Road deicing salt irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karraker, Nancy E.; Gibbs, James P.

2011-01-01

It has been postulated that road deicing salts are sufficiently diluted by spring rains to ameliorate any physiological impacts to amphibians breeding in wetlands near roads. We tested this conjecture by exposing clutches of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to three chloride concentrations (1 mg/L, 145 mg/L, 945 mg/L) for nine days, then transferred clutches to control water for nine days, and measured change in mass at three-day intervals. We measured mass change because water uptake by clutches reduces risks to embryos associated with freezing, predation, and disease. Clutches in controls sequestered water asymptotically. Those in the moderate concentrations lost 18% mass initially and regained 14% after transfer to control water. Clutches in high concentration lost 33% mass and then lost an additional 8% after transfer. Our results suggest that spring rains do not ameliorate the effects of deicing salts in wetlands with extremely high chloride concentrations. - Road deicing salts irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches.

Road deicing salt irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karraker, Nancy E., E-mail: karraker@hku.hk [Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 (United States); Gibbs, James P [Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 (United States)

2011-03-15

It has been postulated that road deicing salts are sufficiently diluted by spring rains to ameliorate any physiological impacts to amphibians breeding in wetlands near roads. We tested this conjecture by exposing clutches of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to three chloride concentrations (1 mg/L, 145 mg/L, 945 mg/L) for nine days, then transferred clutches to control water for nine days, and measured change in mass at three-day intervals. We measured mass change because water uptake by clutches reduces risks to embryos associated with freezing, predation, and disease. Clutches in controls sequestered water asymptotically. Those in the moderate concentrations lost 18% mass initially and regained 14% after transfer to control water. Clutches in high concentration lost 33% mass and then lost an additional 8% after transfer. Our results suggest that spring rains do not ameliorate the effects of deicing salts in wetlands with extremely high chloride concentrations. - Road deicing salts irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches.

Performance Enhancement of Deicing Systems with the Use of an Anti-Ice Nano-Coating, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed program addresses NASA's need for a new generation of icing mitigation technology for manned and unmanned vehicles. The state of the art active de-icing...

Influence of de-icing salt chemistry on the corrosion behavior of AA6016

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schoukens, Ine; Cavezza, Francesca; Cerezo, Jose

2017-01-01

De-icing salts are commonly used on European roads during winter and are usually based on chlorides of sodium, magnesium, or calcium. The salt selection depends on the local climate and legislation. Therefore, the chemical composition of the de-icing mixture can be very different within Europe. T...

Effect of recycle on treatment of aircraft de-icing fluid in an anaerobic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Aircraft de-icing fluid at 7 000 mg COD/ℓ was successfully treated in an anaerobic baffled reactor operated with and without recycle at volumetric organic loading rate of between 4 and 11 g COD/ℓreactor·d. Reactor recycle was found to improve reactor performance. The anaerobic baffled reactor operated with a 6:1 recycle ...

Electrical deicing utilizing carbon fiber tape for asphalt approach and crosswalk phase I - literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-30

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive literature review of electrical deicing technology for possible application in asphalt approach and crosswalks. A : thorough review of existing and emerging deicing technology for snow/ice melti...

De-Icing Salts and the Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln.

Reported is an examination of the use and effects of chlorides as de-icing products for removal of snow and ice from roads immediately following storms. Increasing evidence of detrimental side effects led to a closer look and more careful evaluation of the overall significance of the so-called "bare pavement maintenance." The side…

Effects of de-icing salt on soil enzyme activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guentner, M; Wilke, B M

1983-01-01

Effects of de-icing salt on dehydrogenase, urease, alkalinephosphatase and arylsulfatase activity of O/sub L/- and A/sub h/-horizons of a moder and a mull soil were investigated using a field experiment. Additions of 2.5 kg m/sup -2/ and 5.0 kg m/sup -2/ of de-icing salt reduced activities of most enzymes within four weeks. Eleven months after salt addition there was nearly no reduction of enzyme activity to be measured on salt treated soils. The percentage of reduced enzyme activity was generally higher in the moder soil. It was concluded that reductions of enzyme activity were due to decreases of microbial activity and not to inactivation of enzymes.

Environmental Aspects of Aircraft and Airfield Deicing - An Air Force Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-01

e l l e n c e COD of Aircraft Deicers ADF Kg O2/Kg compd Ethylene glycol 1.14 T Propylene glycol 1.47 T Isopropyl alcohol 2.11 T Neopentyl glycol ...showed that commercial airports use about 25 million gallons of Aircraft Deicing Fluid (ADF) annually, of which 22.1 M (88%) is Propylene Glycol (PG...S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e AF Aircraft Deicing Overview 70% (107) of bases reported using aircraft deicers Propylene Glycol (PG), AMS 1424

Heavy metal removal mechanisms of sorptive filter materials for road runoff treatment and remobilization under de-icing salt applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Maximilian; Hilbig, Harald; Badenberg, Sophia C; Fassnacht, Julius; Drewes, Jörg E; Helmreich, Brigitte

2016-10-01

The objective of this research study was to elucidate the removal and remobilization behaviors of five heavy metals (i.e., Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) that had been fixed onto sorptive filter materials used in decentralized stormwater treatment systems receiving traffic area runoff. Six filter materials (i.e., granular activated carbon, a mixture of granular activated alumina and porous concrete, granular activated lignite, half-burnt dolomite, and two granular ferric hydroxides) were evaluated in column experiments. First, a simultaneous preloading with the heavy metals was performed for each filter material. Subsequently, the remobilization effect was tested by three de-icing salt experiments in duplicate using pure NaCl, a mixture of NaCl and CaCl2, and a mixture of NaCl and MgCl2. Three layers of each column were separated to specify the attenuation of heavy metals as a function of depth. Cu and Pb were retained best by most of the selected filter materials, and Cu was often released the least of all metals by the three de-icing salts. The mixture of NaCl and CaCl2 resulted in a stronger effect upon remobilization than the other two de-icing salts. For the material with the highest retention, the effect of the preloading level upon remobilization was measured. The removal mechanisms of all filter materials were determined by advanced laboratory methods. For example, the different intrusions of heavy metals into the particles were determined. Findings of this study can result in improved filter materials used in decentralized stormwater treatment systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Evaluation of Damage Effects on MgO Added Concrete with Slag Cement Exposed to Calcium Chloride Deicing Salt

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Jae-Kyeong; Kim, Hong-Gi; Kim, Jun-Hyeong

2018-01-01

Concrete systems exposed to deicers are damaged in physical and chemical ways. In mitigating the damage from CaCl2 deicers, the usage of ground slag cement and MgO are investigated. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and slag cement are used in different proportions as the binding material, and MgO in doses of 0%, 5%, 7%, and 10% are added to the systems. After 28 days of water-curing, the specimens are immersed in 30% CaCl2 solution by mass for 180 days. Compressive strength test, carbonation test, chloride penetration test, chloride content test, XRD analysis, and SEM-EDAX analysis are conducted to evaluate the damage effects of the deicing solution. Up to 28 days, plain specimens with increasing MgO show a decrease in compressive strength, an increase in carbonation resistance, and a decrease in chloride penetration resistance, whereas the S30- and S50- specimens show a slight increase in compressive strength, an increase in carbonation resistance, and a slight increase in chloride penetration resistance. After 180 days of immersion in deicing solution, specimens with MgO retain their compressive strength longer and show improved durability. Furthermore, the addition of MgO to concrete systems with slag cement induces the formation of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) phases. PMID:29758008

The Evaluation of Damage Effects on MgO Added Concrete with Slag Cement Exposed to Calcium Chloride Deicing Salt.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Jae-Kyeong; Kim, Hong-Gi; Kim, Jun-Hyeong; Ryou, Jae-Suk

2018-05-14

Concrete systems exposed to deicers are damaged in physical and chemical ways. In mitigating the damage from CaCl₂ deicers, the usage of ground slag cement and MgO are investigated. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and slag cement are used in different proportions as the binding material, and MgO in doses of 0%, 5%, 7%, and 10% are added to the systems. After 28 days of water-curing, the specimens are immersed in 30% CaCl₂ solution by mass for 180 days. Compressive strength test, carbonation test, chloride penetration test, chloride content test, XRD analysis, and SEM-EDAX analysis are conducted to evaluate the damage effects of the deicing solution. Up to 28 days, plain specimens with increasing MgO show a decrease in compressive strength, an increase in carbonation resistance, and a decrease in chloride penetration resistance, whereas the S30- and S50- specimens show a slight increase in compressive strength, an increase in carbonation resistance, and a slight increase in chloride penetration resistance. After 180 days of immersion in deicing solution, specimens with MgO retain their compressive strength longer and show improved durability. Furthermore, the addition of MgO to concrete systems with slag cement induces the formation of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) phases.

Potential of Biofilters for Treatment of De-Icing Chemicals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gema Sakti Raspati

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Organic de-icing chemicals, such as propylene glycol and potassium formate, cause environmental degradation in receiving water if left untreated, due to the high organic load resulting in oxygen depletion. Biofilters are commonly used for the treatment of biodegradable organic carbon in water treatment. This study investigated the potential for using biofilters for treating organic de-icing compounds. Lab-scale adsorption tests using filter media made of crushed clay (Filtralite and granular activated carbon were conducted. Further, a column filtration experiment testing two different crushed clay size ranges was carried out investigating the effect of filter media depth, nutrient addition, and filtration rate. The surrogate parameter used to monitor the removal of de-icing chemicals was dissolved organic carbon (DOC. The adsorption test showed no significant adsorption of DOC was observed. The column test showed that the most active separation occurred in the first ~20 cm of the filter depth. This was confirmed by results from (1 water quality analysis (i.e., DOC removal and adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP measurement; and (2 calculations based on a filtration performance analysis (Iwasaki model and filter hydraulic evaluation (Lindquist diagram. The results showed that, for the highest C:N:P ratio tested (molar ratio of 24:7:1, 50–60% DOC removal was achieved. The addition of nutrients was found to be important for determining the biofilter performance.

Improved management of winter operations to limit subsurface contamination with degradable deicing chemicals in cold regions.

Science.gov (United States)

French, Helen K; van der Zee, Sjoerd E A T M

2014-01-01

This paper gives an overview of management considerations required for better control of deicing chemicals in the unsaturated zone at sites with winter maintenance operations in cold regions. Degradable organic deicing chemicals are the main focus. The importance of the heterogeneity of both the infiltration process, due to frozen ground and snow melt including the contact between the melting snow cover and the soil, and unsaturated flow is emphasised. In this paper, the applicability of geophysical methods for characterising soil heterogeneity is considered, aimed at modelling and monitoring changes in contamination. To deal with heterogeneity, a stochastic modelling framework may be appropriate, emphasizing the more robust spatial and temporal moments. Examples of a combination of different field techniques for measuring subsoil properties and monitoring contaminants and integration through transport modelling are provided by the SoilCAM project and previous work. Commonly, the results of flow and contaminant fate modelling are quite detailed and complex and require post-processing before communication and advising stakeholders. The managers' perspectives with respect to monitoring strategies and challenges still unresolved have been analysed with basis in experience with research collaboration with one of the case study sites, Oslo airport, Gardermoen, Norway. Both scientific challenges of monitoring subsoil contaminants in cold regions and the effective interaction between investigators and management are illustrated.

Design, fabrication, and testing of an ultrasonic de-icing system for helicopter rotor blades

Science.gov (United States)

Palacios, Jose Luis

A low-power, non-thermal ultrasonic de-icing system is introduced as a possible substitute for current electro-thermal systems. The system generates delaminating ultrasonic transverse shear stresses at the interface of accreted ice. A PZT-4 disk driven at 28.5 KHz (radial resonance of the disk) instantaneously de-bonds 2 mm thick freezer ice layers. The ice layers are accreted to a 0.7 mm thick, 30.4 cm x 30.4 cm steel plate at an environment temperature of -20°C. A power input of 50 Watts is applied to the actuator (50 V, 19.6 KV/m), which translates to a de-icing power of 0.07 W/cm2. A finite element model of the actuator bonded to the isotropic plate is used to guide the design of the system, and predicts the transverse shear stresses at the ice interface. Wind tunnel icing tests were conducted to demonstrate the potential use of the proposed system under impact icing conditions. Both glaze ice and rime ice were generated on steel and composite plates by changing the cloud conditions of the wind tunnel. Continuous ultrasonic vibration prevented impact ice formation around the actuator location at an input power not exceeding 0.18 W/cm 2 (1.2 W/in2). As ice thickness reached a critical thickness of approximately 1.2 mm, shedding occurred on those locations where ultrasonic transverse shear stresses exceeded the shear adhesion strength of the ice. Finite element transverse shear stress predictions correlate with observed experimental impact ice de-bonding behavior. To increase the traveling distance of propagating ultrasonic waves, ultrasonic shear horizontal wave modes are studied. Wave modes providing large modal interface transverse shear stress concentration coefficients (ISCC) between the host structure (0.7 mm thick steel plate) and accreted ice (2.5 mm thick ice layer) are identified and investigated for a potential increase in the wave propagation distance. Ultrasonic actuators able to trigger these optimum wave modes are designed and fabricated. Despite

Spontaneous De-Icing Phenomena on Extremely Cold Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Dong; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2017-11-01

Freezing of droplets on cold surfaces is universal phenomenon, while the mechanisms are still inadequately understood. Here we report spontaneous de-icing phenomena of an impacting droplet which occur on extreme cold surfaces. When a droplet impacts on cold surfaces lower than -80°, it takes more than two times longer for the droplet to freeze than the ones at -50°. Moreover, the frozen droplet below -80° breaks up into several large parts spontaneously in the end. When a droplet impacts on the extreme cold surfaces, evaporation and condensation occur immediately as the droplet approaches the substrate. A thick layer of frost forms between the droplet and substrate, decreasing the contact area of the droplet with substrate. It leads to impede the heat transfer and hence extends the freezing time significantly. On the extremely cold substrate, the droplet freezes from the center to the edge area, in contrast to a typical case freezing from the bottom to the top. This novel from-center-to-edge freezing process changes the internal tension of the frozen droplet and results in the instantaneous breakup and release eventually, which can be taken advantage of for effective deicing mechanisms.

Increasing Base Cations in Streams: Another Legacy of Deicing Salts?

Science.gov (United States)

Helton, A. M.; Barclay, J. R.; Bellucci, C.; Rittenhouse, C.

2017-12-01

Elevated use of deicing salts directly increases sodium chloride inputs to watersheds. Sodium can accumulate in soils over time and has the potential to leach other cations (e.g., calcium, magnesium, and potassium) from the soil through cation exchange. We hypothesize that increased use of deicing salts results in a legacy of soils depleted in non-sodium base cations with loss of cations to receiving waters. The goal of this project is to quantify temporal trends in base cations and chloride in streams and rivers across the United States. We used Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) to analyze trends in base cations. Our preliminary analysis of 10 rivers in Connecticut with chemical periods of record ranging from 24 - 64 years (median = 55 years), shows that the flux of base cations is increasing in all sites (25 - 366 103 meq ha-1 yr-1 yr-1), driven largely by increases in sodium (23 - 222 103 meq ha-1 yr-1 yr-1), the dominant cation in 7 of the sites. Chloride is also increasing at all sites (26 - 261 103 meq ha-1 yr-1 yr-1), which, in combination with salt use trends, suggests a road salt source for the increased sodium. Non-sodium cations are also increasing in 9 of the sites (8 - 54 103 meq ha-1 yr-1 yr-1), though they are not directly added with most deicing salts. We will compare these trends to other long-term sites across the United States, and quantify relationships between cation trends and land cover, road density, and snowfall.

A Robust Multifunctional Sandwich Panel Design with Trabecular Structures by the Use of Additive Manufacturing Technology for a New De-Icing System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlo Giovanni Ferro

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Anti-ice systems assure a vital on-board function in most aircraft: ice prevention or de-icing is mandatory for all aerodynamic surfaces to preserve their performance, and for all the movable surfaces to allow the proper control of the plane. In this work, a novel multi-functional panel concept which integrates anti-icing directly inside the primary structure is presented. In fact, constructing the core of the sandwich with trabecular non-stochastic cells allows the presence of a heat exchanger directly inside the structure with a savings in weight and an improvement in thermal efficiency. This solution can be realized easily in a single-piece component using Additive Manufacturing (AM technology without the need for joints, gluing, or welding. The objective of this study is to preliminarily investigate the mechanical properties of the core constructed with Selective Laser Melting (SLM; through the Design of Experiment (DOE, different design parameters were varied to understand how they affect the compression behaviour.

Road deicing salt irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches.

Science.gov (United States)

Karraker, Nancy E; Gibbs, James P

2011-03-01

It has been postulated that road deicing salts are sufficiently diluted by spring rains to ameliorate any physiological impacts to amphibians breeding in wetlands near roads. We tested this conjecture by exposing clutches of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to three chloride concentrations (1 mg/L, 145 mg/L, 945 mg/L) for nine days, then transferred clutches to control water for nine days, and measured change in mass at three-day intervals. We measured mass change because water uptake by clutches reduces risks to embryos associated with freezing, predation, and disease. Clutches in controls sequestered water asymptotically. Those in the moderate concentrations lost 18% mass initially and regained 14% after transfer to control water. Clutches in high concentration lost 33% mass and then lost an additional 8% after transfer. Our results suggest that spring rains do not ameliorate the effects of deicing salts in wetlands with extremely high chloride concentrations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of De-icing Salt Accumulation and Transport Through a Watershed

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

The accumulation of chloride in surface waters and groundwater from road deicing and other sources is a growing problem in northern cities of the U.S., including the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. To inform mitigation efforts, the transport of chlo...

Effects of highway deicing chemicals on shallow unconsolidated aquifers in Ohio, interim report, 1988-93

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A.L.; Sroka, B.N.

1997-01-01

Effects of the application of highway deicing chemicals during winter months on ground- water quality are being studied by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Eight sites throughout the State were selected along major undivided highways where drainage is by open ditches and ground-water flow is approximately perpendicular to the highway. At these sites, records of deicer application rates are being kept and apparent movement of deicing chemicals through shallow, unconsolidated aquifers is being monitored by means of periodic measurements of specific con ductance and concentrations of dissolved sodium, calcium, and chloride. The counties and corre sponding sections of state routes being monitored are the following: State Route (SR) 3 in Ashland County, SR 84 in Ashtabula County, SR 29 in Champaign County, SR 4 in Clark County, SR 2 in Lucas County, SR 104 in Pickaway County, SR 14 in Portage County, and SR 97 in Richland County. The study began in January 1988 with background data collection, extensive literature review, and site selection. This process, including drilling of wells at the eight selected sites, lasted 3 years. Routine ground-water sampling at 4- to 6-week intervals began in January 1991. A relatively new type of multilevel, passive flow ground-water sampling device was constructed and used. Other conditions monitored on a regular basis included ground-water level (monitored con tinuously), specific conductance, air and soil temperature, precipitation, chloride concentration in soil samples, ground conductivity, and deicing chemical application times and rates. For the interim reporting period, water samples were collected from January 1991 through September 1993. Evidence from water analysis, specific conductance measurements, and surface geophysical measurements indicates that four of the eight sites (Ashtabula County, Lucas County, Portage County, and Richland

Durability of cracked fibre reinforced concrete exposed to freeze-thaw and deicing salt

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place

1998-01-01

Durability studies are carried out by subjecting FRC-beams to combined mechanical and environmental load. Mechanical load is obtained by subjecting beams to 4-point bending until a predefined crack width is reached. Specimens sawn from the beams after unloading are exposed to freeze-thaw and deic......Durability studies are carried out by subjecting FRC-beams to combined mechanical and environmental load. Mechanical load is obtained by subjecting beams to 4-point bending until a predefined crack width is reached. Specimens sawn from the beams after unloading are exposed to freeze-thaw...... and deicing salt. The concrete has a water-powder ratio of 0.38 including both fly ash and silica fume. Both steel fibres (ZP, 0.4 vol%) and polypropylene fibres (PP, 1 vol%) are used as well as main reinforcement. The freeze-thaw test emphasizes the need for a critical evaluation of the mix design and mixing...

The De-Icing Comparison Experiment (D-ICE): A campaign for improving data retention rates of radiometric measurements under icing conditions in cold regions

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, C. J.; Morris, S. M.

2017-12-01

Longwave and shortwave radiative fluxes are fundamental quantities regularly observed globally using broadband radiometers. In cold climates, frost, rime, snow and ice (collectively, "icing") frequently builds up on sensor windows, contaminating measurements. Since icing occurs under particular meteorological conditions, associated data losses constitutes a climatological bias. Furthermore, the signal caused by ice is difficult to distinguish from that of clouds, hampering efforts to identify contaminated from real data in post-processing. Because of the sensitivity of radiometers to internal temperature instabilities, there are limitations to using heat as a de-icing method. The magnitude of this problem is indicated by the large number of research institutions and commercial vendors that have developed various de-icing strategies. The D-ICE campaign has been designed to bring together a large number of currently available systems to quantitatively evaluate and compare ice-migration strategies and also to characterize the potentially adverse effects of the techniques themselves. For D-ICE, a variety of automated approaches making use of ventilation, heating, modified housings and alcohol spray are being evaluated alongside standard units operating with only the regularly scheduled manual cleaning by human operators at the NOAA Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) station in Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska. Previous experience within the BSRN community suggests that aspiration of ambient air alone may be sufficient to maintain ice-free radiometers without increasing measurement uncertainty during icing conditions, forming the main guiding hypothesis of the experiment. Icing on the sensors is monitored visually using cameras recording images every 15 minutes and quantitatively using an icing probe and met station. The effects of applied heat on infrared loss in pyranometers will be analyzed and the integrated effect of icing on monthly averages will be

Electrical resistivity tomography as monitoring tool for unsaturated zone transport: an example of preferential transport of deicing chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wehrer, Markus; Lissner, Heidi; Bloem, Esther; French, Helen; Totsche, Kai Uwe

2014-01-01

Non-invasive spatially resolved monitoring techniques may hold the key to observe heterogeneous flow and transport behavior of contaminants in soils. In this study, time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was employed during an infiltration experiment with deicing chemical in a small field lysimeter. Deicing chemicals like potassium formate, which frequently impact soils on airport sites, were infiltrated during snow melt. Chemical composition of seepage water and the electrical response was recorded over the spring period 2010. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomographs are able to show the infiltration of the melt water loaded with ionic constituents of deicing chemicals and their degradation product hydrogen carbonate. The tomographs indicate early breakthrough behavior in parts of the profile. Groundtruthing with pore fluid conductivity and water content variations shows disagreement between expected and observed bulk conductivity. This was attributed to the different sampling volume of traditional methods and ERT due to a considerable fraction of immobile water in the soil. The results show that ERT can be used as a soil monitoring tool on airport sites if assisted by common soil monitoring techniques.

Review of the FY15 Defense Environmental International Cooperation (DEIC) Program

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

including those practices in connection with 14 European Union Natura 2000), and developing relationships with and between Italian mil- itary and civilian...an Italian training area near Aviano because of claims of environ- mental stress and European Union Natura 2000 restrictions. The June 2015 DEIC... Iceland ) √ Environmental Considerations for Sustainable Base Development and Range Operations (Israel) √ √ Natura 2000 and Range Management Work

Impacts of road deicing salts on the early-life growth and development of a stream salmonid: Salt type matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Hintz, William D; Relyea, Rick A

2017-04-01

The use of road deicing salts in regions that experience cold winters is increasing the salinity of freshwater ecosystems, which threatens freshwater resources. Yet, the impacts of environmentally relevant road salt concentrations on freshwater organisms are not well understood, particularly in stream ecosystems where salinization is most severe. We tested the impacts of deicing salts-sodium chloride (NaCl), magnesium chloride (MgCl 2 ), and calcium chloride (CaCl 2 )-on the growth and development of newly hatched rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). We exposed rainbow trout to a wide range of environmentally relevant chloride concentrations (25, 230, 860, 1500, and 3000 mg Cl -  L -1 ) over an ecologically relevant time period (25 d). We found that the deicing salts studied had distinct effects. MgCl 2 did not affect rainbow trout growth at any concentration. NaCl had no effects at the lowest three concentrations, but rainbow trout length was reduced by 9% and mass by 27% at 3000 mg Cl -  L -1 . CaCl 2 affected rainbow trout growth at 860 mg Cl -  L -1 (5% reduced length; 16% reduced mass) and these effects became larger at higher concentrations (11% reduced length; 31% reduced mass). None of the deicing salts affected rainbow trout development. At sub-lethal and environmentally relevant concentrations, our results do not support the paradigm that MgCl 2 is the most toxic deicing salt to fish, perhaps due to hydration effects on the Mg 2+ cation. Our results do suggest different pathways for lethal and sub-lethal effects of road salts. Scaled to the population level, the reduced growth caused by NaCl and CaCl 2 at critical early-life stages has the potential to negatively affect salmonid recruitment and population dynamics. Our findings have implications for environmental policy and management strategies that aim to reduce the impacts of salinization on freshwater organisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Highway deicing salt dynamic runoff to surface water and subsequent infiltration to groundwater during severe UK winters.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivett, Michael O; Cuthbert, Mark O; Gamble, Richard; Connon, Lucy E; Pearson, Andrew; Shepley, Martin G; Davis, John

2016-09-15

Dynamic impact to the water environment of deicing salt application at a major highway (motorway) interchange in the UK is quantitatively evaluated for two recent severe UK winters. The contaminant transport pathway studied allowed controls on dynamic highway runoff and storm-sewer discharge to a receiving stream and its subsequent leakage to an underlying sandstone aquifer, including possible contribution to long-term chloride increases in supply wells, to be evaluated. Logged stream electrical-conductivity (EC) to estimate chloride concentrations, stream flow, climate and motorway salt application data were used to assess salt fate. Stream loading was responsive to salt applications and climate variability influencing salt release. Chloride (via EC) was predicted to exceed the stream Environmental Quality Standard (250mg/l) for 33% and 18% of the two winters. Maximum stream concentrations (3500mg/l, 15% sea water salinity) were ascribed to salt-induced melting and drainage of highway snowfall without dilution from, still frozen, catchment water. Salt persistance on the highway under dry-cold conditions was inferred from stream observations of delayed salt removal. Streambed and stream-loss data demonstrated chloride infiltration could occur to the underlying aquifer with mild and severe winter stream leakage estimated to account for 21 to 54% respectively of the 70t of increased chloride (over baseline) annually abstracted by supply wells. Deicing salt infiltration lateral to the highway alongside other urban/natural sources were inferred to contribute the shortfall. Challenges in quantifying chloride mass/fluxes (flow gauge accuracy at high flows, salt loading from other roads, weaker chloride-EC correlation at low concentrations), may be largely overcome by modest investment in enhanced data acquisition or minor approach modification. The increased understanding of deicing salt dynamic loading to the water environment obtained is relevant to improved

Water droplet behavior on superhydrophobic SiO2 nanocomposite films during icing/deicing cycles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lazauskas, A.; Guobiene, A.; Prosycevas, I.; Baltrusaitis, V.; Grigaliunas, V.; Narmontas, P.; Baltrusaitis, Jonas

2013-01-01

This work investigates water droplet behavior on superhydrophobic (water contact angle value of 162 ± 1°) SiO2 nanocomposite films subjected to repetitive icing/deicing treatments, changes in SiO2 nanocomposite film surface morphology and their non-wetting characteristics. During the experiment,

Degradation of deicing chemicals affects the natural redox system in airfield soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Lissner, Heidi; Wehrer, Markus; Jartun, Morten; Totsche, Kai Uwe

2014-01-01

During winter operations at airports, large amounts of organic deicing chemicals (DIC) accumulate beside the runways and infiltrate into the soil during spring. To study the transport and degradation of DIC in the unsaturated zone, eight undisturbed soil cores were retrieved at Oslo airport, Norway, and installed as lysimeters at a nearby field site. Before snowmelt in 2010 and 2011, snow amended with a mix of the DICs propylene glycol (PG) and formate as well as bromide as conservative tracer was applied. Water samples were collected and analyzed until summer 2012. Water flow and solute transport varied considerably among the lysimeters but also temporally between 2010 and 2011. High infiltration rates during snowmelt resulted in the discharge of up to 51 and 82% PG in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The discharge of formate remained comparatively low, indicating its favored degradation even at freezing temperatures compared with PG. Manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) were observed in the drainage in autumn owing to the anaerobic degradation of residual PG during summer. Our findings suggest that upper boundary conditions, i.e., snow cover and infiltration rate, and the extent of preferential flowpaths, control water flow and solute transport of bromide and PG during snowmelt. PG may therefore locally reach deeper soil regions where it may pose a risk for groundwater. In the long term, the use of DIC furthermore causes the depletion of potential electron acceptors and the transport of considerable amounts of Fe and Mn. To avoid an overload of the unsaturated zone with DIC and to maintain the natural redox system, the development of suitable remediation techniques is required.

Retention of heavy metals and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons from road water in a constructed wetland and the effect of de-icing

KAUST Repository

Tromp, Karin

2012-02-01

A full-scale remediation facility including a detention basin and a wetland was tested for retention of heavy metals and Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from water drained from a motorway in The Netherlands. The facility consisted of a detention basin, a vertical-flow reed bed and a final groundwater infiltration bed. Water samples were taken of road water, detention basin influent and wetland effluent. By using automated sampling, we were able to obtain reliable concentration averages per 4-week period during 18 months. The system retained the PAHs very well, with retention efficiencies of 90-95%. While environmental standards for these substances were surpassed in the road water, this was never the case after passage through the system. For the metals the situation was more complicated. All metals studied (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Ni) had concentrations frequently surpassing environmental standards in the road water. After passage through the system, most metal concentrations were lower than the standards, except for Cu and Zn. There was a dramatic effect of de-icing salts on the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd and Ni, in the effluent leaving the system. For Cu, the concentrations even became higher than they had ever been in the road water. It is advised to let the road water bypass the facility during de-icing periods. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Frost susceptibility of granular subbase materials contaminated by deicing chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Anders Stuhr; Orlander, Tobias; Doré, Guy

2013-01-01

The increase in urban population in arctic areas leads to an increased demand for transportation infrastructures (such as roads and airfields) in the regions. This challenges the road constructions in terms of condition, bearing capacity and maintenance. It is believed that deicing agents used...... on roads and airfields enter the granular subbase materials and thereby makes the soil more frost-susceptible. In this project a series of isothermal frost heave tests has been carried out on granular subbase material from the runway at Kuujjuaq Airport, Québec, Canada. The tests have been carried out...

Phytodesalinization potential of Typha angustifolia, Juncus maritimus, and Eleocharis palustris for removal of de-icing salts from runoff water.

Science.gov (United States)

Guesdon, Gaëlle; de Santiago-Martín, Ana; Galvez-Cloutier, Rosa

2016-10-01

Typha angustifolia, Juncus maritimus, and Eleocharis palustris were evaluated for de-icing salt removal from runoff water. Plants were exposed to a range of de-icing salt levels (0.2, 0.7, 4, 8, and 13 dS m(-1)) in laboratory-scale subsurface constructed wetlands (CWs) for 2 months under greenhouse conditions. Effluent characteristics, plant height, biomass, and Cl and Na removal rates and uptake were monitored. More water volume was retained in CWs of T. angustifolia (∼60 %) than of J. maritimus and E. palustris (∼37.5 %), which accounted for the electrical conductivity increase in effluents (1.3-1.9-fold). Based on the NaCl removal rate, T. angustifolia showed the greatest phytodesalinization ability (31-60 %) with the highest removal at the lowest salt levels (0.2-0.7 dS m(-1)), followed by J. maritimus (22-36 %) without differences in removal among levels, and E. palustris (3-26 %) presenting a removal rate highly decreased with increasing salt levels. Plant height and biomass were stimulated at low de-icing salt levels, but, at higher levels, T. angustifolia and E. palustris growth was inhibited (tolerance index ∼67 and 10 %, respectively, in the worst cases). Salt amounts in aboveground biomass in g m(-2) differed among levels and ranged as follows: 13.6-29.1 (Cl), 4.2-9.3 (Na; T. angustifolia); 7.0-12.0 (Cl), 2.7-6.4 (Na; J. maritimus); and 0.9-7.6 (Cl), 0.3-1.6 (Na; E. palustris). Chloride and Na translocation decreased with de-icing salt increase in T. angustifolia, while no significant differences were found in J. maritimus, which is interesting for harvesting purposes.

Effects of de-icing chemicals sodium chloride and potassium formate on cadmium solubility in a coarse mineral soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rasa, Kimmo [Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki (Finland)]. E-mail: kimmo.rasa@helsinki.fi; Peltovuori, Tommi [Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki (Finland); Hartikainen, Helinae [Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki (Finland)

2006-08-01

Excessive use of sodium chloride (NaCl) as de-icing chemical causes environmental problems, such as elevated chloride concentrations in groundwater. On vulnerable sites, this can be avoided by using alternative organic de-icing chemicals, such as potassium formate (KHCOO). The environmental impacts of KCHOO are, however, not well known. This study reports the potential effects of NaCl and KCHOO on mechanisms controlling the mobility of cadmium (Cd) in roadside soils as a result of vehicular traffic. Changes in the solubility of Cd in a coarse mineral soil treated with these two de-icing chemicals were studied in a 50-day incubation experiment under four different moisture and temperature combinations and an initial soil Cd concentration of 3 mg kg{sup -1}. After incubation, the distribution of soil Cd into different fractions was analyzed using a sequential extraction method. Soil pH and soil redox potential were recorded and the occurrence of Cd-Cl complexes in the soil was estimated using published stability constants. During incubation, KCHOO lowered the soil redox potential, but this was not accompanied by a decrease in the sorption capacity of oxides and the release of oxide-bound Cd into soil solution. On the other hand, elevated pH (from 4.3 to 6.7-8.5) in the formate treatments increased the sorption of Cd onto the oxide surfaces (up to 80% of total sorbed Cd). In the NaCl treatments, cation competition and formation of Cd-Cl complexes increased the water-soluble Cd fraction. Consequently, the amount of bioavailable Cd was 3.5 times smaller in the KCHOO than in the NaCl treatments.

IMPACTS OF ROAD DE-ICING SALTS ON MANGANESE TRANSPORT TO GROUNDWATER IN ROADSIDE SOILS

OpenAIRE

Wen, Yingrong

2012-01-01

Manganese (Mn) is an important element in soil, it occur natural in minerals and precipitated as Mn-oxides. Several factors could decide the solubility and mobility of Mn in soil water. In this study, the impact of road de-icing salts (NaCl) on manganese mobilization and transport to groundwater in roadside soils has been investigated by leaching tests. Generally, in the salt solution leachates, the water-soluble concentrations of Mn tended to increase with elevated salt concentrations, sugge...

Suppression of deicing salt corrosion of weathering steel bridges by washing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, Shuichi; Miura, Masazumi; Uchiumi, Yasushi; Fujiwara, Toshiaki; Yamamoto, Masataka

2005-01-01

To elucidate the influences of deicing salts and high pressure (2-4 MPa) washing on the characteristics of the rust formed on weathering steel bridges, washing experiments have been carried out for three years. The rust was characterized by means of ion chromatography, X-ray diffraction and adsorption of N 2 . The rust thickness was measured, and also the rust weight per unit area of the steel surface was measured. It was found that water-soluble chloride accelerated the rate of corrosion because the rust particles grow by the chloride ions and micro-pore structure of the rust appeared by the chloride ions. Washing with water suppressed corrosion owing to the disappearance of chloride ions

Overhead Transmission Lines Deicing under Different Incentive Displacement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing He

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Overhead transmission line icing is one of the main factors affecting safety and reliability of power grid. This paper proposed an excitation deicing method of iced wire and theoretically revealed the ice removal mechanism under displacement excitation conditions, by taking the LGJ-70/10 glaze icing wire as the 3D model and analyzing and studying its dynamic response under the effect of displacement excitation. The simulation results show that the stress of wire icing area is enlarged with the increase of excitation displacement and frequency. Through the comparison of the compression strength experimental results on a series of different iced wires in low temperature environment, the authors found out that the stress generated from the wire icing area is greater than the crushing strength of the ice within the scope of the calculation parameters, which proved the validity and the feasibility of the method, and finally the suitable excitation displacement is determined. Following studies show that, as far as possible, it is necessary to reduce the incentive displacement and also to select the appropriate constraint length in order to avoid the line jumping that may be caused by large span ice shedding.

Composites of Graphene Nanoribbon Stacks and Epoxy for Joule Heating and Deicing of Surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Raji, Abdul-Rahman O; Varadhachary, Tanvi; Nan, Kewang; Wang, Tuo; Lin, Jian; Ji, Yongsung; Genorio, Bostjan; Zhu, Yu; Kittrell, Carter; Tour, James M

2016-02-10

A conductive composite of graphene nanoribbon (GNR) stacks and epoxy is fabricated. The epoxy is filled with the GNR stacks, which serve as a conductive additive. The GNR stacks are on average 30 nm thick, 250 nm wide, and 30 μm long. The GNR-filled epoxy composite exhibits a conductivity >100 S/m at 5 wt % GNR content. This permits application of the GNR-epoxy composite for deicing of surfaces through Joule (voltage-induced) heating generated by the voltage across the composite. A power density of 0.5 W/cm(2) was delivered to remove ∼1 cm-thick (14 g) monolith of ice from a static helicopter rotor blade surface in a -20 °C environment.

Increased frequency and severity of developmental deformities in rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) embryos exposed to road deicing salts (NaCl and MgCl2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, Gareth R.; French, Susannah S.; Brodie, Edmund D.

2013-01-01

Road-side aquatic ecosystems in North America are annually polluted with millions of tons of road deicing salts, which threaten the survival of amphibians which live and breed in these habitats. While much is known of the effects of NaCl, little is known of the second most-commonly used deicer, MgCl 2 , which is now used exclusively in parts of the continent. Here we report that environmentally relevant concentrations of both NaCl and MgCl 2 cause increased incidence of developmental deformities in rough-skinned newt hatchlings that developed embryonically in these salts. In addition, we provide some of the first quantification of severity of different deformities, and reveal that increased salt concentrations increase both deformity frequency and severity. Our work contributes to the growing body of literature that suggests salamanders and newts are particularly vulnerable to salt, and that the emerging pollutant, MgCl 2 is comparable in its effects to the more traditionally-used NaCl. - Highlights: ► Rough-skinned newt embryos were raised in NaCl and MgCl 2 road deicing salts. ► We quantified the frequency and severity of resulting developmental deformities. ► Both salts caused increased frequency and severity of developmental deformities. ► Effects of MgCl 2 , an emerging stressor, are comparable to traditionally-used NaCl. ► Newts and salamanders may be more susceptible to road salt than frogs and toads. - Two commonly used road deicing salts, NaCl and MgCl 2 , caused increased frequency and severity of developmental deformities in rough-skinned newt embryos.

Assessment of Lightning Transients on a De-Iced Rotor Blade with Predictive Tools and Coaxial Return Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Guillet, S.; Gosmain, A.; Ducoux, W.; Ponçon, M.; Fontaine, G.; Desseix, P.; Perraud, P.

2012-05-01

The increasing use of composite materials in aircrafts primary structures has led to different problematics in the field of safety of flight in lightning conditions. The consequences of this technological mutation, which occurs in a parallel context of extension of electrified critical functions, are addressed by aircraft manufacturers through the enhancement of their available assessment means of lightning transient. On the one hand, simulation tools, provided an accurate description of aircraft design, are today valuable assessment tools, in both predictive and operative terms. On the other hand, in-house test means allow confirmation and consolidation of design office hardening solutions. The combined use of predictive simulation tools and in- house test means offers an efficient and reliable support for all aircraft developments in their various life-time stages. The present paper provides PREFACE research project results that illustrate the above introduced strategy on the de-icing system of the NH90 composite main rotor blade.

Serso - Seasonal storage of solar energy for the de-icing of a bridge; Serso, stockage saisonnier solaire pour le degivrage d'un pont

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pahud, D.

2007-07-01

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at a project that uses stored solar heat to de-ice a bridge. A concept is described which involves seasonal heat storage in the ground. Solar energy is collected during the summer, stored in the ground with the help of a borehole heat exchanger field, and recovered in winter for use in the defrosting of the bridge. Measurements of the system's thermal performance over a few years have been used to develop and validate a simulation tool for the sizing of similar systems. This simulation tool, called BRIDGESIM, is described and the various parameters used for particular situations are discussed. The effects of various factors such as the presence of ground water are discussed.

Effects of deicing salt on the vitality and health of two spruce species, Picea abies Karst., and Picea glehnii Masters planted along roadsides in northern Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kayama, M.; Quoreshi, A.M.; Kitaoka, S.; Kitahashi, Y.; Sakamoto, Y.; Maruyama, Y.; Kitao, M.; Koike, T.

2003-01-01

Innate physiological characters of conifers may increase uptake of sodium and chloride and result in enhanced tree injury. - In northern Japan, the growth of Picea abies Karst., and Picea glehnii Masters, which have been planted along the highways, is often suppressed due to several environmental stresses. To examine the adverse effects of deicing salt, the primary source of stress, we measured needle life span, photosynthetic capacity, and water potential and transpiration rate of the two spruce species at a site with damaged trees, near the roadside and a site with healthy trees, located far from the highway. Results from the analysis showed large amounts of sodium and chlorine in the soil and snow at the damaged site. These elements had accumulated in the needles of the spruce. Moreover, physiological traits of the spruce, at the damaged site were also affected. Therefore, we concluded that poor physiological traits might be attributed to an accumulation of deicing salt in the needles, resulting in the suppression of tree growth

Maintenance Decision Support System, Phase III

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

The main goal of the project was to address barriers that limit NDOTs ability to implement MDSS and MMS systems. The four project tasks included: Task 1: Develop system for tracking sand and/or deicing material usage: A system that tracks where and w...

Mechanical and Non-Destructive Study of CFRP Adhesive Bonds Subjected to Pre-Bond Thermal Treatment and De-Icing Fluid Contamination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł H. Malinowski

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Composite materials are commonly used in many branches of industry. One of the effective methods to join the carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP parts includes the use of adhesives. There is a search on effective methods for quality assurance of bonded parts. In the research here reported the influence of surface pre-bond modification on the adhesive bonds of CFRP plates has been analyzed. Adherends surface modifications, to include defects affecting the bonding quality, were obtained through surface thermal treatment, surface contamination with de-icing fluid and a combination of both the previously described treatments. Characterization of bonded joints was performed by means of mechanical testing, ultrasounds and electromechanical impedance (EMI measurements. The study here proposed has also the aim to evaluate the ability of different destructive and non-destructive techniques to assess the quality of the bonds. While mechanical tests were strongly affected by the surface modifications, results obtained ultrasound and EMI test have demonstrate only a limited ability of these techniques to differentiate between the different samples. In fact, ultrasounds did not show any changes in the bondline, due to pre-bond modifications. However, this technique was able to detect delamination in CFRP for one of the samples thermally treated at 280 °C. Electromechanical impedance (EMI measurements showed similar behavior as mechanical tests for samples thermally treated at 260 °C and 280 °C, and for the sample whose surface modification was made with a combination of thermally and de-icing fluid treatments.

