreement for Chinese Laibin B electric power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    EDF and GEC ALSTHOM together with the government of Chinese Province Guangxi have organized in Pekin on 3 september 1997 a ceremony for signing a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) contract for the Coal Power Plant (2 x 360 MW) at Laibin B. This is the first Chinese BOOT contract in the power domain entirely financed by foreign capital. The two western companies which were retained for this project, following an international call for offers, invest USD 150 million of its own founds in this USD 600 million project. They will hold 60% and 40% of the capital of the company created for this project, respectively. The construction power plant is planned to be completed at the end of 1999 - beginning of 2000. After 15 years of industrial operation the power plant will be transferred to the autonomous government of the Province Guangxi. The communique contains the following 8 files: 1. The Laibin B power plant; 2. Build, Own, Operate, Transfer; 3. The autonomous Guangxi Province; 4. An outline of EDF in China; 5. Profile/activities of GEC ALSTHOM in China; 6. The 'Credit Agricole Indosuez' in China; 7. BZW Barclays PLC; 8. HSBC Investment Banking in China

  5. GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF PLANT-ASSOCIATED BACTERIA AND THEIR POTENTIAL IN ENHANCING PHYTOREMEDIATION EFFICIENCY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Artur Piński

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that uses plants in order to cleanup pollutants including xenobiotics and heavy metals from soil, water and air. Inoculation of plants with plant growth promoting endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria can enhance efficiency of phytoremediation. Genomic analysis of four plant-associated strains belonging to the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia species revealed the presence of genes encoding proteins involved in plant growth promotion, biocontrol of phytopathogens, biodegradation of xenobiotics, heavy metals resistance and plant-bacteria-environment interaction. The results of this analysis suggest great potential of bacteria belonging to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia species in enhancing phytoremediation efficiency.

  6. Company Town Shutdown.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turnage, Martha A.

    Saltville, Virginia, is a former company town whose main employer, a soda ash plant, shut down on July 1, 1971. The closure of the chemical plant displaced 700 workers, and created a crisis that threatened not only the existence of the town, but of the entire region. In response, Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC), in cooperation with the…

  7. Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for Breweries: An ENERGY STAR(R) Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galitsky, Christina; Martin, Nathan; Worrell, Ernst; Lehman, Bryan

    2003-09-01

    Annually, breweries in the United States spend over $200 million on energy. Energy consumption is equal to 38 percent of the production costs of beer, making energy efficiency improvement an important way to reduce costs, especially in times of high energy price volatility. After a summary of the beer making process and energy use, we examine energy efficiency opportunities available for breweries. We provide specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies that have implemented the measures, as well as references to technical literature. If available, we have also listed typical payback periods. Our findings suggest that given available technology, there are still opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively in the brewing industry. Brewers value highly the quality, taste and drinkability of their beer. Brewing companies have and are expected to continue to spend capital on cost-effective energy conservation measures that meet these quality, taste and drinkability requirements. For individual plants, further research on the economics of the measures, as well as their applicability to different brewing practices, is needed to assess implementation of selected technologies.

  8. Value of solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants to Arizona Public Service Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, P.A.

    1994-01-01

    Arizona Public Service Company has performed a study using historical solar radiation and system load data to (1) estimate the effects of six types of solar generation on system reliability, (2) estimate the central station value of each to its system, (3) and to assess the potential of each of those technologies to provide bulk power to its system in the 2000 time frame. Technologies included three solar thermal (central receiver, dish Stirling, and parabolic trough) and three flat plate photovoltaic plants (fixed position, one axis, and two axis tracking)

  9. LiBr absorption systems integrated with high–efficiency IGSG plant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rokni, Masoud; Bellomare, Filippo

    2015-01-01

    vapor compression inverse cycles; waste heat from other systems can in fact be used as an efficient input instead of electrical energy. The opportunity to integrate Li-Br absorption systems with a high-efficiency energy plant was studied; rejected heat from a Municipal Solid Waste Gasification Plant......Over the last few years, the energy demand for cooling systems is increasing; different solutions in fact have been proposed in order to minimize the energetic and environmental impact of this trend. In this direction, absorption cooling systems are recognized as a valid alternative to traditional...

  10. Waste-to-energy advanced cycles and new design concepts for efficient power plants

    CERN Document Server

    Branchini, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    This book provides an overview of state-of-the-art technologies for energy conversion from waste, as well as a much-needed guide to new and advanced strategies to increase Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant efficiency. Beginning with an overview of municipal solid waste production and disposal, basic concepts related to Waste-To-Energy conversion processes are described, highlighting the most relevant aspects impacting the thermodynamic efficiency of WTE power plants. The pervasive influences of main steam cycle parameters and plant configurations on WTE efficiency are detailed and quantified. Advanc

  11. Basic investigation on promotion of joint implementation in fiscal 2000. Efficiency improvement project for gas turbine power plant in Iran; 2000 nendo kyodo jisshi nado suishin kiso chosa hokokusho. Iran gas turbine hatsuden plant no koritsu kaizen project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    Investigations and discussions have been given on measures to improve energy conservation and efficiency at a power plant of Kish Water and Power Company (KWPC) in Iran. The site has high ambient temperature throughout a year, making the gas turbine power plant capable of generating power only at about 70% of the rated output, with the power generation efficiency decreasing. The project has analyzed the current situation at the plant, and evaluated different means that appear effective in improving the efficiency, including the gas turbine absorbed air cooling system, the steam injection system, and the combined cycle. As a result of the discussions, it was revealed that energy saving effect can be obtained at 145 TJ with the gas turbine absorbed air cooling system, 224 TJ with the steam injection system, and 1017 TJ with the combined cycle. The annual reduction of greenhouse gas emission due to the above energy conservation would be about 11 thousand tons, 16.5 thousand tons, and 75 thousand tons, respectively. However, the investment payback period would be about 2.45 years, 8.31 years, and 14.21 years, respectively. Therefore, the profitability does not appear very attractive because of low fuel unit cost. (NEDO)

  12. 76 FR 30206 - Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 1 and 2; Notice...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-24

    ... Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 1 and 2; Notice of Consideration of Issuance..., http://www.regulations.gov . Because your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or... received from other persons for submission to the NRC inform those persons that the NRC will not edit their...

  13. Improvement of operational efficiency based on fast startup plant concepts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurz, Harald; Meinecke, Gero; Ohresser, Sylvia; Pickard, Andreas

    2010-09-15

    One of the major global challenges of the present time is the reduction of CO2 emissions. Provisions for integration of a CO2 capture plant are already required today in new power plant construction projects in order to enable current plants to also benefit from the possibilities of carbon capture systems to be developed in the future. These provisions for integration should account for the fact that the scrubbing processes are still in the optimization phase. Requisite process parameters may still change in the future. In the development of a plant interface, the paper describes a concept developed by Siemens which ensures maximum flexibility with simultaneous optimization of the plant for the capture process. Emphasis was placed on the following points in the development of this interface and the associated connection concepts: Maximum plant efficiency before and after modification; Maximum flexibility with regard to future process parameters; Optimization of customer investment cash flow; and, Applicability also to existing plants. According to the paper, Siemens can offer a concept which enables future conversion in accordance with the specified criteria. This concept requires no compromises with regard to plant efficiency in process optimization for either current power plant operation without carbon capture or for future operation with carbon capture. The concept also enables retrofitting of existing plants which are not yet capture-ready. However, retrofitting of power plants which are not prepared for operation with carbon capture is considerably more elaborate in most cases, as corridors must frequently still be cleared for the connecting piping.

  14. Untranslated regions of diverse plant viral RNAs vary greatly in translation enhancement efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Qiuling

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Whole plants or plant cell cultures can serve as low cost bioreactors to produce massive amounts of a specific protein for pharmacological or industrial use. To maximize protein expression, translation of mRNA must be optimized. Many plant viral RNAs harbor extremely efficient translation enhancers. However, few of these different translation elements have been compared side-by-side. Thus, it is unclear which are the most efficient translation enhancers. Here, we compare the effects of untranslated regions (UTRs containing translation elements from six plant viruses on translation in wheat germ extract and in monocotyledenous and dicotyledenous plant cells. Results The highest expressing uncapped mRNAs contained viral UTRs harboring Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV-like cap-independent translation elements (BTEs. The BYDV BTE conferred the most efficient translation of a luciferase reporter in wheat germ extract and oat protoplasts, while uncapped mRNA containing the BTE from Tobacco necrosis virus-D translated most efficiently in tobacco cells. Capped mRNA containing the Tobacco mosaic virus omega sequence was the most efficient mRNA in tobacco cells. UTRs from Satellite tobacco necrosis virus, Tomato bushy stunt virus, and Crucifer-infecting tobamovirus (crTMV did not stimulate translation efficiently. mRNA with the crTMV 5′ UTR was unstable in tobacco protoplasts. Conclusions BTEs confer the highest levels of translation of uncapped mRNAs in vitro and in vivo, while the capped omega sequence is most efficient in tobacco cells. These results provide a basis for understanding mechanisms of translation enhancement, and for maximizing protein synthesis in cell-free systems, transgenic plants, or in viral expression vectors.

  15. 75 FR 44292 - Northern States Power Company; Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2; Notice of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-28

    ... and DPR-60] Northern States Power Company; Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2... assessment, and behavioral observation) of the unescorted access authorization program when making the... under consideration to determine whether it met the criteria established in NRC Management Directive (MD...

  16. Plant life management at Loviisa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hytoenen, Y.; Savikoski, A.

    1998-01-01

    IVO, Power Engineering Ltd. has developed a company-wide approach to plant life management. The first stage of plant life management comprises operational and maintenance histories, design and plant inspection data using advanced computer systems. The life of the plant can be controlled by maintenance, refurbishment and inspection programs, and by varying the method of plant operation. On-line monitoring is needed, and cost control and training must be taken into account if the life of the plant is to be managed efficiently. Identifying the life-limiting factors is essential at Loviisa. It has been concentrated on the aging in the form of materials degradation due to fatigue, erosion, corrosion, radiation and thermal effects. Certain other life-limiting factors are also mentioned

  17. A Time Efficient Supply Chain Model for an Apparel Company

    OpenAIRE

    Gustafson, Annika; Ng, Sze Lit (Philip); von Schmiesing-Korff, Alice

    2005-01-01

    In most market places today competition has become stronger, not only between single companies but between networks of linked partners, known as supply chains. Consumer demands are changing more often and companies have to react quickly when new trends and consumer requirements appear, thus the competition becomes more time-sensitive. This is especially true in the apparel fashion industry because time is a crucial factor and can make the difference between the success or failure of a company...

  18. Development of a knowledge-based information management system for plant maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yim, Hyung Sang; Park, Young Jae; Lee, Sang Min; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Young Jin; Roh, Eun Chul; Lee, Byung Ine

    2003-01-01

    Recently, the importance of Plant Maintenance(PM) was highly raised to provide efficient plant operation which highly affects the productivity. For this reason, a number of engineering methodologies, such as Risk-Based Inspection(RBI), Fitness For Service guidelines(FFS), Plant Lifecycle Management(PLM), have been applied to improve the plant operation efficiency. Also, a network-based business operation system, which is called ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning), has been introduced in the field of plant maintenance. However, there was no attempt to connect engineering methodologies to the ERP PM system. In this paper, a knowledge-based information system for the plant operation of steel making company has been proposed. This system, which is named as K-VRS(Knowledge-based Virtual Reality System), provides a connection between ERP plant maintenance module and knowledge-based engineering methodologies, and thus, enables network-based highly effective plant maintenance process. The developed system is expected to play a great role for more efficient and safer plant maintenance

  19. Development of a knowledge-based information management system for plant maintenance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yim, Hyung Sang; Park, Young Jae; Lee, Sang Min; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Young Jin [Sungkyunkwan Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Roh, Eun Chul; Lee, Byung Ine [Pohang Iron and Steel Company, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

    2003-07-01

    Recently, the importance of Plant Maintenance(PM) was highly raised to provide efficient plant operation which highly affects the productivity. For this reason, a number of engineering methodologies, such as Risk-Based Inspection(RBI), Fitness For Service guidelines(FFS), Plant Lifecycle Management(PLM), have been applied to improve the plant operation efficiency. Also, a network-based business operation system, which is called ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning), has been introduced in the field of plant maintenance. However, there was no attempt to connect engineering methodologies to the ERP PM system. In this paper, a knowledge-based information system for the plant operation of steel making company has been proposed. This system, which is named as K-VRS(Knowledge-based Virtual Reality System), provides a connection between ERP plant maintenance module and knowledge-based engineering methodologies, and thus, enables network-based highly effective plant maintenance process. The developed system is expected to play a great role for more efficient and safer plant maintenance.

  20. Westinghouse Electric Company experiences in chemistry on-line monitoring in Eastern European nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balavage, J.

    2001-01-01

    Westinghouse Electric Company has provided a number of Chemistry On-Line Monitoring (OLM) Systems to Nuclear Power Plants in Eastern Europe. Eleven systems were provided to the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant in the south of the Czech Republic. Four systems were provided to the Russian NPP at Novovoronezh. In addition, a system design was developed for primary side chemistry monitoring for units 5 and 6 of another eastern European VVER. The status of the Temelin OLM systems is discussed including updates to the Temelin designs, and the other Eastern European installations and designs are also described briefly. Some of the problems encountered and lessons learned from these projects are also discussed. (R.P.)

  1. National companies : performance, ventures, utility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Didier, F.

    1994-01-01

    The author shows how a performing National Company can efficiently contribute, in line with the producing State, to the negotiation with International Companies and the success of large oil ventures contemplated by reserves-short countries. Fully entrepreneurial, the National Company will usefully ''explore'' touchy matters, and bring closer national rationale and petroleum rationale. (Author)

  2. Smart Cities, an Opportunity for Energy Efficiency Companies; Smart Cities, una oportunidad para las empresas de Eficiencia Energetica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez-Nava Munoz, A.

    2016-07-01

    The changing city model towards the Smart City that we will be seeing in the years to come will provide major opportunities to companies that know how to discover new products and services adapted to a new demand, or to companies that are able to position themselves in the sectors with the best growth prospects. We will also witness the disappearance of companies that are not able to adapt to these changes or that react too late. From an energy perspective, this change will necessarily require energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. But what are the products and services that are going to be demanded most in future cities? What materials, technologies or processes will they require? What sectors will have the fastest growth as a result of the development of Smart. (Author)

  3. The role of environmental variables on the efficiency of water and sewerage companies: a case study of Chile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinos-Senante, María; Sala-Garrido, Ramón; Lafuente, Matilde

    2015-07-01

    This paper evaluates the efficiency of water and sewerage companies (WaSCs) by introducing the lack of service quality as undesirable outputs. It also investigates whether the production frontier of WaSCs is overall constant returns to scale (CRS) or variable returns to scale (VRS) by using two different data envelopment analysis models. In a second-stage analysis, we study the influence of exogenous and endogenous variables on WaSC performance by applying non-parametric hypothesis tests. In a pioneering approach, the analysis covers 18 WaSCs from Chile, representing about 90% of the Chilean urban population. The results evidence that the technology of the sample studied is characterized overall by CRS. Peak water demand, the percentage of external workers, and the percentage of unbilled water are the factors affecting the efficiency of WaSCs. From a policy perspective, the integration of undesirable outputs into the assessment of WaSC performance is crucial not to penalize companies that provide high service quality to customers.

  4. Risk Management in Insurance Companies

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Xufeng

    2006-01-01

    Insurance is the uncertain business in uncertain society. Today, insures face more complex and difficult risks. Efficient risk management mechanisms are essential for the insurers. The paper is set out initially to explore UK insurance companies risk management and risk disclosure by examining companies annual report after all the listed insurance companies are required to disclose risk information in their annual report, which seeks to reflect the recent development in UK insurance companies...

  5. Power plant perspectives for sugarcane mills

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bocci, E.; Di Carlo, A.; Marcelo, D.

    2009-01-01

    Biomass, integral to life, is one of the main energy sources that modern technologies could widely develop, overcoming inefficient and pollutant uses. The sugarcane bagasse is one of the more abundant biomass. Moreover, the fluctuating sugar and energy prices force the sugarcane companies to implement improved power plants. Thanks to a multiyear collaboration between University of Rome and University of Piura and Chiclayo, this paper investigates, starting from the real data of an old sugarcane plant, the energy efficiency of the plant. Furthermore, it explores possible improvements as higher temperature and pressure Rankine cycles and innovative configurations based on gasifier plus hot gas conditioning and gas turbine or molten carbonate fuel cells. Even if the process of sugar extraction from sugarcane and the relative Rankine cycles power plants are well documented in literature, this paper shows that innovative power plant configurations can increase the bagasse-based cogeneration potential. Sugarcane companies can become electricity producers, having convenience in the use of sugarcane leaves and trash (when it is feasible). The worldwide implementation of advanced power plants, answering to a market competition, will improve significantly the renewable electricity produced, reducing CO 2 emissions, and increasing economic and social benefits.

  6. Managing Your Energy: An ENERGY STAR(R) Guide for Identifying Energy Savings in Manufacturing Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Worrell, Ernst; Angelini, Tana; Masanet, Eric

    2010-07-27

    In the United States, industry spends over $100 billion annually to power its manufacturing plants. Companies also spend on maintenance, capital outlay, and energy services. Improving energy efficiency is vital to reduce these costs and increase earnings. Many cost-effective opportunities to reduce energy consumption are available, and this Energy Guide discusses energy-efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be applied over a broad spectrum of companies. Strategies in the guide address hot water and steam, compressed air, pumps, motors, fans, lighting, refrigeration, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. This guide includes descriptions of expected energy and cost savings, based on real-world applications, typical payback periods, and references to more detailed information. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers achieve cost-effective energy reductions while maintaining product quality. Further research on the economics of all measures--as well as on their applicability to different production practices?is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants.

  7. Numerical Research of Steam and Gas Plant Efficiency of Triple Cycle for Extreme North Regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Galashov Nikolay

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The present work shows that temperature decrease of heat rejection in a cycle is necessary for energy efficiency of steam turbine plants. Minimum temperature of heat rejection at steam turbine plant work on water steam is 15°C. Steam turbine plant of triple cycle where lower cycle of steam turbine plant is organic Rankine cycle on low-boiling substance with heat rejection in air condenser, which safely allows rejecting heat at condensation temperatures below 0°C, has been offered. Mathematical model of steam and gas plant of triple cycle, which allows conducting complex researches with change of working body appearance and parameters defining thermodynamic efficiency of cycles, has been developed. On the basis of the model a program of parameters and index cycles design of steam and gas plants has been developed in a package of electron tables Excel. Numerical studies of models showed that energy efficiency of steam turbine plants of triple cycle strongly depend on low-boiling substance type in a lower cycle. Energy efficiency of steam and gas plants net 60% higher can be received for steam and gas plants on the basis of gas turbine plant NK-36ST on pentane and its condensation temperature below 0°C. It was stated that energy efficiency of steam and gas plants net linearly depends on condensation temperature of low-boiling substance type and temperature of gases leaving reco very boiler. Energy efficiency increases by 1% at 10% decrease of condensation temperature of pentane, and it increases by 0.88% at 15°C temperature decrease of gases leaving recovery boiler.

  8. EFFICIENCY OF THE INVESTMENT STRATEGY OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES IN UKRAINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Pikus

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The article explores the theoretical basis for the formation of an effective investment strategy of the insurance company. It was determined that, depending on the insurer’s conduct and risk factor and yield of funds, investment strategy can be aggressive, moderate and conservative. The main factors that characterize conservative, aggressive and moderately conservative investment strategy are defined. The characteristic of the structure of the investment portfolio of domestic insurance companies is determined. There are insurance companies which conduct an aggressive, conservative and moderately conservative investment strategy. In the article defined the main directions of investments of insurance companies in Ukraine which include bank deposits, government securities and shares. Determined that majority of insurance companies in the insurance market of Ukraine followed a conservative investment strategy which is the least risky. It is noted that in view of difficult economic situation in Ukraine, insurance companies need to develop an effective investment strategy to ensure their ability to pay.

  9. Evaluation of Power Generation Efficiency of Cascade Hydropower Plants: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiahua Wei

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Effective utilization of scarce water resources has presented a significant challenge to respond to the needs created by rapid economic growth in China. In this study, the efficiency of the joint operation of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba cascade hydropower plants in terms of power generation was evaluated on the basis of a precise simulation-optimization technique. The joint operation conditions of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba hydropower plants between 2004 and 2010 were utilized in this research in order to investigate the major factors that could affect power output of the cascade complex. The results showed that the current power output of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba cascade complex had already reached around 90% of the maximum theoretical value. Compared to other influencing factors evaluated in this study, the accuracy of hydrological forecasts and flood control levels can have significant impact on the power generating efficiency, whereas the navigation has a minor influence. This research provides a solid quantitative-based methodology to assess the operation efficiency of cascade hydropower plants, and more importantly, proposes potential methods that could improve the operation efficiency of cascade hydropower plants.

  10. Pinch analysis for efficient energy utilization in IGCC plants: Incorporation of contact economiser

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Madzivhandila, VA

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available plant demonstrated a 4% increase in the gross thermal efficiency of the plant from 47% to 51%. Despite this increase in gross efficiency, the flue gas stream en route to the stack still sits at a high enough temperature for heat to be recovered from it...

  11. Infrared monitoring of power-plant effluents and heat sinks to optimize plant efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wurzbach, Richard N.; Seith, David A.

    2000-03-01

    Infrared imaging of the discharge canal and intake pond of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station was initiated to confirm a plant staff suspicion that high water intake temperatures were being influenced by recirculation of discharge flow. To minimize the angle of incidence to the water surface, the inspection was made from the top of the cooling towers. Although there was no evidence of recirculation from the plant discharge to the intake pond, two unexpected inputs of thermal energy were discovered during the inspection. A faulty sluice gate and a damaged cross-around pipe could be seen to be dumping thermal energy into the intake pond. The result was increased temperatures at the intake which threatened plant operation, decreased plant efficiency, and resulted in fewer megawatts available to sell to customers during the critical summer months.

  12. Virtual power plant feasibility study and funding proposal / the virtual power plant objectives, concept, components, context, business plan / objectives, activities and timelines for the VPP feasibility study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacDonald, A.

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents a proposal for funding a virtual power plant feasibility study. The goals of the virtual power plant are to increase the efficiency of electricity use by creating a market-driven, subsidy-free, financially sustainable mechanism to finance economic Demand Side Management (DSM) by providing a fully liquid market for saved electricity, provide a new revenue opportunity for the Local Distributing Company (LDC) and increase the use of renewable and low environmental impact, high efficiency technologies within the service area

  13. Methods of increasing thermal efficiency of steam and gas turbine plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasserman, A. A.; Shutenko, M. A.

    2017-11-01

    Three new methods of increasing efficiency of turbine power plants are described. Increasing average temperature of heat supply in steam turbine plant by mixing steam after overheaters with products of combustion of natural gas in the oxygen. Development of this idea consists in maintaining steam temperature on the major part of expansion in the turbine at level, close to initial temperature. Increasing efficiency of gas turbine plant by way of regenerative heating of the air by gas after its expansion in high pressure turbine and before expansion in the low pressure turbine. Due to this temperature of air, entering combustion chamber, is increased and average temperature of heat supply is consequently increased. At the same time average temperature of heat removal is decreased. Increasing efficiency of combined cycle power plant by avoiding of heat transfer from gas to wet steam and transferring heat from gas to water and superheated steam only. Steam will be generated by multi stage throttling of the water from supercritical pressure and temperature close to critical, to the pressure slightly higher than condensation pressure. Throttling of the water and separation of the wet steam on saturated water and steam does not require complicated technical devices.

  14. Application of the thermal efficiency analysis software 'EgWin' at existing power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koda, E.; Takahashi, T.; Nakao, Y.

    2008-01-01

    'EgWin' is the general purpose software to analyze a thermal efficiency of power system developed in CRIEPI. This software has been used to analyze the existing power generation unit of 30 or more, and the effectiveness has been confirmed. In thermal power plants, it was used for the clarification of the thermal efficiency decrease factor and the quantitative estimation of the influence that each factor gave to the thermal efficiency of the plant. Also it was used for the quantitative estimation of the effect by the operating condition change and the facility remodeling in thermal power, atomic energy, and geothermal power plants. (author)

  15. Efficiency evaluation of a safety department in a construction company-A case study: A DEA approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Solomon Odeyale

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA is a decision making tool based on linear programming for measuring the relative efficiency of a set of comparable units. DEA helps us identify the sources and level of inefficiency for each of the inputs and outputs. This approach has been used to evaluate the efficiency of the safety department in five construction companies. A three-input, safety workforce, safety training, and safety budget, and two-output, Perfect days and Uptime, constant returns-to-scale (CRS model was developed. The model indicated the necessary improvements required in the inefficient unit’s inputs and outputs to make it efficient, by identifying what factor is responsible for the low efficiency of performance, and also what factor should be improved in order to improve the efficiency of the safety department. The result shows that the safety department of firm A, B and D are efficient, but Firm C and Firm E can improve their efficiency by reducing inputs up to 3.34% and 6.05%, respectively. The inputs identified for reduction were; number of safety staffs and safety budget for Firm C and E respectively.

  16. Tariff-based incentives for improving coal-power-plant efficiencies in India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chikkatur, Ananth P.; Sagar, Ambuj D.; Abhyankar, Nikit; Sreekumar, N.

    2007-01-01

    Improving the efficiency of coal-based power plants plays an important role in improving the performance of India's power sector. It allows for increased consumer benefits through cost reduction, while enhancing energy security and helping reduce local and global pollution through more efficient coal use. A focus on supply-side efficiency also complements other ongoing efforts on end-use efficiency. The recent restructuring of the Indian electricity sector offers an important route to improving power plant efficiency, through regulatory mechanisms that allow for an independent tariff setting process for bulk purchases of electricity from generators. Current tariffs based on normative benchmarks for performance norms are hobbled by information asymmetry (where regulators do not have access to detailed performance data). Hence, we propose a new incentive scheme that gets around the asymmetry problem by setting performance benchmarks based on actual efficiency data, rather than on a normative basis. The scheme provides direct tariff-based incentives for efficiency improvements, while benefiting consumers by reducing electricity costs in the long run. This proposal might also be useful for regulators in other countries to incorporate similar incentives for efficiency improvement in power generation

  17. The exogenous factors affecting the cost efficiency of power generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, D.-S.; Chen, Y.-T.; Chen, W.-D.

    2009-01-01

    This paper employs a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to examine cost efficiency and scale economies in Taiwan Power Company (TPC) by using the panel data covering the period of 1995-2006. In most previous studies, the efficiency estimated by the Panel Data without testing the endogeneity may bring about a biased estimator resulting from the correlation between input and individual effect. A Hausman test is conducted in this paper to examine the endogeneity of input variables and thus an appropriate model is selected based on the test result. This study finds that the power generation executes an increasing return to scale across all the power plants based on the pooled data. We also use installed capacity, service years of the power plant, and type of fuel as explanatory variable for accounting for the estimated cost efficiency of each plant by a logistic regression model to examine the factor affecting the individual efficiency estimates. The results demonstrate that the variable of installed capacity keeps a positive relationship with cost efficiency while the factor of working years has a negative relationship.

  18. Increasing the thermal efficiency of boiler plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uyanchinov Evgeniy

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The thermal efficiency increase of boiler plant is actual task of scientific and technical researches. The optimization of boiler operating conditions is task complex, which determine by most probable average load of boiler, operating time and characteristics of the auxiliary equipment. The work purpose – the determination of thermodynamic efficiency increase ways for boiler plant with a gas-tube boiler. The tasks, solved at the research are the calculation of heat and fuel demand, the exergetic analysis of boilerhouse and heat network equipment, the determination of hydraulic losses and exergy losses due to restriction. The calculation was shown that the exergy destruction can be reduced by 2.39% due to excess air reducing to 10%; in addition the oxygen enrichment of air can be used that leads to reducing of the exergy destruction rate. The processes of carbon deposition from the side of flame and processes of scale formation on the water side leads to about 4.58% losses of fuel energy at gas-tube boiler. It was shown that the exergy losses may be reduced by 2.31% due to stack gases temperature reducing to 148 °C.

  19. A simple and efficient method for isolating small RNAs from different plant species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    de Folter Stefan

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Small RNAs emerged over the last decade as key regulators in diverse biological processes in eukaryotic organisms. To identify and study small RNAs, good and efficient protocols are necessary to isolate them, which sometimes may be challenging due to the composition of specific tissues of certain plant species. Here we describe a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species. Results We developed a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species by first comparing different total RNA extraction protocols, followed by streamlining the best one, finally resulting in a small RNA extraction method that has no need of first total RNA extraction and is not based on the commercially available TRIzol® Reagent or columns. This small RNA extraction method not only works well for plant tissues with high polysaccharide content, like cactus, agave, banana, and tomato, but also for plant species like Arabidopsis or tobacco. Furthermore, the obtained small RNA samples were successfully used in northern blot assays. Conclusion Here we provide a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species, such as cactus, agave, banana, tomato, Arabidopsis, and tobacco, and the small RNAs from this simplified and low cost method is suitable for downstream handling like northern blot assays.

  20. Factors that are influencing the economical efficiency of the CHP plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruieneanu, Liviu; Ion, Mircea

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents some factors that might influence the economical efficiency of a cogeneration plant. These factors are: the understanding of the fuel economy at consumers; - the influence of the electricity production efficiency; - the influence of exergy losses. The statistical data for different countries of Europe show that under the conditions of a deregulated liberalized market of energy the cogeneration plants have numerous financial difficulties. Even if the use of cogeneration ensures a fuel saving, if this economy it is not obvious for the consumers, those consumers might prefer for the production of heat the use of a heat only generating plant. This trend might spread rapidly if the increase of the electricity will not be present immediately in the bill of the consumers that renounce to the heat produced by the CHP plant. The method used for cost allocation on both types of energy has also a great importance, because it might facilitate the rehabilitation measures and doing so it might allow lower prices for both types of energy. Perhaps the most important factor for the economical efficiency of the plant are the exergy losses. The analysis presented above shows two things, namely: - that the electricity production has a very high price, and this cost might be lowered down by some rehabilitation measures (for example repowering); - and that the heat only plants (boilers) are not affected by the exergy losses and that's why if we analyse only the heat production, the use of cogeneration might seem inappropriate

  1. Conditional Order-m Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants: The Role of Environmental Factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramón Fuentes

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The growing economic and environmental importance of managing water resources at a global level also entails greater efforts and interest in improving the functioning and efficiency of the increasingly more numerous wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs. In this context, this study analyzes the efficiency of a uniform sample of plants of this type located in the region of Valencia (Spain. The type of efficiency measure used for this (conditional order-m efficiency allows continuous and discrete contextual variables to be directly involved in the analysis and enables the assessment of their statistical significance and effect (positive or negative. The main findings of the study showed that the quality of the influent water and also the size and age of the plants had a significant influence on their efficiency levels. In particular, as regards the effect of such variables, the findings pointed to the existence of an inverse relationship between the quality of the influent water and the efficiency of the WWTPs. Also, a lower annual volume of treated water and more modern installations showed a positive influence. Additionally, the average efficiency levels observed turned out to be higher than those reported in previous studies.

  2. Plant life extensions for German nuclear power plants? Controversial discussion profit taking of nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matthes, Felix C.

    2009-10-01

    The discussion on the plant life extensions for German nuclear power plants beyond the residual quantity of electricity particularly focus on three aspects: Effects for the emission of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas; Development of the electricity price for which a reduction or attenuation is postulated due to a plant life extension; Skimming of additional profits at operating companies and their use in the safeguarding of the future (development of renewable energies, support of energy efficiency, promotion of the research, consolidation of the public budget, and so on). Under this aspect, the author of the contribution under consideration reports on the profit taking of nuclear power plant operators. The presented analysis considers three aspects: (a) Specification of the quantity structures for the investigated model of plant life extension; (b) The decisive parameter is the revenue situation and thus the price development for electricity at wholesale markets; (c) Determination and evaluation of the course in time of the profit taking.

  3. 75 FR 75704 - Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 And 2); Notice of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-06

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-275-LR; 50-323-LR] Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 And 2); Notice of Appointment of Adjudicatory Employee... Seismologist, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, has been appointed as a Commission adjudicatory...

  4. How to Analyze Company Using Social Network?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palus, Sebastian; Bródka, Piotr; Kazienko, Przemysław

    Every single company or institution wants to utilize its resources in the most efficient way. In order to do so they have to be have good structure. The new way to analyze company structure by utilizing existing within company natural social network and example of its usage on Enron company are presented in this paper.

  5. The Effect Of The Use Of Mobile Technologies By Management In Polish Manufacturing Enterprises On The Efficiency Of Knowledge Transfer Within A Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patalas-Maliszewska Justyna

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This article elaborates an existence of a positive effect of the use of mobile technologies by managers, according to their competences, on the efficiency of explicit knowledge transfer in a manufacturing company. It focuses on the set of the competences of managers, who use the mobile technologies in manufacturing companies and is based on a survey and data obtained from 119 Polish manufacturing enterprises. This article develops a framework of how managers can determinate the knowledge transfer in a manufacturing company and further discusses the research results.

  6. IMPACT OF THE COLD END OPERATING CONDITIONS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF THE STEAM POWER PLANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slobodan Laković

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The conventional steam power plant working under the Rankine Cycle and the steam condenser as a heat sink and the steam boiler as a heat source have the same importance for the power plant operating process. Energy efficiency of the coal fired power plant strongly depends on its turbine-condenser system operation mode. For the given thermal power plant configuration, cooling water temperature or/and flow rate change generate alterations in the condenser pressure. Those changes have great influence on the energy efficiency of the plant. This paper focuses on the influence of the cooling water temperature and flow rate on the condenser performance, and thus on the specific heat rate of the coal fired plant and its energy efficiency. Reference plant is working under turbine-follow mode with an open cycle cooling system. Analysis is done using thermodynamic theory, in order to define heat load dependence on the cooling water temperature and flow rate. Having these correlations, for given cooling water temperature it is possible to determine optimal flow rate of the cooling water in order to achieve an optimal condensing pressure, and thus, optimal energy efficiency of the plant. Obtained results could be used as useful guidelines in improving existing power plants performances and also in design of the new power plants.

  7. Operational safety performance and economical efficiency evaluation for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Yachun; Zou Shuliang

    2012-01-01

    The economical efficiency of nuclear power includes a series of environmental parameters, for example, cleanliness. Nuclear security is the precondition and guarantee for its economy, and both are the direct embodiment of the social benefits of nuclear power. Through analyzing the supervision and management system on the effective operation of nuclear power plants, which has been put forward by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and other organizations, a set of indexs on the safety performance and economical efficiency of nuclear power are explored and established; Based on data envelopment analysis, a DEA approach is employed to evaluate the efficiency of the operation performance of several nuclear power plants, Some primary conclusion are achieved on the basis of analyzing the threshold parameter's sensitivity and relativity which affected operational performance. To address the conflicts between certain security and economical indicators, a multi-objective programming model is established, where top priority is given to nuclear safety, and the investment behavior of nuclear power plant is thereby optimized. (authors)

  8. Development of plant maintenance systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomita, Jinji; Ike, Masae; Nakayama, Kenji; Kato, Hisatomo

    1989-01-01

    Toshiba is making active efforts for the continuing improvement of reliability and maintainability of operating nuclear power plants. As a part of these efforts, the company has developed new maintenance administration systems, diagnostic monitoring facilities for plant equipments, computer-aided expert systems, and remote-controlled machines for maintenance work. The maintenance administration systems provide efficient work plans and data acquisition capabilities for the management of personnel and equipments involved in nuclear power plant maintenance. The plant diagnostic facilities monitor and diagnose plant conditions for preventive maintenance, as well as enabling rapid countermeasures to be carried out should they be required. Expert systems utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology are also employed. The newly developed remote-controlled machines are useful tools for the maintenance inspection of equipment which can not be easily accessed. (author)

  9. The determinants of cost efficiency of hydroelectric generating plants: A random frontier approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barros, Carlos P.; Peypoch, Nicolas

    2007-01-01

    This paper analyses the technical efficiency in the hydroelectric generating plants of a main Portuguese electricity enterprise EDP (Electricity of Portugal) between 1994 and 2004, investigating the role played by increase in competition and regulation. A random cost frontier method is adopted. A translog frontier model is used and the maximum likelihood estimation technique is employed to estimate the empirical model. We estimate the efficiency scores and decompose the exogenous variables into homogeneous and heterogeneous. It is concluded that production and capacity are heterogeneous, signifying that the hydroelectric generating plants are very distinct and therefore any energy policy should take into account this heterogeneity. It is also concluded that competition, rather than regulation, plays the key role in increasing hydroelectric plant efficiency

  10. Nuclear utility structure. Use of nuclear service companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ring, L.E.

    1980-01-01

    The feasibility of utilities incorporating service companies to construct and maintain nuclear power plants is analyzed. Responsibilities of the service companies and the public opinion of the concept are discussed

  11. Korean Investment in EU through Holding Companies: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong-Bong Lee

    1998-09-01

    Full Text Available When transnational enterprises set subsidiary companies in certain area, their major aim is to invest indirectly through the holding companies which hold invested share. Especially, because of the geographical neighborhood and economic integration, investing by holding companies is common in Europe. In Europe, taking full advantage of holding company is out of the following two reasons. Firstly, the efficiency and flexibility of the manage strategy of a group could be elevated by making full use of the holding company. Secondly, the transnational enterprises have the possibility of flexible management at the tax strategy level. Recently, the Korean companies are making the best use of holding companies when they are Marching into the EU. In the year 1996, group K purchased 8 enterprises of a certain industry section of B, a German company, setting holding companies in Germany. The analysis result of the case shows that the manage efficiency could be risen and the taxation could be reduced by way of making use of holding companies. As to the Korean investment efficiency of overseas indirect investment in EU, this thesis brought forward a blueprint about integrating the local companies.

  12. The recent activities of nuclear power globalization. Our provision against global warming by global deployment of our own technologies as integrated nuclear power plant supply company'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamauchi, Kiyoshi; Suzuki, Shigemitsu

    2008-01-01

    Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) is striving to expand and spread nuclear power plants as an 'Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Supply Company' based on its engineering, manufacturing, and technological support capabilities. The company also has ample experience in the export of major components. MHI is accelerating its global deployment through the market introduction of large-sized strategic reactor US-APWR, the joint development of a mid-sized strategic reactor ATMEA1 with AREVA, and a small strategic reactor PBMR. The company also plans to internationally deploy technologies for the nuclear fuel cycle. We present here the leading-edge trends in the global deployment of these nuclear businesses, all of which help to solve the energy and environmental issues in the world. (author)

  13. Using Field Data for Energy Efficiency Based on Maintenance and Operational Optimisation. A Step towards PHM in Process Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Micaela Demichela

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Energy saving is an important issue for any industrial sector; in particular, for the process industry, it can help to minimize both energy costs and environmental impact. Maintenance optimization and operational procedures can offer margins to increase energy efficiency in process plants, even if they are seldom explicitly taken into account in the predictive models guiding the energy saving policies. To ensure that the plant achieves the desired performance, maintenance operations and maintenance results should be monitored, and the connection between the inputs and the outcomes of the maintenance process, in terms of total contribution to manufacturing performance, should be explicit. In this study, a model for the energy efficiency analysis was developed, based on cost and benefits balance. It is aimed at supporting the decision making in terms of technical and operational solutions for energy efficiency, through the optimization of maintenance interventions and operational procedures. A case study is here described: the effects on energy efficiency of technical and operational optimization measures for bituminous materials production process equipment. The idea of the Conservation Supply Curve (CSC was used to capture both the cost effectiveness of the measures and the energy efficiency effectiveness. The optimization was thus based on the energy consumption data registered on-site: data collection and modelling of the relevant data were used as a base to implement a prognostic and health management (PHM policy in the company. Based on the results from the analysis, efficiency measures for the industrial case study were proposed, also in relation to maintenance optimization and operating procedures. In the end, the impacts of the implementation of energy saving measures on the performance of the system, in terms of technical and economic feasibility, were demonstrated. The results showed that maintenance optimization could help in reaching

  14. Efficiency and environmental impacts of electricity restructuring on coal-fired power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chan, H. Ron [Maryland Univ., College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Economics; Fell, Harrison [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Division of Economics and Business; Lange, Ian [Stirling Univ. (United Kingdom). Division of Economics; Li, Shanjun [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

    2013-03-15

    We investigate the impacts of electricity market restructuring on fuel efficiency, utilization and, new to this area, cost of coal purchases among coal-fired power plants using a panel data set from 1991 to 2005. Our study focuses exclusively on coal-fired power plants and uses panel data covering several years after implementation of restructuring. The estimation compares how investor-owned (IOs) plants in states with restructuring changed their behavior relative to IOs in states without. Our analysis finds that restructuring led to: (1) a two percent improvement in fuel efficiency for IOs, (2) a ten percent decrease in unit cost of heat input, and (3) a lower capacity factor even after adjusting for cross-plant generation re-allocation due to cost reductions. Based on these estimates, back-of-the-envelope calculations find that restructuring has led to about 6.5 million dollars in annual cost savings or nearly 12 percent of operating expenses and up to a 7.6 percent emissions reduction per plant.

  15. Management Index Systems and Energy Efficiency Diagnosis Model for Power Plant: Cases in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing-Min Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the energy efficiency of thermal power plant largely contributes to that of the industry. A thorough understanding of influencing factors, as well as the establishment of scientific and comprehensive diagnosis model, plays a key role in the operational efficiency and competitiveness for the thermal power plant. Referring to domestic and abroad researches towards energy efficiency management, based on Cloud model and data envelopment analysis (DEA model, a qualitative and quantitative index system and a comprehensive diagnostic model (CDM are construed. To testify rationality and usability of CDM, case studies of large-scaled Chinese thermal power plants have been conducted. In this case, CDM excavates such qualitative factors as technology, management, and so forth. The results shows that, compared with conventional model, which only considered production running parameters, the CDM bears better adaption to reality. It can provide entities with efficient instruments for energy efficiency diagnosis.