Optimizing a Test Method to Evaluate Resistance of Pervious Concrete to Cycles of Freezing and Thawing in the Presence of Different Deicing Salts.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Chehong; Shehata, Medhat H; Lotfy, Abdurrahmaan

2016-10-28

The lack of a standard test method for evaluating the resistance of pervious concrete to cycles of freezing and thawing in the presence of deicing salts is the motive behind this study. Different sample size and geometry, cycle duration, and level of submersion in brine solutions were investigated to achieve an optimized test method. The optimized test method was able to produce different levels of damage when different types of deicing salts were used. The optimized duration of one cycle was found to be 24 h with twelve hours of freezing at -18 °C and twelve hours of thawing at +21 °C, with the bottom 10 mm of the sample submerged in the brine solution. Cylinder samples with a diameter of 100 mm and height of 150 mm were used and found to produce similar results to 150 mm-cubes. Based on the obtained results a mass loss of 3%-5% is proposed as a failure criterion of cylindrical samples. For the materials and within the cycles of freezing/thawing investigated here, the deicers that caused the most damage were NaCl, CaCl 2 and urea, followed by MgCl 2 , potassium acetate, sodium acetate and calcium-magnesium acetate. More testing is needed to validate the effects of different deicers under long term exposures and different temperature ranges.

Optimizing a Test Method to Evaluate Resistance of Pervious Concrete to Cycles of Freezing and Thawing in the Presence of Different Deicing Salts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chehong Tsang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The lack of a standard test method for evaluating the resistance of pervious concrete to cycles of freezing and thawing in the presence of deicing salts is the motive behind this study. Different sample size and geometry, cycle duration, and level of submersion in brine solutions were investigated to achieve an optimized test method. The optimized test method was able to produce different levels of damage when different types of deicing salts were used. The optimized duration of one cycle was found to be 24 h with twelve hours of freezing at −18 °C and twelve hours of thawing at +21 °C, with the bottom 10 mm of the sample submerged in the brine solution. Cylinder samples with a diameter of 100 mm and height of 150 mm were used and found to produce similar results to 150 mm-cubes. Based on the obtained results a mass loss of 3%–5% is proposed as a failure criterion of cylindrical samples. For the materials and within the cycles of freezing/thawing investigated here, the deicers that caused the most damage were NaCl, CaCl 2 and urea, followed by MgCl 2 , potassium acetate, sodium acetate and calcium-magnesium acetate. More testing is needed to validate the effects of different deicers under long term exposures and different temperature ranges.

Optimizing a Test Method to Evaluate Resistance of Pervious Concrete to Cycles of Freezing and Thawing in the Presence of Different Deicing Salts

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Chehong; Shehata, Medhat H.; Lotfy, Abdurrahmaan

2016-01-01

The lack of a standard test method for evaluating the resistance of pervious concrete to cycles of freezing and thawing in the presence of deicing salts is the motive behind this study. Different sample size and geometry, cycle duration, and level of submersion in brine solutions were investigated to achieve an optimized test method. The optimized test method was able to produce different levels of damage when different types of deicing salts were used. The optimized duration of one cycle was found to be 24 h with twelve hours of freezing at −18 °C and twelve hours of thawing at +21 °C, with the bottom 10 mm of the sample submerged in the brine solution. Cylinder samples with a diameter of 100 mm and height of 150 mm were used and found to produce similar results to 150 mm-cubes. Based on the obtained results a mass loss of 3%–5% is proposed as a failure criterion of cylindrical samples. For the materials and within the cycles of freezing/thawing investigated here, the deicers that caused the most damage were NaCl, CaCl2 and urea, followed by MgCl2, potassium acetate, sodium acetate and calcium-magnesium acetate. More testing is needed to validate the effects of different deicers under long term exposures and different temperature ranges. PMID:28773998

Smart cathodic protection systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.; Leggedoor, J.; Schuten, G.; Sajna, S.; Kranjc, A.

2010-01-01

Cathodic protection delivers corrosion protection in concrete structures exposed to aggressive environments, e.g. in de-icing salt and marine climates. Working lives of a large number of CP systems are at least more than 13 years and probably more than 25 years, provided a minimum level of

Renovation of the cathodic protection system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schuten, G.; Leggedoor, J.; Polder, R.B.; Peelen, W.H.A.

2003-01-01

The first system for Cathodic Protection of concrete in the Netherlands was applied to a one bicycle lane of a bridge suffering corrosion due to de-icing salt penetration in 1986. This CP system was based on the Ferex 100S conducting polymer cable anode in a cementitious overlay. Its functioning was

Effects of road de-icing salt (NaCl) on larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanzo, Domenico; Hecnar, Stephen J.

2006-01-01

Vast networks of roads cover the earth and have numerous environmental effects including pollution. A major component of road runoff in northern countries is salt (mostly NaCl) used as a winter de-icing agent, but few studies of effects of road salts on aquatic organisms exist. Amphibians require aquatic habitats and chemical pollution is implicated as a major factor in global population declines. We exposed wood frog tadpoles to NaCl. Tests revealed 96-h LC50 values of 2636 and 5109 mg/l and tadpoles experienced reduced activity, weight, and displayed physical abnormalities. A 90 d chronic experiment revealed significantly lower survivorship, decreased time to metamorphosis, reduced weight and activity, and increased physical abnormalities with increasing salt concentration (0.00, 0.39, 77.50, 1030.00 mg/l). Road salts had toxic effects on larvae at environmentally realistic concentrations with potentially far-ranging ecological impacts. More studies on the effects of road salts are warranted. - Road salts have toxic effects on amphibians at environmentally realistic concentrations

Effects of road de-icing salt (NaCl) on larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanzo, Domenico [Department of Biology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1 (Canada); Hecnar, Stephen J. [Department of Biology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1 (Canada)]. E-mail: stephen.hecnar@lakeheadu.ca

2006-03-15

Vast networks of roads cover the earth and have numerous environmental effects including pollution. A major component of road runoff in northern countries is salt (mostly NaCl) used as a winter de-icing agent, but few studies of effects of road salts on aquatic organisms exist. Amphibians require aquatic habitats and chemical pollution is implicated as a major factor in global population declines. We exposed wood frog tadpoles to NaCl. Tests revealed 96-h LC50 values of 2636 and 5109 mg/l and tadpoles experienced reduced activity, weight, and displayed physical abnormalities. A 90 d chronic experiment revealed significantly lower survivorship, decreased time to metamorphosis, reduced weight and activity, and increased physical abnormalities with increasing salt concentration (0.00, 0.39, 77.50, 1030.00 mg/l). Road salts had toxic effects on larvae at environmentally realistic concentrations with potentially far-ranging ecological impacts. More studies on the effects of road salts are warranted. - Road salts have toxic effects on amphibians at environmentally realistic concentrations.

Increase of urban lake salinity by road deicing salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novotny, Eric V.; Murphy, Dan; Stefan, Heinz G.

2008-01-01

Over 317,000 tonnes of road salt (NaCl) are applied annually for road deicing in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) of Minnesota. Although road salt is applied to increase driving safety, this practice influences environmental water quality. Thirteen lakes in the TCMA were studied over 46 months to determine if and how they respond to the seasonal applications of road salt. Sodium and chloride concentrations in these lakes were 10 and 25 times higher, respectively, than in other non-urban lakes in the region. Seasonal salinity/chloride cycles in the lakes were correlated with road salt applications: High concentrations in the winter and spring, especially near the bottom of the lakes, were followed by lower concentrations in the summer and fall due to flushing of the lakes by rainfall runoff. The seasonal salt storage/flushing rates for individual lakes were derived from volume-weighted average chloride concentration time series. The rate ranged from 9 to 55% of a lake's minimum salt content. In some of the lakes studied salt concentrations were high enough to stop spring turnover preventing oxygen from reaching the benthic sediments. Concentrations above the sediments were also high enough to induce convective mixing of the saline water into the sediment pore water. A regional analysis of historical water quality records of 38 lakes in the TCMA showed increases in lake salinity from 1984 to 2005 that were highly correlated with the amount of rock salt purchased by the State of Minnesota. Chloride concentrations in individual lakes were positively correlated with the percent of impervious surfaces in the watershed and inversely with lake volume. Taken together, the results show a continuing degradation of the water quality of urban lakes due to application of NaCl in their watersheds

Cumulative effects of road de-icing salt on amphibian behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Denoël, Mathieu; Bichot, Marion; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Delcourt, Johann; Ylieff, Marc; Kestemont, Patrick; Poncin, Pascal

2010-08-15

Despite growing evidence of the detrimental effect of chemical substances on organisms, limited research has focused on changes in behavioral patterns, in part due to the difficulties to obtain detailed quantitative data. Recent developments in efficient computer-based video analyses have allowed testing pesticide effects on model species such as the zebrafish. However, these new techniques have not yet been applied to amphibians and directly to conservation issues, i.e., to assess toxicological risks on threatened species. We used video-tracking analyses to test a quantitative effect of an environmental contaminant on the locomotion of amphibian tadpoles (Rana temporaria) by taking into account cumulative effects. Because recent research has demonstrated effects of de-icing salts on survival and community structure, we used sodium chloride in our experimental design (25 replicates, 4 concentrations, 4 times) to test for an effect at the scale of behavior at environmentally relevant concentrations. Analysis of 372 1-h video-tracks (5 samples/s) showed a complex action of salts on behavioral patterns with a dose and cumulative response over time. Although no effects were found on mortality or growth, the highest salt concentrations reduced the speed and movement of tadpoles in comparison with control treatments. The reduced locomotor performance could have detrimental consequences in terms of tadpoles' responses to competition and predation and may be an indicator of the low concentration effect of the contaminant. On one hand, this study demonstrates the usefulness of examining behavior to address conservation issues and understand the complex action of environmental factors and, more particularly, pollutants on organisms. On the other hand, our results highlight the need of new computerized techniques to quantitatively analyze these patterns. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temperature distributions in pavement and bridge slabs heated by using vertical ground-source heat pump systems - doi: 10.4025/actascitechnol.v35i4.15712

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asım Balbay

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Temperature distribution which occurs in pavement and bridge slabs heated for de-icing and snow melting during cold periods is determined by using vertical ground-source heat pump (GSHP systems with U-tube ground heat exchanger (GHE. The bridge and pavement models (slabs for de-icing and snow melting were constructed. A three-dimensional finite element model (FEM was developed to simulate temperature distribution of bridge slab (BS and pavement slab (PS. The temperature distribution simulations of PS and BS were conducted numerically by computational fluid dynamics (CFD program named ‘Fluent’. Congruence between the simulations and experimental data was determined.   

Protection against wing icing for Airbus A300 and A310

Science.gov (United States)

Woelfer, G.

1981-01-01

To improve economy of operation, it is now planned to modify the anti-icing system used on the A300 Airbus wing. Thus, for the A310 Airbus, the deicing system will be applied to only half the wing length. Other essential modifications are a substantial simplification of the warm-air system and discontinuation of the use of a double wall in slats.

Use of borehole and surface geophysics to investigate ground-water quality near a road-deicing salt-storage facility, Valparaiso, Indiana

Science.gov (United States)

Risch, M.R.; Robinson, B.A.

2001-01-01

Borehole and surface geophysics were used to investigate ground-water quality affected by a road-deicing salt-storage facility located near a public water-supply well field. From 1994 through 1998, borehole geophysical logs were made in an existing network of monitoring wells completed near the bottom of a thick sand aquifer. Logs of natural gamma activity indicated a uniform and negligible contribution of clay to the electromagnetic conductivity of the aquifer so that the logs of electromagnetic conductivity primarily measured the amount of dissolved solids in the ground water near the wells. Electromagneticconductivity data indicated the presence of a saltwater plume near the bottom of the aquifer. Increases in electromagnetic conductivity, observed from sequential logging of wells, indicated the saltwater plume had moved north about 60 to 100 feet per year between 1994 and 1998. These rates were consistent with estimates of horizontal ground-water flow based on velocity calculations made with hydrologic data from the study area.

Numerical Simulation of the Freeze-Thaw Behavior of Mortar Containing Deicing Salt Solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Esmaeeli, Hadi S; Farnam, Yaghoob; Bentz, Dale P; Zavattieri, Pablo D; Weiss, Jason

2017-02-01

This paper presents a one-dimensional finite difference model that is developed to describe the freeze-thaw behavior of an air-entrained mortar containing deicing salt solution. A phenomenological model is used to predict the temperature and the heat flow for mortar specimens during cooling and heating. Phase transformations associated with the freezing/melting of water/ice or transition of the eutectic solution from liquid to solid are included in this phenomenological model. The lever rule is used to calculate the quantity of solution that undergoes the phase transformation, thereby simulating the energy released/absorbed during phase transformation. Undercooling and pore size effects are considered in the numerical model. To investigate the effect of pore size distribution, this distribution is considered using the Gibbs-Thomson equation in a saturated mortar specimen. For an air-entrained mortar, the impact of considering pore size (and curvature) on freezing was relatively insignificant; however the impact of pore size is much more significant during melting. The fluid inside pores smaller than 5 nm (i.e., gel pores) has a relatively small contribution in the macroscopic freeze-thaw behavior of mortar specimens within the temperature range used in this study (i.e., +24 °C to -35 °C), and can therefore be neglected for the macroscopic freeze-thaw simulations. A heat sink term is utilized to simulate the heat dissipation during phase transformations. Data from experiments performed using a low-temperature longitudinal guarded comparative calorimeter (LGCC) on mortar specimens fully saturated with various concentration NaCl solutions or partially saturated with water is compared to the numerical results and a promising agreement is generally obtained.

New Technology and Experimental Study on Snow-Melting Heated Pavement System in Tunnel Portal

OpenAIRE

Lai, Jinxing; Qiu, Junling; Chen, Jianxun; Fan, Haobo; Wang, Ke

2015-01-01

In recent years, with the rapid growth of economy and sharp rise of motor vehicles in China, the pavement skid resistance in tunnel portals has become increasingly important in cold region. However, the deicing salt, snow removal with machine, and other antiskid measures adopted by highway maintenance division have many limitations. To improve the treatment effect, we proposed a new snow-melting approach employing electric heat tracing, in which heating cables are installed in the structural ...

Impacts of road deicing salt on the demography of vernal pool-breeding amphibians.

Science.gov (United States)

Karraker, Nancy E; Gibbs, James P; Vonesh, James R

2008-04-01

Deicing agents, primarily road salt, are applied to roads in 26 states in the United States and in a number of European countries, yet the scale of impacts of road salt on aquatic organisms remains largely under-studied. The issue is germane to amphibian conservation because both adult and larval amphibians are known to be particularly sensitive to changes in their osmolar environments. In this study, we combined survey, experimental, and demographic modeling approaches to evaluate the possible effects of road salt on two common vernal-pond-breeding amphibian species, the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the wood frog (Rana sylvatica). We found that in the Adirondack Mountain Region of New York (USA), road salt traveled up to 172 m from the highway into wetlands. Surveys showed that egg mass densities of spotted salamanders (A. maculatum) and wood frogs (R. sylvatica) were two times higher in forest pools than roadside pools, but this pattern was better explained by road proximity than by increased salinity. Experiments demonstrated that embryonic and larval survival were reduced at moderate (500 muS) and high conductivities (3000 muS) in A. maculatum and at high conductivities in R. sylvatica. Demographic models suggest that such egg and larval stage effects of salt may have important impacts on populations near roads, particularly in the case of A. maculatum, for which salt exposure may lead to local extinction. For both species, the effect of road salt was dependent upon the strength of larval density dependence and declined rapidly with distance from the roadside, with the greatest negative effects being limited to within 50 m. Based on this evidence, we argue that efforts to protect local populations of A. maculatum and R. sylvatica in roadside wetlands should, in part, be aimed at reducing application of road salt near wetlands with high conductivity levels.

Toxicity of road deicing salt (NaCl) and copper (Cu) to fertilization and early developmental stages of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Science.gov (United States)

Mahrosh, Urma; Kleiven, Merethe; Meland, Sondre; Rosseland, Bjørn Olav; Salbu, Brit; Teien, Hans-Christian

2014-09-15

In many countries, salting of ice or snow covered roads may affect aquatic organisms in the catchment directly or indirectly by mobilization of toxic metals. We studied the toxicity of road deicing salt and copper (Cu) on the vulnerable early life stages of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), from fertilization till hatching. Controlled episodic exposure to road salt (≥ 5,000 mg/L) during fertilization resulted in reduced swelling and less percent egg survival. Exposure to Cu both during and post fertilization caused delayed hatching. Larval deformities were, however found as an additional effect, when eggs were exposed to high salt concentration (≥ 5,000 mg/L) mixed with Cu (10 μg Cu/L) during fertilization. Thus, it appears that the sensitivity of early developmental stages of Atlantic salmon increased when exposed to these stressors, and road salt application during spawning can pose threat to Atlantic salmon in water bodies receiving road runoff. The study gives insight on assessment and management of risks on Atlantic salmon population posed by road related hazardous chemicals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New Technology and Experimental Study on Snow-Melting Heated Pavement System in Tunnel Portal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinxing Lai

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, with the rapid growth of economy and sharp rise of motor vehicles in China, the pavement skid resistance in tunnel portals has become increasingly important in cold region. However, the deicing salt, snow removal with machine, and other antiskid measures adopted by highway maintenance division have many limitations. To improve the treatment effect, we proposed a new snow-melting approach employing electric heat tracing, in which heating cables are installed in the structural layer of road. Through the field experiment, laboratory experiment, and numerical investigation, structure type, heating power, and preheating time of the flexible pavement heating system in tunnel portal were systematically analyzed, and advantages of electric heat tracing technology in improving the pavement skid resistance in tunnel portal were also presented. Therefore, such new technology, which offers new snow-melting methods for tunnel portal, bridge, mountainous area, and large longitudinal slope in cold region, has promising prospect for extensive application.

Effect of road deicing salt on the susceptibility of amphibian embryos to infection by water molds.

Science.gov (United States)

Karraker, Nancy E; Ruthig, Gregory R

2009-01-01

Some causative agents of amphibian declines act synergistically to impact individual amphibians and their populations. In particular, pathogenic water molds (aquatic oomycetes) interact with environmental stressors and increase mortality in amphibian embryos. We documented colonization of eggs of three amphibian species, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica), the green frog (Rana clamitans), and the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), by water molds in the field and examined the interactive effects of road deicing salt and water molds, two known sources of mortality for amphibian embryos, on two species, R. clamitans and A. maculatum in the laboratory. We found that exposure to water molds did not affect embryonic survivorship in either A. maculatum or R. clamitans, regardless of the concentration of road salt to which their eggs were exposed. Road salt decreased survivorship of A. maculatum, but not R. clamitans, and frequency of malformations increased significantly in both species at the highest salinity concentration. The lack of an effect of water molds on survival of embryos and no interaction between road salt and water molds indicates that observations of colonization of these eggs by water molds in the field probably represent a secondary invasion of unfertilized eggs or of embryos that had died of other causes. Given increasing salinization of freshwater habitats on several continents and the global distribution of water molds, our results suggest that some amphibian species may not be susceptible to the combined effects of these factors, permitting amphibian decline researchers to devote their attention to other potential causes.

Impacts of using salt and salt brine for roadway deicing.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) uses a variety of methods to help ensure safe travel on the state highway system : following winter storm events. These methods include plowing, use of sand to improve traction, and use of salt and chemical : com...

Mobilization of arsenic, lead, and mercury under conditions of sea water intrusion and road deicing salt application

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hongbing; Alexander, John; Gove, Brita; Koch, Manfred

2015-09-01

Water geochemistry data from complexly designed salt-solution injection experiments in the laboratory, coastal aquifers of Bangladesh and Italy, taken from the literature, and two salted watersheds of New Jersey, US were collected and analyzed to study the geochemical mechanisms that mobilize As, Pb, and Hg under varied salting conditions. Overall, increased NaCl-concentrations in aquifers and soil are found to increase the release of Pb and Hg into the water. Reducing environments and possible soil dispersion by hydrated Na+ are found to lead to an increase of As-concentration in water. However, the application of a pure NaCl salt solution in the column injection experiment was found to release less As, Pb, and Hg initially from the soil and delay their concentration increase, when compared to the application of CaCl2 and NaCl mixed salts (at 6:4 weight ratio). The concentration correlation dendrogram statistical analyses of the experimental and field data suggest that the release of As, Hg, and Pb into groundwater and the soil solution depends not only on the salt level and content, but also on the redox condition, dissolved organic matter contents, competitiveness of other ions for exchange sites, and source minerals. With the ongoing over-exploration of coastal aquifers from increased pumping, continued sea-level rise, and increased winter deicing salt applications in salted watersheds of many inland regions, the results of this study will help understand the complex relation between the concentrations of As, Pb, and Hg and increased salt level in a coastal aquifer and in soils of a salted watershed.

Anaerobic degradation of aircraft deicing fluid (ADF) in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors and the fate of ADF additives

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Thi Tham

2002-11-01

A central composite design was employed to methodically investigate anaerobic treatment of aircraft deicing fluid (ADF) in bench-scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors. A total of 23 runs at 17 different operating conditions were conducted in continuous mode. The development of four empirical models describing process responses (i.e., chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, biomass specific acetoclastic activity, methane production rate, and methane production potential) as functions of ADF concentration, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and biomass concentration is presented. Model verification indicated that predicted responses (COD removal efficiencies, biomass specific acetoclastic activity, and methane production rates and potential) were in good agreement with experimental results. Biomass specific acetoclastic activity was improved by almost two-fold during ADF treatment in UASB reactors. For the design window, COD removal efficiencies were higher than 90%. Predicted methane production potentials were close to theoretical values, and methane production rates increased as the organic loading rate (OLR) was increased. ADF toxicity effects were evident for 1.6% ADF at medium specific organic loadings (SOLR above 0.5 g COD/g VSS/d). In contrast, good reactor stability and excellent removal efficiencies were achieved at 1.2% ADF for reactor loadings approaching that of highly loaded systems (0.73 g COD/g VSS/d). Acclimation to ADF resulted in an initial reduction in the biomass settling velocity. The fate of ADF additives was also investigated. There was minimal sorption of benzotriazole (BT), 5-methyl-1 H-benzotriazole (MeBT), and 5,6-dimethyl-1 H-benzotriazole (DiMeBT) to anaerobic granules. A higher sorption capacity was measured for NP. Active transport may be one of the mechanisms for NP sorption. Ethylene glycol degradation experiments indicated that BT, MeBT, DiMeBT, and the nonionic surfactant Tergitol NP-4 had no significant

76 FR 32103 - Airworthiness Directives; Cessna Aircraft Company 310, 320, 340, 401, 402, 411, 414, and 421...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-03

... de-ice propeller), de-ice boots on entire span of wing as well as a different style de-ice boots... DIRECTIVES 1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows: Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g...

75 FR 13337 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-19

... improvements. Snow equipment purchase--liquid deice truck. Brief Description of Project Approved for Use: Main... bridges (gates 1 and 4). Update airport layout plan and master plan. Prepare storm water pollution...

Improved solar heating systems

Science.gov (United States)

Schreyer, J.M.; Dorsey, G.F.

1980-05-16

An improved solar heating system is described in which the incident radiation of the sun is absorbed on collector panels, transferred to a storage unit and then distributed as heat for a building and the like. The improvement is obtained by utilizing a storage unit comprising separate compartments containing an array of materials having different melting points ranging from 75 to 180/sup 0/F. The materials in the storage system are melted in accordance with the amount of heat absorbed from the sun and then transferred to the storage system. An efficient low volume storage system is provided by utilizing the latent heat of fusion of the materials as they change states in storing ad releasing heat for distribution.

Improved core protection calculator system algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Tae Young; Park, Young Ho; In, Wang Kee; Bae, Jong Sik; Baeg, Seung Yeob

2009-01-01

Core Protection Calculator System (CPCS) is a digitized core protection system which provides core protection functions based on two reactor core operation parameters, Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) and Local Power Density (LPD). It generates a reactor trip signal when the core condition exceeds the DNBR or LPD design limit. It consists of four independent channels which adapted a two out of four trip logic. CPCS algorithm improvement for the newly designed core protection calculator system, RCOPS (Reactor COre Protection System), is described in this paper. New features include the improvement of DNBR algorithm for thermal margin, the addition of pre trip alarm generation for auxiliary trip function, VOPT (Variable Over Power Trip) prevention during RPCS (Reactor Power Cutback System) actuation and the improvement of CEA (Control Element Assembly) signal checking algorithm. To verify the improved CPCS algorithm, CPCS algorithm verification tests, 'Module Test' and 'Unit Test', would be performed on RCOPS single channel facility. It is expected that the improved CPCS algorithm will increase DNBR margin and enhance the plant availability by reducing unnecessary reactor trips

Melting Frozen Droplets Using Photo-Thermal Traps

Science.gov (United States)

Dash, Susmita; de Ruiter, Jolet; Varanasi, Kripa

2017-11-01

Ice buildup is an operational and safety hazard in wind turbines, power lines, and airplanes. While traditional de-icing methods are energy-intensive or environmentally unfriendly, passive anti-icing approach using superhydrophobic surfaces fails under humid conditions, which necessitates development of passive deicing methods. Here, we investigate a passive technique for deicing using a multi-layer surface design that can efficiently absorb and convert the incident solar radiation to heat. The corresponding increase in substrate temperature allows for easy removal of frozen droplets from the surface. We demonstrate the deicing performance of the designed surface both at very low temperatures, and under frost and snow coverage.

Thin film eddy current impulse deicer

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Samuel O.; Zieve, Peter B.

1990-01-01

Two new styles of electrical impulse deicers has been developed and tested in NASA's Icing Research Tunnel. With the Eddy Current Repulsion Deicing Boot (EDB), a thin and flexible spiral coil is encapsulated between two thicknesses of elastomer. The coil, made by an industrial printed circuit board manufacturer, is bonded to the aluminum aircraft leading edge. A capacitor bank is discharged through the coil. Induced eddy currents repel the coil from the aluminum aircraft structure and shed accumulated ice. A second configuration, the Eddy Current Repulsion Deicing-Strip (EDS) uses an outer metal erosion strip fastened over the coil. Opposite flowing eddy currents repel the strip and create the impulse deicing force. The outer strip serves as a surface for the collection and shedding of ice and does not require any structural properties. The EDS is suitable for composite aircraft structures. Both systems successfully dispelled over 95 percent of the accumulated ice from airfoils over the range of the FAA icing envelope.

Fixed automated spray technology.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-19

This research project evaluated the construction and performance of Boschungs Fixed Automated : Spray Technology (FAST) system. The FAST system automatically sprays de-icing material on : the bridge when icing conditions are about to occur. The FA...

Working life of cathodic protection systems for concrete structures - Analysis of field data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.; Leegwater, G.; Worm, D.; Courage, W.

2012-01-01

Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete structures causes concrete cracking, steel diameter reduction and eventually loss of safety. In infrastructure this is mainly due to penetration of chloride ions from de-icing or marine salts. Conventional repair means heavy, labour intensive and costly

PSR extraction kicker system improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardek, T.W.

1991-01-01

A program to improve the reliability of hardware required to operate the Los Alamos Proton Storage Ring has been under way for the past three years. The extraction kicker system for the PSR was identified as one candidate for improvement. Pulse modulators produce 50kV pulses 360 nsec in length at up to 24-Hz pulse repetition rate and drive two 4-meter-long stripline electrodes. Sources of difficulty with this system included short width switch tube lifetime, drive cable electrical breakdown, high-voltage connector failure, and occasional electrode breakdown. This paper discusses modifications completed on this system to correct these difficulties. 2 refs., 3 figs

Service life and life cycle cost modelling of cathodic protection systems for concrete structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.; Leegwater, G.; Worm, D.; Courage, W.

2012-01-01

Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete structures causes concrete cracking, steel diameter reduction and eventually loss of safety. In infrastructure this is mainly due to penetration of chloride ions from de-icing or marine salts. Conventional repair means heavy, labour intensive and costly

Improving Steam System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2002-06-01

The sourcebook is a reference for industrial steam system users, outlining opportunities to improve steam system performance. This Sourcebook is designed to provide steam system users with a reference that describes the basic steam system components, outlines opportunities for energy and performance improvements, and discusses the benefits of a systems approach in identifying and implementing these improvement opportunities. The Sourcebook is divided into the following three main sections: Section 1: Steam System Basics--For users unfamiliar with the basics of steam systems, or for users seeking a refresher, a brief discussion of the terms, relationships, and important system design considerations is provided. Users already familiar with industrial steam system operation may want to skip this section. This section describes steam systems using four basic parts: generation, distribution, end use, and recovery. Section 2: Performance Improvement Opportunities--This section discusses important factors that should be considered when industrial facilities seek to improve steam system performance and to lower operating costs. This section also provides an overview of the finance considerations related to steam system improvements. Additionally, this section discusses several resources and tools developed by the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) BestPractices Steam Program to identify and assess steam system improvement opportunities. Section 3: Programs, Contacts, and Resources--This section provides a directory of associations and other organizations involved in the steam system marketplace. This section also provides a description of the BestPractices Steam Program, a directory of contacts, and a listing of available resources and tools, such as publications, software, training courses, and videos.

Improving Process Heating System Performance v3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-04-11

Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry is a development of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA). The AMO and IHEA undertook this project as part of an series of sourcebook publications developed by AMO on energy-consuming industrial systems, and opportunities to improve performance. Other topics in this series include compressed air systems, pumping systems, fan systems, steam systems, and motors and drives

Improved Power System of the Future

OpenAIRE

Rabinowitz, Mario

2003-01-01

This paper is intended to provide an insight into physics and engineering that can modernize electric power systems. Topics covered are Flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS), Custom Power, Greatly improved Capacitors, Electrical Insulation, Distribution Cables, Improved Polymeric Insulation, Underground Vault Explosions, Fault Location, Smart Cables, Neutral and Ground, Corrosion and Protection, Conventional Transformers, Compact Transformers, Ferroresonance, and Solid State Transformers.

Improvement on control system of the JT-60 radio frequency heating system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinozaki, Shin-ichi; Moriyama, Shinichi; Hiranai, Shinichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment; Sato, Fumiaki [Nippon Advanced Technology Co., Ltd., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan)

2003-03-01

On the JT-60 radio frequency (RF) heating system, the decrease in the activity ratio was a problem because of the deterioration of the control system. To improve the reliability, we replaced CAMAC system for a power injection control system, which was a main cause of the trouble, with the microprocessor system. And, a function of computer supported programming function of RF power injection form was introduced, which contributed to reduce a load of operators. Furthermore, personal computers with network communication were introduced to improve a maintenance ability of the control system. As a result, the activity ratio of the RF heating system was improved significantly. (author)

Improved design features of KSNP+ BOP Fluid System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Heung Gyu; Yoon, Kyung Sup

2002-01-01

KOPEC (Korea Power Engineering Co.) in conjunction with the client KHNP (Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.) has been developing the KSNP + (Improved Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plants) design concept since 1998. The main objective of the KSNP + is to enhance safety and economy of KSNP. The design concepts of the KSNP + will be implemented in Shin-Kori Units 1 and 2 Shin-Wolsung Units 1 and 2. This paper provides on an introduction to the improved design features of the KSNP + BOP fluid system consisting of 45 design improvement items. The design improvement concepts of the BOP fluid system have been developed as follows: optimization of system configuration and capacity, simplification of system, and adoption of advanced design features. Improved design features of the BOP fluid system allow additional benefits due to making a contribution to the optimization of plant arrangement and the reduction of operating costs during the plant life time. In conclusion, design improvement to the BOP fluid system have contributed to the KSNP + design concept being more reliable, safe and economically competitive

Improving Sound Systems by Electrical Means

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schneider, Henrik

to intelligent control and protection functionality and so on. In this work different strategies towards improvements of sound systems by electrical means was investigated considering the interfaces between each component and the performance of the full system. The strategies can be categorized by improvements...... reduction in the best case. This technology is very promising since it compensates for most distortion mechanisms of the transducer such as non-linearities, production variation, wear-n-tear, temperature changes and so on. Furthermore the accelerometer output can be used for protection purposes. The only...... of the bended copper foils to optimize the DC resistance. The DC resistance was reduced by 30 % compared to the starting point for a 10 turn toroidal inductor using this method. The combined work indicate that large sound system improvements are in reach by use of electrical means. Innovative solutions have...

77 FR 14584 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-12

.... Insulation of hangars 661, 662, 663, 665, and 666. Hangar tail dock; 665 electrical/insulation; water study. Electrical/insulation of hangars 661, 663, 664, 666, and 667. Hangar improvements: hangars 664, 665, 667, and... vehicle. Plow truck with broom and deicing equipment. Sand truck replacement. Airfield loader. Fire truck...

Design Patterns Application in the ERP Systems Improvements

Science.gov (United States)

Jovičić, Bojan; Vlajić, Siniša

Design patterns application have long been present in software engineering. The same is true for ERP systems in business software. Is it possible that ERP systems do not have a good maintenance score? We have found out that there is room for maintenance improvement and that it is possible to improve ERP systems using design patterns. We have conducted comparative analysis of ease of maintenance of the ERP systems. The results show that the average score for our questions is 64%, with most answers for ERP systems like SAP, Oracle EBS, Dynamics AX. We found that 59% of ERP system developer users are not familiar with design patterns. Based on this research, we have chosen Dynamics AX as the ERP system for examination of design patterns improvement possibilities. We used software metrics to measure improvement possibility. We found that we could increase the Conditional Complexity score 17-fold by introducing design patterns.

Study on UF6 condensing receiving system improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhenxing; Li Yingfeng; Li Zhenfeng; He Ping; Wang Yanping; Tian Yushan

2012-01-01

In order to improve receiving capacity of UF 6 condensing system, the pressure release mode is changed through modifying gas phase inlet of the first-grade condenser, thus pressure release time is reduced from 13.1 h to 8.1 h. Be- cause of improvement of utility condensers of the two product lines, both the flexibility of feeding nitrogen and the emergency capacity of condensers are improved greatly. And modification of fluid transferring and sampling system make the remains in system transfer flexibly. The practise shows that metal direct recovery rises to the extent, and capacity of the first-grade condensing receiving system improves 8.4%, which strongly guarantees fluorination production safely, continuously and stably run. (authors)

Improved Interactive Medical-Imaging System

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Muriel D.; Twombly, Ian A.; Senger, Steven

2003-01-01

An improved computational-simulation system for interactive medical imaging has been invented. The system displays high-resolution, three-dimensional-appearing images of anatomical objects based on data acquired by such techniques as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI). The system enables users to manipulate the data to obtain a variety of views for example, to display cross sections in specified planes or to rotate images about specified axes. Relative to prior such systems, this system offers enhanced capabilities for synthesizing images of surgical cuts and for collaboration by users at multiple, remote computing sites.

Improvement of Artistic Cast Production System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Władysiak R.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the technology and organization of the artistic cast production. On the basis of the actual cast production system, the manufacturing process was shown, in particular sand–piece moulding, which is a very important process and a time-consuming part of the entire manufacture of the casts. The current state of the production process as well as the organization of the work and production technology were analysed with the use of methods and techniques of production improvement, the Lean Manufacturing concept and computer systems. The results of the analysis and studies were shown with use of schemes and graphs of the layout of the production resources, a flow chart of the production process, value stream mapping, and a costs table for the production and modernization of the moulding stage. The work has shown that there are possibilities to improve the artistic cast production system. This improvement leads to increased productivity, lower production costs of artistic casts and increased competitiveness of the foundry.

Improving of enterprise consumer service system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yа.М. Laguta

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The problems of consumer services at domestic enterprises are showed. The shortcomings in the service of enterprise operation are analyzed. The basic features of the functioning of the service system forming medium are determined. The authors develop the measures to improve the quality of services which can contribute to their development, expansion of the customer base, increase in sales volume (goods and services as well as improving efficiency and profitability. Taking into account the current environment of enterprises the proposed measures are formed. The article proves the expediency of the use of the client-oriented approach to a customer, the use of software programs and the improvement of the CRM-system at enterprises, the introduction of «7P» concept.

Improvement on reliability of control system in power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taguchi, S.; Mizumoto, T.; Hirose, Y.; Kashiwai, J.; Takami, I.; Shono, M.; Roji, Y.; Kizaki, S.

1985-01-01

Studies made of Japanese PWR operating experiences have revealed that failures in the control system are the primary causes of unscheduled shutdowns. An attempt has, therefore, been made to improve the reliability of the control system in order to raise the plant reliability. The following are the procedures applied to solve the issue; study of operating experiences, fault tree analysis and failure mode and effects analysis. Improvement measures are developed for the control system whose failure threatens to cause the plant trip during the plant life. These systems are the main feedwater control system, rod control system, pressurizer control system and main steam control system in the primary control system. As a result, the plant unavailability is expected to be reduced significantly by applying the improvements. The improvements are applied to the plants under construction and the operating plants in co-operation with utilities and vendors. (author)

76 FR 2944 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-18

... Collection and Use: Acquisition of deicing truck. Acquisition of snow removal equipment. Decision Date: May... airport layout plan. Prepare airport electrical master plan. Acquire aircraft rescue and firefighting... electrical system (design only). Brief Description of Disapproved Projects: Environmental assessment...

Can Quality Improvement System Improve Childcare Site Performance in School Readiness?

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xin; Shen, Jianping; Lu, Xuejin; Brandi, Karen; Goodman, Jeff; Watson, Grace

2013-01-01

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of the Quality Improvement System (QIS) developed and implemented by Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County (Florida) as a voluntary initiative to improve the quality of childcare and education. They adopted a growth model approach to investigate whether childcare sites that participated in QIS…

Plans for improvements to the ATF ECH system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigelow, T.S.; Goldfinger, R.C.; Murakami, M.; Schaich, C.R.; Wilgen, J.B.

1993-01-01

The Advanced Toroidal Facility (ATF) stellarator experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) uses electron cyclotron waves for plasma formation and heating. Although the existing systems are quite reliable and produce acceptable plasmas, a few deficiencies should be corrected. Therefore, several possible upgrades to the electron cyclotron heating (ECH) systems have been planned. Some of the desirable changes are (1) improving the launcher to make power deposition in the plasma more centralized, (2) improving the gyrotron power waveform monitoring diagnostics, (3) building a high-field launch system for higher density operation at 53-GHz (4) building a separate transmission line for the 35-GHz gyrotron, and (5) installing a higher frequency, higher power (84- or 110-GHz) gyrotron system for improved plasma density and temperature capability. This paper discusses options for these improvements and conceptual designs. (orig.)

'Pioneer' - A controlled air-water heat pump for the replacement of oil-fired and electric heating systems; Geregelte Waermepumpe Pioneer. Geregelte Luft-Wasser-Waermepumpe fuer Sanierungen von Oel- und Elektroheizungen - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boeckh, P. von; Borer, M.; Borer, T. [Fachhochschule beider Basel FHBB, Dept. Industrie, Abtlg. Maschinenbau, Muttenz (Switzerland); Eggenberger, H.J. [Solartis GmbH, WP-Versuchslabor EICH, Fuellinsdorf (Switzerland)

2005-07-01

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project that involved the development of an air-water heat pump system that could replace existing oil-fired and electric heating systems. The system features variable-frequency compressor and ventilator drives and was tested on a special test bed that provided appropriately prepared primary air. The measurements and optimisations made included the definition of optimal parameters for ventilator and de-icing system, measurement of performance coefficients and noise emissions as well as on the suitability of the system for hot-water generation. The authors quote figures that show that the performance of the variable-speed system is much better than systems running in stop-and-go mode.

Asan medical information system for healthcare quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Hyeon Jeong; Kim, Woo Sung; Lee, Jae Ho; Min, Sung Woo; Kim, Sun Ja; Lee, Yong Su; Lee, Young Ha; Nam, Sang Woo; Eo, Gi Seung; Seo, Sook Gyoung; Nam, Mi Hyun

2010-09-01

This purpose of this paper is to introduce the status of the Asan Medical Center (AMC) medical information system with respect to healthcare quality improvement. Asan Medical Information System (AMIS) is projected to become a completely electronic and digital information hospital. AMIS has played a role in improving the health care quality based on the following measures: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, privacy, and security. AMIS CONSISTED OF SEVERAL DISTINCTIVE SYSTEMS: order communication system, electronic medical record, picture archiving communication system, clinical research information system, data warehouse, enterprise resource planning, IT service management system, and disaster recovery system. The most distinctive features of AMIS were the high alert-medication recognition & management system, the integrated and severity stratified alert system, the integrated patient monitoring system, the perioperative diabetic care monitoring and support system, and the clinical indicator management system. AMIS provides IT services for AMC, 7 affiliated hospitals and over 5,000 partners clinics, and was developed to improve healthcare services. The current challenge of AMIS is standard and interoperability. A global health IT strategy is needed to get through the current challenges and to provide new services as needed.

A Systems Approach to Rapid School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

McCauley, Carlas

2018-01-01

To support systemic thinking about school improvement, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd developed a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework, which is presented in this article, has four domains that have proved central to rapid, significant improvement: (1)…

Improvements and Revamping of In-Core Instrumentation Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garam, Eric De

1993-01-01

The results of the improvements done by Fumarate Tia in these domains are really satisfying and it is clear that the problems of leakage existing in the old units on the thermocouples sealing systems and on the seal table of the income instrumentation, cannot exist on the French Units or on the units equipped with Fumarate Tia equipment. At the same time, all the equipment which constitute the Income instrumentation have been improved with the aim of reliability and safety. The equipment used to perform maintenance activities has also been improved to both reduce doses and increase efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to describe the principal improvements and revamping of income instrumentation systems, and to summarize the principal lessons learned from our experience on all designs of PWR. Fumarate Tia, is permanently looking for improving the existing systems of instrumentation with the aim of reduction of the dosimetry during the maintenance services, improvement of the liability and lifetime of the equipment, and of course reduction of the duration of the outages in keeping always the same level of quality

Heroic Reliability Improvement in Manned Space Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Harry W.

2017-01-01

System reliability can be significantly improved by a strong continued effort to identify and remove all the causes of actual failures. Newly designed systems often have unexpected high failure rates which can be reduced by successive design improvements until the final operational system has an acceptable failure rate. There are many causes of failures and many ways to remove them. New systems may have poor specifications, design errors, or mistaken operations concepts. Correcting unexpected problems as they occur can produce large early gains in reliability. Improved technology in materials, components, and design approaches can increase reliability. The reliability growth is achieved by repeatedly operating the system until it fails, identifying the failure cause, and fixing the problem. The failure rate reduction that can be obtained depends on the number and the failure rates of the correctable failures. Under the strong assumption that the failure causes can be removed, the decline in overall failure rate can be predicted. If a failure occurs at the rate of lambda per unit time, the expected time before the failure occurs and can be corrected is 1/lambda, the Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF). Finding and fixing a less frequent failure with the rate of lambda/2 per unit time requires twice as long, time of 1/(2 lambda). Cutting the failure rate in half requires doubling the test and redesign time and finding and eliminating the failure causes.Reducing the failure rate significantly requires a heroic reliability improvement effort.

Improvements to information management systems simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Bilek, R. W.

1972-01-01

The performance of personnel in the augmentation and improvement of the interactive IMSIM information management simulation model is summarized. With this augmented model, NASA now has even greater capabilities for the simulation of computer system configurations, data processing loads imposed on these configurations, and executive software to control system operations. Through these simulations, NASA has an extremely cost effective capability for the design and analysis of computer-based data management systems.

Improving Steam System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, Second Edition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2012-02-23

This sourcebook is designed to provide steam system users with a reference that describes the basic steam system components, outlines opportunities for energy and performance improvements, and discusses the benefits of a systems approach in identifying and implementing these improvement opportunities. The sourcebook is divided into three main sections: steam system basics, performance improvement opportunities, and where to find help.

Improvement of Ultrasonic Distance Measuring System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper mainly introduces a kind of ultrasonic distance measuring system with AT89C51 single chip as the core component. The paper expounds the principle of ultrasonic sensor and ultrasonic ranging, hardware circuit and software program, and the results of experiment and analysis.The hardware circuit based on SCM, the software design adopts the advanced microcontroller programming language.The amplitude of the received signal and the time of ultrasonic propagation are regulated by closed loop control. [1,2]The double closed loop control technology for amplitude and time improves the measuring accuracy of the instrument. The experimental results show that greatly improves the measurement accuracy of the system.

Khmelnitsky NPP personnel training system improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sapronov, V.G.; Issupov, V.I.

1996-01-01

Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant personnel training system improvement is described, including creation of Training center, development of training courses based on SAT methodology, development of training hardware

Stability improvement of induction generator-based wind turbine systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Zhe; Hu, Y.; Blaabjerg, Frede

2007-01-01

The stability improvement of induction-generator-based wind turbine systems under power system fault conditions has been studied. Two types of generators are considered, namely rotor short-circuited induction generators and dynamic slip-controlled wound rotor induction generators. The factors...... affecting the stability are analysed. The characteristics of the induction-generator-based wind turbines are described, and possible methods of improving stability of the wind generators are discussed. The system modelling is presented, and then the discussed methods of improving stability are investigated...

A System That Works: Highlights of Effective Intervention Strategies in a Quality Improvement System

Science.gov (United States)

Sinisterra, Diana; Baker, Stephen

2010-01-01

This paper describes one approach to quality improvement efforts: the Quality Improvement System (QIS) implemented by Prime Time Palm Beach County (Prime Time) in Palm Beach County, Florida. Prime Time's QIS is recognized as one promising systemic effort to improve quality in the afterschool field (Yohalem, Granger, & Pittman, 2009). As a…

Developing a lean measurement system to enhance process improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lewis P.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A key ingredient to underpin process improvement is a robust, reliable, repeatable measurement system. Process improvement activity needs to be supported by accurate and precise data because effective decision making, within process improvement activity, demands the use of “hard” data. One of the oldest and most established process improvement methods is Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA cycle which is reliant on the check phase, a measurement activity where data is being gathered and evaluated. Recent expansions of the PDCA such as the Six-Sigma Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC methodology place significant importance upon measurement. The DMAIC cycle incorporates the regimented requirement for the inclusion of measurement system analysis (MSA into the breakthrough strategy. The call for MSA within the DMAIC cycle is to provide the improvement activity with a robust measurement system that will ensure a pertinent level of data during any validation process. The Lean methodology is heavily centred on the removal of the seven Mudas (wastes from a manufacturing process: defects, overproduction, transportation, waiting, inventory, motion and processing. The application of lean, particularly within the manufacturing industry, has led to a perception that measurement is a waste within a manufacturing process because measurement processes identify defective products. The metrologists’ pursuit for measurement excellence could be construed as a hindrance by the “cost down” demands being perpetrated from the same organisation’s lean policy. So what possible benefits does enforcing the regimes of the lean and quality philosophies upon the measurement process have and how does this ultimately enhance the process improvement activity? The key fundamental to embed with any process improvement is the removal of waste. The process improvement techniques embedded within lean and quality concepts are extremely powerful practices in the

Improved liquid waste processing system of PWR plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suehiro, Kazuyasu

1977-01-01

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. has engaged in the improvement and enhancement of waste-processing facilities for PWR power stations, and recently established the improved processing system. With this system, it becomes possible to contain radioactive waste gas semi-permanently within plants and to recycle waste liquid after the treatment, thus to make the release of radioactive wastes practically zero. The improved system has the following features, namely the recycling system is adopted, drain is separated and each separated drain is treated by specialized process, the reboiler type evaporator and the reverse osmosis equipment are used, and the leakless construction is adopted for the equipments. The radioactive liquid wastes in PWR power stations are classified into coolant drain, drain from general equipments, chemical drain and cleaning water. The outline of the improved processing system and the newly developed equipments such as the reboiler type evaporator and the reverse osmosis equipment are explained. With the evaporator, the concentration rate of waste liquid can be raised to about three times, and foaming waste can be treated efficiently. The decontamination performance is excellent. The reverse osmosis treatment is stable and reliable method, and is useful for the treatment of cleaning water. It is also effective for concentrating treatment. The unmanned automatic operation is possible. (Kako, I.)

Continuous improvement of the BNFL transport integrated management system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hale, J.A.

1998-01-01

The integrated Management System of BNFL Transport and Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL) is subject to continuous improvement by the application of established improvement techniques adopted by BNFL. The technique currently being used is the application of a Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy, involving the identification of key processes, benchmarking against existing measures, initiating various improvement projects and applying process changes within the Company. The measurement technique being used is based upon the European Foundation for Quality Management Model (EFQM). A major initiative was started in 1996 to include the requirements of the Environmental Management Systems standard ISO 14001 within the existing integrated management system. This resulted in additional activities added to the system, modification to some existing activities and additional training for personnel. The system was audited by a third party certification organisation, Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), during 1997. This paper describes the arrangements to review and update the integrated management system of BNFL Transport and PNTL to include the requirements of the environmental standard ISO 14001 and it also discusses the continuous improvement process adopted by BNFL Transport. (authors)

Lean management systems: creating a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, David M; Silvester, Kate; Knowles, Simon

2013-08-01

This is the first in a series of articles describing the application of Lean management systems to Laboratory Medicine. Lean is the term used to describe a principle-based continuous quality improvement (CQI) management system based on the Toyota production system (TPS) that has been evolving for over 70 years. Its origins go back much further and are heavily influenced by the work of W Edwards Deming and the scientific method that forms the basis of most quality management systems. Lean has two fundamental elements--a systematic approach to process improvement by removing waste in order to maximise value for the end-user of the service and a commitment to respect, challenge and develop the people who work within the service to create a culture of continuous improvement. Lean principles have been applied to a growing number of Healthcare systems throughout the world to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of services for patients and a number of laboratories from all the pathology disciplines have used Lean to shorten turnaround times, improve quality (reduce errors) and improve productivity. Increasingly, models used to plan and implement large scale change in healthcare systems, including the National Health Service (NHS) change model, have evidence-based improvement methodologies (such as Lean CQI) as a core component. Consequently, a working knowledge of improvement methodology will be a core skill for Pathologists involved in leadership and management.

Tune-Up Your Fan Systems for Improved Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2018-04-03

Fans are used extensively in commercial buildings and represent approximately 6% of total energy consumed by commercial buildings. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that fans in commercial buildings consume 158 billion kWh of electricity annually. Maintaining fan systems in proper condition provides energy savings and ensures a comfortable and healthy environment. While many fan systems have significant energy savings opportunities available through improvements in fan selection, system design, and operational practices, it is not always apparent when a fan system needs maintenance or what opportunities are available for improvements. This resource is designed for facility managers and maintenance staff to provide easy-to-implement actionable guidance on fan efficiency measures for existing ducted air systems.

Design of launch systems using continuous improvement process

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Richard W.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify a systematic process for improving ground operations for future launch systems. This approach is based on the Total Quality Management (TQM) continuous improvement process. While the continuous improvement process is normally identified with making incremental changes to an existing system, it can be used on new systems if they use past experience as a knowledge base. In the case of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), the Space Shuttle operations provide many lessons. The TQM methodology used for this paper will be borrowed from the United States Air Force 'Quality Air Force' Program. There is a general overview of the continuous improvement process, with concentration on the formulation phase. During this phase critical analyses are conducted to determine the strategy and goals for the remaining development process. These analyses include analyzing the mission from the customers point of view, developing an operations concept for the future, assessing current capabilities and determining the gap to be closed between current capabilities and future needs and requirements. A brief analyses of the RLV, relative to the Space Shuttle, will be used to illustrate the concept. Using the continuous improvement design concept has many advantages. These include a customer oriented process which will develop a more marketable product and a better integration of operations and systems during the design phase. But, the use of TQM techniques will require changes, including more discipline in the design process and more emphasis on data gathering for operational systems. The benefits will far outweigh the additional effort.

Improving Sustainability through a Dual Audit System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shun-Ji Jin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available As a consequence of a large-scale accounting fraud, China implemented a dual audit system for listed companies issuing foreign stocks (B shares and H shares from 2001 to 2006, before adopting Chinese-IFRS in 2007. At the end of 2010, the EU proposed that listed corporations over a certain size should be required to implement a joint audit system. However, only a few countries have implemented this system, and thus, data and references are extremely limited. The dual audit system is called the “twin” of the joint audit system. We analyze whether the dual system improves a company’s earnings quality. Earnings quality is studied by means of real earnings management, and the variable of loss aversion. We find that real earnings management of dual audited enterprises is lower than that of single audited (A-share enterprises, and the inclination toward loss aversion of enterprises in the foreign share market has not increased significantly relative to the A-share enterprises after the abolition of the dual audit system. The results indicate that a dual audit system improves earnings quality. We expect that the conclusions of this research will resolve the issues and concerns about the joint audit system.

Improvements to the Hunter Dose tracking system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whiteside, T. S. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Aucott, T. J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Brand, A. D. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Diprete, D. P. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-07-01

Since 1965, the Savannah River Site (SRS) has conducted deer hunts which are open to the general public. SRS performs field monitoring for cesium-137 (Cs-137) of each harvested animal to determine whether the animal may be released to the hunter. A new field system for measuring Cs-137 in the harvested animals has been developed. The system incorporates numerous enhancements compared to the original system. The original system was composed of two Ludlum Measurements scalar-driven 2 inch x 2 inch sodium iodide counters, while the new system is based on a single Ametek Ortec Digibase-driven 2 inch x 4 inch x 16 inch sodium iodide gamma spectrometer. The new system includes a series of easy-to-assemble stainless steel encapsulated lead shields. The combination of the larger detector size and lead shielding improved the detection limit of the new system by a factor of approximately three compared to the original system. This lower detection limit allows for a larger number of measurements to be directly compared to the laboratory results, in cases where animal portions have been sampled. The results from developing and using this system are presented as well as recommendations on improvements to the overall field monitoring of the SRS hunts.

Improvements of uranium mine ventilation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Changrong; Zhou Xinghuo; Liu Zehua; Wang Zhiyong

2007-01-01

Ventilation has been proved to be a main method to eliminate radon and its daughters in uranium mines. According to the practical rectifications of uranium mine ventilation system, the improved measures are summarized. (authors)

Improvement of ultrasonic examination using the Spartacus system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benoist, P.; Chapuis, N.; Cartier, F.; Pincemaille, G.

1992-01-01

Improved computer technology and technical advances in data analysis have significantly modified the methods employed to perform ultrasonic inspections. The SPARTACUS system developed by the CEA (French Atomic Agency) in an example of this progress. The nerve center of the system is a graphic workstation. The system permits full digitization of waveform while retaining high data acquisition rates of conventional system. In addition, it enables ultra fast analysis with comprehensive interactive imaging including signal processing (filtering, correlation, deconvolution...), image processing, spectrum analysis, automatic edition of report, 3D presentation. This system is now use during In-Service Inspection with MIS (In-Service Inspection Machine). Some examples of applications are shown: improvement in sizing capabilities, examination of austenitic weldments; thickness measurement (tube applications...), automatic detection

A Novel Hydro-information System for Improving National Weather Service River Forecast System

Science.gov (United States)

Nan, Z.; Wang, S.; Liang, X.; Adams, T. E.; Teng, W. L.; Liang, Y.

2009-12-01

A novel hydro-information system has been developed to improve the forecast accuracy of the NOAA National Weather Service River Forecast System (NWSRFS). An MKF-based (Multiscale Kalman Filter) spatial data assimilation framework, together with the NOAH land surface model, is employed in our system to assimilate satellite surface soil moisture data to yield improved evapotranspiration. The latter are then integrated into the distributed version of the NWSRFS to improve its forecasting skills, especially for droughts, but also for disaster management in general. Our system supports an automated flow into the NWSRFS of daily satellite surface soil moisture data, derived from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), and the forcing information of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS). All data are custom processed, archived, and supported by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information and Services Center (GES DISC). An optional data fusing component is available in our system, which fuses NEXRAD Stage III precipitation data with the NLDAS precipitation data, using the MKF-based framework, to provide improved precipitation inputs. Our system employs a plug-in, structured framework and has a user-friendly, graphical interface, which can display, in real-time, the spatial distributions of assimilated state variables and other model-simulated information, as well as their behaviors in time series. The interface can also display watershed maps, as a result of the integration of the QGIS library into our system. Extendibility and flexibility of our system are achieved through the plug-in design and by an extensive use of XML-based configuration files. Furthermore, our system can be extended to support multiple land surface models and multiple data assimilation schemes, which would further increase its capabilities. Testing of the integration of the current system into the NWSRFS is

Referring to IAEA system to improve Chinese standards system on nuclear and radiation safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang Zhaorong; Wang Wenhai

2010-01-01

Referring to the standards system of IAEA, to build and improve the Chinese standards system of nuclear and radiation safety is a long term infrastructure work and an assurance to keep sustainable development of nuclear industry and nuclear technology application in China. The paper analyses the current main problem, and gives some suggestions on developing and improving the system. (authors)

System Efficiency Improvement for Electric Vehicles Adopting a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Direct Drive System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengming Zhang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available To improve the endurance mileage of electric vehicles (EVs, it is important to decrease the energy consumption of the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM drive system. This paper proposes a novel loss optimization control strategy named system efficiency improvement control which can optimize both inverter and motor losses. A nonlinear power converter loss model is built to fit the nonlinear characteristics of power devices. This paper uses double Fourier integral analysis to analytically calculate the fundamental and harmonic components of motor current by which the fundamental motor loss and harmonic motor loss can be accurately analyzed. From these loss models, a whole-frequency-domain system loss model is derived and presented. Based on the system loss model, the system efficiency improvement control method applies the genetic algorithm to adjust the motor current and PWM frequency together to optimize the inverter and motor losses by which the system efficiency can be significantly improved without seriously influence on the system stability over the whole operation range of EVs. The optimal effects of system efficiency is verified by the experimental results in both Si-IGBT-based PMSM system and SiC-MOSFET-based system.

Referral system in rural Iran: improvement proposals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansour Naseriasl

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Because of insufficient communication between primary health care providers and specialists, which leads to inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in rural population health outcomes, to implement a well-functioning referral system is one of the most important tasks for some countries. Using purposive and snowballing sampling methods, we included health experts, policy-makers, family physicians, clinical specialists, and experts from health insurance organizations in this study according to pre-determined criteria. We recorded all interviews, transcribed and analyzed their content using qualitative methods. We extracted 1,522 individual codes initially. We also collected supplementary data through document review. From reviews and summarizations, four main themes, ten subthemes, and 24 issues emerged from the data. The solutions developed were: care system reform, education system reform, payment system reform, and improves in culture-building and public education. Given the executive experience, the full familiarity, the occupational and geographical diversity of participants, the solutions proposed in this study could positively affect the implementation and improvement of the referral system in Iran. The suggested solutions are complementary to each other and have less interchangeability.

Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry v3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ron Marshall, William Scales, Gary Shafer, Paul Shaw, Paul Sheaffer, Rick Stasyshan, H.P.

2016-03-01

This sourcebook is designed to provide compressed air system users with a reference that outlines opportunities for system performance improvements. It is not intended to be a comprehensive technical text on improving compressed air systems, but rather a document that makes compressed air system users aware of the performance improvement potential, details some of the significant opportunities, and directs users to additional sources of assistance.

Improved voltage gradient control system for electrostatic accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, N.L.; Dittner, P.F.

1993-01-01

An improved voltage gradient control system has been designed and installed in the EN tandem at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. An improved design was sought due to high failure rates, increasing replacement parts and labor costs, and decreasing availability of the original carbon film resistor systems supplied for the EN-12 at ORNL. The resulting system utilizes two inexpensive, readily available, metal oxide resistors in series between each plane. They are protected by coaxial stainless steel shielding tubes, and spark gaps across individual resistors and adjacent pairs. The new resistors mount atop the column bridge in a compact configuration. This permits easy access both to the resistors and to the interior column components such as the belt. Well controlled gradients now provide improved machine performance. Both initial capital outlay and future maintenance result in reduced costs. Design, installation, performance, and cost details are reported. (orig.)

A Trusted Computing Architecture of Embedded System Based on Improved TPM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Xiaosheng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Trusted Platform Module (TPM currently used by PCs is not suitable for embedded systems, it is necessary to improve existing TPM. The paper proposes a trusted computing architecture with new TPM and the cryptographic system developed by China for the embedded system. The improved TPM consists of the Embedded System Trusted Cryptography Module (eTCM and the Embedded System Trusted Platform Control Module (eTPCM, which are combined and implemented the TPM’s autonomous control, active defense, high-speed encryption/decryption and other function through its internal bus arbitration module and symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic engines to effectively protect the security of embedded system. In our improved TPM, a trusted measurement method with chain model and star type model is used. Finally, the improved TPM is designed by FPGA, and it is used to a trusted PDA to carry out experimental verification. Experiments show that the trusted architecture of the embedded system based on the improved TPM is efficient, reliable and secure.

Evaluation and proposal of improvement for the measurement system in ATLAS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Dong Woo; Kim, Jong Rok; Park, Jun Kwon

2007-03-01

The project independently evaluated the validities and reliability of measurement system in ATLAS, then proposed plans to improve the measurement system from evaluated results. For this objectives, we evaluated the design, technical backgrounds, verifying data of measurement system in ATLAS. From this evaluation, we proposed plans for improvement on parts which need improvement

System 80+ Design and Licensing : Improving Plant Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, Robert E.

1989-01-01

The U. S. nuclear industry is striving to improve plant reliability and availability through improved plant design, component designs and plant maintenance. In an effort to improve safety and to demonstrate that commercial nuclear power is economically competitive with other energy sources, the utilities, nuclear vendors, architect engineers and constructors, and component suppliers are all participating in an industry-wide effort to develop improved Light Water Reactor (LWR) designs that are based upon the many years of successful LWR operation. In an age when the world faces the environmental pressures of the greenhouse effect and acid rain, electricity generated from nuclear energy must play an increasing role in the energy picture of Korea, the United States and the rest of the world. This paper discusses the plant availability requirement that has been established by the industry-wide effort mentioned above. After briefly describing Combustion Engineering's program for development of the System 80 Plus standard design and the participation of the Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in the program, the paper then describes the design features that are being incorporated into System 80+. The industry ALRR Program has established a very ambitious criterion of 87% for the plant availability of future nuclear units. To satisfy such a requirement, the next generation of nuclear plants will include a great many design improvements that reflect the hundreds of years of operating experience that we have accrued. C-ESA's System 80+ will include a number of design changes that improve operating margins and make the plant easier to operate and maintain. Not surprisingly, there is a great deal of overlap between improved safety and improved reliability. In the end, our design will satisfy the future needs of the utilities, the regulators, and the public. C-E is very pleased that KAERI is working with US to achieve these important goals

Improving Multi-Agent Systems Using Jason

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vester, Steen; Boss, Niklas Skamriis; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt

2011-01-01

We describe the approach used to develop the multi-agent system of herders that competed as the Jason-DTU team at the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2010. We also participated in 2009 with a system developed in the agentoriented programming language Jason which is an extension of AgentSpeak. We ...... used the implementation from 2009 as a foundation and therefore much of the work done this year was on improving that implementation. We present a description which includes design and analysis of the system as well as the main features of our agent team strategy. In addition we discuss...

Applying improved instrumentation and computer control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevilacqua, F.; Myers, J.E.

1977-01-01

In-core and out-of-core instrumentation systems for the Cherokee-I reactor are described. The reactor has 61m-core instrument assemblies. Continuous computer monitoring and processing of data from over 300 fixed detectors will be used to improve the manoeuvering of core power. The plant protection system is a standard package for the Combustion Engineering System 80, consisting of two independent systems, the reactor protection system and the engineering safety features activation system, both of which are designed to meet NRC, ANS and IEEE design criteria or standards. The plants protection system has its own computer which provides plant monitoring, alarming, logging and performance calculations. (U.K.)

Improving Fan System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2003-04-01

This is one of a series of sourcebooks on motor-driven equipment produced by the Industrial Technologies Program. It provides a reference for industrial fan systems users, outlining opportunities to improve fan system performance.

Improved Thermal-Insulation Systems for Low Temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Fesmire, James E.; Augustynowicz, Stanislaw D.

2003-01-01

Improved thermal-insulation materials and structures and the techniques for manufacturing them are undergoing development for use in low-temperature applications. Examples of low-temperature equipment for which these thermal insulation systems could provide improved energy efficiency include storage tanks for cryogens, superconducting electric-power-transmission equipment, containers for transport of food and other perishable commodities, and cold boxes for low-temperature industrial processes. These systems could also be used to insulate piping used to transfer cryogens and other fluids, such as liquefied natural gas, refrigerants, chilled water, crude oil, or low-pressure steam. The present thermal-insulation systems are layer composites based partly on the older class of thermal-insulation systems denoted generally as multilayer insulation (MLI). A typical MLI structure includes an evacuated jacket, within which many layers of radiation shields are stacked or wrapped close together. Low-thermal-conductivity spacers are typically placed between the reflection layers to keep them from touching. MLI can work very well when a high vacuum level (less than 10(exp-4) torr) is maintained and utmost care is taken during installation, but its thermal performance deteriorates sharply as the pressure in the evacuated space rises into the soft vacuum range [pressures greater than 0.1 torr (greater than 13 Pa)]. In addition, the thermal performance of MLI is extremely sensitive to mechanical compression and edge effects and can easily decrease from one to two orders of magnitude from its ideal value even when the MLI is kept under high vacuum condition. The present thermal-insulation systems are designed to perform well under soft vacuum level, in particular the range of 1 to 10 torr. They are also designed with larger interlayer spacings to reduce vulnerability to compression (and consequent heat leak) caused by installation and use. The superiority of these systems is the

Improved decoding for a concatenated coding system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paaske, Erik

1990-01-01

The concatenated coding system recommended by CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) uses an outer (255,233) Reed-Solomon (RS) code based on 8-b symbols, followed by the block interleaver and an inner rate 1/2 convolutional code with memory 6. Viterbi decoding is assumed. Two new...... decoding procedures based on repeated decoding trials and exchange of information between the two decoders and the deinterleaver are proposed. In the first one, where the improvement is 0.3-0.4 dB, only the RS decoder performs repeated trials. In the second one, where the improvement is 0.5-0.6 dB, both...... decoders perform repeated decoding trials and decoding information is exchanged between them...

Improvement of Engineering Work Efficiency through System Integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sangdae; Jo, Sunghan; Hyun, Jinwoo

2016-01-01

This paper presents the concept of developing an integrated engineering system for ER to improve efficiency and utilization of engineering system. Each process including computer system and database was introduced separately by each department at that different time. Each engineering process has a close relation with other engineering processes. The introduction of processes in a different time has caused the several problems such as lack of interrelationship between engineering processes, lack of integration fleet-wide statistical data, lack of the function of data comparison among plants and increase of access time by different access location on internet. These problems have caused inefficiency of engineering system utilization to get proper information and degraded engineering system utilization. KHNP has introduced and conducted advanced engineering processes to maintain equipment effectively in a highly reliable condition since 2000s. But engineering systems for process implementation have been developed in each department at a different time. This has caused the problems of process inefficiency and data discordance. Integrated Engineering System(IES) to integrate dispersed engineering processes will improve work efficiency and utilization of engineering system because integration system would enable engineer to get total engineering information easily and do engineering work efficiently

Improvement of Engineering Work Efficiency through System Integration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sangdae; Jo, Sunghan; Hyun, Jinwoo [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

This paper presents the concept of developing an integrated engineering system for ER to improve efficiency and utilization of engineering system. Each process including computer system and database was introduced separately by each department at that different time. Each engineering process has a close relation with other engineering processes. The introduction of processes in a different time has caused the several problems such as lack of interrelationship between engineering processes, lack of integration fleet-wide statistical data, lack of the function of data comparison among plants and increase of access time by different access location on internet. These problems have caused inefficiency of engineering system utilization to get proper information and degraded engineering system utilization. KHNP has introduced and conducted advanced engineering processes to maintain equipment effectively in a highly reliable condition since 2000s. But engineering systems for process implementation have been developed in each department at a different time. This has caused the problems of process inefficiency and data discordance. Integrated Engineering System(IES) to integrate dispersed engineering processes will improve work efficiency and utilization of engineering system because integration system would enable engineer to get total engineering information easily and do engineering work efficiently.

Candesartan cilexetil loaded nanodelivery systems for improved oral bioavailability.

Science.gov (United States)

Dudhipala, Narendar; Veerabrahma, Kishan

2017-02-01

Candesartan cilexetil (CC), an antihypertensive drug, has low oral bioavailability due to poor solubility and hepatic first-pass metabolism. These are major limitations in oral delivery of CC. Several approaches are known to reduce the problems of solubility and improve the bioavailability of CC. Among various approaches, nanotechnology-based delivery of CC has potential to overcome the challenges associated with the oral administration. This review focuses on various nano-based delivery systems available and tried for improving the aqueous solubility, dissolution and consequently bioavailability of CC upon oral administration. Of all, solid lipid nanoparticles appear to be promising delivery system, based on current reported results, for delivery of CC, as this system improved the oral bioavailability and possessed prolonged pharmacodynamic effect.

Aircraft de-icer: Recycling can cut carbon emissions in half

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Eric P.

2012-01-01

Flight-safety regulations in most countries require aircraft to be ice-free upon takeoff. In icy weather, this means that the aircraft usually must be de-iced (existing ice is removed) and sometimes anti-iced (to protect against ice-reformation). For both processes, aircraft typically are sprayed with an ‘antifreeze’ solution, consisting mainly of glycol diluted with water. This de/anti-icing creates an impact on the environment, of which environmental regulators have grown increasingly conscious. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for example, recently introduced stricter rules that require airports above minimum size to collect de-icing effluents and send them to wastewater treatment. De-icer collection and treatment is already done at most major airports, but a few have gone one step further: rather than putting the effluent to wastewater, they recycle it. This study examines the carbon savings that can be achieved by recycling de-icer. There are two key findings. One, recycling, as opposed to not recycling, cuts the footprint of aircraft de-icing by 40–50% — and even more, in regions where electricity-generation is cleaner. Two, recycling petrochemical-based de-icer generates a 15–30% lower footprint than using ‘bio’ de-icer without recycling. - Highlights: ► Carbon footprint of aircraft de-icing can be measured. ► Recycling aircraft de-icer cuts the footprint of aircraft de-icing by 40–50%. ► Recycling ‘fossil’ de-icer is lower carbon than not recycling ‘bio’ de-icer.

Improved airfield damage assessment System (IADAS) capstone

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

that the Air Force Civil Engineer career field is prepared for the future of expeditionary warfare by integrating the latest technology into TTPs...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CAPSTONE PROJECT REPORT Approved for public release...alternatives for improving the timeliness of airfield damage assessment. The systems engineering methods used included a morphological box and Pugh matrix

Monitoring System For Improving Radiation Safety Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osovizky, A.; Paran, J.; Tal, N.; Ankry, N.; Ashkenazi, B.; Tirosh, D.; Marziano, R.; Chisin, R.

1999-01-01

Medi SMARTS (Medical Survey Mapping Automatic Radiation Tracing System), a gamma radiation monitoring system, was installed in a nuclear medicine department. In this paper the evaluation of the system's ability to improve radiation safety management is presented. The system is based on a state of the art software that continuously collects on line radiation measurements for display, analysis and logging. Radiation is measured by GM tubes; the signal is transferred to a data processing unit and then via an RS-485 communication line to a computer. The system automatically identifies the detector type and its calibration factor, thus providing compatibility, maintainability and versatility when changing detectors. Radiation levels are displayed on the nuclear medicine department map at six locations. The system has been operating continuously for more than one year, documenting abnormal events caused by routine operation or failure incidents. In cases where abnormal working conditions were encountered, an alarm message was sent automatically to the supervisor via his tele-pager. An interesting issue observed during the system evaluation, was the inability to distinguish between high radiation levels caused by proper routine operation and those caused by safety failure incidents. The solution included examination of two parameters, radiation levels as well as their duration period. A careful analysis of the historical data, applying the appropriated combined parameters determined for each location, verified that such a system can identify abnormal events, provide alarms to warn in case of incidents and improve standard operating procedures

IMPROVING CAUSE DETECTION SYSTEMS WITH ACTIVE LEARNING

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — IMPROVING CAUSE DETECTION SYSTEMS WITH ACTIVE LEARNING ISAAC PERSING AND VINCENT NG Abstract. Active learning has been successfully applied to many natural language...

Needed improvements in the development of systemic corrective actions.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campisi, John A.

2009-07-01

There are indications that corrective actions, as implemented at Sandia National Laboratories are not fully adequate. Review of independent audits spanning multiple years provides evidence of recurring issues within the same or similar operations and programs. Several external audits have directly called into question the ability Sandia's assessment and evaluation processes to prevent recurrence. Examples of repeated findings include lockout/tagout programs, local exhaust ventilation controls and radiological controls. Recurrence clearly shows that there are underlying systemic factors that are not being adequately addressed by corrective actions stemming from causal analyses. Information suggests that improvements in the conduct of causal analyses and, more importantly, in the development of subsequent corrective actions are warranted. Current methodolgies include Management Oversight Risk Tree, developed in the early 1970s and Systemic Factors Analysis. Recommendations for improvements include review of other causal analysis systems, training, improved formality of operations, improved documentation, and a corporate method that uses truly systemic solutions. This report was written some years ago and is being published now to form the foundation for current, follow-on reports being developed. Some outdated material is recognized but is retained for report completeness.

Improving a mother to child HIV transmission programme through health system redesign: quality improvement, protocol adjustment and resource addition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele S Youngleson

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Health systems that deliver prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT services in low and middle income countries continue to underperform, resulting in thousands of unnecessary HIV infections of newborns each year. We used a combination of approaches to health systems strengthening to reduce transmission of HIV from mother to infant in a multi-facility public health system in South Africa.All primary care sites and specialized birthing centers in a resource constrained sub-district of Cape Metro District, South Africa, were enrolled in a quality improvement (QI programme. All pregnant women receiving antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal infant care in the sub-district between January 2006 and March 2009 were included in the intervention that had a prototype-innovation phase and a rapid spread phase. System changes were introduced to help frontline healthcare workers to identify and improve performance gaps at each step of the PMTCT pathway. Improvement was facilitated and spread through the use of a Breakthrough Series Collaborative that accelerated learning and the spread of successful changes. Protocol changes and additional resources were introduced by provincial and municipal government. The proportion of HIV-exposed infants testing positive declined from 7.6% to 5%. Key intermediate PMTCT processes improved (antenatal AZT increased from 74% to 86%, PMTCT clients on HAART at the time of labour increased from 10% to 25%, intrapartum AZT increased from 43% to 84%, and postnatal HIV testing from 79% to 95% compared to baseline.System improvement methods, protocol changes and addition/reallocation of resources contributed to improved PMTCT processes and outcomes in a resource constrained setting. The intervention requires a clear design, leadership buy-in, building local capacity to use systems improvement methods, and a reliable data system. A systems improvement approach offers a much needed approach to rapidly improve under

Alternative materials for the reinforcement and prestressing of concrete

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Clarke, John L

1993-01-01

... and bridges subjected to de-icing salts. Many approaches are being tried to inhibit the corrosion mechanism in aggressive environments. Most involve protective systems of some sort, applied either to the reinforcement directly or to the exposed concrete surface. One alternative approach being developed worldwide at an increasing pace is the replacement of...

MODEL OF IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BY MULTI - SOFTWARE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jelena Jovanovic

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper is based on doctoral dissertation which is oriented on improving environmental management system using multi - software. In this doctoral dissertation will be used key results of master thesis which is oriented on quantification environmental aspects and impacts by artificial neural network in organizations. This paper recommend improving environmental management system in organization using Balanced scorecard model and MCDM method - AHP (Analytic hierarchy process based on group decision. BSC would be spread with elements of Environmental management system and used in area of strategic management system in organization and AHP would be used in area of checking results getting by quantification environmental aspects and impacts.

Hierarchically Structured Recommender System for Improving NPS

Science.gov (United States)

Kuang, Jieyan

2016-01-01

Net Promoter System (NPS) is well known as an evaluation measure of the growth engine of big companies in the business area. The ultimate goal of my research is to build an action rules and meta-actions based recommender system for improving NPS scores of 34 companies (clients) dealing with similar businesses in the US and Canada. With the given…

Improving Reliability, Security, and Efficiency of Reconfigurable Hardware Systems (Habilitation)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ziener, Daniel

2017-01-01

In this treatise,  my research on methods to improve efficiency, reliability, and security of reconfigurable hardware systems, i.e., FPGAs, through partial dynamic reconfiguration is outlined. The efficiency of reconfigurable systems can be improved by loading optimized data paths on-the-fly on an

Improving School Leadership. Volume 2: Case Studies on System Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Hopkins, David, Ed.; Nusche, Deborah, Ed.; Pont, Beatriz, Ed.

2008-01-01

This book explores what specialists are saying about system leadership for school improvement. Case studies examine innovative approaches to sharing leadership across schools in Belgium (Flanders), Finland and the United Kingdom (England) and leadership development programmes for system improvement in Australia and Austria. As these are emerging…

Process Improvement Teams: A TQM Strategy for Improving Community College Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Needham, Robbie Lee; And Others

The three principle elements of Total Quality Management (TQM) are a focus on customers; an attitude of continuous improvement of a system; and the involvement of everyone within an organization. At Delaware County Community College (DCCC) in Media, Pennsylvania, the first phase of implementing TQM focused on educating top management for the…

Buccal Transmucosal Delivery System of Enalapril for Improved ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To prepare and characterize buccal transmucosal delivery system of enalapril maleate for overcoming its low bioavailability, and hence provide improved therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Methods: Transmucosal drug delivery systems of enalapril maleate were formulated as buccal films by solvent ...

Voltage Quality Improvement Using Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denisa Galzina

2015-06-01

This paper briefly shows the methods of power quality improvement, and then the results of on-site power quality measurements in the grid before and after the connection of the solar photovoltaic system.

Improving Security in the ATLAS PanDA System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caballero, J; Maeno, T; Potekhin, M; Wenaus, T; Nilsson, P; Stewart, G

2011-01-01

The security challenges faced by users of the grid are considerably different to those faced in previous environments. The adoption of pilot jobs systems by LHC experiments has mitigated many of the problems associated with the inhomogeneities found on the grid and has greatly improved job reliability; however, pilot jobs systems themselves must then address many security issues, including the execution of multiple users' code under a common 'grid' identity. In this paper we describe the improvements and evolution of the security model in the ATLAS PanDA (Production and Distributed Analysis) system. We describe the security in the PanDA server which is in place to ensure that only authorized members of the VO are allowed to submit work into the system and that jobs are properly audited and monitored. We discuss the security in place between the pilot code itself and the PanDA server, ensuring that only properly authenticated workload is delivered to the pilot for execution. When the code to be executed is from a 'normal' ATLAS user, as opposed to the production system or other privileged actor, then the pilot may use an EGEE developed identity switching tool called gLExec. This changes the grid proxy available to the job and also switches the UNIX user identity to protect the privileges of the pilot code proxy. We describe the problems in using this system and how they are overcome. Finally, we discuss security drills which have been run using PanDA and show how these improved our operational security procedures.

PWR system reliability improvement activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, Yuichiro

1985-01-01

In Japan lacking in energy resources, it is our basic energy policy to accelerate the development program of nuclear power, thereby reducing our dependence. As referred to in the foregoing, every effort has been exerted on our part to improve the PWR system reliability by dint of the so-called 'HOMEMADE' TQC activities, which is our brain-child as a result of applying to the energy industry the quality control philosophy developed in the field of manufacturing industry

ANALYSIS OF POWER SYSTEM RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENT FOR 74-BUS RADIAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

OpenAIRE

Su Mon Myint*

2018-01-01

In Myanmar, electric power system planning is widely constructed because of more and more load growth and facing with failure of electricity, outage problems and system shut-down. Thus, not only making new power system network but also improving reliability of the existing system using suitable methods is very important to provide an adequate supply of electrical energy to its customers as economically and reliably as possible with an acceptable degree of continuity and quality that is design...

The Power of Collaboration for Improving Safety in Complex Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, C. A.

2016-01-01

Many potentially hazardous industries involve systems that consist of a complex array of subsystems that must work together effectively in order for the entire system to perform. Often the subsystems are coupled, such that changes in any one subsystem can affect other subsystems. “System Think” refers to an awareness of the impacts throughout a system of changes in any subsystem. The U.S. commercial aviation industry, in its continuing endeavor to improve safety, uses a collaborative approach to accomplish System Think— bringing all of the key parts of the industry together to work in a collaborative manner to identify and address potential safety concerns. The collaborative approach resulted in an 83% reduction in the fatal accident rate in only 10 years. It also demonstrated that, contrary to conventional wisdom that safety improvements usually hurt productivity, safety improvements that result from a collaborative approach can simultaneously improve productivity. Last but not least, it minimised one of the continuing challenges of making changes in complex systems, which is unintended consequences. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the collaborative approach and to discuss its transferability to other potentially hazardous industries that are seeking to manage their risks more efficiently and effectively. (author)

Proceedings of the North American Transmission and Distribution Conference and Expo. CD ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This conference provided power suppliers with technology information regarding the transmission and distribution marketplace. It profiled industry solutions, information and education regarding the latest products and technologies to help utility professionals in their design, specifications, planning and reliability efforts. More than 1200 decision makers, suppliers and utility professionals attended the conference, including electrical utility chief executive officers, presidents, operations managers, billing experts, customer care facility managers, system planners, transmission/distribution managers, asset management, system operations management, and engineering consultants. Vendors also demonstrated the latest equipment, software and technology for the transmission and distribution market. Transmission was the focal point of core business activities with emphasis on energy management, new technologies, operations, maintenance, and planning and design. Topics of discussion ranged from load response strategies, metering systems, modernization of large industrial plants for interconnection with utilities, streetlight management systems, improvements to circuit utilization, energy fraud detection, power surge protection, de-icing systems, cyber security, and the Canadian electricity workforce. tabs., figs

Proposed improvement of the Accounting System of Non-Agricultural Cooperatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yamira Mirabal González

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The improvement of the accounting system of the cooperatives should contribute to the consolidation of the cooperative role as a way of economic and social development, in the sphere of agricultural production, and in other sectors of the economy, raising the levels of efficiency and economic efficiency, productive and social. The research is aimed at: Perfecting the accounting system of the non-agricultural cooperative "Café Pinar", based on a set of tools for each of the subsystems that comprise it, which contributes to the improvement of the accounting information generated as part of its management process. The results of the research focus on: the theoretical and methodological foundations of Accounting and Accounting Systems, the results of the diagnosis of the Accounting System of the non-agricultural Cooperative "Café Pinar" and the tools for each of the subsystems that make up the Accounting system of the cooperative. In the development of the research, theoretical methods such as the historical and the logical ones were applied, among these the systemic, the modeling and the axiomatic-deductive. In addition to empirical methods such as scientific observation and measurement. Based on the diagnosis made, the existing deficiencies in the Accounting System of the cooperative object of study were determined. On this basis, the proposal was made to improve its Accounting System that will contribute to the improvement of the accounting information that the cooperative generates as part of its management.

Moving from Survival to Healthy Survival through Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services Under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Arun K; Kumar, Rakesh; Mishra, C K; Khera, Ajay; Srivastava, Anubhav

2015-11-01

For negating the impact of early adversities on the development and ensuring a healthy, dynamic future for all children, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2013 launched a programme for child health screening and early intervention services as Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) which aims to improve the quality of life with special focus on improving cognition and survival outcomes for "at risk" children. It has a systemic approach of prevention, early identification and management of 30 health conditions distributed under 4Ds: Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies and Developmental delays including Disabilities spread over birth to 18 y of age in a holistic manner. There is a dedicated 4 member Mobile Health team for community screening and a dedicated 14 member team at District Early Intervention Center (DEIC) for comprehensive management. Existing health infrastructure and personnel are also integrated and utilized in this endeavor. Defects at birth are screened at Delivery points, home visits by accredited social health activist (ASHA), Anganwadi centers and at schools. Developmental delays are evaluated at DEIC through a multidisciplinary team with interdisciplinary approach. Five thousand four hundred eighteen dedicated Mobile Health teams have screened a total of 12.19 crore children till Dec.14. From April to Dec. 2014, 4.20 crore children were screened, of which birth to 6-y-old children were 2.13 crore while 2.07 crore were from 6 to 18 y. 17.7 lakh children were referred to tertiary centers and 6.2 lakh availed tertiary care. 50.7 lakhs were found positive for 4Ds; 1.35 lakhs were birth defects. RBSK is a step towards universal health care for free assured services.

SOCOM Training and Rehearsal System (STRS) Process Improvement and Decision Support System (DSS) Development

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Crossland, Neal; Broussard, Steve

2005-01-01

...) Process Improvement and Decision Support System (DSS) Development. Discussion sequence is: Why the study? Objectives; Areas of inquiry; Study products; Observations; Recommendations; Decision Support System.

Improving work control systems: The core team concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorgensen, M.D.; Simpson, W.W.

1996-01-01

The improved work control system at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant minimizes review and approval time, maximizes field work time, and maintains full compliance with applicable requirements. The core team method gives ownership and accountability to knowledgeable individuals, and the teams use sophisticated scheduling techniques to improve information sharing and cost control and to establish accurate roll-up master schedules

On The Improvement of the System of Board of Directors in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Jinlong

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Currently, shareholder democracy in many countries are gaining much more attention because many factors have damaged shareholder’s rights and interest, in which is the problem of the system of board of directors when it operated, including the formalization of the board of directors, the autocracy of managers and staggered boards. To safeguard the legitimate interests of the company and minority shareholders, the system of board of directors is to be improved in following areas: defining the supervision functions and powers of the board of directors, setting up sub-committees within the board, improving the director appointing mechanism and electoral system, improving the director qualification system, abolishing the system of legal representative of company, and improving the system of duty of care and related liabilities.

Strengthening health system to improve immunization for migrants in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Hai; Yang, Li; Zhang, Huyang; Li, Chenyang; Wen, Liankui; Sun, Li; Hanson, Kara; Meng, Qingyue

2017-07-01

Immunization is the most cost-effective method to prevent and control vaccine-preventable diseases. Migrant population in China has been rising rapidly, and their immunization status is poor. China has tried various strategies to strengthen its health system, which has significantly improved immunization for migrants. This study applied a qualitative retrospective review method aiming to collect, analyze and synthesize health system strengthening experiences and practices about improving immunizations for migrants in China. A conceptual framework of Theory of Change was used to extract the searched literatures. 11 searched literatures and 4 national laws and policies related to immunizations for migrant children were carefully studied. China mainly employed 3 health system strengthening strategies to significantly improve immunization for migrant population: stop charging immunization fees or immunization insurance, manage immunization certificates well, and pay extra attentions on immunization for special children including migrant children. These health system strengthening strategies were very effective, and searched literatures show that up-to-date and age-appropriate immunization rates were significantly improved for migrant children. Economic development led to higher migrant population in China, but immunization for migrants, particularly migrant children, were poor. Fortunately various health system strengthening strategies were employed to improve immunization for migrants in China and they were rather successful. The experiences and lessons of immunization for migrant population in China might be helpful for other developing countries with a large number of migrant population.