  16. Successful phytoremediation of crude-oil contaminated soil at an oil exploration and production company by plants-bacterial synergism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatima, Kaneez; Imran, Asma; Amin, Imran; Khan, Qaiser M; Afzal, Muhammad

    2018-06-07

    Phytoremediation is a promising approach for the cleanup of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. This study aimed to develop plant-bacterial synergism for the successful remediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. A consortia of three endophytic bacteria was augmented to two grasses, Leptochloa fusca and Brachiaria mutica, grown in oil-contaminated soil (46.8 g oil kg -1 soil) in the vicinity of an oil exploration and production company. Endophytes augmentation improved plant growth, crude oil degradation, and soil health. Maximum oil degradation (80%) was achieved with B. mutica plants augmented with the endophytes and it was significantly (P oil reduction indicates that catabolic gene expression is important for hydrocarbon mineralization. This investigation showed that the use of endophytes with appropriate plant is an effective strategy for the cleanup of oil-contaminated soil under field conditions.

  17. Measurement of N uptake efficiency at various age of tea plant using isotope technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wibowo, Z.S.; Rachmiati, Y.

    1988-01-01

    Three months experiment to determine the efficiency of N uptake by tea plant of various age was conducted. The experiment was carried out on Andosols soil and the chosen plants were groupen in 1-5, 6-15, 16-30, 31-60 and 60 years old. The experiment used urea fertilizer enriched by 2% 15-N atom, excess. Urea of the rate of 23 kg N/ha was given in one application in the form of solution. The 15-N assay was done weekly for young shoots, old leaves, stalks, and branches. Results of the experiment showed that N uptake of tea plant increased significantly after two weeks upto five weeks of N application. The efficiency of N uptake accumulated in the plucked leaves was the highest in the plant of 6-15 years old. The N uptake efficiency of the other groups of plant was nearly equal. The uptake of N-fertilizer accumulated in pruning materials of the older plant was higher than in the younger one. It proved that the absorbed N in the older plant was mostly used for old leaves and wood development. (author). 4 refs.; 1 fig.; 3 tabs

  18. Risk management of energy efficiency projects in the industry - sample plant for injecting pulverized coal into the blast furnaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovanović Filip P.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyses the applicability of well-known risk management methodologies in energy efficiency projects in the industry. The possibilities of application of the selected risk management methodology are demonstrated within the project of the plants for injecting pulverized coal into blast furnaces nos. 1 and 2, implemented by the company US STEEL SERBIA d.o.o. in Smederevo. The aim of the project was to increase energy efficiency through the reduction of the quantity of coke, whose production requires large amounts of energy, reduction of harmful exhaust emission and increase productivity of blast furnaces through the reduction of production costs. The project was complex and had high costs, so that it was necessary to predict risk events and plan responses to identified risks at an early stage of implementation, in the course of the project design, in order to minimise losses and implement the project in accordance with the defined time and cost limitations. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179081: Researching contemporary tendencies of strategic management using specialized management disciplines in function of competitiveness of Serbian economy

  19. Understanding plant response to nitrogen limitation for the improvement of crop nitrogen use efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kant, Surya; Bi, Yong-Mei; Rothstein, Steven J

    2011-02-01

    Development of genetic varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is essential for sustainable agriculture. Generally, NUE can be divided into two parts. First, assimilation efficiency involves nitrogen (N) uptake and assimilation and second utilization efficiency involves N remobilization. Understanding the mechanisms regulating these processes is crucial for the improvement of NUE in crop plants. One important approach is to develop an understanding of the plant response to different N regimes, especially to N limitation, using various methods including transcription profiling, analysing mutants defective in their normal response to N limitation, and studying plants that show better growth under N-limiting conditions. One can then attempt to improve NUE in crop plants using the knowledge gained from these studies. There are several potential genetic and molecular approaches for the improvement of crop NUE discussed in this review. Increased knowledge of how plants respond to different N levels as well as to other environmental conditions is required to achieve this.

  20. Completion of high-efficiency BWR turbine plant 'Hamaoka unit No. 4'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuji, Kunio; Hamaura, Norikazu; Shibashita, Naoaki; Kazama, Seiichi

    1995-01-01

    Accompanying the increase of capacity of nuclear power plants in Japan, the plants having heightened economical efficiency, which are supported by the improvement of thermal efficiency and the reduction of dose, are demanded. Hitachi Ltd. has completed No. 4 turbine unit of 1137 MW output in Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station, Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., which is the largest capacity machine in Japanese BWR plants. In this unit, the moisture separator heater, the steam turbine with high efficiency, and the hollow thread film condensate filter which treats the total flow rate of condensate are used as the reheating type BWR plant for the first time in Japan, and the plan of heightened economy and operation was adopted. It was confirmed by the trial for about 10 months that the planned performance was sufficiently satisfied, and the commercial operation was started in September, 1993. The features of the 1137 MW turbine unit are explained. The turbine is of tandem six-flow exhaust condensation type. Diffuser type low pressure turbine exhaust chambers, butterfly type combination intermediate valve are adopted. The stages with the blades having moisture-separating grooves were corrected. The reliability of the shaft system was improved. The adoption of the moisture separator heater and the application of the hollow thread film type condensate filter are explained. (K.I.)

  1. Explaining the inefficiency of electrical distribution companies. Peruvian firms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez-Reyes, Raul [Organismo Supervisor de la Inversion en Energia y Mineria, OSINERGMIN (Peru); Tovar, Beatriz [Infrastructure and Transport Research Group (EIT), Department of Applied Economics, University of Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)

    2010-09-15

    This paper investigates the extent to which the structural reform of the Peruvian electricity market, implemented in the 1990s, has improved the efficiency of the distribution companies; and it evaluates the influence on efficiency of firm specific explanatory variables. To do this, we rely on data from 14 distribution companies between 1996 and 2006. The results indicate that the incentives generated by the reform process led to the firms becoming more efficient. Moreover, the time trend and private management of the distribution companies are variables that positively affect the levels of efficiency, whereas the lower network densities are then the greater the inefficiency. (author)

  2. Explaining the inefficiency of electrical distribution companies. Peruvian firms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Reyes, Raul; Tovar, Beatriz

    2010-01-01

    This paper investigates the extent to which the structural reform of the Peruvian electricity market, implemented in the 1990s, has improved the efficiency of the distribution companies; and it evaluates the influence on efficiency of firm specific explanatory variables. To do this, we rely on data from 14 distribution companies between 1996 and 2006. The results indicate that the incentives generated by the reform process led to the firms becoming more efficient. Moreover, the time trend and private management of the distribution companies are variables that positively affect the levels of efficiency, whereas the lower network densities are then the greater the inefficiency. (author)

  3. New maintenance strategy of Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant for effective ageing management and safe long-term operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inagaki, Takeyuki; Yamashita, Norimichi

    2009-01-01

    Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant is the oldest among three nuclear power plants owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company, which consists of six boiling water reactor units. The commercial operation of Unit 1 was commenced in 1971 (37 years old) and Unit 6 in 1978 (29 years old). Currently ageing degradations of systems, structures and components are managed through maintenance programs, component replacement/refurbishment programs and long-term maintenance plans. The long-term maintenance plans are established through ageing management component replacement/refurbishment programs reviews performed before the 30th year of operation and they are for safe and reliable operation after 30 years (long-term operation). However the past maintenance actions and past component replacement/refurbishment programs were not always proactive and past operational experience and maintenance practices suggest that effective/proactive ageing management programs be introduced in earlier stage of the plant operation. In this circumstance, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant are setting up a new maintenance strategy that includes 1) improving the normal maintenance programs by using ageing degradation data, 2) effective use of information on internal/external operational experience and maintenance practices related to ageing, and 3) proactive component/equipment refurbishment programs during a refreshment outage for safe and reliable long-term operation. To accomplish the goal of this strategy, strengthening engineering capability of plant staff members is a crucial required for the plant. The objective of this paper is to briefly explain main results ageing management reviews, past and current significant ageing issues and management programs against them, and the new maintenance strategy established by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. (author)

  4. Japan's big trading companies find themselves underemployed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coeyman, M.

    1992-01-01

    Japan's sogoshosha - its large trading companies - are fighting their way through an identity crisis. Originally established to help connect Japanese products and companies with offshore customers and a global market, the sogoshosha suddenly find that they are no longer in demand. The trading companies were originally intermediaries, says Yasunori Masuda, v.p. of Mitsui's chemical dividion (New York). But now we are less intermediaries and more organizers of joint ventures. Mitsubishi has a position in Saudi Arabia in methanol, ethylene glycol, and polyethylene (PE), currently being expanded. More recently the company teamed up with Pequiven, Venezuela's state-owned petrochemicals firm, on a 2,000-m.t./day methanol plant to be completed by the end of 1993 at Jose. Sone says Mitsubishi plans to market the methanol in the US Mitsubishi is also working on a feasibility study for a chlor-alkali/ethylene dichloride venture with Pequiven. Mitsubishi has jointed with five Japanese trading companies - Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsui, Sumitomo, and Nissho Iwai - to build a 450,000-m.t./year ethylene plant in China

  5. Safe and efficient: Energy companies looking for telecommunications answers that protect people and drive productivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ball, C. G.

    2005-04-01

    Telecommunications needs of the energy industry are discussed based on a survey of North American energy and utility companies, conducted by the Canadian Energy Research Institute. Employee and public safety emerged as the top priority.The survey was sponsored by TELUS, a company with some 75 per cent share of the telecom market. To meet these requirements, TELUS is working with the Alberta government by developing a system comprised of a secure database of emergency contacts, a mapping system, and an interactive voice response system. Using TELUS Geomatics and an Integrated Voice Response System connected to Alberta's critical infrastructure database, the system presents more than 300 layers of information, including roads, railways, oil wells, and residential housing. The emergency response system required by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) which will include each well site in the spatial operating system, will be integrated within the next two years. TELUS is also developing 'Camp in a box', an all-inclusive communications package for large-scale construction sites. The system will include voice communications, data capabilities, resource plant and asset management tools, and pay-per-use processing, besides providing video capabilities, including training and security services.

  6. Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 3), Westinghouse Elevator Company Plant, Operable Unit 2, Cumberland Township, Adams County, Gettysburg, PA, March 31, 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-04-01

    This Record of Decision (ROD) presents the selected remedial action for Operable Unit 2 (Soils) at the Westinghouse Elevator Company Plant Site in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The selected remedy for the soils at the Westinghouse Elevator Plant is No Additional Action for this Operable Unit. The other alternatives evaluated would produce little or no environmental benefit at substantial cost.

  7. Lean Maintenance Applied to Improve Maintenance Efficiency in Thermoelectric Power Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orlando Duran

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Thermoelectric power plants consist of a set of critical equipment that require high levels of availability and reliability. Due to this, maintenance of these physical assets is gaining momentum in industry. Maintenance is considered as an activity that contributes to improving the availability, efficiency and productivity of each piece of equipment. Several techniques have been used to achieve greater efficiencies in maintenance, among which we can find the lean maintenance philosophy. Despite the wide diffusion of lean maintenance, there is no structured method that supports the prescription of lean tools applied to the maintenance function. This paper presents the experience gathered in two lean maintenance projects in thermoelectric power plants. The application of lean techniques was based on using a previously developed multicriterial decision making process that uses the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP methodology to carry out a diagnosis and prescription tasks. That methodology allowed the prescription of the appropriated lean techniques to resolve the main deficiencies in maintenance function. The results of applying such lean tools show that important results can be obtained, making the maintenance function in thermoelectric power plants more efficient and lean.

  8. Resource use efficiency of closed plant production system with artificial light: concept, estimation and application to plant factory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozai, Toyoki

    2013-01-01

    Extensive research has recently been conducted on plant factory with artificial light, which is one type of closed plant production system (CPPS) consisting of a thermally insulated and airtight structure, a multi-tier system with lighting devices, air conditioners and fans, a CO2 supply unit, a nutrient solution supply unit, and an environment control unit. One of the research outcomes is the concept of resource use efficiency (RUE) of CPPS.This paper reviews the characteristics of the CPPS compared with those of the greenhouse, mainly from the viewpoint of RUE, which is defined as the ratio of the amount of the resource fixed or held in plants to the amount of the resource supplied to the CPPS.It is shown that the use efficiencies of water, CO2 and light energy are considerably higher in the CPPS than those in the greenhouse. On the other hand, there is much more room for improving the light and electric energy use efficiencies of CPPS. Challenging issues for CPPS and RUE are also discussed.

  9. Liquidity management efficiency of Indian Steel Companies (a Case Study)

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. Amalendu Bhunia; Islam Uddin Khan

    2011-01-01

    Liquidity management is of crucial importance in financial management decision. The optimalof liquidity management is could be achieve by company that manage the trade-off between profitability and liquidity management. The paper analyses the association between the liquidity management and profitability of 230 Indian private sector steel companies obtained from CMIE database. Liquidity management indicators and profitability indicator over the period from 2002 to 2010 are modeled as a linear...

  10. Reducing Uncertainty: Implementation of Heisenberg Principle to Measure Company Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Svirina

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper addresses the problem of uncertainty reduction in estimation of future company performance, which is a result of wide range of enterprise's intangible assets probable efficiency. To reduce this problem, the paper suggests to use quantum economy principles, i.e. implementation of Heisenberg principle to measure efficiency and potential of intangible assets of the company. It is proposed that for intangibles it is not possible to estimate both potential and efficiency at a certain time point. To provide a proof for these thesis, the data on resources potential and efficiency from mid-Russian companies was evaluated within deterministic approach, which did not allow to evaluate probability of achieving certain resource efficiency, and quantum approach, which allowed to estimate the central point around which the probable efficiency of resources in concentrated. Visualization of these approaches was performed by means of LabView software. It was proven that for tangible assets performance estimation a deterministic approach should be used; while for intangible assets the quantum approach allows better quality of future performance prediction. On the basis of these findings we proposed the holistic approach towards estimation of company resource efficiency in order to reduce uncertainty in modeling company performance.

  11. Performance Evaluation of wastewater treatment plant of Noosh Azar company by online monitoring station

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    leila haddadi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Background& Objective: One of the reuses of wastewater in industries is irrigation of green space. Therefore, with proper treatment and reduction of environmental pollution of wastewater and in compliance with environmental standards, it can be used for irrigation purposes. The present study was aimed to evaluate the performance of Noosh Azar Wastewater Treatment Plant by the online monitoring station in 2016.   Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed at Noosh Azar Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP in Tehran. The effluent outlet parameters include COD, BOD, TSS, TOC, Turbidity, pH and temperature which were measured 12 times/day by the online monitoring station of the refinery according to the standard methods (the Examinations of Water and Wastewater, and reported at the end of each month. Data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed using statistical indices including mean and standard deviation. Results: The average total of BOD/COD ratio in the wastewater was 0.8. The results of the study showed that the average concentration of COD, BOD and TSS of the wastewater was 1624.91 ±134.85, 1310±75.38 and 283.58± 39.76 mg/L, respectively. The average of total outlet parameters of turbidity, COD, BOD, TSS and TOC were 12.78±2.21, 83.73±12.90, 41.26±6.65, 6.70±2.14, 46.03±7.08 mg/L, and pH=7.80±0.35. The total average of removal efficiencies of COD, BOD and TSS were 93.92±3.62, 96.57±1.002 and 97.57±0.936, respectively. Conclusion: Regarding the proper performance of the activated sludge system of Noosh Azar Company, the effluent  parameters such as COD, BOD, TSS, TOC, turbidity and pH, were in accordance with the standard of the Iranian Environmental Protection Agency for irrigation use. However in order to ensure the quality of the wastewater for reuse, the microbial parameters should also be considered.

  12. GTHTR300—A nuclear power plant design with 50% generating efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Hiroyuki; Yan, Xing L.; Tachibana, Yukio; Kunitomi, Kazuhiko

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • GTHTR300 reported 10 years ago is updated. • Cycle and reactor core designs as well as turbine blade material are improved. • The study showed that GTHTR300 is able to yield a net plant efficiency of 50.4%. - Abstract: GTHTR300 is a gas turbine high temperature reactor power generation plant design. The baseline design reported by Japan Atomic Energy Agency a decade ago attained 45.6% net efficiency. Technological improvements have since been made that make further increase in efficiency practical: first, the cycle parameters are upgraded by utilizing the newly acquired design data including those from component tests. Next, the core design is optimized to raise the reactor outlet coolant temperature from the baseline of 850 °C to the level of 950 °C demonstrated on the long-term test reactor operation. Both core physics and thermal hydraulics are investigated to demonstrate the corresponding temperature rise is within the design limit so that the existing fuel design can continue to apply. Finally, an advanced type of turbine blade material that has only recently entered in commercial service in aircraft engine is found to be useable for this design to realize a turbine inlet temperature of 950 °C without requiring blade cooling. As detailed in this paper, these design improvements result in a nearly 5% gain in overall plant efficiency and enable the GTHTR300 to break the 50% efficiency barrier of nuclear plant while using only the existing technologies. This result is expected to contribute to the early market deployment of high temperature gas-cooled reactor

  13. GTHTR300—A nuclear power plant design with 50% generating efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, Hiroyuki, E-mail: sato.hiroyuki09@jaea.go.jp; Yan, Xing L.; Tachibana, Yukio; Kunitomi, Kazuhiko

    2014-08-15

    Highlights: • GTHTR300 reported 10 years ago is updated. • Cycle and reactor core designs as well as turbine blade material are improved. • The study showed that GTHTR300 is able to yield a net plant efficiency of 50.4%. - Abstract: GTHTR300 is a gas turbine high temperature reactor power generation plant design. The baseline design reported by Japan Atomic Energy Agency a decade ago attained 45.6% net efficiency. Technological improvements have since been made that make further increase in efficiency practical: first, the cycle parameters are upgraded by utilizing the newly acquired design data including those from component tests. Next, the core design is optimized to raise the reactor outlet coolant temperature from the baseline of 850 °C to the level of 950 °C demonstrated on the long-term test reactor operation. Both core physics and thermal hydraulics are investigated to demonstrate the corresponding temperature rise is within the design limit so that the existing fuel design can continue to apply. Finally, an advanced type of turbine blade material that has only recently entered in commercial service in aircraft engine is found to be useable for this design to realize a turbine inlet temperature of 950 °C without requiring blade cooling. As detailed in this paper, these design improvements result in a nearly 5% gain in overall plant efficiency and enable the GTHTR300 to break the 50% efficiency barrier of nuclear plant while using only the existing technologies. This result is expected to contribute to the early market deployment of high temperature gas-cooled reactor.

  14. Offshore Companies and the Fiscal Paradise

    OpenAIRE

    CORINA ALEXANDRA VITELAR

    2006-01-01

    The present article introduces the reader in the problem of tax heaven and offshore companies. We tried to present, both positive and negative aspects of this problem. On one hand, this type of companies can help a multinational corporation in its economical and financial global projections, but, on the other hand, these companies can be use as extremely efficient instruments of tax evasion and money laundry

  15. DEVELOPMENT OF THE REFERENCE MATERIALS PRODUCTION BRANCH IN THE JOINT STOCK COMPANY "THE GULIDOV KRASNOYARSK NON-FERROUS METALS PLANT"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. A. Shatnykh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the development of the branch for the reference materials production in the Joint Stock Company "The Gulidov Krasnoyarsk Non-Ferrous Metals Plant" (JSC "Krastsvetmet". Here the most important workings for reference materials including the work for the London precious metal exchange, current and future works are stated.

  16. Separating environmental efficiency into production and abatement efficiency. A nonparametric model with application to U.S. power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hampf, Benjamin

    2011-08-15

    In this paper we present a new approach to evaluate the environmental efficiency of decision making units. We propose a model that describes a two-stage process consisting of a production and an end-of-pipe abatement stage with the environmental efficiency being determined by the efficiency of both stages. Taking the dependencies between the two stages into account, we show how nonparametric methods can be used to measure environmental efficiency and to decompose it into production and abatement efficiency. For an empirical illustration we apply our model to an analysis of U.S. power plants.

  17. Efficiency improvement of thermal coal power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hourfar, D. [VEBA Kraftwerke Ruhr Ag, Gelsenkirchen (Germany)

    1996-12-31

    The discussion concerning an increase of the natural greenhouse effect by anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere has increased over the past years. The greenhouse effect has become an issue of worldwide debate. Carbon dioxide is the most serious emission of the greenhouse gases. Fossil-fired power plants have in the recent past been responsible for almost 30 % of the total CO{sub 2} emissions in Germany. Against this background the paper will describe the present development of CO{sub 2} emissions from power stations and present actual and future opportunities for CO{sub 2} reduction. The significance attached to hard coal as one of today`s prime sources of energy with the largest reserves worldwide, and, consequently, its importance for use in power generation, is certain to increase in the years to come. The further development of conventional power plant technology, therefore, is vital, and must be carried out on the basis of proven operational experience. The main incentive behind the development work completed so far has been, and continues to be, the achievement of cost reductions and environmental benefits in the generation of electricity by increasing plant efficiency, and this means that, in both the short and the long term, power plants with improved conventional technology will be used for environmentally acceptable coal-fired power generation.

  18. Finnish company interested in Slovak spruce trees

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haluza, I.; Slovak, K.

    2005-01-01

    Following the large-scale investments by major car plants in Slovakia, another large investment is the subject of negotiations in another sector. One of the largest international paper mills - Finish company, Myllykoski, is interested in Slovakia. Should negotiations be successful, the company would build a cellulose plant in Slovakia. This plant would cost around 500 mil. EUR (19 bill. Slovak crowns) and would process around 600,000 cubic meters of wood a year - about 10% of Slovakian's annual production. Head of the SARIO investment agency, Roman Kuruc, formally confirmed that discussions TREND learned about from potential suppliers of wood were indeed taking place. 'Negotiations are in progress with this company, but no final decision has been taken. As was the case with other major projects in the past, we must compete with neighbouring countries,' said R. Kuruc. But he confirmed that Trend's information regarding the total value of the investment was more or less accurate. Taking into account the volume of coniferous wood available, Poland and the Czech Republic can be considered to be the major competitors of Slovakia. Statements from the Myllykoski Group have been cautious up to now. 'We always take an active approach to seeking new opportunities and so we cannot confirm whether we are looking for new opportunities in Slovakia. What I can confirm is that our company has not made any decision about new investments recently,' said Taru Tuoresmaki from the Secretariat of the President and company Executive Vice-President

  19. Review of 'plant available water' aspects of water use efficiency ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Review of 'plant available water' aspects of water use efficiency under ... model relating the water supply from a layered soil profile to water demand; the ... and management strategies to combat excessive water losses by deep drainage.

  20. Energy efficiency networks; Energieeffizienz-Netzwerke

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gruber, Anna [Forschungsgesellschaft fuer Energiewirtschaft mbH (FfE GmbH), Muenchen (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    Energy efficiency networks are an attractive method to increase the energy efficiency and to reduce the costs and CO{sub 2} emissions of the companies operating in this network. A special feature of the energy efficiency networks is the exchange of experiences and training of the energy managers. Energy efficiency networks consist of about ten to fifteen locally domiciled companies. During the project period of three to four years, there are two main phases. In the first phase, the initial consultation phase, the actual state of a company is captured, and measures to increase the efficiency and energy conservation are identified. Parallel to this, in the second phase every three months a meeting with the participating companies takes place. Experience exchange and implementation of energy efficiency measures are the focus of these meetings. Initial studies show that the increase of the energy efficiency during participating in the energy efficiency network almost can be doubled in comparison to the average of the industry.

  1. Efficient and equitable spatial allocation of renewable power plants at the country scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drechsler, Martin; Egerer, Jonas; Lange, Martin; Masurowski, Frank; Meyerhoff, Jürgen; Oehlmann, Malte

    2017-09-01

    Globally, the production of renewable energy is undergoing rapid growth. One of the most pressing issues is the appropriate allocation of renewable power plants, as the question of where to produce renewable electricity is highly controversial. Here we explore this issue through analysis of the efficient and equitable spatial allocation of wind turbines and photovoltaic power plants in Germany. We combine multiple methods, including legal analysis, economic and energy modelling, monetary valuation and numerical optimization. We find that minimum distances between renewable power plants and human settlements should be as small as is legally possible. Even small reductions in efficiency lead to large increases in equity. By considering electricity grid expansion costs, we find a more even allocation of power plants across the country than is the case when grid expansion costs are neglected.

  2. Increasing operational efficiency in a radioactive waste processing plant - 16100

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turner, T.W.; Watson, S.N.

    2009-01-01

    The solid waste plant at Harwell in Oxfordshire, contains a purpose built facility to input, assay, visually inspect and sort remote handled intermediate level radioactive waste (RHILW). The facility includes a suite of remote handling cells, known as the head-end cells (HEC), which waste must pass through in order to be repackaged. Some newly created waste from decommissioning works on site passes through the cells, but the vast majority of waste for processing is historical waste, stored in below ground tube stores. Existing containers are not suitable for long term storage, many are already badly corroded, so the waste must be efficiently processed and repackaged in order to achieve passive safety. The Harwell site is currently being decommissioned and the land is being restored. The site is being progressively de-licensed, and redeveloped as a business park, which can only be completed when all the nuclear liabilities have been removed. The recovery and processing of old waste in the solid waste plant is a key project linked to de-licensing of a section of the site. Increasing the operational efficiency of the waste processing plant could shorten the time needed to clear the site and has the potential to save money for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The waste processing facility was constructed in the mid 1990's, and commissioned in 1999. Since operations began, the yearly throughput of the cells has increased significantly every year. To achieve targets set out in the lifetime plan (LTP) for the site, throughput must continue to increase. The operations department has measured the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of the process for the last few years, and has used continuous improvement techniques to decrease the average cycle time. Philosophies from operational management practices such as 'lean' and 'kaizen' have been employed successfully to drive out losses and increase plant efficiency. This paper will describe how the solid waste plant

  3. EFFICIENCY AND COST MODELLING OF THERMAL POWER PLANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Péter Bihari

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The proper characterization of energy suppliers is one of the most important components in the modelling of the supply/demand relations of the electricity market. Power generation capacity i. e. power plants constitute the supply side of the relation in the electricity market. The supply of power stations develops as the power stations attempt to achieve the greatest profit possible with the given prices and other limitations. The cost of operation and the cost of load increment are thus the most important characteristics of their behaviour on the market. In most electricity market models, however, it is not taken into account that the efficiency of a power station also depends on the level of the load, on the type and age of the power plant, and on environmental considerations. The trade in electricity on the free market cannot rely on models where these essential parameters are omitted. Such an incomplete model could lead to a situation where a particular power station would be run either only at its full capacity or else be entirely deactivated depending on the prices prevailing on the free market. The reality is rather that the marginal cost of power generation might also be described by a function using the efficiency function. The derived marginal cost function gives the supply curve of the power station. The load level dependent efficiency function can be used not only for market modelling, but also for determining the pollutant and CO2 emissions of the power station, as well as shedding light on the conditions for successfully entering the market. Based on the measurement data our paper presents mathematical models that might be used for the determination of the load dependent efficiency functions of coal, oil, or gas fuelled power stations (steam turbine, gas turbine, combined cycle and IC engine based combined heat and power stations. These efficiency functions could also contribute to modelling market conditions and determining the

  4. Improving the Efficiency of a Nucler Power Plant Using a Thermoelectric Cogeneration System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rauf Terzi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The efficiencies of nuclear power plants are rather poor having the ratio %30 by using the conventional energy/exergy tools. According to that information, large amount of energy is wasted during condensation and thrown out to the environment. Thermoelectric generator (TEG system has a potential to be used as a heat exchanging technology to produce power with a relatively low efficiency (about 5% and it can transform the temperature difference into electricity and generate clean electrical energy. In the present study, we offer a novel system to recover the waste heat from a VVER-1000 nuclear power plant. The heat transfer of the TEG is analyzed numerically with respect to the various temperature ranges and constant mass flow rate of the exhaust steam entering the system. In the analyses, different hot temperature ranges (35ºC, 45ºC and 55ºC and a constant cold temperature (i.e. 18ºC are used for a HZ-20 thermoelectric module and it has been proven that the designed TEG can produce the maximum output power of 76,956 MW for a temperature difference ∆T=37 and the conversion efficiency of 3,854% sits. The TEG is designed for the condenser of a 1000 MW nuclear power plant. It's shown that about 2,0% increasing in the power plant efficiency is expected by using the selected thermoelectric generator in the condensation cycle. Article History: Received: July 15th 2017; Received:  October 17th 2017; Accepted: February 13rd 2018; Available online How to Cite This Article: Terzi, R. and Kurt, E. (2018, Improving the efficiency of a nuclear power plant using a thermoelectric cogeneration system, Int. Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 7(1, 77-84. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.7.1.77-84

  5. More Efficient Operations of the Company with the Help of Communication Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tešić Mirjana

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The success of the modern enterprise depends not only on its ability to develop a good product / service, to form an adequate price and your offer makes available to customers, but also on how to communicate with the target audience. For the management of modern enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs, is a major challenge that all activities are carried out in a proper manner and that adds value to which the various interested stakeholders. In recent times, are very important, and information and communication systems in the new economy because the rapid technological progress in the ICT sector started the process of creating a new economy, a new growth and economic development. Successful management is increasingly based on interactive communication and the adopting of marketing communication new technologies, all of which contribute to more efficient business for a company.

  6. Countermeasure to plant life management of the nuclear power plants out of Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    Some investigations on countermeasure to plant life management of the nuclear power plants were begun since beginning of 1990s under cooperation with Ministry of International Trade and Industry and all electric power companies under consideration of recent state on abroad and at concept of preventive conservation implementation against the plant life management. As a result, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Kansai Electric Power Company and the Japan Atomic Power Company settled each program on countermeasure to plant life management of the Fukushima-1 Power Plant, the Mihama-1 Power Plant and the Tsuruga-1 Power Plant, respectively, which were reported to the Atomic Energy Safety Commission to issue on February, 1999, after deliberation in the Adviser Group of Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Such investigations on countermeasure to the plant life management are also conducted out of Japan in parallel to those in Japan, which contain programs reflecting states of operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants and atmosphere around atomic energy in each country. Here were described on some present states of the countermeasures to plant life management in U.S.A., France, Germany, Sweden, England and so forth. (G.K.)

  7. Sistema contábil para gestão da ecoeficiência empresarial Accounting system for company eco-efficiency management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cassio Luiz Vellani

    2009-04-01

    objective: to integrate economic, social and ecological aspects of business. Many companies maintain actions aimed at environmental protection. To contribute to corporate sustainability, however, these activities should converge to eco-efficiency. Therefore, the company's ecological activities should act on the waste produced by company operations and the incurred expenses should result in economic-financial benefits for the business. In this context, this article identifies the following research question: in accounting terms, how can the company's ecological actions be categorized to provide information on events related to the eco-efficiency of the business? Attempts are made to answer this question through a (holistic Multiple Case study (type 3, with the following goal: corporate ecological actions (AEE were classified according to their objectives, that is, treatment of own waste, deriving from internal actions; and actions resulting from external events, such as the preservation of green areas, recovery of contaminated areas, environmental education programs aimed at the external community. This can allow managers to verify the eco-efficiency of the operating process itself (internal AEE and the aspect related to global environmental management (internal and external AEE. Three types of material are analyzed and 608 examples of ecological actions are identified, performed by 181 companies. The empirical research reported in this article reveals that the proposal is in line with practice and results in an accounting system to manage companies' eco-efficiency.

  8. A Bayesian stochastic frontier analysis of Chinese fossil-fuel electricity generation companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zhongfei; Barros, Carlos Pestana; Borges, Maria Rosa

    2015-01-01

    This paper analyses the technical efficiency of Chinese fossil-fuel electricity generation companies from 1999 to 2011, using a Bayesian stochastic frontier model. The results reveal that efficiency varies among the fossil-fuel electricity generation companies that were analysed. We also focus on the factors of size, location, government ownership and mixed sources of electricity generation for the fossil-fuel electricity generation companies, and also examine their effects on the efficiency of these companies. Policy implications are derived. - Highlights: • We analyze the efficiency of 27 quoted Chinese fossil-fuel electricity generation companies during 1999–2011. • We adopt a Bayesian stochastic frontier model taking into consideration the identified heterogeneity. • With reform background in Chinese energy industry, we propose four hypotheses and check their influence on efficiency. • Big size, coastal location, government control and hydro energy sources all have increased costs

  9. Increasing efficiency and optimizing thermoelectric power plant equipment. Povyshenie effektivnosti i optimizatsiia teploenergeticheskikh ustanovok

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andriushchenko, A.I.

    1981-01-01

    The problems of increasing the efficiency and optimizing the operational conditions of a thermoelectric power plant and providing efficient operational conditions of the primary and auxillary equipment at a thermoelectric power plant are examined. Methodologies and designs for optimizing the primary parameters of the power-generating equipment based on economic factors are given. A number of recommendations for designing equipment based on the research results are given.

  10. Integrated Plant Safety Assessment: Systematic Evaluation Program. Yankee Nuclear Power Station, Yankee Atomic Electric Company, Docket No. 50-29. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-06-01

    The Systematic Evaluation program was initiated in February 1977 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review the designs of older operating nuclear reactor plants to confirm and document their safety. The review provides: (1) an assessment of how these plants compare with current licensing safety requirements relating to selected issues, (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review, and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety. This report documents the review of Yankee Nuclear Power Station, operated by Yankee Atomic Electric Company. The Yankee plant is one of 10 plants reviewed under Phase II of this program. This report indicates how 137 topics selected for review under Phase I of the program were addressed. Equipment and procedural changes have been identified as a result of the review

  11. Integrated Plant Safety Assessment, Systematic Evaluation Program. Yankee Nuclear Power Station, Yankee Atomic Electric Company, Docket No. 50-29. Draft report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-02-01

    The Systematic Evaluation Program was initiated in February 1977 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review the designs of older operating nuclear reactor plants to confirm and document their safety. The review provides (1) an assessment of how these plants compare with current licensing safety requirements relating to selected issues, (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review, and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety. This report documents the review of Yankee Nuclear Power Station, operated by Yankee Atomic Electric Company. The Yankee plant is one of 10 plants reviewed under Phase II of this program. This report indicates how 137 topics selected for review under Phase I of the program were addressed. Equipment and procedural changes have been identified as a result of the review

  12. Impact of inlet fogging and fuels on power and efficiency of gas turbine plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basha Mehaboob

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A computational study to assess the performance of different gas turbine power plant configurations is presented in this paper. The work includes the effect of humidity, ambient inlet air temperature and types of fuels on gas turbine plant configurations with and without fogger unit. Investigation also covers economic analysis and effect of fuels on emissions. GT frames of various sizes/ratings are being used in gas turbine power plants in Saudi Arabia. 20 MWe GE 5271RA, 40 MWe GE-6561B and 70 MWe GE-6101FA frames are selected for the present study. Fogger units with maximum mass flow rate of 2 kg/s are considered for the present analysis. Reverse Osmosis unit of capacity 4 kg/s supplies required water to the fogger units. GT PRO software has been used for carrying out the analysis including; net plant output and net efficiency, break even electricity price and break even fuel LHV price etc., for a given location of Saudi Arabia. The relative humidity and temperature have been varied from 30 to 45 % and from 80 to 100° F, respectively. Fuels considered in the study are natural gas, diesel and heavy bunker oil. Simulated gas turbine plant output from GT PRO has been validated against an existing gas turbine plant output. It has been observed that the simulated plant output is less than the existing gas turbine plant output by 5%. Results show that variation of humidity does not affect the gas turbine performance appreciably for all types of fuels. For a decrease of inlet air temperature by 10 °F, net plant output and efficiency have been found to increase by 5 and 2 %, respectively for all fuels, for GT only situation. However, for GT with Fogger scenario, for a decrease of inlet air temperature by 10 °F, net plant output and efficiency have been found to further increase by 3.2 and 1.2 %, respectively for all fuels. For all GT frames with fogger, the net plant output and efficiency are relatively higher as compared to GT only case for all

  13. Efficiency of Trichome-Based Plant Defense in Phaseolus vulgaris Depends on Insect Behavior, Plant Ontogeny, and Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhenlong Xing

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Plant trichomes often function as physical barriers in preventing arthropod feeding and oviposition. Even though insects are frequently reported being entrapped and killed by trichome traps, the actual trapping behavior has not yet been described in detail. Capture experiments showed that capture efficiency during the plant's vegetative stage was considerably higher than in the fruiting and cotyledon stages. The ventral surface of the leaf was more effective in trapping flies than other parts of the plant. Capture-events monitoring showed that the mouthparts, legs, and ovipositor of Liriomyza trifolii adults are the body parts involved in entrapment by surface trichomes on Phaseolus vulgaris plants, and subsequently, deter their ability to feed, walk, and oviposit. Of the three main body parts normally affected, mouthparts was found to be the body part most susceptible to the trichomes. Entrapments were most often caused by landing, followed by puncturing or feeding, and occasionally by walking or fighting. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM and optical microscopy, we determined the susceptible positions of each body part and found that the flies were all trapped by hooked trichomes. This study revealed the process by which leafminer flies are entrapped by surface trichomes of the host plant and evaluated the capture efficiency. The results will contribute to our understanding of physical defenses against herbivores.

  14. Improving energy efficiency of an Olefin plant – A new approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tahouni, Nassim; Bagheri, Narges; Towfighi, Jafar; Hassan Panjeshahi, M.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The retrofit of an Olefin plant is studied to improve the overall energy efficiency. • Three levels of retrofit and optimization of this process are suggested. • A simultaneous method is presented to optimize low-temperature separation processes. - Abstract: Low-temperature gas separation processes are the most important gas separation routes. There is a complex interaction between core process (separation columns), associated heat exchanger network and refrigeration cycles in sub ambient processes. The aim of this paper is performing a comprehensive retrofit study of an Olefin plant (as an industrial example) to improve the overall energy efficiency. In this regard, the effect of improving column operating parameters and refrigeration cycles are first evaluated separately. Then, column operating parameters and refrigeration cycles as well as heat exchanger network are optimized simultaneously using genetic algorithm or simulated annealing. Having compared all results, one can conclude that simultaneous optimization leads to higher efficiency of the overall system

  15. Assesing the Effectiveness of Joint Companies in Russia: Industry-Specific Features

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Anatolyevna Fedorova

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper evaluates the effectiveness of joint and domestic companies using ROA (operational efficiency and DEA (technical efficiency methodologies. The technical efficiency was estimated in two ways: according to the classical scheme and taking into account spillover effects. The study was based on statements of Russian companies (23 567 joint enterprises and 14 653 companies without FDI for the period of 2008-2012. The authors used RusLana resource to get following information: balance sheets, profit and loss statements, capital structure, number of employees and regional affiliation. The study found that joint companies usually operate more effectively than domestic ones. The authors also conclude that the crisis has not caused severe damages to the average effectiveness by industries. More than that, Russian economy has positive horizontal and vertical FDI spillover effects which increase as time goes by. In 2012 the most efficient joint companies (in terms of technical efficiency belonged to the following industries: coke and petroleum production, chemical industry and metallurgy. The most ineffective ones included following: wholesale and retail trade, machinery and equipment production and agriculture

  16. PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF OSAI METHODOLOGY IN ASSESSING THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE OF AN ENGINEERING COMPANY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Biletskaya

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This article is intended to generalize and highlight the practical application of certain science-based approaches to assessment of an engineering company’s organizational culture. The OSAI method application has enabled determining the type of the organizational culture existing within a company and the desirable type thereof, i.e. the one which would produce a positive effect on the competitive status of a company, as well as on the utilization of its human resources. This is important because an appropriate level of the organizational culture within a company would enhance the psychological climate within a company and would provide an opportunity for improving its performance. Methodology. In order to attain the goal of our research, it is necessary to diagnose the type of the organizational culture of some selected companies and draw a conclusion as to amendment of their organizational culture. In order to ensure the successful outcome of the corporate organizational culture diagnosing procedure, let us use the OSAI tool to determine the foundation of such culture. This organizational culture assessment tool helps to define the organizational culture which members of a company are to achieve in order to meet the demands and to respond to the dynamic changes in the business environment. The results showed that the assessment of organizational culture using the method made it possible to determine the OSAI required type of organizational culture on the test plants. Practical implications. Definition of recommendation type of organizational culture has enabled the leadership to change the style of his behavior and better motivate the labor collective. Pay attention to the existing problems and improve the psychological atmosphere in the team, as well as improve the efficiency of plant personnel. Value/originality. The data obtained for the four businesses lead to the conclusion that it is the method of evaluation the optimum procedure for

  17. STMI: several years of experience in nuclear plant dismantling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreau, J.C.