Improved self-management of datacenter systems applying machine learning

OpenAIRE

Berral García, Josep Lluís

2013-01-01

Autonomic Computing is a Computer Science and Technologies research area, originated during mid 2000's. It focuses on optimization and improvement of complex distributed computing systems through self-control and self-management. As distributed computing systems grow in complexity, like multi-datacenter systems in cloud computing, the system operators and architects need more help to understand, design and optimize manually these systems, even more when these systems are distributed along the...

Optimization of Business processes in Airport Services Company in Macedonia using the TQM Philosophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeta Mitreva

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This study is to show a full diagnostic to some of the business processes in the company for airport services in Macedonia was made. The methodology of TQM (Total Quality Management system was applied in the company, especially in the sector for de-icing and protection against frost on aircrafts. With the implementation of this system, an optimal solution was found for uninterrupted operation in the airport traffic. In this way there was a change in the company paradigm – do not work hard but smart, with a constant improvement of processes, while taking into account the needs and desires of customers and profit. This research shows that other methods and techniques were applied such as Pareto Diagram, Ishikawa approach, Checklist, Map of trends, all in order to identify problems and find an optimal solution.

Positron imaging system with improved count rate and tomographic capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

A system with improved count rate capability for detecting the radioactive distribution of positron events within an organ of interest in a living subject is described. Objects of the invention include improving the scintillation crystal and pulse processing electronics, avoiding the limitations of collimators and provide an Arger camera positron imaging system that avoids the use of collimators. (U.K.)

Technical report for effective estimation and improvement of quality system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kwan Hyun

2000-06-01

This technical report provides the methods on how to improve the Quality System, in R and D part. This report applies on the quality assurance(QA) programmes of the design, fabrication in nuclear projects. The organization having overall responsibility for the nuclear power item design, preservation, fabrication shall be described in this report in each stage of improvement of QA systems

Toyota production system quality improvement initiative improves perioperative antibiotic therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Burkitt, Kelly H; Mor, Maria K; Jain, Rajiv; Kruszewski, Matthew S; McCray, Ellesha E; Moreland, Michael E; Muder, Robert R; Obrosky, David Scott; Sevick, Mary Ann; Wilson, Mark A; Fine, Michael J

2009-09-01

To assess the role of a Toyota production system (TPS) quality improvement (QI) intervention on appropriateness of perioperative antibiotic therapy and in length of hospital stay (LOS) among surgical patients. Pre-post quasi-experimental study using local and national retrospective cohorts. We used TPS methods to implement a multifaceted intervention to reduce nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections on a Veterans Affairs surgical unit, which led to a QI intervention targeting appropriate perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Appropriate perioperative antibiotic therapy was defined as selection of the recommended antibiotic agents for a duration not exceeding 24 hours from the time of the operation. The local computerized medical record system was used to identify patients undergoing the 25 most common surgical procedures and to examine changes in appropriate antibiotic therapy and LOS over time. Overall, 2550 surgical admissions were identified from the local computerized medical records. The proportion of surgical admissions receiving appropriate perioperative antibiotics was significantly higher (P <.01) in 2004 after initiation of the TPS intervention (44.0%) compared with the previous 4 years (range, 23.4%-29.8%) primarily because of improvements in compliance with antibiotic therapy duration rather than appropriate antibiotic selection. There was no statistically significant decrease in LOS over time. The use of TPS methods resulted in a QI intervention that was associated with an increase in appropriate perioperative antibiotic therapy among surgical patients, without affecting LOS.

Improvement of seismic observation systems in JOYO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumino, Kozo; Suto, Masayoshi; Tanaka, Akihiro

2013-01-01

In the experimental fast reactor 'Joyo' in order to perform the seismic observation in and around the building block and ground, SMAC type seismographs had continuously been used for about 38 years. However, this equipment aged, and the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake on Mach 11, 2011 increased the importance of seismic data of the reactor facilities from the viewpoint of earthquake-proof safety. For these reasons, Joyo updated the system to the seismic observation system reflecting the latest technology/information, while keeping consistency with the observation data of the former seismographs (SMAC type seismograph). This updating improved various problems on the former observation seismographs. In addition, the installation of now observation points in the locations that are important in seismic safety evaluation expanded the data, and further improved the reliability of the seismic observation and evaluation on 'Joyo'. (A.O.)

Improving electronic customers' profile in recommender systems using data mining techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Julashokri

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Recommender systems are tools for realization one to one marketing. Recommender systems are systems, which attract, retain, and develop customers. Recommender systems use several ways to make recommendations. Two ways are using more than the others: collaborative filtering and content-based filtering. In this study, a recommender system model based on collaborative filtering has proposed. Proposed model was endeavored to improve the customer profile in collaborative systems to enhance the recommender system efficiency. This improvement was done using time context and group preferences. Experimental results show that the proposed model has a better recommendation performance than existing models.

Experimental Investigation of Concrete Runway Snow Melting Utilizing Heat Pipe Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fengchen Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A full scale snow melting system with heat pipe technology is built in this work, which avoids the negative effects on concrete structure and environment caused by traditional deicing chemicals. The snow melting, ice-freezing performance and temperature distribution characteristics of heat pipe concrete runway were discussed by the outdoor experiments. The results show that the temperature of the concrete pavement is greatly improved with the heat pipe system. The environment temperature and embedded depth of heat pipe play a dominant role among the decision variables of the snow melting system. Heat pipe snow melting pavement melts the snow completely and avoids freezing at any time when the environment temperature is below freezing point, which is secure enough for planes take-off and landing. Besides, the exportation and recovery of geothermal energy indicate that this system can run for a long time. This paper will be useful for the design and application of the heat pipe used in the runway snow melting.

Experimental Investigation of Concrete Runway Snow Melting Utilizing Heat Pipe Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Fengchen; Su, Xin; Ye, Qing; Fu, Jianfeng

2018-01-01

A full scale snow melting system with heat pipe technology is built in this work, which avoids the negative effects on concrete structure and environment caused by traditional deicing chemicals. The snow melting, ice-freezing performance and temperature distribution characteristics of heat pipe concrete runway were discussed by the outdoor experiments. The results show that the temperature of the concrete pavement is greatly improved with the heat pipe system. The environment temperature and embedded depth of heat pipe play a dominant role among the decision variables of the snow melting system. Heat pipe snow melting pavement melts the snow completely and avoids freezing at any time when the environment temperature is below freezing point, which is secure enough for planes take-off and landing. Besides, the exportation and recovery of geothermal energy indicate that this system can run for a long time. This paper will be useful for the design and application of the heat pipe used in the runway snow melting.

The continuous improvement system of nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivera C, A.

2009-10-01

This paper describes the continuous improvement system of nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde and the achievements in implementing the same and additionally two study cases are presents. In February 2009 is noteworthy because the World Association of Nuclear Operators we identified as a learning organization, qualification which shows that the continuous improvement system has matured, and this system will expose as I get to learn to capitalize on our own experiences and external experiences diffused by the nuclear industry. In 2007 the management of nuclear power plants integrates its improvement systems and calls it continuous improvement system and is presented in the same extensive report that won the National Quality Award. This system is made up of 5 subsystems operating individually and are also related 1) human performance; 2) referential comparison or benchmarking; 3) self-assessment; 4) corrective action and 5) external operating experience. Five subsystems that plan, generate, capture, manage, communicate and protect the knowledge generated during the processes execution of nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde, as well as from external sources. The target set in 2007 was to increase the intellectual capital to always give response to meeting the security requirements, but creating a higher value to quality, customer, environment protection and society. In brief each of them, highlighting the objective, expectations management, implementation and some benefits. At the end they will describe two study cases selected to illustrate these cases as the organization learns by their continuous improvement system. (Author)

Kaiser Permanente's performance improvement system, part 2: developing a value framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Schilling, Lisa; Deas, Dennis; Jedlinsky, Maile; Aronoff, Deborah; Fershtman, Juliette; Wali, Abdul

2010-12-01

In 2008, Kaiser Permanente began phased implementation of a nationwide performance improvement (PI) system. The aim was to improve performance by providing consistent, highly meaningful performance measurement, increase PI skills in staff at all levels, develop organizational capabilities, and provide support for making improvements in medical centers and across regions. Evaluating the PI System: The intermediate results of the PI system were assessed in the 22 medical centers in four of the eight Kaiser Permanente regions. Implementation for 3 of these medical centers occurred in January 2008 through November 2008, with implementation for the remaining 19 medical centers occurring from September 2008 through September 2009. The 22 medical centers that were evaluated achieved a 61% improvement in selected capabilities, and improvement advisors (IAs) successfully completed 84% of initial PI projects. For each dollar invested, estimates suggested an average return on investment of $2.36. Critical factors include adequate dedicated time for PI activities by staff with necessary expertise, expert support to operations, alignment of projects with regional and national strategic priorities, and close working relationships between PI staff and operational management. Involving finance leaders in improvement planning, prioritization, and oversight is important. These elements can be adapted to smaller systems and single hospitals. The initial evaluation of the Kaiser Permanente PI system indicated that (1) IAs successfully led projects in conjunction with frontline teams, (2) organizational capabilities increased, and (3) the investment in PI infrastructure and staff was sound. Expansion throughout the entire Kaiser Permanente system is under way.

Improving the use of health data for health system strengthening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tara Nutley

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Good quality and timely data from health information systems are the foundation of all health systems. However, too often data sit in reports, on shelves or in databases and are not sufficiently utilised in policy and program development, improvement, strategic planning and advocacy. Without specific interventions aimed at improving the use of data produced by information systems, health systems will never fully be able to meet the needs of the populations they serve. Objective: To employ a logic model to describe a pathway of how specific activities and interventions can strengthen the use of health data in decision making to ultimately strengthen the health system. Design: A logic model was developed to provide a practical strategy for developing, monitoring and evaluating interventions to strengthen the use of data in decision making. The model draws on the collective strengths and similarities of previous work and adds to those previous works by making specific recommendations about interventions and activities that are most proximate to affect the use of data in decision making. The model provides an organizing framework for how interventions and activities work to strengthen the systematic demand, synthesis, review, and use of data. Results: The logic model and guidance are presented to facilitate its widespread use and to enable improved data-informed decision making in program review and planning, advocacy, policy development. Real world examples from the literature support the feasible application of the activities outlined in the model. Conclusions: The logic model provides specific and comprehensive guidance to improve data demand and use. It can be used to design, monitor and evaluate interventions, and to improve demand for, and use of, data in decision making. As more interventions are implemented to improve use of health data, those efforts need to be evaluated.

Electric motor systems in developing countries: Opportunities for efficiency improvement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyers, S.; Monahan, P.; Lewis, P.; Greenberg, S. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Nadel, S. [American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Washington, DC (United States)

1993-08-01

This report presents an overview of the current status and efficiency improvement potential of industrial motor systems in developing countries. Better management of electric motor systems is of particular relevance in developing countries, where improved efficiency can lead to increased productivity and slower growth in electricity demand. Motor systems currently consume some 65--80% of the industrial electricity in developing countries. Drawing on studies from Thailand, India, Brazil, China, Pakistan, and Costa Rica, we describe potential efficiency gains in various parts of the motor system, from the electricity delivery system through the motor to the point where useful work is performed. We report evidence of a significant electricity conservation potential. Most of the efficiency improvement methods we examine are very cost-effective from a societal viewpoint, but are generally not implemented due to various barriers that deter their adoption. Drawing on experiences in North America, we discuss a range of policies to overcome these barriers, including education, training, minimum efficiency standards, motor efficiency testing protocols, technical assistance programs, and financial incentives.

Clustering-based urbanisation to improve enterprise information systems agility

Science.gov (United States)

Imache, Rabah; Izza, Said; Ahmed-Nacer, Mohamed

2015-11-01

Enterprises are daily facing pressures to demonstrate their ability to adapt quickly to the unpredictable changes of their dynamic in terms of technology, social, legislative, competitiveness and globalisation. Thus, to ensure its place in this hard context, enterprise must always be agile and must ensure its sustainability by a continuous improvement of its information system (IS). Therefore, the agility of enterprise information systems (EISs) can be considered today as a primary objective of any enterprise. One way of achieving this objective is by the urbanisation of the EIS in the context of continuous improvement to make it a real asset servicing enterprise strategy. This paper investigates the benefits of EISs urbanisation based on clustering techniques as a driver for agility production and/or improvement to help managers and IT management departments to improve continuously the performance of the enterprise and make appropriate decisions in the scope of the enterprise objectives and strategy. This approach is applied to the urbanisation of a tour operator EIS.

An Improved Scheduling Technique for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pop, Paul; Eles, Petru; Peng, Zebo

1999-01-01

clock synchronization and mode changes. We have improved the quality of the schedules by introducing a new priority function that takes into consideration the communication protocol. Communication has been optimized through packaging messages into slots with a properly selected order and lengths......In this paper we present an improved scheduling technique for the synthesis of time-triggered embedded systems. Our system model captures both the flow of data and that of control. We have considered communication of data and conditions for a time-triggered protocol implementation that supports...

Improving Interdisciplinary Provider Communication Through a Unified Paging System.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidemann, Lauren; Petrilli, Christopher; Gupta, Ashwin; Campbell, Ian; Thompson, Maureen; Cinti, Sandro; Stewart, David A

2016-06-01

Interdisciplinary communication at a Veterans Affairs (VA) academic teaching hospital is largely dependent on alphanumeric paging, which has limitations as a result of one-way communication and lack of reliable physician identification. Adverse patient outcomes related to difficulty contacting the correct consulting provider in a timely manner have been reported. House officers were surveyed on the level of satisfaction with the current VA communication system and the rate of perceived adverse patient outcomes caused by potential delays within this system. Respondents were then asked to identify the ideal paging system. These results were used to develop and deploy a new Web site. A postimplementation survey was repeated 1 year later. This study was conducted as a quality improvement project. House officer satisfaction with the preintervention system was 3%. The majority used more than four modalities to identify consultants, with 59% stating that word of mouth was a typical source. The preferred mode of paging was the university hospital paging system, a Web-based program that is used at the partnering academic institution. Following integration of VA consulting services within the university hospital paging system, the level of satisfaction improved to 87%. Significant decreases were seen in perceived adverse patient outcomes (from 16% to 2%), delays in patient care (from 90% to 16%), and extended hospitalizations (from 46% to 4%). Our study demonstrates significant improvement in physician satisfaction with a newly implemented paging system that was associated with a decreased perceived number of adverse patient events and delays in care.

Evaluation of the improvement suggestion system in a nuclear facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carnaval, Joao Paulo Rodrigues; Moraes, Geice Almeida

2017-01-01

This work evaluated methods for processing improvement suggestions of a nuclear factory, with the intention to verify those which best fits to the company purposes. Two methods for processing improvement suggestions were applied in the studied organization. The first one was guided to the processing suggestions by specific independent sectors of the company and the second one was conducted to the processing of suggestions by a multidisciplinary team. It has been concluded that a multidisciplinary team focused on research and development would be the best option to the implementation of improvement suggestions and technological innovation on this facility, instead of multi sector processing which revealed to be excessive bureaucratic before the expected goals. This study can be used by nuclear facilities to optimize an existing system of improvements analysis or even guide them for the implantation of a new one. It is more significant for the companies certified on ISO and OHSAS standards for the quality management, environmental and safety and occupational health systems which requires that the continuous improvement must exist and to be demonstrated. But it is also relevant for nuclear plants aiming to implement an Integrated Management System certified on ISO Standards. (author)

Evaluation of the improvement suggestion system in a nuclear facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carnaval, Joao Paulo Rodrigues; Moraes, Geice Almeida, E-mail: joaocarnaval@inb.gov.br, E-mail: geice@inb.gov.br [Industrias Nucleares do Brasil S.A (INB), Resende, RJ (Brazil)

2017-11-01

This work evaluated methods for processing improvement suggestions of a nuclear factory, with the intention to verify those which best fits to the company purposes. Two methods for processing improvement suggestions were applied in the studied organization. The first one was guided to the processing suggestions by specific independent sectors of the company and the second one was conducted to the processing of suggestions by a multidisciplinary team. It has been concluded that a multidisciplinary team focused on research and development would be the best option to the implementation of improvement suggestions and technological innovation on this facility, instead of multi sector processing which revealed to be excessive bureaucratic before the expected goals. This study can be used by nuclear facilities to optimize an existing system of improvements analysis or even guide them for the implantation of a new one. It is more significant for the companies certified on ISO and OHSAS standards for the quality management, environmental and safety and occupational health systems which requires that the continuous improvement must exist and to be demonstrated. But it is also relevant for nuclear plants aiming to implement an Integrated Management System certified on ISO Standards. (author)

System ergonomics as an approach to improve human reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bubb, H.

1988-01-01

The application of system technics on ergonomical problems is called system ergonomics. This enables improvements of human reliability by design measures. The precondition for this is the knowledge of how information processing is performed by man and machine. By a separate consideration of sensory processing, cognitive processing, and motory processing it is possible to have a more exact idea of the system element 'man'. The system element 'machine' is well described by differential equations which allow an ergonomical assessment of the manouverability. The knowledge of information processing of man and machine enables a task analysis. This makes appear on one hand the human boundaries depending on the different properties of the task and on the other hand suitable ergonomical solution proposals which improve the reliability of the total system. It is a disadvantage, however, that the change of human reliability by such measures may not be quoted numerically at the moment. (orig.)

Designing incentive market mechanisms for improving restructured power system reliabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yi; Østergaard, Jacob; Wu, Qiuwei

2011-01-01

state. The reliability management of producers usually cannot be directly controlled by the system operators in a restructured power system. Producers may have no motivation to improve their reliabilities, which can result in serious system unreliability issues in the new environment. Incentive market...... mechanisms for improving the restructured power system reliabilities have been designed in this paper. In the proposed incentive mechanisms, penalty will be implemented on a producer if the failures of its generator(s) result in the variation of electricity prices. Incentive market mechanisms can motivate......In a restructured power system, the monopoly generation utility is replaced by different electricity producers. There exists extreme price volatility caused by random failures by generation or/and transmission systems. In these cases, producers' profits can be much higher than those in the normal...

Improvement of the image quality of a high-temperature vision system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabijańska, Anna; Sankowski, Dominik

2009-01-01

In this paper, the issues of controlling and improving the image quality of a high-temperature vision system are considered. The image quality improvement is needed to measure the surface properties of metals and alloys. Two levels of image quality control and improvement are defined in the system. The first level in hardware aims at adjusting the system configuration to obtain the highest contrast and weakest aura images. When optimal configuration is obtained, the second level in software is applied. In this stage, image enhancement algorithms are applied which have been developed with consideration of distortions arising from the vision system components and specificity of images acquired during the measurement process. The developed algorithms have been applied in the vision system to images. The influence on the accuracy of wetting angles and surface tension determination are considered

Continuous restraint control systems: safety improvement for various occupants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laan, E. van der; Jager, B. de; Veldpaus, F.; Steinbuch, M.; Nunen, E. van; Willemsen, D.

2009-01-01

Occupant safety can be significantly improved by continuous restraint control systems. These restraint systems adjust their configuration during the impact according to the actual operating conditions, such as occupant size, weight, occupant position, belt usage and crash severity. In this study,

Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2003-11-01

NREL will produce this sourcebook for DOE's Industrial Technologies Office as part of a series of documents on industrial energy equipment. The sourcebook is a reference for industrial compressed air system users, outlining opportunities to improve system efficiency.

A Systems Thinking Approach To The Sustainability Of Quality Improvement Programmes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van Dyk, Dirk Johannes

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The challenge for organisations to continually provide the best return on investment for their shareholders has become increasingly difficult through globalisation of the market place. There are many responses a company could make to these challenges for example, new product development, increased market capitalisation, cost reduction initiatives, and quality management. This last response focuses on, but is not restricted to, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement, and environmental impact. Continuous improvement addresses waste in the business design and manufacturing processes, which could lead to improved profit margins. The sustainability of quality improvement programmes remains a challenge. Causality can be studied, using Six Sigma tools, to relate cause and effect. But these tools do not always allow the user to study and understand feedback from other factors, such as soft human issues, in the improvement process system, typically referred to as feedback causality. System dynamics may improve this understanding. Quality improvement programmes in the heavy engineering manufacturing environment are not researched to the same degree as those in the automotive manufacturing environment. The purpose of this paper is to share results from research into the sustainability of quality improvement programmes, and the development of an appropriate system dynamics model, using qualitative case study data gathered and coded in a heavy engineering manufacturing environment.

Thermal-hydraulic effects of transition to improved System 80TM fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodack, T.; Joffre, P.F.; Kapoor, R.K.

2004-01-01

ABB CE's improved System 80 TM PWR fuel design includes GUARDIAN debris-resistant features and laser-welded Zircaloy grids. The GUARDIAN features include an Inconel grid with debris-filtering features located just above the Lower End Fitting, and a solid fuel rod bottom end cap that extends above the filtering features. Tests and analyses were done to establish the impact of these design improvements on fuel assembly hydraulic performance. Further analysis was done to determine the mixed core thermal-hydraulic performance as the transition is made over two fuel cycles to a full core of the improved System 80 TM fuel. Results confirm that the Thermal-Hydraulic (T-H) effects of the reduction in hydraulic resistance between the improved and resident fuel due to the laser-welded Zircaloy grids offsets the effects of the increased resistance GUARDIAN grid. Therefore, the mechanically improved System 80 TM fuel can be implemented with no net impact on Departure from Nucleate Boiling (DNB) margin in transition cores. (author)

CLEAN-ROADS project: air quality considerations after the application of a novel MDSS on winter road maintenance activities

Science.gov (United States)

Pretto, Ilaria; Malloci, Elisa; Tonidandel, Gabriele; Benedetti, Guido; Di Napoli, Claudia; Piazza, Andrea; Apolloni, Roberto; Cavaliere, Roberto

2016-04-01

With this poster we present the environmental benefit on air quality derived by the application of the CLEAN-ROADS pilot project. The CLEAN-ROADS project addresses the problem of the environmental pollution caused by de-icing salts during winter road maintenance activities in the Province of Trento (Italy). A demonstrative Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) has been developed in order to improve the intervention procedures of the road management service. Specifically it aims to optimize the efficiency of how available resources (e.g., salt consumption) are currently used while guaranteeing the current level of road safety. The CLEAN-ROADS project has been tested and validated on a test area located in a valley bottom (Adige Valley), where the highest optimization margins are to be expected. The project supports current road maintenance practices, which has proved to be reliable and accurate, with a new scalable and energy-efficient road monitoring system. This system is based on a network of road weather stations (road weather information system, RWIS) installed on the test route. It is capable to collect real-time data about the road conditions and to perform short-term and now-cast road weather forecasts, which actively integrate weather data and bulletins covering the target area [1]. This poster presents the results obtained from a three-year monitoring activity with the aim to (1) determine the impact of de-icing salts on air quality and (2) quantify the improvements obtained by the application of the CLEAN-ROADS project on air quality. The Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe Directive (2008/50/EC) states that contributions to exceedances of particulate matter PM10 limit values that are attributable to road winter salting may be subtracted when assessing compliance with air quality limit values, once provided that reasonable measures have been taken to lower concentrations [2]. As the de-icing salts used in road maintenance are mainly based

Proceedings of the 2008 CIGRE Canada conference on power systems : technology and innovation for the Canadian power grids of the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Conseil International des Grands Reseaux Electriques (CIGRE) promotes technical, economic and environmental developments in electricity transmission and generation. CIGRE Canada is one of 53 national committees of CIGRE. This conference showcased Canadian contributions to the electric power industry and how technology and innovation in the future will influence North American power grids. It provided a forum to discuss technological developments in the electric power industry and present products and services for electrical power systems. Issues concerning the interconnection of non traditional energy sources to the power systems were also discussed along with recent research initiatives related to renewable energy source development. The sessions of the conference were entitled: wind reliability and forecasting; substation automation and communication; human resources and long range planning; power system protection and control; distributed generation; electric vehicles and renewable energy; HVDC and facts; modeling and simulation; markets; overhead transmission lines; and new sensor and de-icing technologies and data management systems. All 68 presentations featured at this conference have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs

Improvements to a Markerless Allelic Exchange System for Bacillus anthracis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roger D Plaut

Full Text Available A system was previously developed for conducting I-SceI-mediated allelic exchange in Bacillus anthracis. In this system, recombinational loss of a chromosomally-integrated allelic exchange vector is stimulated by creation of a double-stranded break within the vector by the homing endonuclease I-SceI. Although this system is reasonably efficient and represents an improvement in the tools available for allelic exchange in B. anthracis, researchers are nonetheless required to "pick and patch" colonies in order to identify candidate "exchangeants." In the present study, a number of improvements have been made to this system: 1 an improved I-SceI-producing plasmid includes oriT so that both plasmids can now be introduced by conjugation, thus avoiding the need for preparing electro-competent cells of each integration intermediate; 2 antibiotic markers have been changed to allow the use of the system in select agent strains; and 3 both plasmids have been marked with fluorescent proteins, allowing the visualization of plasmid segregation on a plate and obviating the need for "picking and patching." These modifications have made the process easier, faster, and more efficient, allowing for parallel construction of larger numbers of mutant strains. Using this improved system, the genes encoding the tripartite anthrax toxin were deleted singly and in combination from plasmid pXO1 of Sterne strain 34F2. In the course of this study, we determined that DNA transfer to B. anthracis could be accomplished by conjugation directly from a methylation-competent E. coli strain.

Improved safety of the system 80+TM standard plants design through increased diversity and redundancy of safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matzie, Regis A.; Carpentino, Frederick L.; Robertson, James E.

1996-01-01

Safely systems in the System 80+ TM Standard Plant are designed with more redundancy, diversity and simplicity than earlier nuclear power plant designs. These gains were accomplished by an evolutionary process that preserved the desirable and proven features in currently operating nuclear plants, while improving reliability and defense-in-depth. The System 80+ safety systems are the primary contributors to a core damage frequency that is more than 100 times lower than 1980's vintage U. S. designs, including the predecessor System 80 R standard nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) design. The System 80+ design includes significant improvements to the safety injection system, emergency feedwater system, shutdown cooling system, containment spray system, reactor coolant gas vent system, and to their vital support systems. These improvements enhance performance for traditional design basis events and significantly reduce the probability of a severe accident. The System 80+ design also incorporates safety systems to mitigate a severe accident. The added systems include the rapid depressurization system, the in-containment refueling water storage tank, the cavity flooding system. These systems fully address the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (US NRC) severe accident policy. The System 80+ safety systems are integrated with the System 80+ Nuclear Island (NI) design. The NI general arrangement provides quadrant separation of the safety systems for protection from fire and flooding, and large equipment pull spaces and lay down areas for maintenance. This paper will describe the System 80+ safety systems advanced design features, the improved accident prevention and mitigation capabilities, and startup, operating and maintenance benefits

DS-CDMA system outer loop power control and improvement for multi-service

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Guan Mingxiang; Guo Qing; Li Xing

2008-01-01

When a new user accesses the CDMA system, the load will change drastically, and therefore, the advanced outer loop power control (OLPC) technology has to be adopted to enrich the target signal interference ratio (SIR) and improve the system performance. The existing problems about DS-CDMA outer loop power control for multi-service are introduced and the power control theoretical model is analyzed. System simulation is adopted on how to obtain the theoretical performance and parameter optimization of the power control algorithm. The OLPC algorithm is improved and the performance comparisons between the old algorithm and the improved algorithm are given. The results show good performance of the improved OLPC algorithm and prove the validity of the improved method for multi-service.

Quality Rating and Improvement System State Evaluations and Research

Science.gov (United States)

Ferguson, Daniel

2016-01-01

A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a method used by states and local jurisdictions to assess the level of quality of child care and early education programs, improve quality, and convey quality ratings to parents and other consumers. A typical QRIS incorporates the following components: quality standards for participating providers;…

Improving Motor and Drive System Performance – A Sourcebook for Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2014-02-01

This sourcebook outlines opportunities to improve motor and drive systems performance. The sourcebook is divided into four main sections: (1) Motor and Drive System Basics: Summarizes important terms, relationships, and system design considerations relating to motor and drive systems. (2) Performance Opportunity Road Map: Details the key components of well-functioning motor and drive systems and opportunities for energy performance opportunities. (3) Motor System Economics: Offers recommendations on how to propose improvement projects based on corporate priorities, efficiency gains, and financial payback periods. (4) Where to Find Help: Provides a directory of organizations associated with motors and drives, as well as resources for additional information, tools, software, videos, and training opportunities.

CFD Analysis of The Hydraulic Turbine Draft Tube to Improve System Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chakrabarty Spandan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Demand of the power is increasing day by day with the development of the science and technology. Development of the renewable energy sector has become essential issue at the present situation due to the limited source of the non-renewable energy. Hydro energy power generation sector is superior over the other renewable sector due to the high efficiency, ability to continuous generation and low generation cost. In India a great amount of the power generation is taken care by the hydro power system but still some more potential have unexplored. The efficiency improvement of the hydro turbine system can be done for the new installation or installed system by the improvement in component level. The system can be installed by the state of the art equipment, like modern inlet guide vane (IGV control system, improved design of the runner, IGV system, draft tube, penstock to reduce the loss, hence improve the efficiency. The energy recovery in the draft tube depends on the design of draft tube. In the present work the optimized design of the draft tube shape through computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulation has been carried out in ANSYS FLUENT platform. The design objective of the draft tube is to reduce the flow loss and improve the energy recovery, hence to improve the efficiency.

Improved system blind identification based on second-order ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

An improved system blind identification method based on second- order cyclostationary statistics and the properties of group delay, has been ... In the last decade, there has been considerable research on achieving blind identification.

Using Organizational Systems Theory to Improve Defense Acquisition and Warfighter Requirements

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Alexander, Michael J

2007-01-01

.... Hence, this MBA study employed a systems approach to more credibly pinpoint improvement areas in the Defense Acquisition System through the use of systems theory and an organizational systems model...

Transient Stability Improvement of IEEE 9 Bus System Using Power World Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaur Ramandeep

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The improvement of transient stability of power system was one of the most challenging research areas in power engineer.The main aim of this paper was transient stability analysis and improvement of IEEE 9 bus system. These studies were computed using POWER WORLD SIMULATOR. The IEEE 9 bus system was modelled in power world simulator and load flow studies were performed to determine pre-fault conditions in the system using Newton-Raphson method. The transient stability analysis was carried out using Runga method during three-phase balanced fault. For the improvement transient stability, the general methods adopted were fast acting exciters, FACT devices and addition of parallel transmission line. These techniques play an important role in improving the transient stability, increasing transmission capacity and damping low frequency oscillations.

Forecasting Wind and Solar Generation: Improving System Operations, Greening the Grid (Spanish Version)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Tian; Chernyakhovskiy, Ilya; Brancucci Martinez-Anido, Carlo

2016-04-01

This document is the Spanish version of 'Greening the Grid- Forecasting Wind and Solar Generation Improving System Operations'. It discusses improving system operations with forecasting with and solar generation. By integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) forecasts into system operations, power system operators can anticipate up- and down-ramps in VRE generation in order to cost-effectively balance load and generation in intra-day and day-ahead scheduling. This leads to reduced fuel costs, improved system reliability, and maximum use of renewable resources.

Improving the security of optoelectronic delayed feedback system by parameter modulation and system coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lingfeng; Miao, Suoxia; Cheng, Mengfan; Gao, Xiaojing

2016-02-01

A coupled system with varying parameters is proposed to improve the security of optoelectronic delayed feedback system. This system is coupled by two parameter-varied optoelectronic delayed feedback systems with chaotic modulation. Dynamics performance results show that this system has a higher complexity compared to the original one. Furthermore, this system can conceal the time delay effectively against the autocorrelation function and delayed mutual information method and can increase the dimension space of secure parameters to resist brute-force attack by introducing the digital chaotic systems.

Improvability of assembly systems I: Problem formulation and performance evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.-Y. Chiang

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This work develops improvability theory for assembly systems. It consists of two parts. Part I includes the problem formulation and the analysis technique. Part II presents the so-called improvability indicators and a case study.

HMM Adaptation for Improving a Human Activity Recognition System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubén San-Segundo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available When developing a fully automatic system for evaluating motor activities performed by a person, it is necessary to segment and recognize the different activities in order to focus the analysis. This process must be carried out by a Human Activity Recognition (HAR system. This paper proposes a user adaptation technique for improving a HAR system based on Hidden Markov Models (HMMs. This system segments and recognizes six different physical activities (walking, walking upstairs, walking downstairs, sitting, standing and lying down using inertial signals from a smartphone. The system is composed of a feature extractor for obtaining the most relevant characteristics from the inertial signals, a module for training the six HMMs (one per activity, and the last module for segmenting new activity sequences using these models. The user adaptation technique consists of a Maximum A Posteriori (MAP approach that adapts the activity HMMs to the user, using some activity examples from this specific user. The main results on a public dataset have reported a significant relative error rate reduction of more than 30%. In conclusion, adapting a HAR system to the user who is performing the physical activities provides significant improvement in the system’s performance.

Efficiency improvements in pipeline transportation systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banks, W. F.; Horton, J. F.

1977-09-09

This report identifies potential energy-conservative pipeline innovations that are most energy- and cost-effective and formulates recommendations for the R, D, and D programs needed to exploit those opportunities. From a candidate field of over twenty classes of efficiency improvements, eight systems are recommended for pursuit. Most of these possess two highly important attributes: large potential energy savings and broad applicability outside the pipeline industry. The R, D, and D program for each improvement and the recommended immediate next step are described. The eight technologies recommended for R, D, and D are gas-fired combined cycle compressor station; internally cooled internal combustion engine; methanol-coal slurry pipeline; methanol-coal slurry-fired and coal-fired engines; indirect-fired coal-burning combined-cycle pump station; fuel-cell pump station; drag-reducing additives in liquid pipelines; and internal coatings in pipelines.

Performance improvement of professional printing systems : from theory to practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ezzeldin Mahdy Abdelmonem, M.

2012-01-01

Performance Improvement of Professional Printing Systems: from theory to practice Markets demand continuously for higher quality, higher speed, and more energy-efficient professional printers. In this thesis, control strategies have been developed to improve the performance of both professional

Some approaches to system reliability improvement in engineering design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Kecheng.

1990-01-01

In this thesis some approaches to system reliability improvement in engineering design are studied. In particular, the thesis aims at developing alternative methodologies for ranking of component importance which are more related to the design practice and which are more useful in system synthesis than the existing ones. It also aims at developing component reliability models by means of stress-strength interference which will enable both component reliability prediction and design for reliability. A new methodology for ranking of component importance is first developed based on the notion of the increase of the expected system yield. This methodology allows for incorporation of different improvement actions at the component level such as parallel redundancy, standby redundancy, burn-in, minimal repair and perfect replacement. For each of these improvement actions, the increase of system reliability is studied and used as the component importance measure. A possible connection between the commonly known models of component lifetimes and the stress-strength interference models is suggested. Under some general conditions the relationship between component failure rate and the stress and strength distribution characteristics is studied. A heuristic approach for obtaining bounds on failure probability through stress-strength interference is also presented. A case study and a worked example are presented, which illustrate and verify the developed importance measures and their applications in the analytical as well as synthetical work of engineering design. (author)

Characteristics and design improvement of AP1000 automatic depressurization system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Fei

2012-01-01

Automatic depressurization system, as a specialty of AP1000 Design, enhances capability of mitigating design basis accidents for plant. Advancement of the system is discussed by comparing with traditional PWR design and analyzing system functions, such as depressurizing and venting. System design improvement during China Project performance is also described. At the end, suggestions for the system in China Project are listed. (author)

Establishing a portfolio of quality-improvement projects in pediatric surgery through advanced improvement leadership systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerrein, Betsy T; Williams, Christina E; Von Allmen, Daniel

2013-01-01

Formal quality-improvement (QI) projects require that participants are educated in QI methods to provide them with the capability to carry out successful, meaningful work. However, orchestrating a portfolio of projects that addresses the strategic mission of the institution requires an extension of basic QI training to provide the division or business unit with the capacity to successfully develop and manage the portfolio. Advanced Improvement Leadership Systems is a program to help units create a meaningful portfolio. This program, used by the Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, helped establish a portfolio of targeted QI projects designed to achieve outstanding outcomes at competitive costs in multiple clinical areas aligned with the institution's strategic goals (improve disease-based outcomes, patient safety, flow, and patient and family experience). These objectives are addressed in an institutional strategic plan built around 5 core areas: Safety, Productivity, Care Coordination and Outcomes, Patient and Family Experience, and Value. By combining the portfolio of QI projects with improvements in the divisional infrastructure, effective improvement efforts were realized throughout the division. In the 9 months following the program, divisional capability resulted in a 16.5% increase (5.7% to 22.2%) of formally trained staff working on 10 QI teams. Concurrently, a leadership team, designed to coordinate projects, remove barriers, and provide technical support, provided the capacity to pursue this ongoing effort. The Advanced Improvement Leadership Systems program increased the Division's efficiency and effectiveness in pursing the QI mission that is integral at our hospital.

Establishing a Portfolio of Quality-Improvement Projects in Pediatric Surgery through Advanced Improvement Leadership Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Gerrein, Betsy T; Williams, Christina E; von Allmen, Daniel

2013-01-01

Formal quality-improvement (QI) projects require that participants are educated in QI methods to provide them with the capability to carry out successful, meaningful work. However, orchestrating a portfolio of projects that addresses the strategic mission of the institution requires an extension of basic QI training to provide the division or business unit with the capacity to successfully develop and manage the portfolio. Advanced Improvement Leadership Systems is a program to help units create a meaningful portfolio. This program, used by the Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, helped establish a portfolio of targeted QI projects designed to achieve outstanding outcomes at competitive costs in multiple clinical areas aligned with the institution’s strategic goals (improve disease-based outcomes, patient safety, flow, and patient and family experience). These objectives are addressed in an institutional strategic plan built around 5 core areas: Safety, Productivity, Care Coordination and Outcomes, Patient and Family Experience, and Value. By combining the portfolio of QI projects with improvements in the divisional infrastructure, effective improvement efforts were realized throughout the division. In the 9 months following the program, divisional capability resulted in a 16.5% increase (5.7% to 22.2%) of formally trained staff working on 10 QI teams. Concurrently, a leadership team, designed to coordinate projects, remove barriers, and provide technical support, provided the capacity to pursue this ongoing effort. The Advanced Improvement Leadership Systems program increased the Division’s efficiency and effectiveness in pursing the QI mission that is integral at our hospital. PMID:24361020

Improvement of Transient Stability of Power System by System Damping Series Resistor (SDSR)

OpenAIRE

上里, 勝実; 千住, 智信; 当銘, 秀之; 高原, 景滋; Uezato, Katsumi; Senjyu, Tomonobu; Toume, Hideyuki; Takahara, Keiji

1990-01-01

The system damping resistor is one of the method for improving the transient stability of power systems. The main circuit is the simple construction so that is low cost and is few abnormal surge, and is superior in ability of economy, reliability and maintenance. Conventionally, most of all system damping resistors have adopted the paralleled resistor, whereas the series resistor is used little.In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of the series resistor by comparing with the para...

Improving Potato Production in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia: A System Diagnosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gildemacher, P.R.; Kaguongo, W.; Ortiz, O.; Tesfaye, A.; Woldegiorgis, G.; Wagoire, W.W.; Kakuhenzire, R.; Kinyae, P.; Nyongesa, M.; Struik, P.C.; Leeuwis, C.

2009-01-01

Increased productivity of potatoes can improve the livelihood of smallholder potato farmers in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia and is required to meet the growing demand. This paper investigates the opportunities for potato system improvement that could result in improved productivity. Through a

Improvements in Logic Diagram of Computerized Procedure System of APR1400

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Sungkweon; Seong, Nokyu [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The Computerized Procedure System (CPS) has been improved since it is installed in Shin-Kori 3 and 4 Nuclear Power Plants. It is one of operating support systems of digital Main Control Room (MCR) and provides many functions to operators in executing the procedure. CPS can effectively remove the human errors by supporting the procedure flow and logic diagram. This paper describes the logic diagram of CPS of reference power plant and shows the improved logic diagram of CPS of Shin-Kori unit 5 and 6. This paper describes the current logic diagram of CPS and suggests improved design for logic diagram. The improved logic diagram shall be validated through human factors engineering verification and validation. The improved design will help operators execute the computerized procedure fast and remove the human error.

Liquid radioactive waste processing system in Improved OPR-1000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Soonmin; Kim, Kiljung; Park, Jungsu

2008-01-01

The design goal of liquid rad waste system is to minimize the release of radioactive materials to the environment, the occupational radiation exposure to workers, and the solid rad waste volume generated from LRS operation. In 1998, KOPEC in conjunction with KHNP (Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.) started a special task study which had been focused on the worldwide advanced technologies in the liquid rad waste process area by considering the design goals above. As a result of this task, KOPEC and KHNP finally decided to adopt a reverse osmosis processing method for Improved OPR-1000 in Korea. The advanced LRS design incorporating the R/O process has been introduced into Shin-Wolsong 1 and 2 (SWN 1 and 2) as well as Shin-Kori 1 and 2 (SKN 1 and 2), which are recently under construction, and also is adopted for Shin-Kori 3 and 4 (SKN 3 and 4) and Shin-Ulchin 1 and 2 (SUN 1 and 2), which are planned for the near future construction as the first APR-1400 type of Korean reactors. The LRS shop performance test for SKN 1 and 2 (Improved OPR-1000 R/O package system) was conducted by DOOSAN and DTS (Diversified Technologies Services, Inc) in January, 2008. The purpose of the test was to demonstrate the performance of actual R/O system to be installed in SKN 1 and 2 site. In this paper, overall system configuration and the shop performance test result is presented based on Improved OPR-1000 LRS R/O Package system

Artificial intelligence guides system's best practices, cutting costs and improving services.

Science.gov (United States)

1999-06-01

One for the history books. Clinical care improvement initiatives guided by a sophisticated artificial intelligence program have helped a major Virginia integrated health system make dramatic improvements in the cost and quality of its health care services. Find out how the technological innovation has earned Sentara Health System a place in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Improved control system power unit for large parachutes

Science.gov (United States)

Chandler, J. A.; Grubbs, T. M.

1968-01-01

Improved control system power unit drives the control surfaces of very large controllable parachutes. The design features subassemblies for determining control surface position and cable loading, and protection of the load sensor against the possibility of damage during manipulation.

Creating a Framework for Improving the Learnability of a Complex System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minttu Linja-aho

2006-01-01

Full Text Available When designing complex systems, it is crucial but challenging to make them easy to learn. In this paper, a framework for improving the learnability of a complex system is presented. A classification of factors affecting the learnability of a building modeling system as well as guidelines that refine the factors into practical ways of action are introduced. The factors and guidelines include issues related to the user interface, conformity of the system to user’s expectations, and training. The classification is based on empirical research during which learnability was assessed with several methods. The methodology and the classification of learnability factors can be used as references when analyzing and improving the learnability of other systems. System developers and training providers can utilize these guidelines when striving to make systems easier to learn.

Synchronous Condenser Allocation for Improving System Short Circuit Ratio

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jia, Jundi; Yang, Guangya; Nielsen, Arne Hejde

2018-01-01

With converter-based renewable energy sources increasingly integrated into power systems and conventional power plants gradually phased out, future power systems will experience reduced short circuit strength. The deployment of synchronous condensers can serve as a potential solution. This paper...... presents an optimal synchronous condenser allocation method for improving system short circuit ratio at converter point of common coupling using a modified short circuit analysis approach. The total cost of installing new synchronous condensers is minimized while the system short circuit ratios...

Is it possible to improve regulation system of PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnemay, A.; Martinez, J.M.

1983-03-01

This paper deals with two problems: first of all, it presents the critical analysis of usually implemented general regulation systems, on PWR plants, and derives from it same possibilities to improve the transient behavior of reactor, the second part is a proposition from an automatic control system for spatial distribution of flux

Continuous Energy Improvement in Motor Driven Systems - A Guidebook for Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilbert A. McCoy and John G. Douglass

2014-02-01

This guidebook provides a step-by-step approach to developing a motor system energy-improvement action plan. An action plan includes which motors should be repaired or replaced with higher efficiency models, recommendations on maintaining a spares inventory, and discussion of improvements in maintenance practices. The guidebook is the successor to DOE’s 1997 Energy Management for Motor Driven Systems. It builds on its predecessor publication by including topics such as power transmission systems and matching driven equipment to process requirements in addition to motors.

The Impact of Road Maintenance Substances on Metals Surface Corrosion

OpenAIRE

Jolita Petkuvienė; Dainius Paliulis

2011-01-01

The purpose of research is to assess changes in the visual metal surface due to the exposure of road maintenance salts and molasses (‘Safecote’). Chlorides of deicing salts (NaCl, CaCl2) are the main agents affecting soil and water resources as well as causing the corrosion of roadside metallic elements. Molasses (‘Safecote’) is offered as an alternative to deice road pavement by minimizing the corrosion of metal elements near the road. A laboratory experiment was carried out to immerse and s...

System Engineering Analysis For Improved Scout Business Information Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Slyke, D. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-01-30

monitoring of content that is accessible. The study examines risks associated with information security, technological change and continued popularity of Scouting. Mitigation is based on system functions that are defined. The approach to developing an improved system for facilitating Boy Scout leader functions was iterative with insights into capabilities coming in the course of working through the used cases and sequence diagrams.

Improved Stochastic Subspace System Identification for Structural Health Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chia-Ming; Loh, Chin-Hsiung

2015-07-01

Structural health monitoring acquires structural information through numerous sensor measurements. Vibrational measurement data render the dynamic characteristics of structures to be extracted, in particular of the modal properties such as natural frequencies, damping, and mode shapes. The stochastic subspace system identification has been recognized as a power tool which can present a structure in the modal coordinates. To obtain qualitative identified data, this tool needs to spend computational expense on a large set of measurements. In study, a stochastic system identification framework is proposed to improve the efficiency and quality of the conventional stochastic subspace system identification. This framework includes 1) measured signal processing, 2) efficient space projection, 3) system order selection, and 4) modal property derivation. The measured signal processing employs the singular spectrum analysis algorithm to lower the noise components as well as to present a data set in a reduced dimension. The subspace is subsequently derived from the data set presented in a delayed coordinate. With the proposed order selection criteria, the number of structural modes is determined, resulting in the modal properties. This system identification framework is applied to a real-world bridge for exploring the feasibility in real-time applications. The results show that this improved system identification method significantly decreases computational time, while qualitative modal parameters are still attained.

Improvements in the nuclear accident response system in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estrada, J.J.S.; Azevedo, E.M.; Knofel, T.M.J.; Recio, J.C.A.; Alves, R.N.

1998-01-01

The National Commission on Nuclear Energy has been making outstanding effort to improve its nuclear and radiological accident response systems since the tragic accident in Goiania. Most of this effort is related to nuclear area although the radiological accident has been also considered. This paper describes the improvements in the CNEN response system structure, discusses several topics involving those related to emergency planning and preparedness, and points out some deficiencies that need to be corrected also. The situation during the Goiania accident was more disadvantageous than nowadays, so it is believed that none of the actual deficiencies are sufficient to guess that the population and the environment will not be protected in case of a nuclear or radiological accident

Improvements of existing early warning system in Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomisa, T.

2000-01-01

The gamma radiation early warning system in Croatia was established in 1993. The first configuration contained 3 measuring stations connected to the monitoring center and up today the system is expanded with 5 additional locations. Each location is equipped with the MFM202 gamma-monitor and additional equipment that is not unique for all locations. This difference in remote equipment configuration caused by different communication medium used, is the reason to improve existing system trough equipment unification introducing PLC unit in the standard configuration. Such configuration enables additional functions such as automatic alerting and collecting meteorological data. (author)

System evaluation of improved thermal stability jet fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Binns, K.E.; Dieterle, G.L.; Williams, T. [Univ. of Dayton Research Institute, OH (United States)

1995-05-01

A single-pass, single-tube heat exchanger device called the Phoenix rig and a single-pass, dual-heat exchanger system called the Extended Duration Thermal Stability Test system are specific devices/systems developed for evaluating jet fuel thermal stability. They have been used extensively in the evaluation of various jet fuels and thermal stability additives. The test results have indicated that additives can substantially improve the thermal stability of conventional jet fuels. Relationships of oxygen consumption, residence time, bulk, and wetted wall temperatures on coking deposits that form in the heated tubes have also been investigated.

Technological Improvements for Digital Fire Control Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-30

Final Technical Status Report For DOTC-12-01-INIT061 Technological Improvements for Digital Fire Control Systems Reporting Period: 30 Sep...accuracy and responsiveness to call for fire. These prototypes shall be more cost effective, sustainable , use a higher percentage of alternative...of the quad charts and provide DOTC with sufficient initiative information, the Quarterly Report must be supplemented with data described below

Monitor and Control for PEFP System using EPICS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyun Mi; Hong, I. S.; Song, Y. G.; Cho, Y. S.

2005-01-01

The construction of PEFP project whose final objective is to build 100 Mev proton accelerator started in 2002 and expected to finish in 2012. In 2005, we have performed 20mA proton beam of 20Mev. For developing the control systems of the 20Mev accelerator as well as 100 Mev accelerator, we chose EPICS(Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) as the most suitable tool. We have studied EPICS applications for various situation and as the application we developed vacuum control system using EPICS base3.14.4 as the core software and EPICS extensions (e.g., EDM(Extensible Display Manager), MEDM(Motif Editor and Display Manager) etc.) as the user interface. There are a number of projects using EPICS for a broad spectrum of applications. EPICS began as a collaboration between Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1991, building on work that was initially done at the ground test Accelerator. It is now running on accelerators that have as many as 180 distributed front-end controllers and control rooms with 20 consoles and a gateway to make system parameters available to offices, web site, and other remote control stations. It is also used at single controller and one workstation systems. We use the EPICS tool kit as a foundation of the control system. We developed a vacuum monitor, RFQ, DTL Turbo pump control system for use Ethernet Multi Serial Deice Severs on PEFP control system. The control system now shows stable and reliable characteristics enough to meet our control requirement. However, the control system is continuously being upgraded to accommodate additional control requirements such as vacuum device control

Improving a health information system for real-time data entries: An action research project using socio-technical systems theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Adaba, Godfried Bakiyem; Kebebew, Yohannes

2018-03-01

This paper presents the findings of an action research (AR) project to improve a health information system (HIS) at the Operating Theater Department (OTD) of a National Health Service (NHS) hospital in South East England, the UK. Informed by socio-technical systems (STS) theory, AR was used to design an intervention to enhance an existing patient administration system (PAS) to enable data entries in real time while contributing to the literature. The study analyzed qualitative data collected through interviews, participant observations, and document reviews. The study found that the design of the PAS was unsuitable to the work of the three units of the OTD. Based on the diagnoses and STS theory, the project developed and implemented a successful intervention to enhance the legacy system for data entries in real time. The study demonstrates the value of AR from a socio-technical perspective for improving existing systems in healthcare settings. The steps adopted in this study could be applied to improve similar systems. A follow-up study will be essential to assess the sustainability of the improved system.

Moving up the Ladder: How Do States Deliver Quality Improvement Supports within Their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems? Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Holod, Aleksandra; Faria, Ann-Marie; Weinberg, Emily; Howard, Eboni

2015-01-01

As national attention has increasingly focused on the potential for high-quality early childhood education (ECE) to improve children's school readiness, states have developed quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) to document the quality of ECE programs, support systematic quality improvement, and provide clear information to families…

IMPROVING THE SYSTEM OF RAW MATERIAL SUPPLY OF THE MEAT INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Bukreev

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes the characteristics of the process of improving the system raw materials supply of meat industry and presents the main factors, criteria, principles and algorithm rational distribution of the meat industry. The relevance of the research topic, in a globalized economy and Russia's accession to the WTO, caused by necessity to improve the system of raw material supply domestic enterprises and enhancing food security.

System Documentation AS Basis For Company Business Process Improvement

OpenAIRE

Pelawi, Dewan

2012-01-01

Business process is an activity performed together to achieve business goals. Good business process will support the achievement of the organization’s plan to make profit for the company. In order to understand the business process, the business process needs to be documented and analyzed. The purpose of research is to make the system documentation as a basis to improve or complete the ongoing business process. The research method is system documentation. System documentation is a way to desc...

Improvement on image quality of single photon ECT with converging collimator system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murayama, Hideo; Nohara, Norimasa; Tanaka, Eiichi

1986-01-01

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with converging collimator system was proposed to improve quality of reconstructed images. The collimator system was designed to enhance sensitivity at the center region of field-of-view, where the probability photons escape the attenuating medium is smaller than at the off-center region. In order to evaluate efficiency of the improvement on image quality, the weighting function of projection, which is defined as relative sensitivity to the average on the lateral sampling of projection, was adopted to the image reconstruction algorithm of Radial Post Correction method. Statistical mean square noise in a reconstructed image was formulated in this method. Simulation studies using typical weighting function showed that center-enhanced weighting function brings effective improvement on image quality, especially, at the center region of cold area surrounded by annularly distributed activity. A new SPECT system was proposed as one example of the converging collimator systems. The system is composed of four gamma cameras with four fan-beam collimators, which have different focal distances one another. Simple simulation studies showed that the proposed system has reasonable center-enhanced weighting function, and the image quality based on the proposed system was fairly improved as compared with one based on uniform weighting function at the center region of the field-of-view. (author)

Theoretical and practical aspects of improving the durability of steel reinforcement in transport designs, using passivation and plasticizing chemical additives

Science.gov (United States)

Velichko, Evgenij; Talipov, Linar

2017-10-01

The article deals with the problem of steel reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete structures exposed to aggressive media, in particular in reinforced concrete construction of transport infrastructure, in snowy areas, and subject to the influence of chlorides contained in applied deicing agents. Basic schemes for preventing the reinforcement corrosion in reinforced-concrete structures have been considered and analyzed. Prospects of primary protection against corrosion of reinforcement by introducing chemical additives with plasticizing/passivating action in a concrete mixture with mixing water have been considered in detail. The physical/chemical mechanism of the protective action of a superplasticizer together with a passivator has been highlighted.

Li-Ion Electrolytes with Improved Safety and Tolerance to High-Voltage Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Smart, Marshall C.; Bugga, Ratnakumar V.; Prakash, Surya; Krause, Frederick C.

2013-01-01

Given that lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology is the most viable rechargeable energy storage device for near-term applications, effort has been devoted to improving the safety characteristics of this system. Therefore, extensive effort has been devoted to developing nonflammable electrolytes to reduce the flammability of the cells/battery. A number of promising electrolytes have been developed incorporating flame-retardant additives, and have been shown to have good performance in a number of systems. However, these electrolyte formulations did not perform well when utilizing carbonaceous anodes with the high-voltage materials. Thus, further development was required to improve the compatibility. A number of Li-ion battery electrolyte formulations containing a flame-retardant additive [i.e., triphenyl phosphate (TPP)] were developed and demonstrated in high-voltage systems. These electrolytes include: (1) formulations that incorporate varying concentrations of the flame-retardant additive (from 5 to 15%), (2) the use of mono-fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) as a co-solvent, and (3) the use of LiBOB as an electrolyte additive intended to improve the compatibility with high-voltage systems. Thus, improved safety has been provided without loss of performance in the high-voltage, high-energy system.

Designing Temporary Systems: Exploring Local School Improvement Intentions in the Swedish Context

Science.gov (United States)

Nordholm, Daniel; Blossing, Ulf

2014-01-01

This article targets local school improvement in Sweden and temporary systems as a model to organize improvement work. These data are based on a qualitative case study of teacher groups constituting a temporary system representing the different subjects in comprehensive school in a medium-sized urban municipality. A total of eight interviews were…

IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM ACTIVITIES OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. M. Sultalieva

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. The aim of the article is the improvement of quality assessment system of higher education institutions in the aspect of management. The problems of quality improvement are revealed and classified. The analysis of criteria assessment sets used to define the efficiency of higher education institutions activity is carried out. The components of quality of higher education institutions activity are specified. The structural model of quality assessment system of higher education institutions activity is offered. The analysis of macro environment of a university based on the method of strategic management is carried out, i.e. PEST analysis. As a result of the research a new model of macro criteria model of quality assessment system of higher education institutions, characterizing quality management as an approach to university efficiency is offered, moreover, this system can define the level of its competitiveness in the aspect of quality management. 

Improvement of the vibration isolation system for TAMA300

CERN Document Server

Takahashi, R

2002-01-01

The vibration isolation system for TAMA300 has a vibration isolation ratio large enough to achieve the requirement in the observation band around 300 Hz. At a lower frequency range, it is necessary to reduce the large fluctuation of mirrors for stable operation of the interferometer. With this aim, the mirror suspension systems were modified and an active vibration isolation system using pneumatic actuators was installed. These improvements contributed to the realization of a continuous interferometer lock for more than 24 h.

Key instruments of improving the export marketing system effectiveness

OpenAIRE

Yu.I. Prodius; V.Yu. Kolomiets

2014-01-01

There were considered the essence and definition of the marketing mix, marketing system in international business activity and defined the key tools to improve its performance on foreign markets in this article.

Improvement of Equipment reliability for Auxiliary Feed Water System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deok, Lee Sang; Kwan, Lee Yong [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

According to AP913 ER) of INPO, Number of the event related to equipment is higher than others like external or human performance. In the top 25 systems, Auxiliary feed water system is the seventh highest among systems. AWFS consists of many component and complex system and Main Function of AFWS is to supply feedwater to the steam generators for the removal of heat from the RCS(Reactor Coolant System) in event the main feedwater system is unavailable following a transient or accident. Reliability of component means how well operate on demands and monitoring is necessary to keep track of condition of component. If component performance is lower than the required value, corrective action for failure mode should be done. The objective of this study is focused to improve of AF pump by adding the tasks of SHR(System Health Report) into the task of system engineer walkdown of PMT(Preventive Maintenance Template). Increasing the reliability of AF pump will contribute to improvement of reliability of AFWS. Based on operating history, there was high vibration of AF pump during performance test. In that case, there were a lot of maintenance works for normal operation of AF pump. Vibration problem related pump can't be detected by tasks of SE walkdown because it's not running during normal operation except for surveillance test. CHR(Component Health Report) of AF pump in AFWS can be made from necessary part which means monitoring and functional failure because problem of Stand-by pump can be covered by conducting monitoring and analysis of functional failure. To improve reliability of AF pump, walkdown of PMT and SHR should be conducted both in accordance with surveillance test frequency. Health of AF pump based on operation history can be verified first and then can find out which parts of pump are weak. Finally, weak part can be managed intensively and failure can be reduced according to SE walkdown. But this work can be risky and burdensome because all parts of

Framework for continuous performance improvement in small drinking water systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bereskie, Ty; Haider, Husnain; Rodriguez, Manuel J; Sadiq, Rehan

2017-01-01

Continuous performance improvement (CPI) can be a useful approach to overcome water quality problems impacting small communities. Small drinking water systems (SDWSs) struggle to meet regulatory requirements and often lack the economic and human resource flexibility for immediate improvement. A CPI framework is developed to provide SDWS managers and operators an approach to gauge their current performance against similar systems and to track performance improvement from the implementation of the new technologies or innovations into the future. The proposed CPI framework incorporates the use of a water quality index (WQI) and functional performance benchmarking to evaluate and compare drinking water quality performance of an individual water utility against that of a representative benchmark. The results are then used to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable water quality indicators and subsequently identify and prioritize performance improvement strategies. The proposed CPI framework has been demonstrated using data collected from SDWSs in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada and using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) WQI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of encoding the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement Depression Guideline using the Omaha System.

Science.gov (United States)

Monsen, Karen A; Neely, Claire; Oftedahl, Gary; Kerr, Madeleine J; Pietruszewski, Pam; Farri, Oladimeji

2012-08-01

Evidence-based clinical guidelines are being developed to bridge the gap between research and practice with the goals of improving health care quality and population health. However, disseminating, implementing, and ensuring ongoing use of clinical guidelines in practice settings is challenging. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of encoding evidence-based clinical guidelines using the Omaha System. Clinical documentation with Omaha System-encoded guidelines generates individualized, meaningful data suitable for program evaluation and health care quality research. The use of encoded guidelines within the electronic health record has potential to reinforce use of guidelines, and thus improve health care quality and population health. Research using Omaha System data generated by clinicians has potential to discover new knowledge related to guideline use and effectiveness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improvement of human operator vibroprotection system in the utility machine

Science.gov (United States)

Korchagin, P. A.; Teterina, I. A.; Rahuba, L. F.

2018-01-01

The article is devoted to an urgent problem of improving efficiency of road-building utility machines in terms of improving human operator vibroprotection system by determining acceptable values of the rigidity coefficients and resistance coefficients of operator’s cab suspension system elements and those of operator’s seat. Negative effects of vibration result in labour productivity decrease and occupational diseases. Besides, structure vibrations have a damaging impact on the machine units and mechanisms, which leads to reducing an overall service life of the machine. Results of experimental and theoretical research of operator vibroprotection system in the road-building utility machine are presented. An algorithm for the program to calculate dynamic impacts on the operator in terms of different structural and performance parameters of the machine and considering combination of external pertrubation influences was proposed.

Error analysis and system improvements in phase-stepping methods for photoelasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenyan Ji

1997-11-01

In the past automated photoelasticity has been demonstrated to be one of the most efficient technique for determining the complete state of stress in a 3-D component. However, the measurement accuracy, which depends on many aspects of both the theoretical foundations and experimental procedures, has not been studied properly. The objective of this thesis is to reveal the intrinsic properties of the errors, provide methods for reducing them and finally improve the system accuracy. A general formulation for a polariscope with all the optical elements in an arbitrary orientation was deduced using the method of Mueller Matrices. The deduction of this formulation indicates an inherent connectivity among the optical elements and gives a knowledge of the errors. In addition, this formulation also shows a common foundation among the photoelastic techniques, consequently, these techniques share many common error sources. The phase-stepping system proposed by Patterson and Wang was used as an exemplar to analyse the errors and provide the proposed improvements. This system can be divided into four parts according to their function, namely the optical system, light source, image acquisition equipment and image analysis software. All the possible error sources were investigated separately and the methods for reducing the influence of the errors and improving the system accuracy are presented. To identify the contribution of each possible error to the final system output, a model was used to simulate the errors and analyse their consequences. Therefore the contribution to the results from different error sources can be estimated quantitatively and finally the accuracy of the systems can be improved. For a conventional polariscope, the system accuracy can be as high as 99.23% for the fringe order and the error less than 5 degrees for the isoclinic angle. The PSIOS system is limited to the low fringe orders. For a fringe order of less than 1.5, the accuracy is 94.60% for fringe

Improving diagnostic accuracy using agent-based distributed data mining system.

Science.gov (United States)

Sridhar, S

2013-09-01

The use of data mining techniques to improve the diagnostic system accuracy is investigated in this paper. The data mining algorithms aim to discover patterns and extract useful knowledge from facts recorded in databases. Generally, the expert systems are constructed for automating diagnostic procedures. The learning component uses the data mining algorithms to extract the expert system rules from the database automatically. Learning algorithms can assist the clinicians in extracting knowledge automatically. As the number and variety of data sources is dramatically increasing, another way to acquire knowledge from databases is to apply various data mining algorithms that extract knowledge from data. As data sets are inherently distributed, the distributed system uses agents to transport the trained classifiers and uses meta learning to combine the knowledge. Commonsense reasoning is also used in association with distributed data mining to obtain better results. Combining human expert knowledge and data mining knowledge improves the performance of the diagnostic system. This work suggests a framework of combining the human knowledge and knowledge gained by better data mining algorithms on a renal and gallstone data set.

The Main Directions of Improving the Management of the Higher Education System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terovanesov Mykhajlo R.

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The article is aimed at determining the mechanisms of improving the management of the system of higher education in the context of the current regulatory support, which will be the means to solve the problem of inefficient functioning, lack of financing, and low quality of higher education. The factors, causing negative impact on development of the higher education system were analyzed, the most important of which are the lack of financing and the shortcomings of the legal support of the education sector. It has been determined that a shortage of funds and lack of communication between the education sphere and employers reduces the efficiency of management of the system of higher education. The legal support of the educational activities requires improvement due to the declarative nature of individual provisions on the management of the system of higher education. Consideration of the legal factor is necessary for regulating the decentralization of management in the education sphere, improvement of financing, perfection of the system of control of the education quality. Ways for decentralizing the management of the education sphere, increasing its effectiveness, and improving the economic status of higher education institutions, have been suggested. The scientific-practical recommendations have been formulated to attract potential consumers of educational services to reforming the higher education system and increasing its effectiveness.

New method to improve dynamic stiffness of electro-hydraulic servo systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Yanhong; Quan, Long

2013-09-01

Most current researches working on improving stiffness focus on the application of control theories. But controller in closed-loop hydraulic control system takes effect only after the controlled position is deviated, so the control action is lagged. Thus dynamic performance against force disturbance and dynamic load stiffness can’t be improved evidently by advanced control algorithms. In this paper, the elementary principle of maintaining piston position unchanged under sudden external force load change by charging additional oil is analyzed. On this basis, the conception of raising dynamic stiffness of electro hydraulic position servo system by flow feedforward compensation is put forward. And a scheme using double servo valves to realize flow feedforward compensation is presented, in which another fast response servo valve is added to the regular electro hydraulic servo system and specially utilized to compensate the compressed oil volume caused by load impact in time. The two valves are arranged in parallel to control the cylinder jointly. Furthermore, the model of flow compensation is derived, by which the product of the amplitude and width of the valve’s pulse command signal can be calculated. And determination rules of the amplitude and width of pulse signal are concluded by analysis and simulations. Using the proposed scheme, simulations and experiments at different positions with different force changes are conducted. The simulation and experimental results show that the system dynamic performance against load force impact is largely improved with decreased maximal dynamic position deviation and shortened settling time. That is, system dynamic load stiffness is evidently raised. This paper proposes a new method which can effectively improve the dynamic stiffness of electro-hydraulic servo systems.

ComfortPower - System improvements and long-term evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silversand, Fredrik [Catator AB, Lund (Sweden)

2011-11-15

Catator has previously developed a novel heating system abbreviated ComfortPower in a RandD-programme supported by Catator, Swedish Gas Centre (SGC), Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), Skanska, Nibe and Alfa Laval. The ComfortPower unit comprises a multi fuel reformer system tied to a high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell (HT-PEM) and a heat pump system. Since the residual heat from the fuel cell system can be utilized in a very effective way, it is possible to reach high thermal efficiencies. Indeed, the thermal efficiency in the unit has previously been shown to reach values as high as 175 - 200 % based on the lower heating value of the fuel. In addition to heat, ComfortPower can supply comfort cooling and surplus electricity. This project phase has focused on the following elements: 1. System improvements to further enhance the efficiency with existing fuel cell (HT-PEM). 2. System simplifications (e.g. DC-compressor system) to manage issues with start-up currents. 3. Tests with biogas qualities (various levels of CO{sub 2}) and biogas/air. 4. Long-term test with biogas quality (upgraded biogas). 5. Additional tests with liquid fuels (alcohols and diesel). 6. Map the need for cooling and heating in various applications. 7. Investigate how ComfortPower can reduce the primary energy consumption and reduce the environmental impact. 8. Study the possibility with a SOFC-based system with internal reforming. It was found that the Optiformer technology can be used to derive a suitable reformate gas for the HT-PEM unit from a wide range of fuels. Even if operation with fuel gases is the natural choice in most cases, it is possible also to use alcohols and other liquid fuels (e.g. in Campus applications). The heat pump system was equipped with a 24 V DC-compressor provided by Nibe. The compressor could be directly powered by the accumulator system and start-up currents, harmful to the inverter, could be avoided. Some improvements were made on the

Improvement of management systems for nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The area of Quality Management/ Quality Assurance has been changed dramatically over the past years. The nuclear facilities moved from the 'traditional' Quality Assurance approach towards Quality Management Systems, and later a new concept of Integrated Management Systems was introduced. The IAEA is developing a new set of Standards on Integrated Management Systems, which will replace the current 50-C-Q/SG-Q1-Q14 Code. The new set of document will require the integration of all management areas into one coherent management system. The new set of standards on Management Systems promotes the concept of the Integrated Management Systems. Based on new set a big number of documents are under preparation. These documents will address the current issues in the management systems area, e.g. Management of Change, Continuous Improvement, Self-assessment, and Attributes of effective management, etc. Currently NPES is providing a number of TC projects and Extra Budgetary Programmes to assist Member States in this area. The new Standards on Management Systems will be published in 2006. A number of Regulatory bodies already indicated that they would take the new Management System Standards as a basis for the national regulation. This fact will motivate a considerable change in the management of nuclear utilities, requiring a new approach. This activity is suitable for all IAEA Members States with large or limited nuclear capabilities. The service is directed to provide assistance for the management of all organizations carrying on or regulating nuclear activities and facilities

Improving Software Systems By Flow Control Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Poznanski

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Using agile methods during the implementation of the system that meets mission critical requirements can be a real challenge. The change in the system built of dozens or even hundreds of specialized devices with embedded software requires the cooperation of a large group of engineers. This article presents a solution that supports parallel work of groups of system analysts and software developers. Deployment of formal rules to the requirements written in natural language enables using formal analysis of artifacts being a bridge between software and system requirements. Formalism and textual form of requirements allowed the automatic generation of message flow graph for the (sub system, called the “big-picture-model”. Flow diagram analysis helped to avoid a large number of defects whose repair cost in extreme cases could undermine the legitimacy of agile methods in projects of this scale. Retrospectively, a reduction of technical debt was observed. Continuous analysis of the “big picture model” improves the control of the quality parameters of the software architecture. The article also tries to explain why the commercial platform based on UML modeling language may not be sufficient in projects of this complexity.

Improving knowledge management systems with latent semantic analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sebok, A.; Plott, C.; LaVoie, N.

2006-01-01

Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) offers a technique for improving lessons learned and knowledge management systems. These systems are expected to become more widely used in the nuclear industry, as experienced personnel leave and are replaced by younger, less-experienced workers. LSA is a machine learning technology that allows searching of text based on meaning rather than predefined keywords or categories. Users can enter and retrieve data using their own words, rather than relying on constrained language lists or navigating an artificially structured database. LSA-based tools can greatly enhance the usability and usefulness of knowledge management systems and thus provide a valuable tool to assist nuclear industry personnel in gathering and transferring worker expertise. (authors)

Cyber Foraging for Improving Survivability of Mobile Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-10

Cyber-Foraging for Improving Survivability of Mobile Systems Sebastián Echeverría ( Universidad de los Andes) Grace A. Lewis James Root Ben...NUMBERS FA8721-05-C-0003 6. AUTHOR(S) Sebastián Echeverría ( Universidad de los Andes), Grace A. Lewis, James Root, & Ben Bradshaw 7. PERFORMING

Laboratory system strengthening and quality improvement in Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tilahun M. Hiwotu

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: In 2010, a National Laboratory Strategic Plan was set forth in Ethiopia to strengthen laboratory quality systems and set the stage for laboratory accreditation. As a result, the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA programme was initiated in 45 Ethiopian laboratories. Objectives: This article discusses the implementation of the programme, the findings from the evaluation process and key challenges. Methods: The 45 laboratories were divided into two consecutive cohorts and staff from each laboratory participated in SLMTA training and improvement projects. The average amount of supportive supervision conducted in the laboratories was 68 hours for cohort I and two hoursfor cohort II. Baseline and exit audits were conducted in 44 of the laboratories and percent compliance was determined using a checklist with scores divided into zero- to five-star ratinglevels. Results: Improvements, ranging from < 1 to 51 percentage points, were noted in 42 laboratories, whilst decreases were recorded in two. The average scores at the baseline and exit audits were 40% and 58% for cohort I (p < 0.01; and 42% and 53% for cohort II (p < 0.01,respectively. The p-value for difference between cohorts was 0.07. At the exit audit, 61% ofthe first and 48% of the second cohort laboratories achieved an increase in star rating. Poor awareness, lack of harmonisation with other facility activities and the absence of a quality manual were challenges identified. Conclusion: Improvements resulting from SLMTA implementation are encouraging. Continuous advocacy at all levels of the health system is needed to ensure involvement of stakeholders and integration with other improvement initiatives and routine activities.

Scope for improved eco-efficiency varies among diverse cropping systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Carberry, Peter S; Liang, Wei-li; Twomlow, Stephen; Holzworth, Dean P; Dimes, John P; McClelland, Tim; Huth, Neil I; Chen, Fu; Hochman, Zvi; Keating, Brian A

2013-05-21

Global food security requires eco-efficient agriculture to produce the required food and fiber products concomitant with ecologically efficient use of resources. This eco-efficiency concept is used to diagnose the state of agricultural production in China (irrigated wheat-maize double-cropping systems), Zimbabwe (rainfed maize systems), and Australia (rainfed wheat systems). More than 3,000 surveyed crop yields in these three countries were compared against simulated grain yields at farmer-specified levels of nitrogen (N) input. Many Australian commercial wheat farmers are both close to existing production frontiers and gain little prospective return from increasing their N input. Significant losses of N from their systems, either as nitrous oxide emissions or as nitrate leached from the soil profile, are infrequent and at low intensities relative to their level of grain production. These Australian farmers operate close to eco-efficient frontiers in regard to N, and so innovations in technologies and practices are essential to increasing their production without added economic or environmental risks. In contrast, many Chinese farmers can reduce N input without sacrificing production through more efficient use of their fertilizer input. In fact, there are real prospects for the double-cropping systems on the North China Plain to achieve both production increases and reduced environmental risks. Zimbabwean farmers have the opportunity for significant production increases by both improving their technical efficiency and increasing their level of input; however, doing so will require improved management expertise and greater access to institutional support for addressing the higher risks. This paper shows that pathways for achieving improved eco-efficiency will differ among diverse cropping systems.

Participatory System Dynamics Modeling: Increasing Stakeholder Engagement and Precision to Improve Implementation Planning in Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Lindsey; Lounsbury, David W; Rosen, Craig S; Kimerling, Rachel; Trafton, Jodie A; Lindley, Steven E

2016-11-01

Implementation planning typically incorporates stakeholder input. Quality improvement efforts provide data-based feedback regarding progress. Participatory system dynamics modeling (PSD) triangulates stakeholder expertise, data and simulation of implementation plans prior to attempting change. Frontline staff in one VA outpatient mental health system used PSD to examine policy and procedural "mechanisms" they believe underlie local capacity to implement evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD and depression. We piloted the PSD process, simulating implementation plans to improve EBP reach. Findings indicate PSD is a feasible, useful strategy for building stakeholder consensus, and may save time and effort as compared to trial-and-error EBP implementation planning.

Surface Operations Systems Improve Airport Efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

With Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from Ames Research Center, Mosaic ATM of Leesburg, Virginia created software to analyze surface operations at airports. Surface surveillance systems, which report locations every second for thousands of air and ground vehicles, generate massive amounts of data, making gathering and analyzing this information difficult. Mosaic?s Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation (SODAA) tool is an off-line support tool that can analyze how well the airport surface operation is working and can help redesign procedures to improve operations. SODAA helps researchers pinpoint trends and correlations in vast amounts of recorded airport operations data.

Results of Low Power Deicer tests on a swept inlet component in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Thomas H.; Shin, Jaiwon

1993-01-01

Tests were conducted under a USAF/NASA Low Power Deicer program on two expulsive technologies to examine system performance on hardware representative of a modern aircraft part. The BF Goodrich Electro-Expulsive Deicing System and Pneumatic Impulse Ice Protection system were installed on a swept, compound curve, engine inlet component with varying leading edge radius, and tested through a range of icing and system operating conditions in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. A description of the experimental procedure and results, including residual ice thickness, shed ice particle size, and changes in system energy/pressure characteristics are presented.

Vacuum fused deposition modelling system to improve tensile ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the printing process, the interlayer bonding is made too quick thus the layers are not fully fused together causing the reduced tensile strength. This paper presents a possible solution to this problem by incorporating vacuum technology in FDM system to improve tensile strength of 3D printed specimens. In this study, a ...

Clinical Performance Measures and Quality Improvement System Considerations for Dental Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkinson, Joseph W; Zeller, Gregory G

2017-03-01

Quality improvement and quality assurance programs are an integral part of providing excellence in health care delivery. The Dental Quality Alliance and the Commission on Dental Accreditation recognize this and have created standards and recommendations to advise health care providers and health care delivery systems, including dental schools, on measuring the quality of the care delivered to patients. Overall health care expenditures have increased, and the Affordable Care Act has made health care, including dentistry, available to more people in the United States. These increases in cost and in the number of patients accessing care contribute to a heightened interest in measurable quality improvement outcomes that reflect efficiency, effectiveness, and overall value. Practitioners and administrators, both in academia and in the "real world," need an understanding of various quality improvement methodologies available in order to select approaches that support effective monitoring of the quality of care delivered. This article compares and contrasts various quality improvement approaches, programs, and systems currently in use in order to assist dental providers and administrators in choosing quality improvement methodologies pertinent to their practice or institution.

Study on the functional improvement of the CARE system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Seung Jae; Nam, K. W.; Kim, D. I.; Kim, D. S.; Kim, S. H.; Kang, W. S.; Kim, B. H.

2003-12-01

The CARE system was developed in order to protect the public during nuclear emergency in Korea by KINS staffs with cooperation of other concerned organizations. In this study, some improvements to be considered for effective operation of CARE system were drawn. In 2002, Emergency Technical Advisory Center was constructed. Following the function of this center, the CARE system should be enforced for effective analysis of the nuclear power plant operation and the severe accident as well as for another areas such as radiological accidents and physical protection. The modules in this system shall be expanded to analysis of broader radiological accidents by long-range consequences modelling and so on

IMPROVING MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS AT A HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataliya N. Fedyakova

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: this paper deals with the foreign and domestic experience of creation and use of educational institution management automation systems. The problems of higher educational institutions management are essential in conditions of growing competition between educational institutions. Their complexity and timeliness defines multifunctional activity of higher educational institutions, diversity of funding sources, the variety of forms and types of educational, scientific, industrial and economic activities, the need for monitoring of the market of educational services and the labor market (including the need for employment of graduates, the necessity for adaptation to continuously changing economic conditions. Materials and Methods: system approach and method of comparison were used in analysing the current state of development and organisation of the automated information systems of higher education. These methods were also used to compare the qualitative characteristics of different technologies and methods of creation of the automated information systems. Results: the foreign and domestic educational institution management automation systems SIMS. net, Capita Education, SPRUT, Galaxy of Higher Educational Institution Management”, and “GSVedomosty” were analysed. Disadvantages of the functional module AIS – AWP pertaining to the University Rector of the higher educational institution were found. The improvement of higher educational institution AIS by implementing decision support systems for the management, made on the basis of the model of SaaS (software as a service is discussed. The author developed a model of automated score-rating system to assess the individual performance of students. Discussion and Conclusions: the author tackles the problems of higher educational institution AIS taking into account the specifics of the use of higher educational institution management information systems. They have a practical

Kaiser Permanente's performance improvement system, Part 1: From benchmarking to executing on strategic priorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Schilling, Lisa; Chase, Alide; Kehrli, Sommer; Liu, Amy Y; Stiefel, Matt; Brentari, Ruth

2010-11-01

By 2004, senior leaders at Kaiser Permanente, the largest not-for-profit health plan in the United States, recognizing variations across service areas in quality, safety, service, and efficiency, began developing a performance improvement (PI) system to realizing best-in-class quality performance across all 35 medical centers. MEASURING SYSTEMWIDE PERFORMANCE: In 2005, a Web-based data dashboard, "Big Q," which tracks the performance of each medical center and service area against external benchmarks and internal goals, was created. PLANNING FOR PI AND BENCHMARKING PERFORMANCE: In 2006, Kaiser Permanente national and regional continued planning the PI system, and in 2007, quality, medical group, operations, and information technology leaders benchmarked five high-performing organizations to identify capabilities required to achieve consistent best-in-class organizational performance. THE PI SYSTEM: The PI system addresses the six capabilities: leadership priority setting, a systems approach to improvement, measurement capability, a learning organization, improvement capacity, and a culture of improvement. PI "deep experts" (mentors) consult with national, regional, and local leaders, and more than 500 improvement advisors are trained to manage portfolios of 90-120 day improvement initiatives at medical centers. Between the second quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, performance across all Kaiser Permanente medical centers improved on the Big Q metrics. The lessons learned in implementing and sustaining PI as it becomes fully integrated into all levels of Kaiser Permanente can be generalized to other health care systems, hospitals, and other health care organizations.

Maintenance system improvement in cast iron foundry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Kukla

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The work presents the issue of technical equipment management in an iron foundry basing on the assumptions of the TPM system (Total Productive Maintenance. Exploitation analysis of automatic casting lines has been carried out and their work’s influence on the whole production system’s functioning has been researched. Within maintenance system improvement, implementation of autonomic service and planned lines’ review have been proposed in order to minimize the time of breakdown stoppages. The SMED method was used to optimize changeover time, and the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness was applied to evaluate the level of resources usage before and after implementing changes. Further, the influence of the maintenance strategy of casting devices’ efficiency on own costs of casting manufac- ture was estimated.

Improvement of driving safety in road traffic system

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ke-Ping; Gao, Zi-You

2005-05-01

A road traffic system is a complex system in which humans participate directly. In this system, human factors play a very important role. In this paper, a kind of control signal is designated at a given site (i.e., signal point) of the road. Under the effect of the control signal, the drivers will decrease their velocities when their vehicles pass the signal point. Our aim is to transit the traffic flow states from disorder to order and then improve the traffic safety. We have tested this technique for the two-lane traffic model that is based on the deterministic Nagel-Schreckenberg (NaSch) traffic model. The simulation results indicate that the traffic flow states can be transited from disorder to order. Different order states can be observed in the system and these states are safer.

Transient Stability Improvement for Combined Heat and Power System Using Load Shedding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hung-Cheng Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to analyze and improve the transient stability of an industrial combined heat and power (CHP system in a high-tech science park in Taiwan. The CHP system installed two 161 kV/161 kV high-impendence transformers to connect with Taipower System (TPS for both decreasing the short-circuit fault current and increasing the fault critical clearing time. The transient stabilities of three types of operation modes in CHP units, 3G1S, 2G1S, and 1G1S, are analyzed. Under the 3G1S operation mode, the system frequency is immediately restored to 60 Hz after tie line tripping with the TPS. Under the 1G1S and 2G1S operation modes, the system frequencies will continuously decrease and eventually become unstable. A novel transient stability improvement approach using load shedding technique based on the change in frequency is proposed to improve the transient stability.

Improving CANDU plant operation and maintenance through retrofit information technology systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupton, L.R.; Judd, R.A.; MacBeth, M.J.

1998-01-01

CANDU plant owners are facing an increasingly competitive environment for the generation of electricity. To meet this challenge, all owners have identified that information technology offers opportunities for significant improvements in CANDU operation, maintenance and administration (OM and A) costs. Targeted information technology application areas include instrumentation and control, engineering, construction, operations and plant information management. These opportunities also pose challenges and issues that must be addressed if the full benefits of the advances in information technology are to be achieved. Key among these are system hardware and software maintenance, and obsolescence protection; AECL has been supporting CANDU stations with the initial development and evaluation of systems to improve plant performance and cost. Key initiatives that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented in some CANDU plants to achieve operational benefits include: critical safety parameter monitor system; advanced computerized annunciation system; plant historical data system; and plant display system. Each system will be described in terms of its role in enhancing current CANDU plant performance and how they will contribute to future CANDU plant performance

Louisiana Airport System Plan Five-Year Capital Improvement Program.

Science.gov (United States)

1992-07-01

The Louisiana Airport System Plan (LASP) Five-Year-Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a development plan for all commercial service, reliever, and general aviation airports in Louisiana. It is a detailed listing of potential projects based on the a...

Management systems improvement strategy for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shelor, D.E.

1991-01-01

To achieve the goal of permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the US DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is implementing a Management Systems Improvement Strategy (MSIS). This MSIS is structured around the systems engineering approach that separates the program mission into system and programmatic functions. OCRWM believes that this strategy will significantly improve the program and provide the framework needed to ensure successful implementation of the activities necessary to fulfill the mandate of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as amended

Improving Canada's Marine Navigation System through e-Navigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Breton

2016-06-01

The conclusion proposed is that on-going work with key partners and stakeholders can be used as the primary mechanism to identify e-Navigation related innovation and needs, and to prioritize next steps. Moving forward in Canada, implementation of new e-navigation services will continue to be stakeholder driven, and used to drive improvements to Canada's marine navigation system.

An Improved Task Scheduling Algorithm for Intelligent Control in Tiny Mechanical System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jialiang Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor network (WSN has been already widely used in many fields in terms of industry, agriculture, and military, and so forth. The basic composition is WSN nodes that are capable of performing processing, gathering information, and communicating with other connected nodes in the network. The main components of a WSN node are microcontroller, transceiver, and some sensors. Undoubtedly, it also can be added with some actuators to form a tiny mechanical system. Under this case, the existence of task preemption while executing operating system will not only cost more energy for WSN nodes themselves, but also bring unacceptable system states caused by vibrations. However for these nodes, task I/O delays are inevitable due to the existence of task preemption, which will bring extra overhead for the whole system, and even bring unacceptable system states caused by vibrations. This paper mainly considers the earliest deadline first (EDF task preemption algorithm executed in WSN OS and proposes an improved task preemption algorithm so as to lower the preemption overhead and I/O delay and then improve the system performance. The experimental results show that the improved task preemption algorithm can reduce the I/O delay effectively, so the real-time processing ability of the system is enhanced.