    1985-01-01

    Since 1977, when STMI performed its first dismantling operation, the Company appreciably improved in that field through important operations: the dismantling of the calciothermy and fluoration metal Pu preparation facility, in La Hague reprocessing plant; the dismantling of the slag treatment chain, associated to calciothermy and fluoration processes, in La Hague reprocessing plant; and the cleaning of EL4 cell in Marcoule. To perform these operations, STMI's operating teams, on top of decontamination and dismantling technologies, strived to improve handling and transportation technologies, and to nuclearize many equipments. In order to increase its technical efficiency, STMI signed a cooperation agreement with FRAMATOME company. Therefore, the union between the operational know-hows of STMI and the design experience of TECHNICATOME allow the needs of any customs facing a dismantling case to be satisfied [fr

  18. HyPEP-FY 07 Annual Report: A Hydrogen Production Plant Efficiency Calculation Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang Oh

    2007-09-01

    The Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (VHTR) coupled to the High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) process is one of two reference integrated systems being investigated by the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory for the production of hydrogen. In this concept the VHTR outlet temperature of 900 °C provides thermal energy and high efficiency electricity for the electrolysis of steam in the HTSE process. In the second reference system the Sulfur Iodine (SI) process is coupled to the VHTR to produce hydrogen thermochemically. In the HyPEP project we are investigating and characterizing these two reference systems with respect to production, operability, and safety performance criteria. Under production, plant configuration and working fluids are being studied for their effect on efficiency. Under operability, control strategies are being developed with the goal of maintaining equipment within operating limits while meeting changes in demand. Safety studies are to investigate plant response for equipment failures. Specific objectives in FY07 were (1) to develop HyPEP Beta and verification and validation (V&V) plan, (2) to perform steady state system integration, (3) to perform parametric studies with various working fluids and power conversion unit (PCU) configurations, (4) the study of design options such as pressure, temperature, etc. (5) to develop a control strategy and (6) to perform transient analyses for plant upsets, control strategy, etc for hydrogen plant with PCU. This report describes the progress made in FY07 in each of the above areas. (1) The HyPEP code numeric scheme and Graphic User Interface have been tested and refined since the release of the alpha version a year ago. (2) The optimal size and design condition for the intermediate heat exchanger, one of the most important components for integration of the VHTR and HTSE plants, was estimated. (3) Efficiency calculations were performed for a variety of working fluids for

  19. Measuring and explaining eco-efficiencies of wastewater treatment plants in China: An uncertainty analysis perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Xin; Zhang, Xinyi; Zeng, Siyu

    2017-04-01

    In the context of sustainable development, there has been an increasing requirement for an eco-efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Data envelopment analysis (DEA), a technique that is widely applied for relative efficiency assessment, is used in combination with the tolerances approach to handle WWTPs' multiple inputs and outputs as well as their uncertainty. The economic cost, energy consumption, contaminant removal, and global warming effect during the treatment processes are integrated to interpret the eco-efficiency of WWTPs. A total of 736 sample plants from across China are assessed, and large sensitivities to variations in inputs and outputs are observed for most samples, with only three WWTPs identified as being stably efficient. Size of plant, overcapacity, climate type, and influent characteristics are proven to have a significant influence on both the mean efficiency and performance sensitivity of WWTPs, while no clear relationships were found between eco-efficiency and technology under the framework of uncertainty analysis. The incorporation of uncertainty quantification and environmental impact consideration has improved the liability and applicability of the assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Exergoeconomic evaluation of a KRW-based IGCC power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsatsavonis, G.; Lin, L.; TawFik, T.; Gallaspy, D.T.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on a study supported by the US Department of Energy, in which several design configurations of Kellogg-Rust-Westinghouse (KRW)-based Integrated Gasification-Combined-Cycle (IGCC) power plants were developed. One of these configurations was analyzed from the exergoeconomic (thermoeconomic) viewpoint. The detailed exergoeconomic evaluation identified several changes for improving the cost effectiveness of this IGCC design configuration. Based on the cost information supplied by the M.W. Kellogg Company, an attempt was made to calculate the economically optimal exergetic efficiency for some of the most important plant components. This information is currently used in plant optimization studies

  1. The storage location assignment problem: application in an agribusiness company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helton C. Gomes

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this work is propose an efficient storage scheme for a company in the agribusiness sector. The company studied herein is located in the Alto Paranaíba region of Minas Gerais, and exports coffee beans. Efficient storage can provide improvements in the use of space, operational resources, and staff time, as well as facilitating the order picking process. To accomplish this, the problem was mathematically modeled as a Storage Location Assignment Problem (SLAP, aimed at minimizing handling costs and maximizing space utilization and storage efficiency. The mathematical model using the company data was solved using the CPLEX solver, version 12.1. The results obtained were compared with the actual company scenario, and several advantages were observed.

  2. An efficient immunodetection method for histone modifications in plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nic-Can, Geovanny; Hernández-Castellano, Sara; Kú-González, Angela; Loyola-Vargas, Víctor M; De-la-Peña, Clelia

    2013-12-16

    Epigenetic mechanisms can be highly dynamic, but the cross-talk among them and with the genome is still poorly understood. Many of these mechanisms work at different places in the cell and at different times of organism development. Covalent histone modifications are one of the most complex and studied epigenetic mechanisms involved in cellular reprogramming and development in plants. Therefore, the knowledge of the spatial distribution of histone methylation in different tissues is important to understand their behavior on specific cells. Based on the importance of epigenetic marks for biology, we present a simplified, inexpensive and efficient protocol for in situ immunolocalization on different tissues such as flowers, buds, callus, somatic embryo and meristematic tissue from several plants of agronomical and biological importance. Here, we fully describe all the steps to perform the localization of histone modifications. Using this method, we were able to visualize the distribution of H3K4me3 and H3K9me2 without loss of histological integrity of tissues from several plants, including Agave tequilana, Capsicum chinense, Coffea canephora and Cedrela odorata, as well as Arabidopsis thaliana. There are many protocols to study chromatin modifications; however, most of them are expensive, difficult and require sophisticated equipment. Here, we provide an efficient protocol for in situ localization of histone methylation that dispenses with the use of expensive and sensitive enzymes. The present method can be used to investigate the cellular distribution and localization of a wide array of proteins, which could help to clarify the biological role that they play at specific times and places in different tissues of various plant species.

  3. Biomass Allocation Patterns Are Linked to Genotypic Differences in Whole-Plant Transpiration Efficiency in Sunflower

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciano Velázquez

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Increased transpiration efficiency (the ratio of biomass to water transpired, TE could lead to increased drought tolerance under some water deficit scenarios. Intrinsic (i.e., leaf-level TE is usually considered as the primary source of variation in whole-plant TE, but empirical data usually contradict this assumption. Sunflower has a significant variability in TE, but a better knowledge of the effect of leaf and plant-level traits could be helpful to obtain more efficient genotypes for water use. The objective of this study was, therefore, to assess if genotypic variation in whole-plant TE is better related to leaf- or plant-level traits. Three experiments were conducted, aimed at verifying the existence of variability in whole-plant TE and whole-plant and leaf-level traits, and to assess their correlation. Sunflower public inbred lines and a segregating population of recombinant inbred lines were grown under controlled conditions and subjected to well-watered and water-deficit treatments. Significant genotypic variation was found for TE and related traits. These differences in whole-plant transpiration efficiency, both between genotypes and between plants within each genotype, showed no association to leaf-level traits, but were significantly and negatively correlated to biomass allocation to leaves and to the ratio of leaf area to total biomass. These associations are likely of a physiological origin, and not only a consequence of genetic linkage in the studied population. These results suggest that genotypic variation for biomass allocation could be potentially exploited as a source for increased transpiration efficiency in sunflower breeding programmes. It is also suggested that phenotyping for TE in this species should not be restricted to leaf-level measurements, but also include measurements of plant-level traits, especially those related to biomass allocation between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organs.

  4. Biomass Allocation Patterns Are Linked to Genotypic Differences in Whole-Plant Transpiration Efficiency in Sunflower.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velázquez, Luciano; Alberdi, Ignacio; Paz, Cosme; Aguirrezábal, Luis; Pereyra Irujo, Gustavo

    2017-01-01

    Increased transpiration efficiency (the ratio of biomass to water transpired, TE) could lead to increased drought tolerance under some water deficit scenarios. Intrinsic (i.e., leaf-level) TE is usually considered as the primary source of variation in whole-plant TE, but empirical data usually contradict this assumption. Sunflower has a significant variability in TE, but a better knowledge of the effect of leaf and plant-level traits could be helpful to obtain more efficient genotypes for water use. The objective of this study was, therefore, to assess if genotypic variation in whole-plant TE is better related to leaf- or plant-level traits. Three experiments were conducted, aimed at verifying the existence of variability in whole-plant TE and whole-plant and leaf-level traits, and to assess their correlation. Sunflower public inbred lines and a segregating population of recombinant inbred lines were grown under controlled conditions and subjected to well-watered and water-deficit treatments. Significant genotypic variation was found for TE and related traits. These differences in whole-plant transpiration efficiency, both between genotypes and between plants within each genotype, showed no association to leaf-level traits, but were significantly and negatively correlated to biomass allocation to leaves and to the ratio of leaf area to total biomass. These associations are likely of a physiological origin, and not only a consequence of genetic linkage in the studied population. These results suggest that genotypic variation for biomass allocation could be potentially exploited as a source for increased transpiration efficiency in sunflower breeding programmes. It is also suggested that phenotyping for TE in this species should not be restricted to leaf-level measurements, but also include measurements of plant-level traits, especially those related to biomass allocation between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organs.

  5. Data-Mining – A Valuable Managerial Tool for Improving Power Plants Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danubianu Mirela

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Energy and environment are top priorities for the EU’s Europe 2020 Strategy. Both fields imply complex approaches and consistent investment. The paper presents an alternative to large investments to improve the efficiencies of existing (outdated power installations: namely the use of data-mining techniques for analysing existing operational data. Data-mining is based upon exhaustive analysis of operational records, inferring high-value information by simply processing records with advanced mathematical / statistical tools. Results can be: assessment of the consistency of measurements, identification of new hardware needed for improving the quality of data, deducing the most efficient level for operation (internal benchmarking, correlation of consumptions with power/ heat production, of technical parameters with environmental impact, scheduling the optimal maintenance time, fuel stock optimization, simulating scenarios for equipment operation, anticipating periods of maximal stress of equipment, identification of medium and long term trends, planning and decision support for new investment, etc. The paper presents a data mining process carried out at the TERMICA - Suceava power plant. The analysis calls for a multidisciplinary approach, a complex team (experts in power&heat production, mechanics, environmental protection, economists, and last but not least IT experts and can be carried out with lower expenses than an investment in new equipment. Involvement of top management of the company is essential, being the driving force and motivation source for the data-mining team. The approach presented is self learning as once established, the data-mining analytical, modelling and simulation procedures and associated parameter databases can adjust themselves by absorbing and processing new relevant information and can be used on a long term basis for monitoring the performance of the installation, certifying the soundness of managerial measures taken

  6. EVALUATION OF THE RESIZING OF THE WASTE TREATMENT PLANT OF THE TEXTILE COMPANY "DESEMBARCO DEL GRANMA", SANTA CLARA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabel Cabrera Estrada

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The increase of the sewage is a serious global problem. The objective of this work is to make an technical, economic and environmental evaluation of the resizing of the plant for the treatment of waste water from the textile company "Desembarco del Granma", in Santa Clara and to offer a proposal to improve the functioning of the same company, specifically with its process of biological treatment using activated sludge. As a preliminary step, using experimental techniques, the characteristics of the tributary and the effluent from the system were evaluated. COD values higher than 90 mg/L showed adverse implications for the body receiver and an apparent inability of the system to remove organic matter to the levels required. The recalculation of the parameters of design/operation of the plant for the current conditions of the tributary was made. It is obtained that these parameters are not within the recommended values and finally, it was proposed and evaluated the increased to 50 and 75 % of the volume of the aeration tank and the commissioning of two or three of the air vents. With the expansion of the plant's capacity will be achieve a treatment that allows the effluent meet established standards for dumping and therefore avoids damage to the environment and the payment of fines for these concepts. The economic indicators NPV, IRR and PBP calculated, demonstrate the acceptability of the investment required to implement the modifications. All this together proves that the project is deployable.

  7. Increasing Water System Efficiency with Ultrafiltration Pre-treatment in Power Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majamaa, Katariina; Suarez, Javier; Gasia Eduard

    2012-09-01

    Water demineralization with reverse osmosis (RO) membranes has a long and successful history in water treatment for power plants. As the industry strives for more efficient, reliable and compact water systems, pressurized hollow-fiber ultrafiltration (UF) has become an increasingly appealing pre-treatment technology. Compared to conventional, non- membrane based pretreatments, ultrafiltration offers higher efficiency in the removal of suspended solids, microorganisms and colloidal matter, which are all common causes for operational challenges experienced in the RO systems. In addition, UF is more capable of handling varying feed water qualities and removes the risk of particle carry-over often seen with conventional filtration techniques. Ultrafiltration is a suitable treatment technology for various water types from surface waters to wastewater, and the more fluctuating or challenging the feed water source is, the better the benefits of UF are seen compared to conventional pretreatments. Regardless of the feed water type, ultrafiltration sustains a constant supply of high quality feed water to downstream RO, allowing a more compact and cost efficient RO system design with improved operational reliability. A detailed focus on the design and operational aspects and experiences of two plants is provided. These examples demonstrate both economical UF operation and tangible impact of RO process improvement. Experience from these plants can be leveraged to new projects. (authors)

  8. Development of a performance-based industrial energy efficiency indicator for corn refining plants.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boyd, G. A.; Decision and Information Sciences; USEPA

    2006-07-31

    Organizations that implement strategic energy management programs have the potential to achieve sustained energy savings if the programs are carried out properly. A key opportunity for achieving energy savings that plant managers can take is to determine an appropriate level of energy performance by comparing their plant's performance with that of similar plants in the same industry. Manufacturing facilities can set energy efficiency targets by using performance-based indicators. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its ENERGY STAR{reg_sign} program, has been developing plant energy performance indicators (EPIs) to encourage a variety of U.S. industries to use energy more efficiently. This report describes work with the corn refining industry to provide a plant-level indicator of energy efficiency for facilities that produce a variety of products--including corn starch, corn oil, animal feed, corn sweeteners, and ethanol--for the paper, food, beverage, and other industries in the United States. Consideration is given to the role that performance-based indicators play in motivating change; the steps needed to develop indicators, including interacting with an industry to secure adequate data for an indicator; and the actual application and use of an indicator when complete. How indicators are employed in the EPA's efforts to encourage industries to voluntarily improve their use of energy is discussed as well. The report describes the data and statistical methods used to construct the EPI for corn refining plants. Individual equations are presented, as are the instructions for using them in an associated Excel spreadsheet.

  9. Managing Your Energy; An Energy Star Guide for Identifying Energy Savings in Manufacturing Plants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Worrell, E.; Angelini, T.; Masanet, E.

    2010-01-01

    In the United States, industry spends over $100 billion annually to power its manufacturing plants. Companies also spend on maintenance, capital outlay, and energy services. Improving energy efficiency is vital to reduce these costs and increase earnings. Many cost-effective opportunities to reduce

  10. CONDITIONS OF FORMING OIL COMPANY INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT MODEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. N. Dmitrievsky

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Innovative development of contemporary RF oil industry enterprises and companies faces considerable difficulties. Main problems that hamper scientific and technological development and modernization of domestic oil companies are lack of demand for innovations, specific corporateculture of these companies and the country’s scientific and technological politics. Situation with advanced domestic technologies in the industry and their long-lasting and efficient use by Russian enterprises and companies is examined.

  11. Energy management for cost reduction in the production. TEEM - Total Energy Efficiency Management; Energiemanagement zur Kostensenkung in der Produktion. TEEM - Total Energy Efficiency Management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Westkaemper, Engelbert; Verl, Alexander (eds.)

    2009-07-01

    Within the workshop of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA (Stuttgart, Federal Republic of Germany) at 6th October, 2009, in Stuttgart the following lectures were held: (1) Presentation of Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA (Engelbert Westkaemper); (2) TEEM - Total Energy Efficiency Management - ''With energy management to an energy efficient production'' (Alexander Schloske); (3) DIN EN 16001 Introduction of an energy management system - utilization and advantages for companies (Sylvia Wahren); (4) Analysis of the energy efficiency with power flow - Support and implementation at factory planning and optimization of production (Klaus Erlach); (5) Total Energy Efficiency Management - Approaches at the company Kaercher in injection moulding for example (Axel Leschtar); (6) Modelling the embodied product energy (Shahin Rahimifard); (7) Acquisition of energy data in the production - Technologies and possibilities (Joachim Neher); (8) Active energy management by means of an ''energy control centre'' - Analysis of the real situation and upgrading measures in the production using coating plants as an example (Wolfgang Klein); (9) Visualisation and simulation of energy values in the digital factory (Carmen Constantinescu, Axel Bruns).

  12. Piercing of corporate veil of nuclear companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frenz, Walter

    2015-01-01

    The Federal Ministry of Economics plans that the nuclear companies with all their assets to cover disposal costs can be used where a power plant operator is governed by its parent company, hence the latter Capital or voting majority of the operators holding or these passes; To date, the parent company is liable only limited and not more than five years after the end of the domination of one Subsidiary, oparating a power plant. In this way, prevents ultimately the public sector and thus the Taxpayers have to pay for the long-term consequences of the use of nuclear energy. Until now ensured paragraph 303 AktG a group law Secondary liability the parent companies of the operating company in the case of of termination of the control and profit transfer agreements is very limited for the nuclear liabilities, namely in two ways: The claim is only focused on the backup performance and not at the expense of acquisition and Moreover, according to the case law limited of five years after its foundation; for the area of transformation law comparable rules are valid. thereby the dismantling of a nuclear power station takes just already for 20 years and a final repository is expected before 2050 not be available. [de

  13. Efficient plant biomass degradation by thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora heterothallica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Brink, Joost; van Muiswinkel, Gonny C J; Theelen, Bart; Hinz, Sandra W A; de Vries, Ronald P

    2013-02-01

    Rapid and efficient enzymatic degradation of plant biomass into fermentable sugars is a major challenge for the sustainable production of biochemicals and biofuels. Enzymes that are more thermostable (up to 70°C) use shorter reaction times for the complete saccharification of plant polysaccharides compared to hydrolytic enzymes of mesophilic fungi such as Trichoderma and Aspergillus species. The genus Myceliophthora contains four thermophilic fungi producing industrially relevant thermostable enzymes. Within this genus, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica were recently separated from the well-described species M. thermophila. We evaluate here the potential of M. heterothallica isolates to produce efficient enzyme mixtures for biomass degradation. Compared to the other thermophilic Myceliophthora species, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica and M. thermophila grew faster on pretreated spruce, wheat straw, and giant reed. According to their protein profiles and in vitro assays after growth on wheat straw, (hemi-)cellulolytic activities differed strongly between M. thermophila and M. heterothallica isolates. Compared to M. thermophila, M. heterothallica isolates were better in releasing sugars from mildly pretreated wheat straw (with 5% HCl) with a high content of xylan. The high levels of residual xylobiose revealed that enzyme mixtures of Myceliophthora species lack sufficient β-xylosidase activity. Sexual crossing of two M. heterothallica showed that progenies had a large genetic and physiological diversity. In the future, this will allow further improvement of the plant biomass-degrading enzyme mixtures of M. heterothallica.

  14. Manganese Loading and Photosystem II Stability are Key Components of Manganese Efficiency in Plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, Sidsel Birkelund

    Manganese (Mn) deficiency constitutes a major plant nutritional problem in commercial crop production of winter cereals. In plants, Mn has an indispensable role in the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII). Hence, the consequences of Mn deficiency are reduced plant growth......, and eventually substantial yield losses. It is well known, that genotypes within plant species differ considerably in tolerance to growth under Mn limiting conditions, a phenomenon designated as Mn efficiency. However, the physiological responses reflecting the underlying mechanisms of Mn efficiency are still...... not fully understood. In this PhD study, a new method for determination and characterization of metal binding in size-fractionated photosynthetic protein complexes from barley thylakoids was established. The applicability of the method was shown by quantification of Mn binding in PSII from thylakoids of two...

  15. Sludge reduction in a small wastewater treatment plant by electro-kinetic disintegration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiavola, Agostina; Ridolfi, Alessandra; D'Amato, Emilio; Bongirolami, Simona; Cima, Ennio; Sirini, Piero; Gavasci, Renato

    2015-01-01

    Sludge reduction in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) has recently become a key issue for the managing companies, due to the increasing constraints on the disposal alternatives. Therefore, all the solutions proposed with the aim of minimizing sludge production are receiving increasing attention and are tested either at laboratory or full-scale to evaluate their real effectiveness. In the present paper, electro-kinetic disintegration has been applied at full-scale in the recycle loop of the sludge drawn from the secondary settlement tank of a small WWTP for domestic sewage. After the disintegration stage, the treated sludge was returned to the biological reactor. Three different percentages (50, 75 and 100%) of the return sludge flow rate were subjected to disintegration and the effects on the sludge production and the WWTP operation efficiency evaluated. The long-term observations showed that the electro-kinetic disintegration was able to drastically reduce the amount of biological sludge produced by the plant, without affecting its treatment efficiency. The highest reduction was achieved when 100% return sludge flow rate was subjected to the disintegration process. The reduced sludge production gave rise to a considerable net cost saving for the company which manages the plant.

  16. Application of digital solutions to help the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortega P, F.; Fernandez F, S.

    2017-09-01

    In the search for excellence, the emergence of solutions to digitize nuclear power plants is an opportunity to optimize the operation and safety of them. The new technologies available today in the market, applied under a global vision of the operation, can contribute to the excellent operation of nuclear power plants in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Tecnatom has a long experience in various areas related to the operation of the plants, giving the aforementioned global vision, essential to develop global solutions that pursue the safe and efficient operation of the operation. (Author)

  17. AN ANALYSIS OF TEAMWORK IN THE INSURANCE COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luka Stanić

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper is designed and contextualized as a meaningful whole which includes the triple helix model: a combination of science, the real sector and local government. The basis of this research is teamwork in insurance companies operating in eastern Croatia whose indicators reflect on other insurance companies in Croatia and beyond. The conclusions of the paper suggest that teamwork is omnipresent in insurance companies, and that it affects the efficiency in meeting their objectives. A survey was used to test and prove the hypotheses, indicating that especially during the economic crisis it is crucial to invest in human resources and encourage teamwork via key motivational factors. The conclusions of the paper show that teamwork contributes to the efficiency of the organization, dissemination of new ideas and greater synergy within the insurance company.

  18. Safety evaluation report: related to the operation of Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2, Docket Nos. 50-440 and 50-441, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-08-01

    Supplement No. 1 to the Safety Evaluation Report on the application filed by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company on behalf of itself and as agent for the Duquesne Light Company, the Ohio Edison Company, the Pennsylvania Power Company, and the Toledo Edison Company (the Central Area Power Coordination Group, CAPCO), as applicants and owners, for a license to operate the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Docket Nos. 50-440 and 441). The facility is located near Lake Erie in Lake County, Ohio. This supplement has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and reports the status of certain items that had not been resolved at the time of publication of the Safety Evaluation Report

  19. Enhanced design, operation and maintenance practices for a longer plant service life

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raimondo, E.; Courcoux, A.

    2004-01-01

    Plant service life problems have been under detailed investigation in France and the experience acquired by our company over the past 25 years in the design, construction and maintenance of Pressurized Water Reactors has contributed to develop skills, equipment and capabilities available for efficient plant aging management and component service life extension. The service life of a nuclear power plant is deeply dependant of the provisions made during the design stage, directly linked to good operating conditions and adequate maintenance practices. This paper presents the importance of these three steps (design, operation and maintenance) for plant service life concern. (author)

  20. Design and construction of solidification and dewatering facility at Alabama Power Company's Farley Nuclear Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farnsworth, P.

    1988-01-01

    The approximate total cost of the structure and supporting piping systems is estimated to be 4.1 million dollars. Total dose savings per year could be as high as 70 man Rem for resin processing alone. The ability to store refueling equipment, process contaminated oils, load and unload trucks and containers regardless of weather conditions and support repair work on equipment greatly enhances the cost effectiveness of the project. It will take at least one year of operation of the facility to accurately assess the true cost savings to Alabama Power Company. The morale factor for the Waste and Decon Group has escalated measurably due to the dose reduction to our personnel. Plant and company management are well pleased due to the possibility of a spill or release to the environment has been eliminated which was on intangible cost. Facility construction has been completed as of this date and resin transfer anticipated within the next few days. Some of the problems encountered in planning and constructing this solidification and dewatering facility are presented. A safety evaluation for the facility is included in the appendix

  1. Environmental impact assessment. Ajka Mining and Power Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sipkema, Arjan; De Visser, Petra

    1994-01-01

    An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a public document which evaluates the impact of a new company or a new project on the environment and it also lays out the possible alternatives. The present EIA was worked out to get an insight into the polluting effects of the Ajka Mining and Power Company in Ajka, Hungary and to understand what hinders the abatement of the pollution. The Ajka coal has a high sulphur content and is slightly radioactive. The Power Plant is situated in the neighborhood of the town Ajka and the wind usually blows the releases in the direction of the town. The radioactive sludge is also stored at the border of the town and its radioactivity exceeds the limit set for the Paks Power Plant (in Hungary). Alternatives for the present technology are explored. Nil-condensation and/or energy conservation seem to be the best alternatives. Theoretically, the Regional Environmental Inspectorate is responsible for all survey of pollution, which they monitor with their own equipment, with data obtained from the company or from other monitoring companies. However, the pollution of the Ajka Mining and Power Company is not completely monitored. (authors)

  2. Manufacturers' support to plant operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuschel, D.

    1996-01-01

    For more than 30 years now, safety and availablity of German nuclear power plants has been a common interest of the plant owners and the manufacturing company KWU. This longstanding collaboration for a common goal has created a safety culture unprecented in other countries, and a partnership worth to be continued. Due to the nuclear power phaseout policy, the priority today is on maintaining and safeguarding economically efficient operation of existing power plants. KWU have been adapting their business strategy to the change in the market, and are prepared to stick to this line. Thus KWU and plant operators see to it that the acquired competence in nuclear power plant technology will remain to be concentrated in the hands of the manufacturers. Continuing the partnership in this field, and encouraged by the placement of orders for the future EPR and the SWR 1000, KWU and plant operators will be in the position to offer a sound option for future decisions about construction of new nuclear power plants in Germany. (orig.) [de

  3. New approaches to building plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia Rodriguez, A.; Keuter, D.; Fici, J.; Hucik, S.; Kim, S. H.; Esteve, B.; Hiwano, M.

    2004-01-01

    We are here today with a group of representatives from a good number of the companies capable of building nuclear power plants to hold a roundtable discussion on a subject of importance, namely New approaches to building plants. I would mention that despite the hard times suffered by our industry, a significant number of Main Suppliers have stayed in business, along with an important associated industry in the fields of equipment goods, engineering and construction. In fact, not only has it been possible to maintain the high level of technology and experience achieved, but also to update and improve it. While navigating this sea of troubles our companies have continued to provide and efficient support to nuclear power plants in operation, develop solutions to upgrade them, build the few new power plants demanded by the market and create advanced designs for new programmes. It has not been easy, but the results are there for everyone to see. Our industry is prepared to tackle new projects based on the lessons learned from the construction and operation of a large number of nuclear power plants worldwide, and the efforts of firms and authorities around the world to prepare for the launching of future generations of power plants. The conclusion is that we can count on an industry that is alive, healthy and has a large potential for growth, and which is convinced that there is a need for nuclear energy and that the conditions for its future revival are swiftly improving

  4. Efficiency enhancement of GT-MHRs applied on ship propulsion plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferreiro Garcia, Ramon, E-mail: ferreiro@udc.es [Dept. Industrial Engineering, University of A Coruna, ETSNM, C/Paseo de Ronda, 51, 15011 A Coruna (Spain); Carril, Jose Carbia; Catoira, Alberto DeMiguel; Romero Gomez, Javier [Dept. Energy and Propulsion, University of A Coruna ETSNM, C/Paseo de Ronda, 51, 15011 A Coruna (Spain)

    2012-09-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Efficient ship propulsion system powered by HTRs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A conventional Rankine cycle renders high efficiency. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The intermediate heat exchanger isolates the nuclear reactor from the process heat application. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An intermediate heat exchanger allows the system to be built to non-nuclear standards. - Abstract: High temperature reactors including gas cooled fast reactors and gas turbine modular helium reactors (GT-MHR) may operate as electric power suppliers to be applied on ship propulsion plants. In such propulsion systems performance enhancement can be achieved at effective cost under safety conditions using alternative cycles to the conventional Brayton cycle. Mentioned improvements concern the implementation of an ultra supercritical Rankine cycle, in which water is used as working fluid. The proposed study is carried out in order to achieve performance enhancement on the basis of turbine temperature increasing. The helium cooled high temperature reactor supplies thermal energy to the Rankine cycle via an intermediate heat exchanger (IHE) under safety conditions. The results of the study show that the efficiency of the propulsion plant using a multi-reheat Rankine cycle is significantly improved (from actual 48% to more than 55%) while keeping safety standards.

  5. Does regulation stimulate productivity? The effect of air quality policies on the efficiency of US power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fleishman, Rachel; Alexander, Rob; Bretschneider, Stuart; Popp, David

    2009-01-01

    This research examines the effect of air quality regulations on the productivity of US power plants based on both economic and environmental outputs. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate an efficiency measure incorporating both economic and environmental outcomes, we look at changes in efficiency in US power plants over an eleven-year time period (1994-2004) during which several different regulations were implemented for the control of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). The paper then models how estimated efficiency behaves over time as a function of regulatory changes. Findings suggest mixed effects of regulations on power plant efficiency when pollution abatement and electricity generation are both included as outputs.

  6. Lean Maintenance Applied to Improve Maintenance Efficiency in Thermoelectric Power Plants

    OpenAIRE

    Orlando Duran; Andrea Capaldo; Paulo Andrés Duran Acevedo

    2017-01-01

    Thermoelectric power plants consist of a set of critical equipment that require high levels of availability and reliability. Due to this, maintenance of these physical assets is gaining momentum in industry. Maintenance is considered as an activity that contributes to improving the availability, efficiency and productivity of each piece of equipment. Several techniques have been used to achieve greater efficiencies in maintenance, among which we can find the lean maintenance philosophy. Despi...

  7. The CEA-Industrie Group of Companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1988-01-01

    The 1988 financial and technological status of the CEA-Industry Group of Companies is summarized. The activities, technological innovations, and areas of development perspectives of the CEA-Industry Group of Companies, chiefly concentrated in fields relating to nuclear energy, are described. The principal business sectors of the group involve nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear plants and maintenance, computer applications and life science. Some activities of the group are extended to management, construction and financial fields

  8. Hyperaccumulator straw improves the cadmium phytoextraction efficiency of emergent plant Nasturtium officinale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Keqiang; Lin, Lijin; Wang, Jin; Xia, Hui; Liang, Dong; Wang, Xun; Liao, Ming'an; Wang, Li; Liu, Li; Chen, Cheng; Tang, Yi

    2017-08-01

    With the development of economy, the heavy metal contamination has become an increasingly serious problem, especially the cadmium (Cd) contamination. The emergent plant Nasturtium officinale R. Br. is a Cd-accumulator with low phytoremediation ability. To improve Cd phytoextraction efficiency of N. officinale, the straw from Cd-hyperaccumulator plants Youngia erythrocarpa, Galinsoga parviflora, Siegesbeckia orientalis, and Bidens pilosa was applied to Cd-contaminated soil and N. officinale was then planted; the study assessed the effect of hyperaccumulator straw on the growth and Cd accumulation of N. officinale. The results showed that application of hyperaccumulator species straws increased the biomass and photosynthetic pigment content and reduced the root/shoot ratio of N. officinale. All straw treatments significantly increased Cd content in roots, but significantly decreased Cd content in shoots of N. officinale. Applying hyperaccumulator straw significantly increased the total Cd accumulation in the roots, shoots, and whole plants of N. officinale. Therefore, application of straw from four hyperaccumulator species promoted the growth of N. officinale and improved the phytoextraction efficiency of N. officinale in Cd-contaminated paddy field soil; the straw of Y. erythrocarpa provided the most improvement.

  9. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF MAJOR AIRLINE COMPANIES IN UAE WITH REFERENCE TO PROFITABILITY, LIQUIDITY, EFFICIENCY, EMPLOYEE STRENGTH AND PRODUCTIVITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indrani Hazarika

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The demand for air transport has been consistently increasing in UAE and has made significant growth in the aviation sector in terms of expansion and modernization. Within Dubai’s services sector, transport ranks first accounting for 14.8% of Dubai’s GDP in 2014.As per the Economics Report commissioned by Emirates and Dubai Airports, aviation sector is expected to contribute $53.1 billion to Dubai’s economy, 37.5 per cent to its GDP and will support over 750,000 jobs by 2020. The present study makes a comparative analysis of the top airline companies in UAE – Emirate Airlines and Air Arabia in terms of profitability, liquidity, efficiency and also Etihad Airways on employee strength and productivity from 2010 to 2014.Dubai’s aviation sector is projected to support over 1,194,700 jobs by 2030 and the total economic impact on UAE is expected to increase to $88.1 billion. The financial performance indicators of Emirates Airlines and Air Arabia has been compared and further analyzed to see if there is any significant impact of the macroeconomic indicators on the financial performance of the airline companies. Companies can create wealth either by increasing profit per employee or by increasing the number of employees earning such profits, or both.

  10. Challenges of growth in a network company

    OpenAIRE

    Axani, Darrell Kirk

    2006-01-01

    Mark Engineering is a large network company facing challenges between growth and its small company feel. Small networks are rewarding for both individuals and companies. With growth, networks become cumbersome and costly to operate. Like effective teams, networks must remain small to be efficient. Growth tends to drive management to more traditional hierarchical structures, but such a move would undermine the value of a network organization. Strategy and market forces influence organizational...

  11. Comparison of Soybean Transformation Efficiency and Plant Factors Affecting Transformation during the Agrobacterium Infection Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Yuying; Yao, Xingdong; Zhao, Mingzhe; Zhao, Qiang; Du, Yanli; Yu, Cuimei; Xie, Futi

    2015-08-07

    The susceptibility of soybean genotype to Agrobacterium infection is a key factor for the high level of genetic transformation efficiency. The objective of this study is to evaluate the plant factors related to transformation in cotyledonary nodes during the Agrobacterium infection process. This study selected three genotypes (Williams 82, Shennong 9 and Bert) with high transformation efficiency, which presented better susceptibility to Agrobacterium infection, and three low transformation efficiency genotypes (General, Liaodou 16 and Kottman), which showed a relatively weak susceptibility. Gibberellin (GA) levels and soybean GA20ox2 and CYP707A2 transcripts of high-efficiency genotypes increased and were higher than those of low-efficiency genotypes; however, the opposite performance was shown in abscisic acid (ABA). Higher zeatin riboside (ZR) content and DNA quantity, and relatively higher expression of soybean IPT5, CYCD3 and CYCA3 were obtained in high-efficiency genotypes. High-efficiency genotypes had low methyl jasmonate (MeJA) content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity, and relatively lower expression of soybean OPR3, PPO1 and PRX71. GA and ZR were positive plant factors for Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation by facilitating germination and growth, and increasing the number of cells in DNA synthesis cycle, respectively; MeJA, PPO, POD and ABA were negative plant factors by inducing defence reactions and repressing germination and growth, respectively.

  12. Comparison of Soybean Transformation Efficiency and Plant Factors Affecting Transformation during the Agrobacterium Infection Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuying Jia

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The susceptibility of soybean genotype to Agrobacterium infection is a key factor for the high level of genetic transformation efficiency. The objective of this study is to evaluate the plant factors related to transformation in cotyledonary nodes during the Agrobacterium infection process. This study selected three genotypes (Williams 82, Shennong 9 and Bert with high transformation efficiency, which presented better susceptibility to Agrobacterium infection, and three low transformation efficiency genotypes (General, Liaodou 16 and Kottman, which showed a relatively weak susceptibility. Gibberellin (GA levels and soybean GA20ox2 and CYP707A2 transcripts of high-efficiency genotypes increased and were higher than those of low-efficiency genotypes; however, the opposite performance was shown in abscisic acid (ABA. Higher zeatin riboside (ZR content and DNA quantity, and relatively higher expression of soybean IPT5, CYCD3 and CYCA3 were obtained in high-efficiency genotypes. High-efficiency genotypes had low methyl jasmonate (MeJA content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO and peroxidase (POD activity, and relatively lower expression of soybean OPR3, PPO1 and PRX71. GA and ZR were positive plant factors for Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation by facilitating germination and growth, and increasing the number of cells in DNA synthesis cycle, respectively; MeJA, PPO, POD and ABA were negative plant factors by inducing defence reactions and repressing germination and growth, respectively.

  13. Nuclear emergency planning and response in industrial areas. Results of a qualitative study in 9 industrial companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pauwels, N.; Hardeman, F.; Soudan, K.

    1998-11-01

    Substantial economic losses and potential dangerous situations may result when industrial companies unexpectedly have to shut down their activities in an abrupt way. With respect to the industrial companies located in the Antwerp harbour region, the reason for such an unplanned shut-down could be the decision to (preventively) evacuate their workers, or to have them sheltered, in case of an alarm situation at a nearby nuclear power plant of Doel or in any other adjacent industrial factory. Between January and August 1998, the prevention advisors of nine industrial companies have been interviewed to gain insight in the scale and relative importance of several economic costs and practical difficulties that may arise. Moreover, the appropriateness of the existing nuclear emergency response decision structure and intervention philosophy was investigated. The main conclusions drawn from the interviews are reported. Recommendations are made to increase the efficiency of implementing countermeasures in industrial areas

  14. Nuclear emergency planning and response in industrial areas. Results of a qualitative study in 9 industrial companies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pauwels, N.; Hardeman, F.; Soudan, K

    1998-11-01

    Substantial economic losses and potential dangerous situations may result when industrial companies unexpectedly have to shut down their activities in an abrupt way. With respect to the industrial companies located in the Antwerp harbour region, the reason for such an unplanned shut-down could be the decision to (preventively) evacuate their workers, or to have them sheltered, in case of an alarm situation at a nearby nuclear power plant of Doel or in any other adjacent industrial factory. Between January and August 1998, the prevention advisors of nine industrial companies have been interviewed to gain insight in the scale and relative importance of several economic costs and practical difficulties that may arise. Moreover, the appropriateness of the existing nuclear emergency response decision structure and intervention philosophy was investigated. The main conclusions drawn from the interviews are reported. Recommendations are made to increase the efficiency of implementing countermeasures in industrial areas.

  15. Integrated pollution prevention and control scares industrial companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zackova, K.; Sobinkovic, B.

    2003-01-01

    It will not be easy to obtain a permit to open a new industrial plant. And not only the new ones but all important operating industrial productions will require a so called integrated permit. Both authorities and company managers consider the validation process to be more demanding compared to the current procedure for obtaining a building or user permit. As of August 1, 2003 - the day a new Act on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) is expected to enter into force - only integrated permits will be given. The related bill has been passed to the parliament for the second reading. As of end of April next year the future of 31 industrial plants will depend on whether they will be granted a integrated permit or not. IPPC is a terror for companies due to its seriousness, complexity and the relatively short time given, should they not manage to obtain a permit the plant may be closed down. The European Commission (EC) Directive 96/61/EC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control raises the same concerns among companies in European Union (EU) member states. It is one of the most strict environmental standards and one of the sensitive conditions of EU entry. That is one of the reasons transition periods for this Directive were negotiated for ten Slovak companies. (Authors)

  16. New Source Review and coal plant efficiency gains: How new and forthcoming air regulations affect outcomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adair, Sarah K.; Hoppock, David C.; Monast, Jonas J.

    2014-01-01

    Forthcoming carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) regulations for existing power plants in the United States have heightened interest in thermal efficiency gains for coal-fired power plants. Plant modifications to improve thermal efficiency can trigger New Source Review (NSR), a Clean Air Act requirement to adopt of state-of-the-art pollution controls. This article explores whether existing coal plants would likely face additional pollution control requirements if they undertake modifications that trigger NSR. Despite emissions controls that are or will be installed under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) or its replacement, 80% of coal units (76% of capacity) that are expected to remain in operation are not projected to meet the minimum NSR requirements for at least one pollutant: nitrogen oxides or sulfur dioxide. This is an important consideration for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state policymakers as they determine the extent to which CO 2 regulation will rely on unit-by-unit thermal efficiency gains versus potential flexible compliance strategies such as averaging, trading, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. NSR would likely delay and add cost to thermal efficiency projects at a majority of coal units, including projects undertaken to comply with forthcoming CO 2 regulation. - Highlights: • We explore the status of the U.S. coal-fired fleet relative to New Source Review (NSR) requirements. • Modifications to improve thermal efficiency can trigger NSR. • Thermal efficiency gains may also be an important strategy for forthcoming CO 2 regulation. • 80% Of non-retiring coal-fired units are projected not to meet minimum NSR requirements. • NSR is an important consideration for the design of CO 2 regulations for existing plants

  17. Changing R&D models in research-based pharmaceutical companies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuhmacher, Alexander; Gassmann, Oliver; Hinder, Markus

    2016-04-27

    New drugs serving unmet medical needs are one of the key value drivers of research-based pharmaceutical companies. The efficiency of research and development (R&D), defined as the successful approval and launch of new medicines (output) in the rate of the monetary investments required for R&D (input), has declined since decades. We aimed to identify, analyze and describe the factors that impact the R&D efficiency. Based on publicly available information, we reviewed the R&D models of major research-based pharmaceutical companies and analyzed the key challenges and success factors of a sustainable R&D output. We calculated that the R&D efficiencies of major research-based pharmaceutical companies were in the range of USD 3.2-32.3 billion (2006-2014). As these numbers challenge the model of an innovation-driven pharmaceutical industry, we analyzed the concepts that companies are following to increase their R&D efficiencies: (A) Activities to reduce portfolio and project risk, (B) activities to reduce R&D costs, and (C) activities to increase the innovation potential. While category A comprises measures such as portfolio management and licensing, measures grouped in category B are outsourcing and risk-sharing in late-stage development. Companies made diverse steps to increase their innovation potential and open innovation, exemplified by open source, innovation centers, or crowdsourcing, plays a key role in doing so. In conclusion, research-based pharmaceutical companies need to be aware of the key factors, which impact the rate of innovation, R&D cost and probability of success. Depending on their company strategy and their R&D set-up they can opt for one of the following open innovators: knowledge creator, knowledge integrator or knowledge leverager.

  18. An agent-based model for energy service companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, Marguerite; Varga, Liz; Allen, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • An agent-based model for household energy efficiency upgrades is considered. • Energy service companies provide an alternative to traditional utility providers. • Household self-financing is a limiting factor to widespread efficiency upgrading. • Longer term service contracts can lead to reduced household energy costs. • Future energy price increases enable service providers to retain their customer base. - Abstract: The residential housing sector is a major consumer of energy accounting for approximately one third of carbon emissions in the United Kingdom. Achieving a sustainable, low-carbon infrastructure necessitates a reduced and more efficient use of domestic energy supplies. Energy service companies offer an alternative to traditional providers, which supply a single utility product to satisfy the unconstrained demand of end users, and have been identified as a potentially important actor in sustainable future economies. An agent-based model is developed to examine the potential of energy service companies to contribute to the large scale upgrading of household energy efficiency, which would ultimately lead to a more sustainable and secure energy infrastructure. The migration of households towards energy service companies is described by an attractiveness array, through which potential customers can evaluate the future benefits, in terms of household energy costs, of changing provider. It is shown that self-financing is a limiting factor to the widespread upgrading of residential energy efficiency. Greater reductions in household energy costs could be achieved by committing to longer term contracts, allowing upgrade costs to be distributed over greater time intervals. A steadily increasing cost of future energy usage lends an element of stability to the market, with energy service companies displaying the ability to retain customers on contract expiration. The model highlights how a greater focus on the provision of energy services, as

  19. Techno-economical efficiency and productivity change of wastewater treatment plants: the role of internal and external factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-Sancho, F; Molinos-Senante, M; Sala-Garrido, R

    2011-12-01

    Efficiency and productivity are important measures for identifying best practice in businesses and optimising resource-use. This study analyses how these two measures change across the period 2003-2008 for 196 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Spain, by using the benchmarking methods of Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Productivity Index. To identify which variables contribute to the sustainability of the WWTPs, differences in efficiency scores and productivity indices for external factors are also investigated. Our results indicate that both efficiency and productivity decreased over the five years. We verify that the productivity drop is primarily explained by technical change. Furthermore, certain external variables affected WWTP efficiency, including plant size, treatment technology and energy consumption. However, plants with low energy consumption are the only ones which improve their productivity. Finally, the benchmarking analyses proved to be useful as management tools in the wastewater sector, by providing vital information for improving the sustainability of plants.

  20. Effective Business Planning : Case Study: Company X

    OpenAIRE

    Yakovleva, Yulia

    2017-01-01

    A business planning process plays one of the most important roles in a company. A business plan can either provide stablility and prosperity to a company or drastically worsen its state. Thus, the recommendations for efficient business plans are very useful for companies that have some difficulties with their perfomance. The thesis has a deductive approach, and the qualitative research method was chosen as primary data was collected through desk study and interviews. The secondary data wa...

  1. Soft Sensors: Chemoinformatic Model for Efficient Control and Operation in Chemical Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funatsu, Kimito

    2016-12-01

    Soft sensor is statistical model as an essential tool for controlling pharmaceutical, chemical and industrial plants. I introduce soft sensor, the roles, the applications, the problems and the research examples such as adaptive soft sensor, database monitoring and efficient process control. The use of soft sensor enables chemical industrial plants to be operated more effectively and stably. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Analysis of efficiency and profitability of franchise services

    OpenAIRE

    GARCÍA MARTIN, CONSTANTINO JOSE; Medal Bartual, Amparo; Peris-Ortiz, Marta

    2014-01-01

    The present study analyses the relative efficiency of franchise services and characterises the best companies, confirming the relationship between efficiency and profit. These companies are from the trade and other services sector , the main group of service-providing companies in the Spanish economy. The methodology calls for first comparing the relative efficiency of franchisers and ownership enterprises. Second, the focus turns to the most efficient franchise services, usin...

  3. Integrated-plant-safety assessment Systematic Evaluation Program. Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, Commonwealth Edison Company, Docket No. 50-237

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-10-01

    The Systematic Evaluation Program was initiated in February 1977 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review the designs of older operating nuclear reactor plants to reconfirm and document their safety. The review provides: (1) an assessment of how these plants compare with current licensing safety requirements relating to selected issues; (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review; and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety. This report documents the review of Dresden Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 2 owned and operated by the Commonwealth Edison Company and located in Grundy County, Illinois. Dresden Unit 2 is one of ten plants reviewed under Phase II of this program, which indicates how 137 topics selected for review under Phase I of the program were addressed. Equipment and procedural changes have been identified as a result of the review. It is expected that this report will be one of the bases in considering the issuance of a full-term operating license in place of the existing provisional operating license

  4. Which Companies Benefit form Liberalization?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baghdasaryan, Delia; la Cour, Lisbeth; Schneider, Cédric

    2016-01-01

    Theoretical research shows that competition has positive effects on productivity, for companies that are initially efficient, but not for unproductive firms. Our empirical analysis on a panel data of Czech companies, years 1995–2004, confirms this result. In addition, our analysis shows that when...... economic reforms affect both domestic and foreign competition, controlling for domestic competition is crucial when assessing the impact of trade liberalization. Otherwise, the effect of trade liberalization on firm productivity is upward biased....

  5. 1991-92 Canadian directory of efficiency and alternative energy technologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1993-12-31

    The 1991-1992 Canadian Directory of efficiency and alternative energy technologies. The three main sections cover Alternative Energy Companies, Energy Efficiency Companies and Energy Service Companies. Contact and company information is provided.

  6. 1991-92 Canadian directory of efficiency and alternative energy technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-01-01

    The 1991-1992 Canadian Directory of efficiency and alternative energy technologies. The three main sections cover Alternative Energy Companies, Energy Efficiency Companies and Energy Service Companies. Contact and company information is provided

  7. Incentive mechanisms to promote energy efficiency programs in power distribution companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osorio, Karim; Sauma, Enzo

    2015-01-01

    Power distribution companies (DISCOs) play an important role in promoting energy efficiency (hereafter EE), mainly due to the fact that they have detailed information regarding their clients' consumption patterns. However, under the traditional regulatory framework, DISCOs have disincentives to promote EE, due to the fact that a reduction in sales also means a reduction in their revenues and profits. Most regulatory policies encouraging EE have some embedded payment schemes that allow financing EE programs. In this paper, we focus on these EE-programs' payment schemes that are embedded into the regulatory policies. Specifically, this paper studies two models of the Principal–Agent bi-level type in order to analyze the economic effects of implementing different payment schemes to foster EE in DISCOs. The main difference between each model is that uncertainty in energy savings is considered by the electricity regulatory institution in only one of the models. In terms of the results, it is observed that, in general terms, it is more convenient for the regulator to adopt a performance-based incentive mechanism than a payment scheme financing only the fixed costs of implementing EE programs. However, if the electricity regulatory institution seeks a higher level of minimum expected utility, it is optimal to adopt a mixed system of compensation, which takes into account the fixed cost compensation and performance-based incentive payments. - Highlights: • We studied different payment schemes to promote energy efficiency in DISCOs. • We propose two bi-level models based on the Principal–Agent theory. • Uncertainty associated with energy savings is incorporated in one of the models. • A performance-based payment scheme is generally more convenient for the regulator. • A mixed payment scheme is optimal when a lower level of uncertainty is tolerated

  8. Increased light-use efficiency sustains net primary productivity of shaded coffee plants in agroforestry system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charbonnier, Fabien; Roupsard, Olivier; le Maire, Guerric; Guillemot, Joannès; Casanoves, Fernando; Lacointe, André; Vaast, Philippe; Allinne, Clémentine; Audebert, Louise; Cambou, Aurélie; Clément-Vidal, Anne; Defrenet, Elsa; Duursma, Remko A; Jarri, Laura; Jourdan, Christophe; Khac, Emmanuelle; Leandro, Patricia; Medlyn, Belinda E; Saint-André, Laurent; Thaler, Philippe; Van Den Meersche, Karel; Barquero Aguilar, Alejandra; Lehner, Peter; Dreyer, Erwin

    2017-08-01

    In agroforestry systems, shade trees strongly affect the physiology of the undergrown crop. However, a major paradigm is that the reduction in absorbed photosynthetically active radiation is, to a certain extent, compensated by an increase in light-use efficiency, thereby reducing the difference in net primary productivity between shaded and non-shaded plants. Due to the large spatial heterogeneity in agroforestry systems and the lack of appropriate tools, the combined effects of such variables have seldom been analysed, even though they may help understand physiological processes underlying yield dynamics. In this study, we monitored net primary productivity, during two years, on scales ranging from individual coffee plants to the entire plot. Absorbed radiation was mapped with a 3D model (MAESPA). Light-use efficiency and net assimilation rate were derived for each coffee plant individually. We found that although irradiance was reduced by 60% below crowns of shade trees, coffee light-use efficiency increased by 50%, leaving net primary productivity fairly stable across all shade levels. Variability of aboveground net primary productivity of coffee plants was caused primarily by the age of the plants and by intraspecific competition among them (drivers usually overlooked in the agroforestry literature) rather than by the presence of shade trees. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. INDICATORS SYSTEM FOR MONITORING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT IN COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandru STRATAN,

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Organizations and companies with a high level of competitiveness had developed intellectualproperty management systems that aim at assuring information and indicators for decision-making.Furthermore, the systematization and monitoring of information on intellectual property managementcontributes to the improvement, reliability, quality and efficiency of managerial efficiency, offering, in theend, to the company an image of its competitive advantages, generated by the intellectual property. The purpose of this work is to identify a system of indicators (benchmarks that can be used formonitoring through self-evaluation of the intellectual property management as part of a methodic approachon researching the intellectual property management system in companies. The main results achieved following the investigations were the development of a set of indicators(benchmarks for monitoring the management of intellectual property in companies. Also, being based onthis group of indicators, an integrated indicator for assessing the effectiveness of the management systemof intellectual property in companies had been developed.

  10. Memorial 1997 - ENDESA (Chilean Electricity Company)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    This report provides a comprehensive survey, in depth assessment of the activities overview of ENDESA, Chilean Electricity Company, highlighting economical information and including historical and technical aspects. Economics is its focal point, but other relevant data are shown, like technical data on hydroelectric and thermoelectric power plants. Main activities developed by ENDESA are described, such in Chile as in the foreign. Data on power generation, transmission and transport are also presented and an economical balance of each colligated company are done and analysed

  11. Demonstration test of electron beam flue gas treatment pilot plant of a coal fired thermal power station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doi, Yoshitaka; Hayashi, Kazuaki; Izutsu, Masahiro; Watanabe, Shigeharu; Namba, Hideki; Tokunaga, Okihiro; Hashimoto, Shoji; Tanaka, Tadashi; Ogura, Yoshimi.

    1995-01-01

    The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Chubu Electric Power Company and Ebara Corporation jointly constructed a pilot plant for electron beam flue gas treatment (dry process) capable of treating 12,000 m 3 /h (NTP) of flue gas from a coal fired boiler, at Shin-Nagoya Thermal Power Station, Chubu Electric Power Company. Various tests carried out at the plant over a period extending one year verified the followings. By appropriately controlling parameters such as electron beam dosage, flue gas temperature, and ammonia stoichiometric amount, highly efficient simultaneous SO 2 and NOx removal from flue gas was achieved under all gas conditions, equal to or more efficient than that by the highest level conventional treatment. The operation of the pilot plant was stable and trouble-free over a long term, and the operation and the process was easy to operate and control. By-products (ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate) produced by the flue gas treatment were proven to have superior quality, equivalent to that of market-available nitrogen fertilizers. These by-products had been registered as by-product nitrogen fertilizers. (author)

  12. Pilot plant development of a new catalytic process for improved electrostatic separation of fly ash in coal-fired power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olivares del Valle, J.; Martinez, L.S.; Baum, B.M.; Galeano, V.C. [Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)

    1995-12-31

    The design and operation of pulverized-coal-fired power plants (PCFPP) are usually regarded as fuel range in terms of sulphur and ash contents. These units may give severe environmental problems of fly ash emissions as a result of lower SO{sub 3} contents in the flue gas (FG) because the electrical resistivity of the solid particles is correspondingly lower, with consequent adverse effects on electrostatic precipitator (ESP) efficiency. More stringent air pollution laws cause many power companies to burn lower sulphur coal under boilers in plants that formerly burned higher S coal or ran with abnormal operational conditions (only remediable by shutdown and repairs). This presentation of the GASOX process is a contribution to the improvement of existing technology for flue gas conditioning (FGC), which is defined as a control system for (ESP) efficiency in PCFPP.

  13. Enhanced efficiency steam turbine blading - for cleaner coal plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fowler, A.; Bell, D.; Cao, C.; Fowler, R.; Oliver, P.; Greenough, C.; Timmis, P. [ALSTOM Power, Rugby (United Kingdom)

    2005-03-01

    The aim of this project was to increase the efficiency of the short height stages typically found in high pressure steam turbine cylinders. For coal fired power plant, this will directly lead to a reduction in the amount of fuel required to produce electrical power, resulting in lower power station emissions. The continual drive towards higher cycle efficiencies demands increased inlet steam temperatures and pressures, which necessarily leads to shorter blade heights. Further advances in blading for short height stages are required in order to maximise the benefit. To achieve this, an optimisation of existing 3 dimensional designs was carried out and a new 3 dimensional fixed blade for use in the early stages of the high pressure turbine was developed. 28 figs., 5 tabs.

  14. Model-Based Analysis and Efficient Operation of a Glucose Isomerization Reactor Plant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Papadakis, Emmanouil; Madsen, Ulrich; Pedersen, Sven

    2015-01-01

    efficiency. The objective of this study is the application of the developed framework on an industrial case study of a glucose isomerization (GI) reactor plant that is part of a corn refinery, with the objective to improve the productivity of the process. Therefore, a multi-scale reactor model...... is developedfor use as a building block for the GI reactor plant simulation. An optimal operation strategy is proposed on the basis of the simulation results...

  15. Simulation of a coal-fired power plant using mathematical programming algorithms in order to optimize its efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tzolakis, G.; Papanikolaou, P.; Kolokotronis, D.; Samaras, N.; Tourlidakis, A.; Tomboulides, A.

    2012-01-01

    Since most of the world's electric energy production is mainly based on fossil fuels and need for better efficiency of the energy conversion systems is imminent, mathematical programming algorithms were applied for the simulation and optimization of a detailed model of an existing lignite-fired power plant in Kozani, Greece (KARDIA IV). The optimization of its overall thermal efficiency, using as control variables the mass flow rates of the steam turbine extractions and the fuel consumption, was performed with the use of the simulation and optimization software gPROMS. The power plant components' mathematical models were imported in software by the authors and the results showed that further increase to the overall thermal efficiency of the plant can be achieved (a 0.55% absolute increase) through reduction of the HP turbine's and increase of the LP turbine's extractions mass flow rates and the parallel reduction of the fuel consumption by 2.05% which also results to an equivalent reduction of the greenhouse gasses. The setup of the mathematical model and the flexibility of gPROMS, make this software applicable to various power plants. - Highlights: ► Modeling and simulation of the flue gases circuit of a specific plant. ► Designing of modules in gPROMS FO (Foreign Objects). ► Simulation of the complete detailed plant with gPROMS. ► Optimization using a non-linear optimization algorithm of the plant's efficiency.

  16. STOCK MANAGEMENT IN A MANUFACTURING AND TRADING COMPANY

    OpenAIRE

    Ewa Kempa

    2009-01-01

    The article shows stock management in the logistic context on the example of a manufacturing and trading company. Stock is one of the most important, and, at the same time, the most difficult issues related to company management as it requires efficient handling of transport and inventory. Also, the amount of stock should possibly be optimal so it does not account for too high operating costs of a company.

  17. S.T.M.I.: Several years of experience in nuclear plant dismantling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreau, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    Since 1977, when STMI performed its first dismantling operation, the Company appreciably improved in that field through important operations: the dismantling of the calciothermy and fluoration metal Pu preparation facility, in La Hague reprocessing plant, the dismantling of the slag treatment chain, associated to calciothermy and fluoration processes, in La Hague reprocessing plant, the cleaning of EL4 cell in Marcoule. To perform these operations, STMI's operating teams, on top of decontamination and dismantling technologies, strived to improve handling and transportation technologies, and to nuclearize many equipments. In order to increase its technical efficiency, STMI signed a cooperation agreement with TECHNICATOME company. Therefore, the union between the operational know-hows of STMI and the design experience of TECHNICATOME allow the needs of any customs facing a dismantling case to be satisfied [fr

  18. Development of next BWR plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moriya, Kumiaki; Tanikawa, Naoshi; Kinoshita, Shoichiro; Utena, Shunsuke

    1995-01-01

    It is expected that BWR power generation will be main nuclear power generation for long period hereafter, and in the ABWRs being constructed at present, the safety, reliability, operation performance, economical efficiency and so on are further heightend as compared with conventional BWRs. On the other hand, in order to cope with future social change, the move to develop the next reactor type following ABWRs was begun already by the cooperation of electirc power companies and plant manufacturers. Hitachi Ltd. has advanced eagerly the development of new light water reactors. Also the objective of BWR power generation hereafter is to heighten the safety, reliability, operation performance and economical efficiency, and the development has been advanced, aiming at bearing the main roles of nuclear power generation. At present, ABWRs are under construction as No. 6 and 7 plants in Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. In order to let ABWRs take root, the further improvement of economy by the standardization, the rationalization by revising the specification and the improvement of machinery and equipment is necessary. As the needs of the development of next generation BWRs, the increase of power output, the heightening of safety and economical efficiency are discussed. The concept of the next generation BWR plant aiming at the start of operation around 2010 is shown. (K.I.)

  19. Development of next BWR plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moriya, Kumiaki; Tanikawa, Naoshi; Kinoshita, Shoichiro; Utena, Shunsuke [Hitachi Ltd., Ibaraki (Japan). Hitachi Works

    1995-04-01

    It is expected that BWR power generation will be main nuclear power generation for long period hereafter, and in the ABWRs being constructed at present, the safety, reliability, operation performance, economical efficiency and so on are further heightend as compared with conventional BWRs. On the other hand, in order to cope with future social change, the move to develop the next reactor type following ABWRs was begun already by the cooperation of electirc power companies and plant manufacturers. Hitachi Ltd. has advanced eagerly the development of new light water reactors. Also the objective of BWR power generation hereafter is to heighten the safety, reliability, operation performance and economical efficiency, and the development has been advanced, aiming at bearing the main roles of nuclear power generation. At present, ABWRs are under construction as No. 6 and 7 plants in Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. In order to let ABWRs take root, the further improvement of economy by the standardization, the rationalization by revising the specification and the improvement of machinery and equipment is necessary. As the needs of the development of next generation BWRs, the increase of power output, the heightening of safety and economical efficiency are discussed. The concept of the next generation BWR plant aiming at the start of operation around 2010 is shown. (K.I.).

  20. Industry perspectives on increasing the efficiency of coal-fired power generation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torrens, I.M. [Shell Coal International, London (United Kingdom); Stenzel, W.C.

    1997-12-31

    Independent power producers will build a substantial fraction of expected new coal-fired power generation in developing countries over the coming decades. To reduce perceived risk and obtain financing for their projects, they are currently building and plan to continue to build subcritical coal-fired plants with generating efficiency below 40%. Up-to-date engineering assessment leads to the conclusion that supercritical generating technology, capable of efficiencies of up to 45%, can produce electricity at a lower total cost than conventional plants. If such plants were built in Asia over the coming decades, the savings in carbon dioxide emissions over their lifetime would be measured in billions of tons. IPPs perceive supercritical technology as riskier and higher cost than conventional technology. The truth needs to be confirmed by discussions with additional experienced power engineering companies. Better communication among the interested parties could help to overcome the IPP perception issue. Governments working together with industry might be able to identify creative financing arrangements which can encourage the use of more efficient pulverized clean coal technologies, while awaiting the commercialization of advanced clean coal technologies like gasification combined cycle and pressurized fluidized bed combustion.

  1. Plant life extensions for German nuclear power plants? Controversial discussion profit taking of nuclear power plant operators; Laufzeitverlaengerungen fuer die deutschen Kernkaftwerke? Kurzanalyse zu den Gewinnmitnahmen der KKW-Betreiber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matthes, Felix C.

    2009-10-15

    The discussion on the plant life extensions for German nuclear power plants beyond the residual quantity of electricity particularly focus on three aspects: Effects for the emission of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas; Development of the electricity price for which a reduction or attenuation is postulated due to a plant life extension; Skimming of additional profits at operating companies and their use in the safeguarding of the future (development of renewable energies, support of energy efficiency, promotion of the research, consolidation of the public budget, and so on). Under this aspect, the author of the contribution under consideration reports on the profit taking of nuclear power plant operators. The presented analysis considers three aspects: (a) Specification of the quantity structures for the investigated model of plant life extension; (b) The decisive parameter is the revenue situation and thus the price development for electricity at wholesale markets; (c) Determination and evaluation of the course in time of the profit taking.

  2. Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), Westinghouse phase 1. Volume 5: Combined gas-steam turbine cycles. [energy conversion efficiency in electric power plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amos, D. J.; Foster-Pegg, R. W.; Lee, R. M.

    1976-01-01

    The energy conversion efficiency of gas-steam turbine cycles was investigated for selected combined cycle power plants. Results indicate that it is possible for combined cycle gas-steam turbine power plants to have efficiencies several point higher than conventional steam plants. Induction of low pressure steam into the steam turbine is shown to improve the plant efficiency. Post firing of the boiler of a high temperature combined cycle plant is found to increase net power but to worsen efficiency. A gas turbine pressure ratio of 12 to 1 was found to be close to optimum at all gas turbine inlet temperatures that were studied. The coal using combined cycle plant with an integrated low-Btu gasifier was calculated to have a plant efficiency of 43.6%, a capitalization of $497/kW, and a cost of electricity of 6.75 mills/MJ (24.3 mills/kwh). This combined cycle plant should be considered for base load power generation.

  3. The equipment supply industry to sugar mills, ethanol and energy in Brazil: an analysis based in leading companies and key-organizations of sector and of LPA of Sertãozinho

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Castro Carrijo

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the profile, organization, efficiency and innovation in the supply industry equipment for sugar mills, ethanol and energy in Brazil, contributing to an important discussion on the competitiveness of this industry. Therefore, the study was based on analysis of information obtained from two surveys: the first held with representative organizations and two industry-leading companies located in the cities of Sertãozinho and Piracicaba; and the second, through interviews with companies in the Local Productive Arrangement (LPA of Sertãozinho, known as the Silicon Valley Ethanol. The results suggest that the increasing modernization of the sector will require greater efforts from equipment industry to provide plants with the necessary technological innovations and potential efficiency gains and that the constituent companies of this industry, few invest in technology and professional training, in other words, are lacking in management training, which leads to loss of valuable opportunities, international market share is tiny, most companies turn to private sources of financing, and companies seem unaware of the real benefits of cooperation, although they appear in most companies in this industry.

  4. PREVENTION OF COMPANY RISKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SUCI U GHEORGHE

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available A company’s manager has to create and maintain a healthy internal control system. An efficient internal control system implies the implementation in the company of risk management. Each company, but also each individual, who tries to attain certain objectives, establishes the activities which lead to the achievement of goals and, at the same time, tries to identify as many “threats” as possible, in order to take the necessary measures to eliminate them. Thus, even if one is not familiar with the concepts of risk and risk management, one acts, consciously or not, for that purpose.

  5. C4 plants use fluctuating light less efficiently than do C3 plants: a study of growth, photosynthesis and carbon isotope discrimination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubásek, Jiří; Urban, Otmar; Šantrůček, Jiří

    2013-12-01

    Plants in the field are commonly exposed to fluctuating light intensity, caused by variable cloud cover, self-shading of leaves in the canopy and/or leaf movement due to turbulence. In contrast to C3 plant species, only little is known about the effects of dynamic light (DL) on photosynthesis and growth in C4 plants. Two C4 and two C3 monocot and eudicot species were grown under steady light or DL conditions with equal sum of daily incident photon flux. We measured leaf gas exchange, plant growth and dry matter carbon isotope discrimination to infer CO2 bundle sheath leakiness in C4 plants. The growth of all species was reduced by DL, despite only small changes in steady-state gas exchange characteristics, and this effect was more pronounced in C4 than C3 species due to lower assimilation at light transitions. This was partially attributed to increased bundle sheath leakiness in C4 plants under the simulated lightfleck conditions. We hypothesize that DL leads to imbalances in the coordination of C4 and C3 cycles and increasing leakiness, thereby decreasing the quantum efficiency of photosynthesis. In addition to their other constraints, the inability of C4 plants to efficiently utilize fluctuating light likely contributes to their absence in such environments as forest understoreys. © 2013 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  6. A Meta-analysis of Plant Photosynthetic Traits and Water-use efficiency Responses to Drought

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, J.

    2017-12-01

    Drought is predicted to become more intense and frequent in many regions of the world in the context of climate change, especially in the semi-arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Understanding the plant photosynthetic traits (Pn, Gs and Tr) and water use efficiency (WUE) response to drought is very important with regard to plant growth and productivity, which could reflect the terrestrial primary productivity worldwide. We used a meta-analysis based on studies of a worldwide range and full plant species Pn, Gs, Tr and WUE under drought condition and aimed to determine the responses of Pn, Gs, Tr and WUE of different drought intensities (mild, moderate and severe), different photosynthetic pathways (C3 and C4) and growth forms (herbs, shrubs, trees and lianas). Furthermore, reveal the differences from different plant groups (e.g. C3 and C4 plants; annual (A-herbs) and perennial (P-herbs) herbs; conifer, deciduous and evergreen trees) under the same drought intensities. Additionally, we analyzed the relationship between stomatal conductance (Gs) with Pn, Tr and WUE. Our results were as follows: 1) drought decreased the photosynthetic traits with the drought stress increasing, but increased the water use efficiency, and increased to the greatest extent in lianas, compared with herbs, shrubs and trees. 2) Furthermore, C4 plants had an advantage in photosynthesis compared to C3 plants under the same drought conditions. However, the WUE in C4 plants was not promoted as in C3 plants. The photosynthesis traits showed a more substantial decrease in P-herbs than in A-herbs. The drought promoted the WUE in P-herbs, but inhibited it in A-herbs. Compared with conifer and deciduous trees, the photosynthesis traits declined the most in evergreen tree. The WUE in deciduous trees showed a more obvious increase among the three leaf habits. 3) Finally, the Gs showed a close relationship with photosynthesis rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr), which could explain 50% of the

  7. Experience of Minas Gerais Energetic Company (CEMIG) in feasibility studies from hydroelectric power plants: energetic-economic studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, O.C.; Bras, A.J.F.; Batista Neto, R.P.; Salles Filho, M.P.

    1989-01-01

    The experience of Minas Gerais Energetic Company (CEMIG) - Brazil, on the use of dimensioning methodology for hydroelectric power plant from the Coordinated Group of Planning System was described, showing the problems with its use and the solutions, mainly the reservoir and the dimension of installed potential. It was concluded that the calculation procedures of the marginal costs for dimensioning, so as to become these costs more representative in future structure of the Brazilian generator park and less dependent to the oscillation due to conjuncture problems, must be re-evaluated. (C.G.C.). 7 refs, 3 figs, 1 tab

  8. Modification of reactor installation in the Genkai nuclear power plant No. 1 of Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    The Nuclear Safety Commission recognized the adequacy concerning the inquiry which was offered from the Minister of International Trade and Industry on July 25, 1979, following the safety evaluation in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and decided to submit a report to the Minister of International Trade and Industry on July 26, 1979, about the modification of reactor installation in the Genkai nuclear power plant No. 1 of the Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc. This is concerned to the application which was made from the president of the Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc., to the Minister of International Trade and Industry on July 24, 1979. The content of the modification is to add a control circuit which is actuated by the signal of abnormal low pressure in a reactor to the circuit of actuating the emergency core cooling system of the plant. The influences on the safety protection system by the addition of the circuit transmitting safety injection signal and by the additions of an interlock circuit preventing the misoperation of pressurizer spray and of a block circuit of safety injection signal in case of the abnormal low pressure in a reactor were evaluated. The effects on the function and characteristics of the emergency core cooling system due to the addition of the control circuit were investigated, and it was recognized by the analysis that there is no effect in the pipe ruptures of both small and large scales. (Nakai, Y.)

  9. Light interception efficiency explained by two simple variables: a test using a diversity of small- to medium-sized woody plants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duursma, R.A.; Falster, D.S.; Valladares, F.; Sterck, F.J.; Pearcy, R.W.; Lusk, C.; Sendall, K.M.; Nordenstahl, M.; Houter, N.C.; Atwell, B.J.; Kelly, N.; Kelly, J.W.G.; Liberloo, M.; Tissue, D.T.; Medlyn, B.E.; Ellsworth, D.S.

    2012-01-01

    Plant light interception efficiency is a crucial determinant of carbon uptake by individual plants and by vegetation. Our aim was to identify whole-plant variables that summarize complex crown architecture, which can be used to predict light interception efficiency. •We gathered the largest database

  10. Effects of Environmental Temperature Change on the Efficiency of Coal- and Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Candise L; Pratson, Lincoln F

    2016-09-06

    Modeling studies predict that droughts and hotter water and air temperatures caused by climate warming will reduce the efficiency (η) of thermoelectric plants by 0.12-0.45% for each 1 °C of warming. We evaluate these predictions using historical performance data for 39 open- and closed-loop coal and natural gas plants from across the U.S., which operated under daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations multiples greater than future average warming projections. Seven to 14 years of hourly water (Tw), dry-bulb air (Ta), and wet-bulb air (Twb) temperature recordings collected near each plant are regressed against efficiency to attain estimates of Δη per 1 °C increase. We find reductions in η with increased Tw (for open-loop plants) up to 1 order of magnitude less than previous estimates. We also find that changes in η associated with changes in Ta (open-loop plants) or Twb (closed-loop plants) are not only smaller than previous estimates but also variable; i.e., η rises with Ta or Twb for some plants and falls for others. Our findings suggest that thermoelectric plants, particularly closed-loop plants, should be more resilient to climate warming than previously expected.

  11. New CHP plant for a rubber products manufacturer; Nueva planta e cogeneración para un fabricante de productos de hule

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vila, R.; Martí, C.

    2016-07-01

    At the end of 2014 the company Industrias de Hule Galgo decided to undertake the installation project of an efficient CHP plant for its production plant, with the aim of bringing down energy costs and improving the company’s competitive position in the market. The new plant has already started its first operational phase. The project has comprised the installation of a single cycle with gas-powered gensets providing a total electrical capacity of 6.6 MW. This provides the necessary thermal oil for the production plant; covers 100% of the electrical power consumed by the industrial complex; and also generates cooling water, giving improved production capacity by supercooling the extrusion system. To execute these works, Industrias de Hule Galgo contracted the services of engineering company AESA to provide the engineering, procurement and construction of the CHP plant. (Author)

  12. An efficient in planta transformation of Jatropha curcas (L.) and multiplication of transformed plants through in vivo grafting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaganath, Balusamy; Subramanyam, Kondeti; Mayavan, Subramanian; Karthik, Sivabalan; Elayaraja, Dhandapani; Udayakumar, Rajangam; Manickavasagam, Markandan; Ganapathi, Andy

    2014-05-01

    An efficient and reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated in planta transformation was developed in Jatropha curcas. The various factors affecting J. curcas in planta transformation were optimized, including decapitation, Agrobacterium strain, pin-pricking, vacuum infiltration duration and vacuum pressure. Simple vegetative in vivo cleft grafting method was adopted in the multiplication of transformants without the aid of tissue culture. Among the various parameters evaluated, decapitated plants on pin-pricking and vacuum infiltrated at 250 mmHg for 3 min with the Agrobacterium strain EHA 105 harbouring the binary vector pGA 492 was proved to be efficient in all terms with a transformation efficiency of 62.66%. Transgene integration was evinced by the GUS histochemical analysis, and the GUS positive plants were subjected to grafting. Putatively transformed J. curcas served as "Scion" and the wild type J. curcas plant severed as "Stock". There was no occurrence of graft rejection and the plants were then confirmed by GUS histochemical analysis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern hybridization. Genetic stability of the grafted plants was evaluated by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), marker which showed 100% genetic stability between mother and grafted plants. Thus, an efficient in planta transformation and grafting based multiplication of J. curcas was established.

  13. Application of integrated computer-aided engineering for design, construction and operation of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kyung-shick Min; Byung-hun Lee

    1987-01-01

    Computer-aided-engineering (CAE) is an essential tool for modern nuclear power plant engineering. It greatly varies in definition, application, and technology from project to project and company to company. Despite the fast growing technologies and applications of CAE, its complexty and variety have thrown aonther puzzle to management of a nuclear project. Without due consideration of an integrated CAE system in early planning stage, the overall efficiency of a nuclear project would slow down due to the inefficiency in data flow. In this paper, practices and perspectives of CAE appliation are discussed under the Korea Power Engineering Company (KOPEC) philosophy in CAE approach. (author)

  14. Formosa Plastics Corporation: Plant-Wide Assessment of Texas Plant Identifies Opportunities for Improving Process Efficiency and Reducing Energy Costs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2005-01-01

    At Formosa Plastics Corporation's plant in Point Comfort, Texas, a plant-wide assessment team analyzed process energy requirements, reviewed new technologies for applicability, and found ways to improve the plant's energy efficiency. The assessment team identified the energy requirements of each process and compared actual energy consumption with theoretical process requirements. The team estimated that total annual energy savings would be about 115,000 MBtu for natural gas and nearly 14 million kWh for electricity if the plant makes several improvements, which include upgrading the gas compressor impeller, improving the vent blower system, and recovering steam condensate for reuse. Total annual cost savings could be $1.5 million. The U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program cosponsored this assessment.

  15. Plant water use efficiency over geological time--evolution of leaf stomata configurations affecting plant gas exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assouline, Shmuel; Or, Dani

    2013-01-01

    Plant gas exchange is a key process shaping global hydrological and carbon cycles and is often characterized by plant water use efficiency (WUE - the ratio of CO2 gain to water vapor loss). Plant fossil record suggests that plant adaptation to changing atmospheric CO2 involved correlated evolution of stomata density (d) and size (s), and related maximal aperture, amax . We interpreted the fossil record of s and d correlated evolution during the Phanerozoic to quantify impacts on gas conductance affecting plant transpiration, E, and CO2 uptake, A, independently, and consequently, on plant WUE. A shift in stomata configuration from large s-low d to small s-high d in response to decreasing atmospheric CO2 resulted in large changes in plant gas exchange characteristics. The relationships between gas conductance, gws , A and E and maximal relative transpiring leaf area, (amax ⋅d), exhibited hysteretic-like behavior. The new WUE trend derived from independent estimates of A and E differs from established WUE-CO2 trends for atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceeding 1,200 ppm. In contrast with a nearly-linear decrease in WUE with decreasing CO2 obtained by standard methods, the newly estimated WUE trend exhibits remarkably stable values for an extended geologic period during which atmospheric CO2 dropped from 3,500 to 1,200 ppm. Pending additional tests, the findings may affect projected impacts of increased atmospheric CO2 on components of the global hydrological cycle.

  16. Environmental impact efficiency of natural gas combined cycle power plants: A combined life cycle assessment and dynamic data envelopment analysis approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Gamboa, Mario; Iribarren, Diego; Dufour, Javier

    2018-02-15

    The energy sector is still dominated by the use of fossil resources. In particular, natural gas represents the third most consumed resource, being a significant source of electricity in many countries. Since electricity production in natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants provides some benefits with respect to other non-renewable technologies, it is often seen as a transitional solution towards a future low‑carbon power generation system. However, given the environmental profile and operational variability of NGCC power plants, their eco-efficiency assessment is required. In this respect, this article uses a novel combined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach in order to estimate -over the period 2010-2015- the environmental impact efficiencies of 20 NGCC power plants located in Spain. A three-step LCA+DEA method is applied, which involves data acquisition, calculation of environmental impacts through LCA, and the novel estimation of environmental impact efficiency (overall- and term-efficiency scores) through dynamic DEA. Although only 1 out of 20 NGCC power plants is found to be environmentally efficient, all plants show a relatively good environmental performance with overall eco-efficiency scores above 60%. Regarding individual periods, 2011 was -on average- the year with the highest environmental impact efficiency (95%), accounting for 5 efficient NGCC plants. In this respect, a link between high number of operating hours and high environmental impact efficiency is observed. Finally, preliminary environmental benchmarks are presented as an additional outcome in order to further support decision-makers in the path towards eco-efficiency in NGCC power plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Understanding nitrate uptake, signaling and remobilisation for improving plant nitrogen use efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kant, Surya

    2018-02-01

    The majority of terrestrial plants use nitrate as their main source of nitrogen. Nitrate also acts as an important signalling molecule in vital physiological processes required for optimum plant growth and development. Improving nitrate uptake and transport, through activation by nitrate sensing, signalling and regulatory processes, would enhance plant growth, resulting in improved crop yields. The increased remobilisation of nitrate, and assimilated nitrogenous compounds, from source to sink tissues further ensures higher yields and quality. An updated knowledge of various transporters, genes, activators, and microRNAs, involved in nitrate uptake, transport, remobilisation, and nitrate-mediated root growth, is presented. An enhanced understanding of these components will allow for their orchestrated fine tuning in efforts to improving nitrogen use efficiency in plants. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Integrated-plant-safety assessment Systematic Evaluation program. Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1, Northeast Nuclear Energy Company, Docket No. 50-245

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-11-01

    The Systematic Evaluation Program was initiated in February 1977 to review the designs of older operating nuclear reactor plants to reconfirm and document their safety. The review provides: (1) an assessment of how these plants compare with current licensing safety requirements relating to selected issues, (2) a basis for deciding on how these differences should be resolved in an integrated plant review, and (3) a documented evaluation of plant safety. This report documents the review of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1, operated by Northeast Nuclear Energy Company (located in Waterford, Connecticut). Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1, is one of ten plants reviewed under Phase II of this program. This report indicates how 137 topics selected for review under Phase I of the program were addressed. Equipment and procedural changes have been identified as a result of the review. It is expected that this report will be one of the bases in considering the issuance of a full-term operating license in place of the existing provisional operating license

  19. Evaluation of the energy efficiency of combined cycle gas turbine. Case study of Tashkent thermal power plant, Uzbekistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aminov, Zarif; Nakagoshi, Nobukazu; Xuan, Tran Dang; Higashi, Osamu; Alikulov, Khusniddin

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The combined cycle power plant (CCPP) has a steam turbine and a gas turbine. • Fossil fuel savings and reduction of the CCGT of was evaluated. • The performance of a three pressure CCGT is modelled under different modes. • Energy efficiency of the combined cycle was 58.28%. • An annual reduction of 1760.18 tNO_x/annum and 981.25 ktCO_2/annum can be achieved. - Abstract: The power generation of Tashkent Thermal Power Plant (TPP) is based on conventional power units. Moreover, the facility suffers from limited efficiency in electricity generation. The plant was constructed during the Soviet era. Furthermore, the power plant is being used for inter-hour power generation regulation. As a result, the efficiency can be reduced by increasing specific fuel consumption. This research focuses on the evaluation of the energy efficiency of the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) for the Tashkent TPP. Specifically, the objective is an evaluation of fossil fuel savings and reduction of CO_2 and NO_x emissions with the using CCGT technology at conventional power plant. The proposed combined cycle power plant (CCPP) includes an existing steam turbine (ST) with 160 MW capacity, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), and gas turbine (GT) technology with 300 MW capacity. The performance of a three pressure CCGT is modelled under different modes. As a result, the efficiency of the combined cycle was evaluated at 58.28%, while the conventional cycle had an efficiency of 34.5%. We can achieve an annual reduction of 1760.18 tNO_x/annum and 981.25 ktCO_2/annum.

  20. Energy efficient maintenance. Project report; Energioptimerende vedligehold. Projektrapport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bjerg, J. (Center for Drift og Vedligehold, Frederici (Denmark)); Dam Wied, M.; Skjershede Nielsen, P.; Holt, J. (NRGi Raadgivning A/S, Aarhus (Denmark)); Dam, M. (Energi Horsens, Horsens (Denmark)); Holk Lauridsen, V. (Teknologisk Institut, Energieffektivisering og Ventilation, Taastrup (Denmark))

    2010-03-15

    Together with four case companies, the project developed and tested a model for energy-efficient maintenance. In each of the companies, the model was adjusted through a cooperation process aiming at combining energy optimisation and maintenance as part of specific production optimisation. When correctly planned, energy-efficient maintenance is interesting for all companies. An overall solution was made, which can facilitate major energy savings and production efficiency improvement. (LN)

  1. Neuroscience within companies: some case studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Emanuela Salati

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available It is possible to understand many crucial processes within organizations such as change planning and management, training, decision making and leadership thanks to organisational neuroscience. For example, poorly managed change can result in alarm messages within our brains. Managers must be aware of how their words, emotions and conduct have a significant impact on team mood and results. Another fast-growing area of research is neuromarketing, thanks to company investments. This article presents a success story: a company that, faced with the need to change its selling proposition, uses neurometric techniques to analyse possible resistance of the sales force and then acted accordingly. Even training can significantly improve company efficiency thanks to neuroscience. This article also discusses some experiments carried out by the Training Department of a large public transport company.

  2. Radiation use efficiency of rice under different planting methods and environmental conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apakupakul, R.

    1995-01-01

    Radiation use efficiency is an important parameter which has often been used in many crop growth models to estimate total biomass and yield. Studies of the relationships between above-ground biomass and accumulative absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (PARa, MJ/square m) of rice were examined both on-farms and on-station in Phatthalung. Planting methods were wet-sown and transplanted rice for Suphanburi 90 in the 1993 dry season and Chieng in the 1993-94 wet season. Solar radiation of the two growing seasons were calculated from climatic data. The objectives of this experiment were (1) to know the pattern of relationship between above-ground biomass and accumulative absorbed PAR of rice cultivars grown in South Thailand, (2) to compare the radiation use efficiency of rice cultivars under different planting methods and (3) to obtain the primary data for rice growth modelling in the southern climate. Results presented that only the duration of first growing period up to stem elongation in both cultivars, above-ground biomass and leaf area index were higher in wet-sown than in transplanted rice. Relationship between above-ground biomass accumulation through growing period and accumulative absorbed PAR was in positive linear regression with R*[2)0.85. Erect leaf of Suphanburi 90 had a radiation use efficiency (RUE, g/MJ) higher than non-erect leaf of Chieng. A problem of weed infestation in wet-sown rice in both cultivars had an effect on the RUE which were highly significant lower than transplanted rice. The Rue of wet-sown and transplanted rice were 2.77 and 3.20 g/MJ, respectively for Suphanburi 90, 2.13 and 2.67 g/MJ for Chieng. These results suggest that when dealing with radiation use efficiency in the rice growth modelling the differences of cultivars and planting methods should be taken into consideration

  3. A highly efficient machine planting system for forestry research plantations—the Wright-MSU method

    Science.gov (United States)

    James R. McKenna; Oriana Rueda-Krauss; Brian. Beheler

    2011-01-01

    For forestry research purposes, grid planting with uniform tree spacing is superior to planting with nonuniform spacing because it controls density across the plantation and facilitates accurate repeat measurements. The ability to cross-check tree positions in a grid-type plantation avoids problems associated with dead or missing trees and increases the efficiency and...

  4. Metaldyne: Plant-Wide Assessment at Royal Oak Finds Opportunities to Improve Manufacturing Efficiency, Reduce Energy Use, and Achieve Significant Cost Savings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2005-05-01

    This case study prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program describes a plant-wide energy assessment conducted at the Metaldyne, Inc., forging plant in Royal Oak, Michigan. The assessment focused on reducing the plant's operating costs, inventory, and energy use. If the company were to implement all the recommendations that came out of the assessment, its total annual energy savings for electricity would be about 11.5 million kWh and annual cost savings would be $12.6 million.