Improving patient-level costing in the English and the German 'DRG' system.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogl, Matthias

2013-03-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop ways to improve patient-level cost apportioning (PLCA) in the English and German inpatient 'DRG' cost accounting systems, to support regulators in improving costing schemes, and to give clinicians and hospital management sophisticated tools to measure and link their management. The paper analyzes and evaluates the PLCA step in the cost accounting schemes of both countries according to the impact on the key aspects of DRG introduction: transparency and efficiency. The goal is to generate a best available PLCA standard with enhanced accuracy and managerial relevance, the main requirements of cost accounting. A best available PLCA standard in 'DRG' cost accounting uses: (1) the cost-matrix from the German system; (2) a third axis in this matrix, representing service-lines or clinical pathways; (3) a scoring system for key cost drivers with the long-term objective of time-driven activity-based costing and (4) a point of delivery separation. Both systems have elements that the other system can learn from. By combining their strengths, regulators are supported in enhancing PLCA systems, improving the accuracy of national reimbursement and the managerial relevance of inpatient cost accounting systems, in order to reduce costs in health care. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of the system of management of business processes of the bank

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pereverzev Pavel Petrovich

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The aim is to develop a scientific - methodological and scientific - methodological issues of the effective technologies for managing business processes of the bank. It is shown that the development and implementation of detailed functional models of management for all business processes of the bank, establishing a structural relationship between the functions of planning, organizing, recording, monitoring, analysis, management and improvement of the business process management object, and development of additional management information systems, will significantly increase the level of automation of the bank, to improve the existing banking information system and improve the competitiveness of the bank.

Improvment, extension and integration of operational decision support systems for nuclear emergency management (DSSNET)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrhardt, J.

2005-07-01

The DSSNET network was established in October 2000 with the overall objective to create an effective and accepted framework for better communication and understanding between the community of institutions involved in operational off-site emergency management and the many and diverse RTD institutes further developing methods and tools in this area, in particular decision support systems (DSS), for making well informed and consistent judgements with respect to practical improvements of emergency response in Europe. 37 institutions from 21 countries of East and West Europe have been members of the network with about half of them responsible for operational emergency management. The objectives of the network have been numerous and the more important ones include: to ensure that future RTD is more responsive to user needs, to inform the user community of new developments and their potential for improving emergency response, to improve operational decision support systems from feedback of operational experience, to identify how information and data exchange between countries can be improved, to promote greater coherence among operational decision support systems and to encourage shared development of new and improved decision support systems features, and to improve the practicability of operational decision support systems. To stimulate the communication and feedback between the operational and the RTD community, problem-oriented emergency exercises were performed, which covered the various time phases of an accident and which extended from the near range to farther distances with frontier crossing transport of radionuclides. The report describes the objectives of the DSSNET, the five emergency exercises performed and the results of their evaluation. They provided valuable insight and lessons for operators and users of decision support systems, in particular the need for much more intensive training and exercising with decision support systems and their interaction with

Dataset-driven research for improving recommender systems for learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbert, Katrien; Drachsler, Hendrik; Manouselis, Nikos; Wolpers, Martin; Vuorikari, Riina; Duval, Erik

2011-01-01

Verbert, K., Drachsler, H., Manouselis, N., Wolpers, M., Vuorikari, R., & Duval, E. (2011). Dataset-driven research for improving recommender systems for learning. In Ph. Long, & G. Siemens (Eds.), Proceedings of 1st International Conference Learning Analytics & Knowledge (pp. 44-53). February,

Note: An improved calibration system with phase correction for electronic transformers with digital output.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Han-miao; Li, Hong-bin

2015-08-01

The existing electronic transformer calibration systems employing data acquisition cards cannot satisfy some practical applications, because the calibration systems have phase measurement errors when they work in the mode of receiving external synchronization signals. This paper proposes an improved calibration system scheme with phase correction to improve the phase measurement accuracy. We employ NI PCI-4474 to design a calibration system, and the system has the potential to receive external synchronization signals and reach extremely high accuracy classes. Accuracy verification has been carried out in the China Electric Power Research Institute, and results demonstrate that the system surpasses the accuracy class 0.05. Furthermore, this system has been used to test the harmonics measurement accuracy of all-fiber optical current transformers. In the same process, we have used an existing calibration system, and a comparison of the test results is presented. The system after improvement is suitable for the intended applications.

Note: An improved calibration system with phase correction for electronic transformers with digital output

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Han-miao, E-mail: chenghanmiao@hust.edu.cn; Li, Hong-bin, E-mail: lihongbin@hust.edu.cn [CEEE of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2015-08-15

The existing electronic transformer calibration systems employing data acquisition cards cannot satisfy some practical applications, because the calibration systems have phase measurement errors when they work in the mode of receiving external synchronization signals. This paper proposes an improved calibration system scheme with phase correction to improve the phase measurement accuracy. We employ NI PCI-4474 to design a calibration system, and the system has the potential to receive external synchronization signals and reach extremely high accuracy classes. Accuracy verification has been carried out in the China Electric Power Research Institute, and results demonstrate that the system surpasses the accuracy class 0.05. Furthermore, this system has been used to test the harmonics measurement accuracy of all-fiber optical current transformers. In the same process, we have used an existing calibration system, and a comparison of the test results is presented. The system after improvement is suitable for the intended applications.

Positron imaging system with improved count rate and tomographic capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muehllehner, G.; Buchin, M.P.

1980-01-01

Improvements to a positron camera imaging system are described. A pair of Angear-type scintillation cameras serve as the detectors, each camera being positioned on opposite sides of the organ of interest. Pulse shaping circuits reduce the pulse duration below 900 nanoseconds and the integration time below 500 noneseconds, improving the count rate capability and the counting statistics of the system and thus the image quality and processing speed. The invention also provides means for rotating the opposed camera heads about an axis which passes through the organ of interest. The cameras do not use collimators, and are capable of accepting radiation travelling in planes not perpendicular to the scintillation crystals. (LL)

Radiological information systems: improvements in service, economy, and quality control?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gross-Fengels, W.; Weber, M.

1997-01-01

By means of complete service control and standardized accounting processes, radiological information systems clearly contribute to improved results. They provide the prerequisites for the establishment of expanded networks and allow comprisons with comparable institutions. The quality of patient care can be improved since, for example, the production time from referral to finished result becomes shorter. Direct access to patient and findings data from several positions is possible. Preliminary results can be viewed immediately. The patient's history is accessible to authorized users at all times. The exact reproducibility and assignment of services leads to more clarity. By means of the information available form RIS, rapid adaptive processes can be undertaken. The system assists the to fulfill the requirements of health regulations. The above-mentioned relationships demonstrate that the EDP systems are well accepted by physicians, medical assistants, and administrators and represent an indispensable aid for solving problems. (orig.) [de

Improving CANDU plant operation and maintenance through retrofit information technology systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupton, L. R.; Judd, R. A.

1998-01-01

CANDU plant owners are facing an increasingly competitive environment for the generation of electricity. To meet this challenge, all owners have identified that information technology offers opportunities for significant improvements in CANDU operation, maintenance and administration (OM and A) costs. Targeted information technology application areas include instrumentation and control, engineering, construction, operations and plant information management. These opportunities also pose challenges and issues that must be addressed if the full benefits of the advances in information technology are to be achieved. Key among these are system hardware and software maintenance, and obsolescence protection. AECL has been supporting CANDU stations with the initial development and evaluation of systems to improve plant performance and cost. Five key initiatives that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented in some CANDU plants to achieve cooperational benefits include: critical safety parameter monitor system; advanced computerized annunciation system; plant historical data system; plant display system; and digital protection system. Each system will be described in terms of its role in enhancing current CANDU plant performance and how they will contribute to future CANDU plant performance. (author). 8 refs., 3 figs

Experience on operational safety improvement of control and operation support systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, N.; Nakagawa, T.; Mano, K.

1988-01-01

Japanese nuclear industry started in 1956 and about 30 years have passed since that time. Through these years, we have made a lot of efforts and developments in the field of Control and Instrumentation (C and I) system. The above 30 years and following years can be divided into four major periods. The first one is the period of research, the second of domestic production, the third of improvement, and the fourth of advancement. Improvements of C and I system, which we have made in those periods have made a great contribution to enhancement of reliability, availability and operability of nuclear power plants. Fig. 1 shows TEPCO's nuclear power plant (BWR) construction experience and technical trend of C and I system in Japan. This paper is to introduce the efforts and operational experience on control and operation support systems

The Dynamics of Growing Herbaceous Plants in the Soil Contaminated with Sodium Formiate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnė Kazlauskienė

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Salts are most frequently used for road maintenance in cold seasons in Lithuania. In case the use of salts is mandatory, the proposal is to apply as small amounts as possible following the norms of use. Using alternative de-icing salts and agents, such as formiates is recommended. Formiates can be applied with the aim to reduce road sliperness and as a preventive measure of de-icing road paving. These substances are efficient, environment-friendly and have no corrosive effect. The article presents physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of the above introduced materials.Article in Lithuanian

Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems For Water Quality Improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, E.

2010-01-01

The Savannah River National Laboratory implemented a constructed wetland treatment system (CWTS) in 2000 to treat industrial discharge and stormwater from the Laboratory area. The industrial discharge volume is 3,030 m 3 per day with elevated toxicity and metals (copper, zinc and mercury). The CWTS was identified as the best treatment option based on performance, capital and continuing cost, and schedule. A key factor for this natural system approach was the long-term binding capacity of heavy metals (especially copper, lead, and zinc) in the organic matter and sediments. The design required that the wetland treat the average daily discharge volume and be able to handle 83,280 m 3 of stormwater runoff in a 24 hour period. The design allowed all water flow within the system to be driven entirely by gravity. The CWTS for A-01 outfall is composed of eight one-acre wetland cells connected in pairs and planted with giant bulrush to provide continuous organic matter input to the system. The retention basin was designed to hold stormwater flow and to allow controlled discharge to the wetland. The system became operational in October of 2000 and is the first wetland treatment system permitted by South Carolina DHEC for removal of metals. Because of the exceptional performance of the A-01 CWTS, the same strategy was used to improve water quality of the H-02 outfall that receives discharge and stormwater from the Tritium Area of SRS. The primary contaminants in this outfall were also copper and zinc. The design for this second system required that the wetland treat the average discharge volume of 415 m 3 per day, and be able to handle 9,690 m 3 of stormwater runoff in a 24 hour period. This allowed the building of a system much smaller than the A-01 CWTS. The system became operational in July 2007. Metal removal has been excellent since water flow through the treatment systems began, and performance improved with the maturation of the vegetation during the first season of

CONSTRUCTED WETLAND TREATMENT SYSTEMS FOR WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, E.

2010-07-19

The Savannah River National Laboratory implemented a constructed wetland treatment system (CWTS) in 2000 to treat industrial discharge and stormwater from the Laboratory area. The industrial discharge volume is 3,030 m{sup 3} per day with elevated toxicity and metals (copper, zinc and mercury). The CWTS was identified as the best treatment option based on performance, capital and continuing cost, and schedule. A key factor for this natural system approach was the long-term binding capacity of heavy metals (especially copper, lead, and zinc) in the organic matter and sediments. The design required that the wetland treat the average daily discharge volume and be able to handle 83,280 m{sup 3} of stormwater runoff in a 24 hour period. The design allowed all water flow within the system to be driven entirely by gravity. The CWTS for A-01 outfall is composed of eight one-acre wetland cells connected in pairs and planted with giant bulrush to provide continuous organic matter input to the system. The retention basin was designed to hold stormwater flow and to allow controlled discharge to the wetland. The system became operational in October of 2000 and is the first wetland treatment system permitted by South Carolina DHEC for removal of metals. Because of the exceptional performance of the A-01 CWTS, the same strategy was used to improve water quality of the H-02 outfall that receives discharge and stormwater from the Tritium Area of SRS. The primary contaminants in this outfall were also copper and zinc. The design for this second system required that the wetland treat the average discharge volume of 415 m{sup 3} per day, and be able to handle 9,690 m{sup 3} of stormwater runoff in a 24 hour period. This allowed the building of a system much smaller than the A-01 CWTS. The system became operational in July 2007. Metal removal has been excellent since water flow through the treatment systems began, and performance improved with the maturation of the vegetation during

Training the approximate number system improves math proficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Joonkoo; Brannon, Elizabeth M

2013-10-01

Humans and nonhuman animals share an approximate number system (ANS) that permits estimation and rough calculation of quantities without symbols. Recent studies show a correlation between the acuity of the ANS and performance in symbolic math throughout development and into adulthood, which suggests that the ANS may serve as a cognitive foundation for the uniquely human capacity for symbolic math. Such a proposition leads to the untested prediction that training aimed at improving ANS performance will transfer to improvement in symbolic-math ability. In the two experiments reported here, we showed that ANS training on approximate addition and subtraction of arrays of dots selectively improved symbolic addition and subtraction. This finding strongly supports the hypothesis that complex math skills are fundamentally linked to rudimentary preverbal quantitative abilities and provides the first direct evidence that the ANS and symbolic math may be causally related. It also raises the possibility that interventions aimed at the ANS could benefit children and adults who struggle with math.

Power System Transient Stability Improvement Using Demand Side Management in Competitive Electricity Markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Weihao; Wang, Chunqi; Chen, Zhe

2012-01-01

Since the hourly spot market price is available one day ahead in Denmark, the price could be transferred to the consumers and they may shift some of their loads from high price periods to the low price periods in order to save their energy costs. The optimal load response to an electricity price...... for demand side management generates different load profiles and may provide an opportunity to improve the transient stability of power systems with high wind power penetrations. In this paper, the idea of the power system transient stability improvement by using optimal load response to the electricity...... price is proposed. A 102-bus power system which represents a simplified model of the western Danish power system is chosen as the study case. Simulation results show that the optimal load response to electricity prices is an effective measure to improve the power system transient stability with high...

Applying Toyota production system techniques for medication delivery: improving hospital safety and efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Newell, Terry L; Steinmetz-Malato, Laura L; Van Dyke, Deborah L

2011-01-01

The inpatient medication delivery system used at a large regional acute care hospital in the Midwest had become antiquated and inefficient. The existing 24-hr medication cart-fill exchange process with delivery to the patients' bedside did not always provide ordered medications to the nursing units when they were needed. In 2007 the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS) were applied to the system. Project objectives were to improve medication safety and reduce the time needed for nurses to retrieve patient medications. A multidisciplinary team was formed that included representatives from nursing, pharmacy, informatics, quality, and various operational support departments. Team members were educated and trained in the tools and techniques of TPS, and then designed and implemented a new pull system benchmarking the TPS Ideal State model. The newly installed process, providing just-in-time medication availability, has measurably improved delivery processes as well as patient safety and satisfaction. Other positive outcomes have included improved nursing satisfaction, reduced nursing wait time for delivered medications, and improved efficiency in the pharmacy. After a successful pilot on two nursing units, the system is being extended to the rest of the hospital. © 2010 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Improving urban district heating systems and assessing the efficiency of the energy usage therein

Science.gov (United States)

Orlov, M. E.; Sharapov, V. I.

2017-11-01

The report describes issues in connection with improving urban district heating systems from combined heat power plants (CHPs), to propose the ways for improving the reliability and the efficiency of the energy usage (often referred to as “energy efficiency”) in such systems. The main direction of such urban district heating systems improvement suggests transition to combined heating systems that include structural elements of both centralized and decentralized systems. Such systems provide the basic part of thermal power via highly efficient methods for extracting thermal power plants turbines steam, while peak loads are covered by decentralized peak thermal power sources to be mounted at consumers’ locations, with the peak sources being also reserve thermal power sources. The methodology was developed for assessing energy efficiency of the combined district heating systems, implemented as a computer software product capable of comparatively calculating saving on reference fuel for the system.

Improvements to a high-frequency fiber-optic system for plasma diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogle, J.W.; Lyons, P.B.; Looney, L.; Hocker, L.; Nelson, M.A.; Zagarino, P.A.; Davies, T.J.; Simmons, R.D.; Selk, R.; Hopkins, B.

1981-01-01

A system for high-frequency recording of plasma diagnostics has previously been reported. Substantial improvements have been made in the system response, dynamic range, and calibration of the system. Plastic-clad silica fiber is used as a radiation-to-light converter using the Cerenkov process. A spectral equalizer device is used to compensate for the material dispersion in the fiber, increasing the frequency response (approx. = 1 GHz-km) and the dynamic range (a factor of > 20 over a FWHM 1 nm, 50% transmitting interference filter). The calibration system uses a pulsed injection laser diode (< 100 ps FWHM) injected into the fiber at the radiation end of the fiber and detected by a microchannel plate photomultiplier tube on the recording end. The injection laser diode is triggered by a synchronous trigger delay unit, which also triggers a sampling or real time scope after as much as 10 μs delay with < 50 ps jitter. The system improvements are described in detail and the utility of these components in other plasma diagnostic systems is discussed

Discussion on establishment and improvement of the nuclear safety culture system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Weiqiang; Na Fuli

2010-01-01

By discussion of the problems in the manufacture process of nuclear power equipment enterprisers, puts forwards the tentative idea of establishment the nuclear safety culture system, meanwhile, gives some suggestions in order to improving the nuclear safety culture system. (authors)

Design of improved detection instrumentation for the annulus gas system for wolsong 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seog Nam; Koo, Jun Mo; Chang, Ik Ho; Jung, Ho Chang; Han, Sang Joon

1996-01-01

The improved and advanced Annulus Gas System (AGS) has been developed for Wolsong 2 to satisfy the requirements of the regulatory body. The Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) required a shorter detection time following a small leak from a pressure tube and/or calandria tube. This paper describes licensing requirements, functional requirements and detail design description for the AGS. The Wolsong unit No. 1 AGS was designed to operate as a stagnant system normally requiring only pressure regulation and having provisions for purging. The improved AGS involves the adoption of gas recirculation in AGS, duplication of dew point indicators with additional instrumentation and sampling provisions to prompt operator action. The improved system operates in the recirculation mode with continuous dew point measurement for leak detection. An AGS with improved detection instrumentation is provided. 8 refs., 3 figs. (author)

Improvements of the ruby laser oscillator system for laser scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, Toshihiko; Kumagai, Katsuaki; Kawakami, Tomohide; Matoba, Tohru; Funahashi, Akimasa

1978-10-01

A ruby laser oscillator system is used to measure electron temperatures of the Tokamak plasmas(JFT-2 and JFT-2a). Improvements have been made of the laser oscillator to obtain the correct values. Described are the improvements and the damages of a ruby rod and a KD*P crystal for Q-switching by laser beam. Improvement are the linear Xe lamp replaced by a helical Xe lamp and in the electrical circuit for Q-switching. The damage of an optical component by a laser beam should be clarified from the damage data; the cause is not found yet. (author)

Improving Water Resources System Operation by Direct Use of Hydroclimatic Information

Science.gov (United States)

Castelletti, A.; Pianosi, F.

2011-12-01

It is generally agreed that more information translates into better decisions. For instance, the availability of inflow predictions can improve reservoir operation; soil moisture data can be exploited to increase irrigation efficiency; etc. However, beyond this general statement, many theoretical and practical questions remain open. Provided that not all information sources are equally relevant, how does their value depend on the physical features of the water system and on the purposes of the system operation? What is the minimum lead time needed for anticipatory management to be effective? How does uncertainty in the information propagates through the modelling chain from hydroclimatic data through descriptive and decision models, and finally affect the decision? Is the data-predictions-decision paradigm truly effective or would it be better to directly use hydroclimatic data to take optimal decisions, skipping the intermediate step of hydrological forecasting? In this work we investigate these issues by application to the management of a complex water system in Northern Vietnam, characterized by multiple, conflicting objectives including hydropower production, flood control and water supply. First, we quantify the value of hydroclimatic information as the improvement in the system performances that could be attained under the (ideal) assumption of perfect knowledge of all future meteorological and hydrological input. Then, we assess and compare the relevance of different candidate information (meteorological or hydrological observations; ground or remote data; etc.) for the purpose of system operation by novel Input Variable Selection techniques. Finally, we evaluate the performance improvement made possible by the use of such information in re-designing the system operation.

Optimization Controller for Mechatronic Sun Tracking System to Improve Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Engin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available An embedded system that contains hardware and software was developed for two-axis solar tracking system to improve photovoltaic panel utilization. The hardware section of the embedded system consists of a 32-bit ARM core microcontroller, motor driver circuits, a motion control unit, pyranometer, GPS receiver, and an anemometer. The real-time control algorithm enables the solar tracker to operate automatically without external control as a stand-alone system, combining the advantages of the open-loop and the closed-loop control methods. The pyranometer is employed to continuously send radiation data to the controller if the measured radiation is above the lower radiation limit the photovoltaic panel can generate power, guaranteeing the solar tracking process to be highly efficient. The anemometer is utilized in the system to ensure that the solar tracking procedure halts under high wind speed conditions to protect the entire system. Latitude, longitude, altitude, date, and real-time clock data are provided by GPS receiver. The algorithm calculates solar time using astronomical equations with GPS data and converts it to pulse-width modulated motor control signal. The overall objective of this study is to develop a control algorithm that improves performance and reliability of the two-axis solar tracker, focusing on optimization of the controller board, drive hardware, and software.

JPRS Report, West Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

1988-03-04

Rossi; MONDO ECONOMICO , 30 Nov 87] 26 Air Force To Modify Deicing System of G-222 Aircraft [LA REPUBBLICA, 28 Oct 87] 27 NORWAY Armed Forces...sense]. Reagan himself is being forced to adopt interventionist and protectionist mea- sures in basic sectors of the economy. The logic of liberalism...ability to attract to the PS the fragmented and dispersed democratic Left, ranging from the MDP [Portuguese Democratic Movement] to certain sectors of

Improvement of JRR-4 core management code system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izumo, H.; Watanabe, S.; Nagatomi, H.; Hori, N.

2000-01-01

In the modification of JRR-4, the fuel was changed from 93% high enrichment uranium aluminized fuel to 20% low enriched uranium silicide fuel in conformity with the framework of reduced enrichment program on JAERI research reactors. As changing of this, JRR-4 core management code system which estimates excess reactivity of core, fuel burn-up and so on, was improved too. It had been difficult for users to operate the former code system because its input-output form was text-form. But, in the new code system (COMMAS-JRR), users are able to operate the code system without using difficult text-form input. The estimation results of excess reactivity of JRR-4 LEU fuel core were showed very good agreements with the measured value. It is the strong points of this new code system to be operated simply by using the windows form pictures act on a personal workstation equip with the graphical-user-interface (GUI), and to estimate accurately the specific characteristics of the LEU core. (author)

An Improved Constraint-Based System for the Verification of Security Protocols

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Corin, R.J.; Etalle, Sandro

We propose a constraint-based system for the verification of security protocols that improves upon the one developed by Millen and Shmatikov [30]. Our system features (1) a significantly more efficient implementation, (2) a monotonic behavior, which also allows to detect flaws associated to partial

An Improved Constraint-based system for the verification of security protocols

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Corin, R.J.; Etalle, Sandro; Hermenegildo, Manuel V.; Puebla, German

We propose a constraint-based system for the verification of security protocols that improves upon the one developed by Millen and Shmatikov. Our system features (1) a significantly more efficient implementation, (2) a monotonic behavior, which also allows to detect aws associated to partial runs

Intermittent use of an "anchor system" improves postural control in healthy older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Freitas, Milena de Bem Zavanella; Mauerberg-deCastro, Eliane; Moraes, Renato

2013-07-01

Haptic information, provided by a non-rigid tool (i.e., an "anchor system"), can reduce body sway in individuals who perform a standing postural task. However, it was not known whether or not continuous use of the anchor system would improve postural control after its removal. Additionally, it was unclear as to whether or not frequency of use of the anchor system is related to improved control in older adults. The present study evaluated the effect of the prolonged use of the anchor system on postural control in healthy older individuals, at different frequencies of use, while they performed a postural control task (semi-tandem position). Participants were divided into three groups according to the frequency of the anchor system's use (0%, 50%, and 100%). Pre-practice phase (without anchor) was followed by a practice phase (they used the anchor system at the predefined frequency), and a post-practice phase (immediate and late-without anchor). All three groups showed a persistent effect 15min after the end of the practice phase (immediate post-practice phase). However, only the 50% group showed a persistent effect in the late post-practice phase (24h after finishing the practice phase). Older adults can improve their postural control by practicing the standing postural task, and use of the anchor system limited to half of their practice time can provide additional improvement in their postural control. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Soft Systems Methodology Perspective on Data Warehousing Education Improvement

OpenAIRE

R. Goede; E. Taylor

2012-01-01

This paper demonstrates how the soft systems methodology can be used to improve the delivery of a module in data warehousing for fourth year information technology students. Graduates in information technology needs to have academic skills but also needs to have good practical skills to meet the skills requirements of the information technology industry. In developing and improving current data warehousing education modules one has to find a balance in meeting the expectations of ...

Using task analysis to improve the requirements elicitation in health information system.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, Leonor; Ferreira, Carlos; Santos, Beatriz Sousa

2007-01-01

This paper describes the application of task analysis within the design process of a Web-based information system for managing clinical information in hemophilia care, in order to improve the requirements elicitation and, consequently, to validate the domain model obtained in a previous phase of the design process (system analysis). The use of task analysis in this case proved to be a practical and efficient way to improve the requirements engineering process by involving users in the design process.

Titan I propulsion system modeling and possible performance improvements

Science.gov (United States)

Giusti, Oreste

This thesis features the Titan I propulsion systems and offers data-supported suggestions for improvements to increase performance. The original propulsion systems were modeled both graphically in CAD and via equations. Due to the limited availability of published information, it was necessary to create a more detailed, secondary set of models. Various engineering equations---pertinent to rocket engine design---were implemented in order to generate the desired extra detail. This study describes how these new models were then imported into the ESI CFD Suite. Various parameters are applied to these imported models as inputs that include, for example, bi-propellant combinations, pressure, temperatures, and mass flow rates. The results were then processed with ESI VIEW, which is visualization software. The output files were analyzed for forces in the nozzle, and various results were generated, including sea level thrust and ISP. Experimental data are provided to compare the original engine configuration models to the derivative suggested improvement models.

Improved local lattice Monte Carlo simulation for charged systems

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jian; Wang, Zhen-Gang

2018-03-01

Maggs and Rossetto [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 196402 (2002)] proposed a local lattice Monte Carlo algorithm for simulating charged systems based on Gauss's law, which scales with the particle number N as O(N). This method includes two degrees of freedom: the configuration of the mobile charged particles and the electric field. In this work, we consider two important issues in the implementation of the method, the acceptance rate of configurational change (particle move) and the ergodicity in the phase space sampled by the electric field. We propose a simple method to improve the acceptance rate of particle moves based on the superposition principle for electric field. Furthermore, we introduce an additional updating step for the field, named "open-circuit update," to ensure that the system is fully ergodic under periodic boundary conditions. We apply this improved local Monte Carlo simulation to an electrolyte solution confined between two low dielectric plates. The results show excellent agreement with previous theoretical work.

Impacts of Salinity on Saint-Augustin Lake, Canada: Remediation Measures at Watershed Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaëlle Guesdon

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Winter road network management is a source of anthropogenic salinity in the Saint-Augustin Lake watershed (Quebec City, QC, Canada. To prevent the potential impact caused by road runoff involving de-icing salts (NaCl and trace metals (Cd and Pb on the watershed, a full-scale treatment chain system (including a detention basin, a filtering bed, and a constructed wetland was built. Average Cl and Na concentrations in groundwater were higher in wells affected by road network (125 mg/L Cl and 64 mg/L Na than in control wells (13 mg/L Cl and 33 mg/L Na suggesting a contamination by de-icing salts. The monitoring of influent and effluent surface water in the treatment system has shown a seasonal dependence in NaCl concentrations and electrical conductivity values, being the highest in summer, linked with the lower precipitation and higher temperature. Concentration ranges were as follows: 114–846 mg/L Na and 158–1757 mg/L Cl (summer > 61–559 mg/L Na and 63–799 mg/L Cl (spring and autumn. The treatment system removal efficiency was significant, however with seasonal variations: 16%–20% Cl, 3%–25% Na, 7%–10% Cd and 7%–36% Pb. The treatment system has shown an interesting potential to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic salinity at watershed scale with higher expected performances in the subsequent years of operation.

Improving the Reliability of Case-Based Reasoning Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Xu

2010-09-01

also discussed in this paper, especially the property that whether inter-feature of case exists redundancy. After that, the reliability of an individual suggested solution is studied. To illustrate these ideas, some experiments and their results are discussed in this paper. The results of experiments show a new route concerning on how to improve the reliability of a CBR system at an overall level.

Improving cold chain systems: Challenges and solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashok, Ashvin; Brison, Michael; LeTallec, Yann

2017-04-19

While a number of new vaccines have been rolled out across the developing world (with more vaccines in the pipeline), cold chain systems are struggling to efficiently support national immunization programs in ensuring the availability of safe and potent vaccines. This article reflects on the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) experience working since 2010 with national immunization programs and partners to improve vaccines cold chains in 10 countries-Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Mozambique, Lesotho and India - to identify the root causes and solutions for three common issues limiting cold chain performance. Key recommendations include: Collectively, the solutions detailed in this article chart a path to substantially improving the performance of the cold chain. Combined with an enabling global and in-country environment, it is possible to eliminate cold chain issues as a substantial barrier to effective and full immunization coverage over the next few years. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Projecting technology change to improve space technology planning and systems management

Science.gov (United States)

Walk, Steven Robert

2011-04-01

Projecting technology performance evolution has been improving over the years. Reliable quantitative forecasting methods have been developed that project the growth, diffusion, and performance of technology in time, including projecting technology substitutions, saturation levels, and performance improvements. These forecasts can be applied at the early stages of space technology planning to better predict available future technology performance, assure the successful selection of technology, and improve technology systems management strategy. Often what is published as a technology forecast is simply scenario planning, usually made by extrapolating current trends into the future, with perhaps some subjective insight added. Typically, the accuracy of such predictions falls rapidly with distance in time. Quantitative technology forecasting (QTF), on the other hand, includes the study of historic data to identify one of or a combination of several recognized universal technology diffusion or substitution patterns. In the same manner that quantitative models of physical phenomena provide excellent predictions of system behavior, so do QTF models provide reliable technological performance trajectories. In practice, a quantitative technology forecast is completed to ascertain with confidence when the projected performance of a technology or system of technologies will occur. Such projections provide reliable time-referenced information when considering cost and performance trade-offs in maintaining, replacing, or migrating a technology, component, or system. This paper introduces various quantitative technology forecasting techniques and illustrates their practical application in space technology and technology systems management.

Innovation in user-centered skills and performance improvement for sustainable complex service systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Karwowski, Waldemar; Ahram, Tareq Z

2012-01-01

In order to leverage individual and organizational learning and to remain competitive in current turbulent markets it is important for employees, managers, planners and leaders to perform at high levels over time. Employee competence and skills are extremely important matters in view of the general shortage of talent and the mobility of employees with talent. Two factors emerged to have the greatest impact on the competitiveness of complex service systems: improving managerial and employee's knowledge attainment for skills, and improving the training and development of the workforce. This paper introduces the knowledge-based user-centered service design approach for sustainable skill and performance improvement in education, design and modeling of the next generation of complex service systems. The rest of the paper cover topics in human factors and sustainable business process modeling for the service industry, and illustrates the user-centered service system development cycle with the integration of systems engineering concepts in service systems. A roadmap for designing service systems of the future is discussed. The framework introduced in this paper is based on key user-centered design principles and systems engineering applications to support service competitiveness.

Nanostructured delivery systems with improved leishmanicidal activity: a critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruni, Natascia; Stella, Barbara; Giraudo, Leonardo; Della Pepa, Carlo; Gastaldi, Daniela; Dosio, Franco

2017-01-01

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania , which are responsible for numerous clinical manifestations, such as cutaneous, visceral, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, depending on the site of infection for particular species. These complexities threaten 350 million people in 98 countries worldwide. Amastigotes living within macrophage phagolysosomes are the principal target of antileishmanial treatment, but these are not an easy target as drugs must overcome major structural barriers. Furthermore, limitations on current therapy are related to efficacy, toxicity, and cost, as well as the length of treatment, which can increase parasitic resistance. Nanotechnology has emerged as an attractive alternative as conventional drugs delivered by nanosized carriers have improved bioavailability and reduced toxicity, together with other characteristics that help to relieve the burden of this disease. The significance of using colloidal carriers loaded with active agents derives from the physiological uptake route of intravenous administered nanosystems (the phagocyte system). Nanosystems are thus able to promote a high drug concentration in intracellular mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS)-infected cells. Moreover, the versatility of nanometric drug delivery systems for the deliberate transport of a range of molecules plays a pivotal role in the design of therapeutic strategies against leishmaniasis. This review discusses studies on nanocarriers that have greatly contributed to improving the efficacy of antileishmaniasis drugs, presenting a critical review and some suggestions for improving drug delivery.

Continuous Quality Improvement and Comprehensive Primary Health Care: A Systems Framework to Improve Service Quality and Health Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

McCalman, Janya; Bailie, Ross; Bainbridge, Roxanne; McPhail-Bell, Karen; Percival, Nikki; Askew, Deborah; Fagan, Ruth; Tsey, Komla

2018-01-01

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes for improving clinical care and health outcomes have been implemented by primary health-care services, with resultant health-care impacts. But only 10-20% of gain in health outcomes is contributed by health-care services; a much larger share is determined by social and cultural factors. This perspective paper argues that health care and health outcomes can be enhanced through applying CQI as a systems approach to comprehensive primary health care. Referring to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian context as an example, the authors provide a systems framework that includes strategies and conditions to facilitate evidence-based and local decision making by primary health-care services. The framework describes the integration of CQI vertically to improve linkages with governments and community members and horizontally with other sectors to influence the social and cultural determinants of health. Further, government and primary health-care service investment is required to support and extend integration and evaluation of CQI efforts vertically and horizontally.

Development of energy economic ventilation system with heat recovery in dwellings; Udvikling af energioekonomisk ventilationsloesning med varmegenvinding til boliger

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drivsholm, C.; Olsen, Hans; Groenborg Larsen, C.; Jensen, John Steen; Rammer Nielsen, T.; Kragh, J.; Svendsen, Svend

2005-07-01

This report describes and documents the development of a counter flow heat exchanger with efficiency of approximately 90% and a highly efficient axial fan both developed for small mechanical ventilation systems for use in single family houses. The report also treats problems concerning condensation and ice formation in efficient counter flow heat exchangers. The influence of condensate and ice is investigated by measurements on an efficient heat exchanger and different strategies for de-icing are tested. A computer program is developed to calculate how condensation and frost influence the heat exchange under stationary conditions. In the project a counter flow heat exchanger of aluminium is developed with a calculated efficiency of approximately 90%. The heat exchanger is hereby legal for ventilation of more than one fire section. CAD drawings of the exchanger are coded to a CNC milling machine and two cylinders (a positive and a negative mould) are produced. The joints of the heat exchanger are glued and placed in a protecting aluminium frame. (BA)

Testing improvements in the chocolate traceability system: Impact on product recalls and production efficiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saltini, Rolando; Akkerman, Renzo

2012-01-01

hypothetical improvements of the traceability system within the chocolate production system and supply chain and we illustrate the resulting benefits by using a case study. Based on the case study, we quantify the influence of these improvements on production efficiency and recall size in case of a safety......The primary aim of food traceability is to increase food safety, but traceability systems can also bring other benefits to production systems and supply chains. In the literature these benefits are extensively discussed, but studies that quantify them are scarce. In this paper we propose two...... crisis by developing a simulation tool. These results are aimed to illustrate and quantify the additional benefits of traceability information, and could help food industries in deciding whether and how to improve their traceability systems....

An Improved Inventory Control Model for the Brazilian Navy Supply System

Science.gov (United States)

2001-12-01

Portuguese Centro de Controle de Inventario da Marinha, the Brazilian Navy Inventory Control Point (ICP) developed an empirical model called SPAADA...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited AN IMPROVED INVENTORY CONTROL ...AN IMPROVED INVENTORY CONTROL MODEL FOR THE BRAZILIAN NAVY SUPPLY SYSTEM Contract Number Grant Number Program Element Number Author(s) Moreira

Prioritization and selection of electrical vehicle systems to improve its performances: An AHP approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larrode, E.; Muerza, V.; Arroyo, J.B.

2016-07-01

In the study of the improvement of urban transport in terms of energy efficiency and environmental improvement, one of the best options is the use of electric vehicles for both passengers and freight distribution. Depending on the type of transport operation to be performed, it is necessary to select the most appropriate vehicle that meets the necessary requirements, so that the result is an improvement in energy efficiency and low environmental impact. It is therefore necessary to design architectures for electric vehicles, specially adapted to the different scenarios in which are to be used, and where they can optimize the transport operation in both reducing energy consumption and reducing emissions, maintaining a cost competitive with current vehicle operation. The electrical vehicles (EV) are composed of different systems. A typical EV structure involves five subsystems: (i) drive system, (ii) power system, (iii) control system, (iv) vehicle structure and (v) auxiliary systems. This paper focuses on the development of a multicriteria decision procedure based on the use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to prioritize among the five vehicle systems, in which the design efforts should be guided to improve the vehicle. (Author)

Force Measurement Improvements to the National Transonic Facility Sidewall Model Support System

Science.gov (United States)

Goodliff, Scott L.; Balakrishna, Sundareswara; Butler, David; Cagle, C. Mark; Chan, David; Jones, Gregory S.; Milholen, William E., II

2016-01-01

The National Transonic Facility is a transonic pressurized cryogenic facility. The development of the high Reynolds number semi-span capability has advanced over the years to include transonic active flow control and powered testing using the sidewall model support system. While this system can be used in total temperatures down to -250Â F for conventional unpowered configurations, it is limited to temperatures above -60Â F when used with powered models that require the use of the high-pressure air delivery system. Thermal instabilities and non-repeatable mechanical arrangements revealed several data quality shortfalls by the force and moment measurement system. Recent modifications to the balance cavity recirculation system have improved the temperature stability of the balance and metric model-to-balance hardware. Changes to the mechanical assembly of the high-pressure air delivery system, particularly hardware that interfaces directly with the model and balance, have improved the repeatability of the force and moment measurement system. Drag comparisons with the high-pressure air system removed will also be presented in this paper.

SLAC modulator system improvements and reliability results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donaldson, A.R.

1998-06-01

In 1995, an improvement project was completed on the 244 klystron modulators in the linear accelerator. The modulator system has been previously described. This article offers project details and their resulting effect on modulator and component reliability. Prior to the project, the authors had collected four operating cycles (1991 through 1995) of MTTF data. In this discussion, the '91 data will be excluded since the modulators operated at 60 Hz. The five periods following the '91 run were reviewed due to the common repetition rate at 120 Hz

Peri-urban dairy production systems in developing countries: Characteristics, potential and opportunities for improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devendra, C.

2002-01-01

Full text: Peri-urban dairy production systems in developing countries are discussed with reference to type of systems, their characteristics, potential, and opportunities for improvement. Three types of dairy systems are identified and described: smallholder systems, smallholder co-perative dairy production systems, and intensive dairy production systems. The first two systems are by far the most important, and are associated with increasing intensification. Buffaloes are especially important in South Asia, but elsewhere dairy production mainly involves Holstein-Friesian cross-bred cattle. Dairy goats are important in some countries, but are generally neglected in development programmes. The expansion and intensification of peri-urban dairy production is fuelled by increased demand for milk with associated problems of milk handling and distribution, hygiene and environmental pollution. The major constraints to production are inter alia, choice of species, breeds and availability of animals; feed resources and improved feeding systems; improved breeding, reproduction, and animal health care; management of animal manure, and organised marketing, and market outlets. These constraints provide major opportunities and challenges for research and development to increase dairy production, efficient management of natural resources, and improved livelihoods of poor farmers. Specific areas for research are identified, as also the need of a holistic focus involving interdisciplinary research and integrated natural resource management, in a shared partnership between farmers and scientists that can demonstrate increased productivity and sustainable production systems. Suggestions for performance indicators for such systems are indicated. (author)

Improvement in QEPAS system utilizing a second harmonic based wavelength calibration technique

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qinduan; Chang, Jun; Wang, Fupeng; Wang, Zongliang; Xie, Yulei; Gong, Weihua

2018-05-01

A simple laser wavelength calibration technique, based on second harmonic signal, is demonstrated in this paper to improve the performance of quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) gas sensing system, e.g. improving the signal to noise ratio (SNR), detection limit and long-term stability. Constant current, corresponding to the gas absorption line, combining f/2 frequency sinusoidal signal are used to drive the laser (constant driving mode), a software based real-time wavelength calibration technique is developed to eliminate the wavelength drift due to ambient fluctuations. Compared to conventional wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS), this method allows lower filtering bandwidth and averaging algorithm applied to QEPAS system, improving SNR and detection limit. In addition, the real-time wavelength calibration technique guarantees the laser output is modulated steadily at gas absorption line. Water vapor is chosen as an objective gas to evaluate its performance compared to constant driving mode and conventional WMS system. The water vapor sensor was designed insensitive to the incoherent external acoustic noise by the numerical averaging technique. As a result, the SNR increases 12.87 times in wavelength calibration technique based system compared to conventional WMS system. The new system achieved a better linear response (R2 = 0 . 9995) in concentration range from 300 to 2000 ppmv, and achieved a minimum detection limit (MDL) of 630 ppbv.

Efficiencies and improvement potential of building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, Adnan; Fudholi, Ahmad; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman; Othman, Mohd Yusof; Ruslan, Mohd Hafidz

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Performances analysis of BIPVT solar collector based on energy and exergy analyses. • A new absorber design of BIPVT solar collector is presented. • BIPVT solar collector is produced primary-energy saving efficiency from about 73% to 81%. • PVT energy efficiency varies between 55% and 62% where as the variation in the PVT exergy efficiency is from 12% to 14%. • The improvement potential is between 98 and 404 W. - Abstract: Building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) system has been designed to produce both electricity and hot water and later integrated to building. The hot water is produced at the useful temperatures for the applications in Malaysia such as building integrated heating system and domestic hot water system as well as many industrial including agricultural and commercial applications. The photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system comprises of a high efficiency multicrystal photovoltaic (PV) module and spiral flow absorber for BIPVT application, have been performed and investigated. In this study, it was assumed that the absorber was attached underneath the flat plate single glazing sheet of polycrystalline silicon PV module and water has been used as a heat transfer medium in absorber. Performances analysis of BIPVT system based on energy and exergy analyses. It was based on efficiencies including energy and exergy, and exergetic improvement potential (IP) based on the metrological condition of Malaysia has been carried out. Results show that the hourly variation for BIPVT system, the PVT energy efficiency of 55–62% is higher than the PVT exergy efficiency of 12–14%. The improvement potential increases with increasing solar radiation, it is between 98 and 404 W. On the other hand, BIPVT system was produced primary-energy saving efficiency from about 73% to 81%

Improvement in the distribution of services in multi-agent systems with SCODA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús Ángel ROMÁN GALLEGO

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The distribution of services on multi-agent systems allows it to reduce to the agents their computational load. The functionality of the system does not reside in the agents themselves, however it is ubiquitously distributed so that allows you to perform tasks in parallel avoiding an additional computational cost to the elements in the system. The distribution of services that offers SCODA (Distributed and Specialized Agent Communities allows an intelligent management of these services provided by agents of the system and the parallel execution of threads that allow to respond to requests asynchronously, which implies an improvement in the performance of the system at both the computational level as the level of quality of service in the control of these services. The comparison carried out in the case of study that is presented in this paper demonstrates the existing improvement in the distribution of services on systems based on SCODA.

Analysis of transition between chaos and hyper-chaos of an improved hyper-chaotic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiao-Lun, Gu; Tie-Gang, Gao

2009-01-01

An improved hyper-chaotic system based on the hyper-chaos generated from Chen's system is presented, and some basic dynamical properties of the system are investigated by means of Lyapunov exponent spectrum, bifurcation diagrams and characteristic equation roots. Simulations show that the new improved system evolves into hyper-chaotic, chaotic, various quasi-periodic or periodic orbits when one parameter of the system is fixed to be a certain value while the other one is variable. Some computer simulations and bifurcation analyses are given to testify the findings. (general)

Detection of icing on wind turbine blades by means of vibration and power curve analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skrimpas, Georgios Alexandros; Kleani, Karolina; Mijatovic, Nenad

2016-01-01

accelerometers and power performance analysis. Features extracted from these two techniques serve as inputs in a decision-making scheme, allowing early activation of de-icing systems or shut down of the wind turbine. An additional parameter is the month of operation, assuring consistent outcomes in both winter......Ice accretion on wind turbines' blades is one of the main challenges of systems installed in cold climate locations, resulting in power performance deterioration and excessive nacelle oscillation. In this work, consistent detection of icing events is achieved utilizing indications from the nacelle...

Exergoeconomic improvement of a complex cogeneration system integrated with a professional process simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira, Leonardo S.; Donatelli, Joao L.; Cruz, Manuel E.

2009-01-01

In this paper, the application of an iterative exergoeconomic methodology for improvement of thermal systems to a complex combined-cycle cogeneration plant is presented. The methodology integrates exergoeconomics with a professional process simulator, and represents an alternative to conventional mathematical optimization techniques, because it reduces substantially the number of variables to be considered in the improvement process. By exploiting the computational power of a simulator, the integrated approach permits the optimization routine to ignore the variables associated with the thermodynamic equations, and thus to deal only with the economic equations and objective function. In addition, the methodology combines recent available exergoeconomic techniques with qualitative and quantitative criteria to identify only those decision variables, which matter for the improvement of the system. To demonstrate the strengths of the methodology, it is here applied to a 24-component cogeneration plant, which requires O(10 3 ) variables for its simulation. The results which are obtained, are compared to those reached using a conventional mathematical optimization procedure, also coupled to the process simulator. It is shown that, for engineering purposes, improvement of the system is often more cost effective and less time consuming than optimization of the system.

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems and Children's Cognitive Development

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Lieny; Buettner, Cynthia K.

2015-01-01

Background: Providing enriched learning environments is important to stimulating children's development in early childhood. Early child-care policymakers in many states in the US have adopted Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) as a way to verify quality of child care and to support children's school readiness. Objective: The purpose of…

A Step beyond Univision Evaluation: Using a Systems Model of Performance Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleezer, Catherine M.; Zhang, Jiping; Gradous, Deane B.; Maile, Craig

1999-01-01

Examines three views of performance improvement--scientific management, instructional design, and systems thinking--each providing a unique view of performance improvement and specific roles for evaluation. Provides an integrated definition of performance and a synthesis model that encompasses the three views. (AEF)

Recent improvements to the DIII-D neutral beam instrumentation and control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kellman, D.H.; Hong, R.

1997-11-01

The DIII-D neutral beam (NB) instrumentation and control (I and C) system provides for operational control and synchronization of the eight DIII-D neutral beam injection systems, as well as for pertinent data acquisition and safety interlocking. Recently, improvements were made to the I and C system. With the replacement of the NB control computers, new signal interfacing was required to accommodate the elimination of physical operator panels, in favor of graphical user interface control pages on computer terminal screens. The program in the mode control (MC) programmable logic controller (PLC), which serves as a logic-processing interface between the NB control computers and system hardware, was modified to improve the availability of NB heating of DIII-D plasmas in the event that one or more individual beam systems suddenly become unavailable while preparing for a tokamak experimental shot sequences. An upgraded computer platform was adopted for the NB control system operator interface and new graphical user interface pages were developed to more efficiently display system status data. A failure mode of the armor tile infrared thermometers (pyrometers), which serve to terminate beam pulsing if beam shine-through overheats wall thermal shielding inside the DIII-D tokamak, was characterized such that impending failures can be detected and repairs effected to mitigate beam system down-time. The hardware that controls gas flow to the beamline neutralizer cells was upgraded to reduce susceptibility to electromagnetic interference (EMI), and interlocking was provided to terminate beam pulsing in the event of insufficient neutralizer gas flow. Motivation, implementation, and results of these improvements are presented

An improved safeguards system and its application to large backend facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-12-01

The evaluation criteria, which are commonly applicable to both Material Accountancy (MA) and Containment and Surveillance (C/S) and applicable to a large backend facilities, are discussed. It is analyzed that substantial increase of the proliferation resistance can be expected by improving the presently existing safeguards systems. The improved safeguards system described in this paper is expected to be applicable to large-scaled backend facilities without giving unnecessary economical and technical burdens. The main purpose of this approach is to move away from the present trend of too much reliance on MA and to develop the synthetical safeguards effects by harmonizing C/S and continuing MA effectively

Comparability of the Social Skills Improvement System to the Social Skills Rating System: A Norwegian Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gamst-Klaussen, Thor; Rasmussen, Lene-Mari P.; Svartdal, Frode; Strømgren, Børge

2016-01-01

The Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) is a multi-informant instrument assessing social skills and problem behavior in children and adolescents. It is a revised version of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). A Norwegian translation of the SSRS has been validated, but this has not yet been done for the Norwegian…

Time-dependent resilience assessment and improvement of urban infrastructure systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Min; Dueñas-Osorio, Leonardo

2012-09-01

This paper introduces an approach to assess and improve the time-dependent resilience of urban infrastructure systems, where resilience is defined as the systems' ability to resist various possible hazards, absorb the initial damage from hazards, and recover to normal operation one or multiple times during a time period T. For different values of T and its position relative to current time, there are three forms of resilience: previous resilience, current potential resilience, and future potential resilience. This paper mainly discusses the third form that takes into account the systems' future evolving processes. Taking the power transmission grid in Harris County, Texas, USA as an example, the time-dependent features of resilience and the effectiveness of some resilience-inspired strategies, including enhancement of situational awareness, management of consumer demand, and integration of distributed generators, are all simulated and discussed. Results show a nonlinear nature of resilience as a function of T, which may exhibit a transition from an increasing function to a decreasing function at either a threshold of post-blackout improvement rate, a threshold of load profile with consumer demand management, or a threshold number of integrated distributed generators. These results are further confirmed by studying a typical benchmark system such as the IEEE RTS-96. Such common trends indicate that some resilience strategies may enhance infrastructure system resilience in the short term, but if not managed well, they may compromise practical utility system resilience in the long run.

New software system to improve AGU membership management

Science.gov (United States)

McEntee, Chris

2012-06-01

Almost 2 years ago, AGU began investigating how it could more efficiently manage member and customer records as well as support processes that currently run on multiple systems. I am pleased to announce that on 25 June, as the result of intense efforts, AGU will migrate to a new database software system that will house the majority of AGU operations. AGU staff will have more tools at their disposal to assist members, and members will have more intuitive and user-friendly options when using the online interface to update their profiles or make purchases. I am particularly excited about this major improvement to our infrastructure because it better positions AGU to achieve goals in its strategic plan.

Helicopter Icing Review.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-09-01

helicopter (i.e. in an icing tunnel or engine test cell ) and therefore can be subjected to controlled icing where spe- cific problems can be safely...evaluation. 69 2.2.5.2 Ice Protection Systems Demonstration Many of the systems noted in 2.2.5.1 can be evaluated in icing test cells or icing wind tunnels...Figure 2-32 illustrates a typical rotor deice system control arrangement. 104 (N >4 A.dO INaH -E- C4) uo U En 9 E-1 H m I ~z O 04 04iH U 0 El4 E-f C E

Emerging indirect and long-term road salt effects on ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, Stuart E G; Kelly, Victoria R

2011-03-01

Widespread use of salts as deicing agents on roads has been perceived as a significant source of environmental and economic damage. Early studies focused on near-road and short-term effects where concentrations can exceed several grams per liter. Evidence is accumulating that the use of salts has significant effects over broader areas, longer time frames, and is affecting a range of ecological processes. Concentrations of NaCl can be elevated throughout an ecosystem to >100 mg Cl(-) /L, which may have nonlethal and possibly subtle effects on sensitive life stages of several organisms. NaCl seems subject to retention within terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, thus prolonging the actual duration of exposure and leading to elevated warm-season concentrations when reproduction may be occurring or other sensitive life stages are present. Many of the alternatives to NaCl reduce some of these negative effects, although are currently cost prohibitive for large-scale use. Some techniques for managing application rates are improvements in technology, while others involve novel mixtures of organic compounds that may have new environmental consequences. The increasing evidence of these widespread and persistent environmental consequences must be brought into decisions on deicing procedures. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

An improved data acquisition system for isotopic ratio mass spectrometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saha, T.K.; Reddy, B.; Nazare, C.K.; Handu, V.K.

1999-01-01

Isotopic ratio mass spectrometers designed and fabricated to measure the isotopic ratios with a precision of better than 0.05%. In order to achieve this precision, the measurement system consisting of ion signal to voltage converters, analog to digital converters, and data acquisition electronics should be at least one order better than the overall precision of measurement. Using state of the art components and techniques, a data acquisition system, which is an improved version of the earlier system, has been designed and developed for use with multi-collector isotopic ratio mass spectrometers

Event (error and near-miss) reporting and learning system for process improvement in radiation oncology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mutic, Sasa; Brame, R Scott; Oddiraju, Swetha; Parikh, Parag; Westfall, Melisa A; Hopkins, Merilee L; Medina, Angel D; Danieley, Jonathan C; Michalski, Jeff M; El Naqa, Issam M; Low, Daniel A; Wu, Bin

2010-09-01

The value of near-miss and error reporting processes in many industries is well appreciated and typically can be supported with data that have been collected over time. While it is generally accepted that such processes are important in the radiation therapy (RT) setting, studies analyzing the effects of organized reporting and process improvement systems on operation and patient safety in individual clinics remain scarce. The purpose of this work is to report on the design and long-term use of an electronic reporting system in a RT department and compare it to the paper-based reporting system it replaced. A specifically designed web-based system was designed for reporting of individual events in RT and clinically implemented in 2007. An event was defined as any occurrence that could have, or had, resulted in a deviation in the delivery of patient care. The aim of the system was to support process improvement in patient care and safety. The reporting tool was designed so individual events could be quickly and easily reported without disrupting clinical work. This was very important because the system use was voluntary. The spectrum of reported deviations extended from minor workflow issues (e.g., scheduling) to errors in treatment delivery. Reports were categorized based on functional area, type, and severity of an event. The events were processed and analyzed by a formal process improvement group that used the data and the statistics collected through the web-based tool for guidance in reengineering clinical processes. The reporting trends for the first 24 months with the electronic system were compared to the events that were reported in the same clinic with a paper-based system over a seven-year period. The reporting system and the process improvement structure resulted in increased event reporting, improved event communication, and improved identification of clinical areas which needed process and safety improvements. The reported data were also useful for the

System design and improvement of an emergency department using Simulation-Based Multi-Objective Optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uriarte, A Goienetxea; Zúñiga, E Ruiz; Moris, M Urenda; Ng, A H C

2015-01-01

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is nowadays widely used to support decision makers in system analysis and improvement. However, the use of simulation for improving stochastic logistic processes is not common among healthcare providers. The process of improving healthcare systems involves the necessity to deal with trade-off optimal solutions that take into consideration a multiple number of variables and objectives. Complementing DES with Multi-Objective Optimization (SMO) creates a superior base for finding these solutions and in consequence, facilitates the decision-making process. This paper presents how SMO has been applied for system improvement analysis in a Swedish Emergency Department (ED). A significant number of input variables, constraints and objectives were considered when defining the optimization problem. As a result of the project, the decision makers were provided with a range of optimal solutions which reduces considerably the length of stay and waiting times for the ED patients. SMO has proved to be an appropriate technique to support healthcare system design and improvement processes. A key factor for the success of this project has been the involvement and engagement of the stakeholders during the whole process. (paper)

Improvements in iodine and ruthenium removal from advanced liquid processing system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skibo, A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-09-27

SRNL has considerable experience in designing, engineering, and operating systems for removing iodine-129 (I-129) and ruthenium-106 (Ru-106) from waste streams that are directly analogous to the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) waste streams. SRNL proposes to provide the technical background and design and engineering support for an improved I-129 and Ru-106 removal system for application to ALPS on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS).

Improving the performance of power-limited transverse stochastic cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, D.A.; Lambertson, G.R.

1989-08-01

We present the formulas relevant to the behavior of (transverse) stochastic cooling systems which operate under the not uncommon condition that performance is limited by available output power, and contrast the operation of such systems with non-power-limited ones. In particular, we show that for power-limited systems, the two most effective improvements are the use of pickups/kickers which operate in both planes simultaneously and/or plunging of the cooling system electrodes, and present an example where increasing bandwidth is counter-productive. We apply our results to the proposed upgrade of the Fermilab bar p source. 4 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

Millwater Pumping System Optimization Improves Efficiency and Saves Energy at an Automotive Glass Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2003-03-01

In 2001, the Visteon automotive glass plant in Nashville, Tennessee renovated its millwater pumping system. This improvement saved the plant $280,000 annually in energy and operating costs, reduced annual energy consumption by 3.2 million kilowatt-hours, reduced water consumption, improved system performance, and reduced use of water treatment chemicals.

Essential medicines in Tanzania: does the new delivery system improve supply and accountability?

Science.gov (United States)

Mikkelsen-Lopez, Inez; Cowley, Peter; Kasale, Harun; Mbuya, Conrad; Reid, Graham; de Savigny, Don

2014-02-01

Objective : Assess whether reform in the Tanzanian medicines delivery system from a central 'push' kit system to a decentralized 'pull' Integrated Logistics System (ILS) has improved medicines accountability. Methods : Rufiji District in Tanzania was used as a case study. Data on medicines ordered and patients seen were compiled from routine information at six public health facilities in 1999 under the kit system and in 2009 under the ILS. Three medicines were included for comparison: an antimalarial, anthelmintic and oral rehydration salts (ORS). Results : The quality of the 2009 data was hampered by incorrect quantification calculations for orders, especially for antimalarials. Between the periods 1999 and 2009, the percent of unaccounted antimalarials fell from 60 to 18%, while the percent of unaccounted anthelmintic medicines went from 82 to 71%. Accounting for ORS, on the other hand, did not improve as the unaccounted amounts increased from 64 to 81% during the same period. Conclusions : The ILS has not adequately addressed accountability concerns seen under the kit system due to a combination of governance and system-design challenges. These quantification weaknesses are likely to have contributed to the frequent periods of antimalarial stock-out experienced in Tanzania since 2009. We propose regular reconciliation between the health information system and the medicines delivery system, thereby improving visibility and guiding interventions to increase the availability of essential medicines.

IMPROVING THE LOGISTICAL PROCESSES IN CORPORATE SERVICE SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina MAKAROVA

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The study deals with enhancing the reliability of freight cars by improving the corporate service system. Assessing of the quality of spare parts suppliers is discussed. An algorithm for supplier selection and an evaluation method, based on cluster analysis of indicators of supplier reliability, is proposed. Alternative developments for a service network, in view of expanding of the car fleet powered by natural gas-based fuel have been considered.

Can terraced pond wetland systems improve urban watershed water quality?

Science.gov (United States)

Li, S.; Ho, M.; Flanagan, N. E.; Richardson, C. J.

2017-12-01

Properly built constructed wetlands are a more economic and efficient way of wastewater treatment compared with traditional methods, although their mechanisms are far from completely understood. As part of the Stream and Wetland Assessment Management Park (SWAMP), which is aimed to improve the water quality of downstream and thereby enhance watershed ecosystem services, a terraced three-pond wetland system was created near Duke University in 2014. This project is expected to promote the retention and settling of pollutants and sediment before runoffs enter downstream flow. The goal of this study is to examine: (1) whether a terraced pond wetland system improves water quality, during both baseline (low flow) and storm events (high flow), which increases pollutant inputs; and (2) how this system functions to remove pollutants, namely what components of this system (plant, soil or water) increase or decrease the level of pollutants. By analyzing a dataset consisting of more than four-year monthly samplings from Pond 1 (first pond in the system) and Pond 3 (last pond in the system), we found that the pond system has reduced total suspended solids (TSS) but only when elevated inputs occur. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is closely related to temperature and macrophytes growth; whereas acidity (pH), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) did not show retention in the early stages of the system development. This system reaches its optimum for reducing TSS at the second pond, but the third pond has important effects on DO, pH, TN and TP. A monitoring in 2017 shows this pond system significantly reduces TSS while increasing dissolved oxygen and neutralizing pH after a storm event; although greater variations incurred within the system as time progresses after storm, overall retention function remained valid. Retention of the pollutants is primarily accomplished by the settling process, which occurs in stilled waterbody of the ponds and by the filtration of macrophytes. We

Analysis on nuclear power plant control room system design and improvement based on human factor engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Feng; Liu Yanzi; Sun Yongbin

2014-01-01

The design of nuclear power plant control room system is a process of improvement with the implementation of human factor engineering theory and guidance. The method of implementation human factor engineering principles into the nuclear power plant control room system design and improvement was discussed in this paper. It is recommended that comprehensive address should be done from control room system function, human machine interface, digital procedure, control room layout and environment design based on the human factor engineering theory and experience. The main issues which should be paid more attention during the control room system design and improvement also were addressed in this paper, and then advices and notices for the design and improvement of the nuclear power plant control room system were afforded. (authors)

Improvement of the real-time processor in JT-60 data processing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakata, S.; Kiyono, K.; Sato, M.; Kominato, T.; Sueoka, M.; Hosoyama, H.; Kawamata, Y.

2009-01-01

Real-time processor, RTP is a basic subsystem in the JT-60 data processing system and plays an important role in JT-60 feedback control for plasma experiment. During the experiment, RTP acquires various diagnostic signals, processes them into a form of physical values, and transfers them as sensor signals to the particle supply and heating control supervisor for feedback control via reflective memory synchronization with 1 ms clock signals. After the start of RTP operation in 1997, to meet the demand for advanced plasma experiment, RTP had been improved continuously such as by addition of diagnostic signals with faster digitizers, reducing time for data transfer utilizing reflective memory instead of CAMAC. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, manage, and improve the outdated RTP with limited system CPU capability. Currently, a prototype RTP system is being developed for the next real-time processing system, which is composed of clustered system utilizing VxWorks computer. The processes on the existing RTP system will be decentralized to the VxWorks computer to solve the issues of the existing RTP system. The prototype RTP system will start to operate in August 2008.

Continuous Quality Improvement and Comprehensive Primary Health Care: A Systems Framework to Improve Service Quality and Health Outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janya McCalman

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Continuous quality improvement (CQI processes for improving clinical care and health outcomes have been implemented by primary health-care services, with resultant health-care impacts. But only 10–20% of gain in health outcomes is contributed by health-care services; a much larger share is determined by social and cultural factors. This perspective paper argues that health care and health outcomes can be enhanced through applying CQI as a systems approach to comprehensive primary health care. Referring to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian context as an example, the authors provide a systems framework that includes strategies and conditions to facilitate evidence-based and local decision making by primary health-care services. The framework describes the integration of CQI vertically to improve linkages with governments and community members and horizontally with other sectors to influence the social and cultural determinants of health. Further, government and primary health-care service investment is required to support and extend integration and evaluation of CQI efforts vertically and horizontally.

Continuous Quality Improvement and Comprehensive Primary Health Care: A Systems Framework to Improve Service Quality and Health Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

McCalman, Janya; Bailie, Ross; Bainbridge, Roxanne; McPhail-Bell, Karen; Percival, Nikki; Askew, Deborah; Fagan, Ruth; Tsey, Komla

2018-01-01

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes for improving clinical care and health outcomes have been implemented by primary health-care services, with resultant health-care impacts. But only 10–20% of gain in health outcomes is contributed by health-care services; a much larger share is determined by social and cultural factors. This perspective paper argues that health care and health outcomes can be enhanced through applying CQI as a systems approach to comprehensive primary health care. Referring to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian context as an example, the authors provide a systems framework that includes strategies and conditions to facilitate evidence-based and local decision making by primary health-care services. The framework describes the integration of CQI vertically to improve linkages with governments and community members and horizontally with other sectors to influence the social and cultural determinants of health. Further, government and primary health-care service investment is required to support and extend integration and evaluation of CQI efforts vertically and horizontally. PMID:29623271

IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS OF PASSENGER ROLLING STOCK: PATENT REVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. R. Kolesnykov

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Inventors and researchers of the world are focused on improvements of basic life support systems including provision of quality microclimate parameters in a car of the rolling stock. The research is aimed at reviewing and analyzing patents in the field of climate comfort, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (CCHVAC of railway passenger cars (the chronological framework: 2011-2017 from the date of publication. Мethodology. During the study there were reviewed patents (foreign and domestic ones in the field of CCHVAC in passenger vehicles, in particular railway cars, their optimization and ways of managing them. Patent search was carried out according to certain search criteria: keywords, time frames and in various patent systems of the world. An interdisciplinary approach was used. Findings. Based on the search results, 157 patents were found, 21 documents of which were selected for analysis. Patents are systematized into three groups: "New technical and technological solutions in systems and functioning facilities of HVAC ", "New and improved solutions for HVAC system management in a vehicle", "Air ozonation in passenger cars". It is established that all patents have one of the aspects that have solutions to the issues of more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and safe application of CCHVAC systems in railway transport. Originality. It was proved a high level of link penetration in various technical fields, which include patents with CCHVAC. It is established that it is characteristic for them to designate the majority of patent solutions for use not in the purely railway industry, but in transport in general. Practical value. Confirmation of the high level of link penetration in various technical fields will make it possible to reflect technical problems with CCHVAC and technologies for their solution throughout the world. This will contribute to a more intensive technological upgrade in the improvement of life support

Implementation of the systems approach to improve a pharmacist-managed vancomycin dosing service.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, David J; Roberts, Russel; Sylvia, Lynne

2014-12-01

Quality improvements achieved by applying the systems approach to assess the clinical effectiveness, operational efficiency, and financial feasibility of a pharmacist-managed vancomycin dosing service are described. Faced with increased patient volumes and resource demands, the pharmacy department at Tufts Medical Center conducted an evaluation of its adult inpatient vancomycin dosing service using the systems approach, which emphasizes multidisciplinary assessment of system inputs, processes, and outcomes and consensus-building methods to identify needed changes and recommended action steps. A multidisciplinary committee composed of representatives of the medical center's pharmacy, internal medicine, infectious diseases, nursing, phlebotomy, and clinical laboratory services was assembled; in a series of three moderated monthly sessions, committee members deliberated and ultimately reached consensus on a list of action items. Relative to a concurrent intradepartmental assessment of the vancomycin dosing service based solely on pharmacist feedback, the systems approach identified a greater number and wider array of needed improvements in key program areas. Quality improvements implemented as a direct result of the systems-based analysis included a policy change authorizing pharmacists to order serum vancomycin determinations without physician cosignature and inclusion of a vancomycin dosing algorithm in the institutional antibiotic dosing guide. Future changes based on deliverable action items will result in a structured process to help direct program resources toward the patients most in need of pharmacist-managed vancomycin dosing services. The systems approach allowed for a comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation of the service, as indicated by the identification of process improvements not identified by the department of pharmacy alone. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Framework and Improvements of the Korea Cloud Services Certification System.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Hangoo; Seo, Kwang-Kyu

2015-01-01

Cloud computing service is an evolving paradigm that affects a large part of the ICT industry and provides new opportunities for ICT service providers such as the deployment of new business models and the realization of economies of scale by increasing efficiency of resource utilization. However, despite benefits of cloud services, there are some obstacles to adopt such as lack of assessing and comparing the service quality of cloud services regarding availability, security, and reliability. In order to adopt the successful cloud service and activate it, it is necessary to establish the cloud service certification system to ensure service quality and performance of cloud services. This paper proposes a framework and improvements of the Korea certification system of cloud service. In order to develop it, the critical issues related to service quality, performance, and certification of cloud service are identified and the systematic framework for the certification system of cloud services and service provider domains are developed. Improvements of the developed Korea certification system of cloud services are also proposed.

A Framework and Improvements of the Korea Cloud Services Certification System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hangoo Jeon

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Cloud computing service is an evolving paradigm that affects a large part of the ICT industry and provides new opportunities for ICT service providers such as the deployment of new business models and the realization of economies of scale by increasing efficiency of resource utilization. However, despite benefits of cloud services, there are some obstacles to adopt such as lack of assessing and comparing the service quality of cloud services regarding availability, security, and reliability. In order to adopt the successful cloud service and activate it, it is necessary to establish the cloud service certification system to ensure service quality and performance of cloud services. This paper proposes a framework and improvements of the Korea certification system of cloud service. In order to develop it, the critical issues related to service quality, performance, and certification of cloud service are identified and the systematic framework for the certification system of cloud services and service provider domains are developed. Improvements of the developed Korea certification system of cloud services are also proposed.

A Framework and Improvements of the Korea Cloud Services Certification System

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Hangoo

2015-01-01

Cloud computing service is an evolving paradigm that affects a large part of the ICT industry and provides new opportunities for ICT service providers such as the deployment of new business models and the realization of economies of scale by increasing efficiency of resource utilization. However, despite benefits of cloud services, there are some obstacles to adopt such as lack of assessing and comparing the service quality of cloud services regarding availability, security, and reliability. In order to adopt the successful cloud service and activate it, it is necessary to establish the cloud service certification system to ensure service quality and performance of cloud services. This paper proposes a framework and improvements of the Korea certification system of cloud service. In order to develop it, the critical issues related to service quality, performance, and certification of cloud service are identified and the systematic framework for the certification system of cloud services and service provider domains are developed. Improvements of the developed Korea certification system of cloud services are also proposed. PMID:26125049

Balance perturbation system to improve balance compensatory responses during walking in old persons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melzer Itshak

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Ageing commonly disrupts the balance control and compensatory postural responses that contribute to maintaining balance and preventing falls during perturbation of posture. This can lead to increased risk of falling in old adults (65 years old and over. Therefore, improving compensatory postural responses during walking is one of the goals in fall prevention programs. Training is often used to achieve this goal. Most fall prevention programs are usually directed towards improving voluntary postural control. Since compensatory postural responses triggered by a slip or a trip are not under direct volitional control these exercises are less expected to improve compensatory postural responses due to lack of training specificity. Thus, there is a need to investigate the use balance perturbations during walking to train more effectively compensatory postural reactions during walking. This paper describes the Balance Measure & Perturbation System (BaMPer System a system that provides small, controlled and unpredictable perturbations during treadmill walking providing valuable perturbation, which allows training compensatory postural responses during walking which thus hypothesize to improve compensatory postural responses in older adults.

Developing a system engineering program to improve performance and reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keuter, D.

1985-01-01

After several maintenance, operational, and equipment problems last year, Trojan set out on a mission to improve plant performance and reliability by strengthening its on-site engineering organization. This paper presents Trojan's plans in developing an on-site system engineering organization

An improved delivery system for bladder irrigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Moslemi, Mohammad K; Rajaei, Mojtaba

2010-10-05

Occasionally, urologists may see patients requiring temporary bladder irrigation at hospitals without stocks of specialist irrigation apparatus. One option is to transfer the patient to a urology ward, but often there are outstanding medical issues that require continued specialist input. Here, we describe an improved system for delivering temporary bladder irrigation by utilizing readily available components and the novel modification of a sphygmomanometer blub. This option is good for bladder irrigation in patients with moderate or severe gross hematuria due to various causes. In this prospective study from March 2007 to April 2009, we used our new system in eligible cases. In this system, an irrigant bag with 1 L of normal saline was suspended 80 cm above the indwelled 3-way Foley catheter, and its drainage tube was inserted into the irrigant port of the catheter. To increase the flow rate of the irrigant system, we inserted a traditional sphygmomanometer bulb at the top of the irrigant bag. This closed system was used for continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) in patients who underwent open prostatectomy, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), or transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB). This high-pressure system is also used for irrigation during cystourethroscopy, internal urethrotomy, and transurethral lithotripsy. Our 831 eligible cases were divided into two groups: group 1 were endourologic cases and group 2 were open prostatectomy, TURP, and TURB cases. The maximum and average flow rates were evaluated. The efficacy of our new system was compared prospectively with the previous traditional system used in 545 cases. In group 1, we had clear vision at the time of endourologic procedures. The success rate of this system was 99.5%. In group 2, the incidence of clot retention decreased two fold in comparison to traditional gravity-dependent bladder flow system. These changes were statistically significant (P = 0.001). We did not observe any adverse

Stability improvement of wind turbine penetrated using power system stabilizer (PSS) on South Sulawesi transmission system

Science.gov (United States)

Siswanto, Agus; Gunadin, Indar Chaerah; Said, Sri Mawar; Suyuti, Ansar

2018-03-01

The purpose of this research is to improve the stability of interconnection of South Sulawesi system caused by penetration new wind turbine in Sidrap area on bus 2 and in Jeniponto area on bus 34. The method used in this research was via software Power System analysis Toolbox (PSAT) under MATLAB. In this research, there are two problems that are evaluated, the stability of the system before and after penetration wind turbine into the system South Sulawesi system. From the simulation result shows that penetration of wind turbine on bus 2 Sidrap, bus 37 Jeniponto give effect oscillation on the system. The oscillation was damped by installation of Power System Stabilizer (PSS) on bus 29 area Sungguminasa, that South Sulawesi system stable according to normal condition.

Continuous Improvement in Battery Testing at the NASA/JSC Energy System Test Area

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, William; Cook, Joseph

2003-01-01

The Energy Systems Test Area (ESTA) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas conducts development and qualification tests to fulfill Energy System Division responsibilities relevant to ASA programs and projects. EST A has historically called upon a variety of fluid, mechanical, electrical, environmental, and data system capabilities spread amongst five full-service facilities to test human and human supported spacecraft in the areas of propulsion systems, fluid systems, pyrotechnics, power generation, and power distribution and control systems. Improvements at ESTA are being made in full earnest of offering NASA project offices an option to choose a thorough test regime that is balanced with cost and schedule constraints. In order to continue testing of enabling power-related technologies utilized by the Energy System Division, an especially proactive effort has been made to increase the cost effectiveness and schedule responsiveness for battery testing. This paper describes the continuous improvement in battery testing at the Energy Systems Test Area being made through consolidation, streamlining, and standardization.

An assessment of maintainability of elevator system to improve facilities management knowledge-base

Science.gov (United States)

Siti, N. A.; Asmone, A. S.; Chew, M. Y. L.

2018-02-01

Elevator system is a highly specialized machinery that requires technicians that have a wider array of knowledge in maintaining the system to be safe and reliable. While attaining reliable data of elevator malfunction become challenges, this study has filled the gap by gathering the management-maintenance issues and operational defects of elevator system. Forty-three types of operation defects were found and the consequence defects and their possible causes of occurrences were discussed. To respond to the prime challenges of maintaining elevator system provided by the industry players’ perspective, a theoretical framework is established as a recommendation to improve knowledge base of defects in elevator system which comprises good practices, and solutions to rectify each defects found. Hence, this research paper has theoretically improved the knowledge base of maintainability of elevator system and provide meaningful guidelines in practical senses to the industry professionals.

Improvements in medium range weather forecasting system of India

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

system is based on the latest Grid Statistical Interpolation (GSI) scheme and it has the provision to use most of .... ified Simplified-Arakawa Scheme (SAS) (Han and. Pan 2010). ..... Kim Y-J and Arakawa A 1995 Improvement of orographic gravity wave ... Yang F, Mitchell K, Hou Y-T, Dai Y, Deng X, Wang Z and. Liang X-Z ...

Effects of Quality Improvement System for Child Care Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xin; Shen, Jianping; Kavanaugh, Amy; Lu, Xuejin; Brandi, Karen; Goodman, Jeff; Till, Lance; Watson, Grace

2011-01-01

Using multiple years of data collected from about 100 child care centers in Palm Beach County, Florida, the authors studied whether the Quality Improvement System (QIS) made a significant impact on quality of child care centers. Based on a pre- and postresearch design spanning a period of 13 months, QIS appeared to be effective in improving…

Advanced Technologies to Improve Closure of Life Support Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Barta, Daniel J.

2016-01-01

As NASA looks beyond the International Space Station toward long-duration, deep space missions away from Earth, the current practice of supplying consumables and spares will not be practical nor affordable. New approaches are sought for life support and habitation systems that will reduce dependency on Earth and increase mission sustainability. To reduce launch mass, further closure of Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) beyond the current capability of the ISS will be required. Areas of particular interest include achieving higher degrees of recycling within Atmosphere Revitalization, Water Recovery and Waste Management Systems. NASA is currently investigating advanced carbon dioxide reduction processes that surpass the level of oxygen recovery available from the Sabatier Carbon Dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA) on the ISS. Candidate technologies will potentially improve the recovery of oxygen from about 50% (for the CRA) to as much as 100% for technologies who's end product is solid carbon. Improving the efficiency of water recycling and recovery can be achieved by the addition of advanced technologies to recover water from brines and solid wastes. Bioregenerative technologies may be utilized for water reclaimation and also for the production of food. Use of higher plants will simultaneously benefit atmosphere revitalization and water recovery through photosynthesis and transpiration. The level at which bioregenerative technologies are utilized will depend on their comparative requirements for spacecraft resources including mass, power, volume, heat rejection, crew time and reliability. Planetary protection requirements will need to be considered for missions to other solar system bodies.

Improvement of nuclear ship engineering simulation system. Hardware renewal and interface improvement of the integral type reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Hiroki; Kyoya, Masahiko; Shimazaki, Junya [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Kano, Tadashi [KCS, Co., Mito, Ibaraki (Japan); Takahashi, Teruo [Energis, Co., Kobe, Hyogo (Japan)

2001-10-01

JAERI had carried out the design study about a lightweight and compact integral type reactor (an advanced marine reactor) with passive safety equipment as a power source for the future nuclear ships, and completed an engineering design. We have developed the simulator for the integral type reactor to confirm the design and operation performance and to utilize the study of automation of the reactor operation. The simulator can be used also for future research and development of a compact reactor. However, the improvement in a performance of hardware and a human machine interface of software of the simulator were needed for future research and development. Therefore, renewal of hardware and improvement of software have been conducted. The operability of the integral-reactor simulator has been improved. Furthermore, this improvement with the hardware and software on the market brought about better versatility, maintainability, extendibility and transfer of the system. This report mainly focuses on contents of the enhancement in a human machine interface, and describes hardware renewal and the interface improvement of the integral type reactor simulator. (author)

Improving greater trochanteric reattachment with a novel cable plate system.

Science.gov (United States)

Baril, Yannick; Bourgeois, Yan; Brailovski, Vladimir; Duke, Kajsa; Laflamme, G Yves; Petit, Yvan

2013-03-01

Cable-grip systems are commonly used for greater trochanteric reattachment because they have provided the best fixation performance to date, even though they have a rather high complication rate. A novel reattachment system is proposed with the aim of improving fixation stability. It consists of a Y-shaped fixation plate combined with locking screws and superelastic cables to reduce cable loosening and limit greater trochanter movement. The novel system is compared with a commercially available reattachment system in terms of greater trochanter movement and cable tensions under different greater trochanteric abductor application angles. A factorial design of experiments was used including four independent variables: plate system, cable type, abductor application angle, and femur model. The test procedure included 50 cycles of simultaneous application of an abductor force on the greater trochanter and a hip force on the femoral head. The novel plate reduces the movements of a greater trochanter fragment within a single loading cycle up to 26%. Permanent degradation of the fixation (accumulated movement based on 50-cycle testing) is reduced up to 46%. The use of superelastic cables reduces tension loosening up to 24%. However this last improvement did not result in a significant reduction of the grater trochanter movement. The novel plate and cables present advantages over the commercially available greater trochanter reattachment system. The plate reduces movements generated by the hip abductor. The superelastic cables reduce cable loosening during cycling. Both of these positive effects could decrease the risks related to grater trochanter non-union. Copyright © 2012 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Analytics: Creating a Prioritized Improvement System with Performance Benchmarking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolker, Eugene; Kolker, Evelyne

2014-03-01

The importance of healthcare improvement is difficult to overstate. This article describes our collaborative work with experts at Seattle Children's to create a prioritized improvement system using performance benchmarking. We applied analytics and modeling approaches to compare and assess performance metrics derived from U.S. News and World Report benchmarking data. We then compared a wide range of departmental performance metrics, including patient outcomes, structural and process metrics, survival rates, clinical practices, and subspecialist quality. By applying empirically simulated transformations and imputation methods, we built a predictive model that achieves departments' average rank correlation of 0.98 and average score correlation of 0.99. The results are then translated into prioritized departmental and enterprise-wide improvements, following a data to knowledge to outcomes paradigm. These approaches, which translate data into sustainable outcomes, are essential to solving a wide array of healthcare issues, improving patient care, and reducing costs.

Distributed generation system with PEM fuel cell for electrical power quality improvement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez, D.; Beites, L.F.; Blazquez, F. [Department of Electrical Engineering, ETSII, Escuela de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, C/ Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Ballesteros, J.C. [Endesa Generacion, S.A. c/ Ribera de Loira 60, 28042 Madrid (Spain)

2008-08-15

In this paper, a physical model for a distributed generation (DG) system with power quality improvement capability is presented. The generating system consists of a 5 kW PEM fuel cell, a natural gas reformer, hydrogen storage bottles and a bank of ultra-capacitors. Additional power quality functions are implemented with a vector-controlled electronic converter for regulating the injected power. The capabilities of the system were experimentally tested on a scaled electrical network. It is composed of different lines, built with linear inductances and resistances, and taking into account both linear and non-linear loads. The ability to improve power quality was tested by means of different voltage and frequency perturbations produced on the physical model electrical network. (author)

A model for improving energy efficiency in industrial motor system using multicriteria analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrero Sola, Antonio Vanderley; Mota, Caroline Maria de Miranda; Kovaleski, Joao Luiz

2011-01-01

In the last years, several policies have been proposed by governments and global institutions in order to improve the efficient use of energy in industries worldwide. However, projects in industrial motor systems require new approach, mainly in decision making area, considering the organizational barriers for energy efficiency. Despite the wide application, multicriteria methods remain unexplored in industrial motor systems until now. This paper proposes a multicriteria model using the PROMETHEE II method, with the aim of ranking alternatives for induction motors replacement. A comparative analysis of the model, applied to a Brazilian industry, has shown that multicriteria analysis presents better performance on energy saving as well as return on investments than single criterion. The paper strongly recommends the dissemination of multicriteria decision aiding as a policy to support the decision makers in industries and to improve energy efficiency in electric motor systems. - Highlights: → Lack of decision model in industrial motor system is the main motivation of the research. → A multicriteria model based on PROMETHEE method is proposed with the aim of supporting the decision makers in industries. → The model can contribute to transpose some barriers within the industries, improving the energy efficiency in industrial motor system.

A model for improving energy efficiency in industrial motor system using multicriteria analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrero Sola, Antonio Vanderley, E-mail: sola@utfpr.edu.br [Federal University of Technology, Parana, Brazil (UTFPR)-Campus Ponta Grossa, Av. Monteiro Lobato, Km 4, CEP: 84016-210 (Brazil); Mota, Caroline Maria de Miranda, E-mail: carolmm@ufpe.br [Federal University of Pernambuco, Cx. Postal 7462, CEP 50630-970, Recife (Brazil); Kovaleski, Joao Luiz [Federal University of Technology, Parana, Brazil (UTFPR)-Campus Ponta Grossa, Av. Monteiro Lobato, Km 4, CEP: 84016-210 (Brazil)

2011-06-15

In the last years, several policies have been proposed by governments and global institutions in order to improve the efficient use of energy in industries worldwide. However, projects in industrial motor systems require new approach, mainly in decision making area, considering the organizational barriers for energy efficiency. Despite the wide application, multicriteria methods remain unexplored in industrial motor systems until now. This paper proposes a multicriteria model using the PROMETHEE II method, with the aim of ranking alternatives for induction motors replacement. A comparative analysis of the model, applied to a Brazilian industry, has shown that multicriteria analysis presents better performance on energy saving as well as return on investments than single criterion. The paper strongly recommends the dissemination of multicriteria decision aiding as a policy to support the decision makers in industries and to improve energy efficiency in electric motor systems. - Highlights: > Lack of decision model in industrial motor system is the main motivation of the research. > A multicriteria model based on PROMETHEE method is proposed with the aim of supporting the decision makers in industries. > The model can contribute to transpose some barriers within the industries, improving the energy efficiency in industrial motor system.

Improving Control System Cyber-State Awareness using Known Secure Sensor Measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ondrej Linda; Milos Manic; Miles McQueen

2012-09-01

Abstract—This paper presents design and simulation of a low cost and low false alarm rate method for improved cyber-state awareness of critical control systems - the Known Secure Sensor Measurements (KSSM) method. The KSSM concept relies on physical measurements to detect malicious falsification of the control systems state. The KSSM method can be incrementally integrated with already installed control systems for enhanced resilience. This paper reviews the previously developed theoretical KSSM concept and then describes a simulation of the KSSM system. A simulated control system network is integrated with the KSSM components. The effectiveness of detection of various intrusion scenarios is demonstrated on several control system network topologies.

An experimental study of icing control using DBD plasma actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jinsheng; Tian, Yongqiang; Meng, Xuanshi; Han, Xuzhao; Zhang, Duo; Hu, Haiyang

2017-08-01

Ice accretion on aircraft or wind turbine has been widely recognized as a big safety threat in the past decades. This study aims to develop a new approach for icing control using an AC-DBD plasma actuator. The experiments of icing control (i.e., anti-/de-icing) on a cylinder model were conducted in an icing wind tunnel with controlled wind speed (i.e., 15 m/s) and temperature (i.e., -10°C). A digital camera was used to record the dynamic processes of plasma anti-icing and de-icing whilst an infrared imaging system was utilized to map the surface temperature variations during the anti-/de-icing processes. It was found that the AC-DBD plasma actuator is very effective in both anti-icing and de-icing operations. While no ice formation was observed when the plasma actuator served as an anti-icing device, a complete removal of the ice layer with a thickness of 5 mm was achieved by activating the plasma actuator for ˜150 s. Such information demonstrated the feasibility of plasma anti-/de-icing, which could potentially provide more effective and safer icing mitigation strategies.

Improving Thermal and Electrical Efficiency in Photovoltaic Thermal Systems for Sustainable Cooling System Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Alobaid

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Research into photovoltaic thermal systems is important in solar technologies as photovoltaic thermal systems are designed to produce both electrical and thermal energy, this can lead to improved performance of the overall system. The performance of photovoltaic thermal systems is based on several factors that include photovoltaic thermal materials, design, ambient temperature, inlet and outlet fluid temperature and photovoltaic cell temperature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of photovoltaic thermal outlet water temperatures and solar cell temperature on both electrical and thermal efficiency for different range of inlet water temperature. To achieve this, a mathematical model of a photovoltaic thermal system was developed to calculate the anticipated system performance. The factors that affect the efficiency of photovoltaic thermal collectors were discussed and the outlet fluid temperature from the photovoltaic thermal is investigated in order to reach the highest overall efficiency for the solar cooling system. An average thermal and electrical efficiency of 65% and 13.7%, respectively, was achieved and the photovoltaic thermal mathematical model was validated with experimental data from literature.