  5. Health physics practices and experience at Duke Power Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, L.

    1986-01-01

    The history and development of the health physics and as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) program at Duke Power Company's Oconee Nuclear Station is described as are the fundamental elements of the program and how the program works. The benefits of this health physics/ALARA program have been determined to be (a) improved quality of manpower planning and scheduling, (b) increased efficiency of shutdown activities, (c) reduced cost of shutdown, (d) immediate awareness of adverse job exposure trends, (e) better management information on exposure-related problems, (f) improved accuracy of personnel and job dose records, and (g) in general, improved outage performance and subsequent plant operation. Experience with the health physics/ALARA program is discussed in terms of (a) savings of critical path time, (b) maintaining ALARA personnel doses, and (c) record capacity factors

  6. Ways to Improve Russian Coal-Fired Power Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tumanovskii, A. G.; Olkhovsky, G. G.

    2015-01-01

    Coal is an important fuel for the electric power industry of Russia, especially in Ural and the eastern part of the country. It is fired in boilers of large (200 – 800 MW) condensing power units and in many cogeneration power plants with units rated at 50 – 180 MW. Many coal-fired power plants have been operated for more than 40 – 50 years. Though serviceable, their equipment is obsolete and does not comply with the current efficiency, environmental, staffing, and availability standards. It is urgent to retrofit and upgrade such power plants using advanced equipment, engineering and business ideas. Russian power-plant engineering companies have designed such advanced power units and their equipment such as boilers, turbines, auxiliaries, process and environmental control systems similar to those produced by the world’s leading manufacturers. Their performance and ways of implementation are discussed

  7. Ways to Improve Russian Coal-Fired Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tumanovskii, A. G., E-mail: vti@vti.ru; Olkhovsky, G. G. [JSC “All-Russia Thermal Engineering Institute,” (Russian Federation)

    2015-07-15

    Coal is an important fuel for the electric power industry of Russia, especially in Ural and the eastern part of the country. It is fired in boilers of large (200 – 800 MW) condensing power units and in many cogeneration power plants with units rated at 50 – 180 MW. Many coal-fired power plants have been operated for more than 40 – 50 years. Though serviceable, their equipment is obsolete and does not comply with the current efficiency, environmental, staffing, and availability standards. It is urgent to retrofit and upgrade such power plants using advanced equipment, engineering and business ideas. Russian power-plant engineering companies have designed such advanced power units and their equipment such as boilers, turbines, auxiliaries, process and environmental control systems similar to those produced by the world’s leading manufacturers. Their performance and ways of implementation are discussed.

  8. How efficient work biomass cogeneration plants? A survey of plant operators; Wie effizient arbeiten Biomasseheiz(kraft)werke? Befragung von Anlagenbetreibern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meiller, Martin; Jakuttis, Michael [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Umwelt-, Sicherheits- und Energietechnik UMSICHT, Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Germany); Binder, Samir [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Umwelt-, Sicherheits- und Energietechnik UMSICHT, Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Germany); Bayerischer Forschungsverbund Foreta, Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Germany)

    2013-03-01

    The use of biomass has increased very much in recent years. Due to the intensive use, the price of biomass fuels such as wood chips has increased substantially. This development bothers mainly biomass cogeneration plants. Many operators suffered considerable financial losses or even had to file for bankruptcy. The topic of efficiency is one of the central and critical success factors for the long-term viability of biomass-fired plants. (orig.)

  9. Targeting for energy efficiency and improved energy collaboration between different companies using total site analysis (TSA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hackl, Roman; Andersson, Eva; Harvey, Simon

    2011-01-01

    Rising fuel prices, increasing costs associated with emissions of green house gases and the threat of global warming make efficient use of energy more and more important. Industrial clusters have the potential to significantly increase energy efficiency by energy collaboration. In this paper Sweden's largest chemical cluster is analysed using the total site analysis (TSA) method. TSA delivers targets for the amount of utility consumed and generated through excess energy recovery by the different processes. The method enables investigation of opportunities to deliver waste heat from one process to another using a common utility system. The cluster consists of 5 chemical companies producing a variety of products, including polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), amines, ethylene, oxygen/nitrogen and plasticisers. The companies already work together by exchanging material streams. In this study the potential for energy collaboration is analysed in order to reach an industrial symbiosis. The overall heating and cooling demands of the site are around 442 MW and 953 MW, respectively. 122 MW of heat is produced in boilers and delivered to the processes. TSA is used to stepwise design a site-wide utility system which improves energy efficiency. It is shown that heat recovery in the cluster can be increased by 129 MW, i.e. the current utility demand could be completely eliminated and further 7 MW excess steam can be made available. The proposed retrofitted utility system involves the introduction of a site-wide hot water circuit, increased recovery of low pressure steam and shifting of heating steam pressure to lower levels in a number heat exchangers when possible. Qualitative evaluation of the suggested measures shows that 60 MW of the savings potential could to be achieved with moderate changes to the process utility system corresponding to 50% of the heat produced from purchased fuel in the boilers of the cluster. Further analysis showed that after implementation

  10. Application of integrated computer-aided engineering for design, construction and operation of nuclear power plant: practice and prospects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, K.S.; Lee, B.H.

    1988-01-01

    Computer-aided-engineering (CAE) is an essential tool for modern nuclear power plant engineering. It greatly varies in definition, application, and technology from project to project and company to company. Despite the fast growing technologies and applications of CAE, its complexity and variety have thrown another puzzle to management of a nuclear project. Without due consideration of an integrated CAE system in early planning stage, the overall efficiency of a nuclear project would slow down due to the inefficiency in data flow. In this application are discussed under the Korea Power engineering Company philosophy in CAE approach

  11. Linking plant functional trait plasticity and the large increase in forest water use efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastrotheodoros, Theodoros; Pappas, Christoforos; Molnar, Peter; Burlando, Paolo; Keenan, Trevor F.; Gentine, Pierre; Gough, Christopher M.; Fatichi, Simone

    2017-09-01

    Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to enhance photosynthesis and reduce stomatal conductance, thus increasing plant water use efficiency. A recent study based on eddy covariance flux observations from Northern Hemisphere forests showed a large increase in inherent water use efficiency (IWUE). Here we used an updated version of the same data set and robust uncertainty quantification to revisit these contemporary IWUE trends. We tested the hypothesis that the observed IWUE increase could be attributed to interannual trends in plant functional traits, potentially triggered by environmental change. We found that IWUE increased by 1.3% yr-1, which is less than previously reported but still larger than theoretical expectations. Numerical simulations with the Tethys-Chloris ecosystem model using temporally static plant functional traits cannot explain this increase. Simulations with plant functional trait plasticity, i.e., temporal changes in model parameters such as specific leaf area and maximum Rubisco capacity, match the observed trends in IWUE. Our results show that trends in plant functional traits, equal to 1.0% yr-1, can explain the observed IWUE trends. Thus, at decadal or longer time scales, trait plasticity could potentially influence forest water, carbon, and energy fluxes with profound implications for both the monitoring of temporal changes in plant functional traits and their representation in Earth system models.

  12. Application of diagnostic system for diesel engines in nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshinaga, Takeshi

    2004-01-01

    The diagnostic system for diesel engines makes a diagnosis of secular change and abnormal indications of diesel engines (DG) by combination of characteristic analysis of engine, lubricating oil, fuel oil, and cooling water. The principles of diagnostic system for DG, results of confirmation of the efficiency and the maintenance plan for DG in the Japan Atomic Power Company are described. DG in the company is classified to a safety device in order to supply the power source to the Emergency Core Cooling System etc., when the power source in the plant is lost, for example, at lightning struck. Characteristics of DG, outline of the diagnostic system for DG, diagnostic technologies such as engine signature analysis, chemical analysis of samples, temperature measurement, degradation mode of DG, and training in the company are stated. (S.Y.)

  13. Plant breeding with marker-assisted selection in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ney Sussumu Sakiyama

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Over the past three decades, molecular marker studies reached extraordinary advances, especially for sequencing and bioinformatics techniques. Marker-assisted selection became part of the breeding program routines of important seed companies, in order to accelerate and optimize the cultivar developing processes. Private seed companies increasingly use marker-assisted selection, especially for the species of great importance to the seed market, e.g. corn, soybean, cotton, and sunflower. In the Brazilian public institutions few breeding programs use it efficiently. The possible reasons are: lack of know-how, lack of appropriate laboratories, few validated markers, high cost, and lack of urgency in obtaining cultivars. In this article we analyze the use and the constraints of marker-assisted selection in plant breeding programs of Brazilian public institutes

  14. ANALYSIS OF THE ENERGY SYSTEM BALANCE EFFICIENCY PROVIDED WITH THE DIFFERENT GROUPS OF GENERATING PLANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Maksymovа

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Currently methods of efficiency analysis are being developed and applied, based on optimization tasks for various types and modes. Usually, the optimization criterion for these objectives is efficiency that can be calculated in various ways, for which there is no concurrent views. The target function based on minimization of given cost that allows comparing options with the same useful effect is used to search for the best indicators of power plants operated within the system. Marginal costs on the amount of difference in the useful effect are introduced to the target function in case of various useful effects. The criterion of selecting the best power plant from an economic point of view is the difference between the reduced costs of the considered and the basic options, but this approach does not allow using the results for long-term projections. Such approach depends on the situation and does not reflect the real costs. The value of the target function to optimize the effectiveness of the technical-economic method is not "marginal" and does not allow assessing the impact of various processes on the overall option efficiency. Therefore, the development of the efficiency criterion that considers the changing needs of the energy system is relevant for analyzing the power plant.

  15. Enhanced energy efficiency in waste water treatment plants; Steigerung der Energieeffizienz auf kommunalen Klaeranlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haberkern, Bernd; Maier, Werner; Schneider, Ursula [iat - Ingenieurberatung fuer Abwassertechnik, Darmstadt und Stuttgart, Darmstadt (Germany)

    2008-03-15

    In order to implement the requests of EU-IPCC-directive in a new decree for waste water treatment in Germany, best available techniques have to be defined to optimize energy efficiency in waste water treatment plants (WWTP). Therefore energy efficiency was investigated for common treatment processes and new technologies like membrane filtration, co-digestion or phosphorus recycling. In addition, the occurrence of different technologies for waste water and sludge treatment was evaluated for different size ranges of treatment plants (in population equivalents, PE) nationwide in Germany. The definition of actual and aimed values for specific energy consumption (in kWh/(PE.a)) allowed to calculate the potential energy savings in WWTP and the additional consumption due to new processes on a national level. Under consideration of the reciprocations between optimized energy consumption in WWTP and operation practice, toe-holds to increase energy efficiency according to their relevancy for the national balance could be listed. Case studies prove the feasibility of the investigated techniques and allow proposals for minimum requirements in legal regulation concerning energy efficiency in WWTP. (orig.)

  16. Highly Efficient Single-Step Enrichment of Low Abundance Phosphopeptides from Plant Membrane Preparations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Na Wu

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Mass spectrometry (MS-based large scale phosphoproteomics has facilitated the investigation of plant phosphorylation dynamics on a system-wide scale. However, generating large scale data sets for membrane phosphoproteins usually requires fractionation of samples and extended hands-on laboratory time. To overcome these limitations, we developed “ShortPhos,” an efficient and simple phosphoproteomics protocol optimized for research on plant membrane proteins. The optimized workflow allows fast and efficient identification and quantification of phosphopeptides, even from small amounts of starting plant materials. “ShortPhos” can produce label-free datasets with a high quantitative reproducibility. In addition, the “ShortPhos” protocol recovered more phosphorylation sites from membrane proteins, especially plasma membrane and vacuolar proteins, when compared to our previous workflow and other membrane-based data in the PhosPhAt 4.0 database. We applied “ShortPhos” to study kinase-substrate relationships within a nitrate-induction experiment on Arabidopsis roots. The “ShortPhos” identified significantly more known kinase-substrate relationships compared to previous phosphoproteomics workflows, producing new insights into nitrate-induced signaling pathways.

  17. Training Sessions and Materials Present Ways to Improve System Efficiency: OIT Technical Assistance Fact Sheet: Training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ericksen, E.

    1999-01-01

    Interested in learning about innovative ways to improve the efficiency of your plant's steam, electric motor, and compressed air systems? This US Department of Energy Office of Industrial Technologies fact sheet offers information regarding training sessions, teleconferences, and various training materials to teach you and your company ways to reduce energy use, save money, and reduce waste and pollution through system optimization

  18. A guide to environmental best practice for company transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-11-01

    Companies have a significant influence on the car fleet sector. The transport sector is a growing source of CO[sub 2] emissions. Companies should: nominate a manager to take responsibility for the company's overall environmental policy; purchase the most fuel-efficient vehicle for the purpose; arrange proper maintenance of all vehicles; set an energy target to reduce fuel consumption; measure the performance of company cars and provide training in safe and economical driving techniques; encourage the use of public transport or car sharing; and consider alternatives to distribution of products by road transport. 5 refs.

  19. Volumen 6 Número 10: The Efficiency in Thai Financial Sector after the Financial Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supachet Chansarn

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the efficiency in Thai financial sector after the financial crisis (1998 – 2004 by looking at the total factor productivity (TFP growth. Furthermore, the study also investigate the efficiency in commercial bank sector, finance and securities company sector and insurance company sector, and the efficiency in domestic and foreign financial companies. Based on the sample of 12 commercial banks, 13 finance and securities companies and 20 insurance companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET over the period of 1998 – 2204, our finding reveals that the efficiency in Thai financial sector, commercial bank sector and finance and securities company sector was diminishing over the period of 1998 – 2004, while the efficiency in insurance company sector remained unchanged over the same period. However, the sharp decrease in efficiency in these three sectors occurred only over the period of 1998 – 1999, while the efficiency was decreasing very slightly over the period of 1999 – 2004. The study also suggests that, in overall, domestic financial companies are more efficient than foreign ones. Domestic finance and securities companies are also more efficient than foreign ones, whereas domestic and foreign commercial banks are not different in efficiency. Moreover, domestic and foreign insurance companies are not different in efficiency as well.

  20. Managing Supplier Requirements with HSE Accounting The case of the Mechanical Engineering Company Bisma Jaya, Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Schaltegger

    2011-12-01

    the HSE performance of an Indonesian company as a response to customer audit requirements.  The company is a supplier of a large oil company and seeks for effective and efficient ways of HSE improvement. The paper unfolds benefits and limitations of narrow efficiency-oriented responses to rating systems and audits and highlights that efficiency considerations in HSE management are only partially useful and require complementing effectiveness considerations on HSE performance.

  1. Carolina Power and Light Company's computerized Radiological Information Management System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, B.A.

    1987-01-01

    Carolina Power and Lignt Company has recently implement a new version of their computerized Radiological Information management System. The new version was programmed in-house and is run on the Company's mainframe computers. In addition to providing radiation worker dose histories and current dose updates, the system provides real-time access control for all three of the Company's nuclear plants such as respirator and survey equipment control and inventory, TLD QC records, and many other functions

  2. Inside out: high-efficiency plant regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of upland and lowland switchgrass cultivars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yan-Rong; Cen, Hui-Fang; Yan, Jian-Ping; Zhang, Yun-Wei; Zhang, Wan-Jun

    2015-07-01

    Selection of pre-embryogenic callus from a core structure from mature seed-derived callus is the key for high-efficiency plant regeneration and transformation of switchgrass different cultivars. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been identified as a dedicated biofuel crop. For its trait improvement through biotechnological approaches, we have developed a highly efficient plant regeneration and genetic transformation protocol for both lowland and upland cultivars. We identified and separated a pre-embryogenic "core" structure from the seed-derived callus, which often leads to development of highly regenerative type II calluses. From the type II callus, plant regeneration rate of lowland cultivars Alamo and Performer reaches 95%, and upland cultivars Blackwell and Dacotah, 50 and 76%, respectively. The type II callus was also amenable for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transformation efficiency of 72.8% was achieved for lowland cultivar Alamo, and 8.0% for upland cultivar Dacotah. PCR, Southern blot and GUS staining assays were performed to verify the transgenic events. High regenerative callus lines could be established in 3 months, and transgenic plants could be obtained in 2 months after Agrobacterium infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report on successful plant regeneration and recovery of transgenic plants from upland switchgrass cultivars by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The method presented here could be helpful in breaking through the bottleneck of regeneration and transformation of lowland and upland switchgrass cultivars and probably other recalcitrant grass crops.

  3. EFFICIENCY OF THE USE OF HEAT PUMPS ON THE CHP PLANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juravleov A.A.

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available The work is dedicated to the calculus of the efficiency of the use of heat pumps on the CHP plants. There are presented the interdependences between the pay-back period and NPV of heat pump and the price of 1 kWt of thermal power of heat pump and of the tariff of electricity.

  4. Falling R and D in oil companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Creusen, H.; Minne, B.

    2000-01-01

    During the last decade, the research expenditures of the 11 major oil companies and two specialised oil engineers have dropped worldwide. To explain this trend, this article points to an R and D race among the companies and to certain common expectations. The race is due to the absence of knowledge spillovers across the companies, because they need to keep their process innovations secret. Common expectations regarding the high risks of research for new energy sources leads to wait-and-see behaviour instead of own research. A small increase in research efficiency partly compensates for the drop in R and D

  5. Influence of organisational culture on company performance

    OpenAIRE

    R.M. Yusuff; A. Busu; A. Rashid; N. Zulkifli

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The lack of organizational effort to assess cultural compatibility or fit prior to the engagement offirms has contributed to the failure of several mergers and acquisition. A Korean public listed company withmanufacturing plants in Malaysia and New Zealand found that the performances of the newly acquired plantswere significantly lower than the manufacturing plants in Korea.Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the influence of national culture on organizational culture andthe ...

  6. Alliances and partnering: A new relationship between oil/gas producing companies and service companies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gazi, N.H.; Hottman, W.E.; Logan, J.L.; Verrett, R.C.

    1995-01-01

    The current state of the energy industry finds both operating and service companies squeezed by lower prices and higher costs. Investment in exploration, equipment, and technology has been severely restricted. Many operators are responding to these harsh market conditions by re-engineering their work processes and focusing on core business activities. Re-engineered work processes encourage operators and service companies to work closely together. This motivates both to eliminate duplication, simplify processes, increase efficiency and capitalize on combined expertise to enhance production and optimize total system cost. Alliances and partnering are based on mutual trust and the commitment to add value to both organizations. Aligning interests is fundamental in establishing a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship. This paper presents an overview of these new relationships. The benefits and concerns of changing from traditional bidding agreements to new business arrangements between producing companies and service companies is discussed. Evaluation criteria for potential candidates, how to structure an alliance or partnering agreement, and a discussion of the key issues in the application of incentive contracts is presented

  7. The Staffing Policies of Swedish Companies at their Chinese Production Units

    OpenAIRE

    Dolinska, Nina; Hrlovic, Dzenita; Swane, Katarina

    2006-01-01

    Increasing production costs and high pressure from the consumers are leading Swedish companies towards an expansion to China. Since more and more companies are moving their production, we found it interesting to study the problems they might encounter while employing personnel. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse what staffing policies companies choose and variables that influence the decision at Swedish production plants in China. Ethnocentric, polycentric and geocentric polic...

  8. Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in wastewater treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants: Removal efficiency and exposure risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Chang-Gui; Liu, You-Sheng; Ying, Guang-Guo

    2016-12-01

    Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of chemicals with wide industrial and commercial applications, and have been received great attentions due to their persistence in the environment. The information about their presence in urban water cycle is still limited. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and removal efficiency of eighteen PFASs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and drinking water plants (DWTPs) with different treatment processes. The results showed that both perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) were the predominant compounds in the water phase of WWTPs and DWTPs, while PFOS was dominant in dewatered sludge of WWTPs. The average total PFASs concentrations in the three selected WWTPs were 19.6-232 ng/L in influents, 15.5-234 ng/L in effluents, and 31.5-49.1 ng/g dry weight in sludge. The distribution pattern of PFASs differed between the wastewater and sludge samples, indicating strong partition of PFASs with long carbon chains to sludge. In the WWTPs, most PFASs were not eliminated efficiently in conventional activated sludge treatment, while the membrane bio-reactor (MBR) and Unitank removed approximately 50% of long chain (C ≥ 8) perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). The daily mass loads of total PFASs in WWTPs were in the range of 1956-24773 mg in influent and 1548-25085 mg in effluent. PFASs were found at higher concentrations in the wastewater from plant A with some industrial wastewater input than from the other two plants (plant B and plant C) with mainly domestic wastewater sources. Meanwhile, the average total PFASs concentrations in the two selected DWTPs were detected at 4.74-14.3 ng/L in the influent and 3.34-13.9 ng/L in the effluent. In DWTPs, only granular activated carbon (GAC) and powder activated carbon (PAC) showed significant removal of PFASs. The PFASs detected in the tap water would not pose immediate health risks in the short term exposure. The findings from this

  9. MSR redesign and reconstruction at Indiana Michigan Power Company's Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yarden, A.L.; Tam, C.W.; Benes, J.D.; Arnold, W.E.

    1993-01-01

    When Indiana Michigan Power Company's (I and M) 1089- MWe, PWR, Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, (Cook 1) in Bridgeman, Michigan went into commercial operation in late 1975, its turbine generator included two Moisture Separator Reheater (MSR) vessels. Each of these original MSRs contained, in addition to the moisture separation section, a single stage 2-pass reheater consisting of 5/8 inch O.D., finned CuNi tubes with main heating steam as an energy source. The enormous size of the tube bank, with a vertical orientation of its tubes' U-bends, led the designer to choose two separate headers for the inlet side and outlet side of the tube bank. Over the years, these 2-pass reheaters had deteriorated mechanically such that maintenance costs had increased considerably. Also, the MSR performance in terms of MWe gain, had fallen off as a result of a gradual reduction of both superheat and moisture separation efficiency. In 1990, these MSRs were totally reconstructed with inherently different 4-pass reheaters and upgraded moisture separation systems. The performance and other direct parameters of these newly retrofitted and improved MSRs have exceeded original design specifications, and their operational stability has improved markedly. This MSR reconstruction at Cook 1 is the first of its kind to include a 4-pass reheater in association with a nuclear turbine generator of this design. This paper highlights the problems and solutions associated respectively with the original reheaters in the Cook 1 MSRs and their recent redesign, reconstruction, and performance

  10. Private companies – policy, proliferation, policing

    OpenAIRE

    Hicks, Andrew

    1998-01-01

    The Law Commission’s work reviewing the law on private companies and on partnership law creates a unique opportunity to focus on the long term needs of the small business sector. Andrew Hicks argues that small businesses should be given a real choice of corporate form, either the traditional limited company or a new and efficient “business corporation” which does not confer limited liability on its members. Article by Andrew Hicks (Solicitor, Senior lecturer, University of Exeter) published i...

  11. Development of a PF fired high efficiency power plant (AD700)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blum, R.; Kjaer, S.; Bugge, J. [DONG Energy Generation, Fredericia (Denmark)

    2007-05-15

    European efforts to start substantial improvements of the performance of well established supercritical coal-fired power technology named the AD700 project began in 1998. Major targets were development of austenitic materials and nickel-based superalloys for the hottest sections of boilers, steam lines and turbines. Other targets were development of boiler and turbine designs for the more advanced conditions and finally economic viability of the AD700 technology has been investigated. The project has been very successful and 40 partners from the European power industry have worked together in several projects co-funded by the European Commission for nearly years. Procurement of mature and commercially optimised AD700 plant could take place around 2015. The investigated nickel-based materials have shown very high creep strengths but they have also shown to be very hard to manufacture, and more efforts to define new machining lines are being started. Ongoing tests indicate that the developed austenitic material will fulfil its creep strength target and is now ready for commercialisation. Development works on boiler and turbine designs for the advanced steam conditions have also been successfully completed but they also clearly indicate that further development work on improved ferritic steel for furnace walls is important. Conventional development of the steam cycles is based on new improved materials, which open for higher steam temperatures and efficiencies whereas other thermodynamic tools are only slowly being accepted. However, in the present paper a proposal for steam cycle improvements not based on higher steam temperatures is presented. The improved cycle is named the Master Cycle (MC) and it is based on a revision of the double reheat steam cycle where the bleeds of the IP turbines have been moved to a feed pump turbine bleeding on the first cold reheat line. Elsam has established protection of a patent for the MC in a number of countries. At constant main

  12. A Mathematical Approach to Supply Complexity Management Efficiency Evaluation for Supply Chain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changhee Kim

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to identify the factors of complexity due to the globalization of supply chain and to measure the management efficiency of the factors which cause the supply complexity within supply chain. This study conducts an analysis to utilize linear programming and bootstrapping, targeting 12 Korean companies among the selected companies in Fortune Global 500. According to the results from the analysis, 4 companies with relatively high management efficiency of the factors which cause the supply complexity and 8 companies with relatively low management efficiency are found. The research findings reveal that public companies with the small number of products, factories, and providers relatively manage the supply complexity compared to private companies. Moreover, this study suggests projection point as a direction for relatively less efficient companies and excess quantity of input which should reduce for its achievement. This study also has an implication to establish a further standard of efficiency to manage the supply complexity for companies.

  13. Suffield a cornucopia for Alberta energy company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, A.

    1995-01-01

    Operations of the Alberta Energy Company's (AEC) Suffield properties in southern Alberta, the company's major production area, were reviewed. With a staff of just over 100, Suffield was said to produce an average of 180 million cubic feet of natural gas and more than 4100 barrels of oil per day. Suffield's remaining reserves were estimated to be 814 billion cubic feet of gas and 6.4 million barrels of oil. The field was expected to be in production for the next 20 years. A master plan to minimize normal field decline and control operating costs at Suffield was developed by AEC. Cloning gas storage plants was one of the methods used by for cost control. Designing and constructing identical gas plants was another means of producing major savings, especially in areas such as equipment purchase, and construction

  14. Nitrogen Removal Efficiency at Centralized Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plants in Bangkok, Thailand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pongsak Noophan

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, influents and effluents from centralized domestic wastewater treatment systems in Bangkok (Rattanakosin, Dindaeng, Chongnonsi, Nongkhaem, and Jatujak were randomly collected in order to measure organic nitrogen plus ammonium-nitrogen (total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total organic carbon, total suspended solids, and total volatile suspended solids by using Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater 1998. Characteristics of influent and effluent (primary data of the centralized domestic wastewater treatment system from the Drainage and Sewerage Department of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration were used to analyze efficiency of systems. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH was used to identify specific nitrifying bacteria (ammonium oxidizing bacteria specific for Nitrosomonas spp. and nitrite oxidizing bacteria specific for Nitrobacter spp. and Nitrospira spp.. Although Nitrosomonas spp. and Nitrobacter spp. were found, Nitrospira spp. was most prevalent in the aeration tank of centralized wastewater treatment systems. Almost all of the centralized domestic wastewater treatment plants in Bangkok are designed for activated sludge type biological nutrient removal (BNR. However, low efficiency nitrogen removal was found at centralized wastewater treatment plants in Bangkok. Influent ratio of TOC:N at centralized treatment plant is less than 2.5. Centralized wastewater treatment systems have not always been used suitability and used successfully in some areas of Bangkok Thailand.

  15. Chinese Companies in Switzerland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Kessler

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, some of China’s leading firms have made headlines with their European expansion, by either opening new facilities or by acquiring or merging with significant enterprises in Europe. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature by examining Chinese enterprises expanding into Switzerland. The study also allows some conclusions for Chinese companies entering Central and Eastern Europe. We analyze via interviews the motivations of Chinese companies to expand into Switzerland as well as their behavior and the impediments in their internationalization process. Our findings show that Chinese companies fail to take advantage of certain benefits of western economies (such as open information and stable rule of law. To move forward efficiently, they should develop competence in dealing systematically with readily available market information, building professional networks that recognize a separation between business life and personal life, and managing their Chinese and foreign employees in the foreign cultural environment.

  16. ASSEMBLY LINE BALANCING in a CLOTHING COMPANY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HASNALCACI Kubra

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Assembly lines take the attention of researchers and companies because of its great effect on efficiency. Efficiency in assembly lines has an important role on cost and quality which are the basic fundamentals of competition. Assembly lines contain a number of workstations and tasks (jobs are processed in these stations and are moved from station to station. The tasks are assigned to each station regarding a cycle time. The cycle time is the maximum available time for the production of a job at any workstation. The assingning of jobs to workstations is based on the objective of minimizing the workflow among the workstations, reducing the throughput time as well as the work in progress and thus increasing productivity. If the jobs are not allocated in balance, this will cause idle workstations and waste of workforce besides the loss of overall efficiency. In this study, an assebly line balancing problem was examined for a five pocket denim trousers in a clothing company. Firstly, priority associations and standard durations of operations of denim trousers were determined. Then, assembly line balancing study was carried out by using ranked positional weights assembly line balancing method developed by Helgeson and Birnie to increase the production in a clothing company manufacturing five pocket denim trousers.

  17. Human reliability and plant operating efficiency: Are 12-hour work schedules cause for concern?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, T.L.

    1992-01-01

    Since the introduction of 12-h shifts to the US nuclear power industry only 8 yr ago, compressed workweek schedules have proliferated among operations departments at a phenomenal rate. Many plants that continue to use 8-h shifts during normal operations routinely change to scheduled 12-h shifts during refueling or maintenance outages. The most critical issue in the use of extended work shifts is whether alertness, physical stamina, or mental performance are compromised to the point of reducing safety or efficiency of nuclear power plant operation. Laboratory and field research sponsored by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health suggests that alertness, measured by self-ratings, and mental performance, measured by computer-based performance tests, are impaired on 12-h shifts compared with 8-h shifts. In contrast to these findings, plant operating efficiency and operator performance have been rated as improved in two field studies conducted in operating nuclear power plants (Fast Flux Test Facility, Washington and Ontario Hydro, Canada). A recent Electric Power Research Institute review of nuclear industry experience with 12-h shifts also suggests an overwhelmingly positive rating of 12-h schedules from both control room operators and management

  18. An evaluation of EDTA additions for improving the phytoremediation efficiency of different plants under various cultivation systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jie; Qi, Shihua; Gu, X W Sophie; Wang, Jinji; Xie, Xianming

    2016-05-01

    Previous studies have shown that phytoremediation usually requires soil amendments, such as chelates, to mobilize low bioavailability heavy metals for better plant absorption and, consequently, for remediation efficiency. A total dry biomass of 3.39 and 0.0138 kg per plant was produced by a phytoremediator, Eucalyptus globulus, and a nitrogen fixing crop, Cicer arietinum (chickpea), respectively. The accumulation of Pb in E. globulus and chickpea reached 1170.61 and 1.33 mg per plant (700 and 324 mg kg(-1)), respectively, under an ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment, which was a five and sixfold increase over the value in untreated experiments, respectively. EDTA enhanced the phytoremediation efficiency and increased the heavy metal concentration in the soil solution. In pot experiments, approximately 27 % of the initial Pb leached from the spiked soil after EDTA and 25 mm artificial precipitation additions into soil without plants, which was considerably larger than the value under the same conditions without EDTA application (7 %). E. globulus planted in a mixed culture had higher water use efficiency than monocultures of either species in field experiments, and E. globulus intercepted almost all of the artificial precipitation in the pot experiments. This study demonstrates that E. globulus can maximize the potential of EDTA for improving the phytoremediation efficiency and minimizing its negative effects to the environment simultaneously by absorbing the metal-rich leachate, especially in a mixed culture of E. globulus and chickpeas.

  19. Power up your plant - An introduction to integrated process and power automation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vasel, Jeffrey

    2010-09-15

    This paper discusses how a single integrated system can increase energy efficiency, improve plant uptime, and lower life cycle costs. Integrated Process and Power Automation is a new system integration architecture and power strategy that addresses the needs of the process and power generation industries. The architecture is based on Industrial Ethernet standards such as IEC 61850 and Profinet as well as Fieldbus technologies. The energy efficiency gains from integration are discussed in a power generation use case. A power management system success story from a major oil and gas company, Petrobras, is also discussed.

  20. Computation of full energy peak efficiency for nuclear power plant radioactive plume using remote scintillation gamma-ray spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grozdov, D S; Kolotov, V P; Lavrukhin, Yu E

    2016-04-01

    A method of full energy peak efficiency estimation in the space around scintillation detector, including the presence of a collimator, has been developed. It is based on a mathematical convolution of the experimental results with the following data extrapolation. The efficiency data showed the average uncertainty less than 10%. Software to calculate integral efficiency for nuclear power plant plume was elaborated. The paper also provides results of nuclear power plant plume height estimation by analysis of the spectral data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Changes in plant water use efficiency over the recent past reconstructed using palaeo plant records from the boreal forest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagen, M.; Finsinger, W.; McCarroll, D.; Wagner, F.

    2009-04-01

    The Boreal forests contains 33% of the earth's forest cover and are located at the latitude where most of the estimated global warming is predicted to occur. Warming as a consequence of rising carbon dioxide will affect evapotranspiration within the biome, with significant consequences given that water vapour is an important greenhouse gas. However, there is also a physiological forcing associated with the effects of rising carbon dioxide on plants. Higher atmospheric carbon dioxide will reduce evapotraspiration because tree stomata tend to close under elevated carbon dioxide. The warming associated with reduced evapotranspiration is known as carbon dioxide physiological forcing and it is not well constrained. Here we suggest that future predictions of evapotranspiration flux within the Boreal forest zone might be more accurately gauged by taking account of palaeo evidence of changing plant water use efficiency and stomatal density in the two most important Boreal plant species: Pinus sylvestris and Betula nana. Stable carbon isotope ratios in tree ring cellulose and stomatal density measurements, from preserved leaves falling on the forest floor, hold a record of the plant physiological changes associated with adjustment to rising carbon dioxide. We present evidence that, rather than plants simply closing their stomatal apertures under recent elevated carbon dioxide, over the last 150 years reduced evapotranspiration in the northern Boreal forest has been associated with a powerful plastic response including reductions in stomatal conductance via changes in stomatal density and pore length. Furthermore we present evidence that trees may be reaching the limits of their ability to respond plastically to rising carbon dioxide by increasing their water use efficiency.

  2. Maintenance of EDF nuclear power plants and servicing companies. Progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baize, Jean-Marc; Reveillon, Sylvie

    1997-01-01

    French Electricity Company (EDF - Electricite de France) and the associated servicing companies, engaged in maintenance partnership from 1991, reinforce and expand their policy by undersigning a progress charter, to cope with the safety and nuclear sector competition issues. This charter stipulates the mutual engagements in the following sectors: 1. Transparency in calling for servicing; 2. Development of the intervenors' professionalism; 3. Improvement in forecasting activity tasks; 4. Radioprotection; 5. Safety and working conditions. The 55 reactors of the EDF nuclear stock are stopped annually for around 6 weeks for refueling. On this occasion the essential maintenance works necessary to ensure the optimal safety of the installations are carried out. The maintenance requires the intervention of 30,000 employees, 10,000 EDF agents and 20,000 external intervenors and represents an amount of 14 million working hours. The full maintenance expenses amounts up to 11 billion FF in 1996, 6 billion of which are assigned to external companies

  3. Should a small combined heat and power plant (CHP) open to its regional power and heat networks? Integrated economic, energy, and emergy evaluation of optimization plans for Jiufa CHP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, T.; Lu, H.F.; Wu, W.L.; Campbell, D.E.; Zhao, G.S.; Zou, J.H.; Chen, J.

    2008-01-01

    The development of industrial ecology has led company managers to increasingly consider their company's niche in the regional system, and to develop optimization plans. We used emergy-based, ecological-economic synthesis to evaluate two optimization plans for the Jiufa Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant, Shandong China. In addition, we performed economic input-output analysis and energy analysis on the system. The results showed that appropriately incorporating a firm with temporary extra productivity into its regional system will help maximize the total productivity and improve ecological-economic efficiency and benefits to society, even without technical optimization of the firm itself. In addition, developing a closer relationship between a company and its regional system will facilitate the development of new optimization opportunities. Small coal-based CHP plants have lower-energy efficiency, higher environmental loading, and lower sustainability than large fossil fuel and renewable energy-based systems. The emergy exchange ratio (EER) proved to be an important index for evaluating the vitality of highly developed ecological-economic systems

  4. Adding further efficiencies to the laundry and hospitality industries : comissoned by CompanyX

    OpenAIRE

    Skews, Mark

    2015-01-01

    This dissertation investigates the number of customers who rent laundry from CompanyX and experience problems with the service process that they receive. The research gauges the significance of the problems experienced and explores what technologies could enhance the service processes of CompanyX. The research methodology used was an internet based customer survey, to empirically determine the quantity of customers who experience service process problems. Further investigation was perfo...

  5. The Evaluation of Financing Efficiency of China’s Stock Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji-chang Dong

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Financing is the main way for listed companies to obtain funds in China, and it is the “reservoir” which can guarantee enterprises to operate continuously. Financing efficiency can be used to measure the efficiency in using enterprises’ own funds, and it is one of the main indicators which are concerned by the stakeholders of listed companies. This paper mainly researches on the impact of equity financing on the financing efficiency of listed companies as a whole and selects 300 listed companies in the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange as decision-making units. Then this paper analyzes the financial data of sample companies in 2008–2014. Finally, it can be concluded that the financing efficiency of listed companies in China is generally low, and the total factor productivity in the stock market continued to decline between 2003 and 2005 and then rose rapidly.

  6. Retrofit of ammonia plant for improving energy efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panjeshahi, M.H.; Ghasemian Langeroudi, E.; Tahouni, N.

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this work is to perform a retrofit study of an ammonia plant, in purpose of improving energy efficiency. As a common practice, one can divide an ammonia plant into two parts: the hot-end and the cold-end. In the hot section, two different options are investigated that both lead to a threshold condition and achieve maximum energy saving. The first option covers only process-to-process energy integration, while the second option considers some modification in the convection section of the primary reformer through a new arrangement of the heating coils. Thus, a considerable reduction in cooling water, HP steam and fuel gas consumption is achieved. In the cold section, retrofit study is dominated by reducing the amount of shaft work or power consumption in the refrigeration system. Application of the Combined Pinch and Exergy Analysis revealed that part of the shaft work, which was originally being used, was inefficient and could have been avoided in a well-integrated design. Therefore, by proposing optimum refrigeration levels, reasonable saving (15%) in power consumption was observed without the need for new investment

  7. Education and research when dismantling nuclear plants at the Technical University Dresden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hurtado, A.; Anthofer, A.; Cloppenborg, T.; Schreier, M.

    2013-01-01

    With the decision by the German government in 2011 to revoke the operating permission from 8 of the existing 17 German nuclear power plants, the responsibility of decommissioning and dismantling these plants has moved back into the focus of public awareness. Under the current legal conditions, the last nuclear plant will be disconnected from the grid on 31.12.2022 and this will create an enormous challenge for all the involved approving authorities, expert organisations, as well as companies involved in dismantling the plants. The development of new and efficient dismantling technologies and strategies is required to perform these highly responsible tasks. On the other hand, the nuclear competence and knowhow, as well as the promotion of young talents in the relevant scientific fields must be preserved. Technological and economic solutions are in demand for the various plants due to the different specifics of nuclear power plants. This will still require e.g. in the field of radiation protection highly qualified and well trained staff in future. The training of these skilled employees will require expanding the subject matter taught at universities, colleges and polytechnics to suit the changed parameters. The chair for hydrogen and nuclear energy technology at the TU Dresden will in future offer lectures as part of a new teaching discipline with the focus on dismantling and disposal. The course 'Dismantling nuclear power plants' took place for the first time in the summer semester 2013. It is organised as a three-day block seminar with an excursion to the company NIS Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH in Alzenau. The company NIS is a subsidiary of the Siempelkamp Nukleartechnik GmbH. This article intends to provide an overview of the contents of the courses and the impressions of the participants. In this way the TU Dresden is making a further contribution to preserving nuclear competence and inter-disciplinary dialogue. (orig.)

  8. Inquiry relating to modifications of reactor installation in Genkai No. 1 and 2 nuclear power plants of Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    Application was made to the Minister of International Trade and Industry for the license relating to the modifications of reactor installation in the Genkai No. 1 and 2 nuclear power plants, Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc., on February 27, 1979, from the president of the company. After the safety evaluation was finished by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, inquiry was conducted to the head of the Atomic Energy Safety Commission (AESC) on June 15, 1979 from the Minister of International Trade and Industry. The investigation and discussion were commenced by the AESC on June 19, 1979. The modifications of the reactor installation are the increase of new fuel storage capacity from about 1/3 to about 2/3 of in-core fuel for each plant, the new establishment of a miscellaneous solid waste incinerator which is common to both plants, and the enlargement of a solid waste storage which is also common to both plants. The contents of the safety examination for each item written above are presented. The prevention of criticality is carefully practiced for the new fuel storage by putting fuel assemblies in stainless steel can type racks and locating the fuel assemblies at the proper distance. The miscellaneous solid waste incinerator building is designed as the B class aseismatic structure and also as the controlled area with adequate shielding and ventilating facilities. The decontamination factor of the incinerator facility is more than 10 5 , and the necessary monitoring system is provided in the building. Concerning the solid waste storage, the additional storage area is about 1600 m 2 , and the storage capacity is about ten years quantity. This building is designed as the B class aseismatic structure. (Nakai, Y.)

  9. Internationalization Process of Thai Office Furniture Company in India: A case study of Rockworth Public Company Limited

    OpenAIRE

    netwong, weeraya; trakarnthai, priyawat

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis is to study the internationalization process by investigate how Rockworth Public Company Limited manage internationalization in Indian market efficiently. Additionally, we aim to improve our understanding and knowledge in international business comprehensively.