IMPROVEMENT OF SYSTEM OF COMPENSATION OF NPR OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey E. Shklyaev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of formation of effective system of remuneration of scientific and pedagogical staff of the University. The characteristic of different systems of remuneration of teachers of Russian higher educational institutions. Formulated some proposals for improving the effectiveness of the remuneration system of the NRP of the University. The suggested remuneration system makes it possible to relate the amount of salary of each individual teacher’s or employee’s performance with educational institutions in General and his personal labour contribution in particular.

Power quality improvement of unbalanced power system with distributed generation units

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Y.; Chen, Zhe; Excell, P.

2011-01-01

This paper presents a power electronic system for improving the power quality of the unbalanced distributed generation units in three-phase four-wire system. In the system, small renewable power generation units, such as small PV generator, small wind turbines may be configured as single phase...... and control of the converter are described. Simulation results have demonstrated that the system can effectively correct the unbalance and enhance the system power quality....... generation units. The random nature of renewable power sources may result in significant unbalance in the power network and affect the power quality. An electronic converter system is proposed to correct the system unbalance and harmonics so as to deal with the power quality problems. The operation...

An improved unit decommitment algorithm for combined heat and power systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rong, Aiying; Lahdelma, R.; Grunow, Martin

2009-01-01

can decommit (switch off) the least cost-efficient plants properly. The improved initial solution for the committed plants is generated by a heuristic procedure. The heuristic procedure utilizes both the Lagrangian relaxation principle that relaxes the system-wide (heat and power) demand constraints...... cases. The maximum improvement is 11.3% and the maximum degradation is only 0.04% (only two sub-cases out of 216 sub-cases) with an average improvement of 0.3-0.5%, for different planning horizons. Moreover, IUD is more efficient (1.1-3 times faster on average) than UD. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights...

Improving Steam System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, Second Edition (Book) (Revised)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-10-01

Improving Steam System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry was developed for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), formerly the Industrial Technologies Program. AMO undertook this project as a series of sourcebook publications. Other topics in this series include: compressed air systems, pumping systems, fan systems, process heating and motor and drive systems. For more information about program resources, see AMO in the Where to Find Help section of this publication.

Improved Controls for Fusion RF Systems. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casey, Jeffrey A. [Rockfield Research Inc., Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2011-11-08

We have addressed the specific requirements for the integrated systems controlling an array of klystrons used for Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD). The immediate goal for our design was to modernize the transmitter protection system (TPS) for LHCD on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (MIT-PSFC). Working with the Alcator C-Mod team, we have upgraded the design of these controls to retrofit for improvements in performance and safety, as well as to facilitate the upcoming expansion from 12 to 16 klystrons. The longer range goals to generalize the designs in such a way that they will be of benefit to other programs within the international fusion effort was met by designing a system which was flexible enough to address all the MIT system requirements, and modular enough to adapt to a large variety of other requirements with minimal reconfiguration.

Improved Controls for Fusion RF Systems. Final technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casey, Jeffrey A.

2011-01-01

We have addressed the specific requirements for the integrated systems controlling an array of klystrons used for Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD). The immediate goal for our design was to modernize the transmitter protection system (TPS) for LHCD on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (MIT-PSFC). Working with the Alcator C-Mod team, we have upgraded the design of these controls to retrofit for improvements in performance and safety, as well as to facilitate the upcoming expansion from 12 to 16 klystrons. The longer range goals to generalize the designs in such a way that they will be of benefit to other programs within the international fusion effort was met by designing a system which was flexible enough to address all the MIT system requirements, and modular enough to adapt to a large variety of other requirements with minimal reconfiguration

Improving the Output Power Stability of a High Concentration Photovoltaic System with Supercapacitors: A Preliminary Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Pei Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The output power of a high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV system is very sensitive to fluctuating tracking errors and weather patterns. To help compensate this shortcoming, supercapacitors have been successfully incorporated into photovoltaic systems to improve their output power stability. This study examined the output power stability improvement of an HCPV module with a supercapacitor integrated into its circuit. Furthermore, the equivalent model of the experimental circuit is presented and analyzed. Experimental results suggest that integrating a supercapacitor into an HCPV module could improve its output power stability and further extend its acceptance angle. This paper provides preliminary data of the improvement and its evaluation method, which could be utilized for further improvements to an HCPV system.

Treatment of turtle aquaculture effluent by an improved multi-soil-layer system.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ying; Huang, Yu-ting; Ji, Hong-fang; Nie, Xin-jun; Zhang, Zhi-yuan; Ge, Chuan; Luo, An-cheng; Chen, Xin

2015-02-01

Concentrated turtle aquaculture effluent poses an environmental threat to water bodies, and therefore needs to be treated prior to disposal. This study was conducted to assess the effect of multi-soil-layer (MSL) systems treating turtle aquaculture effluent with adding different amounts of sludge. Four MSL systems were constructed with dry weight ratios of sludge with 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% (MSL 1, MSL 2, MSL 3, and MSL 4, respectively). The turtle aquaculture effluent had an average chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) and total nitrogen (TN) concentration of 288.4, 213.4, and 252.0 mg/L, respectively. The COD/TN (C/N) ratio was 1.2. The results showed that the four MSL systems could effectively treat the COD, NH4(+)-N, and TN, and MSL 4 showed significantly improved NH4(+)-N removal efficiency, suggesting the potential of sludge addition to improve the turtle aquaculture effluent treatment. The average COD, TN, and NH4(+)-N removal efficiencies of MSL 4 were 70.3%, 66.5%, and 72.7%, respectively. To further interpret the contribution of microorganisms to the removal, the microbial community compositions and diversities of the four MSL systems were measured. Comparisons of the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles revealed that the amount of nitrifying bacteria and diversity in MSL 4 were higher than those in the other three systems. We concluded that adding 20% of sludge improved the NH4(+)-N removal and stability of the system for nitrification, due to the enrichment of the nitrifying bacteria in MSL 4.

IBRD AND ITS INVOLVEMENT IN MODERNISING AND IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF PENSION SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Rosu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In our research we review the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (IBRD most important contributions to the functionality of the pension systems around the world. The pension systems design constitutes an important premise for the adequate functioning of these systems. In international practice, there is a wide variety of principles and mechanisms which can constitute the foundation of pension systems, the most common being materialized in the multi-pillar pension system, promoted by the IBRD. Its involvement in modernizing and improving the functionality of pension systems has reached also many other aspects such as evaluation of the national pension systems’ performance, financial assistance to governments with the aim of meeting the objectives corresponding to pension systems, scientific, technical and informational support. We conclude that IBRD’s involvement in modernizing and improving the functionality of pension systems has determined a significant transformation of the national pension systems, especially in Latin America and Eastern and Central Europe. However, its well-known multi-pillar model is not free of criticism as a result of the various analytical errors.

Survey of sustainability of continuous improvement systems: a comparison of two manufacturing communities in Spain and Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Jaca

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: During the last 50 years industrial companies have adopted continuous improvement systems to improve their competitiveness. However, the maintenance of improvement systems is not an easy matter. Some companies, after an initial period of one to two years, abandon the system for various reasons. This article aims to examine the level of application of Continuous Improvement Systems and the factors which support sustainability over time in two different regions.Design/methodology/approach: In order to obtain a comparative result between two different regions, a survey was conducted in two industrial zones—one in the north of Spain and another in Mexico—that are important industrial clusters these countries. The study was conducted through the analysis of survey data. Specifically, the survey was directed at large industrial enterprises who had participated in activities supported by local foundations for the promotion of quality and improvement.Findings and Originality/value: We suggest the following three keys for sustainable improvement: greater involvement of task forces in the improvement program, a PDCA improvement cycle for improvement and a clear purpose for continuous improvement, integration of the continuous improvement system in the organization, and the establishment of indicators associated with the system.Research limitations/implications: The comparative study focused on only two industrial zones in Spain and Mexico. In that sense, the findings of the research are limited to the Basque zone and geographical zone of Toluca-Lerma.Practical implications: Some of the companies have started to apply some continuous improvement techniques in a sustainability way. Therefore, these findings could be very useful for general and operation managers that are involved in continuous improvement systems in industrial companies in Spain and Mexico.Social implications: As a consequence, slow and small transformations in certain

Audit filters for improving processes of care and clinical outcomes in trauma systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Christopher; Howes, Daniel; Pickett, William; Dagnone, Luigi

2009-10-07

Traumatic injuries represent a considerable public health burden with significant personal and societal costs. The care of the severely injured patient in a trauma system progresses along a continuum that includes numerous interventions being provided by a multidisciplinary group of healthcare personnel. Despite the recent emphasis on quality of care in medicine, there has been little research to direct trauma clinicians and administrators on how optimally to monitor and improve upon the quality of care delivered within a trauma system. Audit filters are one mechanism for improving quality of care and are defined as specific clinical processes or outcomes of care that, when they occur, represent unfavorable deviations from an established norm and which prompt review and feedback. Although audit filters are widely utilized for performance improvement in trauma systems they have not been subjected to systematic review of their effectiveness. To determine the effectiveness of using audit filters for improving processes of care and clinical outcomes in trauma systems. Our search strategy included an electronic search of the Cochrane Injuries Group Specialized Register, the Cochrane EPOC Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2008, Issue 4), MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ISI Web of Science: (SCI-EXPANDED and CPCI-S). We handsearched the Journal of Trauma, Injury, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Academic Emergency Medicine, and Injury Prevention. We searched two clinical trial registries: 1) The World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and, 2) Clinical Trials.gov. We also contacted content experts for further articles. The most recent electronic search was completed in December 2008 and the handsearch was completed up to February 2009. We searched for randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-and-after studies, and interrupted time series studies that used audit filters as an

Using adapted quality-improvement approaches to strengthen community-based health systems and improve care in high HIV-burden sub-Saharan African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Horwood, Christiane M; Youngleson, Michele S; Moses, Edward; Stern, Amy F; Barker, Pierre M

2015-07-01

Achieving long-term retention in HIV care is an important challenge for HIV management and achieving elimination of mother-to-child transmission. Sustainable, affordable strategies are required to achieve this, including strengthening of community-based interventions. Deployment of community-based health workers (CHWs) can improve health outcomes but there is a need to identify systems to support and maintain high-quality performance. Quality-improvement strategies have been successfully implemented to improve quality and coverage of healthcare in facilities and could provide a framework to support community-based interventions. Four community-based quality-improvement projects from South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique are described. Community-based improvement teams linked to the facility-based health system participated in learning networks (modified Breakthrough Series), and used quality-improvement methods to improve process performance. Teams were guided by trained quality mentors who used local data to help nurses and CHWs identify gaps in service provision and test solutions. Learning network participants gathered at intervals to share progress and identify successful strategies for improvement. CHWs demonstrated understanding of quality-improvement concepts, tools and methods, and implemented quality-improvement projects successfully. Challenges of using quality-improvement approaches in community settings included adapting processes, particularly data reporting, to the education level and first language of community members. Quality-improvement techniques can be implemented by CHWs to improve outcomes in community settings but these approaches require adaptation and additional mentoring support to be successful. More research is required to establish the effectiveness of this approach on processes and outcomes of care.

An improved charge transport system for the pelletron accelerator in Lund

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hellborg, R.; Hakansson, K.

1988-01-01

Several improvements have been implemented in the chain charge transport system of a pelletron. The main new components are a modified support at ground for the chain accessories, a new power supply for the chain motor, including the possibility of variable chain speed, and pickup rings to monitor the relative amount of charge on individual cylinders of the chain. These modifications, together with the installation of a second chain, have resulted in improved operational reliability, a much smoother startup of the chain, and a doubled maximum chain current. The latter will simplify running the accelerator with heavy ions at maximum terminal voltage. The pickup rings have been found to be useful in diagnosing malfunctions in the charge transport system. (orig.)

Maintenance performance improvement with System Dynamics : A Corrective Maintenance showcase

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deenen, R.E.M.; Van Daalen, C.E.; Koene, E.G.C.

2008-01-01

This paper presents a case study of an analysis of a Corrective Maintenance process to realize performance improvement. The Corrective Maintenance process is supported by SAP, which has indicated the performance realisation problem. System Dynamics is used in a Group Model Building process to

Linear Motion Systems. A Modular Approach for Improved Straightness Performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijsse, G.J.P.

2001-01-01

This thesis deals with straight motion systems. A modular approach has been applied in order to find ways to improve the performance. The main performance parameters that are considered are position accuracy, repeatability and, to a lesser extent, cost. Because of the increasing requirements to

Improving peri-operative care using an anaesthesia information management system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kooij, F.O.

2017-01-01

This thesis investigates a reminder system and intends to form a proof of the concept that decision support, using patient and situation specific automated reminders, can actually improve patient outcome. The research in this thesis was planned and executed within the scope of a guideline

Test and improvement of readout system based on APV25 chip for GEM detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Shouyang; Jian Siyu; Zhou Jing; Shan Chao; Li Xinglong; Li Xia; Li Xiaomei; Zhou Yi

2014-01-01

Gas electron multiplier (GEM) is the most promising position sensitive gas detector. The new generation of readout electronics system includes APV25 front-end card, multi-purpose digitizer (MPD), VME controller and Linux-based acquisition software DAQ. The construction and preliminary test of this readout system were finished, and the ideal data with the system working frequency of 40 MHz and 20 MHz were obtained. The long time running test shows that the system has a very good time-stable ability. Through optimizing the software configuration and improving hardware quality, the noise level was reduced, and the signal noise ratio was improved. (authors)

Improvement of the protection devices for JT-60U LHRF antenna system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Sadaaki; Seki, Masami; Shinozaki, Shinichi; Sato, Fumiaki; Hiranai, Shinichi; Hasegawa, Koichi; Moriyama, Shinichi; Ishii, Kazuhiro

2007-09-01

In the experiments featuring lower hybrid range of frequency (LHRF) system in JT-60U, carbon grills were attached to the plasma-facing part of the antenna in order to avoid the damage by the excessive heat load from the plasma. However some electric discharge traces were found there in the observation after the experiments. To avoid such discharges, improvements of the arc detector and the protection interlock by visible picture detection were tackled. In the arc detector, the amplification circuit was improved in order to obtain shorter response time and higher resolution of optical detection. Moreover, in visible picture detection, a new function of RF-on/off control utilizing PC image processing was added to distinguish the light of the arc from one of the plasma. This report summarizes improvement of the protection interlock device in a LHRF heating system. (author)

Intelligent Photovoltaic Systems by Combining the Improved Perturbation Method of Observation and Sun Location Tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yajie; Shi, Yunbo; Yu, Xiaoyu; Liu, Yongjie

2016-01-01

Currently, tracking in photovoltaic (PV) systems suffers from some problems such as high energy consumption, poor anti-interference performance, and large tracking errors. This paper presents a solar PV tracking system on the basis of an improved perturbation and observation method, which maximizes photoelectric conversion efficiency. According to the projection principle, we design a sensor module with a light-intensity-detection module for environmental light-intensity measurement. The effect of environmental factors on the system operation is reduced, and intelligent identification of the weather is realized. This system adopts the discrete-type tracking method to reduce power consumption. A mechanical structure with a level-pitch double-degree-of-freedom is designed, and attitude correction is performed by closed-loop control. A worm-and-gear mechanism is added, and the reliability, stability, and precision of the system are improved. Finally, the perturbation and observation method designed and improved by this study was tested by simulated experiments. The experiments verified that the photoelectric sensor resolution can reach 0.344°, the tracking error is less than 2.5°, the largest improvement in the charge efficiency can reach 44.5%, and the system steadily and reliably works. PMID:27327657

Intelligent Photovoltaic Systems by Combining the Improved Perturbation Method of Observation and Sun Location Tracking.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yajie Wang

Full Text Available Currently, tracking in photovoltaic (PV systems suffers from some problems such as high energy consumption, poor anti-interference performance, and large tracking errors. This paper presents a solar PV tracking system on the basis of an improved perturbation and observation method, which maximizes photoelectric conversion efficiency. According to the projection principle, we design a sensor module with a light-intensity-detection module for environmental light-intensity measurement. The effect of environmental factors on the system operation is reduced, and intelligent identification of the weather is realized. This system adopts the discrete-type tracking method to reduce power consumption. A mechanical structure with a level-pitch double-degree-of-freedom is designed, and attitude correction is performed by closed-loop control. A worm-and-gear mechanism is added, and the reliability, stability, and precision of the system are improved. Finally, the perturbation and observation method designed and improved by this study was tested by simulated experiments. The experiments verified that the photoelectric sensor resolution can reach 0.344°, the tracking error is less than 2.5°, the largest improvement in the charge efficiency can reach 44.5%, and the system steadily and reliably works.

Intelligent Photovoltaic Systems by Combining the Improved Perturbation Method of Observation and Sun Location Tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yajie; Shi, Yunbo; Yu, Xiaoyu; Liu, Yongjie

2016-01-01

Currently, tracking in photovoltaic (PV) systems suffers from some problems such as high energy consumption, poor anti-interference performance, and large tracking errors. This paper presents a solar PV tracking system on the basis of an improved perturbation and observation method, which maximizes photoelectric conversion efficiency. According to the projection principle, we design a sensor module with a light-intensity-detection module for environmental light-intensity measurement. The effect of environmental factors on the system operation is reduced, and intelligent identification of the weather is realized. This system adopts the discrete-type tracking method to reduce power consumption. A mechanical structure with a level-pitch double-degree-of-freedom is designed, and attitude correction is performed by closed-loop control. A worm-and-gear mechanism is added, and the reliability, stability, and precision of the system are improved. Finally, the perturbation and observation method designed and improved by this study was tested by simulated experiments. The experiments verified that the photoelectric sensor resolution can reach 0.344°, the tracking error is less than 2.5°, the largest improvement in the charge efficiency can reach 44.5%, and the system steadily and reliably works.

An expert system for improving nuclear emergency response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salame-Alfie, A.; Goldbogen, G.C.; Ryan, R.M.; Wallace, W.A.; Yeater, M.L.

1987-01-01

The accidents at TMI-2 and Chernobyl have produced initiatives aimed at improving nuclear plant emergency response capabilities. Among them are the development of emergency response facilities with capabilities for the acquisition, processing, and diagnosis of data which are needed to help coordinate plant operations, engineering support and management under emergency conditions. An effort in this direction prompted the development of an expert system. EP (EMERGENCY PLANNER) is a prototype expert system that is intended to help coordinate the overall management during emergency conditions. The EP system was built using the GEN-X expert system shell. GEN-X has a variety of knowledge representation mechanisms including AND/OR trees, Decision trees, and IF/THEN tables, and runs on an IBM PC-XT or AT computer or compatible. Among the main features, EP is portable, modular, user friendly, can interact with external programs and interrogate data bases. The knowledge base is made of New York State (NYS) Procedures for Emergency Classification, NYS Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan (REPP) and knowledge from experts of the NYS Radiological Emergency Preparedness Group and the Office of Radiological Health and Chemistry of the New York Power Authority (NYPA)

The opportunity and strategy for quality and health-system improvement now and in the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherar, Michael; Maley, Oonagh

2015-01-01

Since 2004, Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) has played a leadership role in linking funding to quality of care, and in using evidence and administrative and clinical data to drive performance and quality improvement. This article describes how CCO has used its cancer and renal health system strategies to establish an environment of continuous health system improvement. The article also describes how CCO's Corporate Strategy is driving organizational improvement: evolving CCO's capacity and capability to drive quality and value across healthcare settings, and its ability to advance broader health system transformation in support of cancer and renal patients. Copyright © 2014 Longwoods Publishing.

Construction and measurements of an improved vacuum-swing-adsorption radon-mitigation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Street, J.; Bunker, R.; Dunagan, C.; Loose, X.; Schnee, R. W.; Stark, M.; Sundarnath, K.; Tronstad, D.

2015-01-01

In order to reduce backgrounds from radon-daughter plate-out onto detector surfaces, an ultra-low-radon cleanroom is being commissioned at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. An improved vacuum-swing-adsorption radon mitigation system and cleanroom build upon a previous design implemented at Syracuse University that achieved radon levels of ∼0.2 Bq m −3 . This improved system will employ a better pump and larger carbon beds feeding a redesigned cleanroom with an internal HVAC unit and aged water for humidification. With the rebuilt (original) radon mitigation system, the new low-radon cleanroom has already achieved a > 300× reduction from an input activity of 58.6 ± 0.7 Bq m −3 to a cleanroom activity of 0.13 ± 0.06 Bq m −3

Construction and measurements of an improved vacuum-swing-adsorption radon-mitigation system

Science.gov (United States)

Street, J.; Bunker, R.; Dunagan, C.; Loose, X.; Schnee, R. W.; Stark, M.; Sundarnath, K.; Tronstad, D.

2015-08-01

In order to reduce backgrounds from radon-daughter plate-out onto detector surfaces, an ultra-low-radon cleanroom is being commissioned at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. An improved vacuum-swing-adsorption radon mitigation system and cleanroom build upon a previous design implemented at Syracuse University that achieved radon levels of ˜0.2 Bq m-3. This improved system will employ a better pump and larger carbon beds feeding a redesigned cleanroom with an internal HVAC unit and aged water for humidification. With the rebuilt (original) radon mitigation system, the new low-radon cleanroom has already achieved a > 300× reduction from an input activity of 58.6 ± 0.7 Bq m-3 to a cleanroom activity of 0.13 ± 0.06 Bq m-3.

E-prescription as a tool for improving services and the financial viability of healthcare systems: the case of the Greek national e-prescription system.

Science.gov (United States)

Pangalos, G; Sfyroeras, V; Pagkalos, I

2014-01-01

E-prescription systems can help improve patient service, safety and quality of care. They can also help achieve better compliance for the patients and better alignment with the guidelines for the practitioners. The recently implemented national e-prescription system in Greece already covers approximately 85% of all prescriptions prescribed in Greece today (approximately 5.5 million per month). The system has not only contributed already in significant changes towards improving services and better monitoring and planning of public health, but also substantially helped to contain unnecessary expenditure related to medication use and improve transparency and administrative control. Such issues have gained increasing importance not only for Greece but also for many other national healthcare systems that have to cope with the continuous rise of medication expenditure. Our implementation has, therefore, shown that besides their importance for improving services, national e-prescription systems can also provide a valuable tool for better utilisation of resources and for containing unnecessary healthcare costs, thus contributing to the improvement of the financial stability and viability of the overall healthcare system.

Improvement of mutual understanding in risk communication by application of a debate support system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimoda, Hiroshi; Matsuda, Koji; Ishii, Hirotake; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu

2010-01-01

Given the recent problem of climate change, nuclear power has become perhaps the world's most important energy source. In Japan, however, it is difficult to build new nuclear facilities. One of the reasons for such difficulty lies in problems in risk communication. In this study, a support method has been proposed to improve mutual understanding in risk communication. The authors paid especial attention at the learning effect of debating and the benefits of employing a debate support system. A laboratory experiment including 30 university students was conducted in order to evaluate the proposed method. Results showed that the use of the system could improve mutual understanding especially with respect to the factors of risk 'reduction measures' and 'accident management'. In addition, it was found that using the system and debating from 'opposite positions' could improve subjective mutual understanding; however, this practice showed no effectiveness in terms of improving objective mutual understanding. (author)

A vibroacoustic diagnostic system as an element improving road transport safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Komorska, Iwona

2013-01-01

Mechanical defects of a vehicle driving system can be dangerous on the road. Diagnostic systems, which monitor operations of electric and electronic elements and devices of vehicles, are continuously developed and improved, while defects of mechanical systems are still not managed properly. This article proposes supplementing existing on-board diagnostics with a system of diagnosing selected defects to minimize their impact. It presents a method of diagnosing mechanical defects of the engine, gearbox and other elements of the driving system on the basis of a model of the vibration signal obtained adaptively. This method is suitable for engine valves, engine head gasket, main gearbox, joints, etc.

Lessons learned from the Fukushima accident to improve the performance of the national nuclear preparedness system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dewi Apriliani

2013-01-01

A study of emergency response failure in the early phase of a nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan has conducted. This study aimed to obtain lesson learned from the problems and constraints that exist at the time of the Fukushima emergency response. This lesson learned will be adjusted to the situation, conditions and problems in nuclear preparedness systems in Indonesia, so that it can obtain the necessary recommendations to improve the performance of SKNN (National Nuclear Emergency Preparedness System). Recommendations include: improvements in coordination and information systems, including early warning systems and dissemination of information; improvements in the preparation of emergency plans/contingency plan, which includes an integrated disaster management; improvement in the development of disaster management practice/field exercise, by extending the scenario and integrate it with nuclear disaster, chemical, biological, and acts of terrorism; and improvement in public education of nuclear emergency preparedness and also improvement in management for dissemination of information to the public and the mass media. These improvements need to be done as part of efforts in preparing a reliable nuclear emergency preparedness in order to support nuclear power plant development plan. (author)

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of the improved TOPAZ-II power system using a heat pipe radiator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Wenwen; Zhang, Dalin, E-mail: dlzhang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Tian, Wenxi; Qiu, Suizheng; Su, G.H.

2016-10-15

Highlights: • The system thermal-hydraulic model of the improved space thermionic reactor is developed. • The temperature reactivity feedback effects of the moderator, UO2 fuel, electrodes and reflector are considered. • The alkali metal heat pipe radiator is modeled with the two dimensional heat pipe model. • The steady state and the start-up procedure of the system are analyzed. - Abstract: A system analysis code coupled with the heat pipe model is developed to analyze the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the improved TOPAZ-II reactor power system with a heat pipe radiator. The core thermal-hydraulic model, neutron physics model, and the coolant loop component models (including pump, volume accumulator, pipes and plenums) are established. The designed heat pipe radiator, which replaces the original pumped loop radiator, is also modeled, including two-dimensional heat pipe analysis model, fin model and coolant transport duct model. The system analysis code and the heat pipe model is coupled in the transport duct model. Steady state condition and start-up procedure of the improved TOPAZ-II system are calculated. The results show that the designed radiator can satisfy the waste heat rejection requirement of the improved power system. Meanwhile, the code can be used to obtained the thermal characteristics of the system transients such as the start-up process.

Improvement of the transient stability using SFCL in Korean power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Intae; Lee, Seung Ryul; Seo, Sangsoo; Yoon, Jaeyoung; Kim, Chul-Hwan

2013-01-01

Highlights: •In Korea, the Special Protection System is applied for protecting the power system. •Hybrid SFCL is protecting the power system from viewpoint of the transient stability. •Basic hybrid SFCL system cannot recover during the auto-reclosing operation. •This paper performs analysis of transient stability using the novel hybrid SFCL. -- Abstract: This paper proposed a novel hybrid SFCL system for the enhancement of the transient stability in Korean power transmission system with auto-reclosing operation. The proposed SFCL system has an operation mechanism that the current limiting impedance is eliminated from the power system in a fault clearing time for the enhancement of the transient stability. Also, the system can cover the auto-reclosing operation of the transmission power system. This study analyzed an improvement of the special protection system by applying the proposed SFCL system to real power system in Korea

Using natural gas generation to improve power system efficiency in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Junfeng; Kwok, Gabe; Xuan, Wang; Williams, James H.; Kahrl, Fredrich

2013-01-01

China's electricity sector faces the challenge of managing cost increases, improving reliability, and reducing its environmental footprint even as operating conditions become more complex due to increasing renewable penetration, growing peak demand, and falling system load factors. Addressing these challenges will require changes in how power generation is planned, priced, and dispatched in China. This is especially true for natural gas generation, which is likely to play an important role in power systems worldwide as a flexible generation resource. Although natural gas is commonly perceived to be economically uncompetitive with coal in China, these perceptions are based on analysis that fails to account for the different roles that natural gas generation plays in power systems—baseload, load following, and peaking generation. Our analysis shows that natural gas generation is already cost-effective for meeting peak demand in China, resulting in improved capacity factors and heat rates for coal-fired generators and lower system costs. We find that the largest barrier to using natural gas for peaking generation in China is generation pricing, which could be addressed through modest reforms to support low capacity factor generation. - Highlights: • Using gas generation as a “capacity resource” in China could have multiple benefits. • Benefits include lower total costs, improved efficiency for coal generators. • Price reforms needed to support low capacity factor generation in China

Improving image reviewing with a new system (Emoss, Memobank and Movicom devices)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, G.; Otto, P.; Gourlez, P.; Taillade, B.

1991-01-01

The need is obvious for selecting the relevant images and/or items of information from among the overwhelming amount produced by C/S systems, mainly video cameras. Image reviewing in-field provides timeless while image reviewing at headquarters is used for confirming the validity of the conclusions drawn. There is also, in many cases, a need to improve the quality of the images. The Emoss and Memobank devices developed by Himatom could be the core of this new system, with its optimized digital storage which greatly improves image quality. These devices, which are compatible with existing systems such as MIVS and MUX, have the following advantages: comprehensive storage of scenes is comparable to the video tape recording; intelligent digital storage facilitates in-field reviewing; recoverable disc storage makes it possible to carry out the review at Headquarters; printing of the events helps reviewing. The Emoss and Memobank can be triggered by external information by other systems

An improved AVC strategy applied in distributed wind power system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y. N.; Liu, Q. H.; Song, S. Y.; Mao, W.

2016-08-01

Traditional AVC strategy is mainly used in wind farm and only concerns about grid connection point, which is not suitable for distributed wind power system. Therefore, this paper comes up with an improved AVC strategy applied in distributed wind power system. The strategy takes all nodes of distribution network into consideration and chooses the node having the most serious voltage deviation as control point to calculate the reactive power reference. In addition, distribution principles can be divided into two conditions: when wind generators access to network on single node, the reactive power reference is distributed according to reactive power capacity; when wind generators access to network on multi-node, the reference is distributed according to sensitivity. Simulation results show the correctness and reliability of the strategy. Compared with traditional control strategy, the strategy described in this paper can make full use of generators reactive power output ability according to the distribution network voltage condition and improve the distribution network voltage level effectively.

Re-engineering pre-employment check-up systems: a model for improving health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Rateb, Said Abdel Hakim; El Nouman, Azza Abdel Razek; Rateb, Moshira Abdel Hakim; Asar, Mohamed Naguib; El Amin, Ayman Mohammed; Gad, Saad abdel Aziz; Mohamed, Mohamed Salah Eldin

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for improving health services provided by the pre-employment medical fitness check-up system affiliated to Egypt's Health Insurance Organization (HIO). Operations research, notably system re-engineering, is used in six randomly selected centers and findings before and after re-engineering are compared. The re-engineering model follows a systems approach, focusing on three areas: structure, process and outcome. The model is based on six main components: electronic booking, standardized check-up processes, protected medical documents, advanced archiving through an electronic content management (ECM) system, infrastructure development, and capacity building. The model originates mainly from customer needs and expectations. The centers' monthly customer flow increased significantly after re-engineering. The mean time spent per customer cycle improved after re-engineering--18.3 +/- 5.5 minutes as compared to 48.8 +/- 14.5 minutes before. Appointment delay was also significantly decreased from an average 18 to 6.2 days. Both beneficiaries and service providers were significantly more satisfied with the services after re-engineering. The model proves that re-engineering program costs are exceeded by increased revenue. Re-engineering in this study involved multiple structure and process elements. The literature review did not reveal similar re-engineering healthcare packages. Therefore, each element was compared separately. This model is highly recommended for improving service effectiveness and efficiency. This research is the first in Egypt to apply the re-engineering approach to public health systems. Developing user-friendly models for service improvement is an added value.

Assessment of Clinical Risk Management System in Hospitals: An Approach for Quality Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Farokhzadian, Jamileh; Dehghan Nayeri, Nahid; Borhani, Fariba

2015-03-18

Clinical risks have created major problems in healthcare system such as serious adverse effects on patient safety and enhancing the financial burden for the healthcare. Thus, clinical risk management (CRM) system has been introduced for improving the quality and safety of services to health care. The aim of this study was to assess the status of CRM in the hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 nursing staff from three teaching hospitals affiliated with the Kerman University of Medical Sciences in southeast of Iran. Data were collected from the participants using questionnaire and observational checklist in quality improvement offices and selected wards. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Almost, 57% of persons participated in at least one of training sessions on CRM. The status of CRM system was rated from weak to moderate (2.93±0.72- 3.18±0.66). Among the six domains of CRM system, the highest mean belonged to domain the monitoring of analysis, evaluation and risk control (3.18±0.72); the lowest mean belonged to domain the staff's knowledge, recognition and understanding of CRM (2.93±0.66). There were no integrated electronic systems for recording and analyzing clinical risks and incidents in the hospitals. Attempts have been made to establish CRM through improvement quality approach such as clinical governance and accreditation, but not enough, however, health care should move toward quality improvement and safe practice through the effective integration of CRM in organizational process.

Power Quality Improvements in Wind Diesel Power Generation System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omar Feddaoui

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Generation of electricity using diesel is costly for small remote isolated communities. At remote location electricity generation from renewable energy such as wind can help reduce the overall operating costs by reducing the fuel costs. However, the penetration of wind power into small diesel-based grids is limited because of its effect on power quality and reliability. This paper focuses on the combination of Wind Turbine and Diesel Generator systems for sustained power generation, to improve the power quality of wind generation system. The performances of the optimal control structure are assessed and discussed by means of a set of simulations.

SMES [Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage] systems applications to improve quality service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Esteban, P.; Gutierrez-Iglesias, J.L. [ASINEL (Spain); Bautista, A. [IBERDROLA (Spain); Rodriguez, J.M.; Urretavizcaya, E. [Red Electrica de Espana (Spain)

1997-12-31

This article presents the contribution of SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage) systems to improvement quality of service, either as a mitigating element or as a power support for critical loads. It also describes these systems and its operation. Finally, a description is shown of the state of the art of this technology in Spain, as developed until now in the AMAS500 project. (Author)

Control system design concepts for improving bilateral characteristics of master-slave manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hewitt, J.E.; Siva, K.V.

1986-01-01

The paper concerns control system design concepts for improving bilateral characteristics of master-slave manipulators. In particular, the article concentrates on the identification of the remote manipulative process itself from studying direct manipulation with hand tools. Bilateral servo loop systems in operator controlled manipular systems are discussed, as well as Bond Graph modelling techniques. The performance of different kinds of bilateral servos are compared. (U.K.)

Three-Dimensional Cockpit Display System for Improved Situational Awareness, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a 3D cockpit display (3D-COD) system for improved pilot situational awareness and safety in 3D airspace by...

Improved radon-flux-measurement system for uranium-tailings pile measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, H.D.

1981-10-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is developing cover technology for uranium mill tailings that will inhibit the diffusion of radon to the atmosphere. As part of this cover program, an improved radon flux measurement system has been developed. The radon measurement system is a recirculating, pressure-balanced, flow-through system that uses activated carbon at ambient temperatures to collect the radon. With the system, an area of 0.93 m 2 is sampled for periods ranging from 1 to 12 h. The activated carbon is removed from the radon trap and the collected radon is determined by counting the 214 Bi daughter product. Development of the system included studies to determine the efficiency of activated carbon, relative calibration measurements and field measurements made during 1980 at the inactive tailings pile in Grand Junction, Colorado. Results of these studies are presented

Increased water charges improve efficiency and equity in an irrigation system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Reid. Bell

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Conventional wisdom in many agricultural systems across the world is that farmers cannot, will not, or should not pay the full costs associated with surface water delivery. Across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD countries, only a handful can claim complete recovery of operation, maintenance, and capital costs; across Central and South Asia, fees are lower still, with farmers in Nepal, India, and Kazakhstan paying fractions of a U.S. penny for a cubic meter of water. In Pakistan, fees amount to roughly USD 1-2 per acre per season. However, farmers in Pakistan spend orders of magnitude more for diesel fuel to pump groundwater each season, suggesting a latent willingness to spend for water that, under the right conditions, could potentially be directed toward water-use fees for surface water supply. Although overall performance could be expected to improve with greater cost recovery, asymmetric access to water in canal irrigation systems leaves the question open as to whether those benefits would be equitably shared among all farmers in the system. We develop an agent-based model (ABM of a small irrigation command to examine efficiency and equity outcomes across a range of different cost structures for the maintenance of the system, levels of market development, and assessed water charges. We find that, robust to a range of different cost and structural conditions, increased water charges lead to gains in both efficiency and concomitant improvements in equity as investments in canal infrastructure and system maintenance improve the conveyance of water resources further down watercourses. This suggests that, under conditions in which (1 farmers are currently spending money to pump groundwater to compensate for a failing surface water system, and (2 there is the possibility that through initial investment to provide perceptibly better water supply, genuine win-win solutions can be attained through higher water-use fees to

Leveraging finances for public health system improvement: results from the Turning Point initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekemeier, Betty; Riley, Catharine M; Berkowitz, Bobbie

2007-01-01

Reforming the public health infrastructure requires substantial system changes at the state level; state health agencies, however, often lack the resources and support for strategic planning and systemwide improvement. The Turning Point Initiative provided support for states to focus on large-scale system changes that resulted in increased funding for public health capacity and infrastructure development. Turning Point provides a test case for obtaining financial and institutional resources focused on systems change and infrastructure development-areas for which it has been historically difficult to obtain long-term support. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive survey research was to enumerate the actual resources leveraged toward public health system improvement through the partnerships, planning, and implementation activities funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a part of the Turning Point Initiative.

Fellowship Program in Health System Improvement: A novel approach integrating leadership development and patient-centred health system transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Philippon, Donald J; Montesanti, Stephanie; Stafinski, Tania

2018-03-01

This article highlights a novel approach to professional development, integrating leadership, development and patient-centred health system transformation in the new Fellowship Program in Health System Improvement offered by the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Early assessment of the program is also provided.

Application of Synchrophasor Measurements for Improving Situational Awareness of the Power System

Science.gov (United States)

Obushevs, A.; Mutule, A.

2018-04-01

The paper focuses on the application of synchrophasor measurements that present unprecedented benefits compared to SCADA systems in order to facilitate the successful transformation of the Nordic-Baltic-and-European electric power system to operate with large amounts of renewable energy sources and improve situational awareness of the power system. The article describes new functionalities of visualisation tools to estimate a grid inertia level in real time with monitoring results between Nordic and Baltic power systems.

Evaluation and technologic improvement of an enhanced imaging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, D.

1990-08-01

Feature-based systems that combine imaging and signal analysis capabilities may be useful for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of plant components. This report describes the metallurgical evaluation conducted to verify the performance of a feature-based system to discriminate intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) from benign geometrical reflectors. The ultrasonic examination results were also evaluated by examination personnel trained in intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) detection techniques. The welds were examined prior to their removal from the recirculation and Residual-Heat-Removal (RHR) piping systems of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Plant, as described in the Phase 2 Interim Report issued in June 1989. In this phase of the program, a metallurgical evaluation was performed on piping system welds that were examined ultrasonically using a feature-based system for analysis. The feature-based system correctly identified crack, but incorrectly identified other features, e.g., root geometry and metallurgical interfaces, as cracks. While the results of the analysis by the feature-based system were not identical to the results of analysis by trained personnel, the overall performance of the feature-based system was comparable to that of the trained personnel. Based on the results of this program, the feature-based system may be useful as a supplementary method of identifying IGSCC indications. When used in conjunction with existing methods and techniques, it could improve the accuracy of IGSCC identification

Environmental problems related to winter traffic safety conditions

OpenAIRE

Hääl, Maire-Liis; Sürje, Peep

2006-01-01

The changeable Nordic climate has added problems to road maintenance and the environment to ensure traffic safety under winter conditions. The widespread use of salt (NaCl) for snow and ice removal from roads has resulted in environmental impacts in many areas. Some of the problems associated with the use of NaCl are the corrosion of bridges, road surfaces and vehicles and damage to roadside vegetation and aquatic system that are affected by water from de-iced roads. Accumulation of hard meta...

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system to improve the power quality of a split shaft microturbine power generation system

Science.gov (United States)

Oğuz, Yüksel; Üstün, Seydi Vakkas; Yabanova, İsmail; Yumurtaci, Mehmet; Güney, İrfan

2012-01-01

This article presents design of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the turbine speed control for purpose of improving the power quality of the power production system of a split shaft microturbine. To improve the operation performance of the microturbine power generation system (MTPGS) and to obtain the electrical output magnitudes in desired quality and value (terminal voltage, operation frequency, power drawn by consumer and production power), a controller depended on adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system was designed. The MTPGS consists of the microturbine speed controller, a split shaft microturbine, cylindrical pole synchronous generator, excitation circuit and voltage regulator. Modeling of dynamic behavior of synchronous generator driver with a turbine and split shaft turbine was realized by using the Matlab/Simulink and SimPowerSystems in it. It is observed from the simulation results that with the microturbine speed control made with ANFIS, when the MTPGS is operated under various loading situations, the terminal voltage and frequency values of the system can be settled in desired operation values in a very short time without significant oscillation and electrical production power in desired quality can be obtained.

Next Generation Civil Transport Aircraft Design Considerations for Improving Vehicle and System-Level Efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, Diana M.; Guynn, Mark D.; Wahls, Richard A.; DelRosario, Ruben,

2013-01-01

The future of aviation will benefit from research in aircraft design and air transportation management aimed at improving efficiency and reducing environmental impacts. This paper presents civil transport aircraft design trends and opportunities for improving vehicle and system-level efficiency. Aircraft design concepts and the emerging technologies critical to reducing thrust specific fuel consumption, reducing weight, and increasing lift to drag ratio currently being developed by NASA are discussed. Advancements in the air transportation system aimed towards system-level efficiency are discussed as well. Finally, the paper describes the relationship between the air transportation system, aircraft, and efficiency. This relationship is characterized by operational constraints imposed by the air transportation system that influence aircraft design, and operational capabilities inherent to an aircraft design that impact the air transportation system.

Optimisation of active suspension control inputs for improved performance of active safety systems

Science.gov (United States)

Čorić, Mirko; Deur, Joško; Xu, Li; Tseng, H. Eric; Hrovat, Davor

2018-01-01

A collocation-type control variable optimisation method is used to investigate the extent to which the fully active suspension (FAS) can be applied to improve the vehicle electronic stability control (ESC) performance and reduce the braking distance. First, the optimisation approach is applied to the scenario of vehicle stabilisation during the sine-with-dwell manoeuvre. The results are used to provide insights into different FAS control mechanisms for vehicle performance improvements related to responsiveness and yaw rate error reduction indices. The FAS control performance is compared to performances of the standard ESC system, optimal active brake system and combined FAS and ESC configuration. Second, the optimisation approach is employed to the task of FAS-based braking distance reduction for straight-line vehicle motion. Here, the scenarios of uniform and longitudinally or laterally non-uniform tyre-road friction coefficient are considered. The influences of limited anti-lock braking system (ABS) actuator bandwidth and limit-cycle ABS behaviour are also analysed. The optimisation results indicate that the FAS can provide competitive stabilisation performance and improved agility when compared to the ESC system, and that it can reduce the braking distance by up to 5% for distinctively non-uniform friction conditions.

Improvements to the annunciation and display systems at Gentilly 2 NGS - An integrated approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dufresne, R; Desaulniers, M [Central Nucleaire Gentilly, PQ (Canada)