  10. Efficiency of municipal service providers in the Republic of Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alemka Šegota

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Municipal services, such as the collection, removal and disposal of waste, are just some of the necessary activities carried out by public authorities. Efficient management and utilization of public resources improves the general well-being of a community, and benefits especially the users of municipal services. Hence, the optimal provision of public services is essential. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of municipal services, related primarily to waste collection and disposal, and other related municipal services. The purpose of the paper is to determine the relative cost efficiency of twenty public utility companies that collect household waste in different Croatian cities and surrounding municipalities. The method employed in the study is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA, using a non-controllable input-oriented model with variable returns to scale. In addition to the relative efficiency results of each utility company, by means of projections on the efficiency frontier, sources and amounts of relative inefficiency were determined, which represent potential improvements for all inefficient utility companies. The results indicate that all inefficient utility companies can improve their efficiency by reducing the corresponding inputs. Thus, company material costs should be drastically reduced, i.e., the relatively inefficient utility company (with the exception of two companies should reduce costs by at least 50%. Considering employee costs, half of the relatively inefficient utility companies should reduce such costs by up to 50%, while the other half should reduce those costs by 58.11% to about 70%. Furthermore, five of the inefficient companies should reduce total assets input by a relatively small amount (up to 38.00%, whereas the remaining seven companies should reduce the company's total assets from 60.96% to 70.99%. This means that management at inefficient companies take into account the obtained results when making decisions in

  11. Conversion of Ulba Metallurgy Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onoprienko, O.

    1996-01-01

    General Information 'Ulba Metallurgical plant' Joint Stock Company successfully operates for more than 46 years. The plant was established by MINSREDMASH, USSR and at the present moment has finished complexes for production of nuclear fuel for atomic power stations, tantalum and superconducting materials production, beryllium, hydrofluoric acid manufacture and engineering production. Problem Essence In spite of the monopoly possession of tantalum manufacture, beryllium and uranium fuel, superconducting materials in Commonwealth of Independent States countries, company has serious financial problems due to the critical situation in Commonwealth of Independent States countries, production ties collapse and fast market demand decrease for the Ulba Metallurgical Plant Joint Stock Company products. The alternative decision is to create substitute productions, conversion integrating and introducing new products to the world market

  12. How organizational and global factors condition the effects of energy efficiency on CO_2 emission rebounds among the world's power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grant, Don; Jorgenson, Andrew K.; Longhofer, Wesley

    2016-01-01

    The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and several nations suggest that energy efficiency is an effective strategy for reducing energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Skeptics contend that because efficiency lowers the price of energy and energy services, it may actually increase demand for them, causing total emissions to rise. While both sides of this debate have researched the magnitude of these so-called rebound effects among end-use consumers, researchers have paid less attention to the conditions under which direct rebounds cause CO_2 emissions to rise among industrial producers. In particular, researchers have yet to explore how organizational and global factors might condition the effects of efficiency on emissions among power plants, the world's most concentrated sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Here we use a unique dataset containing nearly every fossil-fuel power plant in the world to determine whether the impact of efficiency on emissions varies by plants' age, size, and location in global economic and normative systems. Findings reveal that each of these factors has a significant interaction with efficiency and thus shapes environmentally destructive rebound effects. - Highlights: •Skeptics charge that energy efficiency may actually cause CO_2 emissions to rise. •Few have examined whether such rebound effects occur among power plants. •Little also known about whether plants' organizational and global characteristics condition rebounds. •Conduct first analysis of rebound effects among the world's power plants. •Rebounds found to depend on plants' age, size, and location in international economic and normative systems.

  13. Performance analysis of US coal-fired power plants by measuring three DEA efficiencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki; Goto, Mika; Ueno, Takahiro

    2010-01-01

    Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been widely used for performance evaluation of many organizations in private and public sectors. This study proposes a new DEA approach to evaluate the operational, environmental and both-unified performance of coal-fired power plants that are currently operating under the US Clean Air Act (CAA). The economic activities of power plants examined by this study are characterized by four inputs, a desirable (good) output and three undesirable (bad) outputs. This study uses Range-Adjusted Measure (RAM) because it can easily incorporate both desirable and undesirable outputs in the unified analytical structure. The output unification proposed in this study has been never investigated in the previous DEA studies even though such a unified measure is essential in guiding policy makers and corporate leaders. Using the proposed DEA approach, this study finds three important policy implications. First, the CAA has been increasingly effective on their environmental protection. The increased environmental performance leads to the enhancement of the unified efficiency. Second, the market liberalization/deregulation was an important business trend in the electric power industry. Such a business trend was legally prepared by US Energy Policy Act (EPAct). According to the level of the market liberalization, the United States is classified into regulated and deregulated states. This study finds that the operational and unified performance of coal-fired power plants in the regulated states outperforms those of the deregulated states because the investment on coal-fired power plants in the regulated states can be utilized as a financial tool under the rate-of-return criterion of regulation. The power plants in the deregulated states do not have such a regulation premium. Finally, plant managers need to balance between their environmental performance and operational efficiency.

  14. CRISPR-Cas9; an efficient tool for precise plant genome editing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Waqar

    2018-04-03

    Efficient plant genome editing is dependent upon induction of double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) through site specified nucleases. These DSBs initiate the process of DNA repair which can either base upon homologous recombination (HR) or non-homologous end jointing (NHEJ). Recently, CRISPR-Cas9 mechanism got highlighted as revolutionizing genetic tool due to its simpler frame work along with the broad range of adaptability and applications. So, in this review, I have tried to sum up the application of this biotechnological tool in plant genome editing. Furthermore, I have tried to explain successful adaptation of CRISPR in various plant species where it is used for the successful generation of stable mutations in a steadily growing number of species through NHEJ. The review also sheds light upon other biotechnological approaches relying upon single DNA lesion induction such as genomic deletion or pair wise nickases for evasion of offsite effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Efficient production of electricity and water in cogeneration systems. [Desalination plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tadros, S.K.

    1981-11-01

    This paper discusses two topping cycle steam turbine cogeneration systems. The water desalination plant selected is the multistage flash evaporator cycle which uses brine recirculation and high temperature additives for scale protection and 233F maximum brine temperature. The paper mentions briefly the impact of future fuel prices on design and factors which would further improve thermal efficiency. The fuel chargeable to power is determined. 6 refs.

  16. Efficient sequential and parallel algorithms for planted motif search.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolae, Marius; Rajasekaran, Sanguthevar

    2014-01-31

    Motif searching is an important step in the detection of rare events occurring in a set of DNA or protein sequences. One formulation of the problem is known as (l,d)-motif search or Planted Motif Search (PMS). In PMS we are given two integers l and d and n biological sequences. We want to find all sequences of length l that appear in each of the input sequences with at most d mismatches. The PMS problem is NP-complete. PMS algorithms are typically evaluated on certain instances considered challenging. Despite ample research in the area, a considerable performance gap exists because many state of the art algorithms have large runtimes even for moderately challenging instances. This paper presents a fast exact parallel PMS algorithm called PMS8. PMS8 is the first algorithm to solve the challenging (l,d) instances (25,10) and (26,11). PMS8 is also efficient on instances with larger l and d such as (50,21). We include a comparison of PMS8 with several state of the art algorithms on multiple problem instances. This paper also presents necessary and sufficient conditions for 3 l-mers to have a common d-neighbor. The program is freely available at http://engr.uconn.edu/~man09004/PMS8/. We present PMS8, an efficient exact algorithm for Planted Motif Search. PMS8 introduces novel ideas for generating common neighborhoods. We have also implemented a parallel version for this algorithm. PMS8 can solve instances not solved by any previous algorithms.

  17. Integrated marketing communication plan : Case company: Dr. Johanna Budwig

    OpenAIRE

    Pham, Van

    2013-01-01

    The study’s research topic is integrated marketing communication and this is a product-oriented thesis. This study is made to create an efficient integrated marketing communication plan for the case company Dr. Johanna Budwig. The main product line in focus is flaxseed oil, which is very healthy and also good in preventing different diseases including cancer. The company home market, Germany, is the target market of the study. The objective set by the company is to increase sales by 10000, wh...

  18. Logistic strategies in purchasing process of metallurgical companies

    OpenAIRE

    Grzybowska, K.; Gajdzik, B.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents some selected logistic strategies concerning purchasing process in production companies. Costs referring to realizing and organizing purchasing process are a substantial part of total costs of a company. In order to make a company’s purchasing and supply processes efficient, it is necessary to take some steps to prepare purchasing strategy. This operation was the reason for presenting the subject in this study.

  19. Process safety management implementation in Pertamina - Badak LNG plant; Mise en pratique de la gestion de la securite Pertamina - usine de PT Badak

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amsyari, M.; Sunarmo, J. [PT Badak NGL (Indonesia)

    2000-07-01

    The Badak LNG Plant is located in Bontang, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, and owned by Pertamina (Indonesian Government Oil Company). The total production is about 18.00 million tones per annum of LNG. In the year 2000 the total LNG production of the Badak LNG Plant will be about 21.64 million tones per annum, produced from eight LNG Trains. These company milestones and other achievements are based on the Pertamina initiatives in 1977 to build two LNG Trains in Bontang. In order to maintain continuous supply of LNG to the buyers, Badak LNG Plant Management has established The Company Philosophy i.e. To Operate the Badak LNG Plant Safely, Reliably and Efficiently. Process Safety Management has been implemented in the Badak LNG Plant to fulfill The Company Policy. Management of Change, one of the Process Safety Management elements, is considered the most important element in the support of the Plant operations of the Badak LNG Plant. This paper will explore the Badak LNG Plant Experiences to apply Management Of Change starting with the initial implementation. The Badak LNG Plant Management Of Change is divided into three stages i.e. Evaluation/Study Stage, Safety Review Stage and Documentation Stage. These three stages are combined into a single component referred to as the 'Project Flow Of Work'. In order to ensure that the Safety Review Stage can be conducted in a timely manner to support the 'Project Flow of Work', the Badak LNG Plant has developed and established a 'Hazops Committee'. This group consists of multi disciplined members and is chaired by the Process Engineering Section Head. A high commitment and consistent application of Management Of Change has helped the Badak LNG Plant succeed to fulfill the Company Philosophy especially related to Safety. Up to the end of July 1999, the Badak LNG Plant had achieved 50 Million Working Hours without a lost time accident. (authors)

  20. Process safety management implementation in Pertamina - Badak LNG plant; Mise en pratique de la gestion de la securite Pertamina - usine de PT Badak

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amsyari, M; Sunarmo, J [PT Badak NGL (Indonesia)

    2000-07-01

    The Badak LNG Plant is located in Bontang, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, and owned by Pertamina (Indonesian Government Oil Company). The total production is about 18.00 million tones per annum of LNG. In the year 2000 the total LNG production of the Badak LNG Plant will be about 21.64 million tones per annum, produced from eight LNG Trains. These company milestones and other achievements are based on the Pertamina initiatives in 1977 to build two LNG Trains in Bontang. In order to maintain continuous supply of LNG to the buyers, Badak LNG Plant Management has established The Company Philosophy i.e. To Operate the Badak LNG Plant Safely, Reliably and Efficiently. Process Safety Management has been implemented in the Badak LNG Plant to fulfill The Company Policy. Management of Change, one of the Process Safety Management elements, is considered the most important element in the support of the Plant operations of the Badak LNG Plant. This paper will explore the Badak LNG Plant Experiences to apply Management Of Change starting with the initial implementation. The Badak LNG Plant Management Of Change is divided into three stages i.e. Evaluation/Study Stage, Safety Review Stage and Documentation Stage. These three stages are combined into a single component referred to as the 'Project Flow Of Work'. In order to ensure that the Safety Review Stage can be conducted in a timely manner to support the 'Project Flow of Work', the Badak LNG Plant has developed and established a 'Hazops Committee'. This group consists of multi disciplined members and is chaired by the Process Engineering Section Head. A high commitment and consistent application of Management Of Change has helped the Badak LNG Plant succeed to fulfill the Company Philosophy especially related to Safety. Up to the end of July 1999, the Badak LNG Plant had achieved 50 Million Working Hours without a lost time accident. (authors)

  1. High-efficiency Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and regeneration of insect-resistant transgenic plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehrotra, Meenakshi; Sanyal, Indraneel; Amla, D V

    2011-09-01

    To develop an efficient genetic transformation system of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), callus derived from mature embryonic axes of variety P-362 was transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring p35SGUS-INT plasmid containing the uidA gene encoding β-glucuronidase (GUS) and the nptII gene for kanamycin selection. Various factors affecting transformation efficiency were optimized; as Agrobacterium suspension at OD(600) 0.3 with 48 h of co-cultivation period at 20°C was found optimal for transforming 10-day-old MEA-derived callus. Inclusion of 200 μM acetosyringone, sonication for 4 s with vacuum infiltration for 6 min improved the number of GUS foci per responding explant from 1.0 to 38.6, as determined by histochemical GUS assay. For introducing the insect-resistant trait into chickpea, binary vector pRD400-cry1Ac was also transformed under optimized conditions and 18 T(0) transgenic plants were generated, representing 3.6% transformation frequency. T(0) transgenic plants reflected Mendelian inheritance pattern of transgene segregation in T(1) progeny. PCR, RT-PCR, and Southern hybridization analysis of T(0) and T(1) transgenic plants confirmed stable integration of transgenes into the chickpea genome. The expression level of Bt-Cry protein in T(0) and T(1) transgenic chickpea plants was achieved maximum up to 116 ng mg(-1) of soluble protein, which efficiently causes 100% mortality to second instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera as analyzed by an insect mortality bioassay. Our results demonstrate an efficient and rapid transformation system of chickpea for producing non-chimeric transgenic plants with high frequency. These findings will certainly accelerate the development of chickpea plants with novel traits.

  2. Combined cycle versus one thousand diesel power plants: pollutant emissions, ecological efficiency and economic analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silveira, Jose Luz; de Carvalho, Joao Andrade; de Castro Villela, Iraides Aparecida

    2007-01-01

    The increase in the use of natural gas in Brazil has stimulated public and private sectors to analyse the possibility of using combined cycle systems for generation of electrical energy. Gas turbine combined cycle power plants are becoming increasingly common due to their high efficiency, short lead times, and ability to meet environmental standards. Power is produced in a generator linked directly to the gas turbine. The gas turbine exhaust gases are sent to a heat recovery steam generator to produce superheated steam that can be used in a steam turbine to produce additional power. In this paper a comparative study between a 1000 MW combined cycle power plant and 1000kW diesel power plant is presented. In first step, the energetic situation in Brazil, the needs of the electric sector modification and the needs of demand management and integrated means planning are clarified. In another step the characteristics of large and small thermoelectric power plants that use natural gas and diesel fuel, respectively, are presented. The ecological efficiency levels of each type of power plant is considered in the discussion, presenting the emissions of particulate material, sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ). (author)

  3. Evaluation of energy efficiency opportunities of a typical Moroccan cement plant: Part I. Energy analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fellaou, S.; Bounahmidi, T.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • We have analyzed the degree of freedom of the overall system. • We validated the redundant measurements by the Lagrange multipliers technique. • We have analyzed the mass and the energy balances by two approaches. • We identified the factors that penalize the energetic performance of the whole plant. • We assessed options to improve energy efficiency of the entire cement plant. - Abstract: The cement industry is one of Morocco’s most highly energy intensive economic sectors. It suffers from abnormally high cost of energy supplies, representing more than two thirds of the cost of cement; the first item of expenditure is electricity and fuel with 40% and 30% respectively. Herefor, much more effort is needed to make the cement sector reach energy saving targets set by the Moroccan energy efficiency strategy. The present work aims to evaluate energy performance of an existing Moroccan cement plant based on a detailed mass and energy balances analysis. Redundant measurements were validated by the Lagrange multipliers technique before being used for the calculation of unmeasured variables. The values for energy consumption and related losses through the whole production line are reported, and the results obtained have been used to assess the energy performance of the process. The evaluation was completed by both an analysis of possible energy loss sources and important solutions described in the international literature to improve the energy efficiency of the entire cement plant.

  4. Gas fired engines for power plants - innovations and efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nylund, I. [Technology Division, Waertsilae (Finland)

    2001-07-01

    Waertsilae has recently introduced a range of completely new gas engines with their performance on record levels. High efficiency and low emission together with fuel and operation flexibility have been achieved. The progress is based on innovative engine design and advanced programmable control systems for fuel injection, combustion and the engine as a whole. The gas engine concept is particularly interesting for decentralised power production with fuel and/or power cycling. The Waertsilae 18V50DF dual fuel engine with a unit size of 17 MW will be a challenger also for bigger plants. (orig.)

  5. Scottish Nuclear, the company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeomans, R.M.

    1991-01-01

    A former chief executive of Scottish Nuclear, formed when United Kingdom electricity generation was privatized, describes the financial viability of the company and considers the future of nuclear power. Scottish Nuclear owns and operates the Advanced Gas Cooled (AGR) and Magnox reactors at Hunterston and the AGR reactor at Torness and is a separate company from those dealing with hydro-electric and non-nuclear generation of electricity. Costs of running the reactors is identified as a proportion of the whole for certain key issues such as station costs, depreciation, decommissioning and insurance. While nuclear power generation using outmoded Magnox reactors is costly, the ecological cost of global warming is seen as more of a problem. Future policy for nuclear power in Scotland must include new plant, probably pressurized water reactors and a clear policy of safety enhancement. (UK)

  6. Leanergy(TM): how lean manufacturing can improve energy efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riche, Jean-Pierre

    2013-01-01

    Energy efficiency has become a competitive issue for industrial companies. The evolution of energy prices and regulation will make this issue even more important in the future. For several years, the energy-intensive chemical industry has been implementing corrective actions. Helped by the absorption of base load energy consumption by larger production volumes, specific energy consumption (KWh per production unit) has been significantly reduced in recent years. However, most plants have reached the end of their first action plan based on improving the utilities performance. The Leanergy(TM) method developed by the consultancy company Okavango-energy, is a structured approach based on lean manufacturing which widens the scope of saving sources to process and operations. Starting from the analysis of actual production requirements, Okavango is able to adjust consumption to minimum requirements and so remove any energy consumption that does not contribute to the added value creation.

  7. NOx emissions and thermal efficiencies of small scale biomass-fuelled combustion plant with reference to process industries in a developing country

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tariq, A.S.; Purvis, M.R.I.

    1996-01-01

    Solid biomass materials are an important industrial fuel in many developing countries and also show good potential for usage in Europe within a future mix of renewable energy resources. The sustainable use of wood fuels for combustion relies on operation of plant with acceptable thermal efficiency. There is a clear link between plant efficiency and environmental impacts due to air pollution and deforestation. To supplement a somewhat sparse literature on thermal efficiencies and nitrogen oxide emissions from biomass-fuelled plants in developing countries, this paper presents results for tests carried out on 14 combustion units obtained during field trials in Sri Lanka. The plants tested comprised steam boilers and process air heaters. Biomass fuels included: rubber-wood, fuelwood from natural forests; coconut shells; rice husks; and sugar can bagasse. Average NO x (NO and NO 2 ) emissions for the plants were found to be 47 gNO 2 GJ -1 with 18% conversion of fuel nitrogen. The former value is the range of NO x emission values quoted for combustion of coal in grate-fired systems; some oil-fired systems and systems operating on natural gas, but is less than the emission levels for the combustion of pulverized fuel and heavy fuel oil. This value is significantly within current European standards for NO x emission from large combustion plants. Average thermal efficiency of the plants was found to be 50%. Observations made on operational practices demonstrated that there is considerable scope for the improvement of this thermal efficiency value by plant supervisor training, drying of fuelwood and the use of simple instruments for monitoring plant performance. (Author)

  8. Treatment of landfill leachate by irrigation of willow coppice - Plant response and treatment efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aronsson, Paer; Dahlin, Torleif; Dimitriou, Ioannis

    2010-01-01

    Landfill leachates usually need to be treated before discharged, and using soil-plant systems for this has gained substantial interest in Sweden and in the UK. A three-year field study was conducted in central Sweden to quantify plant response, treatment efficiency and impact on groundwater quality of landfill leachate irrigation of short-rotation willow coppice (Salix). Two willow varieties were tested and four irrigation regimes in sixteen 400-m 2 plots. The willow plants did not react negatively, despite very high annual loads of nitrogen (≤2160 kg N/ha), chloride (≤8600 kg Cl/ha) and other elements. Mean annual growth was 1.5, 9.8 and 12.6 tonnes DM/ha during years 1-3. For one of two willow varieties tested, relative leaf length accurately predicted growth rate. Irrigation resulted in elevated groundwater concentrations of all elements applied. Treatment efficiency varied considerably for different elements, but was adequate when moderate loads were applied. - Short-rotation willow coppice was successfully used for treating a strong landfill leachate in central Sweden over three years.

  9. Hydroelectric power plants may influence profit of company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regula, E.

    2006-01-01

    In this interview with divisional manager of the Division of control of operation of hydroelectric power plants of the Slovenske elektrarne, a.s. Mr. Milan Chudy is published. The effectiveness and its optimisation in hydroelectric power plants of the Slovenske elektrarne, a.s. are discussed

  10. RESTRUCTURING COMPANIES UNDER CRISIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hezi Aviram SHAYB

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Nobody is planning to fail, but many companies are failing because of lack of planning. Real business experience showed during the years that crisis can be prevented, avoided or limited. If detected in time, the risks associated with the crisis can be mitigated and the effects can be diminished, with the condition that the actions required are done fast, in a sharp and accurate manner. When it comes, a crisis brings an intense level of pressure and under these conditions there is no time or room for mistakes. Delays, losing focus and lack of planning will bring a company one step away from failure. The right way to deal with crisis, if required measures are not done in time, is to minimize the losses and reposition in the best way possible. Analysing the success stories of some of the biggest and strongest companies in the world, led to an important conclusion: the majority of these companies were in the situation to face huge crises which threatened their ability to survive in certain moments, on their way to success. With the right planning and by setting a proper organisational structure, the negative aspects of the crisis can be turned into benefits and opportunities for the company. The most critical challenge for management is to assess the level of exposure to risk of the company and identify the key points to focus on in order to overcome the crisis and create value. In order to set up a strong plan in dealing with crisis, a business organisation needs reliable, efficient and effective tools and this is what this article is all about.

  11. Effects of nitrogen application and plant densities on flower yield, essential oils, and radiation use efficiency of Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ameri, A.A.; Nasiri Mahalati, M.

    2010-01-01

    Efficient use of radiation for medicinal plants production, might increase flower yield, essential oils and extract yield .A split plot design.was used in a two years (2005 and 2006) field study in Torogh region(36,10° N,59.33° E and 1300 m altitude) of Mashhad, Iran, to observe the effects of different nitrogen application and plants densities on flower dry matter production, essential oils, and radiation use efficiency in a multi-harvested Marigold (Calendula officinalis). The levels of nitrogen fertilizer were 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1 and levels of density were 20, 40, 60 and 80 plant m-2. The combined analysis results revealed significant effects of nitrogen and density levels on flower dry matter production, essential oils, and radiation use efficiency of Marigold. The highest dry flower production obtained by 150 kg ha-1 N and 80 plant m-2 plant population (102.86 g m-2). The higher flower dry matter production caused more essential oils and extract production in high nitrogen and density levels. The amount of essential oils and extract per 100g flower dry matter decreased during the flower harvesting period. The higher amount of essential oil and extract obtained at early flowering season. The essential oil and extract ranged from 0.22 to 0.12 (ml. per 100g flower dry matter) and 2.74 to 2.13 (g per 100g flower dry matter) respectively. Increase of both nitrogen and density caused higher radiation use efficiency. The most radiation use efficiency obtained at 150 kg ha-1 nitrogen and 80 Plant m-2desity treatments. In 150 kg ha-1 nitrogen treatment, increase of density levels from 20 plant m-2 to 80 Plant m-2 caused increase in radiation use efficiency from 1.41 g MJ-1 to 1.44 g MJ-1 respectively

  12. Component design considerations for gas turbine HTGR waste-heat power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, C.F.; Vrable, D.L.

    1976-01-01

    Component design considerations are described for the ammonia waste-heat power conversion system of a large helium gas-turbine nuclear power plant under development by General Atomic Company. Initial component design work was done for a reference plant with a 3000-MW(t) High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR), and this is discussed. Advanced designs now being evaluated include higher core outlet temperature, higher peak system pressures, improved loop configurations, and twin 4000-MW(t) reactor units. Presented are the design considerations of the major components (turbine, condenser, heat input exchanger, and pump) for a supercritical ammonia Rankine waste heat power plant. The combined cycle (nuclear gas turbine and waste-heated plant) has a projected net plant efficiency of over 50 percent. While specifically directed towards a nuclear closed-cycle helium gas-turbine power plant (GT-HTGR), it is postulated that the bottoming waste-heat cycle component design considerations presented could apply to other low-grade-temperature power conversion systems such as geothermal plants

  13. TIME MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION AT PRODUCTION COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yurii Safonov

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose and objectives. Time management is still not a very popular element in many enterprises, while its implementation significantly increases staff productivity and, ultimately, the effectiveness of the company. For this reason, the purpose of the article is to promote time management in a business environment by providing specific tools, principles, methods and systems, and to show its importance to the company and describe the influence of time management for the enterprise. Methods. The study used a generalization, systematization, empirical research, systematic and logical approach to the development of theoretical and methodological provisions for instrumental support management performance of the industrial enterprise. Results. Time management is one of the most important strategic tools of the modern manager. It can help both existing companies and companies that are just launched (the project. Practical implications. The current goal of time management as a mechanism to improve the efficiency of the company. Value/originality. To implement it, the company offered a popular time management system, allowing the company to increase the effectiveness of its activities.

  14. Improved efficiency of plant regeneration from protoplasts of eggplant Solanum melongena L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guri, A; Izhar, S

    1984-12-01

    Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) mesophyll protoplasts were obtained from in vitro growing plants of line 410 and cv. 'Classic'. Relatively high (15%) plating efficiency was achieved using petri dishes with alternate quadrants containing reservoir medium (R medium + 1% activated charcoal) and culture medium. Shoot regeneration occurred within 6 weeks following initiation of protoplast culture.

  15. Safety in a Manufacturing Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kopczewski Marian

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The safety systems include the functioning of the institutions of a state, central, and local government, businesses, and social organizations. Research in this discipline should contribute to the development of the theoretical foundations and systems of national and international security and operating systems in the area of technical safety. Technical safety engineering should deal with a design, build, operation, and decommissioning of technical measures in order to minimize the opportunities and the size of their negative impact on the environment, people, and the good of civilization. With this in mind, the main purpose of the research was to evaluate the safety of technical manufacturing company that uses a wide machine park. A plant manufacturing parts and components for automobiles was the audited company.

  16. A study on the efficiency improvement of the plant secondary System in NPP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Chun Ho; Song Jong Sun [Chosun Univ., Kwangju (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-10-15

    The ultimate objective of the diagnostic test for thermal performance of generation facilities is to assist in making an economic decision on operation optimization of power plants by understanding the degree of heat aging due to operation of relevant facilities and planning on this basis the maintenance and repair. In this thesis, the trend in performance change was analyzed against the acceptance performance test conducted after the replacement of the high pressure turbine in 2007, through thermal performance diagnosis conducted at 100 % reactor thermal output after the 19th planned preventive maintenance of Yonggwang Nuclear Units 1 and 2, and the power plant operation was optimized by acquiring base line data for management of performance record for each major facility of the secondary system and by improving efficiency of unit instruments and peripheral instruments of the secondary system. As a result derived from the thermal performance analysis, the increase in electric output of the power plants was achieved through such operation optimizations of efficiency affecting instruments as optimization of the continuous exhaust flow rate for water supply heaters, vacuum improvement of condensers due to opening the upper/lower screens of heat transfer pipe washing system for condensers during summer, and flow rate optimization of the water vapor supplied to MSR (Moisture Separator Re heater) high pressure re heaters. This improves operation of the existing power plants without additional expense and so requires expert review by responsible personnel for practical application.

  17. Idaho Chemical Processing Plant and Plutonium-Uranium Extraction Plant phaseout/deactivation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patterson, M.W.; Thompson, R.J.

    1994-01-01

    The decision to cease all US Department of Energy (DOE) reprocessing of nuclear fuels was made on April 28, 1992. This study provides insight into and a comparison of the management, technical, compliance, and safety strategies for deactivating the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) at Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company (WINCO) and the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant. The purpose of this study is to ensure that lessons-learned and future plans are coordinated between the two facilities

  18. Efficiency improvement and exergy destruction reduction by combining a power and a multi-effect boiling desalination plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Alsairafi

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Electric power and desalted seawater demand is increasing in Kuwait mainly due to residential and industrial growth, especially in summer season. In the past six years, Kuwait citizens have been facing the problem of automated power and water disconnection because of the electricity and water production is lower than the consumption. A common idea for resolving such a problem is to build new power plants but this solution is not practical due to environmental issues. Another choice but more engineer challenging approach for resolving this problem is to improve the efficiency and performance of the already existing power plants. Currently, there are six power plants in Kuwait; four of them have both stand-alone gas-turbine and steam-turbine power plants, one is steam power plant and one is gas turbine power plant. Combined power and desalination plant are more attractive in Kuwait since they have higher thermal efficiency than traditional ones and both electric power and process heat (e.g., desalting can be produced simultaneously. The relatively low temperature multi-effect desalination (MED process (around 75oC saturated temperature as the heat source is thermodynamically the most efficient of all thermal distillation processes (source, and consumes about 2 kWh/m3 pumping energy. In this study, factors affecting the performance of a combined power and MED-desalination plant have been studied. This includes the atmospheric humidity, compressor inlet air temperature, top brine temperature, desalination unit capacity, cooling water temperature, and the number of evaporation stages of the MED unit. A first- and second-law analysis of the proposed system was carried out under several operating conditions. As an example, a 125 MW Siemens V94.2 gas turbine of Al-Zour gas turbine power plant in Kuwait has been selected. It is found that the overall thermal efficiency of the proposed system increases significantly as the desalination unit capacity

  19. Performance investigation of a cogeneration plant with the efficient and compact heat recovery system

    KAUST Repository

    Myat, Aung; Thu, Kyaw; Kim, Young-Deuk; Choon, Ng Kim

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents the performance investigation of a cogeneration plant equipped with an efficient waste heat recovery system. The proposed cogeneration system produces four types of useful energy namely: (i) electricity, (ii) steam, (iii) cooling

  20. PID-controller with predictor and auto-tuning algorithm: study of efficiency for thermal plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzishchin, V. F.; Merzlikina, E. I.; Hoang, Van Va

    2017-09-01

    The problem of efficiency estimation of an automatic control system (ACS) with a Smith predictor and PID-algorithm for thermal plants is considered. In order to use the predictor, it is proposed to include an auto-tuning module (ATC) into the controller; the module calculates parameters for a second-order plant module with a time delay. The study was conducted using programmable logical controllers (PLC), one of which performed control, ATC, and predictor functions. A simulation model was used as a control plant, and there were two variants of the model: one of them was built on the basis of a separate PLC, and the other was a physical model of a thermal plant in the form of an electrical heater. Analysis of the efficiency of the ACS with the predictor was carried out for several variants of the second order plant model with time delay, and the analysis was performed on the basis of the comparison of transient processes in the system when the set point was changed and when a disturbance influenced the control plant. The recommendations are given on correction of the PID-algorithm parameters when the predictor is used by means of using the correcting coefficient k for the PID parameters. It is shown that, when the set point is changed, the use of the predictor is effective taking into account the parameters correction with k = 2. When the disturbances influence the plant, the use of the predictor is doubtful, because the transient process is too long. The reason for this is that, in the neighborhood of the zero frequency, the amplitude-frequency characteristic (AFC) of the system with the predictor has an ascent in comparison with the AFC of the system without the predictor.

  1. Comprehensive Evaluation for Operating Efficiency of Electricity Retail Companies Based on the Improved TOPSIS Method and LSSVM Optimized by Modified Ant Colony Algorithm from the View of Sustainable Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongxiao Niu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The electricity market of China is currently in the process of a new institutional reform. Diversified electricity retail entities are gradually being established with the opening of the marketing electricity side. In the face of a complex market environment and fierce competition, the operating efficiency can directly reflect the current market position and development of electricity retail companies. TOPSIS method can make full use of the information of original data, calculate the distance between evaluated objects and the ideal solutions and get the relative proximity, which is generally used in the overall department and comprehensive evaluation of the benefits. Least squares support vector machine (LSSVM, with high convergence precision, helps save the training time of algorithm by solving linear equations and is used to predict the comprehensive evaluation value. Considering the ultimate goal of sustainable development, a comprehensive evaluation model on operating efficiency of electricity retail companies based on the improved TOPSIS method and LSSVM optimized by modified ant colony algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, from the view of sustainable development, an operating efficiency evaluation indicator system is constructed. Secondly, the entropy weight method is applied to empower the indicators objectively. After that, based on the improved TOPSIS method, the reverse problem in the evaluation process is eliminated. According to the relative proximity between the evaluated objects and the absolute ideal solutions, the scores of comprehensive evaluation for operating efficiency can then be ranked. Finally, the LSSVM optimized by modified ant colony algorithm is introduced to realize the simplified expert scoring process and fast calculation in the comprehensive evaluation process, and its improved learning and generalization ability can be used in the comprehensive evaluation of similar projects. The example analysis proves

  2. Refurbishment of hydropower generation plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kofler, W.

    2001-01-01

    This article presents the factors taken into consideration and the methods used for the management of refurbishment work in the hydropower installations of the TUWAG - a Tyrolean hydropower company in Austria. The technical and financial advantages to be gained from refurbishment are discussed and the requirements placed on the structuring of refurbishment projects are described. Various factors such as plant operation and maintenance, increased returns through better efficiency and cost reduction through lower wear and tear and reduced risk of failure are discussed. Annexes to the article cover monitoring and measurement techniques, the simulation of mechanical and hydraulic conditions, profitability calculations and turbine management

  3. Micro CHP: implications for energy companies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harrison, Jeremy [EA Technology (United Kingdom); Kolin, Simon; Hestevik, Svein [Sigma Elektroteknisk A/S (Norway)

    2000-08-01

    This article explains how micro combined heat and power (CHP) technology may help UK energy businesses to maintain their customer base in the current climate of liberalisation and competition in the energy market The need for energy companies to adopt new technologies and adapt to changes in the current aggressive environment, the impact of privatisation, and the switching of energy suppliers by customers are discussed. Three potential routes to success for energy companies are identified, namely, price reductions, branding and affinity marketing, and added value services. Details are given of the implementation of schemes to encourage energy efficiency, the impact of the emissions targets set at Kyoto, the advantages of micro CHP generation, business opportunities for CHP, business threats from existing energy companies and others entering the field, and the commercial viability of micro CHP.

  4. Logistic strategies in purchasing process of metallurgical companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Grzybowska

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article presents some selected logistic strategies concerning purchasing process in production companies. Costs referring to realizing and organizing purchasing process are a substantial part of total costs of a company. In order to make a company’s purchasing and supply processes efficient, it is necessary to take some steps to prepare purchasing strategy. This operation was the reason for presenting the subject in this study.

  5. A new framework to increase the efficiency of large-scale solar power plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alimohammadi, Shahrouz; Kleissl, Jan P.

    2015-11-01

    A new framework to estimate the spatio-temporal behavior of solar power is introduced, which predicts the statistical behavior of power output at utility scale Photo-Voltaic (PV) power plants. The framework is based on spatio-temporal Gaussian Processes Regression (Kriging) models, which incorporates satellite data with the UCSD version of the Weather and Research Forecasting model. This framework is designed to improve the efficiency of the large-scale solar power plants. The results are also validated from measurements of the local pyranometer sensors, and some improvements in different scenarios are observed. Solar energy.

  6. The Microbial Efficiency-Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cotrufo, M Francesca; Wallenstein, Matthew D; Boot, Claudia M; Denef, Karolien; Paul, Eldor

    2013-04-01

    The decomposition and transformation of above- and below-ground plant detritus (litter) is the main process by which soil organic matter (SOM) is formed. Yet, research on litter decay and SOM formation has been largely uncoupled, failing to provide an effective nexus between these two fundamental processes for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling and storage. We present the current understanding of the importance of microbial substrate use efficiency and C and N allocation in controlling the proportion of plant-derived C and N that is incorporated into SOM, and of soil matrix interactions in controlling SOM stabilization. We synthesize this understanding into the Microbial Efficiency-Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework. This framework leads to the hypothesis that labile plant constituents are the dominant source of microbial products, relative to input rates, because they are utilized more efficiently by microbes. These microbial products of decomposition would thus become the main precursors of stable SOM by promoting aggregation and through strong chemical bonding to the mineral soil matrix. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Trigeneration in waste to energy plants for expanding the efficiency; Kraft-Waerme-Kaelte-Kopplung bei Muellverbrennungsanlagen zur erweiterten Energieeffizienzsteigerung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reil, Eberhard [Fernwaerme Wien GmbH, Wien (Austria)

    2010-05-15

    An impressive metamorphosis changed Waste to Energy plants from originally environmental risky plants to high sophisticated end of pipe technology sites to finally high efficient Energy production plants. Such described plants are situated in urban places to aware the connections into efficient power grids and district heating networks to provide the base load the whole year round. Nowadays the request for cooling is steady rising and again Waste to energy plants, connected to a district cooling network, takes over an important role for the supply. Such concepts are only marketable, if the required criteria's for efficiency are fulfilled. Such criteria's within Europe are the greenhouse gas emission factor and the primary energy factor. Both proof the efficiency of a system according to sustainability and environmental acceptance. Such criteria's are the result of the EU target to enhance the renewable within the energy supply while a more efficient use of site energy should take place. The Vienna Model was chosen as best practice sample. The district heating network is connected to all Waste to energy plants as well to the gas fired CHP plants in Vienna. The peak demand for the supply is realized by gas fired hot water boilers. In 2006 Fernwaerme Wien started to set up a district cooling network. The base load for the cooling derives from absorption chillers driven by heat from the waste to energy plants. According the EN standard 15316 part 4 and 5, method for calculation of system energy requirements and system efficiencies, the primary energy factor and CO2 factor has been defined for the Vienna model and as a consequence of that also for the waste to energy plant Pfaffenau. The average primary energy factor of the Vienna model calculated for the years 2006 to 2008 is 0,21 for the renewable part. According to the result the savings on primary energy have been 42 % and equates to 6,9 TWh/a. The reduc tion of the greenhouse gas emissions has been

  8. Plant life management study of Japanese nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukuda, Toshihiko

    1999-01-01

    Already more than twenty-five years have passed since the first commercial LWR plant went into operation in Japan. In this situation, MITI and 3 electric utilities (Tokyo Electric Power Company, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc, Japan Atomic Power Company) have started a plant life management (PLM) study from 1994 to evaluate the long-term integrity of major systems, structures and components of aged LWR plants and ensure the safe, steady and highly reliable long-term operation. It consists of two phases: part 1 study and part 2 study. The part 1 study started in 1994 and focused on seven typical safety-related components. The part 1 study reports were made public in 1996. The part 2 study started in 1997. In this study we reviewed not only safety-related components but also plant reliability related components. The part 2 study reports were opened to the public in February 1999. This paper shows a summary of the part 2 study and our future PLM program. (author)

  9. EFFECTS OF PLANTING DENSITYAND ORGANIC FERTILIZATION DOSES ON PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF CACTUS PEAR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    NALÍGIA GOMES DE MIRANDA E SILVA

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cactus is crucial for the livestock of semi - arid regions in Brazil. This plant has shown the high productivity of forage, which is influenced by several management factors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of organic fertilization doses (20, 40 and 80 t/ ha of bovine manure/ha/two years and planting densities (20, 40, 80 and 160 thousand plants/ha on the productivity of cactus pear Clone IPA - 20 ( Opuntia ficus - indica Mill. At the Experimental Station of Caruaru at the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco, IPA has conducted the experiment. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with split plot arrangements. Higher shoot productivity was observed with increased population density and the application of manure at 80 t ha - 1two years - 1 with values of 61, 90, 117 and 139 t DM ha - 1 two years - 1 at densities of 20, 40, 80 and 160,000 plants ha - 1. The planting density influenced the productivity of cladode - plant and root dry weight, showing exponential responses, with higher cladode - plant and roots weight by area observed with increased plant density. The efficiency of organic fertilization decreased with the increase in manure doses. For increase cactus productivity, 40 t of bovine manure ha - 1 two years - 1 for plantations with 160,000 plants/ha is recommended.

  10. Effects of the distribution density of a biomass combined heat and power plant network on heat utilisation efficiency in village-town systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yifei; Kang, Jian

    2017-11-01

    The building of biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plants is an effective means of developing biomass energy because they can satisfy demands for winter heating and electricity consumption. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of the distribution density of a biomass CHP plant network on heat utilisation efficiency in a village-town system. The distribution density is determined based on the heat transmission threshold, and the heat utilisation efficiency is determined based on the heat demand distribution, heat output efficiency, and heat transmission loss. The objective of this study was to ascertain the optimal value for the heat transmission threshold using a multi-scheme comparison based on an analysis of these factors. To this end, a model of a biomass CHP plant network was built using geographic information system tools to simulate and generate three planning schemes with different heat transmission thresholds (6, 8, and 10 km) according to the heat demand distribution. The heat utilisation efficiencies of these planning schemes were then compared by calculating the gross power, heat output efficiency, and heat transmission loss of the biomass CHP plant for each scenario. This multi-scheme comparison yielded the following results: when the heat transmission threshold was low, the distribution density of the biomass CHP plant network was high and the biomass CHP plants tended to be relatively small. In contrast, when the heat transmission threshold was high, the distribution density of the network was low and the biomass CHP plants tended to be relatively large. When the heat transmission threshold was 8 km, the distribution density of the biomass CHP plant network was optimised for efficient heat utilisation. To promote the development of renewable energy sources, a planning scheme for a biomass CHP plant network that maximises heat utilisation efficiency can be obtained using the optimal heat transmission threshold and the nonlinearity

  11. Marketing potential of industrial companies of Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O.V. Oliynyk

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The article determines the essence of the marketing potential of the company as a part of improving the efficiency of the company’s activity forming a united mechanism along with industrial and financial subsystems. The components of the total potential of the company, the factors forming structure of the marketing potential of the company and the approaches to the evaluation of such a potential of the company are considered. It is determined that the marketing potential of the company integrates all the marketing resources, reserves and the possibility of their use, and the functioning as well as development of the system are subjected to the achievement of the main company’s goals. The differences in the interpretation of economic, market and marketing potential of the company are identified, although they are related to the subject of entrepreneurship, but they differ in their essence. The substantiation of the essence of marketing potential of the company, the development of an effective mechanism of its management with the possibility of evaluation will contribute to the maximum satisfaction of interests of information consumers’ groups, the formation of strategic directions of the activity, making management decisions at the micro level, the effective functioning in the internal and external markets.

  12. General Analysis of System Efficiency in Application of Combined Power Plants for Gas-Distribution Station

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. D. Kachan

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper proposes utilization of discharged heat of gas-piston engine (GPE or contact steam-gas plants (SGP with the purpose to heat up gas at gas-distribution stations (GDS of combined power plants with turbine and gas-expansion units. Calculations prove significant economic efficiency of the proposed variant in comparison with the application of ordinary gas- turbine units. Technical and economic calculation is used to determine gas-piston engine or contact steam-gas plant power for specific operational conditions of gas-distribution stations and utilization rate of discharged heat.

  13. Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Company Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petr Suchánek

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The subject of this article is customer satisfaction and its impact on company performance through satisfaction with its products, including a comparison with the competition. Research was conducted in search of factors which affect customer satisfaction on the one hand and the performance of the company on the other hand. We constructed a model explaining what specific factors (affecting customer satisfaction have an impact on the performance of a company. This model can help management to better run the business and achieve higher performance. The article is based on research that focused on companies in the food industry in Czech Republic and on their customers. First, we found the financial performance of surveyed companies (based on indicators ROA, ROE and assets turnover and on this basis they have been divided on companies efficient and inefficient. Furthermore factors were identified (based on previous research of authors that have an impact on customer satisfaction (among these factors include product quality, customer requirements for product, comparison with competitive products, etc.. With the use of non-parametric statistical methods, logistic regression and discriminant analysis was analyzed, what factors affecting customer satisfaction also affect business performance.

  14. Activity-based Management of Logistic Costs in a Manufacturing Company: A Case of Increased Visibility of Logistics Costs in a Slovenian Paper Manufacturing Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julijana Krajnc

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Both the transparent reporting of logistics costs and the related accounting of their cost drivers present a significant factor for the successful management of material flows and the related logistics activities in production companies. These costs, which are mainly reported as part of overhead (indirect costs in such companies, usually remain hidden or are not explicitly visible when the traditional method of accounting is applied. The aim of this research is to create a model of activity-based accounting of logistics costs in a production company, and to test its efficiency in the disclosure of logistics costs compared with traditional cost accounting. The application of the model in a production company shows that an activity-based approach discloses as much as 108% more logistics costs at the level of a group of products than the traditional cost-accounting approach. Further, detailed information on logistics costs obtained in this way enables their more efficient management. Key words: logistics costs; activity-based costing; cost allocation; cost visibility; cost management

  15. A study on the boiler efficiency influenced by the boiler operation parameter in fossil power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Y. S.; Suh, J. S.

    2002-01-01

    The main reason to analyze the boiler operation parameter in fossil power plant is to increase boiler high efficiency and energy saving movement in the government. This study intends to have trend and analyze the boiler efficiency influenced by the boiler parameter in sub-critical and super-critical type boiler

  16. Efficiency concept and investigations in insurance industry: A survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bilel Jarraya

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Most recent studies are based on benchmarking analysis allowing the measure of company efficiency relatively to a reference performance. Benchmarking is a helpful tool to analyze and promote efficiency in insurance companies. The fast development of X-efficiency notion makes traditional performance measures (ROA, ROE, etc. obsolete. Indeed, various methods have been used, various input-output measures have been proposed and various research fields have been explored in insurance company investigation. So, after reviewing most known efficiency concepts and their definitions, this section explores the literature review of two principal points of discussion: the first point is focused on the different used techniques to measure efficiency, including the developed approaches to define inputs, outputs and their prices. The second point represents an overview of efficiency investigations in insurance industry.

  17. Plant improvements through the use of benchmarking analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Messmer, J.R.

    1993-01-01

    As utilities approach the turn of the century, customer and shareholder satisfaction is threatened by rising costs. Environmental compliance expenditures, coupled with low load growth and aging plant assets are forcing utilities to operate existing resources in a more efficient and productive manner. PSI Energy set out in the spring of 1992 on a benchmarking mission to compare four major coal fired plants against others of similar size and makeup, with the goal of finding the best operations in the country. Following extensive analysis of the 'Best in Class' operation, detailed goals and objectives were established for each plant in seven critical areas. Three critical processes requiring rework were identified and required an integrated effort from all plants. The Plant Improvement process has already resulted in higher operation productivity, increased emphasis on planning, and lower costs due to effective material management. While every company seeks improvement, goals are often set in an ambiguous manner. Benchmarking aids in setting realistic goals based on others' actual accomplishments. This paper describes how the utility's short term goals will move them toward being a lower cost producer

  18. KEY PERFORMING FACTORS OF LEADING ROMANIAN COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BURJA CAMELIA

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The analysis of financial economic ratios provides managers and external partners feedback on the results obtained from operational activities and the associated performance and risks. This paper studies the functional dependence of the companies’ success (on performance over internal financial management elements. The research was carried out for the most traded non-financial securities Bucharest listed companies and covers the period 2011- 2013. To carry out its purpose it analyzed the interdependence between the key financial ratios, studying the impact of liquidity ratios, solvency and efficiency on profitability. The study provides empirical evidences to identify factors that have ensured the performance of companies and their ranking in the segment of the most traded companies in Romania. Results suggest the view that the source of company success on the capital market lies in the positive signals sent to investors regarding profitability and the low risk of solvency. This study gives additional information for managerial decision-making in order to create more value and a better positioning of the companies in the market

  19. Micro-Tom Tomato as an Alternative Plant Model System: Mutant Collection and Efficient Transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shikata, Masahito; Ezura, Hiroshi

    2016-01-01

    Tomato is a model plant for fruit development, a unique feature that classical model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice do not have. The tomato genome was sequenced in 2012 and tomato is becoming very popular as an alternative system for plant research. Among many varieties of tomato, Micro-Tom has been recognized as a model cultivar for tomato research because it shares some key advantages with Arabidopsis including its small size, short life cycle, and capacity to grow under fluorescent lights at a high density. Mutants and transgenic plants are essential materials for functional genomics research, and therefore, the availability of mutant resources and methods for genetic transformation are key tools to facilitate tomato research. Here, we introduce the Micro-Tom mutant database "TOMATOMA" and an efficient transformation protocol for Micro-Tom.

  20. The role of the national petroleum company in petroleum development market

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, B J [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-08-01

    The present century started with the creation of national petroleum companies, and it ends with those national petroleum companies exerting various types of efforts to increase the efficiency of their management. Especially, the efforts of these national petroleum companies are ever intensifying to adapt to new trends in the world petroleum market such as intensified competition, ever-deepening price unstableness, separation of structure between upstream and downstream portions, rapid development of petroleum development technologies, change of political systems and the demise of national borders, ever-increasing consciousness of environmental preservation, etc. Korea cannot be exempt from management rationalization efforts of national petroleum companies. Especially, Korea established its own national petroleum company in order to actively deal with these as its supply system is very weak. Therefore, the national petroleum company should create as many successful petroleum development businesses by actively carrying out petroleum development businesses domestically and overseas in order to establish a stable supply system of petroleum and to support the petroleum development businesses of civilian enterprises more effectively. The national petroleum company must, first of all, replace the bureaucracy with entrepreneurship. Esp., in order to enhance the efficiency of management, short- term outcome should not be emphasized over long-term tenure of petroleum development businesses, and excessive interference of government on the national petroleum company should be excluded. The entrepreneurship of the national petroleum company should be pursued in Positive-sum way, and its public image should be actively promoted through this. 35 refs., 11 figs., 32 tabs.

  1. Improved electrical efficiency and bottom ash quality on waste combustion plants. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jensen, Peter A.; Nesterov, I.; Boejer, M.; Hyks, J.; Astrup, T.; Kloeft, H.; Dam-Johansen, K.; Lundtorp, K.; Hedegaard Madsen, O.; Frandsen, F. (Technical Univ. of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)); Mogensen, Erhardt (Babcock and Wilcox Voelund A/S, Glostrup (Denmark))

    2010-07-01

    Investigations making it possible to evaluate and further develop concepts to improve electrical efficiency in a waste combustion plant were performed. Furthermore, one objective of the study was to investigate the possibilities of improving waste bottom ash leaching properties by use of a rotary kiln treatment. The project work included construction of a bench-scale rotary kiln, performing ash rotary kiln treatment experiments, conducting gas suction probe measurements on a waste incineration plant and making some concept evaluations. The influence of the rotary kiln thermal treatment on the leaching of Ca, Al, Si, Mg, Ba, Sr, Cl, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Mo, sulfate, DOC and carbonate was determined. As a result of these tests, the rotary kiln thermal treatment of bottom ashes can be recommended for reducing the leaching of Cu, Pb, Cl, Zn and DOC; however, an increased leaching of Cr and Mo should be expected. The combustion conditions above the grate of a waste incineration plant were investigated and the release and concentration of volatile ash species in the flue gas such as Cl, Na, K, Ca, Pb, Zn and S were measured. The conducted measurements show that flue gas from grate sections 3 and 4 can produce a sufficiently hot flue gas that contains only low concentrations of corrosive species, and therefore can be used to increase superheater temperatures. Implementation of the so-called flue gas split concept together with other steam circle modifications on a waste combustion plant, and using a reasonable increase in final steam temperature from 400 to 500 deg. C, have the potential to increase electrical efficiency from 24 to 30% (with respect to lower fuel heating value) in a waste combustion plant. (Author)

  2. A laboratory method to estimate the efficiency of plant extract to neutralize soil acidity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo E. Cassiolato

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available Water-soluble plant organic compounds have been proposed to be efficient in alleviating soil acidity. Laboratory methods were evaluated to estimate the efficiency of plant extracts to neutralize soil acidity. Plant samples were dried at 65ºC for 48 h and ground to pass 1 mm sieve. Plant extraction procedure was: transfer 3.0 g of plant sample to a becker, add 150 ml of deionized water, shake for 8 h at 175 rpm and filter. Three laboratory methods were evaluated: sigma (Ca+Mg+K of the plant extracts; electrical conductivity of the plant extracts and titration of plant extracts with NaOH solution between pH 3 to 7. These methods were compared with the effect of the plant extracts on acid soil chemistry. All laboratory methods were related with soil reaction. Increasing sigma (Ca+Mg+K, electrical conductivity and the volume of NaOH solution spent to neutralize H+ ion of the plant extracts were correlated with the effect of plant extract on increasing soil pH and exchangeable Ca and decreasing exchangeable Al. It is proposed the electrical conductivity method for estimating the efficiency of plant extract to neutralize soil acidity because it is easily adapted for routine analysis and uses simple instrumentations and materials.Tem sido proposto que os compostos orgânicos de plantas solúveis em água são eficientes na amenização da acidez do solo. Foram avaliados métodos de laboratório para estimar a eficiência dos extratos de plantas na neutralização da acidez do solo. Os materiais de plantas foram secos a 65º C por 48 horas, moídos e passados em peneira de 1mm. Utilizou-se o seguinte procedimento para obtenção do extrato de plantas: transferir 3.0 g da amostra de planta para um becker, adicionar 150 ml de água deionizada, agitar por 8h a 175 rpm e filtrar. Avaliaram-se três métodos de laboratório: sigma (Ca + Mg + K do extrato de planta, condutividade elétrica (CE do extrato de planta e titulação do extrato de planta com solu

  3. Analytical support management shipping company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.V. Tarasenko

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article to determine areas of improvement of the economic analysis of the shipping companies tested, allowing to identify the problems of organization and methods, which are as follows: lack of regulation of economic analysis, unregulated and methods of economic analysis, using methods such as coefficient method, absolute differences method relative differences groupings balance method, while as factor analysis and correlation are ignored. Proved that today the priority targets of management that should be subject to economic analysis are: analysis of the efficiency of the fleet; analysis of the efficiency of transport services; analysis of the cost of transport services and costs; analysis of the efficiency of resource use.

  4. The account manager: Link between the customer and the energy distribution company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Gelder, J.W.

    1993-01-01

    The monopolistic utility companies are rapidly turning into customer-oriented and efficient organizations. To be able to put client-oriented ideas into practice the whole organization has to be changed. A new job is that of account manager, the satellite between customer and energy company. Views and experiences of two distribution companies and the Nederlandse Gasunie are given and discussed. 3 ills

  5. Efficiency analysis of a hard-coal-fired supercritical power plant with a four-end high-temperature membrane for air separation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotowicz, Janusz; Michalski, Sebastian

    2014-01-01

    The supercritical power plant analyzed in this paper consists of the following elements: a steam turbine, a hard-coal-fired oxy-type pulverized fuel boiler, an air separation unit with a four-end-type high-temperature membrane and a carbon dioxide capture unit. The electrical power of the steam turbine is 600 MW, the live steam thermodynamic parameters are 650°C/30 MPa, and the reheated steam parameters are 670°C/6 MPa. First of all the net efficiency was calculated as functions of the oxygen recovery rate. The net efficiency was lower than the reference efficiency by 9–10.5 pp, and a series of actions were thus proposed to reduce the loss of net efficiency. A change in the boiler structure produced an increase in the boiler efficiency of 2.5–2.74 pp. The range of the optimal air compressor pressure ratio (19–23) due to the net efficiency was also determined. The integration of all installations with the steam turbine produced an increase in the gross electric power by up to 50.5 MW. This operation enabled the replacement of the steam regenerative heat exchangers with gas–water heat exchangers. As a result of these alterations, the net efficiency of the analyzed power plant was improved to 5.5 pp less than the reference efficiency. - Highlights: • Analysis of a power plant with a “four-end” HTM for oxygen production was made. • Reorganization of the flue gas recirculation increased the boiler efficiency. • Optimization of the air compressor pressure ratio decreased the auxiliary power. • Replacement of the regenerative heat exchangers increased the gross electric power. • Comparison of the net efficiency of the analyzed and reference plants were made

  6. Efficiency of Pay for Performance Programs in Romanian Companies and the Mediating Role of Organizational Justice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uriesi Sebastian

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The present research examined the influences of pay for performance programs on employee performance in the Romanian context, by comparing a sample of employees in companies in which such programs are implemented to a sample of employees in organizations in which performance is not used as a criterion in deciding financial rewards. Results show that the work performances of the former, as evaluated by the direct supervisors of each employee, are significantly higher than those of the latter, and that this effect of performance pay is partly mediated by its positive effects on employee perceptions of distributive and procedural justice. Furthermore, results indicate that the individual – level financial incentive systems are more efficient in fostering work performance than the team – level performance pay programs in the Romanian employee sample, and that they also have stronger effects on the two dimensions of organizational justice.

  7. Analysis of energy-efficiency opportunities for the cement industry in Shandong Province, China: A case study of 16 cement plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasanbeigi, Ali; Price, Lynn; Lu, Hongyou [China Energy Group, Energy Analysis Department, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS 90R4000, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Lan, Wang [China Building Materials Academy, Guanzhuang, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Post code 100024 (China)

    2010-08-15

    In this study, 16 cement plants with New Suspension Preheater and pre-calciner (NSP) kiln were surveyed. Plant energy use was compared to both domestic (Chinese) and international best practice using the Benchmarking and Energy Saving Tool for Cement (BEST-Cement). This benchmarking exercise indicated an average technical potential primary energy savings of 12% would be possible if the surveyed plants operated at domestic best practice levels in terms of energy use per ton of cement produced. Average technical potential primary energy savings of 23% would be realized if the plants operated at international best practice levels. Then, using the bottom-up Electricity Conservation Supply Curve (ECSC) model, the cost-effective electricity efficiency potential for the 16 studied cement plants in 2008 is estimated to be 373 gigawatt-hours (GWh), and total technical electricity-saving potential is 915 GWh, which accounts for 16 and 40% of total electricity use in the studied plants in 2008, respectively. The Fuel Conservation Supply Curve (FCSC) model shows the total technical fuel efficiency potential equal to 7949 terajoules (TJ), accounting for 8% of total fuel used in the studied cement plants in 2008. All the fuel efficiency potential is shown to be cost effective. (author)

  8. Effects of upgrading systems on energy conversion efficiency of a gasifier - fuel cell - gas turbine power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pedrazzi, Simone; Allesina, Giulio; Tartarini, Paolo

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • An advanced gasifier-SOFC-MGT system is modeled. • An overall electrical efficiency of 32.81% is reached. • Influence of all the sub-system modeled on the power plant efficiency is discussed. • Compression storage of syngas is taken into account. - Abstract: This work focuses on a DG-SOFC-MGT (downdraft gasifier - solid oxide fuel cell - micro gas turbine) power plant for electrical energy production and investigates two possible performance-upgrading systems: polyphenylene oxide (PPO) membrane and zeolite filters. The first is used to produce oxygen-enriched air used in the reactor, while the latter separates the CO_2 content from the syngas. In order to prevent power plant shutdowns during the gasifier reactor scheduled maintenance, the system is equipped with a gas storage tank. The generation unit consists of a SOFC-MGT system characterized by higher electrical efficiency when compared to conventional power production technology (IC engines, ORC and EFGT). Poplar wood chips with 10% of total moisture are used as feedstock. Four different combinations with and without PPO and zeolite filtrations are simulated and discussed. One-year energy and power simulation were used as basis for comparison between all the cases analyzed. The modeling of the gasification reactions gives results consistent with literature about oxygen-enriched processes. Results showed that the highest electrical efficiency obtained is 32.81%. This value is reached by the power plant equipped only with PPO membrane filtration. Contrary to the PPO filtering, zeolite filtration does not increase the SOFC-MGT unit performance while it affects the energy balance with high auxiliary electrical consumption. This solution can be considered valuable only for future work coupling a CO_2 sequestration system to the power plant.

  9. Modification of reactor installation in the Takahama nuclear power plants No.1 and No.2 of Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    The Nuclear Safety Commission recognized the adequacy concerning the inquiry which was offered from the Minister of International Trade and Industry on July 24, 1979, following the safety evaluation in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and decided to submit a report to the Minister of International Trade and Industry on July 26, 1979, about the modification of reactor installation in the Takahama nuclear power plants No. 1 and No. 2 of the Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc. This is concerned to the application which was made from the president of the Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc., to the Minister of International Trade and Industry on July 23, 1979. The content of the modification is to add a control circuit which is actuated by the signal of abnormal low pressure in a reactor to the circuit of actuating the emergency core cooling system of the plant. The influences on the safety protection system by the addition of the circuit for transmitting safety injection signal and by the additions of an interlock circuit preventing the misoperation of pressurizer spray and of a block circuit of safety injection signal in case of the abnormal low pressure in a reactor were evaluated. The effects on the function and characteristics of the emergency core cooling system due to the addition of the control circuit were investigated, and it was recognized by the analysis that there is no effect in the pipe ruptures of both small and large scales. (Nakai, Y.)

  10. Development of efficient plant regeneration and transformation system for impatiens using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and multiple bud cultures as explants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dan, Yinghui; Baxter, Aaron; Zhang, Song; Pantazis, Christopher J; Veilleux, Richard E

    2010-08-09

    Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) is a top selling floriculture crop. The potential for genetic transformation of Impatiens to introduce novel flower colors or virus resistance has been limited by its general recalcitrance to tissue culture and transformation manipulations. We have established a regeneration and transformation system for Impatiens that provides new alternatives to genetic improvement of this crop. In a first step towards the development of transgenic INSV-resistant Impatiens, we developed an efficient plant regeneration system using hypocotyl segments containing cotyledonary nodes as explants. With this regeneration system, 80% of explants produced an average of 32.3 elongated shoots per initial explant plated, with up to 167 elongated shoots produced per explant. Rooting efficiency was high, and 100% of shoots produced roots within 12 days under optimal conditions, allowing plant regeneration within approximately 8 weeks. Using this regeneration system, we developed an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated Impatiens transformation method using in vitro multiple bud cultures as explants and a binary plasmid (pHB2892) bearing gfp and nptII genes. Transgenic Impatiens plants, with a frequency up to 58.9%, were obtained within 12 to 16 weeks from inoculation to transfer of transgenic plants to soil. Transgenic plants were confirmed by Southern blot, phenotypic assays and T1 segregation analysis. Transgene expression was observed in leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit. The transgenic plants were fertile and phenotypically normal. We report the development of a simple and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for Impatiens. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Impatiens with experimental evidence of stable integration of T-DNA and of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method for plants using in vitro maintained multiple bud cultures as explants. This transformation system

  11. Development of Efficient Plant Regeneration and Transformation System for Impatiens Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Multiple Bud Cultures as Explants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Yinghui

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana is a top selling floriculture crop. The potential for genetic transformation of Impatiens to introduce novel flower colors or virus resistance has been limited by its general recalcitrance to tissue culture and transformation manipulations. We have established a regeneration and transformation system for Impatiens that provides new alternatives to genetic improvement of this crop. Results In a first step towards the development of transgenic INSV-resistant Impatiens, we developed an efficient plant regeneration system using hypocotyl segments containing cotyledonary nodes as explants. With this regeneration system, 80% of explants produced an average of 32.3 elongated shoots per initial explant plated, with up to 167 elongated shoots produced per explant. Rooting efficiency was high, and 100% of shoots produced roots within 12 days under optimal conditions, allowing plant regeneration within approximately 8 weeks. Using this regeneration system, we developed an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated Impatiens transformation method using in vitro multiple bud cultures as explants and a binary plasmid (pHB2892 bearing gfp and nptII genes. Transgenic Impatiens plants, with a frequency up to 58.9%, were obtained within 12 to 16 weeks from inoculation to transfer of transgenic plants to soil. Transgenic plants were confirmed by Southern blot, phenotypic assays and T1 segregation analysis. Transgene expression was observed in leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit. The transgenic plants were fertile and phenotypically normal. Conclusion We report the development of a simple and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for Impatiens. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Impatiens with experimental evidence of stable integration of T-DNA and of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method for plants using in vitro maintained

  12. Air purification in industrial plants producing automotive rubber components in terms of energy efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzebielec Andrzej

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In automotive industry plants, which use injection molding machines for rubber processing, tar contaminates air to such an extent that air fails to enter standard heat recovery systems. Accumulated tar clogs ventilation heat recovery exchangers in just a few days. In the plant in which the research was conducted, tar contamination causes blockage of ventilation ducts. The effect of this phenomenon was that every half year channels had to be replaced with new ones, since the economic analysis has shown that cleaning them is not cost-efficient. Air temperature inside such plants is often, even in winter, higher than 30°C. The air, without any means of heat recovery, is discharged outside the buildings. The analyzed plant uses three types of media for production: hot water, cold water at 14°C (produced in a water chiller, and compressed air, generated in a unit with a rated power consumption of 180 kW. The aim of the study is to determine the energy efficiency improvement of this type of manufacturing plant. The main problem to solve is to provide an air purification process so that air can be used in heat recovery devices. The next problem to solve is to recover heat at such a temperature level that it would be possible to produce cold for technological purposes without air purification. Experimental studies have shown that air purification is feasible. By using one microjet head, a total of 75% of tar particles was removed from the air; by using 4 heads, a purification efficiency of 93% was obtained. This method of air purification causes air temperature to decrease from 35°C to 20°C, which significantly reduces the potential for heat recovery. The next step of the research was designing a cassette-plate heat exchanger to exchange heat without air purification. The economic analysis of such a solution revealed that replacing the heat exchanger with a new one even once a year was not cost-efficient. Another issue examined in the context of

  13. Improvement of performance operation and cycle efficiency of Al Anbar combined power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jabbar, Mohammed Q.

    2014-01-01

    The present work will be focusing on available solution which can serve to increase total efficiency of Al Anbar combined cycle power plant - CCPP, and thus to improve the operation performance as much as possible in order to decrease hydrocarbon, CO2, NOx emissions to environment.The simulation and calculations were performed by program software cycle-tempo software. The results were compared with basic design of Alanbar power plant after making modernization with solar tower receiver system-STRS, which represented a heat source in preheat process for a compressor air. Key Words: CCPP, STRS, Solar potential energy, fuel consumption, hydrocarbon emission

  14. Plant design and beam utilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svendsen, E.B.

    1983-01-01

    Plant design and beam utilization are two things closely tied together: without a proper plant design, one can never get good beam utilization. When a company decides to build an irradiation facility, there are some major decisions to be made right in the beginning. These decisions can be most important for the long-term success or failure of the irradiation facility, because the company normally will have to live with these decisions during the whole life-time of the irradiation equipment. To start with the decision has to be made whether to select a cobalt-60 irradiation plant or an accelerator irradiation plant. This decision can only be reached after a careful study of the products and the 'weight' and the material of the products the company wants to irradiate. As an old accelerator-man, I tend to personally favor accelerators, although I am very impressed by the newer cobalt-60 pallet irradiation plants from A.E.C.L. I believe that they have a great future in the emerging field of food irradiation. As I have primarily been involved with accelerators during the last 14 years, this paper is only dealing with different design approaches and utilizations of accelerator-plants. (author)

  15. Natural gas contracts in efficient portfolios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sutherland, R.J.

    1994-12-01

    This report addresses the {open_quotes}contracts portfolio{close_quotes} issue of natural gas contracts in support of the Domestic Natural Gas and Oil Initiative (DGOI) published by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1994. The analysis is a result of a collaborative effort with the Public Service Commission of the State of Maryland to consider {open_quotes}reforms that enhance the industry`s competitiveness{close_quotes}. The initial focus of our collaborative effort was on gas purchasing and contract portfolios; however, it became apparent that efficient contracting to purchase and use gas requires a broader consideration of regulatory reform. Efficient portfolios are obtained when the holder of the portfolio is affected by and is responsible for the performance of the portfolio. Natural gas distribution companies may prefer a diversity of contracts, but the efficient use of gas requires that the local distribution company be held accountable for its own purchases. Ultimate customers are affected by their own portfolios, which they manage efficiently by making their own choices. The objectives of the DGOI, particularly the efficient use of gas, can be achieved when customers have access to suppliers of gas and energy services under an improved regulatory framework. The evolution of the natural gas market during the last 15 years is described to account for the changing preferences toward gas contracts. Long-term contracts for natural gas were prevalent before the early 1980s, primarily because gas producers had few options other than to sell to a single pipeline company, and this pipeline company, in turn, was the only seller to a gas distribution company.

  16. The influence of liquidity on profitability of Polish construction sector companies

    OpenAIRE

    Bolek, Monika; Wili'nski, Wojciech

    2012-01-01

    The concept of financial liquidity is not very straight, as it has various aspects, although generally it refers to the current assets and liabilities management. Financial liquidity together with profitability are the core categories of enterprise activities which, in order to function efficiently, the company should treat as equally important. The growth of financial liquidity may negatively influence the company profitability. If the company is to liquid in the static sense than it will af...

  17. The policies of social welfare produced effects in performance of the company? Comparative analysis of European companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa M. Monllau Jaques

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of this paper is to study and analyze the public well being policies and its repercussions in the efficacy and efficiency of the companies that give services to dependant people (CNAE 87 and 88 Codes. Design/methodology/approach: For the making of the present study several companies which gives services in countries with different patterns when applying public well being policies have been compared. These countries have been Spain, Germany, UK and Netherlands. The data has been obtained through AMADEUS. The period of the study has been 2008-2012. The variables used are the operating margin (OMR rate and the rotation assets rate (RAT. Findings and Originality/value: From the results obtained we have not been able to establish a significant statistic relationship between Companies behaviour and public well being policies. Originality/value: Up to date few extracts have been done, in Spain, about the financial behaviour of the companies which give services to the elderly. The business development entails an economic growth which balances with the cost inherent in the elderly population.

  18. [INDENA SPA company's patent portfolio of Ginkgo biloba preparation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Nan; Guo, Kai; Cheng, Xin-min; Liu, Wei

    2015-10-01

    INDENA SPA Company in Italy is a multi-national company that produces and sells plant extracts. Based on its own re- search advantages in the field of Ginkgo biloba preparation, the company protects its own products market effectively through building patent portfolio around the patents of its opponent. Based on the multi-angle analysis for patent portfolio of G. biloba preparation from the aspects of application time, legal status, technical development route, and patent portfolio layout, this article provides technical reference on research and development of G. biloba preparation, and the author suggest that Chinese applicants learn techniques and layout experiences of other patents fully to enhance the level of research and patent protection level.

  19. Effect of turbine materials on power generation efficiency from free water vortex hydro power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sritram, P; Treedet, W; Suntivarakorn, R

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this research was to study the effect of turbine materials on power generation efficiency from the water free vortex hydro power plant made of steel and aluminium. These turbines consisted of five blades and were twisted with angles along the height of water. These blades were the maximum width of 45 cm. and height of 32 cm. These turbines were made and experimented for the water free vortex hydro power plant in the laboratory with the water flow rate of 0.68, 1.33, 1.61, 2.31, 2.96 and 3.63 m 3 /min and an electrical load of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 W respectively. The experimental results were calculated to find out the torque, electric power, and electricity production efficiency. From the experiment, the results showed that the maximum power generation efficiency of steel and aluminium turbine were 33.56% and 34.79% respectively. From the result at the maximum water flow rate of 3.63 m 3 /min, it was found that the torque value and electricity production efficiency of aluminium turbine was higher than that of steel turbine at the average of 8.4% and 8.14%, respectively. This result showed that light weight of water turbine can increase the torque and power generation efficiency. (paper)

  20. MANAGING ECONOMIC EFFECTIVENESS OF MARKETING IN TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES

    OpenAIRE

    Oksana Bulkot; Lidia Pashchuk

    2017-01-01

    The purpose. The purpose of the study is a generalization of international experience with regard to marketing efficiency control and development of qualitative and quantitative methods to be implemented in the estimation of marketing activity of TNCs. Methodology. The survey is based on research, conducted for 60 companies in the spring of 2015 (32% of which were Ukrainian and 68% – offices and affiliates of international companies), namely Bayer, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Co, Mondelez, Mars, Mintel,...

  1. The System of Employee Appraisal in a Company

    OpenAIRE

    Vaverová, Lucie

    2011-01-01

    This bachelor study called "The System of Employee Appraisal in a Company" deals with a general subscription of a personal process "Employee appraisal". It describes the principles of the system of employee appraisal and also covers the conditions necessary for its efficiency and operation. The bachelor study is focused on the system of employee appraisal centrally implemented in company ČEZ, a. s. This system is analyzed and compared with generally stated theoretical principles. The study in...

  2. Turkey Point Plant application of an integrated flag system and quality in daily work

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Labarraque, J.A.

    1987-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to explain the approach and methodology that Turkey Point Nuclear Plant management selected to integrate management's accountabilities and workers' routine activities to support a safe and efficient plant operation. This integrated approach had a significant effect in aligning the whole organization to work toward a common goal and increasing the understanding and level of accountabilities of managers and workers throughout the organization. The new approach of monitoring and controlling organizational activities using Florida Power and Light Company's quality improvement program techniques has resulted in improved personnel performance and awareness with minimum permanent personnel increases

  3. Quality analysis of IMR of domestic companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grubor Aleksandar

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Marketing research activities are in function of identification and understanding of the changes in functioning of the world market. For the need of efficient management of international companies performance, based on principles of international marketing, reliable, on time and complete (in other words quality information have crucial importance. Therefore, information based on marketing research represents the initial point of the strategic management decisioning process that guide activities of the company towards better position in the future, having in mind own competitive position and prevailing relations in business environment.

  4. US company's new nuclear project progresses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Archie, Jeffrey B.

    2011-01-01

    Operated by South Carolina Electric and Gas Company in the southeastern United States, V.C. Summer Nuclear Station has maintained a reputation of excellence for more than 25 years. The key to its success: placing safety as its first priority, keeping a keen focus on operations, establishing a culture of continuous learning, and embracing collaboration with industry peers. This philosophy guides its new nuclear project, which SCE and G has undertaken to meet the need for baseload generation in its service area in a manner that is clean, safe, reliable, and efficient. In the process, SCE and G is generating jobs and boosting the economy. Site preparation has been under way since 2009. SCE and G anticipates receiving its combined construction and operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the independent, federal agency that oversees commercial nuclear power plants in the U.S., in late 2011 or early 2012, which will allow major construction to commence. The 2 new reactors are scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2016 and 2019, respectively, placing V.C. Summer at the forefront of a U.S. nuclear renaissance and carrying its legacy of excellence into the future. (orig.)

  5. Effect of rooting depth, plant density and planting date on maize (Zea Mays L.) yield and water use efficiency in semi-arid Zimbabwe: Modelling with AquaCrop

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nyakudya, I.W.; Stroosnijder, L.

    2014-01-01

    Under low and poorly distributed rainfall higher food production can be achieved by increasing crop water use efficiency (WUE) through optimum soil fertility management and selection of deep-rooting cultivars, appropriate plant density and planting dates. We explored AquaCrop's applicability in

  6. Simulation of power plant construction in competitive Korean electricity market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Nam Sung; Huh, Sung Chul

    2001-01-01

    This paper describes the forecast of power plant construction in competitive Korean electricity market. In Korea, KEPCO (Korean Electric Power Corporation, fully controlled by government) was responsible for from the production of the electricity to the sale of electricity to customer. However, the generation part is separated from KEPCO and six generation companies were established for whole sale competition from April 1st, 2001. The generation companies consist of five fossil power companies and one nuclear power company. Fossil power companies are schedule to be sold to private companies including foreign investors. Nuclear power company is owned by government. The competition in generation market will start from 2003. ISO (Independence System Operator) will purchase the electricity from the power exchange market. The market price is determined by the SMP (System Marginal Price) which is decided by the balance between demand and supply of electricity in power exchange market. Under this uncertain circumstance, the energy policy planners are interested to the construction of the power plant in the future. These interests are accelerated due to the recent shortage of electricity supply in California. In the competitive market, investors are no longer interested in the investment for the capital intensive, long lead time generating technologies. Large nuclear and coal plants were no longer the top choices. Instead, investors in the competitive market are interested in smaller, more efficient, cheaper, cleaner technologies such as CCGT (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine). Electricity is treated as commodity in the competitive market. The investor's behavior in the commodity market shows that the new investment decision is made when the market price exceeds the sum of capital cost and variable cost of the new facility and the existing facility utilization depends on the marginal cost of the facility. This investor's behavior can be applied to the new investments for the

  7. Estimating the power efficiency of the thermal power plant modernization by using combined-cycle technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hovhannisyan, L.S.; Harutyunyan, N.R.

    2013-01-01

    The power efficiency of the thermal power plant (TPP) modernization by using combined-cycle technologies is introduced. It is shown that it is possible to achieve the greatest decrease in the specific fuel consumption at modernizing the TPP at the expense of introducing progressive 'know-how' of the electric power generation: for TPP on gas, it is combined-cycle, gas-turbine superstructures of steam-power plants and gas-turbines with heat utilization

  8. Next biotech plants: new traits, crops, developers and technologies for addressing global challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricroch, Agnès E; Hénard-Damave, Marie-Cécile

    2016-08-01

    Most of the genetically modified (GM) plants currently commercialized encompass a handful of crop species (soybean, corn, cotton and canola) with agronomic characters (traits) directed against some biotic stresses (pest resistance, herbicide tolerance or both) and created by multinational companies. The same crops with agronomic traits already on the market today will continue to be commercialized, but there will be also a wider range of species with combined traits. The timeframe anticipated for market release of the next biotech plants will not only depend on science progress in research and development (R&D) in laboratories and fields, but also primarily on how demanding regulatory requirements are in countries where marketing approvals are pending. Regulatory constraints, including environmental and health impact assessments, have increased significantly in the past decades, delaying approvals and increasing their costs. This has sometimes discouraged public research entities and small and medium size plant breeding companies from using biotechnology and given preference to other technologies, not as stringently regulated. Nevertheless, R&D programs are flourishing in developing countries, boosted by the necessity to meet the global challenges that are food security of a booming world population while mitigating climate change impacts. Biotechnology is an instrument at the service of these imperatives and a wide variety of plants are currently tested for their high yield despite biotic and abiotic stresses. Many plants with higher water or nitrogen use efficiency, tolerant to cold, salinity or water submergence are being developed. Food security is not only a question of quantity but also of quality of agricultural and food products, to be available and accessible for the ones who need it the most. Many biotech plants (especially staple food) are therefore being developed with nutritional traits, such as biofortification in vitamins and metals. The main

  9. Tampa Electric Company Polk Power Station IGCC project: Project status

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McDaniel, J.E.; Carlson, M.R.; Hurd, R.; Pless, D.E.; Grant, M.D. [Tampa Electric Co., FL (United States)

    1997-12-31

    The Tampa Electric Company Polk Power Station is a nominal 250 MW (net) Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant located to the southeast of Tampa, Florida in Polk County, Florida. This project is being partially funded under the Department of Energy`s Clean Coal Technology Program pursuant to a Round II award. The Polk Power Station uses oxygen-blown, entrained-flow IGCC technology licensed from Texaco Development Corporation to demonstrate significant reductions of SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} emissions when compared to existing and future conventional coal-fired power plants. In addition, this project demonstrates the technical feasibility of commercial scale IGCC and Hot Gas Clean Up (HGCU) technology. The Polk Power Station achieved ``first fire`` of the gasification system on schedule in mid-July, 1996. Since that time, significant advances have occurred in the operation of the entire IGCC train. This paper addresses the operating experiences which occurred in the start-up and shakedown phase of the plant. Also, with the plant being declared in commercial operation as of September 30, 1996, the paper discusses the challenges encountered in the early phases of commercial operation. Finally, the future plans for improving the reliability and efficiency of the Unit in the first quarter of 1997 and beyond, as well as plans for future alternate fuel test burns, are detailed. The presentation features an up-to-the-minute update on actual performance parameters achieved by the Polk Power Station. These parameters include overall Unit capacity, heat rate, and availability. In addition, the current status of the start-up activities for the HGCU portion of the plant is discussed.

  10. FACTORING – ALTERNATIVE OF SHORT-TERM FINANCING FOR COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicoleta Barbuta-Misu

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In developed countries, had been created formidable conditions for encouraging the factoring business, because using this instrument of investment and financing have grown the economic and financial stability of the company and generated a more efficient management of accounts receivable by the policy of claims recovering. Also, the factoring may be considered both a commercial and financial activity. The essential role of the factoring companies is given by taking the place of company in activities that are not referring exclusively to the commercial field. Given the importance of this financing operation, in this paper are presented different ways of defining, their importance, advantages and disadvantages for the company, the return for the factoring of accounts receivables and the real cost of factoring.

  11. State ownership and efficiency characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Abramov

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the influence of state participation in the ownership structure of companies on their financial efficiency using a sample of 114 largest companies in Russia. As an indirect indicator of efficiency, we used a variety of financial indicators: revenue per employee (gross margin, return on equity, profit margin and debt burden. The effects of direct and indirect state ownership are considered separately. Using econometric analysis, we conclude that the dominance of the block of shares owned by the state has a negative effect on the performance characteristics, and its increase is associated with an increase in the debt burden of the companies. According to our criteria, state-owned enterprises (SOEs perform worse on average than private companies. The mechanism of how changes in the “real sector” affect profitability is examined particularly closely. The study shows that a change in the profitability of private companies is characterized by a significant dependence on the movement of labor productivity characteristics. At the same time, for SOEs, a similar correlation was not revealed. These companies demonstrated no visible relationship between their profitability and performance characteristics. The study shows that increases in the size of direct government ownership lead to lower labor productivity and profitability; the impact of indirect ownership is, seemingly, more complicated.

  12. Assessment of the degradation efficiency of full-scale biogas plants: A comparative study of degradation indicators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Chao; Nges, Ivo Achu; Lu, Wenjing; Wang, Haoyu

    2017-11-01

    Increasing popularity and applications of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process has necessitated the development and identification of tools for obtaining reliable indicators of organic matter degradation rate and hence evaluate the process efficiency especially in full-scale, commercial biogas plants. In this study, four biogas plants (A1, A2, B and C) based on different feedstock, process configuration, scale and operational performance were selected and investigated. Results showed that the biochemical methane potential (BMP) based degradation rate could be use in incisively gauging process efficiency in lieu of the traditional degradation rate indicators. The BMP degradation rates ranged from 70 to 90% wherein plants A2 and C showed the highest throughput. This study, therefore, corroborates the feasibility of using the BMP degradation rate as a practical tool for evaluating process performance in full-scale biogas processes and spots light on the microbial diversity in full-scale biogas processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Heating plant privatization stagnates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janoska, J.; Benka, M.; Sobinkovic, B.; Haluza, I.

    2005-01-01

    The state has been talking about privatization of 6 municipal heating plants since 2001. The tenders were to start last year. But nothing has happened and the future is uncertain. The city councils would prefer to receive, if not 100%, then at least a majority stake in the heating plants free of charge. But the Cabinet has decided to sell 51% to investors. The privatization agency - the National Property Fund (FNM) is preparing a proposal to increase the stake offered for sale to 67%. According to information provided by the FNM the sale will begin after Cabinet approval. The Fund intends to apply the same model to the sale of all the heating plants. Last year, a major German company Verbundnetz Gas declared its interest in purchasing large municipal heating plants in Slovakia. But it has been waiting for a response ever since. The French company - Dalkia, which has 10-years' experience of doing business in Slovakia, is interested in all the heating plants to be offered for sale. The Austrian company - Stefe is not new to the business either, it is interested mainly in the regions where it has already established itself - Central and Eastern Slovakia. Strategic investors expect financial groups to show interest too. The Penta Group has not hid its ambitions - it has already privatised a company which represents the key to the future development of heat management in Bratislava - Paroplynovy cyklus. Whereas Penta is not new to the heat production business another financial group - Slavia Capital is still surveying the sector. Should it not succeed, it plans several projects that would allow it to take a stake in the sector

  14. Implementing Lean Manufacturing in Malaysian Small and Medium Startup Pharmaceutical Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibrahim, Wan Mohd Khairi bin Wan; Rahman, Mohamed Abdul; Abu Bakar, Mohd Rushdi bin

    2017-03-01

    Domestic pharmaceutical industry has been identified by the Malaysian government as an industry to be developed under its 11th economic development plan. Most homegrown pharmaceutical companies fall under the category of small and medium enterprises (SME) and therefore need to be highly efficient in their operations to compete with the multinationals. Though lean manufacturing is a well-known methodology to achieve an efficient operation, only a small percentage of the local SMEs implement it. The study aims to determine the real success factors in lean implementation through systematic review of relevant literature on lean manufacturing implementation in local companies, onsite observation of a selected SME company, Global Factor Sdn. Bhd. (GFSB), that successfully implemented lean manufacturing followed by actual implementation of lean project at IKOP Sdn. Bhd., a small startup pharmaceutical company. Lean tools like Gemba, value stream map (VSM) and spaghetti diagram were used to analyze and improve a process at IKOP Sdn. Bhd. The literature review showed that the implementation of lean manufacturing at Malaysian SMEs involved in pharmaceutical industry is at its infancy. Study at GFSB indicated that successful implementation of lean manufacturing stems from management support, employee’s commitment, government support and knowledge on lean among employees. Application of lean tools in IKOP Sdn. Bhd. to improve the process cycle efficiency of hand sanitizer, i-Hand 4.0, has shown that the GMP guidelines are not jeopardized. The Kaizen improvement project resulted in 46.3% reduction in lead time. It may be concluded that implementing lean manufacturing in any small local startup pharmaceutical company is beneficial in reducing operational costs and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness and does not conflict with the existing GMP guidelines.

  15. A local initiative for energy efficiency improvements in motor driven systems in public and private companies - case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamm, G. [Behoerde fuer Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt, Hamburg (Germany)

    2005-07-01

    In the free and hanseatic town Hamburg reduction potentials in public buildings are developed systematically in the context of the energy management by standardised efficiency programs. The City has had special means ready for financing energy saving measures for many years, because the investments amortize themselves by the operation cost reduction. Examples of efficient electrical motor systems in public buildings: ventilation facilities and air conditioning, heating pumps energy saving program. The city of Hamburg also offers a promotional program ''enterprises for resource protection'' for private investors from the Hamburg economy. With this program voluntary investment measures are initiated in private enterprises by financial subsidies to conserving resources. Examples of efficient electrical motor driven systems in enterprises: mill: speed controlled exhauster drives, spice mill: speed controlled mill drives, printer: efficient ventilation techniques at a paper exhaust system, wastewater treatment: adjustable fans for pressure aerators, hazardous waste incineration plant: optimisation of the SO{sub 2}-gas scrubbing system by mass flow controlled pumps. With these programs efforts to climate protection can be realised more economically. (orig.)

  16. Feasibility improvement project for the gas turbine power plant in Iran

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    Investigations and discussions have been given on measures to improve energy conservation and efficiency at a power plant of Kish Water and Power Company (KWPC) in Iran. The site has high ambient temperature throughout a year, making the gas turbine power plant capable of generating power only at about 70% of the rated output, with the power generation efficiency decreasing. The project has analyzed the current situation at the plant, and evaluated different means that appear effective in improving the efficiency, including the gas turbine absorbed air cooling system, the steam injection system, and the combined cycle. As a result of the discussions, it was revealed that energy saving effect can be obtained at 145 TJ with the gas turbine absorbed air cooling system, 224 TJ with the steam injection system, and 1017 TJ with the combined cycle. The annual reduction of greenhouse gas emission due to the above energy conservation would be about 11 thousand tons, 16.5 thousand tons, and 75 thousand tons, respectively. However, the investment payback period would be about 2.45 years, 8.31 years, and 14.21 years, respectively. Therefore, the profitability does not appear very attractive because of low fuel unit cost. (NEDO)

  17. Safety evaluation report related to the operation of Midland Plant, Units 1 and 2. Docket Nos. 50-329 and 50-330, Consumers Power Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-10-01

    This report supplements the Safety Evaluation Report related to the Operation of Midland Plant, Units 1 and 2 (SER) (NUREG-0793) issued in May 1982 by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with respect to the application filed by Consumers Power Company, as applicant and owner, for licenses to operate the Midland Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Docket Nos. 50-329 and 50-330). The facility is located in the city of Midland in Midland County, Michigan. This supplement provides recent information regarding resolution of the soils settlement issue, one of the open items identified in the SER. Certain confirmatory issues identified in the SER also are addressed

  18. Efficiency of portable chlorophyll meters in assessing the nutritional status of wheat plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessana F. Schlichting

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to verify the efficiency of two portable chlorophyll meters (Minolta SPAD® 502 and Falker ClorofiLOG® 1030 in assessing the nutritional status of wheat plants, correlating the indices from the devices and the direct determination of chlorophyll content with the concentration of nitrogen (N in the plant. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in pots with 5 dm3 of Oxisol, in a completely randomized design, with six N doses (0, 80, 160, 240, 320 and 400 mg dm-3 and five replicates. At 47 days after emergence, the readings of SPAD and Falker indices and the quantification of chlorophyll content and N concentration in wheat plants were performed, as well as analysis of variance and correlation test, both at 0.05 probability level. The chlorophyll meters Minolta SPAD® 502 and Falker ClorofiLOG® 1030 do not differ with respect to the indirect determination of chlorophyll in wheat plants. The Falker chlorophyll index was statistically equal to the chlorophyll content. Indirect chlorophyll indices and chlorophyll content showed a high correlation with the N concentration in the plant.

  19. Oil company mergers raise concern among some geoscientists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Showstack, Randy

    With the blessings of the antitrust regulatory agencies and the ghost of John D. Rockefeller, the proposed marriage between Exxon and Mobil would create the world's largest energy company and corporation of any type. This merger also would reunite the two biggest pieces of Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, which the U.S. Supreme Court ordered dismantled in 1911 in an antitrust case.Exxon, Mobil, and financial analysts say the merger is driven by the need to operate more efficiently in a tough, competitive environment. The price of oil, after all, recently has been scraping near bottom of the barrel at about $11 per barrel, and companies often need to muster significant capital resources to develop more remote reservoirs.

  20. [Effects of strip planting and fallow rotation on the soil and water loss and water use efficiency of slope farmland].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Xian-Qing; Li, Rong; Han, Qing-Fang; Jia, Zhi-Kuan; Wang, Wei; Yan, Bo; Yang, Bao-Ping

    2012-08-01

    In order to enhance the soil water-retaining capacity of slope farmland and reduce its soil and water loss, a field study was conducted in 2007-2010 to examine the effects of strip planting and fallow rotation on the soil water regime, soil and water loss characteristics, and water use efficiency of a 10 degrees-15 degrees slope farmland in the arid area of southern Ningxia, Northwest China. Compared with the traditional no-strip planting, strip planting and fallow rotation increased the soil water content in 0-200 cm layer significantly, with an increment of 4.9% -7.0%. Strip planting and fallow rotation pattern could also effectively conserve the soil water in rain season, and obviously improve the soil water regime at crops early growth stages. As compared to no-strip planting, strip planting and fallow rotation increased the soil water content in 0-200 cm layer by 5.4%-8.5%, decreased the surface runoff by 0.7-3.2 m3 x hm(-2), sediment runoff by 0.2-1.9 t x hm(-2), and soil total N loss by 42.1% -73.3%, while improved the crop water use efficiency by 6.1% -24.9% and the precipitation use efficiency by 6.3% -15.3%.

  1. Memorial 1997 - ENDESA (Chilean Electricity Company); ENDESA - Memoria 1997

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-12-31

    This report provides a comprehensive survey, in depth assessment of the activities overview of ENDESA, Chilean Electricity Company, highlighting economical information and including historical and technical aspects. Economics is its focal point, but other relevant data are shown, like technical data on hydroelectric and thermoelectric power plants. Main activities developed by ENDESA are described, such in Chile as in the foreign. Data on power generation, transmission and transport are also presented and an economical balance of each colligated company are done and analysed 35 figs., 115 tabs.

  2. Inquiry relating to modifications of reactor installation in Ikata No. 1 and 2 nuclear power plants of Shikoku Electric Power Company, Inc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    Application was made to the Minister of International Trade and Industry for the license relating to the modifications of reactor installation in the Ikata No. 1 and 2 nuclear power plants of the Shikoku Electric Power Company, Inc., on February 13, 1979, from the president of the company. After the safety evaluation was finished by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, inquiry was conducted to the Atomic Energy Safety Commission (AESC) on June 15, 1979, from the Minister of International Trade and Industry. The investigation and discussion were commenced by the AESC on June 19, 1979. The modifications of the reactor installation are the increase of new fuel storage capacity from about 1/3 to about 2/3 of in-core fuel for No. 1 plant and the modification of driving mechanism from the roller nut type to the magnetic jack type for the control rod cluster for adjusting power distribution in the No. 2 plant. The contents of the safety examination for each item written above are presented. The prevention of criticality is carefully practiced for the new fuel storage by putting fuel assemblies in stainless steel can type racks and locating the fuel assemblies at the proper distance. Relating to the driving mechanism for the control rod cluster adjusting power distribution, the driving speed is not modified and the reliability is kept by carrying out the continuous operation test and the electric power black out test as the demonstration test. The magnetic jack type mechanism has the locking device to prevent reactor tripping at the time of electric power black out, and the cluster is held at the location where the cluster existed at the time of black out. (Nakai, Y.)

  3. Are Large Headquarters Unproductive? Evidence from a Panel of Japanese Companies (Japanese)

    OpenAIRE

    MORIKAWA Masayuki

    2014-01-01

    This paper, using large panel data of Japanese companies (2001-2011), empirically analyzes the determinants of the size of headquarters and their effect on productivity. Headquarters functions, the core service sector within companies, play important roles in supporting strategic decision making in modern companies. However, it is often advocated that the downsizing of headquarters improves organizational efficiency. The size of headquarters is closely related to the issue of centralization/d...

  4. Resource efficiency and its necessity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamás, András; Nagy, Orsolya; Balla, Zoltán; Kith, Károly

    2015-04-01

    Renewable energy resources have an important role by improving energy efficiency, thereby contributing to the sustainable and eco-friendly use of local energy resources. The rationalization of energy management and the implementation of innovative renewable energy projects can be an excellent tool in terms of both corporate, municipal and household levels to reduce energy costs. The Hungarian Power Companies Ltd. calculates that in Hungary new electricity generating capacity is needed for establishing growth in consumer demand and the replacement of old power plants. On 31th December 2013, there was 9 197 megawatts of installed electrical capacity in the Hungarian electricity system. By 2019, only 70% is expected to be available and by 2030, only 5 100 megawatts of capacity can be calculated. In addition to the replacement needs, the supposed increase in consumer demand also requires the establishment of new capacities (MTI, 2014). In this study, we examined one of Hungary's leading agribusiness companies' technical and other parameters. In the company's head office, hot water is produced by a solar panel. The roof-mounted solar cells heat a 200-liter reservoir of stored water. The daily use of water each day account to between 50 and 200 liters. Waste heat in the cooling system of the company's shop is utilized by using a group-agregator. Cooling is done with significant heat removal. This amount of heat or a portion of it could be recovered. Therefore, a heat exchanger was inserted into the cooling gas cycle which leads to a secondary water cycle with a 300 litre water tank. This solution produces hot water, providing the shop workers' daily hot water needs. Lighting was upgraded by replacing traditional high-performance 250-watt bulbs to 130-watt more energy-efficient light bulbs. The saving achieved is 120 watts per bulb. The energy-saving light bulbs last longer than the mercury-filled bulbs. It is important that the sockets be the same, so they do not have to

  5. Impact of ICT on Performance of Construction Companies in Slovakia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mesároš, Peter; Mandičák, Tomáš

    2017-10-01

    Information and communication technologies became a part of management tools in modern companies. Construction industry and its participants deal with a serious requirement for processing the huge amount of information on construction projects including design, construction, time and cost parameters, economic efficiency and sustainability. To fulfil this requirement, companies have to use appropriate ICT tools. Aim of the paper is to examine the impact of ICT exploitation on performance of construction companies. The impact of BIM tools, ERP systems and controlling system on cost and profit indicators will be measured on the sample of 85 companies from construction industry in Slovakia. Enterprise size, enterprise ownership and role in construction process will be set as independent variables for statistical analyse. The results will be considered for different groups of companies.

  6. Switching coordination of distributed dc-dc converters for highly efficient photovoltaic power plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agamy, Mohammed; Elasser, Ahmed; Sabate, Juan Antonio; Galbraith, Anthony William; Harfman Todorovic, Maja

    2014-09-09

    A distributed photovoltaic (PV) power plant includes a plurality of distributed dc-dc converters. The dc-dc converters are configured to switch in coordination with one another such that at least one dc-dc converter transfers power to a common dc-bus based upon the total system power available from one or more corresponding strings of PV modules. Due to the coordinated switching of the dc-dc converters, each dc-dc converter transferring power to the common dc-bus continues to operate within its optimal efficiency range as well as to optimize the maximum power point tracking in order to increase the energy yield of the PV power plant.

  7. Georgia Power Company's college degree program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coggin, C.L.

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe Georgia Power Company's on-site college degree program for nuclear power plant personnel. In February 1986, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a policy statement concerning engineering expertise on shift (Generic Letter 86-04), which appeared in Volume 50, Number 208 of the October 28, 1985 Federal Register. One of the options available to nuclear power plant personnel to meet the requirement was the combined senior reactor operator/shift technical adviser position. One of the methods for meeting the option included a bachelor's degree in engineering technology for an accredited institution, including course work in the physical, mathematical, or engineering sciences

  8. 76 FR 51065 - Florida Power & Light Company; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-17

    ... & Light Company; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Pursuant to delegation by the... hereby given that an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (Board) is being established to preside over the following proceeding: Florida Power & Light Company (St. Lucie Plant, Unit 1) This proceeding involves a...

  9. Predicting company growth using logistic regression and neural networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marijana Zekić-Sušac

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper aims to establish an efficient model for predicting company growth by leveraging the strengths of logistic regression and neural networks. A real dataset of Croatian companies was used which described the relevant industry sector, financial ratios, income, and assets in the input space, with a dependent binomial variable indicating whether a company had high-growth if it had annualized growth in assets by more than 20% a year over a three-year period. Due to a large number of input variables, factor analysis was performed in the pre -processing stage in order to extract the most important input components. Building an efficient model with a high classification rate and explanatory ability required application of two data mining methods: logistic regression as a parametric and neural networks as a non -parametric method. The methods were tested on the models with and without variable reduction. The classification accuracy of the models was compared using statistical tests and ROC curves. The results showed that neural networks produce a significantly higher classification accuracy in the model when incorporating all available variables. The paper further discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, i.e. logistic regression and neural networks in modelling company growth. The suggested model is potentially of benefit to investors and economic policy makers as it provides support for recognizing companies with growth potential, especially during times of economic downturn.

  10. A company-wide activity to grow safety culture in a maintenance department of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukui, Hirokazu; Sugiman, Toshio

    2008-01-01

    This study aims to conduct a field survey to collect specific instances of 'learning activity' that would help develop a safety culture in a maintenance department of nuclear power plant, with 'activity theory' as a theoretical base, and to derive a conceptual model that portrays these instances as part of comprehensive organizational activities. First, the field survey found instances where an accident that occurred a few years ago provided momentum; a company-wide activity is being implemented in order to fulfill the requests of field workers so that their requests for improvements are positively honored and budgets are allocated to measures designed to accommodate these requests. This paper calls this company-wide activity 'an activity to materialize the requests for improvements in the workplace' and considers it to be a typical instance of learning activity. Second, the field survey found that, in the workplace under discussion, a daily meeting was held in a unique way and a study session was conducted frequently and regularly. Last, we came up with a conceptual model for the entire aspect of organizational activities in which we could position the above instances as well as the results of our past field surveys. This model conceptualizes organizational activities from the two aspects of 'learning activity (primary learning activity)' and 'management activity) and characterizes an activity that would transform the existing organizational activities into ones that could not be even predicted as 'secondary learning activity'. 'An activity to materialize the requests for improvement in the workplace' was taken as falling under the category of secondary learning activity. (author)

  11. Predictive control strategy of a gas turbine for improvement of combined cycle power plant dynamic performance and efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Omar; Wang, Jihong; Khalil, Ashraf; Limhabrash, Marwan

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a novel strategy for implementing model predictive control (MPC) to a large gas turbine power plant as a part of our research progress in order to improve plant thermal efficiency and load-frequency control performance. A generalized state space model for a large gas turbine covering the whole steady operational range is designed according to subspace identification method with closed loop data as input to the identification algorithm. Then the model is used in developing a MPC and integrated into the plant existing control strategy. The strategy principle is based on feeding the reference signals of the pilot valve, natural gas valve, and the compressor pressure ratio controller with the optimized decisions given by the MPC instead of direct application of the control signals. If the set points for the compressor controller and turbine valves are sent in a timely manner, there will be more kinetic energy in the plant to release faster responses on the output and the overall system efficiency is improved. Simulation results have illustrated the feasibility of the proposed application that has achieved significant improvement in the frequency variations and load following capability which are also translated to be improvements in the overall combined cycle thermal efficiency of around 1.1 % compared to the existing one.

  12. Adaptation to climate change in industry: improving resource efficiency through sustainable production applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkayal, Emrah; Bogurcu, Merve; Ulutas, Ferda; Demirer, Göksel Niyazi

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the climate change adaptation opportunities of six companies from different sectors through resource efficiency and sustainable production. A total of 77 sustainable production options were developed for the companies based on the audits conducted. After screening these opportunities with each company's staff, 19 options were selected and implemented. Significant water savings (849,668 m3/year) were achieved as a result of the applications that targeted reduction of water use. In addition to water savings, the energy consumption was reduced by 3,607 MWh, which decreased the CO2 emissions by 904.1 tons/year. Moreover, the consumption of 278.4 tons/year of chemicals (e.g., NaCl, CdO, NaCN) was avoided, thus the corresponding pollution load to the wastewater treatment plant was reduced. Besides the tangible improvements, other gains were achieved, such as improved product quality, improved health and safety conditions, reduced maintenance requirements, and ensured compliance with national and EU regulations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first ever activity in Turkey devoted to climate change adaptation in the private sector. This study may serve as a building block in Turkey for the integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation approach in the industry, since water efficiency (adaptation) and carbon reduction (mitigation) are achieved simultaneously.

  13. Dispatch Method for Independently Owned Hydropower Plants in the Same River Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slavko Krajcar

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a coexistence model for two independent companies both operating hydropower plants in the same river flow, based on a case study of the Cetina river basin in Croatia. Companies are participants of the day-ahead electricity market. The incumbent company owns the existing hydropower plants and holds concessions for the water. The new company decides to build a pump storage hydropower plant that uses one of the existing reservoirs as its lower reservoir. Meeting reservoir water balance is affected by decisions by both companies which are independently seeking maximal profit. Methods for water use settlement and preventing of spillage are proposed. A mixed-integer linear programming approach is used. Head effects on output power levels are also considered. Existences of dispatches that satisfy both companies are shown.

  14. Leadership Style and Organizational Performance: a Comparative Description of Two Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Amélia Tomei

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This work analyzed leadership styles and organizational performance comparing two small Brazilian family-owned companies using a mixed-method quantitative and qualitative approach. Qualitative data were collected by means of interviews conducted with the respective company leaders about the history of the organization, the role of founders, and company mission, vision, values and organizational strategies. Quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires applied to subordinates to identify the leadership style prevalent in the companies and business performance. Results showed that both leaders posssess transactional leadership characteristics, but only the leader of company B has some transformational leadership characteristics. Company A's performance stood out only with respect to marketing and financial results, revealing an unsatisfactory organizational climate, while company B showed satisfactory results with respect to all measures of performance. The comparative study of the two cases revealed that transactional leadership influences organizational efficiency while transformational leadership favors effectiveness and the achievement of tangible and intangible returns for the company.

  15. Benefits of joint audits of service company and operator personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ritchie, R.D.

    1991-01-01

    Companies operating in the petroleum industry are showing an increasing collective awareness of safety and environmental issues. The objective of management in any organization is to identify potential hazards and develop and implement an action plant to eliminate these hazards. Joint audits between operating companies and service companies have proved an effective means of developing an objective and realistic safety awareness program. Joint audits, unlike external audits, enable both companies to develop, implement and monitor a meaningful safety policy based on factual information. The paper describes the planning, execution and follow up of an in-depth joint audit. Analysis of the audit results generated action plans to correct areas in need of improvement for both the operating and service companies. Of these areas, most could be corrected and resolved within three months while the remainder were targeted for remedial action to be completed within one year. The paper provides a thorough set of guidelines for all stages of a successful joint audit and illustrates, with examples, the operational improvements to be gained from such operator/service-company cooperation

  16. Companies closely concerned with the mining industry have a training requirement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grossekemper, H.J.; Schmidt, B.; Schulenberg, F.

    1994-01-01

    In view of the serious economic situation the future decisions are extremely difficult for some companies closely concerned with the mining industry. The required orientation of the company towards new markets and new products requires not less, but more training and rethinking in all company divisions: from business management via personnel management to plant organisation and from marketing via development to quality assurance. This is proved by practical examples. An analysis by the ''Training'' working group has produced valuable information on the actual training requirement in the North Rhine-Westphalian engineering industry. It has worked out the concrete situation of the companies closely concerned with the mining industry in North Rhine-Westphalia from the point of view of their own training requirements. It is now the task of each individual company to analyse and reflect its concrete situation against the mirror of the results and to base the specific training requirement on the company aim. (orig.)

  17. Designing environmental performance indicators (EPIs) for eco-efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campbell, B.

    1997-01-01

    Environmental performance indicators (EPI) were discussed and a method by which companies can design indicators to help measure their progress toward greater eco-efficiency was presented. EPIs are quantitative measures of environmental performance. EPIs can measure one attribute, such as effluent released to water, or they can be a complex index. EPIs track impacts on the environment and provide information for decision making. The need for more eco-efficient companies, i.e. companies that produce useful goods and services while reducing their consumption of resources and while making efforts to reduce pollution, was emphasized

  18. Hurricane Andrew causes major oil spill at Florida Power ampersand Light Company's Turkey Point Power Plant, Homestead, Florida

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, M.A.; Butts, R.L.; Lindsay, J.R.; McCully, B.S.; Pickering, T.H.

    1993-01-01

    On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew slammed into South Florida with wind gusts in excess of 160 mph. At 4:00 a.m. that day, the eye of this category four storm passed over Florida Power ampersand Light Company's Turkey Point power plant, south of Miami. Although the plant's two nuclear units escaped any significant damage, the storm caused extensive destruction to buildings and transmission facilities, and damaged two 400 foot tall emission stacks associated with the site's two fossil fuel generating units. In addition, a 90,000 to 110,000 gallon spill of No. 6 fuel oil resulted when a piece of wind-blown debris punctured the steel of the unit One 12,000 barrel fuel oil metering tank approximately 30 feet up from the tank bottom. Despite the presence of a secondary containment structure around the tank, the intense wind blew oil throughout the plant site. The damage to the metering tank apparently occurred during the first half hour of the hurricane. As the tank's oil level fell due to the puncture, transfer pumps from the bulk oil storage tanks received a low level alarm which automatically began transferring oil to the damaged metering tank. To prevent the further discharge of oil, plant personnel entered the power block and secured the pumps during the passage of the hurricane eye. Immediately following the storm, facility personnel deployed booms across the barge canal and the Units 1 and 2 intake canal to contain the oil which had entered the water. The response strategy and implementation is described in detail. The remediation costs were approximately $14/gallon spilled, including 54,000 gallons recovered for electricity generation

  19. The effect of merger and consolidation activities on the efficiency of electricity distribution regions in Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Çelen, Aydın

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we analyze the efficiency performances of Turkish electricity distribution companies throughout 2002 and 2009 in the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) framework. Our more specific goal is to measure how the efficiency performances of the electricity distribution regions were affected by the mergers between distribution regions occurred in 2005. The results demonstrate that efficiencies of the companies serving to mostly the residential customers are higher than those of other companies. However, the positive impact of residential customers on the efficiencies decreased significantly following the mergers between electricity distribution companies. In contrast, the positive impact of higher customer density on efficiency also decreased, but insignificantly following the restructuring activities in the market in 2005. Our study also witnesses that the positive impact of the mergers on the efficiencies decreases as the proportion of sales to residential customers in regions increases. In contrast, the restructuring activities of 2005 increased equally the efficiencies of the companies serving in the regions with higher and lower customer densities. - Highlights: • We analyze efficiency performances of Turkish electricity distribution companies. • The efficiencies of companies serving to mostly residential customers are higher. • Positive impact of residential customers on the efficiencies dropped after mergers. • Positive impact of customer density also decreased, but insignificantly. • Positive impact of mergers on efficiency decreases as sales to residents increase

  20. Microbial Removal Efficiency of UV in Tehran Shahid Mahallati Wastewater Treatment Plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Dabbagh

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Shahid Mahallati Wastewater Treatment Plant was selected for installing a UV disinfection unit to investigate its germicidal effect on microbial removal. Low pressure mercury lamps were used to generate germicidal ultraviolet radiation (UV-C. The UV system was operated over a period of 6 months that included both warm and cold seasons. A maximum UV disinfection efficiency of 14.4m3/h was recorded for the system on the basis of design criteria within turbidity ranges of 9 to 32 NTU. The minimum UV dose applied in the UV unit was 40000 µW.s/cm2 and the highest bacterial density in the UV unit influent was 5.6*107. Effluent total coliform or fecal coliform enumeration after exposure to UV ray showed the microbial density decreasing from four logs, or 99.99%, to as high as six logs, or 99.9999% removal efficiency, under different conditions. Effluent microbial densities in terms of total and fecal coliforms were below 1000MPN/100mL and 400MPN/100mL, respectively. These values comply with wastewater discharge or agricultural irrigation standards according to Iran Department of Environment. From our results, it is concluded that UV disinfection may be an effective technique for wastewater disinfection in Iranian wastewater treatment plants.

  1. Oil companies make cutbacks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dupin, Ludovic

    2014-01-01

    As oil prices are falling, the oil sector faces company restructuring, merger projects, closure of oil fields, and so on. Restructuring is motivated by the costs of offshore exploration and oil production projects. Saudi Arabia tries to fight the emergence of shale gases by reducing oil prices, and somehow succeeds as some projects in the USA are put into question again. Experts perceive this situation as an opportunity for the sector to improve its efficiency and reduce over-staffing

  2. Efficient transformation of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and production of male-sterile plants by engineered anther ablation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Sogo, Begoña; Pineda, Benito; Castelblanque, Lourdes; Antón, Teresa; Medina, Mónica; Roque, Edelín; Torresi, Claudia; Beltrán, José Pío; Moreno, Vicente; Cañas, Luis Antonio

    2010-01-01

    Engineered male sterility in ornamental plants has many applications such as facilitate hybrid seed production, eliminate pollen allergens, reduce the need for deadheading to extend the flowering period, redirect resources from seeds to vegetative growth, increase flower longevity and prevent gene flow between genetically modified and related native plants. We have developed a reliable and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated protocol for the genetic transformation of different Kalanchoe blossfeldiana commercial cultivars. Transformation efficiency for cv. 'Hillary' was 55.3% whereas that of cv. 'Tenorio' reached 75.8%. Selection was carried out with the nptII gene and increasing the kanamycin concentration from 25 to 100 mg l(-1) allowed to reduced escapes from 50 to 60% to virtually 0%. This method was used to produce male-sterile plants through engineered anther ablation. In our approach, we tested a male sterility chimaeric gene construct (PsEND1::barnase) to evaluate its effectiveness and effect on phenotype. No significant differences were found in the growth patterns between the transgenic lines and the wild-type plants. No viable pollen grains were observed in the ablated anthers of any of the lines carrying the PsEND1::barnase construct, indicating that the male sterility was complete. In addition, seed set was completely abolished in all the transgenic plants obtained. Our engineered male-sterile approach could be used, alone or in combination with a female-sterility system, to reduce the invasive potential of new ornamentals, which has become an important environmental problem in many countries.

  3. Policy Brief: Enhancing water-use efficiency of thermal power plants in India: need for mandatory water audits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Batra, R.K. (ed.)

    2012-12-15

    This policy brief discusses the challenges of water availability and opportunity to improve the water use efficiency in industries specially the thermal power plants. It presents TERI’s experience from comprehensive water audits conducted for thermal power plants in India. The findings indicate that there is a significant scope for saving water in the waste water discharge, cooling towers, ash handling systems, and the township water supply. Interventions like recycling wastewater, curbing leakages, increasing CoC (Cycles of concentration) in cooling towers, using dry ash handling etc., can significantly reduce the specific water consumption in power plants. However, the first step towards this is undertaking regular water audits. The policy brief highlights the need of mandatory water audits necessary to understand the current water use and losses as well as identify opportunities for water conservation, reduction in specific water consumption, and an overall improvement in water use efficiency in industries.

  4. 78 FR 68103 - Transamerica Life Insurance Company, et al; Notice of Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-13

    ... receive a quick profit from the credit. By recapturing a bonus credit, a Company protects itself against... simply return it for a quick profit. By recapturing the bonus credit, a Company will prevent such... administrative expenses and maximizing efficient use of resources. Applicants submit that elimination of the...

  5. Application of high temperature phase change materials for improved efficiency in waste-to-energy plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dal Magro, Fabio; Xu, Haoxin; Nardin, Gioacchino; Romagnoli, Alessandro

    2018-03-01

    This study reports the thermal analysis of a novel thermal energy storage based on high temperature phase change material (PCM) used to improve efficiency in waste-to-energy plants. Current waste-to-energy plants efficiency is limited by the steam generation cycle which is carried out with boilers composed by water-walls (i.e. radiant evaporators), evaporators, economizers and superheaters. Although being well established, this technology is subjected to limitations related with high temperature corrosion and fluctuation in steam production due to the non-homogenous composition of solid waste; this leads to increased maintenance costs and limited plants availability and electrical efficiency. The proposed solution in this paper consists of replacing the typical refractory brick installed in the combustion chamber with a PCM-based refractory brick capable of storing a variable heat flux and to release it on demand as a steady heat flux. By means of this technology it is possible to mitigate steam production fluctuation, to increase temperature of superheated steam over current corrosion limits (450°C) without using coated superheaters and to increase the electrical efficiency beyond 34%. In the current paper a detailed thermo-mechanical analysis has been carried out in order to compare the performance of the PCM-based refractory brick against the traditional alumina refractory bricks. The PCM considered in this paper is aluminium (and its alloys) whereas its container consists of high density ceramics (such as Al 2 O 3 , AlN and Si 3 N 4 ); the different coefficient of linear thermal expansion for the different materials requires a detailed thermo-mechanical analysis to be carried out to ascertain the feasibility of the proposed technology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Improving energy efficiency of cyclone circuits in coal beneficiation plants by pump-storage systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Lijun; Xia, Xiaohua; Zhang, Jiangfeng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A pump-storage system (PSS) is introduced in a coal washing plant to reduce energy consumption and cost. • Optimal operation of the PSS under TOU tariff is formulated and solved. Life cycle cost analysis of the design is done. • Simulation results show the effectiveness of energy efficiency improvement and load shifting effect of the proposed approach. • An annual 38% reduction of overall cost of the coal washing plant with 2.86 years payback period is achieved. • Capacity improvement of power plants contracted to the coal mine is expected as less electricity is required to get fuel. - Abstract: A pump storage system (PSS) is introduced to the coal preparation dense medium cyclone (DMC) plants to improve their energy efficiency while maintaining the required medium supply. The DMC processes are very energy intensive and inefficient because the medium supply pumps are constantly over-pumping. The PSS presented is to reduce energy consumption and cost by introducing an addition medium circulation loop. The corresponding pump operation optimization problem in the PSS scheme under time-based electricity tariff is formulated and solved, based on which the financial benefits of the design is investigated using life cycle cost analysis. A case study based on the operation status of a South African coal mine is carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. It is demonstrated that the energy cost can be reduced by more than 50% in the studied case by introducing a 160 m 3 storage tank. According to life cycle analysis, the PSS Option 1 yields an annual 38% reduction of the overall cost for the beneficiation plant with a payback period of 2.68 years

  7. Flexibility in the context of intelligent plant's development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Augusto Pereira

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Globalization and competition among companies bring changes in the product development, reducing increasingly its life's cycle. Corporations are opting to world-wide products platforms, with global strategies. Besides the wider vision about corporative strategies, dynamic markets and strong competition are impacting in the medium and short term companies' demands. All these characteristics create turbulences in the organizations, but they can also convey opportunities. In order to take strategic advantage in this process, companies ought to innovate, changing the manner of planning and operating its plants. One possibility to achieve these goals is using flexibility in the manufacture. In this paper, flexibility aspects will be addressed in context of band, reply and dimension, and, how companies can apply this benefit to get better design in their plants and manufacture process, and eliminate waste. Key-words: Flexibility, Toyota Production System, Lean Manufacturing, Intelligent Plants, Wastes’ elimination.

  8. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ENERGY COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ionescu (Sas Mihaela

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to contribute to a better knowledge of the problems of energy services provided that both the international economic literature and in the Romanian, it continues to be addressed in a low position. Therefore, the author examines energy services through mechanisms that can be saved primary energy and final energy in the context of declining energy reserves worldwide. Economic and financial crisis and the current recession contribute to preventing the development of the energy services market and solutions on the framework conditions of political, economic, legal and financial aspects of energy performance contracts associated with these companies. Some Member States have already established a system requiring the national energy industry to achieve energy savings, achieving positive results: there were savings of up to 6% of final energy consumption. In a system of this type, utilities are required to obtain a fixed amount of energy savings by implementing energy efficiency improvements in their clients (such as households, companies, government or housing associations and other sectors and energy production and transport. As an alternative to savings by themselves, some systems allow utilities to purchase energy savings from other actors such as energy service companies (ESCOs. Energy saving obligations stimulate providers to change their business model from retail energy products to the provision of energy services. Energy Service Companies continues to be a key area for financing energy efficiency in the EU. In this respect, several Member States mention providing model contracts for energy services, the introduction of legislation or removing legal barriers for ESCO access to energy services in the public sector. Meanwhile, many of the measures encouraged on ESCO contain too little detail on specific actions to be taken.

  9. Control Optimization through Simulations of Large Scale Solar Plants for Industrial Heat Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Hassine, Ilyes Ben; Sehgelmeble., Mariela Cotrado; Söll, Robert; Pietruschka, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    The European FP7 Project InSun; which started in April 2012; aims to demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of three different collector technologies suitable for heat production employed in diverse industrial processes in different climatic regions. These collectors are installed and will be monitored in detail over a period of almost two years. One of the plants is installed at Fleischwaren Berger GmbH located in Sieghartskirchen, Austria, a company which produces meat and sausage p...

  10. Cutting costs by achieving energy efficiency using monitoring, targeting and teamwork

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dittburner, D. [Unilever Canada, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    2004-07-01

    Unilever is a world leader of consumer goods with annual sales of $70 billion. This paper focuses on energy management projects developed at Unilever's Rexdale Plant, where 180 million pounds of edible oils and margarine are produced annually. The project is a response to corporate and market pressures to reduce costs. An overview of Unilever's relationship with Natural Resources Canada was provided. Results of the overall project were highlighted and included: $3 million in annual savings from increased efficiency in operations and equipment retrofits. An outline of the energy team at Unilever was presented, with their mission statement, rules and achievements, as well the company's overall goal of total productive manufacturing. A list of awards and financial incentives was presented, as well as details of financial savings incurred at the Rexdale Plant. Total energy reductions were presented, with a natural gas year to year comparison and utility to production ratios from 1999 to the present. A statement concerning the issue of corporate support by the vice president was provided. Seven steps to savings were presented, as well as details of the company's implementation of the steps. Details of the extended team involved in the project were provided, as well as extensive details about the employee awareness program instigated by the company, including a database of ideas achieved since 2001, as well as details of specific projects accomplished, with estimated savings for each project. An outline of the company's business model and methodology was presented, along with details of reduced costs, risk and improved management and communications. An outline of scoping studies was presented as well as a flow chart of projects and target-setting goals. Success factors were reviewed. Montage applications included energy management; performance contracting; energy forecasting; emissions and waste minimization; and cost allocation. tabs., figs.

  11. Marketing Communication Strategies of the Industrial Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojciech Wodyński

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Industrial market, created by companies, which buy and sell goods which are not directly for consumption, but are used in production process, communicates with the environment in a specific way. Many industrial companies supply only the customers of non consumption goods market and hence they do not enter into direct contact with a final consumer. In such cases recognizing the customers needs is even more difficult. Such environment requires efficiently functioning and planned communication of the company with the market. This study presents methods and strategies of marketing communication really used in industrial companies. While analysing marketing strategies of industrial companies, the author draws the attention to the fact that even though there was system transformation, the state still has significant impact on functioning and development of industry and that in a way directs and created barriers in companies functioning. Such conditions force even more active marketing communication as well as searching new solutions. As there are more and more sophisticated marketing techniques related to digital media, there is also a growing demand for strategic solutions in marketing communication. Digital media, first of all the Internet, provide so far unavailable possibilities of researching consumers behaviours and ways of using media. They also give a chance to follow the behaviour of smaller, unique and often social groups of consumers.

  12. Simulation of the influence of flue gas cleaning system on the energetic efficiency of a waste-to-energy plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grieco, E.; Poggio, A. [Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10121 (Italy)

    2009-09-15

    Municipal solid waste incinerators are designed to enhance the electrical efficiency obtained by the plant as much as possible. For this reason strong integration between the flue gas cleaning system and the heat recovery system is required. To provide higher electrical efficiencies acid gas neutralization process has the major importance in flue gas cleaning system. At least four technologies are usually applied for acid gas removal: dry neutralization with Ca(OH){sub 2} or with NaHCO{sub 3}, semi-dry neutralization with milk of lime and wet scrubbing. Nowadays, wet scrubbers are rarely used as a result of the large amount of liquid effluents produced; wet scrubbing technology is often applied as a final treatment after a dry neutralization. Operating conditions of the plant were simulated by using Aspen Plus in order to investigate the influences of four different technologies on the electrical efficiency of the plant. The results of the simulations did not show a great influence of the gas cleaning system on the net electrical efficiency, as the difference between the most advantageous technology (neutralization with NaHCO{sub 3}) and the worst one, is about 1%. (author)

  13. Aging management and preventive maintenance for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bessho, Toichi; Sagawa, Wataru; Oyamada, Osamu; Uchida, Shunsuke

    1995-01-01

    It is expected that nuclear power generation will bear main electric power supply for long term. For this purpose, by applying proper preventive maintenance to the nuclear power plants in operation, the maintenance of high reliability and the rate of plant operation is extremely important. Especially it has been strongly demanded to execute efficiently the periodic inspection which is carried out every year to shorten its period and increase the rate of operation, and to maintain the reliability by the proper maintenance for the aged plants with long operation years. As to efficient and short periodic inspection, the preparation is advanced by the guidance of electric power companies aiming at realizing it in nearest fiscal year, and further, effort is exerted for the development of technology in long term to optimize periodic inspection. For securing the reliability of aged plants, it is important to do proper inspection and diagnosis and to take the countermeasures by repair and replacement, based on the grasp of secular change mechanism and the evaluation of life of machinery, equipment and materials. In particular, effort is exerted for the development of maintenance technology for reactor pressure vessels and in-core equipment which are hard to access. The confirmation of the function of remote operation equipment and the establishment of execution condition are carried out by uisng the full scale mock-up of BWR plant. The problems in maintenance service and the activities and results of reliability improvement are reported. (K.I.)

  14. DEFINITION OF EFFICIENT REFERENCES FOR REGULATORY BENCHMARKING OF DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES DEFINICIÓN DE UNA REFERENCIA DE EFICIENCIA PARA LA REGULACIÓN POR COMPARACIÓN DE EMPRESAS DE DISTRIBUCIÓN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raúl Sanhueza H

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available The data envelopment analysis and the p-median methodology are formulated as tools to determine efficient references for regulatory benchmarking of electrical distribution companies. Distribution typical areas are determined for the purpose of establishing distribution tariffs in a process whose regulatory core is based on the efficient company concept. Its application within the framework of the last Chilean regulatory process is illustrated.Se formula un procedimiento basados en el análisis envolvente de datos y la metodología p-mediana para determinar una empresa de referencia eficiente para el proceso de regulación de las empresas de distribución eléctricas. Se determinan las áreas de distribución típicas para establecer las tarifas de distribución en un proceso cuyo núcleo regulador está basado en el concepto de empresa eficiente. Se aplica dentro del marco del último proceso regulador chileno.

  15. Human Resource Development and New Technology in the Automobile Industry: A Case Study of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Engine Plant. The Development and Utilization of Human Resources in the Context of Technological Change and Industrial Restructuring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kan; And Others

    This report centers around a plant-level study of the development and utilization of human resources in the context of technological change and industrial restructuring in the crankshaft production area of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Engine Plant (DEP). The introductory chapter describes how the study was conducted, provides an introduction to…

  16. On economic efficiency of nuclear power unit life extension using steam-gas topping plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuznetsov, Y.N.; Lisitsa, F.D.; Smirnov, V.G.

    2001-01-01

    The different options for life extension of the operating nuclear power units have been analyzed in the report with regard for their economic efficiency. A particular attention is given to the option envisaging the reduction of reactor power output and its subsequent compensation with a steam-gas topping plant. Steam generated at its heat-recovery boilers is proposed to be used for the additional loading of the nuclear plant turbine so as to reach its nominal output. It would be demonstrated that the implementation of this option allows to reduce total costs in the period of power plant life extension by 24-29% as compared with the alternative use of the replacing steam-gas unit and the saved resources could be directed, for instance, for decommissioning of a reactor facility. (authors)

  17. Research of waste heat energy efficiency for absorption heat pump recycling thermal power plant circulating water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Li; Zhang, Yu; Zhou, Liansheng; E, Zhijun; Wang, Kun; Wang, Ziyue; Li, Guohao; Qu, Bin

    2018-02-01

    The waste heat energy efficiency for absorption heat pump recycling thermal power plant circulating water has been analyzed. After the operation of heat pump, the influences on power generation and heat generation of unit were taken into account. In the light of the characteristics of heat pump in different operation stages, the energy efficiency of heat pump was evaluated comprehensively on both sides of benefits belonging to electricity and benefits belonging to heat, which adopted the method of contrast test. Thus, the reference of energy efficiency for same type projects was provided.

  18. Part I. Remembering No. 2 (Ladislav Loerinc). EMO joint venture, joint-stock company - really completely useless organ?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blaha, M.

    2008-01-01

    In this chapter author reviewed the story of the EMO joint venture, joint-stock company, between Slovenske elektrarne, a. s. and EdF. EMO joint venture, joint-stock company, was established to complete the Mochovce nuclear power plant. EMO joint venture, joint-stock company was closed after one year of work. History of EMO joint venture, joint-stock company, was described by its former general manager Mr. Ladislav Loerinc.

  19. Construction permit of nuclear power plants in case of leasing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1983-01-01

    Guiding lines (unofficial): 1. A leasing company can be founded to finance and to operate a nuclear power plant. 2. The leasing company does not require a license according to section 7 of the Atomic Energy Act, for it neither constructs nor posesses the nuclear power plant. 3. This also applies if the proprietor, and later on operator, of the nuclear power plant holds an interest in this leasing company as a shareholder. Section 7, and 19 subsection 3 of the Atomic Energy Act. Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland Palatinate, Decision of July 20sup(th), 1982. (orig.) [de

  20. 75 FR 42432 - Northern Natural Gas Company, Southern Natural Gas Company, Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-21

    ... Natural Gas Company, Southern Natural Gas Company, Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC, Transcontinental... abandonment of facilities by Northern Natural Gas Company, Southern Natural Gas Company, Florida Gas... resources, fisheries, and wetlands; Cultural resources; Vegetation and wildlife; Endangered and threatened